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The spring of it, mercy; the meritorious cause, the merits and atonement of Christ; the condi<tion of it, faith on our part.'*-The pages, which are passed over, without remark, must be supposed, either as approved, or not liable to any material objection, in the opinion of the Author of these Remarks: and yet, not so important in the argument, as to render it proper to quote them.

P. cxvii. Note. Simon Magus's opinion concerning justification, as mentioned by Irenæus, will be considered, in the remarks on the sixth chapter.

. P. cxviii. Note 1. Many of the ancients, and among them Augustine, think that the Epistle of 'James, and the First of John, and that of Jude, and 'that which is called the Second of Peter, were written ' against those, who, corruptly interpreting Paul's epistles, said that faith without good works was sufficient 'for salvation.'t There can be no doubt, but many things in these epistles were written against the sentiments here mentioned; whether the persons, who held them, inferred them from a perverse interpretation of St. Paul's epistles, or not. It is the settled judgment of nearly all, if not quite all, the evangelical clergy, that such a faith, as is without good works, is wholly insufficient for salvation; and that no faith justifies, which does not evidence itself living and genuine by good works; as 'certainly as a tree is known by its fruits.' Our views of justification by faith alone, do not lead us to suppose that an unproductive, inefficient, dead faith will justify any man; or that any one will eventually be saved, who does not perform good works, according to the time and opportunities allotted him, after having believed in Christ; but merely that these good works do

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not combine with faith, in his justification. And here in general, his Lordship coincides with us.

P. cxviii. 1. 8. 'St. James, &c.'* Is there any ground in Scripture, for the marked distinction between ceremonial works, and works of moral obedience, as to this grand question, How shall men be justified before God? Abraham's justification preceded the giving of the ceremonial law, and even the appointment of circumcision: yet he was not justified by works, in any degree; but by faith exclusively. What his Lordship has before stated,† forbids the idea, of his maintaining, that we can, either in whole or in part, be justified before God, by obeying the moral law, unless through life we obey it perfectly: ' a single transgression would destroy the right of jus'tification, and in many things we offend all.' Hath God indeed given any law to man, by his obedience to which he may be justified? "If there had been a law given, which could have given life, verily righteous"ness should have been by the law. But the Scripture

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'St. James uses the word faith, not in the sense in which it was used by 'St. Paul when speaking of justification, but in the sense in which it was used by those whose opinions he is combating, namely, bare belief, without pro'ducing inward purity or practical obedience: this is evident by his attribut'ing the faith, of which he is speaking, to devils. By works, he means not 'the ceremonial works of the Mosaick law, which were rejected by St. Paul, 'but works of benevolence and conformity to the will of God, as appears from the illustration of " a brother or sister who is naked snd destitute of daily food," and from the examples of Abraham and Rahab,§ who gave proof of their faith by their actions. And by the word justify he does not * mean, as St. Paul did, justification or remission of past sins at the time of ⚫ admission into the Christian covenant, but the continuance in a state of justification, which would be followed by salvation; and here again he conforms himself to the language of those whose error he is refuting. In reasoning upon this point, he asks, “Can faith save him?" "Implying, that the

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faith spoken of is insufficient for salvation.'

† P. 111, 112, Refutation.

#Jam. ii. 15, 16.

§ Jam. ii. 21 and 25.

Jaro. ii. 14.

"hath concluded* all under sin, that the promise that is "by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that "believe." The ceremonial law was beyond doubt principally concerned in the disputations excited by the Judaizing teachers; which, apart from the question concerning justification, with which they were closely connected, involved another question, of great importance at that time; viz. Whether the Gentile converts were bound to become Jews, (as well as christians,) by re. ceiving circumcision, and obeying the ritual law of Moses: and whether the Jewish converts were still bound to observe the legal ceremonies.-The instances of Abraham and Rahab, who gave proof of their faith 'by their actions,' and who were not under the cere monial law, shows, that works of moral obedience were, indeed, exclusively intended by St. James: but it by no means follows that works of ceremonial obedience were exclusively meant by St. Paul.

