13 They are as unftable in their doctrine, and as turbulent in their manners, as raging waves of the fea, fo that they make their own fhame apparent to all. Having renounced the true doctrine of the gospel, instead of being the lights of the world they are wandering meteors, which are quickly to be extinguished in perpetual darkness.

14 Now Enoch, the feventh in descent from Adam, prophesied even concerning these ungodly teachers, when he foretold the deftruction of the wicked at the general judgment, faying, Bohold the Lord cometh furrounded with his holy myriads of angels,

the just expectation which was entertained of their being fruitful in good doctrine: but by adding, without fruit, he marked their ufelefsnefs, and the disappointment of their disciples.

8. Twice dead; rooted out. Here the apoftle infinuates, that while these ungodly teachers, who were moftly of the Jewish nation, continued under the Mofaic difpenfation, they were dead and unfruitful: And that under the gofpel-difpenfation, though they feemed to flourish for a little while and promifed to bring forth fruit, they had proved as barren as before, having died a fecond time, and for that reafon were jaftly rooted out.The commentators obferve, that there is a ftriking climax in this defcription of the falfe teachers. They were trees ftripped of their leaves and withering: They had no fruit, being barren that feafon: They were twice dead, having borne no fruit the former year: Laftly, they were rooted out as utterly barren.

Ver. 13.-1. Raging waves of the fea, foaming out their own fame. Like the raging fea, thefe ungodly teachers were turbulent and furious, having no command of their irafcible paffions. And by their wicked outrageous behaviour among their difciples, they fhewed their own filthiness, to their great difgrace. Perhaps the apoftle alluded here to Ifai. lvii. 20. The wicked are like the troubled fea, when it not reft, whofe waters cafl up mire and dirt.

can

2. Wandering stars. Aolepes havra. Doddridge in his note on this verfe obferves, That the Jews called their teachers fars: and that the teachers in the Chriftian church are represented under the emblem of ftars, Rev. 1. 20. i 1. Wherefore, as the planets have irregular motions, being fometimes ftationary and fometimes retrograde, he thinks they are proper emblems of teachers, who are unfettled in their principles, and irregular in their behaviour.

15 Το 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 finners have fpoken against him.

16 Thefe are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lufts, and their mouth fpeaketh great fwell ing words, having men's perfons in admiration be

caufe of advantage.

15 Ποιήσαι κρισιν κατα παντων, και εξελεγξαι παν τας τες ασεβεις αυτων, περι πάντων των εργων ασέβειας αυτών ών ησέβησαν, και περ των σκληρων ὧν οι παντων ελαλησαν κατ' αυτό αμαρ τωλοι ασέβεις.

ων

16 Ούτοι εισι γοίγουσαι, μεμψιμοιροι, κατα τας επι θυμιας αύτων πορευομενοι και ΤΟ σιμα αυτών λαλει υπερογκα θαυμαζοντες προσωπα ωφέλειας χαριν

3. For whom the blacknefs of darknefs for ever, is referved. As the ancients knew that the planets are naturally dark bodies, and derive all their light from the fun, it is fuppofed, that Jude compared the falfe teachers, not to meteors, or ignes fatui, which have no existence after they are extinguifhed, but to planets properly fo called.

Ver. 14. I. Now Enoch, the feventh from Adam, prophefied. See Pref. Sect. 2. No. 2. paragr. 2.—Though Mofes hath faid nothing concerning Enoch's prophefying, yet by telling us that he was a perfon of fuch piety, as to be tranflated to heaven in the body without dying, he hath warranted us to believe Jude's account of him; namely, that God employed him, as he did Noah, in reforming the wicked of the age in which he lived, and that he infpired him to deliver the prophecy of which Jude fpeaks That Enoch was endowed with the fpirit of prophecy, Benfon faith is apparent from the name which he gave to his Son, to wit Methuselah which fignifies he dieth, and the food cometh.- Enoch is called the feventh from Adem, to diftinguifh him from Enoch the fon of Cain, Gen. iv. 17. who was only the third from Adam.

