ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER.
In the previous chapter (James 3:13-18) the apostle had contrasted
the wisdom which is from above with that which is from beneath.
The former is peaceable, pure, and gentle, leading to universal kindness
and order; the latter earthly, sensual, and devilish. The points
suggested in this chapter grow directly out of the remarks made
there, and are designed to show the effect of the "wisdom which
descendeth not from above," as evinced in the spirit of this world,
and thus by contrast to show the value of true wisdom, or of the
spirit of religion. Accordingly, the apostle illustrates the effects of
the wisdom of this world, or the spirit of this world, by showing
what it produces, or what they do who are under its influence. We
are not to suppose that the persons to whom the apostle addressed
this epistle were actually guilty of the things here referred to
themselves,
but such things had an existence in the world, and it gave
more life and spirit to the discussion to represent them as existing
"among them." In illustrating the subject, he refers to the following
things as resulting from the spirit that is opposite to the wisdom
which is from above, viz.:
(1.) Wars and fightings, which are to be traced solely to the lusts of
men, James 4:1-2;
(2.) the neglect of prayer, showing the reason why they did not have
the things which were necessary, James 4:2;
(3,) the fact that when they prayed they did not obtain what they
needed, because they prayed with improper motives, in order to have the
means of gratifying their sensual desires, James 4:3;
(4,) the desire of the friendship of the world, as one of the fruits of
being under the influence of the wisdom which is not from above,
James 4:4;
(5,) envy, as another of these fruits, James 4:5. In view of
these things, and of the danger to which they were exposed of acting
under their influence, the apostle proceeds to give them some solemn
cautions and admonitions. He tells them that God resists all who
are proud, but gives grace to all who are humble, (James 4:6;) he
counsels them to submit to God, (James 4:7,) to resist the devil,
(James 4:7,) to draw nigh to God, (James 4:8,) to cleanse their
hands and their hearts, (James 4:8,) to be afflicted and mourn over
their sins, and to become serious and devout, (James 4:9,) and to
humble themselves before God that he might lift them up, (James 4:10;)
he commands them not to speak evil one of another, since by so doing
they in fact set themselves up to be judges, and in the circumstances
became judges of the law as well as of their brethren, James 4:11-12.
He then rebukes the confident spirit which lays its plans for the
future with no just view of the frailty and uncertainty of human life,
and shows them that all their plans for the future should be formed
with a distinct recognition of their dependence on God for success,
and even for the continuance of life, James 4:13-16. The chapter
closes with an affirmation that to him that knows how to do good and does
it not, to him it is sin, (James 4:17,) implying that all he had said
in the chapter might indeed be obvious, and that they would be ready to
admit that these things were true, and that if they knew this, and did not
do right, they must be regarded as guilty.
Verse 1. From whence come wars and fightings among you? Marg.,
brawlings. The reference is to strifes and contentions of all kinds;
and the question then, as it is now, was an important one, what was
their source or origin? The answer is given in the succeeding part
of the verse. Some have supposed that the apostle refers here to
the contests and seditions existing among the Jews, which afterwards
broke out in rebellion against the Roman authority, and which led
to the overthrow of the Jewish nation. But the more probable
reference is to domestic broils, and to the strifes of sects and parties;
to the disputes which were carried on among the Jewish people, and
which perhaps led to scenes of violence, and to popular outbreaks
among themselves. When the apostle says "among you," it is not
necessary to suppose that he refers to those who were members of
the Christian church as actually engaged in these strifes, though he
was writing to such; but he speaks of them as a part of the Jewish
people, and refers to the contentions which prevailed among them
as a people--contentions in which those who were Christian converts
were in great danger of participating, by being drawn into their
controversies, and partaking of the spirit of strife which existed
among their countrymen. It is known that such a spirit of contention
prevailed among the Jews at that time in an eminent degree,
and it was well to put those among them who professed to be Christians
on their guard against such a spirit, by stating the causes of
all wars and contentious. The solution which the apostle has given
of the causes of the strifes prevailing then, will apply substantially
to all the wars which have ever existed on the earth.
Come they not hence, even of your lusts? Is not this the true
source of all war and contention? The word rendered lusts is in the
margin rendered pleasures. This is the usual meaning of the word,
(\~hdonh\~;) but it is commonly applied to the pleasures of sense, and
thence denotes desire, appetite, lust. It may be applied to any desire
of sensual gratification, and then to the indulgence of any corrupt
propensity of the mind. The lust or desire of rapine, of plunder, of
ambition, of fame, of a more extended dominion, would be properly embraced
in the meaning of the word. The word would equally comprehend
the spirit-which leads to a brawl in the street, and that which
prompted to the conquests of Alexander, Caesar, or Napoleon. All
this is the same spirit evinced on a larger or smaller scale.
That war in your members. The word member (\~melov\~) denotes,
properly, a limb or member of the body; but it is used in the New Testament
to denote the members of the body collectively; that is, the body
itself as the seat of the desires and passions, Romans 6:13,19;; 7:5,23;
Colossians 3:5. The word war here refers to the conflict between those
passions which have their seat in the flesh, and the better principles of
the mind and conscience, producing a state of agitation and conflict.
See Barnes "Romans 7:23". Compare Galatians 5:17. Those corrupt passions
which have their seat in the flesh, the apostle says are the causes of war.
Most of the wars which have occurred in the world can be traced to what the
apostle here calls lusts. The desire of booty, the love of conquest,
the ambition for extended rule, the gratification of revenge, these and
similar causes have led to all the wars that have desolated the earth.
Justice, equity, the fear of God, the spirit of true religion, never
originated any war, but the corrupt passions of men have made the earth one
great battle-field. If true religion existed among all men, there would be
no more war. War always supposes that wrong has been done on one side or
the other, and that one party or the other, or both, is indisposed to do
right. The spirit of justice, equity, and truth, which the religion of
Christ would implant in the human heart, would put an end. to war
for ever.
{+} "fightings" or, "brawlings"
{++} "lusts" or, "pleasures" "evil desires"
{a} "the fruit of righteousness" Hebrews 12:11
Verse 2. Ye lust, and have not. That is, you wish to have something
which you do not now possess, and to which you have no just claim,
and this prompts to the effort to obtain it by force. You desire
extension of territory, fame, booty, the means of luxurious indulgence,
or of magnificence and grandeur, and this leads to contest
and bloodshed. These are the causes of wars on the large scale
among nations, and of the contentions and strifes of individuals.
