16 and one of you say unto them, "Depart in peace, be ye warmed and be ye filled;" but ye give them not those things which are necessary for the body; what doth it pro17 fit? Thus faith also, if it have not works, is dead by itself. 18 Yea, a man will say, "Thou hast faith, and I have works:

show me thy faith without' [thy] works, and I will show 19 thee my faith by [my] works." Thou believest that God is one: thou doest well: the demons also believe, and 20 tremble. But art thou willing to know, O vain man, that 21 faith without works is dead? Was not our father Abraham

justified by works, when he offered up his son Isaac on the 22 altar? Dost thou see that faith wrought with his works; 23 and that faith was made perfect by works? and that the scripture was fulfilled which saith, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness:" and he 24 was called the Friend of God? Do ye see that a man is 25 justified by works +, and not by faith only? In like manner was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

CH. III. My brethren, be not many teachers; knowing that we 2 shall receive a greater condemnation. For in many things we all offend: if any offend not in word, he is a perfect man, 3 and able to bridle the whole body also. Behold, we put

by thy works, Mss. 2 that there is one God: N. 4 Or, breath, N. m.

3 See, therefore, R. T.

* human ghosts :-) -Mr. Farmer supposes an allusion to Job xxvi. 5, which he renders, "the giants, or the ghosts of the dead, tremble under the waters together with their host." He adds that St. James doth not appear to be deliver. ing any new doctrine concerning demons, but rather to be arguing with the persons to whom he writes it, on their own principles. Farmer on Demoniacs, p. 211-216. 1st edition.

+ " so as to receive God's continued and final favour. St. Paul's justification, Rom. iii. 28. v. 1. &c. &c., is admission into the gospel-covenant. St. James declares that such as are admitted into that covenant must perfect their faith by works, ver. 22, in order to be finally justified." Newcome.

bits in the mouths of horses, that they may obey us: and we 4 turn about their whole body. Behold, ships also, which are

so great, and are driven by fierce winds, yet are turned about by a very small helm, whithersoever the pilot choos5 eth. Thus the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a pile doth a little fire 6 kindle! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity1: [so] is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and is itself 7 set on fire by hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of things in the sea, is subdued, 8 and hath been subdued, by mankind. But the tongue no man can subdue: it is an evil not to be restrained, full of 9 deadly poison. Therewith we bless our God and Father; and therewith we curse men, that are made after the like10 ness of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and

cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth a spring send forth out of the same place sweet and 12 bitter water? Can a fig-tree, my brethren, bear olives? or a vine, figs? [So] neither can that spring which is salt yield

13

sweet water 4.

Who is wise and knowing among you? Let him show by 14 his works a good behaviour, with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envy and strife in your heart, boast not 15 yourselves, and speak not falsely concerning the truth. This

wisdom cometh not down from above; but is earthly, ani16 mal, demoniacal". For where envy and strife are, there 17 disturbance is, and every evil work. But the wisdom which is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of pity and of good fruits, without partia

the tongue is a spark, the varnisher of injustice: Wakefield. 2 Gr. the wheel. "setteth on fire the wheel of life." Wakefield. 3 Lord, Mss. 4 no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh. R. T. spirits.

5 q.d. inspired by evil

18 lity, [and] without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace'. CH. IV. Whence come contests and whence come3 fightings

among you? come they not hence, from your desires of plea2 sures which war in your members? Ye desire, and have not: ye kill, and earnestly covet, and cannot obtain: ye 3 fight and contend, ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not; because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume 4 it on your pleasures. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend to the world, is an 5 enemy to God. Do ye think that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit that dwelleth in us stir up to envy? 6 Nay, it bestoweth more abundant favour. Wherefore it is said, "God resisteth the proud, but bestoweth favour on 7 the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God: resist 8 the devil*, and he will flee from you: draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sin 9 ners; and purify your hearts, ye men of divided minds: be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned 10 to mourning, and your joy to heaviness: humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speak. eth evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the 12 law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. There is one law-giver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy. But who art thou that judgest another 10?

1 is sown for the makers of peace. Wakefield. 2 Or, wars, N. m. 3 R. T. and N. omit" whence come." 4 Or, sensual desires, N. m. 5 Or, and envy, N.m. yet ye have not, R.T. and N. 7 Or, speaketh in vain against envy? Doth the spirit that dwelleth in us covet? Gr. desire? N. m. 8 The words " and judge' are omitted in R.T. 9" But" is wanting in R. T. and N. 10 thg neighbour? Mss.

q. d. every temptation to evil, whether from without or from within.

13

Come now, ye who say, "To-day or to-morrow let us go1 into such a city, and continue there a year, and traffic, 14 and acquire gain:" ye who know not what will be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away3. 15 Whereas ye ought to say, " If the Lord will, and we live, 16 then let us3 do this, or that." But now ye glory in your 17 boasting words: all such glorying is evil. To him there

fore it is sin, who knoweth how to do what is right, and doeth it not.

CH. V. Come now, ye rich men, weep and lament for your mi2 series which are coming upon you. Your store is corrupt3 ed, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver

is rusted; and the rust of them will be for a testimony 4 against you, and will eat your flesh like fire". Ye have

heaped up treasure in the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers that have reaped your fields, which is unjustly kept back by you, crieth against you: and the cries of the reapers have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and have rioted in pleasure: ye have nourished your hearts, as it were in the 6 day of slaughter". Ye have condemned, ye have killed, the Righteous One, who did not resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the appearance of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and is patient for it, until he receive 8 the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; establish your hearts; for the appearance of the Lord draweth near. 9 Murmur not against each other*, brethren, lest ye be judg

1 we will go, R. T. 2 disappeareth. N. 3 Or, then we will, Wetstein. ♦ Or, presumptuous speeches: Or, presumption: N. m. 5 Or, your flesh. Ye have treasured up as it were fire in &c. N. m. See Wakefield. 6 i. e. your selves. So ver. 8. N. m. 7 ye have regaled your hearts as in a day of sacrifice. Wakefield.

* So Wakefield. "Grieve not for one another," N. who explains it, Lament not heavily for the calamities of one another. This, he observes, is well connected with the preceding and following verses.

10 ed1: behold, the judge standeth before the door. [My] brethren, take the prophets, that have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of 11 patience. Behold, we pronounce those happy that endure patiently. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen what the Lord did in the end': for [the Lord] is of tender mercy, and full of compassion.

12

13

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but let your yes be yes; and your no, no; lest ye fall under

condemnation.

Doth any among you suffer affliction? Let him pray. Is 14 any cheerful? Let him sing praise to God. Is any sick

among you? Let him call to him the elders of the church; and, when they have anointed him with oil, let them pray 15 over him in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith will preserve the sick person*, and the Lord will raise him up; and although he have committed sins, they will be for16 given him. Confess your offences to one another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The fervent prayer + 17.of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man of like infirmities with us; and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the land for three years 18 and six months: and he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its produce.

19

Brethren, if any of you err from the truth, and one turn 20 him back to it; let him know, that he who turneth a sinner back from the error of his way saveth a soul + from death, and covereth his multitude of sins. ‡

1 condemned: R. T. and N. 2 Gr, the end of the Lord. 3 Or, hymns, N. m. 4 Or, inwrought, i. e. inspired,

The writer here alludes to the miraculous power of the apostolic age. i. e. a man, a person, N. m.

This excellent epistle is one of those the genuineness of which was disputed in the primitive church. But it is not unworthy of the apostle to whom it is generally ascribed,