Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	life_n	write_v	3,140	5	5.7901	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08680	Antidote against purgatory. Or discourse, wherein is shewed that good-workes, and almes-deeds, performed in the name of Christ, are a chiefe meanes for the preuenting, or migatating the torments of purgatory. Written by that vertuous, and rightworthy gentle-woman (the honour of her sexe for learning in England) Ms. Iane Owen, late of God-stow, in Oxfordshire, deceased, and now published after her death	Owen, Jane, of God-stow.	1634 (1634)	STC 18984; ESTC S103135	54,249	307

inexcusable who do not bleeue these points and yet those men are more inexcusable who belieuing these such like examples do not withstanding neglect and contemne them forbearing to make satisfaction for their sinnes to God in fasting mourning and bewayling the most poore state of their soules But let vs come to other heads aboue specifyed The second Head was the long and dayly sufferance of the paynes of Purgatory I grant that there is a wryter otherwyse of a great name and worth who did maintayne that not any soule remayned tormented in Purgatory aboue twenty yeares yea perhaps not aboue ten yeares notwithstanding the vse of the Catholike Church teacheth the contrary which prescribeth Anniuersary Sacrifices of the Holy masse to be offered vp for soules de parted not only for ten yeares but euen for a hundred yeares and more This point appeareth further from the vision which we related aboue out of Venerable Bede which sheweth that many Soules are to remayne to be tormented in Purgatory euen till the day of Iudgment And the same verity may receaue its further warrant from the authority of Tertullian a most ancient Authour who speaking of Purgatory vnder the name of Hell thus writeth l. de Anima cap. 17. In carcerem te mandet Infernum c. Hell may send thee to that prison from whence vntill thy sinnes be expiated thou shalt not depart perhaps till the day of thy resurrection But S. Cyprian Epist. 2. l. 4. discourseth of this point more perspicuously plainly thus saying Aliud est pro peccatis longo tempore cruciatum purgari igne c. It is one thing to be tormented with fyer for ones sinnes during a long tyme and other thing to haue purged his sinnes through a mans owne sufferance and seuerity of lyfe Which point receaueth its further proofe from the vision of blessed Ludgardis a most holy and eminent Virgin whose lyfe was written by Thomas Cantipratensis aboue mentioned who had written the lyfe of Christina Mirabilis And because the matter is of Consequence concerneth much by way of example the Prelats of the Church I will here set downe the words of the Authour himselfe which are to be found in the second booke of the lyfe of holy Ludgardis apud Surium tom 3. 16. Iunij The words are these Hoc ferè tempore Dominus Innocentius Papa tertius c. About this tyme Innocentius the third being Pope after the Councell of Lateran was celebrated departed this lyfe and did presently after appeare visibly to Ludgardis After she saw him compassed about on all sydes with a great fyre she asked him who he was He answered that he was Innocentius the Pope But she replying with griefe said What is the Common Father of vs all thus tormented for so long a tyme He answered I am in these flames for three causes Which Crymes of myne had iustly deserued that I had beene punished with eternity of torments but that through the intercession of the most holy Mother of God to whom I did build consecrate a Monastery I had repentance of my said sinnes And so it is that I haue escaped eternall damnation Neuerthelesse I shal be tormented with most cruell paynes euen till the day of Iudgment That I am permitted to appeare to thee thereby to intreate thee to procure prayers suffrages to be said for me this fauour the mother of mercy obtayned of her sonne in my behalfe And at the speaking of these least words he instantly vanished away Ludgardis did make knowne this his necessity to her sisters that he might be holpen with their prayers But Ludgardis herselfe taking great commiseration of his poore state did vndergoe wonderfull austerities for his reliefe Let the Reader take notice that Ludgardis did acquaint vs with those causes of this mans torments which we for the reuerence of so great a Pope haue thought good to conceale Thus much the former Authour touching the vision of Ludgardis which example hath often affected me with great feare and terrour For if so laudable a Pope who in the eies of men appeared not only good but also holy and worthy imitation was in great danger of being eternally damned in Hell yet in lieu therof is to be punished with most insufferable flames euen vntill the day of iudgment what Prelat may not feare Who ought not to search most narrowly into euery corner of his conscience For I am persuaded that so great a Pope did not commit any mortall sinnes except he committing them vnder the shew of some good was therein deceaued by his flatterers such his Domesticks of whom it is sayd in the Ghospell Matth. 