An End of Doctrinal Controversies, Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV. Of good Works and Merit, and trusting to any thing of our own.
§. 1. HEre are several Controversies that trouble our Peace, but few of them that are so great as they are commonly imagined: As, 1. What are good Works (which indeed is of great weight, and the chief in which we really differ about Works.) 2. Whether they are necessary to Justification or Salvation. 3. Whether they are meritorious or rewardable. 4. What place they have, and what is their use and necessity. 5. Whether we may trust to them.
§. 2. I. It is one of the Devil's chief Policies in the World, to cast out Christ's Interest by its Counterfeits: To expugn true Wisdom by counterfeit Wisdom, and true Faith by counterfeit Faith, and true Zeal and Piety by counterfeit Zeal and Piety, and true Unity, and Concord, and Peace, by their Counterfeits, and true Worship, Ministry, Discipline, by their Counterfeits; and true Comfort by counterfeit Comfort; and so also it is by counterfeit good Works, that good Works are oft cast off.
§. 3. The measure of all created Goodness, is the Will of the Creator, who is the prime, essential Good; and no Work of Man is morally good, but what is made so by the Will of God; that is, 1. Efficiently, by his operative Will: 2. Directively, by his commanding Will: And, 3. Finally and Objectively, by his pleased, or fulfilled Will. Man's Wit, Will, or Interest cannot serve to make any action morally good.
§. 4. He that intendeth God's Honour, and the pleasing of his Will, and the good of his own or others Souls, or the safety of Religion, or the Church, or State, and useth means hereto, not commanded, or any way appointed him of God (much more if directly forbidden) doth not a Work that is truly good, but only secundum quid.
§. 5. Could we be sure that such a Work would save Souls, or save Church, or State, or our Neighbours lives, it would not make it morally a good Work; but only make the Effect to be physically good to others that are benefited by it.
§. 6. Therefore to build Churches, or Hospitals, to feed and cloath the Poor, to save Mens Lives, to preach the Gospel, are all such as finally do a physical good, and they are the matter of moral good; but forma denominat: Those Actions are not morally good, unless, 1. done in obedience to God's commanding, or ruling Will: 2. And finally to please his Will.
§. 7. Those Priests therefore that set carnal, ungodly Sinners (Fornicators, Murderers, Gluttons, Drunkards, Lyers, Perjured, &c.) on expiating their Sins by good Works, without teaching and perswading them to that internal repentance, and Conversion of their Wills, and holy devotedness to God, by which their Works must have a right Principle, End, and Form, do but delude men, and cheat them by flattery into perdition.
§. 8. Much more pernicious is it, to take Sin, Folly, and Superstition, for good Works, and look to be saved by that which deserveth Damnation, and to expiate sin by sin; such are the Works of Persecuters that think they serve God by unjust killing, or imprisoning his Servants, or causeless silencing his faithful Ministers; such were the Wars of the Cro…sad…'s against the Waldenses and Albigenses; and such are the Works of the Inquisition, and their persecuting Executioners; such are Rebellions that have fair Pretences, as were those against the German Emperors, Fredericks, Henry, &c. and of many of such Agents oft against the Kings of England; such hath been the zealous killing of Kings, and burning of honest desirable Dissenters; and such is the alienating Mens Estates from better Uses, to maintain a supernumerous sinful, vicious, idle Monastery, or their prelatical needless Pomp and Pride; or to buy Pardons or Masses for departed Souls; or to build useless Structures to the Honour of some Saint or Angel; or to set up useless Formalities and Shadows, as Candles by day-light, and abundance such: And such are long Pilgrimages to the Shrines of such as the Pope hath Canonized, and to visit Relicks, and the carrying about of Relicks, with an ungrounded carnal considence in them; with many such like.
§. 9. So wosully hath the Papal Party, and not they only, but in too great a measure, the Greeks, Moscovites, Armenians, Syrians, Coptics, Abassines, and most of the Churches corrupted the Christian Religion by their useless or seducing Fopperies called good Works, that they have among them defiled its Purity, rejected its Primitive Simplicity, obscured and dishonoured its Glory, and made it seem contemptible to Mahometans and Heathens; and made it less fit to destroy sin, and frustrate Satan, and to please God, and to sanctifie and save mens Souls.
