yet is it made ours by imputation For as his righteousnesse is made ours so are his merits depending theron but his righteousnes is made ours by imputation as I haue shewed Hence ariseth an other point namely that as Christs righteousnes is made ours really by imputation to make vs righteous so we by the merit of his righteousnes imputed to vs doe merit and deserue life euerlasting And this is our doctrine In a word the Papist maintaineth the merits of his owne workes but we renounce them all and rest onely on the merit of Christ. And that our doctrine is truth and theirs falshoode I will make manifest by sundrie reasons and then answer their arguments to the contrarie Our reasons The first shall be taken from the properties and conditions that must be in a worke meritorious and they are fowre I. A man must doe it of himselfe and by himselfe for if it be done by another the merite doth not properly belong to the doer II. A man must doe it of his owne freewill and pleasure not of due debt for when we doe that which we are bound to doe we doe no more but our dutie III. The worke must be done to the profit of an other who thereupon must be bound to repay the like IV. The reward and the worke must be in proportion equall for if the reward be more then the worke it is not a reward of desert but a gift of good will Hence followes a notable conclusion That Christs manhoode considered a part from his godhead cannot merit at Gods hand though it be more excellent euery way then all both men and angels For being thus considered it doth nothing of it selfe but by grace receiued from the godhead though it also be without measure Secondly Christs manhoode is a creature and in that regarde bound to doe whatsoeuer it doth Thirdly Christ as man cannot giue any thing to god but that which he receiued from God therfore cannot the manhoode properly by it selfe merit but onely as it is personally vnited vnto the godhead of the Sonne And if this be so then much lesse can any meere man or any angel merit yea it is a madnes to thinke that either our actions or persons should be capable of any merit whereby we might attaine to life eternall Reason II. Exod. 20 8. And SHEVV MERCIE vpon thousands in them that loue me and keepe my commandements Hence I reason thus where reward is giuen vpon mercie there is no merit but rewarde is giuen of mercie to them that fulfill the law therefore no merit What can we any way deserue when our full recompence must be of mercie And this appeares further by Adam if he had stood to this day he could not by his continuall and perfect obedience haue procured a further increase of fauour at Gods hand but should onely haue continued that happie estate in which he was first created Reason III. Scripture directly condemneth merite of workes Rom. 6. 23. The vvages of sinne is death but THE GIFT OF GOD IS eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. The proportion of the argument required that S. Paul should haue said The reward of good workes is eternall life if life euerlasting could be deserued which cannot because it is a free gift Againe Tit. 3. 5. We are saued not by vvorkes of righteousnes which vve haue done but according to his mercie he saued vs. And Ephes. 2. v. 8 10. By grace you are saued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of works which God hath prepared that we should walke in them If any workes be crowned it is certen that the sufferings of Martyrs shall be rewarded now of them Paul saith Rom. 8. 18. The sufferings of this life are NOT VVORTHY of the glorie to come Where then is the value dignitie of other works To this purpose ` Ambr. saith The iust man though he be tormented in the brasen bull is still iust because he iustifieth God and saith he suffereth LESSE THEN HIS SINNES DESERVE Reason IV. Whosoeuer will merit must fulfill the whole law but none can keepe the whole law For if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues 1. Ioh. 1. And he that sinnes against one commandement is guiltie of the whole law And what can he merit that is guiltie of the breach of the whole law Reason V. We are taught to pray on this manner Giue vs this day our daily bread Wherein we acknowledge euery morsel of bread to be the meere gift of God without desert and therefore must we much more acknowledge life eternall to be euery way the gift of God It must needes therefore be a satanicall insolencie for any man to imagine that he can by his workes merit eternall life who cannot merit bread Reason VI. Consent of the auncient Church Bernard Those which we call our merits are the way to the kingdome and not THE CAVSE OF RAIGNING August Manuali cap. 22. All my hope is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit my MERIT IS THE PASSION OF THE LORD I shall not be voide of merits so long as Gods mercies are not wanting Basil. on psal 114. Eternall rest is reserued for them which haue striuen lavvfully