that war c in your members d £ lo ver. - r
« Either!
; Or, bras (78 , Or, pit” er 4.
O ve. 5
' Or, ENVY.
. with the context,
* Job 27.
9.and 35. 2,
Pl. 18. 41. "WW. Jer. 11.11. Zech.7.13s fP1.65.18, 1 John 3.
22,
* tJoh.15. 19. and 17. I4. Gal.I.10,
* See Gen. $.5, and S.- 230.
| Or, envi- ly,
\ bb mg
V
ge, or rather Strite and Contention about outward things, Wrang- haz among themſclyes, and going to Lai, eſpecially before undbe- lizvin, judges, 1 Cor, $9.1. bGr. Pleaſures, 1, ce. thote Luſts where- o: Ple:ture 15 the end, which is therefore put tor the Luſts them- 2!\ves : He means the over-eager Defire of Riches, worldly Great- neis, Carnal Dlizhts, Tit. 3. 3. where Luſts and Pleaſures go to- gether. c Oppole and tumultuate avainft Reaſon, Conſcience,Grace, Rom. 7. 23, and 1 Pet. 2,11. d Not only the Members of the Body, but Faculties of the Soul, exerciſed by them : All the Parts of Man unrenewed, C9, 3. 5. wich are.uicd as Weapons of Unrighteout- ucls, Rom. 6. 13. f
2 Yelutt e and have nor f, ye || kill g, and defire to have þ, and cannot obtain 2; ye tgar and war #, yet ve have not /, becauſe ye ask not ».
e Paiſionately and zreedily deiire, f Either loon looſe, or ra- ther, cannot get what ye fo luſt atter, g ſome Copies have 1t, ye en- ty, and many ſuppoie that to be the better rcading, as agreeing and with ver. 14. of chap. 3. Envy being the ciuſe of Strite there, and joyned with Emulation, or a Deire ot having here, We read it according to otiter Copies, ye kill, which, it he ſpeaketh of Wars in a proper ſenſe, ver. 1. was, no doubt, the effe& of them ; and it he ſpeak only of Strife and Contentions, yet they might proceed ſo far, that the Death of ſome (though tiot intended) might be the Bnſcquent of them, and occaſioned oy thein, or he may mean their murderous Deſires, killing Men 1n their Hearts, wiſhing for, and gaping after their Death, that they mizht gain by it ; and this agrees with what he ſpeaks of, the Fru- itration of their greedy Defires, none being more frequently dif- appointed of their Hopes, than they that hope to be Gainers by other Mens Deaths. h Or, emulate, 1. e. ambitioully affect to have what ye ſee others have, gricving that they ſhould have more than you. i Viz. That which ye envy others having. k You wrangle and quarrel with your Neighbours for what they have, that ye may get it for your ſelves. 1 Ye are ſtill needy, though {till craving ; your Luſts are infinite, and inſatiable in themſelves,and no way help- ful to you. m Viz. Of God by Prayer, who hath promiſed to give to them that ask, Matth. 7. 7. not to them that war and fizht. In- ſtead of humble ſeeking to God tor what ye want, ye would extort 1t by force or fraud, from one another.
3 Ye* ask and -receive not, + becauſe ye ask amiſs o, that ye may conſume it upon your || luſts p.
n He prevents. an Objettion, 4. d. admit you do pray for the good things ye want; or, though you pray for them. o Though you pray tor good things, yet you do nat pray well, or in a right manner, not according to God's Will, 1 John 5. 14. and therefore ye are not to complain of not being heard. p You pray for the things of this Life only, that you may have wherewith to pleaſe the Fleſh, and gratifie your carnal Appetites, and fo an evil end ſpoils good means ; and while you would have God ſerve your Luſts, you loſe your Prayers.
4 Ye adulterers, and adultreſles g, know ye not 7, that the friendſhip of the world s, 1s enmity with God 7? * whoſoever therefore # will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God x.
7 He means Adulterers and Adulterefles in a ſpiritual ſenſe, 7. e, worldly-minded Chriſtians, who being, by Protetſion, married to the Lord, yet gave up thoſe AffeQions to the things of the World, which were due to God only. The like Expreſſion is uſed, Matth. 12.39. and 16.4. r Ye ought to know, and cannot but know. s Inordinate Affe&ion to the World, addi&tedneſs or devotednefs to the Things, or Men of the World, # Alienates the Soul from God, and God from it, 1 John 2.15. u If it be the purpoſe and reſolution of a Man's Heart to get in with the World, though per- haps he cannot obtain its Favour ; he courts it, though 1t be coy to him. x Exerciſeth hoſtility againſt God, by adhering to aa Inte- reft ſo contrary to him.
5 Do ve think that the ſcripture 1aith in vain y, * the ſpirit = that dwelleth in us, Iuſteth a to || en- vy b ?
y Gr Emptily, or vainly, i. e. to no purpoſe. This Queſtion hath the force of a Negation, 9. d. it doth not ſpeak in vain. Queſt. What 1s it which the Scripture doth not ſpeak in vain ? Anſw. Et- ther thoſe Truths he had been ſpeaking of before, particularly in the former Verfe, That the Friendſhip of the World, is Enmity with God : Or, that which follows in this Verſe, the Spirit that dwelleth in us, &c. 2 Either the Spirit of God, who is ſaid to dwell in Belie- vers,- 1 Cor.3.15,17. or the Spirit of Men, viz. as defiled by Sin, and ated by the Devil, who works in Men, while Children of Diſobe- dience, and then it is the fame as corrupt Nature. a Either 1s vehemently carried out to Envy, or makes us luſt, and carrieth us out to it, or {ufteth azainſt Envy. S9 the Greek Prepoſttion 1s often uſed, as Luke 20.15. Eph. 6, 11. Heb. 12.4. b- Under Envy he compretends all other tlcſhly Luſts, but inftanceth in this particular- ly, as having been ſpeaking of it before, ch. 3. v. 14,16. and becauſe it hath ſo near a conneftion with other Luſts, whereof 1t is the Cauſe, or Concomitant, and ſo is a principal Member of the Old Man. This latter clauſe may either be read 1nterrogatively or athr- matively; and then according as we take Spirit, either for the Spirit of God, or the Humane Spirit, the ſenſe of the words may be, either, 1. Dot't the Spirit of God, thar diwelleth in us, luſt un- to Fiivy, 7. & 114ne 2nd difpoſe us to fo baſe an AffeRtion ? The Anſwer is undecitood, 2, and confirmed by the next words, He giverh mere Grace, jives freelv, liberally, and therefore doth not make 1s envy ofhers any Gool1 they have. Nothing 1s more con-
tfrary to the Swirit of God, who abuunds -n his Gifts to us, than to make v eoavy others, theirs. Or, 2lv, we may underſtand 1t with- et any NLrropuhuon, tikin? the Prepoſition to fiznife againſt, and
then the {eat is, Tot rood, Spirit which 15 in (us, teacheth us bet- | an Soul ce and Favy, (5: tos It luiteth agaiait Envy,
FAMES.