James 2

James 2:1-7

In this chapter the apostle condemns all partiality to the rich, and despising the poor, ver. 1—7. He shows that the whole law is to be fulfilled, and that mercy should be followed, as well as justice, ver. 8—13. He exposes the error and folly of those that hold of faith without words, telling us that this is but a dead faith, and such a faith as devils have, not the faith of Abraham, or of Rabin, ver. 14, to the end.

1. MY brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, “the Lord of glory,” with respect of persons. 2. For if there come unto your if assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3. And ye have respect to him that warren the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place: and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4. Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5. Hearken, my beloved brethren, ‘Hath not God choiher the poor of this world,’ rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him? 6. But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment-fears? 7. Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called.

The apostle here,

1. In general warns them against all undue respect of persons, because of their rank in life. My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, which centres in him as the object, and is derived from him as the author and finisher of it; the Lord of glory, with respect of persons; acting with undue partiality, unbecoming the disciples of Jesus, who is himself exalted to the highest glory, and hath prepared eternal mansions for his people, without distinction of rich or poor, and therefore we should make none in the merits of any cause which comes before us. Note, A fight of Christ, and the glory provided for his people, stamps vanity on all the puny differences which here subsist between men.

2. He gives an instance of the great evil and injustice of all such partiality. For if there come into your assembly, for religious worship, or rather into your court, where causes civil or ecclesiastical are determining, a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man, who is a party in the cause to be tried, in vile raiment, making a wretched appearance; and ye have respect to him that warren the gay clothing, and, with evident partiality on his side, say unto him, with great deference, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, with indolence and contempt, Stand thou there, at a distance, or sit here under my footstool, in any despicable place; are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? despised to favour the rich, and oppress the poor; and how criminal is such a behaviour? Hearken, my beloved brethren, ‘Hath not God choiher the poor of this world,’ rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him? Is not the gospel chiefly preached to them? and are they not for the most part called to the participation of all its glorious privileges of grace here and glory hereafter? and if God hath to highly honoured them, we surely ought not to treat them with disdain or partiality. But ye have despised the poor; to your shame and guilt be it spoken. Do not rich men, to whom you pay such undue deference, oppress you, and draw you before judgment-fears, with litigious suits, and exercise the most cruel tyranny once you? Do not they, who are high in the world, prove your bitterest perfectors, and blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? and then surely you have no cause to caress them. Note, (1.) All partiality in judgment is in God’s fight abominable. (2.) Among the poor, God’s saints are chiefly to be found; and the riches of faith, and heirship of glory, are infinitely more valuable than the wealth of both the Indies, or the widest earthly domains. (3.) They who love God, however poor, can never be despicable, since they are possessed of the highest dignity, as heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.

3. If ye fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. 9. But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors, 10. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point,” he is guilty of all. 11. For he that said, ‘Do not commit adultery; said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the “law of liberty. 13. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and “mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

James 2:8-13

The apostle,

1. Lays down the only proper rule of conduct. If ye fulfil the royal law, enacted by the King of kings, according to the scripture, where he hath revealed his will to us, and among the most eminent precepts stands this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, treating every man with that benevolence, kindness, and impartiality, which, if in their case, you would reasonably expect from them; ye do well; such a conduct is honourable, and becoming your profession. But if ye have respect to persons, shewing more favour to the rich than to the poor, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors, (Lev. xix. 15.) and one such wilful iniquity must issue in your eternal ruin. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, admitting that it were possible, and yet should offend in one point, he is guilty of all; such an allowed transgressor would be as evident a contempt of the authority of the lawgiver, as if he broke every precept; and, as the wages of every sin is death, must expose the soul to the wrath of God. For he that said, Do not commit adultery; said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law, and liable to suffer his awful penalty.

2. He exhorts them to behave as becomes the gospel which they profess. So speak ye, and so do, in every word and work seek to approve yourselves to God, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty; and who being brought under the gospel dispensation of light and grace, have the strongest obligations to shew an impartial, genuine, universal, and cheerful obedience to the Redeemer’s commands.

3. He

benefit great things; and, according as it is under government, or lawful, is capable of doing much good, or much evil.

