And our love must be to all the Saints, to the poor aswell as to the rich, whom Saint James meeteth with and sayeth: If a poor man, though of the true religion, come in, he is bid to go behind the door and to sit at our foot-stool; if one rich he is1 exalted: whereas true love doth embrace even all, that do profess the truth. Here Saint James discovereth the hypocrisy of men in their excuses: why (will they say) are not we to love our neighbours? and the rich men are our neighbours. True, he is your neighbour, but if you love him, why do you not love him also, that is poor, which is more near peradventure, if he be a professor: and again if your love be to the rich, because of the commandment of God, then ye will love the poor aswell as the rich. As if for the love of God ye abstain from adultery, theft, murder &c. Then ye will abstain from all other sins, which are of the same nature, all the commandments being of the same nature, coming from God, who is one and the same; and therefore if I abstain from one sin for the love of2 Gods sake, I will aswell abstain from another for that cause. And therefore this condemneth the common practise of men, that being blamed for some one sin; as drunkenness &c. will say I am no thief, no murderer &c, and so will justify himself. But if he have no conscience of that sin he is guilty of all3 other. Indeed a man by infirmity may fail, and be inclining to one sin more then to another, but if he have no strife against it nor hatred of it, it is a sure token that he is guilty of all other sins, and hath no true hatred of any. He confirmeth their faith and ⟨p. 22⟩love, by the true end, that there being a true end of4 them, then their faith and love are true. The end is ye look for reward in heaven, without which it were impossible your faith should stand, and your love should be supported: for there are so many assaults befalling unto us, in this present life, which would overthrow our faith and quench our love, unless it were supported by the hope of everlasting life. Therefore in the Epistle to the Hebrews it is compared5 to an Anchor: yet there is difference: for as men cast their Anchor into the sea, to be fastened in the earth, so this is fastened in heaven, that no storm of tentation, or trouble shall be able to break it of.
And our loue must be to all the Saintes, to the poore aswell as to the rich, whom Saint Iames meeteth with and sayeth: If a poore man, though of the true religion, come in, he is bid to goe behind the dore and to sit at our foot-stoole; if one rich he is1 exalted: whereas true loue doth embrace euen all, that doe professe the truth. Here Saint Iames discouereth the hipocrisy of men in their excuses: why (will they say) are not we to loue our neighbours? and the rich men are our neighbours. True, he is your neighbour, but if you loue him, why doe you not loue him also, that is poore, which is more neare peraduenture, if he be a professor: and againe if your loue be to the rich, because of the commaundement of God, then ye will loue the poore aswell as the rich. As if for the loue of God ye abstaine from adultery, theft, murder &c. Then ye will abstaine from all other sinnes, which are of the same nature, all the commaundements being of the same nature, comming from God, who is one and the same; and therfore if I abstaine from one sinne for the loue of2 Gods sake, I will aswell abstaine from another for that cause. And therefore this condemneth the common practize of men, that being blamed for some one sinne; as drunkenesse &c. will say I am no theefe, no murderer &c, and so will iustifie himselfe. But if he haue no conscience of that sinne he is guilty of all3 other. Indeed a man by infirmity may faile, and be inclining to one sinne more then to another, but if he haue no strife against it nor hatred of it, it is a sure token that he is guilty of all other sinnes, and hath no true hatred of any. He confirmeth their faith and ⟨p. 22⟩loue, by the true end, that there being a true end of4 them, then their faith and loue are true. The end is ye looke for reward in heauen, without which it were impossible your faith should stand, and your loue should be supported: for there are so many assaults befalling vnto vs, in this present life, which would ouerthrow our faith and quench our loue, vnles it were supported by the hope of euerlasting life. Therefore in the Epistle to the Hebrewos it is compared5 to an Anchor: yet there is difference: for as men cast their Anchor into the sea, to be fastned in the earth, so this is fastned in heauen, that no storme of tentation, or trouble shall be able to breake it of.
- 1James. 2. 3. 4.Iames. 2. 3. 4.
- 2Note.
- 3James. 2. 10.Iames. 2. 10.
- 4Verse. 5.
- 5Heb. 6. 19.
