^ ' T6 ardSiov HepiKX^s eir ^Spafxev, elr iKciOrjTO,
Oi)5eis oTSevoXus' 5aifi6vios ^padvr-qs.' — Grac. Epigram. ^ ' Gaudium de veritate omues volunt, multos expertus sum qui velint fallere, qui autem falli neniiuem.' — Auff. lib. x. Confes. cap. 13.
54 AN EXPOSITIOX, WITH NOTES, [Jas. I. 7.
Ohs. 3. From that, iJiat he shall receive. The cause why we receive not upon asking, is not from God, but ourselves ; he ' giveth liberally,' but we pray duubtingly. He would give, but we cannot receive. We see men are discouraged when they are distrusted, and suspicion is the ready way to make them unfaithful ; and, certainly, when we distrust God, it is not reasonable we should expect aught from him. Christ said to ]\Iartha, John xi. 40, ' If thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God ;' that is, power, love, truth, discovered in their lustre and glory. Omnipotency knoweth no restraint, only it is discouraged by man's unbelief; therefore it is said, ]\Iark vi. 5, 6, ' And he could do no mighty work there, because of their unbelief ; ' he could not, because he icoidd not, not for want of power in him, but for want of disposition iu the people. So I\Iark ix. 22, 23 : the father cometh for a possessed child : ' Master, if thou canst do anything, help us.' Christ answereth, ' If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.' The distressed father saith, ' If thou canst do anything ; ' our holy Lord saith, ' If thou canst believe : ' as if he had said, l)o not doubt of my power, but look to thy own faith ; I can, if thou canst. If we were disposed to receive as God is fitted to give, we should not be long without an answer. Omnipotent power can save to the utter- most, infinite love can pardon to the uttermost, if we could but believe. ' All things are possible to him that believeth ; ' that is, God can do all things for the comfort and use of believers ; faith is his immutable ordinance, and he will not go out of his own way. Well, then, if you receive not, it is not for want of power in God, but want of faith in yourselves.
Ohs. 4. From that anything — neither wisdom nor anything else — tliat God thinketh the least mercy too good for unbelievers : he thinketh nothing too good for faith, and anything too good for unbelief. It is observable, in the days of Christ's flesh, that faith was never frustrate ; he never let it pass without some effect ; nay, some- times he ofifereth all that you can wish for : Mat. xv. 28, ' Great is thy faith ; be it to tliee even as tliou wilt.' Faith giveth Christ con- tent, and, therefore, lie will be sure to give the believer content ; crave what you will, and he will give it. But, on the contrary, ' Let not that man tliink that he shall receive anything.' How are the bowels of mercy shrunk up at tlie sight of unbelief 1 Believers shall have all things, and you nothing.
Ohs. 5. From that//-o/>i the Lord, that the fruit of our prayers is received from the hands of Christ ; he is the middle person by whom God conveyeth blessings to us, and we return duty to him. See John xiv. 13, 'Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.' Mark, ' I will do it' 1 Christ receiveth the power to convey the blessing ; we must ask the Father, but it cometh to us through him : and all this, not that the Father might bo excluded, but glorKied. We are unworthy to converse with the Father, therefore Christ is the true mediator. God is glorified when we come to him through Christ. In times of
^ ' Mirum novumque dictu quod patri exhibeatur petitio et filius exaudiat, cum ex- auditio ad eum pertineat cui est poriecta petitio.' — Himon dc Cassia, lib. xiii. cap. 2.
JaS. I. 8.] UrON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 55
knowledge, God would have your thoughts in prayer to be more dis- tinct and explicit ; you must come to the Father in the Son's name, and look for all through the Spirit : and as the Spirit worketh as Christ's Spirit, to glorify the Son, John xvi. 4, so the Son, he will give to glorify the Father. What an excellent ground of liope and confidence have we, when we reflect upon these three things in prayer — the Father's love, the Son's merit, and the Spirit's J30wer ! No man cometh to the Son but by the Father, John vi. 65 : no man cometh to the Father but by the Son, John xiv. 6 : no man is united to the Son but by the Holy Ghost : therefore do we read of ' the unity of the Spirit/ Eph. iv. 3.
Ver. 8. A douhle-minded man is U7isiahle in all his ways.
He proceedeth to a general consideration of the unhappiness of un- believers, and he saith two things of them — that they are double- minded and unstable. Possibly there may be a secret antithesis, or opposition, between the temper of these men and what he had said before of God. God giveth airXw^, with a single mind (ver. 5), and we expect with a double mind, our trust being nothing so sure as his mercy is free. But let us examine the words more particularly.