in any other place shall wee find any word thereof Thus is this place now emptie if we cannot find any to lodge in it And because it is likely that the Franciscans according to their rule doe not goe into Purgatory single but by two and by two This Limbo lying in the way to Purgatory seemeth a very convenient place to lodge him who being departed hence alone must attend his companion Besides these foure places Bellarmine who lately writ at Rome The flowred meddow and as it were in the Popes bosome with the approbation and commendation of all the Church of Rome but particularly of al our Doctors in the 7. Chap. of his second booke of Purgatory hath found out a fifth place that is to say a bright and cleere meddow all diapred with sweet smelling flowers which hee maketh to be a dependance of Purgatory and as it were a withdrawing chamber wherein those doe take their rest who are most kindly entreated most gently dealt withall and groundeth himself vpon the auctoritie of venerable Beda and Dionise a Charterhouse Monk an auctor of great credit whoe is full fraught with fantasticall revelations he should haue added how these flowers doe spring without sun or raine frō whence that goodly brightnesse could pierce into those deepe partes of the earth Out of this meddow do the souls immediately passe into Paradice but before the comming of Iesus Christ they went thence into Limbo a matter of great compassion that passing out of a bright meddow full of recreation they should come to bee shut vp in a darke prison Such therfore is the building which our Masters haue erected vnder groūd making by an order contrary to nature the lowest chambers to be the hottest digging without any autoritie of the Gospell sundry compartiments vnder the earth like to mouldwarpes blinded with the sunshine of Gods word In this place I would entreat the reader throughout all this mysterie to take note of a certaine kinde of soules which should haue more agilitie experience then their fellowes so many walkes and turnings are they put vnto These are those soules who departing from their bodies vnder the old Testament were first presented before the Iudge and thence sent into Purgatory but escaping thence after a scalding fire entered into a bright meddow ful of recreation Afterwards from this medow they passed into Limbo thence came forth with Iesus Christ then did they follow him 40 daies vpon the earth finally entered into Paradice Let vs therefore finde no farther fault with Plato or his Metempsychosis for his revolutions and passages of soules are nothing so prodigious indeed our Masters doe carry away the bell for invention from all Poets These matters thus dispatched and set out as it were in a table it resteth that wee now examine this Purgatory and the abuses therevpon depending and proue that the word of God is a spring more then sufficient to quench this the Popes so profitable a fire Here may our Reader if it please him note that Purgatory is by our adversaries placed among the Articles of our beleefe so as vnlesse wee beleeue therein Bellarm. de Purgat lib. 2 cap. 12. Haec sunt we cannot bee saved that the importance of the matter may tie him to attention So shall we breake one of the legges of this Colossus one of the principall pillers of Babylon CAP. 2. That the holy scripture is a sufficient iudge for this question as also for all other cōtroversies concerning faith and that therein is no mention of Purgatory or of any Indulgence whereby to release soules out of the torment thereof to a iudge that beareth them so smal favour they many times giue it some gird Thus saith the Auctor of the fire of Helie Pag. 61. Albeit there bee no mention of Purgatory in the Scripture yet cannot Du Moulins conclusion bee but bad in saying there is no Purgatory And here he raketh togither a number of things which saith he are not in the holy Scripture Yea so presumptuous is our Franciscans ignorance as to say that throughout the old Testament there is not one expresse word of the immortalitie of the soule Pag. 16. In this regard it is requisite that before we proceed any farther we trie these Doctors in this case to the quicke and defend the perfection of the holy Scripture Amid the corruptions of the world wee haue yet this honor that we be the advocates of Gods cause and of the worthinesse of his word Which as S. Paul 2. Tim. 3. saith is able to instruct vs and to make vs wise to salvatiō Initio lib. 2. adversus Gentes which also saith Athanasius abundantly suffiseth to instruct vs in all truth Wherein as saith Chrysostome vpon the second Chapter of the 2. to the Thessalonians is cleerly cōtained al that is necessary For was it possible that aforetime the fiue books of Moses were sufficient to instruct the Church to salvation that now the same fiue bookes together with the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles cannot suffice hath God forbiddē to adde or diminish to the bookes of Moses Deut. 4.1 and nowe that both in the old and new Testament we haue much larger instruction shal it be tollerable to adde an vnwritten word Other Canonicall bookes Other articles of faith Jf the Gospell be sufficient to saue vs who shal be so bold as to say that the new Testament doth containe but part of the Gospel To alleadge either the tiranny of custome or the antiquity of a traditiō without the word of God what is it but to alleadge the antiquitie of Error and to arme both Iewes Gentils with the like reasons cōsidering that vntruth is very ancient yea it hath beene even from the beginning also that against the truth no prescription of time may take place To ioine therfore to the holy scriptures an vnwritten word and to make the traditions of the Romish Church equal with the bookes of the olde and new Testamēt is a great disparagemēt to the Maiestie of the holy Scripture It is as much as to do that which expresly is forbiddē in the law of Moses that is to plow with an oxe and an asse to yoake togither things very vnequall to make man equall with God and the lead of the Popes Buls with the pure steele of the spiritual sword of the Gospel True it is that they tearme these Traditions the word of God and traditions of the Apostles but they shewe not when or to whom God did first inspire them They deliver vnto vs the Canon of the Masse for an Apostolical tradition wherein neverthelesse they name some persons that lived three hūdred yeares after the Apostles time Thus the Indulgences the forgiunesse of all sins at the end of every 25. yeares The communion vnder one kinde The fetching of souls out of Purgatory by Popish Indulgences The prohibiting of the lay people from reading of the holy
Afterward the sixt vniversall Councell approueth and confirmeth all the contents of the Councell of Laodicea Hereto agreeth the Councell of Carthage wherein S. Augustine was preseÌ„t True it is that the Latine copies miserably falsified by our adversaries doe place these bookes among the Canonicall At Paris by Conrad Neobarius 1540. but in the Greek copies printed by themselues they are not once mentioned As for the ancieÌ„t Doctors Prologus Galeatus when shall we haue produced their depositions herevpon S. Hierome in his Prologue vpon the Bible Machab. lib. inter Scripturas Canonicas Ecclesia non recipit hath expresly handled this matter There hee admitteth no other bookes of the olde Testament to be Canonicall but such as be in the Hebrew Bible in number two and twentie himselfe in the preface vpon the bookes of Salomon speaking of Ecclesiasticus and the wisdome of Salomon saith thus As the Church indeed readeth the bookes of Iudith of Toby and of the Machabes but not among the Canonicall Scriptures even so also shee readeth these two volumes for the edification of the people but not to confirme the doctrine of the Church S. Hillary vpon the prologue to the Psalmes agreeth with S. Hierome and saith that in the old Testament there bee as many bookes as there be letters in the Hebrew Alphabet that is two and twentie Athanasius in his booke entituled Synopsis S. Scripturae nameth all the bookes of the olde Testament vnto two and twentie and saith That the rest of the bookes of the olde Testament are not Canonicall neither read to any but to the Catechumeni Manethon â—ishop of Sardis giueth vs a catologue of the bookes of the old Testament in the fourth booke of Eusebius cap. 25. Where in the Macchabees are not named Eusebius in his thirde booke and tenth Chapter speaking of the bookes of the old Testament saith We haue no infinite number of discordant bookes but only two and twenty And farther he saith that whatsoever is written since the time of Artaxerxes is not worthy like credit as the former and of this sort are the Macchabees Epiphanius in his booke of measures saith as much nameth all the bookes of the old Testament but speaketh not of the Macchabees Among the works of S. Ciprian we finde a treatise of the exposition of the Creed which seemeth rather to bee of Ruffinus Therein the autor nameth all the bookes both of the old and new testament then saith These are the books which the fathers haue encloased in the CaÌ„non and Rule from whence wee are to take the proofes of our faith yet are wee to vnderstand that there be other bookes not Canonicall but Ecclesiasticall among which are the bookes of Tobie Iudith the Macchabees c. What woulde wee haue more Among al the Bishops of Rome even Gregory the great in his morals vp on Iob. lib. 19. cap. 29. purposing to alleadge the Macchabees concerning the act of Eleazar excuseth himself in these words Qua in re non inordinatè agimus si ex libris noÌ„ Canonicis c. Bell. lib. 1. de verbo Dei cap. 10. Wherein we speake not from the purpose albeit wee produce testimonies out of the bookes not Canonicall but written for the edification of the Church he wrot sixe hundred yeares after Jesus Christ Even Bellarmine doth confesse that Origen Athanasius Nazianzen Epiphanius Hierome received not the Macchabees among the Canonical Our adversaries make a buckler of S. Augustine set him in counterpoize against all antiquity in this point contemning all the auctority of the fathers and their own Popes And yet herein they doe him wrong for this good father never straied from the vniversall consent of the Church in his time August ad Gaudent li. 2. cap. 23. Vnto Gaudentium who vsed the auctority of the example of Razias that killed himselfe and is meÌ„tioned in the second of the Macchabees he answereth thus The Iewes hold not this booke in like degree as the law the Prophets and the Psalmes to whom Iesus Christ yeeldeth testimony as to those that heare witnesse of him but this booke is received by the Church not vnprofitably if it be read discreetly especially in regarde of the sufferings of certaine Martyrs Read the whole page and yee shal see that S. Augustines intent was to beate downe the obiection of Gaudentius who armed himselfe with the auctority of this booke also to proue that Iesus Christ deferred no auctority to any other but to the law to the Prophets and to the Psalmes Yet do our adversaries produce some passages out of S. Augustin to the contrary but manifestly falsified In his eighteenth booke of the cittie of God cap. 36. he saith thus QuoruÌ„ supputatio temporum non in Scrip sanctu quae Canonica appellant ur sed in aliis invenitur in quibê° sunt Machab libri quos non Iudaei sed Ecclesia pro Canonicis habet The supputation of this time from the new building of the temple is not found in the holy scriptures which are called Canonicall but in other bookes which are the Macchabees could hee more expresly raze the Macchabees out of the Canonical scriptures but at the ende hereof let vs see a taile most botcherly clapt on by some MoÌ„k Which booke not the Iewes but the Church holdeth for Canonicall O grosse Impostor After he hath saide that the Macchabees are not holy scripture nor Canonicall would he say that the Church receiveth them for Canonicall The frier saith that sundry fathers haue vsed these books and do cite passages out of them To what purpose is this Whosoever alleadgeth a book doth he therfore hold it to be Canonicall But we stand now vpoÌ„ much stronger tearms For this passage well wayed will bee found contrary to Purgatory He saith that Iudas offering sacrifice for sinne thought vpon the resurrection yea hee saith that otherwise it had beene a folly to pray for the dead whereby it appeareth that the auctor never imagined that Iudas praied to bring these soules out of Purgatory but that he praid that the sinne by theÌ„ committed might not hinder them from rising to glory and salvation for any man that is demanded wherefore he prayeth for the dead if he answer that it is for the resurrection he manifestly sheweth that he beleeveth no Purgatory Otherwise hee would not haue omitted that which is most vrgent but would haue craved to be released out of such long and horrible torments Aske all these our Masters wherefore they pray for the dead I am sure none of them will say for the resurrection Pag. 11. The Frier foreseeing a storme of passages of the fathers conspiring to overthrow the auctority of this book shrim king betimes and as it were forsaking the place saith That at the least it cannot not be denyed but that this is a historie which assureth vs that Iudas made praiers and sacrifices for his brethreÌ„ deceased there is
