CHAPTER III. Abraham called the friend of God
sworn (as he did to Abraham) never to recall. And yet the case is such, as if in the future course of his life that man did not walk so as, by works and dispositions of holiness accompanying that faith, to give demonstration of himself to be a true believer, God at the latter day must recall that sentence, as pronounced upon a dead and empty act of faith. When therefore in his future course he walks suitably, he is said to fulfill or make good that first act of God; for he gives sufficient proof and demonstration that he had, and hath that kind of faith upon which God alone will be sure to justify a man, even a working faith that is lively. And in this sense is that saying of James here to be understood: 'And the scripture was fulfilled which says,
Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.'
CHAPTER III
Abraham called the friend of God, upon the performance of that act of obedience in offering up his son.—That what is said of Abraham is spoken of him as the father and pattern of all belivers.—The true faith works in the heart friendly dispositions towards God.
The apostle James withal adds, 'And he was called the Friend of God.'
1. Some ado there is where in the Old Testament to find this saying.
Some think it not anywhere uttered in words, and must therefore be fetched from such passages recorded betwixt Abraham and God, as argued he owned him for his friend, as that promise Gen. 12:4, 'I will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse them that curse thee.' And to be a friend to one's friend, and an enemy to all one's enemies, is the strictest league of friendship that can be. Also those familiar conferences and colloquies vouchsafed to Abraham do argue it. God in reality used him as a friend, and so did in effect call him so. But
over and above there are two evident testimonies of God in express terms giving this title to Abraham by God. 2 Chron. 20:7, Isa. 41:8,
'The seed of Abraham my friend.' And this honourable mention of him, compared with those real transactions of friendship, does put all out of question as to the authenticness of this quotation.
2. For the scope and pertinency of James in this quotation to the purpose he had in hand, it must be considered,
(1.) That he joins and couples, you see, two several testimonies, fetched out of several scriptures, concerning one and the same person, Abraham, whose instance he had before him to make forth his assertions out of it—one in his story in Genesis, the other in the Chronicles and prophet. And thereby he would prove and shew that which he intended, that in him justification, or justifying faith, and sanctification, or works answerable, did meet; yea, and that from his faith by which he was justified, did flow true holiness and love to God. So as that from his instance, who is our pattern, he argues that where God imputes righteousness by believing, the person is made such in heart and life, as God may approve of him as a true and real friend. 'Abraham believed, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.' There is the one. And (says James) take this in too,
'He was called the friend of God,' that is, approved by God as such; and he really was such, for God calls things as they are. Now a friend to God, in James his interpretation of it, imports such inward dispositions of heart, and such a behaviour and deportment in life towards God, as a true friend beareth to a friend; and so is set to express sanctification in its distinction from faith, and as inseparable from faith.
(2.) He pertinently mentions this title of Abraham's being God's friend, as given him more especially upon that act of offering up his
son. A friend, we know, is known in trial. Now God tried him in the dearest thing he had, in requiring that he himself should sacrifice his own son, which God took so kindly at his hands, as he ever after upon mention of him termed him friend, this having been so high an act of pure friendship toward him.
(3.) The apostle pertinently allegeth it upon this discourse of true faith, to shew what a powerful working thing it is, where it is. You see how it wrought in Abraham's heart; it framed and changed his heart into friendship with God. Abraham believed God, and he was called the friend of God. You see then what a faith his was.
(4.) And lastly, it indeed interprets what James meant by Abraham's being justified by works; not the imputing of righteousness, but the calling and owning a man as God's friend. And in the same sense that God called Abraham friend, upon that act of offering up his son, in the same sense he is said to be justified by works in the verse before.
You use to say, such an one is an approved friend; such did Abraham demonstrate himself to be; and God owned him, and entitled him such for ever, which is a clear distinct thing from either Paul's or James's interpretation of righteousness, and justifying the ungodly.
I have but this to add in the close, which I began with in opening this difficult scripture, that all this is spoken of Abraham, not as a person extraordinary, but as a pattern and father unto all believers. For, 1, else James's alleging his instance had not come home to his scope, to shew that all professors must have that faith and sanctification that Abraham had. And therefore, 2, in ver. 21, when he begins to allege it, he says, 'Was not Abraham our father' thus and thus? And therefore we that profess ourselves sons and children of Abraham, must be herein like and conform to him. Yea, 3, it is observable that in the places to which he refers us, that Abraham was called the
friend of God, it is still spoken of him in relation to us his seed and children. You have it in two places, Isa. 41:8, 2 Chron. 20:7, and in both it runs thus, 'The seed of Abraham my friend.' It is given him when his seed is mentioned, and the entail to them is from him, because they all are to be friends to God as well as he.
