I.

I. Diss. ii.

2. p. 11.

Diss. iv.

5-10.

14

St. James is supported by the whole of Scripture. STRIC. Old and New Testament openly and constantly declare. This is what I remarked in the Harmony, at the beginning of the argument, where I endeavoured to establish St. James's statement by other testimonies from Scripture. My words are as follows: "For it is not to be supposed that St. James hath advanced any parodox or opinion peculiar to himself. What he says are the words of the Holy Spirit, which are every where consistent. The Prophets, the Apostles, Christ Himself, all give the same evidence. This doctrine occupies almost every page of Holy Scripture; and I will venture to say that scarce any other can be produced out of those holy volumes which is so distinctly laid down or so often taught." What if St. Paul himself constantly and clearly asserts and defends the same doctrine, and that in the very Dissertations out of which you and many others endeavour to build up the Harm. II. contrary, as I have shewn largely and plainly? All your boasting of the many and long dissertations of St. Paul to the contrary is just nothing. That the sober and truthloving reader may convince himself of this, I wish him to weigh attentively these two points: First, that a man is justified by faith without works, is taught in so many terms by no inspired writer but St. Paul: to be convinced of the truth of this remark, the reader need only consult a Concordance, when his own eyes will assure him of the fact. Secondly, that a man is justified by faith without works is no where taught, even by St. Paul, except in the way of controversy and in the dispute in which he was engaged against the enemies of the Gospel, who contended that a man was justified otherwise than by the Gospel covenant, or at least not by that alone; viz., in his Epistles to the Churches of Rome and Galatia, where he is speaking too to Jews, and trying to drive them from their trust in the Mosaic covenant. The truth of this remark also, may be shewn by the means which I pointed out above. To this observation I would add, as consequent on it, that St. Paul does not oppose faith to the other virtues of the Gospel, (nothing would be farther from his purpose,) but by the word faith he means the whole condition of the Gospel covenant, opposed to those grounds and conditions by which his adversaries taught that man is justified whether without the performance of the Gospel

Acts 13.

38, 39.

Stricture on the expression "perfected faith."

15

I.

covenant, or in connection with it. But this is by the way; STRIC. we have explained it fully in the Harmony, and we will repeat it again in this Examen in a more convenient place. Meanwhile, from these two observations compared with those which we mentioned on the constant tenor of Scripture, it is most evident that Tertullian's rule, that "the fewer passages of Scripture ought to be explained by those of more frequent occurrence," makes for our side; and hence it would necessarily follow, (if other arguments were wanting,) that it is more reasonable to interpret St. Paul from St. James, than St. James from St. Paul: q. e. d.

STRICTURE II.

ON I. DISS. i. 4. p. 7.

mata.

Here in the exposition of the remarkable passage, Acts xiii. 38, 39, you carp at my explaining 'believers in Christ' by 'those endowed with a perfected faith.' Your words run thus : "I most willingly fall in with this explanation of St. Paul's meaning, but do not like the phrase 'perfected faith.' After- fides forwards, speaking with the schoolmen who treated the work of justification confusedly, and shamefully corrupted the Gospel doctrine, you assert that faith is perfected by love: neither logically nor theologically. Faith is, in the judgment of the Apostle, distinct from love. Love is no more the form of faith than of hope, or the fear of God, or repentance."

ANSWER TO STRICTURE II.

You go on as you began, You here again betray your miserable habit of objecting, even going out of your way to pull to pieces a most innocent expression. The phrase, however, 'perfected faith,' which suits not your taste, was not disapproved by the worthy Bucer, the chief divine among the first reformers. He commended to others the phrase 'we are fide for*matâ jusjustified by perfected faith' as at once agreeable to truth, and"; tificamur. most fitted to preserve peace: and rebuked those Protestants who in this question were offended with the truth, as

II.

16

Love the form of justifying faith.

STRIC. we observed in II. Diss. ii. 8. p. 53, where also I firmly established this phrase from the very words of St. James. I here repeat them, because as usual you pass them over in silence, thinking you have done enough, if you croak your usual (non placet) "it does not please me," though against ever so great authority and plain reason. But listen-if you cannot bear the phrase 'perfected faith,' why do you so often use in your own remarks the phrase 'living faith,' for between these phrases there is little or no difference. It is childish (to say no worse) to object to a phrase used by another, while you are constantly yourself using a phrase very similar, and which comes to exactly the same thing.

fidem

formatam

esse.

§ 2. What most of all seems to have displeased you, is that I afterwards assert that 'faith is perfected by love.' Now charitate a truce to all skirmishings-allow me to put this question before you, to be deliberately and freely discussed, Whether love is rightly said to be the form of justifying faith? I say it is, you deny it. To understand, however, the state of the question, we must first of all observe that love is not said to be the 'form' of 'faith,' as though it had any thing to do with its 'essence,' or properly speaking formed it, since one habit of the soul is not the subject of another, but because an act of faith is so far perfected and formed through love, as to be accepted by God according to the Gospel covenant, and be available for man's justification and salvation. I had remarked this in I. Diss. iv. 5. p. 25. "I do not at all doubt but that love may be rightly called the form of justifying faith; I say expressly of justifying faith, because it is allowed that faith considered by itself has its own form; but that faith which and as far as it justifies, must necessarily be rendered complete by true love." It is useless then to remind us that faith by the Apostle's decision is a virtue distinct from love, as though any man in his senses had ever denied that. But as regards myself you know what I think: viz., that faith and love are virtues distinct even in the subject, so that you may find faith, and that perfect in its kind, in a man who has no love. Still, if any man in the above sense said that 'love was the form of faith,' or that 'faith was informed by love,' he would speak quite logically, as well as

bi. e. that which makes it what it is.-ED.

