JaS. I. 9.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 63
and blame your condition when you should blame yourselves : it is not your misery, but your passions, that occasion sin ; wormwood is not poison. But alas ! the old Adam is found in us : ' The woman, which thou gavest me, gave me, and I did eat.' We blame provi- dence when we should siuite upon our own thighs. It is but a fond excuse to say. Never sucli sufferings as mine : Lam. i. 12, ' Is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow ? ' Men pitch upon that circumstance, and so justify their murmurings. But remember, the greatness of your sufferings cannot give allowance to the exorbitancies of your passions : the low degree hath its comforts.
Ohs. 7. From that rejoice, or glory, or boast. There is a concession of some kind of boasting to a Christian ; he may glory in his privileges. To state this matter, I shall show you : —
1. How he may not boast. (1.) Not to set off self, self- worth, self- merits; so the apostle's reproof is just, 1 Cor. iv. 7, 'Why dost thou glory ' (the same word that is used here) ' as if thou hadst not received what thou hast ? ' That is an evil glorying, to glory in ourselves, as if our gifts and graces were of our own purchasing, and ordained for the setting off of our own esteem ; all such boasting is contrary to grace, as the apostle saith, Kom. iii. 27, Hov ovv rj Kavxr](ri<;, ' Where is boasting? It is excluded by grace.' (2.) Not to vaunt it over others ; the scripture givetli you no allowance to feed pride : it is the language of hypocrites, Isa. Ixv. 5, ' Stand by thyself ; I am holier than thou.' To despise others, as carnal, as men of the world, and to carry our- selves with an imperious roughness towards them, it is a sign we forget who made the difference. The apostle chideth such kind of persons, Kom. xiv. 10, ri e^ovdeveh, ' Why dost thou set at naught thy brother ? ' Tertullian readeth it, Our nullificas ? — why dost thou nothing him? He that maketh nothing of others, forgetteth that God is ' all in all ' to himself. Grace is of another temper : Titus iii. 3, ' Show meekness to all men, for we ourselves in times past were foolish and disobedient.' So think of what you are, that you may not forget what you were, before grace made the distinction.
2. How he may boast. (1.) If it be for the glory of God, to exalt God, not yourselves : Ps. xxxiv. 2, ' My soul shall make her boast of God ; ' of his goodness, mercy, power. This is well, when we see we have nothing to boast of but our God ; neither wealth, nor riches, nor wisdom, but of the Lord alone : Jer. ix. 23, 24, ' Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the mighty man glory in his strength ; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he knoweth me, saith the Lord.' This doth not only quicken others to praise him, but argueth much affection in yourselves ; as, when we prize a thing, we say we have nothing to glory of but that ; so it is a sign the soul sets God above all when it will glory in none other. (2.) To set out the worth of your privileges. The world thinketh you have a hard bargain to have a crucified Christ ; — glory in it. Thus Eom. v. 3, ' We glory in tribulations.' The apostle doth not say, We must glory or boast of owv tribulations or sufferings, but glory in tribulations. There is poor comfort in offering our bodies to the idol of our own praise, and to affect a martyrdom to make way for our repute or esteem, that we may have somewhat whereof to boast ; that is not the apostle's mean-
64 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. I. 9.
ing. But this glorying is to let the world know the honour we put uj)on any engagement for Christ, and that they may know we are not ashamed of our profession, when it is discountenanced and persecuted. The apostle Paul is excellently explained by the apostle Peter : 1 Peter iv. IG, ' If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this behalf.' They think it is a disgrace, and you think it is a glory to suffer for Christ. Look, as divines say, in the case of eyeing the reward ; then it is done most purely when it is done to extenuate the temptation by the esteem and presence of our hopes, as Christ counted it a light shame, in comparison of ' the joy set before him,' Heb. xii. 2 ; and Moses the treasures of Egypt nothing in com- parison of the recompense of reward, Heb. xii. 26. So, here, in this cause you may glory, that is, to counterbalance the shame of the world with the dignity of your profession and hopes. Well, then, you see how you may glory, to declare your valuation and esteem of God and his ways.