A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of Jude

That Pagans and men out of the Church, are signified by the term ungodly, appeareth by 1 Pet. 4. 18. If judgement begin at the House of God, where shall the wicked and ungodly appear? where the ungodly are plainly opposed to the House of God. Again, the unjustified estate is expressed by ungodliness, as the Apostle when he speaketh of the justifying of Abraham and David, he gave the Lord his Title, Rom, 4. 5. God that justifieth the ungodly; and so Christ is said, to dye for the ungodly, Rom. 5. 9. The reason of which expression is, because the people of the Jews were divided into▪ three ranks or sorts, there were [Greek or Hebrew] the ungodly [Greek or Hebrew] the just, and [Greek or Hebrew] the good, or to keep their own terms, there were Reshagnim, the wicked or violent, and Tsidikim, the just, and Chasidim the good, or the bountiful; now (saith the Apostle) scarcely for a righteous man would one dye; that is, for a man of a rigid innocency, but for the good man, that is, the bountiful, the ⟨p. 190⟩useful, a man would even dare to dye; but Christ dyed for us when we were Reshagnim, sinners, enemies, &c. Again, more especially, ungodliness implieth the transgression of the first Table, as Rom. 1. 18. where all sin is distinguished into [Greek or Hebrew], ungodliness, and [Greek or Hebrew], unrighteousness, ungodliness in respect of duty to God, and unrighteousness in respect of the duty to men; and also where sin is distinguished into ungodliness and worldly lusts, Tit. 2. 12. So that it chiefly signifieth that part of sin whereby we rob God of his honour, respect and service, established by the first Table, and it may be described to be a not giving God his right or due honour.

That Pagans and men out of the Church, are signifyed by the term ungodly, appeareth by 1 Pet. 4. 18. If judgement begin at the House of God, where shall the wicked and ungodly appear? where the ungodly are plainly opposed to the House of God. Again, the unjustifyed estate is expressed by ungodlyness, as the Apostle when he speaketh of the justifying of Abraham and David, he gave the Lord his Title, Rom, 4. 5. God that justifyeth the ungodly; and so Christ is said, to dye for the ungodly,