AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE-Verse 18 – Thomas Manton
Verse 18
Ver. 18. How that they told you that there should be mockers in the last time, walking after their own ungodly lusts.
How that they told you. He meaneth not in word, but in writings. They told the church in general, but the apostle applieth it to them. Places are everywhere, 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2 Tim. iii. 1, Acts xx. 29, 30. In the last time. The days when the gospel was first preached are so called in a double sense—
(1.) Either with respect to the approaching judgments on the Jews: 1 John ii. 18, ‘Little children, now it is the last time.’ The lease of their mercies was running out apace; so James telleth the carnal Jews, James v. 3, ‘Ye have heaped up treasure for the last days.’ When God was pulling down and plucking up, they were scraping and hoarding up wealth, and so became a greater prey to the destroyer. Or
(2.) Because then the last dispensation began, which God would continue without change unto the world’s end: Heb. i. 2, ‘He hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son.’ The Lord hath now fully revealed his mind, and the doctrine of salvation is put into a settled course, never more to be altered.
But why do the scriptures speak so much of scoffers in the last time? I answer:—
(1.) Either by way of aggravation, that there should be scoffers then, when God had sealed doctrine by the coming of his Son, beyond which godly men did not desire a greater confirmation;
(2.) Or διακριτικῶς, by way of distinction, more mockers in the last time rather than another, partly because the world was still continued, notwithstanding the threatenings of its destruction, 2 Peter iii. 4; partly because the holy people were then divided, Jews and Christians, and times of division prove times of atheism and scoffing; partly because carnal hopes of a temporal Messiah were disappointed, and by that means their assent was much weakened as to principles of faith.
Mockers. Some think it implieth seducers, who, by deluding, do, as it were, make a mock of men. But I suppose it is rather taken properly for such as in the Old Testament are termed ‘scorners,’ Prov. ix., or ‘scoffers.’ When men slight that of which themselves or others have had a high esteem, they usually do it by scorning and scoffing, thereby the more to deface all feelings of conscience. If you inquire what they mocked at, I answer—
In general, it seemeth to be the Lordship of Christ; in particular, the glorious exercise of it at the day of judgment: ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’ 2 Peter iii. 4. And therefore is Enoch’s prophecy produced, which foretelleth the Lord’s ‘coming with ten thousands of his saints;’ and Hieron. in Isa. lib. xiv. cap. 51, telleth us of a discourse between Peter and Simon Magus, against whose school and sect our apostle is supposed to write, concerning the destruction of the world. If God be good, saith Simon, why will he destroy that which is good? if the world be bad, how is God good that made it? &c.
These scorners are said to walk after their own ungodly lusts. Walking implieth their settled course and daily custom of life; and their lusts are called ungodly lusts, partly to note the profane temper of their spirits, and partly to distinguish them from the motions and lustings of the new nature.
The notes are these:—
Obs. 1. What is told to the church in general, we must apprehend it as told to us. Paul telleth Timothy, and Peter telleth the distressed strangers, and Jude saith they told you. So Heb. xii. 5, ‘The exhortation speaketh to you,’ &c.; as if the Hebrews were the persons to whom the Proverbs were directly written. The scriptures speak to every age, every church, every person, no less than to those to whom they were first directed. Well, then, it showeth us how we should be affected in reading the word; we should read it as a letter written by the hand of God from heaven to us by name. If an angel should bring us a letter from heaven, certainly we would regard it. The Bible is a message sent from heaven to acquaint us with the mind of God; if we own the divine authority of it, why do we regard it no more?
Obs. 2. We should not be troubled at what is foretold; monsters expected are not wondered at; expectation, as it deflowereth any good. thing that we expect, so it fore-armeth the mind against evil: John xvi. 4, ‘These things I have told you, that when the time shall come ye may remember.’ I have told you. Why? What good will that do? Ans. We are the better prepared to entertain evils when we expect them before they come, and the evil to which the mind is accustomed seemeth the less. Again, we have an experience of God’s truth in the prediction, which will help us to believe and depend upon other promises. Finally, it assureth us that the Lord hath a hand and a counsel in all our troubles, for he told us of them before.
