Thomas Manton · 24 of 60

A Practical Commentary, or an Exposition with Notes on the Epistle of James. · Chapter II. · Part 1

VER. 1. My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

This chapter containeth two special admonitions, which were very needful as the state of things then were. The first is against `respect of persons, because of outward advantages, especially in church matters. The other is against a vain opinion and ostentation of faith, where there was no presence or testimony of works to commend it. He dealeth in the former admonition from the 1st verse to the 14th. And in the latter from thence to the end of the chapter.

In this 1st verse he propoundeth the matter to them which he would have them to avoid, `respect of persons `because of some outward excellency, which hath no kind of affinity or pertinency at all to religion. The sense will be most clear by a particular explication of the words.

My brethren.—An usual compilation throughout the epistle. Some think he chiefly intendeth in this expression the presbyters and deacons, who had a great hand (say they) in giving every one their convenient places. But I know no reason why we should so restrain it, it being applied in all the other passages of the epistle to the whole body of those to whom he wrote; and here, where he dissuadeth them from respect of persons, it seemeth to have a special respect, as noting the equal interest of all Christians in the same Father.

Have not the faith.—Faith is not taken strictly, but more generally for the profession of Christian religion, or the manifestations of the grace of Christ in the souls of his people. The meaning is, have not grace, have not religion, &c.

Of our Lord Jesus Christ.—He doth not mean the personal faith of Christ, or, as some accommodate the expression, faith wrought by Christ. This manner of speech doth not note the author so much as the object. Faith of Christ, in the intent of the scripture, is faith in Christ; as Gal. ii. 20, `I live by the faith of the Son of God;, so Eph. iii. 12, `We have confidence, and access, by the faith of him;, so Phil. iii. 9, `The righteousness which is through the faith of Christ;, and so elsewhere. Now Christ is here called our Lord, because it is the proper term for him as mediator and head of the Church, and by virtue of our common and equal interest in him: the head is dishonoured in the disrespect of the members.

The Lord of glory.—Some read, `The faith of the glory of Christ with respect of persons;, that is, do not measure the glorious faith by these outward and secular advantages, or `the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ;, for we supply the word Lord, which is but once in the original, partly because he is called so in other places: 1 Cor. ii. 8, `They would not have crucified the Lord of glory;, partly because it is fitly repeated out of the context; partly because in this place it hath the force of an argument. Christianity being a relation to the Lord of glory, putteth honour enough upon men, though other wise poor and despicable; and if men did believe Christ were glorious, they would not so easily despise those in whom there is the least of Christ.

With respect of persons, ἐν προσωπολημψίαις.—Respect of persons is had when, in the same cause, we give more or less to any one than is meet, because of something in his person which hath no relation to that cause. The word properly signifieth accepting of one's face or outside, and so noteth a respect to others out of a consideration of some external glory that we find in them. The phrase, when it is used in the Old Testament, is rendered by the Septuagint by θαυμάζειν τὸ πρόσωπον, wondering at a man's face, as being overcome and dazzled at the beauty of it; which probably gave occasion to that expression of St Jude, ver. 16, θαυμάζοντες πρόσωπα, which we render, `having men's persons in admiration because of advantage., But, before we go on, we must rightly pitch and state the offence from which our apostle dissuadeth, for otherwise absurdities will follow. Civility and humanity calleth for outward respect and reverence to them that excel in the world. To rise up to a rich man is not simply evil. If all difference of persons, and respect to them, were sinful, there would be no place for government and mastership. Therefore I shall inquire:—

I. What respect of persons is sinful.

II. The particular abuse which the apostle taxeth and noteth in this expression.

First, What respect of persons is sinful? There is a holy and warrantable respect of persons either by God or men:—(1.) By God; he is said to `accept the faces, of his people, Gen. xix. 21—;naschati panecha, so it is in the Hebrew; and so elsewhere God is often said to respect their persons; their persons first, and then their services. (2.) By men, when we prefer others out of a due cause, their age, calling, gifts, graces: yea, it is lawful to put a respect upon them be cause of that outward glory and excellency wherewith God hath furnished them. There is a respect proper and due to their persons, though not so much for their own sakes as for the bounty of God to them; as they that bowed before the ass that carried about the rites of Isis, non tibi, sed religioni, did obeisance to the religion, not the beast.

