Meditations on the holy sacrament of the Lords last Supper Written many years sinceMeditations on the holy sacrament of the Lords last Supper Written many yeares since

We answer, that the hand of the beggar, without which the Alms is no way received, doth not prejudice the free donation thereof, that being only the Instrument whereby the gift is conveyed. The labourer doth not deserve his wages because he receives it, but he receives it because he hath before deserved it, receiving conveyeth, it doth not merit it. Neither is salvation given us for our faith in the virtue of a work, but only because of that respect and relation which it hath unto him who trod the winepress alone, without any assisting or comeriting cause. Even Adam in innocency could not be without an Assent and firm belief that the faithful God would perform the promise of life made and annexed unto the Covenant of works: But this faith could not be the merit of life, but the fruit and effect of merit anteceding; for his performance of the Law (in the right whereof he had interest unto glory) preceding, there should immediately from thence have issued, by faith, a prepossession (as it were) and preapprehension of that glory which by virtue of that legal obedience he should have had interest unto; so that it is repugnant absolutely to the nature of faith to be any way the cause meritorious of salvation, it being nothing else but the application and apprehension of that salvation, which in vain our ⟨p. 89⟩faith layeth claim unto, unless in the right of some anteceding work either our own or some others in our behalf it be first merited for us. He which believes and so by consequence lays hold on life, without a ground preceding for his claim thereunto, is a robber rather than a Believer, and doth rather steal heaven than deserve it, though he is not likely so to speed,^a for in heaven thieves break not through nor steal. Again, suppose Faith, in the quality of the work, should merit that, which until merited can in truth be never by Faith apprehended, yet in as much as nothing can merit for another any farther than as it is his own proper work,² Faith therefore being not within the compass either of natural or of acquired endowments, but proceeding from a supernatural and infused Grace, it is manifest that even so, it cannot possibly obtain salvation by any virtue or efficacy of its own.

We answer, that the hand of the beggar, without which the Almes is no way received, doth not prejudice the free donation thereof, that being only the Instrument whereby the gift is convayed. The labourer doth not deserve his wages because hee receives it, but hee receives it because hee hath before deserv'd it, receiving convayeth, it doth not merit it. Neither is salvation given us for our faith in the vertue of a work, but onely because of that respect and relation which it hath unto him who trod the winepresse alone, without any assisting or comeriting cause. Even Adam in innocenry could not be without an Assent and firme beleefe that the faithfull God would performe the promise of life made and annexed unto the Covenant of workes: But this faith could not be the merit of life, but the fruit and effect of merit anteceding; for his performance of the Law (in the right whereof hee had interest unto glory) preceding, there should immediatly from thence have issued, by faith, a prepossession (as it were) and preapprehension of that glory which by vertue of that legall obedience he should have had interest unto; so that it is repugnant absolutely to the nature of faith to be any way the cause meritorious of salvation, it being nothing else but the application and apprehension of that salvation, which in vaine our