^ Socrates S.Lolast., lib. ii., Eccles. Uiat, cap. 8.
JaS. I. 19.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 131
meanest gifts. There may be gold in an earthen vessel. There is none too old, none too wise, none too high to be taught.^ Let every one.
Ohs. 4. From that he swift, that is, ready. The commendation of duties is the ready discharge of them. Swiftness noteth two things : — (1.) Freeness of spirit ; do it without reluctancy when you do it; no offerings are accepted of God but such as are free-will offerings, Ps. cxix. 108. (2.) Swiftness noteth diligence in taking the next occasion ; they will not decline an opportunity, and say. Another day. Delay is a sign of unwillingness. You shall see, Ezek. i., the beasts had four faces and four wings ; they had four faces, as waiting when the Spirit would come upon them ; and four wings, as ready to look and fly into that part of the world into which God would dispatch them. This readiness to take occasions is showed in three things : — (1st.) In restrain- ing all debates and deliberations : ' I consulted not with flesh and blood, but immediately I went up to Jerusalem,' Gal. i. 10. When the soul .deliberateth about duty, it neglecteth it ; do not debate when God commandeth, whether it be best or no ; the soul is half won when it yieldeth to dispute things. God saith, Gen. ii. 17, ' In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die.' And Eve repeateth, chap. iii. 3, ' Thou shalt not eat, lest ye die ; ' and Satan saith, ver. 4, ' Ye shall not surely die.' God afl&rmeth, the woman doubteth, and Satan denieth. It is not good to allow the devil the advantage of a debate ; when you pause upon things, Satan worketh upon your hesitancy. (2d.) In laying aside all pretences and excuses. Duty would never be done if we should allow the soul in every lesser scruple ; there will still be ' a lion in the way,' and opening to the Spouse will be interpreted a defiling of the feet. Peter, as soon as he heard the voice of Christ, cast himself into the sea, others came about by ship, Mat. xiv. 29 ; he did not plead the waves between him and Christ. (3d.) In yielding yourselves up to the whole will of God without reservations, do not allow one exception, or reserve one carnal desire : Acts ix. 6, ' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? ' The ear and heart was open for every command. So 1 Sam. iii. 9, ' Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.' He was ready to receive whatever God would command ; but, alas! it is otherwise with us. Christ cometh to offer himself to us, as he did to the blind man: Luke xviii. 41, ' What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee ? ' Christ is fain to ask our pleasure, not we his. The master asketh what the servant will command. Yea, we refuse him when he offereth himself to us : Heb. xii. 25, /x^ irapaLrrj- aaT€, ' See that ye refuse not,' &c. The word signifieth, do not urge vain pretences. This is the fourth note, but I must be more par- ticular.
Obs. 5. From that be swift to hear ; that is, the word of God, for otherwise it were good to be slow in hearing. We may wish our- selves deaf sometimes, that we may not hear oaths, impurities, railings ; as old Maris was glad that he was blind, that he could not see such a cursed apostate as Julian. Divers things are implied in this precept. I shall endeavour to draw out the sense of it in these particu- lars.
1. It showeth how we should value hearing : be glad of an oppor-
^ 'Aet yrjpdffKU) iroWa oiSaaKdu-evos. — Solon.
132 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. I. 19.
tunity ; the ear is the sense of learning,! and so it is of grace ; it is that sense that is consecrated to receive tlie most spiritual dispensa- tions : Rom. X. 14, ' How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? ' The Lord beginneth his sermon with ' Hear, 0 Israel,' Deut. vi. When Christ was solemnly discovered from heaven to be the great prophet of the church, the respect that is bespoken for him is audience : Mat. xvii. 5, ' This is my beloved Son, hear him.' God is pleased to appoint this way, do not despise it. Reading hath its use, but the voice hath aliquid latentis enenjic, a secret force upon the soul, because of the sympathy between the external word and inward reason ; I mean, it hath a ministerial efficacy, by which the authority and sovereign efficacy of the Spirit is conveyed. God would insinuate a real efficacy in a moral way, and therefore useth the voice. The apostle had spoken much of the word, and then he saith, ' This is the word which is preached to you,' 1 Peter i. 25. It is not the word read, but the word preached. You may judge it a vain artifice, count it ' the foolishness of preaching,' but it is under the blessing of a solemn institution: ' It pleased the Father,' &c., 1 Cor. i. 21. Therefore, by the external voice there is meant, then, a ministerial excitation. Reading doth good in its place ; but to slight hearing, out of a pretence that you can read better sermons at home, is a sin. Duties mistimed lose their nature ; the blood is the continent of life when it is in the proper vessels ; but when it is out, it is hurtful, and breedeth putrefactions and diseases.