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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59251	A vindication of the doctrine contained in Pope Benedict XII, his bull and in the General Council of Florence, under Eugenius the III concerning the state of departed souls : in answer to a certain letter, printed and published against it, by an unknown author, under this title, A letter in answer to the late dispensers of Pope Benedict XII, his bull, &c., wherein the progress of Master Whites lately minted Purgatory is laid open and its grounds examined ... / by S.W.	Sergeant, John, 1622-1707.	1659 (1659)	Wing S2599; ESTC R12974	85,834	208

which are used to be performed by the faithfull for other faithfull according to the institute of the Church Art 4. And that the Souls of them who after Baptism received have contracted no blemish at all of any Sin as also those Souls which after they have contracted the blemish of sin are purged either in their Bodies or being UNCLOATHED OF THEIR BODIES as is above-said are PRESENTLY received into Heaven and clearly behold God himself in Trinity and Unity as he is yet according to the diversity of Merits one more perfect then another Art 5. But that the Souls of them who depart this life in actual deadly sin or onely in Original sin do PRESENTLY descend into Hell to be there punished though with unequal punishments We also define That the holy Apostolical Sea and the Roman Bishop holds the Primacy over the whole World and that he the Roman Bishop is the Successor of St. Peter the Prince of the Apostles and the true Vicar of Christ and the Head of the whole Church and the Father and Teacher of all Christians and that full power was delivered unto him by our Lord Jesus Christ in St. Peter to feed to rule and to govern the universal Church As it is also contained in the Acts of General Councils and in the sacred Canons Given at Florence in the publick Synodical Session In the year 1439. And subscribed by the Emperour of Constantinople and the Greek and Latin Fathers there and then present as it appears in the Books of the Councils B The Ten Heresies condemned by this Bull of Pope Benedict gathered by Eymericus in his Directory of the Inquisitors approved by Gregory xiii cited Pag. 29. IN the Extravagant of Pope Benedict xii says Eymericus which begins Blessed be God These following Heresies are condemned and their contraries are proved to be Catholick verities and to be held as matters of Faith The first Heresie is That according to the common ordination of God the Souls of Just men departed before the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ in which nothing was to be purged presently after the said Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ before the resumption of their Bodies and the general Iudgment did not see nor do see nor shall see cleerly and openly the Divine Essence nor do enjoy it No● after the Ascension of our Lord Iesus Christ were are nor shall be in Heaven in the Heavenly Kingdome and celestial Paradise with Christ aggregated to the fellowship of the holy Angels The Second Heresie is That according to the common ordination of God the Souls of Just men departed before the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ in which something remained to be purged the purgation being totally compleated presently after the said Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ before the resumption of their bodies and the general Iudgment did not see nor do see nor shall see the Divine Essence clearly and openly not do enjoy it Nor after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ were are nor shall be in Heaven c. The Third Heresie is That according to the common ordination of God the Souls of Just men departed after they had received the sacred Baptism in which nothing is to be purged when they depart before the resumption of their bodies and the general Iudgment do not see nor shall see the Divine Essence clearly and openly nor do enjoy it nor are nor shall be in Heaven in the Heavenly Kingdome c. The Fourth Heresie is That according to the common ordination of God the Souls of Just men departing after they have received the sacred Baptism in which there is somthing to be purged when they depart their purgation being also totally compleated before the resumption of their bodies and the general Iudgment do not see nor shall see clearly and openly the Divine Essence nor do nor shall enjoy it nor are nor shall be in Heaven c. The Fifth Heresie is That according to the common ordination of God the Souls of Infants regenerated by sacred Baptism departing before the use of their Free-will before the resumption of their bodies and the general Iudgment do neither see nor shall see clearly and openly the Divine Essence nor do enjoy it nor shall enjoy it nor are nor shall be in Heaven c. The Sixth Heresie is That according to the common ordination of God the Souls of all the aforesaid Just men departed before the resumption of their bodies and the general Iudgment shall not be blessed with the Divine Vision and Fruition nor shall have eternal life and rest The Seventh Heresie is That the Vision which the blessed Souls have of the Divine Essence is not an intuitive and facial Vision The Eighth Heresie is That according to the common ordination of God the intuitive and facial Vision and Fruition of the Divine Essence shall be evacuated in the Blessed nor shall be continued until the final Judgment nor from thence unto all Eternity The Ninth Heresie is That according to the common ordination of God the Souls departed in mortal Sin presently after death do not descend into Hell nor are tormented with infernal punishments The Tenth Heresie is That in the day of Judgmen● all men shall not appear with their bodies before the Tribunal of Christ to render an account of their actions 2 Cor. 5. 