Ver. 9. Let the brother of loio degree rejoice in that he is exalted.
The apostle having finished that necessary digression about prayer, returneth to the main matter in hand, which is bearing of afilictions with joy; and urgeth another reason in this verse, because, to be de- pressed in the world for righteousness' sake, is to be exalted towards God ; and in consideration of their spiritual comforts and privileges, they had rather cause to boast and glory than to be made sorry. Let us see the force of the words.
Let the brother ; that is, a Christian. The people of God are ex- pressed by that term, ])ecause the truest friendshij) and brotherhood is inter bonos, among the good and godly. Coniliinations of wicked men are rather a faction and a conspiracy than a brotherhood ; there- fore you find this in scripture notion always appropriated to the people of God. When it is said indefinitely 'a brother,' you may under- stand a saint ; as here James doth not say ' a Christian,' but ' let the brother.' So Paul, 1 Cor. xvi. 20, ' All the brethren salute you ; '
' 'Upoaiptaii ovK iffTiv dovydruy.' — Arist. Ethic.
JaS. I. 9.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 59
that is, all the saints. AnrI sometimes it is expressed with this ad- dition, ' holy brethren,' 1 Thes. v. 27 ; wliei-eas in the same place, in ver. 26, he had said, ' Greet all the brethren.' This loving compcl- lation and use of calling one another brothers and sisters continued till Tertullian's time, as we showed before.
Of loiv degree. — In the original it is raTreLvo^;, which, as the Hebrew worcl 1JJ7, signifieth both humble and base, the grace and the con- dition, affliction and humility. It is here put for the condition, not the grace, and therefore we well render it ' of a low degree ; ' for it is opposed to the term ' rich ' in the next verse ; and so it is taken else- where, as Prov. xvi. 19, 'Better be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.' By loicli/ he meaneth the lo\vly in condition, not in heart ; for it is opposed to ' dividing the spoil.' So Luke i. 48, ' He hath regarded the low estate of his hand- maid ; ' — it is Ti]v rairelvwcnv, the humility of his handmaid. The grace and the condition are expre.ssed by the same term, because a low estate is the great engagement to a lowly heart. But remember, by low degree is not intended one that is poor simply, but one that is poor for Christ, as persecutions and afflictions are often expressed by the word humility and humiliation ; thus Ps. ix. 12, 13, ' He for- getteth not the cry of the humble ' — the margin readeth afflicted ; and in ver. 13, ' Consider my trouble which I suffer from them that hate me' — in the original, my 'humiliation.' So here, ahe\<^o<; Td7reivo<i, ' the humble brother ' is one that is humbled or made low by the adversaries of religion.
Bejoice. — In the original Kavy/dadco, ' boast ' or ' glory,' as it is in the margin. It is the highest act of joy, even when joy Ijeginneth to degenerate, and pass the limits and bounds of reason. I say, it is the first degeneration of joy, and argueth the soul to be surprised with great excess and height of affection, for the next step beyond this is verily wicked. Joy beginneth to exceed when it comcth to exultation, but when it cometh to insultation, it is stark naught. Therefore, how should they boast or glory ? Is that lawful ? I answer — (1.) It may be understood as a concession of the lesser evil, thus : Rather than murmur under afflictions, or faint under them, or endeavour to come out of them by ill means, you may rather boast of them ; rather than groan under them as a burden, you may boast of them as a privilege — it is the lesser evil. Such concessions are frequent in scripture, as Prov. v. 19, ' Thou slialt err in her love ;' so in the original, and in the Septuagint, rfj (^Ckia avTi]<i 7r€pi(f)6p6fj,€vo<; 7r6WocrTo<i ear], ' Thou shalt be overmuch in her love.^ We translate, ' He shall be ravished with her love,' wliich certainly implieth an unlawful degree, for ecstasies and ravishments in carnal matters are sinful. How is it, then, to be understood ? Doth the scripture allow any vitiosity and excess of affection ? No ; it is only a notation of the lesser evil. Eather than lose thyself in the embraces of an harlot, ' let her breasts satisfy thee,' be overmuch, or * err in her love.' (2.) It may only imply the worth of our Christian privileges: let him look upon his privileges as matter of boasting. How base and abject soever your condition seem to the world, yet suffering for Christianity is a thing whereof you may rather boast than be ashamed. (3.) It may be the word is to be mol-
60 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. I. 9,
lified with a softer signification, as our translators, instead of * let him boast' or glory, say, 'let hira rejoice,' though, by the way, there is no necessity of such a mitigated sense ; for the apostle Paul saitli directly, in the same terms, liom. v. 3, ' We boast, or glory, in tribu- lations,' <fcc. But more of this in the observations.