A Treatise of Justification, Book 8 · Chapter 8
CAP. VIII. Questions which Bellarmine disputeth against other Papists concerning merits. And first concerning the conditions of Merit.
§. I.
HItherto Bellarmine hath opposed the true Catholikes, whom he calleth heretickes. Now, because merit, as the Papists conceive of it, is a fiction which hath no ground, either in the Canonicall Scriptures, or in the writings of the ancient Fathers; it is not to be marvelled, if in this question, which is de non Ente, they be miserably divided among themselves. Bellarmine therfore in the Chapt…rs following maintaineth that doctrine which he hath delivered against us as the received doctrine of their Church, against the private opinions of some learned men among themselves; who in some particulars, either agree with us, or at least disagree from the common tenes of the Papists. And first against Holkot, and a Doctor of Lovaine (whose private opinions were censured and condemned by Pius the fifth) and Guilielmus Al…isiodorensis concerning the conditions required to a meritorious worke. Which, as Bellarmine saithaDe iustif. l. 5. cap. 10., are seven.
The first condition is that the worke be good. For if it bee bad, itThe three first conditions not controverted. First, that the worke be good. meriteth nothing but punishment. I suppose hee meaneth materially good as being a thing commanded, or good ex genere suo in respect of his kinde, as prayer, almes, &c. For to a worke formally good, he requireth all the conditions following.
Secondly, that it be done in obedience to God, and out of a desireSecondly, done obsequium Dei. to please him: (for so much the phrase in obsequium Dei seemeth to import,) otherwise we cannot expect a reward from him. This, as it is evident in the duties which immediately we performe unto God; so it is true in those which we performe immediately to man, and mediately to God, whom we are to serve not onelyonly in holines, but in righteousnes also.
Thirdly, the good works whereunto reward is promised, are theThirdly, viato…es. works of men living in thisbTit. 2 12. foreign. world; who are called viatores: to whom alone as the commande…nts are directed, so the promises are made. For of those who are in heaven the question cannot bee understood, seeing they are comprehensores who have already obtayned the reward. These three are, as he saith, agreed upon; the other foure are questioned.
§. II. The fourth condition therefore is that it bee liberum, free, disputed against Robert Holkot. This is indeed a proper condition, ifFoure conditions controverted. by liberum be meant indebitum. For if it be debitum, it is not merit…m, Luk. 17. 10. But by liberum, Bellarmine understandeth that which isThe fourth is, liberum. willingly performed, meaning no more but that to merit is required free-will: without which condition the worke indeed cannot bee so much as morally good (for such proceed foreign from election) and muchlesse meritorious. But though without this condition a worke cannot merit, yet neither it nor all the rest which he nameth, are sufficient to make a worke truely meritorious of eternall life. Howbeit, Bellarmine should have done well to expresse himselfe, whether hee speake of liberum à coactione, or ab obligatione, or necessitate officii; and if the former, whether he speake of arbitrium liberum, or liberatum, whether free by nature, or freed by grace. For if the good worke proceed from Gods grace, it cannot merit at Gods hand, as I have shewed before. And it is the opinion of some Papists, as it was of the Pelagians, that the virtue of meriting, which they conceive to bee in their workes, proceedeth from the power of their owne free-will, as I have shewed before. Neither needed Bellarmine to have heaped up Testimonies of Scriptures and Fathers to prove that free-will is required to good workes, unlesse hee dispute of free-will by nature. For that all good workes doe proceed from the will free by grace, and are voluntarily performed by the faithfull, there is no doubt to be made.
§. III. The fifth condition, that he, who must be thought to merit,The fifth is, of a man in state of grace. be in the state of grace, and the childe of God by regeneration and adoption which he proveth against the aforesaid Doctor of Lovaine. This condition is also necessarily required to every good worke, not onelyonly meritorious of heaven (for how should he attaine to the inheritance of heaven, who is not the sonne and heire of God) but also good and acceptable unto God. For without faith it is impossible to please God, Heb. 11. 6. and without it, whatsoever is done is sinne, Rom. 14. 23. And it is certaine, that untill the person be accepted, his actions cannot bee acceptable. Neither whiles the tre… is bad, can the fruit be good. Neither can a man doe any thing that is good and acceptable to God, who is not in Christ: as a branchcIo…. 5. 5. cannot be fruitfull that is not in the vine. Neither is any man in Christ, but he that is endued with a true faith, whereby he abideth in Christ, and Christ in him. And this we hold, both against the Papists, that no works of men not regenerate, are good, and with the Papists against the Pelagians, that they are not meritorious: which point good leave hath he had at large to disputedLib. 5. c. 12, 13. against the Pelagians, and so I proceed to the sixth.
§. IV. The sixt condition provedeDe iustif. l. 5. c. 14. against the said Doctor of Lovaine, that to the merit of eternall life is required the free andThe sixt is, no merit without Gods promise. and gracious promise of God: which condition I acknowledge to be required unto every rewardable worke.
