The Nestorians and their Rituals/Volume 2/Chapter 18
CHAPTER XVIII.
OF WORKS OF SUPEREROGATION.
"Voluntary Works besides, over and above, God's Commandments, which they call Works of Supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety: for by them men do declare, that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for His sake, than of bounden duty is required: whereas Christ saith plainly, When ye have done all that are commanded to you, say, We are unprofitable servants."—Article XIV.
"Let us awake from the sleep of idleness, and let us run the race which is set before us. Let us aim to do good, and not be slothful, and as much as in us lieth let us imitate the perfect in their perseverance. Wherefore do we reproach the Israelites for their sins? Is not the road straight before us, why then should we go astray? We must account ourselves bound to do the things which are commanded us, nevertheless though we do them we shall not thereby profit the Holy and Rich [God,] and on the other hand, if we omit to do them, we cannot injure Him. The fruits of these two [the doing and the leaving undone what we ought to do,] are our own. Let us, therefore, fulfil the commands of the righteous Son, and worship His adorable Cross, confessing both inwardly and outwardly that it is through Him we conquer, through Him we become members of the Household, through Him we are justified, and through Him we triumph over our enemies." From a poem in the Khâmees written by the priest Ishak on the "Adorable Cross and the life of Christ."
REMARKS.
The doctrine condemned in this article has no existence among the Nestorians. So little do they know of any such error that they have not even a name for it.