1 ' Genetivus hie nou est objecti, sed attributi.' — Grot.
190 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. 2-4.
no self-design in your respects ; be not swayed by a corrupt aim at advantage : this will make us take Egyptians for Israelites, and per- versely carry out our esteem. It chiefly concerneth ministers to mind this, that they may not gild a potsherd, and comply with wicked men for their own gain and advantage : it is a description of false teachers, 2 Peter ii. 3, ' Through covetousness they shall, with feigned words, make merchandise of you : ' they apply themselves to those among whom they may drive on the tracle best ; not to the saints, but to the rich, and soothe up them ; where there is most gain, not where most grace : Hosea vii. 3, ' They made the rulers glad with their lies.' 0^5. 2. From that are ye not jmrtial ? He urgeth them with a question. To bring us to a sense of things, it is good to put questions to our consciences, because then we do directly return upon our own souls. Soliloquies and discourses with yourselves are of excellent ad- vantage : Ps. iv. 4, ' Commune with your own hearts, and be still.' It is a hard matter to bring a man and himself together, to get him to speak a word to himself. There are many that live in the world for a long time — some forty or fifty years — and all this while they cannot be brought to converse with their own hearts. This question- ing of conscience will be of use to you in humiliation, faith, and obedience. (1.) In your humbling work. There are several questions proper to that business, as in the examination of your estate, when you bring your ways and the commandment together, which is the first rise of humiliation : you will find the soul most awakened by asking of questions. Oh! 'what have I done?' Jer. viii. 6. Do I walk according to tlie tenor of this holy law ? Can I say, ' My heart is clean?' Prov. xx. 9. Then there is a second question: When guilt is found out concerning the rigour of the law, and the sureness of wrath, every violation is death : will God be partial for thy sake ? ' His jealousy shall smoke against that man that saith, I shall have peace, though I walk in the way of mine own heart,' Deut. xxix. 19. Then there are other questions about the dreadfulness of wrath : Ezek. xxii. 14, ' Can my heart endure, and my hands be made strong, in the days that God shall deal with me ?' Shall I be able to bear up under torments without measure and without end? Can I dwell with those devouring burnings ? Then there is a fourth question, after a way of escape: 'What shall I do to inherit eternal life?' Acts xvi. 30; or, as it is in the prophet, 'Wherewith shall 1 come before God?' Micali vi. 8. With what recompense shall I appease his angry jus- tice ? Thus you see the whole business of humihation is carried on in these interrogative forms. (2.) For the woik of faith, these ques- tions are serviceable, partly to quicken the soul to the consideration of the offer of God ; as when the apostle had disputed of free justifi- cation, ho enforceth all by a question, ' What shall we then say to these things?' Rom. viii. 31. Soul, what canst thou object and urge again.st so rich mercies ? Paul, all the wliile before, had been but drawing the bow, now he letteth fly the arrow. ' What shall we say?' Partly because it maketli us more sensible of the danger of not believing : Heb. ii. 3, ' How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? ' If I neglect God's second offer, Avhat will become of me ? Thus it is an help to the work of faith. (3.) In the work of obedience these ques-
JaS. II. 2-4.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 191
tions are serviceable ; as when a temptation is like to carry it in the soul, it is good to come in with a smart question : Gen. xxxix. 9, ' How can I do this wickedness, and sin against God ?' So if the heart drive on heavily in duties of worship, ' Offer it now to the governor ; would he accept it at my hands ? ' Mai. i. 8. Would I do thus to an earthly prince in an earthly matter ? Thus you see questions are of singular use in every part of the holy life. Be more frequent in them ; and in every matter take occasion to discourse with your own souls.
Obs. 3. From that judges of evil thouglds. Evils begin first in the thoughts: Mat. XV. 19, 'Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts;' that is in the front of that black roll. Affections pervert the thoughts, and thoughts stain the judgment. Therefore, when God would express the wickedness of the old world, he saith, ' The imagination of their thoughts were evil,' Gen. vi. 5. The reason of atheism is blasphemy in the thoughts : Ps. x. 4, ' All their thoughts are that there is no God.' The reason of worldliness is some wretched thought that is hidden in the bosom : Ps. xlix, 11, ' Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever.' You see, then, there is reason why you should go to God to cleanse your spirits from evil thoughts, why you should be humbled under them, why you should watch against them : Isa. Iv. 7, ' Let the wicked man forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and return unto the Lord.' Mark, not only Ms loay, but Ids thoughts. Trace every corrupt desire, every inordinate practice, till you come up to some inward and hidden thought. There are implicit thoughts, and thoughts explicit : explicit are those that are impressed upon the conscience, and are more sensible ; implicit are those which the scrip- ture calleth * hidden thoughts,' and the ' sayings of the heart.' Though the desires, purposes, actions, are according to them, yet we do not so sensibly discern them ; for they are so odious, that they come least in sight. Many such there are ; as this was the hidden thought implied in the text, that wealth is to be preferred before grace ; and that made them judge so perversely. It is good therefore to wait upon the word, which ' discovereth the thoughts and intents of the heart,' Heb. iv. 12, that upon every experience you may refer things to their proper head and cause : sure there hath been a vile thought in me, that there is no God ; that the world is for ever ; that riches are better than grace ; that the pleasures of sin are better than the hopes of life, &c. It is good to interpret every action, and to observe the language that is couched in it ; your lives do but speak out these thoughts.