A Treatise of Justifying Righteousness, Book 2 · Aphorism 104
Aphorism.
BƲt when it is the very scope of a Chapter in Ibid.plain and frequent Expressions, no whit dissonant from any other Scripture, I think he that may so wrest it, as to make it unsay what it saith, may as well make him a Creed of his own, let the Scripture say what it will to the contrary.
Animadvers.
Still you suppose much, but prove nothing. I have shewed before, that the scope of the Chapter is not against Mr. Pemble's Interpretation, but for i…: And that to interpret as you do, is repugnant both …o some passages in that Chapter, and also to other places of Scripture.
Reply.
1. Let your proofs prevail according to their strength: I leave it to the trial. 2. For my proofs, I know not well what to offer as such: For if I bring plain Scripture, it is easie to say, It means not as it speaks, and to feign an Analytical Reason of it. But I prove, that by [Works] James means [Works] indeed.
1. The unprofitableness of bare Faith, (that is, Assent) without Works (Works in a proper sense) is made the subject of his Discourse, Vers. 14. It is not Faith and Faith that are opposed, but Faith alone, and Faith and Works: Insomuch that he concludes, Faith cannot save him that hath not Works: Which plainly intimates a necessity of more in Works than their bare presence.
2. His first Argument ab inefficacia similis, is, Good words, without good deeds cannot feed or clothe m…n: So b…li… without a good life, cannot please G… and s…ve the person, but as to this use is dead, b…ing alon…. Here again, the opposition is not merely between Faith and Faith, but between single Faith of Assent, and Faith and Works together. And still the same kind of force (I am loth to call it officacy) is ascribed to Works, in their place, as to Faith.
3. His second Argument is, That to have Faith without Works is a hardning of those that are Unbelievers, and causeth them to think ill of the Christian Faith, and insult over it, vers. 18. q. d. A man (that is, an Unbeliever) may say, Thou hast Faith, (i. e. You say none are of the true Religion but you; your Faith only is right, and we are all wrong; but shew me thy Faith by thy Works; (i. e. If your belief be so good, why have you no better lives? it appears by your Works, what your Belief is:) And I will shew thee my Faith by my Works; i. e. Let our Works shew which of us hath the best Belief.
4. His third Argument is, that the Devils have a true Belief without Works; therefore that will not save, vers. 19. q. d. Thou hast no more than Devils have, if this be all.
5. His fourth Argument is vers. 21. and the Conclusion premised, vers. 20. viz. Faith without Works is dead, viz. As to the effect of justifying and saving (mortuum & inutile in Lege aequiparantur:) Still here the opposite part on one side, is [Faith and Works;] and on the other [Faith without Works.] The Argument, vers. 21. is Abraham himself (that is said to be justified by Faith) was yet justified by Works (not only by that Faith which did work, but by Works) and the Work is expressed [when he offered his son on the Altar.]
In Vers. 22. he urgeth the Application, Seest thou not how Faith wrought with his Works; i. e. He both believed and obeyed, his Faith and Obedience did co-work; or (if you will, that his Faith produced Works) and [by Works was Faith made perfect;] (i. e. by those Works which it produced, or he added, Faith was made perfect for the accomplishing of its ends, to which else it was dead, as is oft said before: Perfect and Dead are opposed; Dead is insufficient to the ends.)
6. In vers. 23. he for preventing an Objection, [Was not Abraham justified by Faith?] interpreteth that saying, [The Scripture was fulfilled which saith, &c. (q. d. He was indeed justified by Faith, the Scripture is fulfilled in that: But when he was called to Works, it was not then by Faith alone, but by Faith and Works added (for though Faith be the Condition of Initiation, yet Faith and Obedience, of the Confirmation, Continuation and Consummation of Righteousness.)
7. In Vers. 24. He very solemnly calls them to observe the Question concluded from this Argument, [You see then how that by Works a man is justified, and not by Faith only:] Not by that Faith only which did work; but by Works (as he had oft said before) not Works necessary as signs, or as idle Concomitants, but [by Works he was justified:] And lest we should doubt whether he only require their presence, and not their conditional interest, he shews their interest to be of the same nature, though not of the same order and degree as Faith's interest is, by applying the word [By] to the several members [By Works, and not only by Faith:] And puts foreign solum, lest if he had put it adjectively, it might occasion the contrary Interpretation. And he saith not, [Faith is justified,] but [a man is justified.] So that they that say he speaks of the Justification of Faith, must make it run thus, [You see that by Works a mans Faith is justified, and not by Faith only.]
8. His fifth Argument he urgeth from the example of Rahab. Rahab was justified by Works (still retaining and inculcating the same words of being justified by Works, and not only by the Faith which produceth them; lest if he speak it but once, we might think it were not his proper meaning: And so expresseth the particular Work by which the Scripture commendeth Rahab, as being one of those Works that justifie her.
9. And so he concludeth again, Vers. 26. That as the Body without the Spirit, so Faith (i. e. A sound Orthodox Belief: For so our Divines against the Papists and Commentators usually interpret it) without works (to second it, and joyn with it, as part of the Condition of continued Justification and Salvation) is dead also (i. e. is unprofitable.)
I have laid by all Authors, and the remembrance of their judgments, as much as I could, and looked only on the words of the Text, and charged my Conscience to speak what seemed the true unforced Analysis: And this is it that seems to me to be the naked sense. But when I had done, and reviewed the sense of Expositors, I see no reason to change it.
Now if (as I have said) Piscator, Pemble, &c. by [working Faith,] mean not only [Faith it self as Faith,] but [Faith as working,] i. e. first as Faith, and secondarily as Working, they say as much as I (but yet I will not accuse or refuse this oft repeated Scripture-phrase: But if they mean by [working Faith,] only [that Faith which hath Works as only quoad praesentiam necessary, and not at all ad effectum Justificationis,] I think they utterly forsake plain Scripture-words and sense.