10. that every one may receive the things done in his bodie according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad C. The Discourse of an Eminently Learned Divine of our Nation to prove the delivery of Souls before the Resurrection Cited pag. 42. The Condemnation of Blacklow or White by a Pope and General Council THe sense of the Florentin Council of the admission of some Souls even those that now are in Purgatory to Eternal Beatitude before the day of General judgment The Definition of the Council In the Name of the most holy Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost This Sacred and Vniversal Florentin Council approving we define That the Souls of those who after Baptism received have contracted no Blemish at all of sin as also the souls of those which after the blemish of sin contracted are now purged either in their bodies or uncloated of their said bodies as is above said presently are received into Heaven and do behold God himself in Trinity and Vnity as he is Thus the Council Though the very Text it self of the Florentin Council seemes abundantly sufficient to evince what we here aime at and intend yet that the Stubborness of some persons who are not the most knowing in the Ecclesiastical doctrin may more powerfully be repressed It is to be noted That when any doubt arises concerning the meaning of a Council we are diligently to seek out what occasioned such a Decree and find what was then chiefly agitated and debated The matter here in dispute between the Latins and the Greeks was this What Souls were admitted 〈…〉 to eternal Beatitude before the day of

the easiliest misled for them was pub●ished this our Bull of Pope Benedict the xii and as much of the Florentin Council as seemed necessary and sufficient to arm their souls against the attempts of this novelty by some Pious and Vigilant Shepheards to whom the care of their souls was committed Which Bull and part of the Council because it may not have fallen into my Readers hands I give it him again at the ●atter end of my Discourse Letter A. This Sir was the true ground of putting forth that little Volume nor had the Publishers any regard a● all as you tell us pag. 7. and 8. to The Letter of Vindication or as you now style it Challenge of which certainly not Master White himself but some Scholar of his and he but a slender Proficient in his Masters Doctrine was Author And truly the likeness of its style with that of this your Letter and the Authors still fancying himself inspired with the genius of Montalt the fained Writer of the late Provincial Letters as children by reading Romances fancy themselves to be Knight Errants Don Hercioes would perswade me they both came out of the same Shop And besides that the Protestation contained in the beginning of that Challenge as I heard well observed would be subscribed by all the Protestant Divines of the Church of England It is not consequent if Master White remaine still himself that now he should proclaim That if any thing expresly repugnant to any Doctrine of his be found in any Decree of Councils or Popes he is contented to be esteemed to have lost the Cause who had so lowdly before the publication of this book in his other writings disclaimed and disowned the authority of both Popes and Councils as we shall presently see Sect. 17. The Publishers supposed the sole evidencing that this new minted Purgatory stood condemned by that authority to which he who resists cannot remain a Catholick would proove a sufficient defence to well meaning souls against the assaults of this new Doctrine nor had they any design to enter the lists of Disputation against any persons whomsoever as appears evidently in this that they make no application of the Doctrine of this Bull or Council to any particular Doctrine of any particular Writer but fairly and candioly deliver the words of both the Pope and sacred Council in their Original and our vulgar Language And this indeed was abundantly sufficient for their design There needed no Application of the Churches affirmative to their negative now sustained both in private discourses and in Print they needed not tell the Reader that where one part of the contradiction stands defined the other undoubtedly stands condemned by the same sentence Children know that already Sect. 10. Who could justly suspect that this innocent this piously zealous proceeding should beget an adversary in print who could imagine that the care of the flock of Christ should now be accused of unreasonableness of injustice the Publishers accused of weakness of ignorance even of School-boyes Latine of animosity of an empty vanity to appear in print in a little volume without any name without any designed adversary where there was nothing their own but the pains to translate and the charges to print But so it was those whose consciences were their self-accusers who saw with what satisfaction that little Volume was received by pious persons and how their new Doctrine of Purgatory stood pointed out to every mans eye as condemned by that sacred authority took fire An O or an A shall be a sufficient subject to him who watches an occasion to write A Puny Scholar then of that School for such an one he was as will be rendered evident hereafter and none of the ablest proficients