Scriptures The custome to pray in a tongue vnknown even to him that praieth The feast of God The Elevation and walking of their consecrated cake vp and downe The hallowed Graines and Medals The fraternity of S. Frances Corde loaden with so manie pardons and priviledges and such like trash Can. satis Dist 96. Gloss Clem. cum inter Sacr. Cerem sect 7. cap. 6. sedes Dei sedes Apostolica The last Councell of Lateran sess 9. Divinae Maiestatis tuae conspectus which them selues do confesse were brought in long since the Apostles time shal by this reckoning be holden for the word of God and the Tradions of the Apostles And that with good reason sith the Pope assumeth to himselfe the name of God and his holinesse The divine Maiestie and in infinite places in his Cannons The Spouse of the Church yea as saith Bellarmine de Pontif. Rom. lib. 1-cap 9. etiam Christo secluso eveÌ„ Jesus Christ excluded or set aside Sith that likewise the Pope tearmeth office Apostolat all his furniture Apostolicall as his chamber his letters his chaire his cloake his Pallace And vnlesse God take pitty vpon vs they will shortly call his hose and points Apostolicall Now that in all this the drift of our Masters tendeth only to shunne the holy scriptures which condemne them it appeareth in these words The vnwritten word For what is the vnwritten word but a Chimera in the aire an imperceptible Idea For where can we finde this vnwritten word If we must seeke it as they say at the mouth of the vniversall Church when shal I haue gathered together the vniversall Church to instruct me Or if the people must haue recourse to their Curat how shal they know whether their Curate agreeth with the vniversall Church What side shall we take where the doctors do disagree As do now these three doctors who are growne to censure and in their pulpits to disclaime one of theÌ„ Or if one bee borne in an hereticall Church or betweene two Churches grounded vpon contrary Traditions as betweene the Greeke and the Romain But if wee must seeke this vnwritten word of God in the bookes of ancient doctors then it is written and albeit these bookes be subiect to errour yet the Traditions of the Romish Church as the afore named and Purgatory are not there to be found as hereafter we shall proue Moreover in as much as they would make vs beleeue that the Pope hath such letters of credence that wee must therefore do all that he commandeth and beleeue all that he list to perswade vs albeit this bee not found in the holie scripture yet wheÌ„ the church of Rome hath neede of Reformation in capite membris as it is the ancient coÌ„plaint what meanes is there to proceed considering that he that is to bee reformed is the maker of the lawes soveraigne Iudge in all matters of Religion consequently in his owne cause God forbid that man should bee iudge over the cause of God or that all the Popes inventions for the advaÌ„cing of their Empire should be holden for the word of God and the rule of our faith But let vs here the productioÌ„s of these doctors all those things that they say are not coÌ„tained in the Scripturs Our observaÌ„tin Moncke shall march formost and haue the first place He saith that thorough out all the old Testament there is not one expresse worde concerning the Immortalitie of the soule Admit it were so yet what interest had he to search out the defects of the holy scripture But had he sought wel he might haue found these wordes in the last of Daniell Dan. 12.2 Many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame contempt What can bee spoken more expresly And in the 12. of Ecclesiastes v. 7. And dust returne to the earth as it was and the spirit returne to God that gaue it And in the 23. of Numbers Balaam desireth to die the death of the righteous An evident proofe that he held their death to be blessed But were this frier Minor as well acquainted with the holy Scriptures as he is with the rule of S. Frances he would never haue vttered a speech so impertinent and ful of impietie for the which hee deserveth to change his order and from the Observantine fryerie to be sent to the ignorant friers The auctor of the fire of Helie broaceth it much deeper he demaÌ„deth how by the holy scriptures wee canne proue this proposition That the holy Scripture containeth all that we ought to beleeue But this is not our saying for we may and ought to beleeue many things that are not contained in the holy Scripture In such maner do we beleeue that Romulus with a troope of theeues built Rome Stella Platina The booke of IndulgeÌ„ces printed at Rome wee beleeue the history of Pope Ioâ—e as a history advowed by many auctors both friends and servants to the Popes and of whom there yet remaine manie traces and causes of remembrance wee beleeue that Alexander 3. did set his foot vpon the throat of Fredericke Barberossa Volateran Sabellicus Martianus Polonus vpon the staires of S. Markes Church at Venice where this his so heroical exploit is to this day represented we beleeue those histories that recorde howe the Emperour Henrie the 7. was poysoned in their consecrated cake Their God poisoned with a thousand such like histories both old and newe whereof the scripture never made mentioÌ„ Only we say that the holy scriptures doe containe all documents and instructions necessary to salvation This doe we say with S. Paul who in the 2. to Tim. cap. 3. v. 15. saith It is able to make vs wise to salvation what more can we demand The same Apostle 1. Cor. 4 6. teacheth vs Not to presume aboue that which is written toward the end of the new Testament we find these words I protest vnto every one that heareth the Prophecie of this booke that if any man shal adde vnto these things God shal adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke whereto our adversaries can frame no other reply Consilium foro Iulii but that this curse extendeth no farther but to the booke of the Revelation Yet doth the councell of Triuly bridle them in these words The protestation of the Apostle Iohn in the Revelation vnder the title of one booke hath relation to the whole course of both the Testaments saying if any man adde c. Againe he challengeth me to proue by the holy Scriptures these 8 things which vnderhand he supposeth to bee necessary to salvation In the Index Biblicus printed at Anwerp by Plantin 1588. p. 5. 1. The baptisme of young children which neverthelesse is proved by the Iesuits and Doctors of the Vniversitie of Lovaine also by the Catechisme of the Councell of Trent by many passages of the holy Scripture Thus
ensuing besides the aforesaid absurdities hath yet this particular that it presupposeth that the Lords praier is said for the dead also If so theÌ„ do we also pray that God would giue them their dayly bread As for bread it is the lesse strange because the fire of Purgatory is sufficient to bake it and sith in the Masse it is said that the soules do sleepe in this fire and rest in a slumber of peace it is like wheÌ„ they awake they haue a good appetite But I cannot comprehende howe this bread may be called Dayly sith there they haue neither day nor sun Hereto let vs adioine the same that our doctors haue confessed That God hath already pardoned those roasted soules from all their offences that he only requireth of them the paines due to the sins already pardoned how can we theÌ„ desire God to forgiue theÌ„ their sins which are already forgiven them A lyer must haue a good memory The last passage for subtiety beareth away the bel Iesus Christ saith the Monk shed his blood for many therefore for the dead What need he to seeke so farre set proofes to proue that which we confesse who denieth but the blood of Iesus Christ was shed for many for al the faithful for all the Saints and Martyrs How impertinent also is this collection that the Frier here maketh out of the ancients to proue that the Lords Supper is a sacrifice What maketh it for Purgatory Sith we grant that it is a sacrifice but as it is said in the Masse A sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving neither Propitiatory nor redemptory but by representation because the supper is a commemoratioÌ„ of the death of Iesus Christ the only propitiatorie sacrifice And in regard hereof this sacrifice was alwaies called Eucharistia that is A thaÌ„ksgiving As for the coÌ„memoration of the dead practised by some of the ancients in the supper I wil in the next chapter following proue that it maketh against Purgatorie for therein they also made a commemoration of the Apostles and Martyrs And in this place doth the Frier proue himselfe a most ridiculous flatterer in spreading abroad such Panegericks and praises of Monsieur Duranti one that deserveth commendations out of an honester mans mouth as also of our king who is too wise to thinke that such commeÌ„dations are other then shamelesse beginnings But what is become of those daies when men of his coat went in Procession in armes the pike in one hand the portuise in the other and were the firebrands of publike combustions encouraging the people against their king whilst we as good subiects even such as we will be to the death did shed our blood in his service Of like substance also is the fable that hee patcheth vp of a Masse song in England for the soule of the late Queene and the offerings contributed in her funerall wherevpon in full hope he exclaimeth At length the truth shall rise out of Democritus well you deceaue your selfe good man she rose from thence even in the time of the Apostles and primitiue Church But the divel hath dealt with her as he did with Ioseph when hee came out of the well she hath been sold to strange marchaÌ„ts brought into bondage and put in subiection not as Ioseph was to an Eunuch but to the father of lies marveilous fruitfull 8 This now decided let vs into our way againe In his 19. page hee bringeth in a prayer for the dead taken out of Esay 57.1 2. Cayer also pag. 24 citeth the same place but contrarieth the Frier saying that it is not a prayer for the dead but a lamentation that he maketh because that in those daies in Israel they prayed not for the dead The fire of Helie is content to say only that this passage doth not condemne Purgatory Pag. 66. Thus doe these our masters agree among themselus but in the third Chapter we haue shewed that the Frier falsifieth this place and that the same quite quencheth Purgatory 9 Nowe followeth the passage which all the 3 Doctors make vse of whereof they forme a mightie Bulwarke It is in the 2. of the Machabes the 12. where say they Iudas sent 12 thousand drachmes of silver to Hierusalem to be offered in sacrifice for the dead Hereto we answer 1. They falsifie the place The Frier pag. 10. 2. The book is not Canonicall 3. Were it Canonical yet maketh it nothing for Purgatory 4. They sinne against the naturall principles of the question For we never dispute against any but by the principles and autorities that we receaue Men dispute not with Iewes by the autoritie of the new Testament neither will the Gentils disputing against the Christians produce the testimony of Hesiods Theogony This S. Augustine knowing in his question against Maximine saith in his third booke and 14. Chapter that he will vse the Scriptures non quorumcunque propâ—ijs sed vtrique communibus Not proper to such or to such but coÌ„mon to both Now let vs returne over the three first points First the falsification is proued by reading over the place This it is Iudas sent to Hierusalem the summe of twelue thousand drachmes of silver to offer sacrifises for the sinne hee saith for the sinne not as the Frier saith for the dead Now what these wordes for the sinne doth signifie shall hereafter appeare That the book is not Canonicall we haue infinite proofes 1. First these books are not in the Hebrewe 2. Iesus Christ and his Apostles whoe vpon every occasion did alleage the passages of the old Testament never named any of these bookes neither out of them cited any passage 3. The Autor himselfe cap. 2. v. 19. saith that his purpose is to abridge the fiue bookes of Iason the Cirinean into one booke Now if Iasons bookes were not Canonicall how can the abstract of them be Canonicall If Trogus or Dyon bee prophane bookes how can Iustine or Xiphiline be sacred S. Paule 2. Tim. 3.16 saith All Scripture is given by inspiration of God But what inspiration is it to say the same that another in a prophane booke hath spoken and only to abridge his words What more The Autor doubting whether he had said well toward the ende concludeth thus If I haue said well and as it appertaineth to the history it is as much as I desire Are the motions of the spirit of God so insensible or doubtfull as to leaue the mind in suspense and vncertaine concerning the excellency of such things as it hath suggested a little after hee excuseth the simplicitie of his stile Will God who hath no interest to be beleeued whose naked words doe farre exceed the most polished words of man excuse the poverty of his owne phrase Or shall not hee that made the tongue haue eloquence enough yes for hee inspireth his servants with so much eloquence as he thinketh good neither is it for vs either to distast it or to bring excuses But in the reading of these
