A Compend of the Controversies of Religion, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. OF GLORIFICATION.
§. 1. That our good works merit not eternall lyfe, or glorie, for their owne condignitie and worth, as the Papists affirme. Bell. l. 5. de juſtificatione, c. 17.
1. Authoritie of Scripture.
IOB 35.7. If thou be righteous, vvhat givest thou him? (to wit, to God) or what receiveth hee of thine hand?
Note then, That wee cannot merit at God's hand: for to bee righteous, is a thing that wee are bound to bee: and when wee are ſo, God getteth no profite there-by
To this ſame effect therefore Chriſt ſayeth, Luke 17.10. So alſo yee, vvhen yee hauehave done all thoſe things, vvhichwhich are commanded you, ſay, vvee are vnprofitable ſervants, vvee hauehave done but that which was our duetie to doe.
And holie David confeſieth thus of him-ſelfe, ſaying, Pſal. 16.2. My goodneſſe (Lord) extendeth not to thee.
Thus wee ſee then, that all our good works, is a debt-bound ſervice onlie to God, who hath created vsus; and that when wee hauehave done them, yet hee is not benefited.
But ſo it is, that a worke that meriteth, muſt not be debt, (for no man meriteth reward, by paying his debt) and it muſt bring ſome good alſo or commoditie to the rewarder, if it merit at his hand, which our works doe no-wiſe to God.
Rom. 8.18. For I reckon that the ſufferings of this preſent time, are not worthie to bee compared with the glorie, which ſhall be revealed in vsus.
Note then, If the verie ſufferings, and Martyrdomes of God's Saincts, merite not eternall glorie, becauſe there is no proportion betweene them, (as ought to bee betweene a worke, and the reward that it meriteth) much leſſe can the actions of anie ſervant of God's, be meritorious at his hands of eternall life. Which there-fore if anie-where it is called a reward, it is in reſpect of the time when it is given, to wit, at the ende of our ſervice and lyfe-tyme, as the pennie wages, but not in reſpect of anie meritorious qualitie.
Rom. 6.23. For the wages of Sinne, is death: but the gift of GOD is eternall lyfe, through Ieſus Christ our Lord.
Remarke, therefore, that eternall lyfe is not called the godlies wages, as death is called the wickeds wages: but death is called the wages of Sinne, becauſe ſinners them-ſelues merit it: and eternall lyfe is called the free gift of GOD, through CHRIST, (as the worde foreign ſignifyeth:) becauſe withou… …nie meriting there-of by themſelues, by grace they receiue it, as a free gift, through the merit of Ieſus Chriſt allanerlie.
Epheſ. 2.8. For by grace yee are ſaved, through fayth; and that not of your ſelues, but it is the gift of GOD.
Rom. 11.6. And if by grace, then is it no more of workes: otherwyſe grace is no more grace.
Rom. 4.4. For to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Remarke then, that to obtayne eternall lyfe by grace, and to obtayne it by the merit of our works, are ſet as things contrarie: even as free gift, is contrarie to oblieged debt. And yet contrarie to ſo cleare Scripture, (ſuch is the pryde of Papall doctrine) it peartlie avoweth, eternall lyfe to bee a debt, and that God is our debter; not onelie becauſe of His promiſe, but alſo becauſe of our works. Bellarm. L. 5. de Iustif. Cap. 18. §. Sed facilis, &c.
Luke 12.32. Feare not, little flocke, for it is your Fathers pleaſure to giuegive to you a Kingdome.
VVee ſee then, that heavenlie Kingdome called heere a gift, and that it is God's good pleaſure onlie, which is the cauſe why wee get the ſame, and no merit of ours.
Epheſ. 1.5. Having predestinated vsus vntounto the adoption of Children, by Ieſus Christ, to him-ſelfe, according to the good pleaſure of his will, to the prayſe of the glorie of his grace.
Note then attentiuelie, That if the fore-ſight of our merites, was not the cauſe why God predeſtinated vsus to eternall lyfe, but onelie his owne good pleaſure, to the prayſe of the glorie of his owne grace; Then it is ſtill the ſame good pleaſure of God, that is the onelie cauſe, why hee giveth vsus eternall lyfe, to the prayſe of the ſame glorie of his grace, and not of vsus, or anie of our merites. Other-wyſe, the cauſe ſhould not bee one, but diverſe, yea, contrarie, why GOD beſtoweth vponupon vsus one and the ſame thing, which were abſurd: to wit, Eternall lyfe in our election before time, and the poſſeſſing vsus there-with at our glorification in time.
Remarke lyke-wyſe, That it is to an inheritance of adopted ſonnes that wee are predeſtinated: (For if wee bee Children, wee are alſo Heyres, ſayeth the Apoſtle, Rom. 8.17.) If, there-fore, eternall lyfe bee an inheritance, it is no purchaſe of workes: and who-ſo-ever by ſuch a title claymeth the ſame, hee renounceth the lawfull ſucceſſion there-to as a ſonne, and ſo falleth from Grace, Gal. 5.4.
2. Witneſsing of Antiquitie.
ALthough the Lord beſtow Heaven vponupon the Godlie, according to their workes, yet it is not for their workes, ſayeth Gregorie, on theſe wordes of Pſal. 7. Auditam fac mihi, &c. And firſt, thou muſt belieue, (ſayeth Bernard, tria Bernardi credenda) that thou canſt not obtayne remiſſion of ſinne, but by the meers merciemercy of God: There-after, that thou haſt no good workes, but that which is His free gift: And laſt of all, that thou canſt not merite Eternall lyfe, by no workes of thine; but that Hee freelie lyke-wyſe beſtoweth that on thee. Bern. Serm. 1. in Anunc. Mariae.
