or
_special_; the former being his design in writing the whole work in
question, the latter, his design in particular sections of it. "The
scope," it has been well observed, "is the soul or spirit of a book;
and, that being once ascertained, every argument and every word appears
in its right place, and is perfectly intelligible; but if the scope be
not duly considered, every thing becomes obscure, however clear and
obvious its meaning may really be." Horne's Introduct., vol. 2, p. 265,
edit. of 1860. This language is not too strong. It is by a neglect or
perversion of the scope that the meaning of the inspired writers is
perverted, and they are made to contradict one another.

The apostle Paul says, for example: "Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Rom. 3:28. The apostle
James: "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by
faith only." James 2:24. If one insists on leaving out of account the
separate and distinct design which each of these two writers had in view
respectively, he can easily bring their words into contradiction. Had
the scope of Paul's argument been to show that faith in Christ
_releases_ men from the obligation of obeying the divine law, and thus
makes good works unnecessary; or had James been laboring to prove that
good works are the _meritorious ground_ of men's forgiveness, then the
doctrines of the two apostles would have been irreconcilably at
variance. But we know that neither of these suppositions is true. Paul
was combating the error of the Pharisees "who trusted in themselves that
they were righteous"--righteous on the ground of "the deeds of the
law"--"and despised others." His aim was to show that men receive
forgiveness and salvation neither wholly nor in part on the ground of
the supposed merit of their good works, but wholly through faith in
Christ; as he elsewhere argues that "if it be by grace, then it is no
more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace." Rom. 11:6. We know
also, from the whole tenor of his writings, that he condemned as
spurious that pretended faith which does not manifest itself in good
works. In this very epistle, where the question is not concerning the
meritorious ground of justification, but concerning that character which
God will accept, the apostle lays down the great principle: "Unto them
that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulati