ESSAY VI.

ON JUSTIFICATION.

To understand what the apostles have written, and others have disputed concerning justification, it will be proper to explain the meaning of the words justify and justification, as used in common speech. To justify a person, as was shewed Rom. ii. 13. note 2. is a law phrase, denoting the action of a Judge, who, when a person is accused at his bar of having committed some crime, acquits him after a formal trial, by a sentence pronounced in the hearing of his accuser, and of the witnesses. The other word, justification, is a law term likewise, and denotes the acquittal itself, together with its consequences, so far as they have a relation to the party accused.

In scripture, the words justify, and justification, have a sense analagous to their use in human courts of judicature. For, when God is said to justify men, the meaning is, that as the Judge of the world, he acquits them by his sentence after an impartial trial, either because he finds them innocent of the things of which they are accused: or if they are guilty, because he is graciously pleased to pardon them. Justification, on the first ground, being merited, may be demanded by the accused, as a matter of right; and consisteth in an absolute acquittal. But justification, on the second ground, being entirely gratuitous, may be granted or withheld, according to the pleasure of the Judge. If granted, it consists in a full pardon of the accused person's sins, bestowed on him as a favour.

SECTION I.

Of the Doctrine of Justification, as explained by the Apostle Paul. Paul, in his epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians, hath treated largely of the justification of mankind. What he teacheth on that subject in his epistle to the Romans, is comprehended in two propositions; the first of which we have, Rom. iii. 20. By works of law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Now, since the apostle is speaking of a man's being justified in the sight of God, it is evident that, in this passage, he considers men as standing at the tribunal of God, and claiming to be acquitted on account of works of law; that is, on account of their having done all the works which God's law requireth. Concerning men in these circumstances, the apostle declares, that By works

of law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for this unanswerable reason, Because through law is the knowledge of sin The law of God, by requiring perfect obedience to all its precepts, under the penalty of death, maketh every man sensible that he is a sinner, and that, instead of being entitled to justifi-. cation on account of works of law, he is liable to punishment on account of his sins. Wherefore, the knowledge of sin committed, being incompatible with a meritorious justification, it is certain, as the apostle hath declared, that by works of law there shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God.

But God, as Judge, may justify sinners gratuitously; that is, he may from favour pardon their sins on repentance, and by that pardon free them from punishment. Of this kind of justification St. Paul also speaks. For having affirmed and proved, that it is impossible for any sinner to be justified in the sight of. God, on account of works of law, because he neither hath performed, nor can perform them. (See Rom. iii. 20. note 1.) He produceth his second proposition, in which the method established by God for the justification of sinners is declared: ver. 28. We conclude, that by faith man is justified without works of law. This proposition consists of two parts, First, That man, in his present lapsed state, is justified by faith: Secondly, That he is justified by faith without works of law. These important doctrines the apostle establishes in the following fourth chapter, by appealing to the justification of Abraham, as related by Moses. And because it is natural for men to seek to be justified meritoriously by their own works, the apostle begins with proving, that Abraham was not meritoriously justified by his works. Rom. iv. 2. For, saith he, if Abraham were justified by works, he might boast, but not before God.-Many contend, that justified by works, in this verse, means gratuitously justifiedby works proceeding from faith. And on the authority of this single text, in which it is denied that Abraham was justified by works, they affirm, that in the gratuitous justification of sinners, no regard whatever is had to good works proceeding from faith. But to overturn this false notion, I observe, that if the works mentioned by the apostle are works proceeding from faith, what he hath said of Abraham, is not true; namely, that if he were justified by works he might boast. For the man who is justified gratuitously by works proceeding from faith, hath not the least title to boast. So Paul himself tells us, Rom. iii. 27. Where then is boasting? It is excluded, By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. The law

which requires faith working by love in order to justification, effectually excludeth all boasting, because works proceeding from faith being imperfect, do not entitle him who performs them to justification. If such a person is justified, it must be by free gift; consequently, he cannot boast of his justification as merited. Wherefore, the justification by works, which the apostle denieth to Abraham, being a justification of which he might have boasted, it cannot be a gratuitous justification by works proceeding from faith; for, I repeat it, of such a justification no man can boast; but it must be a meritorious justification by works of law as mentioned, Rom. iii. 20. 28. of which one may boast.

