Chapter II
How the apostle Paul and the apostle James are consistent in the account
which they give of Abraham s justification.
If you ask how this is to be reconciled to what Paul says, Rom. 3d and 4th
chapters, where he says the clean contrary, that Abraham was justified by
CHAP. II.] IN THE HEART AND LIFE. 181
faith without works? the answer (besides what hath been now said) is
clear out of the scope of both places compared. There is a double justifi cation by God: the one authoritative, the other declarative or demonstrative.
Though this is also before God, yet it is that which is to be made before all
the world by God ; and in order thereunto, the one is the justification of men s persons coram Deo, before God, as they appear before him nakedly, and have to do with him alone for the right to salvation ; and so they are
justified by faith without works, either as looked at by God or by them
selves. God therein passeth an act of Christ s righteousness, out of his
pure prerogative ; as a king, when he pardons, or creates a nobleman, and
the like. And this part of the distinction Paul himself puts, in stating it under the example of Abraham ; that coram Deo, before God, nor Abraham, nor any flesh shall be justified by works : Rom. iv. 2-5,
* For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the Scripture ? Abraham believed God, and it was counted
to him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
* not before God ; that is, not in that justification, which is an act passed between God and a man s own soul, and in respect of the private transactions between both.
Observe it, he saith,
But God, at the latter day, is to proceed as the judge of all the world (as Abraham calls him), and as such, to put a difference between man and man, and that upon this account, that the one were true believers when he justi fied them ; the other were unsound, even in their very acts of faith which
they did put forth. And so he is to shew forth a difference between those whom he hath justified thus out of his prerogative, and those whom he hath
left under wrath. He is to own the one with a Come, ye blessed, and
reject the other with a Go, ye cursed. Now God hath ordered it so, that he will not put the possession of
salvation upon that private act of his own, without having anything else to shew for it. He shews grace and favour to a man without works, but yet he will go demonstratively to work, and difference believing Abraham from
unbelieving Ishmael and Laban ; and this by such works as the other had not to shew for themselves. He will justify his own acts of justification, of this man and not of that ; and he will justify the faith of him he had
justified (which is James s main scope), or, if you will, the person himself, as he professed himself to have had faith. And this is as evidently James s
scope, as the other is Paul s. In a word, Abraham s person, considered
singly and alone, yea, as ungodly, is the object of Paul s justification with
out works, Rom. iv. 3-5. But Abraham, as professing himself to have such a true justifying faith, and to have been justified thereupon, and
claiming right to salvation by it, Abraham, as such, is to be justified by works. Now, that this is James s scope is evident, for
1. It agrees with the language he useth, which imports his meaning to
intend but an outward demonstration in this his justification which he
* Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew
intended, ver. 18,
thee my faith by my works. And ver. 22, Seest thou how faith wrought with his works ? So, then, he speaks of a visible, demonstrative justifica
tion, as the words seeing and shewing import.
2. This instance of Abraham s justification, he saith, was after he had
offered up his son. Now what was that justification, but that famous testi mony of God himself, given him thereupon ? Now know I, says God,
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* that thou fearest God, which is no more but this : I have now a visible evidence and demonstration of it ; so that whereas before I, upon a private act of my own, justified thee upon believing, I can now own
Gen. xxii. 12,
thee to all the world, and have an evidence to give upon certain knowledge. And this testimony was Abraham s justification.
3. The 23d verse also tells us, that he had that character or title of honour given him thereupon
: 1. That he was called the friend of God, which is spoken in relation unto that act ; 2. He is spoken of, also, as one whom God was not ashamed of to be called his God, nor to own him
as a friend, for he had had it upon an experience what would justify his
doing so.
4. And yet further, he herein prosecutes what he had said, ver. 12, that we should be judged by our works, and so speaks this in relation thereunto. And look in what sense a man may be said to be judged by his works at
the latter day, in the same sense, and that sense only, he intends this his
justification by works, and in no other ; for all judging and passing of sen
tence must have either a justification or a condemnation, as the sentence
of it in the close. So as there is no more danger to say, a man at the latter
day shall be justified by his works, as evidences of his state and faith, than
to say he shall be judged according thereto ; and the one is to be taken in
* according to
a similar or like sense unto the other. Now, to be judged
works (when it is spoken of a good man), is meant demonstratively, as
they are evidence of his estate. The apostle s scope being also to shew,
by God s approbation given Abraham, upon the story of his offering up his
son in his lifetime, what like approbation or justification Christ will declare and hold forth concerning true believers, when the story of their lives and
all the good they have done, or was wrought in them, shall be ripped up
I was naked, and ye clothed me ; and so gives them the testimony of his
knowing that they had done so. As, on the contrary, to them that regarded not good works, he says, I know you not, Mat. vii. 23. And David,
* The Lord knows the way of the righteous, that is, justifies and approves ; as
speaking of standing in judgment, useth the same phrase, Ps. i. 5, 6,
in that speech God did Abraham, Now I know thou fearest me, &c. And in relation to this outward judgment at the latter day, our sentence
of salvation is termed expressly a justification ; and this very thing is asserted
* I say unto you, that every idle word
by Christ himself : Mat. xii. 36, 37,
that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judg ment ; for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou
shalt be condemned. Neither is it anywhere said, that God will judge men according to their faith only ; nor will it be a sufficient plea at the
latter day to say, Lord, thou knowest I believed, and cast myself at thy
grace. God will say, I am to judge thee so as every one shall be able to
* Therefore, shew me thy faith by thy works ; let me know by them thou fearedst me ;
judge my sentence righteous together with me : 1 Cor. iv. 5,
for as I did judge Abraham, and gave thereupon a testimony of him, so I must proceed towards thee. And this God will do, to the end that all the
sons of Israel, yea, the whole world, may know that he justified one that had true faith indeed.