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P. cxix. 1. 17. But if, &c.'t Would "dead faith," 'bare belief, without producing inward purity, or prac. 'tical obedience, the faith of devils,' bring a person into a state of justification? His Lordship has repeatedly marked the difference between true living faith, and this worthless assent to the truth; and has ascribed justification to the former exclusively. Yet here, by some inadvertency, it is supposed, that a man is brought

Evrenser. Shut up together as close prisoners. Luke v. 6. Rom. xi. 32. Gal. iii. 23. Gr. † Gal. iii. 21, 23.

'But if it be insufficient for salvation in the world to come, it is insuffi. cient to keep a person in a state of justification in this world; and accordingly "the apostle soon after says, "By works a man is justified, and not by faith "only;"¶ "that is, faith only will not preserve a man in a justified state; it 'must be accompanied by works, for "Faith without works is dead." It ' is evident that the faith here spoken of may exist without works; and in that 'case it is of no avail to salvation."

§ P. 103-105, Refutation.

¶ Jam. ii. 24.

into a state of justification by a dead faith, which, how. ever, is insufficient to keep him in that state. Dead faith can only be accompanied by formal and dead works: and will this dead faith and these dead works, combined, either justify a man, or preserve him in a justified state?'-Would James have conceded, that the faith, which he had spoken of as vain, was sufficient to bring a man into a justified state? and that the vain men, of whom he speaks, were once justified believers? Or, is it supposed, that living faith, having justified the possessor, expires, or degenerates into dead faith?' As continuance, and preservation in a justified state, are not mentioned by the apostle, we may conclude, that he did not intend to convey that sentiment. "Because of "unbelief, they were broken off, and thou standest by "faith."*"For by faith ye stand." "Who are kept

by the power of God through faith unto salvation." St. Paul evidently meant, that faith alone formed a sinner's relation to Christ, and so, through his righteousness and atonement, justified him before God: but this justifying faith is living and operative, works by love, and produces the fruits of holy obedience: and St. James evidently meant, that no faith, which was not productive of good works justified a man before God, being dead and worthless. There is therefore a sound sense, in which a man may be said "to be justified by "works, and not by faith only." His works must show, that his faith is living; and justify him, as a professed servant of God, from every change or suspicion of hypocrisy: and they will be adduced as evidence of his having been a true believer, at the day of judgment. St. James, however, does not say, that a man is justified before God by works; and probably he meant, evi.

• Rom. xi. 20.

† 2 Cor. i. 24.

# 1 Pet. i. 5.

dentially before the church and the world. But St. Paul and St. James are perfectly agreed, that nothing "availeth in Christ Jesus," (or for justification,) "but "faith which worketh by love."*

"If

P. cxx. 1. 2. St. Paul, &c.'t This can only mean,. that the two words justify, and works, without some addition, do not occur in the same sentence, in St. Paul's writings: and yet even this is not quite correct. "Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof "to glory." Here works are excluded from justifying Abraham; and ceremonial works, or works of the law, could not be intended. The same is manifestly shown, though not in exactly the same words, in many other places. "By grace are ye saved, through faith, " and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not " of works, lest any man should boast; for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good "works, which God hath before ordained, that we "should walk in them." Here works, of every kind, are excluded from having saved us; and a new creation unto good works is considered as a part of our salvation. Works in general must then be excluded from any share in our justification." Who hath saved us, and "called us with an holy calling, not according to our "works, but according to his own purpose and grace.Ӧ "Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, "but according to his mercy he saved us."--" That

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Gal, v. 6.

Whenever St. Paul, in speaking of justification, uses the word works or deeds, he invariably adds "of the law;" he frequently says, "a man is "not justified by the works of the law," but not once does he say, a man is ⚫ not justified by works: so scrupulous is he upon this point, that he repeats ⚫ the expression," works of the law," three times in one verse. The works, ⚫ therefore, which he rejects from any share in justification, are the cere 'monial works of the law, for which the Judaizing Christians contended ' T2 Tim. i. 9.

Rom. iv. 2.

VOL. I.

§ Eph. ii. 8-10.
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