A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of Jude

From that [defile the flesh] Observe, That dreams of ¹error dispose to practices of sin and uncleanness, and impurity of Religion is usually joined with uncleanness of Body: which cometh to pass partly by the just judgment of God, who punisheth spiritual fornication with bodily, Hos. 4. 12. 13. They have gone an whoring from their God, therefore their Daughters shall commit whoredom, and their Spouses adultery. That is Gods course, that the odiousness of the one may make them see the heinousness of the other: see Rom. 1. 24. Partly by the ^*influence of error, it perverteth the heart, a frame of truth preserveth the awe of God in the soul, and a right belief maketh the manners Orthodox: all sins are rooted in wrong thoughts of God, 3 Ep. John 11. Either in unbelief or misbelief; unbelief is the Mother of sin, and misbelief the Nurse of it; it springeth from distrust, and is countenanced by error: Partly because the design of most errors is to put the soul into a liberty which God never allowed; some errors come from the pride of reason, because it will not veil and strike sail to faith; but most come from vile affection, a carnal heart must be gratified with a carnal Doctrine, 2 Pet. 2. 18. They promise liberty, &c. Errors are but a device to cast off Christs yoke, and to •ull the conscience asleep in a course of disobedience. Well then, avoid error of judgement if you would avoid filthiness of conversation; men first dream, and then defile the flesh, abominable impurities (unless temper of nature and posture of interests hinder) are the usual fruit of evil opinions: Truth is the root of holiness, sanctify them by thy truth thy word is truth, Joh. 17. 17. Gods blessing goeth with his own doctrine, 2 Pet 1. 22. Again, those that have taken up the profession of a right way of Religion should beware of staining it by such kind of practices, nothing maketh the ways of God suspected so much as the scandals of