The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

All this while he walked with God, and was upright in a course of holy fruitful Obedience. Yet it pleased God to put his Faith after many others, unto a new, his greatest, his last Trial. And it is the way of God in the Covenant of Grace, to try the Faith of them that believe by such ways as seem meet unto him. Hereby he manifests how precious it is (the trial of Faith making it appear to be more precious than Gold, 1 Pet. 1.7.) and raiseth up Glory unto himself, which is in the nature of Faith to give unto him, Rom. 4.20. And this is the state of the case as proposed by the Apostle; namely▪ how it may be tried whether the Faith which men profess be genuine precious, more precious than Gold, of the right nature with that whereunto the Gospel promise of Salvation is annexed. 2. This trial was made by Works or by one signal Duty of Obedience prescribed unto him for that very end and purpose. For Abraham was to be proposed as a Pattern unto all that should afterwards believe. And God provided a signal way for the trial of his Faith; namely, by an act of Obedience, which was so far from being enjoined by the moral Law that it seemed contrary unto it. And if he be proposed unto us as a Pattern of Justification by Works in the sight of God, it must be by such Works as God hath not required in the moral Law, but such as seem to be contrary thereunto. Nor can any man receive any encouragement to expect Justification by Works, by telling him that Abraham was justified by Works, when he offered up his only Son to God, ⟨p. 579⟩for it will be easy for him to say, that as no such Work was ever performed by him, so none such was ever required of him. But (3) upon Abraham's compliance with the command of God given him in the way of Trial, God himself [Greek or Hebrew] declares the sincerity of his Faith and his Justification thereon, or his gracious acceptance of him. This is the whole design of the place which the Apostle traduceth unto his purpose; And it contains the whole of what he was to prove and no more. Plainly it is granted in it that we are not justified by our Works before God, seeing he instances only in a Work performed by a justified believer many years after he was absolutely justified before God. But this is evidently proved hereby; namely, that Faith without Works is dead;