Collectanea. Out of St. Gregory the Great, and St. Bernard the devout, against the Papists who adhere to the doctrine of the present Church of Rome, in the most fundamentall points betweene them and vs.

§. 7. The good works and sufferings of this life are not meritorious, or worthy of the blesse of the life to come.

A Pud eum districtè iudicati, ipsi quoqui maculas inquinationis habent, quiper munditiam sanctitatis lucent. Even they who shine in puritie of holinesse, haue al∣so their spots of filthinesse, if they bee strictly and narrowly iudged.

Quantalibet iustitia polleant, ne quaquā sibi ad innocentiam vel electi sufficiant, si in indicio districte requirātur. The very elect howsoever they exell in righteousnesse, haue not sufficient in them for innocency if in iudgement they bee strictly dealt withall.

Siremota pietate discutimur, opus no∣strum

poena dignum est, quod nos remune∣rari praestolamur. Restat vt post quam bonū opus agitur lachrymae expiationis exquirā∣tur quatenus ad aeterna praemia meritum recti operis subvehat humilias postulation∣nis. If wee bee iudged without mercy, our worke is worthie of punishment; which we exspect to haue rewarded, and there∣fore the teares of expiation are to be re∣quired, that humility of prayer may lift vp the merit of good worke to the obtai∣ning of everlasting reward. And to the same effect hee maketh the holy man Iob to say, Et si ad opus virtutis excrevero, ad vitam non ex meritis sed ex venia conva∣lesco. Albeit I growe to the worke of ver∣tue, yet I availe not to life by merits, but by pardon and favour. And so he bringeth in David, saying, Non de meis meritis con∣fidens vt me falvum facias supplico, sed de sola misericordia tua praesumens impetrare quod misericordia tua praesumens impetrare quod de meis meritis non spero. I pray thee to saue me, not trusting in my owne me∣rits, but presuming to obtaine that of thy

mercy only, which I haue no hope of by my owne merits.

aQuid est quod in hac vita sine quavis tenuissimi contagij iniquitate peragatur?b Electi quamdiu in hac vita sunt sine quan∣tulocun{que} culpae contagio esse non possunt.c Nullus in hac vita ita perfectus est vt quamlibet Deo devotus sit, inter ipsa quan∣tumcun{que} pia vota non peccet.d Si de his di∣vinitus districte discutimur, quis inter ista remanet salutis locus quando & mala ne∣stra pura mala sunt, & bona quae nos habere credimus pura bona esse nequaquā possunt? What is there that can bee done in this life, without some defilement of secret contagion? The elect so long as they are in this life cannot be without some con∣tagion of sinne. There is none so perfect in this life howsoeuer devoted vnto God, that doth not sinne amidst his most holy and religious desires. If God doe narrow∣ly sift our doings, what place is there left for salvation, when our evill doings are meerely evill, but the good things we be∣leeue we haue, cannot be purely good.

2. Tim. 4.8. Henceforth is laid vp for me a crowne of iustice, which God that iust

iudge will render vnto me at that day. Est ergo quam Paulus expectat corona iustitiae, sed iustitiae Dei non suae; Iustum est quippe, vt reddat quod debet. Debet autem quod pollicitus est, & hac est iustitia, de qua prae∣sumit Apostolus, promissio Dei. It is a crowne of Iustice which S^t Paul expect∣eth, but of Gods iustice, not his owne; For it is iust that God pay that which he ow∣eth, and he oweth that which hee promi∣seth, and this is the Iustice whereof the Apostle presumeth, even the promise of God. Againe. Iustitiae nostra dicitur, non quae ex nostro nostra est sed quae divina lar∣gitate fit nostra. It is called our instice (saith Gregory) not which is not ours as of our owne, but which by the gift of God be commeth ours.

Qui nihil boni sibi, sed toutum gratiae Dei tribuunt, scientes se nihil habere quod non acceperunt; hac enim operatus est in eis, is qui vasa misericordiae fecit eos. The elect and faithful attribute no good to themselues, but all wholy to the grace of God; know∣ing that they haue nothing that they

haue not receaued, for hee hath wrought it in them, who hath made them vessells of his mercy.

Praeveniens gratia liberum in eo arbitri∣um focerat in bono, libero arbitrio eandem gratiam est subsecutus in opere. The preventing grace of God maketh the will free in that that is good, & then we by free will doe in worke followe the same grace.

Notes

• The like is be∣fore in the que∣stions of merit. § 3.
• Our merit is the Lords shewing mercy.
• Ibid. cap. 21.
• The Papists now talke of nothing so much, as of meriting or de∣feruing of hea∣ven. Ibid. l. 9. c. 18. Heauen is the reward, hire, & repaiment for good workes say they. No, saith Gregory, whom will yee beleeue.
• Mans workes done by Christs grace, doe con∣dignly, or wor∣thely deserue e∣ternall ioy. No, saith Gregory, our best workes are worthie to be punished, and subiect to perish if God deale se∣verely & strict∣ly with vs. If a∣midst our good workes, it be by humble prayer and request that wee obtaine the eternal reward? what religion haue the Papists that plead for the worthines of our works? and deride vs when we say that our good workes are not worthy of the glory that is to come. Ibid. l. 9. cap. 11. for Iob. Ibid. in Psalm. poenit 1. for David,
• a

  Mot. l. 1. c. 17.
• b

  Lib. 31. Cap. 5.
• c

  Lib. 32. cap. 4.
• d

  Lib. 35. cap. 16
• If our good works cannot be purely good, if all that we doe be pollu∣ted and defiled with the conta∣gion of sinne, if God by the eye of his severe iudgement doe strictly view and behold the same, then cannot any good workes of ours bee truely said to bee wor∣thie of the hea∣venly glory. Bernard de grat. & lib. arbit. in fine.
• Contrary to this, doth the Church of Rome now teach saying, that if God as a just iudge ren∣der the ioyes of heauen as a crowne of iustice then were they before iustly de∣serued, and the suffering of them that deserued them were in iust proportion worthy of them. Is not this wor∣thy doctrine? Greg. Mor. l. 24. cap. 5.
• In crowning our iustice, it is ve∣rified which is said in holy scrip∣ture: Hee crow∣neth thee in mer∣cy and louing kindnesse. In Psalm Poenit. 7. It is not grace that doth all, say the Papists now. The iust doe attribute all to grace, faith Gregory.
• In Ezec hom. 9. This did Grego∣ry speake of S. Paule, and the same is true in vs.