An Exposition of Pauls Epistles, Letter 22
The Epistle of IUDE the Apostle Analytically Expounded.
THE CONTENTS.
CErtain masters of Heresies arose, who abused the grace of God, to the liberty of the flesh, and under the pretence of the Gospel, let loose the reigns to all manner of wickedness, and plainly mocked at the holy conversation of true Beleevers, as of simple Idiots, which were ignorant of true Christian liberty. Against these pestilent inventions God stirred up Peter the Apostle, and this Jude, who is here, and Act. 1. called the Brother of James the less, called Alpheus: Hee was the Kinsman of our Lord, Mat. 13.55. who is named Lebbeus and Thaddeus, Mat. 10.3. This our Apostle exhorts the Faithful, to whom hee writes, that they would constantly stand up for the defence of the Doctrine of the Gospel against false Teachers, of whom Peter had warned them, 2 Pet. 2. handling the very same Argument▪ There are three parts of this Epistle: A Preface, vers. 1, 2. An Exhortation to contend for the true Faith against Impostors, to vers. 24. The Conclusion, in the two last verses.
Vers. 1. JUde the servant of Iesus Christ, and Brother of Iames, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Iesus Christ, and called:
The Preface contains an inscription, and salutation; The inscription shews the direction of this Epistle, from whom, and to whom it was written. The writer of this Epistle is (1) described from his name; (2) from his Apostolical office, under the name of a servant (in which title hee more glories, than in the natural relation which was betwixt him and Christ the Lord.) (3) From the distinction of himself, from Iudas the Traitor, from whom, not onelyonly in his disposition, but also in his name, hee desired to bee differenced.
Those to whom hee writes, are described from four properties of the Elect. (1) They are in God the Father▪ i. e. reconciled by Christ, they have communion, or an holy fellowship with God. (2) They are sanctified by the special operation and inhabitation of the Holy Ghost. (3) Preserved by the gift of perseverance from Christ the Redeemer, who suffers none of his to bee taken out of his hand. (4) Called, not onelyonly with an outward call, but with an inward and effectual calling.
Vers. 2. Mercy unto you, and Peace, and love be multiplied.
In his salutation, by Apostolical authority, hee does not onelyonly▪, wish, but applies to the confirmation of their Fait…, (1) The Mercy of God, which heal… all our evils, viz. our sin and misery. (2) Peace, which comprehends the parts of our Reconciliation and felicity. (3) And Love, which, as the spring of all good things, comprehends grace, and all those effects, which conduce to our sanctification, and the compleating of our salvation. Hee desires that all these may bee multiplied in respect to the degrees of increase and manifestation, in other various effects, such as the glory of God and their salvation should require.
Vers. 3. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for mee to write unto you, and exhort you, that yee should earnestly contend for the Faith, which was once delivered unto the Saints.
The body and substance of the Epistle follows, wherein hee propounds the cause and scope of his writing, which hee further prosecutes. Two Reasons of his writing hee sets down: (1) His earnest desire, not onelyonly in respect to his office in preaching the Gospel, wheresoever occasion was offered; but also of writing concerning the common Salvation of the Elect, obtained by Christ, and by degrees is to bee perfected, which is the summe of the Gospel. (2) The second Reason: The necessities of the Church, being in danger by seducers, which urged him to write this Epistle. These things being premised, hee propounds the scope of the Epistle, which is, that they would by all means indeavour to preserve the Apostolical doctrine to themselves and posterity, from the corruption of seducers. Sound Doctrine hee calls the Faith, viz. to bee beleeved, because it contains all things necessary to bee beleeved unto salvation. Once delivered to the Saints, hee saith▪ Because with one consent all the Apostles fully and perfectly delivered the same Truth, according to the Scriptures written before, concerning salvation to bee obtained by Faith in Christ; that they might have an immutable rule for obtaining eternal life, and without addition or diminution to bee observed to the coming of the Lord. For this Faith, hee wills them to contend, because the Flesh, the Devil, and the World, and the servants of Satan which are in it, will never cease to oppose this Truth, so that of necessity it lies upon all true Beleevers to maintain an irreconcileable war with these.
Vers. 4. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the onelyonly Lord God, and our Lord Iesus Christ.
The Arguments of his Exhortation are nine, whereof most of them are taken from the sins and punishments of seducers.
