"know (says the Apostle,) that if our earthly "house of this tabernacle is dissolved, we have "a building of God, an house not made with

he performed the work of offering up his son. Besides, whatever evidence a man may have from his works, that he is justified, it cannot properly be termed his being justified by works; for the evidence of a thing is not the thing itself. Another opinion is, that St. Paul treats of justification in the sight of God; but that St. James speaks of it only as it appears before men. It is indeed true, that a man's faith is shown, or made manifest to others, by its outward effects or good works; and it is our duty, by these, to make our light shine before men. (Matt. v. 16.) But surely St. James must mean something more than appearing just before men, or obtaining their approbation. Was it only thus that Abraham was justified by works, and that by works his faith was made perfect? St. Paul made little of account of being either justified or condemned by men. (1 Cor. iv. 3, 4. Gal. vi. 4.) He distinguishes the true Israelite as having his praise not of men, but of God. (Rom. ii. 29.) St. James introduces what he says of justification by works, with this exhortation-" So speak ye, "and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty;" (Jam. ii. 12.) where he certainly refers to the judgment of God. We cannot, therefore, reasonably suppose, that he has only the judgment of men in view; for that is always fallible, and, at the best, but of small consequence. It is only “he whom the Lord commendeth, that is approved.” (2 Cor. x. 18.) What, then, does St. James mean, by saying that a man is justified by works? Does he mean that guilty sinners are pardoned, and received into a state of favor with God, on account of their good works? or on account of their faith and good works taken together? He certainly means neither: but his meaning is, that believers in Christ, abounding in the work of faith, and labour of love, are APPROVED of the Lord; as his good and faithful servants in that respect, and shall, at last, be openly acknowledged and rewarded by him as such; not according to the tenor of the law of works, but according to the constitution of grace established in the blood and mediation of Christ. To confirm this sense of the word justified, let it be considered, that our Lord uses it not to signify being pardoned, but APPROVED,—“By thy words thou shalt be justified.” (Matt. xii. 37.) St. Paul also uses it in the same sense. (1 Cor. ii. 3, 4.) The sense in which St. James uses the word justified, is expressed by a variety of other words in Scripture, such as God's being pleased. (Prov.xvi.7. 1 Thess. iv.1. Heb. xi. 15. xiii. 16.) It is expressed also by being approved

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hands, eternal in the heavens." This is the "promise of the Son of God himself:-" In my "Father's house (he said,) are many mansions: if

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of God. (2 Cor. x. 18. 2 Tim. ii. 5. Rom. ii. 29.) Further, it is expressed by being accepted of God. (Acts x. 35. Rom. xiv. 18. 2 Cor. v. 9.) All these expressions refer to the character and good works of believers; and as they express God's approbation and acceptance of them, so they fully explain what St. James means by a man's being justified by works, and not by faith only: and, as they are all expressions used by St. Paul, they also show that he and St. James were in perfect unison on this subject. In this sense Abraham was justified when he had offered up his son, Jam. ii, 21. for upon that signal instance of obedience, the Lord declared his approbation of his character, as a fearer of him. Gen. xxii. 12.-" Now I "know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy son, "thine only son from me." And in this, St. James says, "the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to "him for righteousness." Jam. ii. 23. For though, according to Moses and St. Paul, that Scripture was fulfilled above forty years before this, when Abraham believed God's promise, and was justified by faith without works, Gen. xv. 6. Rom. iv. 3-6.—yet it was also fulfilled in respect of his being approved and accepted of God as a faithful servant, when "his faith wrought with his works" in offering up his son at the divine command; "and by works was his faith made perfect." ver. 22. He had before believed God's promise that he should have a son and a numerous offspring, even "against hope: Rom. iv. 19. Heb. xi. 11, 12. but now he performed this work," accounting that God was able to raise his son even from the "dead," after he should be slain and consumed to ashes. Heb. xi. 17, 19. So that in this, his faith had its highest exercise, its perfect work, and was complete and entire, wanting nothing, but came forth approved from the greatest of trials.

Lastly. It may be observed, that as St. Paul and St. James use the word justify in different senses, it is evident that they do not, in the least contradict each other; because a man may be justified, in St. Paul's sense, by faith without works, and yet, according to St. James, be afterwards, in another sense, justified by works, and not by faith only. Is it not perfectly consistent that a guilty rebel, who is freely pardoned, and received into favour without any merit of his own, (pardon always supposes

3 2 Cor. v. 1.

