James 3

James 3:1

[a] be not many masters] What the full importance of this admonition is, μὴ πολλοὶ διδάσκαλοι γίνεσθε, be not many masters, may perhaps be thus collected. One great fault of the Judaizing Christians and Gnostics, frequently taken notice of, is that of judging others, the orthodox Christians, and separating from them. Thus Rom. ii. 1, the ὁ κρίνων, he that judgeth, in the beginning and end of the verse, hath been shewed to signify (see note [a] on that chapter) him that teacheth the necessity of observing the Mosaical law, and accuseth, and separateth, and speaks evil of the orthodox Christians, as breakers of the law, as παραβάται, a sort of apostates, because they are not circumcised. These are there further described, vv. 18, 19, 20, as those that take upon them to know the will of God most perfectly, (and are thence called Gnostics,) to be guides of the blind, lights of them that are in darkness, instructors of fools, διδάσκαλοι νηπίων, teachers or masters of babes, &c., where their assuming those titles of guides, lights, instructors, masters, is joined with the judging of others as blind, ignorant, fools, and babes. And as there διδάσκαλος, teacher or master, (the same as here,) is one of the titles they assumed, so, ver. 21, is ὁ οὖν διδάσκων ἕτερον, thou that teachest another, in this sense again, thou that assumest to know more than all others, to be able to instruct and teach others, as if no man knew his duty but they. These are again described, Rom. xiv. 4, by the ὁ κρίνων ἀλλότριον οἰκέτην, he that judgeth another man’s servant, that when Christ hath given Christians liberty in the matter of circumcision and other Judaical performances, require all those performances of their fellow Christians, as if they, not Christ, were the

James 3:2

The best of us have much to blame and accuse in ourselves, and therefore should not be forward to accuse or judge others. And of all vices, those of the tongue (whereof this of judging is an eminent one) are most ordinary; and they that can rule and manage that, (as the Judaizers are far from doing, ch. iv. 11,) and keep innocent from all faults of that kind, do thereby demonstrate themselves to be true sincere Christians, able to resist all other temptations, and guide all their actions according to the Christian rule.

James 3:3

As in managing of horses, when by a bridle put into his mouth we have gotten power over that part, we are thereby enabled to dispose of the whole beast, though a very strong one, as we please.

James 3:4

And so though a ship on the sea be a vast unwieldy vessel, and in the power of winds and waves (as we are of temptations) to carry it violently before them, yet the pilot by means of the helm or stern, a small part, of an unconsiderable bigness, is able to rule it and turn it as he please.

James 3:5

Again, the tongue is one of the smallest parts of a man’s body, and yet makes a great noise, doth a great deal of hurt, stirs up faction and contention in the church; as a little fire, ye know, will set a whole house, or any the greatest pile on fire.

[b] Even so] That the word οὕτω, so, here, is a note of the latter part, or ἀνταπόδοσις, of the similitude, may at first sight be believed, but upon further consideration will be found a mistake. For that which is here added is not fitly illustrated by the foregoing similitude of the horse or ship, but by another similitude annexed after it, with the particle ἰδοὺ, behold; for that is the way of bringing in similitudes, (and is used before, vv. 3 and 4,) and not only the forms ὥσπερ, οὕτω, as, and so. Nay, when the plain sense or matter to be illustrated is first set down, as here it is, ver. 2, If any man offend not in word, he is able to bridle the whole body also, there the ἰδοὺ, behold, is by much the fittest form to introduce the similitude, as there it doth of the horse and ship. And if that be converted into the other form, it must be by placing the latter part first, after this manner: As a man turns or rules an horse by a bridle, or a ship by a stern; so he that hath command of his tongue, is able to bridle or rule the whole body. And again, ver. 5, As a little fire sets a great deal of matter on fire; so the tongue, being a little member, μεγαλουχεῖ, makes a great noise, keeps a great stir, puts whole multitudes into a combustion. And therefore another notion of οὕτω, so, is here to be taken notice of, as a form of bringing in a second or third part of a distribution, without any ὡς or ὥσπερ, as, antecedent. And so it seems to be in this place, a form of transition from one part of the discourse of the tongue, considered when it is bridled, vv. 2, 3, 4, to another, ver. 5, &c., when it is not bridled, and will be best.

