sayth Auferantur de medio chartae nostiae prodeat in medium codex Dei Away with our writings and let the booke of God be brought forth Aug. contra Petilianum Donat cap. 16. Vtrum ipsi Ecclesiam teneant non nisi diuinarum Scripturarum canonicis libris ostendant Whether we or they haue the true Church let it be shewed no other way but by the Canonicall bookes of the diuine Scriptures We must imitate the people in Beraea Act. 17 11 who did search out and examine the Scriptures alleaged In the interpretations of the Scriptures the Apostle liddeth vs 1. Thes 5.21 to try all and to hold that which is good That is best which best agreeth with the grounds of faith and with the general course of God his holy word To condemne that which we neither heare nor know must needs be within the compasse of rash iudgement Thus our intent in frequenting the Church must be to obey the ordinance of God who hath appointed a publicke place for prayer and thankesgiuing for the Sacramēts for the hearing of his holy word Our intent must be so to worship God that God may be publickely glorified and our brethren by our ensample edified Our intent must be to obey God his Vicegerent vpon earth our Christian gouernour Our intent must be to iudge our selues to amend our selues and to humble our selues Otherwise if we attribute a holinesse to the soule or stone or timber as though our prayers should be better accepted for them then do we incurre a manifest idolatry So likewise in fasting if it be vndertaken as making one meate more holy then another as though fish were more holy or more meritorious then flesh or the egge more holy then the Pullet or the milke more holy then the Heyfar or as though wines fruits and iunkets were more holy then other kinds of nourishmēts what is it else but a dānable superstition 1. Tim. 4.1 as the Apostle doth call it the doctrine of diuels But to fast Psal 33.14 to subdue our corrupt nature and to humble our soules as is not done by those fasting meates or to fast to make vs more fit for prayer Act. 13.3 Act. 14.23 2. Chro. 20.3 2. Sam. 12.22 when we would either craue some great blessing of God or diuert some heauy iudgement it is an exercise very acceptable and agreeable to the will of God And in politicall orders for the sustenance of a Common wealth a good subiect is boūden to order his diet according to the lawes vnder which he liueth But either in fasting or in altering of diet to accompt our meate more holy or more meritorious then another it is a very euident and detestable superstition So is it with the places of God his seruice If we ascribe holinesse or merite to the earth stones timber or to any forme or fashion of building it is a plaine derogating from the merites of the passion of Christ and to trauell to them with that mind is a kind of Idolatry The place wherein God spake to Moses Exod. 3.5 is called holy earth the place sayth God wherein thou standest is holy ground But this holinesse was by meanes of the presence of God who vouchsafed at that time there to be present Psal 99.5 The footestoole of God that is the very pauement of the Temple is called by the Psalmist holy according to the interpretation of some yet was it holy in respect of the presence of God by his Arke and Testament Many things in the old Testament were named holy as Sacraments and types and figures of Christ and his Church Heb. 10.1 Col. 2.16 But the truth being come and those types and shadowes being vanished away we acknowledge now no other Sacraments then those which our Sauiour Christ himselfe hath ordained neither do we attribute any merite to any thing but onely to the obedience and satisfaction of Christ Iesus If our Temples were as gloriously furnished as was that Temple at Hierusalem or our meates as good as that Manna which fell from heauen or our garments as holy Exod. 25.7 and as pretious as was Aaron his Ephod yet neither our buildings nor our foode nor our vestiments can set one foote into our saluation but all must be ascribed wholly and entirely to that free iustification Rom 3 24 1. Ioh. 1.7 Heb 9 14 which we haue by the redemption of Christ Iesus Our comming to the Church must be to humble our selues in it and not to seeke merite or ransome by it We must obey God his holy ordinance and yet when we haue done all we can do we must say still we are vnprofitable seruants Luc. 17.10 When our Sauiour Christ doth commaund vs to shut the doore of our closet Math. 6 6 and to pray in secret his meaning is not to oppose priuate