us: Why should it not be thought Available to Justify us? I answer, The Way of Justification and of Salvation is not the very fame, in every, particular: But the Gospel fhews us a diverfe Method to Effect the one and the other; And more to be done for This, than for That. For God is faid to Justify the Ungodly: But 'tis denied, that he will Save any, till they are made Holy. Obedience is the Condition of the New Covenant, needful to Salvation; To make those who are already Heirs, Meet for their Heavenly Inheritance. i. e. Not to give them a Right to it; But fitting Difpofitions for it. But then Juftification cannot alike depend upon any Works or Obedience: Because it is Before them. And till a man is Juftified, He can do nothing that is of Faith, nor Good and Pleafing to God. So that the Obedience to Righteousness, mentioned, Rom. 6. 16. I think, cannot be meant of a Righteousness to Juftification; but only of that Righteoufnefs which makes us Holy in our Converfation. Unless we take it for the Obedience of Faith, Rom. 16. 26. which will indeed avail to Juftification of Life. For 'tis to him who Worketh not, that his Faith is Counted for Righteousness. Rom. 4. 5. And if he Worketh not, i. e. No works to Juftify him, but all his Good works are puerly the Effects of God's Grace and Juflification: How vain is it then to plead for

any

any Righteoufnefs of Works? Indeed we can never be Juftified By 'em: Though we muft never look to be Saved Without 'em.

Therefore (in the pofitive part now,) To Eftablifh our Own Righteousness, Is to Build and Depend upon it, for our Fuftification in the fight of God; and our Acquittance and Abfolution from the Law's Charge and Accufation: To Abide by it, as our Plea: wherewithal to answer for our felves in Judgment. To Stand to it in our Laft Trial, at the Tribunal of Heaven. And the Defence that we think then to make; Why Sentence of Condemnation should not be Pronounc'd upon us: Because we have carried fo Fair; and done all things fo Well: Therefore, we not only hope to Escape the Punishment; but we lay Claim to the Reward: Not for Chrift's fake but for our Works fake: Not because he has Satisfied and Merited for us: but because we are fo Fit and Worthy our felves.

This I take to be, The Establishing of our Own Righteousness. But are there any fo Extravagant and Senfelefs; as thus to Erect all the Fabrick of their Salvation, upon fueh a Rotten Foundation? Yes, This was the Way that the Jews took; St. Paul here tells

us.

And do not we find, that they have many Brethren ftill; though going under the Chriftian Name, that keep up the very fame Humour; and plead their Own Goodnefs, as All in All, to bring them off; when

God

God fhall enter into Judgment with them? They feem to think themfelves Ready for him; Let him come when he will; and that they are Able to ftand upon their Own Legs. And a Juftification by the Satisfaction and Merits of Christ Jesus, that's lealt in their Thoughts; and feldom in their Mouths: Unless it be, to fhew the Spleen and Scorn, with which they treat all fuch Pretenfions.

They plead all for Juftification only by Works. Though the Apoffle tells us, Gal.2. 16. That a man is not Juftified by the Works of the Law: but by the Faith of Jefus Chrift. Yea he Excludes all manner of Works, done by us. Tit. 3. 5. Not by works of Righteoufnefs, which we have done. And therefore what St. James affirms of Juftification by any Works, must not be understood of the fame fort of Juftification as St. Paul pleads for. For as the former deals with Vain men, puff'd up with the Conceit of their Faith, and making flight account of Works: When all their Faith was nothing but the Knowledge and Profeffion of the Gospel: Or a Notional Affent to its Truth; and Verbal Boafting of their Believing: with which they took up, as Sufficient: Such a bare Speculation and Acknowledgment of Christ, without any care to live to him, or to make the right Use and Benefit of him, he calls Dead; and reckons it for None, as to the Justifying and Saving of the Soul: For how

could

could fuch a Faith, Fruitless, and no more than the Faith of Devils, Juftify or Save? So (I fay) he treats of a different kind of Juftification, from that which St. Paul eftablifhes: Not of the Juftification, of our Perfons in the fight of God, and before his Judgment-feat; But of the Juftification of our Faith in the fight of the World; and at the Bar of our own Confciences: Where, (it's true,) Works must come in, to make good our Pretenfions to the holy Saviour of the World. For though Faith Juftifies us; yet Works declare us to have that Faith: And tho' Faith is the Seal of our Juftification; yet Works are the Seal of our Faith: And Faith does the business, But Worksprove it to be done.

And I cannot agree with thofe, who, to Invalidate the Credit of St. Paul, bring him in fpeaking more Darkly; and not fo well advised: And would have St. James to come after, as his Interpreter, to Help him out: Who (no doubt) was very well able to explain himself; and rightly to Manage, and Apply his own Doctrine; which he Infifts upon fo Statedly, and Largely: When St. James does but touch it Collaterally, and Sparingly. And if we muft question the Authority of Either; It fhould be rather of the last nam'd: Because his Epiftle has been fometimes call'd in doubt; and the other's never was. But I would not offer to Question either, as not Authentick: Nor

have we any Need to go that way to work; When they are fo ealy Reconciled; and all the Clashing is only in Appearance. For that St. James does not mean the Juftification of our Perfons before the Lord, is to me evident; Because he makes Faith to have Little or no Concern in it; which yet all that I hear the Scripture, muft own to be a ConCaufe, at leaft, if not the Only Caule. Yea because the Allegation which he brings in, Chap. 2. 23. would Overthrow all his caufe; if he intended the Juftification in God's Sight. For The Scripture (fays he,) was fulfilled, which faith, Abraham Believed, and it was Imputed to him for Righteousness. i.e. Abraham obeying God, in that Difficult Service, of Offering up his only Son, did make Appear what was fpoken of him in that Scripture; and gave the Evidence and Verification of it; that his Faith was Imputed to him for Juftification: Though that Juftification was indeed many Years before he made this Attempt, to Sacrifice Ifaac; and long before Ifaac was born. And if Abraham was Juftified Before he wrought the Works; Then he could not be Juftified by the Works: Unless it be in fome other Senfe of Juftification.. Whence it appears, That St. James speaks of the Declarative Juftification. And fo it is obfervable, how he makes his Demand (degov uo)Make Appear, Demonftrate, and Shew me thy Faith. ver. 18. Let me

ice