Of free justification

What sinners are justified by Christ.

BUT here there is another thing to be enquired into; to wit, who are these sinners to whom this Justification belongs. In which the difference must of necessity be observed: For as it is not every Faith, or act of believing, that procures Justification, but that only which eyes the Mediator: So this very Faith doth not belong to all sinners promiscuously. Though all men are sinners by nature, and ¹in many things we offend all; yet all are not sinners alike. They that have no sense of their sins, no trouble in their Conscience, nor shame for the Abominations they have committed, but run on headlong and without fear into all wickedness; ²though they profess Christ, and Faith in him with their mouth; yet their heart is void of him; neither doth this empty profession yield them any benefit. Of which sort of men Christ Preaches in the Gospel, Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, but he that doth the Will of my Father, &c. After the same manner the whole Epistle of James treats of these, and such like men, whom he denies to be justified by this counterfeit and hypocritical Faith. But on the contrary, those that sincerely repent ⟨p. 355⟩and mourn for their sins, and abhorring their own Wickedness, return to Christ with all their Hearts, and receive him by Faith, these only are […], whom Faith alone Justifies without Works, according to that well known saying of Paul. And by this means it will not be difficult to reconcile both the Apostles, Paul and James, to one another. For as James a Servant of Jesus Christ cannot deny but Faith, when it is found ³in a Penitent and Humbled sinner, justifies him freely without Works, and before all good Works: So on the other side, neither doth Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ, approve of that Faith, which works not by love, nor admits abominable wretches of profligate lives, to have any fellowship with Christ.