sister who is naked and destitute of daily food (b), and from the examples of Abraham and Rahab(c), who gave proof of their Faith by their actions. And by the word justify he does not mean, as St. Paul did, Justification or remission of past sins at the time of admission into the Christian Covenant, but the continuance in a state of Justification, which would be followed by Salvation; and here again he conforms himself to the language of those whose error he is refuting. In reasoning upon this point, he asks, "Can Faith save him (d)?" Implying, that the Faith spoken of is insufficient for Salvation. But if it be insufficient for Salvation in the world to come, it is insufficient to keep a person in a state of Justification in this world; and accordingly the Apostle soon after says, By works a man is justified, and not by Faith only (e);" that is, Faith only will not preserve a man in a justified state; it must be accompanied by works, for "Faith without works is dead." It is evident that the Faith here spoken of may exist without works; and in that case it. is of no avail to Salvation. Let it be remarked, that whenever St. Paul, in speaking of Justification, uses the word Works or Deeds, he invariably adds "of the law;" he frequently says, a man is not justified by the works of the law, but (b) V. 15. (c) V.21 & 25. but not once does he say, a man is not justified by works so scrupulous is he upon this point, that he repeats the expression, "works of the law," three times in one verse (f). The works, therefore, which he rejects from any share in Justification, are the ceremonial works of the law, for which the Judaizing Christians contended. On the other hand, St. James, in speaking upon the same subject, uses the word "works" simply, never adding "of the law: " he does not therefore mean the ceremonial works of the law, but moral works, which the corrupters of St. Paul's doctrine pronounced to be of no importance. And even to these works he does not attribute the whole of Justification, for his expression is," By works a man is justified, and not by Faith only;" that is, he admits the necessity of Faith, but asserts, that a man is not justified by Faith only: Moral works must follow Faith, or a man will not continue justified, or in a justified state (g). It has been noticed, that both St. Paul and (f) Gal. c. 2. v. 16. St. (g) Calvin, Lib. 3. cap. 11. sect. 13, concludes, that if works have any share in Justification, there is boasting in works: this by no means follows; for we do not say that works have any intrinsic merit, but that they are the appointed condition of Justification. The same objection would hold against the doctrine of Justification by Faith, for we are not allowed to boast of Faith, or to consider it as possessing any intrinsic merit. St. James speak of the Justification of Abraham: the former ascribes it to Faith, referring to a passage in Genesis (h), "What saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness (i).” The latter ascribes it to works, and as it were to shew that his doctrine was not contrary to that of St. Paul, he refers to the same passage in Genesis, "Was not Abraham our Father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how Faith wrought with his works, and by works was Faith made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness (k)." Abraham was first pronounced to be justified when he professed Faith alone without works, which Faith consisted in giving implicit credit to God's promise of numerous descendants, "He believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness (1)." Abraham therefore was justified upon that occasion, in the same manner as St. Paul represents adult converts to the Gospel to be justified upon the pro fession (h) C. 15. v. 6. (i) Rom. c. 4. v. 3. (k) Jas. c. 2. v. 21. Abraham seems to have been justified three times, First, When by the command of God he left his own country, Heb. c. 11. v. 8; Secondly, When he believed God's promise of numerous descendants, Gen. c. 15. v. 5 & 6; and Thirdly, When he obeyed God's command to offer his son, Jas. c. 2. v. 21. (1) Gen, c. 15. v. 6. fession of their Faith in Christ, and admission into the Christian Covenant by baptism; and the Apostle illustrates his own doctrine of Justification, by appealing to the Justification of Abraham, as related by Moses. Had St. Paul been asked, whether Abraham, if he had subsequently refused to obey the divine command, to "offer Isaac his son upon the altar," would still have continued in the state of Justification, to which by his Faith in the promise of God, he had previously attained, he would have answered, certainly not; for if he had not done this work, or at least expressed a sincere readiness to do it, he could not have possessed the genuine principle of human conduct, a conformity to the will of God; he could not have continued justified, disobedience to the commands of God being incompatible with a state of Justification. St. James, to illustrate his doctrine of both Faith and Works being essential to the continuance in a state of Justification, appeals to the works of Abraham, by which the Faith, previously professed by the Patriarch, "wrought, and was made perfect." And having declared Abraham to be justified by his works, he quotes the same passage from Genesis, respecting Abraham's Justification, which St. Paul had quoted, applying it not to the time when Abraham professed his Faith, but to the time when he demonstrated the sincerity of that Faith by actual obedience. This different application arises from the different views of of the subject of Justification taken by the two Apostles, in consequence of the different errors which it was their design to correct: St. Paul is considering, what it is which justifies Christians when they are first admitted into the Christian Covenant; St. James is discussing, what is necessary to preserve Christians in a state of Justification. St. Paul therefore may be supposed to say, Abraham was first justified by Faith, which afterwards produced works: St. James may be supposed to say, Abraham was preserved in a state of Justification by works, which proceeded from Faith. These assertions are perfectly consistent; and St. James, in pointing out the true nature of Abraham's Faith, only intended to correct the error of those who had misinterpreted the doctrine of St. Paul. This instance of Abraham's Justification; the still earlier examples of Noah, Enoch, and Abel; and the more recent ones of Gideon, David, and the prophets under the Mosaic œconomy, mentioned by St. Paul upon another occasion (1), mark the uniformity of God's dealings with mankind in every period of the world, and establish these fundamental and universal principles of the Divine dispensations, that "without Faith it is impossible to please God (m);" and that "Faith without Works is dead (n)." It is scarcely possible to imagine a more gross perversion (1) Heb. c. 11. (m) Heb. c. II. v. 6. (n) Jas. c. 2. v. 20. |