prayer against his publicke ordinance but he doth oppose it against the pride of the Pharisies who by praying in the sinagogues and in the corners of the streetes sought to exalt themselues and therefore were iustly reiected of God And yet did the proud Pharisie not refuse to pray in the same Temple with the sinfull Publican Luc. 18.10 And therefore they which refuse to come to our publicke place of prayer must needs acknowledge that either in want of charity they make vs worse then Publicans or else that in abundance of pride they are themselues worse then Pharisies For the Pharisie and Publican came both together to the Temple to pray He would not eate with him nor conuerse with him priuately and yet he would not forsake the Temple because the other came to it This action had bene no doubt acceptable vnto God If the Pharisie had not had a proud conceipt of his owne merit and a scornefull contempt of his neighbour Nothing is more requisite for the composing of this controuersie then that we be first throughly prepared with that true humility of heart whereof the Apostle speaketh euery man to thinke another better then himselfe Phil. 2.3 which God graunt vs all to whose grace and protection I commit you now and euer From Tanridge this 31 of December 1603. Your assured S. H. FIFIS
bee found call vpon him while he is night that is saith he Dum estis in corpore Hierom. in Esay 55. V. 6. dum datur locus paeniteÌ„tiae et quaerite non loco sed fide while ye be in the bodie while place is granted for repentance and seeke him not in place but in faith The ransome of Christ is so sufficient to all those which with true faith take hold of it that as the Scriptures doe shewe vs plainely Psal 32.2 Rom. 8.33 Rom. 8 â— Esay 4â— 25. Micha there is no imputation of sinne no accusation no condemnation no remembrance and therefore as vpon these foure benefits doth necessarily followe they haue a perfect deliuerance both from fault and punishment The faith of Dauid was Psal 51.7 that when he is washed of the Lord hee is become whiter then snowe And Saint Iohn appointeth this onely purgrtorie for the Church of God 1 Ioh 1 1 the bloud of Iesus Christ to purge vs from all sinne If their purgatorie fire should appertaine to the Church it must needes be either to the Church militant or to the Church triumphant for there are but these two parts of the Church as the Apostle saith Col 1 20 that Christ hath reconciled and set at peace by the bloud of his Crosse both the things in earth and the things in heauen but it appertaineth not to the Church militant for then it should be on earth nor to the Church triumphant for then it should be in heauen therefore indeed it appertaineth to no part of the Church of God There are but two kindes of ioyes and torments the one temporall the other eternall the temperall are al of this life the eternall are those which followe after this life 2. Cor 4 18 as the Apostle saith the things which are seene are temporall the thinges which are not seene are eternall The ordaining of a temperall ioy or a temporall punishment after this life is a thing that the Scriptures doe no where acknowledge Our Sauiour Christ and likewise Iohn the Baptist Luke 24 47 Mark 1 4 did preach repentance for forgiuenesse of sinnes whereby they plainely shewed that where there is no place for repentance there is rhere no place for forgiuenesse of sinnes Math 25 10 1 Cor 9 14 but after this life there is no place of repentance for then the gate is shut and the race of this life is already run Cyp. saith quaÌ„do istinc excessus fuerit nullus paenitentiae totus Cyprian coÌ„tra Demetri c. When man is departed out of this life there is then no place of repentance therefore to them which dye without repentance there is after this life no hope of forgiuenesse of sinnes Bee faithfull saith Christ vnto death Apoc. 2.10 and I will giue to thee the crowne of life Rom. 10 14 Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word preached where there is no place of hearing there can there not be any place of increase of faith Aug. in Psal 3 It was well aduised by Saint Augustine tuus certè vltimus dies longè abesse non potest ad hunc te praepara qualis enim exieris ex hac vita talis redderis illi vitae thy last day cannot be farre off prepare thy selfe vnto it for in what maner thou shalt depart out of this life in the same estate thou shalt bee restored to the life to come Aug ad Hesy 1 pâ—t 80. Qualis in die isto moritur talis in die illo indicabitur