JAMES CHAPTER 4 JAMES 4:1 Our evil lusts and passions tend to breed quarrels among ourselves, and to set us at enmity with God. JAMES 4:7 The way to overcome them, and recover God's favour. JAMES 4:11,12 Against detraction and censoriousness. JAMES 4:13 We must not presume on the future, but commit... [ Continue Reading ]
YE LUST; passionately and greedily desire. AND HAVE NOT; either soon lose, or rather cannot get, what ye so lust after. YE KILL; some copies have it, ye envy, and many suppose that to be the better reading, as agreeing with the context, and with JAMES 3:14; envy being the cause of strife there, and... [ Continue Reading ]
YE ASK; he prevents an objection; q.d. Admit you do pray for the good things you want, or, though you pray for them. YE ASK AMISS; though you pray for good things, yet you do not pray well, or in a right manner, not according to God's will, 1 JOHN 5:14, and therefore ye are not to complain of not be... [ Continue Reading ]
YE ADULTERERS AND ADULTERESSES; he means adulterers and adulteresses in a spiritual sense, i.e. worldly-minded Christians, who being, by profession, married to the Lord, yet gave up those affections to the things of the world which were due to God only. The like expression is used, MATTHEW 2:39; MAT... [ Continue Reading ]
DO YE THINK THAT THE SCRIPTURE SAITH IN VAIN? Greek, emptily, or vainly, i.e. to no purpose. This question hath the force of a negation, q.d. It doth not speak in vain. QUESTION. What is it which the Scripture doth not speak in vain? ANSWER. Either those truths he had been speaking of before, partic... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HE; either the Spirit of God, if _spirit_ in the former verse be understood of the Spirit of God; or God, if _spirit_ be there taken for the spirit of man. GIVETH MORE GRACE; either, though we, according to our natural inclination, be envious, yet God (or his Spirit) is bountiful and liberal; or... [ Continue Reading ]
SUBMIT YOURSELVES THEREFORE TO GOD; viz. voluntarily and freely, and that not only in a way of obedience to all his commands, but (which is chiefly meant here) in a way of humility, and sense of your weakness, and emptiness, and need of his grace. THEREFORE; both because of the danger of pride, (opp... [ Continue Reading ]
DRAW NIGH TO GOD; by faith, which is a coming to God, HEBREWS 7:25; by true repentance, which is a returning to God, HOSEA 14:1 ZECHARIAH 3:7; and by fervent prayer to him for the help of his grace, PSALMS 25:1. AND HE WILL DRAW NIGH TO YOU; by the manifestation of his grace and favour to you, parti... [ Continue Reading ]
BE AFFLICTED; humble yourselves for your sins, before mentioned, and in the sense of wrath approaching, if ye do not. AND MOURN, with inward sorrow of heart. AND WEEP; show your inward grief by weeping, the usual expression and sign of it. LET YOUR LAUGHTER; your carnal rejoicing in what you get by... [ Continue Reading ]
HUMBLE YOURSELVES: the same duty pressed again, only with respect to the more internal part of it, the debasement of the heart, lest they should rest too much in the outward exercises before mentioned. They did lift up themselves through pride and emulation, and he shows them the best way to the tru... [ Continue Reading ]
SPEAK NOT EVIL ONE OF ANOTHER; viz. unless in the way of an ordinance, by reproof, admonition, &c., LEVITICUS 5:1 1 CORINTHIANS 1:11, 1 CORINTHIANS 11:18 2 CORINTHIANS 11:13 2 TIMOTHY 4:14,15. He forbids all detraction, rigid censuring, and rash judging the hearts and lives of others, when men conde... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS ONE LAWGIVER; one absolute, supreme, universal and spiritual Lawgiver, and who can simply and directly bind men's consciences, and make laws for their souls, PROVERBS 8:15,16 ISA 33:22 ACTS 4:19. By this he intimates, that they did invade God's right, who took upon them a legislative power... [ Continue Reading ]
GO TO NOW; either this is a note of transition, or of command to inferiors, or rather of admonition to such as are stupid or rash, and tends to the awakening their attention, and stirring them up to the consideration of their duty, danger, &c. YE THAT SAY; either with your mouths, or in your hearts.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREAS YE KNOW NOT WHAT SHALL BE ON THE MORROW; whether ye yourselves shall continue till then, or what else shall then be, or not be. In vain do ye boast of whole years, when ye cannot command the events of one day. FOR WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? This question implies contempt, as 1 SAMUEL 25:10 PSALMS 14... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THAT YE OUGHT TO SAY: it is the real acknowledgment of God's providence, and the dependence of all our affairs upon him, which is here required; and this is to be done, either expressly with the mouth in such like forms of speech as this is, so far as is needful for our glorifying God, and disti... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NOW YE REJOICE, or, glory; ye please yourselves with them. IN YOUR BOASTINGS; viz. of your carnal projects, and hopes of what you intend to do, and expect to get: q.d. You vainly boast of your designs and successes, without taking notice of God's providence, under the government of which you and... [ Continue Reading ]
Either this may relate to all that the apostle had been before speaking of; q.d. I have admonished you of your duty, and now ye know what ye are to do, and therefore if you do it not it will be your sin: or, it may refer to what he was immediately before discoursing of, and may be spoken to prevent... [ Continue Reading ]