that leadeth to eternal life, through wavereth, is like a wave of the the same thy Son Jesus Christ our sea driven with the wind and Lord. Amen. tossed. For let not that man 7. think that he shall receive any The Epistle. James i. 1. thing of the Lord. A (t) double- 8. James (n), a servant of God and minded man is unstable in all his of the Lord Jesus Christ, to () the ways. Let (u) the brother of low 9. twelve tribes which are scattered degree rejoice in that he is ex2. abroad, greeting. My brethren, alted : but the rich, in that he is 10. count it all joy when ye fall into made low : because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. faith For the sun is no sooner risen 11. 4. worketh patience. But let pa- with a burning heat, but it wither. tience have her (q) perfect work, eth the grass, and the flower there that ye may be perfect and en- of falleth, and the grace of the 5. tire, wanting nothing. fashion of it perisheth: so also of you lack (r) wisdom, let him shall the rich man fade away in his ask of God, that giveth to all ways. Blessed (x) is the man that 12. men liberally, and upbraideth endureth temptation : for when not; and it shall be given him. he is tried, he shall receive the 6. But let him ask in faith, no- crown of life, which the Lord hath thing (s) wavering. For he that promised to them that love him. 3. If any shall suggest. O. 2. (n)“ James." This is supposed to have been the son of Cleophas, a brother of Jude the apostle, (post, note on Jude i.) : he was crucified for professing Christianity, A. D. 63. James the apostle, the son of Zebedee and brother of John, was put to death by Herod, Acts xii. 2. which must have been long before the supposed time of writing this Epistle. v. I, (0) “ The twelve tribes.” This Epis- your faith, persecutions. The strong exhortations here and elsewhere to patience imply that they were in circumstances which put their resolution very strongly to the test. (9) “ Perfect work," i. e. Succeed; come off victorious. not in a particular instance how he ought tempts to draw you off from (1) “Nothing wavering," i.e. (proba- v.6. bly,) settled in his adherence to Christianity, not undetermined about abiding in it ; firmly fixed to do whatever God () - Double minded," unfixed, with v.8. two minds; whose whole mind is not on God. (u) - Let,” &c. This verse is not to v.g. be literally understood : the object from verse 2. is to shew the advantages of affliction, and the conclusion of verse jo. and the whole of verse 11. assign reasons why the rich should rejoice in being reduced, but no reason is given why the poor should rejoice for being exalted. Verse 9. therefore may be ironical. “ Let the poor “ brother, if he will, rejoice in that he • is exalted,” he little knows what it will bring upon him ; the rich has much greater cause for rejoicing in being reduced. If the rich, whether raised from poverty or not, will pass away as the flower of the field, will fade away in his ways, a brother of low degree has no ground for rejoicing, because he is made rich. (x) · Blessed,” &c. This is properly v.12. added as a consolation to the rich for be. ing reduced, and to all for their sufferings during trial. 9.4. had known me, ye 7. me. 2. 3 . The Gospel. John xiv. 1. If ye And Jesus said unto his dis- “ should have known my Father ciples, “Let (y) not your heart “ also: and from henceforth ye “ be troubled: ye believe in God, know him, and have seen “ believe also in me. In my Fa. “ him.” Philip saith unto him, 8. " ther's house are many man. “ Lord, shew us the Father, and “ sions: if it were not so, I would < it sufficeth us." Jesus saith “ have told you. I go to pre. unto him, “Have I been so long 9. pare a place for you. And “ time with you, and yet hast “ if (z) I go and prepare a place 66 thou not known me, Philip? “ for you, I will come again, and " He that hath seen me hath seen “ receive you unto myself; that " the Father; and how sayest “ where I am, there ye may be “ thou then, Shew us the Father? 4. “ also. And (a) whither I go ye “ Believest thou not that I am in 10. “ know, and the way ye know." “ the Father, and the Father in 5. Thomas saith unto him, “Lord, “ me? The words that I speak “ we know not whither thou go- “ unto you I speak not of my“ est; and how can we know “ self: but the Father, that dwell . 6. “ the way?” Jesus saith unto “ eth (6) in me, he doeth the him, “I am the way, and the c works. Believe me that I am 11. V.I. (y) “ Let," &c. Our Saviour had been saying to his apostles, “ yet a little “ while I am with you ; ye shall seek me ; “ and whither I go, ye cannot come,' John xiii. 33 and this had probably made them uneasy. In part of the same conversation, John xvi. 6. he says, “ be cause I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your hearts.” This was after Judas was gone out to bargain with the chief priest to betray our Saviour, and the very night on which our Saviour was apprehended. our Saviour'sintimations that he was about (a). “ Whither I go,” &c. He ex- in bis commandments. v.10. (6) “ Dwelleth in me.” Animates me, inspires me, &c. (c) “ Or else," &c. The meaning seems to be, believe me, because I say it; you ought to have that confidence in me as to believe whatever I assert without requiring any proof or confirmation; but if you have not faith to this