1) Which turn the grace of our God unto wantonness] Now he declares manifestly, what manner of mischief that is, that they should beware & take heed of: namely this: that these false Apostle & deceivers, abused the grace of God unto all wantonness & licentiousness, thinking, that because their sins were forgiven, they might do what they list [wished]. They sinned therefore without all shame, and willingly fell back again into the slavery and bondage of sin, from whence Christ had redeemed them by the shedding of his blood. C [Calvin.] The grace of God verily appeared to a far other end, then to get[?] men to leave to sin, as Paul plainly witnesses, saying: “The grace of God hath appeared healthful to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present evil wild,” [P. to Tit. 2. vers. 11]. Let us know therefore, that there is nothing more hurtful & pernicious than these kind of men, which of the grace of Christ, do take an occasion to live wantonly and licentiously. And because we teach, that we are saved by the free mercy of God, the Papists lay this to our charge as a great fault. But what does it prevail with words to confute their shamelessness, sith [since] everywhere & in all places we call earnestly upon repentance, the fear of God, & newness of life. They themselves do not only corrupt & mar the whole world by their evil examples & wicked life, but also take quite out of the world by their pestilent and wicked doctrine, true holiness and the pure worshiping of God. M [Martin. Luther.] Indeed they call themselves Christians, and brag much of the gospel, but they live such a kind of life, as they do whatever pleases them, sinning most wickedly and abominably in drunkenness, in lechery, and all abomination. Their Bishops and Prelates do vaunt and say, we have taken upon us, not a worldly, but a spiritual state and condition of life: under which name & false pretense, they have gotten great treasures, pleasures, and dignities: [Calvin] although we may rather think them to be like the Libertines of our time, of whom Jude speaks, as it shall more clearly appear in the discourse hereof. It follows.
And God which is the only Lord.] Certain old translation have, “Christ which is the only God & Lord.” In the epistle of S. Peter mention is made only of Christ, and there he is called Lord. For thus he writes, “even denying the Lord which has bough them,” [2. Peter. Vers. 1.]. A [Augustine. Marlorate.] If any man think it better to read it differently or by itself, then the sense will be, “Chiefly they deny God,” L. [Pelicane.] whom once they have professed, which is the only Lord of al things, both in heaven and earth. It follows.
And deny our Lord Jesus Christ.] C. [Calvin.] He understands Christ to be denied, when such as have been redeemed by his blood, have given themselves again to be bondslaves to Satan, making as much as in them lies, the incomparable and inestimable benefit & price of our redemption, to be frustrate & of none effect. Therefore let us remember that Christ died and rose again for us, to the end that he might make us a peculiar people to himself, & that he might be Lord of our life, and death. A. [Aug. Mar.] Again, Christ is denied, when we derogate from him, that which is his own: After which manner the Monks, and such like deny Christ. M [Mar. Lut.] For when they preach that the way to eternal happiness & felicity, is to fast, to gad & wander on pilgrimage, to build Churches, and Monasteries: to vow chastity, obedience, poverty, and such like: they plainly deceive the simple and ignorant by their works, but of Christ they make no mention at all: which is as much, as if they should say, it is very needful and necessary for thee to deserve heaven by thy own works, Christ profited thee nothing, his works cannot help thee: and so they deny the Lord, who has bought us with his blood.
Augustine Marlorate, A Catholic and ecclesiastical exposition uppon the epistle of S. Iude. The Apostle: Collected and Gathered out of the workes of the best writers by Augustine Marlorat, that most notable and excellent Divine, (At London by Gerard Dewes, and Henry Marshe, 1584), fols 9-11. [Some spelling modernized.]