THE PARAPHRASE.

He begins with a Salutation. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ he might have claimed kindred to his Lord according to the flesh, but he waives that, and rather glories in being his servant; and brother of James - James is mentioned, because he was an eminent person in the church; to them that are sanctified by God the Fatherseparated from the idolatrous world, and consecrated by faith to the true God; and preserved in Jesus Christ from the corrupt practices of idolaters, and the errors of false teachers; preserved from the gates of hell, to the glory of heaven; and called-called out from the world, from vanity to seriousness, from uncleanness to holiness; unto you, may mercy for the best need mercy; and peace peace with God, and your own consciences; and love both to and from God, and to and from man; be increased and abound.

He then, having heard of the pernicious doctrines beginning to prevail, hastens to remind them of the salvation, common for both Jews and Gentiles; and to exhort them earnestly to contend for the faith, which was once delivered to the saints; to the holy prophets and apostles, and by them published to the world. For this faith, he exhorts them to contend, not furiously, but earnestly. To be open and bold in their profession, especially in times of notorious opposition. Not to contend for the discriminating badges of this or that sect; nor for any thing of later date than the inspired writings of the apostles and evangelists; but for that, which is really the Christian faith. And this is the reason of his exhortation. For, says he, there are certain men crept into the church unawares, under specious pretences; who were before of old ordained to a condemnation, similar to that about to be mentioned. Ungodly men; such as 'raise scruples, start questions, cause divisions, widen breaches, merely to advance or promote their own selfish, ambitious, or covetous ends. This has been the plague of the church in all ages.' Lascivious men; taking encouragement to sin more boldly, because the grace of God had often so wonderfully

abounded; pretending that God was so good, he would not punish sinners. And infidel men; denying not only all revealed, but also all natural religion.

Saint Jude then warns the christian converts of the danger to those who wavered, or did not stand steadfast in the faith; and for this purpose, he puts them in remembrance, though they once knew this, of certain special judgments upon apostates. He first refers them to the Israelites, who were led out of the land of Egypt by a series of amazing miracles, and yet were left to perish by thousands in the Wilderness, by reason of unbelief. He then alludes to the angels, who kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation. These angels were not pleased with the station, which the Supreme Monarch had assigned for them; but thought, like discontented men in our age, that they deserved a better. Thus pride was the immediate cause of their fall. These angels must have been in a state of probation, capable of standing or falling, as Adam was in Paradise. Thus they are reserved under darkness, unto the judgment of the Great Day. He next points them to the Cities of the Plain, Sodom, Gomorrha, Admah, and Zeboim, which are now covered by the Dead Sea. For going after strange flesh, the wicked inhabitants were set forth for an example, suffering, the cities literally, and the people figuratively, the vengeance of eternal fire. There was but one little Zoar spared, at the prayer of righteous Lot, for a refuge to him, and his family. Others must take heed, therefore, not to imitate their sins, lest the like plagues overtake them.

Saint Jude then reverts to the false teachers, and calls them filthy dreamers. They are as disobedient as the Israelites, rebellious as the fallen angels, and impure as the Sodomites. Being cast into a deep sleep of intoxication, through sin, they not only defile the flesh, but they despise dominion, are of a disturbed, seditious spirit, despising all law, and wishing to live as they list; and they speak evil of dignities, treating governors and government with contempt, and ridiculing all civil and divine institutions. Yet Michael the archangel, he says, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of

Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Some suppose, that Satan wished to find the body of Moses, which the Lord had buried, that the Jews might worship it. Others think, that by the body of Moses is meant the Jewish church, as the christian church is called the body of Christ. Yet even Michael did not think a good cause needed any such weapon as a railing accusation, to be employed in its defence. 'A memorandum to all disputants never to bring railing accusations into their disputes. Truth needs no supports from falsehood, or scurrility.' Like Michael, we should leave it to the Lord to rebuke the railer. But these dreamers, these false teachers, he says, speak evil of those things which they know not; namely, the origin and utility of civil government, that which even protects their own persons and property. How many, both things and persons, had never suffered by slanderous tongues, if they had been better known. But what they know naturally, as brute beasts, by mere natural instinct, they abuse; being slaves to their animal propensities, like the irrational brutes. They violate the dictates even of natural religion. The fault is not in their understanding, but in their depraved wills, and disordered affections, which they choose rather to gratify, than to mortify.

