Sermon Preached Several Times, Essay – Dedication 7
THE IVDGEMENT OF A great Schoole-man, concerning the Merit of mans workes; contrarie to that which the Church of Rome now holdeth. Durandus in Sentent. lib. 2. diſt. 27. quaeſt. 2.
MErit of condignitie ſtrictly and properly taken, is ſuch a voluntarie action for which in justice or of right a reward is due to one, ſo that if it be not rendered, he that ſhould render it doth wrong, and is ſimply and properly unjuſt. And ſuch merit of condignitie is found among men, but is not in man towards God.
That which hereby appeareth, becauſe that which is rendered rather out of the liberalitie of the giver, than out of any debt due to the worke, commeth not within the compaſſe of Merit of condignitie ſtrictly and properly taken.
But whatſoever we receive from God, be it grace or glory, or good temporall, or ſpirituall (whatſoever good worke done for the ſame goe before in us) we receive rather and more principally from Gods liberality, than rendered as due for the deſert of the worke.
And therefore nothing at all commeth within compaſſe of Merit of condignitie ſo taken.
The Major appeareth by the definition of Merit of condignitie before aſsigned.
The Minor is thus proved: becauſe it is an eaſier and a leſſe matter to make a full recompence for that that one hath received from another, than to make him a debtor. For to make him a debtor, it is neceſſary that one returne him more than he hath received from him, that ſo in regard of that overplus the other may become his debtor.
But no man can fully recompence God; according to that which theaAriſtot. Ethic. lib. 8. cap. 14. Philoſopher ſaith, That God and our Parents can never bee ſufficiently recompenced.
Therefore much leſſe is it poſſible, that by any worke of ours God ſhould become debtor to us, ſo that he ſhould be unjuſt, if he paid us not ſomewhat for it, that were due unto us for the ſame.
The reaſon hereof is, becauſe what we are, and what we have, be it good actions, or good diſpoſitions, or the uſe of them, &c. it is all in us of Gods liberality, both freely beſtowing it on us, and freely preſerving it in us. And becauſe by a free gift no man is bound to give more: but the receiver rather is thereby bound to the giver.
Therefore by good diſpoſitions, or good actions, or the good uſe of either bestowed on us by God, God is not bound in any bond of justice to give us ought elſe, ſo that if he ſhould not give it, he ſhould be unjuſt; but wee are rather thereby bound to God. And to thinke or ſay the contrary, is bold and blaſphemous. And if God therefore to a man dying in grace ſhould deny glory, he ſhould doe therein no wrong: nor ſhould he be unjuſt, if he ſhould withdraw glory from one that already hath it. And if any ſhould complaine hereof, God might ſay unto him, as it is in the Goſpell,bMatth. 20.15. May I not doe as I will with mine owne? And the party that ſhould ſuffer it, ought to ſay as Job did,cIob 1.21. The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken; he hath done as he pleaſed: bleſſed bee his Name. For ſince that every good thing is of Gods free gift, God is not bound thereby, becauſe hee hath given ſome thing, to give other ſome alſo, ſo that hee ſhould bee unjuſt, if he gave them not. And if any thing bee beſtowed on us, or returned to us for our good workes, it is rather and more principally out of Gods liberality that giveth it, than out of any debt that is due to our workes.
If any ſhall ſay, that albeit God become not a debtor by any worke of ours, yet hee becommeth a debtor by his owne promiſedIam. 1.12. expreſſed in Scripture.
It is of no force, for two cauſes:
The firſt is, becauſe Gods promiſe in Scripture implieth no ſuch obligation, but importeth onelyonly a liberall diſpoſition in God.
The ſecond is, becauſe that which is rendred, is not rendred for the due deſert of the worke, but for the promiſe precedent. It is not, I ſay, rendered, for the condigne merit of the worke, but onelyonly or principally for the promiſe: And ſo it is not ſuch debt, as we now ſpeake of.
That it appeareth that Merit of condignitie ſtrictly and properly taken, to wit, for a voluntary action, for which a reward is of juſtice due to the doer, ſo that if it bee not paid, hee that ſhould pay it, doth wrong, and is ſimply and properly unjuſt; is not in Man towards God, yea that it is altogether impoſſible for any ſuch to be.
