James 5:14.— In the first age of Christianity, the miraculous gifts of the Spirit were very common: it appears too, that when the Christians behaved very unbecoming their character and profession, God sent down some diseases upon them, as a punishment for those particular sins. Such of them as laboured under sickness or other bodily disorders on that account, are here advised to send for the elders of the Christian church, who had generally the power of miraculously healing diseases; that upon the repentance of the sick person, and the inspired prayer of the elders, such diseases might be cured, as one proof that the sins which had occasioned them were remitted.
Is any sick? &c.— The word 'Ασθενεν does not always signify "to labour under a mortal disease," though it appears to do so in this place; for it seems to be supposed of the sick person, concerning whom the apostle is here speaking, that he would have died of that particular disorder, unless his death had been prevented by a miraculous cure. Who the elders were, see on 1 Timothy 5:17. Let them pray over him, says the apostle, having anointed him with oil. In the former part of this direction there seems to be an allusion to the laying on of hands, which was used sometimes in the working of miraculous cures, according to our Lord's order, Mark 16:18. The elders were first to anoint the sick person with oil, and afterwards to lay their hands upon him, and pray for his miraculous cure and recovery. When our Lord first sent out his apostles, we find that they anointed with oil many sick persons, and healed them, Mark 6:13. At other times, those who worked miracles, laid their hands on the persons whom they cured. Acts 9:17. And together with laying on of hands they joined prayer. Acts 28:8. And finally, at other times, they used no external rites, but only spake some words in prayer and otherwise. The anointing with oil,—the laying on of hands,—the making their shadow pass over, and the like, were none of them the causes or means of the cure, but only the external signs, to denote that the miracle was performed in testimony of their mission and doctrine. For the same reason our Lord put his finger into the ears of a deaf man, whom he miraculously cured; and touched the tongue of one that was dumb, when he gave him the power of speech; and put clay on the eyes of one that was blind, when he restored him to his sight. These were none of them causes of the cures, but signs and intimations of Jesus's doing them; and that they were not casual things, or done in the common course of Providence; but by an extraordinary and miraculous power, and as clear attestations to the divine mission and doctrine of him who did them.
It may with propriety be observed upon the passage before us, that one of the greatest abuses of the Christian doctrine has arisen from applying what was peculiar to some persons and cases, to all Christians in general. What though many or most of the things in this epistle be applicable to us, or other Christians in later ages,—will it thence follow, that every thing ought to be so applied? In the same gospel, or epistle, nay, sometimes in the same chapter, we find some rules and directions peculiar to the persons who could work miracles, and others common to all Christians: we ought therefore always to use our reason in interpreting Scripture, and from the nature of the thing determine which are peculiar directions, and which are general rules, and standing precepts. We may, indeed, from the abundance of passages in the New Testament which speak of the miraculous gifts, gather the many and clear evidences which must have attended the first planting of the Christian religion; and thence, as from a thousand other sources, we may very justly conclude, that our religion is true and divine: but we ought not to regard any thing as a rule and direction for us to observe, unless it agree to our circumstances, as well as to the circumstances of the persons to whom it was first and more immediately addressed. This general observation is applicable to many points in divinity; but is made at present with a view to the case before us, and because the church of Rome has represented this anointing of persons with oil in the name of the Lord, as a standing ordinance in the Christian church, which they have termed "The sacrament of extreme unction," and which they would support from the words of the apostle in this text. But they have misapplied the apostle's direction more ways than one: for, first, according to St.
James, the sick person was to be anointed in prospect of a cure; whereas they anoint persons in the agonies of death, and when there is no prospect of their recovery. Secondly, The anointing which the apostle here speaks of, was in order to a miraculous cure of some great bodily disorder; whereas they pretend that they do it to cleanse the soul of the dying person from the remainders of sin, and to remove what would obstruct its passage into heaven. Thirdly, The anointing with oil was not constantly used in working miraculous cures upon sick persons; whereas they are for applying their extreme unction to all Christians in their last moments.