JAMES CHAPTER 1 JAMES 1:1 The apostle's address to the dispersed Jews. JAMES 1:2 He recommendeth patience and joy in afflictions. JAMES 1:5 and prayer with faith. JAMES 1:9 He giveth advice to the poor and to the rich. JAMES 1:12 The reward of those that are proof under trial. JAMES 1:13 Our o... [ Continue Reading ]
MY BRETHREN; both as being of the same nation and the same religion; so he calls them, that the kindness of his compellation might sweeten his exhortations. COUNT IT; esteem it so by a spiritual judgment, though the flesh judge otherwise. ALL JOY; matter of the chiefest joy, viz. spiritual. So _all_... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; KNOWING THIS; considering. THAT THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH; the reason why he called afflictions temptations, as well as why believers should count it all joy to fall into them, viz. because they are trials of their faith, and such trials as tend to approbation, as the word (different from tha... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT LET PATIENCE HAVE HER PERFECT WORK; i.e. effect: q.d. Let it have its full efficacy in you, both in making you absolutely subject to God's will, and constant to the end under all your sufferings. THAT YE MAY BE PERFECT AND ENTIRE; that you may grow perfect in this grace, as well as in others, an... [ Continue Reading ]
IF ANY OF YOU LACK WISDOM; _if, _ doth not imply a doubt, but supposeth something which they themselves would grant; viz. that they did lack wisdom, either in whole or in part. It is as if he had said, Since, or seeing, ye lack, &c. See the like, ZECHARIAH 1:6. Though this hold true of wisdom taken... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT LET HIM ASK IN FAITH; with confidence of God's hearing, grounded on the Divine attributes and promises, MARK 11:24 1 JOHN 5:14. NOTHING WAVERING; either not disputing God's power or promise; or rather, not doubting, not slandering _through unbelief,_ ROMANS 4:20, where the same Greek word is use... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR LET NOT THAT MAN; he that wavers, in opposition to him that asks in faith: all doubting doth not hinder the hearing of prayer, but that which excludes faith, MARK 9:23,24. THINK; vainly conceit, or persuade himself. THAT HE SHALL RECEIVE ANY THING OF THE LORD; even the least mercy, much less the... [ Continue Reading ]
A DOUBLE MINDED MAN; either; 1. A hypocrite, who is said to have a double heart, PSALMS 12:2. Or rather; 2. He that is of a doubtful mind, wavering, and fluctuating with contrary motions, sometimes of one mind, sometimes of another; sometimes hoping, sometimes desponding. IS UNSTABLE; either uncon... [ Continue Reading ]
LET THE BROTHER; i.e. the believer, (for to such he writes), all believers, or saints, being brethren in Christ, 1 CORINTHIANS 16:20 1 THESSALONIANS 5:26 1 TIMOTHY 6:2. OF LOW DEGREE; the Greek word signifies both lowliness of mind and lowness of condition, (as the Hebrew word doth, to which it answ... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE RICH; viz. broher, he that is in a high, honourable, or plentiful condition in the world. IN THAT HE IS MADE LOW; supply from the former verse, let him rejoice in that he is made low; not as to his outward state, (for he is supposed to be rich still), but his inward disposition and frame of... [ Continue Reading ]
WITH A BURNING HEAT; or, the scorching east wind, which in those countries was wont to rise with the sun, JONAH 4:8. SO ALSO SHALL THE RICH MAN FADE AWAY; either _shall_ is here put for _may, _ the future tense for the potential mood; and then the apostle doth not so much declare what always certain... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED IS THE MAN THEFT ENDURETH; holds out against the assaults and impressions of temptations with patience and constancy, JAMES 5:11 HEBREWS 12:5,7. TEMPTATIONS; afflictions, as JAMES 1:2. FOR WHEN HE IS TRIED; approved, and found upon the trial to be sound in the faith: a metaphor taken from me... [ Continue Reading ]
LET NO MAN SAY; neither with his mouth, nor so much as in his heart, blasphemously cast the blame of his sins upon God, to clear himself. WHEN HE IS TEMPTED; so stirred up to sin as to be drawn to it. I AM TEMPTED OF GOD; either solicited by God to sin, or enforced to it. FOR GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED W... [ Continue Reading ]
