Thomas Manton · 32 of 60

A Practical Commentary, or an Exposition with Notes on the Epistle of James. · Chapter II. · Part 9

2. You must go to work evangelically, and with a spirit suiting the gospel. Consider and understand your evidences and graces not in a legal perfection, but as `sprinkled with the blood of the covenant., If you should look for love, fear, faith, hope, in that perfection which the law requireth, the heart will still be kept unsettled; your business is to look to the truth rather than the measure. Usually men bring their graces rather to the balance than to the touchstone, and weigh them when they should try them, as if the quantity and measure were more considerable than the essence and nature. It is good to own grace, though mingled with much weakness: the children of God have pleaded the truth of their graces, when conscious to themselves of many failings: Cant. i. 5, `I am black, but comely., There is grace, though under the veil and cloud of much weakness; so Cant. v. 2, `I sleep, but my heart waketh:, the spouse hath a double aspect, to what was evil and what was good; so he in the Gospel could with confidence plead his faith, though humbled with sad relics and remains of un belief: `Lord, I believe; help my unbelief, Mark ix. 24. We must not bear false witness against others, much less against ourselves; and, therefore, own a little good, though in the midst of much evil.

3. You must go to work prudently, understanding the nature of marks, and the time to use them; everything is beautiful in its season. There are times of desertion, when graces are not visible. In darkness we can neither see black nor white. In times of great dejection and discouragement the work of a Christian is not to try, but believe: `Let him stay himself on the name of God, Isa. l. 10. It is most seasonable to encourage the soul to acts of faith, and to reflect upon the absolute promises, rather than conditional. The absolute promises were intended by God as attractives and encouragements to such distressed souls. There is a time when the soul is apt to slumber, and to be surprised with a careless security; then it is good to awaken it by a serious trial. To a loose, carnal spirit, an absolute promise is as poison; to a dejected spirit, as cheering wine. When the soul lieth under fear and sense of guilt, it is unable to judge, therefore examination doth but increase the trouble. But again, when the heart is drowsy and careless, trial is most in season; and it is best to reflect upon the conditional promises, that we may look after the qualifications expressed in them ere we take comfort. When David was under hatches, he laboured to maintain faith, and outbrave discouragements: Ps. iii. 2, the enemies said, `Now there is no help for him in his God., He hath fallen scandalously, and that psalm was penned upon occasion of Absalom's rebellion, which was ordered by way of correction of David's sin; and this made them vaunt, Now God is his enemy. Now David doth not mention the sin, but awakeneth his trust; in the very face of the temptation he maintaineth his confidence: `But thou art my shield, my glory, and the lifter up of my head, &c., ver. 3. And elsewhere he professeth that this was his general practice: Ps. lvi. 3, `At what time I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee., In times of discouragement, and when terror was likely to grow upon his spirit, he would look after arguments and supports of trust and dependence. So, on the contrary, when the heart groweth rusty and secure, it is good to use Nazianzen's policy, when his heart began to be corrupted with ease and pleasure, Τοῖς Θρῆνοις συγγίγνομαι, saith he, I use to read the Lamentations of Jeremiah, or to inure his mind to matter sad and lamentable. In all spiritual cases it is good to deal prudently, lest we put ourselves into the hands of our enemies, and further the devices of Satan.

4. Your great care must be to be humbly thankful; thankful, be cause all is from God. It is a vain spirit that is proud of what is borrowed, or glorieth because he is more in debt than others: 1 Cor. iv. 7, `Who made thee differ? and what hast thou which thou hast not received? 7 Whatever we find upon a search, it must not be ascribed to free-will, but to free grace: `He giveth will and deed according to his pleasure, Phil. ii. 13. Free-will establisheth merit; free grace checketh it. The sun is not beholden, because we borrow light from it, or the fountain because we draw water. We may all say, as David, `Of thine own have we given thee;, Lord, this is thy bounty. Then humble we must be, because as every good work cometh from God's Spirit, so it passeth through thy heart, and there it is defiled; partus sequitur ventrem. Our good works have more of the mother in them than the father; and so `our righteousnesses, become `dung, Phil. iii. 8, and `filthy rags, Isa. lxiv. 6. Thus, lest pride taint the spirit by the sight of our graces, it is good to make distinct and actual reflections on God's bounty and our own vileness.