Argum. 1. Which proves that the Apostolical Faith is to be diligently preserved from the corruptions of seducers, which was once committed to the Church. Because the danger was great, by reason of seducers, who had privily crept in, as adversaries to this Doctrine: Whom hee so describes, that each part of the description might serve to this end. For (1) The manner of insinuating their errour to the Brethren was latent and private; for before they could bee well observed, by indirect waies and means, they closely instilled their errours into the minds of some. (2) Not without the divine decree were they permitted to follow their own devices, for the sifting and winnowing of the Church. For in the holy and eternal Counsel of God they were reprobated, and destined, that through their sins they should come to this condemnation, no less c…rtainly, than if their names were written in a book. (3) They were ungodly, touched with no sense and reverence of the Divine Majesty, either to serve him, or beleeve in him. (4) The Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, or the Doctrine of Grace (which is set forth in the Gospel, to this very end, that men denying all ungodliness might live holily:) they directly perverted to a quite contrary end, and turned it into an occasion of all lasciviousness, and carnal delights. (5) Indeed, in their doctrine and deeds, they denied our onelyonly Lord and Master, and our God Jesus Christ, whom hee calls the onelyonly Lord God, not excluding the Father, and the Holy Ghost, but creatures, and feigned Deities: Therefore against these seducers, the purity of the Faith is to bee preserved.
Vers. 5. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though yee once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the Land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that beleeved not.
Argum. 2. God destroyed the unbeleeving Apostate Israelites in the wilderness, after they were brought out of Egypt: Therefore warned by their examples, yee ought to beware, lest seduced, yee perish with others.
Vers. 6. And the Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, hee hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgement of the great day.
Arg. 3. God hath condemned the Apostate Angels (cast out of Heaven) to eternal destruction, by an irreversible decree: Therefore the faithful should beware of Apostasie, lest they also perish.
Vers. 7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Cities about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire:
Arg. 4. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Cities about them, after they had given themselves over to fornication and filthy lusts (with which these Impostors polluted themselves) and for an example to those that should come after, cast them into eternal fire; You must beware therefore of these Impostors, which may draw you into the like sins and punishments.
Vers. 8. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
Arg. 5. Because these Impostors are as vessels, fitted to destruction, whom God in like manner will destroy: the reason whereof hee gives from nine or more sins which reigned in them: From which their fruits, as so many marks, they shewed forth themselves to bee openly known and discerned. (1) The first vice of these Libertines was; That deluded with dreams they defiled the flesh, that is to say, they securely gave themselves over to lust, and other hainous sins▪ by their diabolical inchantments they were bewitched in their minds and consciences, as if they had been taken with a dream. (2) The second vice was; They were adversaries to Civil Government, not enduring any kind of Magistracy or Dominion, but heaped up reproaches and evil speakings upon those honourable Ordinances of God, even as at this day wee see in the carriage of the fanatick Anabaptists.
Vers. 9. Yet Michael the Archangel, when contending with the Devil, hee disputed about the body of Moses, du…st not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Hee amplifies this vice, from Michael the Archangel his disputing with Satan about the body of Moses, that his sepulchre might not bee known to the Israelites, who would superstitiously have worshiped his reliques being dead, whose words they despised while hee was alive. Hee durst not, or could not by reason of his sanctity, cast such reproaches upon Satan, as those Hereticks did upon Magistracy: It was enough for the Archangel to say, The Lord rebuke thee, or restrain thy purposes. From whence the Apostle fetched this history, they vainly inquire, who acknowledge the Scriptures to bee of divine inspiration.
Vers. 10. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
(3) The third vice; That seeing they were ignorant of divine ordinances, Christian duties, and of all spiritual things, not only void, but uncapable, yet impudently they dare to belch out their blasphemies against those things. (4) The fourth vice, they are taxed with, is, That those things which naturally they know, as sensitive animals, in them they deport themselves below the very beasts, and prompt themselves to all lust and intemperance.
Vers. 11. We unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the errour of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gain saying of Core.
(5) The fift vice; That when the curse of God is denounced against them, their hatred to their brethren is as great as that of Cain, who slew his brother▪ (6) The sixth vice, is Covetousness, like that of Balaam, who as hee made sale of his tongue, so they for filthy lucre adulterated and corrupted the Doctrine of Christ. (7) The seventh vice, is, Sedition, (like that of Core) whereby they oppose themselves to the true Ministers of the Gospel, and by their tumults disturb the peace of the Church, who shall perish in their sedition, as Core did.
