A Reformed Catholic, Doctrine 5
The U. point. Of merits.
By merit, we vnderstand any thing or any worke, whereby Gods fauour and life euerlasting is procured; and that for the dignitie and excellencie of the worke or thing done: or, a good worke done, binding him that receiueth is to repay the like.
Our Consent.
Touching merits, we consent in two conclusions with them. The first conclusion, that merits are so far forth necessarie, that without them there can be no saluation.
The second, that Christ our Mediatour & Redeemer, is the roote and fountaine of all merit.
The dissent or difference.
The popish Church placeth merits within man, making two sorts thereof: the merit of the person, and the merite of the worke. The merite of the person, is a dignitie in the person, whereby it is worthy of life euerlasting. And this (as they say) is to be found in Infants dying after baptisme, who though they want good workes, yet are they not voide of this kinde of merite, for which they receiue the kingdome of heauen. The merit of the worke, is a dignitie or excellencie in the worke, whereby it is made fitte and inabled to deserue life euerlasting for the doer. And workes (as they teach) are meritorious two waies: first, by couenant, because God hath made a promise of reward vntounto them: secondly, by their owne dignitie, for Christ hath merited, that our workes might merit. And this is the substance of their doctrine. From it we dissent in these points.
I. We renounce all personall merits, that is, all merits within the person of any meere mā. II. And we renonuce al merit of works, that is, all merit of any worke done by any meere man whatsoeuer. And the true merit whereby we looke to attaine the fauour of God, & life euerlasting, is to be found in the persō of Christ alone: who is the storehouse of all our merits: whose prerogatiue it is, to be the person alone in whō God is wel pleased. Gods fauour is of infinite dignitie, & no creature is able to doe a worke that may countervayle the fauour of God, saue Christ alone; who by reason of the dignitie of his person, beeing not a meere man but Godman, or Man-God, he can doe such workes as ate of endlesse dignitie eueryevery way answerable to the fauour of God: and therefore sufficient to merit the same for vsus. And though a merit or meritorious worke agree onelyonly to the person of Christ, yet is it made ours by imputation. For as his righteousnesse is made ours, so are his merits depending theron: but his righteousnes is made ours by imputation, as I hauehave shewed. Hence ariseth an other point, namely that as Christs righteousnes is made ours really by imputation to make vsus righteous: so we by the merit of his righteousnes imputed to vsus, doe merit and deserue life euerlasting. And this is our doctrine. In a word, the Papist maintaineth the merits of his owne workes: but we renounce them all, and rest onelyonly on the merit of Christ. And that our doctrine is truth, and theirs falshoode, I will make manifest by sundrie reasons; and then answer their arguments to the contrarie.
Our reasons.
The first shall be taken from the properties and conditions that must be in a worke meritorious, and they are fowre. I. A man must doe it of himselfe, and by himselfe: for if it be done by another, the merite doth not properly belong to the doer. II. A man must doe it of his owne freewill and pleasure, not of due debt; for when we doe that which we are bound to doe, we doe no more but our dutie. III. The worke must be done to the profit of an other, who thereupon must be bound to repay the like. IV. The reward and the worke must be in proportion equall, for if the reward be more then the worke, it is not a reward of desert, but a gift of good will. Hence followes a notable conclusion: That Christs manhoode considered a part from his godhead, cannot merit at Gods hand: though it be more excellent eueryevery way then all both men and angels. For being thus considered, it doth nothing of it selfe, but by grace receiued from the godhead; though it also be without measure. Secondly Christs manhoode is a creature, and in that regarde bound to doe whatsoeuer it doth. Thirdly, Christ as man cannot giuegive any thing to god, but that which he receiued from God: therfore cannot the manhoode properly by it selfe merit, but onelyonly as it is personally vnited vntounto the godhead of the Sonne. And if this be so, then much lesse can any meere man, or any angel merit: yea it is a madnes to thinke, that either our actions or persons should be capable of any merit whereby we might attaine to life eternall.
Reason II. Exod. 20 8. And SHEVV MERCIEMERCY vponupon thousands in them that louelove me, and keepe my commandements. Hence I reason thus: where reward is giuen vponupon merciemercy, there is no merit: but rewarde is giuen of merciemercy to them that fulfill the law: therefore no merit. What can we any way deserue, when our full recompence must be of merciemercy? And this appeares further by Adam: if he had stood to this day, he could not by his continuall and perfect obedience, hauehave procured a further increase of fauour at Gods hand, but should onelyonly hauehave continued that happie estate in which he was first created.
