wn.s dBnirer of their being drnwn into the l!Bme course. 'l'hey were certBinly to be cond<'mned for not b<'ing Bble to discriminate between " Chri11ti11n course and Rn un-Christ!11~ cours~; but they were to be tmated with mercy, If care w1111 taken to give them Chr!~t1an enlightenment, so that they were able to pronounce decisively age.inst an 11n-Chr1stJRn course, their sRfety would be secured. 2. Those who at·e in ea:treme danger. "And ~ome save, rnatching them out of the fire." There seems to be a reference here as in ver. 9, to Zech. iii. 2. Joshua (representing ,Teru81\lem), clothed with filthy garments, w11s R brnnd already burning. With his filthy garments taken away and clothed with " change of raiment, he was a brand plucked out of the fire. There 'were BOme "Who had come under the polluting influence of the evil men, for whose contracted polluti"n the fire was burning. They were not beyond recovery, but as in extreme danger, mercy toward them needed to take a certain swiftness and forcibleness. Let them be snatched hastily, even violently, as brands out of the fire. 3. 'l.'/iose who are n source of danger. "And on some have mercy with fear; bating even the garment spotted by the flesh." There are some who, in their pollution, are fit objects for mercy; Bnd yet they are a sonrce of danger to those who have to deal with them, from the filling of the mind with images of pollution. The only safety in dealing with such is, along with wholesome fear lead in~ to prayer for Dlvine help, a strong detestation of the pollution sought to be removed. The Saviour was thus proof against the pollution with which be had to deal, and none of us is safe in the neighbourhood of pollution without his detestation. Only we shall be very unlovely if, with his detestation, we have not also his mercy (Luke xv. 2). • XIL CoNcLUSIO!ii' IN THI!: FORM OF A DOXOLOGY. 1. God addressed. (1) With reference to the condition of the ,·eaders. "Now unto him that is able to gnard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy." They were in danger of stumbling from the ungodly influences to which they were exposed, and the treacherousness of their own hearts. God is addressed as able to guard them from stumbling. We are like infants beginning to walk; he is the Strong One who keeps watch over us, so that we do not stumble. The result of his guarding them from stumbling would ultimately be his placing them in a secure position. This would be at the time of the full display of his glory. They would tJC;n be in such a sta.te that the a.II-searching eye would discover no blemish in them. It would be a time of exceeding joy to them, meaning their triumph over all opposing elemrnts, over the evil of their hearts, and over the mortality of their bodies. 'l'hey must not stumble on their way to the glorious consummation. For this (by implication) Jude prays on their account; and they (he suggests) must remember where their safety lies. (:!) .According to the Christian manifestation. " To the only God our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord." "I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me." It is only when we stand clear of the polytheistic idea, and think of sovereignty e.s undivided, that we have ·a proper object for our adoration. It is not his simple sovereignty that we adore, but his sovereignty joined to saving power. We can look up to him, and say, out of our consciousness of what he has done for us," Our Saviour." It is in the New Testament that we have this clearly disclosed. God saves through an Agent of his own appointment, even his own Son in our nature.. Jesus, bavin"' wrought out salvation in a wonderful manner, claims our obedience; and, by yieldi~g obedience to him as our Lord, we come into po~session of salvation. Saved, we have a new song put in our mouth-even praise unto our God. 2. The ascriptim to God. (1) Fourfold quality. "Be glory, majesty, dominion, and power." Who can measure the breadth and len!!th, and depth, and height of the Divine perfections? We ascribe to God the right to r~ive praise, to be counted great, to exercise dominion, and to put forth power, to the exclusion of every other, and beyond what we,,can graSJ?, (2) Threefold time. "Before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen. . There 1s the division into time past, present, aud future. God was worthy of hemg adored before all time-when yet there was no creature to adore him. He is worthy of being adored now, in what be is doing for bis people. And he will be worthy of being adored thruuo-h all the ages that will elapse after tbe salvation of his people has been completed. It Lec"omes us, in token of our acknowkdgment, and in expectation of our triumph, to add our "Amen."-R. F. HOMILETICAL INDEX '1'0
THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE. THBJC:a p_j,QB THEUZ 'PAOR " Called, beloved in God the Father, Three Examples of Similar Ungodliness 26 preserved for Jesus Christ" 17 A Vivid Pictnre of the Moral Corrup- Error not to be trifled with, but to be tion of the Ungodly Sed11cers 27 earnestly dealt with 17 An Ancient Prophecy of Judgment The Invasion of the Church by Error age.inst the Wicked 29 is no Acoident or Surprise 17 The Cynical and Dissatisfied Temper The Mutual Dependence of Belief and of these Self-indulgent Flatteries ... 2!> Life 17 A Quotation from Recent Prophecies 30 A Perfect Church a Vain Expectation 18 Application of the Prophecy to the Future Judgment an Anticipation of Seducers of Jude's Day ... 81 Nature and a Truth of Revelation 18 Exhortation to the Saints to build np The Law of Christian Safety-to keep their own Spiritnal Life as the ourselves in the Love of God 19 Grand Security against Apostasy ... 31 The Law of Christian Duty to others Exhortation to Faithful, but Discrimi- in Times of Peril and Evil 19 nating, Dealing with Three Classes The Grace of God the Believer's First of Transgressors 32 and Last Dependence 19 The Doxology 33 Authorship and Salntation , , , 20 Christian Co-operation desired in the The Purpose a.nd Occo.sion of this Defence of the Gospel 33 Epistle 21 Reasons for Resisting Evil Men drawn Rea.sons to enforce the Dnty of Con- from Examples of the Divine Anger tending for the Faith 22 against others .. . 34 First Example of Divine Vengeance... 23 Believers urged to remember the Pro- Second Example of Di vine Vengeance 23 phecies of the Apostles, l\nd to note Third Example of Divine Vengeance 24 their Fulfilment 86 The Character of the Libertines in Believers who enjoy the Blessing of Jude's Day 24 Mercy from Christ are required to An Angelio Example for Human Imi- show Mercy to others 36 tation... 25 The Sublime Character of Christian The Deplor11ble Perveraion of Know- Prayer 37 ledge ... ... 26 The Letter 37