,transcriber's ,note4 ,an advertisement for the ,expositor's ,bible series has been shifted to the end of the text4 ,apparent typographical errors have been corrected2 inconsistent hyphenation has been retained4 ,small capitals have been replaced by full capitals while italics are indicated by underscores4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4 ,editor of ,the ,expositor ,,the ,,general ,,epistles ,,of ,,st4 ,,james ,,and ,,st4 ,,jude ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,alfred ,,plummer1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,,master ,,of ,,university ,,college1 ,,durham ,,formerly ,,fellow ,,and ,,senior ,,tutor ,,of ,,trinity ,,college1 ,,oxford ,,sixth ,,edition ,,hodder ,,and ,,stoughton ,,london ,,mcmvii ,printed by ,hazell1 ,watson ,vincy1 ,ld41 ,london and ,aylesbury4 ,,contents4 ,,introductory4 ,,page ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,catholic ,,epistles #a ,,the ,,epistle ,,of ,,st4 ,,james4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,authenticity ,,of ,,the ,,epistle ,,of ,,st4 ,,james #ac ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,epistle3 ,,james ,,the ,,brother ,,of ,,the ,,lord #be ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,persons ,,addressed ,,in ,,the ,,epistle3 ,,the ,,jews ,,of ,,the ,,dispersion #db ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,this ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,writings ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul ,,and ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter4--,,the ,,date ,,of ,,the ,,epistle4--,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,joy ,,in ,,temptation #ee ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,this ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,books ,,of ,,ecclesiasticus ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,wisdom ,,of ,,solomon4--,,the ,,value ,,of ,,the ,,apocrypha1 ,,and ,,the ,,mischief ,,of ,,neglecting ,,it #fh ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,exaltation ,,of ,,the ,,lowly1 ,,and ,,the ,,fading ,,away ,,of ,,the ,,rich4--,,the ,,metaphors ,,of ,,st4 ,,james ,,and ,,the ,,parables ,,of ,,christ #hj ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,source ,,of ,,temptations1 ,,and ,,the ,,reality ,,of ,,sin4--,,the ,,difficulties ,,of ,,the ,,determinist #hi ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,delusion ,,of ,,hearing ,,without ,,doing4--,,the ,,mirror ,,of ,,god',s ,,word #ii ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,christology ,,of ,,st4 ,,james4--,,the ,,practical ,,unbelief ,,involved ,,in ,,showing ,a ,,worldly ,,respect ,,of ,,persons ,,in ,,public ,,worship #aaa ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,iniquity ,,of ,,respecting ,,the ,,rich ,,and ,,despising ,,the ,,poor4--,,the ,,solidarity ,,of ,,the ,,divine ,,law #abd ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,faith ,,and ,,works3 ,,three ,,views ,,of ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,the ,,teaching ,,of ,,st4 ,,james ,,to ,,the ,,teaching ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul4--,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,luther ,,to ,,both #ace ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,the ,,demons2 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,abraham2 ,,and ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,rahab ,,the ,,harlot #adi ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,heavy ,,responsibilities ,,of ,,teachers4--,,the ,,powers ,,and ,,propensities ,,of ,,the ,,tongue4--,,the ,,self-,,defilement ,,of ,,the ,,reckless ,,talker #afe ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,moral ,,contradictions ,,in ,,the ,,reckless ,,talker #agi ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,wisdom ,,that ,,is ,,from ,,below #aia ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,wisdom ,,that ,,is ,,from ,,above #bjc ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,st4 ,,james ,,and ,,plato ,,on ,,lusts ,,as ,,the ,,causes ,,of ,,strife2 ,,their ,,effect ,,on ,,prayer #bad ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,the ,,seductions ,,of ,,the ,,world1 ,,and ,,the ,,jealousy ,,of ,,the ,,divine ,,love #bbf ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,satan ,,and ,,its ,,limits4--,,humility ,,the ,,foundation ,,of ,,penitence ,,and ,,of ,,holiness #bch ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,self-,,assurance ,,and ,,invasion ,,of ,,divine ,,prerogatives ,,involved ,,in ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,censuring ,,others #bej ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,self-,,assurance ,,and ,,invasion ,,of ,,divine ,,prerogatives ,,involved ,,in ,,presuming ,,upon ,,our ,,future4--,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,probabilism #bfa ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,follies ,,and ,,iniquities ,,of ,,the ,,rich2 ,,their ,,miserable ,,end #bgd ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,patience ,,in ,,waiting4--,,the ,,endurance ,,of ,,job4--,,the ,,significance ,,of ,,the ,,mention ,,of ,,job ,,by ,,st4 ,,james #bhi ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,prohibition ,,of ,,swearing4--,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,the ,,language ,,of ,,st4 ,,james ,,to ,,recorded ,,sayings ,,of ,,christ #cjb ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,worship ,,the ,,best ,,outlet ,,and ,,remedy ,,for ,,excitement4--,,the ,,connexion ,,between ,,worship ,,and ,,conduct #cae ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,elders ,,of ,,the ,,church4--,,the ,,anointing ,,of ,,the ,,sick ,,and ,,extreme ,,unction #cbc ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,public ,,and ,,private ,,confession ,,of ,,sins4--,,the ,,lawfulness ,,of ,,prayers ,,for ,,rain #cce ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,converting ,,sinners2 ,,its ,,conditions ,,and ,,rewards #cej ,,the ,,general ,,epistle ,,of ,,st ,,jude4 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,,the ,,authenticity ,,of ,,the ,,epistle ,,of ,,st4 ,,jude #cfe ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,,the ,,purpose ,,of ,,the ,,epistle4--,,the ,,faith ,,once ,,for ,,all ,,delivered ,,and ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,christian ,,doctrine #cgg ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,,the ,,persons ,,denounced ,,in ,,the ,,epistle4--,,its ,,relation ,,to #b ,,peter #chh ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,,doubtful ,,readings ,,and ,,the ,,theory ,,of ,,verbal ,,inspiration--,,three ,,palmary ,,instances ,,of ,,divine ,,vengeance ,,upon ,,grievous ,,sin #dja ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,,railing ,,at ,,dignities4--,,the ,,assumption ,,of ,,moses4--,,st4 ,,jude',s ,,use ,,of ,,apocryphal ,,literature #dae ,,chapter ,,xxxv4 ,,the ,,description ,,corresponding ,,to ,,cain4 ,,the ,,libertines ,,at ,,the ,,love-,,feasts4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,enoch #dbf ,,chapter ,,xxxvi4 ,,the ,,description ,,corresponding ,,to ,,balaam3 ,,the ,,impious ,,discontent ,,and ,,greed ,,of ,,the ,,libertines4--,,the ,,apostolic ,,warning ,,respecting ,,them #ddb ,,chapter ,,xxxvii4 ,,the ,,description ,,corresponding ,,to ,,korah3 ,,making ,,separations4--,,exhortations ,,to ,,the ,,faithful ,,to ,,build ,,up ,,themselves1 ,,and ,,then ,,rescue ,,others #dej ,,chapter ,,xxxviii4 ,,the ,,final ,,doxology3 ,,praise ,,to ,,god1 ,,the ,,protector ,,of ,,his ,,servants #dfc ,,index #dga ,,introductory4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,catholic ,,epistles4 ,this volume is to treat of the ,general ,epistle of ,st4 ,james and the ,general ,epistle of ,st4 ,jude4 ,according to the most common1 but not invariable arrangement1 they form the first and the last letters in the collection which for fifteen centuries has been known as the ,catholic ,epistles4 ,the epithet ,general1 which appears in the titles of these ,epistles in the ,english versions1 is simply the equivalent of the epithet ,catholic1 the one word being of ,latin 7generalis71 the other of ,greek 77 origin4 ,in ,latin1 however1 e4g4 in the ,vulgate1 these letters are not called ,generales1 but ,catholic4 ,the meaning of the term ,catholic ,epistles 7 7 has been disputed1 and more than one explanation may be found in commentaries2 but the true signification is not really doubtful4 ,it certainly does not mean orthodox or canonical2 although from the sixth century1 and possibly earlier1 we find these ,epistles sometimes called the ,canonical ,epistles 7,epistol ,canonic71 an expression in which canonical is evidently meant to be an equivalent for catholic4 ,this use is said to occur first in the ,prologus in ,canonicas ,epistolas of the ,pseudo-,jerome given by ,cassiodorus 7,de ,justit4 ,divin4 ,litt41 viii472 and the expression is used by ,cassiodorus himself1 whose writings may be placed between ,a4,d4 #edj and #egj1 the period spent in his monastery at ,viviers1 after he had retired from the conduct of public affairs4 ,the term catholic is used in the sense of orthodox before this date1 but not in connexion with these letters4 ,there seems to be no earlier evidence of the opinion1 certainly erroneous1 that this collection of seven ,epistles was called ,catholic in order to mark them as ,apostolic and authoritative1 in distinction from other letters which were heterodox1 or at any rate of inferior authority4 ,five out of the seven letters1 viz4 all but the ,first ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter and the ,first ,epistle of ,st4 ,john1 belong to that class of ,new ,testament books which from the time of ,eusebius 7,h4 ,e4 ,,iii4 xxv4 #d7 have been spoken of as disputed 771 i4e4 as being up to the beginning of the fourth century not universally admitted to be canonical4#a ,and it would have been almost a contradiction in terms if ,eusebius had first called these ,epistles catholic 7,h4 ,e4 ,,ii4 xxiii4 #be2 ,,vi4 xiv4 #a7 in the sense of being universally accepted as authoritative1 and had then classed them among the disputed books4 ,nor is it accurate to say that these letters are called catholic because they are addressed to both ,jewish and ,gentile ,christians alike1 a statement which is not true of all of them1 and least of all of the ,epistle which generally stands first in the series2 for the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james takes no account of ,gentile ,christians4 ,moreover1 there are ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul which are addressed to both ,jews and ,gentiles in the ,churches to which he writes4 ,so that this explanation of the term makes it thoroughly unsuitable for the purpose for which it is used1 viz4 to mark off these seven ,epistles from the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul4 ,nevertheless1 this interpretation is nearer to the truth than the former one4 ,the ,epistles are called ,catholic because they are not addressed to any particular ,church1 whether of ,thessalonica1 or ,corinth1 or ,rome1 or ,galatia1 but to the ,church universal1 or at any rate to a wide circle of readers4 ,this is the earliest ,christian use of the term catholic1 which was applied to the ,church itself before it was applied to these or any other writings4 ,wheresoever the bishop shall appear1 there let the people be1 says ,ignatius to the ,church of ,smyrna 7viii471 just as where ,jesus ,christ is1 there is the ,catholic ,church--the earliest passage in ,christian literature in which the phrase ,catholic ,church occurs4 ,and there can be no doubt as to the meaning of the epithet in this expression4 ,in later times1 when ,christians were oppressed by a consciousness of the slow progress of the ,gospel1 and by the knowledge that as yet only a fraction of the human race had accepted it1 it became customary to explain catholic as meaning that which embraces and teaches the whole truth1 rather than as that which spreads everywhere and covers the whole earth4 ,but in the first two or three centuries the feeling was rather one of jubilation and triumph at the rapidity with which the good news was spreading1 and of confidence that there is not one single race of men1 whether barbarians or ,greeks1 or whatever they may be called1 nomads or vagrants1 or herdsmen living in tents1 among whom prayers and giving of thanks are not offered1 through the name of the crucified ,jesus1 to the ,father and ,creator of all things 7,justin ,martyr1 ,trypho1 cxviii472 and that as the soul is diffused through all the members of the body1 ,christians are scattered through all the cities of the world 7,epistle to ,diognetus1 vi474#b ,under the influence of such exultation as this1 which was felt to be in harmony with ,christ's promise and command 7,luke xxiv4 #dg2 ,matt4 xxviii4 #aj71 it was natural to use catholic of the universal extension of ,christendom1 rather than of the comprehensiveness of the truths of ,christianity4 ,and this meaning still prevails in the time of ,augustine1 who says that the ,church is called ',catholic' in ,greek1 because it is diffused throughout the whole world 7,epp4 lii4 #a72 although the later use1 as meaning orthodox1 in distinction to schismatical or heretical1 has already begun2 e4g4 in the ,muratorian ,fragment1 in which the writer speaks of heretical writing which cannot be received into the ,catholic ,church2 for wormwood is not suitable for mixing with honey 7,tregelles1 pp4 #bj1 #dg2 ,westcott ,on the ,canon1 ,appendix ,c1 p4 #ejj72c and the chapter in ,clement of ,alexandria on the priority of the ,catholic ,church to all heretical assemblies 7,strom4 ,,vii4 xvii74 ,the four ,gospels and the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul were the ,christian writings best known during the first century after the ,ascension1 and universally acknowledged as of binding authority#d2 and it was common to speak of them as the ,gospel and the ,apostle1 much in the same way as the ,jews spoke of the ,law and the ,prophets4 ,but when a third collection of ,christian documents became widely known another collective term was required by which to distinguish it from the collections already familiar1 and the feature in these seven ,epistles which seems to have struck the recipients of them most is the absence of an address to any local ,church4 ,hence they received the name of ,catholic1 or ,general1 or ,universal ,epistles4 ,the name was all the more natural because of the number seven1 which emphasized the contrast between these and the ,pauline ,epistles4 ,st4 ,paul had written to seven particular ,churches--,thessalonica1 ,corinth1 ,rome1 ,galatia1 ,philippi1 ,coloss1 and ,ephesus2 and here were seven ,epistles without any address to a particular ,church2 therefore they might fitly be called ,general ,epistles4 ,clement of ,alexandria uses this term of the letter addressed to the ,gentile ,christians in ,antioch and ,syria and ,cilicia 7,acts xv4 #bc7 by the ,apostles1 in the so-called ,council of ,jerusalem 7,strom4 ,,iv4 xv472 and ,origen uses it of the ,epistle of ,barnabas 7,con4 ,celsum ,i4 lxiii471 which is addressed simply to sons and daughters1 i4e4 to ,christians generally4 ,that this meaning was well understood1 even after the misleading title ,canonical ,epistles had become usual in the ,west1 is shown by the interesting ,prologue to these ,epistles written by the ,venerable ,bede1 c4 ,a4,d4 #gab4e ,this prologue is headed1 ,here begins the ,prologue to the seven ,canonical ,epistles1 and it opens thus3 ,james1 ,peter1 ,john1 and ,jude published seven ,epistles1 to which ecclesiastical custom gives the name of ,catholic1 i4e4 universal4 ,the name is not strictly accurate1 excepting in the cases of #a ,john1 #b ,peter1 and ,jude4 ,it is admissible in a qualified sense of #a ,peter and ,james2 but it is altogether inappropriate to #b and #c ,john1 which are addressed1 not to the ,church at large1 nor to a group of local ,churches1 but to individuals4 ,but inasmuch as the common title of these letters was not the ,epistles to the ,elect ,lady and to ,gaius1 as in the case of the letters to ,philemon1 ,titus1 and ,timothy1 but simply the ,second and ,third of ,john1 they were regarded as without address1 and classed with the ,catholic ,epistles4 ,and of course it was natural to put them into the same group with the ,first ,epistle of ,st4 ,john1 although the name of the group did not suit them4 ,at what date this arrangement was made is not certain2 but there is reason for believing that these seven ,epistles were already regarded as one collection in the third century1 when ,pamphilus1 the friend of ,eusebius1 was making his famous library at ,csarea4 ,euthalius 7c4 ,a4,d4 #dej7 published an edition of them1 in making which he had collated the accurate copies in this library2 and it is probable that he found the grouping already existing in those copies1 and did not make it for himself4 ,moreover1 it is probable that the copies at ,csarea were made by ,pamphilus himself2 for the summary of the contents of the ,acts published under the name of ,euthalius is a mere copy of the summary given by ,pamphilus1 and it became the usual practice to place the ,catholic ,epistles immediately after the ,acts4 ,if1 then1 ,euthalius got the summary of the ,acts from ,pamphilus1 he probably got the arrangement from him also1 viz4 the putting of these seven ,epistles into one group1 and placing them next to the ,acts4#f ,the order which makes the ,catholic ,epistles follow immediately after the ,acts is very ancient1 and it is a matter for regret that the influence of ,jerome1 acting through the ,vulgate1 has universally disturbed it in all ,western ,churches4 ,the connexion between these two portions 7the ,acts and the ,catholic ,epistles71 commended by its intrinsic appropriateness1 is preserved in a large proportion of ,greek ,,mss4 of all ages1 and corresponds to marked affinities of textual history4#g ,it is the order followed by ,cyril of ,jerusalem1 ,athanasius1 ,john of ,damascus1 the ,council of ,laodicea1 and also by ,cassian4 ,it has been restored by ,tischendorf1 ,tregelles1 and ,westcott and ,hort2 but it is not to be expected that even their powerful authority will avail to re-establish the ancient arrangement4 ,the order of the books in the group of the ,catholic ,epistles is not quite constant2 but almost always ,james stands first4 ,in a very few authorities ,peter stands first1 an arrangement naturally preferred in the ,west1 but not adopted even there1 because the authority of the original order was too strong4 ,a scholiast on the ,epistle of ,james states that this ,epistle has been placed before #a ,peter1 because it is more catholic than that of ,peter1 by which he seems to mean that whereas #a ,peter is addressed to the elect who are sojourners of the ,dispersion in certain specified districts1 the ,epistle of ,james is addressed to the twelve tribes which are of the ,dispersion1 without any limitation4 ,the ,venerable ,bede1 in the ,prologue to the ,catholic ,epistles quoted above 7p4 #f71 states that ,james is placed first1 because he undertook to rule the ,church of ,jerusalem1 which was the fount and source of that evangelic preaching which has spread throughout the world2 or else because he sent his ,epistle to the twelve tribes of ,israel1 who were the first to believe4 ,and ,bede calls attention to the fact that ,st4 ,paul himself adopts this order when he speaks of ,james1 and ,cephas1 and ,john1 they who were reputed to be pillars 7,gal4 ii4 #i74 ,it is possible1 however1 that the order ,james1 ,peter1 ,john was meant to represent a belief as to the chronological precedence of ,james to ,peter1 and ,peter to ,john2 ,jude being placed last because of its comparative insignificance1 and because it was not at first universally admitted4 ,the ,syriac ,version1 which admits only ,james1 #a ,peter1 and #a ,john1 has the three in this order2 and if the arrangement had its origin in reverence for the first ,bishop of ,jerusalem1 it is strange that most of the ,syriac copies should have a heading to the effect that these three ,epistles of ,james1 ,peter1 and ,john are by the three who witnessed the ,transfiguration4 ,those who made and those who accepted this comment certainly had no idea of reverencing the first ,bishop of ,jerusalem1 for it implies that the ,epistle of ,james is by the son of ,zebedee and brother of ,john1 who was put to death by ,herod4 ,but it is probable that this heading is a mere blundering conjecture4 ,if persons who believed the ,epistle to be written by ,james the brother of ,john had fixed the order1 they would have fixed it thus--,peter1 ,james1 ,john1 as in ,matt4 xvii4 #a2 ,mark v4 #cg2 ix4 #b2 xiii4 #c2 xiv4 #cc2 comp4 ,matt4 xxvi4 #cg2 or ,peter1 ,john1 ,james1 as in ,luke viii4 #ea2 ix4 #bh2 ,acts i4 #ac4 ,but the former arrangement would be more reasonable than the latter1 seeing that ,john wrote so long after the other two4 ,the traditional order harmonizes with two facts which were worth marking--7#a7 that two of the three were ,apostles1 and must therefore be placed together2 7#b7 that ,john wrote last1 and must therefore be placed last2 but whether or no the wish to mark these facts determined the order1 we have not sufficient knowledge to enable us to decide4 ,how enormous would have been the loss had the ,catholic ,epistles been excluded from the canon of the ,new ,testament it is not difficult to see4 ,whole phases of ,christian thought would have been missing4 ,the ,acts and the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul would have told us of their existence1 but would not have shown to us what they were4 ,we should have known that there were serious differences of opinion even among the ,apostles themselves1 but we should have had a very imperfect knowledge as to their nature and reconciliation4 ,we might have guessed that those who had been with ,jesus of ,nazareth throughout ,his ministry would not preach ,christ in the same way as ,st4 ,paul1 who had never seen ,him until after the ,ascension1 but we should not have been sure of this2 still less could we have seen in what the difference would have consisted2 and we should have known very little indeed of the distinctive marks of the three great teachers who were reputed to be pillars of the ,church4 ,above all1 we should have known sadly little of the ,mother ,church of ,jerusalem1 and of the teaching of those many early ,christians who1 while heartily embracing the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 believed that they were bound to hold fast not only to the morality1 but to the discipline of ,moses4 ,thus in many particulars we should have been left to conjecture as to how the continuity in the ,divine ,revelation was maintained2 how the ,gospel not merely superseded1 but fulfilled1 and glorified1 and grew out of the ,law4 ,all this has to a large extent been made plain to us by the providence of ,god in giving to us and preserving for us in the ,church the seven ,catholic ,epistles4 ,we see ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,jude presenting to us that ,judaic form of ,christianity which was really the complement1 although when exaggerated it became the opposite1 of the teaching of ,st4 ,paul4 ,we see ,st4 ,peter mediating between the two1 and preparing the way for a better comprehension of both4 ,and then ,st4 ,john lifts us up into a higher and clearer atmosphere1 in which the controversy between ,jew and ,gentile has faded away into the dim distance1 and the only opposition which remains worthy of a ,christian's consideration is that between light and darkness1 truth and falsehood1 love and hate1 ,god and the world1 ,christ and ,antichrist1 life and death4 #a ,canonical 771 from canon 71 connected with 1 a reed or cane1 measuring-rod or ruler71 is used in both a passive and an active sense4 ,a canonical book is primarily one which has been measured and tested1 and secondarily that which is itself a measure or standard4 ,just as a cane1 cut to the length of a yard-measure1 thenceforth becomes a yard-measure itself1 so the ,scriptures were first of all tested as to their authority1 and then became a standard for testing all other teaching2 i4e4 they became canonical4 #b ,comp4 ,ignatius1 ,magn4 ,x42 ,irenus1 ,hr4 ,i4 x4 #a1 #b2 ,,iii4 iv4 #b2 ,v4 xx4 #a2 ,clement of ,alexandria1 ,strom4 ,,vi41 sub-finem2 ,tertullian1 ,apol4 i41 xxxvii42 ,adv4 ,judos1 vii41 xii41 etc41 etc4 #c ,it has been remarked that this play upon words 7fel and mel71 which cannot be reproduced in ,english1 is an argument against the theory of a ,greek original4 #d ,in the ,codex ,sinaiticus and some other authorities the ,pauline ,epistles are placed immediately after the ,gospels1 an arrangement which probably had its origin in the fact that for many early ,christians these two groups constituted their ,new ,testament4 ,among versions the ,memphitic and the ,thebaic have this order4 #e ,it is omitted by ,giles and other editors1 but is given by ,cave1 in his ,historia ,literaria 7,i41 p4 #dge71 who says that it comes from an ancient ,,ms4 in the ,library of ,gonville and ,caius ,college1 ,cambridge4 #f ,westcott ,on the ,canon1 pp4 #cfb1 #dag1 #crd ,ed4 #g ,westcott and ,hort1 ,,ii41 p4 #cba2 ,scrivener1 ,introduction to the ,criticism of the ,n4,t4 pp4 #gj1 #gd1 #crd ,ed4 ,,the ,,epistle ,,of ,,st4 ,,james4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,authenticity ,,of ,,the ,,epistle ,,of ,,st4 ,,james4 ,james1 a servant of ,god and of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4--,,jas4 i4 #a4 ,the question of the authenticity of this ,epistle resolves itself into two parts--,is the ,epistle the genuine product of a writer of the ,apostolic age8 if so1 which of the persons of the ,apostolic age who bore the name of ,james is the author of it8 ,in answering the former of these two questions it is important to put it in the proper way4 ,we have done a good deal towards the solution of a problem when we have learned to state it correctly2 and the way in which we ought to approach the problem of the genuineness of this and other books of the ,new ,testament is not1 ,why should we believe that these writings are what they profess to be8 but1 ,why should we refuse to believe this8 ,have we any sufficient reason for reversing the decision of the fourth and fifth centuries1 which possessed far more evidence on the question than has come down to us8 ,it must be remembered that that decision was not given mechanically or without consideration of doubts and difficulties2 nor was it imposed by authority1 until independent ,churches and scholars had arrived at pretty much the same conclusion4 ,and the decision1 as soon as it was pronounced1 was unanimously accepted in both ,east and ,west--a fact which was ample guarantee that the decision was universally recognized as correct2 for there was no central authority of sufficient influence to force a suspected decision upon mistrustful ,churches4 ,eusebius1 it is true1 classes most of the ,catholic ,epistles among the disputed 77 books of the ,new ,testament1 without1 however1 affirming that he shared the doubts which existed in some quarters respecting them4 ,this fact1 which is sometimes rather hastily taken as telling altogether against the writings which he marks as disputed1 really tells both ways4 ,on the one hand1 it shows that doubts had existed respecting some of the canonical books2 and these doubts must have had some reason 7whether valid or not7 for existing4 ,on the other hand1 the fact that the authority of these books was sometimes disputed in the third century shows that the verdict formally given and ratified at the ,council of ,laodicea 7c4 #cfd7h was given after due examination of the adverse evidence1 and with a conviction that the doubts which had been raised were not justified2 and the universal welcome which was accorded to the verdict throughout ,christendom shows that the doubts which had been raised had ceased to exist4 ,if1 then1 on the one hand we remember that misgivings once existed1 and argue that these misgivings must have had some basis1 on the other we must remember that these misgivings were entirely abandoned1 and that there must have been reason for abandoning them4 ,what reason1 then1 have we for disturbing the verdict of the fourth century1 and reviving misgivings long ago put to rest8 ,of course those who gave that verdict and those who ratified it were fallible persons1 and no member of the ,english ,church1 at any rate1 would argue that the question is closed and may not be reopened4 ,but the point to be insisted upon is that the onus probandi rests with those who assail or suspect these books1 rather than with those who accept them4 ,it is not the books that ought1 on demand1 again and again to be placed on their trial1 but the pleas of those who would once more bring them into court that ought to be sifted4 ,these objectors deserve a hearing2 but while they receive it1 we have full right to stand by the decision of the fourth century1 and refuse to part with1 or even seriously to suspect1 any of the precious inheritance which has been handed down to us4 ,it may be confidently asserted that thus far no strong case has been made out against any of the five disputed ,epistles1 excepting #b ,peter2 and with regard to that it is still true to affirm that the ,petrine authorship remains1 on the whole1 a reasonable working hypothesis4 ,do not let us forget what the epithet disputed1 applied to these and one or two#i other books of the ,new ,testament1 really means4 ,it does not mean that at the beginning of the fourth century ,eusebius found that these writings were universally regarded with suspicion2 that is a gross exaggeration of the import of the term4 ,rather it means that these books were not universally accepted2 that although they were1 as a rule1 regarded as canonical1 and as part of the contents of the ,new ,testament 7 71 yet in some quarters their authority was doubted or denied4 ,and the reasons for these doubts were naturally not in all cases the same4 ,with regard to #b ,peter1 the doubt must have been as to its genuineness and authenticity4 ,it claimed to be written by ,simon ,peter1 an ,apostle of ,jesus ,christ and a witness of the ,transfiguration 7#b ,peter i4 #a1 #ah72 but the obscurity of its origin and other circumstances were against it4 ,with regard to ,james1 ,jude1 and #b and #c ,john the doubt was rather as to their ,apostolicity4 ,they did not claim to be written by ,apostles4 ,there was no reason for doubting the antiquity or the genuineness of these four books2 but granting that they were written by the persons whose name they bore1 were these persons ,apostles8 ,and if they were not1 what was the authority of their writings8 ,the doubts with regard to the ,revelation and to the ,epistle to the ,hebrews were in part of the same character4 ,were they in the full sense of the term ,apostolic1 as having been written by ,apostles1 or at least under the guidance of ,apostles8 ,eusebius says expressly that all these disputed books were nevertheless well known to most people4#aj ,and it is manifest that the doubts which ,eusebius records were ceasing to exist4 ,only in some cases does he indicate1 and that without open statement1 that he himself was at all inclined to sympathize with them4 ,and ,athanasius1 writing a very short time afterwards 7,a4,d4 #cbf71 makes no distinction between acknowledged and disputed books1 but places all seven of the ,catholic ,epistles1 as of equal authority1 immediately after the ,acts of the ,apostles4#aa ,cyril of ,jerusalem1 in his ,catechetical ,lectures1 written before his episcopate1 c4 ,a4,d4 #cdi1 does the same 7,lect4 ,,iv4 x4 #cf74 ,some fifteen years later we have the ,council of ,laodicea1 and near the end of the century the ,council of ,hippo1 and the third ,council of ,carthage1 giving formal ratification to these generally received views2 after which all questioning for many centuries ceased4 ,so that while the classification into acknowledged and disputed writings proves that each book was carefully scrutinized1 and in various quarters independently1 before it was admitted to the canon1 the cessation of this distinction proves that the result of all this scrutiny was that the sporadic doubts and hesitations respecting certain of the books of the ,new ,testament were finally put to rest4 ,and it must not be supposed that the process was one of general amnesty4 ,while some books that had here and there been excluded were finally accepted1 some that had here and there been included in the canon1 such as the ,epistles of ,clement and of ,barnabas and the ,shepherd of ,hermas1 were finally rejected4 ,the charge of uncritical or indiscriminate admission cannot be substantiated4 ,the facts are quite the other way4 ,when we confine our attention to the ,epistle of ,james in particular1 we find that if the doubts which were here and there felt respecting it in the third century are intelligible1 the universal acceptance which it met with in the fourth and following centuries is well founded4 ,the doubts were provoked by two facts--7#a7 the ,epistle had remained for some time unknown to a good many ,churches2 7#b7 when it became generally known it remained uncertain what the authority of the writer was1 especially whether he was an ,apostle or not4 ,it is possible also that these misgivings were in some cases emphasized by the further fact that there is a marked absence of doctrinal teaching4 ,in this ,epistle the articles of the ,christian faith are scarcely touched upon at all4 ,whether the apparent inconsistency with the teaching of ,st4 ,paul respecting the relation between faith and works1 of which so much has been made since ,luther's time1 was discovered or not by those who were inclined to dispute the authority of this ,epistle1 may be doubted4 ,but of course1 if any inconsistency was believed to exist1 that also would tell against the general reception of the letter as canonical4 ,that the ,epistle should at first remain very little known1 especially in the ,west and among the ,gentile congregations1 is exactly what we should expect from the character of the letter and the circumstances of its publication4 ,it is addressed by a ,jew to ,jews1 by one who never moved from the ,church over which he presided at ,jerusalem to those humble and obscure ,christians outside ,palestine who1 by their conscientious retention of the ,law side by side with the ,gospel1 cut themselves off more and more from free intercourse with other ,christians1 whether ,gentile converts or more liberally-minded ,jews4 ,a letter which in the first instance was to be read in ,christian synagogues 7,james ii4 #b7 might easily remain a long time without becoming known to ,churches which from the outset had adopted the principles laid down in ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,galatians4 ,the constant journeys of the ,apostle of the ,gentiles caused his letters to become well known throughout the ,churches at a very early date4 ,but the first ,bishop of the ,mother ,church of ,jerusalem had no such advantages4 ,great as was his influence in his own sphere1 with a rank equal to that of an ,apostle1 yet he was not well known outside that sphere1 and he himself seems never to have travelled beyond it1 or even to have left the centre of it4 ,with outsiders1 who simply knew that he was not one of the ,twelve1 his influence would not be great2 and a letter emanating from him1 even if known to exist1 would not be eagerly inquired after or carefully circulated4 ,gentile prejudice against ,jewish ,christians would still further contribute to keep in the background a letter which was specially addressed to ,jewish ,christians1 and was also itself distinctly ,jewish in tone4 ,nor would the exclusive class of believers to whom the letter was sent care to make it known to those ,christians from whom they habitually kept aloof4 ,thus the prejudices of both sides contributed to prevent the ,epistle from circulating outside the somewhat narrow circle to which it was in the first instance addressed2 and there is therefore nothing surprising in its being unknown to ,irenus1 ,hippolytus1 ,tertullian1 ,cyprian1 and the author of the ,muratorian ,canon4 ,there is no sign that these writers rejected it2 they had never heard of it4#ab ,and yet the ,epistle did become known at a very early date1 at any rate to some outsiders1 even in the ,west4 ,it was almost certainly known to ,clement of ,rome1 whose ,epistle to the ,church of ,corinth 7written c4 ,a4,d4 #ig7 contains several passages1 which seem to be reminiscences of ,st4 ,james4 ,and although not one of them can be relied upon as proving that ,clement knew our ,epistle1 yet when they are all put together they make a cumulative argument of very great strength4#ac ,so cautious and critical a writer as ,bishop ,lightfoot does not hesitate to assert1 in a note on ,clement1 chap4 xii41 ,the instance of ,rahab was doubtless suggested by ,heb4 xi4 #ca2 ,james ii4 #be2 for both these ,epistles were known to ,st4 ,clement1 and are quoted elsewhere4 ,and the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james was certainly known to ,hermas1 a younger contemporary of ,clement1 and author of the ,shepherd1 which was written in the first half1 and possibly in the first quarter1 of the second century4#ad ,origen1 in the works of which we have the ,greek original1 quotes it once as the ,epistle current as that of ,james 7 --,in ,johan4 xix4 #f71 and once 7,in ,psal4 xxx47 without any expression of doubt2 and in the inaccurate ,latin translations of others of his works there are several distinct quotations from the ,epistle4 ,so that it would seem to have reached ,alexandria just as ,clement1 ,origen's instructor and predecessor1 left the city during the persecution under ,septimius ,severus 7c4 ,a4,d4 #bjb74ae ,but the conclusive fact in the external evidence respecting the ,epistle is that it is contained in the ,peshitto4 ,this ancient ,syriac ,version was made in the second century1 in the country in which the letter of ,james would be best known2 and although the framers of this translation omitted #b ,peter1 #b and #c ,john1 and ,jude1 they admitted ,james without scruple4 ,thus the earliest evidence for this ,epistle1 as for that to the ,hebrews1 is chiefly ,eastern2 while that for ,jude1 as for #b and #c ,john1 is chiefly ,western4 ,and the evidence of the ,peshitto is not weakened by the fact1 if it be a fact1 that there was a still earlier ,syrian canon which contained none of the ,catholic ,epistles4 ,there is no certain allusion to them or quotation from them in the ,homilies of ,aphrahat or ,aphraates 7c4 ,a4,d4 #cce72 and in the ,doctrine of ,addai 7,a4,d4 #bej-cjj7 the clergy of ,edessa are directed to read the ,law and the ,prophets1 the ,gospel1 ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 and the ,acts1 no other canonical book being mentioned4 ,in all ,churches the number of ,christian writings read publicly in the liturgy was at first small1 and in no case were the ,catholic ,epistles the first to be used for this purpose4 ,the internal evidence1 as we shall see when we come to examine it more closely1 is even more strong than the external4 ,the character of the letter exactly harmonizes with the character of ,james the first ,bishop of ,jerusalem1 and with the known circumstances of those to whom the letter is addressed1 and this in a way that no literary forger of that age could have reached4 ,and there is no sufficient motive for a forgery1 for the letter is singularly wanting in doctrinal statements4 ,the supposed opposition to ,st4 ,paul will not hold2 a writer who wished to oppose ,st4 ,paul would have made his opposition much more clear4 ,and a forger who wished to get the authority of ,st4 ,james wherewith to counteract ,st4 ,paul's teaching would have made us aware that it was either an ,apostle1 the son of ,zebedee or the son of ,alphus1 or else the brother of the ,lord1 who was addressing us1 and would not have left it open for us to suppose that the ,epistle was from the pen of some unknown ,james1 who had no authority at all equal to that of ,st4 ,paul4 ,and let any one compare this ,epistle with those of ,clement of ,rome1 and of ,barnabas1 and of ,ignatius1 and mark its enormous superiority4 ,if it were the work of a forger1 what a perplexing fact this superiority would be6 ,if it be the work either of an ,apostle or of one who had ,apostolic rank1 everything is explained4 ,luther's famous criticism on the ,epistle1 that it is a veritable ,epistle of straw1 is amazing1 and is to be explained by the fact that it contradicts his caricature of ,st4 ,paul's doctrine of justification by faith4 ,there is no opposition between ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,paul1 and there is sometimes no real opposition between ,st4 ,james and ,luther 7see p4 #adg74 ,and when ,luther gives as his opinion that our ,epistle was not the writing of any ,apostle we can agree with him1 though not in the sense in which he means it2 for he starts from the erroneous supposition that the letter bears the name of the son of ,zebedee4 ,we must also bear in mind his own explanation of what is ,apostolic and what is not4 ,it has a purely subjective meaning4 ,it does not mean what was written or not written by an ,apostle or the equal of an ,apostle4 ,apostolic means that which1 in ,luther's opinion1 an ,apostle ought to teach1 and all that fails to satisfy this condition is not ,apostolic4 ,therein all true holy books agree1 that they preach and urge ,christ4 ,that too is the right touchstone whereby to test all books--whether they urge ,christ or not2 for all ,scripture testifies of ,christ 7,rom4 iii4 #ba74444 ,that which does not teach ,christ is still short of ,apostolic1 even if it were the teaching of ,st4 ,peter or ,st4 ,paul4 ,again1 that which preaches ,christ1 that were ,apostolic1 even if ,judas1 ,annas1 ,pilate1 and ,herod preached it4 ,the ,lutheran ,church has not followed him in this principle1 which places the authority of any book of ,scripture at the mercy of the likes and dislikes of the individual reader2 and it has restored the ,epistles to the ,hebrews and of ,james and ,jude to their proper places in the ,new ,testament1 instead of leaving them in the kind of appendix to which ,luther had banished them and the ,revelation4 ,moreover1 the passage containing the statement about the veritable ,epistle of straw#af is now omitted from the preface to his translation4 ,and with regard to this very point1 his former friend and later opponent ,andrew ,rudolph ,bodenstein1 of ,karlstadt1 pertinently asked1 ,if you allow the ,jews to stamp books with authority by receiving them1 why do you refuse to grant as much power to the ,churches of ,christ1 since the ,church is not less than the ,synagogue8 ,we have at least as much reason to trust the ,councils of ,laodicea1 ,hippo1 and ,carthage1 which formally defined the limits of the ,new ,testament1 as we have to trust the unknown ,jewish influences which fixed those of the ,old4 ,and when we examine for ourselves the evidence which is still extant1 and which has greatly diminished in the course of fifteen hundred years1 we feel that both on external and internal grounds the decision of the fourth century respecting the genuineness of the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james1 as a veritable product of the ,apostolic age and as worthy of a place in the canon of the ,new ,testament1 is fully justified4 #h ,the date so frequently given1 ,a4,d4 #cfc1 cannot be substantiated1 and on the whole is not probable4 ,see ,hefele1 ,history of the ,church ,councils1 ,,ii4 vi4 #ic4 #i ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews and the ,apocalypse4 #aj ' 7,h4 ,e4 ,,iii4 xxv4 #c71 where 1 as usual1 indicates familiar knowledge4 ,eusebius is a desultory writer1 and one has to gather his views from statements scattered over chaps4 iii41 xxiv41 and xxv41 some of which are not very precise4 ,the following table seems to represent his opinion3-- ,four ,gospels1 ,acts1 fourteen ,epistles ,universally acknowledged of ,paul 7,hebrews 871 7 7 #a ,john1 #a ,peter1 ,,canonical ,,books ,apocalypse 7874 7 7 ,as to authenticity--#b ,peter4 ,disputed 7 7 ,as to ,apostolicity--,james1 ,jude1 #b and #c ,john4 ,as to authenticity--,acts of ,paul1 ,shepherd1 ,apocalypse of ,peter4 ,orthodox1 but of no authority1 ,as to ,apostolicity--,epistle of because defective ,barnabas1 ,doctrines of the ,apostles1 ,gospel according to ,,uncanonical ,hebrews1 ,apocalypse 7874 ,heretical ,gospels of ,peter1 ,thomas1 ,matthias1 ,acts of ,andrew1 ,john1 etc41 etc4 #aa ,epist4 ,fest4 xxxix4 ,the passage is given in full by ,westcott ,on the ,canon1 ,appendix ,d41 xiv4 ,the ,ecclesiastical ,history of ,eusebius cannot have been completed later than ,a4,d4 #cbe1 but the earlier books were probably written about ,a4,d4 #cac1 soon after the ,edict of ,milan4 ,see ,bishop ,lightfoot1 ,dict4 of ,chris4 ,biog41 ,i41 p4 #cbb4 #ab ,harnack1 ,das ,neue ,testament um das ,jahr #bjj 7,freiburg ,i4 ,b41 #ahhi71 p4 #gi4 #ac ,compare ,clement x4 #a with ,james ii4 #bc4 xi4 #b i4 #h2 iv4 #h4 xii4 #a ii4 #be4 xvii4 #f iv4 #ad4 xxx4 #b iv4 #f4 xxxi4 #b ii4 #ba4 xlvi4 #e iv4 #a4 xlix4 #e x4 #bj4 #ad ,salmon1 ,introduction to the ,n4,t41 pp4 #eb1 #ehb-ia1 #dth ,ed4 7,murray1 #ahhi72 ,zahn1 ,geschichte des ,neutestamentlichen ,kanons 7,erlangen1 #ahhi71 p4 #ifb4 #ae ,if ,zahn is right in thinking that ,clement knew1 and perhaps commented on1 the ,epistle of ,james1 it may have become known in ,alexandria somewhat earlier4 ,a few passages in ,clement have possible reminiscences of ,james2 e4g4 in ,strom4 ,,ii4 v4 he says of ,abraham that he is found to have been expressly called the friend of ,god 7,james ii4 #bc72 and in ,strom4 ,,vi4 xviii41 in connexion with loving one's neighbour 7the of ,james ii4 #h71 he speaks of being 7,zahn1 ,geschichte des ,neutestamentlichen ,kanons1 ,i41 pp4 #cbb1 #cbc--;,erlangen1 #ahhh74 ,the ,hypotyposeis1 in which ,clement perhaps treated of the ,catholic ,epistles1 were written after he left ,alexandria 7,ibid41 p4 #bi74 #af ,or1 more literally1 a right strawy ,epistle--eine rechte strohern ,epistel4444 ,denn sie doch keine evangelische ,art an sich hat 7,luther's ,werke1 ed4 ,gustav ,pfizer1 ,frankfurt1 #ahdj1 p4 #adab2 see also pp4 #adbc1 #adbd1 and ,westcott ,on the ,canon1 #crd ed41 pp4 #ddh-ed74 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,epistle3 ,,james ,,the ,,brother ,,of ,,the ,,lord4 ,james1 a servant of ,god and of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4--,,jas4 i4 #a ,we have still to consider the second half of the question as to the authenticity of this letter4 ,granting that it is a genuine ,epistle of ,james1 and a writing of the ,apostolic age1 to which of the persons in that age who are known to us as bearing the name of ,james is it to be attributed8 ,the consensus of opinion on this point1 though not so great as that respecting the genuineness of the letter1 is now very considerable1 and seems to be increasing4 ,the name ,james is the ,english form of the ,hebrew name ,yacoob 7,jacob71 which in ,greek became 1 in ,latin ,jacbus1 and in ,english ,james1 a form which grievously blurs the history of the name4 ,from having been the name of the patriarch ,jacob1 the progenitor of the ,jewish race1 it became one of the commonest of proper names among the ,jews2 and in the ,new ,testament we find several persons bearing this name among the followers of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it would be possible to make as many as six2 but these must certainly be reduced to four1 and probably to three4 ,these six are-- #a4 ,james the ,apostle1 the son of ,zebedee and brother of ,john the ,apostle 7,matt4 iv4 #ba2 x4 #b2 xvii4 #e2 ,mark x4 #ce2 xiii4 #c2 ,luke ix4 #ed2 ,acts xii4 #b74 #b4 ,james the ,apostle1 the son of ,alphus 7,matt4 x4 #c2 ,mark iii4 #ah2 ,luke vi4 #ae2 ,acts i4 #ac74 #c4 ,james the ,little1 the son of ,mary the wife of ,clpas 7,john xix4 #be71 who had one other son1 named ,joses 7,matt4 xxvii4 #ef2 ,mark xv4 #dj74 #d4 ,james the brother of the ,lord 7,gal4 i4 #ai71 a relationship which he shares with ,joses1 ,simon1 and ,judas 7,matt4 xiii4 #ee2 ,mark vi4 #c7 and some unnamed sisters4 #e4 ,james the overseer of the ,church of ,jerusalem 7,acts xii4 #ag2 xv4 #ac2 xxi4 #ah2 #a ,cor4 xv4 #g2 ,gal4 ii4 #i1 #ab74 #f4 ,james the brother of the ,jude who wrote the ,epistle 7,jude i4 #a74 ,besides which1 we have an unknown ,james1 who was father of the ,apostle ,judas1 not ,iscariot 7,luke v4 #af72 but we do not know that this ,james ever became a disciple4 ,of these six we may safely identify the last three as being one and the same person2 and we may probably identify ,james the ,apostle1 the son of ,alphus1 with ,james the ,little1 the son of ,mary and ,clopas2 in which case we may conjecture that the epithet of the ,little 7 7 was given him to distinguish him from the other ,apostle ,james1 the son of ,zebedee4 ,clopas 7not ,cleophas1 as in the ,a4,v47 may be one ,greek form of the ,aramaic name ,chalpai1 of which ,alphus may be another ,greek form2 so that the father of this ,james may have been known both as ,clopas and as ,alphus4 ,but this is by no means certain4 ,in the ancient ,syriac ,version we do not find both ,alphus and ,clopas represented by ,chalpai2 but we find ,alphus rendered ,chalpai1 while ,clopas reappears as ,kleopha4 ,and the same usage is found in the ,jerusalem ,syriac4 ,we have thus reduced the six to four or three2 and it is sometimes proposed to reduce the three to two1 by identifying ,james the ,lord's brother with ,james the son of ,alphus4 ,but this identification is attended by difficulties so serious as to seem to be quite fatal2 and it would probably never have been made but for the wish to show that brother of the ,lord does not mean brother in the literal sense1 but may mean cousin4 ,for the identification depends upon making ,mary the wife of ,clopas 7and mother of ,james the son of ,alphus7 identical with the sister of ,mary the mother of the ,lord1 in the much-discussed passage ,john xix4 #be2 so that ,jesus and ,james would be first cousins1 being sons respectively of two sisters1 each of whom was called ,mary4#ag ,the difficulties under which this theory labours are mainly these3-- #a4 ,it depends on an identification of ,clopas with ,alphus1 which is uncertain1 though not improbable4 #b4 ,it depends on a further identification of ,christ's mother's sister with ,mary the wife of ,clopas in ,john xix4 #be1 which is both uncertain and highly improbable4 ,in that verse we almost certainly have four women1 and not three1 contrasted with the four soldiers just mentioned 7vv4 #bc1 #bd71 and arranged in two pairs3 ,his mother1 and ,his mother's sister2 ,mary the wife of ,clopas1 and ,mary ,magdalene4 #c4 ,it assumes that two sisters were both called ,mary4 #d4 ,no instance in ,greek literature has been found in which brother 77 means cousin4 ,the ,greek language has a word to express cousin 771 which occurs ,col4 iv4 #aj2 and it is to be noted that the ancient tradition preserved by ,hegesippus 7c4 ,a4,d4 #agj7 distinguishes ,james the first overseer of the ,church of ,jerusalem as the brother of the ,lord 7,eus4 ,h4 ,e4 ,,ii4 xxiii4 #a71 and his successor ,symeon as the cousin of the ,lord 7,,iv4 xxii4 #d74 ,could ,hegesippus have written thus if ,james were really a cousin8 ,if a vague term such as kinsman 77 was wanted1 that also might have been used1 as in ,luke i4 #cf1 #eh2 ii4 #dd4 #e4 ,in none of the four lists of the ,apostles is there any hint that any of them are the brethren of the ,lord2 and in ,acts i4 #ac1 #ad1 and #a ,cor4 ix4 #e1 the brethren of the ,lord are expressly distinguished from the ,apostles4 ,moreover1 the traditions of the age subsequent to the ,new ,testament sometimes make ,james the ,lord's brother one of the ,seventy1 but never one of the ,twelve1 a fact which can be explained only on the hypothesis that it was notorious that he was not one of the ,twelve4 ,the reverence for this ,james and for the title of ,apostle was such that tradition would eagerly have given him the title had there been any opening for doing so4 #f4 ,the brethren of the ,lord appear in the ,gospels almost always with the mother of the ,lord 7,matt4 xii4 #df2 ,mark iii4 #cb2 ,luke viii4 #ai2 ,john ii4 #ab72 never with ,mary the wife of ,clopas2 and popular knowledge of them connects them with ,christ's mother1 and not with any other ,mary 7,mark vi4 #c2 ,matt4 xiii4 #ee74 ,my brethren1 in ,matt4 xxviii4 #aj1 and ,john xx4 #ag1 does not mean ,christ's earthly relations1 but the children of ,my ,father and your ,father4 #g4 ,but the strongest objection of all is ,st4 ,john's express statement 7vii4 #e7 that even ,his brethren did not believe on ,him2 a statement which he could not have made if one of the brethren 7,james71 and possibly two others 7,simon and ,judas71 were already ,apostles4 ,the identification of ,james the son of ,alphus with ,james the ,lord's brother must therefore be abandoned1 and we remain with three disciples bearing the name of ,james from which to select the writer of this ,epistle--the son of ,zebedee1 the son of ,alphus1 and the brother of the ,lord4 ,the father of ,judas1 not ,iscariot1 need not be considered1 for we do not even know that he ever became a believer4 ,in our ignorance of the life1 and thought1 and language of the son of ,zebedee and the son of ,alphus1 we cannot say that there is anything in the ,epistle itself which forbids us to attribute it to either of them2 but there is nothing in it which leads us to do so4 ,and there are two considerations which1 when combined1 are strongly against ,apostolic authorship4 ,the writer does not claim to be an ,apostle2 and the hesitation as to the reception of the ,epistle in certain parts of the ,christian ,church would be extraordinary if the letter were reputed to be of ,apostolic authorship4 ,when we take either of these ,apostles separately we become involved in further difficulties4 ,it is not probable that any ,apostolic literature existed in the lifetime of ,james the son of ,zebedee1 who was martyred1 under ,herod ,agrippa ,i41 i4e4 not later than the spring of ,a4,d4 #dd1 when ,herod ,agrippa died4 ,that any ,apostle wrote an encyclical letter as early as ,a4,d4 #db or #dc is so improbable that we ought to have strong evidence before adopting it1 and the only evidence worth considering is that furnished by the ,peshitto4 ,the earliest ,,mss4 of this ancient ,syriac ,version1 which date from the fifth to the eighth century1 call it an ,epistle of ,james the ,apostle2 but evidence which cannot be traced higher than the fifth century respecting an improbable occurrence alleged to have taken place in the first century is not worth very much4 ,moreover1 the scribes who put this heading and subscription to the ,epistle may have meant no more than that it was by a person of ,apostolic rank1 or they may have shared the common ,western error of identifying the brother of the ,lord with the son of ,alphus4 ,editors of the ,syriac ,version in a much later age certainly do attribute the ,epistle to the son of ,zebedee1 for they state that the three ,catholic ,epistles admitted to that version--,james1 #a ,peter1 and #a ,john--are by the three ,apostles who witnessed the ,transfiguration4 ,the statement seems to be a blundering misinterpretation of the earlier title1 which assigned it to ,james the ,apostle4 ,and if we attribute the letter to the son of ,alphus we get rid of one difficulty1 only to fall into another2 we are no longer compelled to give the ,epistle so improbably early a date as ,a4,d4 #dc1 but we are left absolutely without any evidence to connect it with the son of ,alphus1 unless we identify this ,apostle with the brother of the ,lord1 an identification which has already been shown to be untenable4#ah ,therefore1 without further hesitation1 we may assign the ,epistle to one of the most striking and impressive figures in the ,apostolic age1 ,james the ,just1 the brother of the ,lord1 and the first overseer of the ,mother ,church of ,jerusalem4 ,whether ,james was the brother of the ,lord as being the son of ,joseph by a former marriage1 or as being the son of ,joseph and ,mary born after the birth of ,jesus1 need not be argued in detail4 ,all that specially concerns us1 for a right understanding of the ,epistle1 is to remember that it was written by one who1 although for some time not a believer in the ,messiahship of ,jesus1 was1 through his near relationship1 constantly in ,his society1 witnessing ,his acts and hearing ,his words4 ,this much1 however1 should be noted1 that there is nothing in ,scripture to warn us from understanding that ,joseph and ,mary had other children1 and that firstborn in ,luke ii4 #g1 and till in ,matt4 i4 #be1 appear to imply that they had2 a supposition confirmed by contemporary belief 7,mark vi4 #c2 ,matt4 xiii4 #ee71 and by the constant attendance of these brethren on the mother of the ,lord 7,matt4 xii4 #df2 ,mark iii4 #cb2 ,luke viii4 #ai2 ,john ii4 #ab72 that1 on the other hand1 the theory which gives ,joseph children older than ,jesus deprives ,him of ,his rights as the heir of ,joseph and of the house of ,david2 seems to be of apocryphal origin 7,gospel according to ,peter1 or ,book of ,james72 and like ,jerome's theory of cousinship1 appears to have been invented in the interests of ascetic views and of priori convictions as to the perpetual virginity of the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,the immense consensus of belief in the perpetual virginity does not begin until long after all historical evidence was lost4 ,tertullian appears to assume as a matter of course that the ,lord's brethren are the children of ,joseph and ,mary1 as if in his day no one had any other view 7,adv4 ,marc41 ,,iv4 xix42 ,de ,carne ,christi1 vii474#ai ,according to either view1 ,james was the son of ,joseph1 and almost certainly was brought up with his ,divine ,brother in the humble home at ,nazareth4 ,his father1 as ,st4 ,matthew tells us 7i4 #ai7 was a just or righteous man1 like the parents of the ,baptist 7,luke i4 #f71 and this was the title by which ,james was known during his lifetime1 and by which he is still constantly known4 ,he is ,james the ,just 7 74 ,the epithet as used in ,scripture of his father and others 7,matt4 i4 #ai2 xxiii4 #ce2 ,luke i4 #f2 ii4 #be2 xxiii4 #ej2 ,acts x4 #bj2 #b ,peter ii4 #g71 and in history of him1 must not be understood as implying precisely what the ,athenians meant when they styled ,aristeides the ,just1 or what we mean by being just now4 ,to a ,jew the word implied not merely being impartial and upright1 but also having a studied and even scrupulous reverence for everything prescribed by the ,law4 ,the ,sabbath1 the synagogue worship1 the feasts and fasts1 purification1 tithes1 all the moral and ceremonial ordinances of the ,law of the ,lord--these were the things on which the just man bestowed a loving care1 and in which he preferred to do more than was required1 rather than the bare minimum insisted on by the ,rabbis4 ,it was in a home of which righteousness of this kind was the characteristic that ,st4 ,james was reared1 and in which he became imbued with that reverent love for the ,law which makes him1 even more than ,st4 ,paul1 to be the ideal ,hebrew of ,hebrews4 ,for him ,christ came not to destroy1 but to fulfil4 ,christianity turns the ,law of ,moses into a royal law 7ii4 #h71 but it does not abrogate it4 ,the ,judaism which had been his moral and spiritual atmosphere during his youth and early manhood remained with him after he had learned to see that there was no antagonism between the ,law and the ,gospel4 ,it would be part of his strict ,jewish training that he should pay the prescribed visits to ,jerusalem at the feasts 7,john vii4 #aj72 and he would there become familiar with the magnificent liturgy of the ,temple1 and would lay the foundation for that love of public and private prayer within its precincts which was one of his best-known characteristics in after-life4 ,a love of prayer1 and a profound belief in its efficacy1 appear again and again in the pages of his ,epistle 7i4 #e2 iv4 #b1 #c1 #h2 v4 #ac-ah74 ,it was out of a strong personal experience that the man who knelt in prayer until his knees became hard like a camel's declared that the supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working4 ,strict ,judaism has ever a tendency to narrowness1 and we find this tendency in the brethren of the ,lord1 in their attitude both towards their ,brother1 and also towards ,gentile converts after they had accepted ,him 7,gal4 ii4 #ab74 ,of the long period of silence during which ,jesus was preparing ,himself for ,his ministry we know nothing4 ,but immediately after ,his first miracle1 which they probably witnessed1 they went down with ,him1 and ,his mother1 and ,his disciples to ,capernaum 7,john ii4 #ab71 and very possibly accompanied ,him to ,jerusalem for the ,passover4 ,they would be almost certain to go thither to keep the feast4 ,it was there that many believed on ,his ,name1 beholding ,his signs which ,he did4 ,but ,jesus did not trust ,himself unto them1 for that ,he knew all men4 ,he knew that when the immediate effect of ,his miracles had passed off the faith of these sudden converts would not endure4 ,and this seems to have been the case with ,his brethren4 ,they were at first attracted by ,his originality1 and power1 and holiness1 then perplexed by methods which they could not understand 7,john vii4 #c1 #d71 then inclined to regard ,him as a dreamer and a fanatic 7,mark iii4 #ba71 and finally decided against ,him 7,john vii4 #e74 ,like many others among ,his followers1 they were quite unable to reconcile ,his position with the traditional views respecting the ,messiah2 and instead of revising these views1 as being possibly faulty1 they held fast to them1 and rejected ,him4 ,it was not merely in reference to the people of ,nazareth1 who had tried to kill ,him 7,luke iv4 #bi71 but to those who were still closer to ,him by ties of blood and home1 that ,he uttered the sad complaint1 ,a prophet is not without honour1 save in his own country1 and among his own kin1 and in his own house 7,mark vi4 #d74 ,the fact that our ,lord committed ,his mother to the keeping of ,st4 ,john harmonizes with the supposition that at the time of the ,crucifixion ,his brethren were still unbelievers4 ,the ,resurrection would be likely to open their eyes and dispel their doubts 7,acts i4 #ad72 and a special revelation of the risen ,lord seems to have been granted to ,st4 ,james 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #g71 as to ,st4 ,paul2 in both cases because behind the external opposition to ,christ there was earnest faith and devotion1 which at once found its object1 as soon as the obstructing darkness was removed4 ,after his conversion1 ,st4 ,james speedily took the first place among the believers who constituted the original ,church of ,jerusalem4 ,he takes the lead1 even when the chief of the ,apostles are present4 ,it is to him that ,st4 ,peter reports himself1 when he is miraculously freed from prison 7,acts xii4 #ag74 ,it is he who presides at the so-called ,council of ,jerusalem 7xv4 #ac2 see esp4 ver4 #ai74 ,and it is to him that ,st4 ,paul specially turns on his last visit to ,jerusalem1 to report his success among the ,gentiles 7xxi4 #ag74 ,st4 ,paul places him before ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,john in mentioning those who were reputed to be pillars of the ,church 7,gal4 ii4 #i71 and states that on his first visit to ,jerusalem after his own conversion he stayed fifteen days with ,peter1 but saw no other of the ,apostles1 excepting ,james1 the ,lord's brother 7,gal4 i4 #ah1 #ai72 a passage of disputed meaning1 but which1 if it does not imply that ,james was in some sense an ,apostle1 at least suggests that he was a person of equal importance4 7,comp4 ,acts ix4 #bf-cj47 ,moreover1 we find that at ,antioch ,st4 ,peter himself allowed his attitude towards the ,gentiles to be changed in deference to the representations of certain that came from ,james1 who had possibly misunderstood or misused their commission2 but the narrowness already alluded to may have made ,st4 ,james himself unable to move as rapidly as ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul in adopting a generous course with ,gentile converts4 ,unless there is a reference to ,st4 ,james in ,heb4 xiii4 #g1 as among those who had once had the lead over you1 but are now no longer alive to speak the word1 we must go outside the ,new ,testament for further notices of him4 ,they are to be found chiefly in ,clement of ,alexandria1 ,hegesippus1 and ,josephus4 ,clement 7,hypotyp4 ,,vi4 ap4 ,eus4 ,h4 ,e4 ,,ii4 i4 #c7 records a tradition that ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john1 after the ,ascension of the ,saviour1 although they had been preferred by the ,lord1 did not contend for distinction1 but that ,james the ,just became ,bishop of ,jerusalem4 ,and again 7,hypotyp4 ,,vii471 ,to ,james the ,just1 ,john1 and ,peter1 the ,lord1 after the ,resurrection1 imparted the gift of knowledge 7 72 these imparted it to the rest of the ,apostles1 and the rest of the ,apostles to the ,seventy1 of whom ,barnabas was one4 ,now1 there have been two ,jameses--one the ,just1 who was thrown from the gable of the ,temple1 and beaten to death by a fuller with a club1 and another who was beheaded4#bj ,the narrative of ,hegesippus is also preserved for us by ,eusebius 7,h4 ,e4 ,,ii4 xxiii4 #d-ah74 ,it is manifestly legendary1 and possibly comes from the ,essene ,ebionites1 who appear to have been fond of religious romances4 ,it is sometimes accepted as historical1 as by ,clement in the passage just quoted2 but its internal improbabilities and its divergencies from ,josephus condemn it4 ,it may1 however1 contain some historical touches1 especially in the general sketch of ,st4 ,james2 just as the legends about our own ,king ,alfred1 although untrustworthy as to facts1 nevertheless convey a true idea of the saintly and scholarly king4 ,it runs thus3 ,there succeeds to the charge of the ,church1 ,james1 the brother of the ,lord1 in conjunction with the ,apostles1 the one who has been named ,just by all1 from the time of our ,lord to our own time1 for there were many called ,james4#ba ,now1 he was holy from his mother's womb4 ,he drank neither wine nor strong drink2 nor did he eat animal food4 ,no razor ever came upon his head2 he anointed not himself with oil2 and he did not indulge in bathing4 ,to him alone was it lawful to go into the ,holy ,place#bb2 for he wore no wool1 but linen4 ,and he would go into the ,temple alone1 and would be found there kneeling on his knees and asking forgiveness for the people1 so that his knees became dry and hard as a camel's1 because he was always on his knees worshipping ,god and asking forgiveness for the people4 ,on account1 therefore1 of his exceeding justness1 he was called ,just and ,oblias1 which is in ,greek 'bulwark of the people' and 'justness1' as the prophets show concerning him4 ,some1 then1 of the seven sects among the people1 which have been mentioned before by me in the ,memoirs1 asked him1 ,what is the ,door of ,jesus8 ,and he said that ,he was the ,saviour4 ,from which some believed ,jesus is the ,christ4 ,but the sects aforesaid did not believe1 either in the ,resurrection or in ,one coming to recompense to each man according to his works4 ,but as many as believed did so through ,james4 ,when many1 therefore1 even of the rulers were believing1 there was a tumult of the ,jews and scribes and ,pharisees1 who said1 ,it looks as if all the people would be expecting ,jesus as the ,christ4 ,they came together1 therefore1 and said to ,james1 ,we pray thee1 restrain the people1 for it has been led astray after ,jesus1 as though ,he were the ,christ4 ,we pray thee to persuade all that come to the day of the ,passover concerning ,jesus2 for to thee we all give heed4 ,for we bear witness to thee1 and so do all the people1 that thou art just1 and acceptest not the person of any4 ,do thou1 therefore1 persuade the multitude not to be led astray concerning ,jesus2 for all the people and all of us give heed to thee4 ,stand1 therefore1 upon the gable of the ,temple1 that thou mayest be visible to those below1 and that thy words may be readily heard by all the people4 ,for on account of the ,passover there have come together all the tribes1 with the ,gentiles also4 ,therefore the aforesaid scribes and ,pharisees placed ,james upon the gable of the ,temple1 and cried to him and said1 ,o just one1 to whom we ought all to give heed1 seeing that the people is being led astray after ,jesus1 who was crucified1 tell us what is the ,door of ,jesus4 ,and he answered with a loud voice1 ,why ask ye me concerning ,jesus the ,son of man8 ,even ,he sitteth in heaven1 at the right of the ,mighty ,power1 and ,he is to come on the clouds of heaven4 ,and when many were convinced1 and gave glory on the witness of ,james1 and said1 ,hosannah to the ,son of ,david1 then again the same scribes and ,pharisees said unto one another1 ,we have done ill in furnishing such witness to ,jesus4 ,but let us go up1 and cast him down1 that they may be terrified1 and not believe him4 ,and they cried out1 saying1 ,oh6 oh6 even the ,just has been led astray4 ,and they fulfilled the ,scripture1 which is written in ,isaiah1 ,let us take away the ,just ,one1 for he is troublesome to us2 therefore shall they eat the fruit of their deeds4 ,so they went up1 and cast down the ,just1 and said to one another1 ,let us stone ,james the ,just4 ,and they began to stone him1 seeing that he was not dead from the fall1 but turning round1 knelt1 and said1 ,i pray ,thee1 ,lord ,god and ,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4 ,but whilst they were thus stoning him1 one of the priests of the sons of ,rechab1 son of ,rechabim1#bc to whom ,jeremiah the prophet bears testimony1 cried1 saying1 ,stop6 what are ye doing8 ,the ,just ,one is praying for you4 ,and one of them1 one of the fullers1 took the club with which clothes are pressed1 and brought it down on the head of the ,just ,one4 ,and in this way he bore witness4 ,and they buried him on the spot by the ,temple1 and his monument still remains by the ,temple4 ,this man has become a true witness1 to both ,jews and ,gentiles1 that ,jesus is the ,christ4 ,and straightway ,vespasian lays siege to them4 ,that is1 ,hegesippus regards the attack of the ,romans as a speedy judgment on the ,jews for the murder of ,james the ,just1 and consequently places it ,a4,d4 #fi4 ,this is probably several years too late4 ,josephus places it ,a4,d4 #fb or #fc4 ,his account is as follows3-- ,now1 the younger ,ananus1 whom we stated to have succeeded to the high-priesthood1 was precipitate in temper and exceedingly audacious1 and he followed the sect of the ,sadducees1 who are very harsh in judging offenders1 beyond all other ,jews1 as we have already shown4 ,ananus1 therefore1 as being a person of this character1 and thinking that he had a suitable opportunity1 through ,festus being dead1 and ,albinus still on his journey 7to ,juda71 assembles a ,sanhedrin of judges2 and he brought before it the brother of ,jesus who was called ,christ 7his name was ,james7 and some others1 and delivered them to be stoned1 on a charge of being transgressors of the law4 ,but as many as seemed to be most equitable among those in the city1 and scrupulous as to all that concerned the laws1 were grievously affected by this2 and they send to the king ,herod ,agrippa ,,ii41 secretly praying him to order ,ananus to act in such a way no more2 for that not even his first action was lawfully done4 ,and some of them go to meet ,albinus on his journey from ,alexandria1 and inform him that ,ananus had no authority to assemble a ,sanhedrin without his leave4 ,and ,albinus1 being convinced by what they said1 wrote in anger to ,ananus1 threatening to punish him for this4 ,and for this reason ,king ,agrippa took away the high-priesthood from him after he had been in office three months1 and conferred it upon ,jesus the son of ,damnus 7,ant4 ,,xx4 ix4 #a74 ,this account by ,josephus contains no improbabilities1 and should be preferred to that of ,hegesippus4 ,it has been suspected of ,christian interpolation1 because of the reference to ,jesus ,christ1 whom ,josephus persistently ignores in his writings4 ,but a ,christian who took the trouble to garble the narrative at all would probably have done so to more purpose1 both as regards ,jesus and ,james4 ,in any case ,hegesippus and ,josephus agree in confirming the impression produced by the ,new ,testament1 that ,james the ,just was a person held in the greatest respect by all in ,jerusalem1 whether ,jews or ,christians1 and one who exercised great influence in the ,east over the whole ,jewish race4 ,we shall find that this fact harmonizes well with the phenomena of the ,epistle1 and it leads directly to the next question which calls upon us for discussion4 #ag ,the supposed relationship may be exhibited thus3-- ----------------------- ,mary ,joseph4 ,mary ,clopas or ,alphus4 ------------------------------------- ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,james the ,apostle4 ,joseph4 ,simon ,judas 7,apostle874 7,apostle874 #ah ,it seems to be right to take this opportunity of preventing a name of great authority from being any longer quoted as favouring the identification4 ,dr4 ,dllinger1 in his ,christenthum und ,kirche in der ,zeit der ,grundlegung 7#ahfj71 translated by ,h4 ,n4 ,oxenham as ,the ,first ,age of ,christianity and the ,church1 advocated the identification 7chap4 iii474 ,the venerable author told the present writer1 in ,june1 #ahgg1 that he was convinced that his earlier opinion on this subject was entirely erroneous1 and that the ,apostle ,james of ,alphus was a different person from ,james ,bishop of ,jerusalem and brother of the ,lord4 ,he added that the ,eastern ,church had always distinguished the two1 and that their identification in the ,west was due to the influence of ,jerome4 ,the evidence of ,martyrologies and ,calendars is worth noting as indicating the tradition on the subject4 ,the ,hieronymian ,martyrology and other early ,roman ,martyrologies commemorate ,james of ,alphus ,june #bbnd1 and ,james the ,lord's brother ,december #bgth2 the ,ambrosian ,liturgy1 ,james of ,alphus ,december #cjth1 and the ,lord's brother ,may #ast2 the ,byzantine ,calendar1 ,james of ,alphus ,october #ith1 and the ,lord's brother ,october #bcrd2 the ,egyptian and ,ethiopic ,calendars1 ,james of ,alphus ,october #bnd1 and the ,lord's brother ,october #bcrd4 #ai ,alford1 ,farrar1 ,meyer1 ,schaff1 ,stier1 ,weiss1 ,wieseler1 ,winer1 and others support this view4 ,see also ,mc,clellan's note on ,matt4 xiii4 #ee1 and ,plumptre's ,introduction to ,st4 ,james4 ,bishop ,lightfoot contends for the ,epiphanian theory4 #bj ,comp4 ,strom4 ,,vi4 viii41 where ,clement speaks of ,james1 ,peter1 ,john1 ,paul 7note the order7 as possessing the true gnosis1 and knowing all things4 #ba ,hegesippus evidently distinguishes ,james the brother of the ,lord from any of the ,twelve4 #bb ,it is incredible that he should be allowed the privileges of the high priest4 #bc ,what is the meaning of this tautology8 ,and could a ,rechabite1 who was not a ,jew1 become a priest8 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,persons ,,addressed ,,in ,,the ,,epistle2 ,,the ,,jews ,,of ,,the ,,dispersion4 ,james1 a servant of ,god and of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 to the twelve tribes which are of the ,dispersion1 greeting4--,,james i4 #a4 ,these words appear to be both simple and plain4 ,at first sight there would seem to be not much room for any serious difference of opinion as to their meaning4 ,the writer of the letter writes as a servant of ,god and of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 i4e4 as a ,christian1 to the twelve tribes which are of the ,dispersion1 i4e4 to the ,jews who are living away from ,palestine4 ,almost the only point which seems to be open to doubt is whether he addresses himself to all ,jews1 believing and unbelieving1 or1 as one might presume from his proclaiming himself at the outset to be a ,christian1 only to those of his fellow-countrymen who1 like himself1 have become servants of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,and this is a question which cannot be determined without a careful examination of the contents of the ,epistle4 ,and yet there has been very great difference of opinion as to the persons whom ,st4 ,james had in his mind when he wrote these words4 ,there is not only the triplet of opinions which easily grow out of the question just indicated1 viz4 that the letter is addressed to believing ,jews only1 to unbelieving ,jews only1 and to both3 there are also the views of those who hold that it is addressed to ,jewish and ,gentile ,christians regarded separately1 or to the same regarded as one body1 or to ,jewish ,christians primarily1 with references to ,gentile ,christians and unconverted ,jews1 or finally to ,gentile ,christians primarily1 seeing that they1 since the rejection of ,jesus by the ,jews1 are the true sons of ,abraham and the rightful inheritors of the privileges of the twelve tribes4 ,in such a ,babel of interpretations it will clear the ground somewhat if we adopt once more#bd as a guiding principle the common-sense canon of interpretation laid down by ,hooker 7,eccles4 ,pol4 ,v4 lix4 #b71 that where a literal construction will stand1 the farthest from the letter is commonly the worst4 ,a literal construction of the expression the twelve tribes of the ,dispersion will not only stand1 but make excellent sense4 ,had ,st4 ,james meant to address all ,christians1 regarded in their position as exiles from their heavenly home1 he would have found some much plainer way of expressing himself4 ,there is nothing improbable1 but something quite the reverse1 in the supposition that the first overseer of the ,church of ,jerusalem1 who1 as we have seen1 was a ,hebrew of ,hebrews1 wrote a letter to those of his fellow-countrymen who were far removed from personal intercourse with him4 ,so devoted a ,jew1 so devout a ,christian1 as we know him to have been1 could not but take the most intense interest in all who were of ,jewish blood1 wherever they might dwell1 especially such as had learned to believe in ,christ1 above all when he knew that they were suffering from habitual oppression and ill-treatment4 ,we may without hesitation decide that when ,st4 ,james says the twelve tribes which are of the ,dispersion he means ,jews away from their home in ,palestine1 and not ,christians away from their home in heaven4 ,for what possible point would the ,dispersion 7 7 have in such a metaphor8 ,separation from the heavenly home might be spoken of as banishment1 or exile1 or homelessness1 but not as dispersion4 ,even if we confined ourselves to the opening words1 we might safely adopt this conclusion1 but we shall find that there are numerous features in the letter itself which abundantly confirm it4 ,it is quite out of place to quote such passages as the sealing of the hundred and forty and four thousand 444 out of every tribe of the children of ,israel 7,rev4 vii4 #d-h71 or the city with twelve gates1 444 and names written thereon1 which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of ,israel 7,rev4 xxi4 #ab74 ,these occur in a book which is symbolical from the first chapter to the last1 and therefore we know that the literal construction cannot stand4 ,the question throughout is not whether a given passage is to be taken literally or symbolically1 but what the passage in question symbolizes4 ,nor1 again1 can ,st4 ,peter's declaration that ye are an elect race1 a royal priesthood1 a holy nation1 a people for ,god's own possession 7#a ,pet4 ii4 #i71 be considered as at all parallel4 ,there the combination of expressions plainly shows that the language is figurative2 and there is no real analogy between an impassioned exhortation1 modelled on the addresses of the ,hebrew prophets1 and the matter-of-fact opening words of a letter4 ,the words have the clear ring of nationality1 and there is nothing whatever added to them to turn the simple note into the complex sound of a doubtful metaphor4 ,as ,davidson justly remarks1 ,the use of the phrase twelve tribes is inexplicable if the writer intended all believers without distinction4 ,the author makes no allusion to ,gentile converts1 nor to the relation between ,jew and ,gentile incorporated into one spiritual body4 ,let us look at some of the features which characterize the ,epistle itself1 and see whether they bear out the view which is here advocated1 that the persons addressed are ,israelites in the national sense1 and not as having been admitted into the spiritual ,israel of ,god 7,gal4 vi4 #af74 7#a7 ,the writer speaks of ,abraham as our father1 without a hint that this is to be understood in any but the literal sense4 ,was not ,abraham our father justified by works1 in that he offered up ,isaac his son upon the altar8 7ii4 #ba74 ,st4 ,paul1 when he speaks of ,abraham as the father of all them that believe1 clearly indicates this 7,rom4 iv4 #aa74 7#b7 ,the writer speaks of his readers as worshipping in a synagogue 7ii4 #b71 which may possibly mean that1 just as ,st4 ,james and the ,apostles continued to attend the ,temple services after the ,ascension1 so their readers are supposed to attend the synagogue services after their conversion4 ,but at least it shows that the writer1 in speaking of the public worship of those whom he addresses1 naturally uses a word 77 which had then1 and continues to have1 specially ,jewish associations1 rather than one 77 which from the first beginnings of ,christianity was promoted from its old political sphere to indicate the congregations1 and even the very being1 of the ,christian ,church4 7#c7 ,he assumes that his readers are familiar not only with the life of ,abraham 7ii4 #ba1 #bc71 but of ,rahab 7#be71 the prophets 7v4 #aj71 ,job 7#aa71 and ,elijah 7#ag74 ,these frequent appeals to the details of the ,old ,testament would be quite out of place in a letter addressed to ,gentile converts4 7#d7 ,god is spoken of under the specially ,hebrew title of the ,lord of ,sabaoth 7v4 #d72 and the frequent recurrence of the ,lord throughout the ,epistle 7i4 #g2 iii4 #i2 iv4 #aj1 #ae2 v4 #aj1 #aa1 #ae7 looks like the language of one who wished to recall the name ,jehovah to his readers4 7#e7 ,in discountenancing swearing 7v4 #ab7 ,jewish forms of oaths are taken as illustrations4 7#f7 ,the vices which are condemned are such as were as common among the ,jews as among the ,gentiles--reckless language1 rash swearing1 oppression of the poor1 covetousness4 ,there is little or nothing said about the gross immorality which was rare among the ,jews1 but was almost a matter of course among the ,gentiles4 ,st4 ,james denounces faults into which ,jewish converts would be likely enough to lapse2 he says nothing about the vices respecting which heathen converts1 such as those at ,corinth1 are constantly warned by ,st4 ,paul4 7#g7 ,but what is perhaps the most decisive feature of all is that he assumes throughout that for those whom he addresses the ,mosaic ,law is a binding and final authority4 ,if ye have respect of persons1 ye commit sin1 being convicted by the law as transgressors4 444 ,if thou dost not commit adultery1 but killest1 thou art become a transgressor of the law 7ii4 #i-aa74 ,he that speaketh against a brother1 or judgeth his brother1 speaketh against the law1 and judgeth the law 7iv4 #aa74 ,scarcely any of these seven points1 taken singly1 would be at all decisive2 but when we sum them up together1 remembering in how short a letter they occur1 and when we add them to the very plain and simple language of the address1 we have an argument which will carry conviction to most persons who have no preconceived theory of their own to defend4 ,and to this positive evidence derived from the presence of so much material that indicates ,jewish circles as the destined recipients of the letter1 we must add the strongly confirmatory negative evidence derived from the absence of anything which specially points either to ,gentile converts or unconverted heathen4 ,we may therefore read the letter as having been written by one who had been born and educated in a thoroughly ,jewish atmosphere1 who had accepted the ,gospel1 not as cancelling the ,law1 but as raising it to a higher power2 and we may read it also as addressed to men who1 like the writer1 are by birth and education ,jews1 and1 like him1 have acknowledged ,jesus as their ,lord and the ,christ4 ,the difference between writer and readers lies in this1 that he is in ,palestine1 and they not2 that he appears to be in a position of authority1 whereas they seem for the most part to be a humble and suffering folk4 ,all which fits in admirably with the hypothesis that we have before us an ,epistle written by the austere and ,judaic-minded ,james the ,just1 written from ,jerusalem1 to comfort and warn those ,jewish ,christians who lay remote from his personal influence4 ,that it is ,jewish ,christians1 and not unbelieving ,jews1 or ,jews whether believing or not1 who are addressed1 is not open to serious doubt4 ,there is not only the fact that ,st4 ,james at the outset proclaims himself to be a ,christian 7i4 #a71 but also the statement that the wealthy oppressors of his poor readers blaspheme the honourable ,name by which ye are called1 or more literally which was called upon you1 viz4 the ,name of ,christ4 ,again1 the famous paragraph about faith and works assumes that the faith of the readers and the faith of the writer is identical 7ii4 #g1 #ad-bj74 ,once more1 he expressly claims them as believers when he writes1 ,my brethren1 hold not the faith of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,lord of glory1 with respect of persons 7ii4 #a74 ,and if more be required1 we have it in the concluding exhortations3 ,be patient1 therefore1 brethren1 until the coming of the ,lord4444 ,stablish your hearts3 for the coming of the ,lord is at hand 7v4 #g1 #h74 ,whether or no there are passages which glance aside at unbelieving ,jews1 and perhaps even some which are directly addressed to them1 cannot be decided with so much certainty2 but the balance of probability appears to be on the affirmative side in both cases4 ,there probably are places in which ,st4 ,james is thinking of unbelieving ,israelites1 and one or more passages in which he turns aside and sternly rebukes them1 much in the same way as the ,old ,testament prophets sometimes turn aside to upbraid ,tyre and ,sidon and the heathen generally4 ,do not the rich oppress you1 and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats8 7ii4 #f71 seems to refer to rich unconverted ,jews prosecuting their poor ,christian brethren before the synagogue courts1 just as ,st4 ,paul did when he was ,saul the persecutor 7,acts ix4 #b74 ,and ,do not they blaspheme the honourable ,name by which ye are called8 can scarcely be said of ,christians4 ,if the blasphemers were ,christians they would be said rather to blaspheme the honourable ,name by which they themselves were called4 ,there would lie the enormity--that the name of ,jesus ,christ had been called upon them1 and yet they blasphemed it4 ,and when we come to look at the matter in detail we shall find reason for believing that the stern words at the beginning of chapter v4 are addressed to unbelieving ,jews4 ,there is not one word of ,christian1 or even moral1 exhortation in it2 it consists entirely of accusation and threatening1 and in this respect is in marked contrast to the equally stern words at the beginning of chapter iv41 which are addressed to worldly and godless ,christians4 ,to suppose that the rich oppressors so often alluded to in the ,epistle are heathen1 as ,hilgenfeld does1 confuses the whole picture1 and brings no compensating advantage4 ,the heathen among whom the ,jews of the ,dispersion dwelt in ,syria1 ,egypt1 ,rome1 and elsewhere1 were of course1 some of them rich1 and some of them poor4 ,but wealthy ,pagans were not more apt to persecute ,jews1 whether ,christians or not1 than the needy ,pagan populace4 ,if there was any difference between heathen rich and poor in this matter1 it was the fanatical and plunder-seeking mob1 rather than the contemptuous and easy-going rich1 who were likely to begin a persecution of the ,jews1 just as in ,russia or ,germany at the present time4 ,and ,st4 ,james would not be likely to talk of the ,lord of ,sabaoth 7v4 #d7 in addressing wealthy ,pagans4 ,but the social antagonism so often alluded to in the ,epistle1 when interpreted to mean an antagonism between ,jew and ,jew1 corresponds to a state of society which is known to have existed in ,palestine and the neighbouring countries during the half-century which preceded the ,jewish war of ,a4,d4 #ff-gj4 7,comp4 ,matt4 xi4 #e2 xix4 #bc1 #bd2 ,luke i4 #ec2 vi4 #bj1 #bd2 xvi4 #ai1 #bj47 ,during that period the wealthy ,jews allied themselves with the ,romans1 in order more securely to oppress their poorer fellow-countrymen4 ,and seeing that the ,gospel in the first instance spread chiefly among the poor1 this social antagonism between rich and poor ,jews frequently became an antagonism between unbelieving and believing ,jews4 ,st4 ,james1 well aware of this state of things1 from personal experience in ,juda1 and hearing similar things of the ,jews of the ,dispersion in ,syria1 reasonably supposes that this unnatural tyranny of ,jew over ,jew prevails elsewhere also1 and addresses all the twelve tribes which are of the ,diaspora on the subject4#be ,in any case his opportunities of knowing a very great deal respecting ,jews in various parts of the world were large4 ,jews from all regions were constantly visiting ,jerusalem4 ,but the knowledge which he must have had respecting the condition of things in ,palestine and ,syria would be quite sufficient to explain what is said in this ,epistle respecting the tyranny of the rich over the poor4 ,the ,diaspora1#bf or ,dispersion of the ,jews throughout the inhabited world1 had been brought about in various ways1 and had continued through many centuries4 ,the two chief causes were forcible deportation and voluntary emigration4 ,it was a common policy of ,oriental conquerors to transport whole populations1 in order more completely to subjugate them2 and hence the ,assyrian and ,babylonian conquerors of ,israel carried away great multitudes of ,jews to the ,east1 sending ,eastern populations to take their place4 ,pompey on a much smaller scale transported ,jewish captives to the ,west1 carrying hundreds of ,jews to ,rome4 ,but disturbances in ,palestine1 and opportunities of trade elsewhere1 induced large multitudes of ,jews to emigrate of their own accord1 especially to the neighbouring countries of ,egypt and ,syria2 and the great commercial centres in ,asia ,minor1 ,alexandria1 ,antioch1 ,ephesus1 ,miletus1 ,pergamus1 ,cyprus1 and ,rhodes contained large numbers of ,jews4 ,while ,palestine was the battle-field of foreign armies1 and while newly founded towns were trying to attract population by offering privileges to settlers1 thousands of ,jews preferred the advantages of a secure home in exile to the risks which attended residence in their native country4 ,at the time when this ,epistle was written three chief divisions of the ,dispersion were recognized--the ,babylonian1 which ranked as the first1 the ,syrian1 and the ,egyptian4 ,but the ,diaspora was by no means confined to these three centres4 ,about two hundred years before this time the composer of one of the so-called ,sibylline ,oracles could address the ,jewish nation1 and say1 ,but every land is full of thee1--aye and every ocean4#bg ,and there is abundance of evidence1 both in the ,bible and outside it1 especially in ,josephus and ,philo1 that such language does not go beyond the limits of justifiable hyperbole4 ,the list of peoples represented at ,jerusalem on the ,day of ,pentecost1 from every nation under heaven1 tells one a great deal 7,acts ii4 #e-aa4 ,comp4 xv4 #ba1 and #a ,macc4 xv4 #ae-bd74 ,many passages from ,josephus might be quoted 7,ant4 ,,xi4 v4 #b2 ,,xiv4 vii4 #b2 ,bell4 ,jud4 ,,ii4 xvi4 #d2 ,,vii4 iii4 #c71 as stating in general terms the same fact4 ,but perhaps no original authority gives us more information than ,philo1 in his famous treatise ,on the ,embassy to the ,emperor ,caius1 which went to ,rome 7c4 ,a4,d4 #dj7 to obtain the revocation of a decree requiring the ,jews to pay divine homage to the ,emperor's statue4 ,in that treatise we read that ,jerusalem is the metropolis1 not of the single country of ,juda1 but of most countries1 because of the colonies which she has sent out1 as opportunity offered1 into the neighbouring lands of ,egypt1 ,phnicia1 ,syria1 and ,clesyria1 and the more distant lands of ,pamphylia and ,cilicia1 most of ,asia1 as far as ,bithynia and the utmost corners of ,pontus2 likewise unto ,europe1 ,thessaly1 ,botia1 ,macedonia1 tolia1 ,attica1 ,argos1 ,corinth1 with the most parts and best parts of ,greece4 ,and not only are the continents full of ,jewish colonies1 but also the most notable of the islands--,euba1 ,cyprus1 ,crete--to say nothing of the lands beyond the ,euphrates4 ,for all1 excepting a small part of ,babylon and those satrapies which contain the excellent land around it1 contain ,jewish inhabitants4 ,so that if my country were to obtain a share in thy clemency it would not be one city that would be benefited1 but ten thousand others1 situated in every part of the inhabited world--,europe1 ,asia1 ,libya1 continental and insular1 maritime and inland 7,de ,legat4 ad ,caium xxxvi41 ,gelen41 pp4 #ajca-cb74 ,it was therefore an enormous circle of readers that ,st4 ,james addressed when he wrote to the twelve tribes which are of the ,dispersion1 although it seems to have been a long time before his letter became known to the most important of the divisions of the ,diaspora1 viz4 the ,jewish settlement in ,egypt1 which had its chief centre in ,alexandria4 ,we may reasonably suppose that it was the ,syrian division which he had chiefly in view in writing1 and it was to them1 no doubt1 that the letter in the first instance was sent4 ,it is of this division that ,josephus writes that1 widely dispersed as the ,jewish race is over the whole of the inhabited world1 it is most largely mingled with ,syria on account of its proximity1 and especially in ,antioch1 where the kings since ,antiochus had afforded them undisturbed tranquillity and equal privileges with the heathen2 so that they multiplied exceedingly1 and made many proselytes 7,bell4 ,jud4 ,,vii4 iii4 #c74 ,the enormous significance of the ,dispersion as a preparation for ,christianity must not be overlooked4 ,it showed to both ,jew and ,gentile alike that the barriers which had hedged in and isolated the hermit nation had broken down1 and that what had ceased to be thus isolated had changed its character4 ,a kingdom had become a religion4 ,what henceforth distinguished the ,jews in the eyes of all the world was not their country or their government1 but their creed1 and through this they exercised upon those among whom they were scattered an influence which had been impossible under the old conditions of exclusiveness4 ,they themselves also were forced to understand their own religion better4 ,when the keeping of the letter of the ,law became an impossibility1 they were compelled to penetrate into its spirit2 and what they exhibited to the heathen was not a mere code of burdensome rites and ceremonies1 but a moral life and a worship in spirit and truth4 ,the universality of the services of the synagogue taught the ,jew that ,god's worship was not confined to ,jerusalem1 and their simplicity attracted proselytes who might have turned away from the complex and bloody liturgies of the ,temple4 ,even in matters of detail the services in the synagogue prepared the way for the services of the ,christian ,church4 ,the regular lessons--read from two divisions of ,scripture1 the antiphonal singing1 the turning towards the east1 the general ,amen of the whole congregation1 the observance of the third1 sixth1 and ninth hours as hours of prayer1 and of one day in seven as specially holy--all these things1 together with some others which have since become obsolete1 meet us in the synagogue worship1 as ,st4 ,james knew it1 and in the liturgies of the ,christian ,church1 which he and the ,apostles and their successors helped to frame4 ,thus justice once more became mercy1 and a punishment was turned into a blessing4 ,the captivity of the ,jew became the freedom of both ,jew and ,gentile1 and the scattering of ,israel was the gathering in of all nations unto ,god4 ,he hath scattered abroad2 ,he hath given to the poor3 ,his righteousness abideth for ever 7,ps4 cxii4 #i2 #b ,cor4 ix4 #i74 #bd ,see ,the ,pastoral ,epistles in this series1 pp4 #bhe-f4 #be ,see ,salmon1 ,introduction to the ,n4,t41 p4 #ejb1 #dth ed4 7,murray1 #ahhi72 ,renan1 ,l',antechrist1 p4 xii42 ,ewald1 ,history of ,israel1 vol4 vii41 p4 #dea1 ,eng4 ,tr4 7,longmans1 #ahhe72 ,weiss1 ,introduction to the ,n4,t41 vol4 ii41 pp4 #ajb-c 7,hodder and ,stoughton1 #ahhh74 #bf ,see the immense amount of information collected in ,schrer1 ,the ,jewish ,people in the ,time of ,christ1 div4 ii41 vol4 ii41 pp4 #bai-cbg2 also ,westcott's article ,dispersion1 in ,smith's ,dict4 of ,bible2 ,herzog and ,plitt1 ,real-,encykl41 vol4 vii41 pp4 #bjc-h2 and esp4 ,philo1 ,legat4 ad ,caium4 #bg 4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,this ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,writings ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul ,,and ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter4 ,,the ,,date ,,of ,,the ,,epistle4 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,joy ,,in ,,temptation4 ,count it all joy1 my brethren1 when ye fall into manifold temptations1 knowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience4 ,and let patience have its perfect work1 that ye may be perfect and entire1 lacking in nothing4--,,james i4 #b-d4 ,this passage at once raises the question of the relation of this ,epistle to other writings in the ,new ,testament4 ,did the writer of it know any of the writings of ,st4 ,paul or of ,st4 ,peter8 ,it is contended in some quarters that the similarity of thought and expression in several passages is so great as to prove such knowledge1 and it is argued that such knowledge tells against the genuineness of the ,epistle4 ,in any case the question of the date of the ,epistle is involved in its relation to these other documents2 it was written after them1 if it can be established that the author of it was acquainted with them4 ,with ,dr4 ,salmon#bh we may dismiss the coincidences which have been pointed out by ,davidson and others between expressions in this ,epistle and the ,epistles to the ,thessalonians1 ,corinthians1 and ,philippians4 ,some critics seem to forget that a large number of words and phrases were part of the common language1 not merely of ,jews and early ,christians1 but of those who were in the habit of mixing much with such persons4 ,we can no more argue from such phrases as be not deceived 7#a ,cor4 vi4 #i2 xv4 #cc2 ,gal4 vi4 #g1 and ,james i4 #af71 but some one will say 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #ce1 and ,james ii4 #ah71 a transgressor of the law 7,rom4 ii4 #be1 #bg1 and ,james ii4 #aa71 fruit of righteousness 7,phil4 i4 #aa1 and ,james iii4 #ah71 or from such words as entire 7#a ,thess4 v4 #bc1 and ,james i4 #d71 transgressor used absolutely 7,gal4 ii4 #ah1 and ,james ii4 #i71 and the like1 that when they occur in two writings the author of one must have read the other1 than we can argue from such phrases as natural selection1 survival of the fittest1 and the like that the writer who uses them has read the works of ,darwin4 ,a certain amount of stereotyped phraseology is part of the intellectual atmosphere of each generation1 and the writers in each generation make common use of it4 ,in such cases even striking identity of expressions may prove nothing as to the dependence of one author upon another4 ,the obligation is not of one writer to another1 but of both to a common and indefinite source4 ,in other words1 both writers quite naturally make use of language which is current in the circles in which they live4#bi ,some of the coincidences between the ,epistle of ,james and the ,epistle to the ,romans are of a character to raise the question whether they can satisfactorily be explained by considerations of this kind1 and one of these more remarkable coincidences occurs in the passage before us4 ,st4 ,james writes1 ,knowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience4 ,st4 ,paul writes1 ,knowing that tribulation worketh patience2 and patience1 probation 7,rom4 v4 #c74 ,in this same chapter we have another instance4 ,st4 ,james says1 ,be ye doers of the word1 and not hearers only 7i4 #bb74 ,st4 ,paul says1 ,not the hearers of a law are just before ,god1 but the doers of a law shall be justified 7,rom4 #ac74 ,there is yet a third such parallel4 ,st4 ,james asks1 ,whence come fightings8 ,come they not hence1 even of your pleasures which war in your members8 7iv4 #a74 ,st4 ,paul laments1 ,i see a different law in my members1 warring against the law of my mind 7,rom4 vii4 #bc74cj ,the effect of this evidence will be different upon different minds4 ,but it may reasonably be doubted whether these passages1 even when summed up together1 are stronger than many other strange coincidences in literature1 which are known to be accidental4 ,the second instance1 taken by itself1 is of little weight2 for the contrast between hearers and doers is one of the most hackneyed commonplaces of rhetoric4 ,but assuming that a prim facie case has been established1 and that one of the two writers has seen the ,epistle of the other1 no difficulty is created1 whichever we assume to have written first4 ,the ,epistle to the ,romans was written in ,a4,d4 #eh1 and might easily have become known to ,st4 ,james before ,a4,d4 #fb4 ,on the other hand1 the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james may be placed anywhere between ,a4,d4 #de and #fb1 and in that case might easily have become known to ,st4 ,paul before ,a4,d4 #eh4 ,and of the two alternatives1 this latter is perhaps the more probable4 ,we shall find other reasons for placing the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james earlier than ,a4,d4 #eh2 and we may reasonably suppose that had he read the ,epistle to the ,romans1 he would have expressed his meaning respecting justification somewhat differently4 ,had he wished 7as some erroneously suppose7 to oppose and correct the teaching of ,st4 ,paul1 he would have done so much more unmistakably4 ,and as he is really quite in harmony with ,st4 ,paul on the question1 he would1 if he had read him1 have avoided words which look like a contradiction of ,st4 ,paul's words4 ,it remains to examine the relations between our ,epistle and the ,first ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter4 ,here1 again1 one of the coincidences occurs in the passage before us4 ,st4 ,james writes1 ,count it all joy1 when ye enter into manifold temptations2 knowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience2 and ,st4 ,peter writes1 ,ye greatly rejoice1 though now for a little while1 if need be1 ye have been put to grief in manifold temptations1 that the proof of your faith 444 might be found 7#a ,peter i4 #f1 #g74 ,here there is the thought of rejoicing in trials common to both passages1 and the expressions for manifold temptations and proof of your patience are identical in the two places4 ,this is remarkable1 especially when taken with other coincidences4 ,on the other hand1 the fact that some of the language is common to all three ,epistles 7,james1 ,peter1 and ,romans7 suggests the possibility that we have here one of the faithful sayings of primitive ,christianity1 rather than one or two writers remembering the writings of a predecessor4 ,in three places ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,peter both quote the same passages from the ,old ,testament4 ,in i4 #aj1 #aa ,st4 ,james has1 ,as the flower of the grass he shall pass away4 ,for the sun ariseth with the scorching wind1 and withereth the grass2 and the flower thereof falleth1 where the words in italics are from ,isaiah xl4 #f-h4 ,st4 ,peter 7i4 #bd7 quotes the words of ,isaiah much