lo deny Christ's Deity I (f3) How foolish to trust in smy other Sriviour ! (-y) How Ll•mc•l are believers in possessing such a Lorri ! (2) These errorists denied this Lord. (a) Doctrinally ;-perhaps, like the GnosUcs, they denied his true Deity and his true humanity. (b) Practically, (a) by opposing his gospel; (/3) by apostasy from his truth; (-y) by a wicked and lewd life. These men, by rejecting Christ's authority ns well ns his salvation, "forsook their own mercy.''-'!'. C. Ver. 6.-Firat example of Divine vengeM1.ce, Jude then proceeds to give three instances of this sort-the first being that of the unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness. I. THE NEOEBBITY OF REmNDING SAINTS Oil' FAMILIAR ScmPTURE FACTS. "Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, how that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards deatroyed them that believed not." 1. Every private Christian ought to be well acquainted with the Scriptures. Jude concedes that those he addressed were so. The Bible is a book for the people as well as for ministers. Knowledge is highly commendable in a Christian (Rom. xv. 14), as well as goodness. 2. The best of people neerl to have their pure minds stirred up by way of remembrance; for memory is too often "like the sieve which holds the bran and lets the flour go." II. 'l'HE· SAINTS REMINDED OF A FAMOUS DELIVERANCE. "I removed his shoulder from the burden, and his hands were delivered from the pots" (Ps. b.xxi. 6). 1. No difficulties could hinder Israel's deliverance from Egypt. 2. Israel u:ent down to Egypt a family, and emerged out of it a nation. 3. This nation carried the destinies of the world in its bosom. III. THE SAINTS BEMil!DED OF A GREAT DESTRUCTION. The Lord dealt first in mercy, then afterward in judgment. I. Destruction overtook the Israelites from plague, fire, serpents, earthquake, sword. 'l'he wilderness was strewn besides with the carcases of all except those of twenty years old and under, who alone were privileged to enter the land of Canaan. 2. This destruction was a disappointment of high hopes as well as a fall from a high position of privilege. 3. Yet it was but partial. The stock of Israel was spared. And the doom was long deferred, so as to give more than a generation of time for repentance. 4. The Lol'li'sjudgment in this case proves that punishment cannot be averted by privileges abused. IV. THE SAINTS nEMINDED OF THE CA.UBE OF THIS DESTRUCTION. It was unbelief. "They could not enter in· because of unbelief" (Heb. iv. 6). I. Difficulties soon dis- cover the untrustful heart. 2. Unbelievers forsake their own mercies, and are their own worst enemies. 3. There is no folly like unbelief. "Blessed a.re they that have not seen, and yet have believed." 4. The end of unbelief is utter and absolute destruction. -T.C. Ver. 6.-Second example of Divine ven_qeance. This is the case of the fallen angels. I. THE EXISTENCE OF EVIL ANGELS. It is expressly asserted in Scripture. There is no greater moml difficulty in underatanding the existence of snch beings than in understanding the existence of evil men. They are spoken of as " angels that sinned" (2 Pet. ii. 4), as devils" who enter into men " (Luke viii. 30), as beings to be judged by the saints (1 Cor. vi. 3). II. THEIR REVOLT AND DEFEOTION FROM GoD. "And angels which kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation." They are represented in the pn.rallel passage in Peter 11s simply "the angels that sinned;" and the devil is spoken of as not "abiding in the truth," and pride is assigned apparently as the cause of bis foll (1 Tim. iii. 6). "It is hard to be high and not high-minded." But the allu- sion here is rather to the angels rejecting their high dignity of position in subjection to God, and departing from their habitations in heaven, as the consequence of the aliena- tion caused by priJe. 1. Their revolt was a dishonour to God. (1) They slighted the place of his glory. (2) 'fhey were the highest order of his creatures, and might !;ave found their happiness in obedient service. 2. An evil nat'itre cannot endure either the joys or the holiness of heaven. 3. It is a sin for the highest being to exempt liimself from service. 4. The ungels have a habitation in heaven. III. 'frrn PUNISHMENT OF 1·11E EVIL ANGELS. "He bath kept in everlasting bonds TilE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE. [l-25,
under dnrkne~s unto-the _iurlgrnl'nt of the p:rcRt <lRy." 1. Thr,·e i.~ a present ptmisliment. Thcr Rre "kept in evo1fasting bonds under dRrkncss." (1) 'l'here are the bonds of God's f'('Wer. "'J'hc Btrong man is bound by a stronger than he.'' "'l'he old dragon was hound for a thousRnd years." (2) There are the bonds of sin, Rs if to account for the dread c-onsistency of him "who sinneth from the beginning" (l John iii. 8), (3) There arc the bon,ls of R g11ilty conscience, which cause the devils to tremble e.s they belie'<'c (.Tas. ii. 18). (4) Yet restraint or torment cannot reform the evil angels. (6) The deYils cannot hurt us unless we get within the compass of their chains. Calvin l'll.YB, "·wherever !hey go they drag with them their own chains, and remain involved in darkness." (6) The da, kness under which they are held points to their miserable condition, a.~ signified by their separation from the presence of God, brought about as it was by their own act, and utt.erly irrevocable. 2. There is a future punisl1ment. •• Unto the judgment of the great day." (1) The Lord will judge the angels in that day with the saints as his a.~sessors (1 Cor. vi. 3). (2) The devil will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. (3) There will be no further seduction of tho wicked, aud no further hurt t0 the elcct-.-T. C.