this kind obviously comes under the sweep of James's rebuke

in the passage before us.

deem little things.

Observe the stress which God lays on what we are apt to For our 'idle words' He tells we shall be called to account. Looking over the incident that James has described, we can suppose it very likely that neither the rich man, nor the poor man, nor the person who assigned them their respective places, would think much on the subject; but God marked it with condemnation. In a ship becalmed near the shore, one can imagine the captain intently watching pieces of loose sea-weed as they drift past: they are small and worthless, but they show the experienced eye the direction and the rate of dangerous currents. Even so, little things in conduct often show the direction and the force of strong currents of character.

In the three verses that follow, the apostle exhibits the wickedness and the folly of such conduct as he has described, bringing out forcibly the justice of his statement that persons guilty of it were 'evil-minded judges,'-acting on utterly unchristian principles. Affectionately and earnestly he solicits their diligent attention to his observations: Hearken, my beloved brethren.' The particular incident he had sketched might seem an absolute trifle; but the state of feeling which revealed itself by that incident was seriously dishonouring to God, and antagonistic to the progress of His cause in the world. The principles involved, therefore, claimed very careful consideration. The argument following-which, according to a favourite style of James, is set forth in a series of pointed questionsis to this effect: 'In your church procedure you pay much attention to the wealthy, but disregard the poor. Now, while such conduct under any circumstances reveals a mean soul, yet for a man who seeks his portion simply in this world it is no doubt natural, and often from his point of view prudent. But you, according to your profession, have loftier aims; and regarding heaven as your home, you desire to breathe even on earth a heavenly spirit, taking God's estimate of everything as yours, and trying to be in character like Him. Think, then,

how very far you are, in this respect of persons which you practise, from reflecting the divine image; nay, how directly opposed your conduct is to His whom you call your Father. Has not the whole history of the church proved that mainly from the class of those whom the world, according to its standard of reckoning, counts poor, God in His sovereignty has chosen men and women to be, through faith, truly and enduringly rich, and to be, as His children in Christ, heirs of the blessedness and glory of the heavenly kingdom? But the poor man of my story, who came into your assembly—a representative of the class so honoured by God-ye treated with dishonour. On the other hand, rich men, simply because they are rich, ye honour. As Christians, you profess to believe that the only thing truly worthy of honour in God's creatures is holiness, devotion to His service, helpfulness to His cause,the reflection of His character, which you honour supremely. Now, is wealth moral excellence, or is it necessarily connected with moral excellence? Have the rich, as a class, been in any age conspicuously God-fearing? Nay, in your own experience, is it not the rich that oppress you Christians? Is it not they that drag you into courts of justice, harassing you by accusations, simply because you believe in Christ? Is it not they that blaspheme the infinitely honourable name of the Lord Jesus, which was named over you when in baptism you severed yourselves from the world, and became His? If you give special honour to the class who, as a class, thus dishonour Him and oppose His cause, do you not make yourselves sharers in their misdeeds, and seem to be ashamed of being associated with that worthy name?'

The fulness of this paraphrase, and the general simplicity of the passage, render it unnecessary to say very much more in the way of explanation. You observe that the apostle speaks of the rich' and 'the poor' as classes, in order to show clearly the wickedness of the conduct of those whom he is reproving; for they too looked at the classes, despising this man simply because he was one of the poor, and paying special respect to that, simply because he was one of the rich. His statements,

then, being made generally of the two classes, naturally admit exceptions, it may be many. A vast number of the poor, it is to be feared, are not spiritually rich; and some of the rich are truly honourable, because they love and revere the worthy name of Jesus. And yet, beyond all question, wealth has been in all ages a serious obstacle to men's becoming religious. The abundance of present and tangible good, instead of awakening thankfulness and devotion to the Giver, far oftener deadens all longing after nobler and abiding sources of pleasure. In the Psalmist's days the church was 'the congregation of God's poor' the apostles of the Lord Jesus, and plainly all but a very few of those who 'heard Him gladly,' were poor men; and in every age since, it has been found that 'not many mighty, not many noble' enrolled themselves under the banner of the Captain of salvation, or at least so fought the good fight of faith' as to prove that they were sincerely on the Lord's side.

The spiritual exaltation of the outwardly poor James ascribes, in language as explicit as Paul ever employs, to God's sovereign election. Poverty is not an excellence or ground of desert, any more than wealth is in itself a demerit; and the impenitent poor will receive righteous condemnation and punishment as well as the impenitent rich. 'God hath chosen the poor.' Our Lord pointed to the fact that by Him 'to the poor the gospel was preached,' as one evidence that He was 'He that should come,' God's commissioned and anointed Servant; and that any of them welcome the glad tidings proclaimed to them, is due to God's spontaneous grace, for of His own will begat He us with the word of truth.' 'Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.' Accordingly the being 'rich in faith' is the result of the 'choosing' by God. 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. The full exhibition of James's meaning is, Hath not God chosen the poor in the

world to be in faith rich;' as when we say, 'The men of Israel chose David king,' that is, 'to be king.'

'The poor as regards the world' (for this seems the most natural meaning of the reading found in the oldest manuscripts) become, through God's grace, 'rich in faith.' 'Faith' here may be conceived as the wealth in which they are rich, as elsewhere (Eph. ii. 4) God is described as 'rich in mercy :' and this is undoubtedly the sense that first suggests itself for the words. The apostle's purpose, however, is evidently to set over against worldly poverty spiritual riches generally, not merely wealth in one particular grace; and thus it seems better to take the meaning 'rich through faith,' or 'rich in the sphere of faith,' as contrasted with that of sight,—which the original words will bear quite as well as that first mentioned. The treasures, then, are all the gifts of the Spirit—the peace, and wisdom, and holiness which Christians enjoy through their faith. They have this spiritual wealth even now, and their prospects are ineffably lofty. Being through faith children of God, they are, if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ,' 'heirs of the kingdom,' to whom Jesus 'will grant to sit with Him in His throne, even as He is set down with His Father in His throne.' To every true believer this glorious future is absolutely secured by the assurances of Him who cannot lie. 'He hath promised the kingdom to them that love Him. Has not Jesus said in express words, ' Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom?' And, indeed, as He tells us elsewhere, in a solemn and sublime passage of which our apostle's words are plainly a reminiscence, 'the kingdom' which the blessed of His Father' are to 'inherit' (receive as 'heirs') has been 'prepared for them from the foundation of the world.'

XI.

UNITY OF GOD'S LAW.

10 For

'If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. II For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now, if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.'-JAMES II. 8-11.

TH

HE first two of these verses obviously sum up the teaching of the paragraph, enunciating the grand general principle regarding our duty to others, and declaring that respect of persons is opposed to this. In the eighth verse there is in the original an introductory particle which our translators have passed over, probably because they took it as equivalent to another (one of the components of this), which simply indicates the first part of an antithesis, and is often left. unrendered. But in every other place in the New Testament where that here employed is found, it introduces something which modifies what has preceded, or is in some way divergent from the line of observation previously pursued, having the force of 'but,' ' nevertheless,' 'however.' It seems reasonable to take it in the same sense here. The connection of thought I apprehend to be somewhat as follows: 'I have spoken severely, knowing that deference to mere earthly distinction has sadly intruded itself among you. Still many of you may in this matter be acquitted by your consciences, and these I praise.' 'I have expressed myself sharply. If, however, ye (any of the Christian churches to which the letter was written) fulfil the royal law, then ye act as Christians should. But (ver. 9) let me repeat my solemn testimony and warning,—If ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin.'