as man dieth in this world so shall he be iudged in the world to come They obiect that which is saide of Saint Peter that Christ going did preach vnto the Spirits which were in prison once disobedient when the mercy of God did waite in the dayes of Noah 1 Pet. 3 12 The purpose of the Apostle is there to shew that Christ did alwayes in all ages shew his diuine power as namely when by Noah he preached to those disobedient spirites which are now in prison that is in hel as likewise in Saint Iohn Apoc. 2 â— 7 the word prison is taken for hell and if they take it for purgatorie they are two wayes condemned by their owne doctrine for first they confesse that not purgatorie but hell is the place for such as are infidels and rebellious and no members of the true Church Nowe Saint Peter sheweth that not the family of Noah which did represent the Church of God but the other disobedient and vnfaithfull people were cast into this prison and therefore by the prison must needes be meant that place which appertaineth not to the Church of God Secondly some of them seeme to teach that the Fathers in the olde Testament were in a Limbo patrum but in no purgatorie and that purgatory only tooke place after the comming of Christ If that be their meaning little reason then haue they to drawe vnto purgatorie those thinges which are spoken of the people in the olde Testament and much lesse to make such contrarie maners of the remitting of sinne The Apostle sheweth euidently 1. Thes 4.17 that in the end of the world at the second comming of Christ they which shall be then found aliue shall bee sodainly catched vp to meete the Lord and remaine euer with the Lord. The tenour of Gods iustice is alwaies one and the same against sinne and therefore it is no wayes likely that in so many seuerall ages of the world there should be such farre differing estates of soules departed They alledge the fact of Iuda 2. Mach. 12.14 who when some of his meÌ„ being slaine in the battell were found to haue vnder their garmeÌ„ts little reliques of Idolatrie did send two thousand groates to Ierusalem to offer for them and this acte is called a holy and godly cogitatioÌ„ because he made an expiation for the dead that they might bee loosed from their sinnes This may be answered with the same answere which Saint Augustine maketh against the Donatists who vrged out of the Machabees that it is lawfull for a man to kill himselfe because when Rhasis killed himselfe Mach. 14.2 42 43. he is there twise commended to dot it generosè or viriliter nobly and manfully Saint Augustine telleth them that that is a Scripture recepta ab ccclesia non inutiliter si sobriè legatur Aug. contra 2. Gaudentii epist cap 23 â— receiued of the Church not vnprofitably if it be soberly read It is then soberly read when no newe doctrine is collected out of it against the lawe and the Prophets The law appointed no such vse of offerings to offer for them which perished in Idolatrie how damnable the sinne was it may well appeare by the grieuous punishment of Achan Iosua 7.24 But wee may answeare rather with the iudgement of that ancient expositio symbols attributed to Cyprian that those bookes of the Machabees are no Canonicall scripture
A DISCOVRSE CONCERNING THE Soule and Spirit of Man Wherein is described the essence and dignity thereof the gifts and graces wherewith God hath endued it and the estate thereof aswell present as future And thereunto is annexed in the end a bipartite instruction or exhortation concerning the duties of our thankefulnesse towards God Written by SIMON HARVVARD LONDON Imprinted by IOHN WINDET 1604. ILLVSTRISSIMO omnique virtute ornatissimo Domino Georgio Moore Equiti aurato bonarum literarum Mecanati benignissimo prospera omnia foelicia precatur QVemadmodum apud priscos Philosophos vir amplissime quamplurimae de anima humana disputationes sunt literis mandatae à nonnullis quidem in dialogis vt a Platone ab aliis in tractatu continuato vtab Aristotele A quibusdam sermone soluto ab aliis oratione numeris constricta ab his fusiùs ab illis magis succinctè ab his ornatiùs ab illis stilo magis humili magisque crassa quòd aiunt Minerua Sic hodierno tempore non vti spero videbitur à ratione alienum si pro ingeniorum varietate eodem pergatur cursu vt quà m multiplices sunt animae dotes tam variae etiam sint illorum librorum formae quibus natura viâ—es animae describantur Sicut enim non omnes pisces vna capiuntur esca nec vno vultu omnes prori ita nec omnium hominum corda eodem scribendi