§. 10. II. Were all Sects and Parties of Christians, well agreed what Works are truly good, it would be a shame to us, should we not agree in the main how far they are necessary, when the Case is so plain throughout the Scripture: I think we are commonly agreed as followeth.
§. 11. 1. Perfect Obedience is not of absolute necessity to Salvation, because we are under a Covenant that hath easier terms.
§. 12. 2. The Works of the Mosaical Jewish Law, are neither necessary necessitate praecepti vel medii, that Law not binding us as such.
§. 13. 3. Obedience to Man's Laws is not necessary, when the matter is forbidden us by God's Laws, or when they are Laws without power; that is, such as men have no Authority to make.
§. 14. 4. No Works of special Grace are antecedently necessary to our reception of that Grace, o… of its necessary means.
§. 15. 5. No external acts of sincere Obedience, distinct from internal Faith, and Repentance, and Consent, are necessary before to our first Justification; that is, to our right to Impunity and life in Christ.
§. 16. 6. Even internal Obedience to Christ as Christ, distinct from our Obedience to God as God, and our Subjection to Christ (or Consent to be his Subjects, and obey him) is not before necessary to our part in Christ, or our Union, or Justification, as in its first state or beginning.
§. 17. 7. Therefore if we should suppose that a Man should die immediately upon his first internal Faith and Consent to the Covenant, before he had time to do one Act internal or external of formal Obedience to Christ, as Christ, that Man would be saved. But the Supposition is so utterly improbable, that it is not to be put as a matter of Dispute: The Thief on the Cross performed some Obedience.
§. 18. 8. No Works of Man's are necessary to profit God, or can add to his Perfection or Felicity: He needeth not us nor any of our doings.
§. 19. 9. No Works of ours are necessary to make up any defects in the Merits of Christ, or to any use which is proper to Christ or his Merits or efficacious Grace.
§. 20. 10. No preparatory Works of Man's (I think) are absolutely before necessary to God's effectual converting of him, (unless you will call the Acts of Nature, by which he is fit to hear and think, preparatory Works unfitly): For God can give his Grace to unprepared Souls.
§. 21. On the affirmative also we are agreed, 1. That all Mankind are under God's Government by some Law, and owe Him Obedience to that Law.
§. 22. 2. That it is only Disobedience that God punisheth according to the Penal part of that Law which men live under.
§. 23. 3. That it is only Obedience which God rewardeth, according to the rewarding or promissory part of the Law that men are under.
§. 24. 4. That the Law of Grace (and not only that of Innocency) hath its Commands of Obedience, and Promises of Reward.
§. 25. 5. That men must believe that there is a God before they can believe that Christ is the Anointed of God and the Mediator between God and man; and therefore must first believe God's Soveraign Government.
§. 26. 6. God commandeth men to believe in Christ, (and so maketh it their Duty) and to take him for their Lord and Saviour by Faith.
§. 27. 7. Men ought thus to believe in Christ and accept him, in obedience to this Command of God, believing that it is his Will.
§. 28. 8. Therefore there is some sort of Relief in God, and Obedience to God, which is in order before our Faith in Christ: And Faith in Christ as it is voluntary and free, is an Act of such Obedience to God.
§. 29. 9. Yet is it the antecedent Teaching of Christ (by Nature, by the Word, or Spirit, or all) by which we now come to know God to be God, and that he is to be believed and obeyed. Therefore Christ is mens Teacher, and thereby bringeth them to believe first in God, before he is known to be their Teacher, and believed on himself. As the Sunbeams before its rising give some Light to the Earth.
§. 30. 10. God hath commanded men that hear not of Christ, the use of some means, which Mercy hath (through Christ) afforded them, which have a tendency to their Salvation, and should be used to that end. And his bare Command to use such means (much more as seconded with abundance of Mercies) tell us, that he bids not men use them in vain, or without any hope of good success (of which before).
