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OF

MERITS.

In the last place we are told, that the fathers of the unspotted Church of Rome did teach, that man "for his meritorious works receiveth, through the assistance of God's grace, the bliss of everlasting happiness." But our challenger, I suppose, will hardly find one father either of the spotted or unspotted Church of Rome, that ever spake so babishly herein, as he maketh them all to do. "That

man by the assistance of God's grace, may do meritorious works," we have read in divers authors, and in divers meanings. But after these works done, that a man should "receive through the assistance of God's grace the bliss of everlasting happiness," is such a piece of gibberish, as I do not remember that before now I have ever met withal even in Babel itself. For with them that understand what they speak, assistance hath reference to the doing of the work, not to the receiving of the reward: and simply to say, that a man " for his meritorious works," taking merit here as the Romanists in this question would have it taken, "receiveth through God's grace the bliss of everlasting happiness," is to speak flat contrarieties, and to conjoin those things, that cannot possibly be coupled together. For that conclusion of Bernard is most certain: "There is no place for grace to enter, where merit hath taken possession;" because it is grounded upon the apos

• Non est in quo gratia intret, ubi jam meritum occupavit. Bernard. in Cant. ser. 67.

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tle's determination, "If it be of grace, it is no more of works: or else were grace no more grace."

Neither do we therefore take away the reward, because we deny the merit of good works. We know that in the keeping of God's commandments "there is great rewards," and that unto him who "soweth righteousness," there shall be "a sure reward." But the question is, whence he that soweth in this manner, must expect to reap so great and so sure a harvest? Whether from God's justice, which he must do if he stand, as the Jesuits would have him do, upon merit; or from his mercy, as a recompence freely bestowed out of God's gracious bounty, and not in justice due for the worth of the work performed. Which question, we think, the prophet Hosea hath sufficiently resolved, when he biddeth us "sowe to ourselves in righteousness, and reap in MERCY." Yea and God himself in the very publication of the decalogue, where he promiseth to shew MERCY unto thousands of them that love him, and keep his commandments. Neither do we hereby any whit detract from the truth of that axiom, that "God will give every man according to his works:” for still the question remaineth the very same, whether God may not judge a man according to his works, when he sitteth upon the "throne of grace, as well as when he sitteth upon the throne of justice?" and we think here, that the prophet David hath fully cleared the case, in that one sentence, "With thee, O Lord, is MERCY: for thou rewardest every one according to his works.”

Originally therefore, and in itself, we hold that this reward proceedeth merely from God's free bounty and mercy, but accidentally, in regard that God hath tied himself by his word and promise to confer such a reward, we grant that it now proveth in a sort to be an act of justice, even as in forgiving of our sins (which in itself all men know to be an act of mercy) he is said to be "faithful" and

Rom. chap. 11. ver. 6. d Prov. chap. 11. ver. 18. Exod. chap. 20. ver. 6. h1 John, chap. 1. ver. 9.

e Psal. 19. ver. 11.
e Hosea, chap. 10. ver. 12.
8 Psalm 62. ver. 12.

just," namely, in regard of the faithful performance of his promise. For promise, we see, amongst honest men is counted a due debt; but the thing promised being free, and on our part altogether undeserved, if the promiser did not perform, and proved not to be so good as his word, he could not properly be said to do me wrong, but rather to wrong himself, by impairing his own credit. And therefore Aquinas himself confesseth," that God is not hereby simply made a debtor to us, but to himself; inasmuch as it is requisite that his own ordinance should be fulfilled." Thus was Moses careful to put the children of Israel in mind touching the land of Canaan (which was a type of our eternal habitation in heaven) that it was a land of promise, and not of merit, which God did give them to possess, "not for their righteousness, or for their upright heart, but that he might perform the word which he sware unto their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Whereupon the Levites say in their prayer unto God: "Thou madest a covenant with Abraham, to give unto his seed the land of the Canaanites, and hast performed thy word, because thou art JUST." Now because the Lord had made a like "promisem of the crown of life to them that love him ;" therefore St. Paul doth not stick in like manner to attribute this also to God's justice. "Henceforth" is laid up" saith he, "for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." Upon which place, Bernard, in his book of Grace and Free will, saith most sweetly: "That therefore, which Paul expecteth, is a crown of righteousness, but of God's righteousness, not his own. For it is just that he should give that which he

Non sequitur, quod Deus efficiatur simpliciter debitor nobis, sed sibi ipsi ; in quantum debitum est, ut sua ordinatio impleatur. Thom. 1. cap. 2. quæst. 114. art. 1. ad. 3.

* Deut. chap. 9. ver. 5. James, chap. 1. ver. 12.

1 Nehem. chap. 9. ver. 8.

2 Tim. chap. 4. ver. 8.

• Est ergo quam Paulus expectat, corona justitiæ, sed justitiæ Dei, non suæ. Justum quippe est ut reddat quod debet; debet autem quod pollicitus est. Et hæc est justitia Dei, de qua præsumit apostolus, promissio Dei. Bern. lib. de gratia et libero arbitrio.

oweth, and he oweth what he hath promised: and this is the righteousness of God, of which the apostle presumeth, the promise of God."

