The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-05-27
BELIEVING
AND DOING
Sunday School Lesson for May 30, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

is dead. james 30.
TIME.-It is not known when this
epistle was written. but probably he
tween A. D. 20 and 50-not later than A
D. 62."-Hastings' Bible Dictionary
PLACE.-It was written at James
home. Jerusalem.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Three disciples named James are
found in the New Testament: l.
James the son OF Zebedee, sometimes
called the Great. He was the brother
of John, was very close to Jesus at
the crises of his life, and was the first
of the twelve to suffer martyrdom
(Acts ~: y.
2. James the son of Alphaeus. one of
the twelve apostles, probably a broth
or of Matthew. who also is called a son
of Alphaeus. He is usually Unidentified
with James the Little COR the Less,
and nothing is known of his life.
3. James the brother of our Lord,
the author of the Epistle.
Luther, mistakenly thinking that,
especially in the passage we are to
study, it opposed Paurs great doc
trine of justification by faith. once
called it "a letter of straw" hut after
ward he saw his error. The tone Of
the whole Epistle is practical, earnest
and stern in parts. Canon Maclear,
d. d. DR.. Deems called it the Gospel
of common sense" and with the
Sermon on the Mount the most valu-
able textbook on morals in possession
Of the world" Roswell ID. Hitchcock,
IL. D.. once said that the application
of the EpiStle of James in the region
Of economy is that which alone can
save our civilization, and it is re-
ported of the third earl of Balcarras
that he was accustomed to express
himself as delighted with the Epistle
of James as the production of gen
tleman. Deems. The structure of
the Epistle is altogether informal and
unsystematfc. "-Plumptre. 1t is one
of the seven Catholic Epistles. so
called because written TO the whole
church, to correct common faults and
give the comfort and inspiration
needed by all in those times of trial.
James has been speaking of those
that take credit to themselves for
hearing the law and observing the out
ward forms of religion, while at the
same time they bow down before the
rich and scorn the poor In this pas
sage he goes on to insist that all such
religion is empty, amere profession of
faith without the deeds that prove it.
Faith, as Paul defines it. "worketh
by love" Gal 5: 81. Faith, as Luther
said, is a lively, busy. active thing,
so that 1t is impossible for it not to be
ceaseiessly working good it does not
ask if good works are to be done. but
before it asks It has done them, and
is ever doing" Such faith does save
a man.
But Throughout James's discussion
the name faith is taken in a broad
and general sense covering any de-
gree of acceptance of Christian truth"
Prof. tombstone. James was writ
ing to the Jews of the dispersion"
Jas. !: -. Men dwelling as those
jews dwelt, in the midst of a heather
population, were tempted to trust for
their salvation to their descent from
Abraham compare Matt. 3: 81 and to
their maintaining the unity of the
Godhead as against the polytheism
and idOlatry of the nations. They re-
peated their creed known. from its
first Hebrew word, as the Shema)
Hear. o Israel, the Lord our God is
I Ayl' =. ~ . H.
the morning and evening services of
the synagogue. 1t was uttered by the
dying as a passport to the gates OF
paradise 1t was to this that they re-
ferred the words of Habakkuk that
the just should live by faith (Hab.
2: 4."-Cambridge Bible.
Such faith, which was merely out
ward and formal religion, did some
good. 1t preserved it's subject from
the defilements of heathenism; but in
their place it established a pride and
eXclusiveness that were almost as bad
Paul distrusted it as much as James,
and would have joined in the question.
What doth it profit"
V. 20. James closes the discussion
with fOrcible smile: AS the body
without Literally, apart FROM the
spirit is dead. so faith without ('apart
FROM works is dead also" OF our
own human wisdom we had been
rather inclined to say that works were
likest to the body, and faith to the
breath or animation thereof "-Elli-
colt. But the apostles view seems
rather to be this: Faith is the body,
the sun and substance of the Chris
tian life; works (obediencel, the NOV
ing and quickening of that body, Just
as the spirit is the moving and quick
ening principle of the natural body
Dean Afford. James does not enter
into the question which must come
first, faith or works. II is perfectly
plain that he considers both to be
necessary (see also v. pa. So does
Paul. There is no contradiction be.
tween the two. only a difference of
emphasis.
Robertson's illustration is the light.
ming and the thunder. Effective light.
ming mot harmless heat lightning) is
always accompanied by thunders, as
faith is always accompanied by works.
1t is the lightning and not the thunder
that strikes the tree. but never the
thunderless. lightning SO it is faith