Annotations upon the Holy Bible — Volume 2 — Section 1929

Mercy to Gods People, as her receiving the Spies in Peace was Thi therefore helps not a little to reconcile the difference between th fe two Apoſtles. Paul deals with thoſe that magnified Works too maker , it they were juſtified by them,and ſlighted Faith and Grace:and thiere- tore tho he frequently ſhews the neceifity aMi uſefulneſs of good Works unto Salvation,and prefleth Men every where to the Praftice of them. yet he proves,that they have no Intereſt in the Juſtification of a Sin- ner before God's Tribunal, which he afferts to be wholly and ſolely of Grace, and by Faith. But James, in dealing with looſe Chriſtians who magnified Faith,and ſhghted good Works,not only as having no Influence on Juſtification, but as not neceſſary at all to Salvation : he takes upon him to maintain good Works, not as neceſfary to Juſtifica- tion, but as the Effe&s, Signs, and Evidences of it,and ſuch as with- out which their Faith was vain, and themſelves ina an unjuſtified ſtate. 2ly. Paul and Fames take Faith in different ſenſes ; Pau! {peaks of a true, lively Faith, which purifies the Heart, and works by loyc Gal. 5. 6. Whereas James ſpeaks of a Profeſſion, or Prefumption of Faith, barren and deſtitute of good Fruits,tuch a Faith as is dead v. 17. ſuchas the Devils may have, v. 19. which is but Hiſtorical.and conſiſts only in a Belief of God's Being, not a conſent to his Offer,or relying on his Promiſes, What Contradiction then is there here be- tween theſe two Apoſtles, if Paul aflert Jultification to be by Faith viz, a lively, working Faith, and 7ames deny it to be by baith, viz. an idle, unaQtive, barren Faith, and which hath only the Name, but not the Nature of that Grace,and is rather the Image of Faith than Faith it ſelf? 3ly. But becauſe James not only denies Juſtification to the Faith he ſpeaks of, but aſcribes it to Work in this Verſe ; therefore it 15 to be conſidered, that Juſtification is taken one way by him and another by Paul:Paul takes it for the Abſolution,and Acceptation of a Sinner at God's Bar, by the Imputation of Chriſt's Righteouſneſs, which is the primary and proper Notion of Juſtification ; but James takes it for the Manifeſtation and Declaration of that Juſtification - and the Word 1s taken in the like ſenſe in other Scriptures, Luke 7. 29. the People juſtzfied God, 3. e. owned and declared his Righteouf- neſs by Conteſfion of their Sins,and Submiſfion to John's Baptiſm; and v.- 35. Wiſdomis juſtified, i. e. declared to be juſt and right; Rom, 3. 4+ juſtified in thy Sayings, i. e. acknowledged and declared to be true in thy Word. And what 1s Chriſt's being juſtified in the Spirit, 1 Tim, 3- 16. but his being declared to be the Son of God ? Rom. 1. 4. And that James takes Juſtification in this ſenſe, appears, 1. by the Hiſtory of Abraham here mentioned : he. was (as hath been ſaid) juſtified by Faith long before his offering up his Son, Gen. 15. but here is ſaid to be juſtified, 7, e. declared and proved to be ſo by this Teftino- ny which he gave to the Truth of his Faith, and conſequently to his Juſtification by it; and the Lord therefore tells him, Gen. 22, 12, Now I know that thou feareſt me, &c. q. d. by this Obedience thou haſt abundantly ſhewed the Sincerity of thy Graces. 2. Becauſe if James doth not here ſpeak of Abraham's being juſtified declaratively, how can it be true which he ſpeaks, v. 23. that the Scripture was ſul- filled (in his ſacrificing his Son) which faith, he believed God, and it was imputed to him for Righteouſneſs ? For if James intends Juſtifica- tion 1n the proper ſenſe,how was Abraham's being Juſtified by Works, a fulfilling of theScripture, which aſſerts him to be juſtified by Faith? Here therefore again there is no Contradition between theſe 4- poſtles. For it 1s true, that Abraham was juſtified, j. e. accepted of God,and abſolved from Guilt, by Faith only : And it is as true, that he was Juſtified, 7. e. manifeſted and declared to be a Believer, and a juſtified Perſon by his Works. 4ly. Laſtly, we may diſtinguiſh of the Perſon that is faid to be juſtified, either he is a Sinner, in the ſtate of Nature; ora Believer in a ſtate of Grace ; whence ariſeth the two-fold Juſtification here mentioned. The Juſtification of a Sinner in the Remiffion of his Sins through the Imputation of Chriſt's Righ- teouſneſs, and acquitting him from the Condemnation of the Law, is the Juſtification properly ſo called,and which Paul ſpeaks ſo much of, and this 1s by Faith only. The Juſtification of a Believer, is his Abſolution from Condemnation by the Goſpel, and the charge of Infidelity, or Hypocrifie, and is no other, than that declarative Juſti- fication Fames ſpeaks of, or an aſſerting, and clearing up the ruth and reality of the former Juſtification, which is done by good Works, as the Signs and Fruits of the Faith, by which that tormes is obtained ; and this is but improperly called Juſtification. The former is an Abſolution from the general Charge of Sin, this from the ſpecial charge of Hypocrifie,or Infidelity. A Sinner's great fear (when firſt awakened to a ſenſe of his Sin and Miſery) is of an Þoly Law, and a righteous Judge ready to condemn him for the Viclati- on of that Law; and ſo his firſt Buſineſs is to look to Chriſt by Faith for Righteouſneſs, and Remiſfion of Sin. But when he is juftitied by that Righteouſneſs, Men may charge him with Hypocrifie, or Unbc- lief; and ſo may the Devil and Conſcience too, when Faith is weak, or a Temptation ſtrong ; and therefore his next Work is to clear himſelf of this Imputation, and to evidence the truth and reality of his Faith and Juſtification in God's fight, which muſt be done by producing his Obedience and good Works, as the Indications of his Faith; and hereby he proves, that he hath indeed cloſed with the Promiſe of the Goſpel, and fo is clear of the Charge of not begieving it, which was falſe ; as well as (by Conſequence) is juſtified from the Charge of Sin againſt the Law, which was true. To conclude,there- fore, here is no oppoſition between Paul and James. Paul ſpeaks of Abraham's being juſtified asa Sinner, and properlv, and fo by Faith only : Zames Tpeaks of his being juſtified as a Believer, improperly, and ſo by Works; by which not his Perſon was juſtified, but rather his Faith declared to be juſtifying; nor he conſtituted righteous, but approved as righteous. In a Word, what God hath joyned, muſt not be divided ; and what he hath divided, muſt not be joyned. He hath ſeparated - Faith and Works in the Buſineſs of Juſtification, and therefore we muſt not joyn them in it, as Paul diſputes ; and he hath jovned them in the. Lives of juſtified Per- ſons, and there we muſt not ſeparate them; as Fs teaches. Paul aflures us, they have not a co-efficiency in Juſtification it {e!f ; and 7ames aſſures us, they may, and ought to have a co-exiſtence in them that are juſtified. If the Reader defire further S4- tisfaction yet, let him conſult Turrerine de Concordia Pauli & a- cobi, where he may find much more to the ſame purpoſe, as hath