James 2

James 2:1

HAve not] Let not carnal respects darken the sound judgement of your Faith, but that you retain a true feeling of Christs spiritual glorie in him, and in his members, and honour the Head in them, of what condition soevet they be; take heed of despising any one, and especially such as Christ hath raised higher in the honour of true Christian vertues. Others translate it, have not the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons.

James 2:2

Assemblie] namely, in your holy and Ecclesiastical Assemblie.

James 2:4

Are yee not then partial] the Italian, Have yee not made a difference? that is to say, do not you shew that instead of being sound in the judgement which you ought to give of persons belonging to the Church, according to their spiritual qualities without any other respects you are dazled and busied after the worldly lustre Of evill] Whose onely intention is not uprightnesse, but do counterpoise it with other perverse respects, by which they suffer themselves to be transported.

James 2:5

Chosen] doth he not for the most part call the poor to his knowledge and grace, rather than the rich, and great ones? and even amongst believers, doth he not bestow most spiritual graces upon those who are needie of temporal goods?

James 2:6

Do not] This may be understood either of the enemies of the Gospel, who might sometimes either through curiositie, or upon some other occasion come into the Christians Assemblies; or of rich men that were Christians by profession, and committed such violences which were much used amongst those who were powerfull in the world Draw you] raising unjust suites against you.

James 2:7

Blaspheme] If this be understood of Christians, the meaning is, that they give occasion of blaspheming Christs Name by their excesses, see Romans 2:24. By the which] from whence you take, and bear the sacred and glorious Name of Christians.

James 2:8

If ye fulfill] the Italian, if ye truly fulfill; if in your honouring those which do you wrong, your onely aime is to observe Gods Law, and to love your neighbour in general, you doe a good and holy worke, but if you have any carnal respects therein, it is no longer a charitie, but flatterie, or some such like vice; and if it be joyned with contempt of the poor, it is partialitie, and want of equal charitie The royall] that is to say, Gods soveraigne and supreme Law, opposite to all lawes of men, who are but onely ministers.

James 2:10

For whosoever] he proves that they do transgresse the Law, as he had said, hough it seemed to be but in the least point Guity] according to the rigour of the Law he is subject to condemnation, as well as if he had broken all the Commandments one by one, for the Law is but an indivisible total, and requires perfect obedience in each part, Deuteronomy 27:26. and the same Majestie of God is contemned in one onely sin, as well as in all, and the breach of one precept proceeds from the same cause, as the breach of all, namely, for want of loving God, and from mans corruptnesse.

James 2:12

By the Law of] that is to say, by the Gospel, which indeed freeth mens consciences from the curse, and from the terrours of the Law, but yet bindeth them to a new obedience, especially in what belongeth to charitie, see 1 Corinthians 9:21. Galatians 2:19.

James 2:13

Rejoyceth] the Italian, glorieth; that is to say, this mercifull affection in a Christian, is a certain pledge of the mercie which he shall obtain at Gods judgement, whereupon he confides, and triumphs against all terrours and temptations.

James 2:14

A man say] that is to say, if he boast himselfe, and make an outward profession of a shadow or shew of faith, and not of a true and lively faith, which is inseparable from good workes, because that by it the believer is united to Christ, and Christ by it dwelleth in his heart, Ephes. 3. 17. and regenerates and sanctifies him by hs Spirit, Romans 8:9.

James 2:15

If a brother] As charitie in words vvithout effects is but a false maske, so is Faith vvithout Workes likevvise.

James 2:17

Faith] namely, the bare knovvledge and profession of the true God, and of Christ, opposite to heathenish and Jevvish superstitions, &c vers. 19 and yet not joyned vvith a lively persvvasion of Gods grace in Christ, and vvith a true union vvith him, vvhich alvvayes brings forth a fervent charitie towards him, Luke 7:47. and makes Christ live in the believer by his Spirit, Galatians 2:20.

James 2:18

Yea a man] This hypocritical Faith is not onely dead in it selfe, but may also be known to be such, by comparing it to a believers lively and active Faith, so that the hypocrites conscience cannot rest upon this boast Thou hast] that is to say, thou boastest much of thy knowledge, and assent to Gods Truth, but shew me that there can be any justifying and saving Faith, separate from good Workes, as I will prove unto thee by all the maximes of Scripture, that he who truly doth good Workes, hath a lively Faith, which is the root and spring of it, even as whosoever hath Christs Spirit is of Christ, Romans 8:9-10.

James 2:19

That there is one] that is to say, thou art no idolater nor heathen to believe a pluralitie of Gods And tremble] they have not the true Faith, which imprints in the heart the feeling and certaintie of Gods grace, in joy, peace, and comfort, Romans 5:1. but with all their knowledge of Truth, they are in a perpetuall terrour and fear of God, as of a judge and an enemie, 1 Joh 4:17-18.

James 2:20

Without workes] namely, that Faith which doth not produce this effect, which is proper, perpetuall, and inseparable to a true and lively Faith Is dead] Having no power to produce the effect of righteousnesse and life, it is but a shadow of Faith, and as it were a root dead in the ground.

James 2:21

Was not] Seeing that the same Spirit hath spoken by Saint Paul and by Saint James, and that Saint Paul attributes Abrahams justification, and the justification of all believers, to Faith without Workes, Rom. 3 20, 28. and 4. 2, 5, 6 Galatians 2. 16. and 3. 11. We must of necessitie distinguish the meaning of this word Justifie used by Saint Paul, for absolving a man as he is in his naturall state, bound to the Law of God, and subject to damnation for his sin, which God doth by a rigid act of justce, which requireth full satisfaction, which seeing he could not get of man, Romans 8:2. he hath received it at Christs hand, who was the Suretie, imputed to man by Gods grace, and apprehended by a lively Faith. Whereas Saint James takes this word for the approving of man, in a benigne and fatherly judgement, as he is considered in the qualitie of Son of God, and living in the covenant of grace, as having the two essential parts of that covenant joyned together, Faith to receive the grace and benefit of Christ, and Workes to yield him the service and acknowledgement due therefore; and this justication is opposite not to the condemnation of a sinner in general, but to the particular condemnation of an hypocrite, who rending asunder these two inseparable parts, sheweth that he hath neither the one nor the other.

James 2:22

How Faith] namely, that he had the two essential parts which make up a true believer, which are the benefit of the Son, and the worke of the holy Ghost, which are as inseparable as these two persons of the holy Trinitie, Romans 8 9 Made perfect] obtained its end, and brought forth its true fruit or effect which is voluntary obedience.

James 2:23

Was fulfilled] as Genesis 15:6. Faith in Abraham caused him to embrace the promise of the Son, a signe of Gods grace in Christ, so Genesis 22:9. it did finish up its full act of yielding it to him, a figure of all the good Workes, by which a believer yields to God by obedience all that which he had received of him by Faith.

James 2:25

Justified] approved of by God as a true member of his people, not onely because she believed Gods promises which he had made to his people to be true, but also because she put that growing Faith in practise, by an act of charitie and loyaltie towards the spies. Now it seemes that Saint James doth joyne this example of Rahab with that of Abraham, to shew that there is no degree of Faith, neither high as Abraham’s was, nor low and weak as Rahab’s was, which ought not, and may not produce its fruits of good Workes.

James 2:26

So Faih] namely, that knowledge, separate from the Spirit of Regeneration, which onely can animate and vivifie it, to take hold on Christ and his benefit, and withall to produce the effects thereof in good Workes.