wheeles of this great frame of the Roman hierarchie For as a beast deadly wounded springeth forth with an extraordinarie force even so these Doctors doe excessiuely storme when you touch them in their best feeling that is in the belly in Avarice and in Idlenesse Of all the rest this Portugal Monk is the most ridiculously violent hee speaketh with a barbarous impetuositie with such a pride as hardly agreeth with his habit yet did I forbeare his honour and abstaine from all iniuries and bravadoes albeit I had a large field open before me and many proofes of his ignorance But I seeke not to dishonor any man only the glory of God do I aime at To these books thus stuffed with civilitie haue these reverend Doctors imposed Capriccious titles after the manner of those that hang out scurrilous tables over the forefronts of the houses where they act their enterludes or as such as carue Cyclops and Satyres vpon the frontispice of their buildings CAYER Marke then the title of Cayers booke The burning fornace or oven of reverberate c. And in his booke his speech runneth all vpon Limbecks firing evaporating recalcining c. All words of his art and of all this he maketh an Amalgame cōtaining more moon then sunne The other treadeth the same path and entituleth his booke The fire of Helie to drie vp the waters of Siloe VAL. Luke 9. You wot not by what spirit you be led The FRIER The Frier was loath to bee behind his fellowes or to vse a lesse ridiculous title then his writing is so to procure an vniformity wherein he proceeded with great discreation and this is his title The Torrent of fire proceeding from the face of God to drie vp the waters of Mara enclosed in the causey of the Mill of Ablon O frock garnished with elegācie Who was able on this side the Pirinean mountaines to attaine to such gallant conceptions and so well polished This Frier minor entendeth to haue all his pollutions and vncleannes that he spueth out throughout his whole booke to come forth from the face of God that is to say to bee expelled out of Gods presence Which neverthelesse hee armeth with autoritie entituling himselfe The Reverend Father Iames Observantin Doctor Preacher c. And in his preface braggeth that he writeth succinctly and strongly yet had it beene good hee had expected other mens commendations but he had more desire to ease them of that labour At the first blush therefore seeing so fierie bookes such hot furnaces Torrents of fire I feared to come neere thē but plucking vp my spirits and being a little way entred into the reading of the same I grew into farre greater admiration considering that these three friers were as farre discordant among themselues as fire and water and that these Doctors did most fiercely bang each other and yet were all signed and approved by the Doctors of Sorbone Yea so hot was this contention among them that one of them namely Cayer after hee had beene well displaid and hardly entreated was finally disclaimed in all their Pulpits blasted with perpetuall infamie All which they could never haue compassed but they must likewise taxe those Doctors that subscribed and allowed his booke Well did I knowe that the opinions of the Romish doctors doe agree but badly Herein is the Councel of Basil contrary to the Coūcel of Florence One saith that the pope cannot teach false doctrine another that hee can One that the Pope is aboue the Councell another that the Councell is aboue the Pope Misteria Mislae lib. 3. cap 9. Causa 15. Cā Alius Can. Nos sanctorū quaest 7 Extravag vnā sanctam de Maiorib Oleo One that Invocation of Saints is necessarie as Pope Innocent the 3. and Cayer in his conference advowed subscribed by the Doctors of Sorbone The others as the Lord of Eureux that it may wel enough be forborne and it is no matter of necessitie The Iesuits and such as in their hearts are more soundly nailed to the Papall sea doe advow that the Pope may giue and take away kingdomes that hee can absolue subiects from their oaths and fidelitie allegance to their Princes and this power haue the Popes of late assumed to themselues doe now put in practise Others that hold their iudgements somewhat more at liberty doe affirme all this to be meere vsurpation The most strictest orders of Friers and such soules as they haue brought into captivitie doe beleeue that the Church of Rome cannot erre in any point of doctrine and doe defend even the most grosse absurdities other more smooth tongued but withall more white livered doe say that there bee indeed grosse absurdities That they beleeue not any Purgatorie That the Iubile is but a kind of Marchandize That the fraternitie of the Corde is but superstition That the hallowed graines are but prophane trumperies That we might very well forbeare the portraying of God the taking of the cup in the Supper from the lay people the baptizing of bells the singing of Masses for horses corne hogges c. Yet for all this that wee must not separate our selues and the reason that vnder hand they giue out is this It is good for vs. All this passeth smoothly away so long as we speake not hardly of his holinesse and that the Church Profits be not deminished To be briefe these people are like twinnes whose heads being devided the bellies are neverthelesse knit together Surely this is the course whereby the vnitie of the Romish Church is vpholden Nether were wee vtterly ignorant of this discord yet should I never haue imagined that they would haue published their contradictions or produced these Doctors to the stage there to haue given them so rude a bastinado But drinke yee together Doctors agree among your selues for surely the same God