James 3:6

And the tongue cannot more fitly be resembled than to fire, for though it be but one, and that a very small member of the body, yet so it may be used as to set the whole society of men, a church, a kingdom, a whole world on fire with strife and contention and all wickedness, infecting and poisoning the whole society, setting all in combustion, being itself set on work by the devil, kindled by that fire that comes from hell.

[c] And the tongue—] The words of this verse 6, in the ordinary copies, Καὶ ἡ γλώσσα πῦρ, ὁ κόσμος ἀδικίας· οὕτως ἡ γλώσσα καθίσταται, And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue seated in the members, seems not to be rightly set. The king’s MS. leaves out the οὕτως. But that change will not render the words any complete sense. The Syriac seems to have read it shorter without the latter, οὕτως ἡ γλώσσα, so the tongue, and to have read τῷ κόσμῳ, to the world, instead of ὁ κόσμος, the world; and then the plain meaning is, And the tongue is placed in the members, a fire of iniquity to the world: that is, As a fire in the midst of a great deal of combustible matter sets all presently in a flame, so doth the tongue in our members; it is a cause of contention, sedition, &c., (and so of the greatest iniquity, that sin of uncharitableness, so contrary to the Christian law,) to the world, the whole society of men about us. That this is the true rendering of the place, by making the world answerable to the ὕλη, matter, which is set on fire, (and not that the tongue compared to fire is here styled a world of iniquity,) appears by the end of the verse, where in like manner it is said φλογίζειν, to put into a flame τὸν τροχὸν γενίσεως, the wheel of affairs. See note [d].

[d] course of nature? That γένεσις signifies affairs or actions, all that comes to pass, see note [a] on Matt. i. Τροχὸς signifies a wheel, and the Hebrews are wont rhetorically to express business or affairs of the world by the turning of wheels: אֵין הַסְבִינָה כְּלָלִי אִפְּנֵי פְּשִׁיכֶם, how are the rolling, or whirling, of the wheels of your affairs turned? Bux-torf. Instit. Epistol. Epist. 1. And so ὁ τροχὸς γενίσεως will signify the compass or sphere or succession of affairs, meaning of men or mankind; and so putting that into a flame, will be in another phrase all one with πῦρ τῷ κόσμῳ, fire to the world, at the beginning of the verse, putting the world, that is, all the affairs of the world, into a combustion.

Another notion I have had of this phrase, which I shall but mention, by taking γένεσις in the astronomers’ notion, (touched on note [e] on ch. i.) for nativity or geniture, as that notes all the events of life, by astrologers conjecturally foretold from the position of the heavens at the time of any one’s birth. This the artists might fitly represent in a wheel, bringing up one part of the life (and the events thereof) after another, to which the ancients’ wheel of fortune may seem to refer; and when this wheel was represented fiery, that would fitly note contentions and wars, &c. And accordingly φλογίζειν τὸν τροχὸν τῆς γενίσεως might be rendered to set the wheel of nativity on a light flame; that is, to turn the whole life into contentions and feuds, which is but an elegant way of expressing that sense which is acknowledged to belong to these words.

James 3:7

It is in the power and skill of man, (as through all times we see,) to repress the violence and poison of all other creatures, to subdue and disarm them of their weapons and means of hurting mortally:

[e] every kind of beasts] For the understanding this verse, it must first be premised, that the notion of φύσις, nature, for γένος, kind, or οὐσία, essence, being, in Hesychius, is commodious to it here, both in the beginning and end of the verse; so that πᾶσα φύσις θηρίων, &c., may signify all kind of beasts, that is, beasts indefinitely: so ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις may be mankind, that is, men indefinitely of all ages or times,

James 3:8

But the tongue is more hard to be subdued than any of these, an irremediable author of many evils, strikes and wounds and kills like the most venomous beast, and no antidote is sufficient against it.

