In Gen. X>'. 6 we read of Abraham that "ho by Olement of Rome (' Ad Cor.,' x.: xvii.), belie>'ed in the Lord; 11.nd he e.ccounted it 11.nd was evidently o. standing one among to him for righteousness" (LXX., 'E..-(,r-r,vu,v the Jews. Philo a~turL!ly in one instnnco 'A/3paµ. -r,ii 0,,ii 1<al 111.o-y(ullr, ab-r,i, ,ls ~ucai• quotes Gen. xviii. 17 as 'A/3pao.µ -roii tp(/1.ov ,.,.,1.,,iv, quoted by St. Pe.ul in Rom. iv. 3; µov inste11.d of -rou ..-a,6&s µov. Illustrations Ge.I. iii. 6). lint vears aft.er this we find from lRtor rabbinioal writers may be found that God "tested Abrahe.m" (Geu. xxii. 1). in Wetstein, 11.nd cf. Bishop Lightfoot on To this trie.l St. James refers as that by • Clement of Rome,' p. 61. To tliis day it whioh Abre.ham's faith was "perfected " is said that Abraham is known among the (ln>..rn/,9-r,), and bv which the savino- of Arabs M El Khalil, equivalent to "the earlier years found a more complete r~ali- Friend." zation (of. Ecclus. xliv. 20, 21, "Abraham Ver. 25.-(4) Fourth point: Proof from . . . kept the Law of the Most Hig-h, nnd the case of Rahab the harlot of justification was in covenant with him ... and when by works (of. Josh. ii.; vi. 25). Rahab is he was proved, he was found faithful. mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament Therefore he assured him by an oath, the.t in Heb. xi. 31, where she also appears as he would bless the nations in his seed," etc.). 'Pao./3 11 ..-&p,,.,,, and is spoken of as having Ver. 20.-Faith without works is dead. "received the spies," li,(aµ,1171 -robs tta-ra,rtto- The Recei>'ed Text, followed by the A.V., .,,.ovs: of. u..-05,(aµ•"'I -robs cln,11.ovs here. reads v,1epd., with N. A., c•, K, L, Syriac, There, however, she is regarded as an Vulgate (Clementine). The Revisers, fol- instance of faith (see above in preliminary lowing B, C', ff, read ~ . "barren " (so note). The only other place where her Tulgate Amiat. by a correction, otwsa). name occurs is in the genealogy of our Lord, Ver. 23.-And he was called the Friend of in Matt. i. 5, "Salmon begat Booz of Ra- God. The expression comes from Isa. xii. 8 ; chab (ltt -rijs 'Pax&.13)." 2 Chron. xx. 7 (in the Hebrew, •:;ink, "p;:ik; Ver. 26.-Conclusion of the whole matter: LXX., ;;,, .,,-y&.,,..,,.,.a, .,-,;; .,,-ya.,,..,,µevq, ,rou). The "As the borly 11.pe.rt from the spirit is dead, ll&Dl8 title, tpl11.os e,oii, is given to Abro.ham even so faith apart from works is dead."
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-13.-1. Respe,ct of persons is inconsistent with the first principles of Chris- tianity. 1. One great function of Christianity was to create a. sphere in which there ~hould he neither Jew nor Gentile, Greek nor barbarian, bond nor free. "All equal are within the Church's !!S.te " is true, not only of the material building, but equally of the spiritual fabric of the Catholic Church, which, like her Divine Head,io no respecter of persons. Bengel well remarks that the equality of Christians, indicated by the name "brethren" (ver. 1), is the foundation of the admonition with which the chapter opens. 2. St. Ja.mes gives but one instance of the kind of respect of persons which is forbidden, viz. the respect shown to the rich in assemblies of Christians for worship. Other forms of the same sin a.re common enough and are equally reprehensible, e.g. the.homage paid to a man in society because he is rich, without regard to his character and moral worth. At the same time, it must not be forgotten that Christianity accepts as a fact class dis- tinctions, and that we are bidden to give "honour to whom honour is due." "The Christian religion allows not that contempt for even earthly dignities affected by some of her followers, but springing more from envy and unrulin<!ss than aught besides. True reverence and submission a.re in no way condemned by this Scripture, hut their excess and gross extreme, the preference for vulgar wealth, the adulation of success, the worship, in short, of some new golden calf" (Punchard). 3. Respect of person~, regard to outward appearances, the gold ring and the gay clothing, evin~e not merely evil thinkincr but want offaith (ver. 4); i.e. a. halting between Goel, who 1s no respecter of persons, tnd the world, which judges only by that which is_ ext_ernal. How foolish also to regard the persons of '/'Tum, when the object of our faith 1s the Lord of glory hirr,,sdfl
Ver. 5.- Worldly poverty iB by no 'llWLns inconsistent with true riches_: ra_ther_ it i~ oftea accompanied by them, for "God chose the poor as to the world to be rich m faith; r,ot as if poverty were necessarily accompanied by goodness, or as if all the rich were rt:jected. But " not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, a.re called ; "whil'; "the poor," as a class," have the gospel preached to thorn," It has been Oil, II. 1-26.] THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES. 33
well s~id that "the temptations of riches assumed in that age very gross forms of eeneuaMy or of greed; but do they become less dangerous by losing a portion of their grossness ? "