immediatly hee seeketh a beginning of another iourney The soule is losed from the body Solvitur corpere anima ad huc tamē futuri iudidii ambiguo suspenditur but yet abideth in suspense vpon the doubt and vncertainty of the future iudgement If this be so then doth she not inioy felicitie before the day of iudgement S. Augustine is of the same mind for in him we finde sundry places wherein speaking of the soules of some persons deceased he thinketh them to bee translated into heaven and to bee with God but wee find more places where he holdeth the contrary and followeth the common error vpon the 36. Psalme he saith that the soule departed from the body shal not be in the kingdome of heauen well it may be in Abrahams bosome with Lazarus for so doth he cal this receptacle and to shew that this was the common opinion he saith that no man was ignorant thereof These be his words Post vitam islam parvam nondum eris vbi erunt sancti quibus dicetur venite Benedicti c. Non dum ibi eris Quis nescit So in the ninth booke of his Confessions cap. 3. he thus speaketh to God Thou hast losed Nebridius out of this flesh Nebridiu◠carne solvisti nunc ille vivit in sinu Abrahae quicquid illud est quod ille significatur Tempusquod inter hominis mortem vltimam resurrectionem interpositum est animas abditis receptaculis continet Socratis animarum receptaculis sedibusque requiescit Secundum apertissimam Domini sententiam etiā ipse sentit tūc visuros faciē Dei cum in Angelos profecerimus 1. aequales Angelis facti fuerimus quod erit vtique in resurrectione mortuorū and now he liveth in Abrahams bosome whatsoever it is that is signified by this bosome Here he speaketh as doubting In his manuell to Laurentius cap. 108. The time that is betweene death and the last resurrection containeth the soules in secret receptacles according as every one is worthy of rest or of affliction And in his 17. booke of the Citty of God cap. 9. This part of the citty of God which is gathered together from among mortall men must bee conioined with immortall Angels is now a traveller vpon earth being subiect to death whereas for those that are dead they rest in the hidden receptacles or seats of souls In his Epistle to Fortunatianus According to the most evidēt sētēce of our Lord and S. Paule holdeth that wee shall see the face of the Lord when we shal be advanced even to the Angels that is to say that we be made equal to the Angels which shall be in the resurrection of the dead I will therefore make any man of vnderstanding iudge whether the wordes wherewith at this day they pray in the masse for the soules in Purgatory doe not testifie that when this praier was penned the beliefe of the latin Church was not concordant with it Qui nos praecesserunt in signo fidei dormiunt in somno pacis These bee the words Remember O Lord thy servāts that are gone before vs in the sign of faith and do sleepe in the slumber of peace To thē O LORD and to all that rest in Christ vvee beseech thee to graunt place of refreshing of light and of peace Could this bee spoken of soules so long tormented in a fire like to hell fire What rest what quiet sleepe in fire seavē times more hot then our ordinary fire A fire that cōtinueth hundreds and thousands of yeares Vndoubtedly this praier was made for the soules that they thought to be in the hiddē receptacles where they rested in expectation of the resurrection and felt some refreshing by the praiers of the living Indeed wee haue heard that such was the opinion of Tertullian who also vseth the like tearmes in his booke of Monogamy and willeth the wise to pray for her husbād In refrigerium adpostulet vt in prima resurrectione consortium entreating some refreshing for him and that he may accompany her in the first resurrection For this doctour beleeved that all the faithfull shoulde not rise togither as in the last chapter of his booke of the soule hee doth expresly say yea evē all the Greek Church is yet of that opinion who denying Purgatory do neverthelesse pray for the dead Vide Concil Ferrariense seu Florentinum Nilū de Purgatorio as not yet enioying coelestiall felicity And Guido in his summe of heresies attributeth the same errour to the Churches of Armenia This was it that induced Pope Iohn the 23. to maintaine this opinion to prohibit the divines of Paris from teaching otherwise as witnesseth Gerson in his pascal sermon Iohn Villanus in the tenth booke of his history This is one of the heroical actions of the Colledge of Sorbon and one of her last gaspes of her dying liberty for saith Erasmus in his preface to the fifth book of Ireneus Iohannes coactus opere Theologorum Parisiorum ad palinodiam coram Galliarū Rege Philippo non sinc buccina By al the premisses it appeareth how irresolute the ancients are in this question how vnfit they are to decide it into what Laberinthes they that sende vs to the fathers to be directed by them do endevour to entangle the consciences It also appeareth that the prayers for the dead that are to be foūd in these doctors doe make nothing for Purgatory but were made for their refreshings in those receptacles and for their salvation in the day of Iudgement also for other intents whereof we wil speak hereafter This is one degree of the bad dealing of my adversaries in their citing of the fathers That divers of the fathers beleeved that the fire in the last iudgment should purge the soules of all men even of the Apostles and Saints Clement of Alexandria was the first that declined frō the purity simplicity of the doctrine of the Gospell intermingling Platonicall Philosophy there with also his wheeling and capricious stile did blast and corrupt all that was naturall or forcible in the simplicity of Gods word yea he proceeded so far as to say in the sixt booke of his Tapisseryes that the Greekes were iust by Philosophy also that Philosophy was givē vnto them in liew of the Testamentes By the same vanity was hee likewise induced in the same booke to say that Christ and his Apostles descended into hell and there preached the Gospell to the soules of the Gentils and Infidels who saith he were by that preaching converted hee also holdeth that the souls of Infidels that are in hell may yet be converted and come to salvation Orig hom 3. in Psal 36. Omnes nos necesse est venire ad illū ignem etiam si vel Paulus sit vel Petrus Origen his disciple succeeded him in time but outstript him in heresies and to this Platonicall humour hath added thus much more The wresting of al the scriptures into allegories
the fire of Helie p. 44. The lowest place is hell the habitation of the damned and the same is divided if wee beleeue our adversaries into two parts The one where the soules are tormented in fire the other where they are tormented in snowe Throughout alâ— the word of God can we not find that that ever any came out of this place Yet Pope Gregory the first in the first Booke of his Dialogues cap. 12. reporteth that S. Severus raised a dead bodie whome the Divels had carried away Also Damascen In 4 Dist 45 quest 2. and after him Thomas Durand and Richard doe tell vs that by the prayers of S. Gregory Traian an heathen Emperour was fetched out of hell Gabriel Biel in his 56. Lesson vpon the Cannon of the Masse holdeth the same opinion And Ciacconus hath written an Apologie expresly for this history Cayer and the Doctors that subscribed to his book do approue this historie The secoÌ„d place but his coÌ„panions do reiect it The second place is the Purgatory that serveth for such as are indeed righteous and do not sinne but in their life time haue committed some trespasses for which they haue not satisfied The same â—ope Gregory teacheth that so soone as â— man is deceased his soule is presented before the Iudge Lib. 4. c. 36. also that soÌ„time there happeneth abuse they bring before God one that was not called As saith he it chanced to one named Stephen who being deceased and his soule presented before God immediatly as God saw him hee said that was not the man that hee had called for but that it was â—n other Stephen a beater of Iron who therevpon died incontinentlie and the former Stephen revived againe and was sent backe because hee dyed before he was called These soules thus presented before the Iudge if they need any purging are instantly sent to this second place which they tearme Purgatory And this doctrine is grounded vpon this principle which is a third article of their faith and taken out of the vnwritten word Read the catechisme of the couÌ„cel of Trens in the châ—â— of pennaÌ„ce namely that Jesus Christ by his death and passion hath indeede dischardged vs from the fault and from the paines due to sinnes committed before baptisme but from the paine duâ—â— to sinnes committed after baptisme he hath not discharged vs. Therefore that such as haue not made full satisfaction in this life by fastings scourgings gifts to the Church c shal be sent to Purgatory there to finish their satisfaction and to pay as they say even to the last penny Herehence grewe that pennance which the Priest imposeth vpon the sinner which do farre differ from the pennance vsed in the primitiue Church which was publicke of long continuance and rigorous thereby to humble the sinner and to repaire the scandall to the Congregation but at this day in the Church of Rome they impose for the most part privat pennances and the same either very easie or ridiculous these doe they make vse of to prevent Purgatory and yet to pay and satisfy Gods iustice The formes of these pennances are to say a set number of Anees intermixed with Paters vpon a paire of beads to scourge their bodies or vpon tâ—e bare flesh to gird themselues with aâ—cord or to goe in pilgrimage to Saint â—â—mes in Galicia N. Giles an 768. c. Our Annals do informe vs of a pennance imposed by a â—ope vpon one Robert the Norman surnamed the Divell vpon sundry his â—ots committed that is that for the space of seven yeares hee should not â—â—eake and that he should all that time 〈◊〉 at a staier foote and take no other food but the relicks of such bones as a Grayhound should haue gnawn Was iâ— meet to abridge the benefit of Iesus Christ and to supply the places with such frivolous devises and in such couÌ„terfeit quoine to satisfie the iustice of God which Iesus Christ had before satisfied to the full The Frier pag 75. As concerning the torments that the soules doe there endure these our masters doe tell vs that all the fires and torments in this life are â—ut easie in regard of the heate of the â—te of Purgatorie and that the tormeÌ„t â—hereof equalleth that of the damned This doctrine was not yet receaued in the Church of Rome when to the CaÌ„noÌ„ of the Masse they added these words ensuing which the Priest must daily say for the soules in Purgatory Memento Domine Remember Lord thy servants whose soules doe rest in the sleepe of peace Hereby it appeareth that they then beleeved that the paine was easie or rather none at all and that the soules for whom they prayed did rest in peace as in a sleepe Hereto accordeth the saying of the aforenamed Gregory who advoweth that the soules of S. Severus S. Pascasius wrought miracles in the Bathes where they lay in Purgatory Lib. 7. Epist 61. For it is hard to worke any great miracles in such cruell torments This is the same Pope Gregory who doth in earnest confesse that the Apostles celebrating the Lords supper added vnto the consecration nothing but the Lords prayer and so consequently prayed not for any soules in Purgatory Againe the Church of Rome holdeth this torment to be of long continuance for every sinne they must abide there seaven years besides also that we pray for some that died many hundred yeares since And in this regard doth the Pope grant pardons some for fifty some for an hundred thousand yeares and the Frier may verie well remember that when I shewed him in the Masse booke a praier that contained foure fiftie thousand yeares of pardon thereto adioined he did not onlie advow it but tooke vpon him to defend these so â—iberal indulgences In the Church of S. Bibian at Rome vpon the day of all Saintes they haue sixe hundred thousand yeares of verie pardon for the space of one whole day In the booke of Romane Indulgences these sixe hundred thousand years are writteÌ„ at large The Pope that granted that pardon preâ—upposing that a soule may haue committed so many sinnes besids those for which the paines of Jesus Christ haue â—atisfied that hee must haue so manie â—eares of torment to purge all his sins â—nlesse the Masses and suffrages of the â—ving togither with the Popes indulgences doe procure him ease and abbreviation of his paines At Paris in the entering into a chappel of the friers Fevillans in the suburbs of S. Honorat hangeth to be seene a long bedrole of pardons wherein among other is contained that vpon everie daie of lent there are to bee purchased three thousande eight hundred sixtie seaven yeares and two hundred and seaven Quarentines of daies of verie pardon In the church of S. Eusebius at Rome they haue seaven thousand foure hundred fifty and foure Quarenteins of daies of verie pardon for such as shall bring thither any honest offering and as
