Ver. 9. Grudge not one against another, brethren^ lest ye he con- demned : behold, the judge standeth before the door.
In this verse the apostle layeth down the danger of evil groaning,
1 ' Ratio huiuana tantum in prEcsenti sensu hseret, nihil aliud audit, intelligit, seutit, videt, cogitat.' — Luther in Esaiam, liv. 7.
^ ' Sapienti nihil magnum est cui nota est teternitatis magnitude'
424 AN EXPOSITION, UITII NOTES, [JaS. V. i).
using the same argument as before, the near and speedy a])[)roach of judgments.
Grudge not one against another, fiT] a-Tevu^ere kut dWijXtou. — Tlie word signifieth, groan not one against anothei-. Because it is not easy to find out what is the particular sense and intent of the ai)0stle, the phiase hath been diversely expounded. JSome open it thus : Do not sigh out your murmuring complaints into one another's bosom, as if God were unjust in punishing his children and letting the wicked be prosperous ; but this cannot be the meaning. It is in the original, KaT aWj)X(ou, against one another. Others thus: Do not in a groan- ing manner require vengeance at the hand of God, but forgive, that God may forgive you ; but certainly it is lawful to complain to God of our injuries, though not with a revengeful spirit. Much ado there hath been to state this groaning spoken of in the text. Groans in themselves are not unlawful. The apostle must needs mean such gi'oaning as doth arise from an evil cause ; as discontent at providence ; murmuring groans, so some ; or despondency and weakness of mind, distrustful groans ; or from revenge and stomachs against their op- pressors, vindictive groans, so others ; or else from envy at those that suffered less than they did. If any man's condition be more tolerable, we are apt to murmur, and to say, no sorrow like our sorrow ; and so fretting against God maketh us angry with men. Thus the apostle would understand envious groans ; and to this sense our translators render arevd^eTe by grudge not ; that is, at the hai)piness of those that are not exercised with sufferings, or with the same degree of suf- ferings that you are. I should easily subscribe to this sense, as unwill- ing to recede from our own translation, but that I see no cause why we should not retain the proper sense of the word, groan not one against another, brethren; for the apostle seemeth to me herein to tax those mutual injuries and animosities wherewith the Cin-istians of those times, having banded under the names of circumcision and uncircum- cision, did grieve one another and give each other cause to groan, so that they did not only sigh under the oppressions of the rich persecu- tors, but under the injuries whicli they sustained from many of the brethren, who, together with them, did profess the holy faitli ; which exposition will well suit with the state of those times and the present context. The apostle is persuading them to patience now, because the pressures did arise, not only from enemies, but brethi-en. He seeketh to dissuade them from a practice so scandalous, lest they should all be involved and wrapped up in the common ruin. What ! should brethren grudge one against another? Take heed; such practices seldom escape without a quick revenge. My thoughts are the more confirmed in this exposition, because here seemeth to be a tacit allusion to the history of Cain and Abel, where the blood of one brother cried or groaned against the other, and God told him that sin lay at the door, Gen. iv. 7, intending the punishment of sin, as the apostle telleth these that the judge was at the door, meaning the judgments hanging over their heads. Observe hence: —
Obs. Many times differences may so far be heightened among brethren, that they may groan one against another, as mucii as against the common enemy. Paul, speaking of the state of primitive times,
JaS. V. 9.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 425
slioweth how Christians did ' bite and devour one another,' Gal. v. 15. To show their rage, he useth words proper to the fights and quarrels of beasts. Thus usually it falleth out when contests arise in the church. Keligious hatreds are most deadly. Thus Luther i com- plaineth that he never had a worse enemy than Carolostadius ; and Zuinglius^ that the Papists were never so bitter to him as his friends. It is sad when we dispute one against another, and tongue is armed against tongue, and pen against pen ; but it is sadder when we groan one against another, and prayer is set against prayer, and appeal is set against appeal ; lambs acting the wolves' part, &c.
Lest ye he condemned, Iva /x?; Kpidrire, lest ye be judged ; that is, lest God punish you ; or lest, by mutual allegations, you provoke a condemning sentence to pass against you both, and you be also in- volved in the common ruin. You may note hence : —
Ohs. 1. That false brethren shall also meet with their judgment. Not only the rich oppressors, but you that groan one against another, shall be condemned: hell is the hypocrite's portion : Mat. xxiv. 51, ' He shall appoint him his portion with hypocrites ;' in Luke it is /iera roiv aTTLo-roiv, with unbelievers, Luke xii. 46. Possibly our Saviour might use both expressions, hypocrites and unbelievers, to show that open enemies and secret shall meet with the same judgment.