^ ' Venter non habet aiires.'
Jas. II. 17, 18.] UPON THE epistle of james. 237
Yer. 17. Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead, being (done.
Here he cometh to accommodate the instance and similitude, and showeth that a naked profession of faith is no better than a verbal charity ; God looketh upon it as dead, cold, and useless.
Even so faith. — He speaketli according to their presumption: you call it faith ; and, according to appearance it hath some likeness to faith, ])ut it is dead in itself.
If it have not luorks. — He doth not only intend acts of charity, but all other fruits and operations of faith.
Is dead. — The apostle speaketh in allusion to a corpse or a dead plant, which hath only an outward similitude and likeness to those wliich are living ; it is dead in regard of root, and dead in regard of fruits ; it' is void of the life of Christ, and it is void of good fruits. Operation or motion is an argument and effect of life.
Being alone. — In the original KaB" eavrijv, it is dead by itself, or dead in itself ; that is, how great soever it be, it is all dead. We translate it ' being alone,' as noting the emptiness, barrenness, and nakedness of such profession or general assents ; and so it suitetli with that known maxim among the Protestants, Sola fides justificat, sed 01071 fides quai est sola, that faith alone justifieth, but not that faith which is alone ; not a naked assent or bare profession : which inter- pretation is suitable enough to the context.
Ohs. That false faith is a dead faith. It cannot act, no more than a dead body can arise and walk ; it is dead, because it doth not unite us to Christ. True faith planteth us into Christ, and so receiveth virtue and life from him: ' I live by faith in the Son of God,' Gal. ii. 20. It is dead, because it doth not discover itself in any motions or operations of life. You may know there is life by the beating of the pulses : a living faith will be active, and bewray itself in some gracious effects ; there will be liveliness in holy duties : ' dead works ' do not become ' the living God,' Heb. ix. 14. There will be some- what more than morality in duties of conversation ; yea, there will be life in death itself. Faith is the life of our lives, the soul that animateth the whole body of obedience. Faith is not always alike lively, but where it is true, it is always living. We read of ' a lively faith,' and ' a lively hope,' 1 Peter i. 3, and then we have a greater feeling of the motions of the spiritual life : at other times it is only living, and then if you be not sensible of life, )'0U will be sensible of deaduess : sense is the lowest token of life ; you will be complaining and groaning under corruptions. Well, then, hereby you may try your faith ; doth it receive life from Christ ? Doth it act? If Christ be in you, he would live in you. Never think of living luith Christ, unless you live in Christ : and there is none liveth in Christ but he ' bringeth forth much fruit,' John xv. 5.
Ver. 18. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have icorks : shoio me thy faith without thy ivorks, and I will show thee my faith hy my luorks.
The apostle amplifieth the present argument against an empty, soli- tary faith, by supposing a dialogue between a believer, that can mani- fest his faith by his works, and a boasting hypocrite, that can produce no such eflfect and experience. So that the dispute doth not lie so
238 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. 18.
mucli between faith and works, as between faith pretended and faith discovered by works ; for the apostle doth not introduce them speak- ing? thus, Thou standest upon thy faith, and I upon my works ; but ' Show me thy faith without works, and I will/ &c., that is, Show me a warrant for thy faitli, and I will soon prove mine own.
Yea, a man man say ; that is, some true believer may come and plead thus with a boasting hypocrite.
Thoii hast faitli. — Let it be as thou sayest, but that is all thou hast ; a naked profession of faith, or at best, but some historical assent ; for the apostle granteth that, ver. 19, yea, not only to them, but to the devils.
And I have loorks. — He doth not mean without faith ; that is con- trary to an expression in the text, ' I will show thee my faith by my works.' Works without faith are as a building without a foundation, but acts of nature lustred with common graces. Thou boastest with thy tongue of faith ; I shall not boast, but produce works, which are but a real apology and commendation. Christ produceth no other testimony but his works. Mat. xi. 4, 5. Our works do best ' praise us in the gates.'