Thomas Manton · 60 of 60
A Practical Commentary, or an Exposition with Notes on the Epistle of James. · Chapter V. · Part 10
Obs. 7. From that let him know. To ourselves in a good work, it is good we should actually consider the dignity and benefits of it; γιγνωσκέτω, let him consider what a high honour it is to have a hand in such a work. So the apostle presseth to patience upon this ground, Rom. v. 3, `Knowing that tribulation worketh experience., So to sincerity, Col. iii. 23, 24, `Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of inheritance., Well, then, learn this wisdom in case of deadness and opposition of spirit, act your thoughts upon the worth of your duties and the success of them. Man's strength lieth in his discourse and reason, and there is no such relief to the soul as that which cometh by seasonable thoughts; Whom do I serve? the Lord? Can any labour undertaken for his sake be in vain? &c.
Obs. 8. From that, he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way. Before it was expressed by `erring from the truth, and now by the `error of his way., You may note that errors in doctrine usually end in sins of life and practice: Jude 8, `Filthy dreamers, defiling the flesh., First men dream, and then defile themselves. We often see that impurity of religion is joined with uncleanness of body, and spiritual fornication punished with corporal: Hosea iv. 12, 13, `They have gone a-whoring from their God, therefore their daughters shall commit whoredom., Austin saith, Anima quae fornicata est a Deo casta esse non potest, that those cannot be chaste that go a-whoring from God. Truth aweth the soul, and a right belief guideth the : unbelief is the mother of sin, and misbelief the nurse of it. In error there is a sinful confederacy between the rational and sensual part, and so affections are gratified with carnal doctrines. The spirit or upper part of the soul gratifieth the flesh or lower faculties, and therefore the convictive power of the word is said to `distinguish between flesh and spirit, Heb. iv. 12, between carnal affection and those crafty pretences and excuses by which it is palliated.
Obs. 9. From that shall save. Man under God hath this honour, to be a saviour. We are σύνεργοι Θεοῦ, `workers together with God, 2 Cor. vi. 1. He is pleased to take us into a fellowship of his own work, and to cast the glory of his upon our endeavours. It is a high honour which the Lord doth us; we should learn to turn it back again to God, to whom alone it is due: 1 Cor. xv. 10, `I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me;, Luke xix. 16, `Thy pound hath gained ten pounds;, not my industry, but thy pound: so Gal. ii. 20, `I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me., When God shall put the glory of his own work upon the head of the creature, certainly they have great cause to lay the crown of their excellency at the feet of the Lord; and when the honour of the supreme cause is put upon the instrument, the instrument may well ascribe all to the efficacy of the supreme cause. Such is the grace of God, that when thou hast used the means, he will reckon it to thy score: `Thou hast gained thy brother, Mat, xviii. 15. A man loseth. nothing by being employed in God's service. Oh! let us strive and take pains in this work: Paul would be anything that he might gain some, 1 Cor. ix. 19-21. It serveth also for direction to Christians; you must not neglect the means, God giveth them the terms proper to the supreme cause. God saith to his interpreter, Job xxxiii. 24, `Deliver him from going down into the pit, &c. So the apostles and the ministers of the gospel that were to preach to Idumaea for the of the there are called saviours: Obad. 21, `And saviours shall come from Mount Sion to judge the mount of Esau., It is notable, that though the work of conversion be properly the Lord's, yet it is sometimes ascribed to ourselves, to show that we must not be negligent; sometimes to the ministers and instruments, to show that we must not contemn their help; sometimes to God, that we may not be self-confident or unthankful.
Obs. 10. From that soul. Salvation is principally of the soul; the body hath its share: `This vile body, shall be a `glorious body, Phil, iii. 21. But the soul is first possessed of glory, and is the chief receptacle of it, as it is of grace for the present; see 1 Peter i. 9. Well, then, it teacheth us not to look for a carnal heaven, a Turkish paradise, or a place of ease and sensitive pleasure. This is the heaven of heaven, that the soul shall be filled up with God, shall understand God, love God, and be satisfied with his presence. Complete knowledge, complete love and union with Christ, are the things that Christians should look after. And it teacheth us to keep our souls pure: `Fleshly lusts war against the soul, 1 Peter ii. 11, not only against the present welfare of it. but your future hopes. It also comforteth the children of God; whatever their estate be it shall go well with their souls.