So then to conclude; look as that glory, that heaven which we all expect, and which is the common receptacle of all believers, is termed in this very respect 'the bosom of Abraham,' Luke 15—and we are said to sit down with Abraham, &c., because both he and we go to one and the same common place—so that same kind of faith, the same effect and fruit of faith, sanctification and friendship to God, is to be wrought in us here, if we be saved with Abraham. Now friendship being put here to express Abraham's suitable carriage towards God, in the actings of his heart and life after believing, the deductions from hence are two, and they are proper to his scope.
1. That true faith, wherever it is, worketh and frameth the heart to friendlike dispositions unto God, and brings forth friendlike carriage in the life towards God. This the 23d verse holds forth, 'And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.' This the stream of his text fully carries along with it. James his scope is not only chiefly to shew that whom God justifies, he doth reconcile them to himself, or works in their hearts friendlike dispositions toward him; but that a friendlike deportment, that is, sincere obedience, is thereby signified, and doth flow from thence, and accompanies it in their hearts and lives. And to this very end and scope it is that this is cited out of the Old Testament, and again and again repeated; so that, however reconciliation elsewhere mainly imports the work of God upon us at first in the alteration of our states, yet Abraham's being a friend properly and mainly relates to
obedience, and a behaviour suitable to friendship, as witnessing and testifying that work and alteration.
2. Another inference is, that every man's faith, whether it be true or feigned, shall and must have this trial, whether it hath brought forth holiness in heart and life; and every man is thereby to be declaratively justified, and differenced from all men that shall be damned.
I shall insist now on the first of these inferences, to shew how true justifying faith works this friendly temper to God, which is the apostle's scope here. I shall give you a reason or two for it.
(1.) From the ingenuity* of faith, if it be true and genuine, that is, suitable and answerable unto the object it apprehends; for in a suitableness there unto the truth, the genuineness of faith consists.
For what is indeed the aim of faith? When it comes to God and Christ, believing on him what would it have? What is the thing it looks for from God? And what would it have at his hands? The mind and intent and scope of my faith, when I come to believe, is to have
God out of an infinite love (the same out of which he gave his Son to die, and which would yet move him to give him if he had not done it), out of such a love to pardon me all my sins, and to justify me, and to become an everlasting Father and friend unto me, and to love me with that love he loves his Son with, and out of that love to bestow all things on me. If you ask your hearts, and your faith could but tell you what the meaning of it is (as the scripture, Rom. 8, speaks of the Spirit in prayer), what is its errand, what its business is with God, when it casts itself upon God in Christ for salvation, you will find the very bottom-reach of it to have been spoken in what hath been said; and that this it would have of God, or it is never quiet. Now then, if this faith be but genuine and true, honest and unfeigned (as Christ in
the parable, and the apostle speaks of it), and so is answerable to its own aim, if it have any truth, honesty, justice, equity, or reality in it, how is it possible it should come to God for such a great love from him, such a large fruit and effect of such an entire friendship on God's part; but it must work the heart to a correspondent, an answerable frame in some sincerity towards God again on our parts?
The faith that justifies us is called a 'working faith' (ver. 22), and surely if it work anything, it must needs work a suitable disposition to God, such as it expects from God towards itself. So it is evident from the example of Abraham here; look what his faith expected to have from God, it wrought in a way of ingenuity the like in his heart unto God. Abraham when he believed unto righteousness, it was founded upon the promise God had made him of his own Son, his only Son, 'in whom' God told Abraham, 'he and all nations would be blessed.' Now doth Abraham believe to have God's Son given to him and for him? (For 'Abraham saw his day and rejoiced,' Abraham being a prophet, Gen. 20:7, and the father of the faithful, to whom the first promise of Christ, the blessed seed, was made.) He must then be understood to have had the same temper which David had, of whom it is said, Acts 2:30, 'That being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn that of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ: he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ.' So Abraham, I say, must necessarily be understood, upon the same account, to know and apprehend Christ and his offering up, and resurrection represented in that of his son's, which is expressly affirmed: Rom. 4 and Heb. 11:17–19, 'By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.' And Abraham, considering these things, said with himself, Why then God
shall have my son, now he calls for him, my only son, or whatever else is dear to me. 'Seest thou not then how faith wrought with his works, when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?' If his faith would have God be be great a friend to him, as God in that promise had declared himself to be, then faith frames his heart to be a friend to God. 'He believed,' this, namely, which hath been now discoursed,
'and it was imputed to him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God;' that is, this effect the faith that justified him did work in him.