The general reason is, that others have that which we have not, and
which we desire to have; and not content with endeavouring to
obtain it, if we can, in a peaceful and honest manner, and not willing
to content ourselves without its possession, we resolve to secure it
by force. Socrates is reported by Plato to have said on the day of
his death, "nothing else but the body and its desires cause wars,
Seditions, and contests of every kind; for all wars arise through the
possession of wealth."--Phaedo of Plato, by Taylor, London, 1793,
p. 158. The system of wars in general, therefore, has been a system
of great robberies, no more honest or honourable than the purposes
of the foot-pad, and more dignified only because it involves greater
skill and talent. It has been said that "to kill one man makes a
murderer, to kill many makes a hero." So it may be said, that to
steal a horse, or to rob a house, makes a man a thief or burglar; to
fire a dwelling subjects him to the punishment of arson; but to
plunder kingdoms and provinces, and to cause cities, towns, and
hamlets to be wrapped in flames, makes an illustrious conqueror,
and gives a title to what is deemed a bright page in history. The
one enrols the name among felons, and consigns the perpetrator to
the dungeon or the gibbet; the other, accompanied with no more
justice, and with the same spirit, sends the name down to future
times as immortal. Yet in the two the all-discerning eye of God
may see no difference except in the magnitude of the crime, and in
the extent of the injury which has been inflicted. In his way, and
according to the measure of his ability, the felon who ends his life
in a dungeon, or on the gibbet, is as worthy of grateful and honoured
remembrance as the conqueror: triumphing in the spoils of desolated
empires.
Ye kill. Marg., "or envy." The marginal reading
"envy" has been introduced from some doubt as to the correct
reading of the text, whether it should be \~foneute\~, ye kill, or
\~fyoneite\~, ye envy. The latter reading has been adopted by Erasmus,
Schmidius, Luther, Beza, and some others, though merely from conjecture.
There is no authority from the manuscripts for the change. The
correct reading undoubtedly is, ye kill. This expression is probably
to be taken in the sense of having a murderous disposition, or
fostering a brutal and murderous spirit. It is not exactly that they
killed or committed murder previous to "desiring to have," but that they
had such a covetous desire of the possessions of others as to produce
a murderous and bloody temper. The spirit of murder was at the
bottom of the whole; or there was such a desire of the possessions
of others as to lead to the commission of this crime. Of what
aggressive wars which have ever existed is not this true?
Desire to have. That is, what is in the possession of others.
And cannot obtain. By any fair and honest means; by purchase or
negotiation: and this leads to bloody conquests. All wars might have been
avoided if men had been content with what they had, or could
rightfully obtain, and had not desired to have what was in the
possession of others, which they could not obtain by honest and
honourable means. Every war might have been avoided by fair
and honourable negotiation.
Ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Notwithstanding
you engage in contentions and strifes, you do not obtain what you seek
after. If you sought that from God which you truly need, you would
obtain it, for he would bestow upon you all that is really necessary.
But you seek it by contention and strife, and you have no security of
obtaining it. He who seeks to gain anything by war seeks it in an unjust
manner, and cannot depend on the Divine help and blessing. The true way
of obtaining anything: which we really need is to seek it from God
by prayer, and then to make use of just and fair means of obtaining
it, by industry and honesty, and by a due regard for the rights of
others. Thus sought, we shall obtain it if it would be for our good;
if it is withheld, it will be because it is best for us that it should not
be ours. In all the wars which have been waged on the earth,
whether for the settlement of disputed questions, for the adjustment
of boundaries, for the vindication of violated rights, or for the
permanent extension of empire, how rare has it been that the object
which prompted to the war has been secured! The course of events
has shown that, indisposed as men are to do justice, there is much
more probability of obtaining the object by patient negotiation than
there is by going to war.
{+} "lusts" or, "desire"
{++} "kill" or, "envy"
Verse 3. Ye ask, and receive not. That is, some of you ask, or you ask
on some occasions. Though seeking in general what you desire by
strife, and without regard to the rights of others, yet you sometimes
pray. It is not uncommon for men who go to war to pray, or to
procure the services of a chaplain to pray for them. It sometimes
happens that the covetous and the quarrelsome; that those who
live to wrong others, and who are fond of litigation, pray. Such
men may be professors of religion. They keep up a form of worship
in their families. They pray for success m their worldly engagements,
though those engagements are all based on covetousness.
Instead of seeking property that they may glorify God, and do
good; that they may relieve the poor and distressed; that they may
be the patrons of learning, philanthropy, and religion, they do it
that they may live in splendour, and be able to pamper their lusts.
It is not indeed very common that persons with such ends and aims
of life pray, but they sometimes do it; for, alas! there are many
professors of religion who have no higher aims than these, and not
a few such professors feel that consistency demands that they should
observe some form of prayer. If such persons do not receive what
they ask for, if they are not prospered in their plans, they should
not set it down as evidence that God does not hear prayer, but as
evidence that their prayers are offered for improper objects, or with
improper motives.
Because ye ask amiss. Ye do it with a view to self-indulgence and
carnal gratification.
That you may consume it upon your lusts. Marg., pleasures. This
is the same word which is used in James 4:1, and rendered
lusts. The reference is to sensual gratifications; and the word would
include all that comes under the name of sensual pleasure, or carnal
appetite. It was not that they might have a decent and comfortable living,
which would not be improper to desire, but that they might have the means
of luxurious dress and living; perhaps the means of gross sensual
gratifications. Prayers offered that we may have the means of sensuality
and
voluptuousness, we have no reason to suppose God will answer, for
he has not promised to hear such prayers; and it becomes every
one who prays for worldly prosperity, and for success in business,
to examine his motives with the closest scrutiny. Nowhere is
deception more likely to creep in than into such prayers; nowhere
are we more likely to be mistaken in regard to our real motives,
than when we go before God and ask for success in our worldly
employments.
