Have not the faith. — Faith is not taken strictly, but more generally for the profession of Christian religion, or the manifestations of the grace of Christ in the souls of his people. The meaning is, have not grace, have not religion, &c.
Of our Lord Jesus Ohynst. — He doth not mean the personal faith of Christ, or, as some accommodate the expression, faith wrought by Christ. This manner of speech doth not note the author so much as the object. Faith of Christ, in the intent of the scripture, is faith in Christ ; as Gal. ii. 20, ' I live by the faith of the Son of God ; ' so Eph. iii. 12, ' We have confidence, and access, by the faith of him ; ' so Phil. iii. 9, ' The righteousness which is through the faith of Christ ; ' and so elsewhere. Now Christ is here called our Lord, because it is the proper term for him as mediator and head of the Church, and by virtue of our common and equal interest in him : the head is dishonoured in the disrespect of the members.
The Lord of (jlory. — Some read, ' The faith of the glory of Christ with respect of persons ; ' that is, do not measure the glorious faith by these outward and secular advantages, or ' the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ ; ' for we supply the word Lord, which is but once in the original, partly because he is called so in other places : 1 Cor. ii. 8, * They would not have crucified the Lord of glory ;' partly because it is fitly repeated out of the context ; partly because in this place it hath the force of an argument. Christianity being a relation to the Lord of glory, putteth honour enough upon men, though other- wise poor and despicable ; and if men did believe Christ were
180 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. 1.
glorious, they would not so easily despise those in whom there is the least of Christ.
JFith respect of persons, iv7rpoaQ)7ro\'t)yp-iai<;. — Respect of persons is had when, in the same cause, we give more or loss to any one than is meet, because of something in his person which hath no relation to that cause. The word properly signifieth accepting of one's face or outside, and so noteth a respect to others out of a consideration of some external glory that we find in them. The phrase, when it is used in the Old Testament, is rendered by the Septuagint by Oavfid^etu to TrpoawTTov,^ wondering at a man's fac&, as being overcome and dazzled at the beauty of it ; which probably gave occasion to that expression of St Jude, ver. 16, dav/j,d^ovre<i irpoawTra, which we render, ' having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.' But, before wo go on, we must rightly pitch and state the offence from which our apostle dissuadeth, for otherwise absurdities will follow. Civility and humanity calleth for outward respect and reverence to them that excel in the world. To rise u]) to a rich man is not simply evil. If all difference of persons, and respect to them, were sinful, there would be no place for government and mastership. Therefore I shall inquire : —
I. What respect of persons is sinful.
II. The particular abuse which the apostle taxeth and noteth in this expression.
First, What respect of ])ersons is sinful ? There is a holy and warrantable respect of persons either by God or men : — (1.) By God ; he is said to ' accept the faces ' of his people, Gen. xix. 21 — naschati 2Janecha, so it is in the Hebrew ; and so elsewliere God is often said to res])ect their persons ; their persons first, and then their services. (2.) By men, when we prefer others out of a due cause, their age, calling, gifts, graces : yea, it is lawful to put a respect upon them be- cause of that outward glory and excellency wherewith God hath furnished them. There is a respect proper and due to their persons, though not so much for their own sakcs as for the bounty of God to them ; as they that bowed before the ass that carried about the rites of Isis, noil tibi, sod rdifjioni, did obeisance to the religion, not the beast.
But then there is a vicious respect of persons, when the judgment is blinded by some external glory and a[)pearance, so that we cannot discern truth or right, and a cause is over-balanced by such foreign circumstances as have no affinity with it. Thus it is said. Lev. xix. 15, ' Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour tlie miglity ; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.' Neither swayed with foolish pity, on the one hand, nor with respect to might, power, friendship, greatness, on the other ; as usually those are the two prejudices against the execution of justice : either carnal ])ity jsaith. He is a poor man, or else carnal fear saith. He is a great man ; and so the outward accidents of life are rather valued than the merits of the cause. So Dent. i. 17, ' Thou shalt not respect persons in judgment, but hear the small as well as great.'