21 Keep one another in the love of God, expect ing the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift (5, 143.) with eternal life.

22 And making a difference' have compaffion indeed on fome. 2

21 Keep one another in the conftant exercife of love to God, and, in that method only, expect pardon from our Lord Jefus Chrift, together with eternal life, as the confequence of pardon.

22 And making a difference in your methods of reclaiming finners, have compaffion indeed on fome who have erred through ignorance and weakness, and reclaim them by the gentle method of persuasion.

"her to fpring up to God. We fhould not think it always neceffary "to be either in a church or in our clofet, to expreis joy, lov de“fire, trust, reverence, or complacency, in the fervor of a filent ejacu"lation. Adoration, hope, and even a petition, may be conceived in 66 a moment; and the defire of the heart may afcend, without words, to Him by whom our thoughts are known afar off He who con"fiders himself as perpetually in the prefence of the Almighty, need "not fear that gratitude or homage can ever be ill timed, or that it is "prophane thus to worship in any circumstances that are not crimi❝nal.

66

"There is no prefervative from vice, equal to this habitual and "conftant intercourfe with God; neither does any thing equally al“leviate distress, or heighten profperity. In diitrefs, it fuftains us "with hope; and in profperity, it adds to every other enjoyment the delight of gratitude.

66

"Let thofe, therefore, who have rejected religion, as they have "given up inconteftible advantages, try whether they cannot yet be "recovered; let them review the arguments by which their judgment "has been determined, and fee whether they compel the affent of "reafon and let thofe, who, upon this recollection perceive, that "though they have profeffed infidelity, they do indeed believe " and tremble, no longer facrifice happiness to folly, but pursue that "wisdom, xhose ways are pleasantnefs and peace."

:

Ver. 221. And making a difference: namely, in their method of reclaiming those who had fallen from their love to God, and had apfed into vice. For diagμ being the participle of the prefent of the indicative of the middle voice, fignifies to make a distinction between the lapsed, suitable to the nature of their offence.

2. Have compaffion indeed on fome. This, being opposed to snatching others out of the fire, mentioned in the next verfe, fignifieth that they were to deal gently with thofe offenders whose fituation was not fo criminal and hazardous as that of others, because they had fallen, not through corruption of heart, but through ignorance, and weaknefs of understanding; and being of a tractable difpofition and open to conviction, might be reclaimed. With fuch, the faithful, espe

cially those who were employed in the office of teaching, were to use the mild methods of inftruction and perfuafion: and they were to do fo from compaffion to the lapfed.

Ver. 23. But others fave by fear. Endeavour to fave others, who have erred from corruption of heart, and who are obftinate in their er- . rors and vices, by roufing their fears. Set before them a future judgment in all its terrors. And if they continue unmoved, use the cenfures of the church as the laft remedy. Thefe methods Jude terms, a fnatching them out of the fire.

1

2. Snatching them out of the fire. Commentators obferve that this is a proverbial expreffion, ufed Amos iv. 11. and Zechar. iii. 2. to which St. Paul alludes Cor. iii. 15. and that it denotes hafte in reclaiming offenders; and even rough methods, when fuch are neceffary, left if the opportunity be loft, the offenders should perish.-Sin is here likened to fire, on account of its deftructive nature; and the faving finners from their evil courfes, is fitly compared to the fnatching one haftily out of a house which is on fire.-Or, the fire which the apoftle here fpeaks of, may be the divine wrath, called fire, Heb. xii. 29. For even our God is a confuming fire.

3 llating even the garment fpotted by the ftefb. This, which is a direction to those who fnatch others out of the fire, implies that in doing them that compaffionate office, they are to avoid all familiarity with them, even as they would avoid touching a garment spotted by the flesh of one who hath died of the plague; left they be infected by their vicious conversation.

