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Although St. Paul was the champion for this glorious doctrine of justification through faith, yet with equal ardour he enforced the necessity of holiness on the hearts and consciences of believers.

As those who preach the Gospel with faithfulness, should exemplify its excellence by their superior sanctity, the apostle exhorted Titus to the practice of universal holiness: "Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine; in all things showing thyself a pattern of good works.”

Equally comprehensive was his charge to this young minister of the Gospel, whom he called his son after the common faith: "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." "Put them in mind to be ready to every good work."

This faithful pastor over the Lord's flock closed his Epistle with a general admonition both to ministers and people, who professed an attachment to the Gospel of Christ: "Let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.”

So decided were his views respecting the nature and necessity of sanctification, that, in perfect accordance with the doctrines of grace, he declared: "In Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God." "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all

men, teaching us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

With these earnest desires for the fruitfulness of believers he prayed in behalf of the Hebrew converts: "The God of peace make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight."

Some persons, who are opposed to the doctrine of free justification, endeavour to set St. James in array against his brother Apostle, as if he were anxious to counteract his statements, and to disprove his conclusions.

If they will study the Epistles of St. Paul and St. James, with simplicity and prayer, they will soon find, that there is neither antinomianism in the one, nor any ground for legality in the other :—but that the Apostles are in perfect agreement with each other. Like the radii of a circle, they meet in one common centre. They both select the case of Abraham. St. Paul says: "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." St. James says: "Abraham believed God. and it was imputed unto him for righteousness :" each quoting the words of Moses: "He believed God, and he counted it to him for righteousness."

Thus they conjointly build on the same foun

dation, viz: that Abraham was justified by faith. Where then is the difference of their statements ? It arises from the abuse which was made of this divine truth.

St. Paul declared, that all works, whether ceremonial or moral, are excluded from the office of justifying the sinner in the sight of God: that we are justified freely by his grace, as the source, and by the blood of Christ, as the meritoriously procuring cause.

But this blessed doctrine, so full of comfort to the broken-hearted penitent, was soon perverted by men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth. They slanderously affirmed, that St. Paul had said: "Let us do evil that good may come ;"— and hence, they took occasion to sin, on the impious principle that grace might abound.

St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, expresses his abhorrence of such vile inferences, drawn from his preaching; and strenuously enforces the necessity of good works.

St. James, with equal force, levels his Epistle, not against the holy doctrine preached by St. Paul, but against those abusers of divine grace, who, under pretence of exalting Christ, only wanted a license to sin. So early did Satan labour to bring an odium upon the Gospel, by the unholy lives of hypocritical professors. To counteract this evil, St. James declares, that the faith which justifies is a working faith:-That as kind words, and good wishes will not feed a starving brother, while unaccompanied with the needful supply; so neither

will faith profit us, if it hath not works; for as the body, without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also; that by works, faith is made perfect and therefore, that such a barren faith, as these corrupters of the truth propagated, could never save the soul: since by works a man is justified, or declared to be in a state of justification, and not by faith only, that is a faith unproductive of good works.

"The sum of the matter then is this; What God has joined, none must divide: and what God has divided, none must join." He hath separated faith and works in the business of justification, according to St. Paul, and none must join them in it. He has joined them in the lives of justified persons, as St. James speaks, and there we must not separate them. St. Paul assures us, that works have not a co-efficiency in justification itself: but St. James assures us, that they may and must have a co-existency in them that are justified."

It is evident, therefore, from the Scriptures of Truth, that neither faith nor works can procure our admission into the heavenly temple. Christ, as our Great High Priest, can alone enter by his own blood into the Holy Place. In heaven he sits. as a priest upon his throne, and there, appearing in the presence of God for us, his living care will perfect, what his dying love began. Through him then we must approach the mercy-seat; by him we must enter into the celestial city. O! how precious is our Almighty Saviour. To him we must look-on him we must depend-from him we must draw every needful blessing. His name

is as ointment poured forth. He is the balm in Gilead, the physician there.

O that our hearts may ever be in tune, to sing the praises of the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us unto God by his blood, till we join the universal chorus in the world above, and crown him Lord of all !

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