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** This epistle is addressed to all believers in the gospel. Its

design appears to be to guard believers against the false

teachers who had begun to creep into the Christian church, and

to scatter dangerous tenets, by attempting to lower all

Christianity into a merely nominal belief and outward profession

of the gospel. Having thus denied the obligations of personal

holiness, they taught their disciples to live in sinful courses,

at the same time flattering them with the hope of eternal life.

The vile character of these seducers is shown, and their

sentence is denounced, and the epistle concludes with warnings,

admonitions, and counsels to believers.

* The apostle exhorts to stedfastness in the faith. (1-4) The

danger of being infected by false professors, and the dreadful

punishment which shall be inflicted on them and their followers.

(5-7) An awful description of these seducers and their

deplorable end. (8-16) Believers cautioned against being

surprised at such deceivers arising among them. (17-23) The

epistle ends with an encouraging doxology, or words of praise.

(24,25)

‏ Jude

1-4 Christians are called out of the world, from the evil

spirit and temper of it; called above the world, to higher and

better things, to heaven, things unseen and eternal; called from

sin to Christ, from vanity to seriousness, from uncleanness to

holiness; and this according to the Divine purpose and grace. If

sanctified and glorified, all the honour and glory must be

ascribed to God, and to him alone. As it is God who begins the

work of grace in the souls of men, so it is he who carries it

on, and perfects it. Let us not trust in ourselves, nor in our

stock of grace already received, but in him, and in him alone.

The mercy of God is the spring and fountain of all the good we

have or hope for; mercy, not only to the miserable, but to the

guilty. Next to mercy is peace, which we have from the sense of

having obtained mercy. From peace springs love; Christ's love to

us, our love to him, and our brotherly love to one another. The

apostle prays, not that Christians may be content with a little;

but that their souls and societies may be full of these things.

None are shut out from gospel offers and invitations, but those

who obstinately and wickedly shut themselves out. But the

application is to all believers, and only to such. It is to the

weak as well as to the strong. Those who have received the

doctrine of this common salvation, must contend for it,

earnestly, not furiously. Lying for the truth is bad; scolding

for it is not better. Those who have received the truth must

contend for it, as the apostles did; by suffering with patience

and courage for it, not by making others suffer if they will not

embrace every notion we call faith, or important. We ought to

contend earnestly for the faith, in opposition to those who

would corrupt or deprave it; who creep in unawares; who glide in

like serpents. And those are the worst of the ungodly, who take

encouragement to sin boldly, because the grace of God has

abounded, and still abounds so wonderfully, and who are hardened

by the extent and fulness of gospel grace, the design of which

is to deliver men from sin, and bring them unto God. 5-7 Outward privileges, profession, and apparent conversion,

could not secure those from the vengeance of God, who turned

aside in unbelief and disobedience. The destruction of the

unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness, shows that none ought

to presume on their privileges. They had miracles as their daily

bread; yet even they perished in unbelief. A great number of the

angels were not pleased with the stations God allotted to them;

pride was the main and direct cause or occasion of their fall.

The fallen angels are kept to the judgment of the great day; and

shall fallen men escape it? Surely not. Consider this in due

time. The destruction of Sodom is a loud warning to all, to take

heed of, and flee from fleshly lusts that war against the soul,

#1Pe 2:11|. God is the same holy, just, pure Being now, as then.

Stand in awe, therefore, and sin not, #Ps 4:4|. Let us not rest

in anything that does not make the soul subject to the obedience

of Christ; for nothing but the renewal of our souls to the

Divine image by the Holy Spirit, can keep us from being

destroyed among the enemies of God. Consider this instance of

the angels, and see that no dignity or worth of the creature is

of avail. How then should man tremble, who drinketh iniquity

like water! #Job 15:16|. 8-16 False teachers are dreamers; they greatly defile and