10. Inimici hominis domestici eius A mans enemyes shal be they of his owne househould Therefore as being taught by this great example let vs all labour to make most diligent inquiry into our consciences for feare they be not erroneous though to our selues they appeare right and sincere But let vs returne vnto that point from which we haue digressed It is not to be doubted but that the paynes of Purgatory may be extended to ten twenty a hundred yea to a thousand yeares But let vs grant for the tyme that those paynes should endure but ten or twenty yeares who is able to endure most dreadfull inexplicable torments for the space of twenty yeares without any intermission or ease Now that those burnings are to be without any alleuiation or rest appeareth from the vision which we haue aboue related out of Venerable Bede Certainly if a man were assured that he should continue afflicted for the space of twenty yeares without any intermission or relaxation with the paine of the Goute or of the stomacke or the Head-ach or tooth-ach or of the Stone that he could not by reason of such his dolours take any sleep or rest no doubt such a man had rather make choyce to dye then to perseuer and liue in this miserable case And if choyce were giuen him whether he would remayne for twenty yeares without any respiration and ease in those foresaid paynes or would suffer losse of all his state and goods Certainly he would with a most ready mind seeke to be depriued of all his temporall meanes that so thereby he might free himselfe from so continuall cruell paynes with how much more reason then ought euery wise man to make choyce of vndergoing of Penance accompanied with its fruits which fruits are watching Prayer Fasting Almes deeds and especially teares which are a signe of true Penance Now if we add to the acerbity of these paynes and the long continuance of them this third Calamity to wit that the soules in Purgatory can in no sort help themselues their infelicity misery is much increased therby For here among men conuersing on earth there is hardly to be found any one so depressed in misery and calamity but that either by flight or by resistance or by mediation of friends or by appealing to

is yet another thing most worthy of your charitable commiseration You see that the Catholickes throughout England pay yerely great sommes of money for their Recusancy Among whom there are many hundred of poore Catholikes who are so ouercharged with these yearely payments as that their meane Estates are not able to support any long time such payments of which his Maiesty who is most prone to commiseration and pitty litle heareth in particular this being effected only by certaine Subordinate Magistrates aduerse to our Catholike Religion And thereupon for their auoiding of the said payments imposed vpon them diuers of these poore men and women haue forsaken already contrary to their conscience externally their Religion and are content to come to the Protestant Church Now heere I say such of you as be of great Abilities how ample a field haue you to sow your merits and satisfactions in I meane by contributing out of your purses some yearly sommes to these poore Catholikes thereby to ease and lessen their yearely payments In your worthy performāce of this my propounded Motion you do not only help and succour them touching their bodies but which is far more pleasing in the sight of God you so take pitty of their soules as you preuent that diuers of them do not Apostatate forsake their Catholicke Religion which perhaps throgh feare of want of meanes they would doe And so you are become a secondary great Instrument of their finall Saluation And can you then otherwise thinke but that God who is mercy it selfe and who will take this Charity of yours as done to himselfe would take the like pitty of your owne soules both for the preuenting of your eternall perdition as also for mitigating your temporall punishments in Purgatory For heer our Sauiours words would be iustified in you Matth. 