extent, look at the works that I do; are they not such as could not be done but through God's aid? He uses the same argument to the Jews who took up stones to stole him for saying, “ I and my Father are “ one," Jobo x. 37. “ If I do not the “ works of my Father, believe me not ; “ but if I do, though ye believe not me, “ believe the works." So John v. 36.X. 25. As our Saviour appeals to the works he did as a proof that he was the Messiah, and that God was with him, and as they furnish one strong ground for our belief, it may be of some advantage to collect some of them together, and we may then ask ourselves this question, what should we think of any one who should do such mighty works, and works of such benevolence in our sight ; who should assert at the same time that he came from God; who should appear too at a time when there was ground from incontrovertible prophecies to expect soine such person, and in whom the “ for the very work's sake. Ve- “ that believeth on me, the works rily, verily, I say unto you, He " that I do shall (d) he do also ; 12. marks stated in those prophecies for distinguishing this Messenger were found to exist ? According to Matth. X. I. “ He “ gave his twelve disciples power against “ unclean spirits, to cast them out, and « to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” According to Matt. xi. 10 to 13. he directed a man who had a “ withered hand to stretch it « forth,” and he stretched it forth, and it was restored “ whole like as the other." According to Matt. xii. 22. he healed one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb, so that he both saw and spake. According to Matt. xiv. 17 to 21. John vi. 8 to 13. he fed five thousand men besides women and children with five loaves and two fishes, so that they did all eat and were filled, and the fragments that remained filled twelve baskets ; and according to Matt. xv. 32 to 39. he fed four thousand men, besides women and children, with seven loaves and a few fishes, and they did all eat and were filled, and left seven baskets of fragments. According to Matt. xiv 35, 36. when he was in the land of Gennesaret, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and as many as only touched the hem of his garment were made perfectly whole. According to Matt. xv. 22 to 28. he healed the daughter of the woman of Canaan who was grievously vexed with a devil, by a word only, without ever seeing her. According to Matt. xv. 29 to 31. when he was in a mountain near the sea of Galilee,“ great multitudes came unto him, " having with them those that were lame, “ blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, “ and cast them down at Jesus's feet, and “ he healed them; insomuch that the s multitude wondered when they saw the “ dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, “ the lame to walk, and the blind to see, "and they glorified the God of Israel.” According to Matt. xvii. 14 to 18. he healed a child who was lunatic. According to Matt. xix. 1, 2. when he went into the coast of Judea, beyond Jordan, great multitudes followed him; and he “ healed them there.” According to Matt. xx. 29 to 34. he touched the eyes of two blind beggars, and immediately their eyes received sight. According to Matt. xxi, 19. when he said to the barren fig tree, let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever, it presently withered away. According to John ii. 7 to 11. he turned water into wine. According to John iv. 47 to 53. he healed the son of a nobleman at Capernaum, who was at the point of death, by saying only, “ go thy way, thy Son liveth.” According to John v. i to 9. he healed an impotent man, who had had an infirmity thir:y-eight years, by saying only, “rise, “ take up thy bed, and walk.” According to John vii . 31. many of the people said, “ when Christ cometh, will he do greater « miracles than these which this man “ hath done?” According to John ix. I to 7. he gave sight to one born blind, by putting clay upon his eyes, and bidding him to wash in the pool of Siloam. According to John xi. 1 to 44. he restored Lazarus to life after he had been dead four days. These selections are made from St. Matthew and St. John, because they were two of the apostles, who were in constant attendance upon our Saviour, and who were therefore probably eye-witnesses of what they record. How then shall we answer the question proposed at the beginning of the note ? and what shall we say of a religion of which this evidence constitutes but a small part of its proofs ? When we add the completion of the prophecies in the Old Testament, the completion of the prophecies in the New, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation, the innocence of our Saviour's life, the peace. able character of his religion and precepts, and the conduct of his apostles and of St. Paul, can any one really doubt ? have we not a body of proof which is truly irresistible ? Let it be remembered too, that where God has taken pains to supply so much evidence, it is probable he considers our belief a matter of great moment. Is it likely that he who does nothing in vain should have furnished such an abundance of light, had he thought it indifferent whether mankind saw or not? The destruction of the Jews is an awful lesson. God grant that we may make the proper use of it ! (d) “ He do