SERM. CCXXVII. 66 condemn not, and ye fhall not be condemned forgive, and ye fhall be forgiven." Luke xi. 4. "And forgive us our fins; for we also forgive eve ry one that is indebted to us." Where doth the fcripture make any thing more plainly a condition of pardon, than it here does our forgiving of others? upon condition of the performance whereof he promises to forgive us; and without which he threatens not to forgive us. I know not what a condition is, if it be not that, which if we perform, we shall receive the benefit promised; if we do not, we fhall fall short of it. 4. That the fcripture, where it speaks of justification by faith, fpeaks of this faith, and no other, of fuch a faith as takes in the whole of chriftian religion. The principal places where the fcripture defignedly treats of juftification by faith, are the iii. and iv. chapters of the epiftle to the Romans, the ii. and iii. to the Galatians, and the ii. of St. James. In the Romans and Galatians St. Paul doth plainly oppofe faith to the law, and the righteoufnefs of it to the works of the law; and it will clearly appear to any one that will carefully read over thefe discourses of St. Paul's, that by faith is meant the difpenfation of the gofpel, and by the law, the Mofaical adminiftration and the refult of all thofe difcourfes is, that men are not juftified by performing the works which the legal difpenfation required, but by affenting and fubmitting to the revelation of the gospel. And this is agreeable to what he fays, Acts xiii. 38, 39. "Through "this man is preached unto you forgiveness of fins; "and by him all that believe are juftified from all "things, from which he could not be justified by the "law of Mofes." It is true likewife, that the apostle, in the epiftle to the Romans, doth not only difpute against those who CCXXVII. who fimply contended for juftification by the legal SERM. difpenfation; but were fallen alfo into the grofs error and mistake, that they did merit juftification and pardon at GoD's hand; which is impoffible: for pardon is free, and of grace, or elfe it is not pardon. Therefore the apostle afferts, that we are so justified by faith, that neither our affent to the gofpel, nor our obedience to the commands of it, do merit this at God's hands; for this would directly contradict justification by the faith of the gofpel. For how can any man poffibly think, that he merits pardon by his believing and obeying the gofpel, when this is part of the gospel which we believe, that CHRIST died for our fins, and purchased our pardon at fo dear a rate; which had been very unjuft, if we our felves could have done any think to have merited it. And that faith is taken for the revelation of the gofpel, in oppofition to the legal administrations, will appear by confidering these texts. Gal. iii. 23. "But before faith came, we were kept under the "law" by which the apostle plainly means this, that before the revelation of the gofpel to the world, we were under the legal adminiftration: for he adds afterwards," we were fhut up unto the faith that "fhould afterward be revealed;" and what is "the "faith that fhould afterward be revealed", but the gofpel? which in the fulness of time was to be revealed to the world, till which time we were held under the difpenfation of the law and ver. 24. "where"fore the law was our fchool-mafter to bring us "unto CHRIST, that we might be justified by faith;' that is, the law was a difcipline preparatory for the gospel, that when that came, we might be juftified by it and ver. 25. "but after that faith is come, "we are no longer under a fchool-mafter;" that is, after CCXXVII. SER M. after the gospel was revealed, we were fet free from the fevere and harsh difpenfation of the law; and our affent and fubmiffion to that revelation, is that whereby we are faid to be juftified. Rom. iii. 23. "Even the righteoufnefs of GOD, which is by the "faith of JESUS CHRIST," that is, by the gofpel, "unto all, and upon all them that believe." And ver. 26. "that ye might be juft, and the juftifier of “ him which believeth in Jesus ;” τὸν ἐκ πίσεως Ina, the juftifier of him that yields affent and fubmiffion to the gospel of CHRIST. And this faith is faid to be "imputed to us for righteousness," chap. iv. 24. "But for us alfo, to whom it fhall be im"puted, if we believe on him that raised up JESUS 66 our LORD from the dead;" that is, if we affent and fubmit to the revelation of the gofpel, which GOD hath confirmed by that eminent miracle of raising up CHRIST from the dead. St. James tells us most exprefly, that the faith which juftifies doth contain obedience in it: and if it do not, it is dead, and falfe, and ineffectual to all purposes of pardon and falvation: and that if any man pretend to faith, and that faith be deftitute of the proper and genuine effects of true faith, it will be unprofitable to him, and not at all avail to his juftification and falvation. The fum of his discourse is, that the faith which justifies and faves us, must not only be a barǝ affent of the understanding to the truths of the gospel; but muft include in it obedience to all the commands of the gofpel: and if it does not, it does no more deferve the name of faith, than good words to a man in want deferve the name of charity. Chap. ii. ver. 14, 15, 16, 17. " What "doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say " he hath faith, and hath not works? can faith CCXXVII. "fave him? If a brother or fifter be naked, audS ER M. notwithstanding ye give them not those things "which are needful to the body; what doth it pro"fit? Even fo faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." And to this purpofe he inftanceth in Abraham and Rahab, and fhews that the faith which juftified them, did include in it the effects of faith, viz. obedience, and good works, ver. 21, 22. "Was not Abraham our father juftified by works, "when he had offered Ifaac his fon upon the altar? "Seeft thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect ?" And ver. 23. "And the fcripture was fulfilled, which faith, Abra"ham believed GOD, and it was imputed unto him. "for righteousness." But if Abraham were "jufti"fied by works," viz. by offering up his fon upon the altar, in obedience to GoD's command, as he 1 fays before, at the 21ft verfe, how was "the fcrip"ture fulfilled, which faith, that faith was imputed "to him for righteoufnefs," that is, he was juftified by faith; unless faith take in the works of obedience? From whence he concludes, "that by works a man "is justified, and not by faith only ;" not by a naked affent to the truth, but by fuch a faith as includes obedience; which he farther illustrates by a fimilitude at the last verse; "as the body without the fpirit is dead, fo faith without works is dead alfo." A living faith doth as truly contain obedience in it, as a living body contains a fpirit. 1 And thofe diftinctions which are commonly applied to this difcourfe of St. James do not clear it, but contradict the exprefs defign of it. that fides quæ eft viva juftificat; fed non VOL. XL U Some fay quá viva: "Faith SERM." Faith which is living juftifies; but not as a living CCXXVII« faith." Others fay, (which is much to the fame purpose) fides juftificat fine operibus; fed fides fine operibus non juftificat: "Faith juftifies without works; "but faith without works does not justify." But St. James fays exprefly, that "we are justified by works." How then is that true, that "faith justi fies without works?" And he fays that works are the life of our faith. How then can any man fay, that "though faith juftifies, yet not as it is a living. "faith;" when we are juftified by that which is the very life of our faith, and that is obedience? There are two other diftinctions whereby men endeavour to elude this plain text, which I did not mention before, that "faith juftifies the perfon; "and works juftify the faith," and that this is St. James his meaning. But what ground for this, when the text fpeaks exprefly of the person being justified by works, as well as faith? "Was not Abraham "our father juftified by works?" ver. 21. "You fee then that by works a man is juftified; and not by faith only." ver. 24. "Likewife alfo was not. Rahab the harlot juftified by works?" What colour is here for any man to fay, that St. James does not fpeak of the juftification of the perfon by works; but of the faith? Or what neceffity of framing this diftinction, but only to ferve an opinion? But at this rate a man may maintain any thing, though it be never fo contrary to fcripture, and elude the clearest text in the bible. The other diftinction, which is much to the fame fenfe, is, that the apoftle doth not here fpeak of a real juftification before GOD; but a declarative justification before men. But according to this, what fenfe can be made of ver. 14. "What doth it profit, my brethren, |