more completely and consecutively1 and in their original sense2 he does not merely make a free use of portions of them4 ,again1 in iv4 #f ,st4 ,james quotes from ,prov4 iii4 #cd1 ,god resisteth the proud1 but giveth grace to the humble4 ,in v4 #e ,st4 ,peter quotes exactly the same words4 ,lastly1 in v4 #bj ,st4 ,james quotes from ,prov4 x4 #ab the expression covereth sins4 ,in iv4 #h ,st4 ,peter quotes a word more of the original1 love covereth sins4 ,and it will be observed that both ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,peter change covereth all sins into covereth a multitude of sins4 ,once more we must be content to give a verdict of ,not proven4 ,there is a certain amount of probability1 but nothing that amounts to proof1 that one of these writers had seen the other's ,epistle4 ,let us1 however1 assume that echoes of one ,epistle are found in the other2 then1 whichever letter we put first1 we have no chronological difficulty4 ,the probable dates of death are1 for ,st4 ,james ,a4,d4 #fb1 for ,st4 ,peter ,a4,d4 #fd-fh4 ,either ,epistle may be placed in the six or seven years immediately preceding ,a4,d4 #fb1 and one of the most recent critics#ca places #a ,peter in the middle of the year ,a4,d4 #ej1 and the ,epistle of ,james any time after that date4 ,but there are good reasons for believing that #a ,peter contains references to the persecution under ,nero1 that fiery trial 7iv4 #ab7 in which the mere being a ,christian would lead to penal consequences 7iv4 #af71 and in which1 for conscience' sake1 men would have to endure griefs1 suffering wrongfully 7ii4 #ai71 thereby being partakers of ,christ's sufferings 7iv4 #ac74 ,in which case #a ,peter cannot be placed earlier than ,a4,d4 #fd1 and the ,epistle of ,james must be the earlier of the two4 ,and it seems to be chiefly those who would make our ,epistle a forgery of the second century 7,brckner1 ,holtzmann7 who consider that it is ,james that echoes #a ,peter1 rather than #a ,peter that reproduces ,james4 ,there is a powerful consensus of opinion#cb that if there is any influence of one writer upon the other1 it is ,st4 ,james who influences ,st4 ,peter1 and not the other way4 ,we must not place the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james in or close after ,a4,d4 #ej4 ,the crisis respecting the treatment of ,gentile converts was then at its height 7,acts xv472 and it would be extraordinary if a letter written in the midst of the crisis1 and by the person who took the leading part in dealing with it1 should contain no allusion to it4 ,the ,epistle must be placed either before 7,a4,d4 #de-di7 or some time after 7,a4,d4 #ec-fb7 the so-called ,council of ,jerusalem4 ,there is reason for believing that the controversy about compelling ,gentiles to observe the ,mosaic ,law1 although sharp and critical1 was not very lasting4 ,the modus vivendi decreed by the ,apostles was on the whole loyally accepted1 and therefore a letter written a few years after it was promulgated would not of necessity take any notice of it4 ,indeed1 to have revived the question again might have been impolitic1 as implying either that there was still some doubt on the point1 or that the ,apostolic decision had proved futile4 ,in deciding between the two periods 7,a4,d4 #de-di and #ec-fb7 for the date of the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james1 we have not much to guide us if we adopt the view that it is independent of the writings of ,st4 ,peter and of ,st4 ,paul4 ,there is plenty in the letter to lead us to suppose that it was written before the war 7,a4,d4 #ff-gj7 which put an end to the tyranny of the wealthy ,sadducees over their poorer brethren1 before controversies between ,jewish and ,gentile ,christians such as we find at ,corinth had arisen or become chronic1 and before doctrinal controversies had sprung up in the ,church2 also that it was written at a time when the coming of ,christ to judgment was still regarded as near at hand 7v4 #h71 and by some one who could recollect the words of ,christ independently of the ,gospels1 and who therefore must have stood in close relationship to ,him4 ,all this points to its having been written within the lifetime of ,james the ,lord's brother1 and by such a person as he was2 but it does not seem to be decisive as to the difference between c4 ,a4,d4 #di and c4 ,a4,d4 #ei4 ,we must be content to leave this undecided4 ,but it is worth while pointing out that if we place it earlier than ,a4,d4 #eb we make it the earliest book in the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,first ,epistle to the ,thessalonians was written late in ,a4,d4 #eb or early in #ec2 and excepting our ,epistle1 and perhaps #a ,peter1 there is no other writing in the ,new ,testament that can reasonably be placed at so early a date as #eb4 99 99 99 99 99 ,count it all joy1 my brethren1 when ye fall into manifold temptations4 ,my brethren1 with or without the epithet beloved1 is the regular form of address throughout the ,epistle 7#af1 #ai2 ii4 #a1 #e1 #ad2 iii4 #a1 #aj1 #ab2 v4 #ab71 in one or two places the my being omitted 7iv4 #aa2 v4 #g1 #i1 #ai74 ,the frequency of this brotherly address seems to indicate how strongly the writer feels1 and wishes his readers to feel1 the ties of race and of faith which bind them together4 ,in ,count it all joy1 i4e4 ,consider it as nothing but matter for rejoicing1#cc we miss a linguistic touch which is evident in the ,greek1 but cannot well be preserved in ,english4 ,in saying joy 77 ,st4 ,james is apparently carrying on the idea just started in the address1 greeting 771 i4e4 wishing joy4 ,i wish you joy2 and you must account as pure joy all the troubles into which you may fall4 ,this carrying on a word or thought from one sentence into the next is characteristic of ,st4 ,james1 and reminds us somewhat of the style of ,st4 ,john4 ,thus ,the proof of your faith worketh patience4 ,and let patience have its perfect work 7i4 #c1 #d74 ,lacking in nothing4 ,but if any of you lacketh wisdom 7#d1 #e74 ,nothing doubting3 for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea 7#f74 ,the lust1 when it hath conceived1 beareth sin2 and the sin1 when it is full grown1 bringeth forth death 7#ae74 ,slow to wrath3 for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of ,god 7#ai1 #bj74 ,this man's religion is vain4 ,pure religion and undefiled before our ,god and ,father is this 7#bf1 #bg74 ,in many things we all stumble4 ,if any man stumbleth not in word 7iii4 #b74 ,behold1 how much wood is kindled by how small a fire6 ,and the tongue is a fire 7iii4 #e1 #f74 ,ye have not1 because ye ask not4 ,ye ask1 and receive not 7iv4 #b1 #c74 ,your gold and your silver are rusted2 and their rust shall be for a testimony against you 7v4 #c74 ,we call them blessed which endured3 ye have heard of the endurance of ,job 7v4 #aa74 ,it is just possible that all joy 7 7 is meant exactly to balance manifold temptations 7 74 ,great diversity of troubles is to be considered as in reality every kind of joy4 ,nevertheless1 the troubles are not to be of our own making or seeking4 ,it is not when we inflict suffering on ourselves1 but when we fall into it1 and therefore may regard it as placed in our way by ,god1 that we are to look upon it as a source of joy rather than of sorrow4 ,the word for fall into 77 implies not only that what one falls into is unwelcome1 but also that it is unsought and unexpected4 ,moreover1 it implies that this unforeseen misfortune is large enough to encircle or overwhelm one4 ,it indicates a serious calamity4 ,the word for temptations in this passage is the same as is used in the sixth petition of the ,lord's ,prayer2 but the word is not used in the same sense in both places4 ,in the ,lord's ,prayer all kinds of temptation are included1 and especially the internal solicitations of the devil1 as is shown by the next petition3 ,lead us not into temptation1 but deliver us from the tempter4 ,in the passage before us internal temptations1 if not actually excluded1 are certainly quite in the background4 ,what ,st4 ,james has principally in his mind are external trials1 such as poverty of intellect 7ver4 #e71 or of substance 7ver4 #i71 or persecution 7ii4 #f1 #g71 and the like2 those worldly troubles which test our faith1 loyalty1 and obedience1 and tempt us to abandon our trust in ,god1 and to cease to strive to please ,him4 ,the trials by which ,satan was allowed to tempt ,job are the kind of temptations to be understood here4#cd ,they are material for spiritual joy1 because 7#a7 they are opportunities for practising virtue1 which cannot be learned without practice1 nor practised without opportunities2 7#b7 they teach us that we have here no abiding city1 for a world in which such things are possible cannot be a lasting home2 7#c7 they make us more ,christlike2 7#d7 we have the assurance of ,divine support1 and that no more will ever be laid upon us than we1 relying upon that support1 can bear2 7#e7 we have the assurance of abundant compensation here and hereafter4 ,st4 ,james here is only echoing the teaching of his ,brother3 ,blessed are ye when men shall reproach you1 and persecute you1 and say all manner of evil against you falsely1 for ,my sake4 ,rejoice1 and be exceeding glad2 for great is your reward in heaven 7,matt4 v4 #aa1 #ab74 ,in the first days after ,pentecost he had seen the ,apostles acting in the very spirit which he here enjoins1 and he had himself very probably taken part in doing so1 rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the ,name 7,acts v4 #da4 ,comp4 iv4 #bc-cj74 ,and as we have already seen in comparing the parallel passages1 ,st4 ,peter 7#a ,peter #a1 #f7 and ,st4 ,paul 7,rom4 v4 #c7 teach the same doctrine of rejoicing in tribulation4 ,as ,st4 ,augustine long ago pointed out1 in his letter to ,anastasius 7,ep4 cxlv4 #g1 #h71 and ,hooker also 7,eccl4 ,pol4 ,v4 xlviii4 #ac71 there is no inconsistency in teaching such doctrine1 and yet praying1 ,lead us not into temptation4 ,not only is there no sin in shrinking from both external trials and internal temptations1 or in desiring to be freed from such things2 but such is the weakness of the human will1 that it is only reasonable humility to pray to ,god not to allow us to be subjected to severe trials4 ,nevertheless1 when ,god1 in ,his wisdom1 has permitted such things to come upon us1 the right course is1 not to be cast down and sorrowful1 as though something quite intolerable had overtaken us1 but to rejoice that ,god has thought us capable of enduring something for ,his sake1 and has given us the opportunity of strengthening our patience and our trust in ,him4 ,this doctrine of joy in suffering1 which at first sight seems to be almost superhuman1 is shown by experience to be less hard than the apparently more human doctrine of resignation and fortitude4 ,the effort to be resigned1 and to suffer without complaining1 is not a very inspiriting effort4 ,its tendency is towards depression4 ,it does not lift us out of ourselves or above our tribulations4 ,on the contrary1 it leads rather to self-contemplation and a brooding over miseries4 ,between mere resignation and thankful joy there is all the difference that there is between mere obedience and affectionate trust4 ,the one is submission2 the other is love4 ,it is in the long run easier to rejoice in tribulation1 and be thankful for it1 than to be merely resigned and submit patiently4 ,and therefore this hard saying is really a merciful one1 for it teaches us to endure trials in the spirit that will make us feel them least4 ,it is not only a good thing to sing praises unto our ,god2 it is also a joyful and pleasant thing to be thankful 7,ps4 cxlvii4 #a74 ,and here it may be noticed that ,st4 ,james is no ,cynic or ,stoic4 ,he does not tell us that we are to anticipate misfortune1 and cut ourselves off from all those things the loss of which might involve suffering2 or that we are to trample on our feelings1 and act as if we had none1 treating sufferings as if they were non-existent1 or as if they in no way affected us4 ,he does not teach us that as ,christians we live in an atmosphere in which excruciating pain1 whether of body or mind1 is a matter of pure indifference1 and that such emotions as fear or grief under the influence of adversity1 and hope or joy under the influence of prosperity1 are utterly unworthy and contemptible4 ,there is not a hint of anything of the kind4 ,he points out to us that temptations1 and especially external trials1 are really blessings1 if we use them aright2 and he teaches us to meet them in that conviction4 ,and it is manifest that the spirit in which to welcome a blessing is the spirit of joy and thankfulness4 ,st4 ,james does not bid us accept this doctrine of joy in tribulation upon his personal authority4 ,it is no philosopher's ipse dixit4 ,he appeals to his readers' own experience3 ,knowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience4 ,knowing 771 i4e4 in that ye are continually finding out and getting to know4 ,the verb and the tense indicate progressive and continuous knowledge1 as by the experience of daily life2 and this teaches us that proving and testing not only brings to light1 but brings into existence1 patience4 ,this patience 771 this abiding firm under attack or pressure1 must be allowed full scope to regulate all our conduct2 and then we shall see why trials are a matter for joy rather than sorrow1 when we find ourselves moving onwards towards1 not the barrenness of ,stoical self-sufficiency 771 but the fulness of ,divine perfection4 ,that ye may be perfect and entire1#ce lacking in nothing1 is perhaps one of the many reminiscences of ,christ's words which we shall find in this letter of the ,lord's brother4 ,ye therefore shall be perfect1 as your heavenly ,father is perfect 7,matt4 v4 #dh74 #bh ,introduction to the ,n4,t41 pp4 #eji-aj1 #dth ,ed4 #bi ,it is quite possible that both ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,james derive the phrase a transgressor of the law from the remarkable addition to the canonical ,gospels which is found in ,codex ,d 7,beza7 after ,luke vi4 #d3 ,the same day ,he beheld a certain man working on the ,sabbath1 and said to him1 ,man1 if thou knowest what thou art doing1 blessed art thou2 but if thou knowest not thou art accursed and a transgressor of the law4 ,note that in ,rom4 ii41 where the phrase occurs twice 7vv4 #be1 #bg71 the address ,o man also occurs twice4 ,comp4 ,gal4 ii4 #ah1 and see ,a4 ,resch1 ,agrapha2 ,aussercanonische ,evangelienfragmente 7,leipzig1 #ahhi71 pp4 #cf1 #ahi-ib4 #cj ,in order to do justice to these coincidences one must look at them in the original ,greek2 but to those who cannot read ,greek the accuracy of the ,revised ,version gives a very fair idea of the amount of similarity4 #a4 7,james i4 #c73 1 7,rom4 v4 #c74 #b4 7,james i4 #bb73 1 ' 7,rom4 ii4 #ac74 #c4 7,james iv4 #a73 7,rom vii4 #bc74 #ca ,b4 ,weiss1 ,introduction to the ,n4,t41 vol4 ii41 pp4 #ajf1 #aej 7,hodder and ,stoughton1 #ahhh74 #cb ,beyschlag's revision of ,meyer's ,brie des ,jacobus 7,gttingen1 #ahhh71 p4 #bb4 #cc ,this rendering has been questioned2 but it is justified by such expressions as 1 ,i will tell nothing but what is true 7,hom4 ,od4 xi4 #ejg74 ,see ,pastoral ,epistles in this series1 p4 #cib4 #cd ,see ,f4 ,d4 ,maurice1 ,unity of the ,n4,t4 7,parker1 #ahed71 p4 #cah4 #ce ,on the strength of the word for entire 771 which occurs nowhere else in the ,new ,testament1 excepting #a ,thess4 v4 #bc1 it has been asserted that the writer of this ,epistle must have seen that passage4 ,the adjective is used in the ,septuagint of whole1 unhewn stones1 saxis informibus et impolitis 7,deut4 xxvii4 #f71 and in ,josephus of entire animals used for sacrifice 7,ant4 ,,iii4 ix4 #b74 ,it is fairly common in ,plato and ,aristotle4 ,the substantive occurs in ,acts iii4 #af1 of the perfect soundness given to the impotent man1 and in the ,septuagint 7,isa4 i4 #f71 of the soundness which was wholly wanting in ,israel4 ,if ,st4 ,james did not get his knowledge of the word simply from his knowledge of the ,greek language1 which is manifestly very complete1 he probably derived it from the ,septuagint4 ,it is absurd to base an argument as to acquaintance with #a ,thessalonians on so common a word4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,this ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,books ,,of ,,ecclesiasticus ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,wisdom ,,of ,,solomon4 ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,the ,,apocrypha1 ,,and ,,the ,,mischief ,,of ,,neglecting ,,it4 ,but if any of you lacketh wisdom1 let him ask of ,god1 who giveth to all liberally1 and upbraideth not2 and it shall be given him4 ,but let him ask in faith1 nothing doubting3 for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed4 ,for let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the ,lord2 a double-minded man1 unstable in all his ways4--,,st4 ,,james i4 #e-h4 ,the previous section led us to the question as to the relation of this ,epistle to certain ,christian writings1 and in particular to the ,epistle of ,st4 ,paul to the ,romans1 and to the ,first ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter4 ,the present section1 combined with the preceding one1 raises a similar question--the relation of our ,epistle to certain ,jewish writings1 and especially the ,books of ,ecclesiasticus and the ,wisdom of ,solomon4 ,the two sets of questions are not parallel4 ,in the former case1 even if we could determine that the writer of one ,epistle had certainly seen the ,epistle of the other1 we should still be uncertain as to which had written first4 ,here1 if the similarity is found to be too great to be accounted for by common influences acting upon both writers1 and we are compelled to suppose that one has made use of the writing of the other1 there cannot be any doubt as to the side on which the obligation lies4 ,the ,book of ,ecclesiasticus certainly1 and the ,book of ,wisdom possibly1 had come into circulation long before ,st4 ,james was born4 ,and if1 with some of the latest writers#cf on the subject1 we place the ,book of ,wisdom as late as ,a4,d4 #dj1 it nevertheless was written in plenty of time for ,st4 ,james to have become acquainted with it before he wrote his ,epistle4 ,although some doubts have been expressed on the subject1 the number of similarities1 both of thought and expression1 between the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james and ,ecclesiasticus is too great to be reasonably accounted for without the supposition that ,st4 ,james was not only acquainted with the book1 but fond of its contents4 ,and it is to be remembered1 in forming an opinion on the subject1 that there is nothing intrinsically improbable in the supposition that ,st4 ,james had read ,ecclesiasticus4 ,indeed1 the improbability would rather be the other way4 ,even if there were no coincidences of ideas and language between our ,epistle and ,ecclesiasticus1 we know enough about ,st4 ,james and about the circulation of ,ecclesiasticus to say that he was likely to become acquainted with it4 ,as ,dr4 ,salmon remarks on the use of the ,apocrypha generally1 ,the books we know as ,apocrypha are nearly all earlier than the ,new ,testament writers1 who could not well have been ignorant of them2 and therefore coincidences between the former and the latter are not likely to have been the result of mere accident4#cg ,but it will be worth while to quote a decided expression of opinion1 on each side of the question immediately before us1 from the writings of scholars who are certainly well qualified to give a decided opinion4 ,on the one hand1 ,bernhard ,weiss says1 ,it has been incorrectly held by most that the author adheres very closely to ,jesus ,sirach4444 ,but it must be distinctly denied that there is anywhere an echo of the ,book of ,wisdom4#ch ,on the other hand1 ,dr4 ,edersheim1 after pointing out the parallel between ,ecclus4 xii4 #aj1 #aa1 and ,james v4 #c1 concludes1 ,in view of all this it cannot be doubted that both the simile and the expression of it in the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james were derived from ,ecclesiasticus4 ,and then he gives some more coincidences between the two writings1 and sums up thus3 ,but if the result is to prove beyond doubt the familiarity of ,st4 ,james with a book which at the time was evidently in wide circulation1 it exhibits with even greater clearness the immense spiritual difference between the standpoint occupied in ,ecclesiasticus and that in the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james4#ci ,and ,archdeacon ,farrar quotes with approval an estimate that ,st4 ,james alludes more or less directly to the ,book of the ,wisdom of ,solomon at least five times1 but to the ,book of ,ecclesiasticus more than fifteen times4444 ,the fact is the more striking because in other respects ,st4 ,james shows no sympathy with ,alexandrian speculations4 ,there is not in him the faintest tinge of ,philonian philosophy2 on the contrary1 he belongs in a marked degree to the school of ,jerusalem4 ,he is a thorough ,hebraiser1 a typical ,judaist4 ,all his thoughts and phrases move normally in the ,palestinian sphere4 ,this is a curious and almost unnoticed phenomenon4 ,the sapiential literature of the ,old ,testament was the least specifically ,israelite4 ,it was the direct precursor of ,alexandrian morals4 ,it deals with mankind1 and not with the ,jew4 ,yet ,st4 ,james1 who shows so much partiality for this literature1 is of all the writers of the ,new ,testament the least ,alexandrian1 and the most ,judaic4#dj ,let us endeavour to form an opinion for ourselves2 and the only way in which to do this with thoroughness is to place side by side1 in the original ,greek1 the passages in which there seems to be coincidence between the two writers4 ,want of space prevents this from being done here4 ,but some of the most striking coincidences shall be placed in parallel columns1 and where the coincidence is inadequately represented by the ,english ,version the ,greek shall be given also4 ,other coincidences1 which are not drawn out in full1 will be added1 to enable students who care to examine the evidence more in detail to do so without much trouble4 ,two ,bibles1 or1 still better1 a ,septuagint and a ,greek ,testament1 will serve the purpose of parallel columns4 ,it will be found that by far the greater number of coincidences occur in the first chapter1 a fact which suggests the conjecture that ,st4 ,james had been reading ,ecclesiasticus shortly before he began to write4 ,in the middle of the ,epistle there is very little that strongly recalls the son of ,sirach4 ,in the last chapter there are one or two striking parallels2 but by far the larger proportion is in the first chapter4 ,,ecclesiasticus4 ,,st4 ,,james4 #a4 ,a patient man will bear for a ,count it all joy1 my brethren1 time1 and afterward joy shall when ye fall into manifold spring up unto him 7i4 #bc74 temptations 771 knowing that the proof 7 7 ,my son1 if thou come to serve the of your faith worketh patience4 ,lord1 prepare thy soul for ,and let patience have her perfect temptation 774 ,set thy work1 that ye may be perfect heart aright1 and constantly and entire1 lacking in nothing endure4444 ,whatsoever is brought 7i4 #b-d74 upon thee take cheerfully1 and be patient when thou art changed to a ,blessed is the man that endureth low estate4 ,for gold is tried temptation 772 77 in the fire1 and for when he hath been approved acceptable men in the furnace of 7 71 he shall adversity 7ii4 #a-e74 receive the crown of life 7i4 #ab74 #b4 ,if thou desire wisdom ,but if any of you lacketh 771 keep the commandments1 wisdom 771 let him ask and the ,lord shall give her unto of ,god1 who giveth to all men thee 7i4 #bf74 liberally1 and upbraideth not 7 72 and it shall ,i desired wisdom 77 openly be given him 7i4 #e74 in my prayer4444 ,the ,lord hath given me a tongue for my reward 7li4 #ac1 #bb74 ,thy desire for wisdom 77 shall be given thee 7vi4 #cg4 ,comp4 xliii4 #cc74 ,a fool will give little1 and will upbraid 77 much 7xx4 #ae74 ,after thou hast given1 upbraid 77 not 7xli4 #bb4 ,comp4 xviii4 #ah74 #c4 ,distrust not the fear of the ,but let him ask in faith1 ,lord2 and come not unto ,him with a nothing doubting3 for he that double heart 7i4 #bh74 doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and ,woe be to fearful hearts1 and faint tossed4 ,for let not that man hands1 and the sinner that goeth think that he shall receive two ways 7ii4 #ab74 anything of the ,lord2 a double-minded man1 unstable in all ,be not faint-hearted when thou his ways 7i4 #f-h4 ,comp4 iv4 #h74 makest thy prayer 7vii4 #aj4 ,comp4 xxxiii4 #b2 xxxv4 #af1 #ag74 #d4 ,exalt not thyself1 lest thou ,but let the brother of low fall1 and bring dishonour upon thy degree glory in his high estate2 soul 7i4 #cj74 and the rich in that he is made low 7i4 #i1 #aj74 ,the greater thou art1 the more humble thyself1 and thou shalt find favour before the ,lord 7iii4 #ah4 ,comp4 xxxi4 #a-i74 #e4 ,say not thou1 ,it is through the ,let no man say1 when he is ,lord that ,i fell away3 for thou tempted1 ,i am tempted of ,god3 oughtest not to do the things that for ,god cannot be tempted ,he hateth4 ,say not thou1 ,he hath with evil1 and ,he ,himself caused me to err3 for ,he hath no tempteth no man 7i4 #ac74 need of the sinful man 7xv4 #aa1 #ab74 #f4 ,be swift in thy listening ,let every man be swift to hear 7 72 and 7 71 slow with patience give answer 7v4 #aa74 to speak1 slow to wrath 7i4 #ai74 #g4 ,thou shalt be to him as one that ,he is like unto a man beholding hath wiped a mirror 771 his natural face in a mirror 7 and shalt know that it is not 74444 ,your gold and your rusted 77 for ever silver are rusted 772 7xii4 #aa74 and their rust 77 shall be a testimony against you ,like as bronze rusteth 771 7i4 #bc2 v4 #c74 so is his wickedness 7xii4 #aj74 ,lose money through a brother and a friend1 and let it not rust 77 under the stone unto loss 7xxix4 #aj74 #h4 ,he that looketh in ,he that looketh into 7 7 through her 7 7 the perfect windows1 i4e4 the windows of law 7i4 #be74 wisdom 7xiv4 #bc74 ,a fool peepeth in 77 at the door 7xxi4 #bc74 #i4 ,a prey of lions are wild asses ,but ye have dishonoured the poor in the wilderness2 so the fodder of man 7 74 ,do not the the rich are the poor 7 rich 7 7 oppress you1 3 xiii4 #ai4 ,comp4 and themselves drag you before the xiii4 #c1 #ag1 #ah74 judgment-seats8 7ii4 #f74 ,it will be observed that of these nine examples all come out of the first two chapters of ,st4 ,james1 and six are from the first two chapters of ,ecclesiasticus4 ,this fact is worth considering in estimating the probabilities of ,st4 ,james being under the influence of this earlier and popular book4 ,owing to recent reading1 or some other cause1 he seems to have been specially familiar with the opening chapters of ,ecclesiasticus4 ,probably most persons who study these coincidences will be of the opinion that ,bernhard ,weiss is needlessly cautious and sceptical when he refuses to assent to the common opinion that in some portions of the ,epistle ,st4 ,james closely follows the ,wisdom of ,jesus1 the son of ,sirach4 ,the strongest coincidence is the seventh in the table4 ,the word for to rust 77 occurs nowhere else either in the ,septuagint or in the ,new ,testament1 and the passages in ,ecclesiasticus and ,st4 ,james are the only ,biblical passages in which the figure of rust as affecting unused silver and gold occurs 7,edersheim74 ,the fifth instance is also very striking4 ,let us now look at some of the coincidences between the ,book of the ,wisdom of ,solomon and the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james4 ,,wisdom4 ,,st4 ,,james4 #a4 ,the hope of the ungodly is like ,he that doubteth is like the surge thistle-down carried away by the of the sea driven by the wind and wind2 like a thin froth that is tossed4444 ,as the flower of the driven away by the blast1 and like grass he shall pass away4444 ,so smoke is dispersed by the wind also shall the rich man fade away 7v4 #ad4 ,comp4 in 77 in his ways ii4 #h74 7i4 #f1 #aj1 #aa74 #b4 ,in eternity it weareth a crown ,when he hath been approved he shall and triumpheth 7iv4 #b74 receive the crown of life1 which the ,lord promised to them that love ,him 7i4 #ab74 #c4 ,the alterations of the solstices ,with whom can be no variation1 and the change of seasons 7 neither shadow of turning 7' 3 vii4 #ah74 3 i4 #ag74 #d4 ,let us oppress ,ye have dishonoured the poor man4 77 the poor ,do not the rich oppress righteous man4444 ,let us examine 77 you1 and him with despitefulness and torture themselves drag you before the 7ii4 #aj1 #ai74 judgment-seats8 7ii4 #f74 #e4 ,for the lowest is pardonable by ,for judgment is without mercy to mercy2 but mighty men shall be him that hath showed no mercy3 mightily chastised 7vi4 #f74 mercy glorieth against judgment 7ii4 #ac74 #f4 ,what hath pride profited us8 or ,go to now1 ye that say1 ,to-day or what good hath riches with our to-morrow we will go into this vaunting 77 brought us8 city1 and spend a year there1 and ,all those things are passed away trade and get gain3 whereas ye know like a shadow1 and as a post that not what shall be on the morrow4 hasted by1 etc4 etc42 even so we1 ,what is your life8 ,for ye are a as soon as we were born1 came to an vapour1 that appeareth for a little end 7v4 #h-ad74 time1 and then vanisheth away4444 ,but now ye glory in your vauntings 773 all such glorying is evil 7iv4 #ac-af74 #g4 ,let us lie in wait for the ,ye have condemned 771 righteous 7 74444 ,let ye have killed the righteous one us condemn him 77 7 72 he doth not resist with a shameful death 7ii4 #ab1 #bj74 you 7v4 #f74 ,it will at once be perceived that these parallels are neither so numerous nor so convincing as those which have been pointed out between ,ecclesiasticus and the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james2 but they are sufficient to make a prim facie case of considerable probability1 whatever date we assign to the ,book of ,wisdom4 ,this probability is strengthened by the fact that this book1 with the rest of the ,apocrypha or deutero-canonical writings1 constituted to a large extent the religious literature of the ,jews of the ,dispersion2 and therefore in writing to such ,jews ,st4 ,james would be likely to make conscious allusions to writings with which his hearers would be sure to be familiar2 a consideration which strengthens the case as regards the coincidences with ,ecclesiasticus1 as well as regards those with the ,wisdom of ,solomon4 ,even if the probability as to the ,alexandrian origin of ,wisdom were a certainty1 and if the conjectural date ,a4,d4 #dj were established1 there would be nothing surprising in its becoming well known in ,jerusalem within twenty years of its production4 ,it is1 therefore1 far too strong an assertion when ,weiss declares that it must be distinctly denied that there is anywhere in the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james an echo of the ,book of ,wisdom4 ,all that one can safely say is that the evidence for his acquaintance with the book does not approach to proof4 ,but the use of these two books of the ,apocrypha by writers in the ,new ,testament does not depend upon the question whether ,st4 ,james makes use of them or not4 ,if this were the place to do it1 it might be shown that other coincidences1 both of language and thought1 far too numerous and too strong to be all of them accidental1 occur in the writings of ,st4 ,peter1 ,st4 ,paul1 and ,st4 ,john4#da ,such things also occur outside the ,new ,testament in the ,epistles of ,clement and of ,barnabas2 while ,clement of ,alexandria frequently quotes ,ecclesiasticus with the introductory formula1 ,the ,scripture saith4 ,these facts go a long way towards proving that the neglect of the ,apocrypha which is so prevalent among ourselves is a thing which cannot be defended1 either by an appeal to ,scripture or by the practice of the primitive ,church2 for both the one and the other show a great respect for these deutero-canonical writings4 ,that the ,new ,lectionary omits a good deal of what used to be read publicly in church is not a thing to be lamented4 ,we gladly sacrifice portions of the ,apocrypha in order to obtain more of ,ezekiel and ,revelation4 ,it is the neglect of them in private reading that is so much to be deplored4 ,passages which are too grotesque and too unspiritual to be edifying when read to a mixed congregation are nevertheless full of instruction1 and throw most valuable light both on the ,old and on the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,apocryphal writings1 instead of being a worthless interpolation between the ,old ,testament and the ,new1 like a block of paltry buildings disfiguring two noble edifices1 are among our best means of understanding how the ,old ,testament led up to the ,new1 and prepared the way for it4 ,they show us the ,jewish mind under the combined influences of ,jewish ,scriptures1 ,gentile culture1 and new phases of political life1 and being gradually brought into the condition in which it either fiercely opposed or ardently accepted the teaching of ,christ and ,his ,apostles4 ,a huge chasm yawns between ,judaism as we leave it at the close of the ,old ,testament canon1 and as we find it at the beginning of the ,gospel history2 and we have no better material with which to bridge the chasm than the writings of the ,apocrypha4 ,this is well brought out1 not only in the commentary on the ,apocrypha already quoted more than once1 but also in a valuable review of the commentary from which some of what follows is taken4#db ,the neglect of the ,apocrypha has not been by any means entirely accidental4 ,it is partly the result of a deliberate protest against the action of the ,council of ,trent in placing these books on a level with the books of the ,old and ,new ,testament4 ,in the seventeenth century we find the learned ,john ,lightfoot writing1 ,thus sweetly and nearly should the two ,testaments join together1 and thus ,divinely should they kiss each other1 but that the wretched ,apocrypha doth thrust in between4 ,and the fact that many people are now unable to recognize or appreciate an allusion to the ,apocrypha is by no means the most serious result of this common neglect of its contents4 ,appreciation of the ,bible in general1 and especially of those books in which the ,old and ,new ,testaments come most in contact1 is materially diminished in consequence4 ,the ,apocrypha is not a barrier1 but a bridge2 it does not separate1 but unite the two ,covenants4 ,what thoughtful reader can pass from the ,old to the ,new ,testament without feeling that he has entered another world8 ,he is still in ,palestine1 still among the ,jews2 but how different from the ,palestine and the ,judaism of ,ezra1 and ,nehemiah1 and ,malachi6 ,he finds mention of persons1 and sects1 and schools of which he can find no trace in the ,old ,testament4 ,he comes upon beliefs and opinions for which the earlier canon does not even furnish a clue4 ,he discovers institutions long settled1 and dominating the religious life of the people1 of which the ,old ,testament supplies not even the name4 ,he finds popular ideas1 religious terms and phrases in current use wholly unlike those of ancient psalmists and prophets4 ,and there is no literature that can explain all these changes to him either so surely or so fully as the ,apocrypha4 ,it supplies instances of the early use of ,new ,testament words1 of old words in new senses4 ,it throws light upon the growth of the popular conception of the ,messiah4 ,it illuminates still more the development of the doctrine of the ,logos4 ,above all1 it helps us to see something of the evolution of that strange religious system which became the raw material out of which the special doctrines of ,pharisees1 ,sadducees1 and ,essenes were formed1 and which had a powerful influence upon ,christianity itself4 ,the neglect of the ,apocrypha has been greatly increased by the widespread practice of publishing ,bibles without it1 and even of striking out from the margins of these mutilated ,bibles all references to it4 ,and this mischief has lately been augmented by the fact that the ,revised ,version omits it4 ,yet no portion of the ,bible was in greater need of revision4 ,the original texts used by the translators of #afaa were very bad2 and perhaps in no part of the ,authorized ,version are utterly faulty translations more abundant4 ,a comparison of the quotations given above with the text of the ,authorized ,version of ,wisdom and ,ecclesiasticus will show that considerable changes have been made in order to bring the quotations into harmony with the true readings of the ,greek text1 and thus give a fair comparison with the words of ,st4 ,james4 ,books which the writers of the ,new ,testament found worthy of study1 and from which they derived some of their thoughts and language1 ought not to be lightly disregarded by ourselves4 ,we cannot disregard them without loss2 and it is the duty of every reader of the ,bible to see that his apprehension of the ,old and ,new ,testaments is not hindered through his ignorance of those writings which interpret the process of transition from the one to the other4 ,neglect of the helps to understanding ,his ,word which ,god has placed easily within our reach may endanger our possession of that wisdom which ,st4 ,james here assures us will be given to every one who asks for it in faith4 ,a discussion of that heavenly wisdom1 and of the efficacy of prayer offered in faith1 will be found in the expositions of later passages in the ,epistle4#dc #cf ,grtz1 ,noack1 ,plumptre1 ,f4 ,w4 ,farrer4 #cg ,the ,speaker's ,commentary1 ,apocrypha1 vol4 i41 p4 xli4 7,murray1 #ahhh74 #ch ,introduction to the ,n4,t41 vol4 ii41 pp4 #aad1 #aae 7,hodder and ,stoughton1 #ahhh74 #ci ,the ,speaker's ,commentary1 ,apocrypha1 vol4 ii41 pp4 #bb1 #bc 7,murray #ahhh74 #dj ,the ,early ,days of ,christianity1 vol4 i41 pp4 #eag-ah4 ,dr4 ,salmon leaves the question undecided 7,introduction to ,n4,t41 p4 #eaa74 #da ,see ,dr4 ,salmon's ,general ,introduction to the ,apocrypha in the ,speaker's ,commentary1 vol4 i41 pp4 xli41 xlii4 #db ,edinburgh ,review1 ,no4 #cde1 ,january1 #ahhi1 pp4 #eh-ie4 #dc ,see on iii4 #ac-ah1 and on v4 #ac-ah4 ,in connexion with this subject the ,inaugural ,lecture of ,professor ,margoliouth1 on ,the ,place of ,ecclesiasticus in ,semitic ,literature 7,clarendon ,press1 #ahij71 and his defence of the position there maintained in the pages of the ,expositor1 should be studied4 ,it is possible that from the language of ,ecclesiasticus we may be able to demonstrate that the late date assigned by recent critics to certain books in the ,old ,testament is quite untenable for the language of them is centuries older than that of ,ecclesiasticus4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,exaltation ,,of ,,the ,,lowly1 ,,and ,,the ,,fading ,,away ,,of ,,the ,,rich4 ,,the ,,metaphors ,,of ,,st4 ,,james ,,and ,,the ,,parables ,,of ,,christ4 ,but let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate3 and the rich in that he is made low3 because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away4 ,for the sun ariseth1 with the scorching wind1 and withereth the grass2 and the flower thereof falleth1 and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth3 so also shall the rich man fade away in his goings4--,,st4 ,,james i4 #i-aa4 ,in this section ,st4 ,james returns to what is the main thought of the first chapter1 and one of the main thoughts of the whole ,epistle1 viz4 the blessedness of enduring temptations1 and especially such temptations as are caused by external trials and adversity4 ,he adds another thought which may help to console and strengthen the oppressed ,christian4 ,the ,revisers have quite rightly restored the ,but 77 at the beginning of this section4 ,there seems to be absolutely no authority for its omission2 and we may conjecture that the earlier ,english translators ignored it1 because it seemed to them to be superfluous1 or even disturbing4 ,the ,rhemish ,version1 made from the ,vulgate 7,glorietur autem71 is the only ,english ,version which preserves it2 and ,luther 7,ein ,bruder aber7 preserves it also4 ,the force of the conjunction is to connect the advice given in this section with the items of advice already given4 ,they form a connected series4 ,count it all joy1 when ye fall into manifold temptations4444 ,but 77 let patience have its perfect work4 444 ,but 77 if any lacketh wisdom1 let him ask of ,god4444 ,but 77 let him ask in faith4444 ,but 77 let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate3 and the rich in that he is made low4 ,the meaning of this last item in the series is by no means clear4 ,various interpretations have been suggested1 and it is difficult or even impossible to arrive at a conclusive decision as to which of them is the right one4 ,but we may clear the ground by setting aside all explanations which would make the brother of low degree 7 7 to mean the ,christian who is lowly in heart 7,matt4 xi4 #bi71 and the rich 7 7 the ,christian who is rich in faith 7ii4 #e7 and in good works 7#a ,tim4 vi4 #ah74 ,both words are to be understood literally4 ,the lowly man is the man of humble position1 oppressed by poverty1 and perhaps by unscrupulous neighbours 7ii4 #c71 and the rich man1 here1 as elsewhere in this ,epistle1 is the man of wealth who very often oppresses the poorer brethren 7i4 #aa2 ii4 #f2 v4 #a74 ,what1 then1 is the meaning of the high estate 77 in which the brother of low degree is to glory1 and of the being made low 771 in which the rich man is to do the same8 ,at first sight one is disposed to say that the one is the heavenly birthright1 and the other the ,divine humiliation1 in which every one shares who becomes a member of ,christ2 in fact1 that they are the same thing looked at from different points of view2 for what to the ,christian is promotion1 to the world seems degradation4 ,if this were correct1 then we should have an antithesis analogous to that which is drawn out by ,st4 ,paul1 when he says1 ,he that was called in the ,lord1 being a bond-servant1 is the ,lord's freeman3 likewise he that was called1 being free1 is ,christ's bond-servant 7#a ,cor4 vii4 #bb74 ,but on further consideration this attractive explanation is found not to suit the context4 ,what analogy is there between the humiliation in which every ,christian glories in ,christ and the withering of herbage under a scorching wind8 ,even if we could allow that this metaphor refers to the fugitive character of earthly possessions1 what has that to do with ,christian humiliation1 which does not depend upon either the presence or the absence of wealth8 ,moreover1 ,st4 ,james says nothing about the fugitiveness of riches3 it is the rich man himself1 and not his wealth1 that is said to pass away1 and to fade away in his goings4 ,twice over ,st4 ,james declares this to be the destiny of the rich man2 and the wording is such as to show that when the writer says that the rich man shall fade away in his goings he means the man1 and not his riches4 ,his goings1 or journeys1 very likely refers to his going into this city to spend a year there1 and trade1 and get gain 7iv4 #ac72 i4e4 he wastes himself away in the pursuit of wealth4 ,but what could be the meaning of wealth fading away in its journeys8 ,evidently1 we must not transfer what is said of the rich man himself to his possessions4 ,it is a baseless assumption to suppose that the rich man here spoken of is a ,christian at all4 ,the brother of low degree is contrasted1 not with the brother who is rich1 but with the rich man1 whose miserable destiny shows that he is not a brother1 i4e4 not a believer4 ,the latter is the wealthy ,jew who rejects ,christ4 ,throughout this ,epistle 7ii4 #f1 #g2 v4 #a-f7 rich is a term of reproach4 ,this is what is meant by the ,ebionite tone of the ,epistle2 for poverty is the condition which ,ebionism delights to honour4 ,in this ,st4 ,james seems to be reproducing the thoughts both of ,jesus ,christ and of ,jesus the son of ,sirach4 ,woe unto you that are rich6 for ye have received your consolation4 ,woe unto you1 ye that are full now6 for ye shall hunger 7,luke vi4 #be1 #bf4 ,comp4 ,matt4 xix4 #bc-be74 ,the rich man hath done wrong1 and is very wroth besides3 the poor man is wronged1 and he must intreat also4444 ,an abomination to the proud is lowliness2 so the poor are abomination to the rich 7,ecclus4 xiii4 #c1 #bj74 ,but when we have arrived at the conclusion that the being made low does not refer to the humiliation of the ,christian1 and that the rich man here threatened with a miserable end is not a believer1 a new difficulty arises4 ,what is the meaning of the wealthy unbeliever being told to glory in the degradation which is to prove so calamitous to him8 ,in order to avoid this difficulty various expedients have been suggested4 ,some propose a rather violent change of mood--from the imperative to the indicative4 ,no verb is expressed1 and it is said that instead of repeating let him glory from the previous clause1 we may supply he glories1 as a statement of fact rather than an exhortation4 ,the sentence will then run1 ,but let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate2 but 77 the rich glorieth in his being made low2 i4e4 he glories in what degrades him and ought to inspire him with shame and grief4 ,others propose a still more violent change1 viz4 of verb2 they would keep the imperative1 but supply a word of opposite meaning3 so let the rich man be ashamed of his being made low4 ,neither of these expedients seems to be necessary1 or indeed to be a fair treatment of the text4#dd ,it is quite possible to make good sense of the exhortation1 without any violent change either of mood or of verb4 ,in the exhortation to the rich man ,st4 ,james speaks in severe irony3 ,let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate2 and the rich man--what is he to glory in8--let him glory in the only thing upon which he can count with certainty1 viz4 his being brought low2 because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away4 ,such irony is not uncommon in ,scripture4 ,our blessed ,lord ,himself makes use of it sometimes1 as when ,he says of the hypocrites that they have their reward1 and have it in full 73 ,matt4 vi4 #b1 #e1 #af74 ,whether or no this interpretation be accepted--and no interpretation of this passage has as yet been suggested which is free from difficulty--it must be clearly borne in mind that no explanation can be correct which does not preserve the connexion between the humiliation of the rich man and his passing away as the flower of the grass4 ,this fading away is his humiliation1 is the thing in which he is to glory1 if he glories in anything at all4 ,the inexorable because must not be ignored or explained away by making the wealth of the rich man shrivel up1 when ,st4 ,james twice over says that it is the rich man himself who fades away4 ,the metaphor here used of the rich man is common enough in the ,old ,testament4 ,man cometh forth like a flower1 and is cut down 7 ,,lxx471 says ,job1 in his complaint 7xiv4 #b72 and1 ,as for man1 his days are as grass2 as a flower of the field1 so he flourisheth4 ,for the wind passeth over it1 and it is gone2 and the place thereof shall know it no more1 says the ,psalmist 7ciii4 #ae1 #af74 ,but elsewhere1 with a closer similarity to the present passage1 we have this transitory character specially attributed to the ungodly1 who shall soon be cut down like the grass1 and wither as the green herb 7,ps4 xxxvii4 #b74 ,none of these passages1 however1 are so clearly in ,st4 ,james's mind as the words of ,isaiah3 ,all flesh is grass1 and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field3 the grass withereth1 the flower fadeth2 because the breath of the ,lord bloweth upon it3 surely the people is grass4 ,the grass withereth1 the flower fadeth2 but the word of our ,god shall stand for ever 7,isa4 xl4 #f1 #g74 ,here the words of ,st4 ,james are almost identical with those of the ,septuagint 7 444 1 72 and1 as has been already pointed out 7p4 #ei71 this is one of the quotations which our ,epistle has in common with that of ,st4 ,peter 7#a ,peter i4 #bd74 ,grass throughout is a comprehensive term for herbage1 and the flower of grass does not mean the bloom or blossom of grass in the narrower sense1 but the wild flowers1 specially abundant and brilliant in the ,holy ,land1 which grow among the grass4 ,thus1 in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 what are first called the lilies 7 7 of the field are immediately afterwards called the grass 7 7 of the field 7,matt4 vi4 #bh1 #cj74 ,the scorching wind 7 7 is one of the features in the ,epistle which harmonize well with the fact that the writer was an inhabitant of ,palestine4 ,it is the furnace-like blast from the arid wilderness to the east of the ,jordan4 ,yea1 behold1 being planted1 shall it prosper8 shall it not utterly wither when the east wind toucheth it8 ,it shall wither in the beds where it grew 7,ezek4 xvii4 #aj74 ,god prepared a sultry east wind2 and the sun beat upon the head of ,jonah1 that he fainted 7,jonah iv4 #h74 ,the fig-tree1 olives1 and vine 7iii4 #ab7 are the chief fruit-trees of ,palestine2 and the early and latter rain 7v4 #g7 points still more clearly to the same district4 ,it has been remarked with justice that whereas ,st4 ,paul for the most part draws his metaphors from the scenes of human activity--building1 husbandry1 athletic contests1 and warfare--,st4 ,james prefers to take his metaphors from the scenes of nature4 ,in this chapter we have the surge of the sea 7ver4 #f7 and the flower of the grass 7ver4 #aj74 ,in the third chapter we have the rough winds driving the ships1 the wood kindled by a small fire1 the wheel of nature1 every kind of beasts and birds1 of creeping things1 and things in the sea1 the fountain sending forth sweet water1 the fig-tree and vine 7vv4 #d1 #e1 #f1 #g1 #aa1 #ab74 ,in the fourth chapter human life is a vapour1 that appeareth for a little time1 and then vanisheth away 7ver4 #ad74 ,and in the last chapter1 besides the moth and the rust1 we have the fruit of the earth1 and the early and latter rain 7vv4 #b1 #c1 #g1 #ah74 ,these instances are certainly very numerous1 when the brevity of the ,epistle is considered4 ,the love of nature which breathes through them was no doubt learned and cherished in the village home at ,nazareth1 and it forms another link between ,st4 ,james and his ,divine ,brother4 ,nearly every one of the natural phenomena to which ,st4 ,james directs attention in this letter are used by ,christ also in ,his teaching4 ,the surging of the sea 7,luke xxi4 #be71 the flowers of the field 7,matt4 vi4 #bh71 the burning of wood 7,john xv4 #f71 the birds of the air 7,matt4 vi4 #bf2 viii4 #bj2 xiii4 #d1 #cb71 the fountain of sweet water 7,john iv4 #aj-ad2 vii4 #ch71 the fig-tree 7,matt4 vii4 #af2 xxi4 #ai2 xxiv4 #cb71 the vine 7,john xv4 #a-e71 the moth 7,matt4 vi4 #ai71 the rust 7,matt4 vi4 #ai71 and the rain 7,matt4 v4 #de2 vii4 #be74 ,in some cases the use made by ,st4 ,james of these natural objects is very similar to that made by our ,lord1 and it may well be that what he writes is a reminiscence of what he had heard years before from ,christ's lips2 but in other cases the use is quite different1 and must be assigned to the love of nature1 and the recognition of its fitness for teaching spiritual truths1 which is common to the ,lord and ,his brother4 ,thus1 when ,st4 ,james asks1 ,can a fig-tree1 my brethren1 yield olives1 or a vine figs8 we seem to have an echo of the question in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 ,do men gather grapes of thorns1 or figs of thistles8 ,and when ,st4 ,james tells the rich oppressors that their garments are moth-eaten2 their gold and their silver are rusted1 is he not remembering ,christ's charge1 ,lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth1 where moth and rust do consume1 and where thieves break through and steal8 ,but in most of the other cases there is little or no resemblance between the similes of ,christ and the figurative use of the same natural phenomena made by ,st4 ,james4 ,thus1 while ,jesus uses the flowers of the field to illustrate ,god's care for every object in the universe1 and the superiority of the glory which ,he bestows over that with which man adorns himself1 ,st4 ,james teaches thereby the transitory character of the glory which comes of riches2 and while ,christ points to the rain as illustrating ,god's bounty to good and bad alike1 ,st4 ,james takes it as an illustration of ,his goodness in answer to patient and trusting prayer4 ,it is manifest that in this matter ,st4 ,james is partly following a great example1 but partly also following the bent of his own mind4 ,the first1 without the second1 would hardly have given us so many examples of this kind of teaching in so small a space4 ,st4 ,john had equal opportunities with ,st4 ,james of learning this method of teaching from ,christ1 and yet there are scarcely any examples of it in his ,epistles4 ,possibly his opportunities were even greater than those of ,st4 ,james2 for although he was at most the cousin of the ,lord1 whereas ,st4 ,james was ,his brother1 yet he was present during the whole of ,christ's ministry1 whereas ,st4 ,james was not converted until after the ,resurrection4 ,but there is this great difference between ,christ's teaching from nature and that of ,st4 ,james3 ,st4 ,james recognizes in the order and beauty of the universe a revelation of ,divine truth1 and makes use of the facts of the external world to teach spiritual lessons2 the incarnate ,word1 in drawing spiritual lessons from the external world1 could expound the meaning of a universe which ,he ,himself had made4 ,in the one case it is a disciple of nature who imparts to us the lore which he himself has learned2 in the other it is the ,master of nature1 who points out to us the meaning of ,his own world1 and interprets to us the voices of the winds and the waves1 which obey ,him4 #dd #a ,tim4 iv4 #c1 where commanding is understood from forbidding1 is not strictly parallel3 forbidding to marry1 and commanding to abstain from meats4 ,the context is such as to prevent any misunderstanding of the loosely worded sentence4 ,see ,moulton's ,winer1 p4 #ggg2 also ,bede1 who rightly remarks1 ,subauditur a superiore versa1 glorietur4 ,quod per irrisionem qu ,grce ironia vocatur1 dictum esse constat 444 ut humiliatus in ternum pereat cum purpurato illo divite qui ,lazarum despexit egentem4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,source ,,of ,,temptations ,,and ,,the ,,reality ,,of ,,sin4 ,,the ,,difficulties ,,of ,,the ,,determinist4 ,blessed is the man that endureth temptation3 for when he hath been approved1 he shall receive the crown of life1 which the ,lord promised to them that love ,him4 ,let no man say when he is tempted1 ,i am tempted of ,god3 for ,god cannot be tempted with evil1 and ,he ,himself tempteth no man3 but each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed4 ,then the lust1 when it hath conceived1 beareth sin3 and the sin1 when it is full-grown1 bringeth forth death4 ,be not deceived1 my beloved brethren4 ,every good gift and every perfect boon is from above1 coming down from the ,father of lights1 with whom can be no variation1 neither shadow that is cast by turning4 ,of ,his own will ,he brought us forth by the word of truth1 that we should be a kind of first-fruits of ,his creatures4--,,st4 ,,james i4 #ab-ah4 ,after the slight digression respecting the short-lived glory of the rich man1 ,st4 ,james returns once more to the subject with which the letter opens--the blessing of trials and temptations as opportunities of patience1 and the blessedness of the man who endures them1 and thus earns the crown of life1 which the ,lord has promised to them that love ,him4 ,these last words are very interesting as being a record of some utterance of ,christ's not preserved in the ,gospels1 of which we have perhaps other traces elsewhere in the ,new ,testament 7#a ,pet4 v4 #d2 ,rev4 ii4 #aj2 #b ,tim4 iv4 #h74de ,they imply a principle which qualifies what goes before1 and leads on to what follows4 ,the mere endurance of temptations and afflictions will not win the promised crown1 unless temptations are withstood1 and afflictions endured in the right spirit4 ,the proud self-reliance and self-repression of the ,stoic has nothing meritorious about it4 ,these trials must be met in a spirit of loving trust in the ,god who sends or allows them4 ,it is only those who love and trust ,god who have the right to expect anything from ,his bounty4 ,this ,st4 ,james continually insists on4 ,let not the double-minded man1 with his affections and loyalty divided between ,god and ,mammon1 think that he shall receive anything of the ,lord 7i4 #g74 ,god has chosen the poor who are rich in faith to be heirs of the kingdom which ,he promised to them that love ,him 7ii4 #e74 ,and this love of ,god is quite incompatible with love of the world4 ,whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of ,god 7iv4 #d74 ,it is the loving withstanding of temptation1 then1 that wins the crown of life3 the mere being tempted tends rather to death4 ,lust1 when it hath conceived1 beareth sin3 and the sin1 when it is full-grown1 bringeth forth death4 ,with these facts before him1 the loving ,christian will never say1 when temptations come1 that they come from ,god4 ,it cannot be ,god's will to seduce him from the path of life to the path of death4 ,the existence of temptations is no just ground of complaint against ,god4 ,such complaints are an attempt to shift the blame from himself to his ,creator4 ,the temptations proceed1 not from ,god1 but from the man's own evil nature2 a nature which ,god created stainless1 but which man of his own free will has debased4 ,to tempt is to try to lead astray2 and one has only to understand the word in its true sense to see how impossible it is that ,god should become a tempter4 ,by a simple but telling opposition of words ,st4 ,james indicates where the blame lies4 ,god ,himself tempteth no man 7 72 but each man is tempted when by his own lust he is drawn away and enticed 7 74 ,it is his own evil desire which plays the part of the temptress1 drawing him out from his place of safety by the enticement of sinful pleasure4#df ,so that the fault is in a sense doubly his4 ,the desire which tempts proceeds from his own evil nature1 and the will which consents to the temptress is his own4 ,throughout the passage ,st4 ,james represents the evil desire as playing the part of ,potiphar's wife4 ,the man who withstands such temptation is winning the promised crown of life2 the man who yields has for the offspring of his error death4 ,the one result is in accordance with ,god's will1 as is proved by ,his promising and bestowing the crown2 the other is not1 but is the natural and known consequence of the man's own act4 ,at the present time there is a vehement effort being made in some quarters to shift the blame of man's wrong-doing1 if not on to ,god 7and ,he is commonly left out of the account1 as unknown or non-existing71 at any rate on to those natural laws which determine phenomena4 ,we are asked to believe that such ideas as moral freedom and responsibility are mere chimras1 and that the first thing which a reasonable person has to do1 in raising himself to a higher level1 is to get rid of them4 ,he is to convince himself that character and conduct are the necessarily evolved result of inherited endowments1 developed in certain circumstances1 over neither of which the man has any control4 ,he did not select the qualities of body and mind which he received from his parents1 and he did not make the circumstances in which he has had to live since his birth4 ,he could no more help acting as he did on any given occasion than he could help the size of his heart or the colour of his brain4 ,he is no more responsible for the acts which he produces than a tree is responsible for its leaves4 ,and of all senseless delusions and senseless wastes of power1 those which are involved in the feeling of remorse are the worst4 ,in remorse we wring our hands over deeds which we could not possibly have avoided doing1 and reproach ourselves for emitting what we could not by any possibility have done4 ,ethiopians might as reasonably blame themselves for their black skins1 or be conscience-stricken for not having golden hair1 as any human being feel remorse for what he has done or left undone in the past4 ,whatever folly a man may have committed1 he eclipses it all by the folly of self-reproach4 ,positivism will indeed have worked marvels when it has driven remorse out of the world2 and until it has succeeded in doing so1 it will remain confronted by an unanswerable proof--as universal as the humanity which it professes to worship--that its moral system is based upon a falsehood4 ,whether or no we admit the belief in a ,god1 the fact of self-reproach in every human heart remains to be accounted for4 ,and it is a fact of the most enormous proportions4 ,think of the years of mental agony and moral torture which countless numbers of the human race have endured since man became a living soul1 because men have invariably reproached themselves with the folly and wickedness which they have committed4 ,think of the exquisite suffering which remorse has inflicted on every human being who has reached years of reflexion4 ,think of the untold misery which the misdeeds of men have inflicted upon those who love and would fain respect them4 ,it may be doubted whether all other forms of human suffering1 whether mental or bodily1 are more than as a drop in the ocean1 compared with the agonies which have been endured through the gnawing pangs of remorse for personal misconduct1 and of shame and grief for the misconduct of friends and relations4 ,and if the ,determinist is right1 all this mental torture1 with its myriad stabs and stings through centuries of centuries1 is based on a monstrous delusion4 ,these bitter reproachers of themselves and of those dearest to them might have been spared it all1 if only they had known that not one of the acts thus blamed and lamented in tears of blood could have been avoided4 ,certainly the ,positivist1 who shuts ,god out from his consideration1 has a difficult problem to solve1 when he is asked how he accounts for a delusion so vast1 so universal1 and so horrible in its consequences2 and we do not wonder that he should exhaust all the powers of rhetoric and invective in the attempt to exorcize it4 ,but his difficulty is as nothing compared with the difficulties of a thinker who endeavours to combine ,determinism with ,theism1 and even with ,christianity4 ,what sort of a ,god can ,he be who has allowed1 who has even ordained1 that every human heart should be wrung with this needless1 senseless agony8 ,has any savage1 any inquisitor1 ever devised torture so diabolical8 ,and what kind of a ,saviour and ,redeemer can ,he be who has come from heaven1 and returned thither again1 without saying one word to free men from their blind1 self-inflicted agonies2 who1 on the contrary1 has said many things to confirm them in their delusions8 ,whence came moral evil and the pangs of remorse1 if there is no such thing as free will8 ,they must have been fore-ordained and created by ,god4 ,the ,theist has no escape from that4 ,if ,god made man free1 and man by misusing his freedom brought sin into the world1 and remorse as a punishment for sin1 then we have some explanation of the mystery of evil4 ,god neither willed it nor created it2 it was the offspring of a free and rebellious will4 ,but if man was never free1 and there is no such thing as sin1 then the madman gnawing his own limbs in his frenzy is a reasonable being and a joyous sight1 compared with the man who gnaws his own heart in remorse for the deeds which the inexorable laws of his own nature compelled him1 and still compel him1 to commit4 ,is there1 or is there not1 such a thing as sin8 ,that is the question which lies at the bottom of the error against which ,st4 ,james warns his readers1 and of the doctrines which are advocated at the present time by ,positivists and all who deny the reality of human freedom and responsibility4 ,to say that when we are tempted we are tempted by ,god1 or that the ,power which brought us into existence has given us no freedom to refuse the evil and to choose the good1 is to say that sin is a figment of the human mind1 and that a conscious revolt of the human mind against the power of holiness is impossible4 ,on such a question the appeal to human language1 of which ,aristotle is so fond1 seems to be eminently suitable2 and the verdict which it gives is overwhelming4 ,there is probably no language1 there is certainly no civilized language1 which has no word to express the idea of sin4 ,if sin is an illusion1 how came the whole human race to believe in it1 and to frame a word to express it8#dg ,can we point to any other word in universal1 or even very general use1 which nevertheless represents a mere chimra1 believed in as real1 but actually non-existent8 ,and let us remember that this is no case in which self-interest1 which so fatally warps our judgment1 can have led the whole human race astray4 ,self-interest would lead us entirely in the opposite direction4 ,there is no human being who would not enthusiastically welcome the belief that what seem to him to be grievous sins are no more a matter of reproach to him than the beatings of his heart or the winkings of his eyes4 ,sometimes the conscience-stricken offender1 in his efforts to excuse his acts before the judgment-seat of his higher self1 tries to believe this4 ,sometimes the ,determinist philosopher endeavours to prove to him that he ought to believe it4 ,but the stern facts of his own nature and the bitter outcome of all human experience are too strong for such attempts4 ,in spite of all specious excuses1 and all plausible statements of philosophic difficulties1 his conscience and his consciousness compel him to confess1 ,it was my own lust that enticed me1 and my own will that consented4 ,how serious ,st4 ,james considers the error of attempting to make ,god responsible for our temptations is shown both by the earnest and affectionate insertion of ,be not deceived1#dh my beloved brethren1 and also by the pains which he takes to disprove the error4 ,after having shown the true source of temptation1 and explained the way in which sin and death are generated1 he points out how incredible it is on other grounds that ,god should become a tempter4 ,how can the ,source of every good gift and every perfect boon#di be also a source of temptations to sin8 ,how can the ,father of lights be one who would lead away ,his creatures into darkness8 ,if what we know of human nature ought to tell us whence temptations to sin are likely to come1 what we know of ,god's nature and of ,his dealings with mankind ought to tell us whence such things are not likely to come4 ,and ,he is far above those heavenly luminaries of which ,he is the ,author4 ,they are not always bright1 and are therefore very imperfect symbols of ,his holiness4 ,in their revolutions they are sometimes overshadowed4 ,the moon is not always at the full1 the sun is sometimes eclipsed1 and the stars suffer changes in like manner4 ,in ,him there is no change1 no loss of light1 no encroachment of shadow4 ,there is never a time at which one could say that through momentary diminution in holiness it had become possible for ,him to become a tempter4 ,nor are the brightness and beneficence which pervade the material universe the chief proofs of ,god's goodness and of the impossibility of temptations to sin proceeding from ,him4 ,it was of ,his own will that ,he rescued mankind from the state of death into which their rebellious wills had brought them1 and by a new revelation of ,himself in the ,word of truth1 i4e4 the ,gospel1 brought them forth again1 born anew as ,christians1 to be1 like the first-born under the ,law1 a kind of first-fruits of ,his creatures4#ej ,when1 therefore1 we sum up all the known facts of the case1 there is only one conclusion at which we can justly arrive4 ,there is the nature of ,god1 so far as it is known to us1 utterly opposed to evil4 ,there is the nature of man1 as it has been debased by himself1 constantly bringing forth evil4 ,there is ,god's goodness1 as manifested in the creation of the universe and in the regeneration of man4 ,it is a hopeless case to try to banish remorse by making ,god responsible for man's temptations and sin4 ,there is only one way of getting rid of remorse1 and that is to confess sin--to confess its reality1 to confess it to ,god1 and if need be to man4 ,no man ever yet succeeded in justifying himself by laying the blame of his sins on ,god4 ,but he may do so by laying the sins themselves upon the ,lamb of ,god1 who taketh away the sins of the world1 and by washing his stained robes1 and making them white in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,that done1 remorse will have no power over him2 and instead of fruitlessly accusing ,god1 and seeking vain substitutes for the service of ,god1 he will humbly give ,him glory1 and serve ,him day and night in ,his temple 7,joshua vii4 #ai2 ,rev4 vii4 #ae74 ,,note4--,the difficult expression 7 7 rendered in the ,authorized ,version shadow of turning1 and in the ,revised shadow that is cast by turning1 has received a great variety of translations and explanations4 ,the ,old ,latin1 modicum obumbrationis1 like the ,greek commentators1 makes shade1 trace1 small amount4 ,it is doubtful whether the rare compound ever acquired this meaning2 but the opinion of ,greeks on this point is of great weight1 and certainly this meaning makes good sense4 ,the ,vulgate1 vicissitudinis obumbratio1 is as difficult as the ,greek2 and ,augustine's momenti obumbratio comes from the false reading 4 ,shadow cast by turning does not seem to be very helpful1 whether we interpret turning to mean the revolutions of the sun or of the earth1 or the changes of nature generally4 ,perhaps the genitive is the genitive of quality1 shadow of change for changing shadow2 so ,stier and ,theil1 wechselnde ,beschattung1 and ,stolz abwechselnde ,verdunkelung4 ,comp4 7i4 #be71 and1 see the ,expositor1 ,sept4 #ahhi1 pp4 #bbh-cj4 #de ,in the ,acta ,philippi1 ,apocal4 ,apocr41 ed4 ,tischendorf1 p4 #adg1 we have1 ,blessed is he who hath his raiment white2 for he it is who receiveth the crown of joy4 ,see ,a4 ,resch1 ,agrapha2 ,aussercanonische ,evangelienfragmente 7,leipzig1 #ahhi71 p4 #bed4 #df ,the punctuation and order of words in both ,a4,v4 and ,r4,v4 seem to be faulty3 enticed1 quite as much as drawn away1 belongs to by his own lust4 ,moreover1 the metaphor is not seduction from the right road1 but alluring out of security into danger4 #dg ,see ,r4 ,h4 ,hutton on ,the ,service of ,man1 in the ,contemporary ,review1 ,april1 #ahhg1 p4 #dib4 #dh ,or1 led astray 774 ,the word implies fundamental departure from the truth 7v4 #ai2 ,john vii4 #dg2 #a ,john i4 #h2 ii4 #bf2 iii4 #g2 ,rev4 xviii4 #bc74 #di ,the words form an hexameter in the original1 which may be either accidental or a quotation3 7,every gift that is good1 and every boon that is perfect74 #ej ,see ,f4 ,d4 ,maurice1 ,unity of the ,n4,t4 7,parker1 #ahed71 pp4 #cbj-bc4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,delusion ,,of ,,hearing ,,without ,,doing4 ,,the ,,mirror ,,of ,,god',s ,,word4 ,but be ye doers of the word1 and not hearers only1 deluding your own selves4 ,for if any one is a hearer of the word1 and not a doer1 he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror3 for he beholdeth himself1 and goeth away1 and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was4 ,but he that looketh into the perfect law1 the law of liberty1 and so continueth1 being not a hearer that forgetteth1 but a doer that worketh1 this man shall be blessed in his doing4--,,st4 ,,james i4 #bb-be4 ,here we reach what on the whole seems to be the main thought of the ,epistle--the all-importance of ,christian activity and service4 ,the essential thing1 without which other things1 however good in themselves1 become insignificant or worthless1 or even mischievous1 is conduct4 ,everything else1 if not accompanied by practice1 by avoiding evil and doing good1 is vain4 ,in ,bishop ,butler's words1 religion does not consist in the knowledge and belief even of fundamental truth1 but rather in our being brought to a certain temper and behaviour2 or as ,st4 ,john puts it still more simply1 only he who doeth righteousness is righteous4 ,suffering injuries1 poverty1 and temptations1 hearing the ,word1 teaching the ,word1 faith1 wisdom 7i4 #b1 #i1 #ab1 #ai2 ii4 #ad-bf2 iii4 #g-ac71 are all of them excellent2 but if they are not accompanied by a holy life1 a life of prayer and gentle words and good deeds1 they are valueless4 ,there are two or three other leading thoughts1 but they are all of them subordinated to this main thought of the necessity for ,christian conduct as well as ,christian belief and wisdom4 ,one of these secondary thoughts has already been noticed more than once--the blessedness of enduring temptations and other trials2 it is specially prominent in the first and last chapters 7i4 #b-d1 #ab2 v4 #g-aa74 ,another of the secondary topics which have a prominent place in the letter is the peril of much speaking4 ,it introduces and closes the section which lies immediately before us 7i4 #ai1 #bf71 and it is dwelt upon at length in the third chapter4 ,yet a third topic which cannot fail to attract the attention of the reader is the preference given to the poor over the rich as regards their spiritual opportunities1 and the stern warnings addressed to all those whose wealth leads them to become tyrannical4 ,this subject is specially prominent in the first1 second1 and last chapters 7i4 #aj1 #aa2 ii4 #a-g2 v4 #a-f74 ,but all these matters are looked at from the point of view of ,christian conduct and service4 ,they are not in any one case the idea which binds together the whole ,epistle1 but they lead up to it and emphasize it4 ,if we were to single out one verse as in a special way summing up the teaching of the whole letter1 we could hardly find one more suitable for the purpose than the first of the four which stand at the head of the present chapter3 ,be ye doers of the word1 and not hearers only1 deluding your own selves4 ,it will be worth while to examine this simple and most practical exhortation somewhat in detail4 ,it is one of the many sayings in the ,epistle which irresistibly remind us of the teaching of ,jesus ,christ2 not as being a quotation from any of ,his recorded discourses1 but as being an independent reproduction of the substance of ,his conversation by one who was quite familiar with it1 but was not familiar with the written ,gospels4 ,had the writer of this letter been well acquainted with any of the four ,gospels1 he could hardly have escaped being influenced by them1 and the echoes of ,christ's teaching which we find in its pages would have been more closely in accordance with the reports of ,his words which they contain4 ,this feature of the ,epistle harmonizes well with its being written by the ,lord's brother1 who must have been very familiar with the ,lord's teaching1 and who wrote before ,a4,d4 #fb1 i4e4 at a time when perhaps not one of our ,gospels was written1 and when certainly none of them can have had a very wide circulation4 ,more will be said upon this point hereafter 7p4 #cjh73 for the present it suffices to point out the resemblance between this warning against the delusion of thinking that hearing without doing is of any avail1 and the warning which closes the ,sermon on the ,mount3 ,every one which heareth these words of ,mine1 and doeth them1 shall be likened unto a wise man1 which built his house upon the rock4444 ,and every one that heareth these words of ,mine1 and doeth them not1 shall be likened unto a foolish man1 which built his house upon the sand3 and the rain descended1 and the floods came1 and the winds blew1 and smote upon that house2 and it fell3 and great was the fall thereof 7,matt4 vii4 #bd-bg74 ,be ye doers of the ,word4 ,both verb and tense are remarkable 773 ,become doers of the ,word4 ,true ,christian practice is a thing of growth2 it is a process1 and a process which has already begun1 and is continually going on4 ,we may compare1 ,become ye therefore wise as serpents1 and harmless as doves 7,matt4 x4 #af72 ,therefore become ye also ready 7xxiv4 #dd72 and ,become not faithless1 but believing 7,john xx4 #bg2 where see ,westcott's note74 ,become doers of the ,word is more expressive than ,be doers of the ,word1 and a good deal more expressive than ,do the ,word4 ,a doer of the ,word 7 7 is such by profession and practice2 the phrase expresses a habit4 ,but one who merely incidentally performs what is prescribed may be said to do the ,word4 ,by the ,word is meant what just before has been called the implanted ,word and the ,word of truth 7w4 #ba1 #ah71 and what in this passage is also called the perfect law1 the law of liberty 7ver4 #be71 i4e4 the ,gospel4 ,the parable of the ,sower illustrates in detail the meaning of becoming an habitual doer of the implanted ,word4 ,and not hearers only4 ,the order of the words in the ,greek is a little doubtful1 the authorities being very much divided2 but the balance is in favour of taking only closely with hearers 7 rather than 72 ,be not such as are mere hearers and nothing more4 ,the word for hearer occurs nowhere else in the ,new ,testament1 excepting in the singularly similar passage in the ,epistle to the ,romans1 which is one of the passages that give support to the theory that either ,st4 ,paul had seen this ,epistle1 or ,st4 ,james had seen ,st4 ,paul's3 ,not the hearers 77 of a law are just before ,god1 but the doers of a law shall be justified1 7,rom4 ii4 #ac2 see above1 p4 #eg74 ,the verb 77 does not occur in the ,new ,testament2 but another cognate substantive 771 meaning a place of hearing1 is found in the ,acts 7xxv4 #bc74 ,in classical ,greek this group of words indicates attentive listening1 especially in the case of those who attend the lectures of philosophers and the addresses of public speakers4 ,it is thus used frequently in ,plato1 ,aristotle1 ,thucydides1 and ,plutarch4 ,it is somewhat too hastily concluded that there is nothing of this kind included either in this passage or in ,rom4 ii4 #ac4 ,possibly that is the very thing to which both ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,paul allude4 ,st4 ,james1 in the address which he made to the so-called ,council of ,jerusalem1 says1 ,moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him1 being read in the synagogues every ,sabbath 7,acts xv4 #ba74 ,the ,jews came with great punctiliousness to these weekly gatherings1 and listened with much attention to the public reading and exposition of the ,law2 and too many of them thought that with that the chief part of their duty was performed4 ,this habitual public testimony of respect for the ,mosaic ,law and the traditional interpretations of it1 and this zeal to acquire a knowledge of its contents and an insight into its meaning1 was the main portion of what was required of them4 ,this1 ,st4 ,james tells them1 is miserably insufficient1 whether what they hear be the ,law or the ,gospel1 the ,law with or without the illumination of the life of ,christ4 ,being swift to hear 7ver4 #ai7 and to understand is well1 but apart from works it is barren4 ,it is the habitual practice in striving to do what is heard and understood that is of value4 ,not a hearer that forgetteth1 but a doer that worketh is blessed1 and blessed in his doing4 ,to suppose that mere hearing brings a blessing is deluding your own selves4 ,bede rightly quotes ,rev4 i4 #c in illustration3 ,blessed are they that hear the words of the prophecy1 and keep the things which are written therein4 ,the word here used for deluding 77 is found nowhere else in the ,new ,testament1 excepting in one passage in the ,epistle to the ,colossians 7ii4 #d71 in which ,st4 ,paul warns them against allowing any one to delude them with persuasiveness of speech4 ,but the word is fairly common both in ordinary ,greek and in the ,septuagint4 ,its meaning is to mislead with fallacious reasoning1 and the substantive 77 is the ,aristotelian term for a fallacy4 ,the word does not necessarily imply that the fallacious reasoning is known to be fallacious by those who employ it4 ,to express that we should rather have the word which is used in #b ,peter i4 #af to characterize cunningly devised fables 7 74 ,here we are to understand that the victims of the delusion do not1 although they might1 see the worthlessness of the reasons upon which their self-contentment is based4 ,it is precisely in this that the danger of their position lies4 ,self-deceit is the most subtle and fatal deceit4 ,the mere knowledge of the law derived from their attentive listening to it does but increase their evil case1 if they do not practise it4 ,to him that knoweth to do good1 and doeth it not1 to him it is sin 7iv4 #ag74 ,the ,jews have a saying that the man who hears without practising is like a husbandman who ploughs and sows1 but never reaps4 ,such an illustration1 being taken from natural phenomena1 would be quite in harmony with the manner of ,st4 ,james2 but he enforces his meaning by employing a far more striking illustration4 ,he who is a hearer and not a doer is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror4 ,almost all the words in this sentence are worthy of separate attention4 ,is like unto a man 7 74 ,st4 ,james uses the more definite word1 which usually excludes women1 and sometimes boys also4 ,he does not say1 is like unto a person 771 which would have included both sexes and all ages4 ,a somewhat quaint explanation has been suggested by ,paes1 and adopted as probable elsewhere2 viz4 that men1 as a rule1 give only a passing look to themselves in the glass2 whereas it is a feminine weakness to be fond of attentive observations4 ,but it is fatal to this suggestion that the word here used for beholding 77 means to fix one's mind upon1 and consider attentively4 ,it is the word used in ,consider the ravens1 and ,consider the lilies 7,luke xii4 #bd1 #bg74 ,moreover1 the ,greeks sometimes do what we very frequently do in speaking of the human race2 they employ the male sex as representative of both4 ,this usage is found in the ,new ,testament2 e4g4 ,the queen of the ,south shall rise up in the judgment with the men 7 7 of this generation1 and shall condemn them4444 ,the men 77 of ,nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation1 and shall condemn it 7,luke xi4 #ca1 #cb74 ,here it is impossible that the women are not included4 ,and this use of man 77 in the sense of human being is specially common in ,st4 ,james4 ,we have it four times in this chapter 7vv4 #h1 #ab1 #bj1 #bc71 and again in the second 7ver4 #b7 and third 7ver4 #b74 ,this man1 then1 attentively studies his natural face in a mirror4 ,the words for his natural face literally mean the face of his birth 7 71 i4e4 the features with which he was born2 and the mirror would be a piece of polished metal1 which1 however excellent1 would not reflect the features with the clearness and fidelity of a modern looking-glass4 ,hence the necessity for attentive observation1 the result of which is that the man recognizes his own face beyond all question4 ,but what follows8 ,he beheld himself1 and he has gone away1 and he straightway forgot what manner of man he was4 ,the perfect tense between two aorists gives a lively simplicity to the narration 7 444 444 74 ,this is represented as a common case1 though not an invariable one4 ,most of us know our own features sufficiently well to recognize them in a good representation of them1 but do not carry in our minds a very accurate image of them4 ,but what has all this to do with being hearers1 and not doers1 of the ,word8 ,the spoken or written ,word of ,god is the mirror4 ,when we hear it preached1 or study it for ourselves1 we can find the reflexion of ourselves in it1 our temptations and weaknesses1 our failings and sins1 the influences of ,god's ,spirit upon us1 and the impress of ,his grace4 ,it is here that we notice one marked difference between the inspiration of the sacred writers and the inspiration of the poet and the dramatist4 ,the latter show us other people to the life2 ,scripture shows us ourselves4 ,our mirror is a blessed book1 ,where out from each illumined page ,we see one glorious image look1 ,all eyes to dazzle and engage1 ,the ,son of ,god2 and that indeed ,we see ,him as ,he is we know1 ,since in the same bright glass we read ,the very life of things below4 ,eye of ,god's ,word1 where'er we turn ,ever upon us6 thy keen gaze ,can all the depths of sin discern1 ,unravel every bosom's maze4 ,who that has felt thy glance of dread ,thrill through his heart's remotest cells1 ,about his path1 about his bed1 ,can doubt what ,spirit in thee dwells8#ea ,keble's metaphor is somewhat more elaborate than ,st4 ,james's4 ,he represents the ,bible as a mirror1 out of which the reflected image of the ,son of ,god looks upon us and reads our inmost selves4 ,st4 ,james supposes that in the mirror we see ourselves reflected4 ,but the thought is the same1 that through hearing or reading ,god's ,word our knowledge of our characters is quickened4 ,but does this quickened knowledge last8 does it lead to action1 or influence our conduct8 ,too often we leave the church or our study1 and the impression produced by the recognition of the features of our own case is obliterated4 ,we straightway forget what manner of men we are1 and the insight which has been granted to us into our own true selves is just one more wasted experience4 ,but this need not be so1 and in some cases a very different result may be noticed4 ,instead of merely looking attentively for a short time1 he may stoop down and pore over it4 ,instead of forthwith going away1 he may continue in the study of it4 ,and instead of straightway forgetting1 he may prove a mindful doer that worketh4 ,thus the three parts of the two pictures are made exactly to balance4 ,the word for looking into is an interesting one 774 ,it indicates bending forward to examine earnestly4 ,it is used of ,peter looking into the sepulchre 7,luke xxiv4 #ab1 a verse of doubtful genuineness72 and of ,mary ,magdalene doing the same 7,john xx4 #aa72 and of the angels desiring to look into heavenly mysteries 7#a ,peter i4 #ab74 ,he who does this recognizes ,god's ,word as being the perfect law1 the law of liberty4 ,the two things are the same4 ,it is when the law is seen to be perfect that it is found to be the law of liberty4 ,so long as the law is not seen in the beauty of its perfection1 it is not loved1 and men either disobey it or obey it by constraint and unwillingly4 ,it is then a law of bondage4 ,but when its perfection is recognized men long to conform to it2 and they obey1 not because they must1 but because they choose4 ,to do what one likes is freedom1 and they like to obey4 ,it is in this way that the moral law of the ,gospel becomes the law of liberty1 not by imposing fewer obligations than the moral law of the ,jew or of the ,gentile1 but by infusing into the hearts of those who welcome it a disposition and a desire to obey4 ,christian liberty is never licence4 ,it is not the relaxation of needful restraints1 but the spontaneous acceptance of them as excellent in themselves and beneficial to those who observe them4 ,it is the difference between a code imposed by another1 and a constitution voluntarily adopted4 ,to be made to work for one whom one fears is slavery and misery2 to choose to work for one whom one loves is freedom and happiness4 ,the ,gospel has not abolished the moral law2 it has supplied a new and adequate motive for fulfilling it4 ,being not a hearer that forgetteth4 ,literally1 having become not a hearer of forgetfulness 7 72 i4e4 having by practice come to be a hearer1 who is characterized1 not by forgetfulness of what he hears1 but by attentive performance of it4#eb ,the unusual word forgetfulness occurs nowhere else in the ,new ,testament1 nor in classical ,greek2 but it is found in ,ecclesiasticus 7xi4 #bg71 ,the affliction of an hour causeth forgetfulness of pleasure2 and this adds a trifle to the evidence that ,st4 ,james was acquainted with that book 7see above1 p4 #ga74 ,a hearer of forgetfulness exactly balances1 both in form and in thought1 a doer of work2 and this is well brought out by the ,revisers1 who turn both genitives by a relative clause3 a hearer that forgetteth1 and a doer that worketh4 ,the ,authorized ,version is much less happy3 a forgetful hearer1 but a doer of the work4 ,there is no article in the ,greek1 and the translation of one genitive by an adjective1 and of the other by a genitive1 is unfortunate4 ,a doer of work 7 71 or a doer that worketh1 is an expression that emphasizes just what ,st4 ,james wishes to emphasize1 viz4 the necessity of actively practising what is attentively heard4 ,a doer would have sufficed1 but a doer that worketh makes the idea of habitual action still more prominent4 ,this man shall be blessed in his doing 7 74 ,once more we have a word which is found nowhere else in the ,new ,testament1 but occurs in ,ecclesiasticus 7xix4 #bj71 and with much the same meaning as here3 ,all wisdom is fear of the ,lord2 and in all wisdom there is doing of the law 7 74 ,the correspondence between the meaning of ,st4 ,james and the meaning of the son of ,sirach is very close4 ,mere knowledge without performance is of little worth3 it is in the doing that a blessing can be found4 ,the danger against which ,st4 ,james warns the ,jewish ,christians of the ,dispersion is as pressing now as it was when he wrote4 ,never was there a time when interest in the ,scriptures was more keen or more widely spread1 especially among the educated classes2 and never was there a time when greater facilities for gratifying this interest abounded4 ,commentaries1 expositions1 criticisms1 introductions1 helps of all kinds1 exegetical1 homiletic1 historical1 and textual1 suitable both for learned and unlearned students1 multiply year by year4 ,but it is much to be feared that with many of us the interest in the sacred writings which is thus roused and fostered remains to a very large extent a literary interest4 ,we are much more eager to know all about ,god's ,word than from it to learn ,his will respecting ourselves1 that we may do it2 to prove that a book is genuine than to practise what it enjoins4 ,we study ,lives of ,christ1 but we do not follow the life of ,christ4 ,we pay ,him the empty homage of an intellectual interest in ,his words and works1 but we do not the things which ,he says4 ,we throng and press ,him in our curiosity1 but we obtain no blessing1 because in all our hearing and learning there is no true wisdom1 no fear of the ,lord1 and no doing of ,his ,word4 #ea ,the ,christian ,year1 ,st4 ,bartholomew's ,day4 #eb ,this characterizing genitive is not exactly a ,hebraism1 like children of wrath1 son of perdition1 son of light1 and the like2 but the use of the genitive in place of an adjective is more common in ,oriental languages1 and therefore in ,greek which is under ,oriental influences4 ,see p4 #abb4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,christology ,,of ,,st4 ,,james4 ,,the ,,practical ,,unbelief ,,involved ,,in ,,showing ,a ,,worldly ,,respect ,,of ,,persons ,,in ,,public ,,worship4 ,my brethren1 hold not the faith of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,lord of glory1 with respect of persons4 ,for if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring1 in fine clothing1 and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing2 and ye have regard to him that weareth the fine clothing1 and say1 ,sit thou here in a good place2 and ye say to the poor man1 ,stand thou there1 or sit under my footstool2 are ye not divided in your own mind1 and become judges with evil thoughts8--,,st4 ,,james ii4 #a-d4 ,as has been stated already1 in a previous chapter 7p4 #bc71 one of ,luther's main objections to this ,epistle is that it does not preach and urge ,christ4 ,it teaches ,christian people1 and yet does not once notice the ,passion1 the ,resurrection1 the ,spirit of ,christ4 ,the writer names ,christ a few times2 but he teaches nothing of ,him1 but speaks of general faith in ,god4 ,this indictment has been more fully drawn out by a modern writer4 ,the author's stand-point is ,jewish rather than ,christian4 ,the ideas are cast in a ,jewish mould4 ,the very name of ,christ occurs but twice 7i4 #a2 ii4 #a71 and ,his atonement is scarcely touched4 ,we see little more than the threshold of the new system4 ,it is the teaching of a ,christian ,jew1 rather than of one who had reached a true apprehension of the essence of ,christ's religion4 ,the doctrinal development is imperfect4 ,it is only necessary to read the entire ,epistle to perceive the truth of these remarks4 ,in warning his readers against transgression of the law by partiality to individuals1 the author adduces ,jewish rather than ,christian motives 7ii4 #h-ac74 ,the greater part of the third chapter1 respecting the government of the tongue1 is of the same character1 in which ,christ's example is not once alluded to1 the illustrations being taken from objects in nature4 ,the warning against uncharitable judgment does not refer to ,christ1 or to ,god1 who puts ,his ,spirit in the hearts of believers1 but to the law 7iv4 #aj-ab74 ,he who judges his neighbour judges the law4 ,the exhortation to feel and act under constant remembrance of the dependence of our life on ,god belongs to the same category 7iv4 #ac-ag74 ,he that knows good without doing it is earnestly admonished to practise virtue and to avoid self-security1 without reference to motives connected with redemption4 ,job and the ,prophets are quoted as examples of patience1 not ,christ2 and the efficacy of prayer is proved by the instance of ,elias1 without allusion to the ,redeemer's promise 7v4 #ag74 ,the ,epistle is wound up after the same ,jewish fashion1 though the opportunity of mentioning ,christ1 who gave ,himself a ,sacrifice for sin1 presented itself naturally4#ec ,all this may be admitted1 without at all consenting to the conclusion which is drawn from it4 ,several other considerations must be taken into account before we can form a satisfactory opinion respecting the whole case4 ,few things are more misleading1 in the interpretation of ,scripture1 than the insisting upon one set of facts and texts1 and passing over all that is to be found on the other side4 ,in this manner the most opposite views may be equally proved from ,scripture4 ,universalism and the eschatology of ,calvin1 ,pelagianism and ,fatalism1 ,papalism and ,presbyterianism4 ,first1 both logically and chronologically the teaching of ,st4 ,james precedes that of ,st4 ,paul and of ,st4 ,john4 ,to call it retrograde when compared with either of them is to call a child retrograde when compared with a man4 ,st4 ,paul had to feed his converts with milk before he fed them with meat1 and the whole of the congregations addressed by ,st4 ,james in this letter must have been at a comparatively early stage of development4 ,in some respects even the ,mother ,church of ,jerusalem1 from which his letter was written1 did not get beyond these early stages4 ,before it had done so the centre of ,christendom had moved from ,jerusalem to ,antioch2 and to ,jerusalem it never returned4 ,it was useless to build a structure of doctrine before a foundation of morality had been laid4 ,advent must come before ,christmas1 and ,lent before ,easter4 ,the manifold significance of the great truths of the ,incarnation and the ,resurrection would not be well appreciated by those who were neglecting some of the plainest principles of the moral law2 and to appeal to the sanctions which every ,jew from his childhood had been accustomed to regard as final was probably in the long-run more convincing than to remind these converts of the additional sanctions which they had admitted when they entered the ,christian ,church4 ,moreover1 there are passages in the ,epistle which seem to show that ,st4 ,james at times looks aside to address ,jews who are not ,christians at all1 and it may be that even when ,he addresses ,christian converts he deliberately prefers arguments which would weigh with ,jew and ,christian alike to those which would appeal to the latter only4 ,like ,st4 ,paul himself1 he was willing to become to the ,jews a ,jew1 that he might win the ,jews4 ,besides which1 we must allow something for the bias of his own mind4 ,to his death he remained in many respects1 not only a saintly shepherd of the ,christian ,church1 but also a ,hebrew of ,hebrews4 ,he is the last ,jewish prophet as well as the first ,christian bishop1 a ,hebrew ,rabbi inside the ,church2 and even if the condition of his readers had not made it desirable to lay much stress upon the ,law and the ,old ,testament1 the associations of a lifetime would have led him frequently to those old sources of truth and morality1 all the more so as no authoritative ,christian literature was as yet in existence4 ,it was part of his mission to help in creating such a literature4 ,he sets one of the first1 it may be the very first1 of the mystic stones1 which1 although apparently thrown together without order or connexion1 form so harmonious and so complete a whole2 and alike in the solidity of its material and in the simplicity of its form this ,epistle is well fitted to be one of the first stones in such a building4 ,but it is easy to go away with an exaggerated view of the so-called deficiencies of this letter as regards distinctly ,christian teaching4 ,the passage before us is a strong piece of evidence1 and even if it stood alone it would carry us a long way4 ,moreover1 the strength of it is not much affected by the ambiguity of construction which confronts us in the original4 ,it is impossible to say with absolute certainty how the genitive of glory 7 7 ought to be taken2 but the ,revisers are possibly right3 ,hold not the faith of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 7the ,lord7 of glory1 with respect of persons4#ed ,nor does it much matter whether we take the ,greek negative 7 444 7 as an imperative1 ,do not go on holding2 or as an interrogative which expects a negative reply1 ,do ye hold8 ,in any case we have the ,divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 and the fact of ,his being an object of faith to ,christians1 placed before us in clear language4 ,no mere ,jew1 and no ,ebionite who believed that ,jesus was a mere man1 could have written thus4 ,and the words with which the ,epistle opens are scarcely less marked3 ,james1 of ,god and of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ a bond-servant4 ,in both passages the title ,lord1 which in the ,old ,testament means ,jehovah1 is given to ,jesus ,christ1 and in the opening words ,god and the ,lord ,jesus are placed side by side as equal4 ,moreover1 ,st4 ,james1 who might have claimed honour as the brother of the ,lord1 prefers to style himself ,his bond-servant4 ,he has known ,christ after the flesh1 few more closely and intimately1 and he knows from experience how little such knowledge avails3 henceforth knows he ,him so no more4 ,he who does the will of ,god is the true brother of the ,lord1 and it is this kind of relationship to ,christ that he wishes to secure for his readers4 ,nor do these two passages1 in which ,jesus ,christ is mentioned by name1 stand alone4 ,there is the question1 ,do not they blaspheme the honourable ,name by which ye were called8 ,the honourable ,name1 which had been called upon them1 is that of ,christ1 and if it can be blasphemed it is a ,divine ,name 7ii4 #g74 ,the ,second ,advent of ,christ1 the coming of the ,lord1 is a thing for which ,christians are to wait patiently and longingly 7v4 #g-i71 and the office which ,he will then discharge is that of the ,divine ,judge of all mankind4 ,the coming of the ,lord is at hand4 ,murmur not1 brethren1 one against another1 that ye be not judged3 behold1 the ,judge standeth before the doors 7v4 #h1 #i74 ,nor have we yet exhausted the passages which in this singularly practical and undoctrinal ,epistle point clearly to the central doctrine of the ,divinity of ,christ and ,his eternal relation to ,his ,church4 ,is any among you sick8 ,let him call for the elders of the ,church2 and let them pray over him1 anointing him with oil in the ,name of the ,lord3 and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick1 and the ,lord shall raise him up 7v4 #ad1 #ae74 ,as in the case of the man healed at the ,beautiful ,gate of the ,temple 7,acts iii4 #f1 #af7 it is in the ,name of ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth1 444 whom ,god raised from the dead1 even in this ,name1 that the sick man is to be restored4 ,and some interpreters 7,dorner and ,von ,soden7 think that ,christ is included1 or even exclusively intended1 in ,one is the ,lawgiver and the ,judge 7iv4 #ab4 ,comp4 v4 #i74 ,thus ,liddon3 ,especially noteworthy is his assertion that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,judge of men1 is not the delegated representative of an absent ,majesty1 but is ,himself the ,legislator enforcing ,his own laws4 ,the ,lawgiver1 he says1 is ,one ,being with the ,judge who can save and can destroy2 the ,son of man1 coming in the clouds of heaven1 has enacted the law which ,he thus administers4#ee ,but without taking into account expressions of which the interpretation is open to doubt1 there is quite enough to show us that the ,divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 ,his redeeming death1 ,his abiding power1 and ,his return to judgment are the basis of the moral teaching of ,st4 ,james1 and are never long absent from his thoughts4 ,expressions1 some of which no mere ,jew or ,ebionite could have used1 and others which no such imperfect believer would have been likely to use1 abound in this short ,epistle1 in spite of its simple and practical character4#ef ,my brethren1 hold not the faith of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,lord of glory1 with respect of persons4 ,these words open a new section of the letter1 as the renewed address indicates2 and although the ,epistle is not a set treatise1 capable of analysis1 but a letter1 in which the subjects to be treated are loosely strung together in the order in which they occur to the writer1 yet the connexion between the two very different subjects of this section and the preceding one can be traced4 ,the previous section teaches that much hearing is better than much talking1 and that much hearing is worthless without corresponding conduct4 ,this section denounces undue respect of persons1 and especially of wealthy persons during public worship4 ,the connecting thoughts are religious worship and the treatment of the poor4 ,the conduct which is true devotion is practical benevolence1 moral purity1 and unworldliness4 ,this conclusion suggests a new subject1 worldly respect of persons in public worship4 ,that is the very reverse of pure devotion4 ,to profess one's belief in ,jesus ,christ1 the ,lord of glory1 and at the same time show one's belief in the majesty of mere money1 is grievously incongruous4 ,st4 ,james is not making any attack on differences of rank1 or asserting that no man is to be honoured above another4 ,he is pointing out that reverence for the wealthy is no part of ,christianity1 and that such reverence is peculiarly out of place in the house of ,god1 especially when it brings with it a corresponding disregard of the poor4 ,if there come into your synagogue4 ,this is one of several improvements which the ,revisers have introduced into this passage4 ,the ,authorized ,version has assembly1 which obscures the fact that the letter is written in those very early days of the ,church in which the ,jewish ,christians still attended the worship of the ,temple and the synagogue1 or if they had a separate place of worship1 spoke of it under the old familiar name4 ,the latter is probably what is meant here4 ,st4 ,james1 in writing to ,christians1 would hardly speak of a ,jewish place of worship as your synagogue1 nor would he have rebuked ,christians for the way in which different persons were treated in a synagogue of the ,jews4 ,the supposition that the article 7 7 indicates that the one synagogue of the entire ,jewish ,christian ,dispersion is meant1 i4e4 their religious community symbolically described by the name of the ,jewish place of worship1 is quite unfounded1 and against the