Ohs. 4. That this is an evil thought, that men are to be valued by their outward excellency. It is against the dispensation of God, who putteth the greatest glory upon those that are of least account and esteem in the world. It is against the nature of grace, whose glory is not sensible, obvious to the senses, but inward and hidden : Ps. xlv. 13, ' The king's daughter is all glorious within.' A Christian's inside is best ; all the world's glory is in show, fancy, and appearance : Agrippa and Beruice ' came with great pomp,' Acts xxv. 23, fiera TToXX?}? j)avrao-la<i, with much show and fancy. Painted things have a greater show with them than real. Nazianzen saith, the world is
192 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [J AS. II. 5.
Helena without, and Ilcciiba within : there is nothing answerable to the appearance ; but now grace is under a veil, ' it doth not appear what we shall be,' 1 John iii. '1. Thus Cant. i. 6, the church is said to be ' black, but comely ;' full of spiritual beauty, though outwardly wretched, and deformed' with afflictions; which is there expressed by two similitudes, like ' the tents of Kedar, and the curtains of Solomon.' The tents of Kedar : the Arabians lived in tents, which were but homely and slender in comparison of city buildings, obscure huts, sullied' and blacked with the weather, but rich within, and full of costly utensils ; therefore we hear of ' the glory of Kedar,' Isa. xxi. 16. And Solomon's curtains may possibly signify the same thing. Josephus saith, Solomon had Babylonian curtains, of a baser stuff and work, to hide the curious imagery that was carved on tlie marble walls. The greatest glory is within the veil : ' The hidden man of the heart' is an ornament ' of great price,' 1 Peter iii. 4. And as it is against the nature of grace, so it is against all right reason : we do not use to judge so in other cases : we do not prize a horse for the gaudry of his saddle and trappings, but for his strength and swiftness. That painter was laughed at who, because he could not draw Helena fair, drew her rich. We do not therefore judge it a good sword because it hath a golden belt. Well, then, if it be against providence, and grace, and reason, go by a wiser rule in valuing things and persons than outward excellency : do not think that faith best which the ruler professeth, John vii. 48, nor those persons best that glitter most with worldly lustre. Christ cometh often in a disguise to us, as well as the Jews — to us in his poor members.
Ver. 5. Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God cliosen ihejjoor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he ha^h promised to them that love him ?
In this verse the apostle urgeth anotlier argument against respect of persons : you will despise those whom God, out of his wise ordina- tion, hath called to the greatest honour. He instanceth in a threefold dignity which the Lord putteth upon the godly poor : they are elected of God, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom.
Hearken, my beloved brethren. — He exciteth their attention, and still giveth them the loving compellation which he had formerly used. In all grave and weighty matters, it is usual in the scripture to preface and premise some craving of attention : ' He that hath an ear to hear let him hear,' Mat. xiii. 9 ; so James in the council of Jerusalem : Acts XV. 13, ' Men and brethren, hearken unto me.' Here the^apostle useth tliis i)reface, partly to stir them up to consider the dispensation proper to that age. So 1 Cor. i. 20, ' Behold your calling, brethren, not many wise, not many mighty,' &c. ; that is, seriously consider the matter of God's calling in these times. Partly because he is about to urge a warm argument against the perverseness of their respects, and when the matter concerneth our case, it calleth for our best attention.
Ualh not God chusni .^ that is, by the special dcsignment of grace he hath singled out the poor to be heirs of life. You will find it so always, for the most part, but in those times especially. Partly to confute the pride of great persons, as if God should respect them for
JaS. II. 5.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 193
their outward dignity. The first choice that God made in the world was of poor men ; and therefore do we so often read that the poor re- ceived the gospel ; not only the poor in spirit, but the poor in purse. God chose fishermen to preach the gospel, and poor persons to receive it : few were won that were of any rank and quality in the world ; and partly that we might not think that wonderful increase and spreading of the gospel to come to pass by the advantage of human power, fleshly aids and ])rops, but by the virtue of divine grace.
The poor of the luorld, that is, in regard of outward enjoyments: 1 Tim. vi. 17, there he speaketh of ' the rich of this world.' There is another world that hatli its riches, but they that have estate there are usually poor and despicable. The saints are described to be those that have not their hopes in this world, 1 Cor. xv. 19, or poor in this world ; that is, in the opinion of the present world they are vile and abject.