that confounded the languages of the builders of Babylon doth still suffer divisiō to molest those that build it againe Now that which we speak of concerneth not Cayer alone for the Frier likewise gainesayeth his two cōpanions albeit he hath both seene their bookes out of them borrowed some part of his writings So as that which in the sixteenth of Genesis was spoken of Ismael His hand shall be against every mā and every mans hand against him doth very well agree with every of them whereof in this Treatise I will shewe you sundry examples These contradictions are somwhat hard of disgestiō but much more their slanders wherein they impose vpon vs most horrible and wicked opiniōs infinitely estranged from our beliefe As thus that we beleeue fiue mansions for the soules that our drift is to deny the Immortalitie of the soule that wee make al sinnes alike equal that we hold that the soules doe sleep from the day of their decease to the day of iudgmēt that wee would haue I wot not what Synode that never was to passe for an article of faith
that the theft was scourged Suetonius Iulius in segmento 73. Plautus in Aphitruone aut satisfaciat mihi aut adiuret in super nolle esse dicta quae in me in sontem protulit but not the thiefe That excogitatum Commentum signified a Commentary That the pardons of foure and fifty thousand yeares are good and receaueable That satisfacere signifieth not to acknowledg his fault to the partie offended or to testifie that he was sorry for it or when he saying vnto me that God should be vniust if there were no purgatorie I answered that then God should be vniust to such as should liue in the day of iudgmeÌ„t also to the Carmelites that dy vpoÌ„ the friday who as themselues report haue a priviledge that they shal remain in purgatory no longer but vntill the next saterday But who would thinke that vntruth could so farre exceed Verily I am one of the least amonge the servants of God yet would I be sorrie that my yeares or want of capacitie should any way preiudice the equity of my cause but the word of God is mighty even in the mouthes of babes Besides should I trouble my selfe with answering an vnlearned man vnseene in the Greeke and Hebrew as appeared when we were to haue recourse to the Originals in both those laÌ„guages wher vpon the Iesuits of Turnon tooke vpoÌ„ them to stuffe his booke with passages collected out of prophane auctors and the Rabbins into whoÌ„ hee never thrust his snowt which Iesuits neverthelesse were many times mistaken in diverse things The manner of these Doctors in answering as in place convenient shall appeare But how should they make faithful report of things spoken who make no coÌ„science to falsifie my writing See therefore how they entreat me They produce not my wordes they reverse the order of my speeches The frier beginneth with the last page of my booke here there they mangle snatch at my discourse one beginneth at one end an other in the middest If I speak any thing that biteth they can quietly passe it over with silence They obiect the matter that I answer but my answers they suppresse He that seeketh the truth ought to produce the very wordes of his adversary he should trace him step by step without counterfeiting curtalling or disseÌ„bling but these men by a certaine doctoral disposition do skippe as at their masse over whole leaues they conceale the most forcible and the sooner to lead the reader that followeth vs out of our tracke they shuffle the course of my reasons and bring the head forth last Then having thus sented my discourse they proclaime before the pallace their fiery burning magnificall and ridiculous titles Some coulor they might haue had for their flight had my first booke been either tedious or ful of wordes The chardges of the Impression with the readers impatiencie might haue serued them in steede of figge leaues to cover their shame but my writing contained few pages the Arguments lay close for I studied to lay the bones bare that the sinewes might bee the better seene Their vnfaithfull dealing doth proceed yet farther for they forge other obiections then mine and of mine do they take away the edge by propounding them in other manner then I did Thus do they skirmish and sport them in answering of themselues much like vnto the Bulles in the amphitheater to whoÌ„ they cast men made of straw vpoÌ„ whoÌ„ being provoked they dischardged their rage As if they should say vnto me you are too rough The Church of Rome must be more gently entreated Take away your forcible argumeÌ„ts for these reasons lie to hard vpon vs so wil we commune with you Thus and thus must you obiect that so wee may answere with some coulor but they forgat to giue this warning before I doe therefore protest that these writings of these Doctors doe not coÌ„cerne me for that I never spake manie things that they impute to me they haue either fearefully dissembled or malitiously corrupted my best obiections Neither can I thinke my selfe sufficiently satisfied vntill I see my own writing perfect in the writings of my adversaries and their answer set down article to article reason to reason without cutting of or altering my wordes or disordering the order of my discourse Reverend Doctors I beseech you in curtesie None of these Doctors haue yet answered therfore the victory yet resteth with the Aâ—uctor yea I adiure you by the relicks of your coÌ„sciences to entreat me with more equirie take this booke which againe I offer vnto you encreased amplified and corroborated with reasons and some passages of Scriptures and answer it in such wise as that my reasons may not be mangled nor thrust out of