thing in them that procured his fauour. In Genesis also, where our Translation hath in latin and English, I am in∣feriour to all thy mercyes: in the Chaldeake, it is; My merits are lesse then all thy mercies which thou hast shewed to thy seruant. And in Ecclesiasticus, All mercy shall make a place to euery man according to the merites of his workes. And although the Gree∣ke hath only 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, according to his workes, yet that importeth the same with the Latine, as I shall shew hereafter, and the Scripture witnesseth in those places, where eternall life prepared to good works is entitled mer∣ces, a reward or hire, which must needes be correspondent to merit or desert: Be glad and reioyce, because your reward is very great in heauen: Call the workmen, and pray them their hire: Let thy voyce cease from weeping, and thine eies from teares, because there is a reward for thy worke: God rendreth or giueth reward to the iust according to their workes, according to their owne labours.
3. Our aduersaries make answere to these and the like argumentes. First, that heauen is called a Crowne, a reward secundum quid, and in a respect simply and abso∣lutely, it is only a gift, because it is giuen according to grace, according to mercy, not according to desert or merit. But we reply, that although the originall from whence it proceedeth, be grace and mercy, yet that grace being communicated vpon this solemne bargaine, couenant, or promise of rewarding our workes performed, and digni∣fied therewith, it must of necessity include a dignity in them: For euery reward hath an absolute, and intrinse∣call reference to some proportion of worthines or merit. Heere is a true and absolute reward, therefore a true and absolute merit. For which cause the reward is termed a Crowne, not only of grace, but a Crowne of Iustice, due vnto vs by a certaine right of title of iustice: Friend I do thee no wrong &c. Take that is thine and go. Where he speaketh of the day-penny, by which S. Augustine, S. Hierome, S. Chry∣sostome, Theophilact, and Euthymius vnderstand the King∣dome of heauen, and yet he stileth it his, to wit, his by couenant, his by iustice, and not only by gift: vpon the