whole context4 ,a typical incident--perhaps something which had actually been witnessed by ,st4 ,james1 or had been reported to him--is made the vehicle of a general principle 7comp4 i4 #aa74 ,that the reference is to judicial courts often held in synagogues is also quite gratuitous1 and destroys the contrast between pure religion and worldly respect of persons in public worship4 ,another improvement introduced by the ,revisers is a uniform translation of the word 77 capriciously rendered apparel1 raiment1 and clothing4 ,only one word is used in the ,greek1 and it is misleading to use three different words in ,english4 ,by a quaint misuse of the very passage before us1 the translators of #afaa defend their want of precision in such matters1 and avow that in many cases precision was deliberately sacrificed to variety and to a wish to honour as many ,english words as possible by giving them a place in the ,bible6 ,in ordinary copies of the ,authorized ,version the ,address to ,king ,james is commonly given1 the far more instructive ,address to the ,reader never4 ,near the close of it the translators say as follows3-- ,another thing we think good to admonish thee of 7gentle ,reader7 that we have not tied ourselves to an uniformity of phrasing1 or to an identity of words1 as some peradventure would wish we had done1 because they observe1 that some learned men some where1 have been as exact as they could that way4 ,truly1 that we might not vary from the sense of that which we had translated before1 if the word signified the same thing in both places 7for there be some words that be not of the same sense every where7 we were especially careful1 and made a conscience1 according to our duty4 ,but1 that we should express the same notion in the same particular word2 as for example1 if we translate the ,hebrew or ,greek word once by ,purpose1 never to call it ,intent2 if one where ,journeying1 never ,travelling2 if one where ,think1 never ,suppose2 if one where ,pain1 never ,ache2 if one where ,joy1 never ,gladness1 etc4 ,thus to mince the matter1 we thought to savour more of curiosity than wisdom1 and that rather it would breed scorn in the ,atheist1 than bring profit to the godly ,reader4 ,for is the kingdom of ,god become words or syllables8 why should we be in bondage to them if we may be free1 use one precisely1 when we may use another no less fit1 as commodiously8 ,a godly ,father in the primitive time shewed himself greatly moved1 that one of new-fangleness called though the difference be little or none 7,niceph4 ,call4 viii4 #db72 and another reporteth1 that he was much abused for turning ,cucurbita 7to which reading the people had been used7 into ,hedera 7,jerome in iv4 ,jon4 ,see ,s4 ,augustine1 ,epist4 #ga74 ,now if this happen in better times1 and upon so small occasions1 we might justly fear hard censure1 if generally we should make verbal and unnecessary changings4 ,we might also be charged 7by scoffers7 with some unequal dealing towards a great number of good ,english words4 ,for as it is written of a certain great ,philosopher1 that he should say1 that those logs were happy that were made images to be worshipped2 for their fellows1 as good as they1 lay for blocks behind the fire3 so if we should say1 as it were1 unto certain words1 ,stand up higher1 have a place in the ,bible always1 and to others of a like quality1 ,get ye hence1 be banished for ever1 we might be taxed peradventure with ,s4 ,james his words1 namely1 ,to be partial in our selves and judges of evil thoughts4#eg ,in the passage before us the repetition of one and the same word for clothing is possibly not accidental4 ,the repetition accentuates the fact that such a thing as clothing is allowed to be the measure of a man's merit4 ,the rich man is neither the better nor the worse for his fine clothes1 the poor man neither the better nor the worse for his shabby clothes4 ,the error lies in supposing that such distinctions have anything to do with religion1 or ought to be recognized in public worship2 and still more in supposing that any one1 whether rich or poor1 may at such a time be treated with contumely4 ,are ye not divided in your own mind1 and become judges with evil thoughts8 ,here1 as in the first verse1 there is a doubt whether the sentence is an interrogation or not4 ,in the former case the meaning is the same1 whichever way we take it2 for a question which implies a negative answer 7 interrogative7 is equivalent to a prohibition4 ,in the present case the meaning will be affected if we consider the sentence to be a statement of fact1 and the number of translations which have been suggested is very large4 ,in both cases we may safely follow the ,vulgate and all ,english versions in making the first verse a prohibition1 and the fourth a question4 ,are ye not divided in your own mind8 ,or more literally1 ,did ye not doubt in yourselves8 i4e4 on the typical occasion mentioned4 ,at the outset ,st4 ,james says1 ,hold not the faith of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ with respect of persons4 ,but the conduct described respecting the treatment of the gold-ringed man and the squalidly clothed man shows that they do have respect of persons in their religion1 and that shows that genuine faith in ,christ is wanting4 ,such behaviour proves that they doubt in themselves4 ,they are not single-hearted believers in the ,lord ,jesus1 but double-minded doubters 7i4 #f1 #g71 trying to make the best of both worlds1 and to serve ,god and ,mammon4 ,the word rendered doubt 77 may mean distinguish3 ,do ye not make distinctions among yourselves8 ,it is so taken by ,renan 7,l',antchrist1 p4 #di7 and others4 ,this makes sense1 but it is rather obvious sense2 for of course to give a rich man a good place1 and a poor man a bad one1 is making distinctions4 ,it seems better to adhere to the meaning which the word certainly has in the preceding chapter 7i4 #f71 as well as elsewhere in the ,new ,testament 7,matt4 xxi4 #ba2 ,mark xi4 #bc2 ,acts x4 #bj2 ,rom4 iv4 #bj2 xiv4 #bc71 and understand it as referring to the want of faith in ,christ and in ,his teaching which was displayed in a worldly preference for the rich over the poor1 even in those services in which ,his words were to be taught and ,his person adored4 ,judges with evil thoughts is an improvement on the more literal but misleading judges of evil thoughts 7 74 ,the meaning of the genitive case is that the evil thoughts characterize the judges1 as in such common phrases as men of evil habits1 judges of remarkable severity 7see above on hearers of forgetfulness1 p4 #ajh74 ,the word for thoughts is one which in itself suggests evil1 even without any epithet4 ,it is the word used of the reasonings of the ,pharisees1 when they taxed our ,lord with blasphemy for forgiving sins 7,luke v4 #bb4 ,comp4 xxiv4 #ch74 ,st4 ,paul uses it of those who are vain in their reasonings 7,rom4 i4 #ba2 #a ,cor4 iii4 #bj71 and couples with it murmurings 7,phil4 ii4 #ad7 as congenial company4 ,those men who1 even while engaged in the public worship of ,god1 set themselves up as judges to honour the rich and condemn the poor1 were not holding the faith of ,jesus ,christ1 but were full of evil doubts1 questionings1 and distrust4 #ec ,davidson1 ,introduction to the ,study of the ,n4,t4 vol4 i4 pp4 #cbg1 #cbh1 #bnd ed4 7,longmans1 #ahhb74 #ed ,there is1 however1 a good deal to be said for ,bengel's suggestion1 that is in apposition with 4 4 1 i4e4 the faith of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 7who is7 the ,glory4 ,comp4 ,luke ii4 #cb2 ,eph4 i4 #g2 #a ,peter iv4 #ad2 #b ,peter i4 #ag2 ,col4 i4 #bg2 ,john i4 #ad4 ,see ,j4 ,b4 ,mayor's note in the ,expositor1 ,sept41 #ahhi1 pp4 #bbe-bh4 #ee ,bampton ,lectures1 ,lect4 ,,vi1 p4 #dcc 7,rivingtons1 #ahfg74 #ef ,among these should be included the phrases which ,st4 ,james uses to indicate the ,gospel revelation3 the ,word of truth 7i4 #ah72 the implanted ,word 7i4 #ba72 the perfect law1 the law of liberty 7i4 #be72 the royal law 7ii4 #h74 #eg ,from the ,exact ,reprint ,page for ,page of the ,a4,v4 published in the ,year ,,mdcxi4 7,oxford1 #ahcc74 ,see also ,trench ,on the ,a4,v4 of the ,n4,t41 pp4 #hc-aja1 and ,lightfoot ,on a ,fresh ,revision of the ,n4,t41 pp4 #cc-ei1 for some excellent remarks on the harm done by making differences in the ,english where there is no difference in the ,greek4 ,in the present passage1 besides the threefold translation of 1 there is a double translation of 7goodly apparel and gay clothing71 and also of 7come and come in74 ,in #a ,john ii4 #bd we have the same word 77 translated in three different ways 7abide1 remain1 continue7 in the same verse1 entirely destroying the effect of ,st4 ,john's impressive repetition4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,iniquity ,,of ,,respecting ,,the ,,rich ,,and ,,despising ,,the ,,poor4 ,,the ,,solidarity ,,of ,,the ,,divine ,,law4 ,hearken1 my beloved brethren2 did not ,god choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith1 and heirs of the kingdom which ,he promised to them that love ,him8 ,but ye have dishonoured the poor man4 ,do not the rich oppress you1 and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats8 ,do not they blaspheme the honourable ,name by the which ye are called8 ,howbeit if ye fulfil the royal law1 according to the ,scripture1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself1 ye do well3 but if ye have respect of persons1 ye commit sin1 being convicted by the law as transgressors4 ,for whosoever shall keep the whole law1 and yet stumble in one point1 he is become guilty of all4--,,st4 ,,james ii4 #e-aj4 ,st4 ,james is varied in his style4 ,sometimes he writes short1 maxim-like sentences1 which remind us of the ,book of ,proverbs2 sometimes1 as in the passage before us1 he is as argumentative as ,st4 ,paul4 ,having condemned worldly respect of persons as practical infidelity1 he proceeds to prove the justice of this estimate2 and he does so with regard to both items of the account3 these respecters of persons are utterly wrong1 both in their treatment of the poor and in their treatment of the rich4 ,the former is the worse of the two2 for it is in flat contradiction of the ,divine decree1 and is an attempt to reverse it4 ,god has said one thing about the poor man's estate1 and these time-servers1 publicly in the house of ,god1 say another4 ,hearken1 my beloved brethren4 ,he invites their attention to an affectionate and conclusive statement of the case4 ,did not ,god choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith1 and heirs of the kingdom8 ,but ye have dishonoured the poor man4 ,by the humble life which1 by ,divine decree1 ,god's ,son led upon the earth1 by the social position of the men whom ,he chose as ,his ,apostles and first disciples1 by blessings promised to the poor and to the friends of the poor1 both under the ,law and under the ,gospel1 ,god has declared ,his special approbation of the poor man's estate4 ,but ye 7 1 with great emphasis on the pronoun7 have dishonoured the poor man4 ,with ,haman-like impiety ye would disgrace the man whom the ,king delights to honour4 ,let us not misunderstand ,st4 ,james4 ,he does not say or imply that the poor man is promised salvation on account of his poverty1 or that his poverty is in any way meritorious4 ,that is not the case1 any more than that the wealth of the rich is a sin4 ,but so far as ,god has declared any preference1 it is for the poor1 rather than for the rich4 ,the poor man has fewer temptations1 and he is more likely to live according to ,god's will1 and to win the blessings that are in store for those who love ,him4 ,his dependence upon ,god for the means of life is perpetually brought home to him1 and he is spared the peril of trusting in riches1 which is so terrible a snare to the wealthy4 ,he has greater opportunities of the virtues which make man ,christlike1 and fewer occasions of falling into those sins which separate him most fatally from ,christ4 ,but opportunities are not virtues1 and poverty is not salvation4 ,nevertheless1 to a ,christian a poor man is an object of reverence1 rather than of contempt4 ,but the error of the worldly ,christians whom ,st4 ,james is here rebuking does not end with dishonouring the poor whom ,god has honoured2 they also pay special respect to the rich4 ,have the rich1 as a class1 shown that they deserve anything of the kind8 ,very much the reverse1 as experience is constantly proving4 ,do not the rich oppress you1 and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats8 ,do not they blaspheme the honourable ,name by the which ye are called8 ,unless we consider the synagogue mentioned above to be a ,jewish one1 in which ,christians still worship1 as in the ,temple at ,jerusalem1 the gold-ringed worshipper is to be understood as a ,christian2 and reasons have been given above 7p4 #aah7 for believing that the synagogue is a ,christian place of worship4 ,but in any case the rich oppressors here spoken of are not to be thought of as exclusively or principally ,christian4 ,they are the wealthy as a class1 whether converts to ,christianity or not2 and apparently1 as in chap4 v4 #a-f1 it is the wealthy unbelieving ,jews who are principally in the writer's mind4 ,st4 ,james is thinking of the rich ,sadducees1 who at this period 7,a4,d4 #ce-fe7 were among the worst oppressors of the poorer ,jews1 and of course were specially bitter against those who had become adherents of the ,way1 and who seemed to them to be renegades from the faith of their forefathers4 ,it was precisely to this kind of oppression that ,st4 ,paul devoted himself with fanatical zeal previous to his conversion 7,acts ix4 #a1 #b2 #a ,tim4 i4 #ac2 #a ,cor4 xv4 #i2 ,phil4 iii4 #f74 ,the judgment-seats before which these wealthy ,jews drag their poorer brethren may be either heathen or ,jewish courts 7comp4 #a ,cor4 vi4 #b1 #d71 but are probably the ,jewish courts frequently held in the synagogues4 ,the ,roman government allowed the ,jews very considerable powers of jurisdiction over their own people1 not only in purely ecclesiastical matters1 but in civil matters as well4 ,the ,mosaic ,law penetrated into almost all the relations of life1 and where it was concerned it was intolerable to a ,jew to be tried by heathen law4 ,consequently the ,romans found that their control over the ,jews was more secure1 and less provocative of rebellion1 when the ,jews were permitted to retain a large measure of self-government4 ,this applied not only to ,palestine1 but to all places in which there were large settlements of ,jews4 ,even in the ,new ,testament we find ample evidence of this4 ,the high priest grants ,saul letters to ,damascus1 unto the synagogues1 to arrest all who had become converts to the ,way 7,acts ix4 #b74 ,and ,st4 ,paul before ,herod ,agrippa ,,ii4 declares that1 in his fury against converts to ,christianity1 he persecuted them even unto foreign cities 7,acts xxvi4 #aa74 ,most1 if not all1 of the five occasions on which he himself received of the ,jews forty stripes save one 7#b ,cor4 xi4 #bd7 must have been during his travels outside ,palestine4 ,the proconsul ,gallio told the ,jews of ,corinth1 not only that they might1 but that they must1 take their charges against ,paul1 for breaking ,jewish law1 to a ,jewish tribunal2 and when they ostentatiously beat ,sosthenes before his own tribunal1 for some ,jewish offence1 he abstained from interfering4 ,it is likely enough that provincial governors1 partly from policy1 partly from indifference1 allowed ,jewish officials to exercise more power than they legally possessed2 but they possessed quite enough to enable them to handle severely those who contravened the letter or the traditional interpretation of the ,mosaic ,law4 ,that the dragging before the judgment-seats refers to bringing ,christians before ,roman magistrates1 in a time of persecution1 is a gratuitous hypothesis which does not fit the context4 ,it was the mob1 rather than the rich1 that in the earlier persecutions acted in this way4 ,the rich were contemptuously indifferent4 ,there is1 therefore1 no evidence here that the letter was written during the persecution under ,domitian or under ,trajan4 ,nevertheless1 their ,christianity1 rather than their debt1 was probably the reason why these poor ,jewish ,christians were prosecuted in the synagogue courts by the wealthy ,jews4 ,so far from this passage being evidence that the ,epistle was written at a time long after the death of ,st4 ,james1 it is1 as ,renan has carefully shown1 almost a proof that it was written during his lifetime4 ,as regards the relations between rich and poor1 the ,epistle of ,james is a perfect picture of the ,ebionim at ,jerusalem in the years which preceded the revolt4 ,the destruction of ,jerusalem introduced so complete a change into the situation of ,judaism and of ,christianity1 that it is easy to distinguish a writing subsequent to the catastrophe of the year #gj from a writing contemporary with the third ,temple4 ,pictures evidently referring to the internal contests between the different classes in ,jerusalem society1 such as that which is presented to us in the ,epistle of ,james1 are inconceivable after the revolt of the year #ff1 which put an end to the reign of the ,sadducees4#eh ,these were the times when women bought the priesthood for their husbands from ,herod ,agrippa ,,ii41 and went to see them officiate1 over carpets spread from their own door to the ,temple2 when wealthy priests were too fastidious to kill the victims for sacrifice without first putting on silk gloves2 when their kitchens were furnished with every appliance for luxurious living1 and their tables with every delicacy2 and when1 supported by the ,romans1 to whom they truckled1 they made war upon the poor priests1 who were supported by the people4 ,like ,hophni and ,phinehas1 they sent out their servants to collect what they claimed as offerings1 and if payment was refused the servants took what they claimed by force4 ,facts like these help us to understand the strong language used here by ,st4 ,james1 and the still sterner words at the beginning of the fifth chapter4 ,in such a state of society the mere possession of wealth certainly established no claims upon the reverence of a ,christian congregation2 and the fawning upon rich people1 degrading and unchristian at all times1 would seem to ,st4 ,james to be specially perilous and distressing then4 ,do not they blaspheme the honourable ,name by which ye are called8 ,the last clause literally means which was called upon you 7 ' 72 and we need not doubt that the reference is to the ,name of ,christ which was invoked upon them at their baptism2 quod invocatum est super vos1 as the ,vulgate has it4 ,the same expression is found in the ,septuagint of those who are called by ,god's ,name 7#b ,chron4 vii4 #ad2 ,jer4 xiv4 #i2 xv4 #af2 ,amos ix4 #ab74 ,some have suggested that the name here indicated is that of poor1 or of brethren1 or of ,christian2 but none of these is at all probable4 ,it may be doubted whether the last was already in common use2 and blaspheme would be a very strong expression to use of any of them2 whereas both it and honourable are quite in keeping if the name be that of ,christ4 ,the word rendered honourable 77 cannot be adequately translated4 ,it is the same as that which is rendered good when we read of the ,good ,shepherd 7,john x4 #aa74 ,it suggests what is beautiful1 noble1 and good1 as opposed to what is foul1 mean1 and wicked2 and such is the ,name of ,christ1 which is called in a special sense the ,name 7,acts v4 #da2 #c ,john #g4 ,comp4 ,ignatius1 ,eph4 iii41 vii42 ,philad4 x42 ,clem4 ,rom4 ii41 xiii474 ,that the blasphemers are not ,christians is shown by the clause which was called upon you4 ,had ,christians been intended1 ,st4 ,james would have written ,do not they blaspheme the honourable ,name which was called upon them8 ,that they blasphemed the ,name in which they were baptized would have been such an aggravation of their offence that he would not have failed to indicate it4 ,these blasphemers were no doubt ,jews2 and ,st4 ,james has in his mind the anathemas against ,jesus ,christ which were frequent utterances among the ,jews1 both in the synagogues and in conversation4 ,st4 ,paul alludes to these when he says1 ,no man speaking in the ,spirit of ,god saith1 ,jesus is anathema2 and ,justin ,martyr writes1 ,that which is said in the ,law1 ,cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree1 confirms our hope which is hung upon the crucified ,christ1 not as if ,god were cursing that crucified ,one1 but because ,god foretold that which would be done by all of you 7,jews7 and those like you4444 ,and you may see with your eyes this very thing coming to pass2 for in your synagogues you curse all those who from ,him have become ,christians 7,trypho1 xcvi474 ,the text1 ,cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree1 was a favourite one with the ,jews in their controversies with ,christians1 as ,st4 ,james would know well 7see ,gal4 iii4 #ac72 and all this tends to show that he refers to literal blasphemy by word of mouth1 and not to the virtual blasphemy which is involved in conduct that dishonours ,christ4 ,his argument1 therefore1 amounts to this1 that the practice of honouring the rich for their riches is 7quite independently of any dishonour done to the poor7 doubly reprehensible4 ,it involves the meanness of flattering their own oppressors1 and the wickedness of reverencing those who blaspheme ,christ4 ,it is a servile surrender of their own rights1 and base disloyalty to their ,lord4 ,but perhaps 7the argument continues7 some will defend this respect paid to the rich as being no disloyalty to ,christ1 but1 on the contrary1 simple fulfilment of the royal law1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself4 ,be it so1 that the rich as a class are unworthy of respect and honour1 yet nevertheless they are our neighbours1 and no misconduct on their side can cancel the obligation on our side to treat them as we should wish to be treated ourselves4 ,we ourselves like to be respected and honoured1 and therefore we pay respect and honour to them4 ,to those who argue thus the reply is easy4 ,certainly1 if that is your motive1 ye do well4 ,but why do you love your neighbour as yourselves if he chances to be rich1 and treat him like a dog if he chances to be poor8 ,however excellent your reasons for honouring the wealthy may be1 you still do not free yourselves from the blame of showing an unchristian respect of persons1 and therefore of committing sin1 being convicted by the law as transgressors4 ,the law of loving one's neighbour as oneself is a royal law1 not as having emanated from ,god or from ,christ as ,king1 still less as being a law which binds even kings1 or which makes kings of those who observe it4 ,it is a royal law1 as being sovereign over other laws1 inasmuch as it is one of those two on which hang all the ,law and the ,prophets 7,matt4 xxii4 #dj74 ,indeed1 either of the two may be interpreted so as to cover the whole duty of man4 ,thus ,st4 ,paul says of this royal law1 ,the whole law is fulfilled in one word1 even in this1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself 7,gal4 v4 #ad74 ,and ,st4 ,john teaches the same truth in a different way1 when he declares that he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen cannot love ,god whom he hath not seen 7#a ,john iv4 #bj74 ,the expression royal law occurs nowhere else1 either in the ,new ,testament or in the ,septuagint1 but it is found in a dialogue entitled ,minos 7p4 #cag71 which is sometimes wrongly attributed to ,plato4 ,it is one which might readily occur to any one as a name for a supreme moral principle4 ,whosoever shall keep the whole law1 and yet stumble in one point1 he is become guilty of all4#ei ,the law is the expression of one and the same principle--love2 and of one and the same will--the will of ,god4 ,therefore he who deliberately offends against any one of its enactments1 however diligently he may keep all the rest1 is guilty of offending against the whole4 ,his guiding principle is not love1 but selfishness--not ,god's will1 but his own4 ,he keeps nine tenths of the law because he likes to do so1 and he breaks one tenth because he likes to do so4 ,the fact of his wilful disobedience proves that his obedience is not the fruit of love or loyalty1 but of self-seeking4 ,if we ask what his character is1 the answer must be1 ,he is a lawbreaker4 ,these respecters of persons claimed to be observers of the law1 because they treated their rich neighbours as they would have liked to be treated themselves4 ,st4 ,james shows them that1 on the contrary1 they are transgressors of the law1 because they pick and choose as to what neighbours shall be treated thus kindly4 ,they keep the law when it is convenient to keep it1 and break it when it is inconvenient to keep it4 ,such keeping of the law is in its essence1 not obedience1 but disobedience4 ,he who follows honesty only because honesty is the best policy is not an honest man1 and he who obeys the law only because obedience suits him is not an obedient man4 ,there is no serving ,god with reservations4 ,however small the reservation may be1 it vitiates all the rest4 ,in order to fulfil the law 7a rare expression1 found only here and in ,rom4 ii4 #bg71 we must keep it all round1 independently of our own likes and dislikes4 ,st4 ,james is not here countenancing the severity of ,draco1 that small crimes deserve death1 and that there is no worse punishment for great crimes2 nor yet the paradox of the ,stoics1 that the theft of a penny is as bad as parricide1 because in either case the path of virtue is left1 and one is drowned as surely in seven feet of water as in seventy fathoms4 ,he is not contending that all sins are equal1 and that to break one of ,god's commands is as bad as to break them all4 ,what he maintains is that no one can claim to be a fulfiller of the law in virtue of his extensive obedience so long as there is any portion of the law which he wilfully disobeys4 ,why does he disobey in this8 ,because it pleases him to do so4 ,then he would disobey in the rest if it pleased him to do so4 ,the motive of his conduct is not submission1 but self-will4 ,he is in character a transgressor of the law4 ,both defects are common enough still1 and are likely to remain so4 ,paying respect to persons1 dignities1 and positions is a frequent form of meanness1 especially in the manner here condemned1 of courting the rich and slighting the poor4 ,it is a ,christian duty to respect the rank or the office of those whom ,god has placed in a position superior to ourselves1 and it is also a ,christian duty to reverence those who by ,god's grace are leading lives of virtue and holiness2 but it is unchristian partiality to honour a man merely for his wealth1 or to dishonour him merely for his poverty4 ,and secondly1 we are all of us prone to plead1 both before the world and our own consciences1 the particulars in which we do not offend as a set-off against those in which we do4 ,to detect ourselves thus balancing a transgression here1 against many observances there1 ought at once to startle us into the conviction that the whole principle of our lives must be faulty4 ,our aim is1 not to love ,god1 or to obey ,him1 but to get to heaven1 or at least to escape hell1 on the cheapest terms4 #eh ,l',antechrist1 pp4 xi4-xiii41 #di-ed4 #ei ,this text caused ,st4 ,augustine much perplexity4 ,he sent a long discussion of it to ,jerome1 asking for his opinion4 ,augustine's solution is that the whole law hangs on the love of ,god1 and that every transgression is a breach of love 7,ep4 ,,clxvii4 iv4 #af74 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,faith ,,and ,,works3 ,,three ,,views ,,of ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,the ,,teaching ,,of ,,st4 ,,james ,,to ,,the ,,teaching ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul4 ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,luther ,,to ,,both4 ,what doth it profit1 my brethren1 if a man say he hath faith1 but have not works8 can that faith save him8 ,if a brother or sister be naked1 and in lack of daily food1 and one of you say unto them1 ,go in peace1 be ye warmed and filled2 and yet ye give them not the things needful to the body2 what doth it profit8 ,even so faith1 if it have not works1 is dead in itself4 ,yea1 a man will say1 ,thou hast faith1 and ,i have works3 show me thy faith apart from thy works1 and ,i by my works will show thee my faith4 ,thou believest that ,god is ,one2 thou doest well3 the devils also believe1 and shudder4 ,but wilt thou know1 ,o vain man1 that faith apart from works is barren8 ,was not ,abraham our father justified by works1 in that he offered up ,isaac his son upon the altar8 ,thou seest that faith wrought with his works1 and by works was faith made perfect2 and the ,scripture was fulfilled which saith1 ,and ,abraham believed ,god1 and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness2 and he was called the friend of ,god4 ,ye see that by works a man is justified1 and not only by faith4 ,and in like manner was not also ,rahab the harlot justified by works1 in that she received the messengers1 and sent them out another way8 ,for as the body apart from the spirit is dead1 even so faith apart from works is dead4--,,st4 ,,james ii4 #ad-bf4 ,this famous passage has been quoted in full1 because one needs to have the whole of it before one in order to appreciate the value of the arguments used on this side and on that as to its relation to the teaching of ,st4 ,paul on the connexion between faith and works2 for which purpose mere extracts will not do2 and also because considerable changes1 some of them important1 have been made throughout the passage by the ,revisers1 and these will influence the impression derived from reading the passage as a whole4 ,it might be thought that here1 at any rate1 we have got1 in this singularly practical and undogmatic ,epistle1 a paragraph which is1 both in intention and in effect1 distinctly doctrinal4 ,it seems at first sight to be a careful exposition of ,st4 ,james's views as to the nature and value of faith and its relation to conduct4 ,but a little attention will prove to us that throughout the passage ,st4 ,james is as practical in his aim as in any part of the letter1 and that whatever doctrinal teaching there may be in the passage is there because the practical purpose of the writer could not be fulfilled without involving doctrine1 and not at all because the writer's object is to expound or defend an article of the ,christian faith4 ,he has agenda rather than credenda in his mind4 ,an orthodox creed is assumed throughout4 ,what needs to be produced is not right belief1 but right action4 ,in this affectionate pastoral ,st4 ,james passes in review the defects which he knows to exist in his readers4 ,they have their good points1 but these are sadly marred by corresponding deficiencies4 ,they are swift to hear1 but also swift to speak and slow to act4 ,they believe in ,jesus ,christ2 but they dishonour ,him by dishonouring ,his poor1 while they profess to keep the law of charity by honouring the rich4 ,they are orthodox in a ,monotheistic creed2 but they rest content with that1 and their orthodoxy is as barren as a dead tree4 ,it is with this last defect that ,st4 ,james is dealing in the passage before us4 ,and as so often 7i4 #ab1 #ai2 ii4 #a2 iii4 #a1 #ac2 iv4 #a1 #ac2 v4 #a1 #g1 #ac71 he clearly states his main point first1 and then proceeds to enforce and elucidate it4 ,what doth it profit1 my brethren1 if a man say he hath faith1 but have not works8 ,can that faith save him8 ,that faith is literally the faith1 or his faith2 viz4 such faith as he professes1 a faith that produces nothing4 ,there is no emphasis on say4 ,st4 ,james is not insinuating that the man says he has faith1 when he really has none4 ,if that were the case1 it would be needless to ask1 ,can his faith save him8 ,the question then would be1 ,can his profession of faith save him8 ,but ,st4 ,james nowhere throws doubt on the truth of the unprofitable believer's professions1 or on the possibility of believing much and doing nothing4 ,why1 then1 does he put in the say8 ,why not write1 ,if a man have faith8 ,perhaps in order to indicate that in such cases the man's own statement is all the evidence there is that he has faith4 ,in the case of other ,christians their works prove them to be believers2 but where there are no works you can only have the man's word for it that he believes4 ,the case is parallel to that sketched by our blessed ,lord1 which ,st4 ,james may have in his mind4 ,not every one that saith unto ,me1 ,lord1 ,lord1 shall enter into the kingdom of heaven2 but he that doeth the will of ,my ,father which is in heaven4 ,many will say to ,me in that day1 ,lord1 ,lord1 did we not prophesy by ,thy ,name1 and by ,thy ,name cast out devils1 and by ,thy ,name do many mighty works8 ,and then will ,i profess unto them1 ,i never knew you2 depart from ,me1 ye that work iniquity 7,matt4 vii4 #ba-bc74 ,in this case it is manifest that the profession of faith is not mere empty hypocrisy2 it is not a saying of ,lord1 ,lord1 to one who is not believed to be the ,lord4 ,it is a faith that can remove mountains1 but divorced from the love which makes it acceptable4 ,the two1 which ,god hath joined together1 have by man's self-will been put asunder4 ,the relation1 therefore1 of the teaching of ,st4 ,james to that of ,his ,divine ,brother is clear3 the two are in perfect harmony4 ,what is its relation to the teaching of ,st4 ,paul8 ,omitting minor differences1 there are in the main three answers to this question3 7#a7 ,the writer of this ,epistle is deliberately contradicting and correcting the teaching of ,st4 ,paul4 7#b7 ,st4 ,james is correcting prevalent misunderstandings1 or is anticipating probable misunderstandings1 of the teaching of ,st4 ,paul4 7#c7 ,st4 ,james writes without reference to1 and possibly without knowledge of1 the precise teaching of the ,apostle of the ,gentiles respecting the relation between faith and works4 7#a7 ,those who hold the first of these three views naturally maintain that the ,epistle is not genuine1 but the production of some one of a later age than ,st4 ,james1 who wished to have the great authority of his name to cover an attack upon the teaching of ,st4 ,paul4 ,thus ,f4 ,c4 ,baur maintains that the doctrine of this ,epistle must be considered as intended to correct that of ,paul4 ,this1 which is taken from the second edition of his work on the ,life and ,work of ,st4 ,paul1 published after his death in #ahfj1 by his pupil ,zeller1 may be taken as his matured opinion4 ,in his history of the ,christian ,church of the ,first ,three ,centuries1 published in #ahec1 he expresses himself a little less positively3 ,it is impossible to deny that the ,epistle of ,james presupposes the ,pauline doctrine of justification4 ,and if this be so1 its tendency is distinctly anti-,pauline1 though it may not be aimed directly against the ,apostle himself4 ,the ,epistle contends against a one-sided conception of the ,pauline doctrine1 which was dangerous to practical ,christianity4 ,in both works alike ,baur contends that the ,epistle of ,james cannot be genuine1 but is the product of some unknown writer in the second century4 ,the opinions that our ,epistle is directed against the teaching of ,st4 ,paul1 and that it is not genuine1 naturally go together4 ,it is against all probability that ,st4 ,james1 who had supported ,st4 ,paul in the crisis at ,jerusalem in ,a4,d4 #ej 7,acts xv471 and who had given to him and ,barnabas the right hand of fellowship 7,gal4 ii4 #i71 should attack ,st4 ,paul's own teaching4 ,but to deny the authenticity of the ,epistle1 and place it in a later age1 does not really avoid the difficulty of the supposed attack on ,st4 ,paul1 and it brings with it other difficulties of a no less serious character4 ,in any case the letter is addressed to ,jewish ,christians 7i4 #a72 and what need was there to put them on their guard against the teaching of a man whom they regarded with profound distrust1 and whose claim to be an ,apostle they denied8 ,it would be as reasonable to warn ,presbyterians against the doctrine of the ,infallibility of the ,pope4 ,besides all which1 as ,renan has shown1 the letter sketches a state of things which would be inconceivable after the outbreak of the war which ended in the destruction of ,jerusalem2 i4e4 it cannot be placed later than ,a4,d4 #ff4 ,dr4 ,salmon justly observes1 ,to a disciple of ,baur there is no more disappointing document than this ,epistle of ,james4 ,here1 if anywhere in the ,new ,testament1 he might expect to find evidence of anti-,pauline rancour4 ,there is what looks like flat contradiction between this ,epistle and the teaching of ,st4 ,paul4444 ,but that opposition to ,paul which1 on a superficial glance1 we are disposed to ascribe to the ,epistle of ,james1 disappears on a closer examination4 ,i postpone for the moment the question whether we can suppose that ,james intended to contradict ,paul2 but whether he intended it or not1 he has not really done so2 he has denied nothing that ,paul has asserted1 and asserted nothing that a disciple of ,paul would care to deny4 ,on comparing the language of ,james with that of ,paul1 all the distinctive expressions of the latter are found to be absent from the former4 ,st4 ,paul's thesis is that a man is justified not by works of the law1 but by the faith of ,jesus ,christ4 ,james speaks only of works without any mention of the law1 and of faith without any mention of ,jesus ,christ1 the example of faith which he considers being merely the belief that there is one ,god4 ,in other words1 ,james is writing not in the interests of ,judaism1 but of morality4 ,paul taught that faith in ,jesus ,christ was able to justify a man uncircumcised and unobservant of the ,mosaic ordinances4444 ,for this ,pauline teaching ,james not only has no word of contradiction1 but he gives no sign of ever having heard of the controversy which1 according to ,baur1 formed the most striking feature in the early history of the ,church4444 ,whatever embarrassment the apparent disagreement between the ,apostles has caused to orthodox theologians is as nothing in comparison with the embarrassment caused to a disciple of ,baur by their fundamental agreement4#fj ,we may1 therefore1 safely abandon a theory which involves three such difficulties4 ,it assigns a date to the ,epistle utterly incompatible with its contents4 ,it makes the writer warn ,jewish ,christians against teaching which they1 of all ,christians1 were least likely to find attractive4 ,and after all1 the warning is futile2 for the writer's own teaching is fundamentally the same as that which it is supposed to oppose and correct4 ,besides all which1 we may say with ,reuss that this ,tbingen criticism is mere baseless ingenuity4 ,it overlooks the unique originality of the ,epistle2 and to ascribe to the writer of it any ulterior motives at all is simply a useless display of acuteness4#fa 7#b7 ,this last remark will not predispose us to regard with favour the second hypothesis mentioned above--that in this passage ,st4 ,james is correcting prevalent misunderstandings1 or is anticipating probable misunderstandings1 of the teaching of ,st4 ,paul4 ,there is no trace of any such intention1 or of any anxiety on the subject4 ,the purpose of the passage is not doctrinal at all1 but1 like the rest of the ,epistle1 eminently practical4 ,the writer's object throughout is to inculcate the necessity of right conduct4 ,readiness in hearing the ,word of ,god is all very well1 and correctness of belief in ,god is all very well2 but without readiness to do what pleases ,him it is as useless as a dead vine4 ,whether ,st4 ,james remembered the words1 ,we reckon that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law 7,rom4 iii4 #bh71 must remain doubtful2 for1 as has been pointed out in a previous exposition 7p4 #eg71 there is some reason for believing that he had seen the ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,but there is no reason for believing that he was acquainted with the parallel statement in the ,epistle to the ,galatians1 ,we being ,jews by nature1 and not sinners of the ,gentiles1 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law1 save through faith in ,jesus ,christ1 even we believe on ,jesus ,christ1 that we might be justified by faith in ,christ1 and not by the works of the law2 because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified 7ii4 #ae1 #af74 ,of one thing1 however1 we may feel confident1 that1 had ,st4 ,james been intending to give the true meaning of either or both of these statements by ,st4 ,paul1 in order to correct or obviate misunderstanding1 he would not have worded his exposition in such a way that it would be possible for a hasty reader to suppose that he was contradicting the ,apostle of the ,gentiles instead of merely explaining him4 ,he takes no pains to show that while ,st4 ,paul speaks of works of the law1 i4e4 ceremonial observances1 he himself is speaking of good works generally1 which ,st4 ,paul no less than himself regarded as a necessary accompaniment and outcome of living faith4 ,moreover1 was there any likelihood that the ,jewish ,christians would thus misinterpret ,st4 ,paul8 ,among ,gentile ,christians there was danger of this1 because they misunderstood the meaning of the ,christian liberty which he so enthusiastically preached4 ,but with ,jewish converts the danger was that they would refuse to listen to ,st4 ,paul in anything1 not that they would be in such a hurry to accept his teaching that they would go away with a wrong impression as to what he really meant4 ,and precisely that doctrine of ,st4 ,paul which was so liable to be misunderstood ,st4 ,james proclaims as clearly as ,st4 ,paul does in this very ,epistle4 ,he also declares1 more than once1 that the ,gospel is the law of liberty 7i4 #be2 ii4 #ab74 ,had ,st4 ,james been writing to ,gentiles1 there might have been some reason for his putting his readers on their guard against misinterpreting ,st4 ,paul's manner of preaching the ,gospel3 in writing to the twelve tribes which are of the ,dispersion there was little or no reason for so doing4 7#c7 ,we fall back1 therefore1 upon the far more probable view that in this passage ,st4 ,james is merely following the course of his own argument1 without thinking of ,st4 ,paul's teaching respecting the relation between faith and works4 ,how much of ,st4 ,paul's teaching he knew depends upon the date assigned to this ,epistle1 whether before ,a4,d4 #ej or after ,a4,d4 #fj4 ,at the later date ,st4 ,james must have known a good deal1 both from ,st4 ,paul himself1 and also from the many ,jews of the ,dispersion1 who had heard the preaching of the ,apostle in his missionary journeys1 had seen some of his letters1 and brought both good and evil reports of his work to the ,church at ,jerusalem4 ,each year1 at the ,passover and other festivals1 ,james would receive multitudes of such visitors4 ,but it does not follow that because he knew a good deal about ,st4 ,paul's favourite topics1 and his manner of presenting the faith to his hearers1 therefore he has his teaching in his mind in writing to ,jewish converts4 ,the passage before us is thoroughly intelligible1 if it is treated on its own merits without any reference to ,pauline doctrine2 and not only so1 but we may say that it becomes more intelligible when so treated4 ,at the opening of the ,epistle ,st4 ,james insists on the necessity of faith3 knowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience 7ver4 #c72 and ,let him ask in faith1 nothing doubting 7ver4 #f74 ,then he passes on to insist upon the necessity of practice3 ,be ye doers of the ,word1 and not hearers only1 deluding your own selves 7ver4 #bb72 and ,being not a hearer that forgetteth1 but a doer that worketh 7ver4 #be74 ,at the beginning of the second chapter he does exactly the same4 ,he first assumes that as a matter of course his hearers have faith 7ver4 #a71 and then goes on to show how this must be accompanied by the practice of charity and mercy towards all1 and especially towards the poor 7vv4 #b-ac74 ,the passage before us is precisely on the same lines4 ,it is assumed that his readers profess to have faith 7vv4 #ad1 #ai72 and ,st4 ,james does not dispute the truth of this profession4 ,but he maintains that unless this faith is productive of a corresponding practice1 its existence is not proved1 and its utility is disproved4 ,it is as barren as a withered tree1 and as lifeless as a corpse4 ,three times over he asserts1 with simple emphasis1 that faith apart from practice is dead 7vv4 #ag1 #bj1 #bf74 ,all which tends to show that the present paragraph comes quite naturally in the course of the exhortation1 without any ulterior motive being assumed to explain it4 ,it is in close harmony with what precedes1 and thoroughly in keeping with the practical aim of the whole letter4 ,we see how easily it might have been written by any one who was in earnest about religion and morality1 without having heard a word about ,st4 ,paul's teaching respecting faith in ,christ and works of the law4 ,it has been already pointed out that a letter addressed by a ,jewish ,christian to ,jewish ,christians would not be very likely to take account of ,st4 ,paul's doctrine1 whether rightly or wrongly understood4 ,it has also been shown that ,st4 ,james1 as is natural in such a letter1 makes frequent appeals to the ,old ,testament1 and also has numerous coincidences with portions of that now much-neglected ,jewish literature which forms a connecting-link between the ,old and the ,new1 especially with the ,books of ,wisdom and ,ecclesiasticus4 ,it was in the period in which that literature was produced that discussions as to the value of faith in ,god1 as distinct from the fear of ,god1 and in particular as to the faith of ,abraham1 the friend of ,god1 began to be common among the ,jews1 especially in the ,rabbinical schools4 ,we find evidence of this in the ,apocrypha itself4 ,abraham was a great father of many people1 444 and when he was proved he was found faithful 7,ecclus4 xliv4 #ai1 #bj74 ,was not ,abraham found faithful in temptation1 and it was imputed unto him for righteousness8 7#a ,macc4 ii4 #eb71 where the interrogative form of sentence may have suggested the interrogation of ,st4 ,james4 ,it will be observed that in these passages we have the adjective faithful 772 not yet the substantive faith 774 ,but in the composite and later work which in our ,bibles bears the name of the ,second ,book of ,esdras we have faith frequently spoken of4 ,the way of truth shall be hidden1 and the land shall be barren of faith 7v4 #a74 ,as for faith1 it shall flourish1 corruption shall be overcome1 and the truth1 which hath been so long without fruit1 shall be declared 7vi4 #bh74 ,truth shall stand1 and faith shall wax strong 7vii4 #cd74 ,and in two remarkable passages faith is spoken of in connexion with works4 ,and every one that shall be saved1 and shall be able to escape by his works1 and by faith1 whereby ye have believed1 shall be preserved from the said perils1 and shall see ,my salvation 7ix4 #g1 #h74 ,these are they that have works and faith towards the ,most ,mighty 7xiii4 #bc74 ,with ,philo faith and the faith of ,abraham are common topics4 ,he calls it the queen of the virtues1 and the possessor of it will bring a faultless and most fair sacrifice to ,god4 ,abraham's faith is not easy to imitate1 so hard is it to trust in the unseen ,god rather than in the visible creation2 whereas he without wavering believed that the things which were not present were already present1 because of ,his most sure faith in ,him who promised4#fb ,other instances might be quoted from ,jewish literature2 but these suffice to show that the nature of faith1 and the special merit of ,abraham's faith1 were subjects often discussed among ,jews1 and were likely to be familiar to those whom ,st4 ,james addresses4 ,this being so1 it becomes probable that what he has in his mind is not ,pauline doctrine1 or any perversion of it1 but some ,pharisaic tenet respecting these things4 ,the view that faith is formal orthodoxy--the belief in one ,god--and that correctness of belief suffices for the salvation of a son of ,abraham1 seems to be the kind of error against which ,st4 ,james is contending4 ,about faith in ,christ or in ,his ,resurrection there is not a word4 ,it is the cold ,monotheism which the self-satisfied ,pharisee has brought with him into the ,christian ,church1 and which he supposes will render charity and good works superfluous1 that ,st4 ,james is condemning4#fc ,so far from this being a contradiction to ,st4 ,paul1 it is the very doctrine which he taught1 and almost in the same form of words4 ,what doth it profit 7 71 my brethren1 asks ,st4 ,james1 if a man say he hath faith1 but have not works8 ,if ,i have all faith1 so as to remove mountains1 but have not love1 ,i am nothing1 says ,st4 ,paul4 ,and if ,i bestow all my goods to feed the poor1 and if ,i give my body to be burned1 but have not love1 it profiteth me nothing 7 74 ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,james are thus found to be agreed4 ,it remains to be shown that in spite of his own statements to the contrary1 ,luther was as fully agreed with the latter as with the former4 ,when he writes about ,st4 ,james1 ,luther's prejudices lead him to disparage a form of teaching which he has not been at the pains to comprehend4 ,but when he expounds ,st4 ,paul he does so in words which would serve excellently as an exposition of the teaching of ,st4 ,james4 ,in his preface to the ,epistle to the ,romans he writes thus3 ,but faith is a ,divine work in us1 that changes us and begets us anew of ,god 7,john i4 #ac72 and kills the old man1 makes of us quite other men in heart1 courage1 mind1 and strength1 and brings the ,holy ,spirit with it4 ,oh1 it is a living1 active1 energetic1 mighty thing1 this faith1 so that it is impossible that it should not work what is good without intermission4 ,it does not even ask whether good works are to be done1 but before one asks it has done them1 and is ever doing4 ,but he who does not do such works is a man without faith1 is fumbling and looking about him for faith and good works1 and knows neither the one nor the other1 yet chatters and babbles many words about both4 ,faith is a living1 deliberate confidence in the grace of ,god1 so sure that it would die a thousand times for its trust4 ,and such confidence and experience of ,divine grace make a man merry1 bold1 and joyful towards ,god and all creatures2 all which the ,holy ,spirit does in faith4 ,hence the man without compulsion becomes willing and joyful to do good to every one1 to serve every one1 to endure everything1 for the love and praise of ,god1 who has shown him such grace4 ,therefore it is impossible to sever works from faith2 yea1 as impossible as to sever burning and shining from fire4#fd #fj ,introduction to the ,n4,t41 #dth ed4 7,murray1 #ahhi71 pp4 #ejd1 #ejf1 a work which may be most heartily commended to every student of the ,new ,testament4 #fa ,history of the ,sacred ,scriptures of the ,n4,t41 translated by ,e4 ,l4 ,houghton 7,edinburgh3 ,t4 and ,t4 ,clark1 #ahhd71 p4 #adc4 #fb ,see the passages quoted by ,hatch1 ,essays in ,biblical ,greek1 pp4 #he-hg 7,oxford1 #ahhi74 #fc ,this kind of error is alluded to by ,justin ,martyr1 in his ,dialogue with the ,jew ,trypho3 ,blessed is the man to whom the ,lord will not impute sin2 that is1 who receives remission of his sins from ,god as having repented of his sins2 but not as ye deceive yourselves1 and some other 7,jews7 who resemble you in this1 who say that even if they are sinners1 but attain to a knowledge of ,god1 the ,lord will not impute sin to them 7cxli41 p4 #cgj1 ,d74 #fd ,werke1 ed4 ,gustav ,pfizer1 ,frankfurt am ,main1 #ahdj1 p4 #adae4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,the ,,demons2 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,abraham2 ,,and ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,rahab ,,the ,,harlot4 ,thou believest that ,god is ,one2 thou doest well3 the devils also believe1 and shudder4 ,was not ,abraham our father justified by works1 in that he offered up ,isaac his son upon the altar8 ,and in like manner was not also ,rahab the harlot justified by works1 in that she received the messengers1 and sent them out another way8--,,st4 ,,james ii4 #ai1 #ba1 #be4 ,in the preceding chapter several points of great interest were passed over1 in order not to obscure the main issue as to the relation of this passage to the teaching of ,st4 ,paul4 ,some of these may now be usefully considered4 ,throughout this volume1 as in the companion volume on the ,pastoral ,epistles and other volumes for which the present writer is in no way responsible1 the ,revised ,version has been taken as the basis of the expositions4 ,there may be reasonable difference of opinion as to its superiority to the ,authorized ,version for public reading in the services of the ,church1 but few unprejudiced persons would deny its superiority for purposes of private study and both private and public exposition4 ,its superiority lies not so much in happy treatment of difficult texts1 as in the correction of a great many small errors of translation1 and above all in the substitution of a great many true or probable readings for others that are false or improbable4 ,and while there are not a few cases in which there is plenty of room for doubt whether the change1 even if clearly a gain in accuracy1 was worth making1 there are also some in which the uninitiated student wonders why no change was made4 ,the passage before us contains a remarkable instance4 ,why has the word devils been retained as the rendering of 1 while demons is relegated to the margin8 ,there are two ,greek words1 very different from one another in origin and history1 which are used both in the ,septuagint and in the ,new ,testament to express the unseen and spiritual powers of evil4 ,these are and 1 or in one place 7,matt4 xlii4 #ca2 not ,mark v4 #ab1 or ,luke vii4 #bi1 or ,rev4 xvi4 #ad and xviii4 #b74 ,the ,scriptural usage of these two words is quite distinct and very marked4 ,excepting where it is used as an adjective 7,john vi4 #gj2 #a ,tim4 iii4 #aa2 #b ,tim4 iii4 #c2 ,titus ii4 #c71 is one of the names of ,satan1 the great enemy of ,god and of men1 and the prince of the spirits of evil4 ,it is so used in the ,books of ,job and of ,zechariah1 as well as in ,wisdom ii4 #bd1 and also throughout the ,new ,testament1 viz4 in the ,gospels and ,acts1 the ,catholic and ,pauline ,epistles1 and the ,apocalypse4 ,it is1 in fact1 a proper name1 and is applied to one person only4 ,it commonly1 but not invariably 7#a ,chron4 xxi4 #a2 ,ps4 cviii4 cix4 #e7 has the definite article4 ,the word 1 on the other hand1 is used of those evil spirits who are the messengers and ministers of ,satan4 ,it is thus used in ,isaiah1 the ,psalms1 ,tobit1 ,baruch1 and throughout the ,new ,testament4 ,it is used also of the false gods of the heathen1 which were believed to be evil spirits1 or at least the productions of evil spirits1 who are the inspirers of idolatry2 whereas ,satan is never identified with any heathen divinity4 ,those who worship false gods are said to worship demons1 but never to worship the devil4 ,neither in the ,old ,testament nor in the ,new are the two words ever interchanged4 ,satan is never spoken of as a or 1 and his ministers are never called 4 ,is it not a calamity that this very marked distinction should be obliterated in the ,english ,version by translating both ,greek words by the word devil1 especially when there is another word which1 as the margin admits1 might have been used for one of them8 ,the ,revisers have done immense service by distinguishing between ,hades1 the abode of departed spirits of men1 and ,hell or ,gehenna1 the place of punishment 7iii4 #f74 ,why did they reject a similar opportunity by refusing to distinguish the devil from the demons over whom he reigns8 ,this is one of the suggestions of the ,american ,committee which might have been followed with great advantage and 7so far as one sees7 no loss4 ,st4 ,james has just been pointing out the advantage which the ,christian who has works to show has over one who has only faith4 ,the one can prove that he possesses both2 the other cannot prove that he possesses either4 ,the works of the one are evidence that the faith is there also1 just as leaves and fruit are evidence that a tree is alive4 ,but the other1 who possesses only faith1 cannot prove that he possesses even that4 ,he says that he believes1 and we may believe his statement2 but if any one doubts or denies the truth of his profession of faith he is helpless4 ,just as a leafless and fruitless tree may be alive2 but who is to be sure of this8 ,we must note1 however1 that in this case the statement is not doubted4 ,thou hast faith1 and ,i have works2 the possibility of possessing faith without works is not disputed4 ,and again1 ,thou believest that ,god is ,one2 the orthodox character of the man's creed is not called in question4 ,this shows that there is no emphasis on say in the opening verse1 ,if a man say he hath faith1 but have not works2 as if such a profession were incredible 7see p4 #acg74 ,and this remains equally true if1 with some of the best editors1 we turn the statement of the man's faith into a question1 ,dost thou believe that ,god is ,one8 ,for ,thou doest well shows that the man's orthodoxy is not questioned4 ,the object of ,st4 ,james is not to prove that the man is a hypocrite1 and that his professions are false2 but that1 on his own showing1 he is in a miserable condition4 ,he may plume himself upon the correctness of his ,theism2 but as far as that goes1 he is no better than the demons1 to whom this article of faith is a source1 not of joy and strength1 but of horror4 ,it is most improbable that1 if he had been alluding to the teaching of ,st4 ,paul1 ,st4 ,james would have selected the ,unity of the ,godhead as the article of faith held by the barren ,christian4 ,he would have taken faith in ,christ as his example4 ,but in writing to ,jewish ,christians1 without any such allusion1 the selection is very natural4 ,the ,monotheism of his creed1 in contrast with the foolish gods many1 and lords many1 of the heathen1 was to the ,jew a matter of religious and national pride4 ,he gloried in his intellectual and spiritual superiority to those who could believe in a plurality of deities4 ,and there was nothing in ,christianity to make him think less highly of this supreme article of faith4 ,hence1 when ,st4 ,james desires to give an example of the faith on which a ,jewish ,christian1 who had sunk into a dead formalism1 would be most likely to rely1 he selects this article1 common to both the ,jewish and the ,christian creed1 ,i believe that ,god is ,one4 ,thou doest well is the calm reply2 and then follows the sarcastic addition1 ,the demons also believe--and shudder4 ,is ,st4 ,james here alluding to the belief mentioned above1 that the gods of the heathen are demons8 ,they1 of all evil spirits1 might be supposed to know most about the ,unity of ,god1 and to have most to fear in reference to it4 ,they sacrificed unto demons1 which were no ,god1 we read in ,deuteronomy 7xxxii4 #ag74 ,and again1 in the ,psalms1 ,they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto demons 7cvi4 #cg4 ,comp4 xcvi4 #e74 ,in these passages the ,greek word represents the ,elilim or ,shedim1 the nonenities who were allowed to usurp the place of ,jehovah4#fe ,and ,st4 ,paul affirms1 ,that the things which the ,gentiles sacrifice1 they sacrifice to demons1 and not to ,god 7#a ,cor4 x4 #bj74 ,it is quite possible1 therefore1 that ,st4 ,james is thinking of demons as objects of idolatrous worship1 or at any rate as seducing people into such worship1 when he speaks of the demons' belief in the ,unity of ,god4 ,but a suggestion which ,bede makes1 and which several modern commentators have followed1 is well worth considering4 ,st4 ,james may be thinking of the demons which possessed human beings1 rather than those which received or promoted idolatrous worship4 ,bede reminds us of the many demons who went out at ,christ's command1 crying out that ,he was the ,son of ,god1 and especially of the man with the legion among the ,gadarenes1 who expressed not only belief1 but horror3 ,what have ,i to do with ,thee1 ,jesus1 ,son of the most high ,god8 ,i adjure ,thee by ,god1 that ,thou torment me not4 ,without falling into the error of supposing that demons can mean demoniacs1 we may imagine how readily one who had witnessed such scenes as those recorded in the ,gospels might attribute to the demons the expressions of horror which he had heard in the words and seen on the faces of those whom demons possessed4 ,such expressions were the usual effect of being confronted by the ,divine presence and power of ,christ1 and were evidence both of a belief in ,god and of a dread of ,him4 ,st4 ,james1 who was then living with the ,mother of the ,lord1 and sometimes followed ,his ,divine ,brother in ,his wanderings1 would be almost certain to have been a witness of some of these healings of demoniacs4 ,and it is worth noting that the word which in the ,authorized ,version is rendered tremble1 and in the ,revised shudder 771 expresses physical horror1 especially as it affects the hair2 and in itself it implies a body1 and would be an inappropriate word to use of the fear felt by a purely spiritual being4 ,it occurs nowhere else in the ,new ,testament2 but in the ,septuagint we find it used in the ,book of ,job3 ,then a spirit passed before my face2 the hair of my flesh stood up 7iv4 #ae74 ,it is a stronger word than either fear or tremble1 and strictly speaking can be used only of men and other animals4 ,this horror1 then1 expressed by the demons through the bodies of those whom they possess1 is evidence enough of faith4 ,can faith such as that save any one8 ,is it not obvious that a faith which produces1 not works of love1 but the strongest expressions of fear1 is not a faith on which any one can rely for his salvation8 ,and yet the faith of those who refuse to do good works1 because they hold that their faith is sufficient to save them1 is no better than the faith of the demons4 ,indeed1 in some respects it is worse4 ,for the sincerity of the demons' faith cannot be doubted2 their terror is proof of it3 whereas the formal ,christian has nothing but cold professions to offer4 ,moreover1 the demons are under no self-delusion2 they know their own terrible condition4 ,for the formalist who accepts ,christian truth and neglects ,christian practice there is a dreadful awakening in store4 ,there will come a time when believe and shudder will be true also of him4 ,but1 before it is too late1 willest thou to get to know1 ,o vain man1 that faith apart from works is barren8 ,wilt thou know does not do justice to the full meaning of the ,greek 7 74 ,the meaning is not1 ,i would have you know1 but1 ,do you wish to have acquired the knowledge8 ,you profess to know ,god and to believe in ,him2 do you desire to know what faith in ,him really means8 ,o vain man is literally1 ,o empty man1 i4e4 empty-headed1 empty-handed1 and empty-hearted4 ,empty-headed1 in being so deluded as to suppose that a dead faith can save2 empty-handed1 in being devoid of true spiritual riches2 empty-hearted1 in having no real love either for ,god or man4 ,the epithet seems to be the equivalent of ,raca1 the term of contempt quoted by our ,lord as the expression of that angry spirit which is akin to murder 7,matt4 v4 #bb74 ,the use of it by ,st4 ,james may be taken as an indication that the primitive ,church saw that the commands in the ,sermon on the ,mount are not rules to be obeyed literally1 but illustrations of principles4 ,the sin lies not so much in the precise term of reproach which is employed as in the spirit and temper which are felt and displayed in the employment of it4 ,the change from dead 7,a4,v47 to barren 7,r4,v47 is not a change of translation1 but of reading 7 to 71 the latter term meaning workless1 idle1 unproductive 7,matt4 xx4 #c1 #f2 #a ,tim4 v4 #ac2 ,titus i4 #ab2 #b ,peter i4 #h74 ,aristotle 7,nic4 ,eth41 ,i4 vii4 #aa7 asks whether it is likely that every member of a man's body should have a function or work 77 to perform1 and that man as a whole should be functionless 774 ,would nature have produced such a vain contradiction8 ,we should reproduce the spirit of ,st4 ,james's pointed interrogation if we rendered that faith without fruits is fruitless4 ,in contrast with this barren faith1 which makes a man's spiritual condition no better than that of the demons1 ,st4 ,james places two conspicuous instances of living and fruitful faith--,abraham and ,rahab4 ,the case of ,abraham our father would be the first that would occur to every ,jew4 ,as the passages in the ,apocrypha 7,wisdom x4 #e2 ,ecclus4 xliv4 #bj2 #a ,macc4 ii4 #eb7 prove1 ,abraham's faith was a subject of frequent discussion among the ,jews1 and this fact is quite enough to account for its mention by ,st4 ,james1 ,st4 ,paul 7,rom4 iv4 #c2 ,gal4 iii4 #f71 and the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews 7xi4 #ag71 without supposing that any one of them had seen the writings of the others4 ,certainly there is no proof that the writer of this ,epistle is the borrower1 if there is borrowing on either side4 ,it is urged that between the authors of this ,epistle and that to the ,hebrews there must be dependence on one side or the other1 because each selects not only ,abraham1 but ,rahab1 as an example of faith2 and ,rahab is so strange an example that it is unlikely that two writers would have selected it independently4 ,there is force in the argument1 but less than at first sight appears4 ,the presence of ,rahab's name in the genealogy of the ,christ 7,matt4 i4 #e71 in which so few women are mentioned1 must have given thoughtful persons food for reflexion4 ,why was such a woman singled out for such distinction8 ,the answer to this question cannot be given with certainty4 ,but whatever caused her to be mentioned in the genealogy may also have caused her to be mentioned by ,st4 ,james and the writer of ,hebrews2 or the fact of her being in the genealogy may have suggested her to the authors of these two ,epistles4 ,this latter alternative does not necessarily imply that these two writers were acquainted with the written ,gospel of ,st4 ,matthew1 which was perhaps not in existence when they wrote4 ,the genealogy1 at any rate1 was in existence1 for ,st4 ,matthew no doubt copied it from official or family registers4 ,assuming1 however1 that it is not a mere coincidence that both writers use ,abraham and ,rahab as examples of fruitful faith1 it is altogether arbitrary to decide that the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews wrote first4 ,the probabilities are the other way4 ,had ,st4 ,james known that ,epistle1 he would have made more use of it4 ,the two examples are in many respects very different4 ,their resemblance consists in this1 that in both cases faith found expression in action1 and this action was the source of the believer's deliverance4 ,the case of ,abraham1 which ,st4 ,paul uses to prove the worthlessness of works of the law in comparison with a living faith1 is used by ,st4 ,james to prove the worthlessness of a dead faith in comparison with works of love which are evidence that there is a living faith behind them4 ,but it should be noticed that a different episode in ,abraham's life is taken in each ,epistle1 and this is a further reason for believing that neither writer refers to the other4 ,st4 ,paul appeals to ,abraham's faith in believing that he should have a son when he was a hundred1 and ,sarah ninety years of age 7,rom4 iv4 #ai74 ,st4 ,james appeals to ,abraham's faith in offering up ,isaac1 when there seemed to be no possibility of the ,divine promise being fulfilled if ,isaac was slain4 ,the latter required more faith than the former1 and was much more distinctly an act of faith2 a work1 or series of works1 that would never have been accomplished if there had not been a very vigorous faith to inspire and support the doer4 ,the result 7 7 was that ,abraham was justified1 i4e4 he was accounted righteous1 and the reward of his faith was with still greater solemnity and fulness than on the first occasion 7,gen4 xv4 #d-f7 promised to him3 ,by ,myself have ,i sworn1 saith the ,lord1 because thou hast done this thing1 and hast not withheld thy son1 thine only son2 that in blessing ,i will bless thee1 and in multiplying ,i will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven1 and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore2 and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies2 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed2 because thou hast obeyed ,my voice 7,gen4 xxii4 #af-ah74 ,with the expression was justified as a result of works 7 71 which is used both of ,abraham and of ,rahab1 should be compared our ,lord's saying1 ,by thy words thou shalt be justified1 and by thy words thou shalt be condemned 7,matt4 xii4 #cg71 which are of exactly the same form2 literally1 ,as a result of thy words thou shalt be accounted righteous1 and as a result of thy words thou shalt be condemned 7 1 72 that is1 it is from the consideration of the words in the one case1 and of the works in the other1 that the sentence of approval proceeds2 they are the source of the justification4 ,of course from the point of view taken by ,st4 ,james words are works2 good words spoken for the love of ,god are quite as much fruits of faith and evidence of faith as good deeds4 ,it is not impossible that his phrase is an echo of expressions which he had heard used by ,christ4 ,that the words rendered offered up ,isaac his son upon the altar really mean this1 and not merely brought ,isaac his son as a victim up to the altar1 is clear from other passages where the same phrase 7 7 occurs4 ,noah offering burnt offerings on the altar 7,gen4 viii4 #bj7 and ,christ offering our sins on the tree 7#a ,pet4 ii4 #bd7 might be interpreted either way1 although the bringing up to the altar and to the tree does not seem so natural as the offering on them4 ,but a passage in ,leviticus about the offerings of the leper is quite decisive3 ,afterward he shall kill the burnt offering3 and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meal offering upon the altar 7xiv4 #ai1 #bj74 ,it would be very unnatural to speak of bringing the victim up to the altar after it had been slain4 7,comp4 ,baruch i4 #aj2 #a ,macc4 iv4 #ec47 ,the ,vulgate1 ,luther1 ,beza1 and all ,english versions agreed in this translation2 and it is not a matter of small importance1 not a mere nicety of rendering4 ,in all completeness1 both of will and deed1 ,abraham had actually surrendered and offered up to ,god his only son1 when he laid him bound upon the altar1 and took the knife to slay him--to slay that son of whom ,god had promised1 ,in ,isaac shall thy seed be called4 ,then was the ,scripture fulfilled2 i4e4 what had been spoken and partly fulfilled before 7,gen4 xv4 #f7 received a more complete and a higher fulfilment4 ,greater faith hath no man than this1 that a man gives back ,his own promises unto ,god4 ,the real but incomplete faith of believing that aged parents could become the progenitors of countless thousands had been accepted and rewarded4 ,much more1 therefore1 was the perfect faith of offering to ,god the one hope of posterity accepted and rewarded4 ,this last was a work in which his faith co-operated1 and which proved the complete development of his faith2 by it was faith made perfect4 ,he was called the ,friend of ,god4 ,abraham was so called in ,jewish tradition2 and to this day this is his name among his descendants the ,arabs1 who much more commonly speak of him as the ,friend 7,el ,khalil71 or the ,friend of ,god 7,el ,khalil ,allah71 than by the name ,abraham4 ,nowhere in the ,old ,testament does he receive this name1 although our ,versions1 both ,authorized and ,revised1 would lead us to suppose that he is so called4 ,the word is found neither in the ,hebrew nor in existing copies of the ,septuagint4 ,in #b ,chron4 xx4 #g1 ,abraham ,thy friend should be ,abraham ,thy beloved2 and in ,isaiah xli4 #h1 ,abraham ,my friend should be ,abraham whom ,i loved4 ,in both passages1 however1 the ,vulgate has the rendering amicus1 and some copies of the ,septuagint had the reading friend in #b ,chron4 xx4 #g1 while ,symmachus had it in ,isa4 xli4 #h 7,see ,field's ,hexapla1 ,i41 p4 #gdd2 ,,ii41 p4 #eac74 ,clement of ,rome 7x41 xvii47 probably derived this name for ,abraham from ,st4 ,james4 ,but even if ,abraham is nowhere styled the ,friend of ,god1 he is abundantly described as being such4 ,god talks with him as a man talks with his friend1 and asks1 ,shall ,i hide from ,abraham that which ,i do8 7,gen4 xviii4 #ag72 which is the very token of friendship pointed out by ,christ4 ,no longer do ,i call you servants2 for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth3 but ,i have called you friends2 for all things that ,i heard from ,my ,father ,i have made known unto you 7,john xv4 #ae74 ,it is worthy of note that ,st4 ,james seems to intimate that the word is not in the sacred writings4 ,the words1 ,and ,abraham believed ,god1 and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness1 are introduced with the formula1 ,the ,scripture was fulfilled which saith4 ,of the title ,friend of ,god it is simply said he was called1 without stating by whom4#ff ,in like manner was not also ,rahab the harlot justified by works8 ,it is because of the similarity of her case to ,abraham's1 both of them being a contrast to the formal ,christian and the demons1 that ,rahab is introduced4 ,in her case also faith led to action1 and the action had its result in the salvation of the agent4 ,if there had been faith without action1 if she had merely believed the spies without doing anything in consequence of her belief1 she would have perished4 ,she was glorified in ,jewish tradition1 perhaps as being a typical forerunner of proselytes from the ,gentile world2 and it may be that this accounts for her being mentioned in the genealogy of the ,messiah1 and consequently by ,st4 ,james and the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews4 ,the ,talmud mentions a quite untrustworthy tradition that she married ,joshua1 and became the ancestress of eight persons who were both priests and prophets1 and also of ,huldah the prophetess4 ,st4 ,matthew gives ,salmon the son of ,naasson as her husband2 he may have been one of the spies4 ,but the contrast between ,abraham and ,rahab is almost as marked as the similarity4 ,he is the friend of ,god1 and she is of a vile heathen nation and a harlot4 ,his great act of faith is manifested towards ,god1 hers towards men4 ,his is the crowning act of his spiritual development2 hers is the first sign of a faith just beginning to exist4 ,he is the aged saint1 while she is barely a catechumen4 ,but according to her light1 which was that of a very faulty moral standard1 she did what she could1 and it was accepted4 ,these contrasts have their place in the argument1 as well as the similarities4 ,the readers of the ,epistle might think1 ,heroic acts are all very suitable for ,abraham2 but we are not ,abrahams1 and must be content with sharing his faith in the true ,god2 we cannot and need not imitate his acts4 ,but1 ,st4 ,james replies 7and he writes 1 not 71 there is ,rahab1 ,rahab the heathen1 ,rahab the harlot2 at least you can imitate her4 ,and for the ,jewish ,christians of that day her example was very much in point4 ,she welcomed and believed the messengers1 whom her countrymen persecuted1 and would have slain4 ,she separated herself from her unbelieving and hostile people1 and went over to an unpopular and despised cause4 ,she saved the preachers of an unwelcome message for the fulfilment of the ,divine mission with which they had been entrusted4 ,substitute the ,apostles for the spies1 and all this is true of the believing ,jews of that age4 ,and as if to suggest this lesson1 ,st4 ,james speaks not of young men1 as ,joshua vi4 #bc1 nor of spies1 as ,hebrews xi4 #ca1 but of messengers1 a term which is as applicable to those who were sent by ,jesus ,christ as to those who were sent by ,joshua4 ,plutarch1 who was a young man at the time when this ,epistle was written1 has the following story of ,alexander the ,great1 in his ,apothegms of ,kings and ,generals3 ,the young ,alexander was not at all pleased with the successes of his father1 ,philip of ,macedon4 ,my father will leave me nothing1 he said4 ,the young nobles who were brought up with him replied1 ,he is gaining all this for you4 ,almost in the words of ,st4 ,james1 though with a very different meaning1 he answered1 ,what does it profit 7 271 if ,i possess much and do nothing8 ,the future conqueror scorned to have everything done for him4 ,in quite another spirit the ,christian must remember that if he is to conquer he must not suppose that his heavenly ,father1 who has done so much for him1 has left him nothing to do4 ,there is the fate of the barren fig-tree as a perpetual warning to those who are royal in their professions of faith1 and paupers in good works4 #fe ,dllinger1 ,the ,gentile and the ,jew1 ,,ii41 pp4 #chd1 #chf1 ,eng4 ,tr41 ,heidenthum und ,judenthum1 pp4 #hbe1 #hbg4 #ff ,the following story is given by ,mahometan commentators on the passage1 ,god took ,abraham for ,his friend1 which occurs in the fourth chapter of the ,koran1 entitled ,nessa1 or ,women3 ,abraham was the father of the poor1 and in a famine he emptied his granaries to feed them4 ,then he sent to one of his friends1 who was a great lord in ,egypt1 for corn4 ,but the friend said1 ,we also are in danger of famine4 ,the corn is not wanted for ,abraham1 but for his poor4 ,i must keep it for our own poor4 ,and the messengers returned with empty sacks4 ,as they neared home they feared being mocked for their failure2 so they filled their sacks with sand1 and came in well laden4 ,in private they told ,abraham of his friend's refusal1 and ,abraham at once retired to pray4 ,meanwhile ,sarah opened one of the sacks1 and found excellent flour in it1 and with this began to bake bread for the poor4 ,when ,abraham returned from prayer he asked ,sarah whence she obtained the flour4 ,from that which your friend in ,egypt has sent1 she replied4 ,say rather from that which the true ,friend has sent1 that is ,god2 for it is ,he who never fails us in our need4 ,at the moment when ,abraham called ,god his ,friend ,god took ,abraham also to be ,his friend4 7,see the notes in ,sale's ,koran2 ,d',herbelot's ,bibliothque ,orientale1 ,maestricht1 #aggf1 p4 #ac2 ,bishop ,thirlwall's ,letters to a ,friend1 ,bentley1 #ahhb1 pp4 #fc1 #fd74 ,eusebius 7,prp4 ,evan4 ,,ix4 xix41 p4 #dbj7 quotes ,alexander ,polyhistor 7c4 ,b4,c4 #hj7 as stating that ,molon 7,josephus1 ,contra ,apionem1 ,,ii4 xiv47 interpreted the name ,abraham as meaning the ,father's ,friend 7 71 probably through a misspelling of the name4 7,see ,lightfoot's note on ,clem4 ,rom4 x47 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,heavy ,,responsibilities ,,of ,,teachers4 ,,the ,,powers ,,and ,,propensities ,,of ,,the ,,tongue4 ,,the ,,self-,,defilement ,,of ,,the ,,reckless ,,talker4 ,be not many teachers1 my brethren1 knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment4 ,for in many things we all stumble4 ,if any stumble not in word1 the same is a perfect man1 able to bridle the whole body also4 ,now if we put the horses' bridles into their mouths1 that they may obey us1 we turn about their whole body also4 ,behold1 the ships also1 though they are so great1 and are driven by rough winds1 are yet turned about by a very small rudder1 whither the impulse of the steersman willeth4 ,so the tongue also is a little member1 and boasteth great things4 ,behold1 how much wood is kindled by how small a fire6 ,and the tongue is a fire3 the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue1 which defileth the whole body1 and setteth on fire the wheel of nature1 and is set on fire by hell4 ,for every kind of beasts and birds1 of creeping things and things in the sea1 is tamed1 and hath been tamed by mankind3 but the tongue can no man tame2 it is a restless evil1 it is full of deadly poison4--,,st4 ,,james iii4 #a-h4 ,from the idle faith 7 7 ,st4 ,james goes on to speak of the idle word 7 74 ,the change from the subject of faith and works to that of the temptations and sins of speech is not so abrupt and arbitrary as at first sight appears4 ,the need of warning his readers against sins of the tongue has been in his mind from the first4 ,twice in the first chapter it comes to the surface4 ,let every man be swift to hear1 slow to speak1 slow to wrath 7ver4 #ai71 as if being slow to hear and swift to speak were much the same as being swift to wrath4 ,and again1 ,if any man thinketh himself to be religious1 while he bridleth not his tongue1 but deceiveth his heart1 this man's religion is vain 7ver4 #bf74 ,and now the subject of barren faith causes him to return to the warning once more4 ,for it is precisely those who neglect good works that are given to talk much about the excellence of their faith1 and are always ready to instruct and lecture others4 ,that controversies about faith and works suggested to him this section about offences of the tongue1 is a gratuitous hypothesis4 ,st4 ,james shows no knowledge of any such controversies4 ,as already pointed out1 the purpose of the preceding section 7ii4 #ad-bf7 is not controversial or doctrinal1 but purely practical1 like the rest of the ,epistle4 ,the paragraph before us is of the same character2 it is against those who substitute words for works4 ,st4 ,james is entirely of ,carlyle's opinion that in the majority of cases1 if speech is silvern1 silence is golden2 but he does not write twenty volumes to prove the truth of this doctrine4 ,in noble uprightness1 he values only the strict practice of concrete duties1 and hates talk 7,reuss72 and while quite admitting that teachers are necessary1 and that some are called to undertake this office1 he tells all those who desire to undertake it that what they have to bear in mind is its perils and responsibilities4 ,and it is obvious that true teachers must always be a minority4 ,there is something seriously wrong when the majority in the community1 or even a large number1 are pressing forward to teach the rest4 ,be not many teachers1 my brethren2 or1 if we are to do full justice to the compact fulness of the original1 ,do not many of you become teachers4 ,st4 ,james is not protesting against a usurpation of the ministerial office2 to suppose this is to give far too specific a meaning to his simple language4 ,the context points to no such sin as that of ,korah and his company1 but simply to the folly of incurring needless danger and temptation4 ,in the ,jewish synagogues any one who was disposed to do so might come forward to teach1 and ,st4 ,james writes at a time when the same freedom prevailed in the ,christian congregations4 ,each had a psalm1 had a teaching1 had a revelation1 had a tongue1 had an interpretation4444 ,all could prophesy one by one1 that all might learn and all be comforted 7#a ,cor4 xiv4 #bf1 #ca74 ,but in both cases the freedom led to serious disorders4 ,the desire to be called of men ,rabbi1 ,rabbi1 told among ,jews and ,christians alike1 and many were eager to expound who had still the very elements of true religion to learn4 ,it is against this general desire to be prominent as instructors both in private and in public that ,st4 ,james is here warning his readers4 ,the ,christian ,church already has its ministers distinct from the laity1 to whom the laity are to apply for spiritual help 7v4 #ad72 but it is not an invasion of their office by the laity to which ,st4 ,james refers1 when he says1 ,do not many of you become teachers4 ,these ,jewish ,christians of the ,dispersion were like those at ,rome to whom ,st4 ,paul writes2 each of them was confident that his knowledge of ,god and the ,law made him competent to become a guide of the blind1 a light of them that are in darkness1 a corrector of the foolish1 a teacher of babes1 having in the ,law the form of knowledge and of the truth 7,rom4 ii4 #ag ff474 ,but in teaching others they forgot to teach themselves2 they failed to see that to preach the law without being a doer of the law was to cause ,god's name to be blasphemed among the ,gentiles2 and that to possess faith and do nothing but talk was but to increase their own condemnation2 for it was to place themselves among those who are condemned by ,christ because they say and do not 7,matt4 xxiii4 #c74 ,the phrase to receive judgment 7 7 is in form a neutral one3 the judgment may conceivably be a favourable one1 but in usage it implies that the judgment is adverse 7,mark xii4 #dj2 ,luke xx4 #dg2 ,rom4 xiii4 #b74 ,even without the verb receive this word judgment in the ,new ,testament generally has the meaning of a condemnatory sentence 7,rom4 ii4 #b1 #c2 iii4 #h2 v4 #af2 #a ,cor4 xi4 #bi2 ,gal4 v4 #aj2 #a ,tim4 iii4 #f2 v4 #ab2 #a ,pet4 iv4 #ag2 #b ,pet4 ii4 #c2 ,jude #d2 ,rev4 xvii4 #a2 xviii4 #bj74 ,and there is no reason to doubt that such is the meaning here2 the context requires it4 ,the fact that ,st4 ,james with affectionate humility and persuasiveness includes himself in the judgment--we shall receive--by no means proves that the word is here used in a neutral sense4 ,in this he is like ,st4 ,john1 who breaks the logical flow of a sentence in a similar manner1 rather than seem not to include himself3 ,if any man sin1 we have an ,advocate 7#a ,john ii4 #a72 he is as much in need of the ,advocate as others4 ,so also here1 ,st4 ,james1 as being a teacher1 shares in the heavier condemnation of teachers4 ,it was the conviction that the word is not neutral1 but condemnatory1 which produced the rendering in the ,vulgate1 knowing that ye receive greater condemnation 7scientes quoniam majus judicium sumitis71 it being thought that ,st4 ,james ought not to be included in such a judgment4 ,but this is to miss the point of the passage4 ,st4 ,james says that in many things we stumble--every one of us4 ,he uses the strong form of the adjective 7 for 71 and places it last with great emphasis4 ,every one of us sins1 and therefore there is condemnation in store for every one of us4 ,but those of us who are teachers will receive a heavier sentence than those of us who are not such2 for our obligations to live up to the law which we know1 and profess1 and urge upon others1 are far greater4 ,heaviest of all will be the condemnation of those who1 without being called or qualified1 through fanaticism1 or an itch for notoriety1 or a craze for controversy1 or a love of fault-finding1 push themselves forward to dispense instruction and censure4 ,they are among the fools who rush in where angels fear to tread1 and thereby incur responsibilities which they need not1 and ought not1 to have incurred1 because they do not possess the qualifications for meeting them and discharging them4 ,the argument is simple and plain3 ,some of us must teach4 ,all of us frequently fall4 ,teachers who fall are more severely judged than others4 ,therefore do not many of you become teachers4 ,in what sphere is it that we most frequently fall8 ,precisely in that sphere in which the activity of teachers specially lies--in speech4 ,if any stumbleth not in word1 the same is a perfect man4 ,st4 ,james is not thinking merely of the teacher who never makes a mistake1 but of the man who never sins with the tongue4 ,there is an obvious1 but by no means exclusive1 reference to teachers1 and that is all4 ,to every one of us1 whatever our sphere in life1 the saying comes home that one who offends not in word is indeed a perfect man4 ,by perfect 77 he means one who has attained full spiritual and moral development1 who is perfect and entire1 lacking in nothing 7i4 #d74 ,he is no longer a babe1 but an adult2 no longer a learner1 but an adept4 ,he is a full and complete man1 with perfect command of all the faculties of soul and body4 ,he has the full use of them1 and complete control over them4 ,the man who can bridle the most rebellious part of his nature1 and keep it in faultless subjection1 can bridle also the whole4 ,this use of perfect1 as opposed to what is immature and incomplete1 is the commonest use of the word in the ,new ,testament4 ,but sometimes it is a religious or philosophical term1 borrowed from heathen mysteries or heathen philosophy4 ,in such cases it signifies the initiated1 as distinct from novices4 ,such a metaphor was very applicable to the ,gospel1 and ,st4 ,paul sometimes employs it 7#a ,cor4 ii4 #f2 ,col4 i4 #bh72 but it may be doubted whether any such thought is in ,st4 ,james's mind here1 although such a metaphor would have suited the subject4 ,he who never stumbles in word can be no novice1 but must be fully initiated in ,christian discipline4 ,but the simpler interpretation is better4 ,he who can school the tongue can school the hands and the feet1 the heart and the brain1 in fact the whole body1 the whole of his nature1 and is therefore a perfect man4 ,in his characteristic manner1 ,st4 ,james turns to natural objects for illustrations to enforce his point4 ,now if we put the horses' bridles into their mouths1 that they may obey us1 we turn about their whole body4 ,the changes made here by the ,revisers are changes caused by a very necessary correction of the ,greek text 7 instead of 1 which ,st4 ,james nowhere else uses1 or 1 which here has very little evidence in its favour72 for the text has been corrupted in order to simplify a rather difficult and doubtful construction4 ,the uncorrupted text may be taken in two ways4 ,either1 ,but if we put the horses' bridles into their mouths1 that they may obey us1 and so turn about their whole body--7much more ought we to do so to ourselves72 this obvious conclusion being not stated1 but left for us to supply at the end of an unfinished sentence4 ,or1 as the ,revisers take it1 which is simpler1 and leaves nothing to be understood4 ,a man who can govern his tongue can govern his whole nature1 just as a bridle controls1 not merely the horse's mouth1 but the whole animal4 ,this first metaphor is suggested by the writer's own language4 ,he has just spoken of the perfect man bridling his whole body1 as before he spoke of the impossibility of true religion in one who does not bridle his tongue 7i4 #bf72 and this naturally suggests the illustration of the horses4 ,the argument is fortiori from the horse to the man1 and still more from the ship to the man1 so that the whole forms a climax1 the point throughout being the same1 viz4 the smallness of the part to be controlled in order to have control over the whole4 ,and in order to bring out the fact that the ships are a stronger illustration than the horses1 we should translate1 ,behold1 even the ships1 though they are so great1 etc41 rather than ,behold1 the ships also1 though they are so great4 ,first the statement of the case 7ver4 #b71 then the illustration from the horses 7ver4 #c71 then even the ships 7ver4 #d71 and finally the application1 so the tongue also 7ver4 #e74 ,thus all runs smoothly4 ,if1 as is certainly the case1 we are able to govern irrational creatures with a small bit1 how much more ourselves through the tongue2 for just as he who has lost his hold of the reins has lost control over the horse1 so he who has lost his hold on his tongue has lost control over himself4 ,the case of the ship is still stronger4 ,it is not only devoid of reason1 but devoid of life4 ,it cannot be taught obedience4 ,it offers a dead resistance1 which is all the greater because of its much greater size1 and because it is driven by rough winds2 yet its whole mass can be turned about by whoever has control of the little rudder1 to lose command of which is to lose command of all4 ,how much more1 therefore1 may we keep command over ourselves by having command over our tongues6 ,there is nothing more in the metaphor than this4 ,we may1 if we please1 go on with ,bede1 and turn the whole into a parable1 and make the sea mean human life1 and the winds mean temptations1 and so on2 but we must beware of supposing that anything of that kind was in the mind of ,st4 ,james1 or belongs to the explanation of the passage4 ,such symbolism is read into the text1 not extracted from it4 ,it is legitimate as a means of edifying1 but it is not interpretation4 ,the expression rough winds 7 7 is peculiar1 rough meaning hard or harsh1 especially to the touch1 and hence of what is intractable or disagreeable in other ways 7#a ,sam4 xxv4 #c2 ,matt4 xxv4 #bd2 ,john vi4 #fj2 ,acts xxvi4 #ad2 ,jude #ae74 ,perhaps in only one other passage in ,greek literature1 previous to this ,epistle1 is it used as an epithet of wind1 viz4 in ,prov4 xxvii4 #af1 a passage in which the ,septuagint differs widely from the ,hebrew and from our versions4 ,st4 ,james1 who seems to have been specially fond of the sapiential books of ,scripture1 may have derived this expression from the ,proverbs4 ,so the tongue also is a little member1 and boasteth great things4 ,the tongue1 like the bit and the rudder1 is only a very small part of the whole1 and yet1 like them1 it can do great things4 ,st4 ,james says1 boasteth great things1 rather than doeth great things1 not in order to insinuate that the tongue boasts of what it cannot or does not do1 which would spoil the argument1 but in order to prepare the way for the change in the point of the argument4 ,hitherto the point has been the immense influence which the small organ of speech has over our whole being1 and the consequent need of controlling it when we want to control ourselves4 ,we must take care to begin the control in the right place4 ,this point being established1 the argument takes a somewhat different turn1 and the necessity of curbing the tongue is shown1 not from its great power1 but from its inherent malignity4 ,it can be made to discharge good offices1 but its natural bent is towards evil4 ,if left unchecked1 it is certain to do incalculable mischief4 ,the expression boasteth great things marks the transition from the one point to the other1 and in a measure combines them both4 ,there are great things done2 that shows the tongue's power4 ,and it boasts about them2 that shows its bad character4#fg ,this second point1 like the first1 is enforced by two illustrations taken from the world of nature4 ,the first was illustrated by the power of bits and rudders2 the second is illustrated by the capacity for mischief in fire and in venomous beasts4 ,behold1 what a fire kindles what a wood6 is the literal rendering of the ,greek1 where what a fire evidently means how small a fire1 while what a wood means how large a wood4 ,the traveller's camp-fire is enough to set a whole forest in flames1 and the camp-fire was kindled by a few sparks4 ,fire1 it is sometimes truly said1 is a good servant1 but a bad master1 and precisely the same may with equal truth be said of the tongue4 ,so long as it is kept under control it does excellent service2 but directly it can run on unchecked1 and lead instead of obeying1 it begins to do untold mischief4 ,we sometimes speak of men whose pens run away with them2 but a far commoner case is that of persons whose tongues run away with them1 whose untamed and unbridled tongues say things which are neither seriously thought nor 7even at the moment7 seriously meant4 ,the habit of saying great things and using strong language is a condition of constant peril1 which will inevitably lead the speaker into evil4 ,it is a reckless handling of highly dangerous material4 ,it is playing with fire4 ,yes1 the tongue is a fire4 ,the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue1 which defileth the whole body4 ,the right punctuation of this sentence cannot be determined with certainty1 and other possible arrangements will be found in the margin of the ,revised ,version2 but on the whole this seems to be the best4 ,the one thing that is certain is that the so of the ,authorized ,version--so is the tongue among our members--is not genuine2 if it were1 it would settle the construction and the punctuation in favour of what is at least the second best arrangement3 ,the tongue is a fire1 that world of iniquity3 the tongue is among our members that which defileth the whole body4 ,the meaning of the world of iniquity has been a good deal discussed1 but is not really doubtful4 ,the ordinary colloquial signification is the right one4 ,the tongue is a boundless store of mischief1 an inexhaustible source of evil1 a universe of iniquity2 universitas iniquitatis1 as the ,vulgate renders it4 ,it contains within itself the elements of all unrighteousness2 it is charged with endless possibilities of sin4 ,this use of world 77 seems not to occur in classical ,greek2 but it is found in the ,septuagint of the ,proverbs1 and again in a passage where the ,greek differs widely from the ,hebrew 7see above1 p4 #agb74 ,what is still more remarkable1 it occurs immediately after the mention of sins of speech3 ,an evil man listeneth to the tongue of the wicked2 but a righteous man giveth no heed to false lips4 ,the faithful man has the whole world of wealth2 but the faithless not even a penny 7xvii4 #d74 ,is the tongue4 ,the word for is must be observed 7not 1 nor 1 but 74 ,its literal meaning is constitutes itself1 and it occurs again in iv4 #d1 where the ,revisers rightly translate it maketh himself3 ,whosoever would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of ,god4 ,the tongue was not created by ,god to be a permanent source of all kinds of evil2 like the rest of creation1 it was made very good1 the best member that we have4 ,it is by its own undisciplined and lawless career that it makes itself the world of iniquity1 that it constitutes itself among our members as that which defileth our whole body4 ,this helps to explain what ,st4 ,james means by unspotted 77 or undefiled 7i4 #bg74 ,he who does not bridle his tongue is not really religious4 ,pure religion consists in keeping in check that which defileth 7 7 our whole body4 ,and the tongue defiles us in three ways2--by suggesting sin to ourselves and others2 by committing sin1 as in all cases of lying and blasphemy2 and by excusing or defending sin4 ,it is a palmary instance of the principle that the best when perverted becomes the worst--corruptio optimi fit pessima4 ,it setteth on fire the wheel of nature1 and is set on fire by hell4 ,we must be content to leave the precise meaning of the words rendered the wheel of nature 7 7 undetermined4 ,the general meaning is evident enough1 but we cannot be sure what image ,st4 ,james had in his mind when he wrote the words4 ,the one substantive is obviously a metaphor1 and the other is vague in meaning 7as the latter occurs i4 #bc1 the two passages should be compared in expounding72 but what the exact idea to be conveyed by the combination is1 remains a matter for conjecture4 ,and the conjectures are numerous1 of which one must suffice4 ,the tongue is a centre from which mischief radiates2 that is the main thought4 ,a wheel that has caught fire at the axle is at last wholly consumed1 as the fire spreads through the spokes to the circumference4 ,so also in society4 ,passions kindled by unscrupulous language spread through various channels and classes1 till the whole cycle of human life is in flames4 ,reckless language first of all defiles the whole nature of the man who employs it1 and then works destruction far and wide through the vast machinery of society4 ,and to this there are no limits2 so long as there is material1 the fire will continue to burn4 ,how did the fire begin8 ,how does the tongue1 which was created for far other purposes1 acquire this deadly propensity8 ,st4 ,james leaves us in no doubt upon that point4 ,it is an inspiration of the evil one4 ,the enemy1 who steals away the good seed1 and sows weeds among the wheat1 turns the immense powers of the tongue to destruction4 ,the old serpent imbues it with his own poison4 ,he imparts to it his own diabolical agency4 ,he is perpetually setting it on fire 7present participle7 from hell4 ,the second metaphor by which the malignant propensity of the tongue is illustrated is plain enough4 ,it is an untamable1 venomous beast4 ,it combines the ferocity of the tiger and the mockery of the ape with the subtlety and venom of the serpent4 ,it can be checked1 can be disciplined1 can be taught to do good and useful things2 but it can never be tamed1 and must never be trusted4 ,if care and watchfulness are laid aside1 its evil nature will burst out again1 and the results will be calamitous4 ,there are many other passages in ,scripture which contain warnings about sins of the tongue3 see especially ,proverbs xvi4 #bg1 #bh2 ,ecclus4 v4 #ac1 #ad1 and xxviii4 #i-bc1 from which ,st4 ,james may have drawn some of his thoughts4 ,but what is peculiar to his statement of the matter is this1 that the reckless tongue defiles the whole nature of the man who owns it4 ,other writers tell us of the mischief which the foul-mouthed man does to others1 and of the punishment which will one day fall upon himself4 ,st4 ,james does not lose sight of that side of the matter1 but the special point of his stern warning is the insisting upon the fact that unbridled speech is a pollution to the man that employs it4 ,every faculty of mind or body with which he has been endowed is contaminated by the subtle poison which is allowed to proceed from his lips4 ,it is a special application of the principle laid down by ,christ1 which was at first a perplexity even to the ,twelve1 ,the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man 7,mark vii4 #ae1 #bj1 #bc74 ,the emphasis with which ,christ taught this ought to be noticed4 ,on purpose to insist upon it1 ,he called to ,him the multitude again1 and said unto them1 ,hear ye all of you1 and understand3 there is nothing from without the man1 that going into him can defile him2 but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man4 ,and ,he repeats this principle a second and a third time to ,his disciples privately4 ,are ye so without understanding also8444 ,that which proceedeth out of the man1 that defileth the man4444 ,all these things proceed from within1 and defile the man4 ,if even an unspoken thought can defile1 when it has not yet proceeded farther than the heart1 much greater will be the pollution if the evil thing is allowed to come to the birth by passing the barrier of the lips4 ,this flow of evil from us means nothing less than this1 that we have made ourselves a channel through which infernal agencies pass into the world4 ,is it possible for such a channel to escape defilement8 #fg ,there is a story that ,amasis1 ,king of ,egypt1 sent a sacrifice to ,bias the sage1 asking him to send back the best part and the worst2 and ,bias sent back the tongue4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,moral ,,contradictions ,,in ,,the ,,reckless ,,talker4 ,therewith bless we the ,lord and ,father2 and therewith curse we men1 which are made after the likeness of ,god3 out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing4 ,my brethren1 these things ought not so to be4 ,doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet water and bitter8 ,can a fig-tree1 my brethren1 yield olives1 or a vine figs8 neither can salt water yield sweet4--,,st4 ,,james iii4 #i-ab4 ,in these concluding sentences of the paragraph respecting sins of the tongue ,st4 ,james does two things--he shows the moral chaos to which the ,christian who fails to control his tongue is reduced1 and he thereby shows such a man how vain it is for him to hope that the worship which he offers to ,almighty ,god can be pure and acceptable4 ,he has made himself the channel of hellish influences4 ,he cannot at pleasure make himself the channel of heavenly influences1 or become the offerer of holy sacrifices4 ,the fires of ,pentecost will not rest where the fires of ,gehenna are working1 nor can one who has become the minister of ,satan at the same time be a minister to offer praise to ,god4 ,when those who would have excused themselves for their lack of good works pleaded the correctness of their faith1 ,st4 ,james told them that such faith was barren and dead1 and incapable of saving them from condemnation4 ,similarly1 the man who thinks himself to be religious1 and does not bridle his tongue1 was told that his religion is vain 7i4 #bf74 ,and in the passage before us ,st4 ,james explains how that is4 ,his religion or religious worship 77 is a mockery and a contradiction4 ,the offering is tainted2 it