appears in the Field armed with a strong zeal to his Masters Doctrine and with contempt enough against the innocent Publishers whom in the entry to his discourse he proceeds to vilifie and undervalue Persons surely who never wronged him probably never saw him till now never heard of him and at this howr do not know him But it is not to vindicate their persons however injured and undervalued or to make use of that right which nature furnishes all men with to repell an offered violence by an equally violent resistance For we have learnt a far other lesson in the School of Grace then my Adversary hath in his new Masters Master Whites To render good for evil to pardon and pray for those that injure us But in the defence of our holy and deer Mother the Catholick Church and her never erring Faith in the defence of these decrees of the Pope and sacred Council that I undertake this quarrel and I desire my Reader but to be unbyassed in this our present dispute whether this Position That no Souls are delivered out of Purgatory before the re-assumption of their bodies and the general day of judgment stands not condemned by this present Bull of Pope Benedict 12. and the Florentine Council Sect. 11 And first that the contradictory of this Position is the universally received Doctrine of the Catholick Church appears most evidently in this That all Orthodox Writers who have treated this subject of the state of separated souls since the Promulgation of the Bull aforesaid and Council suppose it as a certain truth and therefore no one of them anywhere sustain the contrary Nor can the force of this evidence be weakned by saying That it is indeed the universally received opinion of Divines only but not their Faith for besides what I shall hereafter say in refutation of this answer those who are acquainted with the prying curiosity of the Schools and with the strange variety of their apprehensions know very well that where any thing may lawfully be denyed their restless curiosity ceases not to call it to the Test nor is it universally imbraced as Truth and therefore it is authority only and that irrefragable which puts limits and bounds to their curious scrutiny and the variety of their opinions But because my Adversary having now as he tells us conferred with those solid Persons acquainted with every Ressort of Master Whites Doctrine and as cleer sighted in those ages which afford us these Authorities as in that they live in With a strong youthful Confidence proclaims That it is incomparably false That the Question of Purgatory was in the dayes of Benedict agitated and settled by this Bull of his Or that the Council of Florence ever intended or defined any such matter And with a clutter of four or five pages settles us a quite other Question and Controversie as then disputed and determined to wit Whether perfect Charity be a sufficient disposition to beatifie a soul And appeals to Cherubinus his Compendium of this Bull and tells us That all Learned Writers agree It will justly fall under our consideration First Whether this our present Question of Purgatory were not then intended and defined And secondly Whether this his new

defined by the Decree When the Church combated the Eutychian Heresie which denyed two natures in Christ no Christian dare affirm it onely then defined the plurality of Wills against the Monothelites because these two questions have so necessary and immediate a connexion And can you hope to perswade an ignorant Reader that when the Pope defines That after purgation even before the re-assumption of their bodies departed souls are received into heaven he defines nothing at all about Purgatory but onely this that perfect Charity brings an immediate heaven though he hath not any thing like this Position in his Bull and that this should be fixed on the Pope and Cherubinus and all Learned Authors to boote I hope then Sir you will pardon my boldness if I challenge you fairly with this If you do not make it appear by those unknown Learned Authors in terms that yours was the question and not that of Purgatory we shall judg you have wrong'd them as much as now to our eyes you have imposed on the Pope and Cherubinus And I justly challenge it of you that you bring us it in terms and not by a consequence of a second or third remove or else your sincerity in citing Authors will be highly questionable by your Reader or indeed now past Question And truly I wondred at the first perusal of this part of your Book why you should use this sleight to prepossess the unwary Reader but afterwards by the rest of your discourse I easily observed it was but made use of to render by this art of changing the question a plawsible answer to this Bull and Council otherwise unavoidable and yet I discovered at last a further design which no man but a Prophet could have foreseen to wit that you might fix upon your Adversary that he not you stands guilty of disowning these sacred authorities and that forsooth because he opposes the efficacy of holy charity the Queen of vertues which you and your Master indeavour to sustain of which your slye accusation I shall have occasion to speak hereafter but I hope to render this your craft wholly unsuccessful Sect. 15. But how unfortunate a Writer you are will be rendred evident and how unfit you are to catechise and instruct others this Grave and Learned Eymericus shall tell you because you do not explicitely believe this Doctrine of Purgatory now in question For having distinguished all the Credibilia or matters of faith into three Classes according to St. Thomas and shewed what