Obs. 11. From that from death. Errors are mortal and deadly to the spirit. The wages of every sin is death, especially of sin countenanced by error, for then there is a conspiracy of the whole soul against God. The apostle Peter calleth heresies αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας, `damnable heresies, or, as it is in the. original, `heresies of destruction., I confess some heresies are more damnable and destructive than others, but all do in their nature tend to damnation. The way of truth is alone the way of life: some heresies there are which by no means can consist with salvation for eternal life, such as are errors in fundamentals, joined with an obstinacy and reluctation against the light, which is the proper badge of a heretic that is in a state of damnation. Well, then, let us take heed how we dally with errors; there is death in them: would a man play with his own damnation? Usually in matters of opinion we are the more careless, because there is less remorse of conscience, for the light by which it should judge is perverted, and because foul acts have more of turpitude and filthiness in them in men's eyes, and occasion more shame from without; but errors are as dangerous; a man that huggeth them huggeth his own death. Besides it confuteth them that say there is salvation in any way, so we be of good life: they say some opinions are more compendious ways to salvation, but all are ways; so some Libertines, and some of the in Holland, as Caspar Barlaeus, Adolphus Venator, and others. The Socinians also say that a man of any persuasion may be saved, if he doth not walk contrary to his light. At the Council of Trent, the salvation of the heathens by the power of nature without Christ was much talked of. The divines of Collen set forth a book De Salute Aristotelis, of the salvation of Aristotle the . But the scripture speaketh but of `one faith, Eph. iv. 5, and that all the nations should be brought to God by `this gospel, Mat. xxiv. 14. That you may conceive of this matter more distinctly, I shall lay down a few propositions. (1.) None can be saved without Christ, there is `no other foundation, 1 Cor. iii. 11, that is, of hope and comfort; `No other name under heaven, &c., Acts iv. 12; `I am the way, John xiv. 6. Therefore the Papists are grossly deceived that say the could be saved by the law of nature, as Maldonate asserteth on Mat. xi. 21. (2.) None can be saved by Christ but they that know him and believe in him: John xvii. 3. `This is life eternal, to know thee, &c. Adolphus Venator said a man might be saved by Christ without so much as a historical knowledge of him; Acosta complaineth of the like tenet held by some of the schoolmen. But in the word we know of no salvation but by believing in Christ: John iii. 17, that `as many as believed in him, &c. (3.) We must believe in Christ according to the tenor of the scriptures, that is the rule of faith without which it is vain, 1 Cor. xv. 14; John vii. 38. The apostle everywhere speaketh against those that do ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖν, otherwise-gospel it, and teach another doctrine, Gal. i. 6-8; 1 Tim. vi. 3; 1 Tim. i. 3; therefore they are deceived that say Christ will not regard how you believe, but how you live, and put all upon good life. (4.) Lesser differences in and about the doctrine of the scriptures, though consistent with the main tenor of salvation, yet, if held up out of by-ends, or against conscience, are damnable. Circumcision and uncircumcision is nothing to. the new creature, yet to be of either of these against conscience is a matter of sad consequence; for then a lesser opinion is in the same rank with a known sin, as being deliberately maintained against light. Consider, then, how much it concerneth you to be right in judgment and profession, for though the error be not damnable in itself, it may be so by circumstance, reluctation against light being so inconsistent with grace , for there cannot be a greater argument of an unsubdued will than to stand out against out of secular respects; this is to `love darkness more than light, John iii. 19, and to prefer present conveniences before those glorious recompenses which religion propoundeth; and how inconsistent that is with faith or true grace, Christ showeth in those passages, John v. 44, and John xii. 43. I know men usually plead there may be salvation as long as the error is not fundamental. Ay! but be the error never so small, the danger is great in walking against light: `As many as are perfect must be thus minded, Phil. iii. 15; that is, walk up to the height of their light and principles; and though in some cases profession may be forborne, and we may `have faith to ourselves., Rom. xiv. 22, yet not in times of public contest, and when we are solemnly called to give witness to truths; and therefore be not deceived with that pretence that there may be salvation in that way which you practise. As one argueth well, suppose you could be saved in that way which you acknowledge to be erroneous, yet how can it stand with love, to be guilty of such horrible contempt and ingratitude, as to be content that God may be dishonoured provided that we may be saved? (5.) Gross negligence, or not taking pains to know better, is equivalent to reluctation or standing out against light. There is deceit in laziness or affected ignorance; men will not know that which they have a mind to hate; it argueth a secret fear and suspicion of the truth; men are loath to follow it too close, lest it cross their lusts and interests: John iii. 20, `They will not come to the light, lest their deeds be reproved;, so 2 Peter iii. 5, `They are willingly ignorant., Those that can please themselves in the ignorance of any truth, err not only in their minds but hearts; it is the practice of God's people to be always searching, Ps. i. 2; Rom. xii. 2; we should not only do what we know, but search that we may know more. (6.) Those that live and die in a lesser error about faith or worship, are saved with much difficulty, 1 Cor. iii. 13. The apostle speaketh of chaff and hay built on the golden foundation, and he saith that he that so doth, `shall be saved as by fire;, he loseth much of his comfort and peace, is much scorched in spirit, and kept in a more dark, cold, and doubtful way.
