Thomas Manton · 22 of 60

A Practical Commentary, or an Exposition with Notes on the Epistle of James. · Chapter I. · Part 19

Obs. 8. From that but a doer of the work. The word layeth out work for us. It was not ordained only for speculation; it is a rule of duty to the creatures. There is the `work of faith, John vi. 29; the `labour of love, Heb. vi. 1; and `fruits worthy , Mat. iii. 8. All this work is cut out to us in the gospel—faith, love, and new obedience. Do not content yourselves, then, with a module of truth. The apostle calleth it, Rom. ii. 20, μόρφωσιν ἐπιστήμης, `a form of knowledge., With a winter sun, that shineth, but warmeth not, let not the tree of knowledge deprive you of the tree of life; work the works of God. Faith is your work, repentance is your business, and the life of love and praise your duty.

Obs. 9. From that shall be blessed in his deed. There is a blessedness annexed to the doing of the work of the word; not for the work's sake, but out of the mercy of God. See then that you hear so that you come within the compass of the blessing; the blessing is usually pronounced at the time of your addresses to God in this worship. See that your own interest be clear, that when the minister, in God's name, saith, `Blessed is he that heareth the word and keepeth it, you may echo again to God, and bless him in your reins, for that he hath bowed your heart to the obedience of it.

Ver. 26. But if any man among you seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own soul, this man's religion is vain.

The apostle having showed the blessedness of those which are doers of the word, lest any should seem to challenge a share in it to whom it doth not belong, he discovereth who are hearers only, and not doers of the word; men that do allow themselves in any known sin; and he instanceth in the evils of the tongue.

Quest. Before I open the words any further, I shall inquire why James doth pitch so much weight upon this one particular, it seeming so inconsiderable in itself, and it having so little respect to the context.

Ans. The reasons assigned in the answer will afford us so many notes.

Reas. 1. Because this is a chief part of our respect to our neighbour, and true love to God will be manifested by love to our neighbour. They do not usually detract from others whom God hath pardoned. He that saith, `Thou shalt love God, hath also said, `Thou shalt love thy neighbour;, though the object be diverse, yet the ground for obedience is the same; therefore the apostles usually bring this argument to unmask and discolour hypocritical persuasions; as 1 John ii. 9, `He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even till now;, so 1 John iii. 17, 18, `If he shut up his bowels from his brother, how dwelleth the love of God in him?, How can it be imagined that those that are sensible of the love of God should be merciless towards others? So 1 John iv. 20, `He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?, The good and attractiveness that is in others is an object of the senses, and usually they make a strong impression. Well, then, do not flatter yourselves with duties of worship, in the neglect of duties of commerce.

Reas. 2. Because of the natural proneness that is in us to offend with the tongue: censuring is a pleasing sin, extremely compliant with nature. How propense the nature of man is to it I shall show you in the third chapter. Speech is the discovery of reason; corruption soon runneth out that way. Well, then, watch over it; the more natural corruptions are, the more care should we use to suppress them: Ps. xxxix. 1, `I will take heed to my ways, that I offend not with my tongue., There needeth special caution for that; and as you should watch, so you should pray, and desire God to watch over your watching: Ps. cxli. 3, `Set a watch before my mouth, keep the door of my lips., The awe of God is a great restraint.

Reas. 3. Because it was the sin of that age, as appeareth by his frequent dissuasives. See ver. 19; so chap. iii. per totum; so chap. iv. ver. 11, &c. The note is—It is an ill sign to be carried away with the evil of the times. It is a description of wicked men, Eph. ii. 2, that they `walked according to the course of this world;, in the original, κατ᾽ αἰῶνα, according to the age, as the manner of the times went. So Rom. xii. 2: `Be not conformed to this world;, τῷ αἰῶνι τουτῷ, `to this age;, the meaning is, do not get into the garb of the times. So 2 Chron. xvii. 4, `He walked after the trade of Israel., Many do so; they walk after the fashion and trade of the country and times wherein they live. Oh! consider, this is the sure note of a vain profession. Sins, when they grow common, become less odious; and therefore slight spirits commit them without remorse.