James 3:9

And what a foul sin is it in a Christian or pro-

³ bridles, χαλωσις. ⁴ So. ⁵ makes great boasts, μεγαλωχει. ⁶ Or, is set in the members a fire of iniquity to the world. ⁷ wheel of affairs. ⁸ all the nature. ⁹ by the nature of man.

James 3:10

This contrariety of our practices is a most unchristian thing, and ought to be reformed in you; your profession of piety to God ought to have all charity to your fellow-Christians accompanying it.

James 3:11

No fountain can send forth two sorts of waters of so distant a nature, so contrary one to the other, sweet water, to which the effluxions of our charity may fitly be compared, and bitter water, by which cursing was expressed, Numb. v. 21,

James 3:12

Any more than one tree can bear the fruit that belongs to another tree.

James 3:13

And therefore for them that despise and condemn others, and take upon them to be the only perfect men, vv. 1, 2, the Gnostic Judaizers, let them know wherein the true Christian knowledge consists, even in doing all works of charity as well as piety, with all meekness (as that is opposed to pride of their own wisdom) accompanying them.

James 3:14

But bitter emulation and contention is far from being a piece of spiritual wisdom, and therefore if this be among you, what is this but a hypocritical boasting? or, ye have little reason to boast, or pretend that you are the wise or spiritual, as the bitter contentious Gnostics do: (see ver. 15.)

James 3:15

This is quite contrary to the true celestial wisdom that Christ came to teach and infuse into us; it is that which, first, the love of the world, secondly, men’s own carnal unregenerate hearts, or thirdly, Satan himself, that professeth to be an enemy of all good men, infuseth into them.

James 3:16

For there is nothing so ill, that is, sinful, be it sedition, or disturbance of the whole state or church; and nothing so ill, that is, miserable, no such curse to any community, or unquietness to any particular person, but it is certainly to be expected where emulation and contention have once entered.

James 3:17

But the true Christian celestial wisdom indeed

[f] without partiality] That διακρίνεσθαι signifies to dispute, or doubt, or waver, in the middle voice, and not to judge, or be partial, hath been already shewed, (see note [c] on ch. ii. and [m] on Jude. To which it is most consequent that ἀδιάκριτος here should signify without wavering; and so it will be a very fit epithet of the supernal wisdom, the true Christian piety, that he which hath it adheres firmly and constantly to Christ, whatsoever temptations attempt to drive or invite him from it. And this is most fitly added here where the

James 3:18

[g] fruit of righteousness] Some difficulty there is in this verse, arising from the different notions that καρπὸς, fruit, and εἰρήνη, peace, are capable of. Καρπὸς, fruit, noting that which is any way (whether naturally or morally) produced, signifies either an effect or reward. As an effect it is used, ver. 17, immediately precedent, where of the supernal wisdom it is said that it is πλήρης ἀγαθῶν καρπῶν, full of good fruits, those fruits being the effects or productions of that wisdom. But elsewhere it seems to be taken in that other notion. So Heb. xii. 11, where chastening, though at present not joyous, is yet said afterward to yield (by this moral way of production, not as an effect, but a reward) the peaceable fruit of righteousness: and so here the same phrase, καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης, fruit of righteousness, that is, of that supernal wisdom, or Christian piety and charity (see note [e] Heb. xii.) signifies the reward of it; and this is here said to be sown, as there to be yielded or returned (so ἀποδίδωσι signifies retribution) here, ἐν εἰρήνῃ, in peace, as there to be εἰρηνικὸς, peaceable. Then for εἰρήνη, peace, that signifies, first, that virtue of charity, peace with men; and so it is certainly used in the end of the verse, in opposition to all the uncharitableness and emulations in the former part of this and the beginning of the next chapter; and consequently ποιεῖν εἰρήνην, to do or make peace, (proportionable to the phrases ποιεῖν δικαιοσύνην, to do righteousness, and ποιεῖν ἁμαρτίων, to do or commit sin,) signifies to use all diligence of endeavour