Obs. 3. From that when he offered Isaac. Isaac is counted offered, because he was so in Abraham's purpose. The note is, that serious purposes of obedience are accepted for obedience. God hath given in pardon upon a purpose of returning: Ps. xxxii. 5. `I said I would confess, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin., Only remember they must be such purposes as are like Abraham's. (1.) Serious and resolved, for he prepared himself to the performance; not vain purposes to betray present duties, when men hope to do that to-morrow which they should do to-day; these are vanishing and flitting motions which God taketh notice of: Ps. xliv. 21, `God knoweth the secrets of the hearts, and that such delays are but modest denials, or rather deceitful offers, to put off the clamour and importunity of conscience. Nothing more usual than such purposes for the future to justify present neglects. God will search it out: Abraham was ready. (2.) They must be such as end in action, unless in the case of allowable hindrances. When is that? (1st.) When we are hindered, as Abraham was, from heaven; he, by divine command; we, by providence: 1 Kings viii. 18, `Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well in that it was in thine heart., When mere providence diverteth us from holy intentions, God accepteth of the will. (2d.) By invincible weakness: Rom. vii. 18, `To will is present with me; but to perform that which is good, I find not., The apostle could not, κατεργάζεθαι, come up to the rate of his purposes; in such a case God looketh to what is in the heart. Well, then—(1.) It serveth for comfort to the people of God, who, because they do not perform duty as they would, are much discouraged. God taketh no tice of the purpose, and judgeth of you, as physicians do of their patients, not by their eating, but their appetite. Purposes and desires are works of God's own stirring up, the free native offering and motions of grace. Practices may be overruled, but such earnest purposes as make you do what you can are usually serious and genuine. The children of God, that cannot justify their practices, plead the inward motions and desires of their hearts: John xxi. 17, `Thou knowest all things, and thou knowest that I love thee;, Neh. i. 11, `Desire to fear thy name, &c. (2.) It is for advice to us to be careful of our purposes. Many would be more wicked, were they not bound up. God takes notice of what is in their hearts: Mat. v. 28, `He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her in his heart., So also Seneca, Incesta est et sine stupro quae stuprum cupit—the purpose maketh guilty, though the act be restrained. God took notice of the king of Babylon's purposes and intentions: Isa. x. 7, `It is in his heart to destroy, and cut off nations not a few., Motions and inclinations should be watched over. (3.) It showeth God's readiness to receive returning sinners; he met his son `while he was yet a great way off, Luke xv. As soon as the will layeth down the weapons of defiance, and moveth towards God, the Lord runneth to embrace and fall upon the neck of such a poor soul, that he may satisfy it with some early comforts. So Isa. lxv. 24, `Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear, Acts of grace do anticipate and often prevent acts of duty. `Turn me, saith Ephraim, and then `a dear and pleasant son, Jer. xxxi. 18, with ver. 20. As soon as you set your faces towards God, he runneth towards you. (4.) It showeth how we should entertain the purposes and promises of God; look upon them in the promise with such a certainty as if they were actually accomplished: Rev. xiv. 8, `Babylon is fallen, is fallen., God can read duty in the purpose: we have much more cause to read accomplishment in the promise. `Hath he said, and shall he not do it? hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?, Num. xxiii. 19. His will is not changeable as ours, neither is his power restrained.

Obs. 4. From that offered Isaac upon the altar. He bringeth this as the great argument of the truth of Abraham's faith. It is not for faith to produce every action, unless it produce such actions as Abraham's. Such as will engage you to self-denial are troublesome to the flesh. David scorned such service as cost nothing. There where we must deny our own reason, affections, interest, that is an action fit to try a believer. Let us see what is observable in this action of Abraham, that we may go and do likewise. (1.) Observe the greatness of the temptation. It was to offer his own son, the son of his love, his only son, a son longed for, and obtained when `his body was dead, and `Sarah's womb dead;, nay, `the son of the promise., Had he been to contend only with natural affection, it had been much—descensive love is always vehement; but for love to Isaac there were special endearing reasons and arguments. But Abraham was not only to conflict with natural affection, but reason; not only with reason, but faith. He was, as it were, to execute all his hopes; and all this was to be done by himself; with his own hand he was at one stroke to cut off all his comforts; the execution of such a sentence was as harsh and bitter to flesh and blood as to be his own executioner. Oh! go and shame yourselves without, you that can so little deny yourselves for God, that attempt duties only when they are easy and obvious, never care to recover them out of the hands of difficulty and inconvenience. Public duties, if well done, are usually against carnal interests, private duties against carnal affections. Can you give up all that is near and dear to you? Can you offer up your Isaac? your ease and pleasure for private duties? your interests for public? Every action is not a trial of faith, but such as engageth to self-denial. (2.) Consider the readiness of his obedience. As Abraham is the pattern of believing, so of obeying. He received the promises as a figure of our faith; he offered up his son as a figure of our obedience, Heb. xi. 17. (1st.) He obeyed readily and willingly: Gen. xxii. 3, `Abraham rose early in the morning., In such a service some would have delayed all the time they could, but he is up early. Usually we straiten duty rather than straiten ourselves; we are not about that work early. (2d.) Resolutely; he concealeth it from his wife, servants, from Isaac himself, that so he might not be diverted from his pious purpose. Oh! who is now so wise to order the circumstances of a duty that he may not be hindered in it? (3d.) He denied carnal reason. In difficult cases we seek to elude the command, dispute how we shall shift it off, not how we shall obey it. If we had been put upon such a trial, we would question the vision, or seek some other meaning; perhaps offer the image of Isaac, or some youngling of the flock, and call it Isaac; as now we often pervert a command by distinctions, and invent shifts to cheat our souls into a neglect of duty; as the heathens, when their gods called for φωτα, a man, they offered φῶτα, a candle; or as Hercules offered up a painted man instead of a living. But Abraham doth not so, though he had a fair occasion, for he was divided between believing the promise and obeying the command. God tried him in his faith: his faith was to conflict with his natural reason as well as his obedience with his natural affection. But `he accounted that God was able to raise him from the dead, Heb. xi. 19, and he reconcileth the commandment with the promise. How easily could we have slipped out at this door, and disobey, out of pretences and reasons of religion. But Abraham offered Isaac.