the vulgar and simple sort of Christians as also what Superiours Prelates and Doctours are bound to believe both explicitely and implicit●ly he there concludes concerning the middle sort of Christians under which name he comprehends Priests Cūrates and all Religious Persons who have undertaken to instruct the ignorant in faith and good manners The middle sorts sayes he who are to teach the simple people are obliged to believe some of these points that is such as are determined by the holy Church in her Councils and Consistories Explicitely though not all these Points singly nor all these Persons equally but according to their several state and learning whereby they are to instruct the ignorant As for example they are all bound to believe explicitely that the souls of just men departed without sin as of little Infants or if they have sinned have here or in Purgatory fully satisfied are pass'd into Heaven before the day of Iudgment according to the Church's determination making it a matter of faith in the extravagant of Pope Benedict xii beginning Blessed be God Sect. 16. And having said this as to the intention of the Pope in our present Bull before I proceed further in your Answer let us take a short survey of the Florentin Council of which I can not but blame you of neglect in that you give your Reader so slender an account And if I must not flatter your sloth I know not how otherwise to excuse it then that you were not conversant at all in it and so you rested satisfied with what your cleer-sighted friends told you or Cherubinus his Vbi hoc idem firmatum fuit since if it were possible the Council seems more full and home to our Question And first In the Third Article which the Publishers gave you it defines If truely penitent Souls shall depart this life before they have satisfied for their Commissions and Omissions by worthy fruits of Penance that their Souls are purged by the punishments of Purgatory after their bodies death c. Which Doctrine can finde no admittance in your new modell for all the sufferings of souls which you fancy by their irregular and now unchangeable affections avail nothing as to the Purging or cleansing of Souls in their state of Separation since that is wholly reserved by you to the change of those affections at the re-union And secondly when Art 4. upon this Doctrine of the Council so said down it pursues to declare unto us That Souls which are purged either in their bodies ar being uncloathed of their bodies as is above said are presently received into heaven I would have you to observe how this further Doctrine of the delivery of them and the compleating of this purging being uncloathed of their bodies is by this Parenthesis as is above said wholly built on the former Doctrine of the purging itself And it will be unavoidable since there is a Purgation of souls by the punishments of Purgatory against you that there also is as effectually concluded a compleat Purgation of them whilst uncloathed of their bodies and an immediate delivery perfectly condemning and destructive of your Doctrine in the very point in Question But that my Reader may have a cleerer view of this unavoidable Truth let us set together and compare this Doctrine of the Council with yours The Council defines That truly penitent souls which depart this life before they have satisfied for their sins are purged by the punishments of Purgatory after death and being thus purged uncloathed of their bodies are presently received into Heaven Or as the Pope more expresly pronounces before the reassumption of their bodies and the general Iudgment Now how happily do you and your new Master agree with this Doctrine when you tell us Souls which depart this life with affections to corporal pleasures suffer a vast grief by reason those pleasures are now impossible to be enjoyed but they are now in an unchangeable condition both as to the affections their torment and the state it self So that there is no hope they should ever be released before reunion with their bodies for though they suffer by their inordinate unchangeable affections yet not possibly as to any purging or change of their state or sufferings whilest uncloathed of their bodies and therefore can not Presently be received into Heaven or before the Re-assumption of their said bodies and the general Day of Iudgment And I would have you further to observe and weigh the words

Satisfaction which they impose on Penitents be not onely as to the guard of a new life or as a medicine of infirmity but also as in revenge and chastisement of their past sins And on this Doctrine the Practice of the Church is grounded in the Sacrament of Penance where Satisfaction is injoyned after Absolution and forgiveness of the sin and that in Revenge and Chastisement Directly against our Master who excepts against this Doctrine That after the sin forgiven Pains remain due And the Council concludes which whilst our Innovatours will not understand they so teach the best Repentance to be a new life that they take away all the force and use of Satisfaction And again the same Council Sess. 6. cap. 14. declares That in the Penance of those who fall into sin after Baptism is not onely contained Ceasing from sins and a detestation of them or a contrite and humbled heart but a confession and absolution and also Satisfaction by Fastings Alms Prayers c. Not for the Eternal punishment which together with the fault is remitted by the Sacrament but for the temporal punishment which as holy Writ teaches is not All of it alwayes remitted as in Baptism Directly against Him For