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1: From whence come wars and fightings - Quarrels and wars
among you, quite opposite to this peace? Is it not from your
pleasures - Your desires of earthly pleasures. Which war - Against
your souls. In your members - Here is the first seat of the war.
Hence proceeds the war of man with man, king with king, nation
with nation.
2: Ye kill - In your heart, for "he that hateth his
brother is a murderer." Ye fight and war - That is, furiously
strive and contend. Ye ask not - And no marvel; for a man full
of evil desire, of envy or hatred, cannot pray.
3: But if ye do ask, ye receive not, because ye ask
amiss - That is, from a wrong motive.
4: Ye adulterers and adulteresses - Who have broken your
faith with God, your rightful spouse. Know ye not that the
friendship or love of the world - The desire of the flesh, the
desire of the eye, and the pride of life, or courting the
favour of worldly men, is enmity against God? Whosoever
desireth to be a friend of the world - Whosoever seeks either
the happiness or favour of it, does thereby constitute himself
an enemy of God; and can he expect to obtain anything of him?
5: Do you think that the scripture saith in vain - Without
good ground. St. James seems to refer to many, not any one
particular scripture. The spirit of love that dwelleth in all
believers lusteth against envy -(Ga 5:17); is directly opposite to all those unloving tempers
which necessarily flow from the friendship of the world.
6: But he giveth greater grace - To all who shun those
tempers. Therefore it - The scripture. Saith, God resisteth the
proud - And pride is the great root of all unkind affections.(Pr 3:34)
7: Therefore by humbly submitting yourselves to God,
resist the devil - The father of pride and envy.
8: Then draw nigh to God in prayer, and he will draw nigh unto
you, will hear you; which that nothing may hinder, cleanse your
hands - Cease from doing evil. And purify your hearts - From all
spiritual adultery. Be no more double minded, vainly
endeavouring to serve both God and mammon.
9: Be afflicted - For your past unfaithfulness to God.
11: Speak not evil one of another - This is a grand
hinderance of peace. O who is sufficiently aware of it!
He that speaketh evil of another does in effect speak evil
of the law, which so strongly prohibits it. Thou art not a
doer of the law, but a judge - Of it; thou settest thyself
above, and as it were condemnest, it.
12: There is one lawgiver that is able - To execute the
sentence he denounces. But who art thou - A poor, weak, dying
worm.
13: Come now, ye that say - As peremptorily as if your
life were in your own hands.
15: Instead of your saying - That is, whereas ye ought
to say.
17: Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth
it not - That knows what is right, and does not practise it.
To him it is sin - This knowledge does not prevent, but
increase, his condemnation.