Ver. 22. Seest thou how his faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

Having alleged the instance, he now urgeth it by an apostrophe to the boasting hypocrite, who nourished an impure life under the pretence of faith.

Seest thou, βλέπεις.—He seeketh to awaken the secure carnalist by urging this instance upon his conscience: `Seest thou?, that is, is it not clear? or without an interrogation, `Thou seest.,

How his faith wrought with his works.—Many senses are given of this phrase. The Papists urge it to prove that faith needeth the concurrence of works in the matter of justification, as if works and faith were joint causes; but then the apostle would have said, that works wrought with his faith, and not faith with his works. Among the orthodox it is expounded with some difference. That sense which I prefer is, that his faith rested not in a naked, bare profession, but was operative; it had efficacy and influence upon his works, co-working with all other graces; it doth not only exert and put forth itself in acts of believing, but also in working.

And by works was faith made perfect.—This clause also hath been vexed into several senses. The Papists gather hence that in the work of justification faith receiveth its worth, value, and perfection from works—a conceit prejudicial to the freeness of God's love, contrary to the constant doctrine of the scriptures; for faith rather giveth a value to works than works to faith, Rom. xiv. 23; Heb. xi. 4-6; and works are so far from being chief, and the more perfect cause of justification, that they are not respected there at all. This sense being justly disproved, divers others are given. As (1.) `Made perfect, that is, say some, `made known and discovered;, as God's strength is said to be `perfected in our weakness, 2 Cor. xii. 9. None will be so mad as to say that our strength doth add anything to the power of God, that is incapable of increase and decrease, and hath no need to borrow aught from the weakness of man. It is `made perfect, because it hath the better advantage of discovery, and doth more singularly put forth and show itself; so faith is made perfect, that is, more fully known and apparent. And the reason of the expression is—(1st.) Because excelling things, whiles kept private, suffer a kind of imperfection; or (2d.) Because it is an argument faith is come to some maturity and perfection of growth, not only living, but lively, when it can produce its proper and necessary operations; this sense is probable. But (2.) Others understand it thus: that faith or profession is not full and complete till works be joined with it, faith and works being the two essential parts which make up a believer; which interpretation suiteth well enough with the scope of the apostle. (3.) The exposition which I take to be most simple and suitable is, that faith co-working with obedience is made perfect, that is, bettered and improved; as the inward vigour of the spirits is increased by motion and exercise: and so in short (as Dr Jackson explaineth it), works do not perfect faith by communication and imputation of their perfection, to it, but by stirring, exercising, and intending the natural vigour of it.

