Q. What ansiuer, then, would you give to a man ivho, ivrestmg the words of Paul in certain places of his Epistles to the Romans and Oalatians, should hear you in hand that all good luorks ivhatever are excluded from justification and salvation, and that it is enough onhj to believe?
A. James ii. 20-2G.
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Ans. 1. He that shall exclude good works from salvation, so as not to be the way and means appointed of God wherein we ought to walk who seek and expect salvation from God, and affirm that it is enough to believe, though a man bring forth no fruits of faith or good works, if he pretend to be of that persuasion on the account of any thing delivered by Paul in the Epistles to the Komans or Gala- tians, doth wrest the words and sense of Paul, and is well confuted by that passage mentioned out of James.
But he that, excluding all works from justification in the sense declared, and affirming that it is by faith only without works, affirms that the truth and sincerity of that faith, with its efficacy in its own kind for our justification, is evinced by works, and the man's accepta- tion with God thereon justified by them, doth not wrest the words nor sense of Paul, and speaks to the intendment of James.
2. Paul instructs us at large how sinners come to be justified be- fore God ; and this is his professed design in his Epistles to the Romans and Galatians. James, professedly exhorting believers to good works, demands of them how they will acquit themselves before God and man to be justified, and affirms that this cannot be done but by works. Paul tells us what justification is; James describes justify- ing faith by its effects. But of this also elsewhere. To all this he subjoins: —
Q. I would knoiv of you who is a just or righteous man? Is it not such a one as apprehendeth and applieth Christ's righteousness to himself, or at most desires to do righteously ? Is not he accepted of God ?
A. 1 John iii. 7-10, ii. 29; Acts x. 34, 35; Ezek. xviil. 5-9.
Ans. 1. He to whom " God imputeth righteousness " is righteous. This he doth " to him who worketh not, but believeth on him who justifieth the ungodly,"' Rom. iv. 5-7. There is, then, a righteousness without the works of the law, Phil. iii. 9. To " apprehend and apply Christ's righteousness to ourselves " are expressions of believing unto justification which the Scripture will warrant, John i. 12; 1 Cor. i. 30. He that believeth so as to have Christ made righteousness to him, to have righteousness imputed to him, to be freely justified by the redemption that is in the blood of Jesus, he is just. And this state and condition, as was said, is obtained by applying the righteousness of Christ to ourselves, — that is, by receiving him and his righteous- ness by faith, as tendered unto us in the offer and promises of the gospel.
Of " desiring to do righteously," and what is intended by that ex- pression, I have spoken before. But, —
2. There is a twofold righteousness, — a righteousness imputed, whereby we are justified, and a righteousness inherent, whereby we are sanctified. These Mr B. would oppose, and from the assertion of the one argue to the destruction of the other, though they sweetly
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and eminently comply in our communion with God. The other right- eousness was before evinced. Even our sanctification also is called our righteousness, and we are said to be just in that respect : —
(1.) Because our faith and interest in Christ are justified thereby to be true, and such as will abide the fiery trial.
(2.) Because all the acts of it are fruits of righteousness, Rom. vi. 19-22.
(3.) Because it stands in opposition to all unrighteousness, and he that doth not bring forth the fruit of it is unrighteous.
(4.) With men, and before them, it is all our righteousness. And of this do the places mentioned by Mr B. treat, without the least con- tradiction or colour of it to the imputed righteousness of Christ, wherewith we are righteous before God.
The intendment of the last query in this chapter is to prove the apostasy of saints, or that true believers may fall away totally and finally from grace. I supjDose it will not be expected of me that I should enter here into a particular consideration of the places by him produced, having lately at large gone through the consideration of the whole doctrine opposed,^ wherein not only the texts here quoted by Mr B., but many others, set off by the management of an able head and dexterous hand, are at large considered ; thither therefore I refer the reader.
It might perhaps have been expected, that having insisted so largely as I have done upon some other heads of the doctrine of the gospel corrupted by Mr B. and his companions, I should not thus briefly have passed over this important article of faith, concern- ing justification; but besides my weariness of the work before me, I have for a defensative farther to plead, 1. That this doctrine is of late become the subject of very many polemical discourses, to what ad- vantage of truth time will show, and I am not willing to add oil to that fire. 2. That if the Lord will, and I live, I intend to do some- thing purposely for the vindication and clearing of the whole doc- trine itself, and therefore am not willing occasionally to anticipate here what must in another order and method be insisted on; to which, for a close, I add a desire, that if any be willing to contend with me about this matter, he would forbear exceptions against these extemporary animadversions until the whole of my thoughts lie be- fore him, unless he be of the jDersons principally concerned in this whole discourse, of whom I have no reason to desire that respect or candour.