JaS. IL 22.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 253
or seek some other meaning ; perhaps offer the image of Isaac, or some youngling of the flock, and call it Isaac ; as now we often pervert a command by distinctions, and invent shifts to cheat our souls into a neglect of duty ; as the heathens, when their gods called for (fxora, a man, they offered ^Mra, a candle; or as Hercules offered up a painted man instead of a living. But Abraham doth not so, though he had a fair occasion, for he was divided between believing the pro- mise and obeying the command. God tried him in his faith : his faith was to conflict with his natural reason as well as his obedience with his natural afiection. But ' he accounted that God was able to raise him from the dead,' Heb. xi, 19, and he reconcileth the command- ment with the promise. How easily could we have slipped out at this door, and disobey, out of pretences and reasons of religion. But Abraham offered Isaac.
Ver. 22. Seest thou lioio his faith lorought tuith his ivories, and by I'jorJcs ivas faith made loerfect f
Having alleged the instance, he now urgeth it by an apostrophe to the boasting hypocrite, who nourished an impure life under the pretence of faith.
Seest thou, /SXeirei';. — He seeketh to awaken the secure carnalist by urging this instance upon his conscience : ' Seest thou?' that is, is it not clear ? or without an interrogation, ' Thou seest.'
Hoiv his faith wrought luith his worhs. — Many senses are given of this phrase. The Papists urge it to prove that faith needeth the con- currence of works in the matter of justification, as if works and faith were joint causes ; but then the apostle would have said, that works wrought with his faith, and not faith with his works. Among the orthodox it is expounded with some difference. That sense which I prefer is, that his faith rested not in a naked, bare profession, but was operative ; it had efficacy and influence upon his works, co-working with all other graces ; it doth not only exert and put forth itself in acts of believing, but also in working.
And by luorks loas faith made perfect. — This clause also hath been vexed into several senses. The Papists gather hence that in the work of justification faith receiveth its worth, value, and perfection from works — a conceit prejudicial to the freeness of God's love, contrary to the constant doctrine of the scriptures ; for faith rather giveth a value to works than works to faith, Kom. xiv. 23 ; Heb. xi. 4-6 ; and works are so far from being chief, and the more perfect cause of justification, that they are not respected there at all. This sense being justly disproved, divers others are given. As (1.) 'Made perfect,' that is, say some, ' made known and discovered ; ' ^ as God's strength is said to be ' perfected in our weakness,' 2 Cor. xii. 9. None will be so mad as to say that our strength doth add anything to the power of God, that is incapable of increase and decrease, and hath no need to borrow aught from the weakness of man. It is ' made perfect,' because it hath the better advantage of discovery, and doth more singularly put forth and show itself ; so faith is made perfect, that is, more fully Imown and apparent. And the reason of the expression is— (1st.) Because
^ ' Opera nou sunt causa quod aliquis Justus sit apud Deum, sed potius sunt execu- tiones et manifestationes justitiae' — Thorn. Aquin. in Gal. iii., lect. 4.
254 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. 22.
excelling things, whiles kept private, suffer a kind of imperfection ; or (2tl.) Because it is an argument faith is come -to some maturity and perfection of growth, not only living, but lively, when it can produce its proper and necessary operations ; this sense is probable. But (2.) Others understand it thus : tliat faith or profession is not full and conii)lete till works be joined with it, faith and works being the two essential parts which make up a believer; which interpretation suiteth well enough with the scope of the apostle. (3.) The exposition which I take to be most simple and suitable is, that faith co-working with obedience is made })erfect, that is, bettered and improved ; as the inward vigour of the Ki)irits is increased by motion and exercise : and so in short (as Dr Jackson explaineth it ^), works do not perfect faith by communication and imputation 2 of their perfection to it, but by stirring, exercising, and intending the natural vigour of it.
From this verse thus opened observe : —
Ohs. 1. There is an influence of faith upon all a Christian's actings, Heb. xi. Faith is made the grand i)rinciple ; acts are there spoken of, which do more formally belong to other graces. But we say the general won the day, though the private soldiers did worthily in the high places of the field, because it was under his conduct and direc- tion. So because all other graces march, and ai-e brought up in their order, to fight under the conduct of faith, the honour of the day and duty is devolved upon it. The influence of faith is great into all the offices of the heavenly life. (1.) Because it hath the advantage of a sweet principle : ' It worketh by love,' Gal. v. 6. It represents the love of God, and then maketh use of the sweetness of it by way of argument : it urgeth by such melting entreaties, that the believer cannot say nay. Paul intimateth the argument of faith, Gal. ii. 20, ' I live ]jy faith in the Son of God, who loved, and gave himself for me.' Wlien the soul is backward, faith saith, Christ loved you, and gave himself up for you. He was not thus backward in the work of salvation ; as the soldier said to Augustus when he refused his petition — I did not serve you so at the battle of Actium. (2.) It presents strong encouragements ; it sceth assistance in the power of God, acceptance in the gi-ace of God, reward in the bounty of God. When you are weakened with doubtings and discouragements, faith saith, Do your endeavour, and God will accept you. When Christ came to feast with his spouse he saith, Cant. v. 1, 'I will eat my honeycomlj with my honey.' Though it were mixed with wax, and embased with weakness, Christ will accept it. When jealousy maketh the heart faint, and the hands feeble, lest we should drive on heavily, faith showeth the soul ' an angel that standeth at the altar with sweet incense,' Kev. viii. 8, 4. Duty coming immediately out of our hands would yield an ill savour, therefore Christ intercepteth it in the passage, and so it is perfumed in the hands of a mediator. Again, are you dis- couraged with weakness ? faith will reply, Thou art weak, but God will enable thee. It is an advantage, not a discouragement, to be weak in ourselves, that we may be ' sti-ong in the Lord, and in the power of his might,' Eph. vi. 10. When the bucket is empty, it can be the better filled out of the ocean. Paul saith, 2 Cor. xii. 10,