So then, Paul s judging according to works, and James his justification by works, are all one, and are alike consistent with Paul s justification by faith only. For in the same epistle where he argues so strongly for justi fication by faith without works, as Rom. iii. iv., he in chap. ii. also declares, that he will judge every man according to his works. He doth so to the
CHAP. II.] IN THE HEART AND LIFE. 183
: ver. 7, To them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for
good
glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life. As well as to the bad he
pronounceth a contrary judgment: vers. 8, 9, But unto them that are con
tentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile.
* Thou seest how faith
Now then, to proceed in the exposition of James :
wrought with Abraham s works. Which imports, first, that his faith was
a working faith, which is the principal point that James drives at. And
secondly, that his works did proceed out of faith, and so were accepted. Thus in Heb. xi. 17, By faith Abraham offered up Isaac, says the apostle there. And by works faith was made perfect ; that is, declared and
manifested to be true and perfect faith. Thus we are said to bless God, when we shew his blessedness. And thus, in 2 Cor. xii. 9,
* God s power
is said to be perfected in weakness ; not that it receives any perfection from us, but because it is manifested in its divineness and perfection. And
this the reason of the thing also enforceth, for the cause is not perfected by the effect, but is declared perfected. Fruits perfect not, or make not
the tree good, but shew the goodness of it. Now faith is the cause of works ; and so his faith was perfected by works, by being manifested, upon trial (as, Heb. xi. 17, the apostle speaks), to be perfect faith, that is, true and genuine faith (for so perfect is taken by James, chap. i. 17, every perfect gift ), in distinction from faith that proves itself hypocritical in the issue. Thus
you say of a true dye, it is a perfect colour.
Again, then, a thing is said to be perfected, when it hath attained the end which it was ordained for, or which was aimed at. Thus in 1 John
ii. 5, Whoso keepeth his words, in him the love of God is perfected. Understand it either of the grace of love in us, it is perfected when it brings forth the actions and fruits of obedience it was ordained to bring forth ; or
take it in respect of God s love towards us, holiness is the end and aim
thereof. It receives its intended end and accomplishment in a man that
keeps the commandments, for we were chosen to be holy before him in
love.
But let us proceed in the exposition of James s words. James ii. 23, And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and
it was imputed to him for righteousness ; that is, upon this his offering up his son there was a fulfilling of that thing which aforehand had been
spoken of Abraham, whereof the Scripture is the record. 1. First, let us
consider the thing. 2. The phrase fulfilled. 1. Let us consider the thing in other passages of the New Testament, where it is said a scripture is fulfilled, when it is first done or accomplished, with reference to some scripture or prophecy recorded and written long afore the thing was accomplished. Now that cannot be James his meaning
here, for Moses his books (and so this Book of Genesis) were written after, both this imputation of righteousness by God, and that offering up of Isaac
by Abraham. The intent of this saying then must rest upon this, that what is recorded in Scripture, as said long before of Abraham s faith, was
afterward fulfilled and demonstrated, though both passages were at one and
the same time written by the same hand of Moses long after both. And so
it refers to the priority of matter, that one passage fell out afore the other, not to the writing itself. Now it is evident by the story, that about thirty
years before Abraham offered up his son, God had (as the Scripture records
it) imputed righteousness to him upon believing, Gen. xv. 6. Yea, and
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upon a bare and naked act of believing was it that God did impute righteous ness to him. But then, as hath been said, God that justified Abraham as his elect gave him such a faith ; and such an act of faith was then put forth by Abraham, as God, to use the words said of Christ, knowing by intuition and foresight the kind of it (he also out of election having given* him such a faith) to be true and genuine, justified him upon it ; it being such a faith as he meant to follow with all these good works, that which Abraham after ward out of faith wrought; and indeed Abraham s faith after so many years brought forth those many acts of obedience, Heb. xi. 17. There was an evident demonstration of making good, a fulfilling or justifying of what God had done, and of that faith he had justified him then upon, clearly shewing that God in justifying him upon that, though a single act of faith, yet had
kept to that eternal rule of his in justifying any, that such a faith should be operative and working of holiness. This Abraham in the sequel fulfilled and made good, and God foresaw he would. And it is observable, that in the 15th of Genesis God gave forth the promise absolutely unto Abraham
first, and then he put forth that act of faith towards it. The promise was a declaration of God s immediate counsel towards him, not founded on any work precedent, no, nor faith, but uttered for him by faith to receive : ver. 1, I am thy shield and exceeding great reward. And ver. 6,