comes from a polluted altar and a polluted priest4 ,a man who curses his fellow men1 and then blesses ,god1 is like one who professes the profoundest respect for his sovereign1 while he insults the royal family1 throws mud at the royal portraits1 and ostentatiously disregards the royal wishes4 ,it is further proof of the evil character of the tongue that it is capable of lending itself to such chaotic activity4 ,therewith bless we the ,lord and ,father1 i4e4 ,god in ,his might and in ,his love2 and therewith curse we men1 which are made after the likeness of ,god4 ,the heathen fable tells us the apparent contradiction of being able to blow both hot and cold with the same breath2 and the son of ,sirach points out that if thou blow the spark1 it shall burn2 if thou spit upon it1 it shall be quenched2 and both these come out of thy mouth 7,ecclus4 xxviii4 #ab74 ,st4 ,james1 who may have had this passage in his mind1 shows us that there is a real and a moral contradiction which goes far beyond either of these3 ,out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing4 ,well may he add1 with affectionate earnestness1 ,my brethren1 these things ought not so to be4 ,assuredly they ought not2 and yet how common the contradiction has been1 and still is1 among those who seem to be1 and who think themselves to be1 religious people6 ,there is perhaps no particular in which persons professing to have a desire to serve ,god are more ready to invade ,his prerogatives than in venturing to denounce those who differ from themselves1 and are supposed to be therefore under the ban of ,heaven4 ,they have a zeal for ,god1 but not according to knowledge4 ,for being ignorant of ,god's righteousness1 and seeking to establish their own1 they do not subject themselves to the righteousness of ,god 7,rom4 x4 #b1 #c74 ,hence they rashly and intemperately curse whom the ,lord hath not cursed1 and defy whom the ,lord hath not defied 7,num4 xxiii4 #h74 ,there are still many who believe that not only in the psalms and hymns in which they bless the ,lord1 but also in the sermons and pamphlets in which they fulminate against their fellow-,christians1 they are offering service to ,god 7,john xvi4 #b74 ,there are many questions which have to be carefully considered and answered before a ,christian mouth1 which has been consecrated to the praise of our ,lord and ,father1 ought to venture to utter denunciations against others who worship the same ,god and are also ,his offspring and ,his image4 ,is it quite certain that the supposed evil is something which ,god abhors2 that those whom we would denounce are responsible for it2 that denunciation of them will do any good2 that this is the proper time for such denunciation2 that we are the proper persons to utter it8 ,about every one of these questions the most fatal mistakes are constantly being made4 ,the singing of ,te ,deums after massacres and dragonnades is perhaps no longer possible2 but alternations between religious services and religious prosecutions1 between writing pious books and publishing exasperating articles1 are by no means extinct4 ,for one case in which harm has been done because no one has come forward to denounce a wrongdoer1 there are ten cases in which harm has been done because some one has been indiscreetly1 or inopportunely1 or uncharitably1 or unjustly denounced4 ,praise is not seasonable 77 in the mouth of a sinner 7,ecclus4 xv4 #i72 and whatever may have been the writer's meaning in the difficult passage in which it occurs1 we may give it a meaning that will bring it into harmony with what ,st4 ,james says here4 ,the praise of ,god is not seasonable in the mouth of one who is ever sinning in reviling ,god's children4 ,the illustrations of the fountain and the fig-tree are among the touches which1 if they do not indicate one who is familiar with ,palestine1 at any rate agree well with the fact that the writer of this ,epistle was such4 ,springs tainted with salt or with sulphur are not rare1 and it is stated that most of those on the eastern slope of the hill-country of ,juda are brackish4 ,the fig-tree1 the vine1 and the olive were abundant throughout the whole country2 and ,st4 ,james1 if he looked out of window as he was writing1 would be likely enough to see all three4 ,it is not improbable that in one or more of the illustrations he is following some ancient saying or proverb4 ,thus1 ,arrian1 the pupil of ,epictetus1 writing less than a century later1 asks1 ,how can a vine grow1 not vinewise1 but olivewise1 or an olive1 on the other hand1 not olivewise1 but vinewise8 ,it is impossible1 inconceivable4 ,it is possible that our ,lord ,himself1 when ,he used a similar illustration in connexion with the worst of all sins of the tongue1 was adapting a proverb already in use4 ,in speaking of the blasphemy against the ,spirit ,he says1 ,either make the tree good1 and its fruit good2 or make the tree corrupt1 and its fruit corrupt3 for the tree is known by its fruit4 ,ye offspring of vipers1 how can ye1 being evil1 speak good things8 for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh4 ,the good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things2 and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things4 ,and ,i say unto you1 ,that every idle word that men shall speak1 they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment 7,matt4 xii4 #cc-cf74 ,and previously1 in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 where ,he is speaking of deeds rather than of words1 ,by their fruits ye shall know them4 ,do men gather grapes of thorns1 or figs of thistles8 ,even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit1 but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit4 ,a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit1 neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit 7,matt4 vii4 #af-ah74 ,can it be the case that while physical contradictions are not permitted in the lower classes of unconscious objects1 moral contradictions of a very monstrous kind are allowed in the highest of all earthly creatures8 ,the double-minded man1 who prays and doubts1 receives nothing from the ,lord1 because his petition is only in form a prayer2 it lacks the essential characteristic of prayer1 which is faith4 ,but the double-tongued man1 who blesses ,god and curses men1 what does he receive8 ,just as the double-minded man is judged by his doubts1 and not by his forms of prayer1 so the double-tongued man is judged by his curses1 and not by his forms of praise4 ,in each case one or the other of the two contradictories is not real4 ,if there is prayer1 there are no doubts2 and if there are doubts1 there is no prayer--no prayer that will avail with ,god4 ,so also in the other case3 if ,god is sincerely and heartily blessed1 there will be no cursing of ,his children2 and if there is such cursing1 ,god cannot acceptably be blessed2 the very words of praise1 coming from such lips1 will be an offence to ,him4 ,but it may be urged1 our ,lord ,himself has set us an example of strong denunciation in the woes which ,he pronounced upon the scribes and ,pharisees2 and again1 ,st4 ,paul cursed ,hymenus and ,alexander 7#a ,tim4 i4 #bj71 the incestuous person at ,corinth 7#a ,cor4 v4 #e71 and ,elymas the sorcerer 7,acts xiii4 #aj74 ,most true4 ,but firstly1 these curses were uttered by those who could not err in such things4 ,christ knew what was in man1 and could read the hearts of all2 and the fact that ,st4 ,paul's curses were supernaturally fulfilled proves that he was acting under ,divine guidance in what he said4 ,and secondly1 these stern utterances had their source in love2 not1 as human curses commonly have1 in hate4 ,it was in order that those on whom they were pronounced might be warned1 and schooled to better things1 that they were uttered2 and we know that in the case of the sinner at ,corinth the severe remedy had this effect2 the curse was really a blessing4 ,when we have infallible guidance1 and when we are able by supernatural results to prove that we possess it1 it will be time enough to begin to deal in curses4 ,and let us remember the proportion which such things bear to the rest of ,christ's words and of ,st4 ,paul's words1 so far as they have been preserved for us4 ,christ wrought numberless miracles of mercy3 besides those which are recorded in detail1 we are frequently told that ,he healed many that were sick with divers diseases1 and cast out many devils 7,mark i4 #cd72 that ,he had healed many 7iii4 #aj72 that wheresoever ,he entered1 into villages1 or into cities1 or into the country1 they laid the sick in the market-places1 and besought ,him that they might touch if it were but the border of ,his garment2 and as many as touched ,him were made whole 7vi4 #ef72 and so forth 7,john xxi4 #be74 ,but ,he wrought only one miracle of judgment1 and that was upon a tree1 which could teach the necessary lesson without feeling the punishment 7,mark xi4 #ab-bc74 ,all this applies with much force to those who believe themselves to be called upon to denounce and curse all such as seem to them to be enemies of ,god and ,his truth3 but with how much more force to those who in moments of anger and irritation deal in execrations on their own account1 and curse a fellow-,christian1 not because he seems to them to have offended ,god1 but because he has offended themselves6 ,that such persons should suppose that their polluted mouths can offer acceptable praises to the ,lord and ,father1 is indeed a moral contradiction of the most startling kind4 ,and are such cases rare8 ,is it so uncommon a thing for a man to attend church regularly1 and join with apparent devotion in the services1 and yet think little of the grievous words which he allows himself to utter when his temper is severely tried8 ,how amazed and offended he would be if he were invited to eat at a table which had been used for some disgusting purpose1 and had never since been cleansed6 ,and yet he does not hesitate to defile his whole body with his unbridled tongue1 and then offer praise to ,god from this polluted source6 ,nor is this the only contradiction in which such a one is involved4 ,how strange that the being who is lord and master of all the animal creation should be unable to govern himself6 ,how strange that man's chief mark of superiority over the brutes should be the power of speech1 and that he should use this power in such a way as to make it the instrument of his own degradation1 until he becomes lower than the brutes6 ,they1 whether tamed or untamed1 unconsciously declare the glory of ,god2 while he1 with his noble powers of consciously and loyally praising ,him1 by his untamed tongue reviles those who are made after the image of ,god1 and thus turns his own praises into blasphemies4 ,thus does man's rebellion reverse the order of nature and frustrate the will of ,god4 ,the writer of this ,epistle has been accused of exaggeration4 ,it has been urged that in this strongly worded paragraph he himself is guilty of that unchastened language which he is so eager to condemn2 that the case is over-stated1 and that the highly coloured picture is a caricature4 ,is there any thoughtful person of large experience that can honestly assent to this verdict8 ,who has not seen what mischief may be done by a single utterance of mockery1 or enmity1 or bravado2 what confusion is wrought by exaggeration1 innuendo1 and falsehood2 what suffering is inflicted by slanderous suggestions and statements2 what careers of sin have been begun by impure stories and filthy jests8 ,all these effects may follow1 be it remembered1 from a single utterance in each case1 may spread to multitudes1 may last for years4 ,one reckless word may blight a whole life4 ,many have fallen by the edge of the sword1 but not so many as have fallen by the tongue 7,ecclus4 xxviii4 #ah74 ,and there are persons who habitually pour forth such things1 who never pass a day without uttering what is unkind1 or false1 or impure4 ,when we look around us1 and see the moral ruin which in every class of society can be traced to reckless language--lives embittered1 and blighted1 and brutalized by words spoken and heard--can we wonder at the severe words of ,st4 ,james1 whose experience was not very different from our own8 ,violent and uncharitable language had become one of the besetting sins of the ,jews1 and no doubt ,jewish ,christians were by no means free from it4 ,curse the whisperer and the double-tongued1 says the son of ,sirach1 for such have destroyed many that were at peace 7,ecclus4 xxviii4 #ac74 ,to which the ,syriac ,version adds a clause not given in the ,greek1 nor in our ,bibles3 ,also the third tongue1 let it be cursed2 for it has laid low many corpses4 ,this expression1 third tongue1 seems to have come into use among the ,jews in the period between the ,old and ,new ,testament4 ,it means a slanderous tongue1 and it is called third because it is fatal to three sets of people--to the person who utters the slander1 to those who listen to it1 and to those about whom it is uttered4 ,a third tongue hath tossed many to and fro1 and driven them from nation to nation2 and strong cities hath it pulled down1 and houses of great men hath it overthrown 7,ecclus4 xxviii4 #ad72 where not only the ,syriac1 but the ,greek1 has the interesting expression third tongue1 a fact obscured in our version4 ,the third tongue is as common and as destructive now as when the son of ,sirach denounced it1 or ,st4 ,james wrote against it with still greater authority2 and we all of us can do a great deal to check the mischief1 not merely by taking care that we keep our own tongues from originating evil1 but by refusing to repeat1 or if possible even to listen to1 what the third tongue says4 ,our unwillingness to hear may be a discouragement to the speaker1 and our refusal to repeat will at least lessen the evil of his tale4 ,we shall have saved ourselves from becoming links in the chain of destruction4 ,there is one kind of sinful language to which the severe sayings of ,st4 ,james specially apply1 although the context seems to show that it was not specially in his mind--impure language4 ,the foul tongue is indeed a world of iniquity1 which defileth the whole body1 and setteth on fire the wheel of nature1 and is set on fire by hell4 ,in no other case is the self-pollution of the speaker so manifest1 or the injury to the listener so probable1 so all but inevitable4 ,foul stories and impure jests and innuendoes1 even more clearly than oaths and curses1 befoul the souls of those who utter them1 while they lead the hearers into sin4 ,such things rob all who are concerned in them1 either as speakers or listeners1 of two things which are the chief safeguards of virtue--the fear of ,god1 and the fear of sin4 ,they create an atmosphere in which men sin with a light heart1 because the grossest sins are made to look not only attractive and easy1 but amusing4 ,what can be made to seem laughable is supposed to be not very serious4 ,there is no more devilish act that a human being can perform than that of inducing others to believe that what is morally hideous and deadly is pleasant to the eye and good for food4 ,and this devil's work is sometimes done merely to raise a laugh1 merely for something to say4 ,does any one seriously maintain that the language of ,st4 ,james is at all too strong for such things as these8 ,we hardly need his authority for the belief that a filthy tongue pollutes a man's whole being1 and owes its inspiration to the evil one4 ,it is of angry1 ill-tempered1 unkind words that we do not believe this so readily4 ,words that are not false or calumnious1 not running out into blasphemies and curses1 and certainly not tainted with anything like impurity1 do not always strike us as being as harmful as they really are1 not only to others1 whom they irritate or sadden1 but to ourselves1 who allow our characters to be darkened by them4 ,the captious word1 that makes everything a subject for blame2 the discontented word1 that would show that the speaker is always being ill-treated2 the biting word1 that is meant to inflict pain2 the sullen word1 that throws a gloom over all who hear it2 the provoking word1 that seeks to stir up strife--of all these we are most of us apt to think too lightly1 and need the stern warnings of ,st4 ,james to remind us of their true nature and of their certain consequences4 ,as regards others1 such things wound tender hearts1 add needlessly and enormously to the unhappiness of mankind1 turn sweet affections sour1 stifle good impulses1 create and foster bad feelings1 embitter in its smallest details the whole round of daily life4 ,as regards ourselves1 indulgence in such language weakens and warps our characters1 blunts our sympathies1 deadens our love for man1 and therefore our love for ,god4 ,in particular it makes prayer either impossible or half useless4 ,whether we know it or not1 the prayer that comes from a heart indulging in evil temper is hardly a prayer at all4 ,we cannot really be face to face with ,god2 we cannot really approach ,god as a ,father2 we cannot really feel like children kneeling at ,his feet2 we cannot really be simply affectionate and truthful in what we say to ,him1 if irritation1 discontent1 or gloom1 or anger1 is busy at our breasts4 ,an undisciplined temper shuts out the face of ,god from us4 ,we may see ,his holy ,law1 but we cannot see ,himself4 ,we may think of ,him as our ,creator1 our ,judge1 our ,ruler1 but we cannot think of ,him as our ,father1 nor approach ,him with love4#fh ,salt water cannot yield sweet4 ,it was once pleaded on behalf of a man who had been criticized and condemned as unsatisfactory1 that he was a good man1 all but his temper4 ,all but his temper6 was the not unreasonable reply2 as if temper were not nine tenths of religion4 ,if any man stumbleth not in word1 the same is a perfect man4 #fh ,sermons preached in ,rugby ,school ,chapel1 by the ,rev4 ,frederick ,temple1 ,d4,d4 7,macmillan1 #ahfg71 pp4 #cbd1 #cbe4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,wisdom ,,that ,,is ,,from ,,below4 ,who is wise and understanding among you8 let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom4 ,but if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart1 glory not1 and lie not against the truth4 ,this wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above1 but is earthly1 sensual1 devilish4 ,for where jealousy and faction are1 there is confusion and every vile deed4--,,st4 ,,james iii4 #ac-af4 ,this section1 which again looks at first sight like an abrupt transition to another subject1 is found1 upon closer examination1 to grow quite naturally out of the preceding one4 ,st4 ,james has just been warning his readers against the lust of teaching and talking4 ,not many of them are to become teachers1 for the danger of transgressing with the tongue1 which is great in all of us1 is in them at a maximum1 because teachers must talk4 ,moreover1 those who teach have greater responsibilities than those who do not2 for by professing to instruct others they deprive themselves of the plea of ignorance1 and they are bound to instruct by example of good deeds1 as well as by precept of good words4 ,from this subject he quite naturally passes on to speak of the difference between the wisdom from above and the wisdom from below2 and the connexion is twofold4 ,it is those who possess only the latter wisdom1 and are proud of their miserable possession1 who are so eager to make themselves of importance by giving instruction2 and it is the fatal love of talk1 about which he has just been speaking so severely1 that is one of the chief symptoms of the wisdom that is from below4 ,this paragraph is1 in fact1 simply a continuation of the uncompromising attack upon sham religion which is the main theme throughout a large portion of the ,epistle4 ,st4 ,james first shows how useless it is to be an eager hearer of the word1 without also being a doer of it4 ,next he exposes the inconsistency of loving one's neighbour as oneself if he chances to be rich1 and neglecting or even insulting him if he is poor4 ,from that he passes on to prove the barrenness of an orthodoxy which is not manifested in good deeds1 and the peril of trying to make words a substitute for works4 ,and thus the present section is reached4 ,throughout the different sections it is the empty religiousness which endeavours to avoid the practice of ,christian virtue1 on the plea of possessing zeal1 or faith1 or knowledge1 that is mercilessly exposed and condemned4 ,deed1 deeds1 deeds1 is the cry of ,st4 ,james2 these ought ye to have done1 and not to have left the other undone4 ,without ,christian practice1 all the other good things which they possessed or professed were savourless salt4 ,who is wise and understanding among you8 7 74 ,the same two words meet us in the questionings of ,job 7xxviii4 #ab73 ,where shall wisdom 77 be found8 and where is the place of understanding 778#fi ,of all the words which signify some kind of intellectual endowment1 e4g4 prudence 771 knowledge 7 or 71 and understanding 7 or 71 wisdom 77 always ranks as highest4 ,it indicates1 as ,clement of ,alexandria defines it 7,strom4 ,i4 v471 the understanding of things human and ,divine1 and their causes4 ,it is the word which expresses the typical wisdom of ,solomon 7,matt4 xii4 #db2 ,luke xi4 #ca71 the inspiration of ,st4 ,stephen 7,acts vi4 #aj71 and the ,divine wisdom of ,jesus ,christ 7,matt4 xiii4 #ed2 ,mark vi4 #b2 and comp4 ,luke xi4 #di with ,matt4 xxiii4 #cd74 ,it is also employed in the heavenly doxologies which ascribe wisdom to the ,lamb and to ,god 7,rev4 v4 #ab2 vii4 #ab74 ,st4 ,james1 therefore1 quite naturally employs it to denote that excellent gift for which ,christians are to pray with full confidence that it will be granted to them 7i4 #e1 #f71 and which manifests its heavenly character by a variety of good fruits 7iii4 #ag74 ,whether we are to understand any very marked difference between the two adjectives 7wise and understanding7 used in the opening question1 is a matter of little moment4 ,the question taken as a whole amounts to this3 ,who among you professes to have superior knowledge1 spiritual or practical8 ,the main thing is not the precise scope of the question1 but of the answer4 ,let every one who claims to have a superiority which entitles him to teach others prove his superiority by his good life4 ,once more it is a call for deeds1 and not words--for conduct1 and not professions4 ,and ,st4 ,james expresses this in a specially strong way4 ,he might have said simply1 ,let him by his conduct show his wisdom1 just as he said above1 ,i by my works will show thee my faith4 ,but he says1 ,let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom4 ,thus the necessity for practice and conduct1 as distinct from mere knowledge1 is enforced twice over2 and besides that1 the particular character of the conduct1 the atmosphere in which it is to be exhibited1 is also indicated4 ,it is to be done in meekness of wisdom4 ,there are two characteristics here specified which we shall find are given as the infallible signs of the heavenly wisdom2 and their opposites as signs of the other4 ,the heavenly wisdom is fruitful of good deeds1 and inspires those who possess it with gentleness4 ,the other wisdom is productive of nothing really valuable1 and inspires those who possess it with contentiousness4 ,the spirit of strife1 and the spirit of meekness2 those are the two properties which chiefly distinguish the wisdom that comes from heaven from the wisdom that comes from hell4 ,this test is a very practical one1 and we can apply it to ourselves as well as to others4 ,how do we bear ourselves in argument and in controversy8 ,are we serene about the result1 in full confidence that truth and right should prevail8 ,are we desirous that truth should prevail1 even if that should involve our being proved to be in the wrong8 ,are we meek and gentle towards those who differ from us8 or are we apt to lose our tempers1 and become heated against our opponents8 ,if the last is the case we have reason to doubt whether our wisdom is of the best sort4 ,he who loses his temper in argument has begun to care more about himself1 and less about the truth4 ,he has become like the many would-be teachers rebuked by ,st4 ,james2 slow to hear1 and swift to speak2 unwilling to learn1 and eager to dogmatize2 much less ready to know the truth than to be able to say something1 whether true or false4 ,the words by his good life 7 7 are a change made by the ,revisers for other reasons than the two which commonly weighed with them4 ,as already stated 7p4 #aej71 their most valuable corrections are those which have been produced by the correction of the corrupt ,greek text used by previous translators4 ,many more are corrections of mistranslations of the correct ,greek text4 ,the present change of good conversation into good life comes under neither of these two heads4 ,it has been necessitated by a change which has taken place in the ,english language during the last two or three centuries4 ,words are constantly changing their meaning4 ,conversation is one of many ,english words which have drifted from their old signification2 and it is one of several which have undergone change since the ,authorized ,version was published1 and in spite of the enormous influence exercised by that version4 ,for there can be no doubt that our ,bible has retained words in use which would otherwise have been dropped1 and has kept words to their old meaning which would otherwise have undergone a change4 ,this latter influence1 however1 fails to make itself felt where the changed meaning still makes sense2 and that is the case with the passages in which conversation 7as a rendering of 7 occurs in the ,new ,testament4 ,conversation was formerly a word of much wider meaning1 and its gradual restriction to intercourse by word of mouth is unfortunate4 ,formerly it covered the whole of a man's walk in life 7,lebenswandel71 his going out and coming in1 his behaviour or conduct4 ,wherever he turned himself about and lived1 there he had his conversation 7conversatio1 from conversari1 the exact equivalent of 1 from 74 ,it was exactly the word that was required by the translators of the ,greek ,testament4 ,in the ,septuagint it does not occur until the ,apocrypha 7,tobit iv4 #ad74 ,but it causes serious misunderstanding to restrict the meaning of all the passages in which the word occurs to conversation in the modern sense1 as if speaking were the only thing included2 and the ,revisers have done very rightly in removing this source of misunderstanding2 but they have been unable to find any one expression which would serve the purpose1 and hence have been compelled to vary the translation4 ,sometimes they give manner of life 7,gal4 i4 #ac2 ,eph4 iv4 #bb2 #a ,tim4 iv4 #ab2 #a ,peter i4 #ah2 iii4 #af72 once manner of living 7#a ,peter i4 #ae72 three times behaviour 7#a ,peter ii4 #ab2 iii4 #a1 #b72 three times life 7,heb4 xiii4 #g2 #b ,peter ii4 #g2 and here72 and once living 7#b ,peter iii4 #aa74 ,these different translations are worth collecting together1 inasmuch as they give a good idea of the scope of conversation in the old sense1#gj which really represents the word used by ,st4 ,james4 ,that conversation1 with the modern associations which inevitably cling to it now1 should be used in the passage before us1 is singularly unfortunate4 ,it not only misrepresents1 but it almost reverses the meaning of the writer4 ,so far from telling a man to show his wisdom by what he says in his intercourse with others1 ,st4 ,james rather exhorts him to show it by saying as little as possible1 and doing a great deal4 ,let him show out of a noble life the conduct of a wise man in the gentle spirit which befits such4 ,in modern language1 let him in the fullest sense be a ,christian gentleman4 ,in meekness of wisdom4 ,on this ,st4 ,james lays great stress4 ,he has already told his readers to receive with meekness the implanted word 7i4 #ba71 and what implies the same thing1 although the word is not used1 to be swift to hear1 slow to speak1 slow to wrath 7i4 #ai74 ,and in the passage before us he insists with urgent repetition upon the peaceable and gentle disposition of those who possess the wisdom from above 7vv4 #ag1 #ah74 ,the ,christian grace of meekness is a good deal more than the rather second-rate virtue which ,aristotle makes to be the mean between passionateness and impassionateness1 and to consist in a due regulation of one's angry feelings 7,eth4 ,nic4 ,,iv4 v474 ,it includes submissiveness towards ,god1 as well as gentleness towards men2 and it exhibits itself in a special way in giving and receiving instruction1 and in administering and accepting rebuke4 ,it was1 therefore1 just the grace which the many would-be teachers1 with their loud professions of correct faith and superior knowledge1 specially needed to acquire4 ,the ,jew1 with his national contempt for all who were not of the stock of ,israel1 was always prone to self-assertion1 and these ,christian ,jews of the ,dispersion had still to learn the spirit of their own psalms4 ,the meek will ,he guide in judgment2 and the meek will ,he teach ,his way 7xxv4 #i74 ,the meek shall inherit the land1 and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace 7xxxvii4 #aa74 ,the ,lord upholdeth the meek 7cxlvii4 #f74 ,he shall beautify the meek with salvation 7cxlix4 #d74 ,in all these passages the ,septuagint has the adjective 77 of the substantive used by ,st4 ,james 774 ,but if1 instead of this meekness1 ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart1 glory not1 and lie not against the truth4 ,with a gentle severity ,st4 ,james states as a mere supposition what he probably knew to be a fact4 ,there was plenty of bitter zealousness and party spirit among them2 and from this fact they could draw their own conclusions4 ,it was an evil from which the ,jews greatly suffered2 and a few years later it hastened1 if it did not cause1 the overthrow of ,jerusalem4 ,this jealousy or zeal 77 itself became a party name in the fanatical sect of the ,zealots4 ,it was an evil from which the primitive ,church greatly suffered1 as passages in the ,new ,testament and in the sub-,apostolic writers prove2 and can we say that it has ever become extinct8 ,the same conclusion must be drawn now as then4 ,jealousy or zeal may be a good or a bad thing according to the motive which inspires it4 ,god ,himself is called a jealous ,god1 and is said to be clad with zeal as a cloak 7,isa4 lix4 #ag71 and to take to ,him jealousy for complete armour 7,wisdom v4 #ag74 ,to ,christ ,his disciples applied the words1 ,the zeal of ,thine house shall eat me up 7,john ii4 #ag74 ,but more often the word has a bad signification4 ,it indicates zeal not according to knowledge 7,rom4 x4 #b71 as when the high priest and ,sadducees arrested the ,apostles 7,acts v4 #ag71 or when ,saul persecuted the ,church 7,phil4 iii4 #f74 ,it is coupled with strife 7,rom4 xiii4 #ac71 and is counted among the works of the flesh 7,gal4 v4 #bj74 ,to make it quite plain that it is to be understood in a bad sense here1 ,st4 ,james adds the epithet bitter to it1 and perhaps thereby recalls what he has just said about a mouth that utters both curses and blessings being as monstrous as a fountain spouting forth both bitter water and sweet4 ,moreover1 he couples it with faction 771 a word which originally meant working for hire1 and especially weaving for hire 7,isa4 xxxviii4 #ab71 and thence any ignoble pursuit1 especially political canvassing1 intrigue1 or factiousness 7,arist4 ,pol4 ,v4 ii4 #f2 iii4 #i2 ,rom4 ii4 #h2 ,phil4 i4 #af2 ii4 #c74 ,this also ,st4 ,paul classes among the works of the flesh 7,gal4 v4 #bj74 ,what ,st4 ,james seems to refer to in these two words is bitter religious animosity2 a hatred of error 7or what is supposed to be such71 manifesting itself1 not in loving attempts to win over those who are at fault1 but in bitter thoughts1 and words1 and party combinations4 ,glory not1 and lie not against the truth4 ,to glory with their tongues of their superior wisdom1 while they cherished jealousy and faction in their hearts1 was a manifest lie1 a contradiction of what they must know to be the truth4 ,in their fanatical zeal for the truth they were really lying against the truth1 and ruining the cause which they professed to serve4 ,of how many a controversialist would that be true2 and not only of those who have entered the lists against heresy and infidelity1 but of those who are preaching a crusade against vice6 ,the whole ,christianity of many a devotee consists only1 we may say1 in a bitter contempt for the sins of sinners1 in a proud and loveless contention with what it calls the wicked world 7,stier74 ,this wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above1 but is earthly1 sensual1 devilish4 ,the wisdom which is exhibited in such a thoroughly unchristian disposition is of no heavenly origin4 ,it may be a proof of intellectual advantages of some kind1 but it is not such as those who lack it need pray for 7i4 #e71 nor such as ,god bestows liberally on all who ask in faith4 ,and then1 having stated what it is not1 ,st4 ,james tells in three words1 which form a climax1 what the wisdom on which they plume themselves1 in its nature1 and sphere1 and origin1 really is4 ,it belongs to this world1 and has no connexion with heavenly things4 ,its activity is in the lower part of man's nature1 his passions and his human intelligence1 but it never touches his spirit4 ,and in its origin and manner of working it is demoniacal4 ,not the gentleness of ,god's ,holy ,spirit1 but the fierce recklessness of ,satan's emissaries1 inspires it4 ,just as there is a faith which a man may share with demons 7ii4 #ai71 and a tongue which is set on fire by hell 7iii4 #f71 so there is a wisdom which is demoniacal in its source and in its activity4 ,the second of the three terms of condemnation used by ,st4 ,james 77 cannot be adequately rendered in ,english1 for psychic or psychical would convey either no meaning or a wrong one4 ,it does not occur in the ,septuagint1 but is found six times in the ,new ,testament--four times in the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians 7ii4 #ad2 xv4 #dd1 #df71 where most ,english versions have natural2 once in ,jude 7#ai71 where ,tyndale1 ,cranmer1 and the ,genevan have fleshly1 the ,rhemish1 the ,authorized1 and the ,revised sensual2 and once here1 where ,genevan1 ,rhemish1 ,authorized1 and ,revised all give sensual1 the last placing natural or animal in the margin4#ga ,when man's nature is divided into body and soul1 or flesh and spirit1 every one understands that the body or flesh indicates the lower and material part1 the soul or spirit the higher and immaterial part4 ,but when a threefold division is made1 into body1 soul1 and spirit1 we are apt to allow the more simple and more familiar division to disturb our ideas4 ,soul is allowed to keep its old meaning1 and to be understood as much more allied with spirit than with body or flesh4 ,this causes serious misunderstanding4 ,when the soul is distinguished1 not only from the flesh1 but from the spirit1 it represents a part of our nature which is much more closely connected with the former than with the latter4 ,the natural or sensual man1 though higher than the carnal man1 who is the slave of his animal passions1 is far below the spiritual man1 who is ruled by the highest portion of his nature1 which is under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the natural man does not soar above the things of this world4 ,his inspirations are not heavenly4 ,of the earth he is1 and of the earth he speaketh4 ,the wisdom from above is heavenly1 spiritual1 ,divine2 the wisdom from below is earthly1 sensual1 devilish4 ,does this seem to be an exaggeration8 ,st4 ,james is ready to justify his strong language4 ,for where jealousy and faction are1 there is confusion and every vile deed4 ,and who are the authors of confusion and vile deeds8 ,are they to be found in heaven1 or in hell8 ,is confusion1 or order1 the mark of ,god's work8 ,if one wished to sum up succinctly the manner in which the activity of demons specially exhibits itself1 could one do so better than by saying confusion and every vile deed8 ,god is not a ,god of confusion1 but of peace1 says ,st4 ,paul1 using the very word that we have here 7#a ,cor4 xiv4 #cc72 and every one heartily assents to the doctrine4 ,the reason and conscience of every man tell him that disorder cannot in origin be ,divine2 it is part of that ruin which ,satanic influences have been allowed to make in a universe which was created very good4 ,jealousy and faction mean anarchy2 and anarchy means a moral chaos in which every vile deed finds an opportunity4 ,we know1 therefore1 what to think of the superior wisdom which is claimed by those in whose hearts jealousy and faction reign supreme4 ,it may have a right to the name of wisdom1 just as a correct belief about the nature of ,god may have a right to the name of faith1 even when it remains barren1 and therefore powerless to save4 ,but an inspiration which prompts men to envy and intrigue1 because1 when many are rushing to occupy the post of teacher1 others find a hearing more readily than themselves1 is the inspiration of ,cain and of ,korah1 rather than of ,moses or of ,daniel4 ,the professed desire to offer service to ,god is really only a craving to obtain advancement for self4 ,self-seeking of this kind is always ruinous4 ,it both betrays and aggravates the rottenness that lurks within4 ,it was immediately after there had been a contention among the ,apostles1 which of them was accounted to be greatest 7,luke xxii4 #bd71 that they all forsook ,him and fled4 ,,note4--,a portion of ,dr4 ,newman's description of a gentleman will serve to illustrate what has been said above4 ,it occurs in his ,discourses addressed to the ,catholics of ,dublin4 ,it is almost a definition of a gentleman to say that he is one who never inflicts pain4 ,he is mainly occupied in merely removing the obstacles which hinder the free and unembarrassed action of those about him1 and he concurs with their movements rather than takes the initiative himself4 ,he carefully avoids whatever may cause a jar or a jolt in the minds of those with whom he is cast--all clashing of opinion1 or collision of feeling1 all restraint1 or suspicion1 or gloom1 or resentment2 his great concern being to make every one at their ease and at home4 ,he has his eyes on all his company2 he is tender towards the bashful1 gentle towards the distant1 and merciful towards the absurd4 ,he guards against unseasonable allusions1 or topics which may irritate4 ,he has no ears for slander or gossip1 is scrupulous in imputing motives to those who interfere with him1 and interprets everything for the best4 #fi ,comp4 also ,deut4 i4 #ac1 and iv4 #f1 where we have the same combination4 #gj ,that conversation should also have been used as a rendering of 7,phil4 iii4 #bj2 comp4 i4 #bg7 and 7,heb4 xiii4 #e7 is very unfortunate4 #ga ,purvey has beastly in all six places1 which is a translation of the animalis of the ,vulgate3 earthly1 beastly1 fiendly is his triplet4 ,see p4 #dec4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,wisdom ,,that ,,is ,,from ,,above4 ,but the wisdom that is from above is first pure1 then peaceable1 gentle1 easy to be entreated1 full of mercy and good fruits1 without variance1 without hypocrisy4 ,and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace4--,,st4 ,,james iii4 #ag1 #ah4 ,at the beginning of his ,epistle ,st4 ,james exhorts those of his readers who feel their lack of wisdom to pray for it4 ,it is one of those good and perfect gifts from above1 which come down from the ,father of lights1 who giveth to all liberally1 and upbraideth not 7i4 #e1 #ag74 ,he now1 after having sketched its opposite1 states1 in a few clear1 pregnant words1 what the characteristics of this heavenly gift of wisdom are4 ,in both passages he probably had in his mind1 and wished to suggest to the minds of his readers1 well-known utterances on the same subject in the ,books of ,proverbs1 ,ecclesiasticus1 and ,wisdom4 ,my son1 if thou cry after discernment1 and lift up thy voice for understanding2 if thou seek her as silver1 and search for her as for hid treasures2 then shalt thou understand the fear of the ,lord1 and find the knowledge of ,god4 ,for the ,lord giveth wisdom2 out of ,his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding 7,prov4 ii4 #c-f74 ,again1 the magnificent ,praise of ,wisdom in the twenty-fourth chapter of ,ecclesiasticus1 in which ,wisdom is made to tell her own glories1 opens thus3 ,i came forth from the mouth of the ,most ,high1 and covered the earth like a cloud2 and it continues1 ,then the ,creator of all things gave me a commandment1 and ,he that created me caused my tabernacle to rest1 and said1 ,let thy dwelling be in ,jacob1 and thine inheritance in ,israel4 ,before time was1 from the beginning1 ,he created me1 and until times cease ,i shall in nowise fail 7vv4 #c1 #h1 #i74 ,and in the similar passage in the ,book of ,wisdom1 in which the praise of ,wisdom is put into the mouth of ,solomon1 he says1 ,wisdom1 which is the worker of all things1 taught me4444 ,she is the breath of the power of ,god1 and a pure emanation from the glory of the ,almighty3 therefore doth no defiled thing fall into her4 ,for she is the effulgence 73 ,heb4 i4 #c7 of the everlasting light1 the unspotted mirror of the power of ,god1 and the image of ,his goodness4 ,and being one1 she can do all things2 and remaining in herself1 she maketh all things new2 and in all generations entering into holy souls1 she maketh them friends of ,god1 and prophets4 ,for ,god loveth nothing but him that dwelleth with wisdom 7vii4 #bb1 #be-bh74 ,three thoughts are conspicuous in these passages4 ,wisdom originates with ,god4 ,it is consequently pure and glorious4 ,god bestows it upon ,his people4 ,these thoughts reappear in ,st4 ,james1 and to them he adds another1 which scarcely appears in the earlier writers4 ,wisdom is peaceable1 gentle1 easy to be entreated1 full of mercy1 and good fruits4 ,in ,proverbs we do indeed read that all her paths are peace 7iii4 #ag72 but the thought is not followed up4 ,it does not seem to occur to the son of ,sirach2 and not one of the twenty-one epithets which the writer of ,wisdom piles up in praise of this heavenly gift 7vii4 #bb1 #bc7 touches upon its peaceable and placable nature4 ,it was left to the ,gospel to teach1 both by the example of ,christ and by the words of ,his ,apostles1 how inevitably the ,divine wisdom produces1 in those who possess it1 gentleness1 self-repression1 and peace4 ,but the wisdom that is from above is first pure1 then peaceable1 gentle1 easy to be entreated4 ,the first and the then may be seriously misunderstood4 ,st4 ,james does not mean that the heavenly wisdom cannot be peaceable and gentle until all its surroundings have been made pure from everything that would oppose or contradict it2 in other words1 that the wise and understanding ,christian will first free himself from the society of all whom he believes to be in error1 and then1 but not till then1 will he be peaceable and gentle4 ,that is1 so long as folly and falsehood remain1 they must be denounced1 and made either to recant or to retire2 for only when they have disappeared will wisdom show itself easy to be entreated4 ,purity1 i4e4 freedom from all that would dim the brightness of truth1 must precede peace1 and there can be no peace until it is obtained4 ,this interpretation contradicts the context1 and makes ,st4 ,james teach the opposite of what he says very plainly in the sentences which precede1 and in those which follow1 the words which we are considering4 ,it tries to enlist him on the side of partisanship and persecution1 at the very moment when he is pleading most earnestly against them4 ,he is stating a logical1 and not a chronological order1 when he declares that true wisdom is first pure1 then peaceable4 ,in its inmost being it is pure2 among its very various external manifestations are the six or seven beneficent qualities which follow the then4 ,if there were no one to be gentle to1 no one coming to entreat1 no one needing mercy1 the wisdom from above would still be pure2 therefore this quality comes first4 ,when the author of the ,book of ,wisdom says that wisdom is a pure emanation from the glory of ,god3 therefore can no defiled thing fall into her 7vii4 #be71 he is thinking of a pure stream1 into which no foul ditch is able to empty its polluting contents1 or of a pure ray of light1 which does not admit of mixture with anything that would colour or darken it4 ,he does not use the word for pure which we have here 771 but one which signifies unmixed1 and hence unsullied 771 and which occurs ,phil4 i4 #aj and #b ,pet4 iii4 #a4 ,the word used here by ,st4 ,james is akin to holy 771 and primarily signifies what is associated with religious awe 771 and hence hallowed1 especially by sacrifice4 ,from this it became narrowed in meaning to what is free from the pollution of unchastity or bloodshed4 ,as a ,biblical word it sometimes has this narrow meaning2 but generally it implies freedom from all stain of sin1 and therefore is not far removed in meaning from holy4 ,but it is worth noting that whereas ,christ and good men are spoken of as both pure and holy1 yet ,god is called holy1 but never pure4 ,divine holiness cannot be assailed by any polluting influence4 ,human holiness1 even that of ,christ1 can be so assailed1 and in resisting the assault it remains pure4 ,in the passage before us pure must certainly not be limited to mean simply chaste4 ,the word sensual1 applied to the wisdom from below1 does not mean unchaste1 but living wholly in the world of sense2 and the purity of the heavenly wisdom does not consist merely in victory over temptations of the flesh1 but in freedom from worldly and low motives4 ,its aim is that truth should become known and prevail1 and it condescends to no ignoble arts in prosecuting this aim4 ,contradiction does not ruffle it1 and hostility does not provoke it to retaliate1 because its motives are thoroughly disinterested and pure4 ,thus1 its peaceable and placable qualities flow out of its purity4 ,it is first pure1 then peaceable4 ,it is because the man who is inspired with it has no ulterior selfish ends to serve that he is gentle1 sympathetic1 and considerate towards those who oppose him4 ,he strives1 not for victory over his opponents1 but for truth both for himself and for them2 and he knows what it costs to arrive at truth4 ,we have a noble illustration of this temper in some of the opening passages of ,st4 ,augustine's treatise against the so-called ,fundamental ,letter of ,manichus4 ,he begins thus3-- ,my prayer to the one true ,god ,almighty1 of whom1 and through whom1 and in whom are all things1 has been and is1 that in refuting and disproving the heresy of you ,manichans1 to which you adhere perchance more through thoughtlessness than evil intent1 ,he would give me a mind composed and tranquil1 and aiming rather at your amendment than your discomfiture4444 ,it has been our business1 therefore1 to prefer and choose the better part1 that we might have an opportunity for your amendment1 not in contention1 and strife1 and persecutions1 but in gentle consolation1 affectionate exhortation1 and quiet discussion2 as it is written1 ,the ,lord's servant must not strive1 but be gentle towards all1 teachable1 forbearing1 in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves4444 ,let those rage against you who know not with what toil truth is found1 and how difficult it is to avoid errors4444 ,let those rage against you who know not with how great difficulty the eye of the inner man is made whole1 so that it can behold its ,sun4444 ,let those rage against you who know not with what sighs and groans it is made possible1 in however small a degree1 to comprehend ,god4 ,finally1 let those rage against you who have never been deceived by such an error as that whereby they see you deceived4444 ,let neither of us say that he has already found the truth4 ,let us seek it as if it were unknown to us both4 ,for it can be sought for with zeal and unanimity only if there be no rash assumption that it has been found and is known4 ,and to the same effect1 although in a different key1 a critical writer of our own day has remarked that by an intellect which is habitually filled with the wisdom which is from heaven1 in all its length and breadth1 'objections' against religion are perceived at once to proceed from imperfect apprehension4 ,such an intellect cannot rage against those who give words to such objections4 ,it sees that the objectors do but intimate the partial character of their own knowledge4#gb ,it will be observed that while the writer just quoted speaks about the intellect1 ,st4 ,james speaks about the heart4 ,the difference is not accidental1 and it is significant of a difference in the point of view4 ,the modern view of wisdom is that it is a matter which mainly consists in the strengthening and enrichment of the intellectual powers4 ,increase of capacity for acquiring and retaining knowledge2 increase in the possession of knowledge3 this is what is meant by growth in wisdom4 ,and by knowledge is meant acquaintance with the nature and history of man1 and with the nature and history of the universe4 ,all this is the sphere of the intellect rather than of the heart4 ,the purification and development of the moral powers1 if not absolutely excluded from the scope of wisdom1 is commonly left in the background and almost out of sight4 ,what ,st4 ,james says here is fully admitted3 the highest wisdom keeps a man from the bitterness of party spirit4 ,but why8 ,because his superior intelligence and information tell him that the opposition of those who dissent from him is the result of ignorance1 which requires1 not insult and abuse1 but instruction4 ,st4 ,james does not dissent from this view1 but he adds to it4 ,there are further and higher reasons why the truly wise man does not rail at others1 or try to browbeat and silence them4 ,because1 while he abhors folly1 he loves the fool1 and would win him over from his foolish ways2 because he desires not only to impart knowledge1 but to increase virtue2 and because he knows that strife means confusion1 and that gentleness is the parent of peace4 ,christians are charged to be wise as serpents1 but harmless as doves4 ,the ,scriptural view of wisdom does not contradict the modern one1 but it is taken from the other side4 ,in it the education of the moral and spiritual powers is the main thing1 while intellectual advancement is in the background or out of sight4 ,there is nothing in the teaching of ,christ or his ,apostles that is hostile to intellectual progress2 but neither by ,his example1 nor by the directions which ,his disciples received or delivered1 do we find that culture was regarded as part of1 or necessary to1 or even a very desirable companion for1 the ,gospel4 ,neither ,christ nor any one of ,his immediate followers came forward as a great promoter of intellectual pursuits4 ,why is this8 ,it would perhaps be a sound and sufficient answer to say1 that valuable as such work would have been1 there was much more serious and important work to be done4 ,to convert men from sin to righteousness was far more urgent than to improve their minds4 ,but there is more to be said than this4 ,that perverse generation had to turn1 and become as little children1 before it could enter into the kingdom of heaven4 ,to develop a man's intellectual powers is not always the best way to make him humble himself as a little child4 ,increase of knowledge may make a ,newton feel like a child picking up pebbles on the shore of truth1 but it is apt to make the natural man less childlike4 ,but for no one1 whether catechumen1 or convert1 or mature ,christian1 can the cultivation of his intellect be as pressing a duty as the cultivation of his heart4 ,to speak with the tongues of men and of angels1 and to know all mysteries and all knowledge1 is as nothing in comparison with love4 ,and it is in some measure possible to see why this is so4 ,man's moral nature certainly suffered1 and ruinously suffered1 at the ,fall4 ,it is not so certain that his intellectual nature suffered also4 ,if it did suffer1 it suffered through the moral nature1 because depravation of the heart depraved the brain4 ,in neither case would there be any necessity for the ,gospel to pay special attention to the regeneration of the intellect4 ,if man's intellect was unscathed by his fall from innocence1 it could continue its natural development1 and go on from strength to strength towards perfection4 ,if1 however1 the loss of innocence has entailed a loss of mental capacity1 then the wound inflicted on the intellectual nature through the moral nature must be healed in the same way4 ,first purify the heart and regenerate the will1 and then the recovery of the intellect will follow in due course4#gc ,it is easy to reach the intellect through the heart1 and this is what the wisdom that is from above aims at doing4 ,if we begin with the intellect1 we shall very likely end there2 and in that case the man is not raised from his degradation1 but equipped with additional powers of mischief4 ,into a soul that deviseth evil1 wisdom will not enter1 nor yet dwell in a body that is sunk in sin 7,wisdom i4 #d74 ,full of mercy and good fruits4 ,the wisdom from above is not only peaceable1 reasonable1 and conciliatory1 when under provocation or criticism1 it is also eager to take the initiative in doing all the good in its power to those whom it can reach or influence4 ,thus it goes hand in hand with that pure and undefiled religion which visits the fatherless and widows in their affliction 7i4 #bg74 ,just as ,st4 ,james has no sympathy with a faith which does not clothe the naked and feed the hungry1 and offer of its best to ,god 7ii4 #ae1 #af1 #ba71 nor with a tongue which blesses ,god and curses men 7ii4 #i71 so he has no belief in the heavenly character of a wisdom which holds itself aloof in calm superiority to all cavil and complaint1 with a condescending air of passionless impartiality4 ,the intellectual miser1 who gloats over the treasures of his own accumulated knowledge1 and smiles with lofty indifference upon the criticisms and squabbles of the imperfectly instructed1 has no share in the wisdom that is from above4 ,he is peaceful and moderate1 not out of love and sympathy1 but because his time is too precious to be wasted in barren controversy1 and because he is too proud to place himself on a level with those who would dispute with him4 ,no selfish arrogance of this kind has any place in the character of the truly wise4 ,his wisdom not only enlightens his intellect1 but warms his heart and strengthens his will4 ,he believes that the wise man alone is king1 and that the wise man alone is happy1 yet not because he has the crown of knowledge and abundance of intellectual enjoyment1 but because he fulfils the royal law1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself 7ii4 #h71 and because happiness is to be found in promoting the happiness of others4 ,without variance1 without hypocrisy4 ,these are the last two of the goodly qualities which ,st4 ,james gives as marks of the heavenly wisdom4 ,similarity in sound1 which cannot well be preserved in ,english1 has evidently had something to do with their selection 71 74 ,the first of the two has perplexed translators1 and the ,english versions give us considerable choice3 without variance1 without wrangling1 without partiality1 without doubtfulness1 without judging4 ,purvey has for the two epithets deeming without feigning1 following the ,sixtine edition of the ,vulgate1 which has judicans sine simulatione1 instead of non judicans1 sine simulatione4 ,the word occurs nowhere else either in the ,old or in the ,new ,testament2 but it is cognate with a word which ,st4 ,james uses twice at the beginning of this ,epistle 73 i4 #f71 and which is there rendered doubting or wavering4 ,of the various possible meanings of the word before us we may therefore prefer without doubtfulness4 ,the wisdom from above is unwavering1 steadfast1 single-minded4 ,thus ,ignatius charges the ,magnesians 7xv47 to possess an unventuring spirit 7 71 and tells the ,trallians 7i47 that he has learned that they have a mind unblameable and unwavering in patience 7 74 ,and ,clement of ,alexandria 7,pd4 ,,ii4 iii41 p4 #aij7 speaks of unwavering faith 7 71 and a few lines farther on he reminds his readers1 in words that suit our present subject1 that wisdom is not bought with earthly coin1 nor is sold in the market1 but in heaven4 ,if he had said that wisdom is not sold in the market1 but given from heaven1 he would have made the contrast both more pointed and more true4 ,the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace4 ,the ,greek may mean either for them that make peace1 or by them that make peace2 and we need not attempt to decide4 ,in either case it is the peacemakers who sow the seed whose fruit is righteousness1 and the peacemakers who reap this fruit4 ,the whole process begins1 progresses1 and ends in peace4 ,it is evident that the heavenly wisdom is pre-eminently a practical wisdom4 ,it is not purely or mainly intellectual2 it is not speculative2 it is not lost in contemplation4 ,its object is to increase holiness rather than knowledge1 and happiness rather than information4 ,its atmosphere is not controversy and debate1 but gentleness and peace4 ,it is full1 not of sublime theories or daring hypotheses1 but of mercy and good fruits4 ,it can be confident without wrangling1 and reserved without hypocrisy4 ,it is the twin sister of that heavenly love which envieth not1 vaunteth not itself1 seeketh not its own1 is not provoked1 taketh no account of evil4 #gb ,mark ,pattison1 ,essays3 ,life of ,bishop ,warburton1 vol4 ii41 pp4 #afc1 #afd 7,oxford3 #ahhi74 #gc ,see ,jellett's ,thoughts on the ,christian ,life1 p4 #di 7,dublin3 #ahhd74 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,st4 ,,james ,,and ,,plato ,,on ,,lusts ,,as ,,the ,,causes ,,of ,,strife2 ,,their ,,effect ,,on ,,prayer4 ,whence come wars1 and whence come fightings among you8 come they not hence1 even of your pleasures which war in your members8 ,ye lust1 and have not3 ye kill and covet1 and cannot obtain3 ye fight and war2 ye have not1 because ye ask not4 ,ye ask1 and receive not1 because ye ask amiss1 that ye may spend it in your pleasures4--,,st4 ,,james iv4 #a-ac4 ,the change from the close of the third chapter to the beginning of the fourth is startling4 ,st4 ,james has just been sketching with much beauty the excellences of the heavenly wisdom1 and especially its marked characteristic of always tending to produce an atmosphere of peace1 in which the seed that produces the fruit of righteousness will grow and flourish4 ,gentleness1 good-will1 mercy1 righteousness1 peace--these form the main features of his sketch4 ,and then he abruptly turns upon his readers with the question1 ,whence come wars1 and whence come sightings among you8 ,the sudden transition from the subject of peace to the opposite is deliberate4 ,its object is to startle and awaken the consciences of those who are addressed4 ,the wisdom from below produces bitter jealousy and faction2 the wisdom from above produces gentleness and peace4 ,then how is to be explained the origin of the wars and fightings which prevail among the twelve tribes of the ,dispersion8 ,that ought to set them thinking4 ,these things must be traced to causes which are earthly or demoniacal rather than heavenly2 and if so1 those who are guilty of them1 instead of contending for the office of teaching others1 ought to be seriously considering how to correct themselves4 ,here1 again1 there is the strangest contradiction between their professions and their practice4 ,clement of ,rome seems to have this passage in his mind when he writes 7c4 ,a4,d4 #ig7 to the ,church of ,corinth1 ,wherefore are there strifes and wraths1 and factions and divisions1 and war among you8 7xlvi474 ,wars 77 and fightings 77 are not to be understood literally4 ,when the text is applied to international warfare between ,christian states in modern times1 or to any case of civil war1 it may be so interpreted without doing violence to its spirit2 but that is not the original meaning of the words4 ,there was no civil war among the ,jews at this time1 still less among the ,jewish ,christians4 ,st4 ,james is referring to private quarrels and law-suits1 social rivalries and factions1 and religious controversies4 ,the subject-matter of these disputes and contentions is not indicated1 because that is not what is denounced4 ,it is not for having differences about this or that1 whether rights of property1 or posts of honour1 or ecclesiastical questions1 that ,st4 ,james rebukes them1 but for the rancorous1 greedy1 and worldly spirit in which their disputes are conducted4 ,evidently the lust of possession is among the things which produce the contentions4 ,jewish appetite for wealth is at work among them4 ,it was stated in a former chapter 7p4 #dh7 that1 there are places in this ,epistle in which ,st4 ,james seems to go beyond the precise circle of readers addressed in the opening words1 and to glance at the whole ,jewish nation1 whether outside ,palestine or not1 and whether ,christian or not4 ,these more comprehensive addresses are more frequent in the second half of the ,epistle than in the first1 and one is inclined to believe that the passage before us is one of them4 ,in that case we may believe that the bitter contentions which divided ,pharisees1 ,sadducees1 ,herodians1 ,essenes1 ,zealots1 and ,samaritans from one another are included in the wars and fightings1 as well as the quarrels which disgraced ,christian ,jews4 ,in any case we see that the ,jews who had entered the ,christian ,church had brought with them that contentious spirit which was one of their national characteristics4 ,just as ,st4 ,paul has to contend with ,greek love of faction in his converts at ,corinth1 so ,st4 ,james has to contend with a similar ,jewish failing among the converts from ,judaism4 ,and it would seem as if he hoped through these converts to reach many of those who were not yet converted4 ,what he wrote to ,christian synagogues would possibly be heard of and noted in synagogues which were not ,christian4 ,at any rate this ,epistle contains ample evidence that the grievous scandals which amaze us in the early history of the ,apostolic ,churches of ,corinth1 ,galatia1 and ,ephesus were not peculiar to converts from heathenism3 among the ,christians of the circumcision1 who had had the advantage of life-long knowledge of ,god and of ,his law1 there were evils as serious1 and sometimes very similar in kind4 ,the notion that the ,church of the ,apostolic age was in a condition of ideal perfection is a beautiful but baseless dream4#gd ,whence wars1 and whence fightings among you8 come they not hence1 even of your pleasures which war in your members8 ,by a common transposition1 ,st4 ,james1 in answering his own question1 puts the pleasures which excite and gratify the lusts instead of the lusts themselves1 in much the same way as we use drink for intemperance1 and gold for avarice4 ,these lusts for pleasures have their quarters or camp in the members of the body1 i4e4 in the sensual part of man's nature4 ,but they are there1 not to rest1 but to make war1 to go after1 and seize1 and take for a prey that which has roused them from their quietude and set them in motion4 ,there the picture1 as drawn by ,st4 ,james1 ends4 ,st4 ,paul carries it a stage farther1 and speaks of the different law in my members1 warring against the law of my mind 7,rom4 vii4 #bc74 ,st4 ,peter does the same1 when he beseeches his readers1 as sojourners and pilgrims1 to abstain from fleshly lusts1 which war against the soul 7#a ,peter ii4 #aa72 and some commentators would supply either against the mind or against the soul here4 ,but there is no need to supply anything1 and if one did supply anything the wars and sightings among you would rather lead us to understand that the lusts in each one's members make war against everything which interferes with their gratification1 and such would be the possessions and desires of other people4 ,this completion of ,st4 ,james's picture agrees well also with what follows3 ,ye lust1 and have not3 ye kill and covet1 and cannot obtain4 ,but it is best to leave the metaphor just where he leaves it1 without adding anything4 ,and the fact that he does not add against the mind or against the soul is some slight indication that he had not seen either the passage in ,romans or in the ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter4 7,see above1 p4 #eg47 ,in the ,phdo of ,plato 7#ff1 #fg7 there is a beautiful passage1 which presents some striking coincidences with the words of ,st4 ,james4 ,wars1 and factions1 and sightings have no other source than the body and its lusts4 ,for it is for the getting of wealth that all our wars arise1 and we are compelled to get wealth because of our body1 to whose service we are slaves2 and in consequence we have no leisure for philosophy1 because of all these things4 ,and the worst of all is that if we get any leisure from it1 and turn to some question1 in the midst of our inquiries the body is everywhere coming in1 introducing turmoil and confusion1 and bewildering us1 so that by it we are prevented from seeing the truth4 ,but indeed it has been proved to us that if we are ever to have pure knowledge of anything we must get rid of the body1 and with the soul by itself must behold things by themselves4 ,then1 it would seem1 we shall obtain the wisdom which we desire1 and of which we say that we are lovers2 when we are dead1 as the argument shows1 but in this life not4 ,for if it be impossible while we are in the body to have pure knowledge of anything1 then of two things one--either knowledge is not to be obtained at all1 or after we are dead2 for then the soul will be by itself1 apart from the body1 but before that not4 ,and in this life1 it would seem1 we shall make the nearest approach to knowledge if we have no communication or fellowship whatever with the body1 beyond what necessity compels1 and are not filled with its nature1 but remain pure from its taint1 until ,god ,himself shall set us free4 ,and in this way shall we be pure1 being delivered from the foolishness of the body1 and shall be with other like souls1 and shall know of ourselves all that is clear and cloudless1 and that is perhaps all one with the truth4 ,plato and ,st4 ,james are entirely agreed in holding that wars and fightings are caused by the lusts that have their seat in the body1 and that this condition of fightings without1 and lusts within1 is quite incompatible with the possession of heavenly wisdom4 ,but there the agreement between them ceases4 ,the conclusion which ,plato arrives at is that the philosopher must1 so far as is possible1 neglect and excommunicate his body1 as an intolerable source of corruption1 yearning for the time when death shall set him free from the burden of waiting upon this obstacle between his soul and the truth4 ,plato has no idea that the body may be sanctified here and glorified hereafter2 he regards it simply as a necessary evil1 which may be minimized by watchfulness1 but which can in no way be turned into a blessing4 ,the blessing will come when the body is annihilated by death4 ,st4 ,james1 on the contrary1 exhorts us to cut ourselves off1 not from the body1 but from friendship with the world4 ,if we resist the evil one1 who tempts us through our ferocious lusts1 he will flee from us4 ,god will give us the grace we need1 if we pray for that rather than for pleasures4 ,he will draw nigh to us if we draw nigh to ,him2 and if we purify our hearts ,he will make ,his ,spirit to dwell in them4 ,even in this life the wisdom that is from above is attainable1 and where that has found a home factions and fightings cease4 ,when the passions cease to war1 those who have hitherto been swayed by their passions will cease to war also4 ,but those whom ,st4 ,james addresses are as yet very far from this blessed condition4 ,ye lust1 and have not3 ye kill and covet1 and cannot obtain3 ye fight and war4 ,in short1 sharp1 telling sentences he puts forth the items of his indictment2 but it is not easy to punctuate them satisfactorily1 nor to decide whether ye kill is to be understood literally or not4 ,in none of the ,english versions does the punctuation seem to bring out a logical sequence of clauses4 ,the following arrangement is suggested for consideration3 ,ye lust1 and have not2 ye kill4 ,and ye covet1 and cannot obtain2 ye fight and war4 ,in this way we obtain two sentences of similar meaning1 which exactly balance one another4 ,ye lust1 and have not1 corresponds with1 ,ye covet1 and cannot obtain1 and ye kill with ye fight and war2 and in each sentence the last clause is the consequence of what precedes4 ,ye lust1 and have not2 therefore ye kill4 ,ye covet1 and cannot obtain2 therefore ye fight and war4 ,this grouping of the clauses yields good sense1 and does no violence to the ,greek4 ,ye lust1 and have not2 therefore ye kill4 ,is kill to be understood literally8 ,that murder1 prompted by avarice and passion1 was common among the ,christian ,jews of the ,dispersion1 is quite incredible4 ,that monstrous scandals occurred in the ,apostolic age1 especially among ,gentile converts1 who supposed that the freedom of the ,gospel meant lax morality1 is unquestionable2 but that these scandals ever took the form of indifference to human life we have no evidence4 ,and it is specially improbable that murder would be frequent among those who1 before they became ,christians1 had been obedient to the ,mosaic ,law4 ,st4 ,james may have a single case in his mind1 like that of the incestuous marriage at ,corinth2 but in that case he would probably have expressed himself differently4 ,or again1 as was suggested above1 he may in this section be addressing the whole ,jewish race1 and not merely those who had become converts to ,christianity2 and in that case he may be referring to the brigandage and assassination which a combination of causes1 social1 political1 and religious1 had rendered common among the ,jews1 especially in ,palestine1 at this time4 ,of this evil we have plenty of evidence both in the ,new ,testament and in ,josephus4 ,barabbas and the two robbers who were crucified with ,christ are instances in the ,gospels4 ,and with them we may put the parable of the man who fell among robbers1 and was left half-dead between ,jerusalem and ,jericho2 for no doubt the parable1 like all ,christ's parables1 is founded on fact1 and is no mere imaginary picture4 ,in the ,acts we have ,theudas with his four hundred followers 7,b4,c4 #d71 ,judas of ,galilee 7,a4,d4 #f71 and the ,egyptian with his four thousand ,assassins1 or ,sicarii 7,a4,d4 #eh72 to whom we may add the forty who conspired to assassinate ,st4 ,paul 7v4 #cf1 #cg2 xxi4 #ch2 xxiii4 #ab-ba74 ,and ,josephus tells us of another ,theudas1 who was captured and put to death with many of his followers by the ,roman ,procurator ,cuspius ,fadus 7c4 ,a4,d4 #de72 and he also states that about fifty years earlier1 under ,varus1 there were endless disorders in ,juda1 sedition and robbery being almost chronic4 ,the brigands inflicted a certain amount of damage on the ,romans1 but the murders which they committed were on their fellow-countrymen the ,jews 7,ant4 ,,xvii4 x4 #d1 #h2 ,,xx4 v4 i74#ge ,in either of these ways1 therefore1 the literal interpretation of a kill makes good sense2 and we are not justified in saying1 with ,calvin1 that kill in no way suits the context4 ,calvin1 with ,erasmus1 ,beza1 ,hornejus1 and others1 adopts the violent expedient of correcting the ,greek from kill 77 to envy 771 a reading for which not a single ,,ms41 version1 or ,father can be quoted4 ,it is accepted1 however1 by ,tyndale and ,cranmer and in the ,genevan ,bible1 all of which have1 ,ye envy and have indignation1 and cannot obtain4 ,wiclif and the ,rhemish of course hold to the occiditis of the ,vulgate1 the one with slay1 and the other with kill4 ,but although the literal interpretation yields good sense1 it is perhaps not the best interpretation4 ,it was pointed out above that ye kill balances ye fight and war1 and that wars and fightings evidently are not to be understood literally1 as the context shows4 ,if then1 ye fight and war means ye quarrel1 and dispute1 and intrigue1 and go to law with one another1 ought not ye kill to be explained in a similar way8 ,christ had said1 ,ye have heard that it was said by them of old time1 ,thou shalt not kill2 and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment3 but ,i say unto you1 ,that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment 7,matt4 v4 #ba1 #bb74 ,and ,st4 ,john tells us that every one who hateth his brother is a murderer 7#a ,john iii4 #ae74 ,every one who hateth 7 7 is an uncompromising expression1 and it covers all that ,st4 ,james says here4 ,just as the cherished lustful thought is adultery in the heart 7,matt4 v4 #bh71 so cherished hatred is murder in the heart4 ,but there is an explanation1 half literal and half metaphorical1 which is well worth considering4 ,it has been pointed out how frequently ,st4 ,james seems to have portions of the ,book of ,ecclesiasticus in his mind4 ,we read there that the bread of the needy is the life of the poor3 he that defraudeth him thereof is a man of blood4 ,he that taketh away his neighbour's living slayeth him 772 and he that defraudeth the labourer of his hire is a blood-shedder 7xxxiv4 #ba1 #bb74 ,if ,st4 ,james was familiar with these words1 and still more if he could count on his readers also being familiar with them1 might he not mean1 ,ye lust1 and have not2 and then1 to gratify your desire1 you deprive the poor of his living8 ,even ,deut4 xxiv4 #f might suffice to give rise to such a strong method of expression3 ,no man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge3 for he taketh a man's life to pledge4 ,throughout this section the language used is strong1 as if the writer felt very strongly about the evils which he condemns4 ,while ye lust1 and have not1 and thereupon take a man's livelihood from him1 would refer specially to possessions1 ,ye covet 7or envy7 and cannot obtain1 and thereupon fight and war1 might refer specially to honours1 posts1 and party advantages4 ,the word rendered covet 77 is that which describes the thing which love never does3 ,love envieth not 7#a ,cor4 xiii4 #d74 ,when ,st4 ,james was speaking of the wisdom from below 7iii4 #ad-af7 the kind of quarrels which he had chiefly in view were party controversies1 as was natural after treating just before of sins of the tongue4 ,here the wars and fightings are not so much about matters of controversy as those things which minister to a man's pleasures1 his avarice1 his sensuality1 and his ambition4 ,how is it that they have not all that they want8 ,how is that there is any need to despoil others1 or to contend fiercely with them for possession8 ,ye have not1 because ye ask not4 ,ye ask1 and receive not1 because ye ask amiss4 ,that is the secret of these gnawing wants and lawless cravings4 ,they do not try to supply their needs in a way that would cause loss to no one1 viz4 by prayer to ,god2 they prefer to employ violence and craft against one another4 ,or if they do pray for the supply of their earthly needs1 they obtain nothing1 because they pray with evil intent4 ,to pray without the spirit of prayer is to court failure4 ,that ,god's will may be done1 and ,his ,name glorified1 is the proper end of all prayer4 ,to pray simply that our wishes may be satisfied is not a prayer to which fulfilment has been promised2 still less can this be the case when our wishes are for the glorification of our lusts4 ,prayer for advance in holiness we may be sure is in accordance with ,god's will4 ,about prayer for earthly advantages we cannot be sure2 but we may pray for things so far as they are to ,his glory and for our own spiritual welfare4 ,prayer for earthly goods1 which are to be used as instruments1 not of ,his pleasure1 but of ours1 we may be sure is not in accordance with ,his will4 ,to such a prayer we need expect no answer1 or an answer which at the same time is a judgment2 for the fulfilment of an unrighteous prayer is sometimes its most fitting punishment4 ,st4 ,james is not blaming his readers for asking ,god to give them worldly prosperity4 ,about the lawfulness of praying for temporal blessings1 whether for ourselves or for others1 there is no question4 ,st4 ,john prays that ,gaius in all things may prosper and be in health1 even as his soul prospereth 7#c ,john #b71 and ,st4 ,james plainly implies that when one has temporal needs one ought to bring them before ,god in prayer1 only with a right purpose and in a right spirit4 ,in the next chapter he specially recommends prayer for the recovery of the sick4 ,the asking amiss consists not in asking for temporal things1 but in seeking them for a wrong purpose1 viz4 that they may be squandered in a life of self-indulgence4 ,the right purpose is to enable us to serve ,god better4 ,temporal necessities are often a hindrance to good service1 and then it is right to ask ,god to relieve them4 ,but in all such things the rule laid down by ,christ is the safe one1 ,seek ye first the kingdom of ,god1 and ,his righteousness2 and all these things shall be added unto you4 ,a life consecrated to the service of ,god is the best prayer for temporal blessings4 ,prayer that is offered in a grasping spirit is like that of the bandit for the success of his raids4 #gd ,see the volume on the ,pastoral ,epistles in this series1 pp4 #bfd1 #bfe4 #ge ,if is taken with what follows1 it is best to render ,ye act as ,assassins and ,zealots1 referring both words to the fanatics who a little later killed ,james himself1 and were the hasteners of the downfall of ,jerusalem4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,the ,,seductions ,,of ,,the ,,world1 ,,and ,,the ,,jealousy ,,of ,,the ,,divine ,,love4 ,ye adulteresses1 know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with ,god8 ,whosoever1 therefore1 would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of ,god4 ,or think ye that the ,scripture speaketh in vain8 ,doth the ,spirit which ,he made to dwell in us long unto envying8 ,but he giveth more grace4 ,wherefore the ,scripture saith1 ,god resisteth the proud1 but giveth grace to the humble4--,,st4 ,,james iv4 #d-f4 ,the ,revisers are certainly right in rejecting1 without even mention in the margin1 the reading1 ,ye adulterers and adulteresses4 ,the difficulty of the revised reading pleads strongly in its favour1 and the evidence of ,,mss4 and versions is absolutely decisive4 ,the interpolation of the masculine was doubtless made by those who supposed that the term of reproach was to be understood literally1 and who thought it inexplicable that ,st4 ,james should confine his rebuke to female offenders4 ,but the context shows that the term is not to be understood literally4 ,it is not a special kind of sensuality1 but greed and worldliness generally1 that the writer is condemning4 ,it is one of the characteristics of the letter that being addressed to ,jewish1 and not ,gentile converts1 and occasionally to ,jews whether ,christians or not1 it says very little about the sins of the flesh2 and adulteresses here is no exception4 ,the word is used in its common ,old ,testament sense of spiritual adultery--unfaithfulness to ,jehovah regarded as the ,husband of ,his people4 ,they that are far from ,thee shall perish3 ,thou hast destroyed all them that go a-whoring from ,thee 7,ps4 lxxiii4 #bg74 ,thus will ,i make thy lewdness to cease from thee1 and thy whoredom brought from the land of ,egypt 7,ezek4 xxiii4 #bg74 ,plead with your mother1 plead2 for she is not ,my wife1 neither am ,i her ,husband 7,hos4 ii4 #b74 ,the fifty-seventh chapter of ,isaiah contains a terrible working out of this simile2 and indeed the ,old ,testament is full of it4 ,our ,lord is probably reproducing it when he speaks of the ,jews of ,his own time as an adulterous and sinful generation 7,matt4 xii4 #ci2 xvi4 #d2 ,mark viii4 #ch74 ,and we find it again in the ,apocalypse 7ii4 #bb74 ,but why does ,st4 ,james use the feminine8 ,had he accused his readers of adultery1 or called them an adulterous generation1 the meaning would have been clear enough4 ,what is the exact meaning of ,ye adulteresses8 ,st4 ,james wishes to bring home to those whom he is addressing that not only the ,christian ,church as a whole1 or the chosen people as a whole1 is espoused to ,god1 but that each individual soul stands to ,him in the relation of a wife to her husband4 ,it is not merely the case that they belong to a generation which in the main has been guilty of unfaithfulness1 and that in this guilt they share2 but each of them1 taken one by one1 has in his or her own person committed this sin against the ,divine ,spouse4 ,the sex of the person does not affect the relationship3 any soul that has been wedded to ,god1 and has then transferred its affection and allegiance to other beings1 is an unfaithful wife4 ,st4 ,james1 with characteristic simplicity1 directness1 and force1 indicates this fact by the stern address1 ,ye adulteresses4 ,know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with ,god8 ,he implies that they might know this1 and that they can scarcely help doing so2 it is so obvious that to love ,his opponent is to be unfaithful and hostile to ,him4 ,at the beginning of the section ,st4 ,james had asked whence came the miserable condition in which his readers were found2 and he replied that it came from their own desires1 which they tried to gratify by intrigue and violence1 instead of resorting to prayer2 or else from the carnal aims by which they turned their prayers into sin4 ,here he puts the same fact in a somewhat different way4 ,this vehement pursuit of their own pleasures1 in word1 and deed1 and even in prayer--what is it but a desertion of ,god for ,mammon1 a sacrifice of the love of ,god to the friendship 7such as it is7 of the world8 ,it is a base yielding to seductions which ought to have no attractiveness1 for they involve the unfaithfulness of a wife and the treason of a subject4 ,there can be no true and loyal affection for ,god while some other than ,god is loved1 and not loved for ,his sake4 ,if a woman shall put away her husband1 and marry another1 she committeth adultery 7,mark xi4 #ab72 and if a soul shall put away its ,god1 and marry another1 it committeth adultery4 ,a wife who cultivates friendship with one who is trying to seduce her becomes the enemy of her husband2 and every ,christian and ,jew ought to know that the friendship of the world is enmity with ,god4 ,st4 ,john tells us 7and the words are probably not his1 but ,christ's7 that ,god loved the world 7,john iii4 #af74 ,he also charges us not to love the world 7#a ,john ii4 #ae74 ,and here ,st4 ,james tells us that to be friends with the world is to be the enemy of ,god4 ,it is obvious that the world which ,god loves is not identical with the world which we are told not to love4 ,world 77 is a term which has various meanings in ,scripture1 and we shall go seriously astray if we do not carefully distinguish them4 ,sometimes it means the whole universe in its order and beauty2 as when ,st4 ,paul says1 ,for the invisible things of ,him since the creation of the world are clearly seen1 being perceived through the things that are made 7,rom4 i4 #bj74 ,sometimes it means this planet1 the earth2 as when the evil one showed to ,jesus all the kingdoms of the world1 and the glory of them 7,matt4 iv4 #h74 ,again1 it means the inhabitants of the earth2 as when ,christ is said to take away the sin of the world 7,john i4 #b2 #a ,john iv4 #ad74 ,lastly1 it means those who are alienated from ,god--unbelievers1 faithless ,jews and ,christians1 and especially the great heathen organization of ,rome 7,john viii4 #bc2 xii4 #ca74 ,thus a word which originally signified the natural order and beauty of creation comes to signify the unnatural disorder and hideousness of creatures who have rebelled against their ,creator4 ,the world which the ,father loves is the whole race of mankind1 ,his creatures and ,his children4 ,the world which we are not to love is that which prevents us from loving ,him in return1 ,his rival and ,his enemy4 ,it is from this world that the truly religious man keeps himself unspotted 7i4 #be74 ,sinful men1 with their sinful lusts1 keeping up a settled attitude of disloyalty and hostility to ,god1 and handing this on as a living tradition1 is what ,st4 ,paul1 and ,st4 ,james1 and ,st4 ,john mean by the world4 ,this world has the devil for its ruler 7,john xiv4 #cj74 ,it lies wholly in the power of the evil one 7#a ,john v4 #ai74 ,it cannot hate ,christ's enemies1 for the very reason that it hates ,him 7,john vii4 #g74 ,and for the same reason it hates all those whom ,he has chosen out of its midst 7xv4 #ah1 #ai74 ,just as there is a ,spirit of ,god1 which leads us into all the truth1 so there is a spirit of the world1 which leads to just the opposite 7#a ,cor4 ii4 #ab74 ,this world1 with its lusts1 is passing away 7#a ,john ii4 #ag71 and its very sorrow worketh death 7#b ,cor4 vii4 #aj74 ,the world is human nature1 sacrificing the spiritual to the material1 the future to the present1 the unseen and the eternal to that which touches the senses and which perishes with time4 ,the world is a mighty flood of thoughts1 feelings1 principles of action1 conventional prejudices1 dislikes1 attachments1 which have been gathering around human life for ages1 impregnating it1 impelling it1 moulding it1 degrading it4 ,of the millions of millions of human beings who have lived1 nearly every one probably has contributed something1 his own little addition1 to the great tradition of materialized life which ,st4 ,james calls the world4 ,every one1 too1 must have received something from it4 ,according to his circumstances the same man acts upon the world1 or in turn is acted on by it4 ,and the world at different times wears different forms4 ,sometimes it is a solid compact mass1 an organization of pronounced ungodliness4 ,sometimes it is a subtle1 thin1 hardly suspected influence1 a power altogether airy and impalpable1 which yet does most powerfully penetrate1 inform1 and shape human life4#gf ,there is no sin in a passionate love of the ordered beauty and harmony of the universe1 as exhibited either in this planet or in the countless bodies which people the immensity of space2 no sin in devoting the energies of a lifetime to finding out all that can be known about the laws and conditions of nature in all its complex manifestations4 ,science is no forbidden ground to ,god's servants1 for all truth is ,god's truth1 and to learn it is a revelation of ,himself4 ,if only it be studied as ,his creature1 it may be admired and loved without any disloyalty to ,him4 ,still less is there any sin in the enthusiasm of humanity1 in a passionate zeal for the amelioration of the whole human race4 ,a consuming love for one's fellow-men is so far from involving enmity to ,god that it is impossible to have any genuine love of ,god without it4 ,he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen cannot love ,god whom he hath not seen 7#a ,john iv4 #bj74 ,the love of the world which ,st4 ,james condemns is a passion which more than anything else renders a love of mankind impossible4 ,its temper is selfishness1 and the principle of its action is the conviction that every human being is actuated by purely selfish motives4 ,it has no belief in motives of which it has no experience either in itself or in those among whom it habitually moves4 ,next to a cultivation of the love of ,god1 a cultivation of the love of man is the best remedy for the deadly paralysis of the heart which is the inevitable consequence of choosing to be a friend of the world4 ,this choice is a very important element in the matter4 ,it is lost in the ,authorized ,version1 but is rightly restored by the ,revisers4 ,whosoever1 therefore1 would be 7 7 a friend of the world maketh himself 77 an enemy of ,god4 ,it is useless for him to plead that he has no wish to be hostile to ,god4 ,he has of his own free will adopted a condition of life which of necessity involves hostility to ,him4 ,and he has full opportunity of knowing this2 for although the world may try to deceive him by confusing the issue1 ,god does not4 ,the world may assure him that there is no need of any choice3 he has no need to abandon ,god2 it is quite easy to serve ,god1 and yet remain on excellent terms with the world4 ,but ,god declares that the choice must be made1 and that it is absolute and exclusive4 ,and now1 ,israel1 what doth the ,lord thy ,god require of thee1 but to fear the ,lord thy ,god1 to walk in all ,his ways1 and to love ,him1 and to serve the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart and with all thy soul1 to keep the commandments of the ,lord1 and ,his statutes1 which ,i command thee this day for thy good8 7,deut4 x4 #ab1 #ac2 comp4 vi4 #e and xxx4 #f74 ,the next two verses are a passage of known difficulty1 the most difficult in this ,epistle1 and one of the most difficult in the whole of the ,new ,testament4 ,in the intensity of his detestation of the evil against which he is inveighing1 ,st4 ,james has used condensed expressions which can be understood in a variety of ways1 and it is scarcely possible to decide which of the three or four possible meanings is the one intended4 ,but the question has been obscured by the suggestion of explanations which are not tenable4 ,the choice lies between those which are given in the margin of the ,revised ,version and the one before us in the text2 for we may safely discard all those which depend upon the reading dwelleth in us 771 and we must stand by the reading made to dwell in us 774 ,the questions which cannot be answered with certainty are these3 #a4 ,are two ,scriptures quoted1 or only one8 and if two are quoted1 where is the first of them to be found8 #b4 ,who is it that longeth or lusteth8 is it ,god1 or the ,holy ,spirit1 or our own human spirit8 #c4 ,what is it that is longed for by ,god or the ,spirit8 ,let us take these three questions in order4 #a4 ,the words which follow ,think ye that the ,scripture speaketh in vain8 do not occur in the ,old ,testament1 although the sense of them may be found piecemeal in a variety of passages4 ,therefore1 either the words are not a quotation at all1 or they are from some book no longer extant1 or they are a condensation of several utterances in the ,old ,testament4#gg ,the first of these suppositions seems to be the best1 but neither of the others can be set aside as improbable4 ,we may paraphrase1 therefore1 the first part of the passage thus3-- ,ye unfaithful spouses of ,jehovah6 know ye not that to be friendly with the world is to be at enmity with ,him8 ,or do ye think that what the ,scripture says about faithlessness to ,god is idly spoken8 ,but as regards this first question we must be content to remain in great uncertainty4 #b4 ,who is it that longeth or lusteth 778 ,to decide whether longeth or lusteth is the right translation will help us to decide this second point1 and it will also help us to decide whether the sentence is interrogative or not4 ,is this word of desiring used here in the good sense of longing or yearning1 or in the bad sense of lusting8 ,the word occurs frequently in the ,new ,testament1 and in every one of these passages it is used in a good sense 7,rom4 i4 #aa2 #b ,cor4 v4 #b2 ix4 #ad2 ,phil4 i4 #h2 ii4 #bf2 #a ,thess4 iii4 #aj2 #b ,tim4 i4 #d2 #a ,peter ii4 #b74 ,nor is this the whole case4 ,substantives and adjectives which are closely cognate with it are fairly common1 and these are all used in a good sense 7,rom4 xv4 #bc2 #b ,cor4 vii4 #g2 vii4 #aa2 ,phil4 iv4 #a74 ,we may therefore set aside the interpretations of the sentence which require the rendering lusteth1 whether the statement that man's spirit lusteth enviously1 or the question1 ,doth the ,divine ,spirit in us lust enviously8 ,the word here expresses the mighty and affectionate longing of the ,divine love4 ,and it is the ,spirit which ,god made to dwell in us which longeth over us with a jealous longing4 ,if we make the sentence mean that ,god longeth1 then we are compelled to take the ,spirit which ,he made to dwell in us as that for which ,he longs2 ,god has a jealous longing for ,his own ,spirit implanted in us4 ,but this does not yield very good sense2 we decide1 therefore1 for the rendering1 ,even unto jealousy doth the ,spirit which ,he made to dwell in us yearn over us4 ,even unto jealousy2 these words stand first1 with great emphasis4 ,no friendship with the world or any alien object can be tolerated4 #c4 ,the third question has been solved by the answer to the second4 ,that which is yearned for by the ,spirit implanted in us is ourselves4 ,the meaning is not that ,god longs for man's spirit 7the human spirit would hardly be spoken of as that which ,god made to dwell in us71 or that ,he longs for the ,holy ,spirit in us 7a meaning which would be very hard to explain71 but that ,his ,holy ,spirit yearns for us with a jealous yearning4 ,god is a jealous ,god1 and the ,divine love is a jealous love2 it brooks no rival4 ,and when ,his ,spirit takes up its abode in us it cannot rest until it possesses us wholly1 to the exclusion of all alien affections4 ,at one of the conferences between the ,northern and the ,southern ,states of ,america during the war of #ahfa-ahff the representatives of the ,southern ,states stated what cession of territory they were prepared to make1 provided that the independence of the portion that was not ceded to the ,federal ,government was secured4 ,more and more attractive offers were made1 the portions to be ceded being increased1 and those to be retained in a state of independence being proportionately diminished4 ,all the offers were met by a steadfast refusal4 ,at last ,president ,lincoln placed his hand on the map so as to cover all the ,southern ,states1 and in these emphatic words delivered his ultimatum3 ,gentlemen1 this ,government must have the whole4 ,the constitution of the ,united ,states was at an end if any part1 however small1 was allowed to become independent of the rest4 ,it was a vital principle1 which did not admit of exceptions or degrees4 ,it must be kept in its entirety1 or it was not kept at all4 ,just such is the claim which ,god1 by the working of ,his ,spirit1 makes upon ourselves4 ,he cannot share us with the world1 however much we may offer to ,him1 and however little to ,his rival4 ,if a rival is admitted at all1 our relation to ,him is violated and we have become unfaithful4 ,his government must have the whole4 ,do these terms seem to be harsh8 ,they are not really so1 for the more we surrender1 the more ,he bestows4 ,we give up the world1 and that appears to us to be a great sacrifice4 ,but ,he giveth more grace4 ,even in this world ,he gives far more than we give up1 and adds a crown of life in the world to come 7i4 #ab74 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,there is no man that hath left house1 or brethren1 or sisters1 or mother1 or father1 or children1 or lands1 for ,my sake1 and for the ,gospel's sake1 but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time1 houses1 and brethren1 and sisters1 and mothers1 and children1 and lands1 with persecutions2 and in the world to come eternal life 7,mark x4 #bi1 #cj74 ,god resisteth the proud1 but giveth grace to the humble4 ,those who persist in making friends with the world1 in seeking its advantages1 in adopting its standards1 in accepting its praise1 ,god resists4 ,by choosing to throw in their lot with ,his enemy they have made themselves ,his enemies1 and ,he cannot but withstand them4 ,but to those who humbly submit their wills to ,his1 who give up the world1 with its gifts and its promises1 and are willing to be despised by it in order to keep themselves unspotted from it1 ,he gives grace--grace to cling closer to ,him1 in spite of the attractions of the world2 a gift which1 unlike the gifts of the world1 never loses its savour4 99 99 99 99 99 ,was ,st4 ,james acquainted with the ,magnificat8 ,may not he1 the ,lord's brother1 have sometimes heard the ,mother of the ,lord recite it8 ,the passage before us is almost like an echo of some of its words3 ,his mercy is unto generations and generations of them that fear ,him4 ,he hath showed strength with ,his arm2 ,he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart4 ,he hath put down princes from their thrones1 and hath exalted them of low degree4 ,the hungry ,he hath filled with good things2 and the rich ,he hath sent empty away4 ,at any rate the ,magnificat and ,st4 ,james teach the same lesson as the ,book of ,proverbs and ,st4 ,peter1 who1 like ,st4 ,james1 quotes it 7#a ,peter v4 #e71 that ,god resists and puts down those who choose to unite themselves with the world in preference to ,him1 and gives more and more graces and blessings to all who by faith in ,him and ,his ,christ have overcome the world4 ,it is only by faith that we can overcome4 ,a conviction that the things which are seen are the most important and pressing1 if not the only realities1 is sure to betray us into a state of captivity in which the power to work for ,god1 and even the desire to serve ,him1 will become less and less4 ,we have willed to place ourselves under the world's spell1 and such influence as we possess tells not for ,god1 but against ,him4 ,but a belief that the chief and noblest realities are unseen enables a man to preserve an attitude of independence and indifference towards things which1 even if they are substantial advantages1 belong to this world only4 ,he knows how insignificant all that this life has to offer is1 compared with the immeasurable joys and woes of the life to come1 and he cannot be guilty of the folly of sacrificing a certain and eternal future to a brief and uncertain present4 ,the ,god in whom he believes is far more to him than the world which he sees and feels4 ,this is the victory which hath overcome the world1 even his faith4 #gf ,liddon1 ,easter ,sermons1 vol4 ii41 pp4 #ef1 #eg 7,rivingtons1 #ahhe74 #gg ,comp4 #a ,cor4 ii4 #i2 ix4 #aj2 ,eph4 v4 #ad1 in all which places we have quotations the source of which cannot be determined4 ,similar phenomena are frequent in patristic literature4 ,see ,a4 ,resch's ,agrapha2 ,aussercanonische ,evangelienfragmente in ,texte und ,untersuchungen z4 ,gesch4 d4 ,altchr4 ,lit4 7,leipzig1 #ahhi71 p4 #bef4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,satan ,,and ,,its ,,limits4 ,,humility ,,the ,,foundation ,,of ,,penitence ,,and ,,of ,,holiness4 ,be subject therefore unto ,god2 but resist the devil1 and he will flee from you4 ,draw nigh to ,god1 and ,he will draw nigh to you4 ,cleanse your hands1 ye sinners2 and purify your hearts1 ye double-minded4 ,be afflicted1 and mourn1 and weep3 let your laughter be turned to mourning1 and your joy to heaviness4 ,humble yourselves in the sight of the ,lord1 and ,he shall exalt you4--,,st4 ,,james iv4 #g-aj4 ,submission to ,god is the beginning1 middle1 and end of the prodigal's return from disastrous familiarity with the world to the security of the ,father's home4 ,a readiness to submit to whatever ,he may impose is the first step in the conversion1 just as unwillingness to surrender one's own will is the first step towards revolt and desertion4 ,i am no more worthy to be called ,thy son3 make me as one of ,thy hired servants4 ,as soon as the resolve to make this act of submission is formed1 the turning-point between friendship with the world and fidelity to ,god has been passed4 ,the homeward path is not an easy one1 but it is certain1 and those who unflinchingly take it are sure of a welcome at the end of it4 ,the prodigal was tenderly received back by his offended father1 and these adulterous souls will be admitted to their old privileges again1 if they will but return4 ,god has given them no bill of divorcement to put them away for ever 7,isa4 l4 #a74 ,if a man put away his wife1 and she go from him and become another man's1 shall he return unto her again8 ,shall not that land be greatly polluted8 ,but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers2 yet return again to ,me1 saith the ,lord 7,jer4 iii4 #a74 ,an amount of mercy and forgiveness which cannot be shown by an earthly husband to his unfaithful wife is readily promised by ,god4 ,but the return must be a complete one4 ,there must be every guarantee that the penitent is in earnest and has utterly broken with the past4 ,and ,st4 ,james with affectionate sternness points out the necessary steps towards reconciliation4 ,he will not be guilty of the crime of those who have healed the hurt of the daughter of ,my people lightly1 saying1 ,peace1 peace2 when there is no peace 7,jer4 viii4 #aa74 ,the results of intimacy with the world cannot be undone in a day1 and there is painful work to be done before the old relationship can be restored between the soul and its ,god4 ,among the most grievous consequences of yielding to the world and its ways are the weakening of the will and the lowering of the moral tone4 ,they come gradually1 but surely2 and they act and react upon one another4 ,the habitual shirking of the sterner duties of life1 and the living in an atmosphere of self-indulgence1 enervate the will2 and the conscious adoption of a standard of life which is not approved by conscience is in itself a lowering of tone4 ,and this is one of the essential elements of worldliness4 ,the pleas that ,i can't help it1 and that everybody does it1 are among the most common excuses urged by those whose citizenship is not in heaven 7,phil4 iii4 #bj7 but in that commonwealth of which ,satan is the presiding power4 ,they like to believe that temptations are irresistible1 and that there is no obligation to rise above the standard of morality which those about them profess to accept4 ,such men deliberately surrender to what they know to be evil1 and place what they think to be expedient above what they know to be right1 forgetting that even the worldlings who set them this low standard1 and openly defend it1 very often do not really approve it1 but despise while they applaud the man that conforms to it4 ,st4 ,james enters an earnest and simple protest against the weak plea that temptations are irresistible4 ,to maintain that is to assert that the evil one has more will and power to destroy mankind than ,god has to save them4 ,the truth is exactly the other way4 ,god not only allows to ,satan no power to coerce a man into sin1 but ,he ,himself is ever ready to aid when ,he is faithfully prayed to do so4 ,every ,christian is endowed with sufficient power to withstand ,satan1 if only the will to withstand is present1 because he has the power to summon ,god to his assistance4 ,resist the devil1 and he will flee from you2 that is one side of the blessed truth2 and the other is its correlative3 ,draw nigh to ,god1 and ,he will draw nigh to you4 ,it will be observed that ,st4 ,james1 quite as much as ,st4 ,peter1 or ,st4 ,paul1 or ,st4 ,john1 speaks of the chief power of evil as a person4 ,the passage is not intelligible on any other interpretation2 for there is a manifest and telling antithesis between the devil who yields to opposition1 and the ,god who responds to invitation4 ,it is a contrast between two personal agencies4 ,whether ,st4 ,james was aware of the teaching of the ,apostles on this point is not of great moment2 his own teaching is clear enough4 ,as a ,jew he had been brought up in the belief that there are evil spiritual beings of whom ,satan is the chief1 and since he became a ,christian he had never been required to revise this belief4 ,he was probably well aware of the teaching of ,jesus ,christ as to the real source of temptations4 ,he may have heard ,christ's own interpretation of the birds in the parable of the ,sower3 ,and when they have heard1 straightway cometh ,satan1 and taketh away the word which hath been sown in them 7,mark iv4 #ae74 ,he probably had heard of ,christ's declaration to ,st4 ,peter1 ,simon1 ,simon1 behold1 ,satan asked to have you1 that he might sift you as wheat3 but ,i made supplication for thee1 that thy faith fail not 7,luke xxii4 #ca71 where we have a contrast similar to this1 an infernal person on one side1 and a ,divine ,person on the other1 of the man assailed by temptation4 ,how easy to have interpreted the birds in the parable as the impersonal solicitations of a depraved nature1 the hearers' own evil tendencies2 and perhaps if we had not possessed ,christ's own