THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES

CHAP. I.

Unto the twelve tribes scattered abroad, James, an apostle of the living God, And of the Lord Christ Jesus, salutation. My brethren, when you fall into temptation Of divers kinds, rejoice, as men that know From trial of your faith doth patience flow. But let your patience have its full effect, That you may be entire, without defect. If any of you lack wisdom, let him cry To God, and he will give it lib'rally, And not upbraid. But let him ask in faith, Not wavering, for he that wavereth, Unto a wave o' th' sea I will compare, Driv'n with the wind and tossed here and there. For let not such a man himself deceive, To think that he shall from the Lord receive. A double-minded man most surely lacketh Stability in all he undertaketh. Let ev'ry brother of a low degree Rejoice in that he is advanc'd, but he That's rich in being made low, for he shall pass Away, as doth the flow'r of the grass. For as the grass, soon as the sun doth rise, Is scorch'd by reason of the heat, and dies; Its flow'r fades, and it retains no more The beauteous comeliness it had before, So fades the rich man, maugre all his store. The man is blest that doth endure temptation For when he's try'd, the crown of God's salvation, The which the Lord hath promised to give To them that love him, that man shall receive. Let no man be possest with a persuasion, To say, when he falls under a temptation, That God's the cause; for with no evil can God be tempted, nor tempts he any man. But every man is tempted when he's drawn Away, and by his lusts prevail'd upon; Then when lust hath conceiv'd, it ushereth In sin, and sin when finished brings death. Err not, my brethren, whom I dearly love, Each good and perfect gift is from above, Down from th' original of lights descending, With whom's no change, nor shadow thereto tending, According to his own good pleasure, he Begat us with the word of truth, that we Should as the first fruits of his creatures be. Wherefore, beloved brethren, I entreat You to be swift to hear, and slow to speak, And slow to wrath, for wrath cannot incline The sons of men to righteousness divine. Wherefore avoiding ev'ry filthiness, And superfluity of naughtiness: Receive with meekness the engrafted word, Which can salvation to your souls afford. But be ye doers of the word each one, And not deceive yourselves to hear alone; For he that hears the word and doth it not, Is like unto a man that hath forgot What kind of man he was, tho' in a glass He just before beheld his nat'ral face. But whoso minds the law of liberty In its perfection, and continually Abides therein, forgets not what he's heard, But doth the work and therein hath reward. If any man among you seem to be Religious, he deceives himself if he Doth not his tongue as with a bit restrain; And all that man's religion is but vain. Religion, pure and undefil'd, which is Acceptable before the Lord, is this: To visit widows and the fatherless, In time of their affliction or distress; And so to regulate his conversation, As to be spotless in his generation.

CHAP. II.

