Institutes of the Christian Religion Abridged by Edmond Bunnie, Book · Book 3 · Chapter 18
Cap. 18. That by rewarde, the righteouſneſſe of workes is ill gathered.
THoſe ſayings, which affirme that God doth render to eueryevery one according to their workes, doe rather ſhewe the order and conſequence, then the cauſe,Matth. 16.27 2. Cor. 5.10 but it is out of doubt that God doth accompliſh our ſaluation by theſe degrées of his mercy, when thoſe whō hee hath choſen, he calleth to him; thoſe whom he hath called,Ioſ. 5.29 Matth, 25.34 he iuſtifieth; thoſe whom he hath iuſtified, hée glorifieth. Although hée doe by his onelyonly mercy receaue them that be his, into life: yet becauſe he bringeth them into poſſeſſion thereof, by the race of good workes,Phi. 2.12 Iohn. 6.27 that he may fulfill his workes in them, by ſuch order, as hée hath appointed: it is no maruell if it be ſaide that they be crowned according to their workes, by which they are prepared to receiue the crowne of immortalitie.
2 Thoſe ſayinges alſo, which call life euerlaſting,Matth. 25.34 the reward of workes, doe not make workes, the cauſe of ſaluation:Gen. 15.5 it is ſhewed by the nature of inheritance, and confirmed by a notable example, that the Lord rewardeth the workes of the faithfull, with thoſe benefites, which hee had already geuen them before the workes were thought of, hauing no cauſe why to doe good to them, but his mercy.
3 Yet the Lord doth not deceaue or mock vsus, when he ſaith, yt he rendereth for rewarde to workes,Col. 1.4 1. Pet. 1.5 the ſame thing which hée had before workes freely geuen: the fruite of the promiſes is alſo rightly aſſigned to them,Matth. 10.30 to the ripenes whereof they doe bring vsus, in order as he hath ſet it:Rom. 8.18 yet wée muſt take héede that we thinke not yt the reward which the Lorde promiſeth vsus, is reduced to the meaſure of merite: it is a thing alſo worthie to bee noted in theſe places, where eternall life is called, the rewarde of works, that it is not ſo much to bee taken for the communicating which we hauehave with God, which goeth before, as for the poſſeſſion or enioying of bleſſedneſſe which followeth.
4 When the Scripture doeth call, eternall life the rewarde of workes, it doth it not to ſet foorth the worthines of our workes,…. Cor. 15.19 Rom. 8.30 as if they deſerued ſuche rewarde, but to ſuccour our weakneſſe which otherwiſe it doeth exerciſe with many miſeries while we liue here.
5 The Scripture beſides that, it forbiddeth to reioyce in workes, becauſe they are the frée giftes of God, it therewithall teacheth that they are alway defiled with ſome dregges,2. Tim. 4.8 that they cannot ſatiſfie GOD, if they be examined by the rule of his iudgementes: but leaſt our courage ſhoulde faint,Hab. 2.4 it teacheth that they pleaſe by only pardon, and are ſuſteined with the promiſe of a crowne.Auguſt. ad Valen…. de. gra. & lib. arbit. Auguſtine ſayth, To whom ſhould he being a iuſt iudge, render a crowne, if he had not being a mercifull father, geuen grace: and howe ſhould there be righteouſneſſe, vnleſſe grace went before, which iuſtifieth the vnrighteous? howe ſhoulde theſe due thinges be rendered, vnleſſe theſe vndue things were firſt geuen?*Caluin. yea how ſhould he impute righteouſneſſe to our workes, vnleſſe his tender mercifullneſſe, did hide the vnrighteouſneſſe that is in them? how ſhould he iudge them worthie reward, vnles he did by immeſurable, bountifulneſſe take away that which is worthie of puniſhment?
6 The former places being expounded hée deſcendeth to other more particular,Luke. 16.9 1. Tim. 6.17 and firſt he anſwereth thoſe two places in Luke & Timothie, yt they ſignifie nothing elſe but to teach vsus that it is our partes, if wée beléeue that heauen is a Countrie, to ſend ouer our riches thither, rather then kéepe them héere, where we muſt looſe them with ſoden remoouing.
7 That which they obiect out of two other places,Heb. 6.10 Rom. 8.19 Luke. 24.25 that the faithful through afflictiōs are counted worthie the kingdome of heauē, and that it is righteous with God, to render reſt to thē: & yt God is not vniuſt, yt he ſhould forget their workes; & that workes ought not to be extended to the worthineſſe of deſert; but onelyonly becauſe they beare their markes of the Lorde which are the ſignes of the children of God, neither is this righteouſneſſe, whereof he ſpeaketh referred to the rendring the equitie of due, but to the trueth of Gods promiſe.
Auguſt. Pſal. 32 & .109The Lord, ſaith Auguſtine, is faithfull which hath made himſelfe debter to vsus, not by receiuing any thing of vsus, but by promiſing al things to vsus.
1. Cor. 13.2 Col. 3.148 Hée anſwereth to thrée other places, the firſt place ſpeaketh not of true faith, & ſo it belongeth to this matter: the ſeconde doth not ſo geue the chiefe place to charitie, as though it ſhould be more meritorious to iuſtificatton, (for this is not due to faith according to the dignitie of worke, but only to the mercy of God, and the merites of Chriſt.) The thirde doeth both yéelde to charitie the bond of perfection in another ſenſe, and doth make nothing for them howſoeuer they take it.
9 Leauing ye reſt (becauſe he thinketh thē too ridiculous) in yt they obiect that Chriſt hath commanded a certain man to ſearche the kingdome of GOD by the kéeping of the commaundements,Matth. 19.17 he teacheth that it is méete for two cauſes that hée ſhoulde ſo anſwere: yet it maketh nothing at all for the iuſtification of workes. The lawier being filled with the perſuaſion of the righteouſneſſe of the Lawe, was blinde in confidence of workes. Againe, he ſought nothing els but what were the workes of righteouſneſſe, by which ſaluation is gottē, therfore he is worthily ſent to the Lawe, in which there is a perfect mirrour of righteouſneſſe, for if wée ſéeke ſaluation in workes, wée muſt kéepe the commandementes which none is able to doe,Matth. 11.35 therefore wée muſt reſorte to an other helpe, namely to Faith in Chriſt.
10 Laſt of all, hée anſwereth to a cauill in that they obiect, that we wrongfully ſet faith as contrary to workes,Ioh. 6.29 becauſe faith in ſome places is called a worke, and that common rule of reaſon that of contraries is all one rule he proueth, doth nothing preuaile héere,Iames. 2.10 ſéeing they would wreſt it to this end, yt as eueryevery ſin is imputed to vsus for vnrighteouſneſſe, ſo it were méete, that to eueryevery good worke ſhould be geuen the prayſe of righteouſneſſe.