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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02879	The result of a dialogue concerning the middle-state of souls. Wherein is asserted, the ancient doctrine of their relief, obtainable by prayers, alms, &c. before the day of judgment. / By F.D. professor of divinity.	Franciscus a Sancta Clara, 1598-1680.	1660 (1660)	Wing D355A; ESTC R175909	24,202	157

of Faith But let us go further if every person from hence to Cades in Spain and from thence to Rome and from thence to Constantinople and from thence to Jerusalem through both Churches were asked whether in their prayers for the dead they do not hope to help them to Heaven before the last day every one would assert it CHAP. II. It is not matter of Opinion THerefore most certainly the hope of present easing them was not grounded on matter of Opinion which intrinsically involves actuall fear or doubt of the truth else they would have praied faintly but it is a traditionary doctrine and under that notion by all understood Hence we never read in Scriptures Councels or Fathers any one clear assertion as sufficiently appears in those which are most urged That all those that go to Purgatory must be necessarily detained there without any relief till the day of judgement which sure were impossible if there had been any fluctuation in it or if they had been of that opinion as some gently perswade us That some things have been delivered to posterity in the Church which could never obtain more authority then opinion I have made evident in my System even in grave Subjects of which number this was not but how to distinguish such from doctrines of a higher nature in case Holy Church did not conveigh clearly their qualifications with them as in some cases evidently it did and in others it did not as there I give instances then the onely way is to return to general Councels that they according to their office may conquisitione facta after the example of the Apostles juridically appoint to each their seats where all must acquiesce as here was done conformable to all antiquity as I have declared and shall more CHAP. III. Why the resurrection is inculcated THe Holy Scriptures indeed our B. Lord and especially B. St. Paul and since them holy Church and Fathers most pressingly inculcates the truth of the general resurrection as being the basis of our hope the motive of piety and good works all which would be adjudged fruitless by the generality of men if it were not for this though even Aristotle who with the rest of his friends of Athens would have laughed to have heard Saint Paul Preach and assert it yet they would judge vertue to carry and bring with it a present reward for which it should be embraced but our expectations are infinitely higher by our believed and hoped for resurrection and therefore it alwaies produced proportionate effects in Gods holy Martyrs and Saints especially in those first times as the course of Gods providence required and therefore there was a necessity effectually to settle this radical doctrine as also of the last judgement to inculcate a just fear as S. Paul did This other of relief of souls in and out of Purgatory being of far less concernment as to the generality of mankind and being as it were a particular of it or subalternate to it needed not so strong frequent inculcation though holy Church did not take it up upon vulgar and light hear-sayes but with and by the Apostles Praedications which according to S. Augustines Rule are sufficiently proved by the Churches Doctrine and practice The holy Scriptures themselves as interpreted by antiquity also declare it which are obviously knowne Neither do the Texts though brought with violence touch the contrary nor were ever so interpreted Some mistake also ariseth in this business from not observing that holy Scriptures and from thence holy Church and the Fathers frequently understand by Resurrection even the assumption of souls to Heaven without the bodies and therefore S. Aug. calleth the later of soul and body the perfect resurrection as condistinct from the former in his care of the dead c. 6. But here we treat of the Churches practice and doctrine which are cleare even amongst the Greekes as well as Latines You know that according to Mr. Rushworth and Mr. White whose authority cannot be denied by you the publique practice or oral conveyance demonstrates universal Tradition and consequently Christian Truths Therefore when I look upon the anxious solicitude with which now and in all former ages good Christians Greeks and Latines have prosecuted their friends deceased with their Prayers Alms-deeds which all Christian Monuments declare methinkes it were strange now at length to have all resolved into a cold Oblation or Prayer for Doomsday wherin their particular Allies are no more concerned than all others so all the pious indeavours of friends are of no effect as relating to what they intended in order to particular persons but might as well be contracted into a general Prayer for all the dead against not onely orall tradition but the manifest writings of the most ancient and learned in the bulke of the Fathers as S. Aug. is sufficient testimony for all the rest in his Treatise of this subject stiled by him A care of the dead where he supposeth it to be the common sense of the whole Catholique Church that particular persons dead who have acquired merit in their life time by which such things may be rendred profitable after death do receive benefit by what is done for them religiously after their decease and he speaks cleane through the whole Book of actual benefit profit help advantage availment and rest to be procured for the souls And lest we should glosse it for the soules in their reunion with their bodies he frequently speakes condistinctively of the soule as separated from the body or as it is when the body is dead and he saith that then it receiveth succour which as he shews and I have said was the practice of all Churches in their publique Liturgies I do not esteem it constancy but obstinacy to intort antiquity to our sense gainst their own CHAP. IV. The sences of Greek and Latine Lyturgies and Fathers AMongst the Greeks I observe in their Liturgies that sometimes they pray with Tertullian de Monogamia that the dead may have refrigerium that is some ease as S. Greg. Nazian his Liturgie p. 34 in the Rubrick Other times they pray that they may be put into a place of light sommess where sorrow is banisht and groaning c. as in S. Basils Liturgie Sometimes that they may rest in Abrahams bosome as in S. James his Liturgie All these intimate a change a present relief though not alwayes a release as the stile evidently imports which destroyes your very ground for you teach that no prayers can relieve or change them till Doomes-day S. James in his Lyturgie prayes that God would cause the souls to rest with the Saints You say he meanes that they may not rest or have ease or lightsomness c. till after the day of judgment Besides they constantly pray for the remission of their sins as in S. Basils and the rest this is not for the resurrection and finally they pray for all who died in communion of the faithful and for