Faith of the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ, Doth with respect of persons not consist; For if, my brethren, when there shall come in To your assembly one with a gold ring, In goodly clothes, and there shall also be Another man that's meanly cloth'd, and ye Shall have respect to him in rich attire, And say unto him, come thou, sit up higher; And bid the poor man stand or sit below, Are ye not partial then, and plainly show, That you do judge amiss in what you do? Hearken, my brethren, hath not God elected The poor, who by this world have been rejected; Yet rich in faith, and of that kingdom heirs, Which God will give his foll'wers to be theirs? But you, my brethren, do the poor despise. Do not the rich men o'er you tyrannise; And hale ye to their courts; that worthy name By which you're call'd do not they blaspheme? Then if ye do the royal law fulfil, To love thy neighbour as thyself, 'tis well, According to the scripture; but if ye Shall have respect to persons, ye shall be Guilty of sin, and by the law condemn'd, As such who have its righteousness contemn'd. For he that shall but in one point offend, Breaks the whole law, whate'er he may pretend. For he that doth forbid adultery, Forbids likewise all acts of cruelty. Now tho' thou be not an adulterer, Yet if thou kill, thou shalt thy judgment bear. So speak and do as those men that shall be Judg'd by the perfect law of liberty: For he shall judgment without mercy know; That to his neighbour doth no mercy show; And mercy triumphs against judgment too. Brethren what profit is't if a man saith That he hath faith, and hath not works; can faith Save him? If any of the brotherhood Be destitute of clothes or daily food, And one of you shall say, Depart in peace, Be warned or be ye fill'd ne'ertheless. Ye do not furnish them with what they need, Wat boots it? Thus faith without works is dead. Yea may a man say, thou dost faith profess, And I good works, to me thy faith express Without thy works, and I will plainly show My faith unto thee by the works I do. Thou dost believe there is one God, 'tis true, The devils do believe and tremble too. But wilt thou know, vain man, that faith is dead, Which with good works is not accompany'd. Was not our father Abraham justify'd By works, and by the same his faith was try'd; When he his Isaac to the altar brought; Seest thou how with his works his faith then wrought? And with his works he perfected his faith? And so the scripture was fulfill'd, which saith, Abraham believed God, and 'twas imputed For righteousness, and he God's friend reputed. Thus may you see, that by works ev'ry one Is justify'd, and not by faith alone. Thus was the harlot Rahab justify'd By works, when she the messengers did hide, And by another way their feet did guide. For as the body's dead without the spirit, So aith without works never can inherit.

CHAP. III.

Affect not, brethren, superiority, As knowing that we shall receive thereby The greater condemnation in the end: For we in many things do all offend. Who doth not with his tongue offend, he can Guide his whole body, he's a perfect man. Behold, in horses' mouths we bridles put, To rule and turn their bodies quite about. Behold likewise the ships, which tho' they be Of mighty bulk, and thro' the raging sea Are driv'n by the strength of winds, yet they By a small helm the pilot's will obey. Ev'n so the tongue of man, which tho' it be But a small member, in a high degree It boasts of things. Behold, we may remark How great a matter's kindled by a spark. The tongue's a fire, a world of ill, which plac'd Among the members, often has disgrac'd All the whole body, firing the whole frame Of nature, and is kindl'd by hell flame. All kind of beasts and birds that can be nam'd, Serpents and fishes, are and have been tam'd By mankind; but the tongue can no man tame, A stubborn evil full of deadly bane. We therewith God the Father bless, and we Therewith curse men made like the Deity: Blessing and cursing from the same mouth flow, These things, my brethren, ought not to be so. Is any fountain of so strange a nature, At once to send forth sweet and bitter water? Can olives, brethren, on a fig-tree grow, Or figs on vines? no more can water flow From the same fountain sweet and bitter too. He that's endu'd with wisdom and discretion Amongst you, let that may by the profession Of meekness, wisely give a demonstration, Of all his works, from a good conversation. But if your hearts are full of bitterness And strife, boast not, nor do the truth profess. This wisdom is not from above descending, But earthly, sensual, and to evil tending: For where there's strife and envying there's confusion And ev'ry evil work in the conclusion. But the true wisdom that is from above, Is, in the first place, pure, then full of love, Then gentle and entreated easily, Next merciful, without partiality, Full of good fruits, without hypocrisy. And what is more, the fruits of righteousness Is sown in peace, of them that do make peace.

CHAP. IV.

