Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal…

God himself when he acts towards Men as Judge, in Order to a declarative Judgment, makes use of Evidences, and so judges Men by their Works. And therefore at the Day of Judgment, God will judge Men according to their Works: For tho' God will stand in no Need of Evidence to inform him what is right, yet 'tis to be considered that he will then sit in Judgment; not as earthly Judges do, to find out what is right in a Cause, but to declare and manifest what is right; and therefore that Day is called by the Apostle, the Day of the Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God, Rom. 2 5.

To be justified is to be approved and accepted: But a Man may be said to be approved and accepted in two Respects; the one is to be approved really, and the other to be approved and accepted declaratively. Justification is twofold; 'tis either the Acceptance and Approbation of the Judge it self, or the Manifestation of that Approbation, by a Sentence or Judgment declared by the Judge, either to our own Consciences, or to the World. If Justification be understood in the former Sense, for the Approbation it self, that is only that by which we become fit to be approved: But if it be understood in the latter Sense, for the Manifestation of this Approbation, it is by whatever is a proper Evidence of that Fitness. In the former, only Faith is concerned; because 'tis by that only in us, that we become fit to be accepted and approved: In the latter, whatever is a• Evidence of our Fitness, is alike concerned And therefore take Justification in this Sense, and then Faith, and all other Graces, and good Works, have a common and equal Concern in it: For any other Grace, or holy Act, is equally an Evidence of a Qualification for Acceptance or Approbation, as Faith.

To justify has always, in common Speech, signified indifferently, either simply Approbation, or testifying that Approbation; sometimes one, and sometimes the other: And that because they are both the same, only as one is outwardly, what the other is inwardly. So we, and it may be all Nations, are wont to give the same Names to two Things, when one is only declarative of the other. Thus sometimes judging, intends only judging in our Thoughts; at other Times, testifying & declaring Judgment. So such Words a justify, condemn, accept, reject, prize, slight, approve, renounce, are sometimes put for mental Acts, at other Times for an outward Treatment. So in the Sense in which the Apostle James seems to use the Word justify, for manifestative Justification, a Man is justified not only by Faith, but also by Works; as a Tree is manifested to be good, not only by immediately examining the Tree, but also by the Fruit.