Reason III. Scripture directly condemneth merite of workes. Rom. 6. 23. The vvages of sinne is death: but THE GIFT OF GOD IS eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. The proportion of the argument required that S. Paul should hauehave said: The reward of good workes is eternall life, if life euerlasting could be deserued, which cannot: because it is a free gift. Againe, Tit. 3. 5. We are saued not by vvorkes of righteousnes which vve hauehave done, but according to his merciemercy he saued vsus. And Ephes. 2. v. 8, 10. By grace you are saued through faith, and that not of your selues, it is the gift of God: not of works which God hath prepared that we should walke in them. If any workes be crowned, it is certen that the sufferings of Martyrs shall be rewarded: now of them Paul saith, Rom. 8. 18. The sufferings of this life are NOT VVORTHY of the glorie to come. Where then is the value & dignitie of other works? To this purpose `Ambr. saith, The iust man though he be tormented in the brasen bull is still iust, because he iustifieth God, and saith he suffereth LESSE THEN HIS SINNES DESERVE.
Reason IV. Whosoeuer will merit, must fulfill the whole law: but none can keepe the whole law: For if we say we hauehave no sinne we deceiue our selues, 1. Ioh. 1. And he that sinnes against one commandement is guiltie of the whole law. And what can he merit, that is guiltie of the breach of the whole law?
Reason V. We are taught to pray on this manner, GiueGive vsus this day our daily bread. Wherein we acknowledge eueryevery morsel of bread to be the meere gift of God without desert; and therefore must we much more acknowledge life eternall to be eueryevery way the gift of God. It must needes therefore be a satanicall insolencie for any man to imagine, that he can by his workes merit eternall life, who cannot merit bread.
Reason VI. Consent of the auncient Church. De interpollatione David. 4. v…l. ps. 72.Bernard, Those which we call our merits, are the way to the kingdome, and not THE CAVSE OF RAIGNING. August. Manuali. cap. 22. All my hope is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit—: my MERIT IS THE PASSION OF THE LORD. I shall not be voide of merits, so long as Gods mercies are not wanting. Basil. on psal. 114. Eternall rest is reserued for them, which hauehave striuen lavvfully in this life: not FOR THE MERITS of their doings, but vponupon the grace of the most bountifull God, in which they trusted. August. on ps. 120. He crowneth thee, because he crowneth his owne gifts, not thy merits. And, psal. 142. Lord thou wilt quicken me in thy iustice, not in mine: not because I hauehave deserued it, but because thou hast compassion.
Obiections of Papists.
Obiect. I. In sundrie places of Scripture, promise of reward is made to them that beleeue and doe good workes: therefore our works doe merit; for a reward and merit be relatiues. Ans. Reward is twofold: of debt, and of merciemercy. Life euerlasting is not a reward of debt but of merciemercy, giuen of the good will of God, without any thing done of man. Secondly, the kingdome of heauen is properly an inheritance giuen of a father to a child, and therefore it is called a reward not properly, but by a figure or by resemblance. For as a workeman hauing ended his labour, receiueth his wages; so after men hauehave lead their liues & finished their course in keeping faith and good conscience, as dutifull children; God giueth them eternall life. And herupon it is tearmed a reward. Thirdly, if I should graunt that life euerlasting is a deserued reward, it is not for our works, but for Christs merit imputed to vsus, causing vsus thereby to merit: and thus the relation stands directly betweene the Reward and Christs Merit applied vntounto vsus.
Obiect. II. Christ by his death merited that our works should merit life euerlasting. Answ. That is false: all we finde in Scripture is, that Christ by his merit procured pardon of sinne, imputation of righteousnes, and life euerlasting: and it is no where saide in the word of God, that Christ did merit, that our workes should merit: it is a dotage of their owne deuising. He died not for our good workes to make them able to satisfie Gods anger: but for our sinnes, that they might be pardoned. Thus much saith the Scripture, & no more. And in that Christ did sufficiently merit life eternall for vsus, by his owne death: it is a sufficient proofe that he neuer intended to giuegive vsus power of meriting the same: vnles we suppose that at some time he giues more then is needefull. Againe, Christ in the office of mediation as he is a King, Priest, and Prophet, admitteth no deputie or fellow. For he is a most perfect Mediatour, doing all things by himselfe, without the helpe of any. And the ministers that dispence the word are not his deputies, but reasonable and voluntarie instruments, which he vseth. But if men by workes can merit increase of grace and happines for themselues, then hath Christ partners in the worke of redemption: men doing that by him, which he doth of himselfe, in procuring their saluation. Nay, if this might stand, that Christ did merit, that our works should merit, then Christ should merit that our stained righteousnes beeing for this cause not capable of merit, should neuertheles merit. I call it stained; because we are partly flesh and partly spirit: and therfore in our selues deseruing the curse of the law, though we be regenerate. Againe, for one good worke we doe, we hauehave many euil, the offence whereof defaceth the merit of our best deedes, and makes them too light in the balance of the law.