But then there is a vicious respect of persons, when the judgment is blinded by some external glory and appearance, so that we cannot discern truth or right, and a cause is over-balanced by such foreign circumstances as have no affinity with it. Thus it is said, Lev. xix. 15, `Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour., Neither swayed with foolish pity, on the one hand, nor with respect to might, power, friendship, greatness, on the other; as usually those are the two prejudices against the execution of justice: either carnal pity saith, He is a poor man, or else carnal fear saith, He is a great man; and so the outward accidents of life are rather valued than the merits of the cause. So Deut. i. 17, `Thou shalt not respect persons in judgment, but hear the small as well as great.,

Secondly, What is this particular offence which the apostle calleth the `having the faith of Christ in respect of persons, which was the sin of those times? I answer—;(1.) In the general, their having too great a care of these differences and outward regards in their church administrations, both in their worship, and courts, and censures, as we shall show in the next verse. In the things of God all are equal; rich and poor stand upon the same level and terms of advantage. Our salvation is called `a common salvation, Jude 3; and the faith of all, for the essence and object of it, `a like precious faith, 2 Peter i. 1. But now their respects were only carried out to those that lived in some splendour in the world, with a manifest and sensible contempt of their poor brethren, as if they were unworthy their company and converse; as appeareth not only by the present context, but by chap, i. 8, 9, where he comforteth the poor despised brethren, showing that grace was their preferment; and 1 Cor. x. 1, from ver. 19 onward, `Every one took his own supper;, ver. 22, but `despised the church of God;, that is, excluded the poor, who were the church as well as they. So that mark, there was not only a difference made between the poor and the rich, but great reverence showed to the one, with a proud contempt of the other. (2.) More particularly—;(1st.) They over-esteemed the rich, doing all the grace and reverence they could devise in the congregation and courts of judicature; yea, they went so far as to esteem the wicked rich above the godly poor, honouring and observing those that were apt to hale them to the judgment-seats. (2d.) They debased the poor, not considering them according to their eminency in grace and high station in Christianity; passing by the appearance of God in them, without any mark or notice; yea, they offered injury and contumely to them, because of their outward abasure and despicableness, out of a proud insolence, scarce behaving themselves towards them as men, much less as Christians.

The notes are these:—

Obs. 1. That respect of persons in religious matters is a sin. We maybe many ways guilty of it:—(1.) By making external things, not religion, the ground of our respect and affection. The apostle saith, 2 Cor. v. 16, `Henceforth know we no man after the flesh; yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more., Knowing after the flesh is to love and esteem any one out of secular and outward advantages. Paul, when a Pharisee, looked for a Messiah coming in outward pomp and glory; but being converted, he had laid aside those fleshly thoughts and apprehensions. It is true what Solomon saith, `Wisdom with an inheritance is good., When grace and outward excellency meet together, it maketh the person more lovely; but the ground and rise of our affection should be grace. Love to the brethren is an evidence, but we should be careful of the reason of that love, that we love them qua brethren, because of that of God which we see in them. That saying of Tertullian is usual, We must not judge of faith by persons, but of persons by faith. (2.) When we do not carry out the measure and proportion of affection according to the measures and proportions of grace, and pitch our respects there where we find the ground of love most eminent. David's delights were `to the saints, and the excellent of the earth, Ps. xvi. 3; that is, to those which were most eminent among them. Some prefer a cold, neutral profession before real grace, will not own mean Christians by any familiarity and converse, though the power and brightness of God's image shine forth most clearly in them. The apostle saith, 1 