From this verse thus opened observe:—

Obs. 1. There is an influence of faith upon all a Christian's actings, Heb. xi. Faith is made the grand principle; acts are there spoken of, which do more formally belong to other graces. But we say the general won the day, though the private soldiers did worthily in the high places of the field, because it was under his conduct and direction. So because all other graces inarch, and are brought up in their order, to fight under the conduct of faith, the honour of the day and duty is devolved upon it. The influence of faith is great into all the offices of the heavenly life. (1.) Because it hath the advantage of a sweet principle: `It worketh by love, Gal. v. 6. It represents the love of God, and then maketh use of the sweetness of it by way of argument: it urgeth by such melting entreaties, that the believer cannot say nay. Paul intimateth the argument of faith, Gal. ii. 20, `I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved, and gave himself for me., When the soul is backward, faith saith, Christ loved you, and gave himself up for you. He was not thus backward in the work of salvation; as the soldier said to Augustus when he refused his petition—I did not serve you so at the battle of Actium. (2.) It presents strong encouragements; it seeth assistance in the power of God, acceptance in the grace of God, reward in the bounty of God. When you are weakened with doubtings and discouragements, faith saith, Do your endeavour, and God will accept you. When Christ came to feast with his spouse he saith, Cant. v. 1, `I will eat my honeycomb with my honey., Though it were mixed with wax, and embased with weakness, Christ will accept it. When jealousy maketh the heart faint, and the hands feeble, lest we should drive on heavily, faith showeth the soul `an angel that standeth at the altar with sweet incense, Rev. viii. 3, 4. Duty coming immediately out of our hands would yield an ill savour, therefore Christ intercepteth it in the passage, and so it is perfumed in the hands of a mediator. Again, are you discouraged with weakness? faith will reply, Thou art weak, but God will enable thee. It is an advantage, not a discouragement, to be weak in ourselves, that we may be `strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, Eph. vi. 10. When the bucket is empty, it can be the better filled out of the ocean. Paul saith, 2 Cor. xii. 10, `When I am weak, then am I strong., There is no heart so dead but God can quicken it, and he is willing. It is said, 1 Chron. xv. 26, `God helped the Levites, when the work was bodily; and we are less apt to be indisposed for bodily labour. God helped them by discharging their lassitudes; so certainly he will much more give inward strength, more love, joy, hope, which are the strength of the soul, Neh. viii. 10. Again, if the heart be lazy and backward, or stick at ease and pleasure, faith can present the glory of the reward, the pleasures at God's right hand, &c. (3.) It breaketh the force of opposite propensions; if the world standeth in the way of duty, `faith overcometh the world, 1 John v. 4; partly by bringing Christ into the combat, partly by spiritual replies and arguments. Reason telleth us we must be for ourselves; faith telleth us we must be for God. Reason saith, If I take this course, I shall undo myself; faith, by looking within the veil, seeth it is the only way to save all, 2 Cor. iv. 15-17. Reason presenteth the treasures of Egypt, and faith the recompense of reward. From hence are those bickerings and counterbuffs which a believer feeleth sometimes within himself.

Well, then, out of all this we may infer—(1.) That we had need get faith; there is as great a necessity of faith as of life; it is the life of our lives and the soul of our souls; the primum mobile, the first pin, that moveth all the wheels of obedience, like the blood and spirits which run through the whole body. There is by the ordination of God as great a necessity of faith as of Christ: what good will a deep well do us without a bucket? He that hath a mind to work, would not be without his tools; and who would be without faith that maketh conscience of duty? (2.) Act it in all your works; no works are good till faith work with them, they are not acceptable, nor half so kindly Heb. xi. 4, `By faith Abel offered, πλείονα θυσίαν (not only a better sacrifice, as we render it, but) `more sacrifice, as the word will bear. Faith is the best support you can have; carnal ends make us mangle duty, doubts weaken us in duty.

Obs. 2. That faith is bettered and made more perfect by acting. Neglect of our graces is the ground of their decrease and decay; wells are the sweeter for draining. Christians get nothing by dead and useless habits. Talents hid in a napkin gather rust; the noblest faculties are embased when not improved in exercise. The apostle wisheth Timothy ἀναζωπυρεῖν, to `excite and enliven his gifts, 2 Tim. i. 6. It is an allusion to the fire of the temple, which was always to be kept burning. Well, then, be much in duty, draw out the acts of your graces; many live, but are not lively; decays do insensibly make way for deadness.

Ver. 23. And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.

To strengthen the former argument from the example of Abraham, he produceth a testimony of scripture to prove that Abraham had true faith, and that Abraham was truly justified.