Meaning of the word ἐνεργεῖσθαι.

17

II.

theologically-logically, because as the form is the cause by STRIC. which a thing is what it is, so justifying faith becomes justifying through love, according to the Gospel covenant; otherwise according to that covenant it would justify no man, nor would he talk un-theologically or inconformably with Scripture; for what else does St. Paul say in the well known passage in Gal. v. 6, "in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision axxà availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which ἀγάπης worketh (or is actuated or wrought) by love."

πίστις δι'

ἐνεργου

μένη.

μενοι.

§ 3. I have often quoted the passage in my Dissertations, but I may perhaps be allowed nevertheless to throw some fresh and fuller light upon it. The participle évepyovμévn, though it is of the middle voice, I said must be here taken I. Diss. iv. 5. p. 25. in a passive sense, and consequently πίστις δι' ἀγάπης ἐνερyouμévn must be translated 'faith which is perfected or brought to its effect through love.' In fact, you scarce find the word évepyeîolai elsewhere in an active sense, even in the classics; it almost always means what we should translate in Latin by agi, agitari, exerceri, effici, perfici, or something of the sort in a passive sense. Whence those possessed by a devil, driven, harassed, and as it were 'informed,' (or receiving a character,) are called energumeni. Instances of èvepyoúthe passive signification occur frequently in St. Paul's Epistles. Rom. vii. 5, "the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work (èvηpyeîтo, were brought or perfected) in our members." So Tertullian renders the passage, and the de Resurmeaning is plain-"The motions of sins, i. e. the motives, Carnis. appetites, and desires to sin, which exist and are roused by the law, were exercised and actively completed in our members." So 2 Cor. i. 6, "for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring," where the sense does not admit an active signification; whence Chrysostom remarks expressly that St. Paul said not evepyovons, 'which worketh,' but evepyovμévns, 'which is worked,' (or wrought). So 2 Cor. iv. 12, "death évepyeîтaι in us, but life in you," where I marvel that our interpreters have rendered 'death worketh in us.' For what is the meaning of the words here? It is evident from the context, that the real meaning of the Apostle is the following: By the preaching of the Gospel, death is wrought in us, (i. e. we die daily for the Gospel,)

rectione

18

The expression "faith perfected by love,"

STRIC. while by the same preaching of the Gospel, in you, who have II. no troubles on its account, life is wrought, spiritual and eternal. In these passages it is plain that the verb évepyeîola cannot be suitably taken in any other than a passive sense; and moreover in all the other places, where some have thought an active signification absolutely necessary, a passive signification suits best. In Eph. iii. 20, κатà Tηv dúvaμiv Tǹv ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἡμῖν, “ according to the power that worketh in us," or 'is wrought or perfected in us ;' for he is speaking of the grace of God that the faithful had already experienced, and brings that forward as an argument, on which the faithful might rely for security as to the grace of God for the future. So Coloss. i. last verse, kaтà Tηv évéρyeιav aνтoû τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐν δυνάμει, " according to His working which worketh in me mightily," or 'which is wrought (or exercised, or perfected) in me in power.' So 1 Thess. ii. 13, λόγον Θέου, ὃς ἐνεργεῖται ἐν ὑμῖν τοῖς πιστεύουσι, the "word of God which effectually worketh also (or 'which is perfected') in you that believe." The word of God is then said évepyeîolaɩ, or to be 'perfected' in a man, when it attains the end (and effect) appointed to it, viz. the obedience of faith. Similarly also 2 Thess. ii. 7, "The mystery of iniquity," non èvepyeîtaι, "doth already work," or 'is already being wrought,' or 'begins to be wrought;' so that there is no necessity here for the active voice. Lastly, James v. 16, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (ẻvepyovμévn, or the prayer 'actuated and impelled by a heavenly warmth and force') availeth much."

§ 4. And so to return to the passage before us, πlotis di ȧɣáπηs éveруovμévn is 'faith wrought upon, moved, animated, perfected by love,' and this is no new interpretation. TerMarc. 5. 4. tullian thus quotes the passage, "faith which is perfected by

contra

fides charitate formata.

love." He is supported by the Syriac interpreter, whose authority has always been high among the learned. This being established, I ask how St. Paul's phrase, Tioτis di' ἀγάπης ἐνεργούμενη, differs from the phrase which you so much object to, 'faith perfected by love.' Surely the difference is so slight, that one might pass for a very fair version of the other. But we do not rest on the phrase alone; the aim and meaning of the passage prove what we are maintain