FINIS.
foreign DAVIDS Remembrancer.
A MEDIDATION ON PSALME 13.1.
Delivered in a Sermon at Serjeants Inne in Fleet-ſtreet.
By THOMAS GATAKER, B. of D. and Paſtor of Rotherhith.
ESA. 62.6, 7.
You that are mindfull of the Lord, be not ſilent: GiueGive him no reſt, till he repaire Jeruſalem, and till he make her the praiſe of the earth.
LONDON, Printed by IOHN HAVILAND for Edward Brewster, 1637.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE Sir IAMES LEY Knight and Baronet, Lord Chiefe Juſtice of his Majeſties Bench.
RIGHT HONOVRABLE:
ALbeit Speech have no ſmall advantage of Writing; in thataHabet neſcio quid latentis foreign viva vox; & in aures diſcipuli de autoris ore transfuſa fortius ſonat. Hieron. ad Paulin. Viva illa, ut dicitur, vox lectione plenius alit. Quintil. inſtitut. lib. 2. cap. 2. Quod memoria lapſus Ciceroni quaſi ex Tuſcul. lib. 2. tribuit Eraſm. in Hieron. & in Adag. Atqui Cic. epiſt. ad Attic. lib. 2. epiſt. 8. Vbi ſunt qui aiunt, foreign; Quanto magis vidi ex tuis literis, quàm ex illius ſermone quid ageretur? it hath a greater vivacitie accompanying it, than the other hath by much: the latter ſeeming to bee but asbforeign. Gregor. Nazianz. epiſt. 52. Et foreign. Idem epiſt. 38. a dead ſhadow of the former; Elocution cActi… quaſi vita quedam est orationis. Quintil. inſtitut. lib. 11. cap. 3.the very vitall ſpirit and chief grace of an Oration, and that, whichdforeign. Dionyſ. Halicar. de Demoſthene. Oratorem plaue perfectum, & cui nihil admodum deſit, Demoſthenem facilè dixeris. Cic. declar. Orat. Qu… ne Athenas quidem ipſas magis credo fuiſſe Atticas. Idem de perfect. Orat. Graecorum Oratorum praeſtantiſſimi ſunt ii qui fuerunt Athenis; eorum autem princeps facilè Demoſthenes, admirable eſt quantum inter omnes unus excellat. Idem de opt. gen. Orat. Cujus commemorato nomine maxima eloquentiae conſummatio audientis anim… oboritur. Val. Max. memorab. lib. 8. cap. 7. that moſt eminent Orator and*Quomodo Facundiae Parentem Ciceronem. Plin. hiſt. nat. l. 7. c. 30. Atqui, cùm Demoſthenes Graecae, Cicero Latinae eloquentiae Frincipes extiterint; Demoſthenes & prior fuit, & ex magna parte Ciceronem, quantus est, ſecit. Quintil. inſtitut. lib. 6. cap. 3. & lib. 10. cap. 1. Father of eloquence, esteemed not the prime part onelyonly of Oratorie, but in effecteActio in dicendo una dominatur. Huic primas dediſſe Demoſthenes dicitur, cùm rogaretur, quid in dicendo eſſet primum, huic ſecundas, huic tertias. Cic. de Orat. l. 3. & de clar. Orat. Val. Max. memor. l. 8. c. 10. Quintil. inſtit. l. 11. c 3. & Aug epiſt. 56. all in all, and the ſumme of all, beingfHinc Val. Max. lib. 8. cap. 10. In Demoſthene magna pars Demoſthenis abeſt, quia legitur potius quàm auditur. wanting in it: In regard whereof, it is not wont to make ſo deep an impreſsion, or to worke upon the affections ſo powerfully asgNulla res magis penetrat in animos, coſque fingit, format, flectit. Cic. de clar. Orat. Tantum dictis adjicit gratiae, ut infinitè magis eadem audita quàm lecta delectent. Quintill. inſtit. lib. 11. cap. 3. Multo magis, ut vulgò dicit…r, viva vox afficit. Nam, licet acriora ſint, quae legas, altius tamen in animo ſedent, quae pronunciatio, vultus, habitus, geſtus etiam diccutis adſigit. Plin. epiſt. 4. lib. 2. Hinc Aeſchines Demoſthenis orationem, quam eis recitaſſet, adm…rantibus Rhodiis, foreign; Quid ſi ipſum, vel, Quid ſi beſtiam ipſam audiviſſetis? Cic. de Orat. lib. 3. Plin. hiſt. nat. l…b. 7. cap. 30. Val. Max. lib. 8. cap. 10. Plin. jun. epiſt. 