12 Thefe ungodly teachers are a difgrace to your love-feafts; when they feast with you, eating and drinking to excefs, without any dread of the baneful confequences of their intemperance, or of the punishment which God will inflict upon gluttons and drunkards. They are clouds without rain, which intercept the genial rays of the fun; and being carried about of winds, render men's habitations gloomy: (fee 2 Pet. ii. 17.) They are withered autumnal trees without fruit, although they ought to produce the best; They have died twice: once in the Jewifh, and a fecond time in the Christian vineyard; and are rooted out on that account. face appear like fpots. For this reason, and because in the parallel paffage, 2 Pet. ii. 13. the ungodly teachers are called oios nas pupos, fpots and causes of reproach, Beza hath translated the word hades, Spots, in which he followed the Vulgate, which hath macula.—Jude's meaning is, that the exceffes which the ungodly teachers were guilty of in their love feafts, brought difgrace on the whole body of Chriftians. 2. In your love feafts. Ayanais. Commentators are not agreed about the meaning of this word. Some think Jude is speaking of the ancient love fuppers, which Tertullian hath defcribed, Apol. c. 39. and which do not feem to have been accompanied with the eucharift. -Others think they were those fuppers which the first Chriftians ate, previous to their eating the Lord's fupper, and of which St. Paul hath fpoken, 1 Cor. xi. 21. But being afterwards perverted to the purposes of carnal love by the ungodly teachers, 2 Pet. ii. 14. they were in time difufed. The love fuppers, however, which Tertullian deferibes, were continued in the church to the middle of the fourth century, when they were prohibited to be kept in the churches.-As Benfon obferves, they were called love feats or fuppers, because the richer "Chriftians brought in a variety of provisions to feed the poor, the "fatherless, the widows, and strangers, and ate with them to fhew "their love to them." 3. When they feast with you. 2 Pet. ii. 13. note 3. In the ment, the word ipv is wanting. reafon our tranflators have adopted it. 4. Feeding themfelves without fear. Пapalovтes. This word is emphatical, containing an allufion to the name given to the ministers of For the meaning of συνευωχεμενοι, See common edition of the Greek TeftaBut several MSS. have it, for which religion, religion, both under the old and the new difpenfation. Thefe were called Tapaves, hepherds or feeders, because their office was to feed the people with the fpiritual food of true doctrine. The falfe teachers, inftead of feeding the people in that manner, fed then felves with meat and drink to excefs, without any fear of punishment from God, or of difgrace from the world. I fuppofe Jude had in his eye here, Ezek. xxxiv. 2. Wo be to the Shepherds of Ifrael that do feed themfelves: Should not the fhepherds feed the flocks? 5. They are clouds without water. The propriety of the comparifon, by which Jude in this paffage, and Peter, 2 Epift. ii. 17. have fhewed the emptinefs and unprofitablenefs of the falfe teachers of their time, will display itself in vivid colours, when it is recollected that in fcripture, good doctrine and found knowledge are often reprefented by water, because found doctrine beautifies and invigorates the mind, as effectually as rain, in the hot eastern climes, renders the earth verdant and fruitful. Deut. xxxii. 2. My doctrine fhall drop as the rain, &c. 6. Carried about of winds. Falfe doctrine is compared to wind, Ephef. iv. 14. on account of its variableness. Having no foundation in truth, it is changed as it fuits the paffions and interefts of men. The teachers of falfe doctrine, therefore, may fitly be compared to clouds without water carried about of winds, becaufe, notwithtanding they give an expectation of good doctrine, they afford none; in which refpect they are like clouds which promife rain, but being carried about of winds, diftil none. See 2 Pet. ii. 17. note 1. 