grievously wound the soul. These teachers are of a disturbed

mind and a seditious spirit; forgetting that the powers that be,

are ordained of God, #Ro 13:1|. As to the contest about the body

of Moses, it appears that Satan wished to make the place of his

burial known to the Israelites, in order to tempt them to

worship him, but he was prevented, and vented his rage in

desperate blasphemy. This should remind all who dispute never to

bring railing charges. Also learn hence, that we ought to defend

those whom God owns. It is hard, if not impossible, to find any

enemies to the Christian religion, who did not, and do not, live

in open or secret contradiction to the principles of natural

religion. Such are here compared to brute beasts, though they

often boast of themselves as the wisest of mankind. They corrupt

themselves in the things most open and plain. The fault lies,

not in their understandings, but in their depraved wills, and

their disordered appetites and affections. It is a great

reproach, though unjust to religion, when those who profess it

are opposed to it in heart and life. The Lord will remedy this

in his time and way; not in men's blind way of plucking up the

wheat with the tares. It is sad when men begin in the Spirit,

and end in the flesh. Twice dead; they had been once dead in

their natural, fallen state; but now they are dead again by the

evident proofs of their hypocrisy. Dead trees, why cumber they

the ground! Away with them to the fire. Raging waves are a

terror to sailing passengers; but when they get into port, the

noise and terror are ended. False teachers are to expect the

worst punishments in this world and in that to come. They glare

like meteors, or falling stars, and then sink into the blackness

of darkness for ever. We have no mention of the prophecy of

Enoch in any other part or place of Scripture; yet one plain

text of Scripture, proves any point we are to believe. We find

from this, that Christ's coming to judge was prophesied of, as

early as the times before the flood. The Lord cometh: what a

glorious time will that be! Notice how often the word "ungodly"

is repeated. Many now do not at all refer to the terms godly, or

ungodly, unless it be to mock at even the words; but it is not

so in the language taught us by the Holy Ghost. Hard speeches of

one another, especially if ill-grounded, will certainly come

into account at the day of judgment. These evil men and seducers

are angry at every thing that happens, and never pleased with

their own state and condition. Their will and their fancy, are

their only rule and law. Those who please their sinful

appetites, are most prone to yield to ungovernable passions. The

men of God, from the beginning of the world, have declared the

doom denounced on them. Such let us avoid. We are to follow men

only as they follow Christ. 17-23 Sensual men separate from Christ, and his church, and

join themselves to the devil, the world, and the flesh, by

ungodly and sinful practices. That is infinitely worse than to

separate from any branch of the visible church on account of

opinions, or modes and circumstances of outward government or

worship. Sensual men have not the spirit of holiness, which

whoever has not, does not belong to Christ. The grace of faith

is most holy, as it works by love, purifies the heart, and

overcomes the world, by which it is distinguished from a false

and dead faith. Our prayers are most likely to prevail, when we

pray in the Holy Ghost, under his guidance and influence,

according to the rule of his word, with faith, fervency, and

earnestness; this is praying in the Holy Ghost. And a believing

expectation of eternal life will arm us against the snares of

sin: lively faith in this blessed hope will help us to mortify

our lusts. We must watch over one another; faithfully, yet

prudently reprove each other, and set a good example to all

about us. This must be done with compassion, making a difference

between the weak and the wilful. Some we must treat with

tenderness. Others save with fear; urging the terrors of the

Lord. All endeavours must be joined with decided abhorrence of

crimes, and care be taken to avoid whatever led to, or was

connected with fellowship with them, in works of darkness,

keeping far from what is, or appears to be evil. 24,25 God is able, and as willing as able, to keep us from

falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his

glory. Not as those who never have been faulty, but as those

who, but for God's mercy, and a Saviour's sufferings and merits,

might most justly have been condemned long ago. All sincere

believers were given him of the Father; and of all so given him

he has lost none, nor will lose any one. Now, our faults fill us

with fears, doubts, and sorrows; but the Redeemer has undertaken

for his people, that they shall be presented faultless. Where

there is no sin, there will be no sorrow; where there is the

perfection of holiness, there will be the perfection of joy. Let

us more often look up to Him who is able to keep us from

falling, to improve as well as maintain the work he has wrought

in us, till we shall be presented blameless before the presence

of his glory. Then shall our hearts know a joy beyond what earth

can afford; then shall God also rejoice over us, and the joy of

our compassionate Saviour be completed. To Him who has so wisely

formed the scheme, and will faithfully and perfectly accomplish

it, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for

ever. Amen.