He shows the great cause of sin; that lust hath a greater hand in it than either the devil or his instruments, who cannot make us sin without ourselves: they sometimes tempt, and do not prevail; but when lust tempts, it always prevails, either in whole or in part, it being a degree of sin to be our... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN WHEN LUST HATH CONCEIVED; lust (compared to a harlot) may be said to conceive, when the heart is pleased with the motion, and yields some consent to it. IT BRINGETH FORTH SIN; the birth of sin may be the complete consent of the will to it, or the outward act of it. AND SIN; actual sin, the frui... [ Continue Reading ]
Viz. in imputing your sins to God, and saying, that when you are tempted you are tempted of him.... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY GOOD GIFT; Greek, giving; and so it may be distinct from _gift_ in the next clause; to show, that whereas men sometimes give good gifts in all evil way, and with an evil mind, God's giving, as well as gift, is always good; and therefore when we receive any thing of him, we should look not only... [ Continue Reading ]
OF HIS OWN WILL; out of his mere good pleasure, as the original cause, and not moved to it by any dignity or merit in us, EPHESIANS 1:9 2 TIMOTHY 1:9. BEGAT HE US; by a spiritual generation, whereby we are new born, and are made partakers of a Divine nature, 1 THESSALONIANS 1:13 1 PETER 1:3,23. WITH... [ Continue Reading ]
LET EVERY MAN BE SWIFT TO HEAR; prompt and ready to hear God speaking in THE WORD OF TRUTH, before mentioned. SLOW TO SPEAK; either silently and submissively hear the word, or speak not rashly and precipitately of the things of faith, but be well furnished yourselves with spiritual knowledge, ere yo... [ Continue Reading ]
SEE POOLE ON "JAMES 1:19... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE LAY APART; not only restrain it, and keep it in; but put off, and throw it away as a filthy rag, ISAIAH 30:22: see EPHESIANS 4:22 COLOSSIANS 3:8 1 PETER 2:1. ALL, of every kind. FILTHINESS; or, sordidness; a metaphor borrowed from the filth of the body, 1 PETER 3:21, and thence transferred... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT BE YE DOERS OF THE WORD; the same as doers of _the work,_ JAMES 1:25, namely, which the word prescribes; q.d. Receive the word by faith into your hearts, and bring forth the fruit of it in your lives: see LUKE 11:28 1 THESSALONIANS 13:17. AND NOT HEARERS ONLY; not contenting yourselves with a ba... [ Continue Reading ]
HE IS LIKE UNTO A MAN: the Greek word here used, properly signifies the sex, not the species, but is indifferently used by this apostle with the other, as JAMES 1:12,20, so that by a man looking at his face in a glass, is meant any man or woman. BEHOLDING HIS NATURAL FACE; or, the face of his nativi... [ Continue Reading ]
The remembrance of what his face is vanisheth as soon as his eye is off the glass; he remembers not the spots he saw in his face, to wipe them off. So he that sees the blemishes of his soul in the glass of the word, and doth not remember them to do them away, looks in that glass (i.e. hears the word... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHOSE LOOKETH INTO; viz. intently and earnestly, searching diligently into the mind of God. The word signifies a bowing down of the head to look into a thing; and is used of the disciples looking into Christ's sepulchre, LUKE 24:12 1 THESSALONIANS 20:5; see 1 PETER 1:12; and seems to be opposed... [ Continue Reading ]
IF ANY MAN AMONG YOU SEEM TO BE RELIGIOUS; seems to others, or rather to himself; thinks himself religious, because cause of his hearing and outward worship: thus the word rendered _seems_ is often taken, 1 CORINTHIANS 3:18, 1 CORINTHIANS 8:2 14:37 GALATIANS 6:3. Here he shows who are not doers of t... [ Continue Reading ]
PURE RELIGION; true, sincere, genuine, MATTHEW 5:8 1 THESSALONIANS 15:3. AND UNDEFILED; this seems to reflect upon the hypocritical Jews, whose religion consisted so much in external observances, and keeping themselves from ceremonial defilements, when yet they were sullied with so many moral ones,... [ Continue Reading ]