Vers. 12. These are spots in your feasts of Charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds: trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.
(8) The eighth vice was Glutt…ny, whereby they corrupted both themselves and others by their evil examples, in their Christian feasts, which were designed for the encrease of love amongst them, but by such like Epicures were turned into feedings of Swine: whilst they cast off the fear of God, and attended to nothing but gluttony and intemperance: feeding their own flesh, but not the souls of their Auditors. (9) The ninth vice, or rather an heap of vices, is shadowed under divers similitudes, that they were most unfit for the work of the Ministery, and indeed reprobate to every good work: for as empty clouds carried about with every wind, that saving doctrine which they seemed to promise, yeelded no dew or showres any where, but frustrated the earnest expectation of their hearers; and although they bear the shew of good fruit, and boast themselves to bee such, yet they are but autumne, and fruit-spoiling trees, because if they promise any fruit, yet they bring it to no ripeness or maturity: Much rather may they bee called unfruitful, in as much as they bring forth no wholesome fruit, neither in themselves, nor their followers: And as trees cut down, withered, and rooted up, they leave no hopes of bringing forth any fruit, so they continue in their wickedness, dead by nature, and by their further wickedness contract judicial hardness of heart, as if dead the second time, and now given up to a reprobate sense, all hope is gone of their repentance and amendment.
Vers. 13. Raging waves of the Sea, foming out their own shame, wandring Stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
Lastly, Such they are that cannot leave off to bee wicked, but like waters of the boiling Sea, alwaies they discover their filthiness; nor are they more constant in their doctrine, than wandring Stars in their motion. Against whom hee denounces the most palpable and deep infernal darkness, as the just meed of their wickedness.
Vers. 14. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh, with ten thousand of his Saints,
15. To execute judgement 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.
Arg. 6. Whereby hee proves, that wee should beware of seducers, &c. Because Enoch the seventh inclusively from Adam, by a spirit of prophecie foretold of the sins of these Impostors, and their condemnation in the day of judgement: when Christ shall bring along with him myriads of Saints and Angels to execute judgement upon all the ungodly, and especially will punish those who have stubbornly used their tongues against God, and his most holy Truth. Concerning the prophecie of Enoch, whether it was written before, or no, or how the Apostle came to know the Truth of it, wee say the same as before, that the Spirit of God, which spake in Enoch, dictated the same to the Apostle, even that which by Enoch hee had foretold long before; both what and how much hee should commit to writing, the same was prescribed to the Apostle.
Vers. 16. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having mens persons in admiration because of advantage.
That a conclusion may bee drawn, touching the destruction of these seducers, according to the prophecie of Enoch, and that by consequence they are to bee avoided, by way of assumption, hee shews these seducers to bee such, as Enoch had described them, to bee destroyed, from four marks.
(1) The first mark: They were murmurers, and complainers, never content with their condition, no waies satisfied concerning the righteous ordinations of God in Church or Common-wealth, impatient of any restraint, they carp'd at every thing, and discommended all things.
(2) They appointed to themselves a rule, neither from divine Laws in divine or Ecclesiastical things, nor from humane Laws in humane or civil Affairs, but onelyonly their own wills and pleasures.
(3) Though they were the vilest slaves to their own lusts, yet that they might maintain some esteem, where there was none to controul their insolency, they spake high swelling words, in a lofty stile, ordered to create admiration with the people.
(4) On the other side, if there were any that they feared, or from whom they hoped for any gain, those they unworthily flattered, highly esteemed them, admired them, cryed them up, they nothing regarding whether they were worthy or unworthy.
Vers. 17. But, beloved, remember yee the words which were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ:
18. How that they told you there should bee mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
Arg. 7. Wee must beware of seducers, because the rest of the Apostles foretold that such Sons of Belial should arise in the Church, as Enoch had foretold.