25. Verily I say vnto you in so much as you haue donne it vnto one of the least of these my brethren you haue done it vnto me In this next place I will descend to acts peculiar only to vs Catholikes such as do insist and rest in offering vp the prayers both of our selues but especially of the generall Liturgy of the most blessed Sacrifice of the Eucharist offered vp either for the benefit of our selues or of others Of which most dreadfull Sacrifice sayth S. Chrysostome homil 25. in Act. Apost Hostia in manibus adsunt Angeli adsunt Archangeli adest Filius Dei cum tanto horrore astant omnes And to begin Thinke what a worthy and charitable Act it were to concurre by causing Sacrifices and Prayers to be made for the redeeming of poore Soules out of Purgatory There is no man of an Humane and sweet Nature but he would commiserate a very beast much more a man lying in extremity of paynes And this Naturall Pitty is so gratefull to our Sauiour himselfe as that he pronounceth Matth. 5. Beati misericordes quoniam ipsi misecordiam consequentur Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtayne mercy So auaylable behooffull is pitty and mercy to the performers thereof But to proceed to another benefit of such a pious deed Yf a prudent man had a Cause of most great importance to be tryed before a seuere yet most iust Iudge And if at the same tyme there were certaine persons in prison whom that Iudge did much respect to whose earnest solicitations in any reasonable point he would lend a willing eare Now would not this Suppliant lay wayte by all meanes to redeeme the said men out of Prison if so he could who during their stay there were put to daily torments and rackings as well assuring himselfe that these Persons thus set at liberty by this mans meanes being men of most good and gratefull Natures Dispositions would be ready to speake to the Iudge and be earnest and solicitous in his behalfe And then is it not most probable if not certaine that this man would speed the better in determining his Cause The case is here a like and both are cast as it were in one mould The soules in Purgatory once from thence released shall become most blessed Saints in Heauen shall be most pleasing and gratefull to his Diuine Maiesty who cannot nor will not deny them the grant of any thing which they shall demaund and petition for at his hands Euery Catholike as all other men are to plead their cause before God the most iust Iudge Yet for the more easy obtayning of their Plea it is in the power of ech Catholike of good meanes if his will be answerable thereto to procure at least much to further by his liberall charges bestowed for the praying for the soules in Purgatory the releasing and setting free of diuers of the said tormented soules Now this being once performed those then Happy Soules shall no sooner leaue their Goale and Prison and ascend to Heauen but as euen abounding with a Seraphicall Charity shall in recompēce of so great a spirituall ease and Relaxation procured to them euer batter at the eares of our Almighty and mercifull Lord with their daily and incessant prayers that his Diuine Mercy would be most indulgent and pittifull to such men for the preuenting or at least mitigating of their temporall paynes by whose meanes those soules had a more speedy deliuery from their torments in Purgatory Heere then may a man who is rich in temporall state if so he be rich in charity lay out his wealth to an infinite increase of spirituall gayne O how many peculiar Aduocates and Intercessours of the then most blessed soules released out of Purgatory might a rich Catholike purchase to himselfe by this former meanes thereby to pleade his cause before the Throne of Almighty God in his greatest need And fooles I will not say Madmen are all such vpon whom God hath bestowed abundance of temporall riches and yet themselues remayne vnwilling slow in this spirituall traffique of a good and competent part of their said temporall state and meanes But because this point of relieuing by Good Workes the soules in Purgatory is of most great importance both to the poore soules relieued the liuing party performing such a most charitable work to them Therefore besydes what is already deliuered by me aboue I will adioyne as most mouing any man of Piety and Iudgment the discourse of the aforementioned learned and worthy Cardinall Bellarmine of this point who maketh the ninth Chapter of the third booke de Gemitu Columbae the subiect hereof Thus then that blessed man writeth We haue shewed aboue that there are very many or rather innumerable soules of the faithfull in Purgatory and that they are a most long tyme to be tormented almost with incredible punishments Now here we will declare the fruite which may be gathered from this consideration And certainly it cannot be doubted but if the ponderation and weighing of this point be serious longe attent and full of fayth and confidence a most vehement commiseration and