§. 31. 11. He that heareth of Christ and believeth not, or believeth uneffectually, and is not a converted sound Believer, is under God's Command to use certain means allowed him, to procure Faith and true Conversion, and that not without all hope of good success.
§. 32. 12. It is God's ordinary way to give his first special converting Grace, to predisposed Subjects, prepared by his commoner Grace; in which Preparation some Acts of Man have their part: And the unprepared and undisposed cannot equally expect it.
§. 33. 13. Faith and Repentance are Acts of Man, and pre-requisite to Justification: Therefore as Acts and Works are words of the same sence, so Works, even Works of Special Grace are pre-requisite to Justification.
Obj. But not as Acts, but for the Object?
Answ. That's a contradiction. Christ is Christ whether we believe in him or not; and it's one thing to say Christ is necessary, and another thing to say, Believing in him is necessary: It is not necessary meerly as an Act in genere, but as this Act in specie; and it is specified (as is aforesaid) by its Object. Not only Christ believed in, but Believing in Christ is pre-requisite as a moral disposition to Justification: And in that sence a Work or Act of Man.
§. 34. 14. It is before shewed, that this Faith is a moral Work, containing (not one only, but) many physical acts: He that believeth in Christ, believeth in him as sent of God, to reconcile us to God, to bring us to Glory, to save us from Iustice, Sin, and Enemies, to sanctifie us by his Word and Spirit, with many such acts that make up the Essence of Saving-Faith: This is the Work of God, that ye believe on him whom the Father hath sent, Joh. 6. 28, 29.
§. 35. 15. The Faith that hath the Promise of Justification, is essentially a subjecting our selves to Christ; that is, a taking him for our Lord and Saviour by Consent: Which is a Consent to obey him for the future.
§. 36. 16. Though this actual Obedience to Christ (besides Subjection) be not pre-requisite to our first being justified, it is requisite to the Continuance of our Justification: For we consented to obey, that we might indeed obey, and are per…idious if we do not.
§. 37. 17. The World and Conscience will judge us much according to our Works.
§. 38. 18. The same Law of Grace being the Rule of Duty and of Iudgment, God will judge all men according to their Works, required by that Law, by justifying or condemning them.
§. 39. 19. Final justification and glorification are the Rewards of Evangelical Obedience; and the reason rendered of Christ's justifying Sentence, Matth. 25. (& passim) is from such acts of Man, as qualifying them for the free Gift of God.
§. 40. 20. There is a moral goodness in these Works of Man, by which through Christ, they are pleasing to God, which is their aptitude to this acceptance and reward.
In all this I think all sober Christians must needs confess that they agree.
§. 41. III. And as to the Case of Merit, a few words with understanding men may dispatch it. We are agreed on the negative; 1. That no Man or Angel can merit of God in proper Commutative Justice, giving him somewhat for his Benefits that shall profit him, or to which he had not absolute right.
2. No man can merit any thing of God, upon the terms of the Law of Innocency, (but Punishment)
3. No man can merit any thing of God, unless it be supposed first to be a free Gift and merited by Christ.
§. 42. And affirmatively we are (I think) agreed; 1. That God governeth us by a Law of Grace, which hath a Promise or Premiant part, which giveth (not the antecedent, but many consequent benefits) by way of Reward: To deny the rewarding act, is to deny God's Law, and the manner of his Government.
§. 43. 2. That God calleth it his Iustice to reward men according to his Law, and give them what it gave them right to. Insomuch, that it is made the second Article of our Faith, Heb. 11. 6. to believe that God is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. And he giveth it as a righteous Iudge, 2 Tim. 4. 8.