3. The evil of an unruly tongue is great. Behold how great a matter a little for himself: what a conflagration blazes from a single spark! And the tongue, when let loose, is a fire, a world of iniquity, pouring fourth the abominations of the heart: so is the tongue amongst our members, that it defends the whole body, and feteth on fire the course of nature, in nations, churches, families; spreading feditions, treasons, heretics, blasphemies, directions, ensuing; in every age, in every station, its baleful influence appears: and it is set on fire of hell; infected with the old Serpent’s vessels, promoting the interests of Satan’s kingdom by profanænefs, rage, lying, lewdness, slander, and all the train of evils which flow from thence; the punishment of which will be, that in hell it shall be tormented in flames unquenchable. For every kind of beasts, the most savage; and of birds, however unreadable in their nature; yea, and of serpents, and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind; mattered by their power, and rendered gentle by human art: but the tongue can no man come; nothing short of almighty power and grace can restrain or cure its malignity: it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison; deadly to the owner, and mortal as far as its influence extends. Therewith bless our God, even the Father, in prayer and praise speaking good of his name; and this is indeed the proper use of our tongues; but alas, how horrid is that perversion of speech, when therewith curse us men, which are made after the senselessness of God. Yet such is the inconfidence of some profession of religion, that out of the same mouth preceded the blessing and cursing; worthy in one breath, and then reviling, slandering; and back-biting in the next. My brethren, those things might not so to be; such behaviour is utterly incongruous, and contradictory to the faith of the gospel. Doth a fountain find forth at the same place just water and bitter? Can the fig-tree, my brethren, have aloud-berries? either a wine, fig? so can no fountain hath yield fair water and fresh: and as impossible is it for a heart, in which true grace is implanted, to be guilty habitually of such gross inconfidence.

4. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge amongst you? let him shew out of a good conversation his work: with meeknefs of wisdom. 14. But if ye have better envying and thrife in your hearts, glory not, and lye not against the truth. 15. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, fensual, devilish. 16. For where envying and thrife is, there is confusion, and every evil work. 17. But the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

5. 13—15. Nothing is more deferrable than true wisdom. The apostle here teaches us.

6. In what way that will shew itself. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge amongst you? let him shew out of a good conversation his work; with meeknefs of wisdom, and prove his pretensions, not by arrogant boasts, but by his humility, meeknefs, holy conversation, and every good word and work, which may prove him a paraker of the grace of God in truth, and of the wisdom which maketh wise unto salvation.

7. A contrary conduct evidently demonstrates the folly and fathomed of pretended lopsible. But if ye have bitter envy and thrife in your hearts; live under the power of a contentious and dispiring spirit, evident in the bitter words which proceed out of your mouths; glory not in any fancied attainment, or rest for orthodoxy; and lye not against the truth, by pretending to contend for that, to which your temper proves you an utter stranger. This wisdom descendeth not from above, and never had God for its author; but is earthly, in its principle and end; sensual, the offspring of the fallen nature; and devilish, the image of Satan, and cultivated by him to advance the interests of his kingdom: for where envying and thrife is, there is confusion, and every evil work, that tends to ruin both our own souls, and all that are around us.

8. How different and lovely are the effects and influence of true wisdom! But the wisdom that is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, the gift of his grace to his peculiar people, is first pure, engaging us to all purity in doctrine, manners, temper, speech, and conduct; then peaceable, breathing nothing but love and quietness, averse to unify bends and but disputes, maintaining peace where it fainishes, and seeking to heal every breach at which division hath entered. It is gentle, affable, courteous, engaging, ready to recede from its own in matters of property to avoid litigation; and mild, where in sentiment any difference fainishes; never urging its own opinion with violence, willing patiently to hear the judgment of others: may to be increased, and ready to forgive every offence; not rigidly obfiscated, but flexible to the advice of the wiser and more experienced. Full of mercy and good fruits; benevolent, generous, liberal,

willing to the utmost to help and relieve the discretion of that afflicted: without partiality, in judging or contrasting others; and without hypocrisy, speaking and acting always with simplicity and godly sincerity, without disguise or design. And the fruit of righteousness, even all the gracious produce above described, and eternal life hereafter, is sown in peace of them that make peace; they who are possessed of the peaceable wisdom above described, are the persons who go forth bearing the precious seed, and shall see in their own hearts, and under their ministry, the plectuous success of their labours both here and hereafter; for the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness proceeds and affirms for ever.