{+} "lusts" or, "pleasures"
Verse 4. Ye adulterers and adultresses. These words are frequently
used to denote those who are faithless towards God, and are frequently
applied to those who forsake God for idols, Hosea 3:1;; Isaiah 57:3,7;
Ezekiel chapters 16 and 23. It is, not necessary to suppose
that the apostle meant that those to whom he wrote were literally
guilty of the sins here referred to; but he rather refers to those who
were unfaithful to their covenant with God by neglecting their
duty to him, and yielding themselves to the indulgence of their
own lusts and passions. The idea is, "You have in effect broken
your marriage covenant with God by loving the world more than
him; and, by the indulgence of your carnal inclinations, you have
violated those obligations to self-mortification and self-denial to
which you were bound by your religious engagements." To convince
them of the evil of this, the apostle shows them what was the
true nature of that friendship of the world which they sought. It
may be remarked here, that no terms could have been found which
would have shown more decidedly the nature of the sin of forgetting
the covenant vows of religion for the pleasures of the world, than
those which the apostle uses here. It is a deeper crime to be
unfaithful to God than to any created being; and it will yet be seen
that even the violation of the marriage contract, great as is the sin,
is a slight offence compared with unfaithfulness towards God,'
Know ye not that the friendship of the world. Compare 1 John 2:15.
The term world here is to be understood not of the physical world as
God made it, for we could not well speak of the "friendship" of
that, but of the community, or people, called "the world," in
contradistinction from the people of God. Compare John 12:31;; 1 Corinthians 1:20;
1 Corinthians 3:19;; Galatians 4:3;; Colossians 2:8. The "friendship of the world,"
(\~filia tou kosmou\~,) is the love of that world;
of the maxims which govern it, the principles which reign there, the
ends that are sought, the amusements and gratifications which characterize
it as distinguished from the church of God. It consists in setting our
hearts on t hose things; in conforming to them; in making them the object
of our pursuit with the same spirit with which they are sought by
those who make no pretensions to religion. See Barnes "Romans 12:2".
Is enmity with God. Is in fact hostility against God, since that
world is arrayed against him. It neither obeys his laws, submits to
his claims, nor seeks to honour him. To love that world is, therefore,
to be arrayed against God; and the spirit which would lead us
to this is, in fact, a spirit of hostility to God.
Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world. "Whoever" he
may
be, whether in the church or out of it. The fact of being a member of the
church makes no difference in this respect, for it is as easy to be a
friend
of the world in the church as out of it. The phrase "whosoever
will" (\~boulhyh\~) implies purpose, intention, design. It supposes
that the heart is set on it; or that there is a deliberate purpose to
seek
the friendship of the world. It refers to that strong desire which
often exists, even among professing Christians, to secure the friendship
of the world; to copy its fashions and vanities; to enjoy its
pleasures; and to share its pastimes and its friendships. Wherever
there is a manifested purpose to find our chosen friends and associates
there rather than among Christians; wherever there is a
greater desire to enjoy the smiles and approbation of the world
than there is to enjoy the approbation of God and the blessings of a
good conscience; and wherever there is more conscious pain because
we have failed to win the applause of the world, or have offended
its rotaries, and have sunk ourselves in its estimation, than there is
because we have neglected our duty to our Saviour, and have lost
the enjoyment of religion, there is the clearest proof that the heart
wills or desires to be the "friend of the world."
Is the enemy of God. This is a most solemn declaration, and one of
fearful import in its bearing on many who are members of the church. It
settles the point that any one, no matter what his professions, who is
characteristically a friend of the world, cannot be a true Christian.
In regard to the meaning of this important verse, then, it may be
remarked,
(1,) that there is a sense in which the love of this world,
or of the physical universe, is not wrong. That kind of love for it
as the work of God, which perceives the evidence of his wisdom
and goodness and power in the various objects of beauty, usefulness,
and grandeur, spread around us, is not evil. The world as such--
the physical structure of the earth, of the mountains, forests, flowers,
seas, lakes, and vales--is full of illustrations of the Divine character
and it cannot be wrong to contemplate those things with interest, or
with warm affection toward their Creator.
(2.) When that world, however, becomes our portion; when we study it
only as a matter of science, without "looking through nature up to
nature's God.;" when we seek the wealth which it has to confer, or
endeavour to appropriate as our supreme portion its lands, its minerals,
its fruits; when we are satisfied with what it yields, and when in the
possession or pursuit of these things, our thoughts never rise to God; and
when we partake of the spirit which rules in the hearts of those
who avowedly seek this world as their portion, though we profess
religion, then the love of the world becomes evil, and comes in
direct conflict with the spirit of true religion.
(3.) The statement in this verse is, therefore, one of most fearful
import for many professors of religion. There are many in the church who,
so far as human judgment can go, are characteristically lovers of the
world.
This is shown
(a) by their conformity to it in all in which the world
is distinguished from the church as such;
(b) in their seeking the friendship of the world, or their finding
their friends there rather than among Christians;
(c) in preferring the amusements of the world to the scenes where
spiritually-minded Christians find their chief happiness;
(d) in pursuing the same pleasures that the people of the world do,
with the same expense, the same extravagance, the same luxury;
(e) in making their worldly interests the great object of living, and
everything else subordinate to that. This spirit exists
in all cases where no worldly interest is sacrificed for religion;
where everything that religion peculiarly requires is sacrificed for
the world. If this be so, then there are many professing Christians
who are the "enemies of God." See Barnes "Philippians 3:18". They
have never known what is true friendship for him, and by their lives
they show that they can be ranked only among his foes. It becomes
every professing Christian, therefore, to examine himself with the
deepest earnestness to determine whether he is characteristically a
friend of the world or of God; whether he is living for this life
only, or is animated by the high and pure principles of those who
are the friends of God. The great Searcher of hearts cannot be
deceived, and soon our appropriate place will be assigned us, and
our final Judge will determine to which class of the two great divisions
of the human family we belong--to those who are the friends
of the world, or to those who are the friends of God.
{a} "friendship of the world" 1 John 2:15
Verse 5. Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain. Few passages of
the New Testament have given expositors more perplexity than this.