genere alliciuntur necomnium aures eadem loquendi phrasi delectantur Si qui sint qui politiora scripta expetant ea velim perlegant quae de cognitione dei in libro non ita pridem praelo commisso acutè admodum et copiosè Ampl. tua demonstrauerit Est enim Dei agnitio tà m essentiae quà m virium animae planè certissimum argumen tum Quòd si qui peomata magis euoluere percupiaÌ„t Dauyesum Orphea Anglum audiant de noticia animae suauiter modulantem Hoc sum ego tantummodo in codicillo meo conatus vt quae ab antiquis optimis taÌ„ theologis quà m Philo sophis in aliis linguis pertractata viderim ea vt possem in exiguum reducerem compendium vt bonuÌ„ esset quo communius eo melìus in idioma nostrum vernaculum illa traducerem Visum autem est mihi vir clarissime hoc meum qualecunque scriptum tuae potissimùm Ampl. consecrare quia apud omnes satis constat eiusmodi esse tuum in his arduis quaestiunculis iudicium vt si tractatus hic meus licèt im politus sub nominis tui patrocinio in lucem prodeat non est quòd verear alicuius Momilinguam viruleÌ„tam nec est quòd de bonorum omnium approbatione quicquam omninò dubitem Conciones duas à menuper Camerwellae praedicatas in operis exitu adieci partim quia à disputatione de diuinis animae dotibus non multum viderentur dissentire Nullo enim modo se satis nouit anima nisi se suo creatori summè deuinctam gratissimè agnoscat partim quia erant coram illo habitae quem omnibus palà m innotescit te non vulgari amplecti amore cui non possum non acceptum referre quòd mihi tui fauoris spes certissima affulgeat quódque patronum adeò praestantem hoc exiguum sit nactum opusculum Deus Opt. Max. te multis verbi diuini ministris solatium atheis obstaculum Suriaeque non mediocre decus sanum laetum honoratum quà m diutissimè viuum conseruet vitáque defuncto caelestes tibi sedes largiatur iustoruÌ„ animis in aeternum repositas Tanridgiae vltimo Decembris Anno 1603. Ampl. tuae deuotissimus SIMON HARWARD The Contents of the BOOKE The Arguments or briefe Summe of the twelue Chapters following 1 THe first Chapter sheweth that the words soule and spirit are so generally synonima that in all principall vses concerning man the one is promiscuè taken for the other 2 The second what the soule of man is and how the soule of man doth differ from that anima which is in other liuing creatures 3 The third whether anima vegetatiua sensitiua rationalis the vegetatiue sensitiue and rationall soules be three seueral formes or substances of soules or but diuers faculties of one soule 4 The fourth whether anima the soule be a medium a meane or middle substance betwixt the spirit and the bodie 5 The fift in what part of the bodie the soule doth possesse her seate 6 The sixt whether the soule doe come ex traduce by propagation from the parents or us 7 The seuenth that the soule is an immortall essence and that according to the opinion of heathenish Philosophers 8 The eight how in the soule the image of God may and ought to be renewed 9 The ninth what wee may conceiue of the soule of man by the conscience of man and how the conscience is either a heauen or hell to the soule in this life 10 The tenth of the estate and condition of the soule after this life against the heresie of the Catabaptists 11 The eleuenth of the future estate of the soul being seperated from the bodie against the Romanists 12 The twelfth the conclusion concerning the twofolde estate of soules once loosed from their bodies Errata Folio 8. b for feat sent twise fol. 20. a who by wholy fol. 21. a one our fol. 21. a geneally generally fol. 30. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fol. 32 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fol. 58. a often giuen fol. 74 a and did not possesse fol. 99 b if we cast of if we taste of Fol. 48. Decius A DISCOVRSE concerning the Soule and Spirit of MAN CHAP. I. How many wayes the words Soule and Spirit are synonima and the one promiscuè taken for the other THe words anima and animus in their originall etymologie are thought of many to bee deriued of the Greeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—ignifying a blast or Spirit Arist de mundo according to that of Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Anemos is nothing but much aire flowing hard together which is also called a Spirit The hebrew word nephesh for the soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ruach for the spirit are accounted in their originall sense to signifie also one thing to wit a breath or blast The Greeke word for the soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 refrigero because breath is let in to coole things naturally hote and is therefore the same in meaning with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiritus of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiro The like is in the Latine tongue wherein as the word spiritus is taken often for winde and breath Virg. Aenead as in the Poet Boreae cum spiritus alto insonat Aegeo And of the Queen of the South when she came to Salomon and sodainly sawe his exceeding glorie and Maiestie it is said of her being amazed 1. Reg. 10.5 non erat ampliùs in
