if it happen we finde they haue otherwise thought than the trueth may beare them Such am I in the writings of others and such would I wish others to be in mine But here in this matter of which we now intreate I stand more vpon his negation than either his affirmation or his dubitation First because hee therein accordeth with the holy canonicall scriptures which I some while mentioned ere euer I him named Secondly because he oftener denieth it according to the scripture than he either affirmeth it or doubteth of it altogether against the scriptures for besides the places named in which he denyeth it which for weight if not for number are able to counteruaile all those in which he either affirmeth it or doubteth of it hee denieth it also in his first booke against the Pelagians where he thus saith August lib. 5. cont Pelag A third place we know none neither doe we finde in the holy scriptures that there is any such out of the forge of thine owne conceite O Pelagian fayne thou such an one to be And in his Enchiridion where he thus saith August Enchirid. cap. 67. They which teach that some men are punished in a long continuing fire but not eternall are deceiued through a certaine humane beneuolence for the holy scripture being consulted with answereth another thing And also in his questions of eitheir testament where hee thus saith In the world to come there is onely remuneration August in quaest vtriusque Testament and condemnation but here in this world sinnes are either loosed or bound But why stand I thus long vpon him vpon whom if I stoode nothing at all the trueth of that I say would be neuer a whit the more impaired or weakened It is because I was thereto vrged and moued and not because my matter had been naught vnles by him it had been confirmed for the ground thereof is good And therefore as thaâ— house will stand which is built vpon a roâ—ke so will this doctrine which is grounded vpon the trueth Q. So let it then for I see by that which â— said against purgatorie that there is little ground for purgatorie R. Neuer little it as if there were any but rather none it because there is none at all for except it be in Philosophers and Poets Purgatorie hath no ground And what should wee doe with the authoritie of Philosophers and Poets against the expresse testimonie of scriptures and Fathers Alphonsus lib. 8. de haeres de Indulgent Polydor. Virg. de Inuent lib 8. cap. 7. August lib. 2. ad Gaudent Vntill this day of the Grecians or of the East Church Purgatorie was neuer beleeued saith Alphonsus and of Purgatorie among the auncient fathers there is either no mention at all or very seldome yea euen vntill this day the Grecians beleeue it not saith Polydore Virgill And though they did yet were that nothing to vs. For wee must not alwaies imitate or allowe whatsoeuer allowed persons haue done but lay the iudgement of scriptures to it to see whether they allowe the doing of it Exod. 23.2 For thus they runne Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe euill neither agree in a controuersie to decline after many and ouerthrowe the trueth Iere. 23.16 And againe Heare not the words of the Prophets that prophecie vnto you and teach you vanitie they speake the vision of their owne heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord. And againe 1. Ioh. 4.1 Beleeue not euerie spirite but trie the spirits whether they be of God for many false Prophets are gone out into the world And to the same the auncient writers accord saith Ignatius Whosoeuer speaketh any thing more than is written Ignatius in his epistle to Hieron although he be worthie credit although hee fast although hee keepe his virginitie although he doe miracles although he prophecie yet let him seeme to thee a wolfe in the flocke of sheepe saith Hierome After the Apostles of Christ Hieron super Psal 86. notwithstanding some man be holy notwithstanding he be eloquent yet he wanteth authoritie and saith Picus Mirandula We ought to beleeue a simple plaine husbandman or a childe Picus MiraÌ„dula in the quest Whether the Pope be aboue the Councell Deut. 12.32 or an olde woman rather than the Pope and a thousand Bishops if the Pope and the Bishops speake against the Gospell and the others with the Gospell If the scriptures allowe not what wee would haue allowed we must not allow it Deut. 12.32 Saith the Lorde Whatsoeuer I commaund you take heede you doe it thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take ought therefrom If any man shall adde vnto these things Reuel 22.18 19. God shall adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke and if any man shall diminish of the words of the booke of this prophecie God shall take away his part out of the booke of life and out of the holy citie and from those things which are written in this booke Q. An hard sentence a heauie burthen I see well by this that wee must beleeue neither Pope nor Papist in their purgatorie cause R. You may be right well assured of that for therein they speake not with the Gospell But they adde to the Gospell and diminish from the Gospell yea and speake against the Gospell The Gospell