If a man appear or make show of serving and worshipping God, profess to be religious, and yet gives his tongue the reins to rail riotously on his fellow-Christians, that man deceiveth himself, flattereth himself with vain hopes, if he think that his religion should ever stand him in any stead. The true Christian religion, such as God, which is our Father, will accept of, consists of two special parts, charity to all that are in need, and purity of life, abstaining from filthy lusts and all the evil examples and temptations of the world. ### CHAP. II. MY brethren, have not the [a] faith ¹ of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. [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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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, 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. 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. 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. 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, Any more than one tree can bear the fruit that belongs to another tree. 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. 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.) 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. 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. 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 [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 All the open wars among the Jews at this time, (see note [c] ch. v,) and all the lower strifes and dissensions and emulations wherein the Christian Judaizers are now engaged against others, (see Zonar. in Can. Ap. 65,) are far from any pious or divine supernal principle, ch. iii. 17, they proceed visibly from your own carnal hearts, your desires and pursuits of those things that are matter of satisfaction to your lusts within you, those sensual lusts which first war against your reason and upper soul, and then against the directions of God's Spirit; first move a strife within your own breasts, rebelling against the law of the mind, Rom. vii, and then disquiet all others near you. All your coveting and envying and contending and fighting brings you in no kind of profit, because praying to God, which is the only means of attaining, is neglected. And for them that do pray to God, it is yet among many of you only, or principally, for such things which may be instrumental to your lusts, and [a] as it were fire] That the words ὡς πῦρ, as fire, are to be joined with ἐθησαυρίσατε, ye have treasured up, and not with the former, the sense doth much enforce, and the ancient manner of writing without points doth well permit; and it hath a special significance in this place, agreeable to the times wherein this Epistle was written. For the last days, being the time of the Jews’ destruction, (see note [b] on Acts ii) and to treasure up wealth as fire, being no more than to lay up their wealth so as it should mischief, and devour, and consume, instead of advantaging them, this is here most truly said of the uncharitable and unchristian Judaizers at that time, in respect of the destruction of that people approaching, where the rich misers were the most miserably harassed of any. See note [c] on Rev. ix. [a] the scripture saith] There is no place of scripture of the Old Testament which can own so much of this citation as that, Gen. vi, where in the Septuagint's reading there is πνεῦμα, spirit, and παραμένει, abideth; and the παραμένειν, abiding, there, is all one with the κατοικεῖν, sojourning, here. Now whereas it is here added of that spirit, that it doth ἐπιποθεῖν εἰς φθόνον, desire to envy, first, it is clear that the πνεῦμά μου, my spirit, there, is the spirit or soul of man, given him by God, and so called God's, in respect of the original, (see note [f] on 1 Pet. iii.] but signifies the mind of man as it is in him, and is corrupted by an habit of worldly and wicked desires, which cannot be affirmed of God's holy Spirit, (and for any evil angel, it will be hard to say, either that such dwell in, or that it is they that lust in us: it is our own corrupt hearts, even when the devils move us, to which the lust and all the sin is to be imputed:) and, secondly, this is parallel to what, Gen. vi. 3, is said of that old world, that man is flesh, and the thoughts of his heart always evil, that is, his carnal or worldly desires are insatiable, bent to all manner of wickedness; the desires here being distinctly noted by ἐπιποθεῖν, desiring, and either the wickedness or insatiateness of them by φθόνος, envy, which sometimes in authors is the contrary to liberality, and signifies all manner of covetousness, pining to see any man have what we have not; and elsewhere signifies malice, violence, and the like. As for the addition here, ver. 6, But he giveth more grace, that seems to be the apostle's own observation of that place in Genesis, that when the world so provoked God, yet he gave them time of repentance, (as it there follows, Nevertheless his days shall be an hundred and twenty years; they shall have that space allowed them to reform and escape punishment,) and so God in Christ doth now; and upon repentance there is yet mercy and pardon to be had, upon which is superstructed naturally that which follows, Wherefore he saith, &c. [b] the proud] The word ὑπερήφανος here notes not particularly the vice of pride and haughtiness, but a general disobedience and resistance against the law of God, which is called ὕβρις, contumeliousness, and superbia, pride, in opposition to obedience; as in Virgil, regum est, Parcere subjectis, et debellare superbos: "It is the part of kings to spare those that submit, and subdue the proud:" a place directly parallel to this here out of the Proverbs, and which St. Augustine conceives to be had from thence. The place in the Proverbs reads, God scorneth the scorners, (because scorners use to [b] coming of the Lord] The coming of the Lord is here expressly defined by Œcumenius to be Ῥωμαϊκὴ ἔφοδος, the expedition of the Romans; [c] Grudge not] The practices of the zealots among the Jews, a little before the great miserable destruction of that people, are often mentioned in Josephus, and referred to in this Epistle especially, and in those of St. Peter, written about the same time, and to the same persons that this of St. James was, viz. to the dispersed of the Jews. And although those to whom the epistles were directed immediately were the Jewish Christians, yet of these there were so many that did stand for the continuance of the Mosaical law, and so were Judaizing Christians; and