4. lib. 2. Quintil. inſtit. lib. 11. cap. 3. & Hieron. ad Paulin. that doth; and it is accounted therefore buthforeign. Ignat. epiſt. 1. foreign. Euſtath ad Odyſſ. foreign ex Pauſania. a ſecond ſhift, and as ſayling with a ſide-winde, where a direct fore-winde faileth. Yet herein hath writing the ods of Speech; in that by it wee may ſpeake as well to the abſent as to the preſent; by it men restrained by ſickneſſe, weakneſſe; or otherwiſe from publike imployment, yet may notwithstanding much profit the publike, and ſitting themſelves ſtill at home, benefit others abroad; yea by it, not theiSola res eſt quae homines abſentes praeſentes facit. Turpilius de viciſſitudine literarum. Quid enim tam praeſens est inter abſentes, quàm per epiſtolas & alloqui & audire quos diligas? Hieron. ad Nitiam. Sunt literae doctrina quaedam, qua quiſque valeat quamvis longè abſenti verba mittere manufacta in ſilentio, quae rurſus ille cui mittuntur, non auribus, ſed oculis colligat. Auguſt. de Trinit. lib. 10. cap. 1. Voces ſigna ſunt, per quae praeſentibus loquimur: inventae ſunt literae, per quas poſſemus & cum abſentibus colloqui. Ibid l. 15. c. 10. living onelyonly may converſe with the living, kforeign. Homer. Iliad. foreign.though never ſo far both by Sea and Land ſevered either from other, but the living alſo may have profitable commerce and dealing with the dead, aslHinc illud Luc. 16.29. Habent Moſem & Prophetas: audiant illor. Mortui ſiquidem loquuntur adhuc: quod de Abele Spiritus Sanctus Heb. 11.4. & de Samuele Siracides Eccleſ. 46.20. wee have by meanes of their writings ſtill extant with thoſe that died and departed this World, even thouſands of yeeres ſince, to our exceeding great comfort and ineſtimable gaine. Being therefore moved by ſome that heard of it, and the matter delivered in it, but could not bee preſent at the deliverie of it, to make this weake diſcourſe, by helpe of Pen and Preſſe, more publike, as dealing in an Argument not unfitting the preſent times, and ſuch as they deſired to bee more fully either inſtructed or directed in, which by meanes thereof they ſuppoſed that both themſelves and many other might bee; I was the rather induced to condeſcend to this their deſire, that by preſenting of it to your Lordſhip, the prime Member of that grave and reverend Societie, where it was by word of mouth delivered: I might give ſome poore pledge and teſtimonie of my due and deſerved reſpect to your Honour, and of my thankefull acknowledgement of ſuch favours, as have from time to time, by your Lordſhip beene ſhewed mee, as well during the time of mine employment at Lincolnes-Inne, (where your Lordſhip was one of the firſt whom I received kinde acceptance from, being Reader at the time of my firſt acceſſe thither,) as ſince alſo. Having therefore during my late reſtraint by ſome infirmitie and weakneſſe that conſtrained me to keep home, and to intermit my publike imployment, taken ſome time to review, ſupplie, and enlarge my former Meditations of the Subject then handled, (which I could not ſo well finde time for before) I make bold to tender them here (ſuch as they are) unto your Lordſhip, and intreating only your courteous acceptance of them, without further troubling your Honour amids ſo many weightier affaires, commit both your ſelfe and them to the gratious protection and holy direction of the Highest.
Your Lordſhips to command in the Lord, THOMAS GATAKER.