§. 44. 3. That this supposeth that such Works of Man have a moral Aptitude for that Reward; which consisteth in these things: 1. That they are efficiently from God's Spirit. 2. They are in their measure agreeable to God's governing Will. 3. They are done in Love, to his glory, and to please him. 4. They are done by a Member of Christ. 5. They are profitable to Men, our selves and others. 6. The Habits and Acts are God's own Image. 7. They have the Promise of his Reward. 8. They are washed in the Blood of Christ, that is, Their faultiness is pardoned through his Merits. 9. They are presented to God by Christ's Intercession. 10. And lastly, they are Man's Aptitude for the Reward in their very nature; yea, part of it themselves as they are of God; Holiness being the beginning of Happiness, or of that love of God which in its Perfection is Heaven it self: Such an Aptitude, as that a holy person cannot be miserable, nor can God hate and damn a holy Soul that truly loveth and obeyeth him.
§. 45. 4. This moral Aptitude for the Reward is amiable and pleasing to God; and therefore he calleth the Reward in the Gospel usually foreign, which properly signifieth Wages, which men give by Commutative Iustice: But that is only metaphorically, because God that cannot be profited by man, is yet pleased in that which profiteth our selves and one another, and glorifieth him by declaring his Perfections: And as if this were profiting him, he calleth it Wages, for some similitude, but not in proper sence.
§. 46. 5. This moral Aptitude, for the Reward is called oft in Scripture Worthiness, foreign, which is of the same signification with Merit: To be worthy and to deserve, are here all one: So that so far Merit (Worthiness) is a Scripture Phrase.
§. 47. 6. This Worthiness or Merit is only in point of Paternal Governing-Iustice, according to the Law of Grace, ordering that which in it self is a free Gift merited by Christ.
§. 48. For no Man or Angel can have any thing of God, but by free Gift: What have we which we receive not, when our being is of God? Therefore it must be of governing ordering Iustice only: The thing is a Gift; but God will give this Gift to his Children so wisely as to the Order of it, as shall be fittest to attain his ends. Therefore it is not by Governing Justice after the Law of Innocency or Works, but according to the Law of Grace. So that the sum of the Solution is, That 1. the Good received in its value, as Good is of God as a Benefactor and a free Gift. 2. But in Order of Collation, it is of God as a wise and righteous Governour, even a governing Father, and so only it is a Reward, and so it is merited.
§. 49. This is easily understood by Parens, who intend to give their Children freely, out of meer love, their Inheritance, and what else they want: And yet they will give them Gold or Clothes or Food, in so wise a manner, as shall engage them to their Duty, and will say, Put off your Hat and thank me, or Do this or that (which is for their own good) and I will give you this. Here it is a Gift as to the Goodness, and a Reward as to the order of giving it.
§. 50. 7. The ancient Christians (as the Writings of all the Ancients commonly shew) did use the word Merit without any scruple; and I remember not that any Christians did ever gainsay it or take the use of it for a fault: Yet did they contradict mens carnal erroneous Conceits of Man's Merit, as well as we: Yet now our opposition to Popery hath brought the word into so great distate with many good Protestants, as that they take it to signifie some dangerous self-arrogating Doctrine: So great is the power of Prejudice and Contest.
§. 51. It is true, That when Hereticks have put an ill sence upon a good word, we must use it more cantelously than at other times and places: But if thence we absolutely reject and …ccuse it, we shall harden our Adversaries, and strengthen the Error which we oppose, by running into the contrary extream, which will soon disgrace it self.
§. 52. It is a great advantage to the Papists, that many Protestants wholly disclaim the word, and simply deny the Merit of Gospel-obedience: For hereupon the Teachers shew their Scholars, that all the Fathers speak for Merit, and so tell them, that the Protestants Doctrine is new and heretical, as being contrary to all the ancient Doctors: And when their Scholars see it with their Eyes, no wonder if they believe it, to our dishonour.
