Defense of Perkins Book Called a Reformed Catholic, Point 5 · Section 1
The fifth poynt. Of Merits.
speaker W. P. By merit, 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 it to repaie the like.
speaker D. B. P. Obserue that three things are necessarie to make a worke meritorious. First, that the worker be the adopted Sonne of God, and in the state of grace. Secondly, that the worke proceed from grace, and be referred to the honor of God. The third, is the promise of God through Christ, to reward the worke. And because our aduersaries either ignorantly VVith a m… ter of truth.or of malice do slaunder this our Doctrine, in saying vntruly, that we trust not in Christs merits, nor need not Gods mercy for our saluation, but will purchase it by our owne workes.
speaker A. W. We charge you, and that trulie without ignorance, or slaunder, and according to your doctrine of merits, that you need neither Christs merits, nor Gods merciemercy, for so much of your purchase of euerlasting life, as is made by good workes. For if your workes be such, as that lEx rigor… iustitiae.in the rigour of iustice, they deserue euerlasting life as wages, what neede they either Christs blood, or Gods merciemercy to make them meritorious? The mRom. 3. 2…, 26. Eph. 1. 7. Heb. 10. 1. 4. 11. 12.vse of Christs blood, is to wash away sinne. Where there is no sin, what should Christs blood doe? nRom. 4. 4. Sess. 6. cap. vl….Now to him that workes, the wages is not counted of fauour, but of debt.
speaker D. B. P. I will here set downe what the Councell of T…ent doth teach concerning merits. Life euerlasting is to be proposed to them that vvorke vvell, and hope well to the end: both as grace, of mercy promised to the Sonnes of God through Christ Iesus, and as a reward by the promise of the same God to be faithfully rendred vntounto their vvorkes and merits, So that we hold eternall life to be both a grace; aswell in respect of Gods gree promise through Christ, as also for that the first grace (out of which they issue) was freely bestowed vponupon vsus. And that also it is a reward in iustice, due partly by the promise of God, and in part of the dignity of good workes. VntoUnto the worker, if he perseuere and hold on vntounto the end of his life, or by truerepentance lise to the same estate againe.
speaker A. W. The Councell of Trent hath (as much as well it could) made a shew of some reformation; but indeed retained (for the most part) the former errours of her Antichristian Church, you also (to mend the matter) according to the policie of the craftie Councell, picke out a sentence and propound it, as the whole doctrine of the Councell concerning merits. The same afterward you expound; but so as that neithe text, nor the glosse are sufficient to make your whole doctrine knowne to vsus. For whereas you claime heauen of God, as wages due to the deserts of your workes, here is no mention but only of reward; yet somwhat is slipt from you, whereby the Councels dealing may well grow into suspition. For whereas that sayes no more but, that it is a reward, by the promise of God to be faithfully rendred to their workes and merits: you tel vsus, that it is a reward in iustice, due partly by the promise of God, and in part, for the dignitie of good works. Where I would faine know of you, how you part this debt? what part is due vponupon promise, what vponupon desert? For it may wel be, though the reward be due vponupon promise, now God hath promised that it was simplie due, for the dignitie of the worke, whether God had promised it or no: And then it was a small fauour of God, to make vsus a promise of that, to which we had full interest by desert, before this promise, so that he could not in iustice, but pay vsus our wages, for our worke, though he had not promised it. And indeed this is the verie maine point of your doctrine of merits, howsoeuer you blaunch it with the name of grace. I proue it first by the Councell it selfe, then by Andradius the expounder of the Councels meaning. oConcil. Trident. Sess. 6. cap. 16.Seeing that Christ Iesus (sayes the Councell,) *Iugiter virtutem influat.doth continually infuse vertues into them that are iustified, as the head into the members; which vertue alwaies goes before, accompanieth and followeth their good workes, and without which, they could in no sort be acceptable to God, and meritorious: we must beleeue, that there is nothing else wanting to them that are iustified, why they should not be thought pDiuinae leg… plene satisfecisse.full…e to hauehave satisfied the law of God, (as farre as the estate of this life requires) by those workes, qIn Deo sacta.that are done in God; and to hauehave truly deserued at their time, euerlasting life, prouided that they depart in the estate of grace.
Andradius, who was present at the Councill, and one that debated matters with other Doctors, though he had no voyce in determining, because he was not a Bishop: yet he could not chuse but perfectly vnderstand the poynts that were agreed vponupon: otherwise (we may be sure) he should neuer hauehave been suffered to vndertake the defence of the Councill, as hee hath been, if not chosen to it. He then thus opens the matter: rAndrad. Orthod. exp…. lib. 6. pag. 517 518.That euerlasting felicitie is no lesse due to the workes of the righteous, than euerlasting torments are to their sinnes that obey not the Gospell, nor know God; that heauenly felicitie, which the Scripture calles the rewards and wages of the righteous, is not so much freely and liberally bestowed vponupon them by God, as it is due to their workes. Which he proues thus: When Paul (saith sAndrad▪ vbi supra.Andradius) would shew, that Abraham was iustified by faith, and not by workes; he doth it especially by this reason: tRom. 4. 5.To him that worketh, the wages is not counted of fauour, but of debt: therefore if Abrahams righteousnes were the wages of his workes, it ought to be called debt rather than grace. For the aMercedis ratio cum nomine gra…ae ex aduerso pugnat.nature of wages is directly contrary to the name of grace. VponUpon this reason he concludes: That euerlasting felicitie must not be counted according to grace, but according to debt. And a little after: xAndrad. pag. 519.Therefore if any wages be due to the worthie actions of the righteous, there is in them yVera & integra ratio.the true and whole nature of merit. This then is the doctrine of the Church of Rome concerning merits; That the good workes of them that hauehave the first iustification, do truly and wholy deserue euerlasting felicitie of God, as wages due to them by debt, not by grace. Let no man be deceiued, because (to colour the matter) they make mention of vertue comming continually from Christ, as from the vine into the branches: for this is nothing else but the increase of grace, whereby Christians are enabled to doe good workes, and added no more worthines to the action, than should be in it if this grace were receiued from Christ all at one instant, as (for the substance of it) it is at the time of our iustification.
speaker D. B. P. In infants baptized there is a kind of merit, or rather dignity of adopted Sonnes of God, by his grace powred into their soules in baptisme, whereby they are made heires of the Kingdome of heauen, but all that arriue to the yeares of discretion, must by the good vse of the same grace either meritlife, or for want of such fruit of it, fall into the miserable state of death.
speaker A. W. Infants baptized, if they belong to Gods election, hauehave indeed the prerogatiue to be Gods children, and thereby an interest to the kingdome of heauen, as their inheritance. All that come to yeeres of discretion, must bring foorth fruites of faith, and shall hauehave reward for them in heauen, not vponupon merit, because their best workes are defectiue; but only vponupon Gods gratious promise, and mercifull acceptance in Iesus Christ.
Our consent.
speaker W. P. Touching merits, we consent in two conclusions with them. The first conclusion, that merits are so farre forth necessarie, that without them there can be no saluation.
The second, that Christ our Mediatour and Redeemer, is the roote and fountaine of all merit.