A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of Jude

Once more observe, These ungodly men are the rather ¹judged, because they commit sin with an ungodly mind, or sin with a sinning mind; for so 'tis in the Text; ungodly ⟨p. 445⟩deeds ungodly committed: A child of God may fall into wickedness, but he doth not commit it wickedly, with a full consent; men are not condemned for infirmities but iniquities; as a child of God cannot act with such liberty, purity and perfection in the ways of God, as he doth desire, so in the ways of sin he cannot do what he would, nor be carried out with such a full bent and purpose of heart, as wicked men are, because of the opposition of the new nature; to this latter sense is it said, Gal. 5. 17. Ye cannot do the things that ye would, as will appear by a serious inspection of the context: wicked men follow the Derils work with all their might, Micah 7. 3. They do evil with both hands, earnestly, the Lord that is tender of those that sin through infirmity, yet taketh notice to the purpose when men sin for sins sake, and their hearts are largely and eagerly set upon it; those that are disclaimed at the day of judgment, are called workers of iniquity, Mat. 7. 23. such as make a business and a trade of it; a godly man doth not so much act sin as he suffereth by it, peccatum patitur non facit, Bernard. He doth not pour out his whole heart this way, there are constant dislikes in the soul, which are a let and restraint to him; usually the sins of the godly are either sins of ignorance, incogitancy, sudden surreption, and daily incursion, if they sin deliberately there is not such a spite and rage, as there is to be found in the sins of the wicked.

Once more observe, These ungodly men are the rather ¹judged, because they commit sin with an ungodly mind, or sin with a sinning mind; for so 'tis in the Text; ungodly ⟨p. 445⟩deeds ungodly committed: A child of God may fall into wickedness, but he doth not commit it wickedly, with a full consent; men are not condemned for infirmities but iniquities; as a child of God cannot act with such liberty, purity and perfection in the ways of God, as he doth desire, so in the ways of sin he cannot do what he would, nor be carried out with such a full bent and purpose of heart, as wicked men are, because of the opposition of the new nature; to this latter sense is it said,