Reas. 4. Because it seemeth so small a sin, and having laid aside grosser sins, they did the more securely continue in the practice of it. They were not adulterers, drunkards; and therefore, flattering themselves with a show of , they did the more freely censure and detract from others. Note, indulgence in the least sin cannot stand with . Your `religion is vain, if you do not `refrain your tongue., They are miserably mistaken that hope to their souls from the guilt of one sin by abstaining from the practice of another. Some are precise in small things, that they may be excused for nonobservance of `the weightier things of the law;, as the stomach, when it cannot digest solid food, naturally desireth to fill itself with water, or such light stuff as breedeth nought but wind. The `tithed mint and cummin, &c. Others avoid grosser sins, and hope that it is an excuse for other corruptions that are not so odious. We all plead, `Is it not a little one, and my soul shall live?,

Reas. 5. Because this is usually the hypocrite's sin. Hypocrites, of all others, are least able to bridle their tongue; and they that seem to be religious, are most free in censuring; partly because, being acquainted with the guilt of their own spirits, they are most apt to suspect others. Nazianzen saith of his father, οὔτε τὶ τῶν πονηρῶν αὐτὸς παραδέχη—he being of an innocent and candid soul, was less apt to think evil of others; and he giveth this reason, βραδὺ γὰρ εἰς ὑπόνοιαν κακοῦ, τὸ πρὸς κακίαν δυσκίνητον—goodness is least suspicious, and plain hearts think all like themselves. Partly because they use to be much abroad that are so little at home. Censuring is a trick of the devil, to take off the care from their own hearts; and therefore, to excuse indignation against their own sins, their zeal is passionate in declaiming against the sins of others. Gracious hearts reflect most upon themselves; they do not seek what to reprove in others, but what to lament in themselves. Partly because they are not so and gentle as true Christians. When a man is sensible of his own failings, he is very tender in reflecting upon the weaknesses of others: Gal. vi. 1, `Ye which are spiritual, restore him with meekness., They which are most spiritual are most tender to set a fallen Christian in joint again, καταρτίζετε. Partly because an hypocrite is a proud person: he would have every one to be his own foil, and therefore he blemisheth others. Diotrephes would be prating against John, because he `loved the preeminence, 3 John 9, 10. Partly because hypocrites are best at their tongue, and therefore cannot bridle it. When men make religion a talk, their way is to blemish others; it is a piece of their religion. The Lord give you to discern into your own souls, whether these dispositions be in you or no.

Reas. 6. Because there is such a quick intercourse between the tongue and the heart, that the tongue is the best discovery of it; and therefore, saith the apostle, is `their religion vain, if they `cannot bridle their tongues., Seneca said, that the speech is the express image of the heart; and a greater than he said, `Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh., The quality of many men's religion may be discerned by the intemperateness of their language; words are but the excrements and overflow of their wickedness. A man may soon discern of what religion they are, saith Pareus of the Jesuits, qui theologiam in caninam maledicentiam transferunt—that, like angry curs, cannot pass by one another without snarling.

These reasons being premised, the opening of the verse will be the more easy.

If any man seemeth to be religious.—To himself or others, by the practice of some few things by worship, and some duties of the first table.

And bridleth not his tongue; that is, doth not abstain from the evils of the tongue, such as railing, reviling, censuring, and detraction, which latter, I suppose, is chiefly intended.

But deceiveth his own soul.—It may be understood two ways:—(1.) Though he detract from others, yet he hath too good an opinion of himself. Self-love is the ground of hypocrisy; they do not search themselves, suspect themselves. Judas said last, `Master, is it I?, They are too equal to themselves, though too severe to others. (2.) The other sense may be, he cometh at length to flatter himself, to deceive his own soul, as well as to seem to others.

This man's religion is vain; that is, either he maketh his graces and the good things that are in him to be vain and unprofitable, or rather, his religion is pretended to no purpose.

