Reply Against Gilbert Brown, Section 21
Maiſter Gilbert Browne.
Our doctrine is that a man in the eſtate of grace doing good works merits of deſerue a reward: whilk is the doctrine of the Prophets, Chriſt and his Apoſtles: as maye bee perceiued in theſe places, and manye the like a)Gen. 17.…. 2. Paral. 15.7 Eccleſ 16.15 Eccleſ 16.31 Pſal. 118.112. Prov. 11.18. Sap. 5 16. Sap. 10.17 … 3.…0 Ier 31 16Feare not Abraham (ſayes God) I am thy protector and thy rewarde great turnly. In another place. Therefore be ye of comfort, and let not your hands be diſſolved, there ſhall be a rewarde for your worke. And in the booke Eccleſiaſticus. All merciemercy ſhall make place to euerie one, according to the merite of his works. with manie more in the olde Teſtament, nor I am able to ſet downe heere But ſome of them I hauehave noted on the margent. And our Sauiour ſayes, b)Matth. 5.12 Ioh. 5.29 Mat. 10 42. Mat. 16.1 Matth. 16 27 Matth. 25.34. Ma th. 10. Mar. 9.41. Luc. 6.35Reioyce and be glade for your rewarde is great in heauen. And againe, They that hauehave done good things ſhall come forth to the reſurrection of life: but they that hes done euill, to the reſurrection of iudgement. And whoſoeuer ſhall giuegive drinke to one of theſe little ones, one cup of colde water onelyonly, in the name of ane Diſciple, truelie I ſay vntounto you, he ſhall not loſe his rewarde And c)1, Cor, 3, 8.14 1. Cor. 9.17.18 Eph. 6.8Saint Paule ſayes, EueryEvery one ſhall receiue his owne rewarde, according to his labour: & d)2. Iohn, ver. 8 Apoc. 22.12S. Iohn ſayes, Looke to your ſelues, that ye loſe not the things whilk ye hauehave wrought, but that ye may receiue ane full rewarde And in his Reuelation, Beholde I come quicklie, and my rewarde is with mee, to rander to eueryevery man according to his works, with many more the like in the word of God What can our newe men ſay againſt this doctrine of Chriſt, his Apoſtles & Prophets, ſeing that there is no reward without merite, becauſe merces and meritum hes relation together: for there is no reward promiſed in the word of God, but for doing and working And albeit God hes promiſed to rewarde all our good deedes, yet this promiſe is not without a cauſe: that is, to them that will labour and worke, and to doe according to his will. For he hes promiſed no rewarde to them that will not work, but to ſik as deſerues the ſame by their doings, as I hauehave noted before in the booke called Eccleſiaſticus, the 16. chapter.
Maiſter Iohn Welſche his Reply.
As for your doctrine of merites of works wherein you ſay that a man in the eſtate of grace doth merite eternall life and glorie, & that aſwell in reſpect of the worke it ſelfe, as of the couenant and promiſe made vntounto it. Lib 5 de iuſtifie. cap. 17.So Bellarmine. Yea that the works are in vertue equal and of as great valor, as the reward of eternal life is, ſo that there is an equall proportion betwene the works and eternal life. And there are ſom of your Kirk and thoſe of the learned amongſt you who hes gone further, and affirmes that the good workes of the righteous merites life eternal in reſpect of the worthines and excellencie of the work it ſelfe, Bellarm. lib. 5. de …uſtiſ. cap. 17ſuppoſe the Lord had neuer made a promiſe or couenant, as Caietanus a cardinall and Dominicus a Soto, as Bellarmine reports of them. And Maiſter a)Pa… 1…5Reinold ſayes that good workes and euill are laide in different ballance, that good workes are the cauſe of heauen, as euill workes are the cauſe of hell. And b)In 5. queſt… de Iuſt….Andreas Vega ſayes that the reward of glorie ſhall not be greater nor our good workes hes deſerued. What blaſphemie is this your doctrine? And ſurely if in any one poynt of your doctrine, you ſhewe your ſelues to be men, who not onlie knowes not the holines of God, the vnſpeakablenes of that other life, the perfection and infinite vertue of Chriſts merits, the perfection of his law, and mans infirmitie and weaknes; eſpecially you manifeſt it in this point, for if ye knew anie of theſe thinges, ye would neuer profeſſe ſuch damnable doctrine: for that our workes may merite eternall life (as ye ſay) and that not onelyonly in reſpect of the couenant, but in reſpect of the worke it ſelfe there are fiue thinges required. 1. That the work be perfit according to that meaſure of perfection whilk the law of God requires, and the whole lawe muſt be fulfilled, and that perfitlie and continuallie. 