spotted from the world, is to keep ourselves from the taint and infection of an evil example, and the prevalency and sovereignty of worldly lusts.

Out of this verse observe,

I. That it is the glory of religion when it is pure: "The commandment of the Lord is pure" (Psal. xix.); no doctrine so holy in itself, and maketh such provision for good life. False religions are descried by their impurity: God suffereth false worshippers to fall into obscenities, that they may draw a just scorn upon themselves (Rom. i.). Popery is no friend to good life: pardons set at sale make way for looseness: the true Christian religion is called a holy faith (Jude 20). No faith goeth so high for rewards, nor is so holy for precepts. Well then, an impure life will not suit with a holy faith. Precious liquor must be kept in a clean vessel, and "the mystery of the faith held in a pure conscience” (2 Tim. iii. 9). We never suit with our religion more than when the way is undefiled and the heart pure: "Blessed are the undefiled in the way" (Psalm cxix. 1); and again, “Blessed are the pure in heart" (Matt. v. 8).

II. That a pure religion should be kept undefiled. A holy life, and a bounteous heart, are an ornament to the Gospel: religion is not adorned with ceremonies, but purity and charity. The apostle speaketh of making the doctrine of God our Saviour comely (Tit. ii. 10). It is with us either to credit or stain our religion: "Wisdom is," or should be, "justified of her children" (Matt. xi. 19). By the innocency of their lives, they bring a glory to their way. So also a bountiful man is an honour to his profession, whereas a covetous man sullieth it; as the apostle saith, "For a righteous man would one scarcely die, but for a good man would one even dare to die" (Rom. v. 7). A man of a severe innocency is hated, rather than loved; but a good or bountiful man gaineth upon the hearts of others; they would even die for him.

III. A great fruit and token of piety is provision for the afflicted. In the twenty-fifth of Matthew you see acts of charity fill up the bill. Works of mercy do well become them that do expect or have received mercy from God. This is to be like God; and we should never come to him, or go away from him, but with somewhat of his image in our hearts: dissimilitude and disproportion is the ground of dislike. Now, one of the chief glories in the Godhead is the unweariedness of his love and bounty. He visits the fatherless and the widows, so should we. The spirit of our religion is for giving; and therefore the cruel hard heart is made by Paul a kind of denying the faith (1 Tim. v. 8).

The

IV. Charity singleth out the objects that are more miserable. apostle saith, the widows and fatherless, and that in their afflictions. That is true bounty when we give to those that are not able to give requital : "When thou makest a dinner or supper, call not thy brethren, or friends, or rich neighbours," &c. (Luke xxiv. 12, 13, 14). We cannot do the least duty for God, but we have some self-aims. We make our giving many times to be a kind of selling, and mind our advantage in our charity. Oh consider, our sweetest influences should fall on the lower ground. To visit the rich widows, it is but courtesy ; to visit the poor, and that in their affliction, that is charity.

V. This charity to the poor must be performed as worship, out of respect

to God: the apostle saith, to visit the fatherless is 9pnoréia, worship. A Christian hath a holy art of turning duties of the second table into duties of the first; and in respects to man they worship God. So," To do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifice God is well pleased" (Heb. xiii. 16): to do good is a duty of the second table; and sacrifice, while it was a part of God's worship, a duty of the first. Well then, alms should be sacrifice; not a sin-offering, but a thank-offering to God. This is the difference between a Christian and others, he can make commerce worship. In common businesses he acteth upon reasons and principles of religion; and whatever he doth to man, he doth it for God's sake, out of love to God, fear of God. The world is led by interest, and they by conscience. The men of the world are tied one to another, like Samson's foxes by their tails, by their mutual intertwisted interests; but they, in all their relations, do what they do, as in and to the Lord (Ephes. v. 22). So Eph. vi. 1; so verse 7, et alibi. Well then, we must be tender of the end and reasons of our actions in civil respects. Alms is worship and sacrifice, and therefore not to be offered to the idol of our own credit and esteem, or to be done out of private ends, but in obedience to God, and for his glory. VI. From that [Before God] True religion and profession is rather for God's eye than man's. It aimeth at the approbation of God, not ostentation before men. David saith, "I have been upright before thee, and kept myself from iniquity" (Psalm xviii. 23). That is a fruit of true uprightness, to draw all our actions into the presence of God; and to do what we do before him. So, "I have set the Lord always before me" (Psalm xvi. 18). In every action he was thinking of the eye of God; will this be an action for God's notice and approbation? So, "I have kept thy testimonies; for all my ways are before thee" (Psalm cxix. 168): he maketh that to be the reason of the integrity of his obedience, "My ways are before thee;" under the observance and inspection of God. Hypocrites cannot endure such thoughts. The prodigal was for a far country (Luke xv.), away from his father; and it is said, "A hypocrite will not come before him" (Job. xiii. 16); that is, be under God's eye and sight.