Cor. xii. 23, `We bestow most honour on the uncomely parts., Those who have least of worldly pomp and grace, if they excel in Christ, should have most of Christian respect and honour. (3.) When we can easily make greatness a cover for baseness, and excuse sin by honour, whereas that is the aggravation; the advantage of greatness maketh sin the more eminent and notable. It is good to note with what freedom the scriptures speak of wicked persons in the highest honour: Dan. iv. 17, he giveth kingdoms `to the basest of men;, the world cannot think as basely of the children of God, but the word speaketh as basely of them. The Turkish empire, as great as it is, saith Luther, it is but a morsel, which the master of the house throweth to dogs. David maketh it a description of a godly man, Ps. xv. 4, `In whose eyes a vile person is contemned, but he honoureth them that fear the Lord;, let him be what he will be, if he be a wicked person, he is to them a vile person. How low was that evil king in the eyes of the holy prophet! 2 Kings iii. 14, `Were it not that I regarded the presence of Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, I would not look towards thee, nor see thee, (4.) When we yield religious respects, give testimonies to men for advantage, and, under pretence of religion, servilely addict ourselves to men for base ends; this Jude noteth in that expression, Jude 16, `Having men's persons in admiration because of advantage., The apostle speaketh of some heretics that were otherwise proud, but yet for advantage fawning and servile, as usually none so base-spirited as the proud are, when it may make for their worldly profit. It was observed of our late bishops, by one of their own party, that (though they were otherwise of a proud, insulting spirit) they were willing to take Ham's curse upon them, that they might domineer in the tents of Shem; to be servi servorum, slaves to great men-servants, that they might bear rule over the tribe of Levi. But to return; this is a clear respect of persons, when men keep at a distance, and are proud to the poor servants of God, but can crouch, and comply, and do anything for profit and advantage. It was a brave resolution that of Elihu, Job xxxii. 21, `I cannot accept any man's person; I know not to give flattering titles, (5.) When church administrations are not carried on with an indifferent and even hand to rich and poor, either by way of exhortation or censure. By way of exhortation: Christ died for both, and we must have a care of both, Exod. xxx. 15; the poor and the rich were to give the same atonement for their souls; their souls were as precious to Christ as those that glitter most in outward pomp. The apostle saith, `We are debtors both to the bond and free., Rom. i. 14. Christ saith to Peter, `Feed my lambs, as well as `Feed my sheep, John xxi. So for censure: Micaiah feared not Ahab, nor John Baptist Herod and the Pharisees. It was an excellent commendation that which they gave to Christ, Mark xii. 14, `Thou carest for no man, and regardest the person of no man, but teachest the way of God in truth., Ah! we should learn of our Lord and Master. We are never true ministers of Jesus Christ till we deal alike with persons that are alike in themselves. (6.) When we contemn the truths of God be cause of the persons that bring them to us. Usually we regard the man rather than the matter, and not the golden treasure so much as the earthen vessel; it was the prejudice cast upon Christ, `Is not this the carpenter's son?, We look upon the cup rather than the liquor, and consider not what, but who bringeth it. Matheo Langi, Archbishop of Saltzburg, told every one that the reformation of the mass was needful, the liberty of meats convenient, and to be disburdened of so many commands of men just; but that a poor monk (meaning Luther) should reform all was not to be endured. So in Christ's time the question was common, `Do any of the rulers believe in him?, Thus you see we are apt to despise excellent things, because of the despicableness of the instrument: `The poor man delivered the city, (saith Solomon) `but he was forgotten, Eccles. ix. 15, 16. The same words have a different acceptation, because of the different esteem and value of the persons engaged in them. Erasmus observed, that what was accounted orthodox in the fathers, was condemned as heretical in Luther. Thus you see how many ways in religious matters we may be guilty of respect of persons.

