But CAN IT POSSIBLY BE TRUE? Is there REALLY SO great a blessing as free justification for sinners? Are there no opposing passages of Scripture? Are there no arguments urged in reply to such statements?

My Brethren, there is nothing against which the heart of man more contends than against this truth. It is so humbling to our pride, so beyond our narrow and selfish conceptions, and so above our corrupt and fallen nature, that even the believer himself has continually to struggle against unbelief and self-right

eousness.

Let us then consider some objections advanced against this doctrine.

STATEMENT

You

The first, and most plausible, is founded on THE OF ST. JAMES. (ii. 21-24.) Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect, and the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. see, then, how by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. The Romanists triumph here, and call the passage clear against justification by faith alone, and evident for the necessity, merit, and concurrence of good works.1 But a little examination of the passage will show that St. James does not contradict the other inspired writers, nor say one word against our justification before God by faith alone. Observe, he uses the very same example of faith that St. Paul does, that of Abraham; and asserts, with Moses and St. Paul, that his faith was counted to him for righteousness.But this act of Abraham's faith, by which he was thus justified, on the very statement of St. James, took place forty years before his offering up of Isaac. St. James, therefore, could not possibly design to assert, that that fruit of his faith was the cause of his justification before God, though it was the end to which his faith tended, and the proof of its reality and power.

See Fulke's New Testament, fol. p. 786, 787. It contains notes originally published with the Rhemish Testament, with a very able

refutation of them.

Good works are not, therefore, mentioned by St. James as the cause of our justification, but as the effects invariably connected with it:-they prove that we are justified. St. James' object is to show the nature of true faith, as producing works; and, by justified, he means being declared and manifested to be justified, This is perfectly consistent with our free justification by divine grace, without works as the preceding cause, and easily reconciles apparently contradictory, but really harmonious statements.

Another passage objected is, Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be .justified. Rom. ii. 13. Unquestionably. What Protestant denies that we shall be justified by the law, if we fulfil the law? A man who obeys the law, cannot be dealt with as a transgressor. But what human being dare rest for a moment there? If in one tittle he has failed, his justification is lost, for ever lost, while depending on his obedience. Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James ii. 10. This answer fully meets many similar objections: no precepts, or directions, or exhortations with a promise show that we have fulfilled, or can fulfil them. They have important uses under divine teaching, they may discover our sins and weakness, they may guide to duty, they may stir up to prayer, they may point us to Christ, and, when justified by faith in him, the believer may by his grace so obey the precept as to do good works which shall be acceptable to God by Christ Jesus, and thus obtain every promise; but all this, though of immense importance in the economy of God's grace, proves not that sinners can be justified before God by their obedience. The law tells us, not what we can do, but what we ought to do; and, as Luther justly observes, we must not confound the imperative and indicative moods.

Others maintain that by the DEEDS OF THE LAW ARE ONLY MEANT THE CEREMONIAL LAW. On this system the Apostle could merely have mentioned neglected rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices, as excluding us from justification, and proving his conclusion, that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Romans iii. 20. But what are the transgressions

which the Apostle does mention, as thus precluding justification by works? He does not notice one violation of the ceremonial law, but brings forward theft and adultery, (Rom. ii. 21, 22.) lying, deceit, and cruelty; (Rom. iii. 13-16.) these are obviously transgressions not of the ceremonial but of the moral law. It is manifest then that he includes that law in his meaning. He says, Rom. vii. 12. I had not known sin but by the law. I had not known lust except the law had said, thou shalt not covet. I need not say that this is the last and most spiritual of the ten commands. The Apostle also frequently excludes not merely deeds of the law, and works of the law, but "works" simply, works in general, from the office of justification. (Rom. iv. 5, 6. x. 6. Ephes. ii. 9.)

The most acute and subtle Defender of Romanism, Bellarmine, urges that THE APOSTLE ONLY EXCLUDES

JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS DONE BY THE STRENGTH OF

NATURE, AND NOT WORKS DONE IN FAITH AND BY GRACE.1 When after faith and by grace we obey the Law, this he says, is the righteousness of God and the righteousness by faith. But how strained this interpretation is-nay how false it is, will be evident by a close inspection of the Apostle's words. St. Paul opposes all obedience, and all doing, to the righteousness of faith. He says, as if he forsaw the subtle objection," the righteousness of God without the law is manifested," but a righteousness consisting in our obedience to the Law, even by grace, is a righteousness with the Law. Again in the 10th chapter, he names the righteousness of the law, and the righteousness of faith, as two things quite opposite; and then establishes the glorious doctrine that with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.

