A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of Jude

The spirit and drift of this Epistle is carried out mainly against this fanatical and libertine party; and therefore I suppose it to be a mistake in Dr Willet, Mr Perkins and others, when they would turn the edge of it against the Papists, I confess they had a temptation that ⟨image 8⟩way, these being the only Heretical party with whom the Church of God was then in suit, and symbolizing in many things with those of the other extreme, as usually darkness and darkness doth better agree than light and darkness: but certainly the party described here are not a domineering faction, that carry things by power and greatness and height of natural abilities, as the Papists do; but a creeping party, such as by sordid and clancular ways seek to undermine the truth, a kind of mean and loose sort of people, that vented monstrous and gross conceits, chiefly out of envy against those that excelled in gifts and place; and if our modern Ranters, Familists, Quakers be not here described in their lively colours (as if the Apostle had lived to hear their blasphemous expressions and that contempt which they cast upon the Officers of the Church) I confess then I understand nothing of the whole Epistle. If the Judicious Reader let alone the larger discussion of the observations, and go but over the explications of each verse, he will soon find my observation true.

The spirit and drift of this Epistle is carried out mainly against this fanatical and libertine party; and therefore I suppose it to be a mistake in Dr Willet, Mr Perkins and others, when they would turn the edg of it against the Papists, I confess they had a temptation that ⟨image 8⟩way, these being the only Heretical party with whom the Church of God was then in suit, and symbolizing in many things with those of the other extream, as usually darknesse and darknesse doth better agree than light and darknesse: but certainly the party described here are not a domineering faction, that carry things by power and greatnesse and height of natural abilities, as the Papists do; but a creeping party, such as by sordid and clancular waies seek to undermine the truth, a kinde of mean and loose sort of people, that vented monstrous and grosse conceits, chiefly out of envy against those that excelled in gifts and place; and if our modern Ranters, Familists, Quakers be not here described in their lively colours (as if the Apostle had lived to heare their blasphemous expressions and that contempt which they cast upon the Officers of the Church) I confesse then I understand nothing of the whole Epistle. If the Judicious Reader let alone the larger discussion of the observations, and go but over the explications of each verse, hee will soon finde my observation true.