The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

The objection made unto the Apostle was, that he made void the Law, that he rendered good works needless, and that on the supposition of his Doctrine, men might live in sin, unto the advancement of Grace. And as unto his sense hereof, we may observe,

The objection made unto the Apostle was, that he made void the Law, that he rendred good works needless, and that on the supposition of his Doctrine, men might live in sin, unto the advancement of Grace. And as unto his sense hereof, we may observe,

1. That he never returns that answer unto it, no not once, which some think is the only answer, whereby it may be satisfied and removed: namely, the necessity of our own personal Righteousness and Obedience or Works in order unto our Justification before God. For that by Faith without Works, he understandeth Faith and Works, is an unreasonable supposition. If any do yet pretend, that he hath given any such answer, let them produce it; as yet it hath not been made to appear. And is it not strange that if this indeed were his Doctrine, and the contrary a mistake of it, namely, that our personal Righteousness, Holiness, and Works had an influence into our justification, and were in any sort our Righteousness before God therein, that he who in an eminent manner every where presseth the necessity of them, showeth their true nature and use, both in general and in particular Duties of all sorts, above any of the Writers of the new Testament, should not make use of this truth in answer unto an objection wherein he was charged to render them all needless and useless? His Doctrine was urged with this objection as himself acknowledged, and on the account of it rejected by many, Rom. 10.3, 4. Gal. 2.3. He did see and know that the corrupt lusts and depraved affections of the minds of many would supply them with subtle arguings against it. Yea he did foresee by the Holy Spirit, as appeareth in many places of his Writings, that it would be perverted and abused. And surely it was highly incumbent on him to obviate what in him lay, these evils, and so state his Doctrine upon this objection, that no countenance might ever be given unto it. And is it not strange that he should not on this occasion, once at least, somewhere or other, give an intimation, that although he rejected the works of the Law, yet he maintained the necessity of Evangelical Works, in order unto our Justification before God as the condition of it, or that whereby we are justified according unto the Gospel.