Of Free Justification by Christ, Book 1 · Part 35
Concerning the Reward and Merits of good Works.
VVHat then? Are there no Merits then, say they, of the Righteous? Is there no reward by way of Merit left in Heaven, which Christ promises to be so plentiful in the Scriptures? What, will all that provision of inherent Righteousness avail us nothing towards Life? Will so many labours and store of most Holy Works profit nothing, wherewith we being Cloathed by the Holy Spirit, are advanced daily more and more towards the Answers. Aug. Epist. 65.fulness of Righteousness? Augustin will answer to these things, and first of Merits. If you ask, saith he, whether there are no Merits of the Righteous?
There are indeed, because they Righteousness receives not its vertue from Merits, but Merits receive vertue from the Iustified.are Righteous; but there were no Merits, that they might be Righteous. For they were made Righteous when they were justified, &c. The Dignity of … is valued by the Person of the believer, not the Person by the Deeds.Therefore they were not made Righteous by Merits, if we believe Augustin, but Merits proceed from the Iust: By which you may understand, that a Person is not valued by the Dignity of his Works or his Grace; but that the Diginity of Merits receives its value from the Iustified Person. Wherefore seeing Men are not made Righteous by Merits, as Augustin witnesseth, but Merits receive their Virtue and Dignity from the Iustified, it easily appears from hence, what should be judged of reward by way of Merit. For if after the like manner it be asked, whether there is no reward of the Saints in Heaven: that which Augustin answers concerning the Merits of the Righteous, the same do I also acknowledge concerning the reward of the Saints, that the Saints want not a reward, and that a large How the Reward of the Saints is appointed in the Scriptures.one in the Heavens. For they who are Holy. a Reward shall be appointed for them, not for the Works themselves, because they are Holy, but because they that work are Holy.
For not Heaven, but a reward in Heaven is given not to Holy Works, but to Heaven is not a reward to the Saints, but in the Heavens.the Workers. But if any proceed to ask, whence they are Holy: I return to Augustin, That they are Holy from thence, whence they are also made Iust, not by Works, but by the Faith of the Workers. As for Example, if any Heathen or Pharisee, who is a stranger to the Faith of Christ, should do this same thing, that a Christian does, though he should do also greater things, yet the Works would not please God. And why should his Works displease? Or why should the Works of a Christian please, unless it were for Faith? And that is it which Prophetical verity in old time foretold should come to pass, that the Iust should live by Faith; he says, not that the Faithful should live by Righteousness: By which you see, that this Life whereby we live by the Faith of the Son of God, is not rendered unto the Merits of Works, but consists of Faith and Grace; for grace and the gift of God, is Etrenal Life: If grace, where is reward? If a gift, where then is Merit? But what shall be said in the mean while unto Testimonies, that are Ro. 6. An Objection concerning the rewards proposed. Answer.frequent in the Scriptures, which oft-times propose great Rewards to Pious Works? First, it is to be considered by the very Name of Obedience, Debt and Duty are implyed: Now the Obedience we owe, can properly deserve no grace: What Man at any time commanding a hired Servant to do his Duty, bestows grace or praise upon him for that which he owed upon the account of Obedience, or therefore doth assign unto him any portion of his Inheritance? What does the Lord himself answer That which is due upon the account of Obedience deserves no grace.to such Servants in the Gospel? Say ye, we are unprofitable Servants, we have done that which was our duty to do, &c. Now then wherefore Lu. 17.are those things called by the Name of reward, which God renders unto our good Deeds? I will tell you: God proposes rewards: verily so he does: but the same God proposes Dangers and Combats. The most excellent Master of the Wrestlings sees what and how great storms of Temptations must be undergone, how many labours must be endured, how many difficulties lye before them: He sees through how many Casualties and Dangers, the strait way to the Kingdom must be undertaken by them, who are planted in Christ: And therefore that they may not faint in their minds, but proceed with the greater courage in their undertaken Warfare, rewards are shewed to them as certain prizes, and recompenses of Victory, to stir up their minds; whereby the most Gracious Father may mitigate the crosses of his own Servants, and comfort them in their Sufferings, with proposing hope of Rewards.