Use. Oh! consider these things. It is a heinous evil, and a natural evil. We are marvellous apt to think that there is no eminency but what consisteth in outward greatness. This is to disvalue the members of Christ; yea, to disvalue Christ himself: `He that despiseth the poor, though they be but the common poor, `reproacheth their maker, Prov. xvii. 5. But to despise poor Christians that are again renewed to the image of God, that is higher; and it is highest of all when a Christian doth despise Christians; as it is far worse for a scholar to disvalue scholarship, or a soldier his profession, than for other men. It is nothing so bad in worldly men, that are acquainted with no higher glory. Oh! consider what a dishonour it is to Christ for you to prefer mammon before him, as if wealth could put a greater value upon a person than grace.

Obs. 2. That Jesus Christ is a glorious Lord, not only in regard of his own person, which is `the brightness of his Father's glory, Heb. i. 3, or in regard of his present exaltation, whereby he hath `a name above all names, Phil: ii. 9. Not only as he enjoyeth it in himself, but as he dispenseth it to others. He will give you as much glory as your hearts can wish for. He putteth an honour upon you for the present. You may be sure you shall not be disgraced by him, either in your hope; it is such as `shall not make you ashamed., Rom. v. 5: false worshippers may be ashamed, as Baal's were, of their trust in their god, 1 Kings xviii; or of your enjoyments: you are ( made comely in his comeliness, Ezek. xvi. 14; and the church is called `the fairest among women, Cant. v. 9; or of your service: your work is an ornament to you. God himself is `glorious in holiness, Exod. xv. 11. But for the future you will always find him a Lord of glory; sometimes in this world, after you have been a long time beclouded under disgrace, reproach, and suffering. When hair is shaven, it cometh the thicker, and with a new increase; so, when the razor of censure hath made your heads bare, and brought on the baldness of reproach, be not discouraged: God hath a time to `bring forth your righteousness as the noon-day, Ps. xxxvii. 6, by an apparent conviction to dazzle and discourage your adversaries. The world was well changed when Constantine kissed the hollow of Paphnutius, eye, that was erewhile put out for Christ. Scorn is but a little cloud that is soon blown over. But if Christ do not cause your enemies to bow to you, yet he will give you honour among his people; for he hath promised to honour those that honour him, 1 Sam. ii. 30; and he is able to do it, for the hearts of all men are in his hands, and he can dispose of their respects at pleasure. That sentence of Solomon intimateth that God is resolved upon it, `A man shall be commended according to his wisdom, Prov. xii. 8. But, however, suppose all this were not, in the next world you shall be sure to find Christ a Lord of glory, when he cometh to put the same glory upon the saints which the Father hath put upon himself, John xvii. 22, 24. `In that day, as the apostle saith, `he will be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe, 2 Thes. i. 10. It is a notable expression; not only admired in himself, but in his saints; as if he accounted the social glory which resulteth to his person from the glory of his children a greater honour to him than his own personal glory. Well, then, look to your thoughts of Christ. How do you consider him? as a Lord of glory? The apostle saith, `To them that believe, Christ is precious, 1 Peter ii. 7, in the original, τιμὴ, an honour. They account no honour like the honour of having relation to Christ. You will know this disposition by two notes:—(1.) All other excellencies will be as nothing. Birth, `an Hebrew of the Hebrews;, dignity, `a Pharisee;, moral accomplishments, `touching the law, blameless;, beauty and esteem in the world, `if any man might have confidence in the flesh, I much more;, yet `I count all things but dung and loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Phil. iii. 8. (2.) All other abasures will be nothing: πάπεινος, the `brother of base degree, may count his baseness for Christ a preferment; let him `rejoice in that he is exalted, James i. 9. So of Moses it is said, he `esteemed the reproaches of Christ better treasures than the riches of Egypt, Heb. xi. 26. Mark, he did not only endure the reproaches of Christ, but counted them treasures, to be reckoned among his honours and things of value. So Thuanus reporteth of Ludovicus Marsacus, a knight of France, when he was led, with other martyrs that were bound with cords, to execution, and he for his dignity was not bound, he cried, `Give me my chains too; let me be a knight of the same order, Certainly it is an honour to be vile for God, 2 Sam. vi. 22. To a gracious spirit, nothing is base but sin and tergiversation; disgrace itself is honourable, when it is endured for the Lord of glory.

Obs. 3. Those that count Christ glorious will account Christianity and faith glorious. The apostle maketh it an argument here, `The faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory., He that prizeth the person of Christ prizeth all his relatives. As among men, when we love a man, we love his picture, and whatsoever hath relation to him. Grace is but a ray, a derived excellency from Christ. A Christian is much known by his esteem. What, then, do you account most excellent in yourselves or others? (1.) In yourselves. What is your greatest honour and treasure? What would you desire for yourselves or others? What would you part with first? Theodosius valued his Christianity above his empire. Luther said, he had rather be Christianus rusticus than ethnicus Alexander—a Christian clown than a Pagan emperor. (2.) In others. Who are most precious with you? those in whom you see most of the image of Christ? We use to honour the servants of glorious kings: Prov. xii. 26, `The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour., Who is the best neighbour to you? those that fear God? and do you like them best, when their conferences are most religious? You shall see this indefinite proverb is restrained by another, Prov. xix. 1, where Solomon intimateth that the righteous poor man is better than his rich neighbour. There, indeed, is the trial. Communion with holy and gracious spirits is far better than the countenance and respects of a great man to you. Oh! do not despise those jewels of Christ that lie in the dirt and dunghill. David could see silver wings in those doves that had lain among the pots.

Ver. 2-4. For if there come into your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and you have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say to him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool; are ye not then partial in yourselves, and become judges of evil thoughts?

I have put all these verses together, because they make but one entire sentence. The apostle proveth how guilty they were of this evil from whence he dissuadeth them, by a usual practice of theirs in their ecclesiastical conventions.