From whence come wars and fights, come they not hence, Ev'n from th' inordinate concupiscence That in your members prompts to variance? You lust and have not, kill and desire to have; But ne'ertheless obtain not what you crave. With war and fighting ye contend, yet have not The things which you desire, because you crave not; Ye crave but don't receive, the reason's just, Ye crave amiss to spend it on your lust. You that live in adultery, know not ye The friendship of the world is enmity With God? He is God's enemy therefore That doth the friendship of the world adore. Do ye think that th' scripture saith in vain, The spirit that lusts to hate, doth in you reign? But he bestows more grace, wherefore he says, God scorns the proud, but doth the humble raise. Unto the Lord therefore submissive be, Resist the devil and he'll from you flee. Draw nigh to God, and he'll to you draw nigh. Make clean your hands you sinners, purify Your hearts you double-minded, weep and mourn, And be afflicted, let your laughter turn To sorrow, and your joy to sadness: stoop Before the Lord, and he will lift you up. My brethren, speak not evil of each other; He that doth judge and speak ill of his brother, Doth judge and speak ill of the law; therefore If thou dost judge the law, thou art no more A doer of the same, but dost assume The judgment-seat, and art thyself become A judge thereof. There is but one law-giver, That's able to destroy and to deliver; Who then art thou that dost condemn thy neighbour? Go to now, you that say, to such a place To-morrow will we go, and for the space Of one whole year, or so, will there remain, And buy and sell, and get great store of gain: Whereas ye know not what a day may do. For what's the life of man? Ev'n like unto A vapour, which, tho' for a while it may Appear, it quickly vanisheth away. So that ye ought to say, If God permit Us life and health, we will accomplish it. But now ye glory in your confidence, Such glorying is of evil consequence. He therefore that doth know, and doth not act The thing that's good, doth guilt thereby contract.

CHAP. V.[13]

Go to now, O ye rich men, howl and cry, Because of your approaching misery: Your riches are corrupted, and the moths Have ent'red, and have eaten up your clothes. Your gold and silver's canker'd, and the rust Thereof, shall be an evidence that's just Against you, and like fire your flesh devour: Against the last days ye have heap'd up store. The hire of them that reaped down your field, The which by you is wrongfully withheld. Cries, and the voice thereof hath reach'd the ears Ev'n of the God of sabbath, and he hears. Your lives in pleasure ye on earth have led, And as in days of slaughter nourished Your wanton hearts, and have condemn'd and slain The just, and he doth not resist again. Be patient therefore, brethren, ev'n unto The coming of the Lord: behold, ev'n so The husbandman expecteth patiently The precious increase of the earth to see, With patience waiting till he doth obtain The showers of early and of latter rain. So be ye patient, fixing stedfastly Your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws nigh. Grieve not each other, brethren, lest ye bear The condemnation;[14] lo! the judge stands near. The prophets, brethren, who all heretofore In the name of the Lord their witness bore, Take for examples in their sufferings And patience: they that endure such things, Ye know are counted blest. Have ye not read Of Job, how patiently he suffered? Have ye not seen in him what was God's end; How he doth pity and great love extend? My brethren, but above all things forbear, By heav'n or earth, or otherwise to swear; But let your yea be yea, your nay be nay, Lest ye become reprovable I say. Let him sing psalms that's merry; he that's griev'd, Let him by prayer seek to be reliev'd. If any of you by sickness be distress'd, Let him the elders of the church request That they would come and pray for him a while; Anointing him in the Lord's name with oil; So shall the pray'r that is of faith restore The sick, and God shall raise him as before. And all th' offences which he hath committed Shall be forgiv'n, and he shall be acquitted. Confess your faults each one unto his brother, And put up supplications for each other, That so you may be heal'd; the fervency Of just men's prayers prevails effectually. Elias was a man as frail as we are, And he was earnest with the Lord in pray'r, That there might be no rain, and for the space Of three years and six months no rain there was: And afterward, when he again made suit, The heav'n gave rain, the earth brought forth her fruit. If any one shall from the truth desert, And one, my brethren, shall that man convert; Let him be sure, that he that doth recall The poor backsliding sinner from his fall, Shall save a soul from death, and certainly Shall hide a multitude of sins thereby.

FOOTNOTES:

1. Grace Abounding, No. 3.

2. George Herbert, in that admirable poem called 'The Temple,' introduces his reader tot he church porch thus:—

'Thou, whose sweet youth and early hopes enhance Thy rate and price, and mark thee for a treasure; Hearken unto a verser, who may chance Rhyme thee to good, and make a bait of pleasure. A verse may find him, who a sermon flies, And turn delight into a sacrifice.'