The difficulty has arisen from the fact that no such passage as that
which seems here to be quoted is found in the Old Testament; and
to meet this difficulty, expositors have resorted to various conjectures
and solutions. Some have supposed that the passage is spurious
and that it was at first a gloss in the margin, placed there, by some
transcriber, and was then introduced into the text; some that the
apostle quotes from an apocryphal book; some, that he quotes the
general spirit of the Old Testament rather than any particular place;
some regard it not as a quotation, but read the two members separately,
supplying what is necessary to complete the sense, thus:
"Do you think that the Scripture speaks in vain, or without a good
reason, when it condemns such a worldly temper? No; that you can
not suppose. Do you imagine that the Spirit of God, which dwelleth
in us Christians, leads to covetousness, pride, envy? No. On the
contrary, to such as follow his guidance and direction, he gives more
abundant grace and favour." This is the solution proposed by
Benson, arid adopted by Bloomfield. But this solution is by no
means satisfactory. Two things are clear in regard to the passage:
(1,) that James meant to adduce something that was said somewhere,
or which could be regarded as a quotation, or as authority in the
case, for he uses the formula by which such quotations are made; and,:
(2,) that he meant to refer, not to an apocryphal book, but to the
inspired and canonical Scriptures, for he uses a term (\~h grafh\~--the
Scripture) which is everywhere employed to denote the Old Testament,
and which is nowhere applied to an apocryphal book, Matthew 21:42;; 22:29;
Matthew 26:54,56;; John 2:22;; 5:39;; 7:38,42;; 10:35, et al. The word is
used more than fifty times in the New Testament, and is never applied
to any books but those which were regarded by the Jews as inspired, and
which constitute now the Old Testament, except in 2 Peter 3:16, where
it refers to the writings of Paul. The difficulty in the case arises
from the fact that no such passage as the one here quoted is found
in so many words in the Old Testament, nor any of which it can fairly
be regarded as a quotation. The only solution of the difficulty which
seems, to me to be at all satisfactory, is to suppose that the apostle,
in the remark made here in the form of a quotation, refers to the Old
Testament, but that he had not his eye on any particular passage, and did
not mean to quote the words literally, but meant to refer to what was
the current teaching or general spirit of the Old Testament; or that
he meant to say that this sentiment was found there, and designed
himself to embody the sentiment in words, and to put it into a condensed
form. His eye was on envy as at the bottom of many of the
contentions and strifes existing on earth, (James 3:16,) and of the
spirit of the world which prevailed everywhere, (James 4:4;) and he
refers to the general teaching of the Old Testament that the soul is
by nature inclined to envy; or that this has a deep lodgement in the
heart of man. That truth which was uttered everywhere in the
Scriptures, was not taught "in vain." The abundant facts which
existed showing its developement and operation in contentions, and
wars, and a worldly spirit, proved that it was deeply imbedded in
the human soul. This general truth, that man is prone to envy, or
that there is much in our nature which inclines us to it, is abundantly
taught in the Old Testament. Ecclesiastes 4:4, "I considered all
travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his
neighbour." Job 5:2, "Wrath killeth, and envy slayeth the silly
one." Proverbs 14:30, "Envy is the rottenness of the bones." Proverbs 27:4,
"Who is able to stand before envy?" For particular instances of this,
and the effects, see Genesis 26:14;; 30:1;; 37:11;; Psalms 106:16;; 73:3. These
passages prove that there is strong propensity in human nature to envy,
and it was in accordance with the design of the apostle to show this. The
effects of envy to which he himself referred evinced the same thing, and
demonstrated that the utterance given to this sentiment in the Old
Testament was not "in vain," or was not false, for the records in the Old
Testament on the subject found a strong confirmation in the wars and
strifes and worldliness of which he was speaking.
Saith in vain. "Says falsely;" that is, the testimony thus borne
is true. The apostle means that what was said in the Old Testament on
the subject found abundant confirmation in the facts which were continually
occurring, and especially in those to which he was adverting.
The spirit that dwelleth in us. Many have supposed that the word
spirit here refers to the Holy Spirit, or the Christian spirit; but in
adopting this interpretation they are obliged to render the passage,
"the spirit that dwells in us lusteth against envy," or tends to check
and suppress it. But this interpretation is forced and unnatural,
and one which the Greek will not well bear. The more obvious interpretation
is to refer it to our spirit or disposition as we are by
nature, and it is equivalent to saying that we are naturally prone to
envy.
Lusteth to envy. Strongly tends to envy. The margin is
"enviously," but the sense is the same. The idea is, that there is in
man a strong inclination to look with dissatisfaction on the superior
happiness and prosperity of others; to desire to make what they
possess our own; or at any rate to deprive them of it by detraction,
by fraud, or by robbery. It is this feeling which leads to calumny,
to contentions, to wars, and to that strong worldly ambition which
makes us anxious to surpass all others, and which is so hostile to
the humble and contented spirit of religion. He who could trace
all wars and contentions and worldly plans to their source--all the
schemes and purposes of even professed Christians, that do so much
to mar their religion and to make them worldly-minded, to their real
origins would be surprised to find how much is to be attributed to
envy. We are pained that others are more prosperous than we are;
we desire to possess what others have, though we have no right to
it; and this leads to the various guilty methods which are pursued to
lessen their enjoyment of it, or to obtain it ourselves, or to show that
they do not possess as much as they are commonly supposed to.
This purpose will be accomplished if we can obtain more than they
have; or if we can diminish what they actually possess; or if by
any statements to which we can give currency in society, the general
impression shall be that they do not possess as much wealth,
domestic peace, happiness, or honour, as is commonly supposed--
for thus the spirit of envy in our bosoms will be gratified.
{+} "to envy" or, "enviously"
{a} "to envy" Ecclesiastes 4:4
Verse 6. But he giveth more grace. The reference here is undoubtedly
to God. Some have regarded this clause as a continuation of the
quotation in the previous verse, but it is rather to be considered as
a declaration of the apostle himself. The writer had just spoken of
envy, and of the crimes which grew out of it. He thought of the
wars and commotions of the earth, and of the various lusts which
reigned among men. In the contemplation of these things, it seems
suddenly to have occurred to him that all were not under the influence
of these things; that there were cases where men were restrained,
and where a spirit opposite to these things prevailed. Another
passage of Scripture struck his mind, containing the truth that
there was a class of men to whom God gave grace to restrain these
passions, and to subdue these carnal propensities. They were the
humble, in contradistinction to the proud; and he states the fact
that "God giveth more grace;" that is, that in some instances he
confers more grace than in the cases referred to; to some he gives
more grace to overcome their evil passions, and to subdue their
corrupt inclinations, than he does to others. The meaning may be
thus expressed: "It is true that the natural spirit in man is one
that tends to envy, and thus leads to all the sad consequences of
envy. But there are instances in which higher grace or favour is
conferred; in which these feelings are subdued, and these consequences
are prevented. They are not indeed to be found among the
proud, whom God always resists; but they are to be found among
the meek and the humble. Wherefore submit yourselves to his
arrangements; resist the devil; draw nigh to God; purify yourselves,
and weep over your past offences, and you shall find that the
Lord will lift you up, and bestow his favour upon you," James 4:10,
Wherefore he saith. The reference here is to Proverbs 3:34, "Surely
he scorneth the scorners; but he giveth grace unto the lowly." The
quotation is made exactly from the Septuagint, which, though not
entirely literal, expresses the sense of the Hebrew without essential
inaccuracy. This passage is also quoted in 1 Peter 5:5.
