Ohs. 4. From that this mans religion is vain. Pretended religion will be fruitless : shows are nullities with God. Of all things, a man cannot endure that his serious actions shall be in vain and to no purpose ; for there usually hope is more strong, and therefore the disappointment must needs be the more vexatious. This will be no small part of your torment in hell, to think that all your profession is come to this. I prophesied in Christ's name, in his name I wrought miracles. I conferred, repeated, closed with the better side, to my loss and disad- vantage, and yet am I now in hell. Oh ! how sad will such discourses be in the place of torment ! Oh ! consider, the greater rise your hope had, the more bruising and crushing will your fall be, as a stone that falleth from a high place is broken to powder.
Ver. 27. — Pure 7'eligion and undejilcd hefore God and the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and the loidoics in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the luorld.
Here the apostle cometh to the positive part of the trial. As he must not do hurt, lest his religion prove vain ; so he must do good, tlftit it may be found pure and undefiled. From the context observe : —
Ohs. Negatives in religion are not enough : he must refrain his tongue, and he must visit the fatherless. Our duty should carry pro- portion with the divine grace to us. God's mercies are not only priva- tive but positive ; he doth not only bring us out of hell, but put us
174 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. I. 27.
uiKlor an assurance of glory. It Avas Absalom's misery to be only acquitted from the punishiBcnt, but not to see the king's face, God's grace is more entirely dispensed ; we are taken out of a state of wrath into a state of love. God's terms to Abraham were, to be ' a shield and an exceeding great reward ;' to be a protector, and a saviour ; and to all the faithful, ' a sun and a shield,' Ps. Ixxxiv. 11. A shield against danger, and a sun, the cause of all vegetation, life, and bless- ing. Now we should imitate our heavenly Father ; we should not rest in a bare removal of evil, but be careful of that which is good : there should be not only an abstinence from grosser sins, but a care to maintain communion with God. The descriptions of the word are negative and positive : ' Walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, but walketh in the ways of the Lord,' Ps. i. 1, 2 ; so Rom. viii. 1, ' Walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.' Some are not drunkards, not outwardly vicious ; but are they godly ? Is there any savour and power of religion ? Are there any motions and feelings of the spiritual life within their souls? God, that hateth sin, delightethin gi-ace ; to be less evil, at the best, will but procure you a cooler hell. It is vulgarly observed, that the Pharisee's religion ran upon nois, Luke xviii. 11. It is not enough to live civilly and do no man wrong ; there must be grace, and the exercise of grace. I observe, that sins trouble the conscience more than want of grace, partly because con- science doth not use to smite for spiritual defects, and partly because sins work an actual distemper and disturbance to reason. Oh ! but consider ; he that wanteth good works is as much hated of God as the outwardly vicious ; and the barren tree is cut down as well as the poisonous tree — if it bear no fruit as Avell as if it bear ill fruit. It is not enough for a servant that he doth his master no hurt ; he must do his master's work : in the Gospel, he had not misspent his talent, but hid it in a napkin.
But I come to the words. In the verse he presseth them to works of charity, and an holy conversation, that so they might both show themselves to be truly religious, and that their profession was that pure and immaculate faith which Christian religion propoundeth.
Pure religion, and nndefiled. — He doth not set down what is the whole nature of religion, but only some particular testimonies of it. Kcligion also requireth faith and worship, but the truth of these is evidenced by charity and an holy life ; and, therefore, the anti-scrip- turists of our days grossly pervert this place, and the scope of the apostle, when they would make all religion to consist in these outward acts; for the apostle is dealing with hypocrites, who pretended faith and worship, neglecting charity.
Before God and the Father is this ; that is, before God, who is the Father of Christ, and us in him. The like phrase is used in many other places : 2 Cor. i. .'', ' Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ;' so Eph. i. 3 ; so Eph. v. 20, 'To the God, and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ : ' and he saith, ' Before God,' that is, in his eye, and his esteem. Hypocrites may deceive men, for they see only what is without ; but (iod the Father judgeth rightly. And also this is mentioned to imply the sincerity of such Christian offices; they should be done as in the presence of God.