A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of Jude

2. False Teachers are Clouds without rain; 'Tis the proposition of the Text; Partly because they make show of¹ more then they have, they boast of a false gift, Prov. 25. 14. There is a great deal of show to affect the minds of the simple, but little of substance and truth, like boxes in the Apothecaries Shop, that have a fair Title, but no Medicine in them; much pretence of light and spirit, and when all comes to all, there is nothing but pride and boldness: Aperiunt fontes doctrine, sed non habent aquam scientiae; they will adventure to rain, when they have but a few heat drops, a few poor fragments of truth, which being disguised and transformed into some strange conceits, are cried up for rare mysteries and attainments: However, thus much we learn from them, That 'tis seducer-like, to promise more then we can perform, and to be much in the pretence, when we have little of real and true solid worth. Partly because they do not that good to others which they promise to do; Satan will always be found a liar, 'tis the property of his instruments to beguile men into a false expectation: Papists cry up their Masses and Indulgences, which yet do not one penny worth of good: Preachers that study pomp and edification come with much fancy and appearance; but alas these airy notions are too fine for the conscience; seducers pretend to some heights of discovery, as if they would carry you into the third Heaven, but you are where you were at first; they promise you hidden Manna, rare discoveries of Christ; but is your heart the better? two things they never do, which may be explained by two properties of rain: Namely, Refreshing the earth and making it fruitful.

2. False Teachers are Clouds without rain; 'Tis the proposition of the Text; Partly because they make shew of¹ more then they have, they boast of a false gift, Prov. 25. 14. There is a great deal of shew to affect the minds of the simple, but little of substance and truth, like boxes in the Apothecaries Shop, that have a fair Title, but no Medicine in them; much pretence of light and spirit, and when all comes to all, there is nothing but pride and boldness: Aperiunt fontes doctrine, sed non habent aquam scientiae; they will adventure to rain, when they have but a few heat drops, a few poor fragments of truth, which being disguised and transformed into some strange conceits, are cryed up for rare mysteries and attainments: However, thus much we learn from them, That 'tis seducer-like, to promise more then we can perform, and to be much in the pretence, when we have little of real and true solid worth. Partly because they do not that good to others which they promise to do; Satan will always be found a lyar, 'tis the property of his instruments to beguil men into a false expectation: Papists cry up their Masses and Indulgences, which yet do not one penny worth of good: Preachers that study pomp and edification come with much fancy and appearance; but alass these airy notions are too fine for the conscience; seducers pretend to some heights of discovery, as if they would carry you into the third Heaven, but you are where you were at first; they promise you hidden Manna, rare discoveries of Christ; but is your heart the better? two things they never do, which may be explained by two properties of rain: Namely, Refreshing the earth and making it fruitful.