Book II
The demeanour of a Christian, as it is expressed under the notion of friendship
with God. The example of Abraham s being the friend of God. How, in the sense of the apostle James, he was justified by works. How great,
excellent, and kind a friend God is to us. How this consideration should
engage us in a sincere friendship to him. What are the duties and offices to be performed by us, as proper and owing to such a friendship ? Of the
behaviour of a Christian, as it is named service to God.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his
son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect f 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. JAMES II. 21-23.
CHAPTER I.
The obedience of a Christian expressed under the notion offriendship to God.
The title of being God
1 s friend is given to Abraham The meaning of the apostle James, when he says, Abraham was justified by works.
MY present subject is the obedience of a man already regenerated ; and
this the notion of friendship with God will in a large manner serve to
illustrate unto us. Friendship is the strength of love, and the highest im
provement of it. Thy friend, says Moses, that is as thy own soul, Deut. xiii. 6. Friendship is common to, and included in, all relations of
love. A brother is (or ought to be) a friend ; it is but friendship natural. Husband and wife are friends ; that knot is but friendship conjugal. See one instance for both, Cant. v. : Christ had first called his church sister, and then spouse ; and as not contented with both, though put together, he adds another compellation as the top of all, Oh my friends ! This
friendship to God will therefore most perfectly and completely serve to
express the love and obedience of the saints to God, which is here set forth
in the text, in the example of Abraham, the state of whose person and
temper of heart is herein made the common standard of all believers.
This phrase of being friends to God is not only expressive of the first work of God upon us, but it is sufficient to instruct and direct us, and (as the Holy Ghost speaks upon another occasion) to make the man of God
perfect. The whole of that charge given to Abraham, who is here made our pattern, Gen. xvii. 1, Walk before me, and be thou perfect, is sum
marily comprehended in this testimony of his carriage, whereby he made
good the character of a friend, and so was called the friend of God. Other
titles given us do more express our privileges, as to be called a son, an
CHAP. L] IN THE HEART AND LIFE. 179
heir; but this of being a friend to God (the essential constitution and essence of which regeneration first gives us) expresseth more of duty and of the inward disposition of a Christian towards God, though it also be as
high a title for dignity as any other. God writ upon the palms of his
hands, and as a signet and a memorial on his right hand, the name of
* Abraham his friend ; he remembers him and his seed by it again and
again, as if all were spoken in that one word. Our privilege by it I will not insist on, but the duty, the dispositions of it, I cannot omit, having gone so far in it, which Christ also insinuates, John xv. 14,
* Ye are my friends, if ye do whatever I command you. That I may arrive at this portion of Scripture (my text), as it stands in coherence with the foregoing words, I must necessarily open the aim and
intent of James therein, which hath had so much controversy upon it. The point which he pursues in this chapter and this epistle was to con vince loose professors, who, building themselves upon Paul s doctrine
(which if it had not been current in those times there had been no colour
for their mistake), that faith alone being that which saved us, and justified us without works, they thereupon had taken up a looseness of profession in practice, not judging inward holiness in their hearts, or an outward
strictness in their lives necessary, seeing it was faith alone that saveth. Now, in this chapter, there are two mediums by which he evinceth the
vanity of that deceit.
1. That even under the gospel, universal respect to all the command
ments, one as well as another, is required, and upon the same ground to
all as unto any one ; yea, and that at the latter day, God will judge every man according to this rule, which he terms the
* law of liberty, ver. 12. The gospel requires a sincere respect unto all commandments ; this you have from ver. 8 to the 14th,
* If ye fulfil the royal law according to the
scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well : but if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as
transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now, if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as
they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judg ment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy ; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works ? can faith save him ?
The second part of this discourse, and which he prosecutes to the end of the chapter is, 1. That true saving faith hath always works of holiness, or such a respect unto all the commandments, accompanying it both in the heart and life. And 2. On the contrary, that faith which hath not these
fruits is but a dead faith, and not the true genuine faith, such as all be
lievers have that are saved. Yea, and 3. That every man s faith (and so
together therewith every man that professeth himself to have true faith) must one day be put to an open trial, to justify the truth of itself, and of his profession, and this afore all the world. And the believer also will be
put upon the justification of his having had such a faith as God (ex conse-
quenti, or in the sequel) professeth only to justify man upon ; for at the
latter day it is faith is the grace that must be tried and found unto honour and glory, 1 Peter i. 7. And the man that shall plead justification by faith alone (which James contradicts not), and that he had a saving faith, must
undergo this examination, whether his faith produced such works, yea or
180 OF GOSPEL HOLINESS [BOOK II.
no, as the nature of true faith, with difference from false and unfeigned
faith (which James disputes against), doth note.
These three assertions he intermingledly lays down. The first, ver. 14,
* What doth it profit a man, though he say he hath faith, and have not
works ? Can 5} cr/tfr/j, that faith, save him ? The second is in ver. 17, Even so faith, which hath not works, is dead, being alone, and but such
a faith as the devils have, ver. 19. The third is in verses 21 and 24, A man is justified by works, and not by faith only. The issue of all which comes to this, that true sanctification and holiness of heart and life is
required by God unto the possession and the enjoyment of salvation as well
as faith, and serves to justify the truth of the faith, by which he hath alone
the right to it. Now, for the confirmation of all this, he allegeth the instance of Abraham
as an undeniable conviction and sufficient evidence, as his preface to it
shews : Wilt thou know, vain man ? says he, ver. 20. He gives such
possessors the title of vain men, because they are vain in their imaginations, Rom, i., and deceived in what they build on, and their religion will prove vain (as in chap. i. 26 he speaks) ; such a man deceives his own heart, and his religion is vain.
Now wilt thou know, that is, shall I give thee an invincible demonstra
tion for all these things ? Both that that faith which is without works is
a dead faith, a counterfeit faith, and so of another kind from saving faith. And 2dly, that whoever pleads he hath faith, must have a justification (in a right and true sense) by works, &c. For this, take that instance of our
father Abraham: James ii. 21, Was not Abraham our father justified by
works, when he had offered up his son Isaac upon the altar ? We must
understand him here closely to prosecute those assertions he had begun, whereof one was, that it was not enough for a man that would be saved to
say that he had faith, but he must make this good, and shew it forth in
his works. And accordingly, as to this sense, the apostle must be under
stood to speak this of Abraham (for he speaks pertinently to his own con
clusions laid), that if Abraham our father were now alive, or to appear at
the day of judgment, and would say or plead that he had faith, upon which God had imputed righteousness unto him, that yet even he, as well as any
other, must shew that he had such a faith by his works, or he had not
approved himself to have been a true believer. And so to be justified by works is but to approve himself a true believer in difference to a false faith
(which is the main point which James his scope was to disprove) ; and
accordingly, there is recorded (to which James his words do refer) a justifi cation of him that followed upon that work of his: ver. 22-24, 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. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.