And the scripture was fulfilled.—You will say, How can this be, since that saying was spoken of Abraham long before? Compare Gen. xv. 6 with Gen. xxii.; and the apostle Paul saith that scripture was fulfilled in him `while he was yet in his uncircumcision., Rom. iv. 10, which was before Isaac's birth, certainly before his being offered. Luther upon this ground rejecteth this epistle with some incivility of expression. The Papists seek to reconcile the matter thus: That though faith were imputed to Abraham for righteousness before he offered Isaac, yet our apostle would prove that faith was not enough to justify him, but there needed also works; for, say they, his righteousness was not complete and full till it was made perfect by the accession of works. And the Socinians pipe after the same tune and note, but without ground and warrant; for Paul quoteth the very same words for justification without works, Rom. iv. 2, 3, and proveth that he had such a justification as made him completely happy and blessed, ver. 6-8. And if James should go about to superinduce the righteousness of works, he would be directly contrary both to Moses and Paul. The words of Moses can no way bear that sense, who plainly averreth faith to be imputed to him for righteousness. Briefly, then, for opening the place, you must note, that a scripture is said to be fulfilled in several senses: sometimes when the main scope of the place is urged; at other times when a like case falleth out, and so a scripture is quoted, and said to be fulfilled, not by way of argument, but allusion; sensu transumptivo, as divines speak; and they give a note whereby the allusive sense may be distinguished from that which is chief and proper. When a text is quoted properly, it is said, `that it might be fulfilled, as noting the aim and scope of the place. When it is quoted by allusion, or to suit it with a parallel instance, it is said, `then it was fulfilled, as implying that such a like case fell out. So here, `Then was the scripture fulfilled;, that is, upon this instance and experience of his faith it might be again said that faith was imputed to him for righteousness; and we may rather own this exposition, because this sacrifice of his son, Gen. xxii., was a greater manifestation and discovery of his faith than that sacrifice mentioned Gen. xv., when this honour was first put upon him. And things are said to be fulfilled when they are most clearly manifested; as in that known place of Acts xiii. 32, 33, where those words, `Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee, are said to be fulfilled at Christ's resurrection, because then he `showed himself to be the Son of God., Rom. i. 4. So here; this being the evident discovery of Abraham's faith, it appeared how truly it was said of him that `he believed, and it was imputed to him for righteousness., By that action he declared he had a true justifying faith, and therefore the Lord saith after this trial, `Now I know that thou fearest me, Gen. xxii. 12. And I suppose that he doth the rather use this expression to prevent an objection that might be drawn from Genesis or the doctrine of Paul; as also intimating that his doctrine tended not to press men to renounce the righteousness of faith, but to get their interest therein cleared, the testimony of Abraham's righteousness being so every way compliant with the doctrine proposed.

Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.—The original meaning of that phrase, `it was counted to him for righteousness, is only to show that the thing was approved and accepted by God: and so it is often used in the Old Testament; as Phinehas, zeal is said to be `counted in him for righteousness:, Ps. cvi. 30, 31, `He stood up and executed judgment; and that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore., And therefore in this phrase the scripture doth not declare what is the matter of our justification, but only what value the Lord is pleased to put upon acts of faith or obedience, when they are performed in the face of difficulty and discouragement. It is true, it is quoted by the apostle to prove the righteousness which is of faith, without that of works: Rom. iv. 3, `What saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness., But I suppose the .apostle doth not quote the rigour of the expression, as if he would infer that faith is the matter of our righteousness, but only that the first testimony and solemn approbation which Abraham had from God was because of his faith. When scriptural expressions are rigorously urged, without considering their first and constant use, no wonder that mistakes and controversies do arise. For those great disputes about the matter of justification, I would not intermeddle; let it suffice to note, that the general current of Paul's epistles carrieth it for the righteousness of Christ, which being imputed to us, maketh us just and acceptable before God; and this righteousness we receive by faith. So that faith justifieth not in the Popish sense as a most perfect grace, or as a good work done by us, but in its relation to Christ, as it receiveth Christ and his satisfactory righteousness; and so whether you say it justifieth as an instrument, a sole-working instrument, or as an ordinance, or relative action, required on our parts, all is to the same issue and purpose: to contend about mere words and bare forms of speech is to be too precise and critical.

And he was called the friend of God.—The apostle saith `he was called;, that is, he was; as Isa. xlviii. 8, `Thou wast called a transgressor from the womb;, that is, thou wast a transgressor. So in the New Testament: 1 John iii. 1, `To be called the sons of God;, that is, to be the sons of God. Or it alludeth to the solemn appellation wherewith Abraham is invested in scripture; as Isa. xli. 8, `Thou Israel are the seed of Abraham my friend., So 2 Chron. xx. 7, `Thou art our God, and thou gavest this land to the seed of Abraham thy friend, And this title was given to Abraham because of his frequent communion with God—he had often visions; and because of his frequent covenanting with God—a great condescension, such as the kings of the earth use only to their equals and friends: and therefore, in the places where this title is given to Abraham, there is some respect to the covenant; and here it is said to be given to him upon that testimony of his faith and obedience in offering Isaac, when the covenant was solemnly renewed and confirmed to him by oath.