§. 53. All Orthodox Christians hold the foredescribed Doctrine of Merit in sence, though not in words: For they that deny Merit, confess the [Rewardableness] of our Obedience, and confess that the Scripture useth the term [Worthy] and that foreign and foreign may be translated Meriting and Merit, as well as Worthy and Worthiness; and we think it fitter to expound such Scripture-words than to accuse and reject them: And they all confess, that man's Duty hath God's Promise of Reward, and that Holiness in its nature is suitable to the End or Reward, as disposing us to enjoy it, and is pleasing unto God and glorifieth him: And this is all the same thing in other words, which the ancient Christians meant by Merit. And to hear many godly persons at the same time, most earnestly extol Holiness, and desire that Preachers should convince the People that the Righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour, and yet denying all Merit, and reviling all that assert it; this doth but shew, that they understand not the word; and think others also misunderstand it: And so we are reproaching one another, where we are agreed and know it not: Like the Woman that turned away her Servant upon the Controversie, Whether the House should be swept with a Bro…m or with a Besom; or the Physicians that let the Patient die, because they could not agree whether he should take a Potion or a Draught, a bit or a morsel, or take Ambar, or Electrum or Succinum or Car…be.
§. 54. And the partial Teachers are the Cause of all this, while instead of opening the Doctrine truly to the People, in what sence we have or have not any Worthiness or Merit, they without distinction cry down Merit, and reproach those that do otherwise: And if they do but say, [Such a Man or such a Book speaketh for Merit and Free-will] they have sufficiently rendered him odious or much suspected with their followers; when yet all sober Christians in all Ages have been for Merit and Free-will in a sound sence: And is not this to be Incendiaries and Adversaries to Truth, and Love, and Peace?
§. 55. I have formerly thought, that though we agree in the thing, it is best omit the name, because the Papists have abused it: And I think so still, as in such Companies and Cases where the use of it not understood will scandalize men, and do more harm than good: (For why should I use words against mens edification?) But in other cases I now think it better to keep the word, 1. lest we seem to the ignorant to be of another Religion than all the ancient Churches were. 2. Lest we harden Papists, Greeks and others, by denying sound Doctrine in terms, which they will think we deny in sence. 3. Because our …enury of Words is such as for my part I remember no other word so fit to substitute instead of [Merit] or [Desert] or [Worthiness.] The word [Rewardable] is long and oft harsh: And what other have we? And it is nothing else that we mean.
§. 56. Some Papists are against the very word [Merit] also. Some own the word, but differ not from the Protestants about the Doctrine▪ some of them ignorantly drive the poor People by ill preaching into carnal Conceits of their own Works, and to trust an hundred Fopperies for Salvation: But he that readeth most of their School-Doctors, must either confess, that they differ from us about the meritoriousness of true Gospel-obedience, rather in words than in deed; and that we really mean the same thing, or else he must see with better or worser Eyes than I do (I speak not this of them all.)
§. 57. And Romaeus, who prateth of Merit in point of commutative Iustice, disclaimed by the rest (and some such other ignorant Scriblers) are not to be taken for the Index of their Doctrine, nor yet their superstitious, abusive Application; no more than our Deniers of all Merit are the Index of ours; nor the prophane ones abuse of it, who are ready, when we perswade them to a holy Life, to tell us, That God saveth not Men for their Holiness or Works, and that ours deserve no more than theirs, but he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy; and it is not of him that willeth or runneth.
§. 58. Not only Waldensis, Contarenus, Ariminensis, and many others expresly say as much against Merits as we: But Medina, and many of the Th… mists say the same in Sence, and the Scotists and many others say, That Merit …riseth but ex pacto, from God's Promise; and to be meritorious, is no more than to be a Work which God hath promised a Reward to: And do any of us deny this?
§. 59. Object. But others say, That Merit is ex dignitate operum, from the worthiness of our Works.
Ans. Is it the Name [Worthiness] or the meaning that displeaseth you? If the Name, read Luke 20. 35. and 21. 36. Acts 5. 41. 2 Thess. 1. 5, 11. R…v. 3. 4. Matth. 8. 10, 11, 13, 37, 38. and 22. 8. 1 Cor. 11. 27, 29. Eph. 4. 1. Col. 1. 10. 1 Thess. 2. 12. and see whether God use not the same Phrase. And as to the Sence, one Writer understands what he saith better, and another worse, and several men may have several Sences; but they mostly seem to mean, That holy Obedience is in the very nature of it so pleasing to the most holy God, as rendereth it apt to be the matter of that Condition on which his Covenant promiseth to reward us, the Imperfection being pardoned, and we and our Works accepted, upon the Redemption wrought by the Merits of Christ, and upon his Intercession, and presenting them to God. And is this to be denied by any Christian? Doubtless there is something in the very Nature of Divine Faith, Love, and Obedience, which maketh it fitter to be accepted and rewarded, than Infidelity, Hatred of God, and Sin, or Rebellion. Speak Christians, is it not so? And yet it is from God's Promise and meer Bounty only, that our Right to the Reward resulteth, though the material Aptitude be in the qualification to which that promise is made: All this is plain and sure.
