Effay VI. from the believer without injuftice. And therefore, if it is bestowed on him, it is bestowed as a favour.-4. That the counting of faith for righteousness, is an implied promise of pardon as well as of reward; but both by the free gift of God; the faith and imperfect obedience of the believer, meriting neither the one nor the other of these bleffings.

But although the apoftle hath exprefsly declared, that by works of law, no flesh shall be justified meritoriously in the fight of God: Alfo, although he hath excluded faith, and the good works proceeding from faith, from having any meritorious influence in procuring for believers juftification from God, it is to be carefully obferved, that he hath no where said, that believers are justified by faith alone. On the contrary, he hath, in this fame discourse, expressly afferted, that good works are neceffary, even to a gratuitous justification. For having affirmed, Rom. iii. 28. That man is juftified by faith without works of law, to fhew us, that by works of law, he means a perfect obedience to law; alfo, to prevent us from fufpecting that by this doctrine, he represents good works, as not neceffary to a gratuitous juftification by faith, he adds, ver. 31. Do we then make law ufelefs through the faith? Do we make obedience to the law of God useless, through the doctrine of justification by faith? By no means. For we establish law; we establish its obligation as a rule of life, to those who are gratuitously justified by faith. I afk, could the apostle with truth have said, that he established law, by teaching that men are justified by faith without works of law, if by works of law, he had meant, thofe good works which men perform from a principle of faith? This I think no one will affirm. Whereas, if by works of law, he meant an unfinning obedience to the law of God, by teaching that men are justified by faith without fuch works, he strongly enforced the obligation of the law of God as a rule of life, to believers as well as to others. For of all the motives which can be proposed to induce finners to forfake their fins, and to follow holinefs to the utmost of their power, the most effectual is, to affure them, that an unfinning obedience is not required in order to their justifi'cation, (for if that were the cafe, who could be faved?) but that God is graciously pleased, for the fake of Chrift, to grant par

don

don and eternal life to every one who believeth on him, and fincerely obeys him. Pfal. cxxx. 4. There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be feared.

Such is the apostle Paul's doctrine concerning justification. In the following fection, we will examine the doctrine of the apostle James on the same subject, and compare it with Paul's; that we may judge whether the two apoftles contradict each other in this important article, as many have erroneously fuppofed.

SECT. II. Of the Doctrine of Juftification, as explained by the

Apostle James.

James hath treated of juftification in the second chapter of his epistle, ver. 20. Wouldst thou know O false man, that faith without works is dead? 21. Was not Abraham our father juftified by works, when he had lifted up Isaac his fon upon the altar? 22. Thou feeft that faith co-operated with his works, and by works his faith was perfected. 23. And so that scripture was confirmed, which faith, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness : And he was called the friend of God. 24. Ye fee therefore, that by works a man is juftified, and not by faith only. 25. And in like manner also, was not Rahab the harlot juftified by works, having fecretly received the messengers, and having fent them away by another road? 26. For as the body without the spirit is dead, fo also faith without works is dead.

In this account of juftification, James is thought to have contradicted Paul; and to reconcile them, a variety of solutions have been propofed, most of which lead to very dangerous confequences. But, as fhall be fhewed immediately, the doctrine of the two apoftles is the fame: And the fuppofition that they have contradicted each other, is founded on a misapprehenfion of what they have written on the fubject, as will appear from what follows.

1. Although James hath said, that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only; he hath no where faid, in contradiction to Paul, that by works of law, a man is justified.-2. In like manner, although Paul hath faid, We conclude that by faith man is juftified, and not by works of law, he hath no where faid, in con

tradiction to James, that man is juftified by faith only. He hath denied, indeed, that Abraham was juftified by works; but, as was fhewed, page 47, it is plain from the scope of his reasoning, that the works of which he speaks, are not works proceeding from faith, but works of law; that is, a perfect performance of the works enjoined by law. These Paul excluded from the justification of Abraham, not because they would not have justified him if he had performed them, but because it was not in his power to perform them.-3. The juftification by works, of which James fpeaks, is not a meritorious juftification by works of law, but a free grace juftification by works proceeding from faith, chap. ii. 22. Thou feeft that faith co-operated with his works, and by works his faith was perfected. This kind of works, Paul is fo far from excluding from his idea of juftification, that he exprefsly declares them to be abfolutely neceffary to it. For, having observed that men are justified by faith, Gal. v. 5. We through the spirit look for the hope of righteousness by faith; to prevent us from imagining, that he is speaking of faith disjoined from good works, he immediately adds, ver. 6. For in Chrift Jefus, neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but faith strongly working by love. To the fame purpose, Gal. vi. 15. In Christ Jefus neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but a new creature. Now, can any one be a new creature, without forfaking his fins, and leading a holy life? Paul's defcription of a new creature determines this question, 2 Cor. v. 17. If any man be in Chrift Jefus he is a new creature: Old things are paffed away; behold all things are become new.— Wherefore, as the two apoftles do not speak of the fame kind of justification, nor of the fame kind of works, their doctrine rightly understood, hath not even the appearance of contradiction. To make their doctrine really contradictory, Paul's works of law muft mean evangelical works, or good works proceeding from faith, contrary to the propriety of the expreffion, and to the fcope of the apostle's argument, as was fhewed, page 47.