God resisteth the proud. The proud are those who have an
inordinate
self-esteem; who have a high and unreasonable conceit of their own
excellence or importance. This may extend to anything; to beauty,
or strength, or attainments, or family, or country, or equipage, or
rank, or even religion. A man may be proud of anything that
belongs to him, or which can in any way be construed as a part of
himself, or as pertaining to him. This does not, of course, apply to
a correct estimate of ourselves, or to the mere knowledge that we
may excel others. One may know that he has more strength, or
higher attainments in learning or in the mechanic arts, or greater
wealth than others, and yet have properly no pride in the case. He
has only a correct estimate of himself, and he attaches no undue
importance to himself on account of it. His heart is not lifted up;
he claims no undue deference to himself; he concedes to all others
what is their due; and he is humble before God, feeling that all
that he has, and is, is nothing in his sight, he is willing to occupy
his appropriate place in the sight of God and men, and to be esteemed
just as he is. Pride goes beyond this, and gives to a man a degree
of self-estimation which is not warranted by anything that he possesses.
God looks at things as they are; and hence he abhors and
humbles this arrogant claim, Leviticus 26:19;; Job 33:17;; Psalms 59:12;; Proverbs 8:13
; Proverbs 16:18;; 29:13;; Isaiah 23:9;; 28:1;; Daniel 4:37;; Zechariah 10:11. This
resistance of pride he shows not only in the explicit declarations of
his word, but in the arrangements of his providence and grace.
(1.) In his providence, in the reverses and disappointments which occur;
in the necessity of abandoning the splendid mansion which we had built,
or in disappointing us in some favourite plan by which our pride was to
be nurtured and gratified.
(2.) In sickness, taking away the beauty, and strength on
which we had so much valued ourselves, and bringing us to the sad
condition of a sick bed.
(3.) In the grave, bringing us down to corruption and worms. Why should
one be proud who will soon become so offensive to his best friends that
they will gladly hide him in the grave?
(4.) In the plan of salvation he opposes our pride.
Not a feature of that plan is fitted to foster pride, but all is adapted
to make us humble.
(a) The necessity for the plan--that we are guilty and helpless
sinners;
(b)the selection of a Saviour--one who was so poor, and who was so much
despised by the world, and who was put to death, on a cross;
(c) our entire dependence on him for salvation, with the assurance that
we have no merit of our own, and that salvation is all of grace;
(d) the fact that we are brought to embrace it only by the agency of
the Holy Spirit, and that if we were left to ourselves we should never
have one right thought or holy desire--all this is fitted to humble us,
and to bring us low before God. God has done nothing to foster the
self-estimation of the human heart; but how much has he done to "stain
the pride of all glory!" See Barnes "Isaiah 23:9".
But giveth grace unto the humble. The meaning is, that he shows them
favour; he bestows upon them the grace needful to secure their
salvation.
This he does
(1,) because they feel their need of his favour;
(2,) because they will welcome his teaching and value his friendship;
(3,) because all the arrangements of his grace are adapted only to such
a state of mind. You cannot teach one who is so wise that he already
supposes he knows enough; you cannot bestow grace on one who has no sense
of the need of it. The arrangements of salvation are adapted only to an
humble heart.
{a} "God resisteth the proud" Proverbs 29:23
Verse 7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. That is, in his
arrangements for obtaining his favour. Yield to what he has
judged necessary for your welfare in the life that is, and your
salvation in the life to come. The duty here enjoined is that of entire
acquiescence in the arrangements of God, whether in his providence
or grace. All these are for our good, and submission to them is required
by the spirit of true humility. The object of the command here, and in
the succeeding injunctions to particular duties, is to show them how
they might obtain the grace which God is willing to bestow, and how they
might overcome the evils against which the apostle had been endeavouring
to guard them. The true method of doing this is by submitting ourselves
in all things to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. While you yield to God
in all things, you are to yield to the devil in none. You are to resist
and oppose him in whatever way he may approach you, whether by allurements,
by flattering promises, by the fascinations of the world, by temptation,
or by threats. See 1 Peter 5:9. Satan makes his way, and secures his
triumphs, rather by art, cunning, deception, and threatenings, than by
true courage; and when opposed manfully, he flies. The true way of meeting
him is by direct resistance, rather than by argument; by steadfastly
refusing to yield in the slightest degree, rather than by a belief that
we can either convince him that he is wrong, or can return to virtue when
we have gone a certain length in complying with his demands. No one is
safe who yields in the least to the suggestions of the tempter; there
is no one who is not safe if he does not yield. A man, for example, is
always safe from intemperance if he resists all allurements to
indulgence in strong drink, told never yields in the slightest degree; no
one is certainly safe if he drinks even moderately.
{a} "resist the devil" 1 Peter 5:9
Verse 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Compare
2 Chronicles 15:2. This declaration contains a great and important principle in
religion. If we wish the favour of God, we must come to him; nor
can we hope for his mercy, unless we approach him and ask him for
it. We cannot come literally any nearer to God than we always are,
for he is always round about us; but we may come nearer in a
spiritual sense. We may address him directly in prayer; we may
approach him by meditation on his character; we may draw near to
him in the ordinances of religion. We can never hope for his favour
while we prefer to remain at a distance from him; none who in fact
draw near to him will find him unwilling to bestow on them the
blessings which they need.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners. There may possibly be an
allusion here to Isaiah 1:15-16: "Your hands are full of blood;
wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before
mine eyes; cease to do evil." The heart is the seat of motives
and intentions--that by which we devise anything; the hands, the
instruments by which we execute our purposes. The hands here are
represented as defiled by blood, or by acts of iniquity. To wash
or cleanse the hands was, therefore, emblematic of putting away
transgression, Matthew 27:24. Compare Deuteronomy 21:6;; Psalms 26:6. The
heathen and the Jews were accustomed to wash their hands before they
engaged in public worship. The particular idea here is, that in order to
obtain the favour of God, it is necessary to put away our sins; to
approach him with a desire to be pure and holy. The mere washing of the
hands, in itself, could not recommend us to his favour; but that of
which the washing of the hands would be all emblem, would be acceptable
in his sight. It may be inferred from what is said here that no one can
hope for the favour of God who does not abandon his transgressions. The
design of the apostle is, evidently, to state one of the
conditions on which we can make an acceptable approach to God. It is
indispensable that we come with a purpose and desire to wash ourselves
from all iniquity, to put away from us all our transgressions. So David
said, "I will wash my hands in innocency; so will I compass thine altar,
O Lord," Psalms 26:6.
