Ohs. 2. Believers are God's friends. This was not Abraham's title alone, but the title of all the righteous. Thus Christ saith, John xi. 11, ' Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.' And more expressly, John xv. 15, ' Hencefoilh I call you not servants, but friends.' Now they are friends to God — (1.) Because they are perfectly reconciled to him in Christ : we were enemies by nature ; but God would not only pardon us, but receive us into friendship, Col. i. 21. Absalom was pardoned, but he • could not see the king's face.' In other breaches, when the wound is healed, the scar remaineth ; but now we are not only restored, and brought into an estate of amity, but advanced to higher principles. God doth not only spare converts, but delight in them. Fcriissermis nisi pcriisscmus — we had been lost if W(! had not been lost; the fall made way for the more glorious restoration ; as a bi'oken bone, when it is well set, is strongest in the crack. (2.) All dispensations and duties that pass between them are passed in a friendly way : As (1st.)
JaS. II. 23.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 259
Communication of goods. Plutarch's reasoning is good : Ta tmv cj^lXmu TTcivra Koiva, friends have all things in common ; but God is our friend, and therefore we cannot want — a rare speech from a heathen. In the covenant God is ours, and we are his, Jer. xxxi. 33, and xxxii. 38, 39 ; Zech. xiii. 9. He maketh over himself to us, quantus quanius est, as great as he is ; and so by an entire resignation we are given up to him. Tiie covenant is like a conjugal contract, and may be illustrated by that of the prophet, Hosea iii. 3, ' Thou shalt be for me, and I will be for thee.' God maketh over himself and all his power and mercy to us, so that no dispensation cometh to us but in the way of a bless- ing ; if it be so common a mercy as rain, ' the rain shall be a rain of blessing,' Ezek. xxxiv. 2G ; so we give up ourselves to God, even to the lowest interest and enjoyment : ' Upon the horse-bells there shall be written, Holiness to the Lord,' Zech. xiv. 20 ; all is consecrated. (2d.) Communication of secrets. So our Lord urgeth this relation: John XV. 15, ' Henceforth I call you not servants ; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth : but I have called you friends ; for all things that I have heard I have made known to you.' Servants are only acquainted with what concerneth their duty and work ; i the master commandeth, but doth not tell them the reason of the com- mand. But now Christ had dealt more socially and sweetly with the apostles ; he had opened all the secrets of the Father concerning his own resurrection, mission of the Holy Ghost, the calling of Gentiles, last judgment, eternal life, &c. And so shall you that lie in Christ's bosom know his secrets : Gen. xviii. 17, ' Shall I hide from Abraham the thing which I do ? ' He will acquaint you with everything that con- cerneth your salvation and peace. So, on the other side, do believers open their secrets to God : Eph. iii. 12 ; Heb. x. 19, they ' come with boldness to the throne of grace;' the word is, yu-era Trapprjaiaf;, Avith liberty of speech ; or, as it more strictly signifieth, liberty to speak all our mind. We may use some freedom with God, and acquaint him with all our griefs, and all our fears, and all our wants, and all our desires, as a friend would pour out his heart into the bosom of another friend ; as it is said, Exod. xxxiii. 11, ' The Lord spake to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend.' (3d.) Conformity and cor- respondency of will and affections. True friendship is built upon likeness and consent of wills i^ God and the soul Avilleth the same thing — holiness as the means, and God's glory as the end : John xv. 14, ' Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you ;' to do otherwise is but false, glavering affection. It is the commendation of Ephesus, Kev. ii. 6, ' Thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.' No friendship like that where we love and hate the same things, to hate what God hateth, and love what God loveth. See Prov. viii. 13; so see Ps. cxxxix. 21. (4th.) By mutual delight and complacency ; they delight in God, and God in them : Isa. Ixii. 4, ' The Lord delighteth in thee,' in their persons, their graces, their duties ; so do they delight in God, in their addresses to him, in his fellowship and presence , they cannot brook any strangeness and dis- tance ; they cannot let a day pass, or a duty pass, without some
^ ' Servus herilis imperii non servus est sed minister.' — Seneca. ^ ' Eadem velle et nolle, ea demum firma est amicitia.' — Sallust.
260 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [J AS. II. 24.
communion and intercourse with God. It is said of the hypocrites, Jobxxvii. 10, that ' they will not deli,2jht themselves in God.' Formal duties are a burden, ' What a weariness is it,' Mai. i. 13, though it were a sickly lamb. The prodigal thought it best to be out of the father's eye, best in a far country, Luke xv. ; but it is their delight to be with Christ; his work is sweet to them, his statutes their songs, Ps. cxix. 54 ; duties come from them freely, as graces do from God ; lie ' rejoiceth over them to do them good;' and they can say, every one of them, ' How do I delight in thy law ! ' (5th.) By the special favour and respect God beareth them. Others have but common mercies, they saving ; they have ' hidden manna,* joys which others cannot conceive. Rev. ii. 17. Others are brought into the palace, Ps. xlv. 15, but they into the chambers of the great King, Cant. i. 4 ; they have closet mercies, a sweet fellowship with God in all their ways ; others have the letter, they the j)ower ; others have the work of an ordinance, they the comfort : Cant, v, 1, ' Eat, 0 friends,' <fcc. Well, then — (1.) Here is comfort to the righteous, to those that have found any friend-like afiection in themselves towards God, any care to please him. God is your friend ; you were enemies, but you are made near through Christ. God delighteth in your persons, in your prayers, in your graces, your outward welfare. It is a great honour to be the king's friend ; you are favourites of heaven ! Oh ! this is your com- fort that delight in his presence, that walk in his ways as much as you can, though not as much as you should. (2.) Here is caution to you ; your sins go nearest to God's heart : ' It was my familiar friend,' Ps. Iv. 12. It was sad to Christ to be betrayed by his own disciples ; it is a like grief to his Spirit when his laws are made void by his own friends : 2 Sam. xvi. 17, ' Is this thy kindness to thy friend ? ' It was David's aggravation : Ps. xli. 9, ' Mine own familiar friend, in whom I tiusted.' Unexpected injuries surprise us with the more grief. Oh ! walk carefully, watchfully!