* As the stars shall thy seed be (in which Abraham spied out Christ). And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness. Therefore Paul argues that God justified him, as considering him an ungodly person, neither therein respecting his works nor his faith, as that for which he
justified him. Now then, upon that eminent act of obedience, the offering up his son (which is recorded Gen. xxii.), doth God renew the same
promise, confirming it with an oath ; I say, he renews the very same promise for substance given afore : ver. 16, 17, By myself have I sworn, that because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine
only son : that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will
multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore ; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. Now the fulfilling here is in part interpreted by the word the apostle useth of this very speech Heb. vi. 17, that it was a confirmation of a promise formerly giverl by an oath, referring to the declaration of himself, Gen xxii., as by the 13th and 14th verses appears, For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will
multiply thee. So then, as this renewing the promise was but a further confirmation of what was sure afore on God s part there, so here in James this fulfilling was but a making for, or open verification, or demonstration, or shewing forth on Abraham s part, that his]faith God had justified him upon was true and real, perfect faith, such as God only professed to justify men upon. And as the first promise given, Gen. xv., was sufficient alone to have assured us, and the addition of that oath made it not more true or full in real verity than it was afore, only ex abundanti was added for con firmation, so Abraham s justification upon that bare act of believing was as full and complete in the thing itself, as it was now upon the offering up of his son ; only hereupon a new ratification was made to his faith thereof. And so the saying was but fulfilled, and Abraham s faith (upon which it was first uttered) justified and declared true, namely, by that testimony of
* Now I know thou fearest me. 2. And, secondly, the phrase well bears it ; for in this sense a thing
God s then given,
CHAP. II.] IN THE HEART AND LIFE. 185
said to be fulfilled in Scripture when declared and ratified by some eminent
signal of it. Acts xiii. 32, 33, when Peter brought the Jews tidings that they should have God s own Son for their Messiah (for which he quotes Ps. ii., Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee ), says he,
* God hath
fulfilled the same unto us, in that he hath raised up Christ from the dead. Now Jesus Christ was not made any whit more God s Son by his resurrec
tion than he was before ; how is it then said by his resurrection to be
fulfilled ? Paul hath resolved us : Rom. i. 4, He was declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead. It is he that was the Son
of God by eternal generation, and there was no other such a son of God, and of whom it was accordingly said in Scripture, This day have I begotten thee. This scripture is said to be fulfilled, when this is manifestly made
forth and demonstrated. And this is but the same which God doth every
day, when upon occasion of some eminent act of self-denial or suffering he renews assurance of his love, and of the justification of them that have afore
believed, as John xiv. 21.
Now then, that justification, which in reality, and for the thing itself, was
as complete upon a bare act of believing as ever it shall be to all eternity
(and the very words import it, in that thirty years before Abraham s
offering up his son, righteousness was imputed to him by believing), yet is
said to be fulfilled, when demonstratively and signally held forth. And as
the resurrection of the Son of God added nothing to his Sonship that was
essential thereunto, so neither did this justification of Abraham by works, James ii. 21, add anything to God s real imputing of Christ s righteous
ness, but was the signal of it.
So then, let us conceive aright of God s proceedings herein. Says God
of a man that now but begins to put forth a naked act of faith, I do here
justify this man, and I do justify him for ever, and I will never recall it. But
a carnal heart might object, Will God beforehand thus rashly give forth an
eternal justification of man ? Will he not stay until he sees works to spring from it ? No, says God, I will adventure to do it now ; for when I mean
to justify according to my decree of election, I give him faith, the faith of my elect ; and I see (for he sees all our thoughts and wants afar off) this
faith I justify this man now upon, this sole act of believing for justification, to be so genuine, so true and unfeigned faith, and of the true and right
breed, that I will adventure it, or rather undertake for it, that in the
future course of this man s life it shall bring forth in his heart and life
acts and dispositions suitable, which shall justify this my justifying of this man ; which when it shall do, then is God s sentence of justifying him said
to be fulfilled.
When a man first believes upon a bare word of God, God in like manner
justifies upon that bare act of believing ; and as he trusts God, so God
trusts his faith, or rather undertakes for it, and pronounceth such a
sentence upon him of justification as he hath 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 fulfil 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
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understood : And the scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.