the words of the Bul do run Manus porrigentibus adiutrices for such as shall put to their helping hands In the Church of S. Mary deliver vs from the paines of hell for that is the Churches name there are dailie granted eleven thousand yeares of IndulgeÌ„ce to such as shal bring an honest offering that is to say that shal giue not to the poore indeed but to the rich Moncks not to those that weep but to those that sing for now almes with the true vse thereof hath also altred the signification of the word In the church of S. Praxede you haue dailie twelue thousand yeares of verie pardon and as manie Quarentines of daies with the remission of the third part of your sins in such maÌ„ner that visiting this church three daies on a row you shal purchase plenarie pardon of all your sins and six and thirtie thousand years by provision besides the Quarentines which the Popes haue since encreased to sixscore thousand years for everie daie witnes the book of Indulgences printed at Rome in the house of Iulius Accolto an 1570. see also the book of Romaine Indulgences sundrie times printed at Rome namely in the yeare 1519 the second of Februarie by Marcell Franck. Yet are all these pardons but few in regard of those that belong to the Church of S. Iohn of Lateran Gab. Biel in his 17. lesson vpoÌ„ the CannoÌ„ of the Masse the somme whereof yee shal find either hanging vpon tables or graven in the wals of divers churches of Rome All this do we set downe to shew that as the plaister ought to be fitted to the largenes of the wound so the Popes haue thought it meet to perswade men to beleeue that the paines of Purgatorie are of long continuance sith they require so long a time to purchase release from the paines thereof withal presupposing that in that so fiery and scortching a countrey where the sun hath no being they reckon all by daies and by yeares This long continuance is also to bee gathered out of the Revelation of Venerable Bede in the fifth booke of his historie cap. 13. That is to say about some nine hundred years since where he saith that the souls which in his time were in Purgatorie should be delivered in the daie of Iudgement except some few that shoulde bee redeemed from thence by the praiers of the living Moreover besides all this the selfe doctors of the Romish Church doe agree that even during these so violent torments the soules neverthelesse are assured of their salvation out of the danger of hell neither do I know since when this opinioÌ„ crept into the church of Rome for in the Masse for the dead we finde a clause after the Gospell that contrarywise doth testifie that still they are in danger These be the words Libera Domine animas omniuÌ„ fidelium defunctorum de poenis Infernis de profundo lacu libera eos de ore Leonis ne absorbeat eos Tartarus O Lord deliver the soules of all the faithfull departed from the infernall paines from the deepe lake deliver them from the throat of the lyoÌ„ least the gulph of hell should swallow theÌ„ vp so they fall into vtter darknes Tearms over bitter to signifie Purgatory and such as may in no case stand with people assured of their salvation We haue also the ordinary prayers said â—t burials yea and vsed at the funerall of 〈◊〉 Pope wherein we find no mention of Purgatory Indeed this soule is brought â—n as praying to be delivered from hel and from eternall iudgement in these words Saue me o Lord from eternall death â—n the terrible day when the heauens and â—he earth shall bee moved Sacrar Cerem lib. 1. Sect 15. and when thou halt come to iudge the world by fire I treÌ„ble and quake and doe feare when the examination shall come and the day of wrath of calamitie and of misery that great and woÌ„derfull better day Speeches which caÌ„not proceed from a soul assured of her salvatioÌ„ Surely wheÌ„ these praiers were first penned these matters were not yet well considered of and this may we easily gather from Pope Gregory the first who in his dialogues placeth the Purgatory of some souls in bathes of some vnder the leaues and of some vnder the Ice and this do these three champions that haue assaulted my treatise both say and defend for nothing to them is to hard or to hot Damian speaketh of a soule that had her Purgatory in a river but whither she swam with the stream or against it he saith not The Rosarie of Bernardine hath of this nature many revelations and the Legend of S. Patricke telleth vs that in Ireland there is a caue that openneth into Purgatory to be briefe albeit many soules are returned from those partes which haue brought news yet did the matter still rest full of doubt vntil the Councell of Florence which among other occasions was assembled to perswade Purgatory to the Greeke Churches who both before and yet do deny it albeit their deputies in the Councell did agree vnto it in hope of succours against the Turk True it is that we find some more ancient Councels which made mention of prayer for the dead but hereafter we shall most evideÌ„tly proue that these prayers make nothing for Purgatory also that such prayers as we find among the ancients doe plainely shewe that they beleeved no Purgatory Even to this day doe the Greek Churches pray for the dead yet doe they deny Purgatorie In the last session therefore of this Councell holden in the yeare 1539. was it defined that wee should beleeue Purgatory In which Counsell as in all others holden within these fiue hundred yeares the Pope sat president and that with such auctority that hee grew to bee adored and intituled The Divine Maiestie the spouse of the Church the Saviour and Lion of Iuda the king Prince of all the world having all power both in heaven and in earth All which titles were attributed to Pope Leo the 10. in the Councell of Lateran Thus in all these Councels nothing passed but by his will Sess 1. 3. 9. 10. in such wise that if any did contradict him hee was soone burned as was Iohn Husse in the Councell of Constance notwithstanding the safe coÌ„duct and faith given by the Emperour and al the Councell But to returne to our Matter The soules thus purged in this fire are brought into Paradice Howbeit because this purgation will growe somewhat long the Popes mercy doth sometimes abridge this punishment For besides that the paines that the living haue vndergon for theÌ„ as fastes almes whippings pilgrimages liberalities to the Church c. also that the Masses fouÌ„ded for the deceased which leaue any rents or annuities to a convent or abbey or other religious house if we may beleeue those that sing theÌ„ are of great vse to mitigate and allay the heat of Purgatory and to
right that beseemeth her which is this treasure composed of the merits satisfactions of her master with the satisfactions of the Saints We answer that the church is indeed a spouse but the spouse of Iesus Christ not of Saints for they also are the spouse It belongeth to God the father of this spouse to Iesus Christ her spouse to endow her and he hath endowed her with celestiall and eternall goods but admit the Saints were bound to endowe the Church must the Pope neverthelesse be treasurer of this endowment it would be dangerous for in his Cannons hee tearmeth himselfe The spouse of the Church And Bellarmin Bell. l. 1. de Pontif. Rom. cap. 9. who writ at Rome with the Popes approbation saith that The Pope is the spouse of the Church etiam Christo secluso even Iesus Christ beeing excluded and set aside The same fire of Helie saith that in the old law they had a treasury in the Temple where vpon he inferreth that the Church of Rome must also haue her treasury composed of the satisfactions of Iesus Christ and his Saints A gallant shift But the Pope who hath sixe and twenty thousande crownes a day to spend hath hee not a treasury of like substance as the temple of Salomon Howbeit vpon Apostolicall simplicity on the day of his coronation he scattereth among the people batocchi bagatini halfe pence and farthings Lib. Cerem sacrarum c. Of the Popes Coronation saying with S. Peter Act. 3.6 Silver gold I haue none but such as I haue I giue thee Let vs consider likewise what entereth into this spirituall treasury Stripes pilgrimages wallets labours and travailes with fasts superaboundant What dreames What husbandry And al this to bee mixed with the merits of Iesus Christ so well must they be accompanied What shall we say of the prodigious tearmes of their pardons amounting even to millions of yeares Yea somtimes with manifest scorne adding to the yeares so many monthes and so many daies as if this people did very exactly calculat with God And that this scorn may the better appeare they grant pardons that giue plenary remission and six thousand yeares to boot See the very words of the book of Roman Indulgences printed at Rome by Iulius Accoltus anno 1570. In the moneth of February vpon Quinquagesima Sunday yee shall haue the stations at S. Peters with plenary Indulgence and 28 thousand years of Indulgence and as many Quarentines Leo Bishop of Rome Leo Papa ep 89. who lived foure hundred yeares after Christ had never learned this Arithmeticke for he saith Pag. 52. 53. let no man prescribe any measure or define any time to the mercy of God To this question the Frier is stil for saith he hee must preach vpon it this next lent The fire of Helie having acknowledged some abuse in the excessiue length of these Indulgences as indeed it is but a newe invention and a testimony howe farre mans spirit will proceed when God hath given it over yet soone after hee vndertaketh their defence and to that ende hee alleageth the sinne of Adam the punishment whereof hath continued aboue fiue thousand yeares This he saith to confound himself For if the Pope neither could neither yet can remit to any this punishmēt which hath continued aboue fiue thousand yeares no nor exempt him any one day therefro how dare he presume without any autority of the Scriptures to exempt soules for some thousands of yeares from a tormēt infinitly more grievous Besides wee haue already shewed that the calamitie and miseries of the world are not punishments for Adams sinne but punishments for that the world ensueth the sinnes of Adam The same doe we say of the Amalekites destroyed foure hundred yeares after their sinnes committed in the wildernesse for albeit God did againe call to mind the offence before committed yet was there no man rooted out that had not well deserued it But to what purpose is all this What resemblance betweene the delaying of a punishment foure hundred yeares and pardons for sixe hundred thousand yeares That which he addeth passeth all absurditie Hee saith that the daughter of the Canaanite was afflicted with a divel in her infancie for the sin of Cham who died three thousand yeares before He ought to haue produced his autor for this so lame a fable By the way let him learne that if C ham died about the time of his brother Sem it was but eighteene hundred yeares or a little more betweene his death and the birth of this daughter of Canaan and thus was hee wide twelue hundred yeares in his calculation Hee farther proceedeth and saith That I mistake if I thinke that this great number of yeares should bee for Purgatory for saith he they are for the pennances enioined by the Confessors or that should haue beene enioined had they observed the severitie of the ancient Cannons c. Wherein he counterfeiteth the ignorant for hee knoweth well enough that in the Church of Rome they doe hold that if any man in his life time hath not satisfied the pennance enioined hee must afterward finish this satisfaction in Purgatory whereof it ensueth that the Pope releasing those pennances doth also exempt from Purgatory him who being by death preverted had no time to accomplish them Moreover if a man should gather togither all the longest penances imposed by the ancient Canons yet doe I think it vnpossible to draw them to amount to the summe of six hundred thousand yeares which is the pardon purchased at Rome in the Church of S. Bibian vpon Alhallon day Surely this so long a tearme doth shew that this pardon is not a release for paines enioined only in this life but also for the paines after this life This doth Bellarmine teach in his first booke of Indulgences Cap. 9. parag Existit Finally hee alleageth Scripture to proue these Indulgences grāted to the dead In the 20. of S. Iohn Pag. 54. Iesus Christ saith to all his Disciples Whatsoever you shall lose vpon earth shall be losed in heauē And then hee leaveth vs to conclude that the Pope may lose vnder the earth and fetch the soules out of Purgatory And other as welfavored In the first to the Corinthians the third Chapter Let a man so thinke of vs as of the ministers of Christ and disposers of the secrets of God Then may the Pope giue Indulgences to the dead as who should say Masses for horses are wholsome then is the Pope God vpon earth Yee subtle Doctors that haue passed by the examen of Logick tell me in kindnesse in what figure are these syllogismes but they knowe well enough that these mysteries whereof S. Paul speaketh are the doctrine of the Gospell He addeth that S. Paul 2. Cor. 2. Released that which hee had enioyned to the Incestuous of Corinth To what purpose is al this for papal Indulgences fetching of souls out of Purgatory 1. The incestuous lived these in Purgatory