Obs. 1. Besides what I have observed already from hence, you may collect from that seemeth to be religious, there may be religion only in pretence and seeming. So 1 Cor. viii. 2, `If any man among you thinketh he knoweth anything;, that is, pleaseth, flattereth himself in the conceit of his knowledge. So Gal. vi. 3, `If any man think himself to be something, when he is nothing;, that proudly overweeneth his own worth. Well, then, rest not in a `form of godliness, 2 Tim. iii. 5, or in a `form of knowledge, Rom. ii. 20; in a naked speculation, or in a varnished profession. These things may carry a fair show and semblance in the world, but are of no account before God. Still put yourselves to this question, Am I yet beyond a hypocrite? Be what you would seem to be.

Obs. 2. From that bridleth not his tongue. That it is a great part of religion to bridle the tongue. There are several evils that must be restrained—lying, swearing, cursing, railing, ribaldry. I shall speak of these five:—(1.) Lying. Beware of that, with all the kinds, equivocation and dissimulation. Truth is the ground of commerce. It is a sin destructive to the good of mankind. The devil, that is, the accuser, he is called the liar too. Oh! do not cry up a report of others, till you have sifted it. `Report, say they, and we will report it, Jer. xx. 10; that is, bring us anything, and we will blaze it; and so a little water is evaporated into a great deal of steam and smoke. Crassa negligentia dolus est, say the civilians—if you do not try it, you are guilty. (2.) Cursing. There is corruption at the heart when the tongue is so blistered. It is observable that when God would have the curses pronounced upon Mount Ebal, he employed the servile tribes about it, only Reuben was amongst them, that prostituted his father's bed. There is seldom any blessing for them that use themselves to curses. (3.) Swearing. It is said the righteous `feareth an oath, Eccles. ix. 2. Not only those false-mouthed oaths, but minced oaths, and vain speeches, and peremptory asseverations in the slightest matters. Men that lavish away deep asseverations upon every trifle are, if the matter be anything more serious, put upon that which should be the last reserve, an oath. (4.) Bailing. I take it not only for the gross railing, but privy defamations and whisperings to the prejudice of others, meddling with other men's matters; as the apostles often speak against these, so commending with a but, as the scripture saith of Naaman, 2 Kings v. 1, `A great man, an honourable man, a mighty man, but he was a leper., They say he is thus and thus, but, &c.; and so wound while they pretend to kiss. They make their praise but a preface to their reproach, which is but as an archer that draweth back his hand, that the arrow may fly with the more force. It was a great praise that Jerome gave Asella, Habebat silentium loquens—she was silent when she spake; for she spake only of religious and necessary things, not meddling with others, persons or fame. (5.) Ribaldry. Filthy `rotten communication, Col. iii. 8; σάπρος λόγος, `filthy speaking, Eph. v. 4. Many travel under the burthen of a profane jest. Oh! the filthy breath that cometh out of their mouths! All foolish jesting cometh under this head. Aristotle's virtue, εὐτραπελία, is a sin with Paul, Eph. v. 4.

Obs. 3. From that but deceiveth himself. Hypocrites come at length to deceive themselves. A liar, by repeating his lies, beginneth to believe them. Natural conscience is pacified with a show. It is just with God to punish deceit with deceit. And as they cozen others, so they deceive their own souls; as the carver fell in love with an image of his own making, and thought it living. Hypocrisy endeth in hardness and gross blindness, and by custom men dote upon that which at first they knew was but paint and varnish; as if God would be as easily mocked and deceived as men.

Obs. 4. From that this man's religion is vain. Pretended religion will be fruitless: shows are nullities with God. Of all things, a man cannot endure that his serious actions shall be in vain and to no purpose; for there usually hope is more strong, and therefore the disappointment must needs be the more vexatious. This will be no small part of your torment in hell, to think that all your profession is come to this. I prophesied in Christ's name, in his name I wrought miracles. I conferred, repeated, closed with the better side, to my loss and disadvantage, and yet am I now in hell. Oh! how sad will such discourses be in the place of torment! Oh! consider, the greater rise your hope had, the more bruising and crushing will your fall be, as a stone that falleth from a high place is broken to powder.

