Ver. 5. If any of you lack ivisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not ; and it shall be given Mm.
The apostle, having spoken of bearing afflictions with a mind above them, conieth here to prevent an objection, which might be framed thus : This is a hard saying, to keep up the spirit not only in patience, but joy ; when all things are against us, who can abide it ? Duty is soon expressed, but how shall we get it practised? The apostle grantetli it is hard, and it will require a great deal of spiritual skill and Avisdom, which, if you want (saitli he), God will furnish you, if you ask it of him ; and upon this occasion digresseth into the rules and encouragements of prayer : in this verse he encouragetli them by the nature and promise of God. But to the words.
If any of you. — This if doth not argue doubt, but only inferreth a supposition.! But why doth the apostle speak with a supposition ? Who doth not lack wisdom ? May we not ask, in the prophet's question, ' Who is wise ? who is prudent ? ' Hosea xiv. 9. I answer — (1.) Such expressions do more strongly aver and affirm a thing, as Mai. i. 6 : 'If I be a father, where is my honour ? If I be a master, where is my fear ?' Not as if God would make a doubt of these things, but such sup- positions are the strongest affirmations, for they imply a presumption of a concession : you will all grant, I am a father and a master, &c. So here, if you lack wisdom : you will grant you all lack this skill. So Eom. xiii. 9, ' If there be any other commandment,' &c. The apostle knew there was another commandment, but he proceeded upon that grant. So 2 Thes. i. 6, eirirep, ' If it be a righteous thing,' &c. The apostle taketh it for granted it is righteous to render tribulation to the troubler, and proceedeth upon that grant : and therefore we render it affirmatively, ' seeing it is,' &c. So James v. 15, ' If he hath com- mitted sins.' Why, who hath not ? It is, I say, a proceeding upon a presumption of a grant. (2.) All do not lack in a like manner : some want only further degrees and sui)plies ; therefore, if you lack ; with a supposition, if you lack it wholly, or only more measures.
Wisdom. — It is to be restrained to the circumstances of the text, not taken generally : he intendeth wisdom or skill to bear afflictions ; for in the original the beginning of this verse doth plainly catch hold of the heel of the former, iv fir]8evl XeLTrofievoi, and then el 8e Ti<; vfiwu XeiireTac — ' lacking nothing,' and presently, ' if any of you lack.'
^ Non dubitantis est, sed supponentis.
38 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. I. 5.
Let him ask it ; that is, by serious and earnest prayer.
Of God ; to whom our addresses must be immediate.
That givcth to all men. — Some suppose it implicth the natural beneficence and g^eneral bounty of God, as indeed that is an argument in prayer ; God, that giveth to all men, will not deny his saints : as the psalmist maketh God's common bounty to the creatures to be aground of hope and confidence to his people, Ps. cxlv. 16, ' Thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing ; ' and upon this his trust groweth, ver. 19, ' He will fulfil the desires of them that fear him.' He that satisfieth every living thing certainly will satisfy his own servants. There is a general bounty of God, which though liberally dispensed, 3'et is not specially. But this sense the context will not bear. By all men, then, may be understood all kinds of persons — Jew, Greek, or barbarian, high or low, rich or poor. God giveth not with a respect to outward excellency ; he giveth to all men : or else, (3.) and so most suitably to the context, to all askers, all that seek him with earnestness and trust ; however, it is thus generally expressed, that none might be discouraged, but apply himself to God with some hope.
Liheralhj. — The word in the original is airXSi^, which properly signi- fieth simply, but usually in matters of this nature it is taken for hountifuUy. I note it the rather to explain many other places; as Mat. vi. 22 : Christ would have the ' eye single,' that is, bounteous, not looking after the money we part with : so Kom. xii. 8, ' He that giveth, let him do it eV (nrXoTTjri, with simplicit}',' we read, but in the margin, ' liberally, or bountifully.' So Acts ii. 46, * They did eat their bread with all singleness of heart ; ' that is, bounteously, liberally, as we translate the word in other places, as 2 Cor. viii. 2, ' The riches of your singleness,' we translate 'liberality:' so 2 Cor. ix. 11, the same word is used for bounty ; and this word simplicity is so often put for hoimty, to show — (1.) That it must come from the free and single motion of our hearts ; as they that give sparingly give with a hand half shut and a heart half willing ; that is, not simply, with a native and free motion. (2.) That we must not give deceitfully, as serving our own ends, or with another intent than our bounty seemeth to hold forth : so God gives simply, that is, as David expresseth it, 2 Sam. vii. 21, according to his own heart.