7. Withered autumnal trees. So I tranflate womugiz, because it comes from wgov, which, according to Scapula, tignifics fenefcens autumnus et in hiemem vergens; The decline of autumn drawing towards winter. Or, according to Phavorinus, it fignifies, voros sσa ogas, a difeafe in trees which withers their fruit. This fenfe of the word Beza hath adopted in his tranflation, Arbores emarcide infrugifera. The Vulgate tranflation, Arbores autumnales infructuofa, fuggefts a beautiful idea. In the eastern countries the fineft fruits being produced in autumn, by calling the corrupt teachers, autumnal trees, Jude intimated the 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, inftead 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 defcent from Adam, prophefied even concerning thefe ungodly teachers, when he foretold the deftruction of the wicked wicked at the general judgment, faying, Bohold the Lord cometh furrounded with his holy myriads of angels, the juft expectation which was entertained of their being fruitful in good doctrine: but by adding, without fruit, he marked their useless. nefs, and the disappointment of their difciples. 8. Twice dead; rooted out. Here the apoftle infinuates, that while thefe 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 justly rooted out. The commentators obferve, that there is a striking 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 fhame. 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 filthinefs, to their great difgrace. Perhaps the apostle alluded here to Ifai. lvii. 20. The wicked are like the troubled fea, when it cannot reft, whofe waters caft up mire and dirţ. 2. Wandering ftars. Aclipes havata. Doddridge in his note on this verfe obferves, That the Jews called their teachers ftars: and that the teachers in the Chriftian church are reprefented under the emblem of ftars, Rev. 1. 20. ii 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 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 fpeeches which ungodly finners have spoken against him. 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lufts; and their mouth fpcaketh great fwell ing words, having men's perfons in admiration be caufe of advantage. 15 Ποιησαι κρισιν κατα παντων, και εξελέγξαι παν τας τες ασεβεις αυτών, περι παντων των έργων ασέβειας αυτών ών ησέβησαν, και περ των σκληρων ὧν παντών ρε 16 Ούτοι εισι γοίγυσαι, μεμψιμοιροι, κατα τας επιθυμιας αύτων πορευομενοι και TO σαμα αυτών λαλει ὑπερογκα θαυμαζοντες προσωπα ωφέλειας χαριν 3. For whom the blacknes of darknefs for ever, is referred. 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 extinguished, but to planets properly fo called. Ver. 14. 1. Now Enoch, the leventh 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 inspired him to deliver the prophecy of which Jude fpeaks That Enoch was endowed with the fpirit of prophecy, Beufon faith is apparent from the name which he gave to his Son, to wit Methuselah; which fignifies he dieth, and the flood cometh.-Enoch is called the feventh from Adam, to distin- ̧ guith him from Enoch the fon of Cain, Gen. iv. 17. who was only the third from Adam. - 2. Prophefied even concerning thefe men. So I tranfate προεφήτευσε και τέτοις, by fupplying εν before τετοις : 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 said concerning, or to them, was intended for the wicked in every age. 3. Saying, Behold the Lord cometh with his holy myriads of angels. δε εν μυρίασιν άγιαις αυτε mut be tranflated, becaufe άγιαις being in the feminine gender, agrees with μυριάσιν as an adje&tive, confequently the word to be fupplied is αγγελων, not αγγελοις. - Μυρίας ten thoufand, is a definite definite number. But it is put here in the plural, pugizow, ten thousands, indefinitely, to fignify an innumerable multitude.-Hale 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 preferved. Ver. 15.-1. To pass fentence on all. Tanoas xpion nato art, might have been literally tranflated to execute punishment on all, if the apostle had not added, xai ežeλeyžai, and to convict; for punishment cannot juftly be inflicted, till the offender is convicted. Wherefore the tranf lation in our Bible, where judgment is used in the sense of punishment, is wrong; namely, to execute judgment upon all. The proper, and I may add, the literal tranflation of intai xpow, is, to pass judgment, or fentence on all. For all shall be judged, but all shall 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 used by them with great propriety, in that form of excommunication or curling, 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 apoftle Paul folemnly pronounced on all wicked Chriftians, 1 Cor. xvi. 22. |