in this life not FOR THE MERITS of their doings but vpon the grace of the most bountifull God in which they trusted August on ps 120. He crowneth thee because he crowneth his owne gifts not thy merits And psal 142. Lord thou wilt quicken me in thy iustice not in mine not because I haue deserued it but because thou hast compassion Obiections of Papists Obiect I. In sundrie places of Scripture promise of reward is made to them that beleeue and doe good workes therefore our works doe merit for a reward and merit be relatiues Ans. Reward is twofold of debt and of mercie Life euerlasting is not a reward of debt but of mercie giuen of the good will of God without any thing done of man Secondly the kingdome of heauen is properly an inheritance giuen of a father to a child and therefore it is called a reward not properly but by a figure or by resemblance For as a workeman hauing ended his labour receiueth his wages so after men haue lead their liues finished their course in keeping faith and good conscience as dutifull children God giueth them eternall life And herupon it is tearmed a reward Thirdly if I should graunt that life euerlasting is a deserued reward it is not for our works but for Christs merit imputed to vs causing vs thereby to merit and thus the relation stands directly betweene the Reward and Christs Merit applied vnto vs. Obiect II. Christ by his death merited that our works should merit life euerlasting Answ. That is false all we finde in Scripture is that Christ by his merit procured pardon of sinne imputation of righteousnes and life euerlasting and it is no where saide in the word of
difference We dissent not froÌ„ the Church of Rome in the doctrine of repentance it selfe but in the damnable abuses thereof which are of two sorts generall and speciall Generall are these which coÌ„cerne repentance wholly coÌ„sidered they are these The first is that they place the beginning of repentance partly in themselues and partly in the holy Ghost or in the power of their naturall freewill being helped by the holy ghost whereas Paul indeede ascribes this worke wholly vnto God 2. Tim. 2. 15. Proouing if God at any time will giue them repentance And men that are not weake but dead in trespasses and sinnes can not do any thing that may further their conuersion though they be helped neuer so no more then dead men in their graues can rise from thence The second abuse is that they take pennance or rather repentance for that publike discipline and order of correction that was vsed against notorious offenders in the open congregation For the scripture sets downe but one repentance and that common to all men without exception and to be practised in euery part of our liues for the necessaâ—ie mortification of sinne whereas open ecclesiasticall correction pertained not to all and euery man within the compasse of the Church but to them alone that gaue any open offence The third abuse is that they make repentance to be not onely a vertue but also a sacrament whereas for the space of a thousand yeares after Christ and vpward it was not reckned among the sacraments yea it seemes that Lumbard was one of the first that called it a sacrament and the schoole-men after him disputed of the matter and forme of this sacrament not able any of them certenly to define what should be the outward element The fourth abuse is touching the effect and efficacie of repeÌ„tance for they make it a meritorious cause of remission of sinnes and of life euerlasting flat against the word of God Paul saith notably Rom. 4. 24. We are iustified freely by his grace through the redemptioÌ„ which is in Christ Iesus whome God hath sent to be a reconciliation by faith in his blood In these words these formes of speach redemption in Christ reconciliation in his blood by faith freely by grace must be obserued and considered for they shewe plainely that no part of satifaction or redemption is wrought in vs or by vs but out of vs only in the person of Christ. And therefore we esteeme of repentance only as a fruit of faith the effect or efficacie of it is to testifie remission of our sinnes and our reconciliation before God It will be said that remission of sinnes and life enerlasting are promised to repentance Ans. It is not to the worke of repentaÌ„ce but to the person which repenteth and that not for his owne merits or worke of repentance but for the merits of Christ which he applyeth to himselfe by faith And thus are we to vnderstand the promises of the gospel in which workes are mentioned presupposing alwaies in them the reconciliation of the person with God to whome the promise is made Thus we see wherefore we dissent from the Romane Church touching the doctrine of repentance Speciall abuses doe concerne Contrition Confession and Satisfaction The first abuse concerning contrition is that they teach it must be sufficient and perfect They vse now to helpe the matter by a distinction