the Fault is here remitted together with the Guilt of Eternal punishment by the Sacrament and yet Temporal pains remain due in Penance but not in Baptism You see Sir Punishments due after the sin remitted which Doctrine you would disgrace with your epithetes of dry and arbitrary Where by the way I would have you observe That sins are in an other manner remitted in Baptism then in penance for in this a Temporary punishment remains due not in That And I pray you tell us when you write again Whether in Baptism receiceived with your Conditional affection to mortal sins or an Absolute one to venial sins if the Party should at that very moment depart this life your Master would not condemn him to Purgatorry even till the Day of Iudgment though this Countil here declare that the Fault together with the Punishment is All of it remitted in Baptism and the Council of Florence defines That the Souls of them who after Baptism received contract no blemish at all of sin are Presently received into Heaven I do very much suspect this Presently will signifie at the Day of Iudgment in your Doctrine But because the Council here mentions Illustrious Examples in Scripture where the sin was forgiven and yet a punishment inflicted which had no natural connexion to the sin it self as all Divines understand in the case of David where for his Crime now forgiven God took away his Son It is not unworthy our observation how our great Master was pinched with this Example when he sustains De Med. Stat. dimens 13. That punishments are not inflicted by God which have no connexion with the crime For there having most injuriously tied God to Nature and told us That God being the Author of Nature which flows from him as from its proper Cause mu contradict himself if he act any thing against it And therefore cannot assign punishments bearing no connexion with the fault Yet presently in the same leaf to answer this Case of David he was forced to have recourse to a Miracle or work beyond the usual and connatural course of causes and the usual connexion between the fault and penalty that God might signalize a revenge which according to his Doctrine is to make God contradicts himself In which he contradicts all his former Positions and Grounds both of Gods proceeding on the score of Revenge and Justice and this his now delivered Doctrine That he punishes not but by a Penalty naturally connected or flowing from the Crime But presently he tells us That such Examples are not to be drawn to the condition of ordinary punishments which are usual in the common order of things But why it may not be extended that Gods Iustice may and doth require of separated Souls a punishment not now flowing from their inordinate Affections he doth not tell us Nor indeed could he give other Reason then that this Doctrine would not square with his Peripatetick Theology For if either the inordinate ●ffections of Souls in that state might be redressed or the Divine Iustice be satisfied by their sufferings or our prayers before reunion the design he had in molding his new Purgatory which he himself sufficiently declares De Med. Stat. dimens 22. had been ruined and overthrown Much better then and more solidly did Calvin Phylosophyse Instit. li● 3. cap. 5. 6. What is Purgatory says he to Catholicks but that satisfaction for sins which the souls of those who depart this life suffer So that if this Opinion of satisfaction be destroyed out of hand Purgatory it self is quite pulled up by the very roots And when you write again Sir I expect your modesty should tell us That this Council too as well as that of Florence doth not decree any thing against your Master but against me The Bells will happily chyme your unchangeable brutish Affections in separated Souls No punishments due after the sin forgiven No temporary Punishment in Purgatory No punishment in Revenge and chastisement No punishment inflicted by God but such as naturally flow from the Crimes Sect. 39. But what is all This if Master White as you tell us pag. 33. say it is demonstrable that Souls being purged are immediately in Heaven Or if you can not beat it with all this indeavour into our heads that charity is the immediate disposition to bliss since this is the ground of his envied Book forsooth of the Middle State of Souls as you say pag. 34. For what can all the Councils prevail against a Demonstration And were it not worth my Readers pains to see and satiate his soul with the excellent Demonstration of this sacred Verity the Pope in our present Bull declares Souls now purged see the divine Essence And we having touched something of his new Hell why should we not see how his A ●amantine Chain reaches to Heaven too Thus then Instit. Sac. Tom. 2. lib. 3. Lect. 6. he with incomparable evidence sufficient to destroy the hitherto onely Faith of the world demonstrates That Souls perfect in Charity enjoy the Beatifical Vision And first presupposing That souls in the next life attain a plenary knowledge of all things He thus pursues Nevertheless sayes he since God is one onely formality which is so elevated above the reasons of all possible and existent things that it is superior to gender genus it self and hath no common reason it is evident that an intellect by force of the intellection of all possible things much less of existents can not be erected by consequence and as it were virtual discourse to the knowledg of such a formality which is as we may say as it were the diffinition of God and therefore can not intuitively see God Again it is evident That those who have lived holily that is exercised