The Analogy of Faith in Puritan Exegesis: Scope and Salvation in James 2:14-26

Throughout the history of the church, commentators on the epistle of James have
variously reconciled the author's view on the doctrine of justification with the
apostle  Paul's.  Certain  interpreters  in  the  sixteenth  century  such  as  Martin
Luther, however, opposed the reconciliation of James and Paul. Although post-
Reformation Protestants collectively adopted many of Luther's views, they did
not reject the authority of James as Luther had. This article argues that Puritan
commentators,  though  holding  tenaciously  to  the  doctrine  of  justification  by
faith alone, defended the canonicity of James based primarily on their persis-
tent use of the analogy of faith.