St. James's argument, we shall see that he does not at all contradict St. Paul. St. James is writing to some who were disposed to abuse St. Paul's doctrine of justification by faith only ; who " said that they had faith 1," but had no works to support their claim. These he tells that their faith was dead, and no better than the faith of devils. He declares to them, that, as it would be to no purpose to profess com- passion for a fellow-creature, when at the same time we made no effort to relieve his distress ; so it is in vain to profess faith in Christ, if we shew not forth our faith by our works. Abraham and Rahab were believers ; but they evinced by their conduct, of what kind their faith was ; namely, that it was not a dead and barren, but a lively and operative, faith. And we in like manner must give, by our works, an evi- dence that our faith is genuine : for in any preten- sions which we make to a saving faith, it is by our works that we must be justified (or proved upright), and not by faith only. St. Paul, on the other hand, is arguing expressly on the subject of a sinner's jus- tification before God ; and he maintains that no man is, or can be, justified in any other way than by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Next, let us see what the most eminent saints of old found effectual for their salvation. And here the path is prepared for us by St. Paul, so that we need little more than quote his words. In the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, where he is arguing this very point, he asks, " What shall we then say, that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh, hath found {i. e. hath found effectual for his justification) ? for if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God (i. e. he has nothing whereof to glory before God). For what saith the Scripture ? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt : but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the 7ingodly, his
q Jam. ii. 14—26.