For first, seeing God is our absolute Lord, to whom wee owe our duplicate page duplicate page selves and all that we have, or can doe, who may exact from us what he pleaseth without any reward; we could not expect any remuneration from him, unlesse it had pleased him for our encouragement unto well doing, to promise a reward unto us. But we must remember, that his promise is not de debito, but de gratuito, not of rendring a debt, but of giving a free reward: for he needed not to make a promise for doing those things which he commandeth, which without a promise we are bound to doe: and therefore in that he promiseth a reward, it is of his free grace; and when according to his promise hee giveth the reward, it is wholly of his grace, and not of our merit.
Secondly, when there is no proportion of equality betweene the worke and the reward, but the reward incomparably exceedeth the worke; it is evident, that such a reward promised to such a worke, can no way be due to the worke, as merited thereby, but is wholly to be ascribed to the bounty of the Lord, who freelygiveth what he had freely promised.
Thirdly, when a superaboundant reward is promised to a small worke, and the party to whom it is promised is no way able either to doe, or so much as to will the performance of it, but receiveth wholly his will and ability to performe it from his Lord: the thing promised cannot be ascribed to his merit, but to the gracious bounty of his Lord.Seventhly, that it proceed from charity.
§. V. The seventh and last condition is that a meritorious work must proceed from charity, which we acknowledg to be required in every good worke. But in the proofe hereof he falleth into a nice dispute, proving against Guihielmus …, that the vertue of meriting is to be ascribed more principally to Charity than to faith. And although this bee but an idle dispute, seeing neither faith nor charity doth truely and properly merit: yet I durst be bold to affirme, that if to either merit were to be ascribed, that it were rather to bee attributed to faith. For by faith, the merits of Christ are applyed unto us, and not by charity. By faith, we are entitled to Gods Kingdome, by … wee are not. By faith, wee obtaine the inheritance, which by charity we doe not. By faith, we are saved and not by charity. Faith is the condition of the covenant of grace, upon which, and no other grace, salva…ion is promised. Those that truly love are also saved; it being the proper cognizance, and as Basi… speaketh, the character of the faithfull, and none are saved without it: but yet they are not saved by it, nor for it, but onelyonly by the merits of Christ, which are apprehended by faith alone. Salvation which is purchased by the merits of Christ is promised to faith, as that whereby we are made partakers of Christs merits; and are therefore said to be justified and saved by faith alone: but charity and the fruits thereof are the evidence, according to which God will save us. Christ is the foundation of our happinesse, yea, he is eternall life. Faith is the onelyonly instrument wherby wee are made partakers of Christ: all other graces are but notes and signes of our union which we have with Christ, and of happinesse by him. By faith we have this inheritance, but it is had among those that are fAct. 20. 32. & 26. 18.sanctified. When it is said, happy is shee gL…kt. 45.that beleeved, there the cause of happinesse is noted: but when it is said happy is he that loved, orfeared, not the cause of happinesse is signified, but a note or signe of it. Both faith and charity must concurre to every good act: for as a worke without charity is not good; so without faith it is hRom. 14. 23.sin. But if you compare the graces together, it is certaine that charity proceedeth from faith, 1 Tim. 1. 5. and according to the measure of our faith, such is the measure of our love: for faith is the Mother-grace from which charity and all other graces, as from the root and fountaine doe spring and flow. It may seeme indeed, that sanctification and inherent righteousnesse doth more principally consist in love, because charity is the fulfilling of the Law: yet sanctification it selfe doth flow from faith, which purifieth iAct. 15. 9. Gal. 5. 6.the heart, and worketh by love. But as for the grace of justification, whereunto merit (if wee had any) ought to bee referred (for justification is the entitling of us to the kingdome of heaven) neither charity, nor any other grace in us doth concurre unto it, but faith is all in all. I will not follow him in his idle dispute: I confesse the point, that to every rewardable or, as he calleth it, meritorious worke charity is required.
§. VI. Now let us recapitulate his seven conditions. And becauseWhether these conditions concurring doe make a worke meritorious. he shall not finde me refractary, I doe confesse, that all and every of these conditions are required to every rewardable worke. For first, it must be good. Secondly, it must be done in obeysance to God. Thirdly, it must be done by men in this world. Fourthly, it must bee voluntary and not forced. Fifthly, it must bee performed by a man who is in the state of grace. Sixthly, the expectation of the reward is to bee grounded on Gods promise. And lastly, it must proceed from charity. But now say I, that not any one of these conditions, nor all of them put together can make a worke meritorious of eternall life before God. They are common notes and markes of all good workes whatsoever: but the proper notes of merits are such, as I set downe in the beginning of this discourse concerning merits. For workes are not therefore meritorious, because they are materially good, nor because they are in obeysance to God, (for that is our duty and debt which wee owe to God) nor for that they are performed by such as are viatores and pilgrims in this world, nor because they are wrought by men in state of grace, nor because the expectation of the reward is grounded on Gods promise, which is of a free reward and not of wages merited by us, nor lastly, because they proceed from charity. For our charity, by reason of the imperfection thereof, cannot stand in judgement to satisfie the justice of God, and much lesse to merit. And whatsoever, or how great soever it is, it is not only a duety which we owe to God, but the onelyonly debt which wee owe, or ought to owe to our brethren, and that for Gods sake, to omit that we receive it, as a free gift from God, and therefore by it we cannot merit of him.