saith Christ the Lambe of God hath taken away the sinnes of the world But they say Purgatorie must doe somewhat thereto The Gospell saith The guilt of sinne being remitted the punishment thereof cannot be reteyned They say The guilt of sinne being remitted some part of the punishment thereof and fire in purgatorie must be sustained The Gospell saith God doth not punish one sinne twise They say The sinne that God doth in part punish here he doth afterward more fully punish in purgatorie The Gospell saith All the punishments that God doth leuie vpon sinners after this life is in hell They say Some punishment that God doth lay vpon sinners after this life is in Purgatorie The Gospell saith After this life there is no punishment of sinne temporall any where They say Yes in Purgatorie Thus in this poynt are they and the Gospell contrarie Q. Yet by hearing and reading of others I haue found that much they pretend the Gospell R. That is not vnlike yet are you not therfore euer the more to credit them in what they say For thus saith Saint Cyrill In concil Calcedon act 1. Athanas cont Arrianos orat 1. All heretiques out of the heauenly inspired scriptures gather occasion of their error And thus Athanasius Heretikes vse the words of the scripture for a bayte Q. I but they doe not so R. The better for them if it be not found so but I feare me as Tertullian sayd of one heretike Tertullian de Baptismo Hee assaulteth the faith by the same words of God that breedeth faith so wee may well say of them They
thus in the 17. verse of the 1. Chapter of the second booke of Kings it is said 2. Kin. 1.17 So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken Q. I but yet it appeares not that it had been better for Ahaziah to haue died of his sicknes then to haue askte counsell of Baalzebub the God of Ekron touching his disease R. No death what hinders First he dies for his sending and it may bee he should not then haue died if he had not sent VVherefore and therefore are words that imply much in this history they are both vsed 2. King 1. verse 4.16 Secondly ere he dies he looseth an hundred men and two captaines through his sending which he should not haue lost if he had not sent and doe not these things approue what a longtime you haue driuen me to proue Q. Yes for him but not for others R. Yes yes for others and him too they which are alike in offence shall not be vnlike in punishment what Aheziah once gatte by vsing vnlawfull meanes for health that often get others by doing the like good neuer get any The author of mischiefe by whom all Charmers and Coniurers doe worke neuer doth good though for the present I deny not but it may seeme good and other good then that which he doth they get not Euery seruant liues at his Masters expences and therefore his seruants must fare no otherwise then he will allow them Q. You are an eger man against Coniurers and Charmers sith you cannot abide that they should be sought to in sicknes for health answere me to this May the helpe and counsaile of allothers but these be both asked and vsed R. Yea if they bee as before I said for knowledge skilfull for practise fortunate for conscience vpright and religious Q. Your If argues not that euery others helpe beside Coniurers and Charmers is either to be craued or practised R. It is very like so if they be not qualified as before is specified Q. Why require you so much in a Phisitian R. Because with lesse he is no good Phisitian and I would haue none so foolish as to put himselfe into the hands of the vnskilfull infortunate and vngodly it is ill committing of a mans selfe to him that is skilfull if he bee both infortunate and vngodly but it is worse to him that is neither cunning luckie nor godly though he be zealous to do good a man may haue little good by him if he hath neither knowledge to direct him nor successe to follow him and therefore surely he may look for lesse where all are wanting oft times a man fares the worse for another mans vngodlines how much more shal he fare amisse when all three euils meete in one Q. I but that is seldome when R. Too oftē if it be but once for bad is the first that is ignorance it is the mother of all errours but worse is the second that is infortunacie the infortunacie of one is infortunate to another but worst of all is the third that is impiety for one mans impiety hinders another mans prosperity Q. I confesse none of them all is good R. And dare you affirme that one is not worse then another Q. I neither dare nor doe yet that which is in the comparatiue or superlatiue must also be in the positiue R. That 's true because neither comparatiue not superlatiue can be without the positiue but why stand you vpon those things Q. Because you haue driuen me to them R. If I wist that I would draw you from thē for it is not for vs now to stand vpon thē Q. Yet we may well speake of them R. I withstand not that Q. Neither do I withstand you in the qualities of your Phisitian but yet I would craue a reason of that his condition R. I haue giuen one already will not that content you Q. That 's a very generall one R. Is it euer the worse for