books how many things doe weaken their autority In the second of the Machabes 1.19 it is said that the Iewes were led captiue into Persia where hee should haue said Babylon or Chaldea for in the time of Nabuchadnezar who transported thē Persia was not yet vnited into one kingdome with Chaldea Cyrus some seventy yeares after vpon his taking of Babylon vnited these two kingdomes an errour that made Chrysostome to stumble in his sixt homely vpon Matthew where hee saith that the Iewes were delivered out of the Persian captivity 1. Maccab. 1.7 he saith that Alexander devided his kingdome among his friends before he dyed which is contrary to the general cōsent of all historiographers who all do testifie that he dyed in Babilon without disposing of any thing which also the warres succeeding betweene his princes and domesticall servants about the division of his conquests do sufficiently shew Read Iustin Curtius Arrian Plutarch in the beginning of the life of Eumenes and toward the end of the life of Alexander In the eighth chapter of the same booke he speaketh like a Clarke at Armes and saith that by great battailes the Romans had conquered the Galatians yet in those daies they had set no foot in Gaule to conquer it Neither can he by the Galatians vnderstand the Galatians or Gallo-greekes of Asia who were cōquered without resistāce besides in that place he also speaketh of the conquest of Spaine as neere to the Gaules In the said place it is also said that they had taken Antiochus the great on liue Livy lib. 3◠36. Eutrop lib. 4 Florus lib. 2 cap. 8. contrary to the testimonie of al historiographers Read Livy Florus Eutropius and others Well doe they confesse that Antiochus lost three notable battailes one in Achaia against Accilius Glabrio another vpon the seaes vnder the conduct of Anniball the third neere to Magnesia a town in Asia against Cornelius Scipio but was never prisoner or captiue to the Romans In the same Chapter it is said that the Romans gaue the Indies to Eumenes to whome were giuen only certaine townes to Natolia before wonne from Antiochus For as for the Indies the Romans never sawe them and when their Empire was at the highest they neverwent far beyond Euphrates But the most notable of all is that in the 16. verse it is said that the Romans yearely committed their estat to one man considering it is manifest that yearely they created two Consuls whereof the proofe were superfluous In the 2. Chap. of the 2. of Machabes it is said that Ieremy hid the Arke in a chest of the mountaine Nebo that it might be found after the captivitie and that this place should be vnknowne vntill that God had gathered againe the congregation of the people which is contrary to the 10. Chap. v. 22. of the 4 of Esdras by our adversaries accounted Canonicall which saith that the Arke was defaced by the enimie also in the sermon of Onction attributed to S. Cyprian it is said Arca ab Allophilis capta est The Arke was taken by strangers Experience saith as much for after the returne out of captivitie we find no mention of the Arke neither was there any in the Temple as all the Rabbins do testifie who complained that in the second house they wanted fiue things which the first house had 1. Vrim and Thumim 2. The holy fire 3. The Arke Rabbi Schelomo Iarchi Initio Proph. Aggei v. 8. 4. The presence of the divinitie 5. The spirit or Inspiration which so tortureth Bellarmine that he proceedeth so far as to say that this Arke is yet hidden and shall bee found the next day before the iudgement hitting the counterfeiters and forgers of rellicks a shreud knocke over the knuckles for the booke of Roman Indulgences printed at Rome saith that the Arke is reserved at Rome among the rellicks of the Church of Lateran In the 2. of Machabes cap. 14. the act of Razias is commended who slew himselfe neither can we say that his valeancy only is commended for it is there expresly delivered that hee died vertuously And I see that this opinion beginneth to get ground among some of our adversaries For Carron the Divine at Burdeaux otherwise a man of a good spirit doth stiffe and stoutly maintaine this opinion in his second booke of wisdome cap. 12. especially in the 450 page of the impression of Burdeaux where he shutteth vp his discourse with this resolution That we must try all meanes before we come to this extremitie also that it is a point of wisdome to knowe the time and take it And withal he scorneth the cowardlinesse of many that haue outlived their glory He also saith page 405. that the world hath long lived vnder vniust vngodly and extravagant lawes which if any man should endeavour to reforme he should shew himselfe an enimie to the Common-wealth withall that turbulent stirrers vnder pretence of reforming do marre all What shall we say of the strange cōtradictions in these bookes Wee finde that Antiochus the noble died three times In the first booke cap. 6. hee died at Babylon in his bed In the secōd cap. 1 he dieth in the Temple of Nannea in Persia where hee and his being entrapped and enclosed in the Temple he was slaine with stones Afterward in the 9. Chapter following falling from his chariot in his returne from Persia the wormes issued out of his body and hee died a stranger among the mountaines See the 12. book of Ioseph Antiquities where wee shall finde the trace of the sāe contradiction How a stranger if hee died at Babylon the capitall citty of his dominions How in the mountains sith Babylon standeth in a plaine and is scituated vpon the river Euphrates How with a fall from his chariot if hee were stoned in the Temple Neither cā it be said that they were sundry Antiochus for all this is reported in the time of Iudas in whose daies there was but one Antiochus Yea in the first booke cap. 1. and in the second cap. 9. he is surnamed the Noble or Epiphanes in either place What more these bookes doe reckon the yeares frō the beginning of the raigne of the Grecians in Asia In the first of the Machabes the 9. it is said that Iudas was slaine in the yeare 152. but in the 4. of the secōd booke Iudas writ letters bearing date 188. that is to say six and thirtie yeares after his death Now let vs see in what accoūt these bookes were holden in the primitiue Church The Councell of Laodicea of like antiquitie as the Councell of Nice placeth not these bookes in ranck with the Canonicall That the primitiue Church never acknowledged the Machabes be Canonicall The falsehood of the Frier wherein I admire the little faith of our Frier minor who in the 22. page of his booke dare report that this Councell placeth the Machabes among the Canonicals for they are not so much as there named
sonnes of Hynnon to burne their sonnes and daughters Againe They haue built the high places of Baal to burne their sons with fire for burnt offerings vnto Baal It is in the Hebrew Baar which signifieth to burne And this word Holocaust signifieth a sacrifice which they burnt and wholy consumed But because of late they begin to preferre the Roman translation before the Hebrew text that is to say a corrupt translation before the originall a troubled ditch before the cleere spring Let vs produce the same text of the commō translation Aedificaverunt excelsa Baalim ad comburendos filios suos igni in Holocaustum Ierem. 19.5 Immolauerūt filios filias suas daemonijs Likewise in the second of Kings 3. Accipiensque Rex primogenitum suum obtulit holocaustum It is therefore contrary both to the history and to the language to say that the selfe same translation in sundry places turneth lustrare filios for cremare purge for burne Here the Frier hath bethought him of a notable fable fetched out of the bottome of his budget Hee saith that my selfe being reduced to a shamefull silence An Englishman whome I had brought for my Gossip whispered me in the eare and told mee that lustare signified to burne This is a double vntruth for on the one part he maketh as if all the assistants holp him and that I was in a maner alone on the other part there was never an Englishman in the company indeed there was a young Flemming whom I never saw before when the Frier said that Excogitatum commentum signified a Commentary confirmed this explication by the autoritie of Rabelais who said waight of larde with a Comment As for this word lustrare I maintained that it ought to haue beene Cremare to burne also that the translation was false and I suppose I needed not make many protestations vpon a matter so vnworthy the meanest scholler In vaine therefore did hee borrow out of Calepin and from the Iesuits of Tournom those passages where lustrare signifieth to purge Wherein neverthelesse he spitteth nothing but barbarisme and blockishnesse Demost contra Aristocratem ait cum qui aliquem accusavit tactis sacris suovetaurisibus iurare solitum I will therefore read him a lesson therein doing him good for evill Hee alleageth a passage out of the third of Livy Ibi instructum exercitum ove siue tauris tribus lustrauit and then he doth expound it He purified his army by the sacrifice of one sheep or three bulls But had hee had but a cast of antiquitie he might haue heard of a kind of sacrifice frequent among the heathen named Suouetaurilia and he would not haue put Oue siue tauris insteed of Ouesuet auris but this passed the Monks learning and capacitie 11 They also make vse of the first of Samuell cap. 2. in the song of Hannah in these words The Lord killeth and maketh aliue bringeth downe to the graue raiseth vp Now in liew of graue they put hel and this hell if we beleeue the signifieth Purgatory In Hebrew it is Shelo which signifieth the state and condition of the dead the pit the Sepulcher The Roman translation still translateth it hell As in the 140. Psalme Our bones lie scattered along the hell In the Hebrew it is the 141.7 also in the 30 Psalme Thou hast brought my soule out of Hell Iacob also in Genesis saith You shall bring my white haires into hell Againe Psalme 49. They shall be laid in hell or in the sepulcher like sheepe In these such like places who seeth not that the word hell is evill put insteed of death or the graue As for the passage in the song of Hannah the Frier confesseth that the same is meant of tribulatitions but he saith If it be by comparison who euer heard of things don that are not He saith true and therefore this comparison must not bee taken of Purgatory which is not as also the chiefe interpreters of the Romish Church Caietan Lyra and the ordinary Glosse doe not by this passage mean Purgatory S. Augustine in his 17. booke and 17. Chapter of the Cittie of God expoundeth this Canticle at large yet speaketh not one word of Purgatory The Frier speaketh as if it had bin himselfe that produced this Rabbin Read Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 21 cap. 13. One of the Assistants vpon this passage meaning to helpe the Frier produced a Rabbin Isaac Alfeci the Arabian who speaketh of two hels whervnto albeit I could haue answered and proved that that had no communitie with Purgatory yet I thought it better to say That Gods enimies were not to bee iudges in the cause of God That the truth borrowed no weapons of her adversaries that Virgil and Plato had also spoken of Purgatory 12 The Frier saith he hath a whol sea of witnesses hee might haue said a forrest for that would haue serued to kindle Purgatory he thus therefore entereth into this sea the sixt Psalme O Lord rebuke me not in thy rage neither chasten me in thy wrath This rage is hell this wrath Purgatory with a law saith he of satisfaction and chastisement of the faithfull deceased but most severe S. Augustine vpon the sixt Psalme and these words Rage and Wrath saith thus Ego puto vnam rem duobus verbis significatam I think that one thing is signified by these two words As for the purging pains whereof in some places he speaketh in my next Chapter I will shewe that my adversaries do corrupt and wrong him The like we say of S. Hierom. 13 Then followeth an other out of the fourth of Esay The Lord shall wash the filthinesse of the daughters of Sion and purge the blood of Hierusalē out of the middest thereof by the spirit of iudgement and in the spirit of heate This purging and this spirit of iudgement and of heate is Purgatory But note that this purging is made in the midst of Hierusalē There then is Purgatory not vnder the earth not in the rivers not in the yce for it is too hot in Iudea 14 Here cōmeth a braue one out of Malachie the 3. Who may abide the day of his comming and who shall endure when he appeareth For he is like a blowing fire and the fullers sope This blowing fire is Purgatory for in his bible he hath Ignis conflans that is by the explicatiō of this poore doctor a blowing fire What Regent is there that would not whip his scholler for such a grosse fault Learne doctor that Conflare signifieth to forge or bake in the furnace Et curuae rigidum falces conflantur in ensem Surely it is a shame to overcome a man so impertinent 15 In the 7. of Daniel Pag. 37. A fiery streame ran before him This streame is Purgatory why did he forget Gedeons bottels or Sampsons Iaw bone of an Asse for in these things cold he by the subteltie of his brain haue foūd out Purgatory But to let
