56 lines
3.4 KiB
XML
56 lines
3.4 KiB
XML
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<div2 id="Ju.i" n="i" next="Ju.ii" prev="Ju" progress="93.32%" title="Introduction">
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<h2 id="Ju.i-p0.1">Jude</h2>
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<p class="Center" id="Ju.i-p1">Completed by <span class="smallcaps" id="Ju.i-p1.1">John Billingsley</span>.</p>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="Ju.i-Page_1106" n="1106"/>
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<div class="Center" id="Ju.i-p1.3">
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<p id="Ju.i-p2"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="Ju.i-p2.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="Ju.i-p2.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="Ju.i-p2.3">OF THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF</h5>
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<h2 id="Ju.i-p2.4">J U D E.</h2>
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<hr style="width:2in"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="Ju.i-p3"><span class="smallcaps" id="Ju.i-p3.1">This</span> epistle
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is styled (as are some few others) <i>general</i> or
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<i>Catholic,</i> because it is not immediately directed to any
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particular person, family, or church, but to the whole society of
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Christians of that time, lately converted to the faith of Christ,
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whether from Judaism or paganism: and it is, and will be, of
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standing, lasting, and special use in and to the church as long as
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Christianity, that is, as time, shall last. The general scope of it
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is much the same with that of the <scripRef id="Ju.i-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:2Pet.2.1-2Pet.2.22" parsed="|2Pet|2|1|2|22" passage="2Pe 2:1-22">second chapter of the second epistle of
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Peter</scripRef>, which having been already explained, the less
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will need to be said on this. It is designed to warn us against
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seducers and their seduction, to inspire us with a warm love to,
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and a hearty concern for, truth (evident and important truth), and
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that in the closest conjunction with holiness, of which charity, or
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sincere unbiased brotherly-love, is a most essential character and
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inseparable branch. The truth we are to hold fast, and endeavour
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that others may be acquainted with and not depart from, has two
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special characters:—It is <i>the truth as it is in Jesus</i>
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(<scripRef id="Ju.i-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:Eph.4.21" parsed="|Eph|4|21|0|0" passage="Eph 4:21">Eph. iv. 21</scripRef>; and it is
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<i>truth after</i> (or <i>which is according to) godliness,</i>
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<scripRef id="Ju.i-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:Titus.1.1" parsed="|Titus|1|1|0|0" passage="Tit 1:1">Tit. i. 1</scripRef>. The gospel is the
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gospel of Christ. He has revealed it to us, and he is the main
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subject of it; and therefore we are indispensably bound to learn
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thence all we can of his person, natures, and offices: indifference
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as to this is inexcusable in any who call themselves
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<i>Christians;</i> and we know from what fountain we are wholly and
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solely to draw all necessary saving knowledge. Further, it is also
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a doctrine of godliness. Whatever doctrines favour the corrupt
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lusts of men cannot be of God, let the pleas and pretensions for
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them be what they will. Errors dangerous to the souls of men soon
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sprang up in the church. <i>The servants slept and tares were
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sown.</i> But such were the wisdom and kindness of Providence that
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they began sensibly to appear and show themselves, while some, at
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least, of the apostles were yet alive to confute them, and warn
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others against them. We are apt to think, If we had lived in their
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times, we should have been abundantly fenced against the attempts
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and artifices of seducers; but we have their testimony and their
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cautions, which is sufficient; and, if we will not believe their
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writings, neither should we have believed or regarded their
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sayings, if we had lived among them and conversed personally with
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them.</p>
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</div2>
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