order but that all men may see your answers at the foot of my obiections If your desire to bring the truth to light faileth you not no more then your leasures meanes books and support albeit all these faile vs wee shall soone perceaue which of vs hath the word of God to warrant and from the encounter of our reasons truly and vprightly reported wil proceed the sparks of the truth The Lord God vouchsafe to direct our pennes and dispose our hearts to propound such matters as may bee profitable to the salvation of his people proper to the glory of God and comfortable to the truth of his word THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOKE 1. A description of the foure chambers or stages which the Church of Rome placeth vnder the earth Namely of Hell of the Limboe of Children of the Limboe of the fathers and of Purgatory Also of the meanes to get out of Purgatory 2. That in this controversie as in all other that concerne faith the holy Scripture ought to bee iudge also that the same speaketh not of Purgatory nether of any temporall torment after this life nether of any Indulgences wherewith to fetch soules out of this torment 3. That the holy Scripture overthroweth Purgatory and that there is no other purgation of our sinnes but the blood and death of Iesus Christ and consequently that papall Indulgences are vnprofitable to the deceased 4. Against mans satisfactions in general 5. Against Popish Indulgences and the extraction of soules out of Purgatory 6. A confutation of such passages of the holy Scripture as these Doctors haue alleaged 7. What the Doctors of the foure first ages after Iesus Christ did hold and beleeue concerning this matter and that they never beleeued any Purgatory Also of prayer for the dead of Indulgences and of the satisfactions of the primitiue Church A CONFVTATION OF PVRGATORY CAP. I. A description of the foure Chambers or stages which the Church of Rome placeth vnder the earth and particularly of the place called Purgatory THE Doctors of the Church of Rome doe hold that vnder the earth there bee 4. severall places which are so many prisons wherein the foules are either broyled or shutt vp The lowest place The auctor of
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
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
passe these toies let vs see whether in the newe Testament they can find any proofes more apparant 16 The first passage in the new Testament is in Matthew the 5.22 Whosoever is angry with his brother vnadvisedly shall be punishable by iudgement and whosoever saith to his brother Racha shall bee punishable by a Counsell who so shall say foole shall be punishable by hell fire Here see I never a word of Purgatory Likewise the principall Interpreters of the Romish Church as Lyra Caietan Maldonat and the ordinary Glosse haue otherwise expounded this passage as also S. Hierome S. Chrysostome S. Hillary Theophilact who writ expresse Commentaries vpon Matthew but against all these doth the Frier oppose S. Augustine and saith that in this place he hath found Purgatory in the first booke of the words of our Lord vpon the moūtaine and then he exclaimeth S. Augustine found it Falshood Du Moulin denieth it I had rather finde it with this holy doctour then so much as heare the blasphemy of the deniall from this tiercelet of an hereticke Herevpon I beseech the reader to see the place of S. Augustin wherin in truth this good doctor expoundeth this passage but he speaketh not of Purgatory neither of the torment or purgation of soules separate from the bodies Falshood This Monke alleadgeth also his 31. sermon vpon the words of the Lord wherein this passage is not so much as quoted so farre is it frō being expounded Nay more all the fourth sermon is vpō this passage wherein neverthelesse there is not any speech of Purgatory O frocke how many vntruthes dost thou cover how deerely wilt thou buy this licentious abusing of the people vnlesse God be mercifull vnto thee But the weakenesse of this argument doth appeare in that our doctours do contradict them selues in the expounding thereof Pag. 33. The Monke by hell vnderstandeth Eternall paine Cayer affirmeth that this Gehenna is Purgatory Pag. 21. A cup of theologicall wine to reconcile our doctors The autor of the fire of Helie saith that these three different punishmentes are after this life If Iudgement signifie Purgatory and Gehenna hell what shall become of the punishment by Counsell Vndoubtedly that is our flowred medow or some other part of Purgatory 17 This that followeth is pleasant and proceedeth from the same Evangelist and the same chapter and from S. Luke cap. 12. v. 58. who saith When thou goest with thy adversary to the ruler as thou art on the way labour to bee delivered from him least hee bring thee before the Iudge and the Iudge deliver thee to the Iaylor and the Iaylor cast thee into prison I tell thee thou shalt not depart thence vntill thou hast paid the last penny S. Matthew saith Agree quickly with thy adversary Insteed of these words labor to be soone delivered from him The allegory pleaseth them to say the adversary is the divell the way is the life the Magistrate is God the prison is Purgatory 1. would they haue vs to agree with the Divell or if the divell shall be the executioner who shall be the adverse party Some weening to speake skilfully do say that the adverse party is the lawe but it is worse 2. For S. Luke saith that we must labour to be delivered from this adverse party whiles wee bee on the way with him Are we on the way with the law Or do we go to the Magistrate with it 3. Where shall wee labour to deliver our selues