The Pulpit Commentary — Jude — Section 17

0r the llfoesia.nio age, WM! in principle in• third cl11use itdmite of being rendered either 1roduccd by Meesiah'e first advent, but it "havin.~ not the spirit" (in whioh the was to be finRlly brought in by his second Authorized i~ supported by Wioklilfe, Tyn- r11h·ent-an cveut conceived to be near. dale, nnd Cr1mmor), or O having not tho The time which heralded the conclusive Spirit" (so tho Revised Version, following t.cmuinatiou of the one period and entmnce the Gencvnn 1111d the Ubomieh). For it is of the other WRB "the IRst time"-,\ time of in Dlo.ny paesnges difficult to decide whothe1· el'ils Rnd of portents marking the end of the word "spirit" menus the Holy Spil'it tbe old order. of <':.od or mnn'e own spirit-that in him Ver. 19.-There follows vet another 0 in virtue of whioh he 011n h11ve fellowehit> description of the same men, ta king up that with the Di vino, o.nd on whioh God speoio.lly in ver. 16, and generalizing it in harmony a.cts; "that highest and noblest port of with what is suggested by the apostolio mo.n,"· 11s Luther puts it," which quulifios prediction. In three bold strokes it girns a him to lay hold of incomprehensible, in- representation of them which is at once visible things, eternul things; in short . . . the sharpest and the broadest of all. This the house where faith and God's Word finRl description. too, at last lays bare tbo are at home." 'l'he rendering of the root of their hopeless COI"l'Uption. These Revised Version is favoured by the occur- be they who separa'l.e thelll8elves, Bensue.l, rence of the term in the following verse. having not the Spirit. The pronoun " them- The Spfrit of God wus not in the lives or selves " cannot be retained in face of tbe the thoughts of these men, and hence they weight of documentary evidence _a.gainst it. were creators of division, and sensual. Their The verb (which is one of very rare occur- pretension was that they were the eminently rence) is held to be capable of more than one spiritual. But in refusing the Divine eense-aeced.ing, causing divuiorni, creating Spirit they bad sunk to the level of an factions, making definiiiom or distinctt"ons. animal life, immoral in itself, and produotive The most nature.I meaning seems to be that of confusion to the Church. adopted by the Revised Version, they who Vere. 20-23.-From these corrupten of malce separations. So Tyndale; Cranmer the Church, who have occupied bis pen so :ind the Genevun have "these are makers long e.ud so pa.infully, Jude now turns of sects," and Lnther gi¥es "makers of fac- direct to bis readers and brings his subject tious." It may be that they co.used divisions to e. fitting olose, with a couple of exhorta- by setting themselves np as the only en- tions full of a wise and tender concern. One lightened Christians, and, on the ground of of the two counsels deals with what they thut enlightenment, claiming to be superior should do for the protection of their own to the moral laws which bouud others. The Christia.n position aguinst the insidious term translated "eensnal" has unfortu- evils of which be has written in words of na.tely no proper representutive in English. passion. The other deals with what th&y It is "psychical," being formed from the should do for the preservation of others noun psyche, which is rendered " life" or exposed to the ea.me seductive perils. But "eouL" Thie 1J6'!1Che is intermediate be- ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your tween "body" and "spirit." Ii is in the moat holy faith. The tone of pleading first inst.ance simply the bond or principle affection appears in the grave and ea.meet of the animal life, and in the second instance words by which be reminds bis readers of it is embodi.ed life. Thus it is that in man the necessity of looking carefully to their own which be bas in common with the brute perseverance. As the condition of all else, creation beueath him. But it becomes also be names the great duty of personal edifica- ruore t.bnn this, expreeeiug that in mau tion or up-building. 'l'hey must strengthen which renders him capable of connection themsel vee on their founda.tion, and that with God. For in the third instance it foundation is their "most holy faith." By denotes the seat of feeling, desire, affection, this apparently Jude does not mean simply and emotion; the centre oftbe personal life- the subjective gruce or virtue of faith. the self in man. The adjective itself occurs Peter, indeed, speaks of the strengthening iu the New Testament only in a few passages und development of that es the seoret of of marked importance-I Cor. ii l {; xv. 44, being neither banen nor unfruitful. But 46 ; J e.s. iii. la ; and the present verse. the idea and the phrase seem somewhat dif• Here it designs.tee the men as men who live ferent here; for any spiritual giftoftbeirown ouly for the natural self-men who make would be a.II too weak a security. It is rather the sensuous nature, with its appetites and the "faith" which bes been already men- pBSsions, the la.w of their life; natural or tioned as "once delivered unto the saints" unimal men, as the Revised Version gi ve11 (ver. 8), and is now conceived as possessed it in the me.rgiu. Wickli1fe renders it by the readers. In this (l\ith, of which Christ ·• beaatly;" Tyndale, Cranmer, and the Genc- himself is the Sum, they have a secure foun• van," fteshly;" the Rhemiiib, "BeIIBual." The de.tion for their renewed life, a.nd on this fa.ith 1-25.] 'fHE GENERAL EPISTLE OF .JUDE. 15