they can claim nothing by debt in a way of strict Justice It is allowed by our Adversaries that Men by their good Works cannot merit Remission of Sin. And they who cannot deserve to be forgiven how should they deserve to have an infinite Reward bestowed upon them But whence should both one and the other come then but from Grace And if by Grace then it is no more Works otherwise Grace is no more Grace But if it be of Works then it is no more Grace otherwise Work is no more Work Rom. 11. 6 7. For to him that worketh is the Reward not reckoned of Grace but of Debt Rom. 4. 4. So that 't is also a Contradiction to say that he giveth us Grace to Merit for Grace excludes Merit Where there is Merit there can be no Grace and where there is Grace there can be no Merit And if there cannot be Merit to obtain Remission but that is of Grace how should there be Merit to obtain Glorification To have a Righteousness or Works truly Meritorious this Righteousness and these Works then must be perfect at least and without defect For how should an imperfect Righteousness merit But this cannot be said of the Righteousness or good Works of any Justified Person whatsoever For Jam. 3. 2. In many things we offend all Job 9. 3. If he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand And vers 21. If I justify my self mine own Mouth shall condemn me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse That a Justified Person may merit eternal Life by his good Works his good Works ought to be perfect and he ought certainly to have no other but good Works for where there is Sin there is need of Pardon And 't is strange that he should have need of Pardon for some and yet can merit a glorious Immortality by others But now it is plain that every justified Person doth sin often Again to have good Works properly meritorious there must be a proportion between the Work and the Reward that the good Work may be a sufficient price or value for the Recompence But now what proportion can there be between an Imperfect Righteousness and Eternal Glory Rom. 8. 18. I reckon says the Apostle that the sufferings of this present Time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be revealed in us 2 Cor. 4. 17 18. For our light-affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory There is no comparison between the Sufferings of the most glorious Martyrs and the transcendently glorious Reward in Heaven Then there is no equality of worthiness of one to the other And if the Sufferings of the most glorious Martyrs have not a Dignity and Worth in them equal to the Glory to come what shall we say of all other good Works Nay though our Works were perfect as perfect as a Creatures can be yet there would be no proportion between our Work and Eternal Life that is so unspeakably great Therefore Adam in Innocency could not merit properly such a glorious Reward as is now promised us in the Gospel For there is no proportional dignity in the Work of any Creature suitable to so great a Glory The most that can be said is That he did not deserve Pain or Punishment or that he did deserve some consideration for the right use of this Free-will that was put into his Power but not that he deserved so great and long and glorious a Reward as is promised us And how can any Justified Person now deserve it whose Righteousness is so stained and defective The most that can be here said also is that it is congruous that good Men who labour against so many Difficulties in mortifying their Lusts and to please God should not be treated in the same manner with other Men but it cannot be said that they deserve so great a Reward as a blessed and glorious Immortality Again be our Works never so perfect yet they could not merit Eternal Life because we do but that which as Creatures we are bound to do though there were no Reward proposed Luke 17. 10. When you have done all those things that are commanded you say We are unprofitable Servants we have done that which was our Duty to do And we can bring no advantage to God by it by which he should be bound to repay it For Job 22. 2. Can a Man be profitable unto God Or is it Gain to him that thou makest thy Ways perfect So Job 35. 7. If thou be Righteous what givest thou him or what receiveth he of thine hand Thy Wickedness may hurt a Man as thou art and thy Righteousness may profit the Son of Man. Job was very sensible of this and therefore what little cause there was of boasting in or relying upon the Merits of his Righteousness though it had been never so perfect Job 9. 15. Whom though I were Righteous yet would I not answer him says he speaking of God but I would make supplication to my Judg. So Psal 16. 2. My Goodness extendeth not to thee And after all whatsoever good Work any Justified Person doth he doth all by a Power received from God himself and how can he merit from God by that which he himself has given For Job â—1 11. Who hath prevented me that I should repay him Ephes 2. 10. We are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good Works Phil. 2. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure And 1 Cor. 4. 7. What hast thou that thou hast not received And if thou hast received it why boastest thou as if thou hadst received it not Rom. 11. 35. Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompensed unto him When there is a Promise of a Reward annex'd indeed to any performance upon condition of it then upon the performance of the Condition tho it be never so small and by whatsoever power it be performed the Reward is due tho it be never so great But it is due by Promise only the Promiser of meer Grace engaging himself to it and not from the dignity of the Work. And in this sense Eternal Life may be said to be due to them that keeps Covenant with God And therefore 't is sometimes called a Reward and God will at last proceed with Men according to their Works according to the Order assigned and Condition prefix'd in the Covenant of Grace But still the Reward promised is of Grace to us being only founded upon a free and gracious Promise by which God hath obliged himself to give it but is not by virtue of a just and proportionable dignity in the Work it self But this will not serve the turn of our Adversaries who assert that Works are properly meritorious which must be understood in themselves and not by virtue of the Promise For pardon of Sin is