2. The workes muſt not be debt, that is, ſik workes as we are bound before to doe; for the paying of that duty whilk we owe alreadie cannot merite properly a rewarde: for will you ſay that for the paying of that whilk you owe alreadie you deſerue a reward? 3. There muſt be a proportion and equality betweene the worke wrought and the rewarde it ſelfe, for if the worke be leſſe and the reward greater, then that whilk is more then the work is not of merite but of liberalitie. 4. The perſons to whome the worke is done muſt be obliſhed and bound by right to rander and recompence the worker for the worthines of the worke, ſo that he is not iuſt and he do it not. And laſt of all the worke muſt be our owne and not an others, and the power our owne whereby it is done and not an others, or we can be ſaide properly to merite by the ſame. But all theſe conditions will faile in our workes: therefore they cannot bee meritorious of eternall life. For as to the firſt the prophets ſayes that all our righteouſnes is as a menſtrous clout. cap. 64 epiſt. in c. 3.And Iames ſayes we all offend in manie thinges: and none there is that hes contained in doing all things written in the law in that perfection, whilk it craues of vsus, as hes bene proued before: therefore our workes cannot be meritorious of eternall life. And as to the ſecond all that we can do, or is able to do, we are bound to do it all readdie, by the vertue of our creation and redemption and his other bleſſings all readie beſtowed, yea they obliſh vsus to more nor we are euer able to pay, according to that ſaying of our Sauiour: euen ſo ye when ye hauehave done all that is commanded you ſay that we are vnprofitable ſeruants, …. 17.10.becauſe we hauehave done that whilk was our dutie to do. Since therfore it is dutie it cannot be meritorious of eternall life. And as to the third there is no proportion betweene eternall life and our workes, the reward by infinite degrees ſurpaſſing the work, and therefore the Apoſtle ſayes the afflictions of this life are not worthie of the glorie whilk ſhall be reueiled: euerlaſting life being onlie the iuſt reward of the ſufferings of the ſonne of God. Tim. 8.18.a)ſer. 1. de annnnBernard ſayes what are all our merites to ſo great a glorie: & b)in vita Antonii.Athanaſius ſayes not ſuppoſe wee would renounce the whole world yet are we not able to do anie thing worthie of theſe heauenlie habitations. As to the fourth the Lord is dettor to no creature: Rom. 11.35.for as the Apoſtle ſayes who hes giuen him firſt, and he ſhall be recompenſed: the Lord is all ſufficient in himſelfe and ſo needes non of your labours, and ſo our works cannot obliſh him. ſer. 16 de verbis Apoſtoli.And therefore Auguſtine ſayes God is made a detter vntounto vsus, not by receiuing anie thing from our hands, but becauſe it pleaſed him to promiſe. And to the laſt the Apoſtle ſayes, What hes thou that thou hes not receiued? 1. Cor. 47.and if thou hauehave receiued it, why reioyceſt thou, as though thou had not receiued it? Seing therefore all our workes are imperfite, and ſeeing we are not able to fulfill the Lawe: and ſeeing all that we can doe, is but our duetie: and there is no proportion betwixt eternall lyfe & our workes, and that the Lord is debtour to no man, and all our abilitie of doing is from the Lorde onelie: therefore our workes cannot be meritorious of eternall life. In ma…uali. c. 10.Heare further what the Fathers ſayes in this point. Auguſtine ſayes, All my hope is in the death of my Lorde: his death is my merite, my refuge, ſaluation, lyfe, and reſurrection: my merite is the compaſsion of the Lord. I ſhall not bee voide of a merite ſo long as the Lord of mercies ſhall not want. Origen who liued 200. yeares before him ſayes, In epiſt. ad Rom c. 4. lib. 4.I ſcarſly beleeue that there can be any work whilk may of due demande the rewarde of God forſomuch as euen the ſame that we can doe, thinke, or ſpeake, we doe it by his gift or bountie. Then how can he owe vsus anye thing, whoſe grace did preueene vsus. And he ſayes afterwarde, de bono mor. cap. 2.that the Apoſtle aſsignes eternall life to grace onlie. Ambroſe ſayes, Euerlaſting life is forgiueneſſe of ſinnes, ſo then it is not merite. Ierome ſayes, That before God no man is iuſt, therefore no man can merite. And againe he ſayes, The onlie perfection of man is, Aduerſus Pelag.if they know themſelues to be imperfite: and our iuſtice conſiſteth not of our owne merite, but of Gods merciemercy. I omit the reſt for ſhortneſſe.