Vers. 19. These bee they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
That a conclusion may bee drawn for the avoiding the forementioned seducers, hee affirms that the… with whom they had to do were Impostors, and that by two marks. The first mark, That they separated themselves from the true Church of Christ, and from the sound doctrine of the Apostles, not out of any necessity, or from any divine warrant, but onelyonly upon their own pleasure, that they might not abide under the Lords yoak, or his discipline. The second mark, They were Natural, having not the Spirit, Because they being void of Regenerating Grace, onelyonly savoured and followed the things to which Nature leads, or natural Reason not divinely illuminated; therefore they were destitute of the Spirit, or of the Grace of God sanctifying; It remains that sense and the flesh should reign in full power, and would force them to all pollutions both of body and soul.
Vers. 20. But yee, Beloved, building up your selves on your most holy Faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Arg. 8. Proving perseverance in the Faith, propounded by way of precept against the contrivances of these seducers: Because the Holy Ghost hath prescribed the means by which both they may persevere, as also they that have fallen back may bee recovered. And hee propounds a Reason, whereby they may slight the devices of Satan, viz. (1) If they would lay their foundation upon the most holy Doctrine of the Apostles, which hath no mixture of humane inventions, and would not depart any thing at all from it. (2) If they would daily take care to carry on the superstructure, and would strive unto perfection in the knowledge and beleef of the Truth revealed in the Word of God. (3) If they were diligent in their prayers, out of a sense of their necessities, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which helps the infirmities of the Saints, and shews them for what, and how they must pray according to the will of God.
Vers. 21. Keep your selves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ unto eternal life.
(4) If they indeavoured to love their brethren and neighbours out of a sense of the love of God towards them. (5) If they would set the coming of the Lord before their eyes. (6) If they apprehended eternal life. (7) If against their own unworthiness they adhered to the mercy of Christ, who is so to bee our Judge, that hee will take the Gospel, and the free benefit of our Redemption (procured by himself) for his rule. From this it follows, that wee ought to persevere in the Faith.
Vers. 22. And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23. And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire: bating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Arg. 9. Is propounded by way of precept, because a reason is given of God to the Church, whereby not onelyonly they may persevere, but they may reduce into the way those that wandred out, and raise up those that were fallen: To wit, if they would handle every one according to his condition, i. e. putting a difference between those that erre; mercy and compassion was to be used towards those that were tractable and meek; but if any one was stubborn, and more securely shall indulge himself in his sin, with fear, and a more severe castigation, they should endeavour to preserve him to wit, by excommunication, if otherwise hee could not be amended. There are two Reasons given of this.
Reas. 1. Under a fit similitude, for where wee see any one in danger to be burnt with fire, we stick not to snatch him out by force: So are they to be cured, who repent not, unless they be sharply handled, who are to be rescued from hell and destruction even by the severest censures.
Reas. 2. By an allusion to a Legal type, Levit. 15. Because where there is danger of infection and contagion, as in obstinate offenders, and such as lead the way to others, their society is to be avoided, and wee must depart from such Libertines, given up to the pollution of the flesh. As in times past under the Law there was a separation from Lepers, and those that were pestilentially infected, which is the consequence of excommunication.
Vers. 24. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy,
The third part of the Epistle remains, to wit, the conclusion, in which hee shews, that all the praise of their perseverance is to be given unto God, lest any man should ascribe too much to the power of man, whose diligence in the use of means, as to the premises, is so much urged. These five following Reasons shew, that the praise of not perseverance is wholly to be attributed unto Christ.
Is able] Reas. 1. Because the power of preserving beleevers, wholly abides in him, that in this life they might not fall or faint in the course of holiness.
To present] Reas. 2. Because there is power in him to present all his in the day of judgement unblameable in the sight of God, with exceeding joy.
Vers. 25. To the onelyonly wise God our Saviour, bee glory and majesty, dominion and power, now and ever. Amen.
Reas. 3. Because hee is the onelyonly wise God, that by his own waies and means hee may accomplish this whole business.
Saviour] Reas. 4. Because hee is our Saviour, by his merit, office, and efficacy, it is necessary hee should accomplish what hee hath undertaken.
Glory] Reas. 5. Because in every one of his works hee willeth the manifestation of his glory. So that chiefly in this business he will have the glory of his Majesty appear, his infinite power to be seen, and his supream authority over all men and things, to be eminently discovered and acknowledged, both now and for ever. Therefore you that are true beleevers shall persevere, and all the glory of your salvation shall bee given unto God, to whom of right it belongs, and shall be ascribed for ever. Amen.
THE END.