Confession of His Faith, Chapter 3 · Section 6
SECT. VI.
I Will adde these two things concerning the Matter of Merit,§. 6. having said all this about the Name. 1. All the duties and graces of a Believer are so far from meriting of God properly, and according to Commutative Justice, as we did God any good by it which should oblige him to a Retribution, that they do oblige us much more to God then we were before. For that which is a duty in one respect, and a grace in another, is indeed a choice part of our mercy; and the more we do for God, the more we receive; not only by way of Reward, but in the very Duty: nay Doing it self is but in some respect a receiving from God, and in some respect, a means to further Receiving. When ever the soul is moved to Love, Humility, Thankfulness, Desire, &c. it receives this grace, and a pretious mercy it is: and in the exercise it receiveth more: To Love God is some degree of enjoying him: Even to give all we have for him at his Call, is a receiving from him. Honest hearers do understand this mysterie, though Hypocrites and Pharisees do not.
2. Though I say that no Angel is capable of such proper meriting of God, yet I do not intend, that sinful man can merit as far as Angels or Adam in innocency might have been said to do: No nor that our working now, is in the main parts, of that nature as Adams then was. His was, the perfect obedience of a perfect Creature, from the power of nature and that Grace which was without proper Merit, for the continuance of that perfection, and the attainment of more. Ours is the imperfect Obedience of a sinner freely pardoned upon his believing and repenting, which obedience mainly consisteth in the Accepting of mercy, and using it for Recovery, and it is performed and accepted by Gospel grace, which is against or contrary to merit, and not only without it. I will explain all by this familiar comparison. A Father hath one son at full age, who having the full use of Reason and strength, is able and fit to do him answerable service. He will give the inheritance to this son, because he is a son, out of meer Paternal Love, and not of merit of the son: yet because he is an honest vertuous man, he loveth not his son as a son so dearly, but that he would reject him if he were a wicked, rebellious son, such as God commanded the Jews themselves to put to death: And therefore he requireth his son to walk obediently and lovingly, as the son of such a Father should do, and not dishonour him, and then he will of fatherly love bestow on him the inheritance; but if he will not, he will disinherit him. Here the merit of the inheritance is no proper merit, but a Not-meriting to be deprived of it: but Rebellion is a proper merit of that privation. Yet the nature of the work, which is the condition, is answerable to the Age and parts of the son. Suppose the same father hath other sons, that be some of them little children, that can but go, and some sick in bed of hurts that they have catcht by their own folly, by falls, or burns, or cut…ing them, or the like: or suppose it possible that the forementioned son should fall back into such an infant condition upon his disobedience? Here now the Father hath Commands, Promises of Reward, with conditions and threatenings as well as to the other, but of a far different nature. For here the Father saith to the sick or wounded Child, If thou wilt take this medicine, though it be bett…r for thy own cure, I will love thee, and I will give thee this or that; and for prevention of more hurt, If you will not cut you, or fall, or burn you with the fire, or the like, I will do this or that for you. Our meriting at Gods hands is no more properly called Merit, then this of the child by taking meat or medicine offered to cure its own sores, and by taking heed of fire, and what else may endanger hereafter: and in some respects it is yet less then this.
But I perceive I have stood very long upon this term merit (the rather because the Accuser fastneth so much upon it) I will therefore dispatch what I have to say to the rest, with more brevity.