to shake of this yoake Rather should shee alwaies rule and guide vs in this pilgrimage 4. But if the Divel be the Iaylor would they haue the Divell to lead the soules into Purgatorie 5. How dare they say that Purgatory is a prison from whence none shall depart before they haue paid the last penny considering that the Pope fetcheth forth the soules before the tearme of the full satisfaction expired The sense of this passage is cleere Iesus Christ exhortet vs to peace atonement with our neighbors that trouble and molest vs so do all the ancients take it S. Ambrose vppon this place saith that Iesus Christ speaketh De reconcilianda pace dissidentium fratrum of knitting againe of peace betweene disagreeing brethren Maldonat the Iesuit the same S. Hillarie in his comment vpō this place is more expresse Tertul de Anima c. 35 Tertullian in his booke of the soule of the same Theophilact reiecting the allegories expoundeth it thus Etiamsi iniuria affectus fueris ne abeas ad tribunal ne ob potentiam adversarij graviora patiaris Albeit thou hast wrong yet goe not to the Iudiciall seat least it fal out worse with thee through the power of thy adversary S. Hierome S. Chrysostome say the same Tertul. de Anima c. vlt To all this our men be dumbe champe on the bit Only the Frier alleadgeth an heresie of Tertulliā wherin he saith that the last penny implieth the least sinnes which are paid by the delaying of the resurrection And is it our Master friers will that this resurrection be the issue of Purgatory But he malitiously doeth dissemble the wordes of Tertullian ensuing Falshood Hoc etiam paracletus frequentissime commendavit For he vpholdeth this doctrine vnder the auctority of Montanus an Arch-hereticke who nameth himselfe the paraclete holy Ghost The same Frier committeth a notable falshoode in that to defend the explication of this passage he bringeth the auctority of S. Cypriā who throughout all his workes hath not expounded this place besids those words of S. Cyprian which hee hath alleadged he hath wrested and taken in a contrarie sense to kindle Purgatory as in our last Chapter we will proue After all this the frier as writing the Cock to the Asse in liew of answering accuseth vs that we do beleeue that the soules shall not enioy the glory vntill the day of iudgement Falshood which is false most sclanderous for we al do beleeue that the soules of the faithfull departed out of the bodies do enter into the heavenly glory It may be that in some places in the writings of our men some of them may say that they doubt whether the soules in the day of iudgement shal receiue any increase of glory or drawe neerer to the contemplatiō of the face of God not in place but in degree of glory but this is nothing to salvation neither toucheth the purity of faith withall it was the opinion of many of the ancients namely of S. Augustin who vpon Genesis in his twelfth booke cap. 35. saith They see not God as the Angels do see him because they haue still a natural desire to moue their bodies which withhold them c. A reason whereto we wil not subscribe howbeit we see that hee did thinke that after the resurrection the Saints shall haue an encrease of glorie Finally hee accuseth vs of sclandering Pope Iohn the 22. Note the Monk saith Ioh. 22. for 23.
that baptisme was not necessarie for any but the children of vnbeleevers that out of our Kalenders we haue raised the Virgin Mary the Apostles and in their places haue inserted Luther and Calvin that our Ministers doe preach liberty of conscience without any apprehension of divine iudgemēt that we hold that it sufficeth vs that Iesus Christ suffered for vs and therefore that wee neede not doe any more that at the Funerals of the late Queene of England they sung Masse had their offertory and prayed for her soule that Luther and Calvin in liew of raising the dead to life did put the living to death and that they are our Masters Patriarkes and Apostles c. To bee briefe they set downe even all the slanders that hatred can devise or malice can suggest wherewith they seduce the people and abuse their simplicitie What shall I speak of their vprightnesse in alleaging the Scriptures All the passages that they produce are for the most part either falsified or wrested to a contrary sense or to no purpose With a Magisteriall license they force a number of passages quoined vpon the anvill of Avarice that are not to be found in the originals either Greeke or Hebrew yea and sometimes contrary to the Roman translations Of so much negligence or dulnesse of their reader do they presume assuring themselues that the people shall never perceaue any thing or can so much as cōsult with the Scriptures which vnto them are as sealed letters and suspected bookes albeit in the meane time they are permitted to read the monstrous Legends the Psalters of the Virgin Mary ful fraught with blasphemy and the frivolous and and fabulous bookes of the life of Iesus Christ O yee soules that long for your salvation will you still liue in such grievous bondage What shall we yet be so vaine as to passe the seas to looke vpon the relickes of some Saints and will we not heare Iesus Christ when he offereth himselfe vnto vs in the holy Scriptures Shall we stoop more to curiositie thē to necessitie To the cōtent of our eies then to the salvation of our soules Shall we still be so rashly negligent as in a matter of such importance to credit the first commer Contenting our selues with following in liew of knowing Placing pietie in the knoweledge of nothing thrusting our selues into the presse and shrowding vs amōg the multitude Againe when any man shall say vnto