Justification and Saving Faith
James Dodson
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE AND THE NATURE OF SAVING FAITH.
“No man is made partaker of the life of Justification, before Faith; or that untill souls exercise faith, they are without this life of Justification. Some talk of a Justification from Eternity; & thus confound Justification with Gods love of Election; or with Gods decree & purpose to justifie. Some speak of Justification of all, in the death of Christ; but neither is this to be admitted, if we speak of actual Justification”—John Brown, of Wamphray, The Life of Justification Opened (1695).
Works on Justification and Saving Faith:
Two Sermons Upon the Fifth Chapter of Luke.-1522-Martin Luther.-Two sermons which discuss the relation of faith to temporal and spiritual blessings.
Six Sermons on Galatians II.21.-ca. 1690s-Robert Traill.-These sermons set forth the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone against all forms of legalism and mixture of faith and works in the justification of sinners.
A Vindication of the Protestant Doctrine of Justification, and its Preachers and Professors, from the Unjust Charge of Antinomianism.-1692-Robert Traill.-This answer to the charge, often leveled against free justification, that it is inherently antinomian (that is, that it encourages a disregard of the moral law), is taken up by Traill and dismantled. He shows that Protestants are not teaching against the law as a guide (the 3rd use) but that the Gospel is not the law and they are contraries in the matter of justification. This error arises from a failure to distinguish between justification and sanctification.
Sermon on Justification.-1692-Walter Marshall (1628-80).-A sermon on the topic of justification by a Puritan best known for his seminal treatment of the doctrine of sanctification.
A Discourse on Justification by Faith.-1741-Jonathan Dickinson (1688-1747).-Dickinson, the first president of Princeton College, gives an accurate and succinct exposition of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. He carefully locates the doctrine within the sovereignty of God in the great matter of salvation.
Memoirs of the Life of John Howie: Who Lived in Lochgoin, Parish of Fenwick, and died January 5th, 1793. Containing a Series of Religious Exercises, Soul Soliloquies, Meditations, and an Account of the Lord’s Goodness to him in general.-1796-John Howie.-This spiritual autobiography chronicles the intense religious exercises, physical afflictions, and profound inner turmoil of John Howie of Lochgoin during the final years of his life. Howie meticulously records his struggles with “predominate evils,” his fear of death, and his oscillations between spiritual despair and the comforting application of specific scripture promises—such as Micah 7:18-19 and Mark 2:5—culminating in a solemn covenant renewal in 1792. Throughout his narrative, he reflects on the duties of prayer, praise, and testimony-bearing, lamenting the widespread defection and deadness of the contemporary church while adhering to the strict principles of the Covenanted Reformation. The volume is supplemented by the dying testimony and persecution narrative of his great-grandfather, James Howie, which connects John’s personal piety to the family’s legacy of suffering during the “Killing Times,” and concludes with a list of subscribers who funded the publication.
Memoir of William Orr, LATE FARMER, IN KILBIRNIE PLACE, Who departed this life, 25th Oct. 1814. AGED 85 YEARS. RELATED BY HIMSELF.-1814-William Orr [Preface by Thomas Henderson].-This spiritual autobiography, related by William Orr himself in his final years, chronicles his lifelong religious journey from the bondage of legalism to the liberty of the gospel of free grace. Born in 1729 and raised under a “legal ministry” that taught salvation by moral duty, Orr recounts his deep spiritual distress upon realizing the inadequacy of such doctrine to relieve a sin-burdened conscience, and his subsequent conversion upon hearing a dissenting minister clearly distinguish between the Law and the Gospel. Compelled by conscience, he separated from the Established Church—despite the cost to his social standing—and, after examining the various denominations, joined the Reformed Presbytery, the only body he found faithful to the Covenanted work of Reformation. The memoir also candidly details his providential transitions from affluence to poverty, his struggles with debt and failed farming ventures, and his determination to maintain integrity and faith through adversity. Concluding with a series of doctrinal testimonies, observations on the Christian life, and earnest counsels to his children, the pamphlet stands as both a personal narrative of divine grace and a polemical witness against the corruptions of the Established, Secession, and Relief churches.
Remarks on the Duration of Future Punishment.-1821-Samuel Brown Wylie.-In this series of articles, Wylie explains why there is no injustice in God for punishing what seem to be finite sins with an infinite duration. He reminds his readers that all sin is against an infinite God and His infinite majesty. There is, in this discussion, an excellent discuss of what makes the same physical action in one case virtuous and in another vice. Wylie moves from related topic to related topic, discussing particular redemption in some detail, including examining texts usually asserted to teach universal redemption. He ends with an instructive discussion of the nature of the Mediatorial reign of Christ and a philological assault on Universalism.
Observations, Doctrinal and Practical, on Saving Faith:-1829-Archibald Mason.-A excellent presentation of the doctrine and practice of saving faith. Mason presents a classic Protestant exposition with several notes that remind the reader he was a Covenanter.
Review of Hodge on the Epistle to the Romans.-1836-Gilbert McMaster.-In this review of Charles Hodge’s commentary on Romans, McMaster expresses his deep agreement and gratitude to Professor Hodge for his defense of numerous points of orthodoxy regarding the Person of Christ and the Protestant doctrine of justification. All of this is presented in the form of a general Calvinist concord. Where McMaster expresses some disappointment is when Hodge discusses civil magistracy and church fellowship. This is interesting considering that McMaster himself had strayed form those very principles when he acceded to the New Light position, in 1832 and 1833. Still the production is helpful and instructive.
Diverse Kinds of Faith.-1860-David Steele.-An article from the Reformed Presbyterian magazine discussing the kinds of faith and their various purposes and uses.