Ohs. 4. From that them that make peace. That true lovers of peace are and must be also lovers of righteousness. Peace without right- eousness is but a sordid compliance ; righteousness without peace is but a rough austerity. They are not tiuc friends to peace that can enhaunt with wicked men, digest violations of God's law, truth, and worship, because ease is good, and go on with a sleepy and careless silence ; can violate truth, debase it ; stuj)idly bear with errors with- out witnessing against them. These, whilst they seek to knit with men, they disjoin themselves from God ; and whilst they would make up a strife with others, they make a greater between God and their own souls. So, on the other side, they are not true friends to right- eousness that have no care of making peace. Hypocrites carry on all things with a blind and brawling violence. It is true God's chil- dren cannot choose but speak warmly ; but I intend those that care not what ru])1ures they make, how they disadvantage the cause of re- ligion, so as they may discharge or disgorge their rage and passion : John xiii. 35, ' By this shall ye know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another.' As to men, that is the badge or note ; sons of God are not usually sons of the coal. Oh ! that we could learn this holy art of coupling jighteousness with peace, that we could reprove with faithfulness, and yet bear with meekness ; that we might not do the office of an executioner, but a chirurgeon. Be zealous, and yet with temperateness and moderation. But of this before.
Obs. 5. That a righteous peaceableness is blessed with grace here,
JaS. IV. 1.] UPON THE EriSTLE OF JAMES. 325
and glor}^ hereafter. This verse is a promise, as well as a direction. This is our comfort against all the difficulties and inconveniences that holy and peaceable endeavours meet with in the world ; your reward is with God, you have a pledge of it in your own souls ; while strifes lessen grace in others, you grow and thrive and ; you shall reap in glory.
CHAPTER IV.
Ver. 1. From lolience come ivars and fightings among you ? come they not hence, even from your hosts, that ivar in your 7nembers?
He had in the former chapter spoken against strifes, as proceeding from envy, and pressed them to a holy wisdom ; he doth here speak against strifes and contentions, as proceeding from other carnal lusts, as ambition, covetousness, &c., which make them vex one another, and break out into unseemly brawlings. He proceedeth by way of question and conviction, as appealing to their consciences.
From ivhence come tvars and fightings among you ? — These words, TToXefiot KoX iJi^ci-yai, ivars and fi,ghtings, are usually applied to their private contentions ; either strifes and contentions about riches, great- ness, and outward pomp, or else vexatious lawsuits, and that before unbelieving judges. And the reason alleged for this exposition is, because the Christians of those times durst not openly invade one another in a hostile way : they must of necessity then have disturbed the peace of the places where they were scattered. But how plausible soever this exposition may seem, to me it is frivolous ; partly (1.) because it is harsh to render TroXefioc koX fid-xca by private strifes and conten- tions ; partly because these wars the apostle speaketh of did go so far as boodshed ; ver. 2, ' Ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain ; ye fight and war, and yet ye have not.' And (2.) in the epistle to the Heb- rews, they went so far as slandering,^ the true Christians being spoiled and rifled by the counterfeit, Heb. x. 34. And (3.) Histories speak of wars and tumultuary agitations that then were between Jew and Jew ; as Acts v. 37 ; see Josephus, lib. xviii. cap. 1, 4, 10, and lib. xx. ; see Grot, in locum. And in these probably many of the pseudo-Chris- tians were engaged. (4.) The apostle out of his special relation doth in this epistle not only write to the believers, but the whole nation of Israel, as doth appear b}' many passages of the ejiistle, and hath been once and again cleared.
Come they not hence, even from your lusts, airo rwv rjSovMv, ' from your pleasures,^ as it is in the margin. Lust and pleasw'e are often put for each other, and sometimes they are coupled ; as Titus iii. 3, ' Serving divers lusts and pleasures : ' both note the affection of a wicked man to sin. Lust notetli properly the earnest motion of the soul after sin ; pleasure, the contentment it findeth in sin. Sin is a pleasure to wicked men ; it taketh up their desires or delights : 2 Peter ii. 13, ' Take pleasure to riot away the daytime ;' 2 Thes. ii. 12. ' Had pleasure in unrighteousness.' Pleasure is a sign of a perfect habit, and it is hardly left. Beware of a delight in sin, when acts of
^ Qu. ' plundering ' ? — Ed.
326 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. IV. 1.
uncleanness, or thoughts of revenge are sweet to you, or when j'ou ])lease yourself in surmises of vanity, and proud reflections u})on your iionour and greatness in the world. Lord, if ever sin overcome, let it be my burden, and not my pleasure. It is a sad and high degree to 'rejoice to do evil.'