Knoiuing that lue shall receive the greater condemnation. — This is the first reason the apostle produceth against the pride of censuring, which is grounded upon a consideration of the danger of the sin, or the severity of judgment following it ; ixel^ov Kplfia, ' a greater judgment,' either from men. Censurers have their own measure usually return edinto their bosoms, Mat. vii. 1, 2. Or from God. Who can expect pardon for him that is severe to others ? Mat. xviii. 32, 33. I chiefly understand judgment and condemnation from God, which is the more severe to censurers, upon a threefold ground : — (1.) The justice of retaliation. We condemn others, and God con- demneth us ; we are severe to their failings, and how can we expect that God should be merciful to ours ? (2.) Because God is the avenger of injuries, Kom. xii. 19, and among them, blasting the repute of others is the greatest. (3.) A censurer^s sins are more aggravated, because of that garb of indignation that he seemeth to put on against them : see Kom. ii. 1. In censuring others we do but pronounce our own doom and judgment, which the scripture manifestly representeth to us in those known instances of David, 2 Sam. xii., and Ahab, 1 Kings XX. 39, &c.
Obs. 1. The best need dissuasives from proud censuring. The apostle saith, ' My brethren, be not many masters ; ' and afterwards he putteth himself in the number, ' If lue,' &c. It is the natural disease
272 AN liXPOSiTioN, WITH NOTES, [Jas. III. 1.
of wit, a pleasing evil : it suiteth with pride and self-love, and feedetli conceit. Proud nature thinketli itself somebody, when it can get into a chair of arrogance, and cast out censures according to its own will and pleasure, as if God hath advanced us into some higher rank and sphere, and all the world had been made to be our scholars. It suiteth with self-love, because it diverteth the care of our souls ; they that so narrowly look after the mote, forget the beam. And it strengtheneth self-conceit ; so many evils in others make our own the less odious. It serveth vainglory, and providetli for our esteem abroad ; we demolish the esteem of others, that out of the rains of it we may raise a struc- ture of praise to ourselves. Now all these evils are in the best of God's children. ' Pride of life ' is last mentioned, 1 John ii. 16, because it is last mortified ; it groweth with the decrease of other sins, and thriveth by their decay. Well, then, ' suffer the words of exhorta- tion,' Heb. xiii. 22. Some religious persons think such dissuasives as to them are either superfluous or injurious , this touchiness argueth guilt : no evil is more natural, no evil desireth less to be touched ; insensibly it stealeth from our hearts into our tongues. We sin, and do not think of censuring ; pride, being crossed, rageth : hear such matters patiently ; James speaketh to the brethren, ' Be not many masters.'
Obs. 2. Censuring ; it is an arrogation of mastership over others. All teaching, esi)ecially reproof, is an act of power, and therefore the apostle forbiddelh it to women, 1 Cor. xiv. 34, because they cannot have power over a man. Well, then, when you are about to censure, check it with this thought — Wliat power hath God given me over my fallen brother? ' Why should I judge another man's servant ? to his own master he standeth or falleth,' Rom. xiv. 4. It is a wrong to God to put myself in his room ; it is a wrong to my neighbour to arrogate a })Ower over him which God never gave me. "\\'e all stand upon the name level ; needless and unprofitable censuring is but a bold usurpa- tion ; and besides the idleness of the words, we shall give an account for tlie sauciness of them.
Obs. 3. Clnistians should not affect this mastership over their brethren. You may admonish, reprove, warn, but it should not be in a masterly way. How is that ? (1.) When we do it out of pride and self-conceit, as conceiving yourselves more just, holy, wise, etc. : Luke xviii., ' I am not as other men ; ' ^ he speaketh indefinitely. With praise a Christian may say he is not as some men ; some are as brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed ; and with thankfulness we may acknowledge that God hath not suffered us to run into the excess of their riot. The Pharisee speaketli as if he were above com- mon weakness: Gal vi. 1, 'Ptestore with meekness, considering your- selves ; ' we are all involved in the same state of frailty. (2.) When we do it as vaunting over their infirmities and frailties, in a braving way, rather to shame than to restore them ; as Ham laughed at Noah's drunkenness : this doth not argue hatred of the sin, but envy, malice against the person. Paul's temper was truly Christian : Phil. iii. 17, ' I have told you often, and now tell you weeping, they are enemies of
^ ' Non dicit, nt allqui, modestiic fuisset i.stud ; sunt enim aliqui profecto dicmones humana specie larvati, universalem naturam sortitur indeliuitus emuiciandi modus.' — Dr Hall, •'i'erm. Synod. Uord.