The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

That this Faith which cannot be evidenced by Works, which is not fruitful in them, but consists only in a bare assent unto the Truth of Divine Revelation, is not the Faith that doth justify or will save us, he further proves in that it is no other but what the Devils themselves have, and no man ⟨p. 576⟩can think or hope to be saved by that which is common unto them with Devils, and wherein they do much exceed them, v. 11. Thou believest there is one God, thou dost well, the Devils also believe and tremble. The belief of one God is not the whole of what the Devils believe, but is singled out as the principal fundamental Truth, and on the concession whereof an assent unto all Divine Revelation doth necessarily ensue. And this is the second Argument, whereby he proves an empty barren Faith to be dead and useless.

That this Faith which cannot be evidenced by Works, which is not fruitful in them, but consists only in a bare assent unto the Truth of Divine Revelation, is not the Faith that doth justifie or will save us, he further proves in that it is no other but what the Devils themselves have, and no man ⟨p. 576⟩can think or hope to be saved by that which is common unto them with Devils, and wherein they do much exceed them, v. 11. Thou beliivest there is one God, thou dost well, the Devils also believe and tremble. The belief of one God is not the whole of what the Devils believe, but is singled out as the principal fundamental Truth, and on the concession whereof an assent unto all Divine Revelation doth necessarily ensue. And this is the second Argument, whereby he proves an empty barren Faith to be dead and useless.

The second Confirmation being given unto his principal assertion, He restates it in that way, and under those terms wherein he designed it unto its last Confirmation. But wilt thou know O vain man that Faith without Works is dead? ver. 20. And we may consider in the words. (1) The person with whom he deals whose conviction he endeavoured him, he calls a vain man, not in general, as every man living is altogether vanity, but as one who in an especial manner is vainly puffed up in his own fleshly mind, one that hath entertained vain Imaginations of being saved by an empty profession of the Gospel, without any fruit of Obedience. (2) That which he designs with respect unto this vain man is his conviction, a conviction of that foolish and pernicious error that he had imbibed; wilt thou know O vain man. (3) That which alone he designed to convince him of is, that Faith without Works is dead; that is, the Faith which is without Works, which is barren and unfruitful, is dead and useless. This is that alone, and this is all that he undertakes to prove by his following Instances and Arguings, neither do they prove any more. To wrest his words to any other purpose when they are all proper and suited unto what he expresseth as his only design, is to offer violence unto them.