quickning spirit of Christ To call a body spirituall and to say that the spirit is a body are speeches very much different Col. 2. v. â— S. Paule sayeth that the fulnes of the Godhead doth dwell in Christ bodily but wee can not thereupon inferre that the Godheade is a body Rom. 7.14 The law is called spirituall the law sayth the Apostle is spirituall and I am solde vnder sin who will thereupon inferre that the law is a spirit Rom. 8.7 It is sayd the wisedom of the flesh is enmity against God is the flesh therefore a thing rationall Paule will haue the body of sinne destroyed Rom. 6. v. 6 is therefore sin a thing corporeall 2 Cor. 4.16 He sayeth though the outward man doe perish the inward man is renewed daily is therfore the soule of it selfe a person Aquinas writing vpon that place Aquinas in 2. Cor. 4. condeÌ„neth an heresie of Tertullian Hic Tertulliani error daÌ„natur etiam ab Augustino Epist 157 who taught that because S. Paule doth call the Soule an inward man therefore the Soule no doubte had a bodily shape but hee frameth him this answere Vnumquodque dicitur illud esse quod est in eo principalius Any thing may beare the name of that which is most principall in him secundum veritatem iudicium principalius in homine est mens sed secundum apparentiam principalius est corpus exterius cum sensibus suis According to true iudgement the principall part of man is the minde but according to the outward appearaÌ„ce the principal part is the body the seÌ„ses thereof therfore it is that the one is called the outward maÌ„ the other the inward S. Hierom sheweth that some in his time to proue that the spirite and soule are seuerall substaÌ„ces Hierom. epist 150. ad 12. quaest Hedibiae In adiectione ad Dan. v. 86. did alledge that in the song of the three children O yee Spirites Soules of iust men praise the Lord. But hee putteth it downe as an vsual answere that that chapter is of the Apocrypha and he addeth Non vtique sunt tot substantiae quot nomina We must still imagine so many substances as we finde names The Apostle to the Hebrewes Heb. 4. v. 12. calleth the worde of God such a two edged sworde as doth enter to the deuiding of the soule and spirite we may not conclude thereby two seuerall substances but by the soule is meant as most do expounde it the affections and by the spirit the reason an vnderstanding Aquinas in Heb. 4. Aquinas saith spiritus est illud per quod communicamus cum essentiis spiritualibus anima est illud per quod communicamus cum brutis anima operatur cum corpore sciritus sine corpore That part of the soule which doth communicate with spirituall substances is called a spirit but that faculty which is common to brute beastes is called anima the one worketh with the body and the other without the body Others make that to the soule do appertaine those thinges which are agreeable to nature and to the spirit those thinges that are aboue nature but still meaning the faculties of one soule and not seuerall substances It is no abasing of the soule of man to haue some thinges common with brute beastes as it is no disgrace to the mightiest prince in the world to haue some things common with the vilest and basest subiect of his kingdome to witte eating drinking sleeping such other naturall functions All Creatures haue their seuerall degrees of this anima some haue onely the natural degree as haue trees and herbs some haue further a vitall degree as haue wormes some besides the vital haue also a sensuall degree with some feeling of feare and ioy as haue brute heastes and some besides the naturall vitall and sensuall haue also an intellectuall as hath man to discourse ponder and iudge and stil the higher includeth his inferior and the highest and most soueraign compreheÌ„deth all in one Some to derogate from the word anima doe alledge that speech of Athan. Athanasius tom 4. in tractatu de definitionibus