* Jackson of Faith. * Qu. ' impartation ' — Ed.
Jas. II. 23.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 255
* When I am weak, then am I strong.' There is no heart so dead but God can quicken it,, and he is wilHng. It is said, 1 Chron. xv. 26, ' God helped the Levites,' when the work was bodily ; and we are less apt to be indisposed for bodily labour. God helped them by discharg- ing their lassitudes ; so certainly he will much more give inward strength, more love, joy, hope, which are the strength of the soul, Neh. viii. 10. Again, if the heart be lazy and backward, or stick at ease and pleasure, faith can present the glory of the reward, the plea- sures at God's right hand, &c. (3.) It breaketh the force of opposite propensions ; if the world standeth in the way of duty, ' faith over- cometh the world,' 1 John v. 4 ; partly by bringing Christ into the combat, partly by spiritual replies and arguments. Reason telleth us we must- be for ourselves; faith telleth us we must be for God. Eeason saith, If I take this course, I shall undo myself; faith, by looking within the veil, seetli it is the only way to save all, 2 Cor. iv. 15-17. Reason presenteth the treasures of Egypt, and faith the recompense of reward. From hence are those bickerings and counter- buffs which a believer feeleth sometimes within himself.
Well, then, out of all this we may infer — (1.) That we had need get faith ; there is as great a necessity of faith as of life ; it is the life of our lives and the soul of our souls ; the 2)rimu7n mobile, the first pin, that moveth all the wheels of obedience, like the blood and spirits wliicli run through the whole body. There is by the ordination of God as great a necessity of faith as of Christ : what good will a deep well do us without a bucket ? He that hath a mind to work, would not be without his tools ; and who would be without faith that maketh conscience of duty ? (2.) Act it in all your works ; no works are good till faith work with them, they are not acceptable, nor half so kindly • Heb. xi. 4, ' By faith Abel offered ' ifKelova Ovaiav (not only a better sacrifice, as we render it, but) ' more sacrifice,' as the word will bear. Faith is the best support you can have ; carnal ends make us mangle duty, doubts weaken us in duty.
Ohs. 2. That faith is bettered and made more perfect by acting. Neglect of our graces is the ground of their decrease and decay ; wells are the sweeter for draining.^ Christians get nothing by dead and useless habits. Talents hid in a napkin gather rust ; the noblest faculties are embased when not improved in exercise. The apostle wisheth Timothy dva^coTrvpelv, to ' excite and enliven his gifts,' 2 Tim. i. 6. It is an allu.sion to the fire of the temple, which was always to be kept burning. Well, then, be much in duty, draw out the acts of your graces ; many live, but are not lively ; decays do insensibly make way for deadness.
Ver. 23. And the scripture loas fulfilled loliicli saitli, Abraham be- lieved God, and it loas imputed to him for righteousness ; and he loas called the friend of God.
To strengthen the former argument from the example of Abraham, he produceth a testimony of scripture to prove that Abraham had true faith, and that Abraham was truly justified.
^ And the scripture icas fulfilled. — You will say, How can this be, since that saying was spoken of Abraham long before ? Compare
^ ' Td 4>peaTa epavrXov/xim ^eXrt'w ?(7Tt.' — Basil.
256 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. IL 23.
Gen. XV. C) with Gen. xxii. ; and the apostle Paul saitli that scripture was fultilled in him ' while he was yet in his nncircumcision,' Ilora. iv. 10, which was before Isaac's birth, certainly before his being offered. Luther ^ upon this ground rejecteth this epistle with some incivility of expression. The Papists seek to reconcile the matter thus : That though faith were imjnited to Abraham for righteousness before he offered Isaac, yet our apostle would prove that faith was not enough to justify him, but there needed also works ; for, say they, his righteous- ness was not complete and full till it was made perfect by the acces- sion of works. And the Socinians 2 pipe after the same tune and note, but without ground and warrant ; for Paul quoteth the very same words for justification without works, Rom, iv. 2, 3, and proveth that he had such a justification as made him completely happy and blessed, ver, 6-8. And if James should go about to superinduce the righteous- ness of works, he would be directly contrary both to Moses and Paul. The words of IMoses can no way bear that sense, who plainly averreth faith to be imputed to him for righteousness. Briefly, then, for open- ing the place, you must note, that a scripture is said to be fulfilled in several senses : sometimes when the main scope of the place is urged ; at other times when a like case falleth out, and so a scripture is quoted, and said to be fulfilled, not by way of argument, but allusion ; sensit Iransumptivo, as divines ^ speak ; and they give a note whereby the allusive sense may be distinguished from that which is chief and proper. When a text is quoted properly, it is said, ' that it might be fulfilled,' as noting the aim and scope of the place. Whenit is quoted by allusion, or to suit it with a parallel instance, it is said, ' then it was fulfilled,' as implying that such a like case fell out. So here, ' Then was the scripture fulfilled ;' that is, upon this instance and ex- perience of his faith it might be again said that faith was imputed to him for righteousness ; and we may rather own this exposition, because this sacrifice of his son. Gen. xxii., was a greater manifestation and discovery of his faith than that sacrifice mentioned Gen. xv., when this honour was first put upon him. And things are said to be ful- filled when they are most clearly manifested; as in that known place of Acts xiii. 32, 33, where those words, ' Thou art my Hon ; this day have I begotten thee,' are said to be fulfilled at Christ's resurrection, because then he ' showed himself to be the Son of God,' Rom. i. 4. So here ; this being the evident discovery of Abraham's faith, it appeared how truly it was said of him that ' he believed, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.' By that action he declared he had a true justifying faith, and therefore ^ the Lord saith after this trial, ' Now I know that thou fearest me,' Gen. xxii. 12. And I suppose that he doth the rather use this expression to prevent an objection that might be drawn from Genesis or the doctrine of Paul ; as also intimating that