that Q. I say not so but still me thinke it is for somwhat that you wish a Phisition whom a man in sicknes should seeke to to be so conditioned as before you haue mentioned R. It is so and that somewhat I haue told you for I would haue him good that is to be sought to because I would haue the sick seeke to none but him that is good Q. Your will is good but who is so good R. He that practiseth well Q. What is he R. He that practiseth religiously in regard of himselfe and commodiously in regard of his patient Q. Doe not all practise alike R. No diuerse practise diuerselie some worke onely by the inspection of the vrine some againe hand ouer head some other by Astrologicall rules Q. And doe you finde fault with euery of these R. Yea that do I and not without cause for the first may be deceiued the second sooner kill then cure the third effect lesse good then they otherwise might Q. Why is it not good to iudge by the vrine R. Forest de vrin iudicijs lib. 3. Lang. lib. 2 Epist 4. Yes but it is not euer safe to minister according to the vrine for as the learned in that faculty auouch that kind of dealing tends rather to kill then to cure and sundry men are indeed killed thereby Q. Why is that R. Because iudgement by the vrine is very deceiptful for the water of him that is sicke of a pestilent feuer euen vnto death lookes for substance and colour as the water of a whole man and so doth the water of him that is sicke of a quartane or of any other intermitting feauer specially if they haue vsed good diet from the beginning so also doth the water of him that hath the plurisie or the inflammation of the lungs or the squinancy oft times when he is neere death Q. May one the same vrine then fore-signifie both life and death and may be a signe of diuerse and different diseases R. Yea that it may for a thinne crude and pale vrine in them that be in health doth betoken want of digestion but in them that are sicke of a sharpe or burning ague it betokens the frensie and is a certaine signe of death at hand to ensue Q. I muse then why most Phisitians worke by the inspection of the vrine R. You neede neuer long muse thereat the reason is soone found they are sent vnto by many and that often by simple soules women and seruants such as can giue them no further instruction then they themselues extorte from them by questioning with them vpon inspection of the vrine they are sent for but by few so that their absēce from their patients is a cause why they worke as they may vpon their patients no doubt but many would worke otherwise then they doe did they see and know the conditions of their patients Q. It seemes then there is fault aswell in them that should vse them as in themselues R. You may be
also I finde That olde Tobit no sooner remembred that hee had wished for death Tobit 4.2 but hee said wherefore doe I not call for my sonne Tobias that I may admonish him before I dye as though when a man were a dying it were his duetie to admonish his sonnes and those of his familie to doe those things which are pleasing vnto him which gaue them life and may at his pleasure take it againe from them And therefore when he had called him he sayd My sonne after that I am dead burie me and despise not thy mother but honour her all the dayes of thy life and doe that which shall please her and anger her not Remember my sonne how many dangers she susteyned when thou wast in her wombe and when she dyeth burie her by me in the same graue My sonne set our Lord God alwaies before thine eyes and let not thy will be set to sinne or to transgresse the commandement of God Doe vprightlie all thy life long and follow not the waies of vnrighteousnes for if thou deale truely thy doings shall prosperouslie succeed to thee and to all them that liue iustly and so forth as followeth in that place Now by all this which I haue found this is the conclusion which I make to wit that what good thing soeuer men know touching God and godlines they are not to keepe it to themselues but to teach it their children and families not onely in their life time but also at their death that so God may be glorified of them both while they liue and also when they dye And the third thing that induces me thereto ouer and aboue the precept of God and the practise of good men of which I haue now spoken is the speciall commendation God himselfe giues to Abraham the father of the faithfull for the doing of the same for when he was to discouer vnto him the destruction of Sodome and Gomorhe he made this the reason of his so doing Gen. 18.19 I know Abraham that he will commaund his sonnes and his householde after him that they keepe the way of the Lorde to doe righteousnes and iudgement And what a singular commendation this is hee that hath but halfe an eye may see It is a very good thing to be well spoken of by men Senec. de Reme fort The good opinion of men is safer than money An honest report is a second patrimonie Id. in Prou. Yea saith Salomon A good name is to be chosen aboue great riches and louing fauour is aboue siluer Prou. 22.1 Eccl. 7.3 and aboue golde A good name is better than a good oyntment But