If there come into your assembly.—The word in the original is, εἰς συναγωγὴν, `into your synagogue, by which some understand their Christian assembly for worship: but that is not so probable, because the Christian assembly is nowhere, that I can remember, expressed by συναγωγὴ, synagogue, but by ἐκκλησία, church; and in the church-meeting there may be, without sin, several seats and places appointed for men of several ranks and dignities in the world; and it is a mistake to apply the censure of the apostle to such a practice. Others apply it to any common convention and meeting for the deciding of controversies, establishing of public order, and disposing of the offices of the church; and by synagogue they understand the court where they judged all causes belonging to themselves. Austin seemeth to incline to this sense for one part of it, namely, for a meeting to dispose of all offices that belonged to the church, which were not to be intrusted to men according to their outward quality, but inward accomplishments; there being the same abuse in fashion in the primitive times which, to our grief, hath been found among us, that men were chosen and called to office out of a respect to their worldly lustre rather than their spiritual endowments, and the gold ring was preferred before the rich faith, a practice wholly inconsonant with Christian religion and with the dispensation of those times; God himself having immediately called fishermen, and persons otherwise despicable, certainly of little note and remark in the world, to the highest offices and employments in the church. If we take the words in this restrained sense, for a court or meeting to dispose of ecclesiastical offices and functions, the context may be accommodated with a very proper sense, for, according to their offices, so had they places in all church-meetings; and therefore the apostle Paul useth that phrase, `He that occupieth the room of the unlearned, 1 Cor. xiv. 16; or, as it is in the original, τόπον ἰδιώτου, the place of the private person. The elders they sat by themselves, then others that were more learned, then the ignorants; the church herein following the custom of the synagogue, which (as the author of the Comment upon the Epistles, that goeth under the name of Ambrose, observeth) was wont to place the elders in chairs, the next in rank on benches, the novices at their feet on mats; and thence came the phrase of `sitting at the feet, of any one for a disciple, as it is said Paul was `brought up at the feet of Gamaliel., And for the women, Grotius telleth us, that the first place was given to the widows of one man, then to the virgins, then to the matrons. Now, because they assigned these places preposterously, out of a regard of wealth rather than grace, and said to the rich, `Sit thou here, καλῶς, honourably, and to the poor, however qualified, `Stand thou there, or sit at my feet, the place of learners and idiots, the apostle doth with such severity tax the abuse, to wit, their carnal partiality in distributing the honours of the church. Thus you see the context will go on smoothly. But I must not limit the text to this one use of the court or synagogue; and therefore, if we take in the other uses of deciding all causes and differences between the members of the Church, &c., every passage in the context will have its full light and explication; for the apostle speaketh of judging, and of such respect of persons as is condemned by the law, ver. 9, which is an accepting of persons in judgment, Lev. xix. 5. And therefore I understand this synagogue of an assembly met to do justice. In which thought I am confirmed by the judgment and reasons of a late learned writer, who proveth that it was the fashion of the Jews to keep court in their synagogues; and therefore do we so often read those phrases. Mat. x. 17, `They shall scourge you in their synagogues;, Acts xxii. 19, `Beaten in every synagogue;, Acts xxvi. 11, `I punished them in every synagogue, because, as he saith, where sentence was given, there justice was executed; and it is probable that, being converted to Christianity, they still held the same course. And it is very notable, which he quoteth out of Maimonides, Sanhedrim, cap. 21, `That it is expressly provided by the Jews, constitutions, that when a poor man and a rich plead together, the rich shall not be bidden to sit down, and the poor stand, or sit in a worse place, but both sit, or both stand:, which is a circumstance that hath a clear respect to the phrases used by the apostle here; and the rather to be noted, because our apostle writeth to `the twelve tribes, Hebrews by nation, with whom these customs were familiar and of known use. So that out of all we may collect that the synagogue here spoken of is not the church assembly, but the ecclesiastical court or convention for the decision of strifes, wherein they were not to favour the cause of the rich against the poor; which is an explication that cleareth the whole context, and preventeth the inconveniences of the received exposition, which so far pleadeth the cause of the poor as to deny civility and due respect to the rich and honourable in Christian assemblies.

A man with a gold ring, χρυσοδακτύλιος, `a gold-fingered man, that is the force of the original word. The gold ring was a badge of honour and nobility; therefore Judah had his signet, Gen. xxxviii. 18-25; and Pharaoh, as a token that Joseph was promoted to honour, `took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, Gen. xlii. So Ahasuerus dealt with Mordecai, Esther viii. 8.

In goodly apparel.—This also was a note of dignity: Gen. xxvii. 15, `Rebecca took the goodly garment of her son Esau;, by which some understand the gorgeous priestly ornaments which be longed to him as having the birthright. So when the prodigal returned, the father, to do him honour, calleth for the best robe and a ring; some marks and ornaments of honour which were put on upon solemn days. But the luxury of after-times made the use more common. It is said of the rich man in the Gospel, Luke xvi. 19, that he was `clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared deliciously every day.,

A poor man in vile raiment.—In the original, ἐσθῆτι ῥυπαρᾷ, `filthy, sordid raiment;, it is the same word which the Septuagint use in Zech. iii. 3, 4, where mention is made of the high priest's `filthy garments, which was a figure of the calamitous state of the church; where the Septuagint have ἱμάτια ῥυπαρά.