In the beginning of the chapter unto verse 14, he reproves those unto whom he wrote for many sins committed against the law, the rule of their sins and obedience, or at least wameth them of them;
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and having showed the danger they were in hereby, he discovers the root and principal occasion of it, verse 14; which was no other but a vain surmise and deceiving presumption that the faith required in the gospel was nothing but a bare assent unto the doctrine of it, , whereon they were delivered from all obligation unto moral obedi- ence or good works, and might, without any danger unto their eter- nal state, live in whatever sins their lusts inclined them unto, chap, iv. 1-4, v. 1-6. The state of such persons, which contains the whole cause which he speaks unto, and which gives rule and measure unto the interpretation of all his future arguings, is laid down, verse 14, " What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" Suppose a man, any one of those who are guilty of the sins charged on them in the foregoing verses, do yet say, or boast of himself, that he hath faith; that he makes profession of the gospel ; that he hath left either Judaism or Paganism, and betaken himself to the faith of the gospel ; and there- fore, although he be destitute of good works and live in sin, he is accepted with God, and shall be saved; — will, indeed, this faith save him? This, therefore, is the question proposed, — Whereas the gospel saith plainly, that " he who believeth shall be saved," whether that faith which may and doth consist with an indulgence unto sin, and a neglect of duties of obedience, is that faith whereunto the promise of life and salvation is annexed? And thereon the inquiry proceeds, How any man, — in particular, he who says he hath faith, — may prove and evidence himself to have that faith which will secure his salva- tion? And the apostle denies that this is such a faith as can consist without works, or that any man can evidence himself to have true faith any otherwise but by works of obedience only; and in the proof hereof doth his whole ensuing discourse consist. Not once doth he propose unto consideration the means and causes of the justification of a convinced sinner before God, nor had he any occasion so to do; so that his words are openly wrested when they are applied unto any such intention.
That the faith which he intends and describes is altogether useless unto the end pretended to be attainable by it, — namely, salvation, — he proves in an instanco of, and by comparing it with, the love or charity of an alike nature, verses 15, 16, " If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, De- part in peace, be ye warmed and filled ; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" This love or charity is not that gospel grace which is required of us under that name; for he who behaveth himself thus towards the poor, tlie love of God dwelleth not in him, 1 John iii. 17. Whatever name it may have, whatever it may pretend unto, whatever it mny
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be professed or accepted for, love it is not, nor hath any of the effects of love; it is neither useful nor profitable. Hence the apostle infers, verse 1 7, " Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." For this was that which he undertook to prove ; — not that we are not justified by faith alone, without works, before God ; but that the faith which is alone, without works, is dead, useless, and unprofitable.
Having given this first evidence unto the conclusion which, " in thesi," he designed to prove, he re-assumes the question and states it " in hypothesi," so as to give it a more full demonstration, verse 18, " Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works : show me thy faith without thy works," (that is, which is without works, or by thy works,) " and I will show thee my faith by my works." It is plain, beyond denial, that the apostle doth here again propose his main question only on a supposition that there is a dead, useless faith ; which he had proved before. For now all the inquiry remaining is, how true faith, or that which is of the right gospel kind, may be showed, evidenced, or demonstrated, so as that their folly may appear who trust unto any other faith whatever ? As/foi/ /io/ rriv 'ttIstiv cov, — "Evidence or demonstrate thy faith to he true by the only means thereof, which is works." And therefore although he say, " Thou hast faith," — that is, " Thou professest and boastest that thou hast that faith whereby thou mayest be saved," — " and I have works," he doth not say, " Sliow me thy faith by thy works, and I will show thee my works by my faith," which the antithesis would require ; but, " I will show thee my faith by my works," because the whole question was concerninsf the evidencing of faith and not of works.