Farther, that the two apostles have not contradicted each other in their doctrine concerning juftification, may be prefumed from this circumftance, that both of them have founded their doctrine on the justification of Abraham. Thus Paul, Rom. iv. 2. If Abraham were juftified by works he might boaft; but not before

fore God. 3. For what faith the fcripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. In like manner, James ii. 21. Was not Abraham our father juftified by works, when he lifted up Ifaac his fon on the altar? Now, as it is not to be fuppofed, that the two apostles have builded a contradictory doctrine on the fame foundation, the prefumption is, that their doctrine is the fame.

However, not to reft the matter on a prefumption, the agreement of the two apoftles in this great article of the Chriftian faith, will appear, if the doctrine of each is more narrowly exa-mined. James, by telling us, that Abraham was juftified by works, when he had lifted up Ifaac on the altar, evidently alludes to what God faid to him, Gen. xxii. 16. By myself have I fworn, faith the Lord, for becaufe thou hast done this thing, and haft not withheld thy son, thine only fon, 17. That in blessing I will bless thee. This promise to blefs Abraham, which God fo folemnly confirmed with an oath, James, with as much truth, hath termed God's justifying Abraham, as Paul hath given that appellation to God's counting his faith to him for righteousness. For, in fact, God's promise to bless Abraham, was the fame with his promise to count his faith to him for righteousness, as is plain from Paul's calling the counting of faith for righteousness, the blessing of Abraham, Gal. iii. 14. See this proved more fully, Eff. V. fect. 1. p. 10. Wherefore, when God faid to Abraham, In blessing I will bless thee, feeing he promised to bestow on him the bleffing of righteousness counted to him; Alfo feeing God declared, that he would fo blefs him, because he had not withheld his fon, his only fon, from him, it is evident, that if justification confifteth in having righteousness counted to one, Abraham was as really juftified by the work of offering up Ifaac, as by his believing in the Lord, that his feed fhould be numerous as the ftars of the heaven.

That Abraham was juftified by the work of lifting up Ifaac on the altar, Paul also hath acknowledged in his epiftle to the Hebrews, chap. vi. 13. When God made promise to Abraham, feeing he could fwear by no one greater, he fware by himself, saying, Surely bleffing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. That this was the promise which God made to Abraham, when he had offered up Ifaac, is evident from the oath with which it

was confirmed.

For on no other occafion did God confirm any promise to Abraham with an oath. And that Paul understood this to be a promise to justify Abraham, is equally evident from his obferving, that God confirmed his promife with an oath, to the end that the heirs might have strong confolation from it, ver. 17. God willing more abundantly to fhew to the heirs of promise the immutability of his purpose, confirmed his promise to bless Abraham with an oath that by two immutable things in which it was impoffible for God to lie, we might have strong confolation who have fled away to lay hold on the hope fet before us. 18. Which we have as an anchor of the foul. But what confolation could the heirs derive from God's promise to bless and multiply Abraham, if the blesfing promised to him was not the bleffing of juftification? and of his having a numerous feed by faith? And what hope was fet before the heirs to lay hold on as an anchor of the soul, unlefs it was the hope of pardon and eternal life, which was given to Abraham and to his feed, in God's promise to bless and multiply him? Since, therefore, Paul knew that the blessing which God promised to Abraham after he had offered up Ifaac, was the bleffing of juftification; alfo fince he knew that God exprefsly declared he would beftow that bleffing on him, because he had not withheld his only fon, by appealing to that tranfaction, as giving the heirs of promise strong confolation, Paul hath affirmed as exprefsly as James, that Abraham was justified by the work of offering up Ifaac. Confequently, for any one to fay, or even to think, that Abraham was not justified by that work, is to contradict Paul as well as James; nay, it is to contradict God himself, who fware to Abraham, Because thou haft done this thing, and haft not withheld thy fon, thine only fon, that in bleffing I will bless thee, and in multiplying 1 will multiply thy feed as the ftars of the heaven, and as the fand which is on the fea-shore.

Farther, although James hath said, that Abraham was juftified by the work of lifting up Ifaac upon the altar, he hath not faid, that his faith had no influence in his justification. On the contrary, he tells us exprefsly, that his faith, co-operated with his works, namely, in procuring his justification; and thereby he hath intimated, that that work was rendered effectual by its proceeding from faith. At the fame time adding, that by works Abraham's faith was perfected, he, with equal plainness