The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

These things being in general premised, we may observe some things in particular from the Discourse of the Apostle James, sufficiently evidencing that there is no contradiction therein, unto what is delivered by the Apostle Paul concerning our Justification by Faith and the Imputation of Righteousness without Works, nor to the Doctrine which from him we have learned and declared; as (1) He makes no composition or conjunction between Faith and Works in our Justification, but opposeth them the one to the other, asserting the one and rejecting the other in order unto our Justification. (2) He makes no distinction of a first and second Justification, of the beginning and continuation of Justification, but speaks of one Justification only which is our first ⟨p. 573⟩personal Justification before God. Neither are we concerned in any other Justification in this cause whatever. (3) That he ascribes this Justification wholly unto Works in contradistinction unto Faith, as unto that sense of Justification which he intended, and the Faith whereof he treated Wherefore (4) He doth not at all enquire or determine how a sinner is justified before God, but how Professors of the Gospel can prove or demonstrate that they are so, and that they do not deceive themselves by trusting unto a lifeless and barren Faith. All these things will be further evidenced in a brief consideration of the context it self, wherewith I shall close this Discourse.

In the beginning of the Chapter unto v. 14. He reproves those unto whom he wrote for many sins committed against the Law the rule of their sins and Obedience; or at least warneth them of them; and having showed the danger they were in hereby, he discovers the Root and principal occasion of it, v. 14. which was no other but a vain surmise and deceiving presumption that the Faith required in the Gospel was nothing but a bare assent unto the Doctrine of it, whereon they were delivered from all obligation unto moral Obedience or good Works, and might without any danger unto their eternal state live in whatever sins their lusts inclined them unto, Chap. 4. v. 1, 2, 3, 4. Chap. 5. v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The state of such persons which contains the whole cause which he speaks unto, and which gives rule and measure unto the interpretation of all his future arguings is laid down, v. 14. What doth it profit my Brethren though a man say he hath Faith and have not Works, can Faith save him? suppose a man, any one of those who are guilty of the sins charged on them in the foregoing verses, do yet say, or boast of himself, that he hath Faith, that he makes profession of the Gospel, that he hath left either Judaism or Paganism, and betaken himself