But this will not content our Jesuits, unless we yield unto them: "that we do as properly and truly merit rewards, when with the grace of God we do well, as we do merit punishments, when without grace we do evil." So saith Maldonat, that is to say, unless we maintain, "that the good works of just persons do merit eternal life condignly, not only by reason of God's covenant and acceptation, but also by reason of the work itself: so that in a good work proceeding from grace, there may be a certain proportion and equality unto the reward of eternal life;" so saith cardinal Bellarmine. For the further opening whereof, Vasquez taketh upon him to prove in order these three distinct propositions. First, "that' the good works of just persons are of themselves, without any covenant and acceptation, worthy of the reward of eternal life, and have an equal value of condignity to the obtaining of eternal glory." Secondly, "Thats no accession of dignity doth come to the works of the just by the merits or person of Christ; which the same should not have otherwise, if they had been done by the same grace bestowed liberally by God alone without Christ." Thirdly, "Thatt God's promise is annexed indeed to the works of just men, yet it belongeth no way to the reason of the merit, but cometh rather to the works, which are already not worthy only, but also

Nos tam proprie ac vere cum gratia Dei bene agentes præmia mereri, quam sine illa male agentes supplicia meremur. Jo. Maldonat. in Ezech. cap. 18. ver. 20.

Opera bona justorum meritoria esse vitæ æternæ ex condigno, non solum ratione pacti et acceptationis, sed etiam ratione operis ; ita ut in opere bono ex gratia procedente, sit quædam proportio et æqualitas ad præmium vitæ æternæ. Bellar. de Just. lib. 5. cap. 17.

• Opera bona justorum ex seipsis, absque ullo pacto et acceptatione, digna esse remuneratione vitæ æternæ ; et æqualem valorem condignitatis habere ad consequendam æternam gloriam. Gabr. Vasquez. Commentar. in 1am. 2æ. quæ. 114. disp. 214. cap. 5. init.

• Operibus justorum nullum dignitatis accrementum provenire ex meritis aut persona Christi, quod alias eadem non haberent, si fierent ex eadem gratia a solo Deo liberaliter sine Christo collata. Ibid. init. cap. 7.

Operibus justorum accessisse quidem divinam promissionem: eam tamen

meritorious." Unto all which he addeth afterwards this corrollary: "Seeing" the works of a just man do condignly merit eternal life, as an equal recompence and reward, there is no need that any other condign merit, such as is the merit of Christ, should come between, that eternal life might be rendered unto them. Yea the merit of every just man hath somewhat peculiar in respect of the just man himself, which the merit of Christ hath not: namely, to make the man himself just and worthy of eternal life, that he may worthily obtain the same. But the merit of Christ, although it be most worthy to obtain glory of God for us, yet it hath not this efficacy and virtue, to make us formally just, and worthy of eternal life: but men by virtue derived from him, attain this effect in themselves. And so we never request of God by the merits of Christ, that the reward of eternal life may be given to our worthy and meritorious works: but that by Christ grace may be given unto us, whereby we may be enabled worthily to merit this reward." In a word: "Our" merits," saith he, "have this force in us, that they make us formally worthy of eternal life: the merits of Christ do not make us worthy formally; but Christ is worthy, in regard of them, to impetrate unto us whatsoever he requesteth for us."

Thus doth Vasquez the Jesuit discover unto us to the

nullo modo pertinere ad rationem meriti; sed potius advenire operibus, non tantum jam dignis, sed etiam jam meritoriis. Vasquez. com. in 1am. 2æ. quæ, 114. disp. 214. init. cap. 8.

"Cum opera justi condigne mereantur vitam æternam, tanquam æqualem mercedem, et præmium; non opus est interventu alterius meriti condigni, quale est meritum Christi, ut eis reddatur vita æterna; quinimo aliquid habet peculiare meritum cujuscunque justi respectu ipsius hominis justi, quod non habet meritum Christi: nempe reddere ipsum hominem justum, et dignum æterna vita, ut eam digne consequatur, meritum autem Christi licet dignissimum sit, quod obtineat a Deo gloriam pro nobis; tamen non habet hanc efficaciam et virtutem, ut reddat nos formaliter justos, et dignos æterna vita: sed per virtutem ab ipso derivatam hunc consequuntur effectum homines in seipsis. Et ita nunquam petimus a Deo per merita Christi, ut nostris dignis operibus et meritoriis reddatur merces æternæ vitæ : sed ut per Christum detur nobis gratia, qua possimus digne hanc mercedem promereri. Id. ibid. disp. 222. cap. 3. num. 30, 31. ▾ Merita nostra in nobis hanc vim habent, ut reddant nos formaliter dignos vita æterna: merita autem Christi non reddunt nos dignos formaliter; sed Christus dignus est, qui propter illa nobis impetret quicquid ipse pro nobis petierit. Ibid. num. 32.

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