promised to Repentance and yet none will say that Repentance meriteth Pardon Tho it be as much said 1 Jo◠1. 9. That if we confess our Sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins As 2 Thess 1. 6. That it is a righteous thing with God to recompence Tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us Or as 2 Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a-Crown of Righteousness which God the Righteous Judg shall give me at that day and to all them that love his appearing Besides if nothing else had been meant then that our good Works obtain Eternal Life by virtue of the Promise there had been no occasion to have had an Anathema pronounced against those that denied it when that was never denied by any Body CHAP. XXIII That Men may not only be perfect in this Life but that they may also do Works of greater perfection than what are required in the Precept of the Gospel-Law which they call Works of Supererrogation and so may have superabounding Merits more than what themselves need and which may be profitable to others Catech. Rom. par 2. de Sacr. par §. 77. Rhemist Annot. on Luk. 11. 35. 2 Cor. 2. 10. BUT if there be no Perfection for Man here to attain but what is contained in the Precept of the Law which is the Rule of all Perfection to us then there is nothing that Man can do that shall be a Perfection beyond or above the Law. And the former will appear by these following Texts Mat. 22. 37 38. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Mind And thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Here God requires the whole Intire Man with all his Faculties And whatsoever in due Circumstances can be an expression of this Love to God or Men is here required So that one cannot do that Work which all Circumstances being weighed is not required and commanded in the Law. Mic. 6. 8. He hath shewed thee O Man what is Good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly to love Mercy and to walk humbly with thy God What is Good and what doth the Lord require of thee are taken for the same By which the Prophet intimates that that only is good and acceptable to God which God requires And whatsoever God requires is contained in these Generals so that there can be no good or acceptable Work but what is reducible to them Mat. 5. 48. Be ye perfect says our Saviour as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect The Perfection of God himself as far as it is imitable by us is proposed as the model of that Perfection which is required of us And unless there be some Perfection then which there is not the Idea of in God what other Perfection is there for us to practise or attain but what is required Rom. 12. 2. All that the Apostle requires of Christians is To Prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect Will of God under the Gospel in order to the doing of it Where he reduceth all that he desires that Christians should be informed in the understanding and practice of the Will of God. This Will of God is perfect and the Rule of Perfection And 't is a conformity to this Will of God which is only good and acceptable to him Col. 1. 9 10. The Apostle prays that Christians may be filled with the Knowledg of his Will in all Wisdom and spiritual Vnderstanding that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good Work. It is the Will of God is the Rule of every good Work and of whatsoever is pleasing to him And therefore 't is the utmost that a Christian can desire to know or do And this it is his duty to do so that there can be no good Work that is pleasing to God but what it is his duty to do Chap. 4. 12. Again That ye may stand perfect and compleat in all the Will of God. If a Man can do all the Will of God he will be perfect and compleat And this every Man ought to labour after So that there is no perfection or compleatness but what is contained in the compass of Man's Duty required For there is no Perfection but what is regulated by the Will of God which is the Rule of Man's Duty Luke 17. 10. When ye shall have done all these things that are commanded you say We are unprofitable Servants we have done that which is our Duty to do The scope of our Saviour is to show that we cannot at any time boast that we have done more than our Duty or what as Servants we were obliged to For whatsoever we do being such it is a Debt to our Master Being bought with a Price we ought to do whatsoever we may glorify God in both with our Souls and our Bodies 1 Cor. 6. ult Phil. 4. 8. Finally Brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise think on these things What good Work or Action can there be which is not contained in this Command of the Apostle There are some things indeed which in themselves nakedly considered are indifferent and do not come under any Command Such are Marriage and single Life c. But then the observation of them nakedly in themselves is indifferent too and not a Perfection But in certain Times for certain Ends when the glory of God the State of the Church the Edification of our Brethren or our own Necessity require it that which is indifferent in it self nakedly considered and under no Command as it is clothed with these Circumstances then becomes necessary and a down-right Duty as far as it can be conceived conducible to those Ends. And this is the State of things mentioned by the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. And the mistake in this Matter ariseth from not distinguishing between an universal Law that obligeth all and that which obligeth only some Persons in some Circumstances Both these are Laws the violation of which is Sin whereas the latter have been misunderstood for meer Counsels Now then if a Man can do no good Work but if it be good it is his Duty to do by one Command or other then he can have no proper merit at all and much less can he merit for others by doing his own Duty And it is strange to consider indeed that a Man who is not absolutely perfect according to the Law should yet be able to do above the perfection of the Law. And that that is the Case is plain whatsoever is pretended to the contrary For 1 King. 8. 46. There is no Man that sinneth not Prov. 20. 9. Who can say My Heart is clean I am
communicate in the Sacrament We do not deny this Spiritual Communion without which the other is ineffectual But our Saviour appointed not only a Spiritual Communion but a Sacramental Communion and this Sacramental Communion cannot be had without the Sacramental Action that is without communicating in the Sacrament Which therefore by our Saviour's Commandment all Christian People should do and not the Priest alone by himself CHAP. XXIX That the Sacrament is to be administred in one kind only and that the People are not to have the use of the Cup. Council of Trent Sess 21. chap. 2 3. Can. 1 2 3. AGainst that which is written Mat. 26. 27. And he took the Cup and gave Thanks and gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it Note then that the Cup is contained in our Saviour's Institution as well as the Bread and is as essential a part of it And if by virtue of the Institution all Christians are obliged to the use of the Bread then by virtue of the same Institution they are likewise obliged to the use of the Cup. Or if notwithstanding the Institution they may take away the Cup then notwithstanding the same Institution they may take away the Bread also and so they may make void the whole Sacrament Note also that in the same quality that the Apostles received the Cup in the same quality also they received the Bread. If they received the Cup as Priests and so that belongs only to Priests then they received the Bread as Priests likewise for there was no alteration made in them between the two Receivings of the Cup and the Bread. And by the same reason they may take away the Bread â—oo from all but Priests as well as the Cup. But indeed the Apostles were not there at the Supper in the quality either of Apostles or Priests But Jesus Christ did the Office of a Pastor and they were the Flock and so partak'd of the Supper as Christ's Disciples and not as Apostles or Priests Again vers 28. For this is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the Remission of Sins Here we have the Reason of our Saviour's Command why all should drink of the Cup because this represents his Blood which is shed for many for the Remission of Sins Now to all Christian People there belongs pardon of Sins by the Blood of Jesus Christ and not only to the Priest And therefore all Christian People are to partake of the Cup and not the Priests only For to whom the reason of the Command belongs to all such belongs the Command Again note It is by the Blood of Jesus Christ shed and separated from his Body that Remission of Sins is obtained of which they are to keep up a Commemoration in the Sacrament And this Commemoration therefore cannot be kept up by the use of the Bread alone without the Cup which hath a particular relation to his Blood shed or poured out So that there is a proper and peculiar use of the Cup in the Sacrament as well as of the Bread. And the use of it as it is said belongs to all those to whom Remission of Sin by Christ's Blood shed and poured out belongs which is here in this way represented and sealed to them Mark 14. 23. And he took the Cup and when he had given Thanks he gave it to them and they All drank of it Note that as Jesus Christ said Drink ye all of this so it is here expresly observed by this Evangelist that they All drank of it This Communion of All is particularly observed touching the Cup and not touching the Bread surely not without Reason but as if the Holy Spirit would thereby purposely forewarn us against this sacrilegious presumption of the Church of Rome in debarring the People the use of the Cup. John 16. â—3 Verily verily I say unto you Except 〈◊〉 at the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood 〈◊〉 have no liâ—e iâ— you Our Adversaries believe that in this place he speaks of the Lord's Supper and by consequence they deprive as much as in them lies all the poor People of Eternal Life if it be to be meant as they interpret it because they do not permit them to drink of the Blood of Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 10. 3 4. They did all eat the same spiritual Meaâ—â— and did all drink the same spiritual Drink for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and this Rock was Christ The Israelites did not only eat of the Manna which was a Figure of the Body of Christ but they also drank of his Blood in a Mystery And why should they with-hold from Christian People the same priviledg when our Saviour hath allowed it to them For vers 16. The Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ It is the Cup that is the Communion of the Blood of Christ And why will they hinder the Christian People then from the Cup which is the Communion of his Blood. For if the Cup be the Communion of his Blood it is in vain to pretend that whole Christ is contained and communicated under the Species of Bread. Vers 17. For we being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all partakers of that one Bread and of that one Cup as it is added in some Copies But whether these words were in the beginning or were added afterwards 't is plain that whensoever they were inserted the Cup was then in use among the People 1 Cor. 11. 25. This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood. Here the Apostle repeating the Institution of the Supper lets us know that it is the Cup that is the Seal of the New Testament confirmed by the Blood of Christ And should not those then who have part in the Covenant have part also in the Seals of the Covenant Now all Believers have part in the Covenant therefore they ought also to partake of the Cup that is the Seal of the Covenant And upon this the Command follows Do this as oâ—t as ye drink it in remembrance of me So that all those who are in the Covenant and so ought to celebrate the memory of the Death and Passion of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament where the Covenant is confirmed ought to partake of the Cup for this End. But all true Christians ought to do this and consequently ought to partake of the Cup For if the Command of Doing this in remembrance of Christ added after the Bread Luke 22. 19 20. make it the Duty of all Christians to partake of the Bread for that End. Then the same Command added after the Cup which is here mentioned by St. Paul makes it their Duty in like manner to partake of the Cup. And if they are not obliged by this to the use of the Cup neither are they obliged by that to the use of the Bread and so they may take away from them the