Jacobs thankfulness to God, for Gods goodness to Jacob A meditation on Genesis 32.…Iacobs thankfulnesse to God, for Gods goodnesse to Iacob A meditation on Genesis 32.…

I might here take occasion to show somewhat largely, in what sense the ^uAncient Fathers, as also ^xother Writers of those times do ordinarily use the word to Merit (because our Adversaries so much press the use of that Phrase in them, as if it implied such Merit as they maintain) to wit, as ^yBellarmine himself, with ^zothers of his own side also acknowledgeth, for to achieve or obtain ought on any terms whatsoever, be it of free favour, or of due debt and desert: which is the Merit of Impetration, that he saith Augustine speaketh ⟨p. 44⟩of; and ^adiffereth much from Merit or Desert strictly and properly so termed, as Bellarmine himself also granteth: Since that, by their own confession, ^bit is one thing to impetrate or obtain, and another to merit, that is, to deserve: And therefore in such sense as they use the word Merit, ^ca man may be said sometime to merit, that is, obtain and impetrate, what he deserveth not; and again, ^dnot to merit, that is, obtain and impetrate what yet he hath well deserved. As also in this sense ^ethey are wont (Bellarmine himself also acknowledging it) to call all good works merits, for which we receive ought, though the reward be, as ^fhe granteth also that it may be, not of desert, right, or due debt, but of favour and grace only. Wherein Bernard singularly well expounding their meaning, and his own too, where he useth those and the like terms;