saying that the sorrowe in contrition must be in the highest degree in respect of value and estimation and not in respect of intention Yet the opinion of Adrian was otherwise that in true repentance a man should be grieued according to all his indeauour And the Romane Catechisme saith as much that the sorrowe conceiued of our sinnes must be so great that NONE CAN BE CONCEIVED TO BE GREATER that we must be contrite in the same manner we loue God and that is vvith all our heart and strength in a most VEHEMENT SORROVVE and that the hatred of sinne must be not onely the greatest but also MOST VEHEMENT and perfect so as it may exclude all sloth and slacknes Indeed afterward it followes that true contrition may be effectuall though it be imperfect but how can this stand if they will not onely commend but also prescribe and auouch that contrition must be most perfect and vehememt We therefore onely teach that God requires not so much the measure as the trueth of any grace and that it is a degree of vnfained contrition to be grieued because we cannot be grieued for our sinnes as we should The second abuse is that they ascribe to their contrition the merit of congruitie But this cannot stand with the all-sufficient merite of Christ. And an auncient Conncell saith God inspires into vs first of all the faith and loue of himselfe NO MERITS GOINâ— BFORE that we may faithfully require the sacrament of baptisme after baptisme doe the things that please him And we for our parts hold that God requires contrition at our haÌ„ds not to merit remission of sinnes but that we may acknowledge our owne vnworthines be huÌ„bled in the sight of God distrust all our owne merits further that we may make the more account of the benefits of Christ whereby we are receiued into the fauour of God lastly that we might more carefully auoide all sinnes in time to come whereby so many paines terrors of conscieÌ„ce are procured And we acknowledge no coÌ„trition at all to be meritorious saue that of Christ whereby he was broken for our iniquities The third abuse is that they make imperfect contrition or attrition arising of the feare of hell to be good and profitable and to it they applie the saying of the Prophet The feare of God is the beginning of vvisdome But seruile feare of it selfe is the fruite of the lawe which is the ministerie of death and condemnation and consequently it is the way to eternall destruction if God leue men to themselues and if it turne to the good of any it is onely by accident because God in mercie makes it to be an occasion going before of grace to be giueÌ„ otherwise remorse of conscience for sinne is no beginning of repentance or the restrainment of any sinne but rather is that properly the beginning of vnspeakable horrours of conscience and euerlasting death vnlesse God shew mercie And yet this feare of punishment if it be tempered and delaied with other graces gifts of God in holy men it is not vnprofitable in whoÌ„ there is not onely a sorrow for punishment but also and that much more for the offence And such a kinde of feare or sorrow is commanded Malac. 1. 6. If I be a father where is my feare if I be a Lord where is my feare And Chrysostome saith that the feare of hell in the heart of a iust man is a strong man armed against theeues and robbers to driue them from the house And Ambr. saith that Martyrs in the
man is conuerted this worke of God is not done by compulsion but he is conuerted willingly and at the very time when he is conuerted by Gods grace he wils his coÌ„uersion To this ende saide Augustine He vvhich made thee without thee will not saue thee without thee Again that is certen that our wil is required in this that we may do any goodthing wel but we haue it not from our owne povver but God workes to will in vs. For looke at what time God giues grace at the same time he giueth a will to desire will the same grace as for exaÌ„ple when God works faith at the same time he workes also vpon the will causing it to desire faith willingly to receiue the gift of beleeuing God makes of the vnwilling will a willing will because no man can receiue grace vtterly against his will considering will constrained is no will But here we must remember that howsoeuer in respect of time the working of grace by Gods spirit and the willing of it in man goe togither yet in regard of order grace is first wrought and mans will must first of all be acted and mooued by grace then it also acteth willeth and mooueth it selfe And this is the last point of consent betweene vs and the Romane church touching freewill neither may we proceede further with them II. The dissent or difference The point of difference standeth in the cause of the freedome of mans will in spirituall matters which concerne the kingdome of God The Papists say mans will concurreth worketh with gods grace in the first conuersion of a sinner by it selfe and by it owne naturall power and is onely