Ver. 27.—Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Here the apostle cometh to the positive part of the trial. As he must not do hurt, lest his religion prove vain; so he must do good, that it may be found pure and undefiled.

From the context observe:—

Obs. Negatives in religion are not enough: he must refrain his tongue, and he must visit the fatherless. Our duty should carry proportion with the divine grace to us. God's mercies are not only privative but positive; he doth not only bring us out of hell, but put us under an of glory. It was Absalom's misery to be only acquitted from the punishment, but not to see the king's face. God's grace is more entirely dispensed; we are taken out of a state of wrath into a state of love. God's terms to Abraham were, to be `a shield and an exceeding great reward;, to be a protector, and a saviour; and to all the faithful, `a sun and a shield, Ps. lxxxiv. 11. A shield against danger, and a sun, the cause of all vegetation, life, and blessing. Now we should imitate our heavenly Father; we should not rest in a bare removal of evil, but be careful of that which is good: there should be not only an abstinence from grosser sins, but a care to maintain communion with God. The descriptions of the word are negative and positive: `Walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, but walketh in the ways of the Lord, Ps. i. 1, 2; so Rom. viii. 1, `Walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit., Some are not drunkards, not outwardly vicious; but are they godly? Is there any savour and power of religion? Are there any motions and feelings of the spiritual life within their souls? God, that hateth sin, delighteth in grace; to be less evil, at the best, will but procure you a cooler hell. It is vulgarly observed, that the Pharisee's religion ran upon nots, Luke xviii. 11. It is not enough to live civilly and do no man wrong; there must be grace, and the exercise of grace. I observe, that sins trouble the conscience more than want of grace, partly because conscience doth not use to smite for spiritual defects, and partly because sins work an actual distemper and disturbance to reason. Oh! but consider; he that wanteth good works is as much hated of God as the outwardly vicious; and the barren tree is cut down as well as the poisonous tree—if it bear no fruit as well as if it bear ill fruit. It is not enough for a servant that he doth his master no hurt; he must do his master's work: in the Gospel, he had not misspent his talent, but hid it in a napkin.

But I come to the words. In the verse he presseth them to works of , and an holy , that so they might both show themselves to be truly religious, and that their profession was that pure and immaculate faith which Christian religion propoundeth.

Pure religion, and undefiled.—He doth not set down what is the whole nature of religion, but only some particular testimonies of it. Religion also requireth faith and worship, but the truth of these is evidenced by charity and an holy life; and, therefore, the anti-scripturists of our days grossly pervert this place, and the scope of the apostle, when they would make all religion to consist in these outward acts; for the apostle is dealing with hypocrites, who pretended faith and worship, neglecting charity.

Before God and the Father is this; that is, before God, who is the Father of Christ, and us in him. The like phrase is used in many other places: 2 Cor. i. 3, `Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ;, so Eph. i. 3; so Eph. v. 20, `To the God, and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ:, and he saith, `Before God, that is, in his eye, and his esteem. Hypocrites may deceive men, for they see only what is without; but God the Father judgeth rightly. And also this is mentioned to imply the sincerity of such Christian offices; they should be done as in the .

To visit.—Under this word by a synecdoche are comprehended all duties of love. To visit, is to comfort them in their misery, to relieve them in their necessities; and under this one kind of charity are comprehended all duties to our neighbour.

The fatherless and the widows.—These are specified, but others are not excluded: there are other objects of charity, as the poor, the sick, the captive, the stranger, which are also spoken of in scriptures. But the fatherless and widows do most usually want relief, and are most liable to neglect and oppression. They are often mentioned elsewhere in scripture; as Isa. i. 17, `Judge the fatherless, plead for the widow;, so Ps. cxlvi. 9; so Prov. xv. 25, and xxiii. 10.

In their affliction; that is, in their straits, and when most op pressed; and this is added lest men should think their duty performed by visiting those amongst the fatherless and widows that are rich and wealthy.