And if faith be but equal, if faith be but faithful, if it be but honest (as Christ himself speaks, he calling the heart, by which the promise is savingly received, 'an honest heart,' in the parable of the sower), if it be but a principle of humanity, and deal with God but according to the principles of men, as a man, a sinful man, deals with man, it must needs work this frame. For this is made by Christ (Mat. 5:46) a common principle of humanity, 'to love those again that love us.' And Solomon speaks the same, that 'he that hath friends must shew himself friendly,' Prov. 18:24. Now faith is an higher principle than humanity; it is a divine principle of the operation of God (Col. 2:12), and therefore must needs, by the same power of God, which from first to last accompanies it, frame the heart it is seated in unto this ingenuity of friendship unto God. And it is seated in the whole heart, as the Scripture tells us, Rom. 10. And that faith works in this manner to return to God what it receives from God, that place likewise holds forth, 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 'The love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, and that when all were dead, to the end that they might live; that then they should not live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them, and rose again.'
This the law of common equity requires, to live to him that should have given his life unto us, especially by his own death; and this (if you observe it) is put upon this reason, 'because we thus judge,'
which judgment is the product of this principle and act of faith, which both believes these things as of and from God towards us, and withal hath in it an equity, an ingenuity to make the like returns to God; and therefore it must needs constrain us, when we thus in earnest judge.
And this holds true of the faith of dependence, as well as of faith of assurance (if it be genuine), for even faith of dependence expects this great friendship at God's hands, desires it, waits for it, and is not quiet without it. Surely because it so judgeth, and waiteth for and desireth this, it must needs frame the heart to the like again. And this is the first reason.
(2.) The second reason is from what hath been noticed, that to be sure God accepts of no other faith, but such as in the kind of it is such as will bring forth holiness and works by love; neither doth he justify upon any other, this being the faith of God's elect. Where his election bestows justification, there and then, and in them, he works that kind of faith. That there is such a distinction of faith, James holds forth; and God, to whom all his works are known from the beginning, knoweth where he worketh such genuine acts of faith, and where there is such a root as will bring forth according to its kind holiness in heart and life, and that works by love. God foreknows whom he justifies, and knows things in their causes' and the properties of causes. Souls of all sorts come with their faith unto him, and do alike cast themselves upon him and his grace. And he knows what is in man, even their thoughts afar off; and as a skilful herbalist knows the differing roots of herbs and fruits ere they have brought forth, so doth God know of what kind that faith is wherewith men come unto him, and so never errs in bestowing his justification upon an unsound faith, that hath not love to accompany it. God doth not justify any man rashly, or inconsiderately, so as if afterwards he sees
a soul to withdraw, and not answer his faith in works and obedience, he should then call back his grant. No; he makes sure work, and whom he foreknew or chose unto faith, in them he works true faith, and in them alone; and them he justifies upon their believing. The just is said to have his faith, which is proper to him, in distinction from that faith which those that withdraw have, Heb. 10 compared with that of the prophet, Hab. 2:4, 'The just shall live by his faith, but he that makes haste' (though he seems to believe), 'his soul is not upright in him;' that is, his faith is not sound, and of the right breed.
'We are not of those that withdraw, but that believe to the saving of the soul;' that is, we are of the number of those that so believe, as to be infallibly saved; it is spoken by way of distinction of their faith, for the other believe too, as the opposition implies. So as though many come to God, and put forth acts of faith, yet their faith being not spiritual, nor genuine, God justifies not upon it; for he hath not given them a faith to the saving of the soul. He knowing what manner of faith it is, bestows not that grace of justification upon it. I may say of it, as of Christ it is said, John 2:24, upon his like discerning beforehand, the ineffectualness and unsoundness of their faith,
'Many believed on him, but Jesus committed not himself into their hands, because he knew them all.' So God doth in this case.
(3.) A third reason is, God's end in saving us by faith, was not to lose by us a whit of that love and holiness he expects from us; but rather he chose faith, because whilst it gave all to free grace, and his infinite love, it might withal reflect and carry all that love down unto the heart again, and shed it abroad in the soul, and so cause love to God to spring up with a redoubled increase and advance. He did not choose love immediately, not because he regarded it not, but because if it had not sprung from faith, as first apprehending his love, it would have boasted itself, for it had returned something of itself unto
God. But whilst faith is made the receiver of all from God, and