4 98 No countènartce even to yuflificatio,t CHAP. upon. Othets there are , who fuppofe chat Jameris here shewing, how ju- 1ttfic;ationis continued , &thereforefay, though faiti I alone be the Condi- tion of Jufl:fication , ,as begun ; Yet onto the continuancerherecf works are required, as the Condition. But all that fpeak thus , & think that /antes pointith forth the Condition of Juflification as continued , soul} lay, that thofe perlons, who had this faith , whereof lamer fpeaketh ,- were really pflified , & that James dock prefuppofe them to be juttified , &fpeaketh to them & of them , asfuch : But then it muff be granted, that the Popish faith, confining in a meet ai1'ent unto the truth revealed, is jurifying faith ; and that that faith , which is no more true & laving faith , than that is crue & Chriílian Charity , which faith to abrc,th ror filter , that is naked &detti- lute of daily food depart in peace, and giveth not thofe things , which are needit;kro the body , is futlicient to bring one into a juttified fiate ; and that .adeadfaith , & a faith of the facie nature & kinde , with the faith of devils a faith , which a vaine man , putt up w tit a vaine conceite & a fleshly mind may have , &a faith, that cannot & will not woi ke with works , is a jiifti fying faith : which if true, itwould follow., that all men , who beleeve that God is & Devils allo, who belee' e this , should be juttified. But no- ne , who underhand the Gofpel can think or (peak thus. And therefore this piáceca.rriethnoshewofproof, that works are the Condition of Juftifica- tion, as continued. Nor can this place give any countenance to fuch, as fay that Faith & Works together are the Condition of 4ultification , snaking nodiifetence be- twixt jutlification, as begun, & as continued. For (a) James's fcope (as we waniielted above ) is not to cleare up Lac explaine the way , how jutlifica- tion is brought about , or to chew , what are the Caufes; or Conditions thereof : but to difcover the vanity of that ground, whereupon fame pro - fi.ffours, who indulged their L'.ifts, deceived thcmfelves & fuppofed that they were in a gate of jollification , & falvation notwithftanding they ne- gle&ed all duties of holinefs, (2) James oppofeth a faith here unto works , a faith, which he called unprofitable, dead &c. & doth not afcribe juff:fica- tion hereunto, as to a Condition , in whole, or in part : But Inch, as fpeak thus , include faith & works, as making up one `ttil & compleat Condition. (3) The Inflances, which James here adduceth , should not then ferve his defìgne, if his purpofe was to prove faith & works to be the Condition oft Juftiation; for Abraham was long juttified before that particular ad of obedience in offering up his fon Ifaac, was called for: And fo was Itabab jutttiìad before she fent away thefpies. (4) This work , by which A raham is laid to have been juttified was a work , that feerne.d contrary unto the Moral Law: And therefore if this be urged, as a ground of jullification by works, it will rather prove jollification by other works, then by works coinmanded in the Moral Law of God. (ç ) The works , mentioned in both the- Intlances, are outward external works, obvious to the eyes & cares of others : And hence it may as well be proved, that only ex- ternal works, are required unto jull 1 cation, and no other. And in- deed, if it had been Iamer'sdefignetoprove juflificationby works, he had named
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=