in this life must bee purged by fire They resemble foxes who being hunted doe saue themselues in some thick bush for they seeke only thorny and darke places 2. It is here spoken of a fire that trieth the worke but tormēteth not the persons 3. Also even in Purgatory the soules are not tried but punished for God needeth not their triall to knowe them 4. Againe here it is spoken of a fire wherein every mans worke shall be manifest In Purgatorie nothing is manifest to vs. 5. Againe of a fire wherein every mans works are tried Pag. 17.18 then also the worke of the Virgin Mary and of the Apostles which moved the autor of the fire of Helie to make them also to passe through Purgatory But he saith this fire shall bee to them as the fiery furnace was to the three children which seemed a moist wind Thus doth this doctor imagin or mock but his companions say nothing 6. It is here spoken of a fire that burneth the worke but not the soules and vpō this place it was that the Frier being demanded whether was whipped the thiefe or the theft answered with the mirth of all the assistants that it was the theft that was whipped 7. Hereto adioine that it is said if it burne the workeman shall haue losse but in Purgatory nothing is lost besides although the sins were burned yet in such burning there should be no losse 8. This examen and triall by fire is called Day but Purgatory if we list to beleeue them is vnder earth The fire of Helie denieth that this fire is called Day but note these words of the Apostle Every mans worke shal be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire For hee setteth this proofe in the day in sight and therefore the fire of Helie hath omitted these words The day shall declare it It is in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Frier hath changed them saith The day of the Lord shal declare them This day of the Lord say they is the day of death so large is their liberty to falsifie and to wrest For whoe did ever heare death called the day of the Lord Yea and admit this explication were receaueable how is every mans worke then revealed and manifested But the sense of this word day must bee taken from the same Apostle in the 13. verse of the next Chapter where this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth triall and iudgement 9. Againe S. Paul saith as by fire it is not then by fire and to no purpose do they bring vs in the words of S. Iohn Vidimus gloriam quasi vnigeniti for the barbarisme and incongruities of the vulgar translation must not be admitted for a rule The autor of the fire of Helie produceth yet another passage out of the 125 Psalme where this word Quasi importeth no similitude but the truth it selfe When Syon returned out of captivity we were as comforted but according to the Hebrew originall Wee were as they that dreame and so hath Pagnine and Arias and all good translations 10. Also throughout all this passage there is not one word whereby it may appeare that this tryall is made after this life I confesse that the rewarde of the faithfull is after this life and the fire of Helie neede not to admonish vs with such exclamations for the question concerneth not the time of the reward but the time of the triall 11. Neither is there any word that speaketh of the torment of the soules for the saide fire of Helie endevouring to proue that here it speaketh of tormēts is deceived in his Logicke For these be his words Doth not S. Paule say Pag. 16. If any mans works burne he shall incurre damages Is not hee that is tormented endamaged An argument in the second figure composed all of affirmatiues He that is tormented endureth damage He whose works burne endures damage Thē he whose work burneth is tormēted Besides the first proposition is manie times false and particularly in this matter considering that the torment of the soules in Purgatory is if wee beleeue these men without losse to the good of the soules Now herein I must frākly confesse that the auctor of the fire of Helie hath yet some dexterity in sophistry Du Val. but the Frier speaketh like an Ideot and a man of a crased braine for all his discourse is spent in laying of maximes and principles whereby hee will haue this case decided as if it were in him to impose lawes and principles in this businesse And indeed if you looke narrowly into the matter you shall finde these principles to bee the case it selfe for they set downe as a plaine case and confessed that in this fire the people are tormented and do feele the trial of this fire Now this is the point of the controversie and that which wee doe stiffe and stedfastly deny that S. Paule speaketh no such thing Howbeit in the end he must haue the grace of it admireth my slacknesse as being incapable to comprehend his so childish principles As for the explication of this passage it must be gathered out of that that goeth before S. Paule in the 5. verse of this chapter speaketh of doctors and pastours and of the preaching of the Gospell And particularly of Doctors who holding a good foundatiō which is Jesus Christ do neverthelesse adde of their inventions and slight doctrines which he calleth wood hay and stubble in regard of the pure and solide doctrine which he tearmeth Gold silver and pretious stones This wood therefore this stubble being examined by the word of God as mettals in fire can not subsist but must needs be consumed But as cōcerning the parson of the pastor he shal be saved in regard of the good foundation that he hath holden yet after triall made as it were by fire This explicatiō is naturall and springeth of it selfe and every one that knoweth that S. Paule here speaketh of shepheards whom he nameth Builders Hieron cōtra Iovinian lib. 2. will easily admit this explication And hereto do agree Saint Ambrose S. Hierome Sedulius Tertullian in his first book against Marcion cap. 6. yea even the chiefe doctours of the Romish Church Lyra Thomas Caietan and Bellarmine in his first booke of Purgatory cap. 4. They all hold I say that these builders are the pastours and the preachers § Vtraque Hormildas Pope in the Tomes of the coūsels saith that the builders are the doctors and the fire the Synode Dial. 4. c. 39. and the building the preaching of the Gospell yet doth the Fryer make a scorne of all this and saith that they be meere fopperies This also is the reason that in the front of his book hee armeth himselfe with these titles The reverent father Frier Iames an Observantin Portugall Doctor of Divinity and preacher ordinary to the King that so hee may with the greater auctority fight
Church Whereas it is I fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Iesus Christ Let the reader look vpon the places and he shall finde that almost every where he corrupteth and changeth the wordes of the scripture for of many we deliver but few examples that so we may be the more briefe calâ—ing to minde the commaundement that is in the rule of S. Frances Dominus fecit verbum abbreviatum super terram Rom. 9.28 And therefore we must study for brevity CAP. 7. That the Doctours of the foure first ages knew not Purgatory with the refutation of the passages alleadged by our adversaries Also the beginning and progresse of Purgatory of prayer for the dead of Indulgences and satisfactions c. OVR controversies do not coÌ„sist only in coÌ„trariety of opinions but also in diversity of means to search out the truth Our adversaries wil haue the truth to be iudged by antiquity we wil haue antiquity iudged by truth They seeke to prooue the antiquity of their doctrine by the testimonies of men we proue the truth of ours by divine testimonies taken out of the holy Scriptures The Antiquity that they pretend requireth infinit passages out of divers auctors Tertul. in Marcionem lib. 1. Viva Germana divinitas nec de novitate nec de Vetustate sed de sua veritate censetur the truth that we mainetaine may bee defended by one only passage of the holy Scripture The way that we take is so much the shorter and better assured because reasons in disputations are better then yeares and the auctority of God then the testimony of men And which is more No man can denie but the truth is more ancient then the lie for the lie is but a corruption of the truth whereof it doth ensue that when a man hath proved the trueth of a doctrine he hath also proved the antiquitie thereof But contrarywise antiquity proved a man may neverthelesse doubt of the truth For lying hath beene even from the beginning and is in a manner as ancient as the truth which eveÌ„ since the fall of Adam hath borne the divels contradictions who said No you shall not die And that we may speake but of Christianitie S. Paule 2. Thess 2.7 telleth vs that in his time the entrie of the son of perdition was prepared and the misterie of iniquitie was in working But if we guide our selues only by the time what is there in the Church of Rome whereby shee may oppose against Iudaisme or Paganisme Againe if prescription may haue place in Religion let them tell vs how manie yeares maie suffice to auctorise a doctrine Or how many testimonies of men shal we need to institute an article of faith But wee say that lapse of time giveth no autoritie to the gospell also that the truth is of as great force alone as in companie That for the decision of doubts we are to bring the ballance of reason rather then the calculation of yeares Yea I say that he that teacheth the truth but vnderproppeth it with the testimonies of men in weening to establish it doth overthrowe it Theod hom Eccl. l. 1. c 7 a lie beeing no greater fault then such a defence of the truth For it is as much as if a man shoulde arme himselfe with paper taking vp strawes insteed of weapons shoulde in this furniture expose himselfe to the power and mallice of the Divell The worde of God naked is of more force then so armed Synod Constantinop 6 Act. 1. Propositis in medio sacrosanctis Evangeliis In that regard did the auncient Church in the beginning of their Synodes lay nothing vpon the table but the books of holie scripture but our adversaries haue great interest not to be content with this simplicity for even in the beginning a number of questions should be decided considering that in the Romish Church they confesse that they teach many things wherof they haue neither commaundement nor example in the holy scripture As Invocation of Saints worshipping of Images praying in a laÌ„guage vnknown to him that praieth Priestes vowes and single life Elevation and adoration of the Sacrament c. Therefore do they seeke a farther way about and having wrested the holie scripture out of Lay mens hands they crie out the fathers nothing but the fathers in liew of the soveraigne father which is God whoÌ„ neverthelesse they do at euerie opportunitie hit handsomelie over the thoÌ„bs and when these ancient doctors do coÌ„tradict each other in the explication of the scriptures as manie times they do these our Masters take vpon them to be the moderatours and iudges in their contrary opinions allowing sometime one and reproving somtimes an other and sometimes reiecting all and bringing in some explication more to the Popes availe They will graunt the fathers to be our iudges but with proviso that the Church of Rome shal iudge of the Fathers Let anie man reade the writings of the Iesuits Maldonat Gregorie of Valentia or Bellarmine and he shall see that I say the truth This maÌ„ner of disputation is to theÌ„ more coÌ„modious as giving theÌ„ meanes in their need to find a starting hole for it is an infinite field a bottomlesse sea a thicke darcknesse wherein to shrowde themselues as seeking only how to cavill and delay their plea. For among so manie auctors as might fill a house it is an easie matter to finde somewhat to wrest to a mans owne advantage and never to be perceived because few meÌ„ haue these books of them that haue them few do read them and of those that read them fewest of all doe vnderstand them for the fathers ordinarilie are repugnant among themselues and not only among themselues but everie man in himselfe and do retract confesse his ignorance Yea I dare say there is never an heresie howsoeuer extravagant for the which wee cannot finde some especiall passages in some of the doctors besides these divers ages haue retained the ancient words but altered the doctrine as also the phrase of many of them is obscure subiect to sundrie interpretations besides that many vsuall words haue altered their significations As these Indulgences satisfaction Pope Bishopricke aulter oblation sacrifice merit station sacrament excommunication pennance words extant in many auctors but in an other sense then in these daies and yet it is an easie matter to make theÌ„ passe for such as at this day wee take them and in regarde of the resemblance of the marke to perswade men that they are of the same substance Moreover if any Doctor hath forgotten him selfe or hath vsed any difficult tearmes these wil our adversaries stand vpon and vse them to their most advaÌ„tage therin resembling such beasts as can liue vpon serpents At Paris by Nivel in S. Iames Street at the storcks 1571. Ex sanctiss concilii Trid. Decreto veterum patruÌ„ Codices sunt expurgendi Cum in Catholicis veteribus plurimos feramus erreres extenuâ—mus excusemas excogitato per