it is a better thing to bee well spoken of by God himselfe as hee better knoweth what is in man so hee better iudgeth what is done by man as he also is greater than man so is his commendation better than mans Mans is hardly got and easilie lost Gods once got is euer hardly lost as hee knowes what hee speakes ere he speakes so he speakes surely when he speakes As Balaam said to Balak God is not as man Num. 22.19 that he should lye neither as the sonne of man that he should repent hath he said and shall he not doe it And hath he spoken and shall hee not accomplish it As Peter saith The word of the Lord endureth for euer As Christ himselfe saith 1. Pet. 1.25 which was and is God Mat. 24 35. Heauen and earth shall passe away but my words shall not passe away As therefore he that is sicke is desirous to haue the praise of God before the praise of men because of all praise it is the best so is he to be carefull of that which God himselfe commaundes to all and commends in Abraham hee commaunds it that it may bee obeyed hee commends it that it may bee regarded hee commaunds it and commends it that in the time of sickenes and before the houre of death it may not be neglected Q. But what is the reason that he that is sicke should in his sickenes be carefull of that you speake of It may be in his health he hath often before done it R. That hinders not but that then also he must doe it It is a duetie that lyes vpon a man not onely in the time of health but in the time of sickenes also though therefore in his health he hath neuer so often admonisht all those of his familie to feare God and keepe his commaundements yet then in his sickenes he is not to cease to admonish them still ofte had Moses and Ioshua admonisht the Israelites to serue the Lord and walke in his waies ere euer the time of their departure drew nigh yet did they not therefore cease to doe it euen then when the time came that they were to depart No more should he that is sicke and at the poynt to dye you aske here what is the reason he should then doe it but you might better aske what are the reasons thereof for they are many more than one One is because it is the last and best worke he can then doe and the Apostle saith Desire you the best gifts And againe 1. Cor. 12.3 Gal. 6.9 2. Thes 3.13 Bee not wearie of and in well doing for in due season ye shall reape if yee faint not Another is because it is euery mans part to seeke the propagation of Gods glorie as well when he is dying as while he is liuing For therefore the Lord created him Esa 43.7 I created him for my glorie Esa 41.7 And againe verse 21. This people haue I formed for my selfe they shall shew forth my praise Rom. 14.8 The Apostle also saith Whether we liue or dye wee are the Lordes and therefore while we liue we should liue vnto the Lord and when we dye we should dye vnto the Lord. And because liuing we should liue vnto the Lord and dying dye to the Lord both liuing and dying we should admonish others to liue and dye vnto the Lord. Liuing because the Apostle one where saith Exhorte one another and edifie one another euen as yee doe 1. Thes 5.11 14. and verse there the 14. Admonish them that are vnrulie dying because the same Apostle other where saith 1. Cor. 10.31 Whether yee eate or drinke or whatsoeuer you doe doe all to the glorie of God and therefore this for this makes much to the glorie of God Steuens vehement exhortation to the Iewes before his death made some turne vnto God after his death Saith Augustine in one of his bookes de ciuitate Dei Augustinus de ciuitate Dri. If Steuen had not prayed the Church had not had Paul the Doctor of the Gentiles Through the many good wordes which Christ vsed as he went to be crucified some were either conuerted or confirmed the theefe was conuerted the Centurion was confirmed by both God was glorified the theefe said Luk. 23.42.43 c. Lorde remember mee
Wherefore cryest thou vnto me Exod. 14.15 When death therefore assailes me all sences external failes so as the sicke bee vtterly vnable to pray with tongue yet if through the instigation of others he be willing thereto that his will to praier is as good as if he did pray for as Dauid saith Psal 10.17 145.19 God heares the desires of the poore and he will fulfill the desires of them that feare him he also will heare their cry and will saue them And this he speakes as if the sighes sobs and grones of a repentant and beleeuing heart were praiers before God as well as the supplicatory words of a loud and mournfull crying tongue but to stay further speech of this though I might make much more you see many speake and vnderstand well to their last gaspe and they I think may vse their tongues in praier aswel as their hearts Q. There are but a few that doe so and seldome when it is that any doe so R. Yes vndoubtedly they are many that doe so and such times fall out often and neither is greatly to bee marueiled at for why As good words either of God and godlines or to God and his goodnes are sighes of a true and timely faith so often doth God enable many to the last point of their liues both to speake and to vse many good words