^ ' Non attendendum quid alii ante nos f eceriat, sed quid Dominus, qui ante omnes. ' — Cyprian Epist. de Eucharist. - Calvinus in locum. VOL. lY. ^ 2 B
386 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. IV. 13.
you into hell? see Ezek. xxii. 14. Have you courage and strength enough to withstand God ? What will you do with him that is ' able to save and destroy ?' Wool overcometh the strokes of iron by yield- ing to them. There is no way left but submission and humble ad- dresses. He may be overcome by faith, but not by power : Isa. xxvii, 5, ' Take hold of his strength, and you may make peace with him.' By humble supplications you may ' prevail with God as princes.'
Who art thou that J udgest another ? that is, what a distance is there between thee and God ! what a sorry judge to him ! You have the same question, Rom. xiv. 4.
Ohs. It is good to shame pride with the consideration of God's glory, and our own baseness. He is ' able to save and to destroy ; ' but ' who art thou ? ' &c.
Ver. 13. Go to noiu, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain. Having formerly spoken against those that contemned the law, he now speaketh against those that contemned providence, promising themselves a long time in the world, and a happy accomplishment of their carnal projects, without any sense or thought of their own frailty, or the sudden strokes of God. In this verse he doth, as it were, personate them, and give a most accurate representation of their thoughts.
Go to noio, aye vvv. — The vulgar readeth Ecce, as if it were thov, see now, do you do rightly ? But we render it better. It is a phrase that provoketh them to consideration, as awakening the attention of conscience, or as citing them before the presence and tribunal of God.^ The same adverb is used chap. v. 1. From this opening of the word observe : —
Ohs. That if we would know the evil of our actions, it is good to use reviews and reflecting thoughts. We sin and go on in sin because of incogitancy. There should be wise consideration afore- hand to prevent the sin, and faithful recollection to prevent the going on in sin. God complainelh, Jcr. viii. G, ' No man saith, What have I done?' This recollection citeth the soul before three bars: — (1.) Conscience; (2.) God's eye; and (3.) God's throne or tribunal. It rouseth up the light of conscience by comparing the action or speech with a priuci])le of reason, or the word, as in the present case, thus : — Am I Lord of future events, that I do so con- fidently determine or define them ? Do those things hang on my will ? Is my life or actions in mine own power ? It draweth the soul into the presence of God thus : Would I have the jealous God, that disposeth of human events and successe8,to take notice of such speeches? So before God's judgment seat thus : Would I defend such actions or speeches before the tribunal of God ? Will these carnal deliberations endure the severe search and trial of the great day ? Thus should you in all cases review your actions, and, as the prophet saith, ' Behold your way in the valley,' Jer. ii. 23.
Ye that say. To-day or to-morroiu ive will go into stick a city, <fcc. — By an imitation he recitetli the speeches or thoughts of the Jewish factors or merchants. Now we will go to Alexandria, or to Damascus.
^ ' Illud &y€ est formula citationis ad tribunal Dei ; sic ncD nemo in locum.'
JaS. IV. 13.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 387
or to Antioch, which were the places of their usual traffic. Observe hence : —
Ohs. 1. That carnal hearts are all for carnal projects. Thoughts are the purest offspring of the soul, and do discover the temper of it. Men are according to their devices. See Isa. xxxli. 6, 7, ' Liberal men de- vise liberal things.' Carnal men are projecting how to spend their days and months in buying and selling and getting gain. The fool in the Gospel is thinking of enlarging his barns, and plucking down his houses and building greater, Luke xii. 17, 18 ; this engrossetli all his thoughts. One apostle describeth such men thus, ' Minding earthly things/ Phil. iii. 19. Another thus, ' Having an heart exer- cised with covetous practices, 2 Peter ii. 14 ; that is, wdth earnest con- trivances how to promote their gain and earthly aims. A gracious heart is for gracious projects, how they shall be more thankful, Ps. cxvi. 12 ; how more holy, more useful for God, more fruitful in every good work ; ' what they shall do to inherit eternal life.' Oh ! consider, this is the better care, that more suiteth with the end of our creation and the nature of om- spirits. We were sent into the world, not to grow great and pompous, but to enrich our souls with spiritual excel- lences, &c.