I knowe that thou wilt answer it is to the ende the deceased may obtaine rest and find his iudge favourable thou weenest that thou must weepe for these matters but seest thou not that even in the same thou dost wrong him For considering that thou thinkest he is gon into the flowred fields why dost thou yet stir vp great stormes against him Againe in his 70. hom ad populum Antiochenum speaking of the funerals and the duty that we performe to the dead with torches and hymnes he saith What is the meaning of these flaming lamps No other but that we convey the Champions after the combat ended and these hymnes but that in them we glorifie God and giue him thankes that he hath crowned the dead and freed him froÌ„ all sorrowes that he now keepeth him about him hauing taken from him all vncertainties all which are actions of ioy Hee hath almost the same words in the moralitie of his fourth homily on the Hebrewes Both there and in his third homily on the Philippians hee gathereth that the duties that wee performe to the dead do testifie that their soules are in rest for the people say Convertere anima mea in requiem My soule returne into thy rest Againe in his 32. homily vpon Matthew Teares and lamentations beseeme the enemy not thee that goest to rest surely Death is a quiet hauen from all troubles Againe There is the spirituall bride bed and coelestiall And he saith that after death there is no more sorrow To bee briefe In Nilus Bâ—shop of Thessalonica we haue an expresse book against Purgatory which is an Apology for the Greeke Churches wherein they saie that this temporall fire was coÌ„demned in the fifth Councel as also to this day the Churches of the Greeks and Russians the Abissines and the Armenians knowe not what this Imaginary fire meaneth There also the Greeke Churches do protest that S. Chrysostome never beleeved any such matter nether any of their ancient Doctors whereof we doe gather that some places of this doctour which seeme to make for Purgatory either must bee vnderstoode of an other kind of Purgatory such as was the purging fire of Origen and Ambrose which shall be spoken of hereafter or els that those passages are corruptly inserted and suggested Tunc est tentatio finieÌ„da quando finitur pugna tunc est finienda pugna quando post hanc vitam succedet secura victoria paulo post milites Christi labori osa peregrinatione traÌ„sacta regnant felices in patria Illis omnia remissa sunt delicta nihil ob delicta puniâ—is for likewise in the couÌ„sell of Florence where the Greekes armed them selues with the auctority of their Doctours the Latins would not haue forborne to bring in these passages to convince them Prosper in his first book of Contemplatiue life cap. 1. saith Temptation shall end when the Combat is ended and the Combut shall end when after this life an assured victory shall succeed Againe soone after he saith The souldiours of Iesus Christ after they haue finished their laborious pilgrimage do raigne happyly in their Countrey Procopius vpon Exodus To those who by faith are entred into the number of their confederates and brethren and haue beene made partakers of the divine nature by the participation of the holy Ghost all their sinnes are pardoned they haue received no punishmeÌ„t for their offences Epiphanius in his second book of heresies heresie 39 which is the same of the Catares and Novatians seemeth to haue taken a smatch in the ConfutatioÌ„ of Purgatory where he saith In the age to come after a mans death there is no more helpe by fasting no more vocation of pennance no more exhibition of Almes hee also saith It is as the corne that swelleth not after it is reaped neither can be spoiled with the winde Finally he coÌ„cludeth The Garners are sealed vp the time is past the combat is finished the lists are voided and the Garlands are given Now saith hee all this is finished at the departure out of the body after which departure our adversaries do impose grievous penances and augment the difficulty of the fight and torments and doe deferre the giuing of the Crownes vntill the comming out of Purgatory that is to say many hundreds and thousands of yeares after death Arnobius in his second book against the gentils saith that Plato after this life hath set downe Rivers of fire in quibus animas asseverat volui mergi exuri where the soules are tossed plunged and burned But himselfe contrarywise doth holde that the souls out of the bodies can endure no sorrow Quis hominum non videt quod sit immortale quod simplex nulluÌ„ posse dolorem admittere Wherein albeit he erreth not yet doeth it sufficiently shewe that hee beleeveth not that the soules without bodies can after this life bee cast into a fire Note also that throughout all antiquity wee finde no mention of buls of fetching of soules out of Purgatory of Indulgences for the dead aulters and of fraternities that haue priviledge to fetch a soule out of Purgatory As this is but lately inveÌ„ted and as old age encreaseth in covetousnesse so hate Avarice beene more inventiue in this declining old age of the world for it is credible that the Apostles and their first successours omitted the fetching of foules out of this fire by indulgences for want either of knowledge either of abilitie either else of good will Also that togither with their greatnesse and riches skill spirituall power pietie and charitie haue growne vp in the Bishops of Rome That the Doctours in the primitiue Church in this matter had their errors which the Church of Rome reiecteth namely in this that for the most part they beleeved that the soules are detained in dennes or corners vntil the day of iudgmeÌ„t whereof neverthelesse it appeareth that they knew not Purgatory Irineus toward the end of his fourth and last booke condemneth two opinions the one that hell is in the world the other that the soule which hee calleth the inward man comming out of the body ascended into the region that is aboue the heauens Then he addeth For sith our Lord went into the middest of the shadow of death where the soules of the dead remained and is since corporally risen againe and after his resurrection was receaued on high It is evident therefore that the soules of his disciples for whom Iesus Christ acted and suffered these things shall also goe into an invisible place to them appointed by God where they shall remaine vntil the resurrection afterward being perfectly that is corporally raised as Iesus Christ was they shall appeare in the presence of God for no disciple is aboue his master c. In summe his meaning is that herein the condition of the faithfull deceased shall bee conformable to that of Iesus Christ whose soule came not into the presence of God before his resurrection but was in darknesse and
doubt of the Lords sentence in the day of iudgement The Friers falshood But our adversaries say that the soules in Purgatory are assured of their salvation and therefore the Frier pag. 56. omitteth these last words of S. Cyprian 3. Finally sith hee speaketh of such as doe pennance after their revolt it is not possible hee should speake of soules separated from their bodies either of Purgatory Wrongfully therfore doe my adversaries make so many brags of this passage for it is most vniustly and fraudulently alleaged As also the Frier pag. 63. citeth S. Hierom vpon the fourth of Ieremy and in his second booke against Iovinian also Nazianzē in his 39. oration and Basil in his oratiō vpon the 9. of Esay where hee speaketh of purging torments and afflictions of a fire that trieth the faithfull but in this life or at the day of iudgement And here doe our adversaries shew the third degree of their bad consciences in their allegations of the Doctors Of Commemoration and prayer for the dead practised by divers of the ancients and that it maketh nothing for their Purgatory Throughout the bookes of my adversaries there is nothing more grosse thē their false presuppositiōs that they make aboue an hundred times wherby so soone as they haue alleadged any father that speaketh of Commemoratiō Almes Oblations or Sacrifice for the dead they strait conclude Then is there a Purgatory A matter false and that for sundry reasons 1. Wherefore did Saint Augustine in writing a whole tract of the care for the dead set downe never a word therin of Purgatory 2. Why did they offer for the Apostles Prophets Martyrs and made sacrifices for them As witnesseth Cyprian in his third book Epist 6. and in his fifth booke Epist 4. dare my adversaries therevpon inferre that the primitiue Church beleeved that the Apostles were in Purgatory 3. Epiphanius accuseth Arrius of heresie because hee reiected praier for the deade and bringeth many reasons to proue that this prayer made for the Patriarches Prophets Apostles and al the faithful is profitable to bee received yet speaketh hee not one word of Purgatory albeit that was the place where to speak of it or not at all 4. Denis falsly tearmed Areopagite disputing of the cōmodity of prayer for the dead still presupposeth that those for whom wee pray are blessed propounded for examples to the living and for matter of thanksgiving but of Purgatory or of any fire that purgeth soules he hath not a word 5. We haue heard in the second of the Macchabees that to pray for the dead is but meere madnesse vnlesse we haue regard to the Resurrection so not to the torment of Purgatory 6. The Greeke churches do pray for the dead yet do they denie Purgatory 7. Wee heard before by Chrysostome in his 32. homily vpō Matthew that such as procured praiers for their dead parents did beleeue that they were in flowred meddowes in that homily in aboue twēty places he saith that Death is the entrie to rest and an end of sorrow S. Augustin in the ninth book of his Cōfessions praieth for his mother Monica and S. Ambrose for the Emperour Valētinian yet do they protest that they beleeue that these parsons deceased are with God do enioy the pleasures of Eternall life But the matter of greatest consideratiō is that S. Ambrose saith that Valentinian dyed without Baptisme Oratione de obitu Valentiniani Valentinian I say who was a great Emperour and a Christian even from his birth having so many cleargy men at his command at whose hands to haue received Baptisme who then did better deserue to bee confined into Limbo or Purgatorie then he yet saith Ambrose He is in coelestiall felicity 9. Wee haue heard that most of the ancients shut vp the soules of all men in certaine hidden receptacles where they desired refreshing thervpon had they some groūd to pray for the dead albeit they did not beleeue Purgatorie wherin appeareth the corrupt faith of the Frier for he sets a brag vpon the words of S. Augustine in the 110. chapter of his Manual Wee must not deny but that the soules of the dead are relieued by the piety of the liuing but hee was wiser then to alleadge the wordes going before namely The soules are in hidden receptacles euen from their decease vntill the resurrection For so it woulde haue appeared that the opinion of S. Augustin touching praier for the dead was grounded vpon an error which the Church of Rome reiecteth also that frō an error will soone spring an abuse 10. We haue alreadie heard the opiniō of Origen and his followers touching the fire of the daie of Iudgement that should scortch and burne the soules evē of the most holy and perfect Also wee haue shewed howe fearefull S. Hillary was of this fire All this therfore might haue ministred vnto thē argument sufficient to haue praied for the deade as trembling at the punishment to come 11. What more can we desire Let vs make our adversaries our iudges in this case Do not the Priests many times receiue money for saying Masses for the young children that dyed soone after Baptisme who neverthelesse as they beleeved were neither in Limbo nor in Purgatory Let them now choose whether they will confesse their error or acknowledge their Avarice their want of knowledge or their bad consciences 12. Do they not in their dailie Masse pray for the soules that sleepe in a slumber of peace and therfore are not in the horror of flames 13. Let vs therfore heare the forme of the ordinarie praiers of the Church of Rome for the dead This book of sacred cerem sect 5. c. 1. libera domine à morte aeterna in die illo tremendo Saue them O Lorde from Eternall death in that terrible day when the heavēs and the earth shall bee moved when thou shalt come to iudge the world by fire I trēble and feare when the triall shall come and the wrath to come that day of wrath of calamity of misery that great and mervailous bitter day They pray that the souls of the dead may be saved from eternall death and the last iudgement which is more Throughout all the publicke praiers of the Church of Rome for the dead we finde not one word of Purgatory which proveth that it was not yet established in the Church at that time when they praied onlie for the refreshing of souls in their hidden receptacles or for the last iudgement or to eschew Eternall death 14. Finally is it not a matter mervailous notable that among such a multitude of the passages of the fathers by our adversaries quoted for praier for the dead there is not one that saith that these praiers were made to redeeme soules out of Purgatory This thē is the fourth degree of the deceipts and fraudulent allegations that our adversaries do make whē at every speech they still inculcate praier for the dead for proofe of