vs that Iesus Christ or any of his Apostles do in such a place or in such a place teach vs Purgatory or the Invocation of saints c. Shall wee be so cruelly cowards to our selues or so vnthankfull to God as not to take so much paines as to look whether the same be truely alleaged And indeed wherefore should these Doctors cite the places but that we might see them For what an absurditie is this to quote the places to the people and then to debarre them from seeing of them To referre them to the places and then to command them not to looke in the booke The people of Beroe practised this examination of the things that S. Paul taught Acts. 17.10 for albeit he preached with farre more auctoritie and certitude thē any man in our age yet did they examine his preaching by the reading of the Prophets farre more obscure then the new Testament Enter therefore in to this examination I say and yet I say vnto you especially if you haue recourse to the originals that you shall enter as it were into a shop where they sell vizards yea where they doe not only sell them but where they make thē so excessiue is their licentious liberty Of all this will wee in this Treatise produce sundry proofes according as occasion shall serue A Treatise whose principall drift is a defence of the only purging of our sinnes which is the bloud of our Saviour Iesus Christ against the fire of Purgatorie An argument that carrieth with it the confutation of the doctrine of the Limboes of Traditions of Prayer for the dead of mans satisfactions and of Popish Indulgences I plead the cause of Iesus Christ I confute the reasons and passages of these Doctors and their burning writings yet touch not their persons neither their furnitures full of Invectiues that concerne not the argument Two things there are neverthelesse which I cannot overpasse their folly in vanting and their false dealing in answering me Fire of Helic p. 4. First they paint forth many triumphs great conquests and an extreame shaking of our Church so many goodly soules such a multitude of notable personages namely forty at Diepe revolted to the Romish Church which now is in travel of them If they come to life they shal come forth These men doe packe them very grosly for enquiring of any such breach in the Church of Diepe I cannot learne of more long time revolted then two the one a maiden who allured by a carnall marriage hath violated her spirituall marriage with Christ the other an English Iesuit 2. Pet. 5.22 who vpon a fained conversion intruded himselfe into our company and is now returned to his vomit Howbeit let vs put the case that the reporte of these conversions were as true as they be forged at pleasure Is it any mervaile that some loue the world turn wing to that part that yeeldeth most quietnesse and worldly promotion Were it not rather a wonder if there were none such Ioh. 6.66 Iesus Christ was forsaken of his disciples how much more wee who haue nothing but by his bounty Men in these daies in matter of Religion do follow the course of the affaires and do fit their beliefe to their worldly commodities The belly hath no eares And as vsually such are deafe as dwell neere the downefall of great waters even so the word of God pierceth not into the eares that are deafned with the bruit of the world and stopped with the currāt of Covetize of voluptuousnesse and of ambition especially at Paris where mē are bought and sold where rewardes are propounded And God graunt that Idolatry possesse none but those whō she hath deerely paid for herein are we to acknowledge the work of God that notwithstanding so many allurements and discommodities yet do the flocke of Iesus Christ grow and encrease yea even since these men made their vaunts that our Church was so sore shakē But we boast not so much neither indeede are these victories ours but our Lorde Iesus Christs In their triumphs they paint mee forth make me a party in the proofs of their sufficiencie The auctor of Helies fire saith that in the disputation against the frier I was twise or thrice at a non plus and so made some of them merry but hee sheweth neither when nor whervpon It might peradventure be when the frier refused to enter into any orderly disputation or to propoūd his reasons in forme saying that he was not permitted so to do either when he said
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
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
veniall and pardonable in one is mortall in another The parts therefore of this distinction doe iustle and encroch each vpon other besides I will say thus much more that it is rashnesse in our adversaries to define that there bee but seuen mortall sinnes that all other sinnes be pardonable for it is the office of the iudge not of the offender to determine what paine each sinne deserueth for in the sight of God we be all guiltie 20 Purgatory likewise bringeth with it many inconveniences for in that it teacheth that the fasts offerings and almes deeds of the living doe serue to bring soules out of Purgatory the same maketh many to bee more negligent to relie vpon their friends that surviue Daily examples we haue many of people that buy Masses hire men to pray for their soules whiles in the meane time they take license to practise all excesse dissolution and rapine All Doctor Du Valles answer stil resteth in recriminations Pag. 75. The auctor of the fire of Helie denieth that Iesus Christ hath fully satisfied He saith that we are they that make men carelesse in that we teach that Iesus Christ hath fully satisfied and that on our behalfe there is nothing to satisfie Hereto I haue before fully answered