The Covenant of Works Chap. t 2, Faith junifies as an infiru- ment, on the efltar, J ames 2. 2, i . But either there we muff underfland a working faith with Pi[cator, Pare ¶emble. and confeffe that Paul and lamer handle two diftinct quefti- ons; The one,whether faith alone juftifies without works, which he concludes in the affirmative, The other , what faith juftifies, whether a working faith only and not a faith that is dead and idle ? or elfe I know not how to make fenfe of the Apoftle, who ftreight inferres from Abrahams juftification by the offer of his Tonne, end the Scripture was fulfilled, that faith, Abraham be- leeved God, and it wail accounted to him for righteoufneffe, How otherwife do thefe accord ? He was ¡unified by works , and the Scripture was fulfilled, that faith, he was ¡unified by faith ; Nei ther can I reconcile what he faith if this be denied with the whole current of the Gofpel. The Rhemifts indeed underftand thole texts of the Apoftle, where he excludes works from juftifi- cation, to be meant of mans moral works, done before faith and converfion ; The works of the Law done without Chrift, Annot. in Rom. 3.20, 28. As though the Law did not command thefe duties, unto which Chrift through faith flrengthens a Chriftian converted by grace; And when the Apoftle concludes the im- pofliblity of being ¡unified by the works ôf the Law, his mean- ing Ihould be unleffe grace aflifl the Law,that it may jufi'ifie ; This could not be, the Apoftle calls it a righteoufneffe of God with- out the Law, not a righteoufneffe of the Law, with addition of ftrength from the Gofpel ; All works before or after converfion inherent in us, orwrought by us, are excluded from juftification. See Ravanellus in verbum, luflificatio, NUM. 3. pag. 867. This ju- stification wrought freely by grace through faith, Rom. 3.24. is no way confiftent with ¡unification by works. And what the Apoftle fpeaks of election, we may well apply to ¡unification, the fame medium equally proves the truth of both, If by grace, then it is no more of worl¿.r, otherWife grace it no more grace. But if it 4 of work', then it rt no more ofgrace, otherteife Workf were no more works, Rom. '11.6. And thefe things confidered I am truly forry that faith should now be denied to have the office or place.of an inftrument in our juftfication, nay fcarce allowed to be called the inftrument of receiving Chrift, that juftifies us, be- caufe the act oo faith (which is that which juftifies us) is our aauall receiving Chrift, and therefore cannot be the inftrument of
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