particular persons recommended to the Priest in each particular exactly agreeing with the Roman Church Hieremias their Patriarch followes them and the sense of both Churches frequently appears to be that by their prayers they may obtain present ease ut a poenis releventur saith the Councel of Florence in the decree in Gennadius There was a question amongst some of the ancient whether souls except of Martyrs had a facial sight of God before the last day the progresse of it I have examined in my System Hence some spoke warily touching the full release out of Purgatory which involves a going to Heaven but all agreed as to our present ease and relief by Prayers Alms-deeds c. The not observing this hath made a misunderstanding of som of the Fathers in this matter Truly sometimes they pray expresly that they may enter Heaven before the last day as St. Ambrose upon the death of Theodosius Dilexi ideo prosequar eum usque ad regionem vivorum nec deseram donec fletu precibus inducam eum quo sua merita vocant in montem Domini sanctum c. he will never leave praying till by his prayers and teares he hath brought him out of Purgatory to Heaven We need no more for both Churches he a great Latine Bishop well acquainted with the sense of both Churches promiseth this for the Greek and Latine Emperor in presence of the Emperor also a Grecian born and of the Court where were present as well Greeke as Latine Prelats and Doctors If this had not been the publick sense of all Churches in their obsequies for the dead there wanted not Zelots then and after who would have reprehended this publique attempt which you call Novelty by them adjudged Piety St. Chrysostome Homil. 41. in 1. ad Cor. after a long discourse saith thus Si Jobi illius liberos patris victima purgavit Job 1.5 quid dubites e nobis quoque si pro dormientibus offeramus solatium quiddam ill is accessurum This some comfort concludes a present change upon our Prayers this cannot signifie Heaven where is no such diminutive as quiddam solatium this surely cannot be Doomsday which agrees with Saint Augustines Neque negandum est defunctorum animas pietate suorum viventium relevari cum pro illis sacrificium Mediatoris offertur vel eleemosynae in Ecclesia fiunt c. 9.2 ad Dulcitium and in his Enchyridion to Lawrence c. 110. as elsewhere he distinguishes three sorts of the dead whereof the midle are only capable of this help and in his Care of the dead c. 4. he tels us that Christians in their Prayers recommend the third 〈…〉 by the 〈…〉 Saints 〈…〉 take them 〈…〉 ●●mpany when 〈…〉 rise according 〈◊〉 you but S. Aug. dre●●nd not of that good-fellowship but present ease for surely S. Aug. his easing them is a present change I could render it fastidious to the Reader if I should bring in particular the sense of Greek and Latine Fathers which in reading them I have noted And though some Criticks do not give a due esteem of S. Gregory the great and Venerable Bede their Histories which Baronius elegantly defends yet no man of reason can doubt much lesse deny but that their loud approbation of the particular releases of souls and the worlds not resisting their truth abundantly declare the sense of the whole Christian world to have been That by Prayers soules might be delivered out of Purgatory before the last day Nay they did not only not resist them but both Greeks and Latines positively approved of them For Pope Zachary had his bookes of Dialogues without any restriction in so high esteem that he himselfe with his approbation translated and recomended them to the Greeks And S. John Damaseen and other Greeks with much reverence received and often cited them as I have frequently noted and therfore no wonder that Venerable Bede following our first Christian Master St. Gregory though he himselfe sharp-sighted gives more examples of the like as also S. John Damascen These two considering the eminency of their virtue and learning and both great Searchers of antiquity and both received as Assertors of truth in their respective East and West Churches may alone suffice to witness the Churches Doctrine Now as S. Aug. c. 10. in his Care of the Dead saith if we should say that these things were false we might be thought to use more boldnesse than became us both in regard of the writings of some faithfull Christians who report it as also in regard of the testimony and sensible experience of those to whom such visions have hapned May not this justly be applied here Also consider who St. Gregory Pope Zachary and St. Chriso stom were and 〈…〉 carry on their backs both the Latine and Greek Churches And hence the Councel of Florence in the very Decree as I have noted in another Book speaking for and in the name of both Churches sayes We define c. that those souls who after they have contracted the blemish of sin are purged either in their bodies or being uncloathed of their bodies are presently received into Heaven and Pope Benedict saith Before the resumption of their bodies We can require no more as to the Doctrine of both Churches since as you see the Decree is consonant to both It 's true that the Roman Lyturgie in the Sequentia doth wonderfully inculcate the horror of Doomsday partly to move us living to a right apprehension of our concernment in it partly that the dead may receive comfort before the last terrible day Neither can the words have any other sense for certainly the souls in Purgatory are not ambiguous of their judgement in that day as all Christians agree and therefore the Church concluding prays to God to give all the Faithfull rest from henceforward to prevent the rigour of that fearfull day It 's truly a mistake to say the Greek Church did not admit this Doctrine before the Councel of Florence since it is most evident that their Doctrine was not at all changed or disliked even upon examination as to this of easing and delivering souls out of Purgatory or translating them into Abraham's bosom by Prayers c. but only in the beginning was examined how far they agreed with Pope John's errour against the facial sight of God and this was amended by common consent Nay their practice was never questioned or doubted of which was and is the same with the Latines as hath been shewed and therefore Cyril repeating and expounding the manner of their Lyturgies saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That is We believe that it will be a wonderfull help to the souls for whom supplication is offered of this holy and terrible sacrifice Can any man refer this wonderfull help to a cold expectation of Doomsday And hence we see in the third action of the General Councel of Calcedon how the process was admitted of Ischyrion against Dioscorus for not having distributed