It is true, the doctrine of our free justification by faith in CHRIST JESUS, like other gospel truths, may and will be abused by men of corrupt minds, reprobates concerning the faith; but they who receive the truth of GOD in the love of it, will always be shewing their faith by their works. For this reason, St. _Paul_, after he had told the _Ephesians_, “By grace they were saved through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast,” immediately adds, “For we are his workmanship, created in CHRIST JESUS unto good works.” And in his epistle to _Titus_, having given him directions to tell the people they were justified by grace, directly subjoins, chapter iii. verse 8. “I will that you affirm constantly, that they who have believed in GOD might be careful to maintain good works.” Agreeable to this, we are told in our Twelfth Article, “That albeit good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of GOD’s judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to GOD in CHRIST; and do spring necessarily out of a true and lively faith, insomuch, that a lively faith may be as evidently known by them, as a tree discerned by the fruit.”
What would I give, that this Article was duly understood and preached by all that have subscribed to it! The ark of the LORD would not then be driven into the wilderness, nor would so many persons dissent from the Church of _England_. For I am fully persuaded, that it is not so much on account of rites and ceremonies, as our not preaching the truth as it is in JESUS, that so many have been obliged to go and seek for food elsewhere. Did not we fall from our established doctrines, few, comparatively speaking, would fall from the Established Church. Where CHRIST is preached, though it be in a church or on a common, dissenters of all denominations have, and do most freely come. But if our clergy will preach only the law, and not shew the way of salvation by faith in CHRIST JESUS, the charge of schism at the day of judgment, I fear, will chiefly lye at their door. The true sheep of CHRIST know the voice of CHRIST’s true shepherds, and strangers they will not hear.
Observe, my dear brethren, the words of the Article, “Good works are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification.” How then can they precede, or be any way the cause of it? Our persons must be justified, before our performances can be accepted. GOD had respect to _Abel_ before he had respect to his offering: and therefore the righteousness of JESUS CHRIST must be freely imputed to, and apprehended by us through faith, before we can offer an acceptable sacrifice to GOD: for out of CHRIST, as I hinted before, GOD is a consuming fire: and whatsoever is not of faith in CHRIST, is sin.
That people mistake the doctrine of free justification, I believe, is partly owing to their not rightly considering the different persons to whom St. _Paul_ and St. _James_ wrote in their epistles; as also the different kind of justification each of them writes about. The former asserts in line upon line, argument upon argument, “That we are justified by faith alone:” The latter put this question, “Was not _Abraham_ justified by works?” From whence many, not considering the different views of these holy men, and the different persons they wrote to, have blended and joined faith and works, in order to justify us in the sight of GOD. But this is a capital mistake; for St. _Paul_ was writing to the _Jewish_ proselytes, who sought righteousness by the works, not of the ceremonial only, but of the moral law. In contradistinction to that, he tells them, they were to look for justification in GOD’s sight, only by the perfect righteousness of JESUS CHRIST apprehended by faith. St. _James_ had a different set of people to deal with; such who abused the doctrines of free justification, and thought they should be saved (as numbers among us do now) upon their barely professing to believe on JESUS CHRIST. These the holy Apostle endeavours wisely to convince, that such a faith was only a dead and false faith; and therefore, it behoved all who would be blessed with faithful _Abraham_, to shew forth their faith by their works, as he did: “For was not _Abraham_ justified by works?” Did he not prove that his faith was a true justifying faith, by its being productive of good works? From whence it is plain, that St. _James_ is talking of a declarative justification before men; shew me, demonstrate, evidence to me, that thou hast a true faith, by thy works: Whereas, St. _Paul_ is talking only of our being justified in the sight of GOD; and thus he proves, that _Abraham_, as we also are to be, was justified before ever the moral or ceremonial law was given to the _Jews_: for it is written, “_Abraham_ believed in the LORD, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”