§. 60. Obj. But some talk of a Proportion between the Work and the Reward.
Ans. We commonly hold degrees of Glory according to the degrees of Holiness; and if any abusive Doctor mean any more, that's nothing to the rest. And it's pity that Men that are agreed, should hate or revile each other as differing.
§. 61. Vasquez the Jesuit is one that is supposed to say most for Merit, who saith so much against it, as I dare not say: For he tells us, That God doth not reward us at all as an Act of Justice, either Commutative, or Distributive: Commutative Iustice he easily disapproveth, and in that we all agree: But the generality of Christians, Papists, Protestants, Greeks, &c. hold, That God rewardeth us in governing-paternal-distributive Iustice, as a Father giveth Benefits to a thankful Child that humbly taketh them, and not to the contemptuous or rebellious that spit in his Face. But Vasquez saith, That God hath not so much as Distributive Justice in our Rewards. And yet, I think, he differeth but in words, and really meaneth as we all do. And he that dare for Words, revile Consenters, is bolder than I would have any good Man be: And yet I doubt not but I and this Writing shall be so reviled by many that differ not from me, when they think they do, (through Faction and Prejudice) when I am dead, even for these words.
§. 62. IV. The fourth Point is so far dispatched in the second, that I need here but to say; 1. That our Obedience to God is a Duty resulting from our very natural Being, and cannot but be so while we are Men: 1. As it is God's due. 2. As it is part of the right Order of the Universe, and co…ducible to common Good. 3. As it is our own Order, Rectitude and Health.
2. That Christ is the Saviour and Physician to give us this Health, which is the end of his medicinal Grace.
3. That the Soul cannot be complacentially amiable to God, nor fit for Communion with him here or in Heaven without it. Resignation to God our Owner, Obedience to God our Ruler, and Love and Praise to God our Father, and the infinite Good, make up that Holiness which is our Salvation it self, and the Image and Glory of God upon us.
§. 63. V. About the next Question I may yet be shorter, How far any Works of ours may be trusted in?
I think all agree, 1. That nothing of ours (or any Creature) should be trusted to for any thing proper to God, or proper to Christ, or any thing that belongeth not truly to it self. He that ascribeth any thing to our Faith, Love, or Obedience, which is proper to Christ's Merits, or God's Mercy, and so trusteth them, doth greatly sin, and he that trusteth them for more than God hath assigned to them to do.
§. 64. 2. That we must take heed of scandaous Language, and therefore must not talk of trusting on any act of our own, when it is like to be understood, as put in Competition with God or with Christ's Merits; as if the Question were, Whether we must trust God, or our selves, Christ's Righteousness or our own? For our own is not in the least measure to be trusted for that which belongeth only to Christ's Righteousness to be, or do.
§. 65. 3. That yet it is a great Duty to trust every means of Salvation appointed by God, in its own place, and for its own part alone, even to preaching, Sacraments, Afflictions, &c. And accordingly to trust our own Faith, Love, Prayer, Obedience, so far as they are Means, and have God's Promise, and no further; which is no more than to trust in God, that he will bless such means. He that trusteth his Sword, doth not trust it to fight of it self, without his Hand. When God hath promised Mercy upon Prayer, and to the Obedient or Penitent, for a man to think that God will yet do no more for us, if we repent, pray, and obey, than if we do not, is to be Unbelievers, and say rebelliously, It is in vain to serve the Lord. He is so far to trust to Faith, Repentance, praying, hearing, meditating, diligence, as to trust that God will bless them, and reward them, and look for more from him when we use means, than when we do not.