explanation we should so have explained the birds by the wayside4 ,but ,christ seems to have made use of this1 the queen of all the parables 7,mark iv4 #ac71 in order to teach that a personal enemy there is1 who is ever on the watch to deprive us of what will save our souls4 ,and the warning to ,st4 ,peter might easily have been given in a form that would not have implied a personal tempter4 ,nor do these two striking passages stand alone in our ,lord's teaching4 ,how unnecessary to speak of the woman who was bowed together1 and could in nowise lift up herself1 as one whom ,satan had bound1 unless ,he desired to sanction and enforce this belief 7,luke xiv4 #aa1 #af74 ,and why speak of having beheld ,satan fall as lightning from heaven 7,luke x4 #ah71 unless ,he had this desire8 ,when the ,jews said that ,he cast out devils by the aid of the prince of the devils1 it would have been a much more complete contradiction to have replied that no such person existed1 than to argue that ,satan was not likely to fight against his own interests4 ,if the belief in personal powers of evil is a superstition1 ,jesus ,christ had ample opportunities of correcting it2 and ,he not only steadfastly abstained from doing so1 but in very marked ways1 both by ,his acts and by ,his teaching1 ,he did a great deal to encourage and inculcate the belief4 ,he showed no sympathy with the scepticism of the ,sadducees about such things4 ,he argued convincingly against them as regards the doctrine of the resurrection and a future life1 and ,he gave full sanction to the belief in angels and spirits1 both good and bad4 ,there is no need to lay much stress upon the disputed meaning of the last petition in the ,lord's ,prayer2 the evidence is quite ample without that4 ,yet those who are convinced that ,lead us not into temptation1 but deliver us from the evil1 must mean1 ,lead us not into temptation1 but deliver us from the tempter1 have a very important piece of evidence to add to all the rest4 ,is a gross superstition embodied in the very wording of the model prayer8 ,in the volume in this series which treats of the ,pastoral ,epistles is a passage on this subject respecting which a very friendly critic has said that he cannot quite see the force of it4#gh ,as the argument is of value1 it may be worth while to state it here more clearly4 ,the statement criticized is the concluding sentence of the following passage3 ,it has been said that if there were no ,god we should have to invent one2 and with almost equal truth we might say that if there were no devil we should have to invent one4 ,without a belief in ,god bad men would have little to induce them to conquer their evil passions2 without a belief in a devil good men would have little hope of ever being able to do so4#gi ,the meaning of the last statement is this1 that if good men were compelled to believe that all the devilish suggestions which rise up in their minds come from themselves alone1 they might well be in despair of ever getting the better of themselves or of curing a nature capable of producing such offspring4 ,but when they know that a power1 not themselves1 which makes for wickedness is the source of these diabolical temptations1 then they can have confidence that their own nature is not so hopelessly corrupt but that1 with the help of the ,power1 not themselves1 that makes for righteousness they will be able to gain the victory4 ,the plea that the devil is irresistible1 and that therefore to yield to temptation is inevitable1 is only another form of the fallacy1 against which ,st4 ,james has already protested1 of trying to shift the responsibility of temptation from oneself to ,god 7i4 #ac-ae74 ,it is the old fallacy carried a stage farther4 ,the former plea has reference to the temptation2 the present one has reference to the fall4 ,as regards both the facts are conclusive4 ,we often provoke our own temptations2 we always can resist them if we in faith draw nigh to ,god for protection4 ,to this end the ,son of man was manifested1 that ,he might destroy the works of the devil 7#a ,john iii4 #h74 ,and the ,son of ,god preserveth every child of ,god1 and the evil one toucheth him not 7#a ,john v4 #ah74 ,but the man himself must consent and co-operate1 for ,god saves no man against his will4 ,return unto ,me1 and ,i will return unto you1 is the principle of the ,old ,covenant 7,zech4 i4 #c72 and ,draw nigh to ,god1 and ,he will draw nigh to you1 is the principle of the ,new4 ,the converse of this is true also1 and it is a fact of equal solemnity and of great awfulness4 ,resist ,god1 and ,he will depart from you4 ,draw nigh to the devil1 and he will draw nigh to you4 ,if we persist in withstanding ,god's grace1 ,he will at last leave us to ourselves4 ,his ,spirit will not always strive with us2 but at last ,he ,himself hardens the heart which we have closed against him1 for ,he allows things to take their course1 and the heart which refuses to be softened by the dew of ,his grace must become harder and harder4 ,and the more we place ourselves in the devil's way1 by exposing ourselves to needless temptations1 the more diligently he will seek us and abide with us4 ,those who voluntarily take up their abode in the tents of ungodliness have surrendered all claim to be kept unspotted from the world4 ,they have lost their right to join in the cry1 ,why standest ,thou afar off1 ,o ,lord8 why hidest ,thou ,thyself in times of trouble8 ,but the hands which one raises in prayer to ,god must be cleansed by withholding them from all evil practices1 and from all grasping after the contaminating gifts of the world2 and the heart must be purified by the quenching of unholy desires and the cultivation of a godly spirit4 ,in this ,st4 ,james is but repeating the principles laid down by the ,psalmist3 ,who shall ascend into the hill of the ,lord8 and who shall stand in ,his holy place8 ,he that hath clean hands and a pure heart 7,ps4 xxiv4 #c1 #d74 ,and in similar language we find ,clement of ,rome exhorting the ,corinthians1 ,let us therefore approach ,him in holiness of soul1 lifting up pure and undefiled hands unto ,him 7xxix474 ,in all these instances the external instruments of human conduct are mentioned along with the internal source of it4 ,st4 ,james is not addressing two classes of people when he says1 ,cleanse your hands1 ye sinners2 and purify your hearts1 ye double-minded4 ,every one whose hands have wrought unrighteousness is a sinner who needs this cleansing2 and every one who attempts to draw nigh to ,god1 without at the same time surrendering all unholy desires1 is a double-minded man who needs this purification4 ,the halting between two opinions1 between ,god and ,mammon1 and between ,christ and the world1 is fatal to true conversion and efficacious prayer4 ,what is necessary1 therefore1 for these sinners of double mind1 is outward amendment of life and inward purification of the desires4 ,the sinner that goeth two ways must with a single eye direct his path along the narrow way4 ,whoso walketh uprightly shall be delivered2 but he that walketh perversely in two ways shall fall at once 7,prov4 xxviii4 #ah74 ,the whole exhortation is in spirit very similar to the second half of the second chapter of ,ecclesiasticus4 ,note especially the concluding verses3 ,they that fear the ,lord will prepare their hearts and humble their souls in ,his sight1 saying1 ,we will fall into the hands of the ,lord1 and not into the hands of men2 for as ,his majesty is1 so is ,his mercy4 ,there must be no light healing1 or treatment of the grievous sins of the past as of no moment4 ,there must be genuine sorrow for the unfaithfulness which has separated them so long from their ,god1 and for the pride which has betrayed them into rebellion against ,him4 ,be afflicted1 and mourn1 and weep4 ,the first verb refers to the inward feeling of wretchedness1 the other two to the outward expression of it4 ,these two are found in combination in several passages1 both in the ,old ,testament and in the ,new 7#b ,sam4 xix4 #b2 ,neh4 viii4 #i2 ,mark xvi4 #aj2 ,luke vi4 #be2 ,rev4 xviii4 #ae1 #ai74 ,the feelings of satisfaction and self-sufficiency in which these friends of the world have hitherto indulged1 and the glowing complacency which has been manifest in their demeanour1 have been quite out of place1 and must be exchanged for feelings and manifestations of grief4 ,their worldly merriment also must be abandoned2 those who have cut themselves off from ,god have no true spring of joy4 ,let your laughter be turned to mourning1 and your joy to heaviness4 ,the last word 771 which occurs nowhere else in ,scripture1 refers primarily to the dejected look which accompanies heaviness of heart4 ,the writer of the ,book of ,wisdom uses the adjective 77 to express the gloomy phantoms with unsmiling faces which he supposes to have appeared to the ,egyptians during the plague of darkness 7xvii4 #d74 ,the term admirably expresses the opposite of boisterous lightheartedness4 ,st4 ,james ends as he began1 with submission to the ,almighty4 ,he began his exhortation as to the right method of conversion with ,be subject unto ,god4 ,he ends with ,humble yourselves in the sight of the ,lord1 and ,he will exalt you4 ,the root of their worldliness and their grasping at wealth and honour is pride and self-will1 and the cure for that is self-abasement and self-surrender4 ,if it is ,god's will that they should occupy a lowly place in society1 let them humbly accept their lot1 and not try to change it by violence or fraud4 ,if they will but remember their own transgressions against the ,lord1 they will admit that the humblest place is not too humble for their merits2 and it is the humble whom ,god delights to honour4 ,here1 again1 ,st4 ,james is reproducing the teaching of his ,divine ,brother3 ,every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled2 and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted 7,luke xiv4 #aa2 ,matt4 xxiii4 #ab74 ,and the ,old ,testament teaches the same lesson4 ,the humble person ,he shall save1 says ,eliphaz the ,temanite 7,job xxii4 #bi72 and the ,psalmist gives us both sides of the ,divine law of compensation3 ,thou wilt save the afflicted people2 but the haughty eyes ,thou wilt bring down 7xviii4 #bg74 ,humble yourselves2 ,he that humbleth himself4 ,everything depends on that4 ,it must be self-abasement4 ,there is nothing meritorious in chancing to be in a humble position1 still less in being forced to descend to one4 ,it is the voluntary acceptance1 or the choice1 of a lowly place that is pleasing to ,god4 ,we must choose it as knowing that we deserve nothing better1 and as wishing that others should be promoted rather than ourselves4 ,and this must be done in the sight of the ,lord2 not in self-consciousness1 to to be seen of men1 which is the pride that apes humility1 but in the consciousness of the ineffable presence of ,god4 ,that is the source of all true self-abasement and humility4 ,to realize that we are in the presence of the ,all-holy and ,all-pure1 in whose sight the stars are not clean1 and who charges even the angels with folly1 is to feel that all differences of merit between man and man have faded away in the immeasurable abyss which separates our own insignificance and pollution from the majesty of ,his holiness4 ,now mine eye seeth ,thee4 ,wherefore ,i abhor myself1 and repent in dust and ashes1 is the language of ,job 7xlii4 #e1 #f74 ,and it was the same feeling which wrung from ,st4 ,peter1 as he fell down at ,jesus' knees1 the agonizing cry1 ,depart from me1 for ,i am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord 7,luke v4 #h74 ,hence it is that the most saintly persons are always the most humble2 for they realize most perfectly the holiness of ,god and the ceaselessness of ,his presence1 and are therefore best able to appreciate the contrast between their own miserable imperfections and ,his unapproachable purity4 ,the language which they at times use about themselves is sometimes suspected of unreality and exaggeration1 if not of downright hypocrisy2 but it is the natural expression of the feelings of one who knows a great deal about the difference between a creature who is habitually falling into sin and ,one who1 in holiness1 as in wisdom and power1 is absolute and infinite perfection4 ,humility is thus the beginning and end of all true religion4 ,the sinner who turns to ,god must be humble2 and this is the humility which ,st4 ,james is urging4 ,and the saint1 as he approaches nearer to ,god1 will be humble2 for he knows what the approach has cost him1 and how very far off he still remains4 ,and ,he will exalt you4 ,this is the result1 not the motive4 ,to strive to be humble in order to be exalted would be to poison the virtue at its source4 ,just as the conscious pursuit of happiness is fatal to its attainment1 so also the conscious aim at ,divine promotion4 ,the way to be happy is not to think about one's own happiness1 but to sacrifice it to that of others2 and the way to be exalted by ,god is not to think of one's own advancement1 but to devote oneself to the advancement of others4 ,the exaltation is sure to come1 if only humility is attained2 an exaltation of which there is a foretaste even in this life1 but the full fruition of which lies in those unknown glories which await the humble ,christian in the world to come4 ,,note4--,it may be that in the phrase ,resist the devil we have an echo of another unrecorded utterance of ,christ1 of which we have possible traces also in ,st4 ,paul's ,stand against the wiles of the devil 7,eph4 vi4 #aa71 and ,st4 ,peter's ,whom withstand1 steadfast in your faith 7#a ,peter v4 #i74 ,comp4 ,shepherd of ,hermas1 ,mand4 ,,xii4 v4 #b2 iv4 #g2 ,testament of the ,twelve ,patriarchs1 ,neph4 viii41 where ,james iv4 #g 7or its source7 would seem to be quoted4 #gh ,sunday ,school ,chronicle1 ,march #aeth1 #ahhi2 also the ,durham ,chronicle1 ,jan4 #cast1 #ahij4 #gi ,expositor's ,bible3 ,pastoral ,epistles 7,hodder and ,stoughton1 #ahhh71 p4 #hj4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,self-,,assurance ,,and ,,invasion ,,of ,,divine ,,prerogatives ,,involved ,,in ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,censuring ,,others4 ,speak not one against another1 brethren4 ,he that speaketh against a brother1 or judgeth his brother1 speaketh against the law1 and judgeth the law3 but if thou judgest the law1 thou art not a doer of the law1 but a judge4 ,one only is the ,lawgiver and ,judge1 even ,he who is able to save and to destroy3 but who art thou that judgest thy neighbour8--,,st4 ,,james iv4 #aa1 #ab4 ,from sins which are the result of a want of love to ,god ,st4 ,james passes on1 and abruptly1 to some which are the result of a want of love for one's neighbour4 ,but in thus passing on he is really returning to his main subject1 for the central portion of the ,epistle is chiefly taken up with one's duty towards one's neighbour4 ,and of this duty he again singles out for special notice the necessity for putting a bridle on one's tongue 7i4 #bf2 iii4 #a-ab74 ,some have supposed that he is addressing a new class of readers2 but the much gentler address1 brethren1 as compared with ye adulteresses 7ver4 #d71 ye sinners1 ye double-minded 7ver4 #h71 does not at all compel us to suppose that4 ,after a paragraph of exceptional sternness1 he returns to his usual manner of addressing his readers 7i4 #b1 #af1 #ai2 ii4 #a1 #e1 #ad2 iii4 #a1 #aj1 #ab2 v4 #g1 #i1 #aj1 #ab1 #ai71 and with all the more fitness because the address brethren is in itself an indirect reproof for unbrotherly conduct4 ,it implies what ,moses expressed when he said1 ,sirs1 ye are brethren2 why do ye wrong one to another8 7,acts vii4 #bf74 ,speak not against one another1 brethren4 ,the context shows what kind of adverse speaking is meant4 ,it is not so much abusive or calumnious language that is condemned1 as the love of finding fault4 ,the censorious temper is utterly unchristian4 ,it means that we have been paying an amount of attention to the conduct of others which would have been better bestowed upon our own4 ,it means also that we have been paying this attention1 not in order to help1 but in order to criticize1 and criticize unfavourably4 ,it shows1 moreover1 that we have a very inadequate estimate of our own frailty and shortcomings4 ,if we knew how worthy of blame we ourselves are1 we should be much less ready to deal out blame to others4 ,but over and above all this1 censoriousness is an invasion of the ,divine prerogatives4 ,it is not merely a transgression of the royal law of love1 but a setting oneself above the law1 as if it were a mistake1 or did not apply to oneself4 ,it is a climbing up on to that judgment-seat on which ,god alone has the right to sit1 and a publishing of judgments upon others which ,he alone has the right to pronounce4 ,this is the aspect of it on which ,st4 ,james lays most stress4 ,he that speaketh against a brother1 or judgeth a brother1 speaketh against the law and judgeth the law4 ,st4 ,james is probably not referring to ,christ's command in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 ,judge not1 that ye be not judged4 ,for with what judgment ye judge1 ye shall be judged 7,matt4 vii4 #a1 #b74 ,it is a law of far wider scope that is in his mind1 the same as that of which he has already spoken1 the perfect law1 the law of liberty 7i4 #be72 the royal law1 according to the ,scripture1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself 7ii4 #h74 ,no one who knows this law1 and has at all grasped its meaning and scope1 can suppose that observance of it is compatible with habitual criticism of the conduct of others1 and frequent utterance of unfavourable judgments respecting them4 ,no man1 however willing he may be to have his conduct laid open to criticism1 is fond of being constantly subjected to it4 ,still less can any one be fond of being made the object of slighting and condemnatory remarks4 ,every man's personal experience has taught him that2 and if he loves his neighbour as himself1 he will take care to inflict on him as little pain of this kind as possible4 ,if1 with full knowledge of the royal law of charity1 and with full experience of the vexation which adverse criticism causes1 he still persists in framing and expressing unfriendly opinions respecting other people1 then he is setting himself up as superior1 not only to those whom he presumes to judge1 but to the law itself4 ,he is1 by his conduct1 condemning the law of love as a bad law1 or at least as so defective that a superior person like himself may without scruple disregard it4 ,in judging and condemning his brother he is judging and condemning the law2 and he who condemns a law assumes that he is in possession of some higher principle by which he tests it and finds it wanting4 ,what is the higher principle by which the censorious person justifies his contempt for the law of love8 ,he has nothing to show us but his own arrogance and self-confidence4 ,he knows what the duty of other persons is1 and how signally they fall short of it4 ,to talk of hoping all things1 and enduring all things1 and of taking not account of evil1 may be all very well theoretically of an ideal state of society2 but in the very far from ideal world in which we have to live it is necessary to keep one's eye open to the conduct of other people1 and to keep them up to the mark by letting them and their acquaintances know what we think of them4 ,it is no use mincing matters or being mealy-mouthed2 wherever abuses are found1 or even suspected1 they must be denounced4 ,and if other persons neglect their duty in this particular1 the censorious man is not going to share such responsibility4 ,this is the kind of reasoning by which flagrant violations of the law of love are frequently justified4 ,and such reasoning1 as ,st4 ,james plainly shows1 amounts really to this1 that those who employ it know better than the ,divine ,lawgiver the principles by which human society ought to be governed4 ,he has clearly promulgated a law2 and they ascend ,his judgment-seat1 and intimate that very serious exceptions and modifications are necessary2 indeed1 that in some cases the law must be entirely superseded4 ,they1 at any rate1 are not bound by it4 ,this proneness to judge and condemn others is further proof of that want of humility about which so much was said in the previous section4 ,pride1 the most subtle of sins1 has very many forms1 and one of them is the love of finding fault2 that is1 the love of assuming an attitude of superiority1 not only towards other persons1 but towards the law of charity and ,him who is the ,author of it4 ,to a truly humble man this is impossible4 ,he is accustomed to contrast the outcome of his own life with the requirements of ,god's law1 and to know how awful is the gulf which separates the one from the other4 ,he knows too much against himself to take delight in censuring the faults of others4 ,censoriousness is a sure sign that he who is addicted to it is ignorant of the immensity of his own shortcomings4 ,no man who habitually considers his own transgressions will be eager to be severe upon the transgressions of others1 or to usurp functions which require full authority and perfect knowledge for their equitable and adequate performance4 ,censoriousness brings yet another evil in its train4 ,indulgence in the habit of prying into the acts and motives of others leaves us little time and less liking for searching carefully into our own acts and motives4 ,the two things act and react upon one another by a natural law4 ,the more seriously and frequently we examine ourselves1 the less prone we shall be to criticize others2 and the more pertinaciously we busy ourselves about the supposed shortcomings and delinquencies of our neighbours1 the less we are likely to investigate and realize our own grievous sins4 ,all the more will this be the case if we are in the habit of giving utterance to the uncharitable judgments which we love to frame4 ,he who constantly expresses his detestation of evil by denouncing the evil doings of his brethren is not the man most likely to express his detestation of it by the holiness of his own life2 and the man whose whole life is a protest against sin is not the man most given to protesting against sinners4 ,to be constantly speculating1 to be frequently deciding1 to be ready to make known our decisions1 as to whether this man is awakened or not1 whether he is converted or not1 whether he is a ,catholic or not1 whether he is a sound ,churchman or not--what is this but to climb up into the ,white ,throne1 and with human ignorance and prejudice anticipate the judgments of ,divine ,omniscience and ,justice1 as to who are on the right hand1 and who on the left8 ,one only is ,lawgiver and ,judge1 even ,he who is able to save and to destroy4 ,there is one and only one ,source of all law and authority1 and that ,source is ,god ,himself4 ,jesus ,christ affirmed the same doctrine when ,he consented to plead1 as a prisoner charged with many crimes1 before the judgment-seat of ,his own creature1 ,pontius ,pilate4 ,thou wouldest have no power against ,me1 except it were given thee from above 7,john xix4 #aa74 ,it was ,christ's last word to the ,roman ,procurator1 a declaration of the supremacy of ,god in the government of the world1 and a protest against the claim insinuated in ,i have power to release ,thee1 and ,i have power to crucify ,thee1 to be possessed of an authority that was irresponsible4 ,jesus declared that ,pilate's power over ,himself was the result of a ,divine commission2 for the possession and exercise of all authority is the gift of ,god1 and can have no other origin4 ,and this sole ,fount of authority1 this one only ,lawgiver and ,judge1 has no need of assessors4 ,while ,he delegates some portions of ,his power to human representatives1 ,he requires no man1 ,he allows no man1 to share his judgment-seat1 or to cancel or modify ,his laws4 ,it is one of those cases in which the possession of power is proof of the possession of right4 ,he who is able to save and to destroy1 who has the power to execute sentences respecting the weal and woe of immortal souls1 has the right to pronounce such sentences4 ,man has no right to frame and utter such judgments1 because he has no power to put them into execution2 and the practice of uttering them is a perpetual usurpation of ,divine prerogatives4 ,it is an approach to that sin which brought about the fall of the angels4 ,is not the sin of a censorious temper in a very real sense diabolical8 ,it is ,satan's special delight to be the accuser of the brethren 7,rev4 xii4 #aj74 ,his names1 ,satan 7adversary7 and devil 7 malicious accuser71 bear witness to this characteristic1 which is brought prominently forward in the opening chapters of the ,book of ,job4#hj ,it is of the essence of censoriousness that its activity is displayed with a sinister motive4 ,the charges are commonly uttered1 not to the person who is blamed1 but to others1 who will thereby be prejudiced against him2 or if they are made to the man's own face1 it is with the object of inflicting pain1 rather than with the hope of thereby inducing him to amend4 ,it is no speaking truth in love 7,eph4 iv4 #ae71 but reckless or malevolent speaking evil1 without much caring whether it be true or false4 ,it is a poisoning of the wells out of which respect and affection for our fellow-men flow4 ,thus the presumption which grasps at functions that belong to ,god alone leads to a fall and a course of action which is indeed ,satanical4 ,one only is the ,lawgiver and the ,judge1 even ,he who is able to save and to destroy4 ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul teach the same doctrine in those ,epistles which 7as has been already pointed out7 it is possible that the writer of this ,epistle may have seen4 ,be subject to every ordinance of man for the ,lord's sake3 whether it be to the king1 as supreme 7i4e4 to the ,roman ,emperor72 or unto governors1 as sent by him 7#a ,peter ii4 #ac74 ,however much of human origination 7 7 there may be about civil government1 yet its sanctions are ,divine4 ,and ,st4 ,paul affirms that its real origin is ,divine also3 ,there is no power but of ,god2 and the powers that be are ordained of ,god 7,rom4 xiii4 #a74 ,the ultimate sanction of even ,pilate's misused jurisdiction was from above2 and it was to inhabitants of ,rome1 appalled by the frantic atrocities of ,nero1 that ,st4 ,paul declared that the authority of their ,emperor existed by the ordinance of ,god4 ,if to resist this delegated authority be a serious matter1 how much more to attempt to anticipate or to contradict the judgments of ,him from whom it springs6 ,but who art thou1 that judgest thy neighbour8 ,st4 ,james concludes this brief section against the sin of censoriousness by a telling argumentum ad hominem4 ,granted that there are grave evils in some of the brethren among whom and with whom you live2 granted that it is quite necessary that these evils should be noticed and condemned2 are you precisely the persons that are best qualified to do it8 ,putting aside the question of authority1 what are your personal qualifications for the office of a censor and a judge8 ,is there that blamelessness of life1 that gravity of behaviour1 that purity of motive1 that severe control of tongue1 that freedom from contamination from the world1 that overflowing charity which marks the man of pure religion8 ,to such a man finding fault with his brethren is real pain2 and therefore to be fond of finding fault is strong evidence that these necessary qualities are not possessed4 ,least of all is such a one fond of disclosing to others the sins which he has discovered in an erring brother4 ,indeed1 there is scarcely a better way of detecting our own secret faults than that of noticing what blemishes we are most prone to suspect and denounce in the lives of our neighbours4 ,it is often our own personal acquaintance with iniquity that makes us suppose that others must be like ourselves4 ,it is our own meanness1 dishonesty1 pride1 or impurity that we see reflected on what is perhaps only the surface of a life whose secret springs and motives lie in a sphere quite beyond our grovelling comprehension4 ,here1 again1 ,st4 ,james is quite in harmony with ,st4 ,paul1 who asks the same question3 ,who art thou that judgest the servant of another8 to his own lord he standeth or falleth4444 ,but thou1 why dost thou judge thy brother8 or thou again1 why dost thou set at nought thy brother8 for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of ,god8 7,rom4 xiv4 #d1 #aj74 99 99 99 99 99 ,but are not ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,paul requiring of us what is impossible8 ,is it not beyond our power to avoid forming judgments about our brethren8 ,certainly this is beyond our power1 and we are not required to do anything so unreasonable as to attempt to avoid such inevitable judgments4 ,whenever the conduct of others comes under our notice we necessarily form some kind of an opinion of it1 and it is out of these opinions and judgments1 of which we form many in the course of a day1 that our own characters are to a large extent slowly built up2 for the way in which we regard the conduct of others has a great influence upon our own conduct4 ,but it is not this necessary judging that is condemned4 ,what is condemned is the inquisitorial examination of our neighbours' views and actions1 undertaken without authority and without love4 ,such judging is sinister in its purpose1 and is disappointed if it can find nothing to blame4 ,it is eager1 rather than unwilling1 to think evil1 its prejudices being against1 rather than in favour of1 those whom it criticizes4 ,to discover some grievous form of wrong-doing is not a sorrow1 but a delight4 ,but what both ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,paul condemn1 even more than the habit of forming these unfavourable judgments about our neighbours1 is the giving effect to them4 ,speak not one against another4 ,why dost thou set at nought thy brother8 ,this at any rate we all can avoid4 ,however difficult1 or impossible1 it may be to avoid forming unfavourable opinions of other people1 we can at any rate abstain from publishing such opinions to the world4 ,the temper which delights in communicating suspicions and criticisms is even more fatal than the habit of forming and cherishing them2 it is the difference between a disease which is infectious1 and one which is not4 ,the bitterness and misery which are caused by the love of evil speaking is incalculable4 ,it is one enormous item in that tragic sum of human suffering which is entirely preventable4 ,much of human suffering is inevitable and incurable2 it may be compensated or consoled1 but it can be neither escaped nor remedied4 ,there is much1 however1 that need never be incurred at all1 that is utterly wanton and gratuitous4 ,and this pathetic burden of utterly needless misery in great measure consists of that which we heedlessly or maliciously inflict upon one another by making known1 with quite inadequate reason1 our knowledge or suspicion of the misconduct of other people4 ,experience seems to do little towards curing us of this fault4 ,over and over again we have discovered1 after having communicated suspicions1 that they are baseless4 ,over and over again we have found out that to disclose what we know to the discredit of a neighbour does more harm than good4 ,and not infrequently we have ourselves had abundant reason to wish that we had never spoken2 for curses are not the only kind of evil speaking that is wont to come home to roost4 ,and yet1 each time that the temptation occurs again1 we persuade ourselves that it is our duty to speak out1 to put others on their guard1 to denounce an unquestionable abuse1 and so forth4 ,and forthwith we set the whisper in motion1 or we write a letter to the papers1 and the supposed delinquent is shown up4 ,an honest answer to the questions1 ,should ,i say this of him if he were present8 ,why do ,i not speak to him about it1 instead of to others8 ,am ,i sorry or glad to make this known8 would at once make us pause1 and perhaps abstain4 ,they would lead us to see that we are not undertaking a painful duty1 but needlessly indulging an unchristian censoriousness1 and thereby inflicting needless pain4 ,it is not given to many of us to do a great deal towards making other persons holier2 but it is within the power of all of us to do a very great deal towards making others happier2 and one of the simplest methods of diminishing the miseries and increasing the joys of society is to maintain a firm control over our tempers and our tongues1 and to observe to the utmost ,st4 ,james's pregnant rule1 ,speak not one against another1 brethren4 #hj ,dr4 ,hatch thinks that in both the ,septuagint and the ,new ,testament 1 when used as a proper name1 has the general connotation of enmity1 and without implying accusation1 whether true or false4 ,as an adjective it has its usual meaning of slanderous 7#a ,tim4 iii4 #aa2 #b ,tim4 iii4 #c2 ,titus ii4 #c7 7,biblical ,greek pp4 #df1 #dg74 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,self-,,assurance ,,and ,,invasion ,,of ,,divine ,,prerogatives ,,involved ,,in ,,presuming ,,upon ,,our ,,future4 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,probabilism4 ,go to now1 ye that say1 ,to-day or to-morrow we will go into this city1 and spend a year there1 and trade1 and get gain3 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow4 ,what is your life8 ,for ye are a vapour1 that appeareth for a little time1 and then vanisheth away4 ,for that ye ought to say1 ,if the ,lord will1 we shall both live1 and do this or that4 ,but now ye glory in your vauntings3 all such glorying is evil4 ,to him therefore that knoweth to do good1 and doeth it not1 to him it is sin4--,,st4 ,,james iv4 #ac-ag4 ,worldliness and want of humility are the two kindred subjects which form the groundwork of this portion of the ,epistle4 ,this fourth chapter falls into three main divisions1 of which the third and last is before us2 and these two subjects underlie all three4 ,in the first the arrogant grasping after the pleasures1 honours1 and riches of the world1 in preference to the love of ,god1 is condemned4 ,in the second the arrogant judging of others in defiance of the ,divine law of charity is forbidden4 ,in the third arrogant trust in the security of human undertakings1 without consideration of ,god's will1 is denounced4 ,the transition from the false confidence which leads men to judge others with a light heart1 to the false confidence which leads men to account the future as their own1 is easily made2 and thus once more1 while we seem to be abruptly passing to a fresh topic1 we are really moving quite naturally from one branch of the main subject to another4 ,the assurance which finds plenty of time for censuring others1 but little or none for censuring self1 is closely akin to the assurance which counts on having plenty of time for all its schemes1 without thought of death or of the ,divine decrees4 ,this1 then1 is the subject before us--presumptuous security as to future undertakings4 ,the future is ,god's1 not ours1 just as to judge mankind belongs to ,him1 and not to us4 ,therefore to think and speak of the future as if we had the power to control it is as presumptuous as to think and speak of our fellow-men as if we had the power to judge them4 ,in both cases we assume a knowledge and an authority which we do not possess4 ,go to now 7 7 is a vigorous form of address1 which occurs nowhere in the ,new ,testament1 excepting here and at the beginning of the next section4 ,although originally an imperative singular1 it has become so completely an adverb that it can be used1 as here1 when a number of persons are addressed4 ,it serves to attract attention4 ,those who think that they can acquit themselves of the charge of censoriousness have yet another form of presumptuous confidence to consider4 ,the parable of the ,rich ,fool1 who said to his soul1 ,soul1 thou hast much good laid up for many years2 take thine ease1 eat1 drink1 and be merry 7,luke xii4 #ai71 should be compared with this exhortation4 ,and it is remarkable that it was just after our ,lord had refused to be made a judge over two contending brothers that ,he spoke the parable of the ,rich ,fool4 ,there is no special emphasis on ye that say1 as if the meaning were1 ye who not only have these presumptuous thoughts1 but dare to utter them4 ,in the previous section giving utterance to unfavourable judgments about one's neighbours is evidently worse than merely thinking them1 and is a great aggravation of the sin2 but here thinking and saying are much the same4 ,the presumptuous people look far ahead1 think every step in the plan quite secure1 and speak accordingly4 ,to-day and to-morrow are quite safe4 ,the journey to the proposed city is quite safe4 ,that they will spend a year there is regarded as certain1 and that they will be able to spend it as they please1 viz4 in trading4 ,lastly1 they have no doubts as to the success of the whole enterprise2 they will get gain4 ,all this is thought of and spoken of as being entirely within their own control4 ,they have only to decide on doing it1 and the whole will be done4 ,that there is a ,providence which needs to be considered is entirely left out of sight4 ,that not even their own lives can be counted on for a single day is a fact that is equally ignored4 ,it was long ago remarked that ,all men are mortal is a proposition which each man believes to be true of every one excepting himself4 ,not that any one seriously believes that he himself will be exempt from death2 but each one of us habitually thinks and acts as if in his case death were such an indefinite distance off that practically there is no need to take account of it--at any rate at present4 ,the young and the strong rarely think of death as a subject that calls for serious attention4 ,those who are past the prime of life still think that they have many years of life in store4 ,and even those who have received the solemn warning which is involved in reaching man's allotted threescore and ten years remember with satisfaction that many persons have reached fourscore and ten or more1 and that therefore there is good reason for believing that they themselves have a considerable portion of life still in front of them4 ,perhaps the man of ninety finds himself sometimes thinking1 if not talking to others1 of what he means to do1 not only to-morrow1 but next year4 ,such habits of thought and language are very common1 and a man has to be carefully on the watch against himself1 in order to avoid them4 ,they are entirely opposed to the spirit of both the ,old and the ,new ,testament1 and in the most literal sense of the term may be stigmatized as godless4 ,the security which ignores the will of ,god in its calculations1 and thinks and acts as an independent power1 is godless4 ,dependence upon ,god is the centre both of ,judaism and of ,christianity4 ,a story of the ,rabbinists brings this out as clearly on the ,jewish side as the parable of the ,rich ,fool does on the ,christian4 ,at his son's circumcision a ,jewish father set wine that was seven years old before his guests1 with the remark that with this wine he would continue for a long time to celebrate the birth of his son4 ,the same night the ,angel of ,death meets the ,rabbi ,simeon1 who accosts him and asks him1 ,why art thou thus wandering about8 ,because1 said the angel1 ,i slay those who say1 ,we will do this or that1 and think not how soon death may come upon them4 ,the man who said that he would continue for a long time to drink that wine shall die in thirty days4 ,it is in this way that the careless ease of fools shall destroy them 7,prov4 i4 #cb74 ,and hence the warning1 ,boast not thyself of to-morrow2 for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth 7,prov4 xxvii4 #a74 ,the man who makes plans for the future without taking account of ,providence is not far removed from the fool1 who says in his heart1 ,there is no ,god 7,ps4 xiv4 #a2 liii4 #a74 ,set not thy heart upon thy goods2 and say not1 ,i have enough for my life4 ,follow not thine own mind and thy strength1 to walk in the ways of thy heart2 and say not1 ,who shall control me8 for the ,lord will surely avenge thy pride 7,ecclus4 v4 #a-c74 ,there is that waxeth rich by his wariness and pinching1 and this is the portion of his reward4 ,whereas he saith1 ,i have found rest1 and now will eat continually of my good2 and yet he knoweth not what time shall come upon him1 and that he must leave those things to others1 and die 7,ecclus4 xi4 #ah1 #ai74 ,the ,cyrenaics and their more refined followers the ,epicureans started from the same premises1 viz4 the utter uncertainty of the future1 and the inability of man to control it1 but drew from them a very different conclusion4 ,dependence upon ,god was one of the last doctrines likely to be inculcated by those who contended that there is no such thing as ,providence1 for the gods do not concern themselves with the affairs of men4 ,true wisdom1 they said1 will consist in the skilful1 calm1 and deliberate appropriation of such pleasure as our circumstances afford moment by moment1 unruffled by passion1 prejudice1 or superstition4 ,the present alone is ours1 and we must resolutely make the most of it1 without remorse for a past which we can never alter1 and without disquietude about a future which we cannot determine1 and may never possess4 ,this is not very profound as philosophy1 for in the wear and tear of life it can neither fortify nor console2 and as a substitute for religion it is still less satisfying4 ,the whole difference which separates ,paganism from ,christianity lies between two such stanzas as these2-- ,quid sit futurum cras1 fuge qurere2 et ,quem ,fors dierum cunque dabit1 lucro ,appone1 nec dulces amores ,sperne puer neque tu choreas2 and-- ,lead1 kindly ,light1 amid th' encircling gloom1 ,lead ,thou me on3 ,the night is dark1 and ,i am far from home2 ,lead ,thou me on4 ,keep ,thou my feet2 ,i do not ask to see ,the distant scene2 one step enough for me4#ha ,we will go into this city1 and spend a year there1 and trade1 and get gain4 ,the frequent conjunctions separate the different items of the plan1 which are rehearsed thus one by one with manifest satisfaction4 ,the speakers gloat over the different steps of the programme which they have arranged for themselves4 ,st4 ,james selects trading and getting gain as the end of the supposed scheme1 partly in order to show that the aims of these presumptuous schemers are utterly worldly1 and partly because a restless activity in commercial enterprise was a common feature among the ,jews of the ,dispersion4 ,such pursuits are not condemned2 but they are liable to become too absorbing1 especially when not pursued in a ,god-fearing way2 and it is this which ,st4 ,james denounces4 ,whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow4 ,what is your life8 ,for ye are a vapour1 that appeareth for a little time1 and then vanisheth away4 ,it is not easy to determine the original ,greek text with certainty1 but about the general sense there is no doubt4 ,it is possible1 however1 that we ought to read1 ,whereas ye know not as to the morrow of what kind your life will be3 for ye are a vapour1 etc4 ,in any case ,whereas ye know not represents words which literally mean1 ,since ye are people of such nature as not to know 7 74 ,as human beings1 whose life is so full of changes and surprises1 it is impossible for them to know what vicissitudes the next day will bring4 ,the real uncertainty of life is in marked contrast to their unreal security4 ,what is your life8 ,of what kind is it8 ,what is its nature 778 ,bede remarks that ,st4 ,james does not ask1 ,what is our life8 ,he says1 ,what is your life8 ,it is the value of the life of the godless that is in question1 not that of the godly4 ,those who1 by their forgetfulness of the ,unseen1 their desire for material advantages1 and their friendliness with the world1 have made themselves enemies of ,god--what is their life worth8 ,such persons are a vapour1 that appeareth for a little time1 and then vanisheth away4 ,but it may be doubted whether ,st4 ,james is here speaking of the emptiness of an ungodly life4 ,he is addressing godless persons1 and in rebuking them reminds them how unstable and fleeting life is1 not merely to them1 but to all men4 ,it is the same thought as we find in ,job's complaint1 ,as the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away1 so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more 7vii4 #i72 and we shall see that in the next two sections 7v4 #a-f1 #g-aa7 there are coincidences with the ,book of ,job 7see pp4 #bha1 #bia74 ,but it is perhaps the ,book of ,wisdom that is specially in the writer's mind3 ,our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud1 and shall be dispersed as a mist1 that is driven away with the beams of the sun1 and overcome with the heat thereof 7ii4 #d74 ,for the hope of the ungodly is like dust that is blown away with the wind2 like a thin froth that is driven away with the storm2 like as the smoke which is dispersed here and there with a tempest1 and passeth away as the remembrance of a guest that tarrieth but a day 7v4 #ad74 ,and if these passages are the source of ,st4 ,james's metaphor1 ,bede's interpretation becomes more probable2 for in both of them it is the life of the ungodly that is likened to everything that is unsubstantial and transitory4#hb ,for that ye ought to say1 ,if the ,lord will1 we shall both live1 and do this or that4 ,we must beware of understanding these words in such a way as to lose the spirit of them4 ,it is one of many passages of ,scripture which are often taken according to the letter1 when the letter is of little or no importance4 ,as in so much of the teaching in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 we have a principle given in the form of a rule4 ,rules are given that they may be observed literally4 ,principles are given that they may be applied intelligently and observed according to their spirit4 ,we do not obey ,christ when we allow the thief who has taken our upper garment to have our under one also2 nor do we obey ,st4 ,james when we say1 ,if the ,lord will1 or ,please ,god1 of every future event1 and make a plentiful use of ,d4,v4 in all our correspondence4 ,nor is it enough to say that everything depends upon the spirit in which the second garment is surrendered1 and in which the ,please ,god is uttered1 or the ,d4,v4 written4 ,it is quite possible to keep ,christ's precept without ever surrendering the second garment at all2 and indeed we ought not to surrender it4 ,and it is quite possible to keep ,his brother's precept without ever writing ,d4,v4 or saying ,please ,god1 the habitual use of which would be almost certain to generate formalism and cant in ourselves1 and would be quite certain to provoke needless criticism and irreverent ridicule4 ,st4 ,james means that we should habitually feel that moment by moment we are absolutely dependent upon ,god1 not only for the way in which our lives are henceforth to be spent1 but for their being prolonged at all4 ,at any instant we may be called upon to surrender1 not only all the materials of enjoyment which ,he has bestowed upon us1 but life itself1 which is equally ,his gift2 and whenever ,he does so call upon us we shall have neither the right nor the power to resist4 ,shall ,he not do what ,he will with ,his own8 ,the ,lord gave2 and the ,lord may take away4 ,blessed be the name of the ,lord4 ,the man who is thoroughly impressed with the fact of his utter dependence upon ,god for life and all things is sure to express this in his bearing1 his tone1 and his manner of speaking about the future1 even although such phrases as ,please ,god and ,if the ,lord will never come from his lips or his pen4 ,indeed1 the more complete his realization of this truth is1 the less likely will he be to be constantly expressing it in a formula4 ,it is the habitual setting of his thoughts1 and does not need to be stated any more than the conditions of time and space4 ,on rare occasions it may be well to remind others of this truth by giving expression to it in words2 but in most cases it will be wisest to retain it as an unforgotten but unexpressed premise in the mind4 ,but it is for each one of us to take care that it is not forgotten4 ,only those who have it constantly in their hearts can safely absolve themselves from the obligation of obeying the words of ,st4 ,james literally4 ,but now ye glory in your vauntings3 all such glorying is evil4 ,the carnal self-confidence with which people serenely talk about what they mean to do next year1 or many years hence1 is only part of a general spirit of arrogance and worldliness which pervades their whole life and conduct2 it is one of the results of the thoroughly vitiated moral atmosphere which they have chosen for themselves1 and to the noxiousness of which they are constantly contributing4 ,the word here rendered vaunting1 and in #a ,john ii4 #af vainglory1 771 indicates insolent and empty assurance2 and here the assurance lies in presumptuous trust in the stability of oneself and one's surroundings4 ,pretentious ostentation is the radical signification of the word1 and in ,classical ,greek it is the pretentiousness which is most prominent1 in ,hellenistic ,greek the ostentation4 ,there is manifest ostentation in speaking confidently about one's future2 and seeing how transitory everything human is1 the ostentation is empty and pretentious4 ,to be guilty of such vaunting is serious enough2 but these fellow-countrymen of ,st4 ,james1 with their minds absorbed in material interests1 gloried in their godless view of life4 ,the simple character of his comment makes its severity all the more impressive3 all such glorying is evil4 ,he uses the very word which is commonly used to express the evil one 7 71 and thereby indicates the character and source of such glorying4 ,in concluding this section of his letter1 ,st4 ,james brings the conduct which he has been condemning within the sweep of a very comprehensive principle3 ,to him1 therefore1 that knoweth to do good1 and doeth it not1 to him it is sin4 ,no ,jew1 whether ,christian or not1 could plead ignorance as an excuse for his transgressions in this matter4 ,every human being has experienced the uncertainty of the future and the transitoriness of human life2 and every ,jew was well instructed in the truth that man and all his surroundings are absolutely dependent upon the ,divine will4 ,moreover1 those whom ,st4 ,james is addressing prided themselves on their spiritual knowledge 7i4 #ai72 they were professed hearers of ,god's ,word 7i4 #bb1 #bc71 and were anxious to become teachers of others 7iii4 #a74 ,theirs is the case of servants who knew their master's will1 and neglected to do it 7,luke xii4 #dg74 ,they themselves declared1 ,we see2 and the rejoinder is1 ,your sin remaineth 7,john ix4 #da74 ,they knew1 long before ,st4 ,james instructed them on the subject1 what was seemly for human beings living as creatures in dependence upon their ,creator2 and they neglected to do what is seemly4 ,to them this neglect is sin4 ,the passage is very commonly understood as applying to all sins of omission2 and no doubt it is very capable of such application1 but it does not follow that ,st4 ,james was thinking of more than the particular case before him4 ,the words may be interpreted in three different degrees of comprehensiveness1 and ,st4 ,james may have meant one1 or two1 or all three of them4 #a4 ,the relation in which a creature ought to stand to the ,creator is one of humility and entire dependence2 and he who knows that he is a creature1 and adopts an attitude of self-confidence and independence1 sins4 #b4 ,in all cases of transgression knowledge of what is right aggravates the sin1 which is then a sin against light4 ,if ,i had not come and spoken unto them1 they had not had sin3 but now they have no excuse for their sin 7,john xv4 #bb74 #c4 ,this applies not only to transgressions1 but to omissions4 ,knowledge of what is evil creates an obligation to avoid it1 and knowledge of what is good constitutes an obligation to perform it4 ,the latter truth is not so readily admitted as the former4 ,everyone recognizes that an opportunity of doing evil is not a thing about which any choice is allowable4 ,we are not permitted to use the opportunity or not1 just as we please2 we must on no account make use of it4 ,but not a few persons imagine that an opportunity of doing good is a thing about which they have full right of choice2 that they may avail themselves of the opportunity or not1 just as they please2 whereas there is no more freedom in the one case than in the other4 ,we are bound to make use of the opportunity of doing good4 ,to him that knoweth to do good1 and doeth it not1 to him it is sin4 ,some of those who think that ,st4 ,james knew the ,epistle to the ,romans see here an allusion to the principle which ,st4 ,paul there lies down3 ,whatsoever is not of faith is sin 7xiv4 #bc74 ,for reasons already stated 7p4 #eg71 it must remain doubtful whether ,st4 ,james had knowledge of that ,epistle2 and even if he had1 we could not by any means be sure that he had it in his mind when he wrote the words before us4 ,but his words and ,st4 ,paul's1 when combined1 give us a complete statement of a great moral principle respecting the possession or non-possession of knowledge as to what is right and wrong in any given case4 ,so long as we have no knowledge that a given act is right1 i4e4 so long as we are in doubt as to whether it is allowable or not1 it is sin to do it4 ,as soon as we have knowledge that a given act is right it is sin to leave it undone4 ,this principle cuts at the root of that unwholesome growth which in moral theology is known as the doctrine of ,probabilism1 and which has worked untold mischief1 especially in the ,roman ,church1 in which its chief supporters are to be found4 ,this doctrine teaches that in all cases in which there is doubt as to whether a given act is allowable or not the less safe course may be followed1 even when the balance of probability is against its being allowable1 if only there are grounds for believing that it is allowable4 ,and some supporters of this doctrine go so far as to maintain that the amount of probability need not be very great4 ,so long as it is not certain that the act in question is forbidden it may be permitted4 ,the object of which teaching is not that which ought to be the object of all moral teaching1 viz4 to save beings with immortal souls from making serious mistakes of conduct1 but to enable beings with strong desires and passions to gratify them without scruple4 ,the moral law is not so much explained as explained away4 ,the very titles of some of the treatises in which the doctrine of ,probabilism is advocated indicate their tendency1 e4g4 ,the ,art of ,perpetual ,enjoyment4#hc ,to all such special pleading1 and making the ,word of ,god of none effect by human glosses1 the simple principles laid down by ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,james are the best antidote3 ,whatsoever is not of faith is sin2 and ,to him that knoweth to do good1 and doeth it not1 to him it is sin4 #ha ,horace1 ,odes ,i4 ix4 #ac4 ,j4 ,h4 ,newman1 ,verses on ,various ,occasions1 ,the ,pillar of the ,cloud1 ,june #afth1 #ahcc4 #hb ,in commenting on ,wisdom ii4 #d1 ,farrar quotes ,gregory ,nazianzen3 ,we are a flitting dream1 a phantom that cannot be grasped1 the scud of a passing breeze1 a ship that leaves no trace on the sea1 dust1 vapour1 morning dew1 a flower that now blossoms1 and now is done away 7,speaker's ,commentary1 ,apocrypha1 ,i41 p4 #dca74 #hc ,ars ,semper ,gaudendi1 by ,alphonso de ,sarasa1 a ,flemish theologian of ,spanish extraction1 #agda4 ,for the fullest account of the history of ,probabilism see the great work by ,dllinger and ,reusch1 ,geschichte der ,moralstreitigkeiten in der ,rmisch-katholischen ,kirche 7,nrdlingen1 #ahhi74 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,follies ,,and ,,iniquities ,,of ,,the ,,rich2 ,,their ,,miserable ,,end4 ,go to now1 ye rich1 weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you4 ,your riches are corrupted1 and your garments are moth-eaten4 ,your gold and your silver are rusted2 and their rust shall be for a testimony against you1 and shall eat your flesh as fire4 ,ye have laid up your treasure in the last days4 ,behold1 the hire of the labourers who mowed your fields1 which is of you kept back by fraud1 crieth out3 and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the ,lord of ,sabaoth4 ,ye have lived delicately on the earth1 and taken your pleasure2 ye have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter4 ,ye have condemned1 ye have killed the righteous one2 he doth not resist you4--,,st4 ,,james v4 #a-f4 ,here1 if anywhere in the ,epistle1 the writer glances aside from the believing ,jews of the ,dispersion1 to whom the letter as a whole is addressed1 and in a burst of righteous indignation which reminds us of passages in the old ,hebrew ,prophets1 denounces members of the twelve tribes who not even in name are ,christians4 ,in the preceding section such a transition is in preparation4 ,when he is condemning the godless presumption of those seekers after wealth who dared1 without thought of their own frailty and of ,god's absolute control over their lives and fortunes1 to think and speak confidently of their schemes for future gains1 he seems to be thinking almost as much of unbelieving ,jews as of those who have accepted the ,gospel4 ,here he appears for the moment to have left the latter entirely out of sight1 and to be addressing those wealthy ,jews who not only continued the policy and shared the guilt of the opponents and murderers of ,christ1 but by scandalous tyranny and injustice oppressed their poor brethren1 many of whom were probably ,christians4 ,the severity of the condemnation is not the only or the main reason for thinking that the paragraph is addressed to unconverted ,jews4 ,the first ten verses of chapter iv4 are very severe2 and there also1 as here1 the affectionate form of address1 brethren1 so frequent elsewhere in the ,epistle1 is wanting2 but there is no doubt that those ten verses1 like the paragraphs which immediately precede and follow them1 are addressed to ,christians4 ,what is so exceptional in the passage now under consideration is the entire absence of any exhortation to repentance1 or of any indication that there is still hope of being reconciled to the offended ,jehovah4 ,they are to weep and howl1 not in penitence1 but in despair4 ,the end is at hand2 the day of reckoning is approaching2 and it is a fearful account which awaits them4 ,in this respect there is a very marked difference between this paragraph and the one which follows it4 ,in both the nearness of the ,day of ,judgment is the motive2 but this nearness is to the rich a terror1 to the brethren a comfort4 ,this difference would be very difficult to explain if both paragraphs were addressed to believing ,jews4 ,throughout the ,epistle there are strains which sound like echoes from the ,prophets of the ,old ,testament1 with whom ,st4 ,james has much in common2 but the passage before us is specially in their spirit4 ,it would not surprise us to meet with it in ,isaiah or ,jeremiah4 ,one or two similar passages are worth comparing3 ,woe to thee that spoilest1 and thou wast not spoiled2 and dealest treacherously1 and they dealt not treacherously with thee6 ,when thou hast ceased to spoil1 thou shalt be spoiled2 and when thou hast made an end to deal treacherously1 they shall deal treacherously with thee 7,isa4 xxxiii4 #a74 ,woe to him that getteth an evil gain for his house1 that he may set his nest on high1 that he may be delivered from the hand of evil6 ,thou hast consulted shame to thy house1 by cutting off many peoples1 and hast sinned against thy soul4 ,for the stone shall cry out of the wall1 and the beam out of the timber shall answer it 7,hab4 ii4 #i74 ,in the ,new ,testament the passage which most resembles it is our ,lord's denunciation of the scribes and ,pharisees 7,matt4 xxiii4 #ac-cf74 ,go to now1 ye rich1 weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you4 ,we have the same combination of words in ,isaiah3 ,in their streets they gird themselves with sackcloth3 on their housetops1 and in their broad places1 every one howleth1 weeping abundantly 7xv4 #c74 ,and in an earlier chapter we have a still closer parallel to the spirit of this verse3 ,howl ye2 for the day of the ,lord is at hand 7xiii4 #f74 ,the miseries to which ,st4 ,james alludes are those which shall befall them at the coming of the ,lord 7ver4 #h74 ,it is the impending judgment of the tyrannous rich that is primarily in his mind4 ,he may also have foreseen something of the horrors of the ,jewish war and the destruction of ,jerusalem1 and in accordance with ,christ's prophecy may have considered these calamities typical of the judgment1 or part and parcel of it4 ,in the ,jewish war the wealthy classes suffered terribly4 ,against them1 as having been friendly to the ,romans1 and having employed ,roman influence in oppressing their own countrymen1 the fury of the fanatical party of the ,zealots was specially directed2 and although the blow fell first and heaviest upon the ,jews in ,jerusalem and ,juda1 yet it was felt by all ,jews throughout the world4 ,they imagined themselves to be rich2 they were really most poor and most miserable4 ,so sure is the doom that is coming upon them1 that in prophetical style ,st4 ,james begins to speak of it as already here2 like a seer1 he has it all before his eyes4 ,your riches are corrupted1 and your garments are moth-eaten4 ,your gold and your silver are rusted4 ,we have here three kinds of possessions indicated4 ,first1 stores of various kinds of goods4 ,these are corrupted2 they have become rotten and worthless4 ,secondly1 rich garments1 which in the ,east are often a very considerable portion of a wealthy man's possessions4 ,they have been stored up so jealously and selfishly that insects have preyed upon them and ruined them4 ,and thirdly1 precious metals4 ,these have become tarnished and rusted1 through not having been put to any rational use4 ,everywhere their avarice has been not only sin1 but folly4 ,it has failed of its sinful object4 ,the unrighteous hoarding has tended not to wealth1 but to ruin4 ,and thus the rust of their treasures becomes a testimony against them4 ,in the ruin of their property their own ruin is portrayed2 and just as corruption1 and the moths1 and the rust consume their goods1 so shall the fire of ,god's judgment consume the owners and abusers of them4 ,they have reserved all this store for their selfish enjoyment1 but ,god has reserved them for ,his righteous anger4 ,ye laid up your treasure in the last days4 ,there was the monstrous folly of it4 ,the end of all things was close at hand2 the last days had already begun2 and these besotted graspers after wealth were still heaping up treasures which they would never have any opportunity of using4 ,the ,authorized ,version spoils this by a small1 but rather serious1 mistranslation4 ,it has1 ,ye have heaped up treasure together for the last days1 instead of in the last days 7 74 ,the case is precisely that which ,christ foretold3 ,as were the days of ,noah1 so shall be the coming of the ,son of man4 ,for as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking1 marrying and giving in marriage1 until the day that ,noah entered into the ark1 and they knew not until the flood came1 and took them all away2 so shall be the coming of the ,son of man 7,matt4 xxiv4 #cg-ci74 ,likewise even as it came to pass in the days of ,lot2 they ate1 they drank1 they bought1 they sold1 they planted1 they builded2 but in the day that ,lot went out from ,sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven1 and destroyed them all3 after the same manner shall it be in the day that the ,son of man is revealed 7,luke xvii4 #bh-cj74 ,that the last days mean the days immediately preceding the ,second ,advent can scarcely be doubted4 ,the context renders this very probable1 and the exhortation in the next section renders it practically certain4 ,be ye also patient2 stablish your hearts3 for the coming of the ,lord is at hand4 ,murmur not1 brethren1 one against another1 that ye be not judged3 behold1 the ,judge standeth before the doors4 ,that the first ,christians believed that ,jesus ,christ would return in glory during the lifetime of many who were then living1 will hardly be disputed by any one who is acquainted with the literature of the ,apostolic age and of the period immediately following4 ,nor1 perhaps1 will many at the present time care to dispute that this erroneous opinion was shared1 for a time at any rate1 even by ,apostles4 ,ye are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time1 says ,st4 ,peter 7#a ,peter i4 #e74 ,we that are alive1 that are left unto the coming of the ,lord1 shall in nowise precede them that are fallen asleep 7#a ,thess4 iv4 #ae2 cf4 #a ,cor4 xv4 #ea72 and again1 writing some years later1 ,in the last days grievous times shall come1 about which ,timothy is to be on his guard1 says ,st4 ,paul 7#b ,tim4 iii4 #a74 ,and much nearer to the close of the ,apostolic age we have ,st4 ,john telling his little children that it is the last hour 7#a ,john ii4 #ah74 ,some twenty or thirty years later ,st4 ,ignatius writes to the ,ephesians1 ,these are the last times4 ,henceforth let us be reverent2 let us fear the longsuffering of ,god1 lest it turn into a judgment against us4 ,for either let us fear the wrath which is to come1 or let us love the grace which now is 7xi474 ,only very gradually did the ,christian ,church attain to something like a true perspective as to the duration of ,christ's kingdom upon earth4 ,only very gradually did even the ,apostles obtain a clear vision as to the nature of the kingdom which their ,lord had founded and left in their charge1 for them to occupy until ,he came4 ,pentecost did not at once give them perfect insight into the import of their own commission4 ,much still remained to be learned1 slowly1 by experience4 ,and if this was the case with ,apostles1 we need not wonder that it was so with ,james1 the ,lord's brother4 ,it is remarkable that ,christ's solemn warning against speculating as to the time of ,his return seems to have made only partial impression upon the disciples4 ,of that day or that hour knoweth no one1 not even the angels in heaven1 neither the ,son1 but the ,father4 ,take ye heed1 watch and pray3 for ye know not when the time is 7,mark xiii4 #cb1 #cc74 ,but it is our gain that they were allowed for a time to hold a belief that the ,lord would return very speedily4 ,the ,epistles and ,gospels were written by men under the influence of that belief1 and such influence is a very considerable guarantee for the honesty of the writers4 ,it was because the rich whom ,st4 ,james here denounces had no such belief in a speedy judgment1 indeed had very little thought of a judgment at all1 that they were guilty of such folly and iniquity4 ,having indicated their folly in amassing wealth which was no blessing to themselves or others1 but simply deteriorated by being hoarded1 ,st4 ,james passes on to point out their iniquity4 ,and first of all he mentions the gross injustice which is frequently inflicted by these wealthy employers of labour upon those who work for them4 ,the payment of the wages which have been earned is either unfairly delayed or not paid at all4 ,behold1 the hire of the labourers who mowed your fields1 which is of you kept back by fraud1 crieth out4 ,several passages in the ,old ,testament appear to be in the writer's mind4 ,thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy1 whether he be of thy brethren1 or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates3 in his day thou shalt give him his hire1 neither shall the sun go down upon it2 for he is poor1 and setteth his heart upon it3 lest he cry against thee unto the ,lord1 and it be sin unto thee 7,deut4 xxiv4 #ad1 #ae2 cf4 #ag1 and ,lev4 xix4 #ac74 ,and ,i will come near you to judgment2 and ,i will be a swift witness against 444 those that oppress the hireling in his wages1 the widow and the fatherless1 and that turn away the stranger from his right1 and fear not ,me1 saith the ,lord 7,mal4 iii4 #e2 cf4 ,jer4 xxii4 #ac74 ,perhaps also1 ,their cry came up unto ,god by reason of the bondage 7,exod4 ii4 #bc72 and ,the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground 7,gen4 iv4 #aj74 ,the frequency with which the subject is mentioned#hd seems to show that the evil which ,st4 ,james here denounces had long been a common sin among the ,jews4 ,tobit1 in his charge to his son1 says1 ,what is hateful to thee do not thou to others4 ,let not the wages of any man1 which hath wrought for thee1 tarry with thee 7abide with thee all night71 but give him it out of hand 7,tobit iv4 #ad74 ,and in ,ecclesiasticus1 which ,st4 ,james seems so often to have in his thoughts1 we read1 ,the bread of the needy is the life of the poor3 he that defraudeth him thereof 7 7 is a man of blood4 ,he that taketh away his neighbour's living slayeth him2 and he that defraudeth the labourer of his hire 7 7#he is a blood-shedder 7,ecclus4 xxxiv4 #ba1 #bb74 ,but none of these passages determine for us a point of some interest in the construction used by ,st4 ,james4 ,the words translated of you1 in of you kept back by fraud1 literally mean from you 7' 1 not ' 74 ,two explanations are suggested3 #a4 ,the fraudulent action proceeds from them1 and hence from becomes nearly equivalent to by2 and the use of from 771 rather than by 771 is all the more natural because the word for kept back by fraud has the former preposition compounded with it4 #b4 ,from you1 being placed between kept back by fraud and crieth out 7 ' 71 may go with either1 and it will be better to take it with crieth out3 ,the hire kept back by fraud crieth out from you4 ,the wrongfully detained wages are with the rich employers1 and therefore it is from the place where they are detained that their cry goes up to heaven4 ,the passage quoted above from ,exodus ii4 #bc slightly favours this view1 for there the ,septuagint has1 ,their cry came up unto ,god from their labours 7 72 but the passages are not really parallel4 ,the word used for fields 77 is worth noting4 ,it implies extensive lands1 and therefore adds point to the reproach4 ,the men who own such large properties are not under the temptations to fraud which beset the needy1 and it is scandalous that those who can so well afford to pay what is due should refuse4 ,moreover1 the labour of mowing and reaping such fields must be great1 and therefore the labourers have well earned their wage4 ,the words into the ears of the ,lord of ,sabaoth probably come from ,isaiah 7v4 #i71 and perhaps ,st4 ,james was led to them by the thought that these extensive fields are the result of fraud or violence2 for the verse which precedes the words in ,isaiah runs thus3 ,woe unto them that join house to house1 that lay field to field1 till there be no room1 and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land6 ,no other ,new ,testament writer uses the expression the ,lord of ,sabaoth1 although ,st4 ,paul once quotes it from ,isaiah 7,rom4 ix4 #bi74 ,bede may be right in thinking that its point here is that the rich fancy that the poor have no protector2 whereas the ,lord of hosts hears their cry4 ,and there is possibly another point in mowers and reapers being selected as the representatives of all hired labourers4 ,calvin suggests that it is specially iniquitous that those whose toil supplies us with food should themselves be reduced to starvation2 and to this it has been added that the hard-heartedness of the grasping employers is indeed conspicuous when not even the joy of the harvest moves them to pay the poor who work for them their hardly earned wage4 ,the second feature in the iniquity of the rich is the voluptuous and prodigal life which they lead themselves1 at the very time that they inflict such hardships upon the poor4 ,ye lived delicately on the earth1 and took your pleasure2 ye nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter4 ,the aorists should perhaps be translated as aorists throughout these verses3 ,ye laid up your treasure1 444 ye lived delicately1 etc4 rather than1 ,ye have laid up1 ye have lived1 etc4 ,the point of view is that of the ,day of ,judgment1 when these wealthy sinners are confronted by the enormities which they committed during their lives4 ,but it is a case in which it is quite permissible to render the ,greek aorist by the ,english perfect4 ,on the earth may either mean during your lifetime1 or may be in contrast to entered into the ears of the ,lord of ,sabaoth4 ,all the while that the cry against their iniquity was ascending to heaven1 as an accumulating charge that would at last overwhelm them1 they were living in luxury on earth1 thinking nothing of the wrath to come4 ,it was the converse of the old ,epicurean doctrine1 so graphically described by the ,laureate in ,the ,lotus-eaters4 ,there it is the gods who lie beside their nectar in ceaseless enjoyment1 careless of mankind1 who send up useless lamentations1 which provoke no more than a smile among the neglectful deities4 ,here it is the men who revel in boundless luxury1 careless of the righteous ,god1 whose vengeance they provoke by persistent neglect of ,his commands4 ,the meaning of in a day of slaughter is not easily determined4 ,the as--as in a day of slaughter--must certainly be omitted4 ,it was inserted to make more evident one of the possible interpretations of day of slaughter4 ,ye fattened your heart with perpetual banqueting1 as if life were made up of killing and eating4 ,and in that day did the ,lord1 the ,lord of hosts1 call to weeping and to mourning1 and baldness1 and to girding with sackcloth3 and behold1 joy and gladness1 slaying oxen and killing sheep1 eating flesh and drinking wine3 let us eat and drink1 for to-morrow we die 7,isaiah xxii4 #ab1 #ac74 ,if this be the idea which is expressed by the words in question1 then the meaning would be1 ,ye fared sumptuously every day4 ,but it is possible that in a day of slaughter here balances in the last days just above4 ,as the folly of heaping up treasure was augmented by the fact that it was done when the end of all things was at hand1 so the iniquity of voluptuous living was augmented by the fact that their own destruction was at hand4 ,in this case the wealthy owners1 like stalled oxen1 were unconsciously fattening themselves for the slaughter4 ,instead of sacrificing themselves to ,god's love and mercy1 they had sacrificed and devoured their poor brethren4 ,they had fed themselves1 and not the flock2 and unwittingly they were preparing themselves as a sacrifice to ,god's wrath4 ,for a sacrifice1 either willingly or unwillingly1 every one must be4 ,did any of those whom ,st4 ,james here condemns remember his words when1 a few years later1 thousands of the ,jews of the ,dispersion were once more gathered together at ,jerusalem for the sacrifice of the ,passover1 and there became unwilling sacrifices to ,god's slow but sure vengeance8 ,as already pointed out1 it was the wealthy among them who specially suffered4 ,their prosperity and their friendship with the ,romans provoked the envy and enmity of the fanatical ,zealots1 and they perished in a day of slaughter4 ,josephus tells us that it was all one whether the richer ,jews stayed in the city during the siege or tried to escape to the ,romans2 for they were equally destroyed in either case4 ,every such person was put to death1 on the pretext that he was preparing to desert1 but in reality that the plunderers might get his possessions4 ,people who were evidently half-starved were left unmolested1 when they declared that they had nothing2 but those whose bodies showed no signs of privation were tortured to make them reveal the treasures which they were supposed to have concealed 7,bell4 ,jud4 ,v4 x4 #b74 ,ye condemned1 ye killed the righteous one2 he doth not resist you4 ,does this refer to the condemnation and death of ,jesus ,christ8 ,this interpretation has found advocates in all ages--,cassiodorus1 ,bede1 cumenius1 ,grotius1 ,bengel1 ,lange1 and other modern commentators2 and it is certainly attractive4 ,st4 ,peter1 addressing the ,jews in ,solomon's ,porch1 says1 ,but ye denied the ,holy and ,righteous ,one1 and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you1 and killed the ,prince of ,life 7,acts iii4 #ad1 #ae74 ,st4 ,stephen1 in his speech before the ,sanhedrin1 asks1 ,which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute8 and they killed them which showed before of the coming of the ,righteous ,one2 of whom ye have now become betrayers and murderers 7,acts vii4 #eb2 cf4 xxii4 #ad1 and #a ,pet4 iii4 #ah74 ,it is certainly no objection to this interpretation that ,st4 ,james uses the aorist--ye condemned1 ye killed4 ,that tense might fittingly be used either of a course of action in the past1 as in the aorists immediately preceding1 or of a single action1 as of ,abraham's offering ,isaac 7ii4 #ba74 ,nor is it any objection that in ,he doth not resist you ,st4 ,james changes to the present tense4 ,in any case the change from past to present has to be explained1 and it is as easy to explain it of the present long-suffering of ,christ1 or of ,his abandoning them to their wickedness1 as of the habitual meekness of the righteous man4 ,nor1 again1 is it any objection that the ,jews addressed in this ,epistle could not rightly be charged with the condemnation and death of ,christ1 for twenty or thirty years had elapsed since that event4 ,it is by no means improbable that among the ,jews then living there were many who had cried ,crucify ,him on ,good ,friday2 and even if there were not1 the words of ,st4 ,james are quite justifiable4 ,the ,crucifixion was in a very real sense the act of the whole nation1 far more so than was the murder of ,zacharias the son of ,jehoiada1 and yet ,jesus says to the ,jews respecting ,zacharias1 whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar4 ,if at the present day the ,english might be told that they condemned and killed ,charles ,i41 and the ,french be told that they condemned and killed ,louis ,,xvi41 much more might the ,jews in the middle of the first century be said to have condemned and killed ,jesus ,christ4 ,but nevertheless1 this attractive and tenable interpretation is probably not the right one2 the context is against it4 ,it is the evil that is inherent in class tyrannizing over class that is condemned1 the rich oppressing the poor1 and the godless persecuting the godly4 ,the righteous one is here not an individual1 but the representative of a class4 ,the iniquitous violence which slew ,jesus ,christ and ,his martyrs1 ,james the son of ,zebedee and ,stephen1 illustrates what ,st4 ,james says here1 just as his own martyrdom does2 but it does not follow from this that he is alluding to any one of these events in particular4 ,the ,book of ,wisdom seems once more to be in the writer's mind3 ,let us oppress the poor righteous man2 let us not spare the widow1 nor reverence the ancient grey hairs of the aged4444 ,let us lie in wait for the righteous2 because he is not for our turn1 and he is clean contrary to our doings3 he upbraideth us with our offending the law1 and objecteth to our infamy the transgressings of our education4444 ,he is grievous to us even to behold3 for his life is not like other men's2 his ways are of another fashion4444 ,let us examine him with despitefulness and torture1 that we may know his meekness1 and prove his patience4 ,let us condemn him with a shameful death2 for by his own saying he shall be respected 7ii4 #aj-bj74 99 99 99 99 99 ,julius ,csar on one occasion stated his financial position by confessing that he needed half a million of money in order to be worth nothing4 ,the spiritual condition of many prosperous men might be expressed in a similar way4 ,csar never allowed lack of funds to stand between him and his political aims2 when he had nothing he borrowed at enormous interest4 ,so also with us4 ,in pursuing our worldly aims we sink deeper and deeper in spiritual ruin1 and accumulate debts for an eternal bankruptcy4 ,riches are not a whit less perilous to the soul now than they were in the first century1 and yet how few among the wealthy really believe that they are perilous at all4 ,the wisdom of our forefathers has placed in the ,litany a petition which every well-to-do person should say with his whole heart3 ,in all time of our wealth1 ,good ,lord1 deliver us4 #hd ,in addition to the passages quoted in the text see ,job vii4 #a1 #b2 ix4 #bd2 xii4 #e1 #f2 xxiv4 #a-ab2 xxxi4 #ch1 #ci4 #he ,it is uncertain whether the word which ,st4 ,james uses is or 4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,patience ,,in ,,waiting4 ,,the ,,endurance ,,of ,,job4 ,,the ,,significance ,,of ,,the ,,mention ,,of ,,job ,,by ,,st4 ,,james4 ,be patient therefore1 brethren1 until the coming of the ,lord4 ,behold1 the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth1 being patient over it1 until it receive the early and latter rain4 ,be ye also patient2 stablish your hearts3 for the coming of the ,lord is at hand4 ,murmur not1 brethren1 one against another1 that ye be not judged2 behold1 the ,judge standeth before the doors4 ,take1 brethren1 for an example of suffering and of patience1 the prophets who spake in the ,name of the ,lord4 ,behold1 we call them blessed which endured3 ye have heard of the endurance of ,job1 and have seen the end of the ,lord1 how that the ,lord is full of pity1 and merciful4--,,st4 ,,james v4 #g-aa4 ,be patient1 therefore1 brethren4 ,the storm of indignation is past1 and from this point to the end of the ,epistle ,st4 ,james writes in tones of tenderness and affection4 ,in the paragraph before us he1 as it were1 rounds off his letter1 bringing it back to the point from which he started2 so that what follows 7vv4 #ab-bj7 is of the nature of a postscript or appendix4 ,he began his letter with the exhortation1 ,count it all joy1 my brethren1 when ye fall into manifold trials2 knowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience4 ,and let patience have its perfect work1 that ye may be perfect and entire1 lacking in nothing 7i4 #b-d74 ,he draws to a close with the charge1 ,be patient therefore1 brethren1 until the coming of the ,lord4 ,the therefore shows that this sympathetic exhortation of the brethren is closely connected with the stern denunciation of the rich in the preceding paragraph4 ,the connexion is obvious4 ,these brethren are in the main identical with the righteous poor who are so cruelly oppressed by the rich2 and ,st4 ,james offers them consolation mainly on two grounds3 ,first1 their sufferings will not last for ever2 on the contrary1 the end of them is near at hand4 ,secondly1 the end of them will bring not only relief1 but reward4 ,as has been already pointed out 7p4 #bgi71 ,st4 ,james evidently shared the belief1 which prevailed in the ,apostolic age1 that ,jesus ,christ would very speedily return in glory to punish the wicked and reward the righteous4 ,this belief1 as ,neander observes1 was very natural3 ,christ ,himself had not chosen to give any information respecting the time of his coming4 ,nay1 ,he had expressly said that the ,father had reserved the decision to ,himself alone 7,mark xiii4 #cb72 that even the ,son could determine nothing respecting it4 ,but still1 the longing desire of the ,apostolic ,church was directed with eager haste to the appearing of the ,lord4 ,the whole ,christian period seemed only as the transition-point to the eternal1 and thus as something that must soon be passed4 ,as the traveller1 beholding from afar the object of all his wanderings1 overlooks the windings of the intervening way1 and believes himself already near his goal1 so it seemed to them1 as their eye was fixed on that consummation of the whole course of events on earth4 ,thus1 by a strange but unperceived incongruity1 ,st4 ,james makes the unconscious impatience of primitive ,christianity a basis for his exhortation to conscious patience4 ,early ,christians1 in their eagerness for the return of their ,lord1 impatiently believed that ,his return was imminent2 and ,st4 ,james uses this belief as an argument for patient waiting and patient endurance4 ,it is only for a short time that they will have to wait and endure1 and then the rich reward will be reaped4 ,ploughing and harrowing are toilsome and painful1 but they have to be gone through1 and then1 after no intolerable waiting1 the harvest comes4 ,above1 when ,st4 ,james was rebuking his readers for their presumptuous confidence respecting their future plans1 he reminded them of the shortness of life4 ,what is your life8 ,for ye are a vapour1 that appeareth for a little time1 and then vanisheth away 7iv4 #ad74 ,here the shortness of the interval between the present moment and the end of all things is urged as a reason both for circumspection and for patience4 ,in both cases1 with his characteristic fondness for illustrations drawn from nature1 he employs physical phenomena to enforce his lesson4 ,in the one case life is a vapour1 not substantial at any time1 and soon dispersed2#hf in the other case life is the work and the waiting which must precede the harvest4 ,the key-note of the whole passage is patience1 which in one form or another occurs six times in five verses ,in the original two different words are used--one 7 and 7 four times in the first four verses2 and the other 7 and 7 twice in the last verse1 where we certainly need the endurance of ,job rather than the patience of ,job1 in order to preserve the transition from the one word to the other4 ,take1 brethren1 for an example of suffering and of patience 77 the prophets who spake in the ,name of the ,lord4 ,behold1 we call them blessed which endured 7 73 ye have heard of the endurance 77 of ,job4 ,it was perhaps because the patience of ,job has become a proverbial formula that the ,revisers banished endurance to the margin1 instead of placing it in the text4#hg ,the two words are not infrequently found together 7#b ,cor4 vi4 #d-f2 ,col4 i4 #aa2 #b ,tim4 iii4 #aj2 ,clement of ,rome1 lviii42 ,ignatius1 ,ephes4 iii474 ,the difference between the two is1 on the whole1 this1 that the first is the long-suffering which does not retaliate upon oppressive persons1 the second the endurance which does not succumb under oppressive things4 ,the persecuted prophets exhibited the one2 the afflicted ,job exhibited the other4 ,the oppressed and poor ,christians whom ,st4 ,james addresses are able to practise both these forms of patience1 which ,chrysostom extols as the queen of the virtues4 ,there is a remarkable diversity of readings in the illustration about the husbandman's waiting4 ,some authorities make him wait for the early and latter rain1 others for the early and latter fruit4 ,the best witnesses leave the substantive to be understood1 and this is doubtless the original reading2 it accounts for the other two4 ,some copyists thought that rain was to be understood1 and therefore inserted it2 while others for a similar reason inserted fruit4 ,no doubt it is rain that is intended1 in accordance with several passages in the ,old ,testament 7,deut4 xi4 #ad2 ,jer4 v4 #bd2 ,joel ii4 #bc2 ,zech4 x4 #a74 ,the rains of autumn and of spring are meant1 not morning rain and evening rain as ,luther renders it in his version2 and no moral or spiritual facts are symbolized by these natural phenomena1 such as the penitential tears of youth and of old age1 which would not fit the context4 ,the point of the simile lies in the patient waiting1 not in that which is waited for4 ,murmur not1 brethren1 one against another4 ,the literal meaning of the ,greek is ,groan not2 that is1 ,grumble not4 ,earlier ,english versions have ,grudge not2 and grudge once had the meaning of murmur1 as in ,they will run here and there for meat1 and grudge if they be not satisfied 7,ps4 lix4 #ae74 ,it is altogether a mistake to suppose that one against another includes the wealthy oppressors spoken of in the preceding section4 ,it is the common experience of every one that men who are irritated and exasperated by trying persons or circumstances are liable to vent their vexation on those who are in no way responsible for what tries them4 ,st4 ,james is well aware of this danger1 and puts his readers on their guard against it4 ,be long-suffering1 he says1 and do not retaliate on those who maltreat you2 and do not let the smart of your troubles betray you into impatience towards one another4 ,he who is to judge your oppressors will judge you also1 and ,he is close at hand4 ,we can hardly doubt that ,christ's saying1 ,judge not1 that ye be not judged 7,matt4 vii4 #a71 is in his mind4 ,the way to lighten one's burden is not to groan over it1 still less to murmur against those who are in the same case1 but to try to console and help them4 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 ,it is a good thing to take as an example of patience the prophets and others among ,god's suffering saints2 but it is a still better thing to give such an example ourselves4 ,by the prophets ,st4 ,james no doubt means the prophets of the ,old ,testament--,elijah1 ,jeremiah1 and others4 ,it is not likely that he includes any of the persecuted disciples of the ,new ,testament1 such as ,james the son of ,zebedee1 and ,stephen4 ,here again we seem to have an echo of ,christ's words3 ,blessed are ye when men shall reproach you1 and persecute you 7comp4 ,we call them blessed which endured73 for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you 7,matt4 v4 #aa1 #ab74 ,it is the ceaseless reproach against the ,jews that they boasted that theirs were the prophets1 and yet were the persecutors of the prophets4 ,the children of ,israel 444 have slain ,thy prophets with the sword1 says ,elijah 7#a ,kings xix4 #aj1 #ad74 ,that ,i may avenge the blood of ,my servants the prophets1 says ,god to ,elisha 7#b ,kings ix4 #g74 ,they slew ,thy prophets which testified against them to turn them again to ,thee1 says ,nehemiah1 in his prayer 7,neh4 ix4 #bf74 ,your own sword hath devoured your prophets1 like a destroying lion1 is the accusation of ,jeremiah 7ii4 #cj74 ,o ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem1 which killeth the prophets1 and stoneth them that are sent unto her6 is the lamentation of ,christ 7,matt4 xxiii4 #cg74 ,and ,stephen1 just before he was himself added to the number of the slain1 asks1 ,which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute8 and they killed them which showed before of the coming of the ,righteous ,one 7,acts vii4 #eb74 ,certainly those who try to do ,god's work in the world have no lack of examples of patient suffering for such work4 ,the reasonable question would seem to be1 not1 ,why should ,i be made to suffer for endeavouring to do good8 but1 ,why should ,i not be made to suffer8 ,seeing what others have had to endure1 why should ,i be spared8 ,ye have heard of the endurance of ,job4 ,it is possible that this refers specially to the reading of the ,book of ,job in public service2 but there is no need to restrict the hearing to such occasions4 ,we need not doubt that the endurance of ,job was a familiar topic among the ,jews long before this ,epistle was written1 and independently of the book being read in the synagogues4 ,yet1 in spite of this familiarity1 the passage before us is the only reference in the whole of the ,new ,testament to the story of ,job1 and there is only one quotation from the ,book3 ,he taketh the wise in their own craftiness 7,job v4 #ac7 is quoted by ,st4 ,paul 7#a ,cor4 iii4 #ai74 ,there are several loose quotations from it in the ,epistle of ,clement of ,rome 7xvii41 xx41 xxvi41 xxxix41 lvi472 and the remarkable insertion in the ,vulgate ,version of ,tobit ii4 #ab-ae is worthy of quotation3 ,this trial the ,lord therefore permitted to happen to him1 that an example might be given to posterity of his patience1 as also of holy ,job4 ,for whereas he had always feared ,god from his infancy1 and kept ,his commandments1 he repined not against ,god because the evil of blindness had befallen him1 but continued immovable in the fear of ,god1 giving thanks to ,god all the days of his life4 ,for as the kings#hh insulted over holy ,job1 so his relations and kinsmen mocked at his life1 saying1 ,where is thy hope1 for which thou gavest alms1 and buriedest the dead8 ,but ,tobias rebuked them1 saying1 ,speak not so2 for we are the children of saints1 and look for that life which ,god will give to them that never change their faith from ,him4 ,ye have heard of the endurance of ,job1 and have seen the end of the ,lord1 how that the ,lord is full of pity1 and merciful4 ,a well-supported1 but1 on the whole1 less probable reading1 gives us the imperative1 see the end of the ,lord1 instead of the indicative1 ye have seen 71 instead of 74 ,if it be correct1 it may be taken either with what precedes or with what follows3 either1 ,ye have heard of the endurance of ,job3 see also the end of the ,lord1 how that the ,lord is full of pity1 and merciful2 or1 ,ye have heard of the endurance of ,job and the end of the ,lord3 see that the ,lord is full of pity1 and merciful4 ,but a more important question than either the reading or the division of the clauses is the meaning of the expression the end of the ,lord4 ,bede follows ,augustine in understanding it of the death of ,christ1 which no doubt many of the readers of the ,epistle had witnessed--,exitum quoque ,domini in cruce quem longanimiter suscepit1 adstantes ipsi vidistis3 and in this interpretation ,bede is followed by ,wetstein1 ,lange1 and some other modern writers4 ,it cannot be considered as probable4 ,st4 ,james would hardly couple the endurance of ,job with the death of ,christ in this abrupt way2 and the words which follow--that the ,lord is full of pity1 and merciful--do not fit on to this interpretation4 ,the end of the ,lord much more probably means the end to which the ,lord brought the sufferings of ,job4 ,it may have special reference to the concluding portion of the ,book of ,job1 in which ,jehovah is represented as bringing the argument to a close3 ,then the ,lord answered ,job out of the whirlwind1 and said1 ,who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge8 etc41 etc4 7xxxviii4-xlii474 ,this appearance of ,jehovah to end the trials of ,job would then be analogous to the appearance of ,christ to end the trials of the persecuted ,christians2 and it is possible that the combination ye have heard 444 and have seen was suggested by the last words of ,job3 ,i have heard of ,thee by the hearing of the ear2 but now mine eye seeth ,thee4 ,wherefore ,i abhor myself1 and repent in dust and ashes 7xlii4 #e1 #f74 ,stier remarks that the mention of ,job in ,ezekiel 7xiv4 #ad1 #af1 #bj71 and here by ,st4 ,james1 shows us that the man ,job actually lived1 like ,noah1 ,daniel1 and all the prophets2 that the narrative of his life is not a didactic poem1 but a real history4 ,but is that a necessary conclusion8 ,let us leave on one side the question whether or no there really was such a person as ,job1 who experienced what is recorded in the book which bears his name1 and let us consider whether the mention of him by ,ezekiel and by ,st4 ,james proves that there was such a person4 ,it proves nothing of the sort4 ,it shows no more than this1 that the story of ,job was well known1 and was employed for moral and spiritual instruction4 ,let us suppose that the ,book of ,job is a parable1 like that of ,dives and ,lazarus4 ,would the fact that its contents are not historical prevent ,ezekiel or ,st4 ,james from speaking of ,job as a well-known person of exemplary life8 ,there would be nothing unnatural in coupling together ,dives1 who is probably an imaginary person1 and the rich young man1 who is certainly a real person1 as examples of men to whom great wealth has proved disastrous1 nor1 again1 in speaking of ,lazarus and the penitent thief as instances of souls that had passed from great earthly suffering to the rest of ,paradise4 ,such combinations would not commit the writer or speaker who made use of them to the belief that ,dives and ,lazarus were historical persons4 ,why1 then1 should the fact that an inspired writer couples ,job with ,noah and ,daniel commit us to the belief that ,job is a real person8 ,he may have been so1 just as ,lazarus may have been so1 but the mention of him by ,ezekiel and by ,st4 ,james does not prove that he was4 ,we know too little about the effects of inspiration to be justified in saying dogmatically that an inspired writer would never speak of an unhistorical person as an example to be imitated4 ,is the merchant who sold all that he had in order to buy one pearl of great price an historical person8 and is he not put before us as an example to be imitated8 ,it is quite possible that the story of ,job is in the main a narrative of facts1 and not an inspired fiction2 but the mention of him by ,ezekiel and by ,st4 ,james is no proof of it4 ,it is neither fair nor prudent to cite either of them as witnesses to the historical character of the ,book of ,job4 ,it is not fair1 because we are ignorant of their opinion on the subject1 and are also ignorant as to whether their opinion on the subject would be under the direct inspiration of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and it is not prudent1 because it may be demonstrated hereafter that the story of ,job is not historical2 and then we shall have pledged the testimony of inspired persons to the truth of a narrative which is1 after all1 fictitious4 ,if ,st4 ,paul may cite ,jannes and ,jambres as instances of malignant opposition to the truth1 without compelling us to believe that those names are historical1#hi ,st4 ,james may quote ,job as an example of patient endurance1 without obliging us to believe that ,job is an historical personage4 ,in each case the historical character of the illustrations must be decided on other grounds than the fact that they are employed by writers who were inspired4#ij ,questions of this kind are among the many spheres in which we need that virtue on which ,st4 ,james here insists with such simple earnestness--patience4 ,when certainty has not been attained1 and perhaps is not attainable1 let us learn to wait patiently in uncertainty4 ,was there ever such a person as ,job8 ,who wrote the ,book of ,job8 ,what is its date8 ,does inspiration produce infallibility8 and if so1 what are the limits to such infallibility8 ,there are men to whom uncertainty on such questions as these seems intolerable4 ,they cannot learn to labour and to wait2 they cannot work patiently1 and wait patiently1 until a complete solution is found4 ,and hence they hurry to a definite conclusion1 support it by evidence that is not relevant1 and affirm that it is demonstrated by what is perhaps relevant1 but is far short of proof4 ,intellectual probation is part of our moral probation in this life1 and it is a discipline much needed in an age of great mental activity4 ,impatience of the intellect is a common blemish1 and it is disastrous both to him who allows himself to be conquered by it and to the cause of truth4 ,he does good service both to himself and to others1 who cultivates a dread of jumping to unproved conclusions1 and who in speaking and writing watchfully distinguishes what is certain from what is only probable1 and what is probable from what is only not known to be untrue4 ,the great example of patience is not given by ,st4 ,james1 although we can read it into his words4 ,in a sense not meant by him there is the ,husbandman1 who waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth1 until it receive the early and the latter rain4 ,there is that precious harvest of human souls which must receive and welcome the dew of ,god's grace before it is ready for ,his garner4 ,on some it has never yet fallen2 on some it has fallen1 but as yet in vain2 and meanwhile the ,husbandman waiteth1 being patient over it1 until it receive the one thing needful4 ,through long1 long centuries ,he has been waiting1 and ,he continues so doing4 ,st4 ,augustine tells us why4 ,god is patient1 because ,he is eternal 7patiens quia ternus74 ,he who is from everlasting to everlasting can afford to wait4 ,he waits patiently for us1 generation after generation4 ,can we not wait for ,him one hour8 ,let us patiently abide until the end of the ,lord comes1 the end which ,he has prepared for us1 and towards which all things under ,his guiding hand are working4 ,when we have seen it we shall once more see that the ,lord is full of pity1 and merciful4#ia #hf ,as already pointed out1 this metaphor is perhaps a reminiscence of the ,book of ,job1 to which ,st4 ,james alludes in the passage before us4 ,he was evidently fond of the sapiential writings1 to which ,job is akin4 ,my days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle1 and are spent without hope4 ,as the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away1 so he that goeth down to ,sheol shall come up no more 7,job vii4 #f1 #i74 ,see footnote #hd4 #hg ,the ,rhemish ,version distinguishes the words--be patient and patience for the one1 suffer and sufferance for the other1 the ,vulgate having patientia and sufferentia4 #hh ,reges4 ,so ,job's friends are here called1 because they were princes in their respective territories4 ,note in the ,douay ,version1 from which the translation of the passage is taken4 #hi ,see ,the ,pastoral ,epistles1 in this series1 pp4 #cgi-hd 7,hodder and ,stoughton1 #ahhh74 #ij ,that the ,book of ,job is not pure history is plain from 7#a7 the dialogue between ,jehovah and ,satan1 and the addresses ascribed to the ,almighty in the body of the poem2 7#b7 the dramatic character of ,job's calamities1 man and nature alternately inflicting blows at him1 and in each case just one messenger escaping2 7#c7 the dramatic character of his compensation1 his goods being exactly doubled1 and his family being made exactly what it was before2 7#d7 the elaboration of the dialogue between ,job and his friends4 ,on the other hand1 it is not likely that it is pure invention4 ,we have no evidence of literary power equal to such invention at the early date to which the ,book of ,job must be assigned1 viz4 before the ,return from the ,captivity2 and the writer's object would be better attained if he took an historical person1 than if he invented one1 as his centre4 #ia ,the word for full of pity 77 was possibly coined by ,st4 ,james himself2 it occurs nowhere else4 ,it might be rendered large-hearted4 ,a few inferior ,,mss4 have 1 a word which is found in ecclesiastical and ,byzantine writers4 ,the simpler occurs #a ,pet4 iii4 #h2 ,eph4 iv4 #cb2 and in the ,prayer of ,manasses2 1 1 1 4 ,the unique looks like a combination of and 4 ,comp4 ,joel ii4 #ac2 ,jonah iv4 #b4 ,the word for merciful occurs ,luke vi4 #cf 7comp4 ,col4 iii4 #ab7 and frequently in the ,septuagint2 e4g4 ,ecclus4 ii4 #aa2 4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,prohibition ,,of ,,swearing4 ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,the ,,language ,,of ,,st4 ,,james ,,to ,,recorded ,,sayings ,,of ,,christ4 ,but above all things1 my brethren1 swear not1 neither by the heaven1 nor by the earth1 nor by any other oath3 but let your yea be yea1 and your nay1 nay2 that ye fall not under judgment4--,,st4 ,,james v4 #ab4 ,the main portion of the ,epistle is already concluded4 ,st4 ,james has worked through his chief topics back to the point from which he started1 viz4 the blessedness of steadfast and patient endurance of trials and temptations4 ,but one or two other subjects occur to him1 and he reopens his letter to add them by way of a farewell word of counsel4 ,one of the leading thoughts in the letter has been warning against sins of the tongue 7i4 #ai1 #bf2 iii4 #a-ab2 iv4 #aa1 #ac2 v4 #i74 ,he has spoken against talkativeness1 unrestrained speaking1 love of correcting others1 railing1 cursing1 boasting1 murmuring4 ,one grievous form of sinful speech he has not mentioned particularly2 and about this he adds a strong word of warning in this postscript to the ,epistle3 ,above all things1 my brethren1 swear not4 ,two questions are raised by this remarkable prohibition--first1 the exact meaning of it1 especially whether it forbids swearing for any purpose whatever2 and secondly1 its relation to the almost identical prohibition uttered by ,christ in the ,sermon on the ,mount 7,matt4 v4 #ce1 #cf74 ,it will be obvious that whatever this relation may be1 the meaning of our ,lord's injunction determines the meaning of ,st4 ,james in his injunction4 ,it is hardly worth arguing that he did not mean either more or less than ,christ meant4 ,i4 ,the immediate context of the prohibition is worth noting in each case2 it seems to throw light upon the scope of the prohibition4 ,jesus ,christ1 after saying ,swear not at all2 neither by the heaven1 444 nor by the earth4444 ,but let your speech be1 ,yea1 yea2 ,nay1 nay1 goes on to forbid retaliation of injuries1 and to enjoin love towards enemies4 ,st4 ,james enjoins long-suffering towards enemies1 thence goes on to forbid swearing1 and then again returns to the subject of how to behave under affliction and ill-treatment3 ,is any among you suffering8 let him pray4 ,prayer1 not cursing and swearing1 is the right method of finding relief4 ,there is1 therefore1 some reason for thinking that both in the ,sermon on the ,mount and here the prohibition of swearing has special reference to giving vent to one's feelings in oaths when one is exasperated by injury or adversity4 ,no kind of oath is allowable for any such purpose4 ,but it is quite clear that this is not the whole meaning of the injunction in either place4 ,but let your speech be1 ,yea1 yea2 ,nay1 nay2 and1 ,but let your yea be yea1 and your nay1 nay1 manifestly refers to strengthening affirmations and negations by adding to them the sanction of an oath4 ,there was an old saying1 now unhappily quite grotesque in its incongruity with facts1 that an ,englishman's word is as good as his bond4 ,what ,christ and ,st4 ,james say is that a ,christian's word should be as good as his oath4 ,there ought to be no need of oaths4 ,anything over and above simple affirming or denying cometh of the evil one4 ,it is because ,satan1 the father of lies1 has introduced falsehood into the world that oaths have come into use4 ,among ,christians there should be no untruthfulness1 and therefore no oaths4 ,the use of oaths is an index of the presence of evil2 it is a symptom of the prevalence of falsehood4 ,but the use of oaths is not only a sign of the existence of mischief1 it is also apt to be productive of mischief4 ,it is apt to produce a belief that there are two kinds of truth1 one of which it is a serious thing to violate1 viz4 when you are on your oath2 but the other of which it is a harmless1 or at least a venial thing to violate1 viz4 when falsehood is only falsehood1 and not perjury4 ,and this1 both among ,jews and among ,christians1 produces the further mischievous refinement that some oaths are more binding than others1 and that only when the most stringent form of oath is employed is there any real obligation to speak the truth4 ,how disastrous all such distinctions are to the interests of truth1 abundant experience has testified3 for a common result is this2--that people believe that they are free to lie as much as they please1 so long as the lie is not supported by the particular kind of oath which they consider to be binding4 ,thus much1 then1 is evident1 that both our ,lord and ,st4 ,james forbid the use of oaths 7#a7 as an expression of feeling1 7#b7 as a confirmation of ordinary statements2 for the prohibitions plainly mean as much as this1 and we know from other sources that these two abuses were disastrously common among both ,jews and ,gentiles at that time4 ,that converts to ,christianity were exempt from such vices is most improbable2 and hence the need that ,st4 ,james should write as he does on the subject4 ,but the main question is whether the prohibition is absolute2 whether our ,lord and ,st4 ,james forbid the use of oaths for any purpose whatever2 and it must be admitted that the first impression which we derive from their words is that they do4 ,this view is upheld by not a few ,christians as the right interpretation of both passages4 ,christ says1 ,swear not at all 7 74444 ,but let your speech be1 ,yea1 yea2 ,nay1 nay4 ,st4 ,james says1 ,swear not1 neither by the heaven1 nor by the earth1 nor by any other oath 7 73 but let your yea be yea1 and your nay1 nay4 ,in both cases we have an unqualified prohibition of what is to be avoided1 followed by a plain command as to what is to be done4 ,but further investigation does not confirm the view which is derived from a first impression as to the meaning of the words4 ,against it we have1 first1 the fact that the ,mosaic ,law not only allowed1 but enjoined the taking of an oath in certain circumstances2 and ,christ would hardly have abrogated the law1 and ,st4 ,james would hardly have contradicted it1 without giving some explanation of so unusual a course2 secondly1 the indisputable practice of the early ,church1 of ,st4 ,paul1 and of our ,lord ,himself4 ,in ,deuteronomy we read1 ,thou shalt fear the ,lord thy ,god2 and ,him shalt thou serve1 and shalt swear by ,his ,name 7vi4 #ac72 and1 to ,him shalt thou cleave1 and by ,his ,name shalt thou swear 7x4 #bj74 ,the ,psalmist says1 ,the king shall rejoice in ,god2 every one that sweareth by ,him shall glory3 but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped 7lxiii4 #aa74 ,isaiah says1 ,he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the ,god of truth 7lxv4 #af72 and still more strongly ,jeremiah3 ,thou shalt swear1 ,as the ,lord liveth1 in truth1 in judgment1 and in righteousness 7iv4 #b72 and1 ,if they will diligently learn the ways of ,my people1 to swear by ,my ,name1 ,as the ,lord liveth2 even as they taught ,my people to swear by ,baal2 then shall they be built up in the midst of ,my people 7xii4 #af4 ,comp4 xxiii4 #g1 #h74 ,an absolute prohibition of all swearing would have been so surprisingly at variance with these passages of ,scripture that it is difficult to believe that it would have been made without any allusion to them4 ,even the ,essenes1 who were very strict about swearing1 and considered it to be worse than perjury 7for a man is condemned already who cannot be believed except upon his oath71 imposed terrific oaths 7 7 upon those who wished to enter their community1 before admitting them 7,josephus1 ,bell4 ,jud4 ,,ii4 viii4 #f1 #g2 ,ant4 ,,xv4 x4 #d72 and we can hardly suppose that ,st4 ,james means to take up a more extreme position than that of the ,essenes4 ,but even if we suppose that he does mean this we have still to explain the practice of those who were well aware of ,christ's command respecting swearing1 and certainly had no intention of deliberately violating it4 ,if the first ,christians were willing on certain occasions to take certain oaths1 it must have been because they were fully persuaded that ,jesus ,christ had not forbidden them to do so4 ,when called upon by heathen magistrates to take an oath1 the distinction which they drew was not between swearing and not swearing1 but between taking oaths that committed them to idolatry and oaths which did nothing of the kind4 ,the latter oaths they were willing to take4 ,thus ,tertullian says that they would not swear by the genii of the emperors1 because these were supposed to be demons2 but by the safety of the emperors they were willing to swear 7,apol4 xxxii474 ,origen writes to much the same effect 7,con4 ,celsum1 viii41 lxv474 ,the oath by the genius1 or numen1 or fortune 77 of the emperor was recognized as a formula for abjuring ,christianity4 ,thus the proconsul presses ,polycarp again and again3 ,swear by the genius of ,csar2 swear the oath1 and ,i will release thee 7,mart4 ,pol4 ix41 x472 and the fear of being betrayed into an act of idolatry was one of the main reasons why the early ,christians disliked taking oaths4 ,but there was also the feeling that for ,christians oaths ought to be quite unnecessary4 ,thus ,clement of ,alexandria says that the true ,christian ought to maintain a life calculated to inspire such confidence in those without that an oath would not even be demanded of him4 ,and of course1 when he swears1 he swears truly2 but he is not apt to swear1 and rarely has recourse to an oath4 ,and his speaking the truth on oath arises from his harmony with the truth 7,strom4 vii41 viii474 ,pelagius maintained that all swearing was forbidden2 but ,augustine contends1 on the authority of ,scripture1 that oaths are not unlawful1 although he would have them avoided as much as possible 7,ep4 clvii4 ,comp4 ,epp4 cxxv41 cxxvi474 ,but there is not only the evidence as to how the primitive ,church understood the words of ,christ and of ,st4 ,james2 there is also the practice of ,st4 ,paul1 who frequently calls ,god to witness that he is speaking the truth 7#b ,cor4 i4 #bc2 xi4 #ca2 xii4 #ai2 ,gal4 i4 #bj2 ,phil4 i4 #h71 or uses other strong asseverations which are certainly more than plain ,yea and ,nay 7,rom4 ix4 i42 #a ,cor4 xv4 #ca2 #b ,cor4 i4 #ah2 xi4 #aj74 ,augustine quotes ,st4 ,paul in defence of swearing1 but adds that ,st4 ,paul's swearing1 when there was weighty reason for it1 is no proof that we may swear whenever we think proper to do so4 ,and in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews the fact that men swear in order to settle disputes is mentioned without any intimation that the practice is utterly wrong4 ,on the contrary1 we are told that ,god has condescended to do the same1 in order to give us all the assurance in ,his power 7vi4 #af-ah74 ,lastly1 we have the convincing fact that ,jesus ,christ allowed ,himself to be put upon ,his oath4 ,after having kept silence for a long time1 ,he was adjured by the ,high ,priest to answer2 and then ,he answered at once4 ,the full meaning of the ,high ,priest's words are1 ,i exact an oath of ,thee 7 7 by the ,living ,god 7,matt4 xxvi4 #fc1 #fd74 ,had this been an unlawful thing for the ,high ,priest to do1 our ,lord would have kept silence all the more1 or would have answered under protest4 ,,ii4 ,it remains to consider the relation of the prohibition of swearing in this ,epistle to the almost identical prohibition in the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,is ,st4 ,james quoting ,christ's words8 and if so1 whence did he derive his knowledge of them8 ,no one who compares the two passages will believe that the similarity between them is accidental4 ,even if such an hypothesis could reasonably be entertained1 it would be shattered by the number of other coincidences which exist between passages in this ,epistle and the recorded words of ,christ4 ,in this instance we have the largest amount of coincidence2 and therefore the discussion of this point has been reserved until this passage was reached1 although numerous other cases of coincidence have already occurred4 ,the remark is sometimes made that there are more quotations of ,christ's words in the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james than in all the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul1 or than in all the other books of the ,new ,testament other than the ,gospels4 ,it would be better to word the remark somewhat differently1 and say that there are more coincidences which cannot be fortuitous between this ,epistle and the recorded words of ,christ than in all the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul2 or that there is far more evidence of the influence of ,christ's discourses upon the language of ,st4 ,james than there is of any such influence upon the language of ,st4 ,paul4 ,st4 ,paul tells us much about ,christ and ,his work1 but he very rarely reproduces any of ,his sayings4 ,with ,st4 ,james it is exactly the opposite2 he says very little indeed about ,christ1 but1 without quoting them as such1 he frequently reproduces ,his words4 ,it will be found that the largest number of these coincidences are between ,st4 ,james and sayings that are recorded by ,st4 ,matthew1 especially in the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,but this does not warrant us in asserting that ,st4 ,james must have seen ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel or any other written ,gospels4 ,the coincidences1 as will be seen1 are not of a character to show this4 ,moreover1 it is extremely doubtful whether any of the ,gospels were written so early as ,a4,d4 #fb1 the latest date which can be given to our ,epistle2 and if any earlier date be assigned to it1 the improbability of the writer's having seen a written ,gospel becomes all the greater4 ,the resemblances between the words of ,st4 ,james and the recorded words of ,christ are such as would naturally arise if he had himself heard ,christ's teaching1 and was consciously or unconsciously reproducing what he remembered of it1 rather than such as would be found if he had had a written document to quote from4 ,if this be so1 we have a strong confirmation of the view adopted at the outset1 that this ,epistle is the work of the ,lord's brother1 who had personal experience of ,christ's conversation1 and was independent of both the oral and the written tradition of ,his teaching4 ,it will be worth while to tabulate the principal coincidences1 so that the reader may be able to judge for himself as to their significance4 ,they suffice to show how full the mind of ,st4 ,james must have been of the teaching of ,jesus ,christ1 and they lead to the highly probable conjecture that in other parts of the ,epistle we have reminiscences of ,christ's words of which we have no record in the ,gospels4#ib ,it is not likely that ,st4 ,james has remembered and reproduced only those sayings of which there is something recorded by the ,evangelists4 ,,st4 ,,matthew4 ,,st4 ,,james4 #a4 ,blessed are they that have ,count it all joy1 my brethren1 been persecuted for righteousness' when ye fall into manifold sake3 for theirs is the temptations2 knowing that the kingdom of heaven4 ,blessed proof of your faith worketh are ye when men shall reproach patience 7i4 #b1 #c74 you1 and persecute you1 and say all manner of evil against you ,take1 brethren1 for an example falsely1 for ,my sake4 ,rejoice of suffering and of patience1 and be exceeding glad3 for the prophets who spake in the great is your reward in heaven3 name of the ,lord4 ,behold1 we for so persecuted they the prophets call them blessed which endured which were before you 7v4 #aj1 #aa74 7v4 #aj-ab74 #b4 ,ye therefore shall be perfect1 ,and let patience have its as your heavenly ,father is perfect work1 that ye may be perfect 7v4 #dh74 perfect and entire1 lacking in nothing 7i4 #d74 #c4 ,ask1 and it shall be given ,but if any of you lacketh you2 seek1 and ye shall find2 wisdom1 let him ask of ,god1 knock1 and it shall be opened who giveth to all liberally and unto you3 for every one that upbraideth not2 and it shall be asketh receiveth 7vii4 #g1 #h74 given him 7i4 #e74 #d4 ,blessed are the poor in ,let the brother of low degree spirit3 for theirs is the kingdom glory in his high estate 7i4 #i74 of heaven 7v4 #c4 ,comp4 ,luke vi4 #bj74 ,did not ,god choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith1 and heirs of the kingdom8 7ii4 #e74 #e4 ,not every one that saith ,be ye doers of the word1 and unto ,me1 ,lord1 ,lord1 shall not hearers only1 deluding your enter into the kingdom of own selves4 ,for if any one is heaven2 but he that doeth the a hearer of the word1 and not will of ,my ,father which is in a doer1 he is like unto a man heaven4444 ,and every one beholding his natural face in a that heareth these words of mirror 7i4 #bb1 #bc74 ,mine1 and doeth them not1 shall be likened unto a foolish man1 which built his house upon the sand 7vii4 #ba1 #bf74 #f4 ,blessed are the merciful3 ,so speak ye1 and so do1 as for they shall obtain mercy 7v4 #g74 men that are to be judged by a law of liberty4 ,for judgment ,if ye forgive not men their is without mercy to him that trespasses1 neither will your hath showed no mercy3 mercy ,father forgive your trespasses glorieth against judgment 7ii4 7vi4 #ae74 #ab1 #ac74 ,with what judgment ye judge1 ye shall be judged 7vii4 #b74 #g4 ,do men gather grapes of ,can a fig-tree1 my brethren1 thorns1 or figs of thistles8 yield olives1 or a vine figs8 7vii4 #af74 7iii4 #ab74 #h4 ,no man can serve two ,know ye not that the friendship masters3 for either he will hate of the world is enmity the one1 and love the other2 or with ,god8 ,whosoever1 therefore else he will hold to one1 and would be a friend of the despise the other4 ,ye cannot world maketh himself an enemy serve ,god and ,mammon 7vi4 #bd74 of ,god 7iv4 #d74 #i4 ,whosoever shall humble ,humble yourselves in the himself shall be exalted 7xxiii4 sight of the ,lord1 and ,he shall #ab74 exalt you 7iv4 #aj74 #aj4 ,be not therefore anxious ,whereas ye know not what for the morrow 7vi4 #cd74 shall be on the morrow 7iv4 #ad74 #aa4 ,lay not up for yourselves ,your riches are corrupted1 treasures upon the earth1 where and your garments are moth-eaten4 moth and rust doth consume ,your gold and your 7vi4 #ai74 silver are rusted 7v4 #b1 #c74 #ab4 ,swear not at all2 neither ,but above all things1 my by the heaven1 for it is the throne brethren1 swear not1 neither by of ,god2 nor by the earth1 for the heaven1 nor by the earth1 it is the footstool of ,his feet2 nor by any other oath4 nor by ,jerusalem1 for it is the city of the great ,king4 ,neither shalt thou swear by thy head1 for thou canst not make one hair white or black4 ,but let ,but let your yea be yea1 and your speech1 be ,yea1 yea2 ,nay1 your nay1 nay2 that ye fall not nay3 and whatsoever is more under judgment 7v4 #ab74 than these is of the evil one 7v4 #cd-cg74 ,these twelve parallels are by no means exhaustive1 but they are among the most striking4 ,the following are worthy of consideration1 although those which have been quoted above are more than sufficient for our purpose3-- ,st4 ,matthew i4 #ai ,st4 ,james v4 #ai i4 #bj v4 #bb ii4 #h vii4 #ab ii4 #aj1 #aa v4 #bg iii4 #ag1 #ah v4 #i iv4 #c vii4 #h ,let us now consider some coincidences between the language of ,st4 ,james and our ,lord's words as recorded by the other three ,evangelists4 ,,st4 ,,mark4 ,,st4 ,,james4 #ac4 ,whosoever shall say unto ,if any of you lacketh wisdom1 this mountain1 ,be thou taken let him ask of ,god1 who giveth up and cast into the sea2 and to all liberally and upbraideth shall not doubt 77 in not4 ,but let him ask in faith1 his heart1 but shall believe that nothing doubting 773 what he saith cometh to pass2 for he that doubteth etc4 7i4 he shall have it 7xi4 #bc74 #e1 #f74 #ad4 ,they shall deliver you up ,do not the rich oppress you1 to councils2 and in synagogues and themselves drag you before shall ye be beaten 7xiii4 #i74 the judgment-seats8 7ii4 #f74 #ae4 ,know ye that he is nigh1 ,behold1 the ,judge standeth even at the doors 7xiii4 #bi2 before the doors 7v4 #i74 ,matt4 xxiv4 #cc74 ,,st4 ,,luke4 ,,st4 ,,james4 #af4 ,woe unto you1 ye that ,let your laughter be turned laugh now6 for ye shall mourn to mourning1 and your joy to and weep 7vi4 #be74 heaviness 7iv4 #i74 #ag4 ,woe unto you that are ,go to now1 ye rich1 weep rich for ye have received your and howl for your miseries that consolation 7vi4 #bd74 are coming upon you 7v4 #a74 ,,st4 ,,john4 ,,st4 ,,james4 #ah4 ,if ye know these things1 ,being not a hearer that forgetteth1 blessed are ye if ye do them but a doer that worketh1 7xiii4 #ag74 this man shall be blessed in his doing 7i4 #be74 #ai4 ,if ye were of the world1 ,know ye not that the friendship the world would love its own3 of the world is enmity but because ye are not of the with ,god8 ,whosoever therefore world1 444 therefore the world would be a friend of the hateth you 7xv4 #ai4 ,comp4 world maketh himself an enemy xvii4 #ad74 of ,god 7iv4 #d74 ,it will be observed that these reminiscences of the teaching of ,christ are all of one kind4 ,they are all of them concerned with the morality of the ,gospel1 with ,christian conduct and ,christian life4 ,not one of them is doctrinal1 or gives instruction as to the ,christian creed4 ,this1 again1 is what we might expect if the brother of the ,lord is the writer of the ,epistle4 ,at the time when he listened to his ,divine ,brother's teaching he did not believe on ,him4 ,the doctrinal part of ,his discourses was precisely that part which did not impress him2 it seemed to him as the wild fancies of an enthusiast 7,mark iii4 #ba74 ,but the moral teaching of ,jesus impressed many of those who rejected ,his claims to be the ,messiah1 and it is this element which ,st4 ,james remembers4 ,before concluding1 let us return to the moral precept contained in the verse which we have been considering3 ,above all things1 my brethren1 swear not4 ,the prohibition has not ceased to be necessary1 as our daily experience proves4 ,the vice of profane swearing 7and all swearing about ordinary matters is profane7 is a strange one4 ,where is the pleasure of it8 ,where1 before it becomes a fashion or a habit1 is the temptation to it8 ,where1 in any case1 is the sense of it8 ,there is pleasure in gluttony1 in drunkenness1 in lust1 in pride1 in avarice1 in revenge4 ,but where is the pleasure in an oath8 ,the sensualist1 the hypocrite1 the miser1 and the murderer can at least plead strong temptation1 can at least urge that they get something1 however pitiful1 in exchange for eternal loss4 ,but what can the blasphemer plead8 what does he get in exchange for his soul8 ,in times of strong excitement it is no doubt a relief to the feelings to use strong language2 but what is gained by making the strong language trebly culpable by adding blasphemy to it8 ,besides which1 there is the sadly common case of those who use blasphemous words when there is no temptation to give vent to strong feeling in strong language1 who habitually swear in cold blood4 ,let no one deceive himself with the paltry excuse that he cannot help it1 or that there is no harm in it4 ,a resolution to do something disagreeable every time an oath escaped one's lips would soon bring about a cure4 ,and let those who profess to think that there is no harm in idle swearing ask themselves whether they expect to repeat that plea when they give an account for every idle word at the day of judgment 7,matt4 xii4 #cf74 #ib ,see ,salmon's ,introduction to the ,n4,t41 pp4 #bba1 #ejj1 #dth ed41 #ahhi4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,worship ,,the ,,best ,,outlet ,,and ,,remedy ,,for ,,excitement4 ,,the ,,connexion ,,between ,,worship ,,and ,,conduct4 ,is any among you suffering8 let him pray4 ,is any cheerful8 let him sing praise4--,,st4 ,,james v4 #ac4 ,the subject of this verse was probably suggested by that of the preceding one4 ,oaths are not a right way of expressing one's feelings1 however strong they may be1 and of whatever kind they may be4 ,there is1 however1 no need to stifle such feelings1 or to pretend to the world that we have no emotions4 ,in this respect1 as in many others1 ,christianity has no sympathy with the precepts of ,stoicism or ,cynicism4 ,it is not only innocent1 but prudent1 to seek an outlet for excited feelings2 the right and wrong of the matter lie in the kind of outlet which we allow ourselves4 ,language of some kind1 and in most cases articulate language1 is the natural instrument for expressing and giving vent to our feelings4 ,but we need some strong safeguard1 or the consequences of freely giving expression to our emotions in speech will be calamitous4 ,this safeguard is clearly indicated by the rules here laid down by ,st4 ,james4 ,let the expression of strongly excited feelings be an act of worship2 then we shall have an outlet for them which is not likely to involve us in harmful results4 ,by the very act in which we exhibit our emotions we protect ourselves from the evil which they might produce4 ,the very mode of expressing them moderates them1 and serves as an antidote to their capacity for evil4 ,prayer and praise1 or 7in one word7 worship1 according to ,st4 ,james1 is the ,christian remedy for allaying or carrying off the fever of the mind4 ,in all cases in which the mind is greatly agitated1 whether painfully or pleasantly1 whether by sorrow1 anger1 regret1 or by joy1 pleasure1 hope1--the wise thing to do is to take refuge in an act of worship4 ,mental excitement is neither right nor wrong1 any more than physical hunger or thirst4 ,everything depends on the method of expressing the one or gratifying the other4 ,it will be easy in both cases to indulge a legitimate craving in such a way as to turn a natural and healthy symptom into a disease4 ,neither a heated mind nor a heated body can without danger be kept heated1 or treated as if they were at their normal temperature4 ,the advice of ,st4 ,james is that in all cases in which our minds are agitated by strong emotion we should turn to ,him who gave us minds capable of feeling such emotion2 we should cease to make ourselves our own centre1 and turn our thoughts from the causes of our excitement to ,him who is the unmoved ,cause of all movement and rest4 ,we need not tie ourselves to the distribution of prayer and praise expressed in the text4 ,it is the most natural and most generally useful distribution2 but it is not the only one1 and perhaps it is not the highest4 ,the precept will hold good with equal truth if we transpose the two conclusions3 ,is any among you suffering8 let him sing praise4 ,is any cheerful8 let him pray4 ,in everything give thanks1 says ,st4 ,paul2 which involves our frequently giving thanks in suffering4 ,this was what ,job1 to whom ,st4 ,james has just directed his readers1 did in his trouble4 ,he fell upon the ground and worshipped3 and he said1 ,naked came ,i out of my mother's womb1 and naked shall ,i return thither3 the ,lord gave1 and the ,lord hath taken away2 blessed be the name of the ,lord 7i4 #bj1 #ba74 ,and the ,psalmist teaches much the same lesson as ,st4 ,paul3 ,i will bless the ,lord at all times2 ,his praise shall continually be in my mouth 7xxxiv4 #a74 ,but if praise is as suitable as prayer for suffering1 prayer is as suitable as praise for cheerfulness4 ,he who is cheerful has indeed great reason to bless and praise ,god4 ,he has a priceless gift1 which is a blessing to himself and to all around him1 a gift which makes life brighter to the whole circle in which he moves4 ,we most of us take far too little pains to cultivate it1 to retain it when it has been granted to us1 to regain it when we have lost it or thrown it away4 ,yet cheerfulness has its dangers4 ,the light-hearted are apt to be light-headed1 and to be free from care leads to being free from carefulness4 ,the cheerful may easily lose sobriety1 and be found off their guard4 ,the remedy is prayer4 ,prayer steadies without dimming the bright flame of cheerfulness2 and just as thanksgiving sweetens sorrow1 so supplication sanctifies joy4 ,is any suffering8 let him sing praise4 ,is any cheerful8 let him pray4 ,but there is another advantage in making religious worship1 whether public or private1 the outlet for our emotions4 ,it secures a real connexion between worship and life4 ,missionaries tell us that this is a frequent difficulty in their work4 ,it is a hard enough thing to win converts from heathenism2 but it is perhaps still harder to teach the newly converted that the worship of ,god has any bearing whatever upon their conduct4 ,this idea is quite strange to them1 and utterly alien to their whole mode of thought4 ,they have never been taught anything of the kind before4 ,they have been accustomed to regard the worship of the gods as a series of acts which must be religiously performed in order to win the favour of the deities1 or at least to avert their wrath4 ,but it has never occurred to them1 nor have their priests impressed upon them1 that their lives must be in accordance with their worship1 or that the one has any connexion with the other1 any more than the colour of their clothes with the amount that they eat and drink4 ,from this it follows that when the idolater has been induced to substitute the worship of ,god for the worship of idols1 there still remains an immense amount to be done4 ,the convert has still to be taught that there can no longer be this divorce of religion from conduct1 but that prayer and praise must go hand in hand with work and life4 ,converts from heathenism are by no means the only persons who are in need of this lesson4 ,we all of us require to be reminded of it4 ,all of us are apt to draw far too strong a line of distinction between ,church and home1 between ,sunday and week-day1 between the time that we spend on our knees and that which we spend in work and recreation4 ,not1 alas6 that we are too scrupulous about allowing worldly thoughts to invade sacred times and places1 but that we are very jealous about allowing thoughts of ,god and of ,his service to mingle with our business and our pleasures1 or at least take no pains to bring about and keep up any such mingling4 ,our worship is often profaned by being shared with the world2 our work is rarely consecrated by being shared with ,god4 ,what ,st4 ,james recommends here is a remedy for this4 ,there can be no wall of partition between conduct and religion if our feelings of joy and sorrow1 of elation and despondency1 of hope and fear1 of love and dislike1 are daily and hourly finding expression in praise and prayer4 ,our emotions will thus become instruments for moving us towards ,god4 ,so much of life is filled with either vexation or pleasure1 that one who has learned to carry out the directions here given of turning suffering into prayer1 and cheerfulness into praise1 will have gone a long way towards realizing the ,apostolic command1 ,pray without ceasing4 ,as ,calvin well observes1 ,st4 ,james means that there is no time in which ,god does not invite us to ,himself4 ,for afflictions ought to stimulate us to pray2 prosperity supplies us with an occasion to praise ,god4 ,but such is the perverseness of men1 that they cannot rejoice without forgetting ,god1 and when afflicted they are disheartened and driven to despair4 ,we ought1 then1 to keep within due bounds1 so that the joy which usually makes us forget ,god may induce us to set forth the goodness of ,god1 and that our sorrow may teach us to pray4 ,the word used by ,st4 ,james for to sing praise 77 is worthy of notice4 ,it is the source of the word psalm4 ,originally it meant simply to touch1 especially to make to vibrate by touching2 whence it came to be used of playing on stringed instruments4 ,next it came to mean to sing to the harp2 and finally to sing1 whether with or without a stringed accompaniment4 ,this is its signification in the ,new ,testament 7,rom4 xv4 #i2 #a ,cor4 xiv4 #ae2 ,eph4 v4 #ai72--to sing praise to ,god4 ,st4 ,james1 therefore1 regards music as a natural and reasonable mode of expressing joyous feelings2 and few will care to dispute that it is so2 and it is evident that he is thinking chiefly1 if not exclusively1 of the joyous ,christian singing by himself1 rather than of his joining in psalms and hymns in the public worship of the congregation4 ,a portion of ,hooker's noble vindication of music as a part of religious worship may here with advantage be quoted4 ,touching musical harmony1 whether by instrument or by voice1 it being but of high and low in sounds a due proportionable disposition1 such1 notwithstanding1 is the force thereof1 and so pleasing effects it hath in that very part of man which is most divine1 that some have been thereby induced to think that the soul itself1 by nature1 is or hath in it harmony4 ,a thing which delighteth all ages and beseemeth all states2 a thing as seasonable in grief as in joy2 as decent being added unto actions of greatest weight and solemnity1 as being used when men most sequester themselves from action4 ,the reason hereof is an admirable facility which music hath to express and represent to the mind1 more inwardly than any other sensible mean1 the very standing1 rising1 and falling1 the very steps and inflexions every way1 the turns and varieties of all passions whereunto the mind is subject2 yea1 so to imitate them that whether it resemble unto us the same state wherein our minds already are1 or a clean contrary1 we are not more contentedly by the one confirmed1 than changed and led away by the other4444 ,so that although we lay altogether aside the consideration of ditty or matter1 the very harmony of sounds being framed in due sort1 and carried from the ear to the spiritual faculties of our souls1 is by a native puissance and efficacy greatly available to bring to a perfect temper whatsoever is there troubled1 apt as well to quicken the spirits as to allay that which is too eager1 sovereign against melancholy and despair1 forcible to draw forth tears of devotion if the mind be such as can yield them1 able both to move and to moderate all affections4 ,the ,prophet ,david having therefore singular knowledge1 not in poetry alone1 but in music also1 judged them both to be things most necessary for the house of ,god1 left behind him to that purpose a number of ,divinely indited poems1 and was farther the author of adding unto poetry melody both vocal and instrumental1 for the raising up of men's hearts1 and the sweetening of their affections towards ,god4 ,in which considerations the ,church of ,christ doth likewise at this present day retain it as an ornament to ,god's service1 and an help to our own devotion4 ,they which1 under pretence of the ,law ceremonial abrogated1 require the abrogation of instrumental music1 approving nevertheless the use of vocal melody to remain1 must show some reason wherefore the one should be thought a legal ceremony1 and not the other 7,eccles4 ,pol41 ,v4 xxxviii4 #a1 #b74 ,it hardly needs to be stated that it is not necessary to be able to sing in order to observe this precept of ,st4 ,james4 ,the singing and making melody with our hearts to the ,lord of which ,st4 ,paul writes to the ,ephesians 7v4 #ai7 is all that is necessary2 giving thanks always for all things in the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ to ,god1 even the ,father4 ,the lifting up of the heart is enough1 without the lifting up of the voice2 and if the voice be lifted up also1 it is of little account1 either to the soul or to ,god1 whether its tones be musical1 always provided that he who thus offers praise is alone1 and not in the congregation4 ,those who have no music in their voices1 and yet persist in joining aloud in the singing of public service1 are wanting in charity4 ,in order to gratify themselves1 they disturb the devotions of others4 ,and that principle applies to many other things in public worship1 especially to details of ritual other than those which are generally observed4 ,there would be much less difficulty about such things if each member of the congregation were to ask1 ,by doing this1 or by refusing to do it1 am ,i likely to distract my neighbours in their worship8 ,ought not the answer to that question to be conclusive as regards turning or not turning to the ,east at the creed1 bowing or not bowing the head at the ,gloria ,patri1 and the like8 ,we come to church to be calmed1 sobered1 soothed1 not to be fretted and vexed4 ,let us take care that our own behaviour is such as not to irritate others4 ,by our self-will we may be creating or augmenting mental excitement1 which1 as ,st4 ,james tells us1 worship1 whether public or private1 ought to cure4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,elders ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,,the ,,anointing ,,of ,,the ,,sick ,,and ,,extreme ,,unction4 ,is any among you sick8 let him call for the elders of the ,church2 and let them pray over him1 anointing him with oil in the name of the ,lord3 and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick1 and the ,lord shall raise him up2 and if he have committed sins1 it shall be forgiven him4--,,st4 ,,james v4 #ad-ae4 ,two subjects stand out prominently in this interesting passage--the elders of the ,church1 and the anointing of the sick4 ,the connexion of the passage with what immediately precedes is close and obvious4 ,after charging his readers in general terms to resort to prayer when they are in trouble1 ,st4 ,james takes a particular and very common instance of trouble1 viz4 bodily sickness1 and gives more detailed directions as to the way in which the man in trouble is to make use of the relief and remedy of prayer4 ,he is not to be content with giving expression to his need in private prayer to ,god2 he is to call for the elders of the ,church4 ,i4 ,the first thing to be noted in connexion with this sending for the elders of the congregation by the sick man is1 that in this ,epistle1 which is one of the very earliest among the ,christian writings which have come down to us1 we already find a distinction made between clergy and laity4 ,this distinction runs through the whole of the ,new ,testament4 ,we find it in the earliest writing of all1 the ,first ,epistle to the ,thessalonians1 in which the ,christians of ,thessalonica are exhorted to know them that labour among you1 and are over you in the ,lord1 and admonish you2 and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work's sake 7v4 #ab1 #ac74 ,and here ,st4 ,james assumes as a matter of course1 that every congregation has elders1 that is a constituted ecclesiastical government4 ,compare with these the precept in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 ,obey them that have the rule over you1 and submit to them3 for they watch in behalf of your souls1 as they that shall give account 7xiii4 #ag72 and the frequent directions in the ,pastoral ,epistles 7#a ,tim4 iii4 #a-ac2 iv4 #f1 #ac1 #ad2 v4 #ag1 #ai1 #bb2 ,tit4 i4 #e-i2 ii4 #ae2 #b ,tim4 i4 #f1 #ad2 ii4 #b2 iv4 #e74 ,what the precise functions of the clergy were is not told us with much detail or precision2 but it is quite clear1 from the passage before us1 and those which have been quoted above1 that whatever the functions were1 they were spiritual rather than secular1 and were duties which a select minority had to exercise in reference to the rest2 they were not such as any one might exercise towards any one4 ,in the present case the sick person is not to send for any members of the congregation1 but for certain who hold a definite1 and apparently an official position4 ,if any ,christians could discharge the function in question1 ,st4 ,james would not have given the sick person the trouble of summoning the elders rather than those people who chanced to be near at hand4 ,and it is quite clear that not all ,christians are over all other ,christians in the ,lord2 that not all are to rule1 and all to obey and submit2 therefore not all have the same authority to admonish others1 or to watch in behalf of their souls1 as they that shall give account4#ic ,the reason why the elders are to be summoned is stated in different ways by different writers1 but with a large amount of substantial agreement4 ,as being those in whom the power and grace of the ,holy ,spirit more particularly appeared1 says ,calvin4 ,because when they pray it is not much less than if the whole ,church prayed1 says ,bengel4 ,st4 ,james1 says ,neander1 regards the presbyters in the light of organs of the ,church1 acting in its name2 and1 ,as the presbyters acted in the name of the whole ,church1 and each one as a member of the body felt that he needed its sympathy and intercession1 and might count upon it2 individuals should therefore1 in cases of sickness1 send for the presbyters of the ,church4 ,these were to offer prayer on their behalf4 ,the intercession which ,st4 ,james recommends1 says ,stier1 is intercession for the sick on the part of the representatives of the ,church1 444 not merely the intercession of friends or brethren as such1 but in the name of the whole community1 one of whose members is suffering4 ,it is altogether beside the mark to suggest that the elders were summoned as people of the greatest experience1 who perhaps also were specially skilled in medicine4 ,of that there is not only no hint1 but the context excludes the idea4 ,if that were in the writer's mind1 why does he not say at once1 ,let him call for the physicians8 ,if the healing art is to be thought of at all in connexion with the passage1 the case is one in which medicine has already done all that it can1 or in which it can do nothing at all4 ,st4 ,james would doubtless approve the advice given by the son of ,sirach3 ,my son1 in thy sickness be not negligent2 but pray unto the ,lord1 and ,he will make thee whole 7,ecclus4 xxxviii4 #i74 ,this exactly agrees with the precept1 ,is any among you suffering8 let him pray4 ,then give place to the physician1 for the ,lord hath created him3 let him not go from thee1 for thou hast need of him4 ,there is a time when in their hands there is good success 7#ab1 #ac74 ,to this there is no equivalent in ,st4 ,james2 but he says nothing that is inconsistent with it4 ,then1 after the physician has done his part1 and perhaps in vain1 would come the summoning of the elders to offer prayer4 ,but it is simpler to suppose that the physician's part is left out of the account altogether4 ,,ii4 ,the second point of interest is the anointing of the sick person by the elders4 ,that what is said here affords no ,scriptural authority for the ,roman rite of ,extreme ,unction1 is one of the commonplaces of criticism4 ,one single fact is quite conclusive4 ,the object of the unction prescribed by ,st4 ,james is the recovery of the sick person2 whereas ,extreme ,unction1 as its name implies1 is never administered until the sick person's recovery is considered to be almost or quite hopeless1 and death imminent2 the possibility of bodily healing is not entirely excluded1 but it is not the main purpose of the rite4 ,the only other passage in the ,new ,testament in which the unction of the sick is mentioned is equally at variance with the ,roman rite4 ,we are told by ,st4 ,mark that the ,twelve1 when sent out by ,christ two and two1 anointed with oil many that were sick1 and healed them 7vi4 #ac74 ,here also recovery1 and not preparation for death1 was the purpose of the anointing1 which the ,apostles seem to have practised on their own responsibility1 for it is not mentioned in the charge which ,christ gave them when ,he sent them out 7#g-aa74 ,but there is this amount of connexion between these two passages of ,scripture and the ,roman sacrament of ,extreme ,unction1 viz4 that the latter grew out of ecclesiastical practices which were based upon these passages4 ,as in not a few other instances1 development has brought about a state of things which is inconsistent with the original starting-point4 ,but in order to understand the development we must understand the starting-point1 and that requires us to find an answer to the question1 ,what purpose was the oil intended to serve8 ,was it purely symbolical8 and if so1 of what8 ,was it merely for the refreshment of the sick person1 giving relief to parched skin and stiffened limbs8 ,was it medicinal1 with a view to a permanent cure by natural means8 ,was it the channel or instrument of a supernatural cure8 ,was it an aid to the sick person's faith8 ,one or both of the last two suggestions may be accepted as the most probable solution4 ,and the reason why oil was selected as a channel of ,divine power and an aid to faith was1 that it was believed to have healing properties4 ,it is easier to believe when visible means are used than when nothing is visible1 and it is still easier to believe when the visible means appear to be likely to contribute to the desired effect4 ,christ twice used spittle in curing blindness1 probably because spittle was believed to be beneficial to the eyesight4 ,and that oil was supposed to be efficacious as medicine is plain from numerous passages both in and outside of ,holy ,scripture4 ,from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it2 but wounds1 and bruises1 and festering sores3 they have not been closed1 nor bound up1 neither mollified with oil 7,isa4 i4 #f74 ,the ,good ,samaritan poured wine and oil into the wounds of the man who fell among robbers 7,luke x4 #cd74 ,a mixture of oil and wine was used for the malady which attacked the army of lius ,gallus1 and was applied both externally and internally 7,dion ,cass4 ,,liii4 #bi2 ,strabo ,,xvi41 p4 #ghj74 ,his physicians caused ,herod the ,great to be bathed in a vessel full of oil when he was supposed to be at death's door 7,josephus1 ,ant4 ,,xvii4 vi4 #e74 ,celsus recommends rubbing with oil in the case of fevers and some other ailments 7,de ,med4 ,,ii4 #ad1 #ag2 ,,iii4 #f1 #i1 #ai1 #bb2 ,,iv4 #b74id ,but it is obvious that ,st4 ,james does not recommend the oil merely as medicine1 for he does not say that the oil shall cure the sick person1 nor yet that the oil with prayer shall do so2 but that the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick1 without mentioning the oil at all4 ,on the other hand1 he says that the anointing is to be done by the elders in the name of the ,lord4 ,if the anointing were merely medicinal1 it might have been performed by any one1 without waiting for the elders4 ,and it can hardly be supposed that oil was believed to be a remedy for all diseases4 ,on the other hand1 it seems to be too much to say that the anointing had nothing to do with bodily healing at all1 and was simply a means of grace for the sick4 ,thus ,dllinger says1 ,this is no gift of healing1 for that was not confined to the presbyters2 and for that ,christ prescribed not unction1 but laying on of hands4 ,had he meant that1 ,st4 ,james would have bidden or advised the sick to send for one who possessed this gift1 whether presbyter or layman4444 ,what was to be conveyed by this medium was1 therefore1 only sometimes recovery or relief1 always consolation1 revival of confidence and forgiveness of sins1 on condition1 of course1 of faith and repentance 7,first ,age of the ,church1 p4 #bce1 ,oxenham's translation1 #bnd ed43 ,allen1 #ahfg74 ,but although the gift of healing was not confined to the elders1 yet in certain cases they may have exercised it2 and although ,christ prescribed the laying on of hands 7,mark xvi4 #ah71 yet the ,apostles sometimes healed by anointing with oil 7,mark vi4 #ac74 ,and that shall save him that is sick 7 7 means shall cure him1 is clear both from the context1 and also from the use of the same word elsewhere4 ,daughter1 be of good cheer2 thy faith hath saved thee1 to the woman with the issue of blood 7,matt4 ix4 #bb74 ,jairus prays1 ,come and lay ,thy hands on her1 that she may be saved 7,mark v4 #bc74 ,the disciples say of ,lazarus1 ,lord1 if he is fallen asleep1 he will be saved 7,john xi4 #ab74 ,and the ,lord shall raise him up makes this interpretation still more certain4 ,the same expression is used of ,simon's wife's mother 7,mark i4 #ca74 ,the ,lord is ,christ1 not the ,father1 both here and in the ,name of the ,lord4 ,thus ,st4 ,peter says to neas1 ,jesus ,christ healeth thee 7,acts ix4 #cd4 ,comp4 iii4 #f1 #af2 v4 #aj74 ,that ,st4 ,james makes the promise of recovery without any restriction may at first sight appear to be surprising2 but in this he is only following the example of our ,lord1 who makes similar promises1 and leaves it to the thought and experience of ,christians to find out the limitations to them4 ,st4 ,james is only applying to a particular case what ,christ promised in general terms4 ,all things1 whatsoever ye pray and ask for1 believe that ye have received them1 and ye shall have them 7,mark xi4 #bd4 ,comp4 ,matt4 xvii4 #bj74 ,if ye shall ask ,me anything in ,my ,name1 ,i will do it 7,john xiv4 #ad74 ,if ye shall ask anything of the ,father1 ,he will give it you in ,my ,name 7,john xvi4 #bc74 ,the words in ,my ,name point to the limitation2 they do not1 of course1 refer to the use of the formula through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 but to the exercise of the spirit of ,christ3 ,not ,my will1 but ,thine be done4 ,the union of our will with the will of ,god is the very first condition of successful prayer4 ,the ,apostles themselves had no indiscriminate power of healing4 ,st4 ,paul did not heal ,epaphroditus1 much as he yearned for his recovery 7,phil4 ii4 #bg74 ,he left ,trophimus at ,miletus sick 7#b ,tim4 iv4 #bj74 ,he did not cure his own thorn in the flesh 7#b ,cor4 xii4 #g-i74 ,how1 then1 can we suppose that ,st4 ,james credited the elders of every congregation with an unrestricted power of healing8 ,he leaves it to the common sense and ,christian submission of his readers to understand that the elders have no power to cancel the sentence of death pronounced on the whole human race4 ,to pray that any one should be exempt from this sentence would be not faith1 but presumption4 ,of the employment of the rite here prescribed by ,st4 ,james we have very little evidence in the early ages of the ,church4 ,tertullian mentions a cure by anointing1 but it is not quite a case in point4 ,the ,emperor ,septimius ,severus believed that he had been cured from an illness through oil administered by a ,christian named ,proculus ,torpacion1 steward of ,evodias1 and in gratitude for it he maintained him in the palace for the rest of his life 7,ad4 ,scap4 iv474 ,origen1 in the second ,homily on ,leviticus 7iv471 quotes the passage from ,st4 ,james1 and seems to understand the sickness to be that of sin4 ,he interpolates thus3 ,let him call for the elders of the ,church1 and let them lay their hands on him1 anointing him with oil1 etc4 ,this perhaps tells us how the rite was administered in ,alexandria in his time2 or it may mean that ,origen understood the pray over him 7' 7 of ,st4 ,james to signify imposition of hands4 ,with him1 then1 the forgiveness of sins is the healing4 ,a century and a half later ,chrysostom takes a further step1 and employs the passage to show that priests have the power of absolution4 ,for not only at the time when they regenerate us1 but afterwards also1 they have authority to forgive sins4 ,and then he quotes ,james v4 #ad1 #ae 7,de ,sacerd4 ,,iii4 #f74 ,it is evident that this is quite alien to the passage4 ,the sickness and the sins are plainly distinguished by ,st4 ,james1 and nothing is said about absolution by the elders1 who pray for his recovery1 and 7no doubt7 for his forgiveness4 ,when we reach the sixth century the evidence for the custom of anointing the sick with holy oil becomes abundant4 ,at first any one with a reputation for sanctity might bless the oil--not only laymen1 but women4 ,but in the ,west the rule gradually spread from ,rome that the sacred oil for the sick must be made by the bishop4 ,in the ,east this has never been observed4 ,theodore of ,tarsus1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 says that according to the ,greeks it is lawful for presbyters to make the chrism for the sick4 ,and this rule continues to this day4 ,one priest suffices2 but it is desirable to get seven1 if possible4 ,but the chief step in the development is taken when not only the blessing of the oil1 but the administering of it to the sick1 is reserved to the clergy4 ,in ,bede's time this restriction was not yet made1 as is clear from his comments on the passage1 although even then it was customary for priests to administer the unction4 ,but by the tenth century this restriction had probably become general4 ,it became connected with the communion of the sick1 which of course required a priest1 and then with the ,viaticum1 or communion of the dying2 but even then the unction seems to have preceded the last communion4 ,the name ,extreme ,unction 7unctio extrema71 as a technical ecclesiastical term1 is not older than the twelfth century4 ,other terms are ,last ,oil 7ultimum oleum7 and ,sacrament of the ,departing 7sacramentum exeuntium74 ,but when we have reached these phrases we are very far indeed from the ordinance prescribed by ,st4 ,james1 and from that which was practised by the ,apostles4 ,jeremy ,taylor1 in the dedication of the ,holy ,dying1 says fairly enough1 ,the fathers of the ,council of ,trent first disputed1 and after their manner at last agreed1 that ,extreme ,unction was instituted by ,christ2 but afterwards being admonished by one of their theologues that the ,apostles ministered unction to infirm people before they were priests1 for fear that it should be thought that this unction might be administered by him that was no priest1 they blotted out the word 'instituted1' and put in its stead 'insinuated' this sacrament1 and that it was published by ,st4 ,james4 ,so it is in their doctrine2 and yet in their anathematisms they curse all them that shall deny it to have been instituted by ,christ4 ,i shall lay no prejudice against it1 but add this only1 that there being but two places of ,scripture pretended for this ceremony1 some chief men of their own side have proclaimed these two invalid as to the institution of it2 and he mentions in particular ,suarez and ,cajetan4 ,but he states more than he can know when he declares of ,extreme ,unction that since it is used when the man is above half dead1 when he can exercise no act of understanding1 it must needs be nothing4 ,those who receive the rite are not always unconscious2 and is it certain that an unconscious person can exercise no act of the understanding1 or that prayer for one who can exercise no act of the understanding must needs be nothing8 ,with similar want of caution ,stier speaks of the superstition which sends for the minister to 'pray over the sick1' when these have scarce any consciousness left4 ,whether or no ,extreme ,unction is an edifying ceremony is a question worthy of argument1 and nothing is here urged on either side2 but we are going beyond our knowledge if we assert that it can have no effect on the dying man2 and we are unduly limiting the power of prayer if we affirm that to pray for one who has lost consciousness is a useless superstition4 ,all that is contended for here is1 that the ,roman rite is something very different from that which is ordered by ,st4 ,james4#ie ,and if he have committed sins1 it shall be forgiven him4 ,we ought perhaps rather to translate1 ,even if he have committed sins1 it shall be forgiven him4 7,the ,greek is not or 1 but 1 for which comp4 ,john viii4 #ad2 x4 #ch2 xi4 #be74 ,the meaning would seem to be1 even if his sickness has been produced by his sins1 his sin shall be forgiven1 and his sickness cured4 ,it is possible1 but unnatural1 to join the first clause of this sentence with the preceding one3 the ,lord shall raise him up1 even if he have committed sins4 ,in that case ,it shall be forgiven him forms a very awkward independent sentence1 without conjunction4 ,the ordinary arrangement of the clauses is much better3 even if the malady is the effect of the man's own wrong-doing1 the prayer offered by faith--his faith1 and that of the elders--shall still prevail4 ,st4 ,paul tells the ,corinthians that their misconduct respecting the ,lord's ,supper had caused much sickness among them1 and not a few deaths 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #cj72 and such direct punishments of sin were not confined to the ,corinthian ,church nor to the ,apostolic age4 ,they still occur in abundance1 and those who experience them have the assurance of ,scripture that if they repent and pray in faith their sins will certainly be forgiven1 and their punishment possibly removed4 #ic ,the question of the ,origin of the ,christian ,ministry has been discussed in another volume of this series4 ,see the ,pastoral ,epistles1 pp4 #ajd-aag 7,hodder and ,stoughton1 #ahhh74 #id ,for additional evidence see ,j4 ,c4 ,wolf1 ,cur ,philol4 et ,crit4 ,v41 pp4 #gi-ha2 ,lightfoot1 ,hor ,hebr4 ,,ii41 pp4 #cjd1 #ddd1 on ,matt4 vi4 #ag and ,mark vi4 #ac2 ,launoi1 ,de ,sacramento ,unctionis ,infirmorum1 ,i41 p4 #ddd4 #ie ,see letters in the ,guardian of ,mar4 #ab1 #ai1 ,apr4 #i1 #af1 #bc1 ,may #g1 #ahij2 pp4 #ddg1 #dha1 #eid1 #fcc1 #fhb1 #gfc4 ,in the ,visitation of the ,sick in the ,first ,prayer ,book of ,edward ,,vi4 there is provision for the older rite3 ,if the sicke person desyre to be annoynted1 then shall the priest annoynte him upon the forehead or breast only1 making the signe of the crosse1 saying thus1 ,as with this visible oyle thy body outwardly is annoynted3 so our heavenly father almyghtye ,god graunt of his infinite goodnesse1 that thy soule inwardly may be annoynted with the holy gost1 who is the spirite of al strength1 comforte1 reliefe1 and gladnesse4 ,and vouchsafe for his great mercy 7yf it be his blessed will7 to restore unto thee thy bodely helth and strength1 to serve him1 etc4 ,readers of the ,confessions will remember how ,st4 ,augustine on one occasion asked his friends to pray that he might be freed from great pain1 and forthwith found relief4 ,i have neither forgotten nor will be silent about the severity of ,thy scourge1 and the marvellous speed of ,thy mercy4 ,thou didst then torture me with toothache 7he says elsewhere that this was so grievous that he could learn nothing fresh1 but could only think of what he already knew71 and when the pain became so severe that ,i was unable to speak the thought rose in my heart to urge all my friends who were present to pray for me to ,thee1 the ,god of all health4 ,and ,i wrote this on a waxen tablet1 and gave it to them to read4 ,presently1 as with suppliant desire we bowed our knees1 that great pain fled away4 ,but what pain8 and how did it flee8 ,i confess1 my ,lord and my ,god1 that it frightened me2 for from my earliest days ,i had experienced nothing like it 7,,ix4 iv4 #ab74 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,public ,,and ,,private ,,confession ,,of ,,sins4 ,,the ,,lawfulness ,,of ,,prayers ,,for ,,rain4 ,confess therefore your sins one to another1 and pray one for another1 that ye may be healed4 ,the supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working4 ,elijah was a man of like passions with us1 and he prayed fervently that it might not rain2 and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months4 ,and he prayed again2 and the heaven gave rain1 and the earth brought forth her fruit4--,,st4 ,,james v4 #af-ah4 ,the connexion of this passage with the preceding one is very close4 ,this is evident even in the ,authorized ,version2 but it is made still more manifest by the ,revisers1 who have restored the connecting therefore to the text upon overwhelming authority4 ,st4 ,james is passing from the particular case of the sick person to something more general1 viz4 mutual confession of sins4 ,if we draw out his thought in full1 it will be something of this kind3 ,even if the sick person be suffering the consequences of his sins1 nevertheless the faith and prayers of the elders1 combined with his own1 shall prevail for his forgiveness and healing4 ,of course he must confess and bewail his sins3 if he does not admit them and repent of them1 he can hope for nothing4 ,therefore you ought all of you habitually to confess your sins to one another1 and to intercede for one another1 in order that when sickness comes upon you1 you may the more readily be healed4 ,it is not quite certain that the word rendered ye may be healed 77 ought to be limited to bodily healing2 but the context seems to imply that the cure of bodily disorders is still in the mind of ,st4 ,james4 ,if1 however1 with various commentators1 we take it to mean that your souls may be healed1 then there is no need to supply any such thought as when sickness comes upon you4 ,it might surprise us to find that the practice of auricular confession to a priest is deduced from the precept1 ,confess your sins one to another1 if we had not the previous experience of finding the rite of ,extreme ,unction deduced from the precept respecting the anointing of the sick4 ,but here also ,cajetan has the credit of admitting that no ,scriptural authority for the ,roman practice can be found in the words of ,st4 ,james4 ,the all-important to one another 77 is quite fatal to the interpretation of confession to a priest4 ,if the confession of a layman to a priest is meant1 then the confession of a priest to a layman is equally meant3 the words1 whether in the ,greek or in the ,english1 cannot be otherwise understood4 ,but the injunction is evidently quite general1 and the distinction between clergy and laity does not enter into it at all3 each ,christian1 whether elder or layman1 is to confess to other ,christians1 whether elders or laymen1 either to one or to many1 as the case may be4 ,when the sick person just spoken of confessed his sins1 he confessed them to the elders of the ,church1 because they were present2 they did not come to receive his confession1 but to pray for him and to anoint him4 ,he sent for them1 not because he wished to confess to them1 but because he was sick4 ,even if he had had nothing to confess to them--a case evidently contemplated by ,st4 ,james as not only possible1 but common--he would still have sent for them4 ,so far from its being among their functions as elders to hear the sick man's confession1 ,st4 ,james seems rather to imply that he ought to have made it previously to others4 ,if ,christians habitually confess their sins to one another1 there will be no special confession required when any of them falls ill4 ,but granting that this interpretation of his brief directions is not quite certain1 it is quite certain that what he commends is the confession of any ,christian to any ,christian1 and not the confession of laity to presbyters4 ,about that he says nothing1 either one way or the other1 for it is not in his mind4 ,he neither sanctions nor forbids it1 but he gives a direction which shows that as regards the duty of confession to man1 the normal condition of things is for any ,christian to confess to any ,christian4 ,the important point is that the sinner should not keep his guilty secret locked up in his own bosom2 to whom he should tell it is left to his own discretion4 ,as ,tertullian says1 in his treatise ,on ,penance1 ,confession of sins lightens as much as concealment 7dissimulatio7 aggravates them4 ,for confession is prompted by the desire to make amends2 concealment is prompted by contumacy 7viii474 ,similarly ,origen1 on ,psalm xxxvii43 ,see1 therefore1 what the ,divine ,scripture teaches us1 that we must not conceal sin within us4 ,for just as1 it may be1 people who have undigested food detained inside them1 or are otherwise grievously oppressed internally1 if they vomit1 obtain relief1 so they also who have sinned1 if they conceal and retain the sin1 are oppressed inwardly4 ,but if the sinner becomes his own accuser1 accuses himself and confesses1 he at the same time vomits out both the sin and the whole cause of his malady 7,homil4 ,,ii4 #f74 ,in much the same strain ,chrysostom writes1 ,sin1 if it is confessed1 becomes less2 but if it is not confessed1 worse2 for if the sinner adds shamelessness and obstinacy to his sin1 he will never stop4 ,how1 indeed1 will such a one be at all able to guard himself from falling again into the same sins1 if in the earlier case he was not conscious that he sinned4444 ,let us not merely call ourselves sinners1 but let us make a reckoning of our sins1 counting them according to their kind1 one by one4444 ,if thou art of the persuasion that thou art a sinner1 this is not able so much to humble thy soul as the very catalogue of thy sins examined into according to their kind 7,homil4 xxx4 in ,ep4 ad ,hebr47 ,all these writers have this main point in common1 that a sinner who does not confess what he has done amiss is likely to become careless and hardened4 ,and the principle is at least as old as the ,book of ,proverbs3 ,he that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper3 but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy 7xxviii4 #ac74 ,but1 as the context clearly shows in each case1 they are each of them writing of a different kind of confession4 ,the confession 7exomologesis7 which ,tertullian so urgently recommends is public confession before the congregation2 that which ,origen advises is private confession to an individual1 particularly with a view to deciding whether public confession is expedient4 ,what ,chrysostom prefers1 both here and elsewhere in his writings1 is secret confession to ,god3 ,i say not to thee1 ,make a parade of thyself2 nor yet1 ,accuse thyself in the presence of the others4444 ,before ,god confess these things2 before the ,judge ever confess thy sins1 praying1 if not with the tongue1 at any rate with the heart1 and in this way ask for mercy4 ,all which is in accordance with the principle laid down by ,st4 ,john1 ,if we confess our sins--our sins in detail1 not the mere fact that we have sinned--,he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 7#a ,john i4 #i74 ,bellarmine has the courage to claim not only ,st4 ,james1 but ,st4 ,john1 as teaching confession to a priest 7,de ,pnit4 ,,iii4 iv472 but it is manifest that ,st4 ,john is speaking of confession to ,god1 without either approving or condemning confession to man1 and that ,st4 ,james is speaking of the latter1 without saying anything about the former4 ,but just as ,st4 ,james leaves to the penitent's discretion the question to whom he shall confess1 whether to clergy or laity1 so also he leaves it to his discretion whether he shall confess to one or to many1 and whether in private or in public4#if ,in the second1 third1 and fourth centuries public confession was commonly part of public penance4 ,and the object of it is well stated by ,hooker3 ,offenders in secret were persuaded that if the ,church did direct them in the offices of their penitency1 and assist them with public prayer1 they should more easily obtain that they sought than by trusting wholly to their own endeavours4 ,the primitive view1 he holds1 was this3 ,public confession they thought necessary by way of discipline1 not private confession as in the nature of a sacrament 7,eccl4 ,pol41 ,,vi4 iv4 #b1 #f74 ,but experience soon showed that indiscriminate public confession of grievous sins was very mischievous4 ,therefore in the ,east1 and 7if ,sozomen is correct7 at ,rome also1 penitentiary presbyters were appointed to decide for penitents whether their sins must be confessed to the congregation or not4 ,thus1 what ,origen advises each penitent to do for himself1 viz4 seek a wise adviser respecting the expediency of public confession and penance1 was formally done for every one4 ,but in ,a4,d4 #cia1 ,nectarius1 the predecessor of ,chrysostom in the see of ,constantinople1 was persuaded to abolish the office1 apparently because a penitentiary presbyter had sanctioned public confession in a case which caused great scandal2 but neither ,socrates 7,v4 xix47 nor ,sozomen 7,,vii4 xvi47 makes this point very clear4 ,the consequence of the abolition was that each person was left to his own discretion1 and public penance fell into disuse4 ,but public confession had other disadvantages4 ,private enmity made use of these confessions to annoy1 and even to prosecute the penitent4 ,moreover1 the clergy sometimes proclaimed to the congregation what had been told them in confidence2 that is1 they made public confession on behalf of the sinner without his consent4 ,whereupon ,leo the ,great1 in a letter to the ,bishops of ,apulia and ,campania1 ,march #fth1 ,a4,d4 #dei1 sanctioned the practice of private confession 7,ep4 clxviii4 cxxxvi474 ,thus1 in the ,west1 as previously in the ,east1 a severe blow was given to the practice of public confession and penance4 ,but it is probable that the origin1 or at least the chief encouragement1 of the practice of auricular confession is rather to be looked for in monasticism4 ,offences against the rule of the ,order had to be confessed before the whole community2 and it was assumed that the only other grave offences likely to happen in the monastic life would be those of thought4 ,these had to be confessed in private to the abbat4 ,the influences of monasticism were by no means bounded by the monastery walls2 and it is probable that the rule of private confession by the brethren to the abbat had much to do with the custom of private confession by the laity to the priest4 ,but it is carefully to be noted that for a considerable period the chief considerations are the penitent's admission of his sins and the fixing of the penance4 ,only gradually does the further idea of the absolution of the penitent by the body or the individual that hears the confession come in2 and at last it becomes the main idea4 ,confession once a year to a priest was made compulsory by the ,lateran ,council in #abae2 but various local synods had made similar regulations at earlier periods2 e4g4 the ,council of ,toulouse in #aabi1 and of ,lige in #gaj4ig ,but when we have reached these regulations we have once more advanced very far indeed beyond what is prescribed by ,st4 ,james in this ,epistle4 ,there cannot be much doubt what is the main idea with ,st4 ,james3 ,confess therefore your sins one to another1 and pray one for another1 that ye may be healed4 ,the supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working4 ,elijah 444 prayed fervently4444 ,and he prayed again1 etc4 ,it is in order that we may induce others to pray for us that we are to confess our sins to them2 and this is the great motive which underlies the public confession of the primitive ,church4 ,as ,hooker well expresses it1 ,the greatest thing which made men forward and willing upon their knees to confess whatever they had committed against ,god 444 was their fervent desire to be helped and assisted with the prayers of ,god's saints4 ,and the meaning of these prayers is strikingly expressed by ,tertullian1 who thus addresses the penitent in need of such intercession3 ,where one and two meet1 there is a ,church2 and a ,church is ,christ4 ,therefore1 when thou dost stretch forth thy hands to the knees of thy brethren1 it is ,christ that thou touchest1 ,christ on whom thou prevailest4 ,just so1 when they shed tears over thee1 it is ,christ who feels compassion1 ,christ who is entreating the ,father4 ,readily doth ,he ever grant that which the ,son requests 7,de ,pnit4 x474 ,to unburden his own heart was one benefit of the penitent's confession2 to obtain the intercession of others for his forgiveness and recovery was another2 and the latter was the chief reason for confessing to man2 confession to ,god might effect the other4 ,the primitive forms of absolution1 when confession was made to a priest1 were precatory rather than declaratory4 ,may the ,lord absolve thee 7,dominus absolvat7 was changed in the ,west to ,i absolve thee1 in the twelfth century4 ,from the ,sarum ,office the latter formula passed into the ,first ,prayer ,book of ,edward ,,vi41 in the ,visitation of the ,sick1 and has remained there unchanged2 but in #aeeb the concluding words of the preceding rubric1 and the same forme of absolucion shalbe used in all pryvate confessions1 were omitted4#ih ,in the ,greek ,church the form of absolution after private confession is precatory3-- ,o my spiritual child1 who dost confess to my humility1 ,i1 a humble sinner1 have no power on earth to remit sins4 ,this ,god alone can do4 ,yet by reason of that ,divine charge which was committed to the ,apostles after the resurrection of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 in the words1 ,whose soever sins ye forgive1 etc41 and by that encouraged1 we say1 ,whatsoever thou hast confessed to my most lowly humility1 and whatsoever thou hast omitted to confess1 either through ignorance or any forgetfulness1 may ,god forgive thee1 both in this world and in that which is to come4 ,and this is followed by a prayer very similar to the absolution3 ,god 444 forgive thee1 by the ministry of me a sinner1 all thy sins1 both in this world and in that which is to come1 and present thee blameless at ,his dread tribunal4 ,go in peace1 and think no more of the faults which thou hast confessed4 ,the we say holds fast to the doctrine that it is to the ,church as a whole1 and not to ,peter or any individual minister1 that the words1 ,whose soever sins ye forgive1 they are forgiven unto them 7,john xx4 #bc71 were spoken4 ,the supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working4 ,the effectual earnest prayer of the ,authorized ,version cannot be justified3 either effectual or earnest must be struck out1 as there is only one word 77 in the original2 moreover1 the word for prayer is not the same as before 71 not 74 ,but it may be doubted whether earnest is not better than in its working4 ,perhaps in its earnestness would be better than either3 ,great is the strength of a righteous man's supplication1 in its earnestness4 ,the example by which ,st4 ,james proves the efficacy of a righteous man's prayer is interesting and important in two respects3-- #a4 ,it is the only evidence that we have that the great drought in the time of ,ahab was prayed for by ,elijah1 and it is the only direct evidence that he prayed for the rain which put an end to it4 ,we are told that ,elijah prophesied the drought 7#a ,kings xvii4 #a7 and the rain 7#a ,kings xviii4 #da72 and that before the rain he put himself in an attitude of prayer1 with his face between his knees 7ver4 #db72 but that he prayed1 and for the rain which he had foretold1 is not stated4 ,whether the statement made by ,st4 ,james is an inference from these statements1 or based on independent tradition1 must remain uncertain4 ,we read in ,ecclesiasticus of ,elijah that by the word of the ,lord he shut up 7held back7 the heaven 7xlviii4 #c72 but that seems to refer to prophecy rather than to prayer4 ,the difference1 if there be any1 between the duration of the drought as stated here and by ,st4 ,luke 7iv4 #be71 and as stated in the ,book of the ,kings1 will not be a stumbling-block to any who recognize that inspiration does not necessarily make a man infallible in chronology4 ,three and a half years 7 #db months #a1bfj days7 was the traditional duration of times of great calamity 7,dan4 vii4 #be2 xii4 #g2 ,rev4 xi4 #b1 #c2 xii4 #f1 #ad2 xiii4 #e74 #b4 ,this passage supplies us with ,biblical authority for prayers for changes of weather1 and the like2 for the conduct of ,elijah is evidently put before us for our imitation4 ,st4 ,james carefully guards against the objection that ,elijah was a man gifted with miraculous powers1 and therefore no guide for ordinary people1 by asserting that he was a man of like nature 77 with ourselves4 ,and let us concede1 for the sake of argument1 that ,st4 ,james may have been mistaken in believing that ,elijah prayed for the drought and for the rain2 yet still the fact remains that an inspired ,new ,testament writer puts before us1 for our encouragement in prayer1 a case in which prayers for changes of weather were made and answered4 ,and he certainly exhorts us to pray for the recovery of the sick1 which is an analogous case4 ,this kind of prayer seems to require special consideration4 ,is it1 then1 according to the ,divine will that when we are individually suffering from the regularity of the course of nature--suffering1 for instance1 from the want of rain1 or the superabundance of it--we should ask ,god to interfere with that regularity8 ,that in such circumstances we should pray for submission to the ,divine will1 and for such wisdom as shall lead to compliance with it in the future1 is a matter of course1 and results inevitably from the relation between the spiritual ,father and the spiritual child4 ,but ought we to go farther than this8 ,ought we to pray1 expecting that our prayer will be effectual1 that ,god may interfere with the fixed sequences of nature8 ,let us try to realize what would follow if we offered such prayer and prevailed4 ,in a world-wide ,church each believer would constitute himself a judge of what was best for himself and his neighbour1 and thus the order of the world would be at the mercy everywhere of individual caprice and ignorance4 ,irregularity would accordingly take the place of invariableness4 ,no man could possibly foretell what would be on the morrow4 ,the scientist would find all his researches for rule and law baffled2 the agriculturist would find all his calculations upset2 nature1 again1 as in the days of ignorance1 would become the master of man2 like an eagle transfixed by an arrow winged by one of its own feathers1 man would have shackled himself with the chains of his ancient servitude by the licentious employment of his own freedom1 and would have reduced the cosmos of which ,god made him the master to a chaos which overwhelmed him by its unexpected blows 7the ,bishop of ,manchester1 ,september #dth1 #ahhg1 in ,manchester ,cathedral1 during a meeting of the ,british ,association74 ,the picture which is here drawn sketches for us the consequences of allowing each individual to have control over the forces of nature4 ,it is incredible that ,god could be induced to allow such control to individuals2 but does it follow from this that ,he never listens to prayers respecting ,his direction of the forces of nature1 and that consequently all such prayers are presumptuous8 ,the conclusion does not seem to follow from the premises4 ,the valid conclusion would rather be this3 ,no one ought to pray to ,god to give him absolute control of the forces of nature4 ,the prayer1 ,lord1 in ,thy control of the forces of nature have mercy upon me and my fellow men1 is a prayer of a very different character4 ,the objection to prayers for rain1 or for the cessation of rain1 and the like1 is based on the supposition that we thereby ask ,god to interfere with the regularity of the course of nature4 ,yet it is admitted that to pray for submission to the ,divine will1 and for such wisdom as shall lead to compliance with it in the future1 is a matter of course1 and results inevitably from the relation between the spiritual ,father and the spiritual child4 ,but is there no regularity about the things thus admitted to be fit objects of prayer8 ,are human character and human intellect not subject to law8 ,when we pray for a submissive spirit and for wisdom1 are we not asking ,god to interfere with that regularity which governs the development of character and of intelligence8 ,either the prayer is to obtain more submission and more wisdom than we should otherwise get1 or it is not4 ,if it is to obtain it1 then the regularity which would otherwise have prevailed is interrupted4 ,if our prayer is not to obtain for us more submission and more wisdom than we should have obtained if we had not prayed1 then the prayer is futile4 ,it will perhaps be urged that the two cases are not strictly parallel4 ,they are not2 but for the purposes of this argument they are sufficiently parallel4 ,it is maintained that we have no right to pray for rain1 because we thereby propose to interfere with the regularity of natural processes2 yet it is allowed that we may pray for wisdom4 ,to get wisdom by prayer is quite as much an interference with the regularity of natural processes as to get rain by prayer4 ,therefore1 either we ought to pray for neither1 or we have the right to pray for both4 ,and so far as the two cases are not parallel1 it seems to be more reasonable to pray for rain than to pray for submissiveness and wisdom4 ,god has given our wills the awful power of being able to resist ,his will4 ,are we to suppose that ,he exercises less control over matter1 which cannot resist ,him1 than over human wills1 which ,he allows to do so2 or that ,he will help us or not help us to become better and wiser1 according as we ask ,him or do not ask ,him for such help1 and yet will never make any change as to giving or withholding material blessings1 however much1 or however little1 we may ask ,him to do this8 ,the objection is sometimes stated in a slightly different form4 ,god has arranged the material universe according to ,his infinite wisdom2 it is presumptuous to pray that ,he will make any change in it4 ,the answer to which is1 that if that argument is valid against praying for rain1 it is valid against all prayer whatever4 ,if ,i impugn infinite wisdom when ,i pray for a change in the weather1 do ,i not equally impugn it1 when ,i pray for a change in the life or character of myself or of my friends8 ,god knows without our asking what weather is best for us2 and ,he knows equally without our asking what spiritual graces are best for us4 ,does not the parallel difficulty point to a parallel solution8 ,what right have we to assume that in either case effectual prayer interferes with the regularity which seems to characterize ,divine action8 ,may it not be ,god's will that the prayer of faith should be a force that can influence other forces1 whether material or spiritual1 and that its influence should be according to law 7whether natural or supernatural7 quite as much as the influence of other forces8 ,a man who puts up a lightning-conductor brings down the electric current when it might otherwise have remained above1 and brings it down in one place rather than another2 yet no one would say that he interferes with the regularity of the course of nature4 ,is there anything in religion or science to forbid us from thinking of prayer as working in an analogous manner--according to a law too subtle for us to comprehend and analyse1 but according to a law none the less8 ,in the vast network of forces in which an all-wise ,god has constructed the universe a ,christian will believe that one force which availeth much1 both in the material and in the spiritual world1 is the earnest prayer of the righteous4 ,it is better for us that we should be able to influence by our prayers ,god's direction of events than that we should be unable to do so2 therefore a merciful ,father has placed this power within our reach4#ii #if ,in the ,dict4 of ,chr4 ,biogr41 ,i41 p4 #fae1 ,tertullian's account of public confession is given at some length1 and then the question is asked1 ,is not this1 clearly1 the exomologesis which ,st4 ,james enjoins8 ,to this one replies that ,st4 ,james enjoins confession1 but says nothing about publicity4 #ig ,the ,council of ,trent anathematizes any one who denies that sacramental confession was instituted of ,divine right1 or that it is necessary to salvation1 or who says that the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone1 which the ,church has ever observed from the beginning1 and doth observe1 is alien from the institution and command of ,christ1 and is a human invention 7,canon ,,vi4 ii4 #afe74 #ih ,moreover1 shall absolve hym after this forme was changed to shall absolve hym after thys sorte1 as if allowing another form in the ,visitation of the ,sick4 #ii ,dean ,plumptre has pointed out an interesting coincidence between this mention of ,elijah and the account given by ,josephus of ,caligula's mad attempt to set up his statue in the ,temple4 ,p4 ,petronius ,turpilianus had been appointed ,governor of ,syria in the room of ,vitellius1 and was commissioned to erect the statue2 but he was much impressed by the earnestness of the ,jews in opposing the proposed outrage1 and promised large multitudes of them at ,tiberias that he would do all in his power to induce ,caligula to desist4 ,it was a year of great drought1 no rain falling even when the sky was overcast2 but on this day1 although there had been no previous signs of it1 abundance of rain fell directly ,petronius had finished his speech to the ,jews4 ,josephus speaks of this as ,god showing ,his presence 77 to ,petronius1 and says that ,petronius recognized it as a ,divine manifestation 77 of ,god's care of the ,jews4 ,dr4 ,plumptre says that the people--,christians1 we may believe1 as well as ,jews--had been praying for rain1 and that ,petronius regarded the rain partly as an answer to the prayers of the people2 which may have been so1 but it is not so stated by ,josephus4 ,according to the date which1 on independent grounds1 has here been assigned to ,st4 ,james's ,epistle1 the event referred to must have happened but a few months before1 or but a few months after it4 ,if before1 he may well have had it in his thoughts2 if after1 it may well have been in part the effect of his teaching4 ,dr4 ,plumptre thinks that the ,epistle was written between ,a4,d4 #dd and #ea4 ,the events recorded by ,josephus took place ,a4,d4 #ci4 ,caligula was assassinated ,january #bdth1 ,a4,d4 #da4 ,the coincidence1 therefore1 breaks down upon examination4 7#a7 ,the unexpected rain is represented1 not as an answer to prayer1 but as a sign of ,god's approval of the decision of ,petronius4 7#b7 ,even if we place the ,epistle as early as ,a4,d4 #de1 it was written six years after the sudden rain at ,tiberias2 and ,st4 ,james did not need that occurrence 7of which he had possibly never heard7 in order to be reminded of the drought and the rain prophesied by ,elijah4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,converting ,,sinners2 ,,its ,,conditions ,,and ,,rewards4 ,my brethren1 if any among you do err from the truth1 and one convert him1 let him know1 that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death1 and shall cover a multitude of sins4--,,st4 ,,james v4 #ai1 #bj4 ,st4 ,james has just been speaking of the case of a man who is sick1 and needs the prayers of others for his healing1 both in body and soul2 for it may be that the sick man has sins to be repented of as well as ailments to be cured4 ,this leads naturally enough to the common case of those who1 whether sick in body or not1 feel their consciences burdened by sin4 ,they are to make known their trouble to one or more of the brethren1 in order that efficacious prayers may be offered to ,god on their behalf4 ,but these cases do not by any means cover the whole ground4 ,besides those who feel and make known their bodily sickness1 and those who feel and make known their spiritual sickness1 in order that their fellow ,christians may pray to ,god for their healing1 there is the common case of those who either do not feel1 or if they feel do not confess1 that their souls are sick unto death4 ,there are many who have left the path of life1 and are going steadily1 and perhaps rapidly1 to destruction1 who are ignorant of their piteous condition2 and there are others who are aware of their peril1 but are either too hardened to desire any serious change1 or too proud to own their condition to others and ask their help towards recovery4 ,are such unhappy persons to be left to themselves1 and allowed to go on their way to perdition1 for want of the aid which they are too insensate or to haughty to ask8 ,certainly not1 says the writer of this ,epistle4 ,the reclaiming of such sinners is one of the noblest tasks which a ,christian can undertake2 and the successful accomplishment of it is fraught with incalculable blessings1 the thought of which ought to move us to undertake such work4 ,to save one immortal soul from eternal death is worth the labour of a lifetime4 ,if to lead one soul astray is to share the devil's work and incur guilt to which a violent death would be preferable 7,matt4 xviii4 #f2 ,mark ix4 #db2 ,luke xvii4 #b71 to lead one soul back from death is to share ,christ's work 7#b ,cor4 vi4 #a7 by blotting out from ,god's sight the sins which cry for punishment4 ,we shall obtain a clearer view of the meaning of ,st4 ,james in these concluding verses of his ,epistle if we begin with the last words of the passage1 and from them work back to what precedes4 ,shall cover a multitude of sins4 ,whose sins8 ,not the sins of him who converts the erring brother4 ,this view1 which is perhaps the one which most readily occurs to those who merely listen to the passage as it is read in church1 but have never studied it1 may safely be rejected1 although it has the sanction of ,erasmus and to some extent also of the ,venerable ,bede4 ,there are two reasons1 each of which would suffice to condemn this explanation1 and which taken together are almost unanswerable4 7#a7 ,nowhere else in ,scripture do we find any such doctrine1 that a man may cover his own sins by inducing another sinner to repent4 ,on the contrary1 it is one of the terrible possibilities which attend the work of the ministry that a man may preach successfully to others1 and yet himself be a castaway 7#a ,cor4 ix4 #bg71 and may move many hearts1 while his own remains as hard as the nether millstone4 ,it is altogether misleading to quote ,matt4 vi4 #ad in connexion with this passage4 ,there ,christ says1 ,if ye forgive men their trespasses1 your heavenly ,father will also forgive you4 ,what has that to do with converting sinners from their sins8 ,is ,forgive1 that ye may be forgiven1 even parallel to ,convert1 that ye may be forgiven8 ,it is very far indeed from being equivalent to it4 ,the exact parallel would be1 ,convert1 that ye may be converted2 and where in either the ,old or the ,new ,testament do we find any such teaching as that8 ,what we do find is the converse of it3 ,be converted1 that ye may convert4 ,cast out first the beam out of thine own eye2 and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye 7,matt4 vii4 #e74 ,and this brings us to the other reason why this interpretation ought to be set aside4 7#b7 ,we cannot suppose that ,st4 ,james would contemplate1 not merely as a possible case1 but as the normal condition of things1 that a ,christian would undertake the task of converting others while his own conscience was burdened with a multitude of sins4 ,he no doubt assumed1 and meant his readers to assume1 that before taking this very glorious1 but also very difficult work upon themselves1 ,christians would at least have repented of their own sins1 and thus have won the assurance that they were covered and forgiven4 ,as we have seen1 ,st4 ,james shows an intimate personal knowledge of the teaching of ,christ1 and especially of that portion of it which is contained in the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,it is difficult to believe that any one who was acquainted with the fundamental principle involved in the saying just quoted1 about the mote and the beam1 would end his exhortations to the ,church with a declaration which1 according to the view of ,erasmus and others1 would mean that it is precisely those who have a beam in their own eye who should endeavour to convert sinners from the error of their ways1 for in this way they may get the beam removed1 or at least overlooked4 ,it is the sins of the converted sinner that are covered when a brother has had the happiness of converting him4 ,the saying cover sins is a proverbial one1 and seems to have been common among the ,jews4 ,st4 ,peter also makes use of it 7#a ,peter iv4 #h72 and this is one of the points which make some persons think that the writer of this ,epistle had seen that of ,st4 ,peter1 and others that ,st4 ,peter had seen this one 7see above1 p4 #ei74 ,the source of the saying appears to be ,prov4 x4 #ab1 ,hatred stirreth up strifes3 but love covereth all transgressions4 ,it is1 however1 by no means certain that ,st4 ,james is consciously quoting this saying1 although his evident fondness for the sapiential books of ,scripture would incline us to think that he is doing so4 ,but the ,septuagint of the passage in ,proverbs has a different reading3 ,friendship shall cover those who love not strife4 ,a similar expression to the one before us occurs twice in the ,psalms3 ,thou hast forgiven the iniquity of ,thy people2 ,thou hast covered all their sin 7lxxxv4 #b73 ,blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven1 whose sin is covered 7xxxii4 #a74 ,the fact that the phrase occurs so frequently renders it impossible for us to determine the precise passage which suggested the use of the words in this place4 7,see note at the end of this chapter47 ,the statement that the converted sinner had a multitude of sins which are covered by his returning from the error of his way shows us plainly what is meant by the error of his way and by his erring or being led astray#ajj from the truth4 ,st4 ,james is evidently not thinking of purely dogmatic error1 about which his ,epistle is almost1 if not entirely1 silent4 ,it is conviction as expressed in conduct with which he deals throughout4 ,as we have seen again and again1 the evils which he denounces are those of a sinful life3 with the evils of erratic speculation he does not deal at all4 ,quite in harmony1 therefore1 with the practical character of the ,epistle1 we find that with him to err from the truth means the apostasy that is involved in a life of sin4 ,of ,his own will ,god brought us forth by the word of truth1 that we should be a kind of firstfruits of ,his creatures 7i4 #ah72 and those who allow themselves to be seduced into sinful courses dishonour their ,divine parentage and desert their ,father's home4 ,to recover such from the path of destruction is the blessed work to which ,st4 ,james wishes to incite and encourage his readers4 ,it is important to recognize the fact that it is the lives of notorious sinners1 and not the views of those who differ from us1 that we are urged to correct4 ,the latter interpretation is not an uncommon one4 ,the expression err from the truth seems at first sight to countenance it2 and to many of us the work of winning over others to accept our religious opinions is much more congenial employment than that of endeavouring to reclaim the profligate4 ,but the duty to which ,st4 ,james here exhorts us is one of universal obligation4 ,it is one which every ,christian must recognize1 and according to his opportunities perform2 and it is one which every one1 however ignorant1 simple1 and insignificant he may be1 is able in some measure to fulfil4 ,but comparatively few of us are qualified to deal with the erroneous opinions of others4 ,not infrequently those which we think to be erroneous are nearer the truth than those which we hold ourselves4 ,even where this is not the case1 the errors may be much less hurtful than we suppose1 because1 with happy inconsistency1 men allow the goodness of their hearts to direct their conduct1 rather than the erratic convictions of their heads4 ,and again1 our efforts to change the erroneous opinions of others may do more harm than good1 for it is much more easy to unsettle than to establish4 ,we may take away a plank1 without being able to supply an ark2 and an inadequate or even faulty principle is better than no principle at all4 ,the man who endeavours to act up to erroneous convictions is in a much healthier state than the man who has lost all convictions whatever4 ,and this is the danger which always lies before us when we attempt to win others over from sincere and steadfast beliefs which seem to us to be untrue4 ,we may succeed in shaking these beliefs2 but it by no means follows that we shall be equally successful in giving them better beliefs in exchange for them4 ,we may accomplish no more than the miserable result of having convinced them that in religion everything is uncertain4 ,of course there are times when it is our duty to do what we can to bring others over to opinions which we are persuaded are much sounder and safer than those which they at present hold2 but such times are very much less frequent than many of us are inclined to believe4 ,it is obviously our duty to undertake this difficult task when other people consult us as to their religious convictions2 but the mere fact that we know what their convictions are1 and that we hold them to be perilously unsound1 does not establish a right on our part to attempt to change them4 ,and as regards the passage before us1 it is quite clear1 both from the context and from the tenour of the whole ,epistle1 that the rare occasions on which we are under the obligation of endeavouring to convert others to our own ways of thinking are not the occasions to which ,st4 ,james refers in these concluding sentences of his letter4 ,the duty of reclaiming the lost grows out of the condition of brotherhood which is assumed all through the ,epistle as being the relation which exists between those who are addressed4 ,this is manifestly the case here4 ,my brethren1 if any among you do err from the truth4 ,if it be right to clothe and feed the naked and hungry brother1 to pray for the sick brother1 and for those who confess their faults to us1 much more must it be right to do all that is possible to bring back from the way of death those who are walking in it1 to convert them1 turn them right round1 and induce them to go in the opposite direction4 ,to believe in ,god1 to believe that we are ,his children1 and yet to act as if the bodies and souls of others1 who are equally ,his children1 are in no degree in our keeping1 and that their condition is no concern of ours--this is indeed to have that faith which1 being apart from works1 is dead4 ,how is the conversion of the erring brother to be effected8 ,st4 ,james gives no explicit directions1 but leaves all matters of detail to the discretion of the worker4 ,yet he does not leave us altogether without guidance as to what are the best methods4 ,one of these is intimated by what immediately precedes1 and the other by the general import of the letter4 ,these two efficacious means for the conversion of sinners are1 not rebuke or remonstrance1 not exhortation or advice1 not anger or contempt1 but--prayer and good example4 ,it is by prayer that the sick may be restored to health2 it is by prayer that sinners who confess their sins may be healed2 and it is by prayer that sinners1 who as yet will not confess and repent1 may be won over to do so4 ,and here the appropriateness of the example of ,elijah becomes evident4 ,elijah was a prophet1 and he knew that when he prayed for drought and for rain he was praying for what was in accordance with the will of ,god2 and it is such prayers that are sure of fulfilment4 ,we are not prophets1 and when we pray for changes of weather we cannot be sure that what we ask is in accordance with ,god's will4 ,all that we can do is to submit humbly to ,his will1 and to beg that1 so far as they are in harmony with it1 our desires may be granted4 ,but when we pray for the conversion of sinners we are in the same position as ,elijah4 ,we know from the outset that we are praying for something which it is ,his will to grant1 if only the rebellious wills of impenitent sinners do not prove insuperable3 for ,he forces no one to be converted2 ,he will have voluntary service1 or none at all4 ,when1 therefore1 we ask ,him for the assistance of ,his ,holy ,spirit in bringing back sinners from the error of their ways1 we may have the greatest confidence that we are desiring that which ,he would have us desire1 and are uniting our wills to ,his4 ,this1 then1 is one great instrument for the conversion of our erring brethren--the prayer of faith1 which can remove mountains of sin out of ,god's sight1 by bringing the sinner1 who has piled them up during years of sinning1 to confess1 and repent1 and be forgiven4 ,the case of ,st4 ,monica1 praying for the conversion of her sinful and heretical son ,augustine1 will occur to many as a beautiful illustration of the principle here indicated4 ,he himself tells us of it in his immortal ,confessions 7,,iii4 xi41 xii4 #bj1 #ba72 how that for years1 especially from his nineteenth to his twenty-eighth year1 he went on seduced and seducing1 deceived and deceiving1 in various lusts2 and how his mother continued to pray for him4 ,and her prayers entered into ,thy presence2 and yet ,thou didst leave me to wallow deeper and deeper in that darkness4 ,then she went to a certain bishop1 and entreated him to reason with her son2 but he declined1 saying that the time for that had not yet come4 ,leave him alone for a time2 only pray to ,god for him4 ,but she was not satisfied1 and continued to implore him with tears that he would go and see ,augustine1 and try to move him4 ,at which he somewhat lost patience1 and sent her away1 saying1 ,go1 leave me1 and a blessing go with thee3 it is impossible that the son of such tears should perish4 ,which answer1 as she often told her son afterwards1 she accepted as if it were a voice from heaven2 and all ,christendom knows how her prayer was heard4 ,he himself attributed all that was good in him to his mother's tears and prayers4 ,the other great instrument in accomplishing this blessed work is a good example4 ,a holy life is the best sermon1 the most effectual remonstrance1 the strongest incentive1 the most powerful plea4 ,without it words are of little avail2 with it words are scarcely necessary4 ,this is the instrument which ,st4 ,james throughout this ,epistle commends4 ,not words1 but works2 not professions1 but deeds2 not fair speeches1 but kind acts 7i4 #ai1 #bb1 #bg2 ii4 #a1 #ae1 #af1 #bf2 iii4 #ac2 iv4 #ag74 ,nothing that we can say will ever make such impression upon others as what we do and what we are4 ,eloquence1 reasoning1 incisiveness1 pathos1 persuasiveness1 all have their uses1 and may be of real service in the work of winning back sinners from the error of their ways1 but they are as nothing compared with holiness4 ,it is when deep calls to deep1 when life calls to life1 when the life of manifest devotion at once shames and attracts the life of flagrant sin1 that spirits are moved1 that the loathing for vice and the longing for virtue are excited4 ,the man whose own habitual conduct most often makes other men ashamed of themselves is the man who not only has the best of all qualifications for winning souls to ,god1 but is actually accomplishing this work1 even when he is not consciously attempting it4 ,and such a one1 when he does attempt it1 will have a large measure of the requisite wisdom4 ,the earnestness of his own life will have given him a knowledge of his own heart1 and that is the best of all keys to a knowledge of the hearts of others4 ,there is something fatally wrong about us if we have no strong desire to bring back sinners to ,god4 ,we cannot be ,christ's disciples without having it4 ,the man who would go to heaven alone is already off the road thither4 ,the man whose one consuming thought is to save his own soul has not yet found out the best means of saving it4 ,the surest road to personal happiness is to devote oneself to promoting the happiness of others1 and the best way to secure one's own salvation is to devote oneself to the ,divine work of helping forward the salvation of others4 ,let the fear of giving scandal to others keep us from sin2 let the hope of being a help to others encourage us in well-doing2 and let our prayers be more for others than for ourselves4 ,as ,calvin says1 on this passage1 ,we must take heed lest souls perish through our sloth whose salvation ,god puts in a manner in our hands4 ,not that we can bestow salvation on them1 but that ,god by our ministry delivers and saves those who seem otherwise to be nigh destruction4 ,what is the reward which ,st4 ,james holds out to us to induce us to undertake the work of converting a sinner8 ,he offers nothing2 he promises nothing4 ,the work itself is its own reward4 ,to win back an erring brother is a thing so blessed1 so glorious1 so rich in incalculable results1 that to have been enabled to accomplish it is reward enough--is a prize sufficient to induce any true hearted ,christian to work for it4 ,it is no less than the saving of a soul from death2 and who can estimate what that means8 ,it is the covering of a multitude of sins4 ,there is no need to make this last phrase include the sins which the man would otherwise have committed had he not been converted4 ,sins not committed cannot be covered4 ,it is quite true that by conversion a man is saved from sins into which he would certainly have fallen2 and this is a very happy result1 but it is not the result pointed out by ,st4 ,james4 ,the sins which have been committed during the daily walk towards destruction are what he has in his mind2 and they are not one or two here and there1 but a multitude4 ,to aid a brother to get rid of these by confession and repentance is an end that amply repays all the trouble that we can take in attaining to it4 ,but the number of renegades is so enormous2 the multitude of impenitent sinners is so overwhelming3 how is it possible to convert them8 ,st4 ,james says nothing about converting multitudes2 he speaks only of converting one4 ,if any 7 7 among you do err from the truth1 and one convert him4 ,to bring over one soul from eternal death to eternal life may be within the power of any one earnest ,christian4 ,is each one of us making the attempt8 ,are we making our lives as beneficent1 as sympathetic1 as unselfish as our opportunities admit of8 ,do we give a generous1 or even a moderate share of encouragement to the numerous agencies which are at work to lessen the temptations and increase the means of grace for those who are living in sin1 and to help and encourage those who1 in however feeble a way1 are making a fight against it8 ,know ye1#aja that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death1 and shall cover a multitude of sins4 ,with these words ,st4 ,james abruptly takes leave of those whom he addresses4 ,the letter has no formal conclusion2 not because it is unfinished1 or because the conclusion has been lost1 but because ,st4 ,james wishes by means of a sudden close to leave his last words ringing in the hearts of his readers4 ,in this respect the ,epistle reminds us of the ,first ,epistle