Obs. 4. That lust will put men not only upon dishonest endeavours, but unlawful means, to accomplish their ends, killing, and warring, and fighting, <fcc. Bad mcaus will suit well enough with base end.s ; they resolve to have it, rem, quocunquc modo rem ; any means will serve the turn, so they may satisfy their thirst of gain: 1 Tim. vi. 9, ' They that will be rich fall into temj)tations and a snare ; ' Prov. xxviii. 20, 'He that hasteth to be ricii shall not be innocent.' If God will not enrich them, Satan shall ; - and what they cannot get by honest labour they make up by the deceitful i)ag. Learn, then, what a tyrant lust is ; if God dulh not bless us, it maketh us go to the
' *'Av0pu)iroi iv <f>vff(L j'liov irdKirtKOf.' — Arist. Pol., cap. 1. - ' ir'lectere, si ueque j buperoa,' ice.
JaS. IV. 2.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 3B7
devil. Alul ngain, know that that is rank lust which putteth you upon dishonest means.
Obs. 5. From that 7/e lust, and have not ; and again, ye kill and cnndate, and have not ; and again, ye fght and ^oar, and have not. — That do wicked men what they can, when God setteth against them, their endeavours are fiustrate. Let them try all ways, yet still they are disappointed : Ps. xxxiii. 10, ' He maketh the devices of the wicked to be of none effect.' God will not let his creatures to be too hard for. him in all strifes ; he Avill overcome, and have the best of it, Rom. iii. 4. But when doth God set himself to frustrate the endeavours of the creature ? I answer — When the creature setteth itself to frustrate his counsels and intents. That may be done several ways : — (1.) When we will do things in despite of providence. They are disappointed once or twice in an evil way, yet they will try again, as if they would have the mastery of God ; as the king of Israel would adventure the other fifty after two fifties were destroyed, 2 Kings i. ; Pharaoh would harden his heart after many plagues ; Balaam would smite his ass three times, Num. xxii. 25, and after that he would build altar upon altar to curse Israel. (2.) When men seek by carnal policies to make void God's promises or threatenings. God had said, ' I will cut off Ahab's posterity.' To avoid this he falleth a-begetting of children ; he had seventy children, that were all brought up in seventy strong cities, yet all beheaded by Jehu. Herod, that he might make sure work of Christ, killed all the children of Bethlehem, and some say his own son, nursed there; whereupon Augustus said, Melius est Hcrodis iwrcus esse quam Jilius — it is better to be Herod's swine than his son : and yet Christ was kept safe : Prov. xxi. 30, ' There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord.' He useth many words to show that all the exquisiteness and choiceness of parts will not be able to manage the contest against providence. (3.) When men crossed by providence seek happiness elsewhere by unlawful acts and means, as violence, cozenage, extortion, deceit, as if Satan could make them more prosperous than God ; see if these men do not go back in their estates ; if their families, which they seek to raise by such means, be not ruined. The old world would build a toxver, as if there were more security in a tower than a promise, Gen. xi. 4. Many devices there are in man's heart to compass their ends, but they are all blasted and marked with the curse of providence. (4.) When you say / tuill, without God's leave : see Exod. xv. 9 ; James iv. 3. Such confident purposes and presumptions as are not subjected to God's pleasure are seldom prosperous. (5.) By reiterated endeavours against the clnuch : see Isa. viii. 9, 10. They are still ' broken in pieces,' thougli they join force to policy, combine themselves in leagues most holy, and renew their assaults with a united strength ; therefore the prophet repeateth it so often, ' Ye shall be broken in pieces, ye shall,' &c.
Obs. 6. From that because ye ask not; that is, ask not God's leave in humble and holy prayer. The note is, that it is not good to engage in any undertaking without prayer. In prayer you ask God's leave, and show your action is not a contest with him. The families that call not upon God's name must needs be cursed : in their actions they
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338 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [Jas. IV. 3.
do, as it were, say they will be happy without God. We learn hence — (1.) That that argument against prayer is vain: God knows our requests already; and God"s decrees are immutable, and cannot be altered by our prayers. So argued of old Maxiuius Tyrius, a heathen philosopher, and. so many Libertines in our days. I answer — Prayer is not for God's information, but the creature's submission ; we pray that we may have his leave. And again, God's decrees do not exclude ihe duty of creatures and the work of second causes : Ezek. xxxvi. 37, ' I will yet for this be inquired after by the house of Israel ;' so Jer. xxix. 11, 12, ' I know the thoughts of peace that I have towards you, yet ye shall call upon me, and I will hear you.' (2.) That no actions must be taken in hand but such as we can commend to God in prayer ; such recreations as we are ashamed to ask a blessing upon must not be used ; such enterprises we must not engage in as we dare not com- municate to God in our supplications : Isa. xxix. 15, ' Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord ;' that is, design their enterprises, and never inquire after the will of God, or communi- cate their purpose to him in prayer.