The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

seeing justifying Faith as is evident in the case of Abraham is that, and that alone which brings forth Works of Obedience; For on such a Faith alone, is a man evidenced declared and pronounced to be justified or accepted with God. Abraham was not then first justified; He was not then said to be justified, he was declared to be justified, and that by and upon his Works, which contains the whole of what the Apostle intends to prove.

There is therefore no appearance of the least contradiction between this Apostle and Paul who professedly asserts, that Abraham was not justified before God by Works. For James only declares that by the Works which he performed after he was justified, he was manifested and declared so to be. And that this was the whole of his design, he manifests in the next verses, where he declares what he had proved by this instance, ver. 22. Seest thou how Faith wrought with his Works, and by Works was Faith made perfect. Two things he enforceth as proved unto the conviction of him, with whom he had to do. (1) That true Faith will operate by Works, so did Abraham's, it was effective in Obedience. (2) That ⟨p. 580⟩it was made perfect by Works, that is evidenced so to be. For [Greek or Hebrew] doth no where in the Scripture signify the internal, formal perfecting of any thing, but only the external complement or perfection of it, or the manifestation of it. It was complete as unto its proper effect, when he was first justified; and it was now manifested so to be. See Mat. 5.48. Col. 4.12. 2 Cor. 12.9. This saith the Apostle, I have proved in the instance of Abraham; namely, that it is Works of Obedience alone that can evince a man to be justified, or to have that Faith whereby he may be so. (3) He adds in the confirmation of what he had affirmed, ver. 23. And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for Righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.