III. Akin to St. Peter’s second Epistle in its language and

purpose is the short Epistle of St. Jude. Like his brother St. James, St. Jude, although our Lord’s first cousin, introduces himself as the slave of Jesus Christ. St. Jude does not also term himself the slave of Godt. If believing Christians are sanctified in God the Father, they are preserved in a life of faith and holiness by union with Jesus Christ’. The religion of Jesus, according to St. Jude, is the final revelation of God, the absolute truth, the true faith. Men should spare no efforts on behalf of the true faith. Itis the faith once for all delivered to the saints¥. The Gnostics alluded to in this Epistle, ike
‘those foretold by St. Peter, are said to ‘deny our only Sovereign
and Lord, Jesus Christ x.’ They are threatened with the punish- ments awarded by Jesus to Israel in the wilderness Y, and to the rebel angels; they will perish as Sodom and Gomorrha%, The Book of Enoch is cited to describe Jesus coming to judgment, surrounded by myriads of saints*. The authors of all unholy deeds will then be convicted of their crimes; the hard things spoken against the Judge by impious sinners will be duly punished. Christians, however, are to build themselves up upon their most holy faith>: their life is fashioned in devotion to the Blessed Trinity. It is a life of prayer: their souls live in the Holy Spirit as in an atmosphere®, It isa life of persevering love, whereof the Almighty Father is the Object4, It is a life of expectation: they look forward to the indulgent mercy which
2 St. Jude ver. 1: Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλος, ἀδελφὺς δὲ ᾿Ιακώβου.
Y Ibid.: τοῖς ἐν Θεῷ πατρὶ ἡγιασμένοις καὶ ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστῷ τετηρημένοις κλητοῖς.
w Ibid. ver. 3: παρακαλῶν ἐπαγωνίζεσθαι τῇ ἅπαξ παραδοθείσῃ τοῖς ἁγίοις πίστει.
x Ibid. ver. 4: τὸν μόνον Δεσπότην καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστὸν ἀρνούμενοι.
Υ͂ Tbid. ver. 5, where Ἰησοῦς is found in A, B, 13, Vulg., Copt., Aith., St. Jer., Cyr. ‘O Θεός, Κύριος, and ὁ Κύριος are less fully attested.
5 Thid. vers. 5-7.
a Ibid. ver. 14: ἦλθε Κύριος ἐν μυριάσιν ἁγίαις αὐτοῦ, ποιῆσαι κρίσιν κατὰ πάντων. On ‘Enoch’ see Pusey, Daniel the Prophet, p. 393, note 3.
> Ibid. ver. 20: ὑμεῖς δὲ, ἀγαπητοὶ, TH ἁγιωτάτῃ ὑμῶν πίστει ἐποικοδο- μοῦντες ἑαυτούς.
© Tbid.: ἐν Πνεύματι ᾿Αγίῳ προσευχόμενοι.
4 Ibid. ver. 21: ἑαυτοὺς ἐν ἀγάπῃ Θεοῦ τηρήσατε. νι} x
306 Christology of St. Paul.
our Lord Jesus Christ will shew them at His coming®. Christ is the Being to whom they look for mercy; and the issue of His compassion is everlasting life. Could any merely human Christ have had this place in the heart and faith of Christians, or on the judgment-seat of God ?