66

VII. From that [Before God and the Father,] We serve God most comfortably, when we consider him as a Father in Christ. 'Lord, Lord,” is not half so sweet as 66 our Father:" duty in the covenant of grace is far more comfortable; not only as we have more help, but because it is done in a sweeter relation: we are not servants, but have received the adoption of sons. Get an interest in God, that his work may be sweet to you. Mercies yield the more sweetness, when they come not only from a Creator, but a Father; and duties are done with the more confidence, when we can come into the presence of God, not as servants, but sons. A servant may use greater industry and pains than a son, and yet please less.

VIII. The relieving of the afflicted, and the unspotted life, must go together: as the apostle coupleth them, so doth Christ: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy;" and then presently, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. v. 7, 8). A man that is charitable, and not pure, is better to others than to himself. Goodness and righteousness are often coupled in the Old Testament (Mic. vi. 8; so Dan. iv. 27). It is strange that men should so grossly separate what God hath joined. There are some that are pure in their own eyes, but content themselves with

a cheap and barren profession. Others are vicious and loose, and they are all for acts of charity and mercy; and so covetousness lurketh under the veil of profession on the one side, and on the other men hope to recompense God for the excesses of an ill life by a liberal profusion, as if the emptying of the purse were a way to ease the conscience. Well then, let the hand be open and the heart pure. You must visit the fatherless and the widows, and keep yourselves unspotted from the world.

IX. The world is a dirty, defiling thing. A man can hardly walk here but he shall defile his garments. 1st, The very things of the world leave a taint upon our spirits: By worldly objects we soon grow worldly: it is hard to touch pitch, and not to be defiled. We see in other things that our minds receive a tincture from those objects with which we usually converse. Christ prayeth, "I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil of the world" (John xvii. 15): Christ knew what a temptation it is to live here in the midst of honours, and pleasures, and profits. It was a happy thing that Paul could say, "I am crucified to the world, and the world is crncified to me" (Gal. vi. 14): the world hated him, and he did not care for the world. The world is crucified to many, but they are not crucified to it; they follow after a flying shadow. 2dly, The lusts of the world they stain the glory, and deface the excellency, of your natures. Corruption is in the world through lust (2 Peter i. 4). Your affections were made for higher purposes than to be melted out in lusts. To love the pleasures of the world, it is as if you should defile your bed with a blackamore, and be so sick of lust as to hug nastiness, and embrace the dung (Lam. iv.). 3dly, The men of the world are sooty, dirty creatures; we cannot converse with them, but they leave their filthiness upon us. The apostle saith, "If a man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel of honour, sanctified and meet for the master's use" (2 Tim. ii. 21): "from these," that is, from the leprosy of evil examples; for the apostle speaketh of those vessels of dishonour that are in the great house of God, the world, which a man cannot touch without defilement. A man cannot hold any communion with them, but he shall be the worse for them: "These are spots in your love feasts" (Jude 12), they defile the company.

Well then; 1. Let us more and more grow weary of the world. A man that would always live here is like a scullion that loveth to lie among the pots. In those blessed mansions that are above, "there shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination" (Rev. xxi. 27). There we shall have pure company, and be out of the reach and danger of temptations. There are no devils in heaven: they were cast out long since (2 Peter ii. 6), and you are to fill up their vacant rooms and places. The Devil, when he was not fit for heaven, he was cast into the world, a fit place for misery, sin, and torment; and now this is the Devil's walk he compasseth the earth to and fro. Who would be in love with a place of bondage? with Satan's diocess? that odd, dirty corner of the universe, where a man can hardly move back or forth, but he shall be defiled? 2. While we live here, let us keep ourselves as unspotted as we can in a place of snares, we should walk with the more care. "There are a few names, that have not defiled their garments, they shall walk with me in white" (Revel. iii. 4). There are some, though few, that escape the taint of the world. You are kept by the power of God; yet, in some sense,

you must keep yourselves: you are to watch, and keep your garments (Rev. xxvi. 15). You are to act faith upon the victory of Christ, by which he hath " overcome the world" (1 John v. 4). You are to commend yourselves to God in prayer, that he may keep and "present you faultless before the presence of his glory" (Jude 24). You are to discourse upon the promises, and to work them into your hearts by spiritual reasoning, that you may escape "the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter i. 4, and 2 Cor. vii. 1). You are to avoid communion with the lepers of the world: we should learn a holy pride,* and scorn such company. A man that keepeth ill company, is, like him that walketh in the sun, tanned insensibly. All these things you must do. It is a folly to think that because the power is from God, therefore the care should not be in ourselves.

