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things which we have done, but that we receive a full 9 reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, hath both the Father and the 10 Son. If any one come unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, nor greet him: 11 for he who greeteth him, is a partaker of his evil deeds. Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: for I hope to come unto you, 13 and speak face to face, that our* joy may be full. The children of thy elect sister salute thee.

12

• Or, your, MSS.

THE

THIRD EPISTLE

OF

JOHN.

2

THE elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I wish that thou mayest prosper in all things, 3 and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth: for I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and bare testimony of the truth which is in thee, according as thou 4 walkest in truth*. I have no greater joy than in these things, to hear that my children walk in truth*.

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Beloved, thou doest faithfully, whatsoever thou doest 6 to the brethren and to strangers; who have borne testimony of thy love before the church: whom if thou conduct on their journey in a manner worthy of God, thou 7 wilt do well; fort they went forth for the name of God, 8 taking nothing from the gentiles. We ought therefore to receive such; that we may be fellow-labourers for the truth.

9 I would have written to the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence among them, re10 ceiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will call to remembrance his deeds which he doeth, tattling against us with evil words: and, not content herewith, he receiveth not the brethren himself, and forbiddeth those that would, 11 and casteth them out of the church. Beloved, imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that

in the truth. N.

because, N.

doeth good, is of God: but he that doeth evil, hath not 12 seen God. Demetrius hath a good testimony from all men, and from the truth itself: and we also bear him testimony; and ye know that our testimony is true. 13 I had many things to write; yet I will not write to 14 thee with ink and pen: but I hope that I shall shortly see thee, when we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends saluté thee. Salute the friends by name.

THE

GENERAL EPISTLE

OF

JU-DE*.

2

3

JUDE, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to the called brethren, who have been sanctified by God the Fathert, and preserved in the faith of Jesus Christ: mercy, and peace, and love, be multiplied unto you.

Beloved, while I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it became necessary for me to write unto you, and exhort you, that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the 4 saints. For some men have crept in privily, who were before, of old, set forth for this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the favour of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Sovereign ||, and our Lord Jesus 5 Christ. Now I desire to remind you, who once knew this, that the Lord, having saved his people out of the

This epistle is one of those books the genuineness of which was disputed in the primitive ages, and which therefore, as Dr.,Lardner well observes, "ought not to be alleged as affording alone sufficient proof of any doctrine." Grotius ascribes it to a bishop of Jerusalem in the reign of Adrian: but it is commonly believed to have been written by Judas, otherwise called Lebbeus and Thaddeus, the son of Alpheus, the brother of James the less, and first cousin to our Lord. The design of the epistle is to guard its readers against the errors and the crimes of the Gnostics. He is thought to have made quotations from the same apocryphal work which is referred to in the second epistle of Peter; which epistle Dr. Benson conjectures to have been consulted by him while he was writing his own. The epistle of Jude has as little evidence, either external or internal, in its favour, as any book of the New Testament.

† sanctified, i. e. separated or set apart to God. Brethren that are sanctified in the knowledge of God the Father, N.

Or, by, Or, to Jesus Christ, i. e. who adhere to his doctrine notwithstanding the many corrupters of it. See Newcome's note,

the only Sovereign God, R. T,

land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who believed 6 not. And the angels who kept not their first state *, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in eternal chains, under darkness, to the judgement of the great 7 day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them which in like manner with them gave themselves over to uncleanness, and went after abominable desires †, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of 8 everlasting fire ‡. In like manner also these dreamers defile the flesh, set at nought dominion, and blaspheme 9 dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when, contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring|| against him a blaspheming accusation, 10 but said, "The Lord rebuke thee." But these blaspheme what they understand not but what they know naturally, as brute creatures, in these things they cor11 rupt themselves. Alas for them! because they have gone in the way of Cain, and rushed after the error of Balaam for reward, and destroyed themselves by gainsaying like 12 Korah. These are blemishes in your love-feasts, when they banquet with you, feeding themselves without restraint clouds ‡‡ without water, carried aside by winds; trees whose fruit withereth, barren, twice dead, plucked

* Or, “the messengers who watched not duly over their own principality, but deserted their proper habitation, he kept with perpetual chains under darkness (punished them with judicial blindness of mind) unto the judgement of a great day, i. e. when they were destroyed by a plague." Alluding to the falsehood and punishment of the spies. Numbers xiv. See Simpson's Essays, p. 210. Perhaps, however, the writer may refer to some fanciful account of a fall of angels contained in the apocryphal book which lay before him, without meaning to vouch for that fact any more than for the incident mentioned ver.9. He might introduce it merely to illustrate his argument. At any rate, a fact so important is not to be admitted upon such precarious evidence. + Or, followed unnatural passions, Gr. other flesh, N. m.

"Everlasting in its effects; the cities having been finally destroyed." Newcome. Or, suffered not himself to bring. Did not presume to bring. Wakefield.

¶ "This was probably taken from the apocryphal book before mentioned. We may be instructed by the moral, without admitting the fact. Some suppose a reference te Zech. iii. 1-3." Newcome.

+ N. m. fear: N. # they are as clouds-as trees--as waves-as stars. N.

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