Let me rather speak to this point: that ‘necessity has neither merit, nor reward.’ If we speak of a necessity of compulsion, the point is true. If we speak of a necessity of immutability, it is false. 416 Who would give a reward, or impute merit, to an unwilling workman? But to those who wilfully do good or evil, even though they cannot change this will by their own power, there naturally and necessarily follows reward or punishment; as it is written, “You will render to every man according to his works.” It naturally follows, if you are submerged in water, you will drown; if you swim out, you will save your life.
To be brief, in the matter of merit or reward, the inquiry is either about the worthiness, or about the consequence, of our actions.
If you look at worthiness, there is no such thing as merit or reward. For if Freewill can will nothing good of itself, and it only wills good through grace, who does not see that this will to do good, together with its merit or its reward, is of grace only? We are speaking, as you know, of Freewill that is separate from grace, and inquiring what power is proper to each. Here again, Diatribe is at variance with herself in arguing for freedom of the will from merit. She is in the same condemnation with me whom she opposes, fighting equally against herself as against me, saying that there is merit, reward, and liberty. For she asserts here, as she does above, that Freewill can will nothing good, and has undertaken to prove the sort of Freewill that does will good.
If you look at the consequences of actions, there is nothing either good or bad, which does not have its reward. And we get into mistakes for this reason: that in speaking of merits and rewards, we stir useless considerations and questions about the worth of actions — which have none — when we ought to be debating only about their consequences.
For hell and the judgment of God await the wicked by a necessary consequence, even though they themselves neither desire, nor think of such a reward for their sins — indeed, even though they exceedingly detest and execrate it, 417 as Peter says. In like manner, the kingdom awaits the godly, though they neither seek it, nor think of it themselves; being a possession prepared for them by their Father, not only before they were in existence, but even before the foundation of the world.
No, if the godly were doing good so that they might obtain the kingdom, they would never obtain it; they would instead belong to the community of the wicked who, with an evil and mercenary eye, “seek their own,” 418 even in God. But the sons of God do good through a gratuitous good pleasure; not seeking any reward, but simply seeking the glory of God, and aiming to do the will of God. They are prepared to do good, even though according to an impossible supposition: there is no such thing as either the kingdom or hell-fire. I think these things are quite sure from that single saying of Christ in Mat 25.34: “Come you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom, which has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
How do they earn that which even now is theirs, and which was prepared for them before they were born? So that we would speak more correctly if we said that the kingdom of God rather earns us for its possessors, than we earn it — thus placing merit where they place reward, and reward where they place merit. For the kingdom is not to be prepared, but it has been prepared; the children of the kingdom are to be prepared for it, and are not to prepare the kingdom. That is, the kingdom earns her children; the children do not earn the kingdom. Hell, in like manner, earns her children, and prepares them, rather than they prepare it — since Christ says, “Depart you cursed into everlasting fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” 419
SECT. 38. Why there are promises and threatenings in Scripture.
Then, what do those declarations mean which promise the kingdom and threaten hell? What does that word ‘reward’ mean, being repeated so often throughout the Scriptures? “Your work has a reward,” 1Cor 3.14 He says. “I am your exceeding great reward.” Gen 15.1 Again; “Who renders to every man according to his works.” Psa 62.12 And Paul in Rom 2.7 says, “To those who by the patience of good works seek for eternal life,” and many similar sayings.
The answer is that all these sayings prove nothing but a consequence of reward, and by no means a worthiness of merit 420 — those who truly do good, do it not through a servile and mercenary disposition to gain eternal life, but they still seek eternal life; that is, they are in the way by which they will arrive at and obtain eternal life.
So that, to seek eternal life, is to painfully strive, and to endeavour with urgent labour, because it tends to follow from a good life. Now, the Scriptures declare that these things will take place, and will follow from a good or evil life; in order that men may be instructed, warned, excited, or terrified. For as by the law, is the knowledge of sin, Rom 3.20 and the warning of our impotency, yet is it not inferred from this law that we have any power. Even so, we are warned and taught by those promises and threatenings, what follows from that sin and impotency of ours, which the law has pointed out to us — but nothing of worthiness is ascribed by them to our merit.
Therefore, as law words stand in place of instruction and illumination, to teach us what we ought to do and, as the next step, what we cannot do — so words of reward, while they intimate what is to happen, stand in place of exhortation and threatening, to stir up, comfort, and revive the godly. 421 This is that they may go on, persevere, and conquer in doing good, and enduring evil, lest they become weary or broken-hearted. Just as Paul exhorts his Corinthian converts, saying, “Quit yourselves like men,” “knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 422
Thus God revives Abraham by saying, ‘I am your exceeding great reward.’ It is just as if you cheered a person, by telling him that his works assuredly please God: it is the sort of consolation which the Scripture frequently uses. Nor is it a small degree of consolation for a man to know that he pleases God, even if nothing else followed from it — which is impossible, however.
SECT. 39. Reason objects to the account, but is answered ‘such is the will of God.’
All that is said about hope and expectation must be referred to this consideration: that the things hoped for will certainly take place; although godly men do not hope because of the things themselves, or seek such benefits for their own sake. So again, ungodly men are terrified and cast down by words of threatening which announce a judgment to come, that they may cease and abstain from evil; that they may not be puffed up; and that they may not grow secure and insolent in their sins.
Now, if reason turned up her nose here and said, Why would God have these impressions made by his words, when no effect is produced by such words, and when the will cannot turn itself either way? Why does he not perform what he does, without taking notice of it in the word? Seeing that He can do all things without the word; and seeing that the will neither has more power, nor of itself performs more through hearing the word, if the Spirit is lacking to move the soul within. Nor would the will have less power, or perform less, though the word were silent, if the Spirit were granted — since it all depends on the power and work of the Holy Ghost.
My reply is that God has determined to give the Spirit by the word, and not without it, having us for his cooperators, to sound without, what he alone and by himself breathes within, just where he pleases, producing effects which he could no doubt accomplish without the word — but it is not his pleasure to do so.
And who are we, that we should demand the reason why God wills so? It is enough for us to know that God wills so; and it becomes us to reverence, to love, and to adore this will, putting a restraint on rash Reason. Even Christ, in Matthew 11, assigns no other cause for the Gospel being hidden from the wise and revealed to babes, than it seemed good to the Father. 423 Thus he might nourish us without bread; and He has, in point of fact, given us a power of being nourished without bread, as he says in Mat 4.4, “Man is not nourished by bread alone, but by the word of God.” 424 Still, it pleased him to nourish us inwardly by his word, through the means of bread; and that bread is fetched into us from without. 425
It stands good, therefore, that merit is not proved by reward — in the Scriptures, at least. And again, that Freewill is not proved