CHAPTER II.

VERSE 1.-My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

THIS chapter containeth two special admonitions, which were very needful, as the state of things then was. The first is against respect of persons, because of outward advantages, especially in church matters: the other is against a vain opinion and ostentation of faith, where there was no presence or testimony of works to commend it. He dealeth in the former admonition from the first verse to the fourteenth; and in the latter, from thence to the end of the chapter.

In this first verse he propoundeth the matter to them, which he would have them to avoid, "respect of persons," because of some outward excellency which hath no kind of affinity or pertinency at all to religion. The sense will be most clear by a particular explication of the words.

My brethren,] A usual compellation throughout the epistle. Some think he chiefly intendeth in this expression the presbyters and deacons, who had a great hand (say they) in giving every one their convenient places. But I know no reason why we should so restrain it, it being applied, in all the other passages of the epistle, to the whole body of those to whom he wrote; and here, where he dissuadeth them from respect of persons, it seemeth to have a special respect, as noting the equal interest of all Christians in the same Father.

Have not the faith] Faith is not taken strictly, but more generally for the profession of Christian religion, or the manifestations of the grace of Christ in the souls of his people. The meaning is, have not grace, have not religion, &c.

Of our Lord Jesus Christ,] He doth not mean the personal faith of Christ, or, as some accommodate the expression, faith wrought by Christ. This manner of speech doth not note the author so much as the object. Faith of Christ, in the intent of Scripture, is faith in Christ; as, "I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Gal. ii. 20). So, "We have confidence, and access, by the faith of him" (Ephes. iii. 12). So, " The righteousness which

* Discamus sanctam superbiam, et sciamus nos esse illis meliores. Hieron.

is through the faith of Christ" (Phil. iii. 9); and so elsewhere. Now, Christ is here called "our Lord," because it is the proper term for him, as Mediator and Head of the church, and by virtue of our common and equal interest in him: the head is dishonoured in the disrespect of the members.

The Lord of glory,] Some read, the faith of the glory of Christ with respect of persons: that is, Do not measure the glorious faith by these outward and secular advantages, or the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ; for we supply the word Lord, which is but once in the original, partly because he is called so in other places: "They would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. ii. 8); partly because it is fitly repeated out of the context; partly because in this place it hath the force of an argument. Christianity, being a relation to the Lord of glory, putteth honour enough upon men, though otherwise poor and despicable; and, if men did believe Christ were glorious, they would not so easily despise those in whom there is the least of Christ.

With respect of persons, iv #оownоλniais.] Respect of persons is had, when in the same cause we give more or less to any one than is meet, because of something in his person which hath no relation to that cause. The word properly signifieth accepting of one's face, or outside, and so noteth a respect to others out of a consideration of some external glory that we find in them. The phrase, when it is used in the Old Testament, is rendered by the Septuagint by Savμášeivrò πpoowπоv,* wondering at a man's face, as being overcome and dazzled at the beauty of it; which probably gave occasion to that expression of Saint Jude, θαυμάζοντες πρόσωπα, which we render, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage (ver. 16). But, before we go on, we must rightly pitch and state the offence from which our apostle dissuadeth, for otherwise absurdities will follow. Civility and humanity call for outward respect and reverence to them that excel in the world to rise up to a rich man is not simply evil. If all difference of persons, and respect to them, were sinful, there would be no place for government and mastership. Therefore I shall inquire,

First, What respect of persons is sinful.

Secondly, The particular abuse which the apostle taxeth and noteth in this expression.

There is a holy and warrant

First, What respect of persons is sinful. able respect of persons either by God or men. 1. By God; he is said to accept the faces of his people (Gen. xix. 21). Naschati Panecha, so it is in the Hebrew; and so elsewhere God is often said to respect their persons; their persons first, and then their services. 2. By men, when we prefer others out of a due cause, their age, calling, gifts, graces: yea, it is lawful to put a respect upon them, because of that outward glory and excellency wherewith God hath furnished them. There is a respect proper and due to their persons, though not so much for their own sakes, as for the bounty of God to them; as they that bowed before the ass that carried about the rites of Isis, Non tibi, sed religioni, did obeisance to the religion, not the beast. But then there is a vicious respect of persons, when the judgment is blinded by some external glory and appearance, so that we cannot discern truth or right; and a cause is overbalanced by such foreign circumstances

* See Cartwr. in Gen. xix. 21.