That this faith, which cannot be evidenced by works, which is not fruitful in them, but consists only in a bare assent unto the truth of divine revelation, is not the faith that doth justify or will save us, he farther proves, in that it is no other but what the devils themselves have; and no man can think or hope to be saved by that which is common unto them with devils, and wherein they do much exceed them, verse 19, " Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." The belief of one God is not the whole of what the devils believe, but is singled out as the prin- cipal, fundamental truth, and on the concession whereof an assent unto all divine revelation doth necessarily ensue. And this is the second argument whereby he proves an empty, barren faith to be dead and useless.
The second confirmation being given unto his principal assertion, he restates it in that way, and under those terms, wherein he designed it unto its last confirmation : " But wilt thou know, 0 vain man, that faith without works is dead ?" verse 20. And we may consider in the words, — First, The person with whom he deals, whose convic-
PAUL AND JAMES RECONCILED. 397
tion he endeavoured : him he calls a vain man; — not in general, as every man living is altogether vanity, but as one who in an especial manner is vainly puffed up in his own fleshly mind, — one that hath entertained vain imaginations of being saved by an empty profession of the gospel, without any fruit of obedience. Secondly, That which he designs with respect unto this vain man is his conviction, — a con- viction of that foolish and pernicious error that he had imbibed: " Wilt thou know, O vain man ? " Thirdly, That which alone he designed to convince him of is, that "faith tvithoiit ivorks is dead;" — that is, the faith which is without works, wliich is barren and unfruitful, is dead and useless. This is that alone, and this is all, that he undertakes to prove by his following instances and arguings ; neither do they prove any more. To wrest his words to any other purpose, when they are all proper and suited unto what he expresseth as his only design, is to offer violence unto them.
This, therefore, he proves by the consideration of the faith of Abraham, verse 21, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar V Some things must be observed to clear the mind of the apostle herein; as, — 1. It is certain that Abraham was justified many years before the work instanced in was performed ; for long before was that testimony given concerning him, " He believed in the LoED, and he counted it unto him for righteousness :" and the imputation of righteousness upon believing is all the justification we inquire after or will contend about. 2. It is certain that, in the relation of the story here repeated by the apoajtle, there is not any one word spoken of Abraham's being then justified before God, by that or any other work Avhatever. But, 8. It is plain and evident that, in the place related unto, Abraham was declared to he justified by an open attestation unto his faith and fear of God as sincere, and that they had evidenced themselves so to be in the sight of God himself; which God condescends to express by an assumption of human affections, Gen. xxii. 1 2, " Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me." That this is the justification which the apostle intends, cannot be denied but out of love to strife ; and this was the manifestation and declaration of the truth and sincerity of his faith whereby he was justified before God. And hereby the apostle directly and undeniably proves what he produceth this in- stance for, — namely, that " faith without works is dead." 4. It is no less evident that the apostle had not spoken any thing before as unto our justification before God, and the means thereof; and is therefore absurdly imagined here to introduce it in the proof of what he had before asserted, which it doth not prove at all. 5. The only safe nde of interpreting the meaning of the apostle, next unto
398 ON JUSTIFICATION".
the scope and design of liis present discourse, which he makes manifest in the reiterated proposition of it, is the scope of the places, [and the] matter of fact, with its circumstances, which he refers unto and takes his proof from. And they were plainly these, and no other : — Abra- ham had been long a justified believer; for there were thirty years, or thereabout, between the testimony given thereunto, Gen. xv., and the story of sacrificing his son, related Gen. xxii. All this Avhile he walked with God, and was upright in a course of holy, fruitful obe- dience ; yet it pleased God to put his faith, after many others, unto a new, his greatest, his last trial. And it is the way of God, in the covenant of grace, to try the faith of them that believe, by such ways as seem meet unto him. Hereby he manifests how precious it is (the trial of faith making it appear to be " more precious than gold," 1 Pet. i. 7), and raiseth up glory unto himself; which is in the nature of faith to give unto him, Rom. iv. 20. And this is the state of the case as proposed by the apostle, — namely, how it may be tried whether the faith which men profess be genuine, precious, " more precious than gold," of the right nature with that whereunto the gospel pro- mise of salvation is annexed. Secondly, This trial was made by woi'ks, or by one signal duty of obedience prescribed unto him for that very end and purpose; for Abraham was to be proposed as a pattern unto all that should afterward believe. And God provided a signal way for the trial of his faith, — namely, by an act of obedience, which was so far from being enjoined by the moral law, that it seemed contrary unto it. And if he be proposed unto us as a pattern of justification by works in the sight of God, it must be by such works as God hath not required in the moral law, but such as seem to be contrary there- unto. Nor can any man receive any encouragement to expect justi- fication by works, by telling him that Abraham was justified by works, when he offered up his only son to God ; for it will be easy for him to say, that as no such work was ever performed by him, so none such was ever required of him. But, Thirdly, Upon Abraham's com- pliance with the command of God, given him in the way of trial, God himself av&po-xo'Trot.dug declares the sincerity of his faith and his justi- fication thereon, or his gi'acious acceptance of him. This is the whole design of the place which the apostle traduceth imto his purpose ; and it contains the whole of what he was to prove, and no more. Plainly it is granted in it that we are not justified by our works before God, seeing he instances only in a work joerformed by a justified believer many years after he was absolutely justified before God. But this is evidently proved hereby, — namely, that "faith without works is dead ;" seeing justifying faith, as is evident in the case of Abraham, is that, and that alone, which brings forth works of obedience : for on such a faith alone is a man evidenced, declared, and pronounced to be justi-