Serm. CLXXIII. Of ?uffifying Faith 48 3 There arc Two other DiftinEtions whereby `Men endeavour to elude this plain Text, which I did not mention before 5 that Faith jufliftes the Perfon ; and Works juflifie the Faith, and that this is Sr. games his meaning. But what ground for this, when the Text (peaks exprefly of the Perfon being jufkifled by works, as well as Faith ? Wac not Abraham ourFather juftified by Works o' ver. z1. iou fee then that by Works a Man is jullifted ; and not by Faith only. Ver. 24. Likewife alto was not Rahab the Harlot jufliffed by Works s? What colour is here for any Man to fay, that St. games does not fpeak of the Juftificatiou of the Perfon by Works 5 but of the Faith t Or what neceffityof framing this diftin&ion, but only to ferve an Opinion t But at this rate a Man may maintain any thing, tho' it be never fo contrary to Scripture, and elude the cleareft Text in the Bible. The other diftin&ion which is much to the fame fenfe, is that the Apoftle doth not here (peak of a real 'unification before God ; but a declarative 'unification before Men. but according to this, what fenfe can be made of ver. 14, What loth it profit, Ere, hren, if a Man fay, Ihave Faith ; and have not Works ?Can Faith fave him ? That is, according to this Explication, can Faith without Works fave him before Men? And this doth not contradi& St. Piul, who faith Gal. z. i6. that a Man is not juflifted by the works of the Law : but by the Faith of Plitt Chrifi. For how does this, that we are Juftified not by the legal Difpenfation, but by the Faith of the Got- pel, which includes Obedience and good Works, conrradie what St. lames Pays. that we are .not juftified by a bare Affent to the Truth of the Gofpel, but by Obedience to the Commands of it ? And I do not fee that upon the contrary fup- pofition, viz, that the Faith of theGofpel doth not include Obedience in it, it is poffrble to reconcile thefe Two Apoftles. Suppote this was Sr. Pant's meaning, that we are imputed by Faith, as the only Condition and Inftrumenr, call it what they will, of our 'unification 5 but not by Obedience or good Works, as a con- dition of our 'unification ; by what kind of Comment can Sr. games his words be brought to this fenfe ? What Man would allow that thole words at the 21. ver. Was not Abraham oúr Father jufliftedby works, when he offered 'faae his Son upon theattar, Ihould be explained by this fente t Was not Abraham, when in Obedience toGod's Command he had offer'd his Son upon the Altar, and upon this Aft of Obedi- ence was juftified,, was not hejuftified by Faith only, and not by anyWork or A& of Obedience ? Or that thofe words at the:4. ver. le fee then that by Works a Man jaflifred 5 and not by Faith only, fhould, be interpreted, Ye fee then that by Faith only a Man is Juftified, and not by Works ? And unlefs they be thus interpreted, they are not ro be reconciled with the fenfe of St. Pant's words, which many fatten upon them : but if Sr. Paul's words be taken in the molt plain and obvious fenfe they are capable of, viz, that we are .not jujlifted by the works of the Law, that is, by performing the Works required by the Legal Difpenfation 5 but by the faith of joins Chrift, that is, by afÎenting and fubmitting to the Revelation of the Gofpel 5 we do not firain St, James his words, to reconcile him with St. Paul. And thus I have (hewn, that where the Scripturefpeaks of 'unification by Faith, it fpeaks of this Faith which I have defcribed. f add, and of no other ; not of a bare appropriation ofthe Grace and Mercy of the Gape! ; that is, in plainEnglifh, this is not 'unifying Faith, to believe that I am Pardoned, and Juftified, nor to have a firm affurance of this. For if we be jufttfied by Faith, we mutt believe be- fore we can be Jultified 5 but if this be jultifying Faith to believe, or be atfured we are juftified, we muff be juflifiedbefore we believe 5 or elfe when we believe that we are juftified, we muff believe that which is not true, Nor is this Juftify- ing Faith, to lay hold of the Righteoufncfs and Merits of Chrift for the Pardon of our Sins 5 that is, to truft and confide only in that, as the Meritorious Caufe of our Pardon. For tho' this be parr of the notionof Julhfying Faith. it is not all ; tho' this be one of the Terms or Conditions upon whichwe are Jufiifyed ; yet k is not the who(é and incite condition 5 which bcfides this takes in an af(ent to the whole Gofpel, Repentance from dead Works, and Obedience to all the Precepts of the Gofpel. And if any Man can produce any one Text which faith, that the Faith which ;unifies, cot1ifts only in the truft and confidence in the Merits of Qq q z Chritt,
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