knowledge of the history concerning Christ, and ascribe to Him that
it is His merit that a habit is given us, or, as they say, _prima
gratia_, "first grace," which they understand as a habit, inclining
us the more readily to love God; yet what they ascribe to this habit
is of little importance [is a feeble, paltry, small, poor operation,
that would be ascribed to Christ], because they imagine that the acts
of the will are of the same kind before and after this habit. They
imagine that the will can love God; but nevertheless this habit
stimulates it to do the same the more cheerfully. And they bid us
first merit this habit by preceding merits; then they bid us merit by
the works of the Law an increase of this habit and life eternal.
Thus they bury Christ, so that men may not avail themselves of Him as
a Mediator, and believe that for His sake they freely receive
remission of sins and reconciliation, but may dream that by their own
fulfilment of the Law they merit the remission of sins, and that by
their own fulfilment of the Law they are accounted righteous before
God; while, nevertheless, the Law is never satisfied, since reason
does nothing except certain civil works, and, in the mean time
neither [in the heart] fears God, nor truly believes that God cares
for it. And although they speak of this habit, yet, without the
righteousness of faith, neither the love of God can exist in man, nor
can it be understood what the love of God is.

Their feigning a distinction between _meritum congrui_ and _meritum
condigni_ [due merit and true, complete merit] is only an artifice in
order not to appear openly to Pelagianize, For, if God necessarily
gives grace for the _meritum congrui_ [due merit], it is no longer
_meritum congrui_, but _meritum condigni_ [a true duty and complete
merit]. But they do not know what they are saying. After this habit
of love [is there], they imagine that man can acquire _merit de