Obs. 12. From that and shall hide. consisteth in the covering of our sins. It is removed out of God's sight, and the sight of our own consciences, chiefly out of God's sight. God cannot choose but see it as omniscient, hate it as holy, but he will not punish it as just, having received satisfaction in Christ: peccata sic velantur ut in judicio non revelentur—sins are so hidden that they shall not be brought into judgment, nor hurt us when they do not please us. Such like notions are elsewhere used: Ps. xxii. 1, `Blessed is the man whose sin is covered., It is an allusion to the covering of the dung of the Israelites. In their march they were to have a paddle tied to their weapon, that when they went aside to ease themselves, they might dig therewith, and cover that which came from them, that God might see no unclean thing among them; Deut. xxiii. 13, 14. So this excrement is covered, and the unsavoury filthiness removed out of the nostrils of justice. Suitable expressions are those of `remembering our sins no more, Isa. xliii. 25, and `casting them behind his back, Isa. xxxviii. 17. God will remove them out of the sight of his justice. They are in their own nature clamorous for revenge, and earnest inducements to wrath; but God will take no notice of them. There are yet higher forms of expression, of `removing them as far as the east is `from the west, Ps. ciii. 12, which chiefly respects the feeling of our consciences. We dread them, and God will set them at distance enough. So of `casting them into the depths of the sea, Micah vii. 18. That which is in the depths of the sea is lost and for gotten for ever. The ocean is never like to be drained or dried up. All these words doth the Lord use to persuade us that sins once pardoned are as if they were never committed. Men forgive, but not easily forget; if the wound be cured, the scar remaineth. But God accepteth as if there were no breach.
Obs. 13. From that a multitude of sins. Many sins do not hinder our pardon or conversion. God's `free gift is of many offences unto justification, Rom. v. 16; and it is said, Isa. lv. 7, `He will multiply to pardon., For these six thousand years God hath been multiplying pardons, and yet free grace is not tired and grown weary. The creatures owe a great debt to justice, but we have an able surety; there is no want of mercy in the creditor, nor of sufficiency in the surety. It is a folly to think that an emperor's revenue will not pay a beggar's debt. Christ hath undertook to satisfy, and he hath money enough to pay. We are of limited dispositions, and therefore straiten the abundance of grace in our thoughts. But God is not as man, Hosea xi. 9. The master can forgive talents when the servant would not forgive pence; and ten thousand talents, when we grudge at a hundred pence, Mat. xviii. 24, with 28. Mercy is a treasure that cannot easily be spent. We have many sins, but God hath many mercies: `According to the multitude of thy compassions, Ps. li. 2. When conscience is bowed down with a load of guilt, we may say, as Esau, `Hast thou but one blessing, O my father?, Certainly mercy is an ocean that is ever full, and ever flowing. The carry loads of experiences with them to heaven. Free grace can show you largo accounts and a long bill, cancelled by the blood of Christ. The Lord interest you in this abundant mercy, through the blood of Christ and the of the Spirit! Amen.
