104 The order ofthe catfes Mat.3. 1 7· Thu u my bel01ted S•n,in whomlam A !cocerning works, doth obfcure& darken the well plenfod. ( ;w;~) Ill. In_the fecondcbm· I meritof Cbdft ::becaufethat the '?brainlrigof mandcment God dollh prom1fe eternall hfe to eternall hfe ISWlthdrawne from his death and the keepers of hi9. commandemenrs, yet he obeaience,& attributedvnto works.For they faith not that they lh•ll obtaine it bydefen:b~t ~y rhus, 'that Chrifl by his. pafsion did merit thad" wz/1 Jhow meme to thozifamh uf them·rhat mdeed for the £inner iuftificarion but il'!ibner loue him,andi<tepeihiscommantkments.!V.That once iuflified, doth for liimfelfcby his.o'Wne aworke may_bc ffieritorious,firfl)~ mufi: hauC merits euen condignly merit eternalllife.·t ·. an equall prt>portion wjth lcgall iuflice,and eObiefl.JV.The workes oftheregenerate are tcrrnilllife: fecOi,dly-, ll)erit doth prtfuppofe. the works ofthe holy Ghoft,thereforeperfea this;al fo, that inCS~,thet:.e mult bea duedebt & pure.Anf._I.Th~w_orkesefGod are all pertowarils man;forGoa·rhe ought ofduue;not fect,but yetl"thetr time,& by degrees: therby[auo~rto a·cce?t oftheperfonofman: But fore unch_ficarion wh!ch i_sa worke of God, all our wprks, ye~our mof1 holy workes,can- . mufl m th1s life remamc Incomplete, and is notcome neete vnto legall figHteouGics. For, made perfctt in the world to come. I I. The fceing all the regenerate are partly carnall,and B works ofGod are pure, as they are the works partly-ipirituall, all their good wo•kes in like · ofGod alone,not ofGod & impure man : but fortarc imperfectly good.Forlooke what the now good workes theydoe come immediatly caufes arc, fuch mufl the<ff<& needs be. Afrom thenaturallfaculries ofthe foule, namegairie,good worke-s doe prcfuppofe aduedebt ly, from the vnderllanding and the will (in in man,none in God. V. Theatlcient Fathers which,they being as yet, b~t partly rege;eraclo Rotacknowlcdgerhismeritolcondignitie ted,fome corrupt qualities of finne doe yet as currant. AugHjf.inhis Manuel. "'J.- ~~-My rcmaine)apd are not immediately and limply, .mmtzs Gods merry:Greg.mor.••booke,cap.4. or wholly · dmued from Gods fpirit. And Graeefo~tndme1JOJduj'meritatmjfirflconuerjion, hence it is that they are all ftained wirh finne. •ndtlieJam•grace hath k!pt nwvoid uf meriteNer The X V JI. Emnr. fo«.Beruard.ferm.68.vponthi: C;m.Jr u fof- . M.,n k.n•,.eth not but by efPeciaN reuelatio11, ficient to k.,.now tbit, th<t merits arnlctfolficie'nt. whetherhebepredefti>~~md ••nbt. ·· And ferm.6r. Cant. Mant iujlirt u .(;otltgood· 'The C•nfohttJOn. neffi.!·A.nd Epifl.r9o.Th.r th<fatMjaflionof one . ' Thecontrary to this,isa plaine truth. Rea~ maybeimpuredroaO,illthefinnesofall"'erebome I fen!. That whichamanmuft cenainely 6eby one. -And as fGr ancient Doctors, merit C lceue,that may healfacertainely know with– was nothing cls to them\ bur agoed workac- ~ out ao efpeciall reuelation: but euery faithful! ceptableto God.Aug'.epifl.r05.toSixrus.lfit inan muft bC:lecue that he iseleaed-It is Gods begrace,thmuitnotbeflowedbyre4on•f~nymecommandenJent that Wee !hould beleeue in rit,bw11po¥fee mm:j:Wh<t merirofhu ownc•n Ch,ifi,I Joh·3••3 ·Now to beleeue in Chrifl, hethat u fit .ulibertu braggeof, whoirhe hadhi< not onely to beleeuethatwe are adopted, iumerits,fomtldhaue bee'!econdemned? Goqdw11rk(s fi:ified, and redeemed by him ; butalfo inhim ~tre wr11ught by man, 611t[aith is 'Ammght inm.m, elcc!tcd from et:crnitie,wherebyitis apparent, wirhoHtwhich m""'"eo Hidwork!g•.d "'"'let'. So that he which beleeues notthis, cloth nor bethe wordmerit do'h fignifieto tke well,to beacleeuethe wholeGofpel.I 1-Thatwhichis fea• ceptabb, toplenfo ; asrhe old interpreter hath, ledvnrovs bythefpiritofGod,ofthatwe arc (for ;,...,;,...,, fignifying to plellji God,) vfed very fure without fpeciall reudarion : but our this Latine \vordpr~mereri,t~merit. ' 1 adopnon,and fo confequently our elettiorl, is Obi<fJ. 1. Workes .haue attributed vnto fealedvnrovsbythefpiritofGod.rCor.•. u. them reward- Anfw. Reward is noffo much We hauenotreceiHedthejjiritofth•"'orld,bHtthe attributed to the worke,as to the worker;and fPirit which uuf G•d: that wee might eyowthe to him,not for himfelfe,butf<>r Chrifts merits D thingr thAt aregiHen to vtof G•d. Thiereforeis apprehendedby fairh. Therefore not our meout election e<rrainely knowne tovs. Eph.J. rit,orperfonaUmerir; bur Cbriflsmerit,and 13• f" whom•lfoye h1111e trNfled after thatye our reward are correlatiues. het~rdthef!Pordoftruth, tHen the GofPe/1 if' JOHr Obie[J. ll. 2 Theff. r. 6. It u A rightwu fi<iluttion, whmin •lfo•fur that yebeleeHed, ye thingwith God; to rec.mpence tribHiationt, (j-c. "'"' ft•ledwith t~eholyfPirit uf promift. Anfw. It is righreous,not becaufe God ought Exception. The holy Gholt doth feale vnto fo to doe ofdutie but becaufe he promifed : vs our adoption n~or•lly by workes,and therenow for God to lt~nd tohis word,is a part of fore theknowledge ofour adoption is butoniuflicc. • ly probable- An[. It fc:alcth vnrovsouradopObiefi.JJ/.Chrifl hath merited,tharworks tion, by begerring a fpeciall rruft and conti- '"ight merit. Anf. 1. This taketh quite away dence. Forwhcnas weheare Gods promifes, theintercefsionof Chrif\.11. It isagainfl th.c and withaU thinkcvponthem, thendorb the nature oflegaUworke, to merit (ex condign•) holy Ghofl by the fame promifes mooue our condignly : becaufe both the Law ofnature& vnderfrandings and wits to imbrace rhem,and creat-iondobind man toperforme legal works in moouing them , coth make vs both to giue vhto God .And further,all works arevery imour alfentvnto thc:m , and in th,ern tordl: our perfcd,and mixed with fin.Ill.Thisdoctrine felues;whecearifeth afpecial alfurace thatwe ar~
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