also." The apostles, &c. did accordingly perform miracles, and those of the same kind as our Saviour's. 0.12. “ and greater (e)works than these || among the sundry and manifold shall he do; because I go unto changes of the world, our hearts 13. my Father. And whatsoever may surely there be fixed, where ye shall (f) ask in my name, true joys are to be found, through " that will I do, that the Father Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. may be (3) glorified in the Son. 14. “ If ye shall ask any thing in my The Epistle. James i. 17 “ name, I will do it.” Every good (b) gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Fourth Sunday after Easter. lights, with whom is no variable. ness, neither shadow of turning. The Colleet. Of his own will begat he us O Almighty God, who alone with the word of truth, that we canst order the unruly wills and should be a kind of first-fruits of affections of sinful men ; Grant his (i) creatures. (k) Wherefore, unto thy people, that they may my beloved brethren, let every love the thing which thou com- man be swift to hear, slow to mandest, and desire that which speak, slow to wrath: for the thou dost promise ; that so, wrath of man (1) worketh not the XV. 8. on the con In Aas iii. 1. &c. is the account of (e) “ Greater works.” This was ful- (f) “ Ask,” &c. See ante 140. note on John xv. 7. (8) “Glorified," &c. that from what (b)“ Gift," &c. St. James had been saying, verse 13. “Let no man say “' when he is tempted, I am tempted of “ God, for God cannot be tempted with u evil, neither tempteth he any man and the meaning here is, God is so far from assailing us with temptations, that every good gift comes from him, and he is not changeable, first trying to gain us by what is good, and then trying if temptation will draw us off ; trary, he voluntarily begat us, i. e. made us as children to him, by the word of truth, i. e. by the Gospel. (i) “ His creatures," i. e. of them who were especially to be so called ; those, who according to Tit. ii. 14. were to be " a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (k) “ Wherefore,” ine, because God hath so dealt with us, has made us as children to him, a kind of first-fruits of his creatures, let one of the first results be that you control your tempers, lay apart all filthiness, &c. &c. (1) “ Worketh not," either " is in « consistent with," of V. 12. v. 13 or " advanceth 8.13. << not." go not CC 21. righteousness(m)of God. Where- “ that I go away: for if I fore lay apart al} filthiness and away, the (r) Comforter will superfluity of naughtiness, and re- not come unto you; but if I ceive with meekness the (n) en- “ depart, I will send him unto grafted word, which is able to you. And when he is come, 8. save your souls. “ he will reprove (s) the world “ of (t) sin, and of righteousness, The Gospel. John xvi. 5. “ and of judgement: Of sin, be- 9. Jesus (6) said unto his disciples, cause (u) they(x) believe not on “ Now I (b) go my way to him me; Of (y) righteousness, be- 10. " that sent me ; and none of you cause I go to my Father, and Whither goest ye see me no more; Of judge. 11. 6. 6 thou? But because I have said “ ment, because the prince of “ these things unto you, (q) sor- " this world is judged. I have 12. row hath filled your heart. yet many things to say unto 7 “ Nevertheless I tell you the you, but ye cannot bear them “ truth ; It is expedient for you Howbeit when he, the 13. 6 asketh me, CC now. 66 the v.7. or the 1.21. 0.5. 9.20. (m) “ The righteousness of God," i.e. the Gospel dispensation, Christ's () Ingrafted word,” i. e. what is called verse 18.“ The word of truth.” ( )“ Jesus said." This is part of what our Saviour said at the last supper, after Judas was gone out to bargain with the chief priests for betraying him, and the very night he was betrayed. John was next to our Saviour, and was therefore an ear-witness, () “ I go my way," &c. This was a distinct intimation that his life was at its close ; and there are several other similar intimations in this discourse. The recollection after he was risen of these instances of our Saviour's foreknowledge would have strengthened their faith, if after the certain knowledge they had of his resurrection, and the possession in themselves of preternatural powers, any confirmation could have been requisite. (9) “ Sorrow.” They probably expected, even down to this time, that our Saviour's was to be a temporal kingdom, one of the kingdoms of this world: when he had told them before that he should be betrayed and killed, though he also told them he should be raised again the third day, they were exceeding sorry ; (see ante 133. note on Luke xxiv. 45.) and it appears that our Saviour made his communications to them according, as he found they had strength of mind to receive them See in this very Gospel, Verse 12. (r) “ The Comforter," i. e. Holy Ghost, whom the Father will “ send in my name," John xiv. 26. “the spirit of truth," John xiv. 17. spirit of truth, which proceedeth from “ the Father, whom I will send unto you from the Father.” John xv, 26. This judgment U. 8. (u) “ Because," i.e. “ in that." (a) “ They believe not on me," i.e. v.9. I am not believed, my religion is not adopted. (y) “ Righteousness.” The gospel v. 10. law,” (i.e. the Mosaic law) God,” the law of Moses “ their" 0.9. 9.6. even |