And to keep himself unspotted.—This is coupled with the former duty, to show the inseparable connection that should be between charity and holiness, and to show that that religion is false which doth not teach holiness as well as charity: as Papists sever them, and cry up charity as a merit to expiate the defect of holiness.

From the world.—The world, when it is taken in an ill sense, is sometimes put for the men of the world, and sometimes for the lusts of the world: 1 John ii. 15, `Whatever is in the world is either the lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh, or the pride of life., Now, to `keep ourselves unspotted from the world, is to keep ourselves from the taint and infection of an evil example, and the prevalency and of lusts.

Out of this verse observe:—

Obs. 1. That it is the glory of religion when it is pure: Ps. xix., `The commandment of the Lord is pure;, no doctrine so holy in itself, and maketh such provision for good life. False religions are descried by their impurity. God suffereth false worshippers to fall into obscenities, that they may draw a just scorn upon themselves, Rom. i. Popery is no friend to good life: pardons set at sale make way for looseness. The true Christian religion is called `a holy faith, Jude 20. No faith goeth so high for rewards, nor is so holy for precepts. Well, then, an impure life will not suit with a holy faith. Precious liquor must be kept in a clean vessel, and `the mystery of the faith, held `in a pure conscience, 1 Tim. iii. 9. We never suit with our religion more than when the way is undefiled and the heart pure: `Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Ps. cxix. 1; and again, `Blessed are the pure in heart, Mat. v. 8.

Obs. 2. That a pure religion should be kept undefiled. A holy life and a bounteous heart are ornaments to the gospel. Religion is not adorned with ceremonies, but purity and charity. The apostle speaketh of making the doctrine of God our Saviour comely, Titus ii. 10. It is with us either to credit or to stain our religion: `Wisdom is, or should be, ` of her children, Mat. xi. 19. By the innocency of their lives they bring a glory to their way. So also a bountiful man is an honour to his profession, whereas a covetous man sullieth it; as the apostle saith, Rom. v. 7, `For a righteous man would one scarcely die, but for a good man would one even dare to die., A man of a severe innocency is hated rather than loved, but a good or bountiful man gaineth upon the hearts of others; they would even die for him.

Obs. 3. A great fruit and token of piety is provision for the afflicted. In the 25th of Matthew you see acts of charity fill up the bill. Works of mercy do well become them that do expect or have received mercy from God; this is to be like God, and we should never come to him, or go away from him, but with somewhat of his image in our hearts: dissimilitude and disproportion is the ground of dislike. Now one of the chief glories in the Godhead is the unweariedness of his love and bounty: he visits the fatherless and the widows; so should we: the spirit of our religion is forgiving; and therefore the cruel hard heart is made by Paul a kind of `denying the faith, 1 Tim. v. 8.

Obs. 4. Charity singleth out the objects that are most miserable. The apostle saith, `the widows and fatherless, and that `in their afflictions., That is true bounty when we give to those that are not able to make requital: Luke xiv. 12-14, `When thou makest a dinner or supper, call not thy brethren, or friends, or rich neighbours, &c. We cannot do the least duty for God but we have some self aims. We make our giving many times to be a kind of selling, and mind our advantage in our charity. Oh! consider, our sweetest influences should fall on the lower grounds: to visit the rich widows is but courtesy; to visit the poor, and that in their affliction, that is charity.

Obs. 5. This charity to the poor must be performed as worship, out of respect to God. The apostle saith to visit the fatherless is θρησκεία, worship. A Christian hath a holy art of turning duties of the second table into duties of the first; and in respect to man, they worship God. So Heb. xiii, 16, `To do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifice God is well pleased., To do good is a duty of the second table; and sacrifice, while it was a part of God's worship, a duty of the first. Well, then, alms should be sacrifice; not a sin-offering, but a thank-offering to God. This is the difference between a Christian and others, he can make commerce worship. In common business he acteth upon reasons and principles of religion, and whatever he doth to man, he doth it for God's sake, out of love to God, fear of God. The world is led by interest, and they by conscience. The men of the world are tied one to another, like Samson's foxes by their tails, by their mutual intertwisted interests; but they, in all their relations, do what they do as in and to the Lord, Eph. v. 22; so Eph. vi. 1; so ver. 7, et alibi. Well, then, we must be tender of the end and reason of our actions in civil respects: alms is worship and sacrifice, and therefore not to be offered to the idol of our own credit and esteem, or to be done out of private ends, but in obedience to God, and for his glory.