to his glory their owne comfort and others great good If you will looke either into the Scriptures or into other histories you shall find there many good men to haue spoken to the last and to haue vsed merueilous good words at the last In the nine and fourtieth of Genesis the last words of Iaâ—kob were prophecies of blessings and curses vpon his children the duration of gouernement in Israel and ardent praier for his owne good Amongst all and other things by him there said these are neither least nor last Gen. 49.10 The Scepter shall not depart from Iudah and the Law-giuer from betweene his feete till Shilo come And againe O Lord I haue waited for thy saluation In the two and three and thirteth of Deuteronomie Deu 32.35 the last words of Moses were his most excelleÌ„t song conteining the benefites of God toward his people and their ingratitude towards him and Moses his blessing wherewith he blessed the children of Israel before his death the words are better for you there to reade then forme heere to repeat referring you thither therefore there to reade them heere for this time I willingly omit them In the second of Samuel and the three and twentieth Chapter the last words of Dauid were The spirit of the Lord spake by mee 2. Sam. 23.1 and his word was in my tongue the God of Israel spake vnto mee the strength of Israel said Beare rule ouer me c. In the foure and twentieth of the second booke of Chronicles the last wordes of Zacharias the sonne of Iehoiada 2. Chro. 24.22 when he was stoned were these The Lord looke vpon it and require it the last words of our Sauiour Christ when he was dying vpon the crosse as they were many admirable so they were full of spirituall grace and comfortable Mat. 27.46 First speaking to his Father he said 1. Eli Eli Luk. 23.34 Luk. 23.43 lamasabachtani My God my God why hast thou forsaken me 2. Father forgiue them they know not what they doe 2. to the theefe he said Ioh. 19.26.27 c. Verilie I say vnto thee to day shalt thou be with mee in Paradise 3. to his mother he said Woman behold thy Sonne and to Iohn Behold thy mother 4. Earnestly desiring our saluation he said I thirst 5. Hauing made perfect satisfaction vnto God for mans offence he said Luk. 23.48 It is finished Lastly when body and soule were parting hee said againe vnto God Father into thine haÌ„ds I commend my spirit Act. 7.56.59.60 the last words of Steuen were these 1. Behold I see the heauens open and the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God 2. Lord Iesu receiue my spirit 3. Lord lay not this sinne to their charge In other writers you may see the last words of others and those very good all spoken at the last cast of life Euseb lib. 4 cap. 15. At the last and as the last thus spake Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna Thou art a true God without lying therefore in all things I praise thee and blesse thee and glorifie thee by the eternall God and high Priest Iesus Christ thine only sonne by whom and with whome to thee and the holy spirit be all glory now and for euer And thus Ignatius Bishop of Antioch Id. lib. 3. c. 30. I care not what kinde of death I die I am the bread of the Lord must be grounde with the teeth of Lions that I may be cleane bread for Christ who is the bread of life for me And thus Ambrose Bishop of Millaine Paulinus in vita eius I haue not so lead my life among you as if I were ashamed to liue Neither doe I feare death because we haue a good Lord. Possidonius in vita Augustini And thus Augustine Bishop of Hippo. 1. He is no great man that thinkes it no great matter that trees and stones fall and mortall men die 2. Iust art thou ô Lord and righteous is thy iudgement Foxe preface to Luthers Comment vpon the Psalmes of degrees And thus Luther comparable to the chiefest as Master Foxe once said My heauenly father God and father of our Lord Iesus Christ and God of all comfort I giue thee thanks that thou hast reuealed vnto me thy sonne Iesus Christ whome I haue beleeued whome I haue professed whome I haue loued whome I haue praised whome the Bishop of Rome and the whole company of the wicked persecuteth and reuileth I pray thee my Lord Iesus Christ receiue my poore soule my heauenly Father though I be taken from this life and this bodie of mine is to be laide downe yet I know certainely that I shall remaine with thee for euer neither shall any be able to pull me out of thy hands And thus Bishop Hooper O Lord Iesus sonne of Dauid haue mercie on me and receiue my soule And thus Annas Burgius Forsake mee not O Lord least I forsake thee And thus Melancthon if it be the will of God I am willing to die and I beseech him that he will graunt me a ioyfull departure and to the like effect many others But to speake of them al were too much the examples of those good men that at the last end of their liues haue expressed their notable faith in God and his Christ are infinite and therefore too many as well for me to recite as for you to remember As these which I haue mentioned may suffice to shew what many haue done so may they well serue to signifie what all should do for good words by the good are