Obiect. III. Our workes merit by bargaine or couenant, because God hath promised to reward them. Ans. The word of God sets downe two couenants: one legal, the other euangelicall. In the legall couenant life euerlasting is promised to workes, for that is the condition of the lawe; doe these things and thou shalt liue. But on this manner can no man merit life euerlasting, because none is able to doe all that the lawe requires; whether we respect the manner, or the measure of obedience. In the euangelicall couenant, the promises that are made are not made to any worke or vertue in man, but to the worker: not for any merit of his owne person or worke, but for the person and merite of Christ. For example, it is a promise of the Gospell, Be faithfull vntounto death, and I vvill giuegive thee the crowne of life. Revelat. 2. 10. Here the promise is not made to the vertue of fidelitie, but to the faithfull person; whose fidelitie is but a token that he is in Christ: for the merit of whose obediēce god promiseth the crowne of life: and therefore Christ saith further: I come quicklie and will giuegive to eueryevery man according to his workes, marke, he saith not to the worke or for the worke, but to the worker according to his workes. And thus the bōd of al other promises of the Gospel, in which god willingly bindes himselfe to reward our workes, doe not directly concerne vsus, but hauehave respect to the person, and obedience of Christ, for whose sake alone God bindes himselfe as debter vntounto vsus, and giues the recompence or reward, according to the measure of our faith testified by our workes. And therefore it cannot be truely gathered: that workes doe merit by any promise or covenant, passed on Gods part to man. Some may say, if workes merit not why are they mentioned in the promises? I answere, not because they merit, but because they are tokens that the doer of the worke is is in Christ, for whose merite the promise shall be accomplished.
Obiect. VI. Good works are perfect and without fault, for they are the workes of the holy ghost, who cannot sinne: therefore they merite. Ans. If workes did proceed onelyonly and immediatly from the holy ghost, there could not be any fault in them: but our works come from the holy ghost, in and by the will and vnderstanding of man: & by this meanes they are tainted with sinne: as water in the fountaine is both cleare and sweete, yet the streames there of passing through the filthy channell, are defiled thereby. Againe they reason thus; That which we are bound to doe hath no fault in it; but we are bound to doe good workes: therefore they are perfect. Ans. The proposition must be expounded: that which we are bound to doe, in it selfe, according to the intention of the commander, hath no fault: or, that which we are bound to doe according as we are bound to doe it, hath no fault, yet in regard of the intention of the doer, or in regard of our manner of doing, it may be faultie.
Obiect. V. Christ saith Revel. 3. 4. that the faithfull in the Church of Sardis shall walk with him in white: for they are worthy: therfore beleeuers merit. Ans. EueryEvery beleeuer is worthy to walke with Christ: yet not worthy in himselfe, but in Christ, to whome he is vnited, and made bone of his bone, & flesh of his flesh. And by reason of this coniunction `it is, that men are said to be worthy', because they are inriched with Christs merits and righteousnes.
Obiect. VII. 2. Tim. 4. 8. Euerlasting life is tearmed a crowne, and a crowne of righteousnes to be giuen of a iust iudge: therefore man for his part by his workes deserues the same. Ans. Euerlasting life is called a crowne onelyonly in resemblance. For as he which runneth a race, must continue and runne to the ende, and then be crowned: euen so must we continue to walke in good works vntounto the end, and then receiue eternall life. And it is called a crowne of righteousnes, not because it belongs to any man by due and desert; but because God hath bound himselfe by a promise to giuegive it, in performing whereof he is tearmed iust: and by vertue of this promise, it is obtained and no otherwise. These are the principall obiections, by which we may iudge what the rest are. And thus we see what is the truth, namely that merit is necessarie to saluation; yet neither merite of mans worke, or person, but the merit of Christ imputed to vsus, whereby we beeing in him do procure and deserue the fauour of God and life eternall.