3. 'An husband,' c. i. 12.

4. 'Set abroach,' in a posture to run out, or yield the liquor contained.—Ed.

5. 'An ephah,' a measure containing three pecks and three pints.—Calmet.

6. Similar to Christian's exclamation, when calling to Faithful to stop and bear him company. See Pilgrim's Progress, Part 1st.

7. These lines, and those on the next page, 'The eye's the light o' th' body,' remind one of Bunyan's style in his Apology for the Pilgrim's Progress,—

'Dost thou love picking meat? Or would'st thou see A man i' th' clouds, and hear him speak to thee?'—Ed.

8. A cover, a booth, bower, or hut made of the boughs of trees.—Ed.

9. 'He owes,' a contraction for 'he owneth.'—Ed.

10. The word translated 'divine,' means to eye subtly, to search, to try. Verse 5 may be rendered, 'And he will search deeply for it'; and in verse 15, 'Know ye not that a man like me would search deeply,' alluding to the certainty of detection, but not by divination.—Ed.

11. 'So naught,' so corrupt, bad, or worthless.—Ed.

12. The mourning of Egypt.—Ed.

13. By a typographical error, in the original edition, it is misprinted CHAP. XLVI.

14. How admirably does Bunyan enlarge upon this in his 'Peaceable principles yet true.'

***

An Exposition on the FIRST TEN CHAPTERS OF GENESIS, And Part of the Eleventh

An unfinished commentary on the Bible, found among the author's papers after his death, in his own handwriting; and published in 1691, by Charles Doe, in a folio volume of the works of John Bunyan.

ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR

Being in company with an enlightened society of Protestant dissenters of the Baptist denomination, I observed to a doctor of divinity, who was advancing towards his seventieth year, that my time had been delightfully engaged with John Bunyan's commentary on Genesis. "What," said the D.D., with some appearance of incredulity, "Bunyan a commentator—upon Genesis!! Impossible! Well, I never heard of that work of the good Bunyan before. Why, where is it to be found?" Yes, it is true that he has commented on that portion of sacred scripture, containing the cosmogony of creation—the fall of man—the first murder—the deluge—and other facts which have puzzled the most learned men of every age; and he has proved to be more learned than all others in his spiritual perceptions. He graduated at a higher university—a university unshackled by human laws, conventional feelings, and preconceived opinions. His intense study of the Bible, guided by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, enabled him to throw a new and beautiful light upon objects which are otherwise obscure. Oh! that young ministers, while attaining valuable book learning, may see the necessity of taking a high degree in, and of never forgetting this Bible university! Reader, is it not surprizing, that such a treatise should have remained comparatively hidden for more than one hundred and fifty years. It has been reprinted in many editions of Bunyan's works: but in all, except the first, with the omission of the scripture references; and with errors of so serious a character as if it was not intended to be read. Even in printing the text of Genesis 7:7 Noah's three sons do not enter the ark! although in 8:16 they are commanded to go forth out of the ark. It is now presented to the public exactly as the author left it, with the addition of notes, which it is hoped will illustrate and not encumber the text.

This exposition is evidently the result of long and earnest study of the holy scriptures. It is the history of the creation and of the flood explained and spiritualized, and had it been originally published in that form and under a proper title, it would most probably have become a very popular work. The author's qualifications for writing this commentary were exclusively limited to his knowledge of holy writ. To book learning he makes no pretensions. He tells us that in his youth "God put it into my parents hearts to put me to school, to learn to read and write as other poor men's children; though, to my shame, I confess, I did soon lose that little I learnt even almost utterly." In after life, his time was occupied in obtaining a livelihood by labour. When enduring severe mental conflicts, and while he maintained his family by the work of his hands, he was an acceptable pastor, and extensively useful in itinerant labours of love in the villages round Bedford. His humility, when he had used three common Latin words, prompted him to say in the margin, "The Latine I borrow." And this unlettered mechanic, when he might have improved himself in book wisdom, was shut up within the walls of a prison for nearly thirteen years, for obeying God, only solaced with his Bible and Fox's Book of Martyrs. Yet he made discoveries relative to the creation, which have been very recently again published by a learned philosopher, who surprised and puzzled the world with his vestiges of creation. Omitting the fanciful theories of the vestige philosopher, his two great facts, proved by geological discoveries, are—

