[hrijl the true arJdperfeE! (ijaine. works ofman:which I will make manife!t l>y 1A That thisdo<lrine of the cerraintic ofour fiuereafons. The firJl: is this : It is a principal! lo!fesmay yet rhibett~r be cleared, I will fer p>rt of ChriJl:ian inherent righteoufne!fe ro downe the fuppofed grounds of merits, and haue and l<eepe a good confcience1 nowTaMI difcouer their weakene!fe. They are two: the expre!fely excludes it from iuRificatioa, fayfir!! is, the promife that God hath made to ing;l k_no""'o1hi~g by myfi/ft(J<t la.nnot therby workes , whereby he hart. bound himfelfeto iujlifted. t • Cor. 4· 4· Thefecondisthis, Paul reward them with eternall glory. I anfwer, faith, Eph.o·9• Wearenorfouedbyworfrts:now that this very promifc is made of the good he meanes no other workes bur fuch as fellow pleafure,and meeregood will ofGcd : and of faith, andarc;<lone by the fpirit ofGod. And the fame gootlneffe it is,that any m.m is adoer this appeareth by the reafon which hevf~th, ofany good worke,either by nature or grace. th-. we arerr,.ted togood,..,frts. And againe, Therdore ifa man could fultin the wholelaw, that they •re orddined th'l we (ho11/d W4ik! in he fhould not merit at Gods hand. Thus £1ith them. The third:before a worke can merit, it the Lord. E>·od.20.6. That hetvilljhewmerc1e · mu!t plcafe God; before the worke pleafe B vpo• thoufandsof them that lo~<e ht'm&k(epehi< God,the workermu!! pleafe him: before the commandements, The fccond ground is, That worker pleafehim, he muftbe reconciled to vertueof m<riting isderiucd from t.:hri!t he God and perfe<lly ioltified.Iullificationtherhead, ro his members by diuine inAuence. I fore goes in order before good workes, and anfwer,itis a thingvnpo{sible.For theverrue forthiscanfe works cannot be brought withofmeritingis in Chrifi, not limply as heo-.is in the a<l of iu!Hfication as caufcs. Good man, but as heis inone perfon God and man. workes make not good men in whole or in The worke which meritetl1 is done or acted part : but men firft of all made good by the euen by the manhood ; but the merit of rhe goodne!fe of Chrill imputed, make good workeisfromtheGodhead, or fromthcex· worksby theirgoodne!fe. Tne fourth is this: cellenceoitheperfon.Now then ifthis vmue The humanitieof Chrill is the mo!t excellent be in Chrift,not as he is man,but in refpect he ofall creatures in beauen and earth: yet being IS Man-god, or God-man; itcannot be deri. confidered by it felfe, itcannot pofsibly tllcrit ued to vs that are but men, vnlelle eu<ry beat Gods hand. In a worke properly meritori. leeucr fhould be deified, and made ofa meere oustherebe threeconditions. Firft, the doer manGod-man,whichis impofsible.Therc.fore thcreofmu!tdoe it byhimft:lfc,and not by an• C there is no capab!cnc!fe or pofsibilitie oi meother, forthtnthepraife is his hywhom hce ritin the WOike ofany mceremanorcrcature doth it,and not his own. Secondly,the worke whofoener. For thiscaufc thettue Church of robe done, mufrr.ot be adc:btanddutie, for Cod cucr detdledhumane merit. The merit then the doer defemes nmhing. Thirdly , of'ongmitit before iufl.ification, is :1 Pd~gi.t11 there mull bee a proportion berwetne the conccit,and was nc:uer maint<\iP.td ofthe 0[- worke and the reward of Ji fe ercrn•ll· Now thodoxe f•thers. Stapletcn confc!fed tl1cs the manhood of Chri!t conlidcred apart b) it much.The merit ofcengruitie(Caith he)inre;pict ne" ori•. felt<.:, COI.Lmot performethcfethree conditions. oftht firflgracewtU of oldhifJcdor~t:neithtrll~~t&it pcc. 1. ~. Forit doth what itdoth by the fpirit ofGod, cuer ndmitttdofthe bmerfort o[Schoolemcn,M of <·4· wh{ rby it was CO:lcciued and is fi.Hed.without Tho~ in hu S1W11VJC,11ndhis latter wriJings,nor meafure.Againe,itis acr~ature,andther~fore ofhufoUowers.And the(a)meritofcondJguitic~ 3 Meri~ whatfoeuer it is,harhor can do,it o ,yerh alto whereby works arc faid oftheir ownc dignity turn a God.LaO:ly,ir can not G.oeaWQrkc proportio· and that properly to dcf~rue the incrt>afe of cond;g~ nail to eternall glory ; b<eaufc it takes all of we firfl iuftification, and etornalllifc,was not no. God, and can giue nothingto him. If then it receiued of the learned in rhs: Ckurch for be demanded , how this man-hood of Chrill: D more then a thoufand yeeres after Chri!t. Ramerits inour behalfe: I anfwer,not byit fc!fe, dxlphtu .Ardms, a very learned m!lo in his ~ut by meanes ofthe perfonallvnion, wlrere. time faith thus : s~~ing by one gr.ace we 'sme to In domiby it iscxalted .:md preferred intothevnitie of 4nother, b thtyarect!lllcdmerits,andth4t ir.::~pro.. nic.t8. the fccond p:rfon,the eteroal word ofthe Faperly. For M Auguftinewitne!fith, Godcrownes poll tdn. ther. Henceitisthat Chri!l: meritcth: none oneryhUownegr~tceinvs. Againc,~hrJUtv.-9 m ann. can ~lerit ~f G.od ~ut ~od. Noi:V then if think!th4t G~dMbQHnd.tUitif~r~byli~argtai:"Je,ro ~o~~rita Chnfi: mer~tondy m thts regard, nomeere rep;rythiltwhtcbhe hathpromifed. ForA~ G•di5 dicuntur creature, man or angel canpofsiblyn1erit by ftee topromift~ foisheeftuinr~tpe£/ofrcpa)';'lt' atimpro: any worke· The fifth reafou is this: there be efPeciaOy corifidering th•t aiwd•»<rits "'rew•rds p,;,. ·: two kinds of tranfgrefsion of the law, oue 4re hUgr4ce.Forfjod,rownsnothingeljeinvs bn I~ do_mt.. when a worke is directly againltthe law: the hi&grace:bec•uft (c)ifhe WD11ld dea/e with'" in ~~~;;r,:· other is, when that is done that the law re. ~xtremiry, nQnt liuingjiJoldbe iujlifitdin hisJigbt. mz. . quires, but not in that manner and perfection .Andhtrmpon the .Apofl!e,whoiabouredmorethen c f'.JRri~ thelaw reqoires. The fecond k!nde of rranf, aU,faith: I thinke that the affli<lions ofthi• lieagm. -grefsion i• in cuery good worke which is time are not worthy the glory that fhall bee done by men vpon earth: now where any reuelled. TherefOre thi4c81JetMntorb:trgajncis tranfgrefsion is,thore mun be pardon : where wothingelfi bHt. vo/nnw'Jpromifi. Anfolmtaf- . pardon-is, there is no merit. ter him faith, If a monP"•ldfir•• Godathou. - ~-~---
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