L w 2ÓÓ Of the el. erence about mans Merits ,either that they arefew, or taken by their Church for half bereticks. And truth is well ferved by nothing but truth. But the author you mean, doth well innot oppofing tholethat are of this mind, nor thofe that deny all merit of congruity ; and in acknowledging that filch there are. He is a ftranger to the Popifh Doctors who either taketh the Scoti/fs themfelves to be few ( or judgedhalf hereticks ) or elfe that it is they only that are of that Opinion : of which more anon. L. But what meanthey that fay it is ex Dignitate, ifnot as prcfting God,: R. t, I tell you they alma} allconclude againft commutative merit, and who is fomad as to think that we profit God r 2. I tell you that you may alto ask what theScripture meaneth byworthinefs.; And howelfe Bill you tranflate ae,@- but worthy or deferving ? And what is oëfk but Merit. 3. They mean [ the Moral aptitude of welldoing for the promsfedRe- ward:] Anddo you deny that r L. But forme of them fayplainly that it is of Debt R. Yes: they oft fay withAugufline that God by his promife bath made himfelf asa Debtor. L. Butfume fay that Merit ofcondignityis ex proportione operum to the reward. R. It's impoffible to know what everyman meaneth, and impotfible to make all men ,peak congruoufly : But as far as I can difcern, molt of them thatfo'fpeak, mean, that the moft wife God doth 'all things in order and harmony, and as he fuiteth natural caufes and effects, fo he doth gra- cious ones : And that his free grace pptteth into mans holinefs, a luitable- nefs to the Reward, which is but a fuitablenefs of the habit and ad to theobjet: And that he that Loved Godmuch shall be much happy in that Love, and be much beloved by him : And fo everySaint enjoy God ac- cording to the proportionof his Love or holinefs g and Glory be varyed according to thedegrees of Grace. L. ThisWe allhold: But you make themfounder aidwifer than theyare. R.' Many of them and us want skill to fpeak very c'early : Conlufion and darknefsis found in all ourconceptions and expreffions fo far as we know but in part : Thofe that you canprove to me are worfe, prove it by them. I take this to be the commonfenfe of thofe few that talk of Meri- tum exproportion: For theymolt commonly difclaim the word equality, and all difclaim it as to commutation: And what elfe can they mean rt . And here I offer you an argument for Reward even in this fenfe of, pro- portion whichall the world cannot anfrr er : fuppofing that God will freely, continue man in life and immortality. If the Reward be effential.to or neceffarily infeparable from true love and obedience, then true love and obedience have certainly a ,Reward ( and a moral aptitude for that Re- ward, or a Rewardablcnefs, called JYies-it :) But the former is certain. For i. To Love God is tl e fouls health, pleafure and felicity it fell./ in- cludingtheKnowledge of him;) Andperfeét Knowledge and love isper- feci happinefs,' 2. To obey God is formally to do that which Pleafeth `him p'eafedly becaufeit plealeth him : And to Pleafe God is mans,ulti- mate End andReward. 3, It is impoflible but that God, by hisperfeçlion, ,Tould Love and be pleated with every thing that is Good according to the proportion of its pooane /s; and therefore with the Love and obedience ,of hisChildren. So that all thole arguments of Proteftants whichwell prove Fioline'o to be Happinefs it felf, prove the Reward to be efírential or infe- parable. L. If
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