of ,st4 ,john4 ,guard yourselves from the idols is the only farewell which the last of the ,apostles has for his little children2 and a very summary statement of what the conversion of one sinner means is the farewell of ,st4 ,james to his brethren4 ,in both cases it is the abruptness of emphasis1 as if the writer said1 ,if all else that ,i have written be forgotten1 at least remember this4 ,how beautiful to find one noble soul1 and enter into frequent communion with it6 how happy to be the means of preserving it from defilement6 but most blessed of all to be instrumental in rescuing it from degradation and destruction6 ,i say unto you1 ,that there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth1 more than over ninety and nine righteous persons1 which need no repentance4 ,,note4--,it is by no means impossible that in the phrase cover a multitude of sins neither ,st4 ,james is quoting ,st4 ,peter1 nor ,st4 ,peter ,st4 ,james1 nor either of them quoting ,psalms or ,proverbs1 but that each of them is reproducing a saying of ,christ's which is not recorded in the ,gospels4 ,the phrase occurs in both ,clement of ,rome 7,,xlv47 and ,clement of ,alexandria 7,strom4 ,i4 xxvii42 ,,ii4 xv42 ,,iv4 xviii42 ,quis ,div4 ,salv4 xxxviii471 in all which places it may be a quotation from #a ,peter iv4 #h4 ,but in one place 7,pdag4 ,,iii4 xii47 he seems to give it as a saying of our ,lord's1 for he couples it with a saying which is certainly ,his 7,luke xx4 #be74 ,clement's wording is as follows3 ,love1 ,he saith1 covereth a multitude of sins2 and respecting citizenship1 ,render to ,csar the things that are ,csar's1 and to ,god the things that are ,god's2 where one and the same ,he saith 77 covers both sayings4 ,in the ,didascalia 7,,ii4 iii47 the saying is explicitly attributed to ,christ3 ,because the ,lord saith1 ,love covereth a multitude of sins4 ,see ,resch1 ,agrapha2 ,aussercanonische ,evangelienfragmente 7,leipzig1 #ahhi71 pp4 #bdh1 #bdi4 #ajj 4 ,this aorist passive may have a middle signification1 but it is simpler to allow it to be passive3 the man has been led astray by evil influences1 and he is led back by good influences4 ,it matters not whether we regard him as led astray by sin 7,bengel71 or ,satan1 or wicked companions4 #aja ,this is probably the true reading4 ,,the ,,general ,,epistle ,,of ,,st4 ,,jude4 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,,the ,,authenticity ,,of ,,the ,,epistle ,,of ,,st4 ,,jude4 ,judas1 a servant of ,jesus ,christ1 and brother of ,james1 to them that are called1 beloved in ,god the ,father1 and kept for ,jesus ,christ3 mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied4--,,st4 ,,jude #a1 #b4 ,precisely as in the case of the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james1 the question as to the authenticity of this letter resolves itself into two parts3 ,is the ,epistle the veritable product of a writer of the ,apostolic age8 ,if it is1 which of the persons of that age who bore the name of ,judas is the author of it8 ,both of these questions can be answered with a very considerable amount of certainty4 ,let us remember the right way of putting the first of these two questions4 ,not1 ,why should we believe that this ,epistle was written by an ,apostle or a contemporary of the ,apostles8 but1 ,why should we refuse to believe this8 ,what reason have we for rejecting the verdict of ecclesiastics and theologians of the fourth and fifth centuries1 who were well aware of the doubts which had been raised respecting the authority of the ,epistle1 and after full and prolonged consideration decided that it possessed full canonical authority4 ,not only were they in possession of evidence which is no longer available1 and which rendered it probable that their decision would be correct2 but the universal acceptance of their decision in all the ,churches proves that their decision was admitted to be correct by those who had ample means of testing its soundness4 ,the ,epistle of ,st4 ,jude1 like that of ,st4 ,james1 is reckoned by ,eusebius as one of the six or seven disputed 77 books of the ,new ,testament1 which fact1 while it proves that misgivings had existed in some quarters respecting the authority of the letter1 at the same time proves that it was not admitted into the canon by an oversight4 ,the difficulties respecting it were well known1 and were considered to be by no means fatal to its otherwise strong claim to be accepted 7see above1 pp4 #ae-ah74 ,and the difficulties respecting the two ,epistles were similar in kind4 #a4 ,many ,churches remained for a considerable time without any knowledge of one or other of the two ,epistles2 but whereas it was in the ,west that the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james was least known1 it was ,eastern ,churches that remained longest without knowledge of that of ,st4 ,jude4 #b4 ,even when the ,epistle did become known it remained doubtful whether the writer was a person of authority4 ,he was possibly not an ,apostle1 and if he was not such1 what were his claims to be heard8 #c4 ,to these two difficulties1 which were common to both ,epistles1 must be added another which was peculiar to that of ,st4 ,jude4 ,it may be stated in ,jerome's words4 ,because in it ,jude derives a testimony from the ,book of ,enoch1 which is apocryphal1 it is rejected by some#ajb 7,catal4 ,scr4 ,eccl4 iv474 ,as we shall see hereafter1 it probably makes use of yet another apocryphal book2 and it was not unreasonably doubted whether an ,apostolic writer would compromise himself by the use of such literature4 ,if he were inspired1 he would know it to be apocryphal1 and would abstain from quoting it2 and if he did not know its apocryphal character1 how could he be inspired1 or his words be of any authority8 ,that so brief a letter should remain for a considerable time quite unknown to some ,churches1 is not at all surprising4 ,its evident ,jewish tone would render it less attractive to ,gentile ,christians4 ,its making no claim to ,apostolic authority raised a doubt whether it had any authority whatever1 and this doubt was increased by the fact that it quotes apocryphal writings4 ,consequently those ,christians who knew the ,epistle would not always be ready to promote its circulation4 ,even if we were compelled to infer that silence respecting it implies ignorance of its existence1 such ignorance would in most cases be very intelligible3 but this perilous inference from silence in some cases can be shown to be incorrect4 ,hippolytus may possibly have remained ignorant of it2 but if1 as ,bishop ,lightfoot suggests1#ajc he is the author of the supposed ,greek original of the ,muratorian ,canon1 he testifies strongly 7note the sane7 to the general reception of the ,epistle4 ,this holds good1 however we may deal with the ambiguous in catholica1 which may possibly mean in the ,catholic ,church1 or be a mistake for in catholicis1 among the ,catholic ,epistles4 ,cyprian1 who never quotes the ,epistle of ,st4 ,jude1 must have known of it from the celebrated passage in the master ,tertullian1 whose works he was always reading4 ,and it is quite incredible that ,chrysostom1 who in all his voluminous writings does not chance to quote it even once1 was not familiar with its contents4 ,the brevity of the ,epistle is sufficient to explain a great deal of the silence respecting it4 ,the most serious item in the external evidence against the ,epistle is its absence from the ,peshitto1 or ancient ,syriac ,version4 ,the considerations already mentioned go a long way towards explaining this absence1 and it is a great deal more than counterbalanced by the strong external evidence in its favour4 ,this is surprisingly strong1 especially when compared with that in favour of the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james4 ,in both cases the troubles which overwhelmed the ,church of ,jerusalem and ,jewish ,christianity in the reign of ,hadrian interfered with the circulation of the letters2 but it is the shorter letter and the letter of the less-known writer which 7so far as extant testimony goes7 seems in the first instance to have obtained the wider circulation and recognition4 ,the ,muratorian ,canon1 as we have seen1 contains it2 so also does the old ,latin ,version4 ,tertullian 7,de ,cult4 ,fem4 ,i4 iii47 vehemently contends that the ,book of ,enoch ought to be accepted as canonical1 and he clenches his argument with the fact that it is quoted by the ,apostle ,jude4 ,this appeal would have seemed dangerous rather than conclusive1 if in ,north ,africa there had been any serious misgivings about the authority of ,jude's ,epistle4 ,tertullian evidently entertained nothing of the kind4 ,in a similar spirit ,augustine asks1 ,what of ,enoch1 the seventh from ,adam8 ,does not the canonical ,epistle of the ,apostle ,jude declare that he prophesied8 7,de ,civ4 ,dei1 xviii4 #ch74 ,clement of ,alexandria quotes it as ,scripture 7,pd4 ,,iii4 viii41 and ,strom4 ,,iii4 ii471 and commented upon it in his ,hypotyposeis 7,eus4 ,h4 ,e4 ,,vi4 xiv4 #a71 of which we probably still possess some translations into ,latin made under the direction of ,cassiodorus4 ,origen1 although he was aware that it was not universally received1 for in one place he uses the cautious expression1 ,if any receive the ,epistle of ,jude1 yet accepted it thoroughly himself1 as the frequent citations of it in his works show4 ,in one passage he speaks of it as an ,epistle of but few lines1 yet full of the strong words of heavenly grace 7,comm4 on ,matt4 xiii4 #ee74 ,athanasius places it in his list of the canonical ,scriptures without any mark of doubt4 ,and ,didymus1 head of the ,catechetical ,school at ,alexandria1 and instructor of ,jerome and ,rufinus1 condemns the opposition which some offered to the ,epistle on account of the statement respecting the body of ,moses 7ver4 #i71 just as ,jerome virtually condemns those who opposed it because of the quotation from the ,book of ,enoch4 ,this evidence1 it will be observed1 is mostly ,western4 ,the blank as regards the ,east is to some extent filled by the letter of the ,synod at ,antioch against ,paul of ,samasota1 ,a4,d4 #bfi4 ,portions of this letter have been preserved by ,eusebius1 and ,malchion1 the presbyter who chiefly composed it1 seems to have had the ,epistle of ,jude in his mind when he wrote4 ,this is chiefly evident in the tone of the letter2 but here and there the wording approaches that of ,st4 ,jude2 e4g4 denying his ,god and ,lord reminds us of denying our only ,master and ,lord 7,jude #d72 and not guarding the faith which he once held may be suggested by contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints 7,jude #c74 ,the quotations from ,jude in ,ephrem ,syrus 7c4 ,a4,d4 #cjh-gc7 are somewhat discredited1 for they occur only in the ,greek translations of his works1 some of which1 however1 were made in his lifetime2 but the quotations may be insertions made by translators4 ,that so short a letter should have so much testimony in its favour is remarkable2 and although it may be a slight exaggeration to say1 with ,zahn1 that about ,a4,d4 #bjj it was accepted in the ,church of all lands round the ,mediterranean ,sea 7,gesch4 d4 ,neutest4 ,kanons1 ,i41 p4 #cba71 yet even ,harnack admits that this is not much in excess of the truth4 ,the only abatement which he suggests is that the misgivings to which ,origen on one single occasion bears witness1 show that the ,epistle was not everywhere in the ,east part of the ,new ,testament ,scriptures 7,das ,n4,t4 um d4 ,jahr #bjj1 p4 #gi74 ,we may take it1 therefore1 as sufficiently proved that this letter was written by one who belonged to the ,apostolic age4 ,had it been a forgery of the second century1 it would not have found this general acceptance4 ,moreover1 a forger would have chosen some person of greater fame and greater authority as the supposed writer of the ,epistle1 or would at least have made ,jude an ,apostle2 and above all1 he would have betrayed some motive for the forgery4 ,there is nothing in the letter to indicate any such motive4 ,renan accepts the ,epistle as a genuine relic of the ,apostolic age1 and indeed places it as early as ,a4,d4 #ed2 yet his view of it would lead other people to regard it as a forgery1 for it supplies a strong motive4 ,renan considers it to be an attack on ,st4 ,paul4 ,the ,clementine literature shows us how a heretic of the second century can make a covert attack on the ,apostle of the ,gentiles2 and if we could believe that the writer of this ,epistle had ,st4 ,paul in his mind when he denounced those who in their dreamings defile the flesh1 and set at nought dominion1 and rail at dignities1 we should be ready enough to believe that he was not really ,judas1 brother of ,james1 but one who did not dare to say openly in the ,church the accusations which he tried to insinuate4 ,but no critic has accepted this strange theory of ,renan's1 and it is hardly worth while asking1 ,why was not ,st4 ,peter or ,st4 ,john taken as the authority wherewith to counteract the influence of ,st4 ,paul8 ,of what weight would the words of the unknown ,jude be in comparison with his8 ,renan's literary acuteness recognizes in this ,epistle a veritable product of the first century3 his prejudices respecting anti-,pauline tendencies among the ,apostolic writers lead him amazingly astray as to the meaning of its contents4 ,it remains to consider the second part of the question respecting the authenticity of this ,epistle4 ,we are justified in believing that it is a writing of the ,apostolic age1 by a person bearing the name of ,judas or ,jude4 ,but to which of the persons who bore that name in the first age of the ,church is the letter to be assigned8 ,only two persons have to be considered--7#a7 ,judas not ,iscariot1 who seems also to have been called ,lebbus or ,thaddus1 for in the lists of the ,apostles ,thaddus or ,lebbus 7the readings are confused7 stands in ,matthew x4 and ,mark iii4 as the equivalent of ,judas the son of ,james in ,luke vi4 and ,acts i42 and 7#b7 ,judas one of the four brethren of the ,lord2 the names of the other three being ,james1 ,joseph or ,joses1 and ,simon 7,matt4 xiii4 #ee2 ,mark vi4 #c74 ,these two are sometimes identified1 but the identification is highly questionable1 although the ,authorized ,version encourages us to make it by giving to ,judas of ,james the improbable meaning1 ,judas the brother of ,james1 instead of the usual meaning1 ,judas the son of ,james4#ajd ,in other words1 the ,authorized ,version assumes that the writer of this ,epistle is the ,apostle ,judas not ,iscariot2 the writer calls himself brother of ,james1 and the ,authorized ,version makes this ,apostle to be the brother of ,james4 ,we have seen already that both ,tertullian and ,augustine speak of the writer of this ,epistle as an ,apostle4 ,so also does ,origen1 but only in two passages1 of which the ,greek original is wanting 7,de ,principiis1 ,,iii4 ii4 #a2 ,comm4 on ,romans v4 #ac1 vol4 iv41 #edi74 ,in no passage of the ,greek works1 and in no other passage of the ,latin translations1 does he call ,jude an ,apostle2 so that the addition of ,apostle in these two places may be an insertion of his not very accurate translator ,rufinus4 ,but even if the authority of ,origen is to be added to that of ,tertullian and ,augustine1 the opinion that the author of this letter was an ,apostle is not probable4 ,had he been such1 it would have been natural to mention the fact as a claim on the attention of his readers1 instead of merely contenting himself with naming his relationship to his much more distinguished brother ,james4 ,it is not to the point to urge that ,st4 ,paul does not always call himself an ,apostle in his ,epistles4 ,he was a well-known person1 especially after his four great ,epistles had been published1 in all of which he styles himself an ,apostle4 ,in the two to the ,thessalonians he does not1 probably because he there associates ,silvanus and ,timothy with himself 7but see #a ,thess4 ii4 #f74 ,st4 ,jude was comparatively unknown1 having written nothing else1 and having probably travelled little4 ,the charge1 ,remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the ,apostles of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ 7ver4 #ag71 although it does not necessarily imply that the writer himself is not one of these ,apostles1 yet would be more suitable to one who did not possess ,apostolic rank4 ,and when we ask what ,james is meant1 when he styles himself brother of ,james1 the answer cannot be doubtful2 it is ,james the brother of the ,lord1 one of the three ,pillars of the ,jewish ,christian ,church1 first overseer of the ,church of ,jerusalem1 and author of the ,epistle which bears his name4 ,the ,epistle of ,jude is evidently by a ,jewish ,christian1 who1 while writing to all that have been called to the faith1 evidently has ,jewish ,christians chiefly in his mind4 ,to such a writer it was well worth while to mention that he was brother of that ,james who was so revered by all his fellow countrymen4 ,reasons have been given already for believing that this ,james was not an ,apostle 7pp4 #bg-bi71 and these will confirm us in the opinion that his brother ,jude was not such4 ,the question of their relationship to ,jesus ,christ has also been discussed 7pp4 #ca1 #cb71 and need not be reopened here4 ,if it be argued that1 had ,st4 ,jude been the brother of the ,lord1 he would have mentioned the fact1 we may securely answer that he would not have done so4 ,as the author of the ,adumbrationes centuries ago remarked1 religious feeling would deter him1 as it did his brother ,james1 in his ,epistle1 from mentioning this4 ,the ,ascension had altered all ,christ's human relationships1 and ,his brethren would shrink from claiming kinship after the flesh with ,his glorified body4 ,this conjecture is supported by facts4 ,nowhere in primitive ,christian literature is any authority claimed on the basis of nearness of kin to the ,redeemer4 ,he ,himself had taught ,christians that the lowliest among them might rise above the closest of such earthly ties 7,luke xi4 #bg1 #bh72 to be spiritually the servant of ,jesus ,christ was much more than being ,his actual brother4#aje ,we may suppose that ,jude1 like the rest of his brethren 7,john vii4 #e71 did not at first believe in the ,messiahship of ,jesus1 but was converted by the convincing event of the ,resurrection 7,acts i4 #ad74 ,we know that he was married1 not merely from the general statement made by ,st4 ,paul respecting the brethren of the ,lord 7#a ,cor4 ix4 #e71 but from the interesting story told by ,hegesippus1 and preserved by ,eusebius 7,h4 ,e4 ,,iii4 xx4 #a-h71 that two grandsons of ,jude were taken before ,domitian as being of the royal family of ,david1 and therefore dangerous to his rule4 ,for1 says ,hegesippus1 he was afraid of the appearance of the ,christ1 as ,herod was4 ,in answer to his questions1 they stated that they were indeed of the family of ,david1 but were poor and humble persons1 who supported themselves by their own labour2 in proof of which they showed their horny hands4 ,when further questioned respecting the ,christ and ,his kingdom1 they said that it was not earthly1 but heavenly1 and would arise at the end of the world1 when ,he came to judge the living and the dead4 ,whereupon ,domitian contemptuously dismissed them as too simple to be dangerous1 and ordered that the persecution of the descendants of ,david should cease4 ,these two men were afterwards honoured in the ,churches1 both as confessors and as being near of kin to the ,lord4 ,a fragment of ,philip of ,side 7c4 ,a4,d4 #dbe7 lately discovered says that ,hegesippus gave the names of these two men as ,zocer and ,james 7,texte und ,untersuchungen1 ,v4 #b1 p4 #afi74 ,this narrative implies that both ,st4 ,jude and the father of these grandsons were already dead1 and this gives us a terminus respecting the date of the ,epistle4 ,st4 ,jude was almost certainly dead when ,domitian came to the throne1 in ,a4,d4 #ha1 and therefore this letter was written before that date4 ,whether1 as ,hilgenfeld and others would have us believe1 the ,epistle is aimed at ,gnostic errors which did not arise until the second century1 will be considered hereafter1 when the nature of the evils denounced by ,st4 ,jude is discussed2 but the evidence which has been examined thus far entirely agrees with the supposition that the letter was written during the ,apostolic age4 ,it is not impossible that in calling himself brother of ,james ,st4 ,jude is thinking of his brother's ,epistle1 and wishes his readers to consider that the present letter is to be taken in conjunction with that of ,st4 ,james4 ,both letters are ,palestinian in origin and ,jewish in tone2 and they are almost entirely practical in their aim1 dealing with grave errors in conduct4 ,those which are denounced by ,st4 ,jude are of a grosser kind than those denounced by ,st4 ,james1 but they resemble the latter in being errors of behaviour rather than of creed4 ,they are to a large extent the outcome of pernicious principles2 but it is the vicious lives of these ungodly men that are condemned more than their erroneous beliefs4 ,st4 ,jude1 therefore1 may be appealing not only to his brother's position and authority as a recommendation for himself1 but also to his brother's ,epistle1 which many of his readers would know and respect4 ,the attempts which have been made to find a locality for ,st4 ,jude's readers altogether fail4 ,palestine1 ,asia ,minor1 ,alexandria have all been suggested2 but the letter does not offer sufficient material for the formation of a reasonable opinion4 ,to them that are called1 beloved in ,god the ,father1 and kept for ,jesus ,christ1 is a formula which embraces all ,christians1 whether ,jews or ,gentiles1 and whether inside or outside ,palestine4 ,the topics introduced are such as would chiefly interest ,jewish ,christians1 and it is probable that the writer has the ,jewish ,christians of ,palestine and the adjoining countries chiefly in his mind2 but we have no right to limit the natural meaning of the formal address which he himself has adopted4 ,all ,christians1 without limitation1 are the objects of ,st4 ,jude's solicitude4 #ajb ,a plerisque rejicitur4 ,possibly this means is rejected by very many2 it certainly ought not to be rendered is rejected by most4 ,most is the classical meaning of plerique2 but in ,tacitus it means no more than very many 7,hist4 iv4 #hd1 etc471 and in ,jerome and his contemporaries it need mean no more than some4 ,thus in ,jerome's letter to ,dardamus 7,ep4 cxxix47 we have licet plerique eam vel ,barnab vel ,clementis arbitrentur 7of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews71 where plerique the of ,eusebius and ,origen 7,h4 ,e4 ,,vi4 xx4 #c2 xxv4 #ad74 #ajc ,see the ,academy of ,september #bast1 #ahhi1 where he shows how much of the ,fragment can be turned quite literally into ,greek verse1 and suggests that the 1 ,odes referring to all the ,scriptures1 mentioned among the works of ,hippolytus whose titles are inscribed on his chair 7see ,kraus1 ,real4 ,encykl4 der ,chris4 ,alterthmer1 ,i41 pp4 #ffa-fd71 refers to metrical compositions on the contents of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,the ,fragment says respecting this ,epistle1 ,epistola sane ,iude et superscrictio 7sic7 ,iohannis duas in catholica habentur1 where superscrictio is a clerical error for superscripti1 the ,john mentioned above4 #ajd ,the ,genevan ,version introduced this rendering4 ,previous versions either leave the meaning doubtful1 ,judas of ,james1 as ,wiclif1 or translate ,james' sonne1 as ,tyndale and ,cranmer4 ,luther also is for son4 #aje ,these words are quoted from a commentary which the writer of this volume wrote in #ahgi for ,messrs4 ,cassell1 in the ,new ,testament ,commentary for ,english ,readers1 edited by ,bishop ,ellicott 7p4 #eje71 of which1 through the courtesy of the publishers1 he is allowed to make use for the present work4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,,the ,,purpose ,,of ,,the ,,epistle4--,,the ,,faith ,,once ,,for ,,all ,,delivered ,,and ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,christian ,,doctrine ,beloved1 while ,i was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation1 ,i was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints4--,,st4 ,,jude #c4 ,the ,greek of the opening sentence of this passage1 in which ,st4 ,jude explains his reason for writing this ,epistle1 is ambiguous4 ,the words of our common salvation 7 7 may go either with what precedes or with what follows4 ,but there is little doubt that both the ,authorized and the ,revised ,versions are right in taking them with what precedes4 ,the true connexion is1 not1 ,while ,i was giving all diligence to write unto you1 ,i was constrained to write unto you of our common salvation1 but1 ,while ,i was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation1 ,i was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith4 ,this ,epistle can scarcely be called a letter about our common salvation4 ,the meaning is that ,st4 ,jude had intended to write such a letter1 but the crisis created by the entrance of these ungodly men into the ,church constrained him to write a letter of a different kind1 viz4 the one which lies before us4 ,that he had already begun to write a letter respecting our common salvation1 and that we have here to lament the loss of another ,epistle besides the lost ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,john 7#a ,cor4 v4 #i2 #c ,john #i71 is neither stated nor implied4#ajf ,st4 ,jude had been thinking very earnestly about writing a more general and comprehensive ,epistle1 when he realized that the presence of a very serious evil required immediate action1 and accordingly he writes at once to point out the existing peril1 and to denounce those who are the authors of it4 ,it is the duty of all ,christians to be on their guard1 and to be unflinching in their defence of the truth which has been committed to them to preserve and cherish4 ,the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints4 ,this does not mean1 which was delivered by ,god to the ,apostles1 but which was delivered by the ,apostles to the ,church4 ,the saints here1 as so often in the ,new ,testament 7,acts ix4 #ac1 #cb1 #da2 xxvi4 #aj2 ,rom4 viii4 #bg2 xiii4 #ac2 xv4 #be1 #bf1 #ca2 etc41 etc471 means all ,christians4 ,if the whole nation of the ,jews was a holy people 7 71 a peculiar treasure unto ,jehovah from among all peoples 7,exod4 xix4 #e71 by reason of their special election by ,him 7,deut4 vii4 #f2 xiv4 #b1 #ba72 if they were saints of the ,most ,high 7,dan4 vii4 #ah1 #bb1 #be71 much more might this be said of ,christians1 who had inherited all the spiritual privileges of the ,jews1 and had received others in abundance1 far exceeding any that the ,jews had ever possessed4 ,christians also1 in a still higher sense1 were an elect race1 a royal priesthood1 a holy nation1 a people for ,god's own possession 7#a ,peter ii4 #i74 ,the ,christians of ,corinth1 ,ephesus1 and ,coloss1 in spite of the enormous evils which they practised or sanctioned1 or at least tolerated1 are still called saints4 ,they are holy1 not as being persons of holy life1 but as being devoted to ,god4 ,of course such persons ought to be holy in conduct1 but to call them saints does not assert that they are so4 ,the name asserts the fact of being set apart by ,god for ,himself1 and implies what ought to be the result of such separation4 ,thus the main idea of the term is consecration4 ,but though it does not assert moral qualifications as a fact in the persons so designated1 it implies them as a duty4#ajg ,to each individual ,christian1 therefore1 the name is at once an honour1 an exhortation1 and a reproach4 ,it tells of his high calling1 it exhorts him to live up to it1 and it reminds him of his grievous shortcomings4 ,the faith once for all delivered unto the saints 7 73 both the adverb1 once for all1 and the aorist participle1 delivered1 are worthy of special notice4 ,the faith does not mean any set formula of articles of belief1 nor the internal reception of ,christian doctrine1 but the substance of it2 it is equivalent to what ,st4 ,paul and the ,evangelists call the ,gospel1 viz4 that body of truth which brings salvation to the soul that receives it4 ,this ,faith1 or this ,gospel1 has been once for all delivered to ,christians4 ,no other will be given1 for there is no other4 ,whatever may be delivered by any one in future cannot be a gospel at all4 ,the one true ,gospel is complete and final1 and admits of no successors and no supplements 7,gal4 i4 #f-i74 ,the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints4 ,does this exclude all possibility of a development of ,christian doctrine8 ,that depends upon what one means by development4 ,the expression has been interpreted to mean that the increase and expansion of the ,christian creed and ritual1 and the variations which have attended the process in the case of individual writers and ,churches1 are the necessary attendants on any philosophy or polity which takes possession of the intellect and heart1 and has had any wide or extended dominion2 that from the nature of the human mind1 time is necessary for the full comprehension and perfection of great ideas2 and that the highest and most wonderful truths1 though communicated to the world once for all by inspired teachers1 could not be comprehended all at once by the recipients1 but1 as received and transmitted by minds not inspired and through media which were human1 have required only the longer time and deeper thought for their full elucidation4#ajh ,if the ambiguous expression and perfection be omitted1 one may readily allow that development of ,christian doctrine in this sense has taken place4 ,to say that time is needed for the full comprehension of the great truths which were communicated to the ,church once for all by the ,apostles is one thing2 to say that time is needed for the perfection of those truths may or may not be quite another4 ,and the manner in which the subject is treated in the famous ,essay from which the passage just quoted is taken shows that what is meant by the perfecting of the truths is a very different thing from the full comprehension of their original contents2 it means making additions to the original contents in order to remedy supposed deficiencies4 ,in this sense it may be confidently asserted1 and as loyal ,christians we are bound to assert1 that there is no such thing as development of ,christian doctrine4 ,if there be such a thing1 then we cannot stop short with those developments which can in some measure be called ,christian4 ,the author himself reminds us that no one has power over the issues of his principles2 we cannot manage our argument1 and have as much of it as we please1 and no more 7p4 #bi74 ,if the faith once for all delivered to the saints was defective1 and needed to be supplemented by subsequent additions1 why may not ,christianity itself be1 as some have maintained1 only a phase in the development of religion1 which in process of time is to be superseded by something wholly unchristian8 ,the transition is easily made from the position of the ,essay on the ,development of ,christian ,doctrine to that of ,channing1 that it makes me smile to hear immortality claimed for ,catholicism or ,protestantism1 or for any past interpretations of ,christianity3 as if the human soul had exhausted itself in its infant efforts2 as if the men of one or a few generations could bind the energy of human thought and affection for ever2#aji and thence to the position of ,strauss1 who1 in his latest and most dreary work1 on ,the ,old and the ,new ,faith1 asks the question1 ,are we still ,christians8 and answers it emphatically in the negative4 ,the chief doctrines of ,christianity are to him childish or repulsive beliefs1 which thoughtful men have long since left behind4 ,we may still in some sense be religious2 but ,christianity has done its work1 and is rightly being dismissed from the stage4#aaj ,this is the advanced thinking of which ,st4 ,john writes in his ,second ,epistle3 ,everyone that goeth onward 7 71 and abideth not in the doctrine of ,christ1 hath not ,god 7ver4 #i74 ,there is an advance which involves desertion of first principles2 and such an advance is not progress1 but apostasy4 ,but does the development of doctrine1 in the sense contended for by the author of the celebrated ,essay1 mean making actual additions to the faith once for all delivered1 as distinct from arriving at a better comprehension of the contents and logical consequences of the original deposit8 ,this question must be answered in the affirmative1 for various reasons4 ,the whole purpose of the ,essay1 and the actual expressions used in it1 require this meaning2 and that this is the obvious meaning has been assumed by ,roman ,catholic as well as ,protestant critics1 and 7so far as the present writer is aware7 this interpretation has never been resented as illegitimate by the author4 ,the whole argument is admittedly an hypothesis to account for a difficulty1 an expedient to enable us to solve what has now become a necessary and an anxious problem 7pp4 #bg1 #bh71 viz4 the enormous difference between the sum total of ,roman ,catholic doctrines and those which can be found in the ,christian documents of the first two or three centuries4 ,the ,essay is believed by its author to furnish a solution of such a number of the reputed corruptions of ,rome as might form a fair ground for trusting her where the investigation had not been pursued 7p4 #bi74 ,and that the faith once for all delivered is regarded as in need of supplements and additions seems to be implied in such language as the following3 ,in whatever sense the need and its supply are a proof of design in the visible creation1 in the same do the gaps1 if the word may be used1 which occur in the structure of the original creed of the ,church1 make it probable that those developments1 which grow out of the truths which lie around them1 were intended to complete it 7pp4 #aja1 #ajb74 ,it is the business of succeeding ages of the ,church to keep what was exact1 and supply what was deficient 7p4 #ced74 ,the author of the ,essay on the ,development of ,christian ,doctrine states in another of his works that when he was admitted to the ,church of ,rome he embraced volumes containing the writings of the ,christian ,fathers1 crying out that now they were really his own4 ,the action and exclamation were thoroughly inconsistent with the position maintained throughout the ,essay1 and since then adopted by numbers of ,roman controversialists4 ,he ought rather to have cleared his shelves of the works of the ,fathers1 and to have consigned them to the lumber-room1 with the remark1 ,now ,i need never look at you any more4 ,as ,bishop ,cornelius ,mussus 7,musso7 said long ago1 ,for my part1 to speak quite frankly1 ,i would give more credence to a single ,pope than to a thousand ,augustines1 ,jeromes1 and ,gregorys 7,in ,epist4 ad ,rom4 xiv41 p4 #fjf1 ,venet41 #aehh1 quoted in ,hardwick's edition of ,archer ,butler's ,letters on ,romanism1 p4 #cid74 ,it is the latest and most modern works on ,roman theology1 especially those which expound the utterances of the most recent ,popes1 that deserve to be studied1 if the theory of the development be correct4 ,according to that theory1 the teaching of the primitive ,church was certainly immature and defective1 and possibly even erroneous4 ,in order to find out what primitive writers meant1 or ought to have meant1 we must look to the latest developments4 ,they are the criteria by which to test the teaching of the early ,church2 it is beginning at the wrong end to test the developments by ,christian antiquity4 ,in former times ,romanists were at great pains to show that traces of their peculiar tenets could be found in the writers of the first few centuries2 and in not a few cases the works of these primitive writers were interpolated1 in order to make out a fair case4 ,criticism has exposed these forgeries1 and it has been demonstrated that the early ,christian teachers were ignorant of whole tracts of ,roman doctrine and practice4 ,roman controversy has therefore entirely shifted its ground4 ,it now freely admits that these things were unknown to ,irenus1 ,cyprian1 ,chrysostom1 ,athanasius1 and ,augustine2 but for the simple reason that1 when they wrote1 these things had not yet been revealed4 ,the ,church was still ignorant that the ,blessed ,virgin was conceived without sin1 was taken bodily to heaven after her death1 and ought to be invoked in prayer2 it was still ignorant of the doctrine of purgatory1 of indulgences1 and of the necessity of being in communion with the ,church of ,rome4 ,it will not do to say that ,christ and ,his ,apostles planted the germs of these things1 and that for centuries the germs did not expand and fructify1 and therefore remained unnoticed4 ,for1 first1 how can there be a germ of an historical fact1 such as the supposed removal of the ,virgin's body to heaven1 which is most happily named an assumption8 ,secondly1 now that the fruit has appeared1 we ought to be able to trace it back to the germ which for so long was ignored4 ,and thirdly1 if the germs were really deposited by ,christ and ,his ,apostles1 they would have developed in a somewhat similar manner in all parts of ,christendom4 ,different surroundings will account for some variety of development1 but not for absolute difference in kind4 ,the germ respecting communion with the ,church of ,rome1 if there was one1 developed in the ,east1 where all germs were in the first instance planted1 into the doctrine that no such communion was necessary4#aaa ,therefore1 from the ,roman point of view1 it is necessary to maintain that the development of ,christian doctrine involves1 not merely the better comprehension of the contents of doctrines1 and the expansion of seeds and germs of truth1 but the admission of actual supplements and additions1 derived from new revelations of fresh items of truth4 ,as the ,jesuit ,father ,harper said1 in his reply to ,dr4 ,pusey's ,eirenicon1 ,christ grew in wisdom daily4 ,so does the ,church1 not in mere appearance1 but of truth4 ,her creed1 therefore1 can never shrink back to the dimensions of the past1 but must ever enlarge with the onward future4 ,hence the necessity for the doctrine of ,infallibility4 ,for ,roman developments are not the only ones4 ,the ,eastern ,churches have theirs2 ,protestant ,churches have theirs2 and outside these there are other developments1 both non-,christian and anti-,christian4 ,unless there is some authority which can say1 ,our developments are ,divinely inspired and necessary1 while all others are superfluous or wrong1 the doctrine of ,development may be used with as much force against ,rome as for her4 ,consequently1 we find the author of the ,essay using the theory of ,development as an argument for that of the ,infallibility4 ,if the ,christian doctrine1 as originally taught1 admits of true and important developments1 444 this is a strong antecedent argument in favour of a provision in the ,dispensation for putting a seal of authority upon those developments4444 ,if certain large developments of it are true1 they must surely be accredited as true 7pp4 #aag-ai74 ,this is further proof that what is contemplated in this theory is not mere logical deductions from revealed truth2 for logical deductions vindicate themselves by an appeal to the reason1 and need no sanction from an infallible authority4 ,developments are indeed said to follow by way of logical sequence1 but this term is made to receive an enlarged meaning4 ,it will include any progress of the mind from one judgment to another1 as1 for instance1 by way of moral fitness1 which may not admit of analysis into premiss and conclusion 7p4 #cig74 ,thus the deification of ,st4 ,mary is a logical sequence of our ,lord's ,divinity4 ,the votaries of ,mary do not exceed the true faith1 unless the blasphemers of her ,son came up to it4 ,the ,church of ,rome is not idolatrous1 unless ,arianism is orthodoxy 7p4 #djf74 ,the following criticism1 therefore1 does not seem to be unjust3 ,however the theory may be modified by the subsequent additional supposition of infallible guidance1 it is quite evident that1 considered in itself1 its internal spirit and scope 7especially as illustrated by its alleged ,roman instances7 are nothing short of this1 that everything which certain good men in the ,church1 or men assumed to be such1 can by reasoning or feeling collect from a revealed truth is1 by the mere fact of its recognition i4e4 by the supposed infallible guide1 admissible and authoritative4#aab ,this is indeed a wide door to open for the reception of additions to the faith6 ,that ,st4 ,jude lays much stress on the fact that the sum total of the ,gospel1 and not merely the elementary portions of it1 have been once for all committed to the ,church1 is shown1 not only by the prominence which he gives to the thought here1 but by his repetition of it a few lines later1 when he begins the main portion of his ,epistle3 ,i desire to put you in remembrance1 though ye know all things once for all 7ver4 #e74 ,any teaching of new doctrines is not only unnecessary1 it is also utterly inadmissible4 ,and every ,christian has his responsibilities in this matter4 ,he is to contend earnestly 771 with all the energy and watchfulness of an athlete in the arena1 for the preservation of this sacred deposit1 lest it be lost or corrupted4 ,and the manner in which this earnest contest is to be maintained is not left doubtful2 not with the sword1 as ,beza rightly remarks1 nor with intemperate denunciation or indiscriminate severity1 but with the mighty influence of a holy life1 built upon the foundation of our most holy faith 7vv4 #bj-bc74 ,it is in this way that lawful development of ,christian doctrine is secured2 not by additions to what was once for all delivered1 but by a deeper and wider comprehension of its inexhaustible contents4 ,if any man willeth to do ,his will1 he shall know of the doctrine4 ,,note4--,in connexion with the subject treated above1 chapter ix4 of ,r4 ,h4 ,hutton's sketch of ,cardinal ,newman 7,methuen ,co41 #ahia7 may be profitably read4 #ajf ,this is an assumption of ,de ,wette1 who in this followed ,sherlock1 and was followed by ,brckner4 ,it is worth noting that the ,vulgate here is as ambiguous as the original ,greek3 ,omnem solicitudinem faciens scribendi vobis de communi vestra salute necesse habui scribere vobis1 etc4 #ajg ,lightfoot1 ,philippians1 note on i4 #a4 #ajh ,j4 ,h4 ,newman1 ,an ,essay on the ,development of ,christian ,doctrine 7,london1 ,toovey1 #ahde71 p4 #bg4 #aji ,letter on ,catholicism3 ,complete ,works 7,routledge1 #ahhd71 p4 #cdf4 #aaj ,der alte und der neue ,glaube 7,leipzig1 #ahgb71 pp4 #ac-ia3 see especially pp4 #ij1 #ia4 #aaa ,see ,dr4 ,salmon's admirable work on ,the ,infallibility of the ,church 7,murray1 #ahhh71 pp4 #cc-da4 #aab ,archer ,butler's ,letters on ,romanism1 ,revised by ,rev4 ,charles ,hardwick 7,macmillan1 #aheh71 p4 #ia4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,,the ,,persons ,,denounced ,,in ,,the ,,epistle4 ,,its ,,relation ,,to #b ,,peter4 ,for there are certain men crept in privily1 even they who were of old set forth unto this condemnation1 ungodly men1 turning the grace of our ,god into lasciviousness1 and denying our only ,master and ,lord1 ,jesus ,christ4--,,st4 ,,jude #d4 ,we have here the occasion of the letter stated very plainly4 ,st4 ,jude was meditating a letter on a more general subject1 when the grave peril created by the anti-,christian behaviour of the persons condemned in the text constrained him to write at once on this more urgent topic4 ,an insidious invasion of the ,christian ,church has taken place by those who have no right to a place within it1 and who endanger its peace and purity2 and he dare not keep silence4 ,the strong must be exhorted to withstand the evil2 the weak must be rescued from it4 ,these invaders are in one respect like those who are condemned in the ,epistle to the ,galatians1 in another respect are very unlike them4 ,they are false brethren privily brought in1 who came in privily 7ii4 #d72 but they have come in1 not to spy out our liberty which we have in ,christ ,jesus1 that they might bring us into bondage1 but to turn the grace of our ,god into lasciviousness4 ,the troublers of the ,galatian ,church were endeavouring to contract ,christian liberty1 whereas these ungodly men were straining it to the uttermost4 ,both ended in destroying it4 ,the one turned the freedom with which ,christ set us free into an intolerable yoke of ,jewish bondage2 the other turned it into the polluting anarchy of heathen1 or worse than heathen1 licence4 ,how utterly alien these latter are from ,christianity1 or even from ,judaism1 is indicated by ,st4 ,jude's pointed introduction of the pronoun our in two clauses in this verse3 turning the grace of our ,god into lasciviousness1 and denying our only ,master and ,lord1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,jehovah is our ,god1 not theirs2 they are without ,god in the world4 ,and ,christ is our only ,master and ,lord1 but not theirs2 they have denied and rejected ,him1 choosing to walk after their own lusts 7ver4 #af71 rather than to walk even as ,he walked 7#a ,john ii4 #f74 ,they have repudiated ,his easy yoke1 that they may follow their own bestial desires4 ,who are these ungodly men8 ,clement of ,alexandria 7,strom4 ,,iii4 ii4 sub fin47 thinks that ,st4 ,jude is speaking prophetically of the abominable doctrines of the ,gnostic teacher ,carpocrates4 ,some modern writers adopt this view1 with the omission of the word prophetically1 and thus obtain an argument against the genuineness of the ,epistle4 ,if the writer knew the teaching of ,carpocrates1 he cannot have been ,jude the brother of ,james and the brother of the ,lord4 ,the date of ,carpocrates is too uncertain to make this a perfectly conclusive argument1 even if we admit the assumption that the writer of this ,epistle is alluding to his teaching2 for he is sometimes placed before ,cerinthus1 who was contemporary with ,st4 ,john4 ,but it may be allowed as probably correct that ,st4 ,jude was dead before ,carpocrates was known as a teacher of ,antinomian ,gnosticism4 ,there is1 however1 nothing whatever to show that it is to his teaching that ,st4 ,jude is alluding4 ,he says nothing whatever about the teaching of these ungodly men1 who perhaps were not teachers at all2 still less does he indicate that they belonged to those ,gnostics who1 from the ,oriental doctrine of the absolutely evil character of matter and everything material1 drew the practical conclusion that man's material body may be made to undergo every kind of experience1 no matter how shameless1 in order that the soul may gain knowledge2 that the soul is by enlightenment too pure1 and the body by nature too impure1 to be capable of pollution2 that filth cannot be defiled2 and that pure gold remains pure1 however often it may be plunged in filthiness4 ,no such doctrine is hinted at by ,st4 ,jude4 ,dorner1 therefore1 goes beyond what is written when he says that the persons whom ,jude opposes are not merely such as have practically swerved from the right way2 they are also teachers of error 7,doctrine of the ,person of ,christ1 ,intr41 p4 #gb1 ,eng4 ,tr43 ,t4 and ,t4 ,clark1 #ahfa74 ,it is more reasonable1 with ,de ,wette1 ,brckner1 ,meyer1 ,khl1 ,reuss1 ,farrar1 ,salmon1 and others to regard these ungodly men as just what ,st4 ,jude describes them1 and no more2 libertines1 who ought never to have been admitted into the ,church at all2 who maintained that ,christians were free to live lives of gross sensuality2 and who1 when rebuked by the elders or other officers of the ,church for their misconduct1 not only refused to submit1 but reviled those who were set over them4 ,they were teachers of error1 but by their bad example1 not by systematic preaching4 ,they screened their immoral conduct by blasphemous assumptions1 because they assumed that having been called for freedom1 they might use their freedom for an occasion to the flesh 7,gal4 v4 #ac71 not because they assumed that they ought to disobey the commandments of the ,creator of the material universe4 ,and for the same reason they may be called libertines on principle4 ,when ,st4 ,jude says that they denied our only ,master#aac and ,lord1 ,jesus ,christ1 he means that they denied ,him by their lives4 ,it is altogether unreasonable to read into this simple phrase1 which is sufficiently explained by the context1 a dogmatic denial of the ,incarnation4 ,that the germs of ,antinomian ,gnosticism are here indicated may be true enough2 but they have not yet developed into a body of doctrine4 ,still less have those who are tainted by these germs developed into an heretical sect4#aad ,it is with the verse before us that the marked resemblance between the ,epistle of ,st4 ,jude and the central portion of the ,second ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter begins2 and it continues down to ver4 #ah4 ,in this short letter of twenty-five verses1 only the first three and last seven verses1 i4e4 about a third of the whole1 have no intimate relations with #b ,peter4 ,the last word has not yet been spoken upon this perplexing subject4 ,the present writer confesses that he remains still uncertain as to the true relation between the two1 and that he has inclined sometimes to the one1 and sometimes to the other of the two rival hypotheses4 ,thus much of what he wrote on the subject more than ten years ago may be repeated now3-- ,the similarity1 both in substance and wording1 is so great that only two alternatives are possible--either one has borrowed from the other1 or both have borrowed from a common source4 ,the second alternative is rarely1 if ever1 advocated2 it does not explain the facts very satisfactorily1 and critics are agreed in rejecting it4 ,but here agreement ends4 ,on the further question1 as to which writer is prior1 there is very great diversity of opinion4 ,one thing1 therefore1 is certain1 that whichever writer has borrowed1 he is no ordinary borrower4 ,he knows how to assimilate foreign material so as to make it thoroughly his own4 ,he remains original1 even while he appropriates the words and thoughts of another4 ,he controls them1 not they him4 ,were this not so1 there would be little doubt about the matter4 ,in any ordinary case of appropriation1 if both the original and copy are forthcoming1 critics do not doubt long as to which is the original4 ,it is when the copy itself is a masterpiece1 as in the case of ,holbein's ,madonna1 that criticism is baffled4 ,such would seem to be the case here2 and the present writer is free to confess his own uncertainty4#aae ,other persons are able to write with much more confidence4 ,dean ,mansel says1 ,some eminent modern critics have attempted1 on the very precarious evidence of style1 to assign the priority in time of writing to ,st4 ,jude2 but there are two circumstances which appear to me to prove most conclusively that ,st4 ,jude's ,epistle was written after that of ,st4 ,peter1 and with express reference to it4 ,the first is1 that the evils which ,st4 ,peter speaks of as partly future ,st4 ,jude describes as now present4 ,the one says1 ',there shall be false teachers among you' 7#b ,peter ii4 #a2 the future tense being continued through the two following verses72 the other says1 ',there are certain men crept in unawares4' ,the other circumstance is still more to the point4 ,st4 ,peter1 in his ,second ,epistle1 has the remarkable words1 ',knowing this first1 that in the last days mockers 77 shall come with mockery1 walking after their own lusts' 7iii4 #c74 ,st4 ,jude has the same passage1 repeated almost word for word1 but expressly introduced as a citation of ,apostolic language3 ',but ye1 beloved1 remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the ,apostles of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 how that they said to you1 ,in the last time there shall be mockers 771 walking after their own ungodly lusts' 7vv4 #ag1 #ah74 ,the use of the plural number 7 7 may be explained by supposing that the writer may also have intended to allude to passages similar in import1 though differently expressed1 in the writings of ,st4 ,paul 7such as #a ,tim4 iv4 #a1 #b2 #b ,tim4 iii4 #a71 but the verbal coincidence can hardly be satisfactorily explained1 unless we suppose that ,st4 ,jude had principally in his thoughts1 and was actually citing the language of ,st4 ,peter 7,the ,gnostic ,heresies of the ,first and ,second ,centuries1 ,murray1 #ahge1 pp4 #fi1 #gj74 ,hengstenberg puts forward the same arguments1 and considers the second to be decisive as to the priority of #b ,peter4 ,not less confident is ,archdeacon ,farrar that exactly the opposite hypothesis is the right one4 ,after careful consideration and comparison of the two documents it seems to my own mind impossible to doubt the italics are ,dr4 ,farrar's that ,jude was the earlier of the two writers4444 ,i must confess my inability to see how any one who approaches the inquiry with no ready-made theories can fail to come to the conclusion that the priority in this instance belongs to ,st4 ,jude4 ,it would have been impossible for such a burning and withering blast of defiance and invective as his brief letter to have been composed on principles of modification and addition4 ,all the marks which indicate the reflective treatment of an existing document are to be seen in the ,second ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter4 ,in every instance of variation we see the reasons which influenced the later writer4444 ,the notion that ,st4 ,jude endeavoured to 'improve upon' ,st4 ,peter is1 ,i say1 a literary impossibility2 and if in some instances the phrases of ,st4 ,jude seem more antithetical and striking1 and his description clearer1 ,i have sufficiently accounted for the inferiority--if it be inferiority--of ,st4 ,peter by the supposition that he was a man of more restrained temperament2 that he wrote under the influence of reminiscences and impressions2 and that he was warning against forms of evil with which he had not come into so personal a contact 7,the ,early ,days of ,christianity1 ,cassell and ,co41 #ahhb1 i41 pp4 #aif-bjc74 ,the main arguments in favour of the view that the ,second ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter was used by ,st4 ,jude1 besides those stated by ,dean ,mansel1 are the following3-- 7#a7 ,if #b ,peter is genuine1 it is more probable that ,st4 ,jude should borrow from ,st4 ,peter than that the chief of the ,apostles should borrow from one who was not an ,apostle at all4 ,if #b ,peter is not genuine1 it is improbable that the forger would borrow from a writing which from the first was regarded with suspicion1 because it quoted apocryphal literature4 7#b7 ,st4 ,jude tells us 7ver4 #c7 that he wrote under pressure to meet a grave emergency1 and therefore he would be more likely to make large use of suitable material ready to his hand1 than one who was under no such necessity4 ,the main arguments on the other side are these3-- 7#a7 ,it is more probable that the chief portion of a short letter should be used again with a great deal of additional matter1 than that one section only of a much longer letter should be used again with very little additional matter4 7#b7 ,it is more probable that the writer of #b ,peter should omit what seemed to be difficult or likely to give offence1 than that ,st4 ,jude should insert such things2 e4g4 clouds without water 7,jude #ab7 is a contradiction in terms1 and therefore is naturally corrected to wells without water 7#b ,pet4 ii4 #ag72 the particular way in which the angels fell 7,jude #f71 the allusion to certain ,levitical pollutions 7ver4 #bc71 and the citations from apocryphal books 7vv4 #i1 #ad1 #ae7 are either entirely omitted by the writer of #b ,peter1 or put in a way much less likely to seem offensive 7ii4 #d1 #aa74 ,and ,jude #i has been so toned down by the writer of #b ,peter that without ,st4 ,jude's statement respecting ,michael and the devil we should scarcely understand #b ,peter ii4 #aa4 ,besides these points1 there are two arguments which are used on both sides of the question3-- 7i7 ,there are certain elements in ,st4 ,jude's ,epistle of which the writer of #b ,peter would probably have made use1 had he seen them2 e4g4 the ironical play upon the word kept in the angels which kept not 7 7 their own principality4444 ,he hath kept 77 in everlasting bonds2 the telling antithesis in ver4 #aj1 that what these sinners do not know1 and cannot know1 they abuse by gross irreverence2 and what they know1 and cannot help knowing1 they abuse by gross licentiousness2 and the metaphor of wandering stars 7ver4 #ac71 which would fit the false teachers1 who lead others astray1 in #b ,peter1 much better than the ungodly men1 who are not leaders at all1 in ,jude4 ,as the writer of #b ,peter makes no use of these points1 the inference is that he had never seen them4 ,but1 on the other hand1 there are certain elements in #b ,peter of which ,st4 ,jude would probably have made use1 had he seen them2 e4g4 the destruction of the world of the ungodly by the ,flood2 the eyes full of an adulteress2 and the explanation of the great swelling words as promising them liberty1 which would exactly have suited ,st4 ,jude's purpose in condemning those who turned liberty into license4 ,as ,st4 ,jude makes no use of these points1 the inference is that he had not seen them4 7ii7 ,st4 ,jude1 as will be shown presently1 groups nearly everything in threes4 ,it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that wherever he can make a threefold arrangement he does so4 ,is this artificial grouping a mark of originality or not8 ,some would urge that it is the writer who is using up another's material who would be likely to add this fanciful arrangement1 and that1 therefore1 ,st4 ,jude is the borrower4 ,others would urge that such triplets would be just the things to be overlooked or disregarded by the borrower1 and that1 therefore1 ,st4 ,jude is the original4 ,about the existence of the triplets in ,jude1 and their absence in #b ,peter1 there can be no question1 whatever view we may hold as to their significance4 ,they begin in the very first verse of our ,epistle1 and continue to the last verse1 although those at the close of the letter are lost in the ,authorized ,version1 owing to the fact that the translators used a faulty ,greek text4 ,it will be worth while to run through them4 7#a7 ,judas1 a servant 444 and brother4 7#b7 ,to them that are called1 beloved1 444 and kept4 7#c7 ,mercy unto you and peace and love4 7#d7 ,ungodly men1 turning1 444 and denying4 7#e7 ,israelites1 angels1 cities of the plain4 7#f7 ,defile1 444 set at nought1 444 and rail4 7#g7 ,cain1 ,balaam1 ,korah4 7#h7 ,these are4444 ,these are4444 ,these are4444 7#i7 ,they who make separations1 sensual1 having not the ,spirit4 7#aj7 ,building up yourselves1 444 praying1 444 looking for the mercy1 7#aa7 ,on some have mercy2 444 and some save2 444 and on some have mercy with fear4 7#ab7 ,before all time1 and now1 and for evermore4 ,before parting with this verse it will be well to put readers on their guard against a misinterpretation of the phrase1 ,they who were of old set forth unto this condemnation2 a misinterpretation all the more likely to be made by those who use the ,authorized ,version1 which has1 ,who were before of old ordained to this condemnation4 ,the text is a favourite one with ,calvinists2 but when rightly translated and understood1 it gives no support to extreme predestinarian theories4 ,when literally rendered it runs1 ,who have been of old written down beforehand for this sentence2 or possibly1 ,who have been written up beforehand2 for the metaphor may be borrowed from the custom of posting up the names of those who had to appear before the court for trial4 ,be this as it may1 of old 77 cannot refer to the eternal counsel and decree of ,almighty ,god1 but to something in human history1 something remote from ,st4 ,jude's own day1 but in time1 and not in eternity4 ,perhaps some of the warnings and denunciations in the prophets of the ,old ,testament or in the ,book of ,enoch are in his mind4 ,condemnation is a justifiable rendering of the ,greek word 771 because it is manifest from the context that the sentence or judgment intended is one of condemnation1 and not of acquittal2 but this word when coupled with ordained is likely to be grievously misunderstood4 ,ordained to condemnation suggests with fatal facility predestined to damnation--a doctrine which has perhaps been a more fruitful cause of the rejection of ,christianity than all the doctrines included in the creeds4 ,probably in all ages of the ,church there have been men such as ,st4 ,jude here describes--nominal members of the ,church who are nothing but a scandal to it1 and professing ,christians whose whole life is one flagrant denial of ,christ4 ,such persons certainly trouble ,christendom now4 ,by their luxury and licentiousness they set an evil example and create a pestilential moral atmosphere4 ,they practise no self-control1 and sneer at self-denial in others4 ,they reject all ,christian discipline1 and mock at those who endeavour to maintain it4 ,and sometimes they are not at once recognized in their true character4 ,they are plausible and amusing1 obviously not strict1 but not obviously scandalous in their manner of life4 ,it is then that such men become specially dangerous4 ,such may have been the case in the ,churches which ,st4 ,jude has in mind4 ,therefore he strips off all this specious disguise1 and describes these profligate scoffers according to their true characters4 ,moreover1 we must remember that there were some1 and perhaps many1 who1 like ,simon ,magus 7,acts viii4 #ac71 accepted baptism without any real appreciation of the meaning of ,christianity1 and who remained either ,jews or heathen at heart1 long after they had enrolled themselves as ,christians4 ,where dangerous material of this kind abounded1 it was necessary to put the faithful on their guard about the danger2 and hence the strength and vehemence of ,st4 ,jude's language4 ,a sharp1 clear statement of the evil was necessary to put the weak and the unwary on their guard against a peril to which they might easily succumb1 before they were fully aware of its existence4 ,we all of us need such warnings still1 not merely to form a truer estimate of the nature and tendency of certain forms of evil1 and thus keep on our guard against courting needless temptation1 but also to preserve us from becoming in our own persons1 through manifest self-indulgence and carelessness of life1 a snare and a stumbling-block to our brethren4 ,,note4--,on the question as to which of the two ,epistles is prior1 the opinion of scholars has been greatly divided2 but a comparison of the following lists will show that among more recent critics the decision is commonly in favour of the priority of our ,epistle3-- ,for the priority of #b ,peter3 ,bauer1 ,beausobre1 ,benson1 ,bloomfield1 ,dahl1 ,dietlein1 ,dodwell1 ,estius1 ,fronmller1 ,hnlein1 ,hengstenberg1 ,heydenreich1 ,hofmann1 ,lange1 ,lenfant1 ,lumby1 ,luthart1 ,luther1 ,mansel1 ,michaelis1 ,mill1 cumenius1 ,pott1 ,schaff1 ,schmid1 ,schoff1 ,schulze1 ,semler1 ,steinfass1 ,stier1 ,stolz1 ,storr1 ,thiersch1 ,wetstein1 ,wolf1 ,wordsworth1 ,zachari1 and others4 ,for the priority of ,st4 ,jude3 ,alford1 ,angus1 ,arnaud1 ,bleek1 ,brckner1 ,caffin1 ,credner1 ,davidson1 ,de ,wette1 ,eichhorn1 ,ewald1 ,f4 ,w4 ,farrar1 ,guerike1 ,hatch1 ,herder1 ,hilgenfeld1 ,hug1 ,huther1 ,khl1 ,kurz1 ,mayerhoff1 ,neander1 ,plumptre1 ,reuss1 ,salmon1 ,schenkel1 ,sieffert1 ,thorold1 ,weiss1 ,wiesinger1 and others4 ,plumptre makes the remarkable suggestion that ,st4 ,jude may have written both letters4 ,he first wrote his own ,epistle1 then was sent with it to ,st4 ,peter by ,st4 ,james1 and finally acted as ,st4 ,peter's amanuensis in writing #b ,peter 7,cambridge ,bible for ,schools1 ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,jude1 #ahgi1 pp4 #gi1 #hj1 #hh1 #hi74 ,on this point also ,dr4 ,dllinger changed his mind 7see p4 #ca74 ,in ,the ,first ,age of the ,church 7pp4 #ic1 #ajh1 ,eng4 ,tr41 #bnd ed47 he maintained the priority of #b ,peter4 ,june #bbnd1 #ahgi1 he wrote to me1 ,its priority to the ,epistle of ,jude ,i cannot believe 7kann ich gar nicht glauben74 #aac ,the insertion of the word ,god into the authorities followed in the ,authorized ,version is one of the few instances in which it is possible that the ,greek text of the ,n4,t4 has been corrupted in the interests of orthodoxy4 #aad ,see the author's ,epistles of ,st4 ,john in the ,cambridge ,greek ,testament1 pp4 xx-xxix and #afj-afb4 #aae ,n4,t4 ,commentary for ,english ,readers1 edited by ,bishop ,ellicott 7,cassell and ,co4 #ahgi71 iii41 p4 #ejf4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,,doubtful ,,readings ,,and ,,the ,,theory ,,of ,,verbal ,,inspiration4 ,,three ,,palmary ,,instances ,,of ,,divine ,,vengeance ,,upon ,,grievous ,,sin4 ,now ,i desire to put you in remembrance1 though ye know all things once for all1 how that the ,lord1 having saved a people out of the land of ,egypt1 afterwards destroyed them that believed not4 ,and angels which kept not their own principality1 but left their proper habitation1 ,he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day4 ,even as ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 and the cities about them1 having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication1 and gone after strange flesh1 are set forth as an example1 suffering the punishment of eternal fire4--,,st4 ,,jude #e-g4 ,with these three verses the main portion of the ,epistle begins1 the first three verses being introductory4 ,these put before us three instances of ,divine vengeance upon those who were guilty of grievous sin--the unbelieving ,israelites in the wilderness1 the impure angels1 and the inhabitants of the cities of the plain2 and in the three verses which follow 7#h-aj7 ,st4 ,jude points out the similarity between the offences of these wicked persons and the offences of the libertines who are provoking ,god to execute similar vengeance upon them4 ,it is quite possible that we have here the explanation of the words1 ,who were of old set forth unto this condemnation 7ver4 #d74 ,the doom of these impious profligates has long since been written in the doom of those who sinned in a similar manner4 ,the ,greek text of the opening verse exhibits a great variety of readings1 and one may suspect with ,westcott and ,hort that there has been some primitive error1 and that none of the existing readings are correct4 ,of the points in which they differ from one another three require notice3-- 7#a7 ,in the words1 ,the ,lord1 having saved a people out of the land of ,egypt1 the authorities vary between the ,lord 7with or without the article71 ,god1 and ,jesus4 ,this last is far the best attested 7,,ab1 the best cursives1 the ,vulgate1 both ,egyptian ,versions1 both ,ethiopic1 the margin of the ,armenian1 and several ,fathers72 but the internal evidence against it is immense4 ,nowhere else in ,scripture is ,jesus said to be the ,author of anything which took place before the ,incarnation4 ,had ,st4 ,jude written ,christ1 we might have compared the rock was ,christ 7#a ,cor4 x4 #d74 ,but the general adoption of the reading ,jesus shows how completely in ,christian thought and language the ,man ,jesus had become identified with the ,eternal ,son4 ,if ,lord be correct 71 without the article71 it should be understood as meaning ,jehovah2 and therefore ,god1 though not likely to be right as the reading1 is right as an interpretation4 ,in the ,latin translation of the ,hypotyposeis of ,clement of ,alexandria we have these two readings combined1 ,dominus ,deus1 and the ,greek of ,didymus has ,lord ,jesus combined4 ,possibly all three readings are insertions1 and should be omitted1 the true text being simply1 ,he who saved a people out of the land of ,egypt 7 74#aaf 7#b7 ,in the words1 ,though ye know all things once for all1 some authorities1 which were followed by the translators of #afaa1 have this for all things1 while one authority makes all to be masculine instead of neuter 7 for 74 ,this last may be correct1 for the final letter of the masculine might easily be lost 7especially in front of 72 and in that case the meaning would be1 though ye all know it1 i4e41 know what ,i am going to point out4 ,there is a similar confusion of reading in #a ,john ii4 #bj1 where for ,ye know all things 7 7 we should perhaps read1 ,ye all know 7 74 ,but here the masculine has too little support to be adopted4 7#c7 ,the ,sinaitic ,,ms4 transposes the once or once for all 77 from know to saved1 and makes it answer to the afterwards1 or the second time 7 7 which follows4 ,in this it is supported by the ,armenian ,version and a single cursive of the fourteenth century4#aag ,if it were adopted1 the sentence would run thus3 ,now ,i desire to put you in remembrance1 though ye know all things1 how that the ,lord1 having once saved a people out of the land of ,egypt1 afterwards destroyed them that believed not4 ,the correspondence between once and afterwards--having a single time saved1 444 the second time ,he destroyed--is at first sight attractive2 but it is precisely this superficial attractiveness which has caused the corruption of the text4 ,a recent writer pleads for its adoption1 but his reasons are not convincing4#aah ,the external evidence against the proposed transposition is enormous2 and there is no strong internal evidence against the best-attested text 7as there is against the reading ,jesus7 to turn the scale4 ,though ye know all this once for all makes excellent sense2 and so also does ,he who saved a people out of ,egypt1 the second time 7viz4 in the wilderness7 destroyed them that believed not4 ,this collection of various readings1 out of which it is impossible to select the true text with anything like certainty1 is worth remembering in considering the theory of verbal inspiration4 ,if every word that ,st4 ,jude wrote was supernaturally dictated1 why has not every word been supernaturally preserved8 ,it is manifest that ,god has not1 either miraculously or in any other way1 secured that the exact words written by ,st4 ,jude should come down to us without alteration4 ,the alterations are so ancient1 so widely diffused1 and so numerous1 that we are unable to decide what ,st4 ,jude's exact words were4 ,we are not even certain that among the numerous variations we have got his exact words4 ,this is not a common case4 ,the usual problem1 when various readings occur1 is to select the right reading out of several that have been handed down to us1 there being no reason to doubt that one of them is the original reading of the autograph4 ,but there are a few passages1 and this is one of them1 where one may reasonably doubt whether the original reading has not been altogether lost 7,acts vii4 #df2 xiii4 #cb comp4 ,heb4 xi4 #d2 xix4 #dj2 xxvi4 #bh2 ,rom4 xv4 #cb2 #a ,cor4 xii4 #b2 ,col4 ii4 #ah1 #bc2 ,heb4 iv4 #b2 x4 #a2 #a ,tim4 vi4 #g2 #b ,tim4 i4 #ac2 #b ,peter iii4 #aj1 #ab2 ,jude #bb1 #bc74 ,this result might easily be produced through an error in the earliest copies made from the original document1 or through a slip made by the amanuensis who wrote the original document4 ,there are minds to which this supposition is very repugnant2 and there are writers who assure us that in ,biblical criticism conjectural emendation must never be resorted to1 even in passages of acknowledged difficulty1 or that conjectural criticism is entirely banished from the field4 ,but if the whole of an ,apostolic ,epistle may have been lost 7#a ,cor4 v4 #i2 #c ,john #i71 why may not a word or two of an extant ,epistle have been lost8 ,and is it quite natural that there should sometimes be a doubt as to which of several existing readings is the original1 and yet quite inconceivable that there should ever be a doubt as to whether any of them is original8 ,in either case we are left in uncertainty as to the precise words which are inspired2 and we are thus confronted with the perplexing result that the ,almighty has specially guided a writer to use certain words and phrases1 to the exclusion of all others1 and yet from very early times has1 in not a few cases1 allowed ,christians to be in doubt as to what these exact words and phrases are4 ,have we any right to assume that there was this special ,divine care to produce a particular wording1 when it is quite manifest that there has not been special ,divine care to preserve a particular wording8 ,the theory of verbal inspiration imports unnecessary and insuperable difficulties into the already sufficiently difficult problem as to the properties of inspired writings4 ,it maintains that the line can never rationally be drawn between the thoughts and words of ,scripture2 which means that the only inspired ,word of ,god is the original ,hebrew and ,greek wording which was used by the authors of the different books in the ,bible4 ,consequently all who cannot read these are cut off from the inspired ,word2 for the inspired thoughts are1 according to this theory1 inseparably bound up with the original form of words4 ,but if it is the thought1 and not the wording1 that is inspired1 then the inspired thought may be as adequately expressed in ,english or ,german as in ,hebrew or ,greek4 ,it is the inspired thought1 no matter in what language expressed1 which comes home to the hearts and consciences of men1 and convinces them that what is thus brought to them by a human instrument is indeed in its origin and in its power ,divine4 ,never man thus spake was said1 not of the choice language that was used1 but of the meaning which the language conveyed4 ,in the passage before us there are several points which call for attention1 most of which are independent of the differences of reading4 ,it may be doubted whether the participle 77 is rightly rendered though ye know all things once for all4 ,it makes good1 and perhaps better sense to understand it in the equally possible signification of because ye know all things once for all4 ,their being already in full possession of a knowledge of ,old ,testament history is the reason why ,st4 ,jude need do no more than remind them of one or two particulars which throw a terrible light upon the position of those whose conduct is being discussed4 ,that once here does not mean formerly1 as the ,authorized ,version takes it1 though ye once knew this1 is manifest to every one who knows the meaning of the participle and adverb here used 7 74 ,nor is there much doubt that both here and in ver4 #c it does mean once for all4 ,this ,greek adverb1 like its ,latin equivalent semel1 is sometimes used of what is so done as to be of perpetual validity and never need repetition4 ,it is twice so used in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews3 ,for as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift 7vi4 #d72 i4e4 once for all enlightened1 so that no second enlightenment is possible4 ,and again1 ,because the worshippers1 having been once cleansed1 would have had no more conscience of sins 7x4 #b74 ,so also in #a ,peter3 ,because ,christ also died for sins once 7iii4 #ah74 ,the meaning is similar in both the passages here 7vv4 #c and #e74 ,the ,gospel was once for all delivered by the ,apostles to the ,church2 for there can be no second ,gospel4 ,and this ,gospel ,christians receive and know once for all4 ,doubt has been raised as to the event or events to which ,st4 ,jude refers in the words afterward destroyed them that believed not4 ,hofmann1 ,schott1 and others1 adopting the best-attested reading1 ,jesus1 having saved a people out of the land of ,egypt1 afterward destroyed them that believed not1 interpret the latter clause of the destruction of ,jerusalem or of the overthrow of the ,jewish nation4 ,it is felt that this makes a very unnatural contrast with the deliverance of ,israel from ,pharaoh by the hand of ,moses1 and therefore saved a people out of the land of ,egypt has to be interpreted to mean the redemption from the bondage-house of the ,law and of sin wrought in ,israel and for ,israel by ,christ's act of salvation 7,schott1 ,erlangen1 #ahfc1 p4 #bbe74 ,this is very forced and improbable4 ,let us hold by ,hooker's most infallible rule in expositions of sacred ,scripture1 that where a literal construction will stand1 the farthest from the letter is commonly the worst 7,eccl4 ,pol4 ,v4 lix4 #b74 ,the literal construction of saved a people out of the land of ,egypt will certainly stand here1 and the words must be understood of the passage of the ,red ,sea and all that accompanied that event4 ,this is the clause of which the meaning is plain1 and it must be the interpreter of the clause of which the meaning is less plain3 to work backwards from the latter is singularly unreasonable4 ,the saving being understood of the deliverance of the ,israelites from the tyranny of ,pharaoh1 the destroying is most naturally understood of the overthrow of these same ,israelites in the wilderness2 not of any one catastrophe1 such as followed the matter of ,korah 7,num4 xvi4 #di7 or of ,baal-peor 7xxv471 but of the gradual destruction1 during the forty years of wandering1 of the rebellious and unbelieving1 whose carcases fell in the wilderness4 ,and to whom sware ,he that they should not enter into ,his rest1 but to them that were disobedient8 ,and we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief 7,heb4 iii4 #ag-ai74 ,it is quite unnecessary to add to this1 with ,fronmller1 the ,babylonish captivity1 as if afterward or the second time 7 7 referred to two destructions4 ,it refers to two ,divine acts--one of mercy1 and a second of judgment4 ,and angels which kept not their own principality1 but left their proper habitation1 ,he hath kept in everlasting bonds4 ,this is ,st4 ,jude's second instance of ,god's vengeance upon gross sin1 and this and the next are common to both ,epistles4 ,for the destruction of the unbelieving ,israelites #b ,peter has the ,deluge4 ,the ,revised ,version has several improvements here4 ,it substitutes principality for first estate1 in harmony with other passages1 where the same word occurs 7,rom4 viii4 #ch2 ,eph4 iii4 #aj2 vi4 #ab2 ,col4 i4 #af2 ii4 #aj1 #ae71 and inserts own--their own principality 7 72 thereby marking the difference between own and proper--their proper habitation 7 74 ,above all1 it preserves ,st4 ,jude's irony in the double use of the word kept 773 angels which kept not their own principality4444 ,he hath kept in everlasting bonds2 which is destroyed in the ,authorized ,version by the substitution of reserved for the second kept4 ,the alteration of chains into bonds is of less moment2 but it is worth while marking the difference between two ,greek words 7 and 71 both of which are frequent in the ,new ,testament1 and of which the former is always used in a literal sense 7,mark v4 #c1 #d2 ,luke viii4 #bi2 ,acts xii4 #f1 #g2 etc471 and the other sometimes literally 7,luke viii4 #bi2 ,acts xvi4 #bf2 xxiii4 #bi2 etc471 and sometimes metaphorically 7,mark vii4 #ce2 ,luke xiii4 #af2 ,philem4 #ac74 ,it is the latter which is used here4 ,it may be regarded as certain that this passage does not refer to the original rebellion of the angels1 and their fall from being heavenly powers to being spirits of evil and of darkness4 ,nor is it a direct reference to the ,rabbinic interpretation of the sons of ,god saw the daughters of men that they were fair2 and they took them wives of all that they chose 7,gen4 vi4 #b1 where the best texts of the ,septuagint have angels of ,god for sons of ,god74 ,much more probably it is a reference to a topic which is very prominent in the ,book of ,enoch1 which1 however1 in this particular is based upon the common interpretation of the passage in ,genesis4 ,a discussion of this most interesting and perplexing writing is reserved for a later chapter4 ,at present it suffices to say that the work is a composite one1 written at different times and by different authors1 and that the allusions to it here1 and the quotation from it in vv4 #ad and #ae1 are from the first portion of the ,book of ,enoch 7chapters i4-xxxvi471 which1 together with the last portion 7chapters lxxii4-cv471 may safely be considered as the original writing1 and undoubtedly pre-,christian4 ,whether any of the book was composed in the ,christian era is doubtful1 and that any of it was written by a ,christian is very doubtful indeed4 ,hofmann1 ,philippi1 and ,weisse have not succeeded in persuading many people that the whole work is of ,christian origin4 ,the portion of which ,st4 ,jude makes use may1 with a good deal of probability1 be assigned to the latter part of the second century before ,christ4 ,a sketch of the section respecting the sin of the angels will throw much light on the passage before us4 ,a portion of it had long been known through two considerable extracts1 which the ,byzantine writer ,georgius ,syncellus 7c4 ,a4,d4 #hjj7 makes from it in his ,chronographia 7pp4 #bj-bc and #dj-db1 ,dindorf's ed41 ,bonn1 #ahbi74 ,the quotation in our ,epistle and those made by ,syncellus constituted all that was known of the ,book of ,enoch in ,europe until #aggc1 when the ,english traveller ,bruce brought home three ,,mss4 of an ,ethiopic version of the whole which was still extant in the ,abyssinian ,church4 ,the section about the sin of the angels and their punishment 7vii4-xxxvi47 begins very abruptly after a short introduction 7i4-vi471 in which ,enoch blesses the righteous1 and states that he received a revelation from the angels in heaven4 ,and it came to pass1 when the sons of men had multiplied1 that daughters were born to them1 very beautiful4 ,and the angels1 the sons of heaven1 desired them1 and were led astray after them1 and said to one another1 ,let us choose for ourselves wives of the daughters of the men of the earth4 ,two hundred of them then made a conspiracy1 and went down to the earth1 and begat an offspring of giants4 ,they imparted a knowledge of sorcery and many baneful arts2 and the corruption thus diffused1 and the voracity and violence of their offspring1 produced the evils which preceded the ,deluge4 ,then the sinful angels are sentenced by the ,almighty1 and ,enoch is commissioned to make the sentence known to them4 ,then the ,lord said to me1 ,enoch1 scribe of righteousness1 go tell the watchers of heaven1 who have deserted the lofty sky1 and their holy everlasting station1 who have been polluted with women1 444 that on earth they shall never obtain peace and remission of sin4 ,the fallen angels persuade ,enoch to intercede for them2 but his intercession is not heard1 and he is told to repeat the sentence which has been pronounced upon them4 ,the following particulars of their punishment are of interest4 ,azzl 7comp4 ,lev4 xvi4 #bf1 ,r4,v471 one of the ringleaders1 is to be bound hand and foot1 thrown into a pit in the wilderness1 and covered with darkness2 there he is to remain1 with his face covered1 till the great day of judgment1 when he is to be cast into the fire4 ,the others1 after they have seen their offspring kill one another in mutual slaughter1 are to be bound for seventy generations underneath the earth1 till the day of their judgment1 when they shall be thrown into the lowest depths of the fire1 and be shut up for ever 7x4 #f-i1 #ae1 #af74 ,judgment has been passed upon you3 your prayer shall not be granted you4 ,from henceforth never shall you ascend to heaven4 ,he hath said that on the earth ,he will bind you1 as long as the world endures 7xiv4 #b74 ,and ,enoch is afterwards shown their punishment in a vision4 ,these are those of the stars which have transgressed the commandment of the most high ,god1 and are here bound1 until the infinite number of the days of their crimes be completed4444 ,why art thou alarmed and amazed at this terrific place1 at the sight of this place of suffering8 ,this is the prison of the angels2 and here are they kept for ever 7xxi4 #c1 #f74 ,it is specially worthy of remark that it is in these older portions of the ,book of ,enoch that we meet for the first time in ,jewish literature with the distinct conception of a general judgment4 ,the idea is very frequent1 and is expressed in a great variety of ways4 ,thus1 what ,st4 ,jude calls the ,judgment of the ,great ,day 7 71 a phrase which occurs nowhere else in the ,new ,testament1 is called in the ,book of ,enoch the ,great ,day of ,judgment 7x4 #i71 the ,day of the ,great ,judgment 7xciii4 #h2 xcvii4 #ae2 civ4 #c71 the ,day of the ,great ,trouble 7xcix4 #e71 the ,great ,day 7xvi4 #b72 the ,great ,judgment 7xxii4 #e71 the ,general ,judgment 7xxii4 #i74aai ,st4 ,jude of course need not have derived this idea from the ,book of ,enoch2 but the fact that it is so very frequent there1 especially in connexion with the sin of the impure angels1 may have influenced him in writing the passage before us4 ,at any rate all these numerous details will not leave us in much doubt as to the origin of ,st4 ,jude's statement1 angels which kept not their own principality1 but left their proper habitation1 he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day4 ,it comes either directly from the ,book of ,enoch1 or from a source of which both the writer of the book and ,st4 ,jude make use4 ,it was in like manner with these angels that the inhabitants of ,sodom and ,gomorrah sinned1 going astray after unlawful and unnatural indulgences2 and in like manner with these angels1 they also are set forth as an example1 suffering the punishment of eternal fire4 ,the meaning is not quite clear1 but apparently it is this1 that the sinful angels are in prison awaiting the day of judgment1 when they will be cast into the lake of fire2 and that the destruction of the cities of the plain by fire1 and their perpetual submersion1 are an example of the eternal fire in which the angels will be submerged4 ,perhaps there is also the idea that under the ,dead ,sea volcanic fires are burning4 ,it is quite possible to take of eternal fire after example instead of after punishment2 and this rendering makes the statement more in accordance with the actual facts3 are set forth as an example of eternal fire1 suffering punishment4 ,but the two last words come in rather awkwardly at the end of the sentence1 and most commentators decide against this construction 7comp4 #c ,macc4 ii4 #e74 ,the three cases exhibit1 not a climax1 but great diversity1 as regards persons1 sin1 and punishment4 ,we have both ,jews and ,gentiles1 and between them beings superior to both4 ,the ,israelites by unbelief rejected their promised home1 and perished slowly in the wilderness4 ,the angels left their proper home1 sinned grossly1 and are in banishment and in prison1 awaiting still worse punishment4 ,the men of ,sodom and ,gomorrah sinned grossly in their home1 and both they and it were suddenly1 horribly1 and irrevocably destroyed4 ,this great diversity gives point to the moral4 ,no matter who may be the sinners1 or what the circumstances of the sin1 outrageous offences1 such as impurity and rebellion1 are certain of ,divine chastisement4 ,if fallen angels are evil spirits actively compassing the ruin of souls1 how can fallen angels be kept in everlasting bonds unto the judgment of the great day8 ,more than one answer might be given to this question1 but the reserve of ,scripture on the subject seems to warn us from unprofitable speculation4 ,even without ,scripture the reality of spiritual powers of evil may be inferred from their effects4 ,scripture seems to tell us that some of these powers are personal1 and some not1 that some are more free than others1 and that all shall be defeated at last4 ,that is enough for our comfort1 warning1 and assurance4 ,it consoles us to know that much of the evil within us is no part of ourselves1 but comes from without4 ,it makes us wary to know that such powers are contending against us4 ,it gives us confidence to know that even ,satan and his hosts can be overcome by those who resist steadfast in the faith4#abj #aaf ,w4 ,h4 point out that might easily be corrupted into 1 or into 4 7vol4 ii41 p4 #ajf4 ,see also ,scrivener1 #crd ed41 p4 #fef74 #aag ,the ,latin translation of ,clement of ,alexandria has the same reading3 ,quoniam ,dominus ,deus semel populum de terra gypti liberans deinceps eos1 qui non crediderunt1 perdidit4 #aah ,w4 ,s4 ,wood1 ,problems in the ,n4,t4 7,rivingtons1 #ahij71 pp4 #afa-afd4 #aai ,stanton1 ,the ,jewish and the ,christian ,messiah 7,t4 and ,t4 ,clark1 #ahhf71 pp4 #aci1 #adj4 ,he seems1 however1 to be mistaken in saying that the ,judge is not the ,messiah1 but ,jehovah4 ,as in ,scripture1 both are represented as judging4 ,then the ,lord of the spirits made to sit upon the throne of ,his glory the ,elect ,one1 who shall judge all the works of the holy4444 ,and when ,he shall lift up ,his countenance to judge their secret way in the word of the ,name of the ,lord of spirits1 etc4 7lx4 #aj-aa4 ,comp4 ,john v4 #bb74 #abj ,on the fall of the angels see ,hooker1 ,eccl4 ,pol4 ,i4 iv4 #c1 and ,v4 ,appendix i4 #bh4 ,for a modern and poetical rendering of what is stated in ,gen4 vi4 #a1 #b1 see ,byron1 ,heaven and ,earth3 a ,mystery4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,,railing ,,at ,,dignities4 ,,the ,,assumption ,,of ,,moses4 ,,st4 ,,jude',s ,,use ,,of ,,apocryphal ,,literature4 ,yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh1 and set at nought dominion1 and rail at dignities4 ,but ,michael the archangel1 when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of ,moses1 durst not bring against him a railing judgment1#aba but said1 ,the ,lord rebuke thee4 ,but these rail at whatsoever things they know not3 and what they understand naturally1 like the creatures without reason1 in these things are they destroyed4 ,woe unto them6 for they went in the way of ,cain1 and ran riotously in the error of ,balaam for hire1 and perished in the gainsaying of ,korah4--,,st4 ,,jude #h-ab4 ,st4 ,jude having given three terrible examples of the punishment of gross sin in ,jews1 ,gentiles1 and angels1 proceeds to apply these instances to the libertines who in his own day1 by their scandalous conduct as ,christians1 were provoking ,god to punish them in like manner2 and the threefold description of their conduct here given seems to refer to the three instances just given1 which are now taken in reverse order4 ,like the people of ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 these ungodly libertines defile the flesh2 like the angels which kept not their own principality1 they set at nought dominion2 and like the unbelieving and rebellious ,israelites in the wilderness1 they rail at dignities4 ,in all three particulars they show themselves as dreamers 774 ,they are like men who say and do monstrous things in their sleep4 ,they are deadened to all sense of decency and duty1 dreaming1 lying down1 loving to slumber 7,isa4 lvi4 #aj1 where the same word that we have here is used in the ,,lxx474 ,they are sunk in the torpor of sin 7,rom4 xiii4 #aa74 ,the ,revisers have done rightly in omitting the epithet filthy1 in adding the word also1 and in substituting in their dreamings for dreamers4 ,the participle represented by in their dreamings does not belong to defile the flesh exclusively1 but to the other two clauses as well2 so that filthy is not even correct as an interpretation3 it is quite unjustifiable as a rendering4 ,there is no reason for suspecting that certain ,levitical pollutions are indicated4 ,seeing that in their dreamings they set at nought dominion1 and rail at dignities1 dreaming must not be understood of actual sleep4 ,moreover1 ,st4 ,jude does not say defile their flesh1 but defile the flesh 7 71 which includes more than their own bodies4 ,he perhaps means that they pollute human nature1 or even the whole animal world4 ,like the men of ,sodom1 these profligates defile the flesh4 ,like the angels who sold their birthright for base indulgences1 they set at nought dominion4 ,but it is by no means easy to determine what this dominion or lordship 77 signifies4 ,calvin and others interpret this and dignities or glories 77 of the civil power3 ,there is a contrast to be noticed1 when he says that they defiled or polluted the flesh1 that is1 that they degraded what was less excellent1 and that yet they despised as disgraceful what is deemed especially excellent among mankind4 ,it appears from the second clause that they were seditious men1 who sought anarchy1 that1 being loosed from the fear of the laws1 they might sin more freely4 ,but these two things are nearly always connected1 that they who abandon themselves to iniquity do also wish to abolish all order4 ,though1 indeed1 their chief object is to be free from every yoke1 it yet appears from the words of ,jude that they were wont to speak insolently and reproachfully of magistrates1 like the fanatics of the present day1 who not only grumble because they are restrained by the authority of magistrates1 but furiously declaim against all government1 and say that the power of the sword is profane and opposed to godliness2 in short1 they superciliously reject from the ,church of ,god all kings and all magistrates4 ',dignities1' or 'glories1' are orders or ranks eminent in power or honour 7,calvin's ,commentaries on the ,catholic ,epistles1 ,eng4 ,tr41 ,edinburgh1 #ahee1 p4 #dch74 ,but if earthly rulers of any kind are meant by dominion and dignities1 it is more probable that ,st4 ,jude is thinking of ecclesiastical officers2 in which case the meaning would be that these libertines set ,church discipline at defiance1 and reviled the presbyters or bishops who rebuked them for their evil conduct4 ,it is1 however1 more probable that at least dominion1 if not dignities1 refers to unseen and supernatural powers4 ,we must look backwards to ver4 #d1 and forwards to ver4 #aj1 for a key to the interpretation4 ,these profligates turn the grace of ,god into lasciviousness1 and thus defile the flesh2 and they deny our only ,master and ,lord1 ,jesus ,christ1 and thus set at nought lordship4 ,again1 what they understand naturally1 like the creatures without reason1 in these things are they destroyed1 i4e4 they ruin themselves1 body and soul1 by their carnal indulgences2 while they rail at whatsoever things they know not1 i4e4 they speak with flippant irreverence respecting the invisible world1 reviling angels1 and perhaps mocking at ,satan4 ,we may1 therefore1 with some hesitation1 but with a fair amount of reason1 interpret dominion1 or lordship1 of ,christ or of ,god1 and dignities1 or glories1 of angels1 remembering that either or both of these may include ,christ's ministers and messengers on earth4 ,one of the ways in which these ungodly men denied ,christ in their lives was by their contemptuous disregard of the teaching of ,his ,apostles4#abb ,it is quite possible that in this particular also ,st4 ,jude is under the influence of the ,book of ,enoch4 ,in it we read1 ,ye fulfil not the commandments of the ,lord2 but ye transgress and calumniate greatness 7vi4 #d72 and again1 ,all who utter with their mouths unbecoming language against ,god1 and speak harsh things of ,his glory1 here they shall be collected 7xxvi4 #b72 and again1 ,my eyes beheld all the sinners1 who denied the ,lord of glory 7xli4 #a74 ,and with this last expression should be compared1 ,the splendour of the ,godhead shall illuminate them 7i4 #h74 ,but of course it does not follow that because ,st4 ,jude partly reproduces the language of this writer1 therefore he uses it with precisely the same meaning4 ,but ,michael the archangel1 when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of ,moses1 durst not bring against him a railing judgment1 but said1 ,the ,lord rebuke thee4 ,the meaning of this illustration is obvious4 ,the profane libertines allow themselves to speak of dignities in a way which even an archangel did not venture to adopt in rebuking ,satan4 ,it is a very strong argument fortiori4 ,consequently1 the fact that it was an evil angel against whom ,michael did not dare to rail by no means proves that it was evil angels against which the libertines did dare to rail4 ,rather the contrary may be inferred4 ,they use language of good angels which ,michael would not use of a bad one4 ,that dignities1 or glories1 may include the fallen angels or evil spirits is perhaps possible2 that it refers to them exclusively is very improbable4 ,the word itself is against this2 for glories is certainly a strange name to give to devils4 ,but a more interesting question lies before us as to the source from which ,st4 ,jude derived the story about ,michael the archangel contending with the devil about the body of ,moses4 ,it is as unreasonable to suppose that he received a special revelation on the subject as to suppose that ,st4 ,paul received a special revelation respecting the names of the ,egyptian magicians 7see on #b ,tim4 iii4 #h in this series1 ,pastoral ,epistles1 pp4 #cgi-hc74 ,st4 ,jude refers to the incident as something quite familiar to his readers2 and this could hardly have been the case if it had been specially revealed to himself4 ,lardner supposes that the reference is to ,zech4 ii4 #a1 #b4 ,but1 excepting that the words1 ,the ,lord rebuke thee1 ,o ,satan1 occur there1 the difference between the two incidents is immense4 ,neither ,michael nor the body of ,moses is mentioned in ,zechariah4 ,the cause of ,satan's hostility is the consecration of ,joshua the high priest4 ,and it is the ,lord1 and not the angel1 who rebukes the evil one4 ,these differences are conclusive2 they leave just the features which need explanation still unexplained4 ,we may safely decide that ,st4 ,jude is not alluding to anything contained in the ,bible4 ,more probably he is referring to some well-known ,jewish story respecting the death and burial of ,moses--in other words1 to apocryphal literature4 ,so ,moses the servant of the ,lord died there in the land of ,moab1 according to the word of the ,lord4 ,and ,he buried him in the valley in the land of ,moab over against ,beth-peor3 but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day 7,deut4 xxxiv4 #e1 #f74 ,these words excited the curiosity of the ,jews2 and as history told them nothing beyond the statement in ,deuteronomy1 they fell back upon imagination as a substitute1 and the mysterious words of ,scripture became a centre round which a series of legends in process of time clustered4 ,the ,targum of ,jonathan on the passage says that the grave of ,moses was entrusted to the care of ,michael the archangel4 ,the ,midrash on the same states that ,sammael1 chief of the evil spirits1 was impatient for the death of ,moses4 ,and he said1 ,when will the longed-for moment come when ,michael shall weep and ,i shall laugh8 ,and at last the time came when ,michael came to ,sammael and said3 ,ah6 cursed one6 shall ,i weep while thou laughest8 and he made answer in the words of ,micah 7vii4 #h71 ,rejoice not against me1 ,o mine enemy3 when ,i fall1 ,i shall arise2 when ,i sit in darkness1 the ,lord shall be a light unto me4 ,the ,midrash also contains another legend1 in which the sin of the impure angels is mentioned in connexion with the death of ,moses4 ,the soul of ,moses prays that it may not be taken from the body3 ,lord of the world1 the angels ,asa and ,asael lusted after daughters of men2 but ,moses1 from the day that ,thou appearedst unto him in the bush1 led a life of perpetual continence2 the plea being that from so pure a body the soul need not depart4 ,both ,gabriel and ,michael shrink from bringing the soul1 and ,sammael failed to obtain it4 ,and ,moses prayed1 ,lord of the world1 give not my soul over to the angel of death4 ,and there came a voice from heaven1 ,fear not1 ,moses2 ,i will provide for thy burial4 ,and ,moses stood up and sanctified himself as do the ,seraphim1 and the ,most ,high came down from heaven1 and the three chief angels with ,him4 ,michael prepared the bier1 and ,gabriel spread out the winding-sheet4444 ,and the ,most ,high kissed him1 and through that kiss took his soul to ,himself 7,plumptre in loco74 ,these legends bring us a little nearer to the illustration used by ,st4 ,jude1 for they bring ,michael and the evil spirit into connexion with what is related respecting the death and burial of ,moses4 ,but the contest between ,michael and ,satan respecting the body is not there4 ,origen tells us that this comes from an apocryphal book called ,the ,assumption or ,the ,ascension 7 or 7 of ,moses3 ,in ,genesis the serpent is described as having seduced ,eve1 regarding whom1 in ,the ,assumption of ,moses 7a little treatise of which the ,apostle ,jude makes mention in his ,epistle71 the archangel ,michael1 when disputing with the devil regarding the body of ,moses1 says that the serpent1 being inspired by the devil1 was the cause of the transgression of ,adam and ,eve 7,de ,princip4 ,,iii4 ii4 sub init474 ,the book was fairly well known in the early ,church4 ,clement of ,alexandria quotes it 7,strom4 ,,vi4 xv4 sub fin472 and in the ,latin translation of the ,hypotyposeis his note on ,jude #i is ,hic confirmat ,assumptionem ,moysis4 ,didymus of ,alexandria says the same as ,origen about ,st4 ,jude's use of it1 and censures those who made this an objection to the ,epistle of ,jude 7,in ,epist4 ,jud enarratio in ,gallandi ,biblioth4 ,patr4 ,,vi4 #cjg74 ,evodius1 ,bishop of ,uzala1 one of ,augustine's early friends 7,confess4 ,,ix4 viii4 #ag2 xii4 #ca71 in writing to him1 speaks of it as the ,mysteries 7,secreta7 of ,moses1 and calls it a writing devoid of authority 7,aug4 ,ep4 clviii4 #f74 ,it was known in the second half of the fifth century to ,gelasius of ,cyzicus1 and in the second half of the eighth to ,nicephorus of ,constantinople1 who1 in his ,stichometria ,sacrorum ,librorum1 tells us that it was about as long as the ,apocalypse of ,st4 ,john4 ,but from that time we hear no more of it until #ahfa1 when ,ceriani published about a third of it from a palimpsest in the ,ambrosian ,library at ,milan 7,monumenta ,sacra et ,prof4 ,i4 i41 p4 #ee74 ,this fragment contains the passage quoted by ,gelasius1 but most tantalizingly comes to an end before the death of ,moses1 so that we are still without the passage about the contest between ,michael and the devil respecting his body4 ,nevertheless1 we have no reason for doubting the statements of ,origen and of ,didymus that the book contained this incident1 and that this is the source of the illustration used by ,st4 ,jude4 ,such evidence as we have confirms the statements1 and there is no evidence on the other side4 ,we know that there were legends connecting ,michael and the evil one with the death of ,moses4 ,we know that ,the ,assumption of ,moses contained similar material4 ,above all1 we know that the incident mentioned by ,st4 ,jude is not in the canonical ,scriptures1 and therefore must have come from some apocryphal source1 and that elsewhere in his ,epistle ,st4 ,jude makes use of apocryphal literature4 ,we are not1 therefore1 creating a difficulty by adopting the all but certain conclusion that this apocryphal work is the source from which ,st4 ,jude draws4 ,even if we reject this highly probable conclusion1 the difficulty1 such as it is1 will still remain4 ,that ,the ,assumption of ,moses was written before our ,epistle is almost universally admitted4 ,philippi is almost alone in thinking that its author was a ,christian1 and that he borrowed from ,st4 ,jude4 ,ewald1 ,dillmann1 ,drummond1 ,schrer1 and ,wiesler place it between ,b4,c4 #d 7the year of the war of ,quintilius ,varus1 to which it almost certainly refers7 and ,a4,d4 #f4 ,hilgenfeld1 ,merx1 ,fritzsche1 and ,lucius place it at different points between ,a4,d4 #dd and #gj4 ,but the earlier date is the more probable4 ,the large fragment in ,latin which we now possess was evidently made from a ,greek document1 and ,hilgenfeld has attempted to restore the ,greek from the ,latin4 ,but this ,greek document may itself have been a translation from the ,aramaic4 ,in either case ,st4 ,jude would be able to read it4#abc ,that any true tradition on the subject should have been handed down orally through fifteen centuries1 without leaving the slightest trace in a single passage in the ,old ,testament1 is utterly improbable4 ,this hypothesis1 and the still more violent supposition of a special revelation made to ,st4 ,jude1 are devices prompted by a reverent spirit1 but thoroughly uncritical and untenable1 to avoid the unwelcome conclusion that an inspired writer has quoted legendary material4 ,have we any right to assume that inspiration raises a writer to the intellectual position of a critical historian1 with