8o Of (jod's CJ"overnment, Whether faith be not the meer Acceptance of a free gift according to itsNature Againfl Me- rit, read of Papifts Wal- den/, 'de Saíram. tir. I. Gregor. Armin. r. d. 17. g. I. a. A. Durand. r. d. zq. q. z. gel it. a.d.z¡. Brugerf. in Pfal. 35. Ea- kins in Centur:de Predeft. Et inquit Fr. a Sanaa Clara Deus, Nat. Grat. .p. r 38. tribuitur ahem Cufano, nec longe differt Stapletonus no#ras Leg. & Suarez in 3. p. Tho. Dili. so. sett. 7. q. 3. See the Tdomi(is fenceof Merit, in Lad. Carlo Tho. Ca/Upend. 1. z. q. 03. art. 4. P. a }o . To dream ofmeriting from God by anyCreature, Man; or Angel, in point of Commutative yu, flice, is -blafphemy and madnef; that is, That we can give him anything that (hall profit him, or which is not-abfolntely his own , as a compenfation for what he givethus. Hemaketh himfelf a God that afferteth this of himfelf. 2. To fay that any fnce .Adam fave Christ dothmerit ofGod in point of Governing yuflice , accord- ing to theLawof Innocency, is a falsbood; And he that faith, He hash nofin,' it a lyar. 3. To fay that we canmerit pardon, or Juftification, or Salvation meerly by obferving Mofes Law, was the yews pernicious error. 4. To fay that ourfaith, and performance of the conditions of the new Covenant, loth meritby the retributive Sentence of the old Covenant; or that iris in whole or part any meritorious Caufe that God gave the worlda Saviour, or thatChrifi freely pardoneth andjuflifieth ,e allcondi- tionally by the newCovenant, orthat it fuppofeth not Chrifl's Righte- oufnefr tobe the total file meritorious Cain of that pardoning Covenant, aridallthe benefits as thereby conditionally given; All this is grofs con- tradicîion. 5. To deny fubordinateComparative Merit, or Rewardable- nèfr,as fromGods Governingdiftributivepaternal yuflice accordingto the Covenant ofGrace, conffsting in the performance of the conditions of that Covenant , and prefuppofing Chrifts total merits as aforefaid , is to fitbvert all Religionand true Morality, and todeny the fcope ofall the Scriptures , and the exprefs afertion of an Evangelical worthineft, which is all that this [Merit] ftgnifyeth : To fay nothing ofcontradi- äing Catholick antiquity, and hardening the Papifts againft the truth. 1933. This Comparative Merit, is but fuck, as a thankful Child hath towards his Father who,givethhim a purfe of Gold on condition, that he put off hishat, and fay, I thank you, who deferveth it inComparifon of his Brother, who difdainfully or neglefkfully refufeth it. This Tait beingabfolutely Paid to Deferve to be without it; but the formeronly com- paratively laid to deferve to have it as a free gift. 194. And thole that rejeit the faying of fotne Papists who in this fence, fay that chrilimerited that wemight merit, placing ourEvangelical merit in ameer fubordination to Chriffs, do but thewwhat prejudice and partiality cando, and harden thofewho perceivetheir errors. 195. Some man may think that thehigh things required in theGofpel, Pelf - denyal, forfakingall, running, {hiving, working, loving,overcom- ing, &c. are more than themeer Receiving of afreeGift. But, r. Ifit were fo, yet our flrfi faith would be no more, bywhich we are Jufti- fied from all the fins of our unregeneracy. a. But upon confideration, it will all appear to be no more materially : For, a. When we fay that it is the Receiving of the free Gift, we muff mean Accordingto the Nature and to theale of that Gift. As ifyoube required to takefood, the meaning is, to Eat it, and not to throw it away : If you be required to takefuch .a man to be your King, your Mailer, your Tutor, your Husband, your Phyfician, &c. the meaning is, As filch , to theaje of his proper office. And fo Acceptof God asGod, that is, our Abfolute Owner, Ruler, and End, and Chrift as ourSaviour, Prophet, PrieftandKing, and the Holy Ghofi as our San£tifyer to Illuminate, quicken and renew us, is the fum of all the Pofitives of the Gofpel. 2. For this very Acceptance of them in this Nature, and to this Vfe, includeth the Ong of them after accordingly: And if we do not foufe them, we.thereby rejeEI them, and lofeour ownbenefit of them ; as he that eateth not his meat, refufeth and loleth it and he that wearethnot his Cloaths ; and he that learneth not ofhisTeacher. 3. And then Self -denyal, and forfaking contraries, and
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