Went in front, having merit, being erudite (7)
I believe the answer is:
learned
'being erudite' is the definition.
('learned' can be a synonym of 'erudite')
'went in front having merit' is the wordplay.
'went in front' becomes 'led' (I've seen this in another clue).
'having' is an insertion indicator.
'merit' becomes 'earn' (I've seen this in another clue).
'led' enclosing 'earn' is 'LEARNED'.
(Other definitions for learned that I've seen before include "Acquired and digested knowledge" , "Literati" , "Highly educated" , "Knowledgeable - scholarly" , "Wise, educated" .)