fome other confideration, viz. from the other Perfon's worth being apply'd or made over to him.

Let us therefore apply this to the matter in hand. 'Tis granted by our Adverfaries, that without the Merits of Chrift we can deferve nothing but infinite wrath at the hands of God. The Queftion therefore is, whether thofe who have a fhare in Christ's fufferings, can properly Merit, or truly Deferve that eternal Life which Chrift has purchased by his fufferings; or no. And to this I answer, that fuch Perfons as have a fhare in Chrift's fufferings, may truly deferve eternal Life; juft as much as a Traytor, whofe life is fpard at the requeft of a deferving Subject, do's truly deferve a pardon; that is, not at all. 'Tis of God's infinite Mercy only, that our beft deeds are accepted; nay, that we are not punished for them, becaufe they are fo full of fin and imperfection. For we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteoufneffes are as filthy rags, Ifa. 64. 6, and he who never did a good thing, may as truly deferve a Crown of Glory as our felves. Nay, thofe very things which our Adverfaries are pleafed to think truly Meritorious are acknowledged to be the gifts of God; and how then can we, as. if they were our own actions, truly deferve Heaven as the reward of them?

n

'Tis true, we do deferve Heaven in a figurative Senfe; becaufe Chrift has deferv'd it for us, and we have a right and title to it thro' his Merits: but fhall we therefore pretend that we do truly deferve it our felves, as the reward of our own actions? Shall finful duft and afbes, that must have been damned eternally, had not Chrift redeemed it; and that cannot think a good thought without immediate help from God; I fay, fhall fuch

wretches

Part II. wretches as we are, be faid properly to Merit,and truly to deferve eternal happiness at the hands of God? No furely. Bleffed is that Man, who is throughly fenfible of his own unworthiness, and wholly relies upon the Merits of a Savior, without pretending to any Merits of his own.

As for those Arguments by which our Adverfaries endeavor to establish this their Doctrine, they are fcarce worth answering, because they do not reach the queftion. They tell us, that the reward of a Chriftian is proportioned to the quantity of his good Works: but fhall we therefore conclude, that his good Works do truly deferve it? Good Works thro' God's Mercy in Chrift are the condition of our Salvation; and the more good works we perform, the greater will our reward be but all this is done for Chrift's fake, and not for the intrinfic worth of our good works. And tho' the Scriptures affert, that God is obliged in juftice to reward our labors; yet 'tis only the Merits of Chrift apply'd to our labors, and not the intrinfic worth of our actions, that makes a reward due in juftice for them. For God is obliged in juftice to reward thofe, for whom Chrift has Merited a reward.

But I fhall not enlarge upon this head; because what I have thus briefly written, is fufficient to explain and determine the whole controverfy, and fully prove, that the Popish Doctrine of Merit is groundlefs, and for that reafon unjuftly impos'd as neceffary to Salvation. Only I think my felf obliged, before I conclude this Chapter, to confider an Argument for the Doarin of Satisfaction, which I did not formerly anfwer.

Our

Our Adverfaries pretend, as I faid in the 15th Chapter, that we may fatisfy for the Temporal punishment of our Sins, becaufe we may Merit eternal Life. But I have now fhewn, that we cannot properly Merit eternal Life; and therefore this argument is built upon a mistake, and is confequently of no force. However, fuppofe we might truly and properly Merit eternal Life; yet it will not follow, that we may fatisfy for the Temporal Punishment of our Sins. For 'tis confefs'd by our Adverfaries, that good Works are not Meritorious, but as join'd with the Merits of Chrift and therefore 'tis abfurd for them to reafon thus, Our good Works are truly Meritorious of eternal Life, when join'd with Chrift's Sufferings; and therefore we may fatisfy for those pains, which Chrift never fuffer'd or fatisfyd for. For (as I have already faid in the 15th Chapter) 'tis confefs'd and fuppos'd by our Adverfaries, that Chrift Suffer'd nothing for the Temporal, Punishment of Sins committed after Baptifm.