2. Proph fied even concerning thefe men. So I tranflate προεφήτευσε και τέτοις, by fupplying e before τάτοις: Or without the prepofition, thus, prophefied alfo to thefe men, as well as to the antediluvians.Though Enoch prophefied immediately to the wicked men of his own age, what he faid concerning, or to them, was intended for the wicked in every age.

3. Saying, Behold the Lord cometh with his holy myriads of angels. Το εν μυριάσιν άγιαις αυτε mut be tranflated, becaufe άγιαις being in the feminine gender, agrees with upon as an adjective, confequently the word to be fupplied is αγγελων, hot αγγελοις. -- Μυξίας ten thoufand, is a

μυριάσιν

definite

15 To pafs fentence on all, and to make all the impious and prophanė among mankind fenfible of all the impious actions, which they have impiously committed, and of all the impious atheistical fcoffing Speeches, which prophane finners have impiously uttered against Chrift, as if he were an impoftor, who was juftly punished with an ignominious death.

16 Thefe ungodly teachers are murmurers against God, and complainers that their lot is not what they deferve, who gratify their own lufts to the utmost; and their mouth speaketh great fwelling words, in praise of themfelves, as the only teachers who free men from the hackles of fuperftition. They admire and praife perfons, not for their good qualities, but for their riches, that they may get money from them for their flattery.

definite number. But it is put here in the plural, pugizow, ten thousands, indefinitely, to fignify an innumerable multitude.-Habe 2 Aor. is come. But in the prophetic ftyle the prefent is often put for the future, to fhew the abfolute certainty of the event foretold: The Lord is come; or as it is in our Bible, the Lord cometh, being the genuine prophetic ftyle, it is no proof, as Benfon fancies, that Jude took this prophecy out of fome book. If it was preferved by tradition, this is the language in which it mult have been preserved.

Ver. 15 .-1. To pafs fentence on all. Ποιησαι κρισιν κατα παντων, might have been literally tranflated to execute punishment on all, if the apoftle had not added, xai ežeλeyžai, and to convict; for punishment cannot justly be inflicted, till the offender is convicted. Wherefore the tranflation in our Bible, where judgment is used in the fenfe of punishment, is wrong; namely, to execute judgment upon all. The proper, and I may add, the literal tranflation of Tomcat xow, is, to pass judgment, or fen. tence on all. For all fhall be judged, but all fhall not be condemned. Enoch's prophecy feems to have been generally known among the Jews. For the first words of it, which in the Hebrew are, Maranatha, were ufed by them with great propriety, in that form of excommunication or curfing, which they pronounced upon irreclaimable offenders, (See 1 Cor. xvi. 22. note.) as they put all who were prefent in mind of God's coming at the last day, to punish the obftinately impenitent. This fame curfe the apostle Paul folemnly pronounced on all wicked Chriftians, 1 Cor. xvi. 22.

17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were fpoken before of the apoftles of our Lord Jefus Chrift;

18 How that they told you there fhould be mockers in the last time, who fhould walk after their own ungodly lufts,

17 Ύμεις δε αγαπηται, μνήθητε των βημάτων των προειρημενων ύπο των απο σολών τε Κύριο ἡμων Ιησε Χρισε

18 Ότι ελεγον ὑμῖν, ὅτι

εν εσχατω χρόνῳ εσονται εμπ παικται, κατα τας ἑαυτων επιθυμίας πορευομένοι των απ σεβείων.

2. All the hard things which ungelly finners have spoken against him. As Chrift is to judge the world, he is the perfon against whom the ungodly are here faid to have fpoken hard things: confequently thefe hard things confifted, in their denying Jefus to be the Son of God; in their calling him a magician, a forcerer, and an impoftor; and in their affirming that he was justly punished with death.

Ver 16-1. These are yoyyusa murmurers, and pμpuogo com plainers. They murmured againft God on account of the difpenfa tions of his providence, and complained of their condition, fancying that they deferved a better lot: for pogo, literally are perfons who complain of their lot or portion. In this, the ungodly teachers refembled the ancient Ifraelites, who murmured against God, on account of the hardships they were expofed to in the wilderness.

