JaS. II. 7.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 203
Tim. vi. 17, ' Trust not in uncertain riches ; ' and Ps. Ixii. 10, 'If riches increase, set not your hearts upon them.' Usually the creatures rival God ; and when we enjoy them in abundance, it is hard to keep off the heart from trust in them. (3.) Worldliness. We are tainted by the objects with which we usually converse ; and the more men have, the more sparing for God's uses and their own. Solomon speaketh of 'riches kept by the owners to their hurt,' Eccles. v. 13. And there is an expression in the book of Job, chap, xx, 22, ' In the fulness of his sufficiency, he shall be in straits.' There is no greater argument of God's curse than to have an estate and not to enjoy it. So (4.) security : Luke xii. 19, ' Soul, take thine ease, thou hast goods laid up for many years.' These are evils that cleave to wealth, like rust to money. I have but named them, because I would not digress into illustrations.
Ver. 7. Do not theTjUaspheme that loorthynamehy which ye are calledl
He proceedeth in reckoning up the abuses of riches. Who are the enemies of God and of religion, the scorners of the worthy name of Christians, but the rich ?
Do not they hlasi^heme. — Some interpret it of the carnal rich men that professed religion, as if, by the scandal of their practices, they had brought an odium and ill report upon Christianity itself. So that ' they blaspheme,' in their sense, is, 'they cause to blaspheme.' They think it is an Hebraism, hal for hiphil. The whole stream of inter- preters run this way. They urge for it those parallel places : Kom. ii. 24, ' Through you is the name of God blasphemed among the Gen- tiles ; ' and 2 Peter ii. 2, by them is ' the way of truth evil spoken of ; ' that is, by their means. And that in the 1st epistle to Timothy, chap. vi. 1, Let servants be obedient, ' that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed ; ' and Titus ii. 5, The wives should be discreet and chaste, * that the word of God be not blasphemed.' Cer- tainly religion is never more dishonoured than by the lives of carnal professors. But this is the great mistake of this context, to apply what is here spoken to rich Christians. The apostle only givetli an observation of the manners of the rich men of that age ; they were usually such as were bitter enemies to Christianity ; and thereupon inferreth that wealth was not a valuable consideration in the church to prefer men to places of rule and honour, or to further their cause whenever it came into debate.
That ivorthy name, koKov, ' honourable ; ' as before, ver. 3. — /ca\w9, ' in a good place,' is, in the original, honourably.
By lohich ye are called. — In the original, to eiriKkrjdev ej) vfxa^, 'which is called upon you;' and some interpret that thus, ' which you call upon.' It is made a description of Christians : 1 Cor. i. 2, ' All that call upon the name of Christ ; ' and 2 Tim. ii. 1 8, ' Let him that nameth the name of Christ.' Or else thus : Which is called upon over you ; that is, in baptism, Mat. xxviii. 19, and Acts ii. 38. Or rather, as we translate, ' by which ye are called ; ' for that is the proper import of that phrase, ' called upon you.' It is applied to wives, that are called after the name of the husband: Isa. iv. 1, ' Let thy name be called upon us ;' or to children, as Gen. xlviii. 16, ' Let my name be called on them, and the name of my fathers,' &c. ; and so it
204 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. 7.
implicth the name of Christ, which is put upon his people, who sus- tain these relations to him of spouse and children.
The notes are these : —
06.S-. 1. That wicked rich men, above all others, are most prone to blasphemy. They ' set their hearts as the heart of God,' Ezek. xxviii. 5, 6. lliches beget pride, and pride endetli in atheism. Besides, they, enjoying a most liberal use of the creature, are apt to talk un- seemly. When their hearts are warmed and inflamed with wine and mirth, they cannot contain, but must needs disgorge their malice upon the ways and servants of Christ. The merry and full-fed Babylonians must have a Hebrew song, Ps. cxxxvii. And it is no feast with many unless John the Baptist's head be brought in a charger. Reli- gion, or religious persons, must be served in to feed their mirth and sportiveness.
Obs. 2. They that love Christ will hate blasphemers. When he would work them into a disesteem of these ungodly wretches, he saith, ' Do they not blaspheme that worthy name ? ' Moses burned with a holy zeal when he heard that one had blasphemed God, Lev. xxiv. 13, 14. And David saith, Ps. cxxxix. 20-22, ' They speak against thee \vickedly ; thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them that hate thee ? 1 hate them with a perfect hatred : I count them mine enemies.' Love is tender of the least wrong done to the thing beloved. More especially will it sparkle and burn with a fiery zeal when such high contempt is cast upon it as blasphemy putteth upon Christ. Those Gallios of our time, that can so tamely, and without any in- dignation, hear the worthy name of Christ profaned with execrable blasphemies, show how little love they have to him. David counted them his enemies that spoke wickedly against his God ; but such are their darlings.