The apostle having shewed by Abraham's justification, that believers are justified without works of law, proceeds to prove the other branch of his proposition; namely, that men are justified by faith. And this he doth by appealing, as before, to Abraham's justification. Rom. iv. 3. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. This passage of scripture, we have, Gen. xv. 5. where we are told, that God brought Abraham forth, ' And said, Look " now towards heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said to him, So shall thy seed be. 6. And he 'believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness." On this, the apostle reasons in the following manner, Rom. iv. 4. Now to him who worketh, the reward is not counted as a favour, but as a debt; founding his argument on the phrase, counted to him as a favour. For if Abraham had worked; that is, had obeyed the law of God perfectly, the reward would not have been counted to him, that is, bestowed on him as a favour, but it would have been given to him by his righteous Judge, as a debt due to him for his unsinning obedience.-Next, to shew that Abraham and all believers are justified, not meritoriously by a perfect obedience to the law of God, but gratuitously by faith, the apostle adds, ver. 5. But to him who doth not work, who doth not pretend to have given a perfect obedience to God's law, (this sense of working is evident from ver. 4.) but believeth on him who justifieth the ungodly; that is, who believeth God's promise to pardon penitent sinners, although they have not given perfect obedience to his law, his faith is counted to him for righteousness as a favour. The faith which such a sinner hath in the mercy of God, if it leads him to obey God sincerely, is, by mere favour, counted to Him by his judge as righteousness.

ESSAY VI. Farther, to shew what is implied in God's counting one's faith to him for righteousness, the apostle cites a passage from Psal. xxxii. 1, 2. where David describeth the blessedness of the man to whom God counteth righteousness without works, as consisting in his having his sins covered, and not charged to him. Rom. iv. 6. In like manner, also David describeth the blessedness of the man to whom God counteth righteousness without works ; that is, who counteth faith for righteousness, without requiring a perfect obedience to his law, (See ver. 4.) 7. Saying Blessed, like Abraham, are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not count sin.

Here it is proper to remark, that the apostle's illustration of the two branches of his conclusion, chap. iii. 28. We conclude, that man is justified by faith, without works of law, suggests four things concerning justification, which merit the reader's particular notice. 1. That the works, which the apostle excludes from having any influence in the justification of sinners, are not works proceeding from faith, but works of law; that is, the perfect performance of all the works which the law of God enjoins, without failing in any one instance.-2. That as often as St. Paul speaks of justification by works of law, he means a meritorious justification; consequently a justification which the man who performs works of law, may demand from his judge as a debt due to him for his works, and of which he may justly boast. 3. That the justification obtained by God's counting one's faith to him for righteousness, is not a meritorious but a gratuitous justification; a justification which may be withheld from the believer without injustice. And therefore, if it is bestowed on him, it is bestowed as a favour.-4. That the counting of faith for righteousness, is an implied promise of pardon as well as of reward; but both by the free gift of God; the faith and imperfect obedience of the believer, meriting neither the one nor the other of these blessings.

But although the apostle hath expressly declared, that by works of law, no flesh shall be justified meritoriously in the sight of God: Also, although he hath excluded faith, and the good works proceeding from faith, from having any meritorious influence in procuring for believers justification from God, it is to be carefully observed, that he hath no where said, that believers are justified by faith alone. On the contrary, he hath, in this same discourse, expressly asserted, that good works are ne

cessary, even to a gratuitous justification. For having affirmed, Rom. iii. 28. That man is justified by faith without works of law, to shew us, that by works of law, he means a perfect obedience to law; also, to prevent us from suspecting that by this doctrine, he represents good works, as not necessary to a gratuitous justification by faith, he adds, ver. 31. Do we then make law useless through the faith? Do we make obedience to the law of God useless, through the doctrine of justification by faith? By no means. For we establish law; we establish its obligation as a rule of life, to those who are gratuitously justified by faith. I ask, could the apostle with truth have said, that he established law, by teaching that men are justified by faith without works of law, if by works of law, he had meant, those good works which men perform from a principle of faith? This I think no one will affirm. Whereas, if by works of law, he meant an unsinning obedience to the law of God, by teaching that men are justified by faith without such works, he strongly enforced the obligation of the law of God as a rule of life, to believers as well as to others. For of all the motives which can be proposed to induce sinners to forsake their sins, and to follow holiness to the utmost of their power, the most effectual is, to assure them, that an unsinning obedience is not required in order to their justification, (for if that were the case, who could be saved?) but that God is graciously pleased, for the sake of Christ, to grant pardon and eternal life to every one who believeth on him, and sincerely obeys him. Psal. cxxx. 4. There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be feared.

Such is the apostle Paul's doctrine concerning justification. In the following section, we will examine the doctrine of the apostle James on the same subject, and compare it with Paul's; that we may judge whether the two apostles contradict each other in this important article, as many have erroneously supposed.

SECTION 11.

Of the Doctrine of Justification, as explained by the Apostle James. James hath treated of justification in the second chapter of his epistle, ver. 20. Wouldst thou know O false man, that faith without works is dead? 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had lifted up Isaac his son upon the altar? 22. Thou seest that faith co-operated with his works, and by works his faith was perfected. 23. And so that scripture was confirmed,