Faith & Justification
The Scripture which he made his theme is Romans 5:1. “Therefore being justified by Faith, we have peace with God, &c,” concludes nothing at all against Justification before Faith; for we may without any violence to the Text, place the Comma after justified, {as thus,} “being justified, by Faith we have peace with God.” This reading is agreeable both to the Apostles scope, and to the Context. His scope here was not to show the efficacy of Faith in our Justification, but what benefits we have by the death of Christ; the first of which is Justification, and the consequent thereof is peace with God. Again, the Illative Particle {‘therefore’} shows, that this place is a Corollary, or Deduction from the words immediately foregoing, which ascribed our Justification wholly to the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.{Chap.4} The Apostle thence infers, being justified - seeing we are justified freely, without works, by the death of Christ, by Faith we have peace with God; the Lord powerfully drawing our hearts to believe this, we have boldness and confidence towards God, the cause of fear being taken away; or as the Syriac and vulgar Latin read it, Let us have peace with God; let us by Faith improve this Grace, for the establishing of our hearts in perfect peace. Now according to this reading, his own text will give in evidence against him, that Faith is not the cause or antecedent, but an effect and consequent of our Justification, procured and obtained by the death of Christ. But; if we take the words, as commonly they are read, the sense comes all to one; that being justified by Christ {who is the sole object of our Faith} we have peace with God; who by the Faith which he creates in us, causeth us to enjoy this reconciliation; by virtue whereof, our Conscience is so firmly grounded, that we are not moved by any temptation, or beaten down by any terror. The Work of Faith is not to procure our Justification, but to beget peace in our Consciences. So then, the words being rightly understood, they neither deny Justification before Faith, nor assert Justification by the act or habit of Faith, which Mr. W. would conclude from thence. William Eyre {Justification without Conditions – 1654}