these lived so intermixedly with the unconverted Jews themselves, and so maliciously acted with them, to the persecuting of the orthodox Christians, that as some passages of this Epistle seem to belong only to the Jews unconverted, as the former part of this chapter, till ver. 7, so many more pertain to those that went on with them in their sins, those that reconciled Christianity and the world, and all the most enormous sensual sins, ch. iv. 4, and particularly the outrageous practices of the zealots. For so it appears, by Acts xxi. 20, that many myriads of converted, or believing, Christian Jews, were all ζηλωταὶ τοῦ νόμου, of the number of the zealots, that were very vehement persecutors of all that stood not for the law of Moses. To these refers the unruly tongue, ch. iii, compared to a fire that kindled so much matter, made such combustions among them, φλογίζουσα, setting into a flame the whole wheel, or course, of affairs, vv. 5, 6, untameable, ver. 8, full of cursing and bitterness, vv. 10, 11, and, in plain words, πικρὸς ζῆλος, bitter zeal, ver. 14; and again, ζῆλος, zeal or envy, ver. 16; and from thence, ἀκαταστασία καὶ πᾶν φαῦλον πρᾶγμα, sedition, or tumultuousness, and every evil deed, the very character of the zealots in Josephus. So again, ch. iv, the πόλεμοι καὶ μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν, the wars and quarrels among them, ver. 1, which, as it is observed, were first intestine among themselves, begun by those of the zealots, and so prepared them to their wretched desolation when the Roman eagles came: and more punctually, ver. 2. φονεύετε καὶ ζηλοῦτε, ye kill and envy. And to this purpose the στενάζετε here most properly belongs, which though it signify sighing, or groaning, or murmuring, yet, because that is an effect of envy and emulation, which sighs at other men's prosperity, and because envy proceeds wholly from uncontentedness, (as in the story of Cain it appears, first his countenance was sad, and then he maligns and slays his brother,) therefore by a figure it is set to signify the same thing that φθόνος and ζῆλος, envy and bitter zeal, had before so often done. The only way to get into the number of those that then shall be delivered, is timely to repent and return unto Christ. Speak not against them which do not observe those legal ceremonies which some of you Jewish Christians do still retain, nor condemn any man for not observing them, for he that doth so speaketh in effect against the law by which that Christian rules his actions, (that is, the law of Christ, the gospel,) censures that for imperfect, in that it commands not those things; and if thou dost so, then instead of obeying the law of Christ, thou undertakest to overrule and judge it, and canst not truly be called a Christian. Christ, and none else, hath authority to give laws unto us and punish the refractory, and it is not for you to impose observances where he hath given liberty. [d] condemnation] The ancient copies generally (and, beside those produced by others, the forementioned in Magdalen college library in Oxford) read εἰς ὑπόκρισιν, into hypocrisy. The word ὑπόκρισις, in the Septuagint, signifies ψευδολογία, false speaking; for the Hebrew ἡσί, which vulgarly signifies to be an hypocrite, to dissemble, signifies also to lie, to deceive, to deal fraudulently, (as near in signification as in sound to our knave, as it is now used among us;) and so one of these is taken for the other, the word ὑπόκρισις set to signify ψευδολογία, false speaking. And then the exhortation of this place will be And (as now the times are, a sudden destruction approaching the Jews) one admonition will be very seasonable for those that use these or the like arrogant forms of speech, To day &c. assuming to themselves power over the future: [c] To day or to—] It was an old saying of the Hebrews, mentioned by Ben Syra, “ Let no man say he will do any thing unless he first say, If the Lord will.” On which occasion there follows in him a story of a man, who, when he said, “ To morrow I will sit with my spouse in the marriage-chamber,” was admonished that he ought to say, אִם נָחַר הַשֵּׁם, If God will, and he answered, “ Whether God will or not, I will sit there.” Of whom, saith he, it followed, that he “ sat with her all the day, but at night when they were going to bed, before he knew her, they were both dead.” Wherefore they said, “ The spouse went up to her marriage-bed, and knew not what would befall her; therefore whosoever desires to do anything, let him first say, If God will.” Whereas (beside the atheisticalness of it, in taking themselves off from depending on God) it is certain they do not know what they shall be able to do to-morrow: for even your life itself, on which all your designs must necessarily depend, is but a most frail, mortal, transitory thing, short and presently vanisheth. And therefore your forms of language ought to be of another making, never mentioning any purpose of yours but with subordination to the good pleasure of God. And for you to take pleasure in such insolent speeches as these is a wicked atheistical thing. [d] boastings] Ἀλαζονεία signifies boasting, or assuming to oneself more than belongs to him, and differs from αὐθάδεια, self-pleasing or insolence, Tit. i. 7, in this, that this is a great love, or high opinion, of oneself, φιλαστία, self-love, 2 Tim. iii. 2, being puffed up, 1 Cor. xiii. 4, being wise in one’s own conceit, Rom. xi. 25 and xii. 16; but that is a fastuous speaking: and as this is ordinarily expressed in magnifying one’s own abilities or power above other men, so hath it here a notion little different from it, speaking in such a form as if he depended not upon God himself; and so it belongs to the fault reprehended, ver. 13, when a man promises or affirms that simply which is not in his power, but as God is pleased to enable or concur with him. And thus it is used Prov. xxvii. 1, Boast not thyself of to-morrow, that is, assume not to thyself arrogantly that thou wilt do this or that to-morrow; for, saith Solomon, thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. These kind of speeches then are here called ἀλαζονείας, boastings; and they that take pleasure in such language, in assuming thus to themselves, speaking thus magnificently of their own purposes, are here said καυχῶσθαι ἐν ταῖς ἀλαζονείας, to rejoice, or glory, in such boasting: and though all sort of rejoicing be not, yet πᾶσα καύχησις τοιαύτη, all such kind of rejoicing is evil, ver. 16, and that in an high degree. # CHAP. V. And for Christians to be guilty of this, who