phecy; whereunto ye do well that ye1 take heed, as unto a "light" that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the "day star 18 arise in your hearts:

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.19 21 For the prophecy came not 20 in old time 21 by the will of man: but holy men of God * spake as they were moved 22 by the Holy Ghost.

17 lamp. Dod. 18 morning star. Ham. 19 of their own incitation, motion, letting loose. Ham. of private impulse. Dod. the suggestion of their own private spirits. Whit. of its own exposition. Pu. was not brought. Ham. 21 at any time. Wi. 22 inspired. Rh.

See on LUKE, xvi. 29.

20

m Ps. cxix. 105: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. PRO. vi. 23: For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. JOHN, v. 35: He was a burning and a shining light and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 2 Cor. iv. 4, 6: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

n NUMB. xxiv. 17: There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel. ZEC. vi. 12: Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. REV. ii. 28: I will give him the morning star. do. xxii. 16: I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

ROM. xii. 6: Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.

? See on 2 TIM. iii. 16.

9 AMOS, vii. 14, 15: [Amos] said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman. And the LORD took me as I followed the flock; and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

2 SAM. xxiii. 2: The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. LUKE, i. 70: As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world

CHAP. II.

1 He foretelleth them of false teachers, showing the impiety and punishment both of them and their followers: 7 from which the godly shall be delivered, as Lot was out of Sodom: 10 and more fully describeth the manners of those profane and blasphemous seducers, whereby they may be the better known, and avoided.

a

BUT there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable began. ACTs, i. 16: Men and brethren, this Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. do. iii. 18: But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

CHAP. II.

a DEUT. xiii. 1, &c: If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, &c. b DEUT. xiii. 13: Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods. Ps. xli. 9: Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. MAT. vii. 15: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. do. xxiv. 5, 11, 24: Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Acts, xx. 30: Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 1 COR. xi. 19 There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest. 1 TIM. i. 19, 20: Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck of whom is Hymenæus and Alexander. do. iv. 1: Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. 2 TIM. iii. 1, 5: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. 1 JOHN, ii. 19: They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. do. iv. 1: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whe

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heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

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2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways;2 by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: "whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

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4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but 'cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

5 And spared not the old world, but saved

I destructive heresies. Wh. We. 2 lascivious way, as some copies read. A. V. through whom, Pu. 4 destruction. To. Dod. Wh. We. Pu. ther they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 JOHN, 7: Many deceivers are entered into the world. JUDE, 18: They told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

c See on 1 TIM. v. 8.

d GAL. iii, 13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. See on ACTs, xx. 28.

e PHI. iii. 19: Whose end is destruction. f See on PHI. iii. 19.

8 2 COR. ii. 17: We are not as many, which corrupt the word of God. 2 PET. i. 16.

h DEUT. xxxii. 35: To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. JUDE, 4, 15: Who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men. To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

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JOB, iv. 18: His angels he charged with folly.

JOHN, viii. 44: The devil-abode not in the truth. 1 JORN, iii. 8: The devil sinneth from the beginning.

I See on LUKE, viii. 31.

m

Noah the eighth person, a "preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

6 And P turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

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7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

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8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed' his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds ;)

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9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of " temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

5 ungodly. Co. 6 behaviour. We. 7 tormented. Ham. Pu.

m See on 1 PET. iii. 20.

1 PET. iii. 19: By which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison.

• GEN. vii. 23: Every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven. 2 PET. iii. 6.

P GEN. xix. 24: The LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven. See on LUKE, Xvii. 29.

9 NUMB. XXVI. 10: [Korah, &c.] became a sign.

GEN. xix. 16: The men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

S WISD. xix. 17: With blindness were these stricken, as those were at the doors of the righteous man.

* See on ACTs, xvii. 16.

Ps. xxxiv. 17, 19: The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. See on 1 COR. X. 13.

'JOB, xxi. 30: The wicked is reserved to the day of destruction; they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. PRO. xvi. 4: The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

10 But chiefly them that " walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."

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11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them 10 before the Lord.

12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

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13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot

8 dominion. A. V. 9 them that are in authority. Co. Ma. them that excel in worship. Cr. Bi. the honourable. Pu. 10 some read, against themselves. A. V.

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* JUDE, 4, 7, 8, 10, 16: Ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh. What they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Walking after their own lusts.

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* JUDE, 8: These filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Exod. xxii. 28: Thou shalt not revile the gods [or judges], nor curse the ruler of thy people.

JUDE, 9: Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

JER. xii. 3: Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. JUDE, 10: These speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

a PHI. iii. 19: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

bŘOм. xiii. 13: Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.