and at large Yea I doe protest that we hold no such beliefe Hee farther saith that the prayers made for such as are in Purgatory make not men more carelesse then the same which in this world one maketh for another whereto we say that it is true that the prayers of the living one for another make the sinner to be more negligent when these prayers are taken for payments redemptions and satisfactions Herevpon the Auctor of the fire of Helie to shaddow his purposes in liew of speaking of fasts offerings speaketh only of prayers which peradventure he would haue beene ashamed to reckon among the redemptions and payments for other mens offences sins 21 By this gate also came in the trafficke and the exchange was opened in the Church The rich do build obits and anniversaries for their soules for them are the privat Masses song the poore must be content with the generall praiers wherein the rich also haue their shares Al the Churches shal ring with peales praiers and diriges after the decease of a man that hath been extraordinary liberall and bountifull to the Clergie but for one that hath giuē nothing ye shal never heare so much as one Masse neither will the orders of begging Friers presse to a poore mans house By these means haue the church of Rome heaped togither so much goods that one only hospital entituled of the Spirit in Rome may in rents dispende foure thousande crownes a day His holynes keies are of gold a mettall that openeth both heavē Purgatory for this good prelate and his factors followers are better studyed in the golden number then in the dominicall letter which is the holy scripture Should a poore beggerly soule participate in those graces which his holinesse hath reserved for the greatest Lords It were a goodly sight to see some porter or pointmaker or some such base fellow sollicite in the Court of Rome for to purchase buls of delivery of the soule of some poore kinsman of his out of Purgatory and indeed the booke of rates in the Popes chancery hath sundry clauses of this nature Sed hoc tātum pro qualificatis Printed at Paris by Toussain Denis in S. Iames street at at the sign of the Crosse 1520. with priviledge of the court istae gratiae non conceduntur pauperibus By this reckoning Jesus Christ was deceived when he said Blessed are the poore considering that the rich haue such goodly priviledges by thē do so soon enter into Paradice This traficke also doth appeare in this that the Church of Rōedoth hold that children dying soone after Baptisme do go straight into Paradice which notwithstanding the Priests do not forbeare to take money for their Masses for such children also in that the Cleargie pay least for the souls of their friends there by acknowleging the slightnes of their marchandize Page 76. The Doctor Du Vall confesseth there is abuse so daintyly doth he speake of so horrible and publike abhomination The Frier knowing that this traficke the more it is stirred the more it stincketh saith nothing at all of it 23 The same errour maketh God more favourable to those that shal liue in the day of Iudgment then to others for they shall not come in Purgatorie at all to the Carmelite Friers then to the Franciscans for they pretend a priviledge to abide there but vnto the next saterday after their deathes to those that haue meanes and friendes to procure them Masses then to others For why should a poore man giue sixe pence to be named in the memento of the Masse if hee did not hope of some good that he should haue lost if he had not beene therein named Yet had hee not bin named if he had given nothing for with thē No peny no paternoster Let vs also cōsider that by this doctrin such as die immediately after they haue ended their Iubile go straight to Paradice and are exempt from Purgatory but that man peradventute not so vitious neither oppressed with so many sinnes yet dieth before the yeare of Iubile goeth into Purgatory and is deprived of so great a benefite likewise that he that is wel horsed and dwelleth not far from the place where these pardons are to be had doth much more easily obtaine pardon for his sinnes then he who dwelling three hundred leagues of hath never a horse The same abuse also tyeth the mercy of God to one certain place as that al sinnes are remitted at the Frāciscans but not at the Carmelites or Iacobins Yea so far doth some pardon stretch that hee that in the Covent of the Franciscans shall say the praiers in the bull ordained obtaineth plenary pardon for al his sinnes but though he say ten times more praiers in an other couvent yea and that with much greater devotiō yet shal he al this notwithstanding obtaine thereby no remission of sinnes For like a foole he went to seeke remission of his sinnes in places that the Pope had not appointed Herevpon the auctor of the fire of Helie taketh vs at the first rebound and saith You say not well for mercy hath regard to the offence and eternall punishmēt but iustice hath regard only to the temporall Wel spoken of this doctor What hath not Gods iustice regard likewise to eternall paine Page 71. And doth he not also shew his mercy in remitting the temporall The same doctor doth also wōder that in all these things I can finde any inconveniencie And willeth vs here vpon in profound silence to adore the impenetrable Iudgements of the Lord. But I doe more marvaile that with me he doth not marvaile that at our hāds he should require adoration with silence where