Obs. 3. That the scriptures speak much of the evil of the latter times; there is more knowledge, and yet more sin and error. Knowledge, where it is not sanctified, puffeth up and maketh men curious, and so they have an itch after novelties; or else it maketh men wicked, exasperating our evil affections, and so, none so bad as they that sin against light; hence much of the error and profaneness in the latter clays. Again, the latter days are as the bottom and sink that receive the dregs of foregoing ages, and as the world groweth old it is much given to dreams and dotage. Once more, much division there will be, and ‘beating their fellow-servants,’ Mat. xxiv. 49. Much libertinism; instead of casting off ceremonies, they will cast off ordinances, and desire to be freed not only from the Pope’s laws, but the very law of Christ.
Obs. 4. Among other sins that are found in the latter times, there will be many scoffers, partly because in times of controversy men will lose all awe—when truths are made questionable assent is weakened; partly because in times of liberty men will give vent to their thoughts; partly because the scandals of professing Christians will make many turn atheists; partly because fabulous conceits concerning the coming and temporal kingdom of Christ will make men question the whole doctrine of his coming. Well, then, wonder not if you find many scoffing at the authority of the scriptures, Godhead of Christ, day of judgment, the ordinances, fasting and prayer. The latter age will yield such kind of men; and it is one of the arts of Satan, by his instruments, to make things of the saddest and most serious concernment to seem ridiculous, that when once the awe of these blessed truths is weakened, men may be more easily induced to cast off both the concernment and profession of them.
Obs. 5. Mockers and scoffers are usually the worst of sinners. In, the first psalm there are three degrees of sinners mentioned, and the highest rank are those ‘that sit in, the seat of scorners,’ Ps. i. 1. The Septuagint render there λοιμῶν, ‘the chair of pestilences.’ These are the pests of mankind. Scorning comes from custom in sinning, and maketh way for freedom in sinning. When conscience is seared, and men have lost not only restraints of grace, but natural modesty, then they fall a-scoffing; and when once they are turned scoffers, nothing will reclaim them. Reproofs enrage them. ‘Rebuke a scorner, and he will hate thee,’ Prov. ix. 8; yea, none do the devil so much service in preventing others as they. If your feet have been taken in this snare of death, extricate yourselves betimes. Beg earnestly for the more grace; there is some hope; God inviteth scorners, Prov. i. 22.
Obs. 6. Again observe, those that cast off the awe of the Lord’s coming will certainly give up themselves to brutish lusts. Those mockers that said, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’ are said here to ‘walk after their own lusts.’ Negantes enim poenam, negant et disciplinam, saith Tertullian (De Resurrect., cap. 11)— denying the resurrection of the flesh, they must needs be fleshly; for therefore they denied the day of his coming, to avoid the fear of his judgment.
Obs. 7. It argueth a state of wickedness to walk after our own lusts; that is, when sin and lust is our constant practice. A godly person may too often do according to his lusts, but he does not walk therein, it is not his constant road and path: Ps. lxviii. 21, ‘He will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeson still in his trespasses.’ Such as go on still are there accounted enemies to God. But what is to walk in sin? Ans. To make lust our principle, our course, our end. Our principle: Whatever a wicked man goesabout, he doth it out of some carnal impulse. His good duties are either to hide a lust or feed a lust. If he abstain from one sin, it is to feed another. Again, when it is our way and course: carnal men follow earthly things with greater earnestness and delight, but heavenly things in a slight and overly manner. The world and the flesh is their ἔργον, their business, all their care and comfort is it; and this is their end, to please themselves and to satisfy their lusts. Well, then, ‘walk in the Spirit, that you may not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.’ See ver. 16.