Nowe to your teſtimonies, and reaſon to proue your merite of workes, whilks you ſhamefullie abuſe, bringing forth Scripture to cloak your damnable doctrine: vntounto the whilks I anſwere ſhortlie. That there is a reward laid vp with God for the workes of euerie one, be they good be they euill, and according to their works ſhall they be tryed, and eueryevery man ſhalbe iudged and recompenced accordinglie, as the Scripture plainly teſtifieth. But that this reward of eternall lyfe promiſed, is of debt, and not of grace, and that our works are the meritorious cauſe of the ſame, that the Scripture neuer affirmes. For the Lord freelie and of his meere grace crowneth his owne workes in vsus: and that, not for the excellency of the worke it ſelf, but of merciemercy freelie for his Chriſts ſake, as both I hauehave proued, and the Fathers hes teſtified. So theſe Scriptures ſerues you to no purpoſe. For the controuerſie betwixt vsus is not whether there is a rewarde promiſed, and whether it ſhalbe randered accordingly to the ſame, for that we graunt: but whether this reward is of merite or of grace. The Apoſtle ſayes plainlie in the 6. of the Romanes, The wages of ſinne is death: but euerlaſting lyfe is the free gift of God. Rom. 6.23. & … 17.And in the 8. of the Romanes, it is called an inheritance. Now if it be heritage to them that are in Chriſt, and they aires of it through him, then it is not their merite. As for the 16. of Eccleſiaſticus it is Apocrypha, and the text hes not that word merite, as the olde interpreter whome ye follow, tranſlates it, but according to his worke. As for the 118. Pſalme, and the 16. of Matthew, ye are ouer-ſeene in the quoting of them, for they hauehave no ſik thing. As for your reaſon, that a rewarde hes euer a relation to a merite, that is falſe. For the Apoſtle in the 4. of the Romanes ſpeakes of a rewarde that is vnputed freelie, not to him who worketh, but to him that beleeueth in him, who iuſtifieth the vngodlie, verſe 5. a…d Luc. ….5…And in this ſenſe the reward of eternall life promiſed & fulfilled in his Saints, is taken in the Scriptures And wheras you ſay, that there is no reward promiſed but to doing & working: that is falſe alſo, for there is a reward of eternall life promiſed to the beleeuer, ver. 5. And as for the promiſes of reward made to good works: it is true, it is made to them, but not as though our works were meritorious cauſes of that rewarde, but onlie that they are effects to teſtifie of our faith in the merite of Ieſus Chriſt, in whome only the promiſes are made to vsus and our works, and for whoſe ſake onlie they are fulfilled in his Saints. For theſe cauſes therfore is the promiſe of reward made vntounto works, firſt becauſe all men by nature are hypocrites, and boaſtes of a vaine pretence of faith, vntounto whome Iames ſayes, Iames ….…8Shew me thy Faith by thy works? to take away therefore this vaile of hypocriſie from hypocrites, the promiſes are made to workes. 2. The promiſe is made to works to ſtirre vsus vp to the doing of them: for we woulde be faint in doing good, and we knew not that the Lorde would reward them. It is true he hes promiſed no reward to them who workes not, becauſe they in whome Chriſt dwelles they are not only iuſtified, but alſo ſanctified, and brings forth the fruite of their ſanctification. And this for the 9. point of your doctrine, whilk is ſo damnable, that both it derogates from the merite of Chriſt, and makes men to take away their confidence from Gods onlie merciemercy and free grace: and ſwelles them vp with a vaine confidence of themſelues, and bindes as it were their harts and mouthes, that they cannot with all their hart rander the whole praiſe of their ſaluation to Gods onelie free grace.