And purify your hearts. That is, do not rest satisfied with a mere
external reformation; with putting away your outward transgressions.
There must be a deeper work than that; a work which shall reach to the
heart, and which shall purify the affections. This agrees with all the
requisitions of the Bible, and is in accordance with what must be the
nature of religion. If the heart is wrong, nothing can be right. If,
while we seek an external reformation, we still give indulgence to the
secret corruptions of the heart, it is clear that we can have no true
religion.
Ye double minded. See Barnes "James 1:8". The apostle here
seems to have had his eye on those who were vacillating in their
purposes; whose hearts were not decidedly fixed, but who were
halting between good and evil, The heart was not right in such
persons. It was not settled and determined in favour of religion,
but vibrated between that and the world. The proper business of
such persons, therefore, was to cleanse the heart from disturbing
influences,
that it might settle down in unwavering attachment to that which is good.
{a} "draw nigh to God" 2 Chronicles 15:2
{b} "Cleanse your hands" Isaiah 1:16
Verse 9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep. That is, evidently, on
account of your sins. The sins to which the apostle refers are those
which he had specified in the previous part of the chapter, and
which he had spoken of as so evil in their nature, and so dangerous
in their tendency. The word rendered "be afflicted" means, properly,
to endure toil or hardship; then to endure affliction or distress;
and here means, that they were to afflict themselves--that is, they
were to feel distressed and sad on account of their transgressions.
Compare Ezra 8:21. The other words in this clause are those
which are expressive of deep grief or sorrow. The language here
used shows that the apostle supposed that it was possible that those
who had done wrong should voluntarily feel sorrow for it, and that,
therefore, it was proper to call upon them to do it.
Let your laughter be turned to mourning. It would seem that the
persons referred to, instead of suitable sorrow and humiliation on account
of sin, gave themselves to joyousness, mirth, and revelry. See a
similar instance in Isaiah 22:12-13. It is often the case, that those
for whom the deep sorrows of repentance would be peculiarly appropriate,
give themselves to mirth and vanity. The apostle here says
that such mirth did not become them. Sorrow, deep and unfeigned,
was appropriate on account of their sins, and the sound of laughter
and of revelry should be changed to notes of lamentation. To how
many of the assemblies of the vain, the gay, and the dissipated,
might the exhortation in this passage with propriety be now addressed!
Your joy to heaviness. The word here rendered heaviness
occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means dejection,
sorrow. It is not gloom, melancholy, or moroseness, but it is sorrow
on account of sin, God has so made us that we should feel sorrow
when we are conscious that we have done wrong, and it is appropriate
that we should do so.
Verse 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. Compare
Matthew 23:12. See Barnes "James 4:6". That is, be willing to take
your appropriate place in the dust on account of your transgressions.
This is to be "in the sight of the Lord," or before him. Our sins
have been committed against him; and their principal aggravation,
whoever may have been wronged by them, and great as is their
criminality in other respects, arises from that consideration. Psalms 51:4,
"Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in
thy sight." Luke 15:18, "I will arise and go to my father, and will
say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee."
As the Being against whom we have sinned is the only one who
can pardon, it is proper that we should humble ourselves before
him with penitent confession.
And he shall lift you up. He will exalt you from the condition
of a broken-hearted penitent to that of a forgiven child; will wipe
away your tears, remove the sadness of your heart, fill you with joy,
and clothe you with the garments of salvation. This declaration is in
accordance with all the promises in the Bible, and with all the facts
which occur on the earth, that God is willing to show mercy to the
humble and contrite, and to receive those who are truly penitent
into his favour. Compare Luke 15:22.
{a} "humble yourselves" Matthew 23:2
{+} "lift" or, "raise"
Verse 11. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. It is not known to
whom the apostle here particularly refers, nor is it necessary to
know. It is probable that among those whom he addressed there
were some who were less circumspect in regard to speaking of
others than they should be, and perhaps this evil prevailed. There
are few communities where such an injunction would not be proper
at any time, and few churches where some might not be found to
whom the exhortation would be appropriate. See Barnes "Ephesians 4:31";
also See Barnes "1 Peter 2:1". The evil here referred to is that of
talking against others---against their actions, their motives, their
manner of living, their families, etc. Few things are more common in
the world; nothing is more decidedly against the true spirit of religion.
He that speaketh evil of his brother. Referring here probably to a
Christian brother, or to a fellow Christian. The word may however be
used in a larger sense to denote any one--a brother of the human
race. Religion forbids both, and would restrain us from all evil
speaking against any human being.
And judgeth his brother. His motives, or his conduct.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:1".
Speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law. Instead of manifesting
the feelings of a brother, he sets himself up as judge, and not only a
judge of his brother, but a judge of the law. The law here referred
to is probably the law of Christ, or the rule which all Christians
profess to obey. It is that which James elsewhere calls the "law
of liberty," (See Barnes "James 1:25";) the law which released men
from the servitude of the Jewish rites, and gave them liberty to worship
God without the restraint and bondage (Acts 15:10;; Galatians 4:21-31)
implied in that ancient system of worship; and the law by
which it was contemplated that they should be free from sin.
It is not absolutely certain to what the apostle refers here, but it would
seem probable that it is to some course of conduct which one portion of
the church felt they were at liberty to follow, but which
another portion regarded as wrong, and for which they censured
them. The explanation which will best suit the expressions here
used, is that which supposes that it refers to some difference of
opinion which existed among Christians, especially among those of
Jewish origin, about the binding nature of the Jewish laws, in
regard to circumcision, to holy days, to ceremonial observances, to
the distinctions of meats, etc. A part regarded the law on these
subjects as still binding, another portion supposed that the obligation
in regard to these matters had ceased by the introduction of
the gospel. Those who regarded the obligation of the Mosaic law
as still binding, would of course judge their brethren, and regard
them as guilty of a disregard of the law of God by their conduct.
