clause is to be understood of Christ may be proved by these argu- ments :— (1.) Because the parallel place in Peter, from -w-hence tins seemeth to be taken, maketh mention only of Jesus Christ, where Beo-TTOTT]^, the word of absolute sovereignty, is ascribed to him, deny- ing TOP Seo-iroTTjv, the ' master that bought them,' 2 Peter ii. 1. (2.) Because to me it seemeth that Jude would lay down all the preroga- tives of Christ in his natures, as God, as man ; in his relation to the world, so a master ; to the church, so a Lord. (3.) By the tenor of the words in the original, where there is no new article to divide them, and therefore all these titles belong to the same person, top fiovov 8ea- irorrjv, rov Oeov Kvptov rjfiMv, apvov/xevot. (4.) Many old copies, as Calvin saith, read thus, ' Denying Christ, who is only God and only Lord/ (5.) Because the heresy of these times struck at Christ more than God the Father, and only at the Father for Christ's sake ; and therefore John, in his epistles, speaketh often of those that denied Christ. See 1 John ii. 22, and 1 John iv. 3. It is true the school of Simon and some other sects held forth many fabulous things of God, and introduced multitudes of rulers by whom the world was governed ; but this was to exclude Christ, and to make void that sove- reignty Avhich the scriptures assert to be committed into his hands. The most ancient heresies were those of the Simonians, Menandrians, Saturninians, who denied the person of Christ, affirming Simon ]\L^gus to be Christ ; and the Valentinians, who denied his human nature, affirming that he brought his substance from heaven, and only passed through'^the Virgin Mary like water through a conduit. There is but one objection against this exposition, and that is, if it be meant of Christ, then the Father will be excluded from being God, for Christ, according to the sense alleged, is said to be only master, only God, and only Lord. I answer — The expression doth not exclude either of the persons of the Godhead, the Father or the Son, but only the crea- tures and feigned gods, especially those feigned rulers and governors of the world which the school of Simon and the Nicolaitans intro- du.ced under the horrid names of Barbel, Ahrakan, and Kavlakan, &c. And indeed such kind of expressions are frequent in scripture, as Isa. xliv. 8, ' Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God, I know not any.' So Isa. xlv. 5, ' I am the Lord, there is none else, there is none besides me/ All which expressions are meant of Christ, as ap- peareth not only by the titles of Saviour and Redeemer, given to the God that there speaketh, but also by divers passages therein proper to him, yea, by a quotation of the apostle's. Compare Isa. xlv. 22, 23, with Kom. xiv, 11, and Phil. ii. 10. Again, you shall find like pas- sages of God the Father, where he is said to be only true God : John xvli. 3, ' This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent;' which is not exclusive of other persons, but of other gods ; and the scriptures speak thus because of the unity of the divine essence, which all the persons communicate one with another.
The exposition of the words, now they are vindicated, will be easy. And denying. This is done either openly or covertly : openly when Christ is clearly renounced and opposed ; covertly, Christ is denied either by the filthy conversation of Christians, or else by
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heretical insinuations striking at his person and natures at a dis- tance. Both are intended for these seducers. Though they denied Christ, yet they had their pretences and illusions. This Christ whom they denied is described by his relation in the world, the only master or rule7\ This word is opposed to their doting conceit of many rulers, between whom the regimen of the world was divided. The next title is 6eov, God. So Christ is called because of his divine nature ; and then 0U7' Lord. He saith oiir partly to show that this was the title that he bore in relation to the churcli, they being his peculiar people by his father's gift and his own purchase ; partly to awaken their zeal by a consideration of the interest which they had in this Lord thus denied ; and then the other word, Lord, is proper to Christ's mediator- ship. See 1 Cor. viii. 5. There remaineth but Christ's name, Jems Christ. The word Jesus is opened, Mat. i. 21 : ' Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins ; ' and it im- plieth here that Christ's Lordship shall be administered for the salva- tion of the church. The otlier word, Christ, signifieth anointed, which noteth his designation from God to be king, priest, and prophet. I do thus particularly open the terms, because I suppose the apostle's scope is to give us a sum of the Christian doctrine concerning the per- son, natures, and offices of Jesus Christ, all which were one way or other impugned by the seducers of that age.