purchase great liberty with Princes Princesses whose most secret affaires they doe by shrift discover By this such as make any proiects of Civill warres doe find the particular affections of the people and vnderstand of whom and how many they may make account hauing the Priests trustie to them and feede for that purpose By this doe the Priests make way to their covetous desires for hauing by shrift discovered such as bee of a good temper they can soone knowe where to find but easie resistance In this shrift they also sport themselues with strange questions for they never aske the sinner whether hee loue God withall his heart whether he preferreth the glory of God before worldly goods whether he loueth his neighbour as himselfe whether he trusteth in the promises of the Gospell and hath a stedfast faith in Christ whether he bestoweth his time in the daily reading and meditating vpon Gods word which are the first points of pietie but he asketh him whether he doth obserue Lent whether he had the company of his wife in the weeke before Easter called the great week whether hee hath paid his duties to the Church whether hee hath beene troubled with any fowle cogitations of licentious handlings voluntary or not voluntary pollutions c. Looke vpon their mirrour of confessions the comment of Anthony Augustin Bishop of Aragon vpon the poenitentiall Canons of the Roman Poenitential and namely Benedictus Summe of sinnes which is in every shop Also the 19. book of Burchard Bishop of Wormes which entreateth of confessions and then call mee a deceauer a beast the spirit of Satan as the Frier doth if you finde not all kinde of abominatioÌ„s curiously set forthwith the vices against nature the secrets of religious houses and the subtil sleights of Nunnes exactly taught vnder the shaddow of Reprehension These matters will I leaue to such as are past shaÌ„e yet can I not forbeare but must of necessitie touch some of the most tollerable that by them you may iudge of the rest The Roman Penitentiall demandeth of the sinner in his shrift Fecisti fornicationem cum equa velasina If hee haue so done the pennance is to fast with bread and water fortie daies In Burchard the Priest saith to the woman Feâ—isti quod quaedam Multeres facere solent Prosternunt se in faciem discoopertis natibus iubent vt super nudas nates confiotatur panis eo decocto tradunt maritis ad comedendum hoc ideo faciunt vt plus in amorem earum exardescantisi fecisti duos annos per legitimas ferias poeniteas Againe he asketh Fecisti quod Mulieres quaedam facere solent Tollunt piscem vivum eum ponunt in c. Againe Fecisti quod quaedam Mulieres facere solent vt cum filiolo tuo parcuùlo fornicationem faceres Let the reader seeke the rest if he list but by my counsell he shall never goe about it for if it be lawfull to speak of that a man hath not seene I thinke the discipline of Tiberius in his secrets of Capreae the Sibariticall bookes and Aretins tables for the which hee was surnamed Il Divino Aretino are in regard of these but modesty and simplicity But this mischiefe is not so done for after shrift they giue absolution and do pardon after the manner of Iudges that pronounce sentence of remission wheras they ought to pronounce pardon as herehaughts of the grace of God preaching to the penitent sinner that God is recoÌ„ciled vnto him through the blood of Iesus Christ and as ministers loosen the sinner not as Iudges but as preachers of the grace of God which is purchased for them through the death of Iesus Christ for it lieth not in mee to pardon offences committed against another but the party against whome they be committed is to pardon them much lesse then can man that is vile perverse pardon sinnes committed against God who is righteousnes it selfe If a sinner doe earnestly and hartely repent God will forgiue him although the Priest will not but if he doe not repent God will not forgiue him albeit the Pope himselfe should Now doe I leaue it to your consideration in what manner the Pope can giue pardons by his letters patents sealed in forme of Decrees coÌ„sidering that himselfe knoweth not whether his pardons be acceptable with God and may stand the sinner in any stead neither is hee sure that the sinner haue true repentance without the which there is no forgiuenesse saith God in Esay cap. 43. for it is God only that can pardon sinne as saith St. Cyprian Cyprian ser de lapsis Nemo se fallat Nemo decipiat solus Dominus miserere potest Veniam peccatis soius potestille largâ— riquâ— pâ—ecata nostra portavit c. nec remittere Indulgentia sua potest quod in Domâ—num delicto graviori commissuÌ„ est Let no man deceaue himselfe there is but one God only that can forgiue sinne And Tertullian in his booke of shamefastnesse cap. 21. saith Who forgiveth sinne but God only This absolution thus giveÌ„ the priest imposeth vpon him satisfactory paines either corporal or pecuniary herein lieth the tyranny for by this meanes albeit vnder other titles they haue encroached a civil dominion over al people yea even so far forth as to cut theÌ„ off from some sorts of meates to enioine them abstinence from the duties of marriage to condemne them to pilgrimages to girt a cord vpon their bare flesh to giue some portion of mony to some Church or religious house TheÌ„ having thus imposed corporall paines either vpon favour or vpon covetize they convert the same into pecuniary or peradventure they wil licence them to hire some other to perfourme their penance or to be scourged for them as at Rome in the passion weeke which they call the great weeke you may see whole troopes of hired persons who masked and disguised with their faces hiddeÌ„ do publikely mangle their backs with scourgings See Apuleiê° in his eight book of the golden asse where hee painteth the Priests of Diana the Syrien scourging themselus in the same manner with a mercenary cruelty and ambitious penance But wherfore is not all this performed in secret Why still vpon one day Is sorrow and repentance ordered after the course of the sunne Or is penitent affliction become an ordinary ceremony What example in all antiquity of so cruell a iest And indeed they are people but of meane calling If there be any of accoÌ„pt vndoubtedly they be frenchmen for the Italians will never do it without great pay and as men better advised do mocke our simplicity They may peradventure finde some lazy company who can be coÌ„tent that his back should feed his belly like a porter but in other manner Rhenanus a very learned man in his annotations vpon Tertullian ad Martyres saith that this maÌ„ner of scourging is taken from the Lacedemonians who customably vsed such whippings Now as the Pope is the