helped by the holy Ghost We say that mans will worketh with grace in the first conuersion yet not of it self but by grace Or thus They say will hath a naturall cooperation we denie it say it hath cooperation onely by grace beeing in it selfe not actiue but passiue willing well onely as it is mooued by grace whereby it must first be acted and mooued before it can act or will And that we may the better conceiue the difference I will vse this comparison The Church of Rome sets forth the estate of a sinner by the condition of a prisoner and so do we marke then the difference It supposeth the said prisoner to lie bound hand and foote with chaines fetters and withall to be sicke and weake yet not wholly dead but liuing in part it supposeth also that being in this case he stirreth not himselfe for any helpe yet hath abilitie and power to stirre Herevpon if the keeper come and take away his bolts and fetters and hold him by the hand and helpe him vp he can and will of himselfe stand and walke and goe out of prison euen so say they is a sinner bound hand and foote with the chaine of his sinnes and yet he is not dead but sicke like to the wounded man in the way betweene Ierico and Ierusalem And therefore doeth he not will and affect that which is good but if the holy Ghost come and doe but vntie his bands and reach him his hand of grace then can he stand of himselfe and will his owne saluation or any thing els that is good We in like manner graunt that a prisoner fitly resembleth a naturall man but yet such a prisoner must he be as is not onely sicke and weake but euen starke dead which cannot stirre though the keeper vntie his boltes and chaines nor heare though he sound a trumpet in his eare and if the said keeper would haue him to mooue stirre he must giue him not onely his hand to help him but euen soule and life also and such a one is euery man by nature not onely chained and fettered in his sinnes but starke dead therein as one that lieth rotting in the graue not hauing any ability or power to mooue or stirre and therefore he cannot so much as desire or doe any thing that is truly good of himselfe but God must first come and put a newe soule into him euen the spirit of grace to quicken and reuiue him and then beeing thus reuiued the will beginneth to will good things at the very same time wheÌ„ god by his spirit first infuseth grace And this is the true difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome in this point of free will III. Our Reasons Now for the confirmation of the doctrine we hold namely that a man willeth not his owne conuersion of him selfe by nature either in whole or in part but by grace wholly and alone these reasons may be vsed The first is taken from the nature and measure of mans corruption which may be distinguished into two parts The first is the want of that originall righteousnes which was in man by creation the secoÌ„d is a prones and inclination to that which is euill and to nothing that is truely good This appeareth Gen. 8. 21. The frame of mans heart saith the Lord is euill euen from his childhood that is the disposition of the vnderstanding will affections with all that the heart of man deuiseth fâ—rmeth or imagineth is wholly euil And Paul saith Rom. 8. 5. The wisdome of the flesh is ENMITIE against God Which wordes are very significant for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated vvisdome signifieth that the best thoughts the best desires affections and indeauours that be in any naturall man euen those that come most neare to true holines are not onely contrary to God but euen enmitie it selfe And hence I gather that the very heart it selfe that is the will and minde from whence these desires and thoughts doe come are also enmitie vnto God For such as the action is such is the facultie whence it proceedeth such as the fruite is such is the tree such as the branches are such are the rootes By both these places it is euident that in man there is not onely a want absence or deprivation of originall righteousnes but a prones also by nature vnto that which is euill which prones includes in it an inclination not to some fewe but to all and euery sinne the very sinne against the holy Ghost not excepted Hence therefore I reason thus If euery man by nature doe both want originall iustice and be also prone vnto all euill then wanteth he natural free-will to will that which is truly good But euery man by nature wants originall iustice and is also prone vnto all euil Ergo Euery man naturally wants free-will to will that which is good Reason II. 1. Cor. 2. 14. The naturall man PERCEIVETH NOT the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither CAN HE KNOVVE them because they are spiritually discerned In these wordes Saint Paul sets downe these points I that a naturall man doeth not so much as thinke of the things reuealed in the Gospell II. that a man hearing and in minde conceiuing them