Saint Jude then breaks out into a Wo unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Corè. Like Cain, they are atheistical and profane, haters of their brethren, and slayers of the souls. of men. Like Balaam the son of Bosor, who sought to favour Balak, being greedy of present worldly honours, they pervert the word of God, refine away its meaning to suit the inclinations of men, and make a gain of godliness. And like Corah, who opposed Moses as priest, and Aaron as prince, so they oppose the authority of the Apostles of our Lord, and run into presumptions, in which they must assuredly perish as he did. Like Cain, and Balaam, and Korah of old, they are guilty of murder, covetousness, and rebellion, and must expect a like wo to follow them.

Again he goes on to denounce the false teachers, in a highly figurative style. He calls them spots in their

feasts of charity, or love-feasts, so much spoken of by the ancient church. These Love-Feasts were in use in the primitive church, until the middle of the fourth century. At first, they were held immediately before the Lord's Supper; but in time, immediately after it. At these feasts, the rich members entertained the poor members, the widows, orphans, and strangers; and all sat down and ate together, in token of a united love. But these hypocritical professors were spots or blemishes upon these feasts, eating and drinking as gluttons and wine-bibbers, without a holy fear and gratitude. He calls them clouds without water, carried about of winds. Formal professors, without active zeal, like clouds, which in a time of drought promise rain, but perform nothing of what they promise; and also ungrounded professors, who being light and empty, and easily carried about, this way or that, as the wind of their passions happens to set, may become a ready prey to each new doctrine. He calls them trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, planted in the Lord's vineyard, yet fruitless; men, who begin in the spirit, and end in the flesh; twice dead, once in the Jewish, and once in the christian vineyard; once before they professed, and once since, by a relapse into their former sins; plucked up by the roots, rooted out on that account, so that there is no more hope of them; now cumbering the ground, and reserved only for the fire. He calls them raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; boisterous, noisy, full of talk and turbulency, with but little sense or meaning; creating much uneasiness to men of better sense, and calmer tempers, and which will in the end but foam out their own greater shame. Lastly, he calls them wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. He does not compare them to the regular and fixed planets, which enlighten their own steady course; but to those baleful and erratic meteors, which lead simple souls astray, by their strange and bewildering gleamings. Like these meteors, these teachers are sometimes here, and sometimes there, so that one knows not, even with much ado, how or where to find or fix them; but to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. If this will not make those ministers, who

corrupt the word of God, and mislead the souls of man-kind, tremble, I know not what will.

Saint Jude then brings forward the prophecy of the pa-triarch Enoch. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed; and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him, as if he were an impostor. Enoch is called the seventh from Adam, to distinguish him from the two other Enochs, one the son of wicked Cain, the other the son of pious Seth. This prophecy was handed down, not by revelation, but tradition. Thus our Lord's coming to Judgment was prophesied, as early as the middle of the Patriarchal Age.

Saint Jude now turns once more, and enlarges on the character of these evil teachers. They are not only murmurers, whom neither God nor man can please, and who are never pleased with their own state; and complainers against Providence, and the civil laws, walking after their own eyes, letting their vicious appetites be their only rule, and thus engendering ungovernable passions; but they are also time-servers and flatterers, with their mouth speaking great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage; pretending to be in admiration at the wisdom or beauty of the great and rich, hoping thereby to acquire money or influence.

But, beloved, Saint Jude now turns back to the christian converts, But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before by our Lord's Apostles. They predicted that, in the last time, in the conclusion of the Jewish polity, these mockers, these sensualists, who are the worst of separatists, because they separate themselves from every branch of the church of Christ, should come. So that your faith should not be shaken, but rather confirmed, by the fulfilment of their prophecy. Therefore, being forewarned, be ye also forearmed, against deceivers. But ye, beloved, build up yourselves in the most holy faith, pray in the divine spirit of prayer, keep yourselves in the love of God, and look to the mercy, not to your im