as saying, "I can shew a man that by Faith without works lived, and came to heaven: but without Faith never man had life. The thief, that was hanged when Christ suffered, did be lieve only, and the most merciful God justified him. And because no man shall say again, that he lacked time to do Good Works, for else he would have done them; truth it is, and I will not contend therein: but this I will surely affirm, that Faith only saved him. If he had lived, and not regarded Faith, and the works thereof, he should have lost his salvation again." The Homily ends thus, "And travelling continually (during this life) thus in keeping the commandments of God (wherein standeth the pure, principal, and right honour of God, and which, wrought in Faith, God hath ordained to be the right trade and pathway unto heaven) you shall not fail, as Christ hath promised, to come to that blessed and everlasting life, where you shall live in glory and joy with God for ever." The reference to the Homily upon Justification, was in the Articles of 1552; but our Reformers in 1562, as a farther caution, added the 12th Article, Homilies, we may consider the sentiments contained in it as those of our Reformers. Savile, in his 6th volume, places this discourse among the genuine works of Chrysostom. I have not had an opportunity of ascertaining whether it be in the Editio Princeps of this Father, printed at Verona in 1529. Article, no part of which was in the Articles of 1552, and which may be considered as explanatory of the species of Faith of which they intended to speak in the preceding Article, the word Faith being there used without any epithet. In the 12th Article it is said, "Albeit that Good Works cannot put away our sins, yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith ;" the Popish doctrine of human merit is here again condemned, for the purpose of declaring, that though Good Works possess no power to atone for sin, yet they are pleasing and acceptable to God, and arise necessarily out of a true and lively Faith. This article, therefore, plainly shews, that the Faith, by which in the preceding Article we are said to be justified, is a Faith productive of a holy and virtuous life (c), and not a Faith () In all the confessions of Faith at the time of the Reformation, which assert the Justification of men by Faith only or by Faith without Works, it is material to keep constantly in mind, that the great object of Protestants in these declarations was, to reject the Popish doctrine of the merit of Good Works, and that by Faith the Reformed always meant a true and lively Faith. It is impossible not to observe the great similarity between the opinions of the Jews in our Saviour's time, and of the Papists at the time of the Reformation, respecting the efficacy of external works. Both also ascribed too much to the power of the human will. Faith "which bringeth forth no Good Works, but is idle, barren, and unfruitful, consisting only in believing in the word of God (x)." If however the framers of our Articles had said, "we are not justified by Faith only," instead of saying, as they have done, "we are justified by Faith only," they might, as we have seen, equally have pleaded the authority of an Apostle for the assertion (y). Both propositions are true; and the seeming contradiction between them, arises from the different senses in which the word Faith is used. Such in fact is the perverseness of human nature in its fallen state, and such is the indifference of men to their eternal welfare, that many, admitting the truth of Christianity, and conforming to its external ordinances, yet suffer themselves to be so engrossed by the business or pleasures of this life, that they do not think with sufficient seriousness of preparing for that which is to come. These men believing, but not obeying, the Gospel, have the Faith meant by St. James, (x) Hom. which (y) St. James says that a man is not justified by Faith only, c. 2. v. 24; but St. Paul does not expressly say that a man is justified by Faith only; his words are, "by Faith without the deeds of the law." In no part however of his Epistles does he mention any thing but Faith as necessary to Justification, because, when he speaks of the Justification of Christians, he always means the Justification conferred by baptism. which does not justify; but they have not the Faith meant by St. Paul, which does justify. But if a person of this description become convinced of the evil of his ways, be sincerely penitent, and feel a true and lively Faith in Christ, he is then justified from all the sins he has committed, "being accounted righteous before God for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." And while he retains this true and lively Faith, bringing forth its natural fruit of Good Works, he continues in a state of Justification, and no longer. It is very possible that a sinful or a negligent Christian may be awakened to a sense of his duty by some calamitous or extraordinary event, and for a time really feel a true and lively Faith; but the impression may be effaced, and by yielding to temptation to sin, or by being again ingrossed by worldly cares, he may fall from his justified state, without losing all belief in the truth of the Gospel. This man's Faith rises from a dead to a lively Faith, and afterwards relapses into a dead Faith again. In reality, true Christian Faith, and Good Works pleasant and acceptable to God, are in their own nature inseparable (z). True Faith produces Good Works as naturally as a tree produces its fruit: Good (z) Faith, or a general belief of the truth of Christianity, is not necessarily connected with Good Works. True Christian Faith and Good Works are inseparable. Good Works, wherever they exist, must proceed from Faith, their only genuine source. And hence it happens, that the one is often mentioned in Scripture without the other, although the other is implied or supposed. Thus St. John tells us that he wrote his Gospel, that men might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing they might have life through his name (a)." No one can imagine that the beloved disciple of Christ meant a bare belief that Jesus was the Messiah-the whole tenor of his Gospel proves that he must have understood a belief productive of obedience. On the other hand, St. Paul says, "They who by patient continuance in welldoing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, shall inherit eternal life (b)." Here is not a word concerning Faith; but it is supposed, for nothing but Faith can cause a patient continuance in well-doing with the hope of everlasting happiness. There are, however, more passages in the Epistles which attribute Justification (c) and Salvation to Good Works, than to Faith; and more exhortations to the practice of virtue, than there are arguments and discussions for the establishment of a right belief. These Epistles were written to persons who had already professed their Faith in Christ, 7. (a) John, c. 20. v. 31. (b) Rom. c. 2. v. M |