I. That when the world was created and set in motion, it was upon principles by which it is impelled on to perfection—a state of irresistible progress in improvement. This is the theory of Moses: and Bunyan's exposition is, that all was finished, even to the creation of all the souls which were to animate the human race, and then God rested from his work.

II. The second geological discovery is that the world was far advanced towards perfection producing all that was needful for human life, before man was created. Upon this subject, Bunyan's words are—"God shews his respect to this excellent creature, in that he first provideth for him before he giveth him his being. He bringeth him not to an empty house, but to one well furnished with all kind of necessaries, having beautified the heaven and the earth with glory, and all sorts of nourishment for his pleasure and sustenance." But the most pious penetration is exhibited in the spiritualizing of the creation and of the flood—every step produces some type of that new creation, or regeneration, without which no soul can be fitted for heaven. The dim twilight before the natural sun was made, is typical of the state of those who believed before Christ, the Sun of righteousness, arose and was manifested. The fixed stars are emblems of the church, whose members all shine, but with different degrees of lustre—sometimes eclipsed, and at others mistaken for transient meteors. The whales and lions are figures of great persecutors. But the most singular idea of all is, that the moral degradation of human nature before the flood, was occasioned by hypocrisy and persecution for conscience sake, arising from governors interfering with matters of faith and worship; in fact, that a STATE CHURCH occasioned the deluge—and since that time has been the fruitful source of the miseries and wretchedness that has afflicted mankind. His prediction of the outpouring of the Spirit in the conversion of sinners, when the church shall be no longer enthralled and persecuted by the state, is remarkable. "O thou church of God in England, which art now upon the waves of affliction and temptation, when thou comest out of the furnace, if thou come out at the bidding of God, there shall come out with thee, the fowl, the beast, and abundance of creeping things. O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people." May this prediction soon be verified, and the temporal government no longer vex and torment the church by interfering with spiritual things.

It is remarkable that of the vast number of pious and enlightened mechanics who adorn this country and feed its prosperity, so few read the extraordinary writings of John Bunyan, a brother mechanic; for with the exception of the Pilgrim's Progress and Holy War, they are comparatively little known. His simple but illustrative commentary—his book of Antichrist—his solemn and striking treatise on the resurrection and final judgment—in fact, all his works, are peculiarly calculated to inform the minds of the millions—to reform bad habits, and, under the divine blessing, to purify the soul with that heavenly wisdom which has in it the promise of the life that now is as well as of that which is to come. It is also a fact which ought to be generally known, that those preachers who have edited Bunyan's works and have drunk into his spirit, have been most eminently blessed in their ministry; Wilson, Whitefield, and Ryland, can never be forgotten. If the thousands of godly preachers who are scattered over our comparatively happy island were to take Bunyan's mode of expounding scripture as their pattern, it would increase their usefulness, and consequently their happiness, in the great work of proclaiming and enforcing the doctrines of the gospel.

GEO OFFOR.

AN EXPOSITION ON THE FIRST TEN CHAPTERS OF GENESIS, AND PART OF THE ELEVENTH

In the first edition of this commentary, a series of numbers from 1 to 294 were placed in the margin, the use of which the editor could not discover; probably the work was written on as many scraps of paper, thus numbered to direct the printer. They are omitted, lest, among divisions and subdivisions, they should puzzle the reader.