A second volume of discourses or sermons on several scriptures

First, It falls not under any Merit of ours; for certainly, could we have merited Christ out of Heaven, we might as well have merited Heaven without Christ. When God in his infinite Wisdom foresaw how we would reject and despise his Son; first spill his Blood, and then trample upon it, he did not account this Demeanour of ours to be meritorious of so great a gift.

First, It falls not under any Merit of ours; for certainly, could we have merited Christ out of Heaven, we might as well have merited Heaven without Christ. When God in his infinite Wisdom foresaw how we would reject and despise his Son; first spill his Bloud, and then trample upon it, he did not account this Demeanour of ours to be meritorious of so great a gift.

Secondly, Which is yet more to the Glory of God's free Grace, He bestowed Christ upon us, not only without any merit of ours, but without any merit of his also. It is free Grace that Pardons, that Sanctifies, that saves us; yet all this Christ purchased for us by a full price. God will have a price paid down for all other things of a less value, that so he might hereby set forth his own Bounty in parting with his own Son for us without price.

¹Thirdly, Pardon and Grace obtained through the Blood of Christ, in respect of any Merit of ours, is altogether free and undeserved. We cannot of our selves scarce so much as ask forgiveness, much less therefore can we do any thing that may deserve it. All that we can do, is either sinful, or holy; if what we do be sinful, it only increaseth our Debts: If it be holy, it must proceed from God's free Grace, that enables us to do it; and certainly it is free Grace to pardon us upon the doing of that, which free Grace only enables us to do. Far be it from us to affirm, as the Papists ⟨p. 17⟩