Obs. 6. From that before God. True religion and profession is rather for God's eye than man's. It aimeth at the approbation of God, not ostentation before men. David saith, Ps. xviii. 23, `I have been upright before thee, and kept myself from my ., That is a fruit of true uprightness, to draw all our actions into the presence of God, and to do what we do before him. So Ps. xvi. 8, `I have set the Lord always before me., In every action he was thinking of the eye of God; will this be an action for God's notice and approbation? So Ps. cxix. 168, `I have kept thy testimonies; for all my ways are before thee., He maketh that to be the reason of the integrity of his obedience, `My ways are before thee;, under the observance and inspection of God. Hypocrites cannot endure such thoughts. The prodigal was for a far country, away from his father; and it is said, Job xiii. 16, `A hypocrite will not come before him;, that is, be under God's eye and sight.

Obs. 7. From that before God and the Father. We serve God most comfortably when we consider him as a Father in Christ. Lord, Lord, is not half so sweet as Our Father. Duty in the of grace is far more comfortable, not only as we have more help, but because it is done in a sweeter relation. We are not servants, but have received the of sons. Get an interest in God, that his work may be sweet to you. Mercies yield the more sweetness when they come not only from a Creator, but a Father; and duties are done with the more confidence when we can come into the presence of God, not as servants, but sons. A servant may use greater industry and pains than a son, and yet please less.

Obs. 8. The relieving of the afflicted and the unspotted life must go together. As the apostle coupleth them, so doth Christ: Mat. v. 7, 8, `Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy;, and then presently, `Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God., A man that is charitable and not pure, is better to others than to himself. Goodness and are often coupled in the Old Testament: Micah vi. 8; so Dan. iv. 27. It is strange that men should so grossly separate what God hath joined. There are some that are `pure in their own eyes, but content themselves with a cheap and barren profession. Others are vicious and loose, and they are all for acts of charity and mercy; and so covetousness lurketh under the veil of profession on the one side, and on the other men hope to recompense God for the excesses of an ill life by a liberal profusion, as if the emptying of the purse were a way to ease the conscience. Well, then, let the hand be open and the heart pure. You must `visit the fatherless and the widow, and `keep yourselves unspotted from the world.,

Obs. 9. The world is a dirty, defiling thing. A man can hardly walk here but he shall defile his garments. (1.) The very things of the world leave a taint upon our spirits. By worldly objects we soon grow worldly. It is hard to touch pitch and not to be defiled. We see in other things that our minds receive a tincture from those objects with which we usually converse. Christ prayeth, John xvii. 15, `I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil of the world., Christ knew what a temptation it is to live here in the midst of honours, and pleasures, and profits. It was a happy thing that Paul could say, Gal. vi. 14, `I am crucified to the world, and the world is crucified to me., The world hated him, and he did not care for the world. The world is crucified to many, but they are not crucified to it; they follow after a flying shadow. (2.) The lusts of the world, they stain the glory and deface the excellency of your natures: `Corruption is in the world through lust, 2 Peter i. 4. Your affections were made for higher purposes than to be melted out in lusts. To love the pleasures of the world, it is as if you should defile your bed with a blackamoor, and be so sick of lust as to hug nastiness. and embrace the dung, Lam. iv. 5. (3.) The men of the world are sooty, dirty creatures. We cannot converse with them but they leave their filthiness upon us. The apostle saith, 2 Tim. ii. 21, `If a man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel of honour, and meet for the master's use., From these, that is, from the leprosy of evil examples, for the apostle speaketh of those vessels of dishonour that are in the great house of God, the world, which a man cannot touch without defilement. A man cannot hold any communion with them, but he shall be the worse for them. `These are spots in your love-feasts, Jude 12; they defile the company.