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but that he had quitted the defign, being neceffitated (aváyunu taxov) to write to them to ftrive for the faith delivered to the faints, in oppofition to the false teachers, who had ftolen in among them.

The fenfe of this paffage is loft in our tranflation, as it is likewife in both the interpretations' proposed by Erafmus upon the place, in which he has been followed by moft of thofe who came after him. Interpreters have been mifled by confounding the κοινὴ σωτηρία and the παραδοθεῖσα πίςις together, as if they meant one and the fame thing; whereas they mean quite different things. The common fal vation here spoken of means the doctrines of the Gospel published to all the world, without respect to difference of times or seasons, or to particular doctrines of the corrupters of the faith. The wxgaδοθεῖσα πίςις is the fame with the παραδοθεῖσα ἐντολὴ ἐπ St. Peter, the form of found doctrine, sent to all the churches, by direction of the Apoftles, in oppofition to the false teachers. This then is the meaning of St. Jude, and thus it may be paraphrafed: " Be"loved, I was intent upon the defign of writing to

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you upon the common doctrines and hopes of the "Gofpel, for the improvement of your faith and "knowledge in Chrift Jefus: but I find myself ob

liged to lay afide this defign, and to warn you "against a prefent danger, to exhort you to earnest"nefs in contending for that true doctrine once al

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ready delivered to you and all the faithful, in oppofition to the falfe teachers, who are crept in un"awares among you.

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The Arabic and Ethiopic verfions have both preferved this fenfe in fome measure: the Arabic comes

very near the true meaning; the sense of which the Latin interpreter has thus expreffed: "O dilecti "mei, omni ftudio adhibito ut fcriberem vobis de "falute perfecta univerfali, atque communi, coactus "fum fcribere vobis, deprecans ut foliciti fitis in "fide quæ femel tradita eft fanctis." The Ethiopic. verfion speaks of this faith once delivered to the faints as fuperadded to the common teaching, and confequently as diftinct from the xon cwrnpía, the common falvation.

But to come nearer our point; the agreement of the two Epiftles in the defcription of the falfe teachers; it is to be observed, that both St. Peter and St. Jude prófefs to write, as reminding their churches of things with which they had before been made acquainted. St. Jude fays expressly, that the very fubject of this letter had once already been known unto them: ὑπομνῆσαι δὲ ὑμᾶς βούλομαι, εἰδότας ὑμᾶς ἅπαξ τοῦτο, ὅτι ὁ Κύριος λαὸν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, κ.τ.λ. The word (a) used here is the same we met with before ; the ἅπαξ παραδοθεῖσα πίστις, and the εἰδόται pas arα Touтo, are relative to the fame matter; and it appears, that the warning againft the falfe teachers, and the prophetic defcription of them, were sent to the churches, together with the (ivron) commandment. It appears likewise, that both St. Peter and St. Jude wrote their Epiftles after this commandment had been delivered to the feveral churches ; for they write to them, reminding them of what they had before received.

This being the case, there is no neceffity to fup

Compare 2 Pet. iii. ver. 2. with Jude, ver. 52

pofe that St. Jude transcribed St. Peter's Epiftle; it is much more probable, that both he and St. Peter wrote from the common plan communicated to the churches, and drew their defcription of the false teachers from the same apocryphal book. But be this as it will, yet upon all views the second Epiftle of St. Peter stands clear of the old objection drawn from the difference of style between his first and fecond Epiftles.

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DISSERTATION II.

The Senfe of the Ancients before Chrift upon the Circumftances and Confequences of the Fall.

My intention is not to fearch after paffages in

heathen authors, which may seem to bear fome res femblance to the Mosaic history of the fall, but to trace the sense of the Jewish church, as far as it can be collected. :

As there are no records left, but the books of the Old Testament, to give light to this inquiry; and no book of the Old Teftament, after Mofes, treats directly of this fubject; it cannot be expected that I fhould produce a full and regular expofition of the circumstances and confequences of the fall, from fo few remains, and in this refpect fo very imperfect: All that can be done is, to gather up the little which fell from these old writers, rather accidentally than purposely; and to try whether, from their references and allufions to this hiftory, we can, with any tolerable degree of probability, collect their fenfe, or the sense of the times in which they lived, upon this fubject. The hiftorical writers of the Old Teftament were never led within view of this ancient story by

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