3. Confeſsion of Partie.
NEyther are our workes, what-ſoever they bee, of that worth (ſayth Ferus) that they deſerue duelie and condignlie anie ſuch reward. Ferus, in Ioh. 3. f. 69. So ſayeth Alphonſus de Castro, verbo meritum. Therefore Bellarmine is forced to conclude, That for the vncertaintie of our owne righteouſnes, (ſayth hee) and the danger of vayne glorie, it is moſte ſafe, to put our vvhole confidence in the onelie merciemercy and bountie of God. Bellarm. Lib. 5. de Iuſtif. Cap. 7. §. ſit tertia.
§. 2. That there are no ſuper-aboundant meritorious workes, or ſufferinges of Saincts, left behinde them, to bee the treaſurie of the Church, for the helpe of others to Heaven, that vvant merits, to bee diſpoſed of onlie and diſpenſed by papall indulgences, as the the Romaniſts teach.
1. Authoritie of Scripture.
THIS errour might ſeeme alreadie ſufficientlie convinced, while as it is clearlie proven, that no Sainct was ever yet able for them-ſelues, eyther by their workes, or ſufferinges, to merite Eternall lyfe: Yet for farder conviction, let theſe places of Scripture raze the foundation of this loftie Errour.
Iſai. 43.11. I, even I, am the Lord: and beſide Mee, there is no Saviour.
But the Doctors of Rome ſay, That it is no abſurditie to ſay, that beſide Him, there are Saincts alſo who may bee called our ſaviours in a part: for ſo ſayeth Bellarmine. (Lib. 1. de Indulg. Cap. 4. §. ſexta.) and that by the great heape, ſayth hee, (cap. 2. §. & tamen.) of their ſuper-aboundant ſufferings, they are able to expiate exceeding manie, and great ſinnes, of other men: and ſo by this doctrine of theirs, ye ſee, they giuegive the Lord flatlie the lie.
Ezek. 18.20. The righteouſneſſe of the righteous, ſhall bee vponupon him; and the vvickedneſſe of the vvicked, ſhall bee vponupon him.
Remarke then, that it ſhall not bee vponupon another, but vponupon him-ſelfe: and that it is a ſtra…ge madneſſe in Poperie, that ſo ſtiffelie they will deny, that the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt can bee imputed to vsus, or made ours in juſtification; but will affirme, that the righteouſneſſe of Saincts, and her men, may bee made ours, by their Pope's Indulgences.
Act. 4.12. Neither is there ſalvation in anie other; for there is none other Name vnderunder Heaven given amongst men, where-by wee must bee ſaved,
Loe heere, Full ſalvation attributed to Chriſt onlie, excluding all others vnderunder Heaven, from having anie part in the glorie of that worke.
1. Cor. 1.13. Is Christ divyded? was Paul crucified for you? or were yee baptized in the name of Paul?
Note therefore, That to make Chriſt's merit and ſufferings to expiate ſome ſins and puniſhments, and the merites and ſufferinges of Saincts to expiate other ſinnes, (both manie and great,) and other puniſhments, if this bee not to divide Chriſt? and to divide the worke of man's ſalvation, betweene the Creator, and the creature? Of whome wee may lyke-wyſe inquire at them; Were theſe Saincts crucified for man-kynde? or was ever anie man baptized in their name? And if not, then their ſufferings can-not bee our ſatiſfactions, nor can anie thing ſuper-abound in them, to expiate the ſinnes of other men: for, for this ende onlie Chriſt was crucified, and for this cauſe are wee in Chriſt's Name alſo baptized: profeſſing by his blood-ſhed and ſufferings alone, that wee hauehave full ablution and expiation of our ſinnes: therefore is it ſayde by him-ſelfe, I hauehave troden the wine-preſſe alone, and of the people, there was none with mee. Iſai. 63.3.
Heb. 10.14. By one offering, hee hath perfected for ever, them that are ſanctified: That is, as is ſayde, Heb. 7.25. Hee hath perfectlie ſaved them. Note therefore, That he hath left no ſupplement, to bee made by others.
Coloſſ. 1.19.20. In him all fulneſſe dwelleth; (there is no defect then in his ſufferinges, nor no neede on our part, to goe anie-where elſe,) and by him, (and not by others) even by the blood of his Croſſe, (and not by the ſufferinges of Saincts) are all things reconciled, ſayth the Apoſtle.
Matth. 25.9. But the vviſe anſwered, ſaying, Not ſo, lest there bee not eneugh for vsus and you.
Remarke then, That the Elect Saincts figured by the wiſe Virgines, hauehave no more ſanctification, than will bee found eneugh to them-ſelues onlie: and therefore that the ſame is not ſo ſuper-aboundant, that they may ſpare to others.
2. Cor. 5.10. For vve must all appeare before the judgement ſeate of Christ, that everie one may receiue the things done in his bodie, (not then in the bodies of others) according to that vvhichwhich him-ſelfe hath done, vvhether it bee good or bad.
Therefore, not according to the good which another hath done, and which thorow ſuper-aboundance hath beene left in the treaſure of the Church, to helpe others to Heaven.
Revel. 14.13. And I heard a voyce from Heaven, ſaying to me, Write, Bleſſed are the dead vvhichwhich die in the Lord, from hence-foorth; yea, ſayeth the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works follow them.
Remarke then, That their works byde not behinde them-ſelues, to bee applyed or imployed for the helpe of others; but they follow them; for the witneſſing of their fayth, and the increaſe of glorie to them-ſelues.