62 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [Jas. I. 7.
be a greater misery than for mnn to be a burden and a terror to him- self ; and there is no torment Hke tliat of our own thoughts. Well, then, go to God, and get your s})irit settled : he that cherisheth his own doubts doth but hug a distemper instead of a duty.
Ver. 7. For let not that mari think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.
Let liim not think. — It is either put to show that they can look for nothing, nor rise up into any coniidence before God ; he doth not say, ' He sliall receive nothing,' but ' Let not that man think he shall receive;' whatever God's overflowing bounty may give them, they can expect nothing. Or else, ' Let not that man think,' to check their vain hopes. Man deceiveth himself, and would fain seduce his soul into the way of a carnal hope ; therefore, saitli the apostle, ' Let not that man think,' that is, deceive himself with a vain surmise.
That he shall receive anything. — Such doubting as endeth not in faith frustrateth prayers, and maketh tliem altogether vain and fruit- less. There are doubts in the people of God, but they get the victory over them ; and, therefore, it is not to be understood as if any doubt did make us incapable of any blessing, but only such as is allowed and prevaileth.
Of the Lord, irapa rov Kvplov ; that is, from Christ ; Lord, in the idiom of the New Testament, being most usually applied to him, as mediator ; and Christ as mediator is to commend our prayers to God, and to convey all blessings from God ; therefore, the apostle saith, 1 Cor. viii. 6, ' To us there is but one God, the Father of all, by whom are all things, and we in him : and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom arc all things, and we by him.' The heathens, as they had many gods, many ultimate objects of worship, so they had many lords, many intermediate powers, that were to be as agents between the gods and men, to convey the prayers and supplications of men to the gods, and the bounty and rewai'ds of devotion from the gods to men ; ' But to us,' saith the ajiostle, ' there is but one God,' one sovereign God, ' the Father,' the tirst spring and fountain of blessings ; ' and one Lord,' that is, one Mediator, ' Jesus Christ, Bt ov rh Trdvra KoX i]fjiel<i Bt avTov, by whom are all things ' which come from the Father to us, and by whom alone we find access to him.
The notes are these : —
Ohs. 1. That unbelievers, though they may receive something, yet they can expect nothing from God. Let him not thinlc. They are under a double misery :— (1.) They can lilt up no thoughts of hope and comfort, for they are not under the assuiance of a promise. Oh, what a misery is this, to toil, and still to be left to an uncertainty — to pray, and to have no sure hope ! "When the task is over, they cannot look for acceptance or a blessing. The children of God are upon more sure teiins : 1 Cor. ix. 2G, ' I run not as uncertainly ; ' that is, not as one that is in dnnger or doubt of having run in vain. So Solomon saith, Piov. xi. 18, ' The righteous hath a sure reward ; ' they have God's infallible promise, and may expect a blessing ; but the wicked, whether they run or sit, they cannot f(jrm their thoughts into any hope ; whether they run, or sit still, they are in the same
JaS. I. 7.] UrON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES, 53
condition;^ if tliey run, they run uncertainly; if tliey pray, they pray uncertainly ; like a slave that doth his task, and knoweth not whether he shall please ; so, when they have done all, they are still left to the puzzle and uncertainty of their own thoughts ; and indeed it is a punishment that well enough suiteth with their dispositions ; they pray, and do not look after the success of prayer ; they perform duties, and do not observe the blessing of duties, like children that shoot their arrows at rovers, with an uncertain aim, and never look after them again. Those that live best among carnal men, live by guess, and some loose devout aims. (2.) If they receive anything, they cannot look upon it as coming by promise, or as a return of prayers. When the children are fed, the dogs may have crumbs : all their comforts are but the spillings and overflowings of God's bounty. And truly this is a great misery, when we cannot see love in our enjoyments, and blessings are given us by chance rather than cove- nant ; they cannot discern mercy and truth in any of their comforts, as Jacob did, Gen. xxxii. 10. Well, then, let the misery of this con- dition make us to come out of it ; get a sure interest in Christ, that you may be under a sure hope and expectation. Unbelief will always leave you to uncertainty ; doubting is a new provocation, and when a man maketh a supplication a provocation, what can he look for ? A man may be ashamed to ask God, that is so backward to honour him. Ohs. 2. From the other reason of the words, let Mm not tltinl; Men usually deceive themselves with vain hopes and thoughts : they are out in their thinking : Mat. iii. 9, ' Think not to say within your- selves, We have Abraham to our father.' Carnal confidence is rooted in some vain principle and thought ; so men think God is not just, hell is not so hot, the devil is not so black, nor the scriptures so strict as they are made to be. The apostles everywhere meet with these carnal thoughts ; as 1 Cor. vi. 9, ' Be not deceived ; neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor idolaters,' &c. They were apt to deceive them- selves with some such hope ; so Gal. vi. 7, ' Be not deceived, God is not mocked.' Men are persuaded that if they can devise any shift to excuse themselves from duty, all will be well enough. God is not mocked with any pretences ; this is but a vain thougTit. Well, then, look to your privy thoughts. All corrupt actions are founded in some vain thought, and this vain thought is strengthened with some vain word; therefore the apostle saith, Eph, v. 6, 'Let no man deceive you with vain words.' All practical errors are but a man's natural thoughts cried up for a valuable opinion, and they all tend either to excuse sin, or to secure us from judgment, or to seduce us into a vain hope ; and thus foolish man becometh his own cheater, and deceiveth himself with his own thinking. In all natural and civil things we desire to know the truth ; many do deceive, but none would willingly be deceived ; - but in spiritual things we think ourselves never more happy than when we have seduced our souls into a vain hope, or gotten them into a fool's paradise.