And hence is that frequent mention of Reward and Recompenses in the Scriptures. Not that those things Ro. 8.which the Saints suffer in this life, are worthy of rewards.
For the sufferings of this time are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed in us: But because it so seemed good to the Clemency of God, to esteem those Merits of ours which are none, as if they were Merits indeed, and to Crown them, as if they were very great, which deserve no grace at all. For who hath thanked a Servant, as the Gospel Witnesses for the Service, which he owed to his Master after he did his Commands? And would not rather have punished him if he had not done them? But if he find any praise or reward beyond his Merit, he hath cause to give thanks to his Master, but not to boast of August. praefatione in Psal 31.his own Merits. Therefore Augustin admonishes rightly and understandingly: If you would be a stranger to grace, saith he, boast of your Merit. And verily Bernard was not wholy without sight, though he saw not all things, when he said it was sufficient for Merit, to know that Merits are not sufficient.
Briefly, that we may express the thing in a word, whatsoever it is, which is called a reward in Mystical writings, is nothing else but Grace proposed in the place and name of reward. What if this present Life, which we enjoy in the Flesh, if the conveniency of Life, and other Ornaments, though transitory, and temporary, are very rightly accounted, not to be, our Merits, but the Gifts of God, how much more rightly shall that Heavenly and everlasting reward of Life, wherewith the most gracious Father crowns us, seem to proceed, not from the dignity of our Works, but from his singular Mercy and Grace. Which though sometimes it takes the name of reward, yet if we rightly consider the matter, we shall find nothing in all this whole Fabrick of our Redemption, but the only and singular Grace of God.
First, because he endued thee with Faith, and the knowledge of his Grace is often signified in the Scripture, under the name of reward. Whatsoever we are or shall be, we are in debt to the Grace of God sor it.Son: And because afterwards he washes thee in the saving laver of Faith, and because having washed thee, he calls thee forth to be a partaker of the Inheritance of the Saints, translating thee into the Kingdom of his Son, whom he freely gives unto thee; and Adopts thee for his Son together with him, and appoints thee for his Heir: Promises the Heredetary Kingdom, and adorns, changes, refreshes and comforts thee with his Spirit; beautifies thee with Vertues, justifies thee by Faith, overlooks very many of thy Sins, esteems thy good deeds which are very small, as if they were the greatest, and rewards them as if they were eminent.
He brings thee forth to the Combat, looks upon thee Fighting, adds Strength to thee, guards thee with Patience, restores thee when fallen, gives thee a way of escape in Temptations, and raises the up, when thou art Dead, and exalts thee to the Mansions of never perishing Glory.
What do you contemplate, I beseech you, in these, but the boundless and altogether Infinite greatness of Grace? And to … all that hath been said of it, whatsoever it is, that we are, or shall be, that we … that we live, and are to live; What is … but the grace of God, that shews Mercy? Not of Man that willeth or runneth? Examine and search your self, and all things that are yours: First consider your Vocation, who calls thee to this Grace; it regards those only, whom Divine Grace sets apart for it self, not those that are puffed up with Human Learning, not those that are of the noblest extraction, and dignified with the high Titles of their Ancestors, but God hath chiefly chosen the base and unpolished things of this World, which seemed contemptible and of small value, according to the vulgar opinion. And that I may express it in a word, those things that were nothing he exalts unto the highest Sublimity. Why so? But that A wonderful and secret operation of the Grace of God is shewed by Examples.he may have all the glory to his own free Grace, and no place for glorying left for Human endeavours, and merits? Of which thing if any Man require more sure examples, let him call to mind the calling of Peter. with the rest of the Fishermen, that were his sellow Apostles, and chiefly let him admire the stupendous History of Paul's Conversion: In whom if we look at his very Original, as Augustin speaks, and seek for his Merits, we shall find that they belonged to Damnation, not to Salvation.