"it were not so, I would have told you. I prepare a place for you. And if I

go to

go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and "receive you unto myself, that where I am, there

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4

ye may be also." This is that " recompence of "reward" that every faithful servant of Christ "has respect to." They "must work while it is day," for the day is fast expiring-the term of their pilgrimage here" is but for a moment," but their "rest" shall be eternal-it shall be " glorious.' They shall not labour in vain." Their meetness

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118

demerit,) should from that moment love and obey his sovereign, and be afterwards approved of by him as an obedient and faithful subject, and even rewarded as such? 2. None can be justified by works, till they are first justified by faith without works. Till then they are in a state of guilt, and under the curse of the law; and to suppose that God will approve or accept of their works, while they lie under the sentence of condemnation, is a contradiction. Besides, while they are in that state, they can perform no works truly good, or from a proper principle, so as to be approved of God. They are in the flesh, and carnally minded; and while they are so, they cannot please God. Rom. viii. 7, 8.-3. Though the good works of believers are mixed with much imperfection in this life, and never lay a foundation for boasting, nor merit a reward of debt; yet as they spring from love, out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned, 1 Tim. i. 5. and are produced by the Spirit of God working in them, Phil. ii. 13. as they are the fruits of their union in Christ, John xv. 8, Phil. i. 11. so they are well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, Heb. xiii. 21. and shall be graciously rewarded by him. Col. iii. 24. From these observations we may see the consistency of justification by faith with justification by works; the order, connexion, and relation in which they stand to each other, and the dependence which the latter has upon the former.--M'Lean's Works, vol. ii. p. 312 to 354.-Owen on Justification. 4to. p. 556 to 580.—Turretin Instit. Theol. vol. ii. Loc. xvi. Quæst. 7, 8.

4 John xiv. 2, 3. 5 Heb. xi. 26. 6 John ix. 4. 7 2 Cor. iv. 7. 8 Isa. xi. 10. Heb. ix. 15. 9 Isa. xlv. 23.

here, is an assurance of their being made partakers of the bright inheritance above. Their rising

here unto the life of righteousness, is an earnest of their "part in the first resurrection" hereafter. When “the trump of God "2 shall sound, and the archangel shall proclaim "that there shall be time "no longer, and that the mystery of God is

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finished;"-when the Redeemer's voice shall wake the dead, and summon them to "appear "before his judgment seat;"—then, believers in Jesus, then is your eternal jubilee at hand!— Then, "the Captain of (our) salvation" "shall be "revealed from heaven with his mighty angels," coming in our nature, not as he at first assumed it, in "the form of a servant,"-not bearing a cross for his people's sins, but resplendent in his glorified Person, now shining forth in the unveiled perfections of the Godhead; bringing "an incor

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ruptible crown," celestial diadems, and robes of glory for his ransomed people, to deck their heads, and adorn their renovated bodies in apparel fit for "a royal Priesthood." 1 Then "in a mo"ment, in the twinkling of an eye, the dead shall "be raised incorruptible:"-then, "this corrup"tible (shall) put on incorruption, and this mortal (shall) put on immortality:-then shall be

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brought to pass the saying that is written, Death

"is swallowed up in victory. " Then, the bodies of those "which sleep in Jesus," shall be changed into Christ's "glorious body;"3 and the saints who are" alive and remain, shall be caught up together "with (the rest) in the clouds, to meet the Lord " in the air.”—Then, "thousand thousands (will) "minister unto him, and ten thousand times ten "thousand (will) stand before him: the judgment

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(will be) set, and the books (will be) opened:" -and "the dead, small and great, (shall) stand "before God, and (be) judged out of those things "which (are) written in the book, according to "their works."6*-Then, "the earnest expectation

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* Respecting the procedure of the Last Judgment, I cannot do better than make an extract from the searching work of Boston:-" Men shall be tried, first, upon their works: for "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether "it be evil." Eccles. xii. 14. The Judge will try every man's conversation, and set his deeds done in the body, in a true light. Then will many actions, commended, and applauded of men, as good and just, be discovered to have been evil and abominable in the sight of God; and many works now condemned by the world, will be approved and commended by the great Judge as good and just. Secret things will be brought to light; and what was hid from the view of the world, shall be laid open. -Secondly, Their words shall be judged: "For by thy words thou shalt "be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Matt. xii. 37. Not a word spoken for God and his cause in the world, from love to himself, shall be forgotten. They are all kept in remembrance, and shall be brought forth as evidences of faith, and of an interest in Christ. Mal. iii. 16, 17. And the tongue which did run at random, shall then confess to God; and the speaker shall find it to have been followed, and every word noted that dropped from his unsanctified lips. Matt. xii. 36.

2 1 Cor. xv. 52. 54.

5 Dan. vii. 10. Jude 14.

3 Phil. iii. 21.

4 1 Thess. iv. 14-17. 6 Rev. xx. 12, 13. Matt. xxv. 32. John v. 28, 29.