What is meant by the application, or assimilation of the merits of Jesus Christ to the human race? Of course, the transfer of salvation from Christ to people. And since this salvation is twofold, that is, it consists in the deliverance of man from evils and in the provision of good things to him, in reconciliation with God and in the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, the application of salvation to the human race consists in the transfer to people both of reconciliation with God and deliverance from evils, and of the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven and the acquisition of blessings: both, without application, could remain in Jesus Christ alone, the author and source of all these merits, as it remains for some.

And even in human judgment they demand consent from the one for whom others are due, and without this it is impossible to impose on him exemption from punishment.

By the way, what part of the merits of Jesus Christ can apparently act without active application? A new earth and a new heaven can apparently be granted to him who is not prepared to receive them; the sick person can be placed among the healthy and surrounded by good air; In the same way, a sinner can be placed on holy ground. But it seems so to a superficial eye, but in fact it cannot be. A sinner cannot be given even a particle of blessings: he will not be in harmony with his new home, and there must be perfect harmony - there will be such a world as man is. This can be seen in the ordinary patient: the pure mountain air is intolerable to the consumptive, he coughs in him; For some birds the light is also unbearable, they are blind to it.

Who is the assimilator of the merits of Jesus Christ? There must be a mutual union of God with man, that is, God and man act here. When salvation was acquired, then only the Son of God acted; but when it is assimilated, then man must also act. Otherwise, if God alone had acted, then all would have been saved. It is known that God acts more, and man less; There are different opinions about how much a person acts. The Holy Spirit is the special and main agent in this case, but we must not forget that Jesus Christ is also at work here.

How does God assimilate the merits of Jesus Christ? It consists of: 1)

2) To help a weak person, who in this respect is like a completely paralyzed sick person, who cannot accept medicine without the help of another, but who has only his mouth and stomach for this.

In what does this assimilation on the part of man consist? On the part of man, it consists: 1) in the readiness to accept what is announced to him - to accept not only with the mind, but also with the heart, or, in the language of the Bible - in living faith. This condition on the part of man is the main and essential, but not the only one. And therefore this condition consists: 2) in the fulfillment of the conditions that are required of him, in behavior in accordance with the new state, or in a good life. But this does not make up everything. In relation to God's help, there must also be something third on the part of man. God gives strength to man, uses the means so that man may assimilate to himself the salvation acquired by Jesus Christ; a person must use all this, that is, he must obey the voice of the Church; to listen to and read the word of God, to use the Sacraments; this means that the assimilation of salvation on the part of man still consists: 3) in the use of what God gives to man and what He uses for this assimilation.

Our theologians do not speak of this last condition, being content with faith and works. This is because they follow Protestants, who have neither the Church nor the Sacraments, and therefore there can be no obedience to all of these.

What means does God use to assimilate salvation to the human race? He uses visible and invisible means, permanent and temporary, natural and supernatural. The visible main means is the Church, a society of people chosen to serve salvation. She, having received everything from Jesus Christ Himself, constantly declares salvation in actions and teaching, and helps in prayers and Sacraments. The private means found in the Church and used by her are: 1) the Word of God, which is more extensive than the Sacraments and other private means, for in it there is both a detailed declaration of salvation and perfect help. 2) The sacraments, which, with the exception of Baptism and Communion, which also contain a declaration of salvation, are for the most part means of restoration. 3) Rites and everything ecclesiastical in general can also be included here. These are visible and permanent means! Invisible and temporal essence: the direct actions of grace on the soul, the actions not only of the Holy Spirit, but also of the Son of God and God the Father. The apostles often speak of these means in their Epistles.

$All of these remedies are supernatural. Thus, the Church is a supernatural means, for it was established by Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven; and of the word and the Sacraments it is not necessary to say that their origin is supernatural. Are there still no natural remedies? There are: 1) Mind and conscience. They tell a person that he is a sinner, convince him that he himself cannot get rid of sin, and as a result dispose him to the idea that God, the All-Good Being, will not leave him unhappy, but will give him a helping hand from above. This help is given in Christianity through Christ. This means that in this way the mind and conscience lead a person to Christianity, to Christ. Conscience, then, is the first and constant revelation for which all others exist, and reveals Christ to man in spirit, just as does the revelation of God; does not reveal only historically, that is, does not indicate the person and all the temporal and local circumstances. It points to Christ as justification, according to the Apostle, sanctification and deliverance, not only who He will be or is, where He appeared and when; That is, he indicates the spirit of Christianity, without comprehending only its history. What conscience does can be seen from many examples. Thus, Justin Martyr was brought to Christianity in this way – by his conscience and its restlessness – and here he found complete tranquility. It was the same with many others. 2) Events in nature and in the human world. The same must be said of them as is said of the mind and conscience. They also reveal the spirit of Christianity without its history.

Here is a general outline of the means on the part of God! They are: visible and permanent: the Church, the word of God, the Sacraments; invisible - illumination from the Holy Spirit; natural - mind and conscience, and events in nature and the world. Can internal means work without external ones? In other words: can pagans also receive illumination from the Holy Spirit, or do only Christians receive it? There is no doubt that Christians are illumined by the Holy Spirit; there are many indications of this in the Apostolic Epistles. But whether the Christians and the pagans are illumined in this way is not directly indicated in the Scriptures. It does not say that it should be, but it does not say that it should not be. So only Jesus Christ, the supreme Shepherd, knows this. Perhaps it exists, but the Scriptures have not revealed it, because there is no need: This is necessary only when considering the fate of other non-Christian peoples. Here a pious heart can regret the fate of these peoples; but in this case it is possible to rest on those general truths of the Holy Scriptures, that God has no respect of persons; that He will judge some according to the written law, and others according to the inner, unwritten law, that he who does righteousness in every language is pleasing to God, and so on. Based on these passages, a Christian cannot regret other peoples living outside the Church; and how these blessings will be delivered to them is known only to God, and our curiosity is out of place here.

What means should be used by man to assimilate salvation? They are already shown and noted in the following: "receive, live, and keep," that is, faith, works, and the use of the means that God uses in this case. But in relation to the supernatural action of God on the soul of man, it is still necessary to prepare oneself to accept this action, or to bring oneself into such a state that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit can have direct communication with the human heart. Some recognize this as necessary not for all, but only for the elect. But no, it is necessary for everyone. Without this, it is impossible to have either living faith, or diligent activity, or complete obedience. And what is the meaning of those expressions in which Jesus Christ is represented either as the Head of believers, or as the Bridegroom, and so on? These are not empty expressions, but naked metaphors. This means that there is a strong connection between them.

This is a general outline of the assimilation of salvation to the human race! From this it is evident that this assimilation on the part of God consists in declaring and helping; on the part of man - in the acceptance of conditions for fulfillment. The means on the part of God: the Church, the word of God, the Sacraments, the illumination of the Holy Spirit, conscience, the events of nature and the human world; on the human side: business, use of means and preparation.

Let's look at this in particular.