Review of the Paraphrase of the New Testament, James
On the general EPISTLE of JAMES.
foreign.CHap. I. Note a. Of the notion of foreign for conſtancy, in oppoſition to double minded, or wavering, Adde, So in Herodotus, li. 1. foreign, Men muſt preſerve faith in friendſhip, and not be polluted with a double heart, where, as here, faith and the double heart, are oppoſed n… this ſenſe.
foreign.Ibid. Note e. Of the notion of foreign nativity in the Aſtronomers uſe of the word, Adde, And ſo S. Chryſoſtome foreign,*To. 3. p. 266. li. 9. and frequently elſewhere, for the Aſtrologers caſting mens nativity.
Ibid. Note f. After the teſtimony of Ignatius concerning the Gnoſtickes doctrine of Charity, Adde, In which reſpect it is manifeſt that this Apoſtle, ch. 2. v. 14. proceeds to a punctual diſcourſe of the abſolute neceſſity of ſuperadding works of charity to faith, or elſe it will profit nothing, directly oppoſite to the doctrine of Simon and his Gnoſtickes, of whom ſaith *l. 1. c. 20.Irenaeus, Hi qui in eum & Helenam ejus ſpem habeant, & ut liberos, agere quae veli…t, ſecundùm enim ipſius gratiam ſalvari homines & non ſecundùm operas juſtas, They that place their hope on Simon and his Helen as free men did what they would, deeming that men were ſaved by his grace and not according to any good workes or endevours. So of the Valentinians, the progeny of thoſe Gnoſtickes, l. 1. c. 2.ſemetipſos non per operationem ſed eò quòd naturaliter ſpirituales, omnino ſalvari, that they are not ſaved by working, but becauſe they are naturally ſpiritual, quapropter & intimoratè, omnia quae vetantur, hi qui perfecti ſunt, operantur, and therefore they that are perfect act without fear all things that are forbidden. This was S. Auguſtines ſenſe of the deſigne of this Epiſtle, de fide & oper. c. 14. Quoniam haec opinio tunc fuerat exorta, aliae Apoſtolicae Epiſtolae Petri, Johannis, Jacobi, Judae contra eam maximè dirigunt intentionem, ut vehementer adſtruant fidem ſine operibus nihil prodeſſe, becauſe this opinion was riſen up in that time all the Catholick Epiſtles of James, &c. were chiefly intended againſt it, vehemently aſſerting that faith without works will profit nothing.
Chap. III. ver. 17.
[Without *Wavering, or making a differencepartiality.]
Without all wavering or inconſtancy, &c. or without making any difference, a liberal diſtribution to all that want.
Note f. In the end, Adde,foreign. If there be any queſtion of this, it muſt be becauſe of the connexion here with foreign, good fruits. For thus indeed the word is ſometimes applied, and then it ſignifies an univerſal liberality; Thus in Palladius Lauſiac. Hiſt. foreign. Olympias, which is there called foreign, one that communicated and miniſtred to all that wanted, and ſo diſperſed or diſſipated an immenſe wealth, foreign, ſhe aided all liberally, and foreign; where it may poſſibly ſignifie without any difference; ſo Gentianus Hervetus reads it, indiſcriminatim, to all that wanted, whatſoever they were; but it may alſo ſignifie without doubting, or wavering, and ſo cohere with the foreign (immediately precedent) diſperſing that infinite and unmeaſurable wealth which ſhe had without any doubt or wavering or demur, ariſing from worldly fear of her own want, which this liberality might cauſe, as when Chriſt commanded, Lu. 6.35. to do good and lend, foreign, deſpairing or doubting nothing, See Note on that place. And ſo though poſſibly it may ſignifie here [without making any difference in acts of mercy] which is a kind of partiality, yet it may as fitly alſo be rendred without doubting, as that is applicable to mercy and good fruit, i. e. to liberality alſo.
foreign.Chap. V. Note e. Of the underſtanding by foreign, Biſhops, Read, But becauſe &c. and becauſe foreign in the Plural, &c. and becauſe foreign— was— the title of Biſhops, and becauſe when there were ſecondary Presbyters, more then one, in every city, the ſick man cannot be thought obliged by this text to call for the whole college, or one ſick man for more then one; And laſtly, becauſe— therefore it may very reaſonably be reſolved, that the Biſhops of the Church, not the Elders of the Jewiſh Synagogue, but the Biſhops of the Chriſtian Church, Seniores Chriſtianae congregationis, as Eraſmus paraphraſeth it, the Elders, or Governors of the Chriſtian congregation, One in each particular Church, but many in the Ʋniverſal Church, and ſo alſo many in the Church of the diſperſion, to which this Epiſtle is addreſs'd, are here meant by S. James.
Ibid. Note f. Of Ʋnction, foreign.&c. on the ſick bed, Adde, The errors of the Romiſh practice in this point are very ſufficiently provided againſt by our Biſhops in the dayes of Henry the Eighth, in their book, ſet out by the King, and intituled, A neceſſary Doctrine and Erudition for any Chriſtian man, upon the head of Extreme Ʋnction.
Ibid. Note i. Of charity hiding ſins,foreign. or ſeeing few faults in others, Adde, And thus the ſaying of Pythagoras (who is thought to have had ſome knowledge of the Scriptures of the Old Teſtament) ſeems to be interpretable, foreign, A garment hides the ill proportions of the body, but good will or charity hides ſin.