JUSTIFICATION. Having considered the extent and efficacy of Christ's atonement, our next subject of inquiry is, on what terms or conditions can fallen man be justified in the sight of God? The eleventh article tells us that "We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith; and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification."* This doctrine is clearly and fully es * " It is remarkable that there is no Homily with this title. The Homily entitled 'Of the salvation of all mankind,' is generally supposed to be here meant."-Bp. Tomline. "Justification is not the office of man, but of God; for man cannot make himself righteous by his own works, neither in part, nor in the whole. Justification is the office of God only, and is not a thing which we render unto him, but which we receive of him; not which we give to him, but which we take of him, by his free mercy, and by the only merits of his most dearly beloved Son, our only REDEEMER, Saviour, and JusTIFIER, JESUS CHRIST." - Hom. of Salvation. N. Y. Ed. 1815, p. 22. "We put our faith in CHRIST, that we be justified by him only, that we be justified by Gon's free mercy, and the merits of our Saviour CHRIST only, and by no virtue or good works of our own that is in us, or that we can be able to have, or to do, or to deserve the same; CHRIST HIMSELF ONLY BEING THE CAUSE MERITORIOUS THEREOF."-Idem. p. 23. "Nevertheless, this sentence, that we be justified by faith only, is not so meant, that the said justifying faith is alone in man without true repentance, hope, charity, dread, and the fear of God, at any time and season. Nor, when they, (the Fathers,) say, that tablished by St. Paul, in the fourth and fifth chapters of his epistle to the Romans; and it is by the other writers of the New Testament laid down as a fundamental principle of the Gospel, that we are justified by faith in Christ Jesus; and that "all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved." "Justification in the language of scripture, signifies the being accounted just or righteous in the sight of God; or the being placed in a state of salvation. When God justifies a man, it is by forgiving him his trespasses, and accepting, esteeming, and rewarding him as a righteous person, although he is not really and strictly such. To justify, in the common spiritual notion of it, is to absolve from guilt, to, discharge from punishment."* Whoever has read the scriptures with any degree of attention, must have perceived that faith is there made an absolute, indispensable, condition of salvation. Not only is it said that "without faith it is impossible to please God," but we elsewhere read that " the just shall live by faith;" that "by grace we are saved through faith;" that "he who believeth and is baptized shall be saved;" that "he who believeth on the Son hath everlasting life :"† in a word, "in every page we find the praise of it in the Gospel; and on it all the blessings of holiness, and all the hopes of religion are founded." On the other hand, it is declared by the same immutable word of divine truth, " he that believeth not the Son shall not see life;" "he that believeth not is condemned already;" "he that believeth not shall be damned;" "the unbelieving shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone."* we should be justified freely, do they mean that we should or might afterward be idle, and that nothing should be required on our parts afterward; NEITHER DO THEY MEAN SO TO BE JUSTIFIED WITHOUT GOOD WORKS THAT WE SHOULD DO NO GOOD WORKS AT ALL."Idem. p. 23. "These be the fruits of true faith, To DO GOOD AS MUCH AS LIETH IN US TO EVERY MAN, and, above all things, and in all things TO ADVANCE THE GLORY OF GOD, of whom only we have our sanctification, justification, salvation, and redemption." -Idem. p. 26. * Bp. Tomline. † Heb. xi. 6. x. 38. Ephes. ii. 8. Mark. xvi. 16. It must therefore be all important, that we have clear and correct views of a doctrine so intimately connected with our eternal interests. No doubt the obscurity which is supposed to attend this subject, has generally arisen from not carefully considering the various significations which the word "faith" has in the bible. Sometimes the term is used to signify" that faith and confidence in Christ to which, at the first propagation of the gospel, was annexed the gift of working miracles."t Thus when our Lord was asked by his disciples the reason why they were unable to cure the lunatic child, he answered, "Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence, and it shall remove." Sometimes it means nothing more than fidelity, or truth; "What if some did not believe," says the apostle, "shall their unbelief make the faith," that is the truth "of God without effect? God forbid; yea let God be true, but every man * John iii. 18. Mark xvi. 16 Rev. xxvi. 8. † Parkhurst, Gr. Lex. F a liar."* In other places, faith is used to signify the christian religion, as in the following exhortations to the converted heathens; "earnestly contend for the faith;" "be established in the faith;" " do good unto all men, especially unto them that are of the household of faith."† Bishop Burnet has remarked that "the term faith in the New Testament stands generally for the complex of christianity, in opposition to the law, which stands as generally for the complex of the whole Mosaical dispensation. So that the faith of Christ is equivalent to this, the Gospel of Christ; because christianity is a federal religion, founded on God's part, on the promises that he has made to us, and on the rules he has set us; and on our part, on our believing that revelation, our trusting to those promises, and our setting ourselves to follow those rules. The believing this revelation, and that great article of it, of Christ's being the son of God, and the true Messiah, who came to reveal his Father's will, and to offer himself up to be the sacrifice of this new covenant, is often represented as the great and only condition of the covenant on our part: but still this faith must receive the whole Gospel, the precepts as well as the promises of it; and receive Christ as a prophet to teach, and a king to rule, as well as a priest to save us."‡ The faith thus defined is not mere speculative belief; but a virtuous, active principle, having its seat in the heart, disposing us cordially to embrace the whole religion of Christ, and teaching us to "love the Lord our God with all our heart, and mind, and strength." This is the faith, which was "imputed to Abraham for righteousness," and by which it is said " the just shall live;" the faith by which we "become the sons of Abraham, and heirs together with him of the hope which is through Christ;" the faith by which we "are delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God." This is that evangelical, justifying faith, which is the foundation of all true religion, the principle of all virtue; the absolute, indispensable, and only condition of salvation. It is a "faith that worketh by love," that " purifies the heart," and that "keeps the commandments of God;"* " such a faith as shows itself to be alive by good works, by acts of charity and every act of obedience; by which we demonstrate that we truly and firmly believe the divine authority of our Saviour and his doctrine. Such a faith as this justifies, but not as it is a work or meritorious action, that of its own nature puts us into the favour of God, and makes us truly just; but as it is the condition upon which the mercy of God is offered to us by Christ Jesus; for then we correspond to his design of coming into the world, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,' that is, justify us; and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works,'† that is, sanctify us. Upon our bringing ourselves, therefore, under these qualifications, and conditions, we are actually in the favour of God; our sins are pardoned, and we are entitled to eternal life." * Matt. xvii. 20. Rom. iii. 3. 4. + On Art. xi. |