power to discriminate between legend and fact8 ,st4 ,jude probably believed the story about the dispute between ,michael and ,satan to be true2 but even if he knew it to be a myth1 he might nevertheless readily use it as an illustrative argument1 seeing that it was so familiar to his readers4 ,if an inspired writer were living now1 would it be quite incredible that he should make use of ,dante's ,purgatory1 or ,shakespeare's ,king ,lear8 ,inspiration certainly does not preserve those who possess it from imperfect grammar1 and we cannot be certain that it preserves them from other imperfections which have nothing to do with the truth that saves souls4 ,besides which1 it may be merely our prejudices which lead us to regard the use of legendary material as an imperfection4 ,let us reverently examine the features which inspired writings actually present to us1 not hastily determine beforehand what properties they ought to possess4 ,we not unnaturally fancy that when the ,holy ,spirit inspires a person to write for the spiritual instruction of men throughout all ages1 ,he also preserves him from making mistakes as to the authenticity of writings of which he makes use1 or at least would preserve him from misleading others on such points2 but it does not follow that this natural expectation of ours corresponds with the actual manner of the ,spirit's working4 ,we follow a very unsafe method if we begin by deciding in what way it seems to us most fitting that ,god should guide ,his ,church1 and then try to wrest facts into conformity with our preconceptions4#abd #aba ,dr4 ,field1 in his most valuable ,otium ,novicense 7iii41 pp4 #aed1 #aee71 argues strongly in favour of translating 1 bring against him an accusation of blasphemy2 and he quotes various passages to show that may mean to bring an accusation against4 ,but none of them have a genitive after the 1 and the question still remains whether the genitive is descriptive and may be treated as an adjective1 or expresses the subject-matter of the 4 ,that the former is right seems to be shown by the context 7 in vv4 #h and #aj72 the libertines do to higher beings what an archangel did not dare to do to ,satan2 and also by the parallel in #b ,peter ii4 #aa 7 74 ,and on what grounds would ,michael not dare to charge ,satan with blasphemy8 ,that he did not dare to rail at him is intelligible4 #abb ,the variety of interpretation as regards these two expressions is remarkable4 ,some1 as ,beza1 ,calvin1 ,erasmus1 and ,grotius1 interpret both dominion and dignities of civil magistrates2 others1 as ,hammond1 include ecclesiastical rulers2 others1 as ,lumby1 interpret both of ,apostles and elders1 and through them ,christ2 others1 as ,ritsch1 apply dominion to ,god or ,christ1 and dignities to good angels4 ,wiesinger and ,huther apply dominion to ,god or ,christ1 and dignities to bad angels4 ,alford1 ,bengel1 ,brckner1 and ,de ,wette explain both of good angels2 while ,schott apparently explains both of bad angels4 cumenius is not quite alone in suggesting that dignities may mean the ,old and ,new ,testament2 ,plumptre would make the word include both good and bad angels4 #abc ,the ,latin fragment has been several times published since ,ceriani made it known in #ahfa2 by ,hilgenfeld in #ahff and #ahgf2 by ,volkmar in #ahfg2 ,schmidt and ,merx in #ahfh2 and by ,fritzsche in #ahga4 ,a very full summary of literature on the subject is given in ,schrer1 ,the ,jewish ,people in the ,time of ,jesus ,christ 7,t4 and ,t4 ,clark1 #ahhf71 ,div4 ,,ii41 vol4 iii41 pp4 #hj-hc4 ,see also ,herzog1 ,plitt1 and ,hauck 7,real-,encykl41 vol4 xii4 pp4 #ceb1 #cec74 #abd ,salmon1 ,introduction to the ,n4,t41 #dth ed41 ,murray 7#ahhi71 p4 #ebh4 ,,chapter ,,xxxv4 ,,the ,,description ,,corresponding ,,to ,,cain3 ,,the ,,libertines ,,at ,,the ,,love-,,feasts4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,enoch4 ,these are they who are hidden rocks in your ,love-feasts when they feast with you1 shepherds that without fear feed themselves1 clouds without water1 carried along by winds2 autumn trees without fruit1 twice dead1 plucked up by the roots2 wild waves of the sea1 foaming out their own shame2 wandering stars1 for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved for ever4 ,but to these also ,enoch1 the seventh from ,adam1 prophesied1 saying1 ,behold1 the ,lord came with ten thousands of ,his holy ones1 to execute judgment upon all1 and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought1 and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against ,him4--,,st4 ,,jude #ab-ae4 ,st4 ,jude leaves off comparing the libertines with other sinners--,cain and the ,sodomites1 ,balaam and the impure angels1 ,korah and the unbelieving ,israelites--and begins an independent description of them4 ,nevertheless1 there is reason for believing that he has ,cain1 ,balaam1 and ,korah in his mind in framing this new account of them4 ,the description falls into three parts1 of which this is the first4 ,each of the three parts begins in the same way3 ,these are 7 74 ,and each is balanced by something said on the other side1 which is introduced with a ,but 774 ,in the case before us the ,but introduces a warning given prophetically to these libertines by ,enoch 7vv4 #ad1 #ae74 ,in the second case ,st4 ,jude quotes a warning given prophetically to his readers by the ,apostles 7vv4 #ag1 #ah74 ,in the third he exhorts his readers himself 7vv4 #bj-bc74 ,this threefold division has been rather generally ignored4 ,it is quite obliterated in the ,revised ,version by the division of the paragraphs1 and also by the substitution of an ,and for the first ,but3 ,and to these also ,enoch prophesied4 ,the ,vulgate is right with autem in all three places1 followed by ,wiclif with ,forsothe in all three places4 ,luther is not only right in his rendering of the conjunction with aber in all three places1 but also in his division of the paragraphs4 ,but since ,wiclif all ,english versions have obscured this threefold description of the ungodly with the three corresponding warnings or exhortations4#abe ,these are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you4 ,the difference between this and the parallel passage in #b ,peter is of special interest here2 for it looks as if whichever writer used the work of the other remembered the sound rather than the sense4 ,we have here 444 2 but in #b ,peter ii4 #ac 444 7with as a various reading1 probably taken from this passage74 ,it is possible that there may be no difference of meaning between and 4 ,the former1 which is ,st4 ,jude's word1 almost invariably means rocks1 but in an ,orphic poem of the fourth century means spots4 ,the latter1 which is used in #b ,peter ii4 #ac and ,eph4 v4 #bg1 generally means spots1 but sometimes means rocks4 ,so that spots may be the right rendering in both ,epistles1 and rocks may be right in both4 ,more probably1 however1 we should understand spots in #b ,peter1 and rocks here4 ,the ,revised ,version inserts hidden as an epithet--hidden rocks in your love-feasts--which is hardly justifiable1 because the word seems to mean reefs over which the sea dashes1 as distinct from rocks which are wholly covered 7so in the ,anthologia ,palatina1 ii4 #cij2 and in a fragment of ,sophocles the word has the epithet lofty1 ' 1 and lofty hidden rocks would be almost a contradiction in terms74 ,moreover1 hidden does not seem to be right even as an interpretation2 for these profligates were not at all hidden2 they were utterly notorious and scandalous4 ,they made no secret of their misconduct1 but gloried in it and defended it4 ,yet this fact does not make the name rocks1 or reefs1 inappropriate4 ,a reef may be a very dangerous thing1 although it is always visible4 ,it may be impossible to avoid going near it2 and proximity to such things is always perilous4 ,so also with these ungodly men3 ,st4 ,jude's readers could not wholly avoid them1 either in society or in the public services of the ,church1 but their presence disturbed and polluted both4 ,the whole purpose of the love-feasts was wrecked by these men4 ,like ,cain1 they turned the ordinances of religion into selfishness and sin4 ,we cannot doubt that when ,st4 ,jude wrote the eucharist was still part of the agape or love-feast1 as when ,st4 ,paul wrote to the ,corinthians 7,a4,d4 #eg1 #eh74 ,it was still the ,lord's ,supper not merely in name1 but in fact 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #ag-cd2 ,acts xx4 #g-aa74 ,it is almost certain that when ,ignatius wrote his ,epistles 7c4 ,a4,d4 #aab7 the eucharist was still united with the love-feast4 ,he writes to the ,church of ,smyrna1 ,it is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to hold a love-feast 7viii474 ,this must refer to the two sacraments1 the administration of which are the chief functions of the priestly office4 ,ignatius cannot have meant that a love-feast apart from the eucharist might not be held without the bishop4 ,when ,justin ,martyr wrote his ,first ,apology 7c4 ,a4,d4 #adj7 it is evident that the two had been separated2 his description of the eucharist 7lxv4-lxvii47 implies that no love-feast accompanied it 7see ,lightfoot1 ,st4 ,ignatius and ,st4 ,polycarp1 ,i41 pp4 #eb1 #chg2 ,,ii41 p4 #cab3 ,macmillan1 #ahhe74 ,we may regard it1 therefore1 as certain that even if this ,epistle be placed late in the first century1 ,st4 ,jude is here referring to a state of things very similar to that which ,st4 ,paul rebukes in the ,church of ,corinth2 the love-feast accompanied by the eucharist was profaned by the shameless indulgence of these libertines4 ,the love-feast symbolized the brotherhood of ,christians4 ,it was a simple meal1 in which all met as equals1 and the rich supplied the necessities of the poor4 ,anything like excess was peculiarly out of place1 and it was the duty of the rich to see that the poorer members of the congregation were satisfied4 ,but it would seem as if these profligates 7#a7 brought with them luxurious food1 thus destroying the ,christian simplicity of the meal2 and 7#b7 brought this1 not for the benefit of all1 but for their own private enjoyment1 thus destroying the idea of ,christian brotherhood and equality4 ,there is nothing in the word used for feasting with you 77 which necessarily implies revelry or excess1 but in this connexion it implies censure4 ,to turn the love-feast into a banquet was wrong1 however innocent a banquet might be in itself4 ,we might translate the word when they feast together1 instead of when they feast with you2 and this would imply that at the love-feast they kept to themselves1 and did not mix with their poorer brethren4 ,this makes good sense2 but if this translation is adopted1 we must beware of interpreting it to mean that these libertines had become schismatics1 and had set up a love-feast of their own4 ,they could not be rocks in your love-feasts if they did not attend the love-feasts4 ,there are two other uncertainties in these opening clauses--one of construction1 and one of translation4 7#a7 ,ought we to take without fear with what precedes1 or with what follows--when they feast with you without fear1 or that feed themselves without fear8 ,as in ver4 #g1 with regard to of eternal fire1 we are unable to decide with certainty4 ,both constructions make excellent sense1 and nothing can be urged as being strongly in favour of either4 ,english versions are divided4 ,the ,rhemish has feasting together without fear4 ,purvey1 the ,authorized1 and the ,revised take without fear with feeding themselves4 ,tyndale1 ,cranmer1 and the ,genevan aim at being as ambiguous as the ,greek2 they place with out feare between the two clauses with a comma on each side of it4 7#b7 ,does feeding themselves mean that they fed themselves instead of feeding the flock8 7,ezek4 xxxiv4 #b1 #h2 ,isa4 lvi4 #aa74 ,if so1 the ,revisers give the right interpretation with shepherds that without fear feed themselves2 but this is interpretation rather than translation4 ,or does it mean that they fed themselves1 instead of waiting to be fed by the shepherds8 ,if so1 it is quite misleading to call them shepherds4 ,as we have seen already 7p4 #cij71 there is no reason for thinking that these profligates set up as teachers or pastors4 ,we shall be safer if we render the ,greek participle 7 7 by a participle3 pasturing themselves1 or shepherding themselves4 ,lucifer1 as ,dr4 ,salmon points out1 renders it semetipsos regentes1 which shows that he understood it in the latter sense4 ,yet this second view does not imply anything schismatical in their conduct1 but merely that they were selfish and disorderly4 ,they kept their own good food1 and consumed it among themselves at the love-feast1 instead of throwing it into the common store1 and allowing it to be distributed to all by the elders4 ,with full recognition of the fact that there is much to be said for other views1 the following rendering may be accepted as on the whole preferable3 ,these are they who are rocks in your love-feasts1 feasting together without fear1 pasturing their own selves4 ,in what follows ,st4 ,jude piles metaphor on metaphor and epithet on epithet1 in the effort to express his indignation and abhorrence4 ,but we cannot say that no doubt also in the comparisons which he employs he has an eye to the original intention of the love-feast4 ,it is somewhat forced to say that the love-feast was to have the blessing of the rain from heaven2 it was meant to be a cause of much fruit in the whole ,christian community4 ,but assuming that waterless clouds and fruitless trees may be made to refer to the love-feasts1 what are we to make of wild waves and wandering stars in that connexion8 ,it is better to regard the subject of the love-feasts as ended1 and to take the similes which follow as quite independent4 ,these men are ostentatious1 but they do no good4 ,it was perhaps expected that their admission to the ,church would be a great gain to ,christendom2 but they are as disappointing as clouds that are carried past 77 by winds without giving any rain2 and in the ,east that is one of the most grievous among common disappointments4 ,how the framers of the ,authorized ,version came to perpetrate such a contradiction in terms as trees whose fruit withereth1 without fruit1 it is not easy to see4 ,no earlier ,english version is guilty of it2 nor the ,vulgate 7arbores autumnales1 infructuos72 nor ,beza1 with whom ,calvin agrees 7arbores emarcid1 infrugifer72 nor ,luther 7kahle unfruchtbare ,bume74 ,the ,greek 7 7 means literally autumn-withering trees2 i4e4 just at the time when fruit is expected they wither and are without fruit4 ,the parable of the barren fig-tree 7,luke xiii4 #f-i7 is perhaps in ,st4 ,jude's mind4 ,the epithets form a natural climax--withering in autumn1 fruitless1 twice dead1 rooted up4 ,these profligates were twice dead1 because they had returned after baptism to the death of sin3 the end of such men is that they shall be rooted out at the last 7,ps4 xxx4 #bh2 lii4 #e2 ,prov4 ii4 #bb74 ,when he calls them wild waves of the sea1 foaming out their own shames1 ,st4 ,jude is perhaps thinking of the words of ,isaiah3 ,the wicked are like the troubled sea2 for it cannot rest1 and its waters cast up mire and dirt 7lvii4 #bj74 ,but the wording of the ,septuagint is utterly different from that which we have here2 it is the thought that is similar4 ,what are we to understand by wandering stars8 ,not planets1 nor comets1 neither of which either seem to wander while one looks at them1 or do wander1 in ,st4 ,jude's sense1 as a matter of fact4 ,both have their orbits1 to which they keep with such regularity that their movements can be accurately predicted2 so that they are symbols rather of ,christian lives than of the course of the ungodly4 ,much more probably ,st4 ,jude means falling stars1 or shooting stars1 which seem to leave their place in the heavens1 where they are beautiful and useful1 and to wander away into the darkness1 to the confusion and dismay of those who observe them4 ,thus understood1 the simile forms a natural transition to the prophecy of ,enoch which follows4 ,st4 ,jude's thoughts have once more gone back to the fallen angels in the ,book of ,enoch4 ,angels1 like stars1 have a path to keep1 and those who keep it not are punished4 ,i saw the winds which cause the orb of the sun and of all the stars to set4444 ,i saw the path of the angels4444 ,i perceived a place which had neither the firmament of heaven above it1 nor the solid ground underneath it2 neither was there water above it1 nor anything on wing2 but the spot was desolate4 ,and there ,i saw seven stars1 like great blazing mountains1 and like spirits entreating me4 ,then the angel ,enoch's guide said1 ,this place1 until the consummation of heaven and earth1 will be the prison of the stars and the host of heaven4 ,the stars which roll over fire are those which transgressed the commandment of ,god 7xviii4 #f1 #g1 #ac-af74 ,in another terrible place he sees stars bound together1 and is told that these are the stars which have transgressed1 and that this is the prison of the angels1 in which they are kept for ever 7xxi4 #b1 #c1 #e1 #f74 ,these extracts make it highly probable that when ,st4 ,jude compares the ungodly to wandering stars1 for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved for ever1 he is thinking once more of the angels which left their proper habitation1 who are kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day 7ver4 #f74 ,after this return to the ideas contained in the ,book of ,enoch1 the quotation of the prophecy comes quite naturally2 and all the more so because1 as ,irenus indicates1 ,enoch forms a splendid contrast to the fallen angels3 they lost their heavenly habitation by displeasing ,god1 whereas he was taken up to heaven for pleasing ,him4 ,his words show that he was acquainted with the ,book of ,enoch1 and accepted it as trustworthy3 ,but ,enoch also without circumcision1 by pleasing ,god1 although he was a man1 discharged the office of ambassador to angels1 and was translated1 and is preserved even until now as a witness of the just judgment of ,god3 while angels by transgression fell to earth for judgment2 but a man by pleasing ,him was translated for salvation 7,hr4 ,,iv4 xvi4 #b74 ,having compared the profligates to the stars1 or angels1 who fell from heaven to earth1 ,st4 ,jude passes on readily to quote the warning of one who was taken up from earth to heaven4 ,and the way in which the prophecy is introduced makes us still more clear as to the source from which ,st4 ,jude derived it3 ,enoch1 the seventh from ,adam1 prophesied4 ,nowhere in the ,old ,testament1 and nowhere else in the ,new1 is ,enoch said to be the seventh from ,adam4 ,but he is called the seventh in the ,book of ,enoch1 where he is made to say1 ,i have been born the seventh in the first week 7xcii4 #d71 although in order to make seven both ,adam and ,enoch have to be counted 7xxxvii4 #a74 ,the number seven is possibly symbolical1 indicating perfection4 ,thus ,dr4 ,westcott takes ,enoch to be a type of perfected humanity 7,dict4 of the ,bible74 ,yet it is also possible that he is called the seventh in the ,book of ,enoch1 and consequently by ,st4 ,jude1 in order to mark the extreme antiquity of the prophecy1 or to distinguish him from other persons of the same name 7,gen4 xxv4 #d2 xlvi4 #i74 ,but a careful comparison of the passage in question1 as quoted by ,st4 ,jude1 and as it stands in the translation of the ,book of ,enoch1 is the chief means of determining the source of the quotation4 ,this1 however1 cannot be made satisfactorily until we can place the ,greek1 of which the ,ethiopic version of the ,book of ,enoch is a translation1 side by side with ,st4 ,jude's ,greek4 ,,enoch4 ,,st4 ,,jude ,behold1 ,he cometh with ten ,behold1 the ,lord came with ten thousands of ,his holy ones1 to thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment upon them1 execute judgment upon all1 and to destroy the ungodly and to convict all the ungodly and reprove all the carnal or1 of their works of ungodliness and will destroy and convict which they have ungodly wrought1 the ungodly with all flesh1 and of all the hard things which for everything which the ungodly sinners have spoken sinners and the ungodly have against ,him 7vv4 #ad1 #ae74 done and committed against ,him 7chap4 ii474 ,it will be observed that there is nothing in the ,book of ,enoch to correspond with the saying about the hard things which sinners have spoken against ,god4 ,this in itself is almost conclusive against the hypothesis1 which on other grounds is not very probable1 that some later writer copied the prophecy as given by ,st4 ,jude1 and inserted it into the ,book of ,enoch4 ,if so1 why did he not copy it exactly8 ,why did he not only slightly vary the wording1 but omit a rather important clause8 ,the passage is very short1 and a writer who was anxious to make ,st4 ,jude agree with the reputed prophecy would be likely to make the agreement exact4 ,on the other hand1 if ,st4 ,jude is quoting loosely from memory1 or from a ,greek or ,aramaic original1 of which the text varied somewhat from the ,ethiopic translation which has come down to us1 everything is explained4 ,he would be tenacious of the clause about hard things spoken against ,god1 as a warning to those who set at nought dominion and rail at dignities4 ,it is of course possible that both the author of this book and ,st4 ,jude independently make use of a traditional saying attributed to ,enoch4 ,but seeing that the work was in existence when ,st4 ,jude wrote1 was probably well known to his readers1 and contains most of the passage which he quotes2 and seeing that elsewhere in his ,epistle he seems to refer to other parts of the book1 far the more reasonable view is that he quotes directly from it4 ,the case therefore is parallel to that of the reference to ,the ,assumption of ,moses in ver4 #i4 ,st4 ,jude probably believed the prophecy to be a genuine prophecy of ,enoch1 and the writing in which it occurs to be a genuine revelation respecting the visible and invisible world2 but even if he knew its apocryphal character1 its appositeness to the subject of which he is so full might easily lead him to quote it to persons who would be familiar with it4 ,we have no right to prejudge the question of fitness1 and say that inspiration would certainly preserve its instruments from wittingly or unwittingly making use of a fictitious apocalypse4 ,our business1 as reverent and therefore honest students1 is to ascertain whether this writer does derive some of his material from the document which1 after the lapse of so many centuries1 was given back to us about a hundred and twenty years ago4 ,if on critical grounds we find ourselves compelled to believe that this document is the source from which ,st4 ,jude draws1 then let us beware of setting our own preconceptions above the wisdom of ,god1 who in this case1 as in many more1 has been pleased to employ an unexpected instrument1 and has made a human fiction the means of proclaiming a ,divine truth4 ,it remains to give some further account of the intensely interesting writing which ,st4 ,jude appears to have used4 ,the ,books of ,daniel1 ,ezekiel1 and ,zechariah gave to the ,jews a love of visions1 revelations1 and prophecies which at times was almost insatiable2 and1 when the gift of prophecy came to an end1 the three centuries between ,malachi and the ,baptist1 during which it seemed as if ,jehovah had departed from ,his people1 and answered no more1 neither by dreams nor by prophets1 appeared dreary and intolerable4 ,what had been written by ,moses and the ,prophets did not satisfy4 ,fresh revelations were desired2 and the reality being absent1 fiction attempted to stop the gap4 ,such writings as the ,book of ,enoch1 ,assumption of ,moses1 ,testament of ,moses1 ,eldad and ,modad1 ,apocalypse of ,elijah1 etc41 etc41 were the result4 ,this desire for prophecies and revelations passed over from ,judaism into the ,christian ,church1 and was quickened rather than satisfied by the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john4 ,during the first two centuries of the ,christian era such literature continued to be produced by ,jews and ,christians alike2 and specimens of it still survive in the ,apocalypse of ,baruch and the ,fourth ,book of ,ezra on the ,jewish side1 and the ,shepherd of ,hermas on the ,christian2 the ,testaments of the ,twelve ,patriarchs being apparently a ,jewish original with ,christian interpolations4 ,but in most cases only the titles survive1 and where the revelation or prophecy is attributed to an ,old ,testament character we are unable to decide whether the fiction was of ,jewish or of ,christian origin4 ,it is strange that such a writing as the ,book of ,enoch should have been allowed to disappear entirely from the ,west after the fourth century1 and from the ,east after the eighth4 ,the quotations in the ,chronographia of ,georgius ,syncellus1 some portions of which are not found in the recovered ,ethiopic ,version1 are the last traces that we have of it until early in the seventeenth century1 when it was rumoured that it was extant in ,abyssinia1 and late in the eighteenth1 when it was found there4 ,the revelations which it professes to make respecting judgment1 heaven1 and hell might have been expected to make it a special favourite with ,christians from the fourth to the tenth century1 during which period one of the commonest topics of speculation was the end of the world4 ,moreover1 there was the passage in ,jude1 with the notices in ,barnabas1 ,irenus1 ,tertullian1 ,clement of ,alexandria1 ,origen1 ,jerome1 and others1 to keep the book from being forgotten4 ,but it was generally believed that the end of the world would be heralded by two great signs--the downfall of ,rome1 and the coming of ,antichrist4 ,about these the ,book of ,enoch contains no hint1 and the absence of such material may have caused it to pass out of knowledge4 ,englishmen have the honour of giving it back to ,europe4 ,james ,bruce brought the ,ethiopic translation from ,abyssinia in #aggc1 and ,archbishop ,laurence published an ,english translation of it in #ahba1 and an ,ethiopic text in #ahch4 ,since then the scholars who have edited it or commented on it have been almost exclusively ,germans4#abf ,it is generally acknowledged that the book is a composite one4 ,probably the original writer incorporated older materials1 and his work has probably been interpolated by later hands4 ,whether any of these supposed interpolations are ,christian is still debated2 and the question scarcely admits of a decided answer4 ,on the one hand1 there are expressions which would come much more naturally from a ,christian than from a ,jew2 on the other1 it is difficult to see why a ,christian should insert anything at all1 if he did not insert what might teach others ,christian truth4 ,messianic passages abound2 and in them the ,messiah is called1 again and again1 the ,son of man and the ,elect ,one2 twice ,he is called the ,anointed 7xlvii4 #aa2 li4 #d71 twice the ,righteous ,one 7xxxviii4 #b2 lii4 #f2 where ,laurence translates otherwise72 once ,he is the ,son of the offspring of the mother of the living1 i4e4 ,son of the son of ,eve 7lxi4 #aj72 and once the ,lord speaks of ,him as ,my ,son 7civ4 #b74 ,this ,messiah is the ,judge of men and angels1 by the appointment of ,jehovah4 ,in those days will the earth give back that which has been entrusted to it1 and ,sheol will give back that which has been entrusted to it1 which it has received1 and destruction 7,abaddon7 will give back what it owes4444 ,and in those days will the ,elect ,one sit upon ,his throne1 and all secrets of wisdom will come forth from the thoughts of ,his mouth2 for the ,lord of spirits hath given it to ,him1 and hath glorified ,him 7l4 #a1 #c74 ,then the ,lord of spirits made to sit upon the throne of ,his glory the ,elect ,one1 who will judge all the works of the holy 7lx4 #aj1 #aa2 lxviii4 #ci74 ,but this ,messiah is not much more than a highly exalted angel4 ,he is not the ,word2 he is not ,god4 ,that this ,son of man has already lived upon the earth is not indicated4 ,of the name ,jesus1 the ,crucifixion1 the ,resurrection1 or the ,ascension1 there is not a trace4 ,there is no hint of baptism1 or of the eucharist1 or of the doctrine of the ,trinity4 ,in a word1 everything distinctly ,christian is absent1 even from that section 7xxxvii4-lxxi47 which makes the nearest approaches to ,christian language1 and which is probably a later insertion4 ,it is difficult to see what object a ,christian could have in writing just this and no more4 ,the fact that so many of the angels have ,hebrew names favours the view that the original was in ,hebrew or ,aramaic1 of which the ,greek1 from which the ,ethiopic version is taken1 was only a translation4 ,if so1 this also is in favour of ,jewish1 rather than of ,christian origin4 ,those who can should read the whole book in ,laurence's translation1 or still better in ,dillmann's4 ,but the more accurately translated portions given in ,westcott and in ,stanton will give some idea of the whole4 ,the latter have been used in this chapter4 ,the book is manifestly the work of a man of the most earnest convictions1 one who believes in ,god1 and fears ,him1 and is appalled at the practical infidelity and utter godlessness which he finds around him4 ,on two things he is ever insisting3 7#a7 that ,god's rule extends everywhere1 over angels and men1 no less than over winds and stars2 7#b7 that this rule is a moral one1 for ,he abundantly rewards righteousness1 and fearfully punishes sin4 ,nothing1 therefore1 could well be more in harmony with the spirit and purpose of ,st4 ,jude1 and it ought not to perplex us that he makes use of such a book4 ,but in any case it may reassure us to remember that1 in spite of its being quoted in ,scripture1 the ,church has never been allowed to admit it as ,scripture4 ,the mind of ,christendom has never wavered as to the real character of the ,book of ,enoch4 ,it is one of the many eccentricities of ,tertullian that he upholds its authority2 but his special pleading has misled no one else 7,de ,cultu ,fem4 ,i4 iii474 ,justin ,martyr apparently knew it 7,apol4 ,,ii4 v471 but there is nothing to show that he accepted it as a genuine revelation4 ,origen 7,contra ,cels4 ,v4 liv43 comp4 ,in ,numer4 ,homil4 xxviii4 #b2 ,in ,joannem1 tom4 vi41 cap4 xxv43 ,de la ,rue1 ii4 #chd2 iv4 #adb7 distinctly marks it as uncanonical and of doubtful value2 ,augustine 7,de ,civ4 ,dei1 ,,xv4 xxiii4 #d7 and ,jerome 7,de ,vir4 ,illustr4 iv47 reject it as apocryphal2 and soon after their time it seems to have disappeared from ,western ,christendom4 ,as already stated1 it is uncertain whether ,st4 ,jude was mistaken as to the true nature of the book3 it is quite certain that the ,church has been preserved from being so4 ,,note4--,for a collection of parallels between the ,book of ,enoch and #b ,peter and ,jude see the ,new ,testament ,commentary for ,english ,readers1 edited by ,bishop ,ellicott1 vol4 iii41 pp4 #eah1 #eai 7,cassells1 #ahgi74 #abe ,purvey has ,but4444 ,and4444 ,but4444 ,tyndale1 ,coverdale1 ,crammer1 and the ,genevan ,version 7following the reading of ,a7 omit the conjunction altogether in the first place4 ,it is the ,rhemish ,version which first introduces ,and into the first place2 yet one might have expected that it1 being made direct from the ,vulgate1 would have been correct in this particular4 #abf ,hofmann1 ,gfrrer1 ,ltzelberger1 ,lcke1 ,ewald1 ,kstlin1 ,hilgenfeld1 ,weisse1 ,volkmar1 ,geiger1 ,langen1 ,sieffert1 ,philippi1 ,gebhardt1 ,wieseler1 and others1 especially ,hoffmann and ,dillmann1 who have published complete translations with notes and explanations4 ,dillmann's work 7,leipzig1 #ahec7 is still the standard work on the subject1 but is out of print4 ,schodde published an ,english translation with notes at ,andover1 #ahhb2 and the ,english reader will find much information in the articles by ,westcott in the ,dict4 of the ,bible and by ,lipsius in the ,dict4 of ,chr4 ,biography2 also in ,westcott's ,introduction to the ,gospels1 pp4 #gc1 #ii-aji1 #gth ed42 in ,schrer's ,the ,jewish ,people in the ,time of ,jesus ,christ1 ,div4 ,,ii41 vol4 iii41 pp4 #ed-gc2 in ,stanton's ,the ,jewish and the ,christian ,messiah 7,t4 and ,t4 ,clark1 #ahhf71 pp4 #dd-fd1 #hh-ie1 #aci1 #adj1 #agj-ge1 #caa-ae1 #ccb-ce1 #cdg2 and in ,drummond's ,the ,jewish ,messiah1 #ahgg1 pp4 #ag-gc4 ,murray's ,enoch ,restitutus 7,rivington1 #ahcf7 does not seem to be of much value4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvi4 ,,the ,,description ,,corresponding ,,to ,,balaam3 ,,impious ,,discontent ,,and ,,greed ,,of ,,the ,,libertines4 ,,the ,,apostolic ,,warning ,,respecting ,,them4 ,these are murmurers1 complainers1 walking after their lusts 7and their mouth speaketh great swelling words71 showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage4 ,but ye1 beloved1 remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the ,apostles of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 how that they said to you1 ,in the last time there shall be mockers1 walking after their own ungodly lusts4--,,st4 ,,jude #af-ah4 ,these words form the second part of the threefold description of the libertines2 and just as the first part was balanced by a prophetic warning quoted from the ,book of ,enoch1 so this part is balanced by a quotation of the prophetic warning given by the ,apostles1 to the effect that persons like these ungodly men would certainly arise4 ,this second division more clearly corresponds to the case of ,balaam mentioned in ver4 #aa than the first division of the description corresponds to the case of ,cain4 ,this will appear when we come to examine the details4 ,these are murmurers4 ,for the second time ,st4 ,jude points to the intruders who are disturbing the ,church1 and shows his readers another group of characteristics by which these dangerous persons1 who disgrace the name of ,christian1 may be known4 ,this second group hangs on closely to what immediately precedes4 ,it seems to have been suggested by the last words of the prophecy quoted from ,enoch1 the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against ,him4 ,the way in which the libertines spoke hard things against ,god was by murmuring against ,his decrees and complaining of the dispensations of ,his ,providence4 ,this is the exact meaning of the word which is rendered complainers 771 and which occurs nowhere else in the ,new ,testament2 finding fault with their lot1 i4e4 discontented with the condition of life which ,god had assigned to them1 and not only blaming ,him for this1 but for the moral restrictions which ,he had imposed upon them and upon all mankind4 ,men who walk after their lusts1 and shape their course in accordance with these 7 71 cannot be contented1 for the means of gratifying the lusts are not always present1 and the lusts themselves are insatiable3 even when gratification is possible1 it is only temporary2 the unruly desires are certain to revive and clamour once more for satisfaction4 ,this was notably the case with ,balaam1 whose grasping cupidity chafed against the restraints which prevented it from being gratified4 ,as ,bishop ,butler says of him1 ,he wanted to do what he knew to be very wicked1 and contrary to the express command of ,god2 he had inward checks and restraints1 which he could not entirely get over2 he therefore casts about for ways to reconcile this wickedness with his duty1 7,sermon vii474 ,from a somewhat different point of view ,j4 ,h4 ,newman says much the same thing of him3 ,balaam would have given the world to have got rid of his duties2 and the question was1 how to do so without violence 7,plain ,sermons1 ,rivingtons1 #ahfh1 vol4 iv41 p4 #bh74 ,isaac ,williams1 who has a sermon on the same subject1 puts the matter in yet another way4 ,balaam knew what was holy and good1 and it may be that he loved it also1 but he loved riches more3 his knowledge was with ,god2 his will was with ,satan4444 ,he wished to proceed together with ,god and ,mammon--,god on his lips1 and ,mammon in his heart 7,the ,characters of the ,old ,testament1 ,rivingtons1 #ahfi1 pp4 #abh1 #acj74 ,the way in which the libertines seem to have set about the impossible task of getting rid of their duties and reconciling the service of ,god with the service of ,satan appears to have been that of roundly declaring that ,christian liberty included freedom to gratify one's desires3 if it did not do so1 it was an empty delusion4 ,in this way they turned the grace of ,god into lasciviousness 7ver4 #d71 and their mouth spoke great swelling words4 ,in the parallel passage in #b ,peter an explanation of this kind is given of the great swelling words4 ,by means of them these evil men enticed others in the lusts of the flesh by lasciviousness1 444 promising them liberty 7#b ,peter ii4 #ah1 #ai74 ,according to them1 it was the magnificent privilege of ,christians to be freed from righteousness and become the slaves of sin4 ,irenus attributes doctrine of this kind to ,simon ,magus and his followers1 who1 as being free1 live as they please2 for men are saved through ,his grace1 and not through their own righteous acts4 ,for righteous actions are not such in the nature of things1 but accidentally 7,hr4 ,i4 xxiii4 #c74 ,showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage4 ,this1 again1 is exactly what ,balaam did4 ,he had regard to ,balak and the princes whom he sent as ambassadors2 and he did this because he hoped to gain the large reward which they were told to promise him if he would but exercise his prophetic power in solemnly cursing ,israel4 ,in like manner these blatant profligates1 who were loud in their complaints against the treatment which they received from ,providence1 and equally loud in protesting that the ,gospel allowed them and others the licence which they desired1 nevertheless became mean flatterers and parasites when there was any chance of getting anything from persons of wealth and distinction4 ,this apparently incongruous combination of arrogant self-assertion with grovelling sycophancy is common enough in men without principle1 as ,calvin remarks4 ,when there is no one to check their insolence1 or when there is nothing which stands in their way1 their pride is intolerable1 so that they imperiously arrogate everything to themselves2 but they meanly flatter those whom they fear1 and from whom they expect some advantage4 ,while they refuse submission where it is due1 they give it where it is not due4 ,they rebelliously reject the plain commands of ,god1 and yet servilely cringe to the humours and caprices of their fellow-men4 ,but ye1 beloved1 remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the ,apostles of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,the ,revisers have done well to restore the ye--,but ye1 beloved--which was in all ,english versions previous to that of #afaa1 just as in ver4 #bj4 ,in both cases the pronoun is emphatic1 and places the persons addressed in marked contrast to the ungodly men against whom they are being warned4 ,whatever they may do1 do not you be deceived by their arrogant language and time-serving conduct1 for these are the scoffing sensualists against whom you have already been warned beforehand by the ,apostles4 ,their behaviour is amazing1 but it ought not to take you by surprise4 ,st4 ,jude evidently takes for granted that the ,apostolic warning which he quotes is well known to his readers4 ,such an appeal to the authority of the ,apostles would certainly be more natural in one who was himself not an ,apostle1 but it must not be regarded as quite decisive1 as if ,st4 ,jude had written how that they said to us4 ,other reasons1 however1 support the impression which this passage conveys1 that the writer is not an ,apostle 7see pp4 #cgb1 #cgc74 ,on the other hand1 there is nothing in these words to warrant the conclusion that the writer regards the ,apostles as persons who lived long ago1 or who gave this warning long ago4 ,all that is implied is that before these ungodly men crept in privily into the ,church1 ,apostles had foretold that such persons would arise4 ,in the last time is not ,st4 ,jude's expression1 but theirs2 and by it the ,apostles certainly did not mean an age remote from their own3 the last time had already begun when they wrote 7see on #b ,tim4 iii4 #a1 #b1 in ,the ,pastoral ,epistles1 in this series1 pp4 #cgg1 #cgh2 and comp4 #a ,john ii4 #ah2 ,heb4 i4 #b2 #a ,peter i4 #bj74 ,how that they said to you may mean how that they used to say to you 7 71 and may refer to oral teaching2 but we cannot be at all certain of this4 ,still less can we be certain that1 if written warnings are included or specially meant1 the reference is to #b ,peter iii4 #c3 knowing this first1 that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery1 walking after their own lusts4 ,both passages may have a common source1 or that in #b ,peter may be modelled upon this one4 ,the word for mockers is the same in both 771 and it is a very unusual word1 not used by profane writers1 nor anywhere else in the ,new ,testament2 in the ,septuagint it occurs only once 7,isa4 iii4 #d71 and there apparently in the sense of childish persons4 ,the ,authorized ,version unfortunately obscures this close connexion between the wording of #b ,peter iii4 #c1 and that of this passage1 by having scoffers in the one1 and mockers in the other4 ,the particular in which the two passages really differ must not pass without notice4 ,st4 ,jude writes1 walking after their own ungodly lusts1 or1 more literally1 their own lusts of ungodlinesses 7 74 ,most probably the genitive here is descriptive1 as in ,james i4 #bd and ii4 #d2 and therefore the substitution of the adjective ungodly for it in the ,english versions is justifiable4 ,but it is possible that lusts of ungodlinesses means that they lusted after impieties1 and therefore the rendering given in the margin of the ,revised ,version should not be left unheeded4 ,wiclif1 ,purvey1 and the ,rhemish here differ from other ,english versions1 being made from later texts of the ,vulgate1 which read1 secundum desideria sua ambulantes in impietatibus or in impietate1 whereas the better text has impietatum4 ,however we translate the genitive case1 we may regard the word as an echo of the prophecy quoted from the ,book of ,enoch1 in which ungodly or ungodliness occurs with persistent iteration 7ver4 #ae74 ,the fact that this expression 7 7 occurs here1 but not in the parallel verse in #b ,peter1 is an indication of a much more important difference between the two passages4 ,in spite of the great similarity of wording1 the meaning is very different4 ,the mockers in each case mock at totally different things4 ,in #b ,peter we are expressly told that they scoffed at the belief that ,christ was coming to judge the world4 ,what has become of the promise of ,his coming8 ,everything goes on just as it has done for generations4 ,there is not a hint of any such notion here2 on the contrary1 it is implied that these libertines mocked at ,god's dealings with themselves1 and at the belief that the ,gospel did not give them full liberty to gratify their sensual desires4 ,they were among those of whom it is written that fools make a mock at sin 7,prov4 xiv4 #i74 ,by scoffing at things sacred1 and ridiculing the notion that there is any harm in licentiousness1 or anything estimable in holiness1 they created a moral atmosphere in which men sinned with a light heart1 because sin was made to look as if it were a matter of no moment1 a thing to be indulged in without anxiety or remorse4 ,it would be more reasonable and less reprehensible to make a mock at carnage or pestilence1 and teach men to go with a light heart into a desolating war or plague-stricken neighbourhood4 ,in such cases experience of the manifest horrors would soon cure the light-heartedness4 ,but the horrible nature of sin is not so manifest1 and with regard to that experience teaches its lesson more slowly4 ,it is like a poisoning of the blood rather than a wound in the flesh1 and may have done incalculable mischief before any serious pain is felt1 or any grave alarm excited4 ,hence it is quite easy for many to walk after their own ungodly lusts1 and at the same time mock at sin and its consequences4 ,and then the converse of the proverb becomes true1 and sin mocks at the fools that mocked at it--a meaning which the ,hebrew may very well have4 ,in the margin of the ,revised ,version we read1 ,guilt mocketh at the foolish4 ,as ,delilah mocked at ,samson1 so does sin mock at those who have been taken captive by it4 ,there is no folly equal to the foolhardiness of those who make light1 either to themselves or to others1 of the deadly character of any form of sin4 ,they thereby save the tempter all trouble1 and do his work themselves4 ,his own iniquities shall take the wicked1 and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin4 ,he shall die for lack of instruction2 and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray 7,prov4 v4 #bb1 #bc74 ,,chapter ,,xxxvii4 ,,the ,,description ,,corresponding ,,to ,,korah3 ,,making ,,separations4 ,,exhortation ,,to ,,the ,,faithful ,,to ,,build ,,up ,,themselves1 ,,and ,,then ,,rescue ,,others4 ,these are they who make separations sensual1 having not the ,spirit4 ,but ye1 beloved1 building up yourselves on your most holy faith1 praying in the ,holy ,spirit1 keep yourselves in the love of ,god1 looking for the mercy of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ unto eternal life4 ,and on some have mercy1 who are in doubt2 and some save1 snatching them out of the fire2 and on some have mercy with fear2 hating even the garment spotted by the flesh4--,,st4 ,,jude #ai-bc4 ,for the third and last time ,st4 ,jude points his finger at the ungodly intruders who are working such mischief in the ,church1 and gives another triplet of characteristics by which they may be recognized4 ,these are they who make separations4 ,this is the first point2 like ,korah and his company1 these men are separatists 7 74 ,they do not actually make a schism from the ,church1 for they frequent the love-feasts and profess membership2 but they create a faction within it4 ,even in the public services of the ,church they keep aloof from the poorer members of the congregation4 ,at the love-feasts they feed themselves on the good things which they bring with them1 instead of handing them over to the ministers to be distributed among all4 ,and in society they care only for persons of rank and wealth1 out of whom they hope to gain something4 ,worst of all1 they claim to be specially enlightened members of the ,church1 having a more comprehensive knowledge of the nature of ,christian liberty1 while they are turning the fundamental principles of ,christian life upside down4 ,hence1 although they are not actual schismatics1 who have gone out of the ,church and set up a communion of their own1 their tendencies are in that direction4 ,they are1 in short1 much the same kind of people as those against whom ,st4 ,paul warns his readers in the ,epistle to the ,romans3 ,now ,i beseech you1 brethren1 mark them which are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling1 contrary to the doctrine which ye learned3 and turn away from them4 ,for they that are such serve not our ,lord ,christ1 but their own belly2 and by their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of the innocent 7xvi4 #ag1 #ah74 ,and again in the ,epistle to the ,philippians3 ,for many walk of whom ,i told you often1 and now tell you even weeping1 that they are the enemies of the cross of ,christ3 whose end is perdition1 whose god is the belly1 and whose glory is in their shame1 who mind earthly things 7iii4 #ah1 #ai74 ,a parallel to nearly every clause in these two descriptions might be found in the account of the libertines given by ,st4 ,jude4 ,indeed1 the words in which ,bishop ,lightfoot sums up ,st4 ,paul's description might be adopted verbatim as a summary of the description in our ,epistle3 ,they are described as creating divisions and offences1 as holding plausible language1 as professing to be wise beyond others1 and yet not innocent in their wisdom4 ,they are ,antinomians1 who refuse to conform to the ,cross1 and live a life of self-indulgence4 ,the unfettered liberty of which they boast1 thus perverted1 becomes their deepest degradation 7,philippians1 ,notes on iii4 #ah1 #ai74 ,hooker1 in his sermons on this passage1 although he adopts the translation of ,tyndale1 continued by ,cranmer and the ,genevan ,version1 ,these are makers of sects1 yet in his exposition follows the corrupt reading which misled the translators of #afaa1 ,these be they who separate themselves 7 71 themselves being absent from almost all the ancient ,,mss4 and versions4 ,he says1 ,st4 ,jude1 to express the manner of their departure which by apostasy fell away from the faith of ,christ1 saith1 ',they separated themselves2' noting thereby that it was not constraint of others which forced them to depart2 it was not infirmity and weakness in themselves1 it was not fear of persecution to come upon them1 whereat their hearts did fail2 it was not grief of torments1 whereof they had tasted1 and were not able any longer to endure them4 ,no1 they voluntarily did separate themselves1 with a fully settled and altogether determined purpose never to name the ,lord ,jesus any more1 nor to have any fellowship with ,his saints1 but to bend all their counsel and all their strength to raze out their memorial from amongst them 7,serm4 v4 #aa74 ,here there is a double error in the quotation from ,st4 ,jude1 and therefore considerable error in the exposition of his meaning4 ,st4 ,jude does not say that these libertines separated1 but that they are those who are separating1 i4e4 are habitually making separations or differences4 ,he uses the present participle1 not the aorist or perfect4 ,and1 as already noticed1 he says nothing about separating themselves4 ,so far from implying that they had a settled and determined purpose never to name the ,lord ,jesus any more1 nor to have any fellowship with ,his saints1 ,he shows that these men had crept into the ,church1 and evidently intended to remain there1 attending the love-feasts and polluting them1 while they put forward the freedom wherewith ,christ had made them free as a plea for their own licentiousness2 thus turning the grace of ,god into lasciviousness1 and by their conduct denying the ,christ in whom they professed to believe4 ,thus1 though they did not formally leave the ,church as heretics1 schismatics1 or apostates1 yet they had the heretical and schismatical temper1 and were apostates in their manner of life4 ,as ,hooker says elsewhere1 ,many things exclude from the kingdom of ,god1 although from the ,church they separate not 7,eccl4 ,pol4 ,v4 lxviii4 #f74 ,these men had left the way of salvation to walk after their own lusts1 but they had not separated from the ,church1 into which they had surreptitiously obtained admission4 ,sensual 774 ,this word has been already discussed in a previous chapter1 in the exposition of the passage where it occurs in the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james 7iii4 #ae3 see pp4 #bjj1 #bja74 ,sensual persons are those who live in the world of sense1 and are ruled by human feeling and human reason4 ,they stand not very much above the carnal1 and with them are opposed to the spiritual4 ,in the triplet1 carnalis1 animalis1 spiritalis1 the second term is far more closely allied with the first than with the third4 ,it is possible that the libertines1 in their travesty of the freedom conferred by the ,gospel1 made a special claim to be spiritual persons1 who were above the restraints of the moral law4 ,they may have held that to their exalted natures the things of sense were morally indifferent1 and might be indulged in without fear of loss or contamination2 while they scoffed at those ,christians who were on their guard against such things1 and called such ,christians psychical or sensuous1 because they were careful about the things of sense4 ,st4 ,jude tells them that it is they who are sensuous1 and not spiritual at all4 ,not having the ,spirit4 ,the ,revisers maintain this rendering1 which does not appear in ,english versions until the influence of ,beza and the ,genevan ,version made itself felt4 ,calvin seems to adopt it2 but ,luther certainly does not 7die da keinen ,geist haben74 ,it must be supposed that the arguments in favour of it are very strong1 seeing that the alternative translation is not allowed a place in the margin of either ,authorized or ,revised ,version1 nor is recommended by the ,american ,committee4 ,nevertheless1 the points in its favour are well worth considering4 ,this alternative translation is1 ,having no spirit 7,tyndale1 ,cranmer71 i4e4 no spiritual nature4 ,not having spirit is ,wiclif's rendering4 ,this agrees very well with the context4 ,st4 ,jude has just stigmatized the libertines as sensuous1 or psychical4 ,of the three elements in man's nature1 body1 soul1 and spirit1 they are ruled by the two lower1 while the third1 which ought to be supreme1 is persistently ignored4 ,they had allowed the spiritual part of their being to become so bemired with self-indulgence and self-sufficiency1 to be so much under the dominion of human emotion and reason1 that it was utterly inoperative and practically non-existent4 ,their power of spiritual insight into things heavenly1 of laying hold of the invisible world1 and of entering into communion with ,god1 was gone4 ,the ,holy ,spirit was not only absent1 but ,his seat was overturned and destroyed4 ,the facts that spirit has neither article nor epithet in the ,greek1 and that the negative is subjective1 and not objective 7 71 are in favour of man's spirit being meant1 and of this clause being an explanation of what precedes4 ,these men are sensuous because they have lost all spiritual power4 ,it must not1 however1 be understood that the absence of article and epithet is any barrier to the rendering1 ,having not the ,spirit4 ,phil4 ii4 #a is proof of that 7comp4 ,eph4 ii4 #bb2 vi4 #ah2 ,col4 i4 #h74 ,nevertheless1 such cases are comparatively rare4 ,the usual expression for the ,third ,person of the ,holy ,trinity is either the ,spirit1 or ,holy ,spirit1 or the ,holy ,spirit1 or the ,spirit of ,god1 or of the ,lord1 or of ,jesus ,christ1 or of truth1 or of life1 etc4 ,therefore1 when we find spirit without either article1 epithet1 or distinguishing genitive1 the probabilities are that the spirit of man1 and not the ,spirit of ,god1 is intended4 ,it will be observed that the three independent descriptions of the libertines1 beginning with the words1 ,these are1 become shorter as they go on4 ,the first is two long verses 7#ab1 #ac72 the second is one long verse 7#af72 the third is one very short verse4 ,it is as if the writer were disgusted with the unpalatable subject which necessity had compelled him to take in hand 7ver4 #c71 and were hurrying through it to the more pleasing duty of exhorting those faithful ,christians for whose sake he has undertaken this painful task4 ,but ye1 beloved1 building up yourselves on your most holy faith1 praying in the ,holy ,spirit1 keep yourselves in the love of ,god1 looking for the mercy of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ unto eternal life4 ,as in ver4 #ag1 the ,but ye1 beloved 7 1 7 makes an emphatic contrast between those whom ,st4 ,jude addresses and the sensuous and unspiritual men of whom he has been speaking4 ,he exhorts his readers to endeavour to keep themselves in favour with ,god by cultivating faith1 prayer1 and hope2 and in this exhortation the main purpose of the letter1 as set forth in ver4 #c1 is fulfilled4 ,the triplet of participles 7----7 must not be lost sight of1 although the fact that the main verb 77 comes in the middle of them1 instead of at the end1 somewhat obscures the triple construction4 ,the expression building up 77 is in the ,new ,testament never used of actual building1 but always in the metaphorical sense of believers being united together so as to form a temple4 ,in this temple ,christ is sometimes regarded as the foundation 7#a ,cor4 iii4 #aa71 sometimes as that which binds the structure together 7,eph4 ii4 #bj2 ,col4 ii4 #g74 ,the notion of building up comes from the preposition 771 one stone being placed upon another1 so that upward progress is made4 ,the faith here is probably the foundation on which the structure is to rest2 but it would be possible to translate with your most holy faith1 instead of on your most holy faith2 and in that case the dative would1 as in ,col4 ii4 #g1 express the cement rather than the foundation4 ,in any case the faith is not the internal grace or virtue of faith1 but1 as both the participle and the adjective show1 the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints 7ver4 #c74 ,it is your faith1 because it has been thus delivered to you2 and it is most holy1 in marked contrast to the vile and shifty doctrines which the libertines profess and uphold4 ,praying in the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this is the best arrangement of the words1 although the ,greek allows us to take in the ,holy ,ghost with the previous clause1 a rather clumsy division of the words1 which is sanctioned by ,luther1 ,beza1 and the ,rhemish ,version3 building yourselves upon our 7sic7 most holy faith1 in the ,holy ,ghost1 praying4 ,the expression praying in the ,holy ,ghost occurs nowhere else2 but that is no reason why ,st4 ,jude should not have used it here4 ,it means that we are to pray in the power and wisdom of the ,spirit4 ,in order that we may pray1 and pray aright1 ,he must move our hearts and direct our petitions4 ,keep yourselves in the love of ,god4 ,not our love of ,god is meant1 but ,his love of us4 ,this is rendered probable both by what immediately follows--for the love of ,god should have a meaning similar to that of the mercy of ,jesus ,christ--and also by the opening address1 beloved in ,god 7ver4 #a71 which ,st4 ,jude perhaps has in his mind2 for the whole of the verse before us is closely connected with the first verse of the ,epistle4 ,god's love is the region in which all ,christians should strive to abide1 and it is by faith and prayer that this abode is secured4 ,to be conscious of being beloved by ,god is one of the greatest protections that the believer can possess4 ,looking for the mercy of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ unto eternal life4 ,that mercy which ,he will show to all faithful ,christians when ,he returns as ,judge at the last day4 ,we may compare looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of ,god 7#b ,peter iii4 #ab74 ,both in this life and in eternity it is mercy that we need and crave4 ,the ,psalms are full of this thought1 as a reference to the numerous passages in which the word mercy occurs will reveal3 see especially ,ps4 cxxx4 ,and in connexion with this the concise statement respecting the relations of the ,persons of the ,blessed ,trinity to believers must not be overlooked4 ,by prayer in the power of the ,holy ,spirit we are kept in the love of the ,father through the mercy of the ,son4 ,unto eternal life4 ,it is not a matter of much moment whether we take these words with keep yourselves1 or with looking1 or with mercy4 ,the first seems to be the best arrangement1 keep yourselves 444 unto eternal life2 but in any case the eternal life is reached through the mercy of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,with a similar thought the author of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews 7ix4 #bh7 writes of ,christ's ,second ,advent as an advent unto salvation 7 74 ,the ,divine purpose of both ,advents is mercy1 and not judgment2 but seeing that both ,advents are met by some who refuse to believe and repent1 judgment is inevitable4 ,and on some have mercy1 who are in doubt2 and some save1 snatching out of the fire2 and on some have mercy with fear4 ,in hardly any other passage1 perhaps1 does the ,revised ,version differ in so many particulars from the ,authorized4 ,the main changes are the result of changes in the ,greek text1 which here is in so corrupt a state that the original cannot be restored with certainty4 ,the readings adopted by the ,revisers have the advantage of giving us another triple division1 which ,st4 ,jude is very likely to have made4 ,this triple division is preserved in the ,vulgate1 and therefore in ,wiclif and the ,rhemish ,version4 ,our other translators1 with ,luther and ,beza1 not finding it in the inferior ,greek ,,mss4 which they used1 of course do not give it4#abg ,with one possible exception1 the text adopted by the ,revisers seems to be the best that can be framed with our present evidence4 ,it is doubtful whether we ought not to substitute convict 77 for the first have mercy 774 ,this reading has very powerful support 7,,ac1 the best cursives1 ,vulgate1 ,memphitic1 ,armenian1 and ,ethiopic71 and is adopted by many critics4 ,but it may possibly be an early correction of a still earlier corruption1 and not a restoration of the original reading4 ,this is one of those passages about which we must be content to remain in doubt as to what the author actually wrote 7see above on ver4 #e1 p4 #djd74 ,in any case the writer is giving directions as to how to deal with two or three different classes of persons1 who are in danger of being seduced by the libertines2 and possibly the libertines themselves are included4 ,we will assume that three classes are named4 ,in the first we are confronted with an uncertainty of translation4 ,the participle rendered who are in doubt 77 may also mean while they contend with you4 ,which meaning we prefer will depend partly upon the reading which we adopt for the imperative which governs the accusative4 ,on some have mercy1 when they are in doubt1 makes very harmonious sense2 for earnest doubters1 who are unable to make up their minds for or against the truth1 are to be treated with great tenderness4 ,again1 ,and some convict1 when they contend with you1 makes very harmonious sense2 for it is those who are disposed to be contentious that need to be refuted and convinced of their error4 ,it is in favour of the latter version of the command that the verbs rendered convict and contend occur1 and in the same sense1 in the earlier part of the ,epistle 7vv4 #i1 #ae74 ,in either case that which is doubted or contended about is the faith once for all delivered unto the saints1 on which believers are to build themselves up4 ,the second class are such as can still be rescued1 but by strong measures4 ,no hint1 however1 is given as to their characteristics2 we are merely told that there are some who require to be taken with decision1 and perhaps even with violence1 out of their perilous surroundings1 in order that they may be saved from destruction4 ,we may perhaps think of those who1 without being in doubt or inclined to dispute about the faith1 are being carried away into licentiousness by intercourse with the libertines4 ,the fire out of which they are to be snatched is not the penal fire of the judgment to come1 but the state of perdition in which they are now living4 ,we seem to have here1 as in ver4 #i1 a reminiscence of ,zechariah iii4 #a1 where we read1 ,is not this a brand plucked out of the fire8 ,in ,amos iv4 #aa we have the same figure1 and the context there agrees with the suggestion just made as to the kind of person indicated by ,st4 ,jude3 ,i have overthrown some among you1 as when ,god overthrew ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 and ye were as a brand plucked out of the burning4 ,there are some who need to be rescued in the way that the angels rescued ,lot1 with urgency and constraint 7,gen4 xix4 #af1 #ag72 and it is specially in reference to temptations such as ,lot had gone into that such urgency is needed4 ,the third class is one which must be treated with great circumspection3 and on some have mercy with fear2 hating even the garment spotted by the flesh4 ,this does not mean1 as ,luther supposes1 that we must let them severely alone1 and have nothing to do with them1 but that in dealing with evil so insidious and so infectious1 we must take care that we are not contaminated ourselves4 ,it is quite possible to approach evil with good intentions1 and then1 through want of proper humility and caution1 end in finding it fatally attractive4 ,we must carefully preserve abhorrence for all that is associated with pollution4 ,in the defiled garment 7comp4 ,james iii4 #f1 where the same word is used7 ,st4 ,jude appears once more to have ,zechariah iii4 #a-c in his mind2 but the ,greek of the ,,lxx4 is there quite different 7 1 instead of 74 ,the garment here mentioned is the chiton1 or shirt1 which came in contact with the body1 and would itself be rendered unclean if the body were unclean4 ,it therefore serves well as a symbol for that which has become perilous through being closely connected with evil4 ,but while the evil and that which has been contaminated by it are to be hated1 compassion is to be shown to those who have fallen victims to it4 ,to be shown1 not merely felt1 as is manifest from the word which ,st4 ,jude uses 71 not 74 ,the passages in which this verb 7or its more common form 7 elsewhere occurs in the ,new ,testament prove that it means to have mercy on1 to succour and bring help to1 and not merely to feel pity for without doing anything to relieve the person pitied 7,matt4 ix4 #bg2 xv4 #bb2 xvii4 #ae2 xviii4 #cc2 xx4 #cj2 ,mark x4 #dg2 ,luke xvi4 #bd2 xvii4 #ac2 xviii4 #ch2 ,phil4 ii4 #bg74 ,it is specially used of ,god's showing mercy to those who do not deserve it 7,rom4 ix4 #ae1 #af1 #ah2 xi4 #cb2 #a ,cor4 vii4 #be2 #b ,cor4 iv4 #a2 #a ,tim4 i4 #ac1 #af2 #a ,peter ii4 #aj71 and therefore fitly expresses the sympathy which ought to be manifested by the faithful towards the fallen4 ,but in some cases this sympathy must be manifested in fear4 ,it is by acting in the spirit of godly fear that love of the sinner can be combined with hatred of the sin4 ,without it sympathy with the sinner is too likely to turn into sympathy with the sin4 ,to put it otherwise3 ,all our efforts for the reformation of others must be begun and continued with self-reformation2 and therefore ,st4 ,jude insists on the necessity for spiritual progress and prayer1 before advising as to the treatment of the fallen4 ,it is while we are earnestly detesting and contending against a particular sin in ourselves that we can most safely and effectually deal with that sin in others4 ,finally1 it must be noted as specially remarkable that ,st4 ,jude1 after all the strong language which he has used in describing the wickedness of those who are corrupting the ,christian community1 does not1 in this advice as to the different methods which are to be used in dealing with those who are going or have gone astray1 recommend denunciation4 ,not that denunciation is always wrong2 in some cases it may be necessary4 ,but denunciation by itself commonly does more harm than good2 while other methods1 which must be added in order to make denunciation effectual1 are often quite as efficacious when no denunciation has been employed4 ,it is quite possible to manifest one's abhorrence of the garment spotted with the flesh1 without public or private abuse of those who are the authors of the defilement4 #abg ,nevertheless1 ,westcott and ,hort reject the triple division1 and adopt the text of ,b1 which involves the incongruity that the first must be taken as a relative1 and the first as indicative4 ,some primitive error evidently affects the passage 7ii41 p4 #ajg74 ,it is difficult to believe that their text is right4 ,,chapter ,,xxxviii4 ,,the ,,final ,,doxology3 ,,praise ,,to ,,god1 ,,the ,,protector ,,of ,,his ,,servants4 ,now unto ,him that is able to guard you from stumbling1 and to set you before the presence of ,his glory without blemish in exceeding joy1 to the only ,god our ,saviour1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 be glory1 majesty1 dominion and power1 before all time1 and now1 and for evermore4 ,amen4--,,st4 ,,jude #bd1 #be4 ,from his severe and sombre warnings and exhortations ,st4 ,jude turns in joyous and exulting confidence to ,him who alone can make them effectual4 ,he has spoken with sternness and horror of great wickedness which has been manifested both in the past and in the present1 and of ,god's terrible judgments upon it4 ,he has exhorted his readers to beware of it1 and not to let their abhorrence of it grow less when they are engaged in the merciful work of rescuing others from it4 ,now1 in conclusion1 he offers a fervent tribute of praise to ,him who is a ,god of love as well as of justice1 and who is as able and ready to protect those who cling to ,him and serve ,him as to punish those who murmur and rebel against ,him4 ,the doxologies at the end of the ,epistle to the ,romans and at the beginning of the ,first ,epistle to ,timothy should be compared with this one4 ,the former is nearest to it in form2 and it is from the doxology in ,romans that the epithet wise1 which the ,authorized ,version wrongly inserts both here and in #a ,tim4 i4 #ag1 probably comes4 ,doxologies1 modelled on those in the ,new ,testament1 became elastic in some respects1 and stereotyped in others4 ,the formula to the only wise ,god was a common one1 and hence scribes inserted the epithet1 perhaps almost mechanically1 in places where it was not found in the original4 ,it is quite possible that ,st4 ,jude knew the ,epistle to the ,romans1 and his doxology1 especially in its opening words1 may be a conscious or unconscious imitation of it2 for the ,epistle to the ,romans was written some years before the earliest date that can with any probability be assigned to this ,epistle4 ,to guard you from stumbling2 which in two respects is more than to keep you from falling4 ,firstly1 guard preserves the idea of protection against perils1 both manifest and secret1 more decidedly than keep2 and secondly1 one may have many stumbles without any falls1 and therefore to be preserved from even stumbling implies a larger measure of care on the part of the protector4 ,but even to guard you from stumbling does not quite do justice to the ,greek 7 71 nor is it easy to do so4 ,guard you so that you are exempt from stumbling and never trip or make a false step is the full meaning of the expression4 ,the verb which is here negatived is used by ,st4 ,james 7ii4 #aj73 ,whosoever shall keep the whole law1 and yet stumble 77 in one point1 he is become guilty of all4 ,the ,vulgate lets go the metaphor of stumbling1 and translates simply to preserve you without sin 7conservare sine peccato74 ,that which is impossible with men is possible with ,god1 and the ,divine grace can protect ,christians against their own frailty4 ,christ says of ,his sheep that they shall assuredly never perish1 and that no one1 whether powers of evil or human seducers1 can snatch them out of ,his hand 7,john x4 #bh74 ,their wills are free1 and they may will to leave ,him2 but if they determine to abide with ,him they will be safe4 ,and to set you before the presence of ,his glory without blemish4 ,this is the blessed result of ,his protecting them from stumbling4 ,the revised translation1 without blemish 771 at first sight looks like a needless and vexatious change from the faultless of the ,authorized ,version1 and a clumsy one1 because it gives two ,english words for one ,greek word4 ,but the change is a real improvement1 for the ,greek word is a sacrificial term1 which faultless is not4 ,it is frequently used of victims1 which must be without blemish1 in order to be suitable for offerings4 ,it is not common in classical ,greek1 but frequent in the ,,lxx4 7,exod4 xxix4 #a2 ,lev4 i4 #c1 #aj2 xxii4 #ba-bd2 ,num4 vi4 #ad2 xix4 #b74 ,in #a ,macc4 iv4 #db it is used of the priests1 and so also in ,philo 7,de ,merc4 ,mer4 i42 ,de ,agric4 xxix43 see ,lightfoot on 3 ,clem4 ,rom4 xli474 ,in the ,new ,testament it is used sometimes of the sinlessness of ,christ 7,heb4 ix4 #ad2 #a ,peter i4 #ai71 sometimes of the ideal perfection of ,christians 7,eph4 i4 #d2 v4 #bg2 ,phil4 ii4 #ae74 ,in the ,epistle to the ,colossians ,st4 ,paul has almost the same idea as ,st4 ,jude--to present you holy and without blemish and unreprovable before ,him 7i4 #bb72 and again in the ,first ,epistle to the ,thessalonians--to the end ,he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our ,god and ,father1 at the coming of our ,lord ,jesus with all ,his saints 7iii4 #ac74 ,before the presence of ,his glory refers to the glory of ,god which shall be revealed at the last day4 ,in exceeding joy is a further consequence from the second point1 as the second from the first4 ,to be protected against stumbling leads to being presented without blemish before the judgment-seat1 and this is an occasion of intense delight4 ,as ,st4 ,peter puts it1 ,inasmuch as ye are partakers of ,christ's sufferings1 rejoice2 that at the revelation of ,his glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy 7#a ,peter iv4 #ac74 ,to the only ,god our ,saviour4 ,st4 ,paul1 like ,st4 ,jude1 speaks of ,god the ,father as our ,saviour4 ,he is an ,apostle of ,christ ,jesus according to the commandment of ,god our ,saviour 7#a ,tim4 i4 #a71 and he says that intercession and thanksgiving for others is good and acceptable in the sight of ,god our ,saviour 7ii4 #c74 ,still more fully he says that ,god our ,saviour 444 saved us 444 through ,jesus ,christ our ,saviour 7,titus iii4 #d-f3 comp4 i4 #c2 ii4 #aj74 ,the work of the ,son is the work of the ,father2 and so in the ,old ,testament we have ,jehovah spoken of as the ,saviour and ,redeemer of ,his people 7,ps4 cvi4 #ba2 ,isa4 xli4 #ae1 #ba2 xlix4 #bf2 lx4 #af74 ,and this is the meaning of the clause which textual criticism has restored to us in this passage4 ,god is our ,saviour through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,some take these words with what follows4 ,to the only ,god be glory1 majesty1 dominion and power1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord2 which makes excellent sense1 and is in harmony with the doxology in #a ,peter iv4 #aa1 that in all things ,god may be glorified through ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is no strong objection to this to urge that in that case ,st4 ,jude would have reversed the order of the clauses 7 74 ,in the doxology at the end of the ,epistle to the ,romans 7which ,st4 ,jude may have in his mind7 through ,jesus ,christ precedes be the glory1 and yet cannot easily be taken with anything else 7omitting as a probable corruption74 ,the combination glory and dominion occurs in other doxologies 7#a ,peter iv4 #aa2 ,rev4 i4 #f2 v4 #ac72 majesty and power do not occur in any4 ,majesty in the ,new ,testament is found in ,hebrews i4 #c and viii4 #a only2 but it occurs in the ,,lxx4 and in ,clement of ,rome 7xvi4 #a74 ,the doxology in #a ,chron4 xxix4 #aa is specially worthy of notice4 ,the word seems to have been used almost exclusively of the majesty of ,god1 and the four words together sum up the ,divine glory and omnipotence4 ,it is a little remarkable that in this case ,st4 ,jude abandons his favourite triplets1 and gives four attributes rather than three4 ,but he returns in a still more remarkable way to his favourite arrangement in the concluding words4 ,before all time1 and now1 and for evermore4 ,thus1 in a very comprehensive phrase1 eternity is described4 ,throughout all time1 and throughout the ages which precede and follow it1 these attributes belong to ,god4 ,evil men in their dreamings may set at nought dominion and rail at glories1 and their mouth may speak great swelling words about their own superior knowledge and greater liberty1 and may mock and scoff at those who will not follow them in walking after their own ungodly lusts4 ,nevertheless1 ages before they were born1 and ages after they shall have vanished from the world which they are troubling by their presence1 glory1 majesty1 dominion1 and power belong to ,him who saves us1 and would save even them1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,they belong to ,him4 ,this seems to be the meaning rather than that they are ascribed to ,him4 ,no verb is given in the ,greek2 neither is1 as in #a ,peter iv4 #aa 7 71 nor be 771 which in most doxologies may be understood4 ,to ,him be glory before all time is scarcely sense1 for our wishes cannot influence the past4 ,to ,him belongs glory before all time is the statement of a simple fact4 ,it is those who know their own frailty and liability to sin2 who know the manifold temptations which surround them1 and the terrible attractiveness which many of them can present2 who know from past experience what frequent and grievous falls are possible2 that can best understand the statement of fact which this doxology contains1 and the significance of it4 ,he who can guard such creatures as we are from stumbling1 in such a world as this1 must be the only ,god2 must be ,he who was1 and is1 and is to come2 must possess throughout all time and all eternity the highest powers and glories which the heart of man can conceive4 ,the wonders of the material universe impress us in our more solemn moments with feelings of awe1 and reverence1 and love for ,him who is the ,author of them all4 ,how much more should the wonders of the kingdom of heaven do so6 ,out of sinful man to make a saint is more than to make a world out of nothing2 and to keep sinful men from stumbling is more than to keep the stars in their courses4 ,there is a free and rebellious will to be won and retained in the one case1 whereas there is nothing but absolute and unresisting obedience in the other4 ,the difference is that which is so beautifully expressed in the #ajcrd and #ajdth ,psalms4 ,in the latter of these two exquisite songs of praise and thanksgiving ,jehovah is praised as the ,creator and ,regulator of the world1 in the former as the ,pardoner and ,preserver of ,his servants4 ,in the one case blessing and praise is offered to the ,lord-- ,who laid the foundations of the earth1 ,that it should not be moved for ever4 ,thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture2 ,the waters stood above the mountains4 ,they went up by the mountains1 ,they went down by the valleys1 ,unto the place which ,thou hadst founded for them4 ,thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over2 ,that they turn not again to cover the earth4 ,o ,lord1 how manifold are ,thy works6 ,in wisdom hast ,thou made them all3 ,the earth is full of ,thy riches4 ,let the glory of the ,lord endure for ever2 ,let the ,lord rejoice in ,his works3 ,who looketh on the earth1 and it trembleth2 ,he toucheth the mountains1 and they smoke4 ,ps4 civ4 #e1 #f1 #h1 #i1 #bd1 #ca1 #cb4 ,but in the other song the ,lord is praised1 not so much in relation to the glorious universe which ,he creates and controls1 but in relation to the spirits of men1 whom ,he restores1 and of angels1 whom ,he retains1 to willing obedience and service4 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul1 ,and forget not all ,his benefits3 ,who forgiveth all thine iniquities2 ,who healeth all thy diseases2 ,who redeemeth thy life from destruction2 ,who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies4 ,he hath not dealt with us after our sins1 ,nor rewarded us after our iniquities4 ,for as the heaven is high above the earth1 ,so great is ,his mercy toward them that fear ,him4 ,as far as the east is from the west1 ,so far hath ,he removed our transgressions from us4 ,bless the ,lord1 ye angels of ,his2 ,ye mighty in strength1 that fulfil ,his word1 ,hearkening unto the voice of ,his word1 ,bless the ,lord1 all ye ,his hosts2 ,ye ministers of ,his1 that do ,his pleasure4 ,ps4 ciii4 #b1 #c1 #d1 #aj1 #aa1 #ab1 #bj1 #ba4 ,it is quite in harmony with such a strain as this that the joyous doxology with which ,st4 ,jude's stern letter suddenly ends is written4 ,its clauses lend themselves to that parallelism which distinguishes ,hebrew poetry1 and they have not only the spirit1 but the form1 of a concluding strophe of praise4 ,now unto ,him that is able to guard you from stumbling1 ,and to set you before the presence of ,his glory without blemish in exceeding joy1 ,to the only ,god our ,saviour1 ,through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 ,glory1 majesty1 dominion and power1 ,before all time1 and now1 and for evermore4 ,amen4 ,,note4--,the ,amen at the end of this ,epistle1 as at the end of ,romans and #b ,peter1 which like this close with a doxology1 seems to be genuine 7comp4 #a ,peter iv4 ,,ii2 v4 ,,ii72 but that at the end of #b ,peter is somewhat doubtful4 ,in all other books of the ,new ,testament1 excepting ,galatians1 the final ,amen is probably spurious4 ,,index4 ,abraham1 the ,friend of ,god1 #afj1 #afb4 ,absolution1 ,forms of1 #cdb4 ,academy1 #cfg4 ,address to the ,reader1 ,translators'1 #aai4 ,adultery1 ,spiritual1 #bbg4 ,advents of ,christ1 #bgh1 #deh4 'lius ,gallus1 #cbh4 ,agape1 #dbh4 ,albinus1 #dj4 ,alexander the ,great1 #afc4 ,alford1 #cb1 #cii1 #dah4 ,alphus1 #bg4 ,amasis1 #agc4 ,amen1 #dgj4 ,american civil war1 #bce4 ,ananus1 #dj4 ,angels1 ,sinful1 #djh4 ,anointing the sick1 #cbf4 ,antioch1 ,synod at1 #cfi4 ,aphraates1 #bb4 ,apocrypha1 #gf1 #ade1 #aef1 #bjd1 #dbd4 ,apostolic1 ,luther's view of1 #bc4 ,aristotle1 #fg1 #ajc1 #aef1 #aig4 ,arrian1 #ahb4 ,assumption of ,moses1 #dbb4 ,assumption of the ,virgin1 #chd4 ,athanasius1 #g1 #af1 #cfi4 ,augustine1 #fe1 #ih1 #acb1 #bjg1 #bif1 #cjj1 #cjg1 #ccd1 #ceh1 #cfi1 #dda4 ,auricular confession1 #ccf1 #cdj4 ,authenticity of the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james1 #ad2 of ,st4 ,jude1 #cfe4 ,azazel1 #daa4 ,barnabas1 ,epistle of1 #ah1 #bc1 #gf4 ,baur1 ,f4 ,c41 #ach1 #adj4 ,bede1 #f1 #h1 #hd1 #ajc1 #aec1 #agb1 #bfg1 #bfh1 #bhb1 #bhe1 #bif1 #cca1 #cea4 ,bellarmine1 #cci4 ,bengel1 #aae1 #bhe1 #cbe1 #dah4 ,beyschlag1 #fj4 ,beza1 #aei1 #bbb1 #chg1 #dah1 #dcb1 #ded1 #deg4 ,bias the sage1 #agc4 ,bodenstein1 #bd4 ,british ,association1 #cdf4 ,brother of the ,lord1 #bh1 #ca1 #cgd4 ,bruce1 #daj4 ,brckner1 #fj1 #cgh1 #cij1 #dah4 ,building up1 #def4 ,butler1 ,archer1 #chc1 #chf4 ,butler1 ,bishop1 #ii1 #ddc4 ,csar1 ,julius1 #bhg4 ,cajetan1 #ccb1 #ccf4 ,calendars1 #ca4 ,caligula1 #cdi4 ,calvin1 #bbb1 #bhc1 #cai1 #cbe1 #cfj1 #dag1 #dcb4 ,canonical1 #b4 ,canonical ,books1 #ag4 ,canonical ,epistles1 #a1 #f4 ,carlyle1 #aff4 ,carpocrates1 #chi4 ,cassian1 #g4 ,cassiodorus1 #b1 #bhe1 #cfi4 ,catholic1 #c4 ,catholic ,epistles1 #a1 #aj4 ,cave1 #f4 ,celsus1 #cbh4 ,censuring1 ,love of1 #bea4 ,ceriani1 #dbb4 ,channing1 #cha4 ,christ's sayings in ,st4 ,james' ,epistle1 #ajj1 #cji4 ,christology of ,st4 ,james1 #aaa4 ,chrysostom1 #bib1 #cca1 #cch1 #cfh4 ,clement of ,alexandria1 #e1 #ba1 #cf1 #gf1 #bac1 #cjg1 #cfb1 #cfi1 #dbb4 ,clement of ,rome1 #ah1 #bj1 #bc1 #afj1 #bae1 #bde1 #bib1 #bie4 ,clergy and laity1 #cbd4 ,clopas1 #bf1 #bg4 ,confession of sins1 #ccf4 ,confessions of ,st4 ,augustine1 #ccc4 ,conjectural emendation1 #dje4 ,conversation1 #aie4 ,converting sinners1 #cea1 #ceg4 ,council of ,hippo1 #ag4 ---- of ,jerusalem1 #ce1 #fa4 ---- of ,laodicea1 #ad1 #ag1 #bd4 ---- of ,lige1 #cda4 ---- of ,trent1 #cda4 ,covering sins1 #cea4 ,cynics1 #ff1 #cae4 ,cyprian1 #cfh4 ,cyrenaics1 #bfe4 ,cyril of ,jerusalem1 #g1 #ag4 ,date of ,st4 ,james' ,epistle1 #fa4 ---- of ,st4 ,jude's ,epistle1 #cga1 #cge1 #chi4 ---- of the ,book of ,wisdom1 #fi1 #ge4 ,davidson1 #de1 #ee1 #aab4 ,day of slaughter1 #bhd4 ,defilement by the tongue1 #agg4 ,demons1 #aej4 ,denunciation1 #aha4 ,descriptive ,genitive1 #ih1 #ajh1 #abb1 #ddg4 ,destruction of ,jerusalem1 #abh1 #bgf1 #djg4 ,determinism1 #ic1 #ie4 ,development of doctrine1 #chj4 ,devil1 ,personality of the1 #aej1 #bdj4 ,de ,wette1 #cgh4 ,didymus of ,alexandria1 #cfi1 #dbb4 ,dillmann1 #dch1 #ddj4 ,diognetus1 #d4 ,dispersion1 ,jews of the1 #ej1 #ec1 #adc4 ,disputed books1 #b1 #ae1 #cff4 ,dllinger1 #cj1 #ca1 #aec1 #bgc1 #cbh1 #djj4 ,domitian1 #cbd4 ,dorner1 #aaf1 #cij4 ,douay ,version1 #bie4 ,double-mindedness1 #bde4 ,doubtful readings1 #bha1 #cfa1 #cia1 #djb4 ,doubtful renderings1 #abb1 #agd1 #bab1 #bac1 #dbh1 #dcj1 #ddg4 ,doxologies1 #dff4 ,drummond1 #dbc1 #dci4 ,ebionism of ,st4 ,james1 #hc4 ,ecclesiasticus1 #fi1 #gc1 #aji1 #bha4 ,edinburgh ,review1 #gg4 ,elders of the ,church1 #cbc4 ,elijah's prayers1 #cdd4 ,enoch1 ,book of1 #dji1 #dcc1 #dcg1 #ddg4 ,enthusiasm of humanity1 #bca4 ,ephrem ,syrus1 #cgj4 ,epicureans1 #bfe1 #bhc4 ,erasmus1 #bbb1 #cea1 #cec1 #dah4 ,essenes1 #cjf4 ,eucharist and ,love-feast1 #dbi4 ,eusebius1 #b1 #ad1 #ag1 #afb4 ,euthalius1 #f4 ,evil-speaking1 #bei4 ,expositor1 #ih1 #aae4 ,extreme ,unction1 #cbf4 ,faith and works1 #acg1 #adc4 ,faith of ,abraham1 #aef4 ,faith of the demons1 #aea4 ,faith of ,rahab1 #afa4 ,farrar1 ,f4 ,w41 #cb1 #gj1 #cic1 #cii4 ,fault-finding1 ,love of1 #bea4 ,field1 #dae4 ,first ,prayer-,book of ,edward ,,vi41 #ccc1 #cdb4 ,free-will1 #ic4 ,friend of ,god1 #afj1 #afb4 ,fronmller1 #cii1 #djh4 ,gelasius of ,cyzicus1 #dbb4 ,general ,epistles1 #e4 ,genevan ,version1 #cgb1 #bjj1 #ded4 ,genitive1 ,characterizing1 #ih1 #ajh1 #abb1 #ddg4 ,gentleman defined1 #bjb4 ,georgius ,syncellus1 #daj1 #dch4 ,gnosticism1 #chi4 ,greek ,church1 ,forms of absolution in1 #cdc4 ,gregory ,nazianzen1 #bfh4 ,guardian1 #ccc4 ,harnack1 #bj1 #cgj4 ,harper1 ,jesuit1 #che4 ,hatch1 #adf1 #bef1 #cii4 ,hearing without doing1 #aja4 ,hefele1 #ad4 ,hegesippus1 #bh1 #cf1 #ci1 #cgd4 ,hermas1 #ah1 #bj1 #bdi4 ,herod the ,great1 #cbh4 ,hexameter in ,st4 ,james' ,epistle1 #if4 ,hilgenfeld1 #di1 #cge1 #cii1 #dbc4 ,hippolytus1 #bj1 #cfg4 ,hoffmann1 #dch4 ,hofmann1 #cii1 #djg1 #daj1 #dch4 ,holzmann1 #fj4 ,hooker1 #dc1 #fe1 #cbj1 #cci1 #djg1 #deb1 #dec4 ,hornejus1 #bbb4 ,hutton1 #ie1 #chg4 ,ignatius1 #c1 #acj1 #bab1 #bgi1 #dbi4 ,inspiration1 #bih1 #cdd1 #dje1 #dbd4 ,intercession1 #cbe1 #cdb4 ,irenus1 #bj1 #dcd1 #dch1 #ddd4 ,james1 ,the name1 #be4 ,james of ,alphus1 #bg4 ,james the ,just1 #ca1 #cf1 #da1 #dg4 ,jealousy1 #aih4 ,jealousy1 ,divine1 #bcd4 ,jellett1 #baa4 ,jeremy ,taylor1 #ccb4 ,jerome1 #g1 #ca1 #cff1 #cfi4 ,jerusalem1 ,destruction of1 #abh1 #bgf1 #djg4 ,job1 ,character of the ,book of1 #big1 #bii4 ---- ,coincidences with the ,book of1 #bfg1 #bha1 #bia4 ,john1 ,coincidences with the ,gospel of1 #cac4 ,josephus1 #cf1 #ci1 #ec1 #bba1 #bhe1 #cdi4 ,joy in temptation1 #fc4 ,judas not ,iscariot1 #cgb4 ---- of ,james1 #cgb1 #cgf4 ,judgment1 ,day of1 #dab4 ,julius ,csar1 #bhg4 ,justin ,martyr1 #d1 #acj1 #adf1 #dbi1 #dda4 ,keble1 #aja4 ,lange1 #bhe1 #bif1 #cii4 ,laodicea1 ,council of1 #g1 #ad1 #ag1 #bd4 ,lardner1 #dbj4 ,last days1 ,meaning of the1 #bgh4 ,lateran ,council1 #cda4 ,lectionary1 ,new1 #gf4 ,leo the ,great1 #cdj4 ,liddon1 #aaf1 #bcj4 ,light healing1 #bde4 ,lightfoot1 ,bishop1 #bj1 #cb1 #abj1 #cfg1 #cgi1 #dbi1 #dea4 ---- ,john1 #gg1 #cbh4 ,lincoln1 ,president1 #bce4 ,love-feast1 #dbh1 #dca4 ,lucifer of ,cagliari1 #dca4 ,luke1 ,coincidences with the ,gospel of1 #cac4 ,luther1 #bc1 #adg1 #aei1 #bic1 #dbg1 #ded1 #deg4 ,making separations1 #dej4 ,magnificat1 #bcf4 ,malchion1 #cgj4 ,manchester1 ,bishop of1 #cde4 ,mansel1 #cib4 ,margoliouth1 #gi4 ,mark1 ,coincidences with the ,gospel of1 #cab4 ,martyrologies1 #ca4 ,matthew1 ,coincidences with the ,gospel of1 #caj4 ,mayor1 ,j4 ,b41 #aae4 ,messianic ideas in the ,book of ,enoch1 #dci4 ,metaphors of ,st4 ,james1 #hf1 #hh4 ,meyer1 #cb1 #cij4 ,midrash1 #dbj4 ,mocking at sin1 #ahh1 #ddh4 ,monica1 #ceh4 ,moorhouse1 ,bishop1 on prayers for rain1 #cde4 ,moses1 ,assumption of1 #dbb4 ,muratorian ,canon1 #bj1 #cfg4 ,mussus1 #chc4 ,nature1 ,love of1 #hf1 #bca4 ,neander1 #bij1 #cbe4 ,nectarius1 #cdj4 ,newman1 ,j4 ,h41 #bjb1 #bff1 #chj1 #chc1 #ddc4 ,nicephorus1 #dbb4 cumenius1 #bhe1 #cii1 #dah4 ,oil1 ,use of1 for the sick1 #cbg1 #cca4 ,origen1 #e1 #ba1 #cjg1 #ccj1 #ccg1 #cfi1 #cgb1 #dda4 ,paes1 #aje4 ,pamphilus1 #f1 #g4 ,patience1 ,greek words for1 #bia4 ---- in criticism1 #bii4 ---- in waiting1 #bhi4 ,pattison1 ,mark1 #bjh4 ,pelagius1 #cjg4 ,penitentiary presbyters1 #cdj4 ,peshitto1 #ba1 #cj1 #cfh4 ,peter1 ,coincidences with the ,epistle of1 #eh1 #he1 #bag1 #bef1 #cec4 ,petronius1 #cdi4 ,philip of ,side1 #cbe4 ,philo1 #eb1 #ade4 ,plato1 #fg1 #ajc1 #bah4 ,plumptre1 #cb1 #cdi1 #cii4 ,plutarch1 #afb4 ,polycarp1 #cjg4 ,positivism1 #ib1 #id4 ,prayer for change of weather1 #cdd4 ,predestination1 #cig4 ,presumption about the future1 #bfb4 ,probabilism1 #bgc4 ,proculus ,torpacion1 #ccj4 ,public confession of sins1 #cci4 ,punctuation1 #ia1 #agd1 #bbj1 #bif1 #ccd1 #cgg4 ,purvey1 #bjj1 #bab1 #ddg4 ,rabbi ,simeon1 #bfd4 ,rahab1 #bj4 ,reality of sin1 #ib4 ,remorse and free-will1 #ic4 ,renan1 #abb1 #abh1 #cga4 ,resch1 #ef1 #ij1 #bcc1 #cfb4 ,respect of persons1 #aai1 #acd1 #ddd4 ,reuss1 #ada1 #aff1 #cij1 #cii4 ,revisers1 ,improvements made by the1 #eg1 #hj1 #aji1 #aad1 #aah1 #aai1 #acf1 #aea1 #agj1 #age1 #aif1 #bbf1 #bca1 #cce1 #dji1 #dde1 #deh1 #dfe4 ,rhemish ,version1 #hj1 #bjj1 #bib1 #dbg1 #dcj1 #ddg1 #deg4 ,roman government in ,palestine1 #abg4 ,romans1 ,coincidences with the ,epistle to the1 #eg1 #ajj1 #bgb4 ,royal law1 #aca4 ,salmon1 #ba1 #ej1 #ee1 #fi1 #ga1 #aci1 #che1 #dbe1 #dca4 ,sarasa1 #bgc4 ,sarum ,office1 #cdb4 ,satan1 ,personality of1 #aej1 #bdj4 ,schaff1 #cb1 #cii4 ,schott1 #djg1 #dah4 ,schrer1 #ej1 #dbc1 #dbd1 #dci4 ,sensual1 ,meaning of1 in ,n4,t41 #bjj1 #dec4 ,septimius ,severus1 #ba1 #ccj4 ,sicarii1 #bba4 ,shadow of turning1 #ih4 ,sham religion1 #ahj1 #aib4 ,sibylline oracles1 #ea4 ,sinaiticus1 ,codex1 #e1 #djc4 ,slaughter1 ,day of1 #bhd4 ,socrates1 #cdj4 ,solidarity of the ,divine ,law1 #acb4 ,sozomen1 #cdj4 ,stanton1 #dab1 #dci4 ,stars1 ,wandering1 #dcb4 ,stier1 #cb1 #aii1 #big1 #cbe1 #ccc1 #cii4 ,stoicism1 #ff1 #acc1 #cae4 ,strauss1 #cha4 ,style of ,st4 ,james1 #fb1 #abd4 ,suarez1 #cbb4 ,submission and penitence1 #bch1 #bdf4 ,swearing1 #cjb2 when lawful1 #cjf4 ,synagogue1 ,christian1 #ai1 #aah1 #abf4 ,syriac ,version1 #h1 #ba1 #bf1 #cj1 #ahg1 #cfh4 ,talkativeness1 ,perils of1 #ahf4 ,taylor1 ,jeremy1 #ccb4 ,teachers1 responsibilities of1 #afg4 ,temper1 #aij4 ,temple1 ,f41 #ahi4 ,temptation1 ,joy in1 #fc4 ---- ,source of1 #ij4 ---- not irresistible1 #bdj1 #bdc4 ,tertullian1 #cjg1 #ccj1 #ccg1 #cdb1 #cfh1 #dda4 ,testament of the ,twelve ,patriarchs1 #bdi1 #dcg4 ,theodore of ,tarsus1 #cca4 ,tischendorf1 #g4 ,tobit1 #bha1 #bie4 ,tongue1 ,defilement by the1 #agg4 ---- ,the third1 #ahg4 ,toulouse1 ,council of1 #cda4 ,tregelles1 #g4 ,trench1 #abj4 ,trent1 ,council of1 #cda4 ,triplets in ,st4 ,jude's ,epistle1 #cif4 ,tyndale1 #bjj1 #bbb4 ,unction1 ,extreme1 #cbf4 ,unrecorded sayings of ,christ1 #ef1 #hi1 #bdi1 #cfb4 ,verbal inspiration1 #dje4 ,viaticum1 #ccb4 ,virginity1 ,perpetual1 of ,mary1 #ca4 ,vulgate1 ,insertion in the1 #e4 ,wandering stars1 #dcb4 ,weiss1 #cb1 #gj1 #gf1 #cii4 ,westcott1 #d1 #g1 #ag1 #bd1 #dcd1 #dci1 #deh4 ,wetstein1 #bif1 #cii4 ,wiclif1 #dbg1 #ddg1 #deh4 ,wiesinger1 #cii1 #dah4 ,wieseler1 #cb4 ,williams1 ,isaac1 #ddd4 ,wisdom1 ,book of1 #fi1 #gd1 #bhg4 ,wisdom from above1 #bje4 ,wisdom from below1 #aid4 ,world1 ,meaning of1 in ,st4 ,james1 #bbi4 ,worship and conduct1 #cag4 ---- and emotion1 #cae4 ---- and music1 #cbj4 ,zahn1 #ba1 #gj1 #cgj4 ,zealots1 #aih1 #bba1 #bgg1 #bhe4 ,printed by ,hazell1 ,watson ,viney1 ,ld41 ,london and ,aylesbury4 ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author4 ,sixth ,edition4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 price #gs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,pastoral ,,epistles4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,alfred ,,plummer1 ,d4,d41 ,master of ,university ,college1 ,durham4 ,dr4 ,plummer's name is a guarantee for sensible1 scholarly work1 and his ',pastoral ,epistles' quite maintains its reputation4444 ,it is an admirable example of what popular theology ought to be--presuming a somewhat high level of education and interest in its readers1 and built throughout upon sound erudition and sensible1 devout1 and well-disciplined reflection4--,saturday ,review4 ,after a short statement of the grounds for believing in the ,pauline authorship of these ,epistles1 the writer takes some of the chief paragraphs of the text1 explains their meaning1 draws out their historical significance1 and concludes with a practical application to modern times of the truths contained in the paragraph4 ,the treatment is throughout scholarlike1 lucid1 thoughtful4--,guardian4 ,the value of the expositions in themselves is much enhanced by the mode in which they are brought to bear on beliefs and practices of the present age4--,literary ,churchman4 ,full of life and vigour4444 ,no difficulty in the ,epistles is evaded1 rather are troublesome passages attacked with keener relish4 ,dr4 ,plummer has spared no pains on his task1 and has produced what is practically the best commentary we have on these important ,epistles4--,british ,weekly4 ,this volume preserves the reputation of its predecessors for being of high artistic merit1 in the vividness with which it clothes doctrines and precepts1 existing in abstract forms in the ,epistles1 with the concrete realities of daily needs1 brings them to change the metaphor into full harmony with the symphonies of a holy life4--,rock4 ,the introductory chapter on the character and genuineness of the ,pastoral ,epistles' is most masterly and conclusive4444 ,the exposition is marked by sound and painstaking scholarship1 sympathetic insight into and careful analysis of the ,apostle's thought4--,nonconformist4 ,the author of this work is already well known by his excellent volumes on the ,gospel and the ,epistles of ,st4 ,john4 ,among other excellencies in the new volume we may mention the first chapter of the exposition which discusses carefully and attractively the genuineness of the ,epistles annotated4--,methodist ,tunes4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 price #gs4 #f;d4 each vol4 ,,first ,,series4 ,colossians4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d41 ,d4,lit4 ,st4 ,mark4 ,by the ,right ,rev4 the ,bishop of ,derry4 ,genesis4 ,by ,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 #a ,samuel4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d4 #b ,samuel4 ,by the same ,author4 ,hebrews4 ,by ,principal ,t4 ,c4 ,,edwards1 ,d4,d4 ,,second ,,series4 ,galatians4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,b4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,the ,pastoral ,epistles4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,plummer1 ,d4,d4 ,isaiah ,i4--,,xxxix4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,smith1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,the ,book of ,revelation4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,,milligan1 ,d4,d4 #a ,corinthians4 ,by ,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d1 ,the ,epistles of ,st4 ,john4 ,by the ,most ,rev4 the ,archbishop of ,armagh4 ,,third ,,series4 ,judges and ,ruth4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,jeremiah4 ,by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,j4 ,,ball1 ,m4,a4 ,isaiah ,,xl4-,,lxvi4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,smith1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,st4 ,matthew4 ,by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,,monro ,,gibson1 ,d4,d4 ,exodus4 ,by the ,right ,rev4 the ,bishop of ,derry4 ,st4 ,luke4 ,by the ,rev4 ,h4 ,,burton1 ,m4,a4 ,,fourth ,,series4 ,ecclesiastes4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,samuel ,,cox1 ,d4,d4 ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,jude4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,plummer1 ,d4,d4 ,proverbs4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,f4 ,,horton1 ,d4,d4 ,leviticus4 ,by the ,rev4 ,s4 ,h4 ,,kellogg1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,by ,prof4 ,m4 ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,by ,prof4 ,,stokes1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,,fifth ,,series4 ,the ,psalms4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 #a and #b ,thessalonians4 ,by ,prof4 ,,james ,,denney1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,book of ,job4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,ephesians4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,b4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,by ,prof4 ,m4 ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,by ,prof4 ,,stokes1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,sixth ,,series4 #a ,kings4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,,farrar1 ,f4,r4,s4 ,philippians4 ,by ,principal ,,rainy1 ,d4,d4 ,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 ,esther4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,f4 ,,adeney1 ,m4,a4 ,joshua4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,psalms4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,the ,epistles of ,st4 ,peter4 ,by ,prof4 ,,rawson ,,lumby1 ,d4,d4 ,,seventh ,,series4 #b ,kings4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,,farrar1 ,f4,r4,s4 ,romans4 ,by the ,right ,rev4 ,h4 ,c4 ,g4 ,,moule1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,books of ,chronicles4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,bennett1 ,d4,d41 ,d4,lit4 #b ,corinthians4 ,by ,prof4 ,,james ,,denney1 ,d4,d4 ,numbers4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,the ,psalms4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,iii4 ,,eighth ,,series4 ,daniel4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,,farrar1 ,f4,r4,s4 ,the ,book of ,jeremiah4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,bennett1 ,d4,d41 ,d4,lit4 ,deuteronomy4 ,by ,prof4 ,,andrew ,,harper1 ,b4,d4 ,the ,song of ,solomon and ,lamentations4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,f4 ,,adeney1 ,m4,a4 ,ezekiel4 ,by ,prof4 ,,john ,,skinner1 ,m4,a4 ,the ,books of the ,twelve ,prophets4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,smith1 ,d4,d4 ,two ,vols ,,little ,,books ,,on ,,religion4 ,edited by ,rev4 ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4 ,cloth ,elegant1 #as4 #f;d4 each4 ,christ and the ,future ,life4 ,by ,r4 ,w4 ,,dale1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d4 ,the ,seven ,words from the ,cross4 ,by ,rev4 ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4 ,the ,visions of a ,prophet4 ,studies in ,zechariah4 ,by ,rev4 ,professor ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,four ,temperaments4 ,by ,rev4 ,,alexander ,,whyte1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,upper ,room4 ,by ,rev4 ,,john ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 7,ian ,maclaren74 ,the ,unity and ,symmetry of the ,bible4 ,by ,rev4 ,professor ,,monro ,,gibson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,gospel ,questions and ,answers4 ,by ,rev4 ,,james ,,denney1 ,d4,d4 ,why be a ,christian8 ,by ,rev4 ,professor ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,four ,psalms4 ,by ,rev4 ,professor ,g4 ,a4 ,,smith1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,holy ,father and the ,living ,christ4 ,by ,rev4 ,,peter ,,taylor ,,forsyth1 ,d4,d41 ,cambridge4 ,christian ,perfection4 ,by the same ,author4 ,from ,strength to ,strength4 ,by ,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,,jowett1 ,m4,a41 of ,carr's ,lane ,chapel1 ,birmingham4 ,restored ,innocence4 ,by ,rev4 ,r4 ,j4 ,,campbell1 ,b4,a41 ,brighton4 ,aids to ,belief4 ,by the ,right ,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,chadwick1 ,d4,d41 ,lord ,bishop of ,derry4 ,the ,print of the ,nails4 ,by ,t4 ,h4 ,,darlow1 ,m4,a4 ,the ,four ,gospels4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,h4 ,,fisher1 ,b4,d4 ,the ,seven ,deadly ,sins4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,james ,,stalker1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton4 ,,outlines ,,of ,a ,,philosophy ,,of ,,religion4 ,based on ,psychology and ,history4 ,by ,,auguste ,,sabatier1 ,dean of the ,faculty of ,protestant ,theology1 ,paris4 ,authorised ,translation by ,rev4 ,t4 ,a4 ,,seed4 ,crown #hvo cloth1 #gs4 #f;d4 ,this is a striking book4--,literature4 ,it contains matters of surpassing interest4 ,the volume is an attractive one1 and the translation well accomplished4--,the ,expository ,times4 ,seldom have we read any book with so much mental satisfaction and moral delight4--,methodist ,times4 ,it is a fascinating book4 ,it quivers with the intense emotion of a fine spirit who has lived through the experience embodied in the book4--,the ,aberdeen ,free ,press4 ,,the ,,providential ,,order ,,of ,,the ,,world4 ,by ,,alexander ,,balmain ,,bruce1 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,apologetics and ,new ,testament ,exegesis in the ,free ,church ,college1 ,glasgow4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 #gs4 #f;d4 ,the lectures are excellent literature1 and will add to the reputation he already enjoys as a scholar and theologian4--,scotsman4 ,we can cordially thank ,professor ,bruce for what deserves to be called a noble book4--,glasgow ,herald4 ,it is able in thought and clear in exposition2 it shows a wide grasp of the subject1 and a considerable acquaintance with all the varieties of philosophical speculation thereupon2 it is tolerant1 and its estimates of current thought are generally suggestive4--,times4 ,,the ,,ministry ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost4 ,by ,rev4 ,,john ,,morgan1 ,viewforth ,free ,church1 ,edinburgh4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 #es4 ,a most interesting work4444 ,many earnest ,christians will find in these pages the reflection of their own spiritual difficulties and anxieties4--,record4 ,a volume of good sound practical discourses4--,methodist ,times4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton4 ,,works ,,by ,,the ,,right ,,rev4 ,,handley ,c4 ,g4 ,,moule1 ,d4,d41 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,durham4 ,twenty-first ,thousand4 ,fcap #hvo1 #bs4 #f;d4 ,,outlines ,,of ,,christian ,,doctrine4 ,one of the ,volumes of the ,,theological ,,educator4 ,mr4 ,moule has attempted a very difficult task1 and has at least succeeded in condensing an immense mass of information into a small compass4 ,it is perhaps superfluous to say that his work is characterised by great reverence from the first page to the last4 ,at every point the reader feels that he is reading a statement of a theology which is the life of the writer4 ,in the more strictly theological part the summary is1 as a rule1 arranged and expressed excellently4--,guardian4 ,,dr4 ,,moule',s ,,commentaries ,,on ,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,epistles4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 #gs4 #f;d4 ,the ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,in the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,we do not hesitate to place it in the very front of the little group of volumes which are the best examples of this carefully edited work4 ,it would be pleasant to linger upon this commentary1 upon the clearness with which the great evangelical doctrines of the ,epistle are explained and enforced1 upon the earnestness of its personal appeal1 and the charm which often marks its language2 but the judicious student of the ,new ,testament will obtain the book for himself4--,record4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 #es4 ,ephesian ,studies4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 #es4 ,philippian ,studies4 ,lessons in ,faith and ,love from ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles to the ,philippians4 ,dr4 ,moule carefully translates and paraphrases each section of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,philippians1 and draws out the permanent lessons of faith and love which it contains2 he has made a wise choice of the book of the ,bible on which to comment1 and has treated it with wisdom and reverence4444 ,it is a book to be pondered over in meditation1 and we think that those who so use it will find themselves repaid4--,guardian4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 #es4 ,colossian ,studies4 ,lessons in ,faith and ,holiness from ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles to the ,colossians and ,philemon4 ,dr4 ,moule has not only given to us a faithful and scholarly translation of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 but he has most carefully brought out the full teaching of faith and love in a series of beautiful meditations altogether devotional4 ,this is an invaluable addition to our devotional commentaries of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 and we trust that the learned author may be led to continue his studies yet further in this grand field of practical meditation1 which not only enlightens the human mind1 but must deepen and quicken the spiritual life within us4 ,the book is a marvel of cheapness4--,church ,bells4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton4