272 Of the difference about mans Merits inrelieving him ; fo if he caule you CO workout your own falvatìoñ, it is agreater mercy than if he would carry you afieep to Heaven And it's ftrange thatmen that know that all that we have is of Cod, should Mink his grace dishonouredby givingus thegreater mercy. But to return to my account of the Papifts. I will mention ., quinar farther, becaufe you knowwho numbreth himwith the grofler fort. I. 2. q. I54. a. I. He concludeth that man meriteth not at all of God according to abfolute or Pimple Juftice, which goethby equality fed fe- candum divine ordinationis quandam pnefuppofitionem, as man obtaineth that as a reward by his operation for which God gave him the operative virtue. And fo that here is but madùs quidam uftitie, as a Father hath to aChild, and merit only fecundum quid, atnon fimpliciter. And headdetlt, that our voluntarydoing ourduty is our merit, not as profiting God, but manifefting his glory, andpleating his will ; and fo God is not a Debtor to us, but to his own will or to himfelf. And a. 2. he concludeth that without Grace even man in innocency, much lets in fincould thus merit life eternal. When after therefore he fpeaks for meritof condignity as the as are from the Holy Ghoft, it i* fuch a meritas afòrefaid that he meaneth. But the firft Grace he faith none meriteth. But I defire you for the underflanding of ftgainas and Poch others to take notice, that the foundation of many confuted fpeeches of theirs, is their confufed notions of. Gods Laws or Covenants. For "¡Vain. q. Io6 a. I. loth go the way of Mr. Sterry andSr. H. Vane and the Quakers, 'ant conclude thatthe New Law (ofGrace ) is not written but in the heart, that is, that Lexnova principaliter eft ip/a gratiafpiritasfancli in corde f.. deliumfcripta ; becaufe unaquaq; illudvidetur le good in ea eftpotiffimnm : and fo that Lex fcripta is called aLaw fecondarily as a means to the for- mer : Now this is grofs abufe of an equivocal word by a vain pretence : For theword Lawdoth not firft lignifieanother thing becaufe that other is molt excellent ; but lefs excellent things (as media ad finem) have their proper notions : And theworld knoweth that the famofus fignifrcatumhere is a Law ut fignum voluntatis imperantisconflituens debitum, as an inftru- ment of Government ; And that Sanétity of heart is the etfetl of the do- arine, and a difpofition to obey ; and is called a Law but in tropical fenfe. But indeedPaul oft de£cribeth the Gofpel as in the heart, and the Law as a thing ; But that contradi(ls not what I fay : but it was becaufe the New Tel-tament was not thenmuch of it, if any, written and received in the Churches as Gods Law : But Baptifm expounded by word of mouth ( in the three Articles) was the Christianity which Paul bidTimothy keep and commit to faithful men that might teach it. The Chriflian Reh- - gion was by word committed to mens memory firft, and fo to their hearts before it was put in writing : But yet it was primarilyand properly a Law, at fgnu rs obligates, and but metonymically as the foul was holy by it. The Law was one thing, even in the mind and memory, and the Love of Godand it another, thoughcalled a Law. But from this notion ( that the old Lawwas a writing,and thenew Law was the ípirit in us) no wonder if Aquinas gathered, that the word 7uftifie ,chiefly figaified tomake"us Goodand holy perlons; and that our Holinefs, being our realaptitude for our Glorifying and pleafing God, and fo for our Happiness therein, was to be called our merit ; meaning thereby but that lame fitness for the End or Reward, which Scripture called.' wort!inefs, and á1l religious Preachers and people among us =a- loofly
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