We know that differences of opinion on these points gave rise to
contentions, and to the formation of parties in the church, and that
it required all the wisdom of Paul and of the other apostles to hush
the contending elements to peace. See Barnes "Colossians 2:16-18".
To some such source of contention the apostle doubtless refers here;
and the meaning probably is, that they who held the opinion that all
the Jewish ceremonial laws were still binding on Christians, and who
judged and condemned their brethren who did not [observe them],
by such a course judged and condemned "the law of liberty" under
which they acted--the law of Christianity that had abolished the
ceremonial observances, and released men from their obligation. The
judgment which they passed, therefore, was not only on their brethren,
but was on that law of Christianity which had given greater liberty
of conscience, and which was intended to abolish the obligation of
the Jewish ritual. The same thing now occurs when we judge
others for a course which their consciences approve, because they
do not deem it necessary to comply with all the rules which we
think to be binding. Not a few of the harsh judgments which one
class of religionists pronounce on others, are in fact judgments on
the laws of Christ. We set up our own standards, or our own
interpretations, and then we judge others for not complying with them,
when in fact they may be acting only as the law of Christianity,
properly understood, would allow them to do. They who set up
the claim to a right to judge the conduct of others, should be certain
that they understand the nature of religion themselves. It may be
presumed, unless there is evidence to the contrary, that others are
as conscientious as we are; and it may commonly be supposed that
they who differ from us have some reason for what they do, and
may be desirous of glorifying their Lord and Master, and that they
may possibly be right. It is commonly not safe to judge hastily of a
man who has turned his attention to a particular subject, or to
suppose that he has no reasons to allege for his opinions or conduct.
But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
It is implied here that it is the simple duty of every Christian to
obey the law. He is not to assume the office of a judge about
its propriety or fitness; but he is to do what he supposes the law to
require of him, and is to allow others to do the same. Our business
in religion is not to make laws, or to declare what they should have
been, or to amend those that are made; it is simply to obey those
which are appointed, and to allow others to do the same, as they
understand them. It would be well for all individual Christians.
and Christian denominations, to learn this, and to imbibe the spirit
of charity to which it would prompt.
{a} "speak not evil one of another" Ephesians 4:31;; 1 Peter 2:1
Verse 12. There is one lawgiver. There is but one who has a right to
give law. The reference here is undoubtedly to the Lord Jesus
Christ, the great Legislator of the church. This, too, is a most
important and vital principle, though one that has been most imperfectly
understood and acted on. The tendency everywhere has
been to enact other laws than those appointed by Christ--the laws
of synods and councils--and to claim that Christians are bound to
observe them, and should be punished if they do not. But it is a
fundamental principle in Christianity that no laws are binding on
the conscience, but those which Christ has ordained; and that all
attempts to make other laws pertaining to religion binding on the
conscience is a usurpation of his prerogatives. The church is safe
while it adheres to this as a settled principle; it is not safe when it
submits to any legislation in religious matters as binding the conscience.
Who is able to save and to destroy. Compare Matthew 10:28.
The idea here would seem to be, that he is able to save those whom
you condemn, and to destroy you who pronounce a judgment on
them. Or, in general, it may mean that he is intrusted with all
power, and is abundantly able to administer his government; to
restrain where it is necessary to restrain; to save where it is proper
to save; to punish where it is just to punish. The whole matter
pertaining to judgment, therefore, may be safely left in his hands;
and, as he is abundantly qualified for it, we should not usurp his
prerogatives.
Who art thou that judgest another? "Who art thou, a weak and frail
and erring mortal, thyself accountable to that Judge, that thou shouldest
interfere, and pronounce judgment on another, especially when he is
doing only what that Judge permits him to do?" See Barnes "Romans 14:4"
for this sentiment explained at length. Also See Barnes "Romans 2:1",
and See Barnes "Matthew 7:1". There is nothing more decidedly condemned
in the Scriptures than the habit of pronouncing a judgment on the
motives and conduct of others. There is nothing in which we are more
liable to err, or to indulge in wrong feelings; and there is nothing
which God claims more for himself as his peculiar prerogative.
{a} "who is able to save and to destroy" Matthew 10:28
Verse 13. Go to now. The apostle here introduces a new subject, and
refers to another fault which was doubtless prevalent among them,
as it is everywhere, that of a presumptuous confidence respecting the
future, or of forming plans stretching into the future, without any
proper sense of the uncertainty of life, and of our absolute dependence
on God. The phrase "go to now," (\~age nun\~,) is a phrase
designed to arrest attention, as if there were something that demanded
their notice, and especially, as in this case, with the implied
thought that that to which the attention is called is wrong. See
James 5:1. Compare Genesis 11:7;; Isaiah 1:18.
Ye that say. You that form your plans in this manner, or that
speak thus confidently of what you will do in the future. The word
say here probably refers to what was in their thoughts, rather than
to what was openly expressed.
To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city. That is,
they say this without any proper sense of the uncertainty of life, and
of their absolute dependence on God.
And continue there a year. Fixing a definite time; designating
the exact period during which they would remain, and when they would leave,
without any reference to the will of God. The apostle undoubtedly
means to refer here to this as a mere specimen of what he
would reprove. It cannot be supposed that he refers to this single case
alone as wrong. All plans are wrong that are formed in the same spirit.
"The practice to which the apostle here alludes," says the editor of the
Pictorial Bible, "is very common in the East to this day, among a very
respectable and intelligent class of merchants. They convey the products
of one place to some distant city, where they remain until they have
disposed of their own goods and have purchased others suitable for
another distant market; and thus the operation is repeated, until, after
a number of years, the trader is enabled to return prosperously to
his home. Or again, a shopkeeper or a merchant takes only the first step
in this process--conveying to a distant town, where the best purchases
of his own line are to be made, such goods as are likely to realize a
profit, and returning, without any farther stop, with a stock for his
own concern. These operations are seldom very rapid, as the adventurer
likes to wait opportunities for making advantageous bargains; and
sometimes opens a shop in the place to which he comes, to sell by retail
the goods which he has bought." The practice is common in India. See
Roberts' Oriental Illustrations.
And buy and sell, and get gain. It is not improbable that
there is an allusion here to the commercial habits of the Jews at the
time when the apostle wrote. Many of them were engaged in foreign
traffic, and for this purpose made long journeys to distant trading
cities, as Alexandria, Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, etc.--BloomSeld.