ecclesiasticis Nemo existimet quod ille spiritus queÌ„ in homineÌ„ inflauit factus sit anima absit Let no maÌ„ think that the spirit which God did breath into man was made a soule God forbid wee should think so wherupoÌ„ they conclude that in Athan. his iudgemeÌ„t the spirit the soule are two distinct substaÌ„ces most certaine it is that Athanasius in that place doth not speake of spirite as of any essentiall part of man but of that Spirite wherewith God created all thinges of which it is sayde in Genesis Spiritus Dei incubabat superficiei aqua rum The spirite of God did hatch vpon the waters and in the Psalms by the word of the Lord the heaueÌ„s were made all the army of them Gen 1 2 Psal 33.6 Spiritu oris eius by the breath of his mouth This working creating spirite did God breath into maÌ„ â—en 2.7 by it man was made a liuing soule without any elementary matter now that efficient al-creating spirite which God did breath into maÌ„ let no maÌ„ think saith Athana that it self was made a soule God forbid for then anima esset nimiruÌ„ de Dei essentia Our soule should be of the very essence of God Sed spiritus ille perficit animaÌ„ But that spirite which is of Gods essence doth make the soule of man and all the powers therof by which wordes following Athanasius doth so plainely expounde his owne meaning that no doubt can be left thereof I conclude therfore that the soundest course is when we take vpon vs to determine what anima is to giue it the same properties and the same signification as hath been euer giuen to it by the holy Scriptures by the auncient Fathers by the wisest of the Philosophers and by all the best approued authors that euer haue written and if in any place either in the booke of God or in the writinges of learned Diuines if be ioined together with the word spirit theÌ„ to giue it no other sence theÌ„ is the scope and drift of the places In all the places which are alledged the purpose of the originall text is not to shew how the soule should bee vnited to the body but how al the powers of the soule should be ioyned vnto God CHAP. V. In what place of the body the Soule doth possesse his seat THe vulgar and common axiome that anima rationalis est tota in toto tota in qualibet parte The rationall soule of man is whole in whole and whole in euerie part which some do attribute to Augustine and some to other late schoolemen but in Melancthon his iudgement it is no speech of Plato Melancth de anima pag 34 Aristotle or of any ancient Philosopher may best bee expounded of the power and efficacy of the
The words of the Author of those bookes doe plainely declare it 2. Mach. 15.39 If I haue done well saith he it is as I would but if I haue done slenderly barely it is as I could What more apparant proofe can wee desire to shewe that those books were not penned by the spirit of God They seeke some defence by the wordes of of our Sauiour that he which sinneth against the holy Ghost Math. 12.32 Luk. 11.10 shall neither be forgiuen in this worlde nor in the worlde to come therefore say they there is some place of forgiuenes to some sins after this life But our Sauiour speaketh there of the fault or blame and not of the punishment and his meaning is that it shal neuer be remitted neither in this life which is graunted to sinners for repentance nor in the world to come when God shall by his Angelles seperate the sheepe from the goates They rest further vpon that precept Math. 5.25 Agree with thy aduersarie quickly whilest thou art in the way with him least the aduersary giue thee to the Iudge and the Iudge to the Sergeant and the Sergeant cast thee into prison verily I say vnto thee thou shalt not come our vntill thou haue paid the vttermost farthing Sic exponit Chrysost de vsitato circere magistratu The meaning of the place is that wee must in time cut off all occasions of suites and contentions But they wresting it to an allegory make the prison to bee purgatorie the Iudge to be God the Sergeant to be his angels and the aduersarie to be the diuell This cannot possible be the true interpretation of the place for then must the wordes agree with the aduersarie be expounded agree with the Diuel and the paying the vttermost farthing in the prison must erect such a Purgatorie as leaueth nothing at al to be performed by our Sauiour Christ Besides it can make nothing for them for they teach satisfaction to be made vnto God but in that text satisfaction is not required to the Iudge again who seeth not that lying in prison is