Ver 4

Now to him who is able to guard you from fumbling. So aralo, literally fignifics. The apottle's meaning is, guard you from falling into fin For the courfe of one's life being in fcrip. ture reprefented by the metaphor of walking, finning is metaphorically reprefented by tumbling in walking.-Some who tranflate this claufe, keep you rom falling, by falling, understand falling into calamity; in which fenfe they interpret, Prov. xxiv. 16 A just man falleth feven times, and rijesh up again. But in the apoftolical writings the word

3

fall,

23 But the ungodly teachers, and fuch of their difciples as have erred through corruption of heart, fave by, the fear of reproofs and cenfures; Snatching them out of the fire of the wrath of God: and n doing them this good office, fun all familiar intercourse with them, as ye would foun touching a garment spotted by the flesb of one who hath a plague fore.

24 Now, to infpire you w th courage to perfevere in the doctrine and practice of the gospel, and to shew you with what affurance ye may rely on the protection of God, I conclude with afcribing to him who is able and willing, to guard you from Stumbling either into error or into fin, and to prefent you faultlefs before the manifeftation of his glory at the day of judgment, with exceeding joy to yourfelves and to the redeemed multitudes :

25 Even to God who alone is wife underivedly, and who having con

fall, commonly hath the meaning which I have affixed to it. See Rom. xi. 11. James ii. 10. iii. 2.

2. And to prefent you faultless before the prefence of his glory. This being one of the characters of the perfon to whom this doxology is addreffed, it is argued by fome, that God the Father is meant, who is faid, Col. i. 20. By him (Chrift) to reconcile all things to him.-22. in the body of his flek through death, to prefent you (the Coloffians) boly and unblameable and unreprovable in his fight. To this interpretation it is objected, that the Father cannot be meant here, becaufe he is faid to prefent believers faultlefs before the prefence of his own glory: whereas it is well known that the Father is not to judge the world, having committed all judgment to the Son. Nevertheless it is replied, That the Father may truly be faid to present believers faultlefs, at the judgment, before the prefence of his own glory, becaufe Chrift himself hath told us, that he will come to judgment in the glory of the Father, as well as in his own glory, Matt. xvi. 27. that is, He will come furrounded with the glory, whereby the prefence of the Father is mani fefted to the angelical hofts in heaven:-But, as Chrift likewise is said Ephef. v. 27. to present the church to himself a glorious church, without Spot, &c. it renders the above argument doubtful.

P 4

LIBR

OF THE

Ver.

majefty, dominion and pow- λωσύνη, κρατος και εξεσία, er, both now and ever. Amen.

και νυν και εις πάντας τες αιώνας.

Αμην.

Ver. 25.-1. To the wife God alone. That this is the true tranflation of povy oopy Dew, fee proved Rom. xvi 27. note 1.

2. Our Saviour. From this appellation it is argued that the wife God, to whom this doxology is addreffed, is Jefus Chrift, whose proper title is our Saviour, and who is called God in other paffages of scripture, particularly Rom. ix. 5. where he is ftyled, God over all blessed for ever. Nevertheless, as in fome paffages of fcripture, particularly Luke i. 47. 1 Tim. i. 4. Tit. i 3. the Father is ftyled, our Saviour, this argument likewife is doubtful. They who contend, that the doxology in this paffage of Jude belongs to the Father, observe that the fame doxology is unambiguously addressed to God the Father, Rom. xvi. 27. where it runs thus, To the wife God alone, through Jefus Christ, be the glory for ever. Amen.

After

note 1.)

2

our Saviour, BE glory and majefty, freng band right, both now and (ss wavras T8s alwvas) throughout all ages. Amen.

trived our falvation is our Saviour, be afcribed the glory of infinite perfection, and the majefty of empire abfolutely univerfal; ftrength to govern that empire, and right to do. whatever feemeth to himself good; both now and through all eternity. Amen.

After the words our Saviour in this verfe, fome MSS. add, through Jefus Chri our Lord; and he beft copies of the Vulgate have Soli Deo falvatori noftro, per Jefum Chriftum Dominum noftrum, gloria et magnificentia, imperium et pote, as ante omne feculum, et nunc et in omnia fecula feculorum. Amen.-See Mill on this verse.

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END OF THE APOSTOLICAL EPISTLES.