their Purgatory there vpon haue they spent at the least three quarters of their allegations Now as concerning this praier for the dead the truth is that the Apostles in the celebration of the Lords Supper retained the institution of Iesus Christ and Pope Gregorie hath before testified vnto vs that to that Institution that is set downe in the holy Gospell they added only the Lords praier which argueth an vntruth in Chrysostome who saith that the Commemoration of the dead in the Eucharist is an Apostolicall tradition Soone after Martyrdome encreasing for the better encouragement of the Christians they brought in a custome in the celebration of the sacrament to name the Martyrs with the Prophets and Apostles and in everie Church they had a list or double tables called Diptiches wherin were writ ten the names of all such deceased as were to be mentioned in Commemoration and so far there was no harme The custome encreasing the parents and friends of the deceased beganne to giue almes vpon the day of the Cōmemoration of the deceased The almes togither with the commemorations they called oblations of the dead also sacrifices for the dead as we may see in the sixt epistle of the third book of S. Cyprian speaking of the Martyrs deceased in prison Celebrentur à nobis oblationes et Sacrificia in Commemorationem eorum Let vs celebrate sacrifices and oblations in commemoration of them Likewise in the fifth Epistle of his fourth booke speaking of Laurence Heb. 13.16 Phil 4 18. Celerine and Ignatius Martyrs Sacrificia pro eis offerimus quoties Martyrum passiones dies Aniuersariae Commemoratione celebramus That is to say We doe offer sacrifice for them alwaies and so often as from yeare to yeare we doe celebrate the daies and passions of the Martyrs In summe this is it The almes called in the Scripture sacrifices were offered for the dead that is to say in remembrance of them and in their steed as if the dead gaue them Thus in the eight booke of the Institutions of Clement cap. 18. The Bishop or minister prayeth We doe offer vnto thee for all those that haue pleased thee from the beginning of the world for the Saints Patriarkes Prophets righteous men Apostles Martyrs c. For such doth the Church of Rome hold that wee ought not to pray or to offer That these oblations and sacrifices were almes it appeareth by two Canons Vases Can. qui oblationes can Clerici one of the Councell of Vases the other of the Councell of Agatha Which are in Can. 13. quest 2 The Councell of Vases saith thus Can. Qui oblatione can clerici Such as detaine the oblations of the dead are slack in bringing them to the Churches are to be cut of from the Church as Infidels because they doe depriue the faithfull of the accomplishment of their vowes and the poore of their food and substance That of Agatha condemneth those that detaine the oblations of their deceased parents as murderers of the poore Burchard in his fifth booke alleageth many examples Nowe because part of these offerings were imployed in the Communion of the holy supper S. Cyprian in his sermon of Almes complaineth that the rich offering nothing yet came to take part of the sacrifices offered by the poore Domini cum sine sacrificio venis partem de sacrificio quod pau per obtulit sumis Now that this nomination of the dead in the administratiō of the sacrament tended not to fetch him out of Purgatory it appeareth evē by the same that our adversaries alleage out of Cyprian namely for that hee would not permit any nomination of of a certaine deceased person who had charged a clarke with a tutorship for surely it had beene excessiue inhumanitie to depriue a soule tormented in fire from ordinary reliefe for so slight an offence and where it was rather want of consideration then of piety as also to hold such a one for that sinne to be dāned were a rash and precipitat iudgement It was therefore a deprivation of honour among the living not a prohibition from succouring of the soule of the deceased And yet in all this there is no harme In those daies sprang vp the error of the receptacles of soules and of the fire of the last iudgemēt that should purge even the Virgin Mary and the Apostles began to take footing in the church Hereby mēs minds growing into feare and being perplexed concerning the estate of the dead prayers for the succor of the dead soone after came to bee adioined to the oblations sacrifices and almes And thus errour begat abuse which sprang from the loue of friends yet without any conceit of Purgatory and without any foresight of such abuses as might ensue and did befall in the daies of Gregory Bishop of Rome who lived in the yeare of Iesus Christ six hundred For then learning being smothered by the inundation of the barbarous nations the Gothes the Hunnes the French the Vandales c. And these lights of the primitiue Church extinct whiles there were no more Basils Cyprians or Augustins c. The divell taking his time and making vse of the covetise of the Clergie cosened the world with visions and aparitions of soules returning from Purgatory as we see in Gregories dialogues and Beda his workes who made report of a soul that appeared musled in a cloke of fire of an other that had beene a master of the bathes and being there in Purgatory offered to pull of a mans hose They also tell vs a fable of one Nocholas who getting forth of Purgatory by a hole that is in Ireland reported that hee had seene soules some broiled some fried get-some roasted c. Gregory in the fourth of his dialogues cap. 41. putteth to him selfe this question Quid hoc est quaeso quod in his extremis temporibus tam multa de animabus clarescunt quae ante latuerant And ordinarily these souls in their appearance shewed the cause of their tormēt ether that they had not paid the Church what they ought or had vowed and so entreated the living to satisfie for them or that they had withstood the Bishop of Rome c. Then began these great donations to the Church especially after the stations and Indulgences of Rome were added which are of the topgallant the last supream top of all Babylon Against this progresse of abuse what better remedy then to reduce the people to the spring head which is the holy Scripture And to say as Iesus Christ said to the Saduces Mat. 22. You erre not knowing the scriptures but from the beginning it was not so For throughout the old Testament that is for the full space of foure hundred yeares there was no prayer either for the dead or to fetch any soule out of Purgatory neither in the daies of Iesus Christ or his Apostles nor of a long time after Thus shall we attribute the glory to God to
his word cleere the peoples minds from all doubts or difficulties withal cut of the pathes that lead to this trafficke How vniustly the Frier and his fellowes doe make vse of the example of the primitiue Church in matter of Indulgences In the times of persecutions the primitiue Church sought all meanes possible to honour martyrdome and to encourage the Christians thereto Amōg other meanes they had taken vp a custome that such as for any notorious offence were cut of from the Church for some long time did resort to the prisons wherein such as suffered for the gospel were detained there besought these Martyres to make intercession to the Church that the time of their pennance and excommunication might be abridged and thus did the Bishops vse at the intercessions of these prisoners appointed to martyrdome to readmit the penitent into the Congregation S. Cyprian in his sermon of the fallen also in the second Epistle of his fourth booke and Tertullian in his booke De pudicitia doe disallow this custome thinke thay they yeeld too much to these imprisoned Martyrs Yea Tertullian speaketh thereof in his book of the Martyrs cap. 1. Our adversaries like the Israelites that gathered straw vnder the bondage of Pharao for want of more substantiall proofes doe make vse of this custome in their establishing of the Popes Indulgences and in the distribution of the overplus workes and superabundant satisfactions of the Saints collected into the Popes treasurie and converted into paimentes for others Tertullian calleth thē appointed Martyrs wherein I suppose they haue no intent that men should beleeue them so farre from all apparance doe they speake 1. These Martyrs that S. Cyprian spak of were yet aliue those that our adversaries spake of are dead 2. Wee cannot finde that ever the paine of any sinner was abridged by the merits and superabundant sufferings of these Martyres who would never haue vndergon those torments had they not beleeved that God called them thereto and consequently that they were bound to endure them so it followeth that they neither did nor suffered any thing supererogatory for they could not doe otherwise vnlesse they would haue denied the Gospell 3. These imprisoned Martyrs commended to the Church this or that penitent and besought that they might be receaued into the Communion but they neither paid for them nor redeemed them as our adversaries doe say that the Saints by their sufferings are in some sort our redeemers 4. These Martyrs entreated only that the sinner might bee admitted to the Communion not that he might be exempt from Purgatory 5. In those daies there was no speech of this worthie treasure of the Church composed of the superabundant satisfactions of Iesus Christ and his Saints 6. Every Bishop imposed or abridged the pains or excommunications in his owne flocke without expecting either advice or buls from the Bishop of Rome 7. In those daies men knew not the meaning of pardons hanged vpon certain Churches by his holinesse autoritie O what a goodly sight it would haue beene in those daies to haue seene such buls set vp and fixed vpon the Church dores or some one that might haue instructed the people in this new Gospell namely that his Papall holinesse having in his treasury all the superabundant satisfactions of Iesus Christ his Saints doth giue ten thousande or fiftie thousande yeares of plenary pardon and as many quarentines with the third of all their sinnes or even full Indulgence to every one that shall say a stinted number of Paters or Avees or his rosary or beads or weare or kisse some halowed grains or contribute some peece of mony or that shall ioine himselfe to the fraternitie of the Corde likewise that such a stinted number of Masses said vpon a certaine priviledged altar shal fetch out of Purgatory any one soule even such a one as he shall chuse that must pay for it also that such venerable pardons are to be purchased in such a Church vpon such a day even vntill sun set besides that he that shall buy these pardōs may chuse him a ghostly father such a one as in the houre of death shall absolue him from all his sinnes both frō the paine and from the fault Surely I say if any man in the primitiue Church should shaue preached so prodigious a doctrine even the little children would haue hissed after him or the Phisitians would haue felt his pulse so to haue learned the cause of his frensey and to purge his hypochondriall humour for as yet it was not the custome to burne any man for heresie Now in our enterview the Frier alleaged vnto me this intercession of the Martyrs for the penitent to defend papall Indulgences I answered that that intercession had no resemblance with the Popes Indulgences besides that that custome did Tertullian condemne Then did he take me vp in a most impudent manner saying that I was deceaued also that I tooke Tertullian for S. Cyprian but I told him that both the one and the other condemned this custome howbeit wee wanted bookes to satisfie the assistants vpon this point This did not the Frier forget in his booke and therefore marke his words pag. 12. The Minister should remember what a Novice be shewd himselfe in the reading of the fathers how hee mistooke himselfe in citing them quoting Tertullian for S. Cyprian But let him nowe learne that which he yet knewe not so confesse himselfe to be the Novice Tertullian in his book de Pudicitia cap. 22 complaineth of this custome at large even so farre forth as to say That diverse procured their own imprisonment that so they might be Intercessors for some of their friends or that they might commit folly with women detained in the same prison Violantur viri feminae in tenebris plane ex vsu libidinum notis Et pacem ab his quaerunt paenitentes qui de sua periclitantur In the end hee concludeth thus Sufficiat Martyri propria delicta purgasse Ingrati vel superbi est in alios quoque spargere quod pro magno fuerit consequutus Quis alienam mortem sua soluit nisi solus Dei filius c. that is to say Let it suffise the Martyr that hee hath purged his owne sinnes It is the part of an vnthankfull and proud person to seeke to impart to others that which hath beene granted to himselfe for a great grace What man did ever by his owne death satisfie for anothers death but the only sonne of God In al this appeareth both the Monks ignorance in commō matters as also his assurāce in speaking that which he knoweth not besides his childish waunting of prevailing in so slight a cause For had I named Tertullian for Cyprian can the weakenesse of my braine amend his cause but it is memory that fayleth him or rather knowledge but especially conscience Note in the meane time how well these Indulgences are vnderpropped with antiquitie for my adversaries in