2. Who walk according to their own lufts. From this circumftance it is probable, that the corrupt teachers complained not only of their lot, but of the reftraints which were laid on them by the laws of the countries where they lived. To this conjecture what followeth agrees: Their mouth speaketh great fwelling words.

3. Great fwelling words. If the interpretation of this claufe given in the commentary is not admitted, we may fuppofe the falle teachers fpake in an infolent manner against the Roman magiftrates for punishing them, and against the laws for prohibiting the vices in which they delighted. For they are faid, ver. 8. to defpife government, and to revile dignities. Perhaps they thus oppofed the heathen magiftrates and laws, on pretence of maintaining the caufe of the people of God against the tyranny and oppreffion of the Romans and spake in a pompous boafting manner of their Chriftian liberty, which they af firmed confifted in a freedom to gratify their inclinations without controul, 2 Pet. ii. 19.Of thefe teachers, and of the tumid fpeeches, by which they defended their vices, John hath given infinuations, 1 Epift.

iii.

:

4. They admire perfons for the fake of gain. The falfe teachers of that age greatly admired the rich on account of their riches, thereby feeding their vanity. They flattered them likewife with the hope of

falvation,

17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were before Spoken by the apofties of our Lord Jefus Christ ;'

18 That they faid to you, That in the laft time there would be fcoffers, walking according to their own ungodly lufts. *

I

17 But beloved, to prevent you from giving heed to the vain speeches of thefe deceivers, continually recollect the words which were spoken prophetically by the apofiles of our Lord Jefus Christ;

18 That they foretold to you, that in the last time, namely after the deftruction of the Jewish commonwealth, there would be fcoffers in the church, who, ridiculing the ftrictnefs of the precepts of the gospel, would walk according to the impulfes of their own impure lufts.

falvation, and by fo doing hardened them in their fins. In fhort, they never opposed the will of their rich difciples in any thing: And this fervility they fhewed towards the rich, merely to draw money from

them.

Ver. 17. Remember ye the words which were before fpoken by the apostles of our Lord Jefus Chrift. In ver. 18. Jude cites the words fpoken by Peter in particular, concerning the coming of fcoffers in the laft time. Yet Jude's exhortation being general, it comprehends the words fpoken by the other apostles concerning the coming of falfe teachers: Such as Paul's words, Tim. iv. 1.-5. 2 Tim. iii. and iv. chapters: Nay it comprehends the words fpoken by Jude himself, in the preceding part of this epiftle. For we have fhewed, Pref. Sect 2. That Jude was an apostle, and that he afferted his title to that office, by calling himfelf the brother of James.-Dr. Symonds, in his ob、 fervations upon the expediency of revifing the prefent English verfion, &c. thinks this claufe fhould be tranflated, remember ye the words which were former ly Spoken by the apostles.

Ver. 18. That they faid to you, that in the last time there would be fcoffers, walking according to their own ungodly lufls. Though it be allowed that Jude in this verfe tranfcribed 2 Pet. iii. 3. it will not follow from his ufing Peter's words, that the two apoftles wrote of the fame perfons. Peter, in the paffage quoted by Jude, evidently speaks of icoffers who were to arife in the age in which Chrift was to come to judge mankind, and put an end to this mundane fyftem. For he reprefents them as ridiculing the promife of Chrift's coming, as a thing not likely to happen after having been fo long delayed. Whereas Jude fpeaks of his fcoffers, as already come ver. 4. And the account which he gives of them is, That they perverted the grace of God to lafcivioufnefs; denied God and Chrift; defpifed government; reviled dignities; led moft immoral lives; imitated Cain and Balaam in their wickedness; and were to fhare in the punishment of Korah; But faith nothing of their fcoffing at the promife of Chrift's coming; or indeed of their fcoffing at any of the doctrines or promifes of the gofVOL. VI.

Р

pel.