1

As for that Treasure of Merits which is fuppos'd to be in the Churches keeping, I fhall have occafion to fpeak of it in the next Chapter.

IN

CHA P. XIX.

Of Indulgences.

'N the 22d Article of the Trent Creed we have thefe words, I do alfo affirm, that the power of Indulgences was left in the Church by Chrift, and that the use of them is very helpful to Chriftian People. Thus it appears, that the power and virT

tue

tue of Indulgences do make an Article of the Roman Faith.

'Tis granted by our Adverfaries, that the word Indulgence implies a relaxation or remiffion of fome punishment due for fin. Now there can be no punishment due for fin, but what is due, either First to the Church, by way of public example for the fcandal given by the offender, or in order to his reformation by the good effects of Difcipline ; or Secondly, and chiefly to God, for the injury offer'd him by our rebellion. Wherefore an Indulgence muft fignify the remiffion either of Church-punishment, or of the punishment requir'd by God only and confequently it may be taken in a threefold Senfe. For, 1. It may fignify a remiffion of Church-cenfures, which the Church has an undoubted power to difpenfe with upon júft occafions. 2. It may fignify a remiffion of the Temporal Punishment, which our Adverfaries do think due to fins committed after Baptifm, even tho' they are repented of. 3. It may fignify a remiffion of the eternal punishment, which is confefs'd on both fides to be due to fins not repented of.

Now if our Adverfaries, when they speak of Indulgences, do mean only the remiffion of Churchcenfures, inflicted for the correction of the offenders themselves, or for the admonition of others ; we do most readily grant, that the power of Indulgences was left in the Church by Chrift, and that the use of them is very helpful to Chriftian People. But alas! tho' our Adverfaries do often fly to this fignification of the word Indulgence, yet it is very apparent, that they do frequently understand it far otherwise. 1. Because Indulgences are granted for the Dead, as well as for the Living. This

is plain from the very (a) words of the Bulls, and from the ordinary practice of redeeming Souls from Purgatory. Now fince the dead are not capable of Church-cenfures; because they are fuppos'd to be incapable of amendment in Purgatory, and Difcipline (if exercifed upon them) cannot be exemplary to others; therefore 'tis plain, that Indulgences do (frequently at leaft) imply the remiffion of fomething elfe, befides the penalties inflicted by the Church. 2. Because those who enjoy the benefit of Indulgences, do frequently fubmit to Church-cenfures, and perform the penance injoin'd them; nay, the Indulgence is oftentimes not valid, unlefs the penance be performed.

(a) Super gratiis Indulgentiarum & peccatorum remiffione etiam plenaria, tam pro Vivis quam defunctis. Cherubini Bullarium. Rom. 1617. Tom. 2. p. 94. Poftremo ut animabus quoque Chrifti fidelium in Purgatorio exiftentibus, quæ per. Charitatem Domino Noftro Jefu Chrifto unitæ ex hac Vita migraverint, quæque anteaquam decederent, aliorum Chrifti fidelium fuffragiis juvari meruerunt, de cœleftibus ecclefix thefauris, quorum Difpenfatores a Domino ad animarum falutem conftituti fumus, paterne fubveniamus; Divina miferatione confifi concedimus, ut quoties quilibet aliquod ex hujufmodi Numifmatibus fecum habens, pro diЯarum animarum Salute præmiffa eorumve aliqua adimpleverit, vel quicunque alius ecclefias in quibus eadem numifmata reponi contigerit, dictis feftis diebus inventionis & exaltationis Sanctæ Crucis vifitaverit, ipfæ pro quibus id fecerit, efficaciffimis Jefu Chrifti Domini noftri meritis, ac ejufdem Beatæ Mariæ femper Virginis, Sanctorum Angelorum, Apoftolorum, Martyrum, Confefforum, Virginum, omniumque Sanctorum & San&tarum precibus & interceffionibus fuffragantibus, eafdem Indulgentias & peccatorum remiffiones confequantur, ibid. p. 611. See alfo Tom. 3. P. 42. But this matter is fo very notorious, that I shall not trouble the Reader with any more inftances of it.