not a satisfying of the debt So likewise they wrest that place of Saint Paul The fire shall trie euery mans worke of what sorte it is 1 Cor 3 13. some as he hath said before do build vpon the foundation gold siluer precious stones timber hay or stubble but euery mans worke shall bee manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be reuealed by the fire and the fire shall trie euery mans worke The meaning of the Apostle is that God in his due time by the examination of his word and spirit shall trie the doctrines of all that doe build any thing vpon the foundation some build sound doctrine signified by the gold siluer and precious stones others build curious and friuolous matters signified by the word hay stubble God will by his worde and spirite make manifest and cōfirme the good and sound but the more vaine he will consume and burne and yet so that the vnskilfull builder shall bee saued but as by fire This maketh nothing for the confirmation of their purgatorie For first the Apostle speaketh of matter to be tried in the fire and not the persons hee saith that which the builders haue builded shall bee tried Secondly hee saith that euery mans worke shall be tried in that fire euen the gold and precious stones the doctrines of the Apostles themselues and therefore cannot bee meant of their purgatory which they themselues do make not to be a place for the perfecter sort Thirdly the Apostle speaketh of a trying fire and not of a purging fire We reade of a trying fire as the Wise man saith the fining pot is for siluer and the furnace for golde Prou. 17.3 but the Lord trieth the hearts We reade also of a fire to consume vices in man as the Lord saith by the Prophet what is chaffe to wheate Ierem. 23.29 Is not my worde as fire and like the hammer that breaketh the stone And so afflictions are an instrument whereby God doth mortifie sinne in vs and as with fire consume it Dauid saith Psal 66.12 hee passed thorowe fire and water meaning the afflictions of this life But of a purging fire and that after this life there is none such mentioned in the holy Scriptures Fourthly it is most certaine that whether the fire be of triall or purging it is meant in that place of a fire in this life because the Apostle saith is shall reueale and make manifest euery mans worke Hee speaketh no◠of a purgatorie in some farre remoued center but of such a place where euery mans work shall be made manifest Fiftly when at the last hee commeth to the persons he saith that the builders which builded hay and stubble yet because they held the foūdation they shall be saued but as by fire he saith not by fire but tanquam per ignem as it were by fire because they shall not onely bee examined by the examination of the holy spirit often compared to fire but shall suffer the losse and consuming of their vaine doctrines and therefore bee saued as by fire Ambr. in Psal 118. serm 20 Aug. de ciuit dei lib. 10. cap 25. I deny not but some of the ancient Fathers haue expounded this fire to be meant of a purging fire in the life to come but they haue named it to be onely that fire which shall bee at the end of the world They taught that by it God wold make a consummation of all thinges to burne the drosse and to make the pure more perfect they thought it to bee such a fire Ambr. in Psal 118. as oportet omnes transire siue sit ille Iohannes Euangelista siue Petrus all men must passe thorowe it whether it bee that Iohn the Euangelist or Peter This opinion of the Fathers doth nothing fauour the Romish Catholikes The like may be said of that prophesie of Malachie who may endure when he shall appeare Malach. 3 v 2 for he shali bee like a purging fire and like fullers sope he shall trie the siluer and fine the sonnes of Leui and purifie them as golde that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousnesse The prophesiyng in the next verse before of the comming of Christ and of his messenger Iohn the Baptist and the naming of the end of this purging fire to be that the people should bring acceptable offerings vnto God as their faithfull predecessors had done doe plainely shewe that the Prophet doth in that place speake of the power of Christ at his first comming when hee shal baptize with his spirit Math. 3.11 hauing his fanne in his hand and purging his floore gathering the wheate into his barne but burning the chaffe with vnquenchable fire Augustine doth expound it of the generall fire Aug. de ciuita te dei lib. 20. cap. 25 at the second comming of Christ but