{6} "go to" or, "come"
Verse 14. Whereas, ye know not what shall be on the morrow. They
formed their plans as if they knew; the apostle says it could not be
known. They had no means of ascertaining what would occur;
whether they would live or die; whether they would be prospered,
or would be overwhelmed with adversity. Of the truth of the remark
made by the apostle here, no one can doubt; but it is amazing how men
act as if it were false. We have no power of penetrating the future
so as to be able to determine what will occur in a single day or a
single hour, and yet we are almost habitually forming our plans as
if we saw with certainty all that is to happen. The classic writings
abound with beautiful expressions respecting the uncertainty of the
future, and the folly of forming our plans as if it were known to us.
Many of those passages, some of them almost precisely in the words
of James, may be seen in Grotius and Pricseus, in loc. Such passages
occur in Anacreon, Euripides, Menander, Seneca, Horace, and
others, suggesting an obvious but much-neglected thought, that the
future is to us all unknown. Man cannot penetrate it; and his plans
of life should be formed in view of the possibility that his life may
be cut off and all his plans fail, and consequently in constant preparation
for a higher world.
For what is your life? All your plans must depend of course on the
continuance of your life; but what a frail and uncertain thing is that!
How transitory and evanescent as a basis on which to build any plans
for the future! Who can calculate on the permanence of a vapour? Who can
build any solid hopes on a mist?
It is even a vapour. Marg., For it is. The margin is the more
correct rendering. The previous question had turned the attention to
life as something peculiarly frail, and as of such a nature that no
calculation could be based on its permanence. This expression gives a
reason for that, to wit, that it is a mere vapour. The word vapour,
(\~atmiv\~,) means a mist, an exhalation, a smoke; such a vapour as we see
ascending from a stream, or as lies on the mountain side in the morning, or
as floats for a little time in the air, but which is dissipated by the
rising sun, leaving not a trace behind. The comparison of life with a
vapour is common, and is as beautiful as it is just. Job says,
0 remember that my life is wind;
Mine eye shall no more see good.
Job 7:7.
So the Psalmist,
For he remembered that they were but flesh.
A wind that passeth away and that cometh not again.
Psalms 78:39.
Compare 1 Chronicles 29:15;; Job 14:10-11.
And then vanisheth away. Wholly disappears. Like the dissipated
vapour, it is entirely gone. There is no remnant, no outline, nothing
that reminds us that it ever was. So of life. Soon it disappears
altogether. The works of art that man has made, the house that he has
built, or the book that he has written, remain for a little time, but
the life has gone. There is nothing of it remaining--any more than
there is of the vapour which in the morning climbed silently up the
mountain side. The animating principle has vanished for ever. On such a
frail and evanescent thing, who can build any substantial hopes?
{+} "It is even" or, "For it is"
{a} "a vapour, that appeareth for a little time" Job 7:7
Verse 15. For that ye ought to say. Instead of what you do say, "we
will go into such a city," you ought rather to recognise your absolute
dependence on God, and feel that life and success are subject to his
will. The meaning is not that we ought always to be saying that in
so many words, for this might become a mere ostentatious form,
offensive by constant unmeaning repetition; but we are, in the
proper way, to recognise our dependence on him, and to form all our
plans with reference to his will.
If the Lord will, etc. This is proper, because we are wholly
dependent on him for life, and as dependent on him for success, he alone
can keep us, and he only can make our plans prosperous. In a thousand
ways he can thwart our best-laid schemes, for all things are under
his control. We need not travel far in life to see how completely all
that we have is in the hands of God, or to learn how easily he can
frustrate us if he pleases. There is nothing on which the success of
our plans depends over which we have absolute control; there is
nothing, therefore, on which we can base the assurance of success but
his favour.
Verse 16. But now ye rejoice in your boastings. That is, probably, in
your boastings of what you can do; your reliance on your own skill
and sagacity. You form your plans for the future as if with consummate
wisdom, and are confident of success. You do not anticipate a failure;
you do not see how plans so skilfully formed can fail.
You form them as if you were certain that you would live; as if secure
from the numberless casualties which may defeat your schemes.
All such rejoicing is evil. It is founded on a wrong view of yourselves
and of what may occur. It shows a spirit forgetful of our
dependence on God; forgetful of the uncertainty of life; forgetful
of the many ways by which the best-laid plans may be defeated.
We should never boast of any wisdom or skill in regard to the
future. A day, an hour may defeat our best-concerted plans, and
show us that we have not the slightest power to control coming
events.
Verse 17. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not,
to him it is sin. That is, he is guilty of sin if he does not do it.
Cottoa Mather adopted it as a principle of action, "that the ability to do
good in any case imposes an obligation to do it." The proposition
in the verse before us is of a general character, but probably the
apostle meant that it should refer to the point specified in the previous
verses--the forming of plans respecting the future. The
particular meaning then would be, "that he who knows what sort
of views he should take in regard to the future, and how he should
form his plans in view of the uncertainty of life, and still does not do
it, but goes on recklessly, forming his plans boastingly and confident
of success, is guilty of sin against God." Still, the proposition will
admit of a more general application. It is universally true that if a
man knows what is right, and does not do it, he is guilty of sin. If
he understands what his duty is; if he has the means of doing good
to others; if by his name, his influence, his wealth, he can promote
a good cause; if he can, consistently with other duties, relieve the
distressed, the poor, the prisoner, the oppressed; if he can send the
gospel to other lands, or can wipe away the tear of the mourner; if
he has talents by which he can lift a voice that shah be heard in
favour of temperance, chastity, liberty, and religion, he is under
obligations to do it: and if, by indolence, or avarice, or selfishness,
or the dread of the loss of popularity, he does not do it, he is guilty
of sin before God. No man can be released from the obligation to
do good in this world to the extent of his ability; no one should
desire to be. The highest privilege conferred on a mortal, besides
that of securing the salvation of his own soul, is that of doing good
to others--of alleviating sorrow, instructing ignorance, raising up
the bowed down, comforting those that mourn, delivering the
wronged and the oppressed, supplying the wants of the needy,
guiding inquirers into the way of truth, and sending liberty, knowledge,
and salvation around the world. If a man does not do this
when he has the means, he sins against his own soul, against
humanity, and against his Maker; if he does it cheerfully and to
the extent of his means, it likens him more than anything else to
God.
{a} "to him that knoweth to do good" Luke 12:47
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