Others imagine that the Apostle only meant to exclude THE MERIT OF WORKS, from our justification, and not works. This is deserting the Roman ground of deserving the grace of congruity. But I reply shortly and decisively that St. Paul does not once mention the merit of works, as what he excludes, but excludes works

1 This point is well met by Pemble, in his Treatise on Justification. See his Works, fol. p. 173-177. Downan, in his Treatise on Justification, replies to the main objections of Bellarmine, as does Chamier, in his Panstratiæ Catholicæ, Vol. III. p. 845-896.

altogether. This interruption seems to have originated in a desire to guard against antinomianism; but, however well intended, it is not scriptural, and we may be quite sure that the foolishness of God is wiser than men. Again, many insist that FAITH IS A VIRTUE AND WORK, AND INCLUDES EVERY OTHER GRACE, and therefore justifies. We allow that faith is a Christian grace, the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Though we deny that it includes other graces, we allow, that as connecting us with Christ, the fountain of all life and grace, it produces every other grace, just as the branch abiding in the good tree produces fruit.—He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing. But faith in Christ, in its very nature, as it justifies, renounces and annihilates all our own righteousness and goodness, and every thing else but Christ Jesus-it forsakes every thing to trust in him, to depend wholly on him, and to lay hold simply on his salvation. As Hooker justly observes, "Faith is the only hand which putteth on Christ unto justification, and Christ the only garment, which being so put on covereth the shame of our defiled nature, hideth the imperfection of our works, preserveth us blameless in the sight of God, before whom otherwise the weakness of our faith were cause sufficient to make us culpable, yea to shut us from the kingdom of heaven, where nothing that is not absolute can enter." Its efficacy in justification arises from its reference to the Saviour. It brings us into union with him; and when thus united to him we are free from condemnation, (Rom viii. 1.) we obtain a divine righteousness, (1 Cor. i. 30. Phil. iii. 9.) and we receive life and power to produce every good work, (Ephes. ii. 10.) and to be filled with all the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God. (Phil. i. 11.) But it does not justify before God, either as including or producing every other grace, or as a part of our moral goodness or excellence, that were to bring in justification by works; but it is of faith, that it may be by grace. No other act of the mind, or will, or affection, would justify us without our being justified by works; but, in being

1 See Hooker's Discourse on Justification.

justified by faith, we are justified before God by grace, and not by works-for these two are quite inconsistent. Rom. xi. 6. If by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

The Roman Catholics urge once more against our statement of justification by faith only, that the WORD only IS NOT FOUND IN THE SCRIPTURES IN THIS CONNEXION, and that St. James says, not by faith only and they highly object to Luther's rendering the words of our text, "only through faith." The Roman Catholic Advocate, in a recent discussion, says, he would agree fully with the doctrine, if the word only were removed.1 We have already noticed the objection from St. James. Every sound Protestant admits works as the evidence of justification; and, IN THIS RESPECT, maintains strenuously, that we are justified by works, and not by faith alone but we utterly and altogether exclude them as a preceding cause or part of justification; and, IN THAT RESPECT, we as strenuously maintain, that we are justified by faith alone; by that faith which alone can unite us to Him, who is our righteousness before God. As early heretics compelled the primitive Church to use the words Substance, and Person, and Trinity, so have we been compelled by Roman corruptions to use the word ONLY, as a short and explicit way of showing our exact meaning, and distinguishing between their doctrine and ours. The use of this word is abundantly authorised by the repeated scriptural exclusion of every thing else as a ground of justification. It is a brief way of expressing that which St. Paul more fully states, when he says, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Gal. ii. 16.

The grand objection, however, to this doctrine among pious Romanists, (for blessed be God there are many such) as well as among others who object, is, FEAR OF

! See Report of the Discussion between Mr. Pope and Mr. Maguire.