are dead 2. S. Paule released that which himselfe had enioined saith the doctor but the Pope fetching the soules out of Purgatory released that which he had not enioyned 3. S. Paule remitted a sin to one whose repentaÌ„ce he knew well The Pope giveth Indulgences to such as he knoweth not as when vpon his coronation day hee distributeth pardons for some thousand yeares to the presse of people that is in S. Peters street Cerem Sacr. lib. 1. Sect. 2. cap. 3. 4. S. Paule never prescribed any tearme of ten or twenty thousand yeares only after Excommunication he received the penitent sinner into the Church againe 5. S. Paule gaue no Indulgences by buls sealed in Autenticke maÌ„ner but to the penitent sinner he preached remission of his sinnes through Iesus Christ 6. S Paule never added the clauses and cautions that the Pope doth namely that such a pardon is given Manus porrigentibus adiutrices To those that shal giue and contribute â— S. Paule never tyed remission of sinnes â—o any certain day to any certain place or to any certaine yeare as the Pope doeth to the fiue and twentieth yeare which he calleth Iubile As if God were more mercifull in the yeare 1600 then he was in the yeare 1509 8. S. Paule distributed no hallowed graines no halâ—owed crosses or medalles with a thousand such bables as the Pope doth at this day which wosoever weareth or kisseth hee shal obtaine certaine hundred yeares of pardon 9. S. Paule never coÌ„secrated any Agnus Dei that had vertue to purge sinne as the Pope doth from seaven yeares to seaven yeares 10. S. Paule never priviledged any parsons that they should not go into Purgatory or that they should come forth incontinently as the Pope doth to the Carmelites and the fraternity of the Cord. 11. S. Paule receiving againe the incestuous that was cut of from the Church never imposed any paines after his reconciliation but contented himselfe with that punishment that he had vndergone before his absolution The Pope coÌ„trarywise pardoning sins imposeth paines and in one selfe action first looseth and then bindeth againe 12. S. Paule never reserved to himselfe only the autority to giue Indulgences and pardons as knowing that Iesus Christ spake to al the Apostles and pastors when he said Whatsoever yee shall binde on earth shall bee bound in heaven Mat. 18.18 Also whose sinnes you shall forgiue they shall be forgiven Ioh. 20.23 Therefore also when he forgaue he craved no leaue nor autority of Peter or of any other who had the only managing of the treasure of the Church 13. Lastly S. Paul distributed not to the sinner any of the superaboundant merits or sufferings of the Saintes for the redemption of his sin for all his skil and all his hope is in Iesus Christ crucified neither doth hee tell vs of any other redeemers With what conscience then can they bring in the example of S. Paul to establish their Indulgences and the fetching of souls out of Purgatorie As for mee who by these our Masters am provoked and challenged in so manie places may not I now challenge them to shew me in al these oppositions that I haue exhibited any correspondence betweene S Paule and the Pope But they will not deale this they will gently passe over and in liew of reasons lay vp on me Invectiues and slaÌ„ders enough Cayer only hath bethought himselfe of a proofe for the fetching of soules out of Purgatory that is that vnder the law there was an altar of propitiation as indeede the others are but dunces to him Here wee are to note wherein the principall abuse and heape of Impietie doth rest That is that the Popes Indulgences haue no community with the remission of sinnes propounded in the Gospell For the faithfull pastours doe preach to the sinner vpon his repentance remission of sinnes and in vertue of their ministery doe pronounce forgiuenesse of the same inviting the sinner to participate in this grace as herehaughts of the pardon purchased by Iesus Christ But the Pope giveth his pardons kinglike in letters patents sealed with lead in forme of decrees those letters dispatched in chancery And the office of this chamber is farmed out at a very high rate Poterit pontifex Indulgentias concedere etiaÌ„si nondum sit sacris ordinibus insignitê° Sess 10. Imperium sanctitatis vestrae c. Sess 9. Râ—gale Rom pont genus Sess 3. Papa Sacerdos Rex Sess 1. Princeps totius Orbis neither doth the Pope giue forth these pardoÌ„s as he is Bishop or a preacher of the Gospell for he not only preacheth not nor instructeth but if a meere lay man that never receaued holy orders bee chosen Pope he may confer Indulgences as we may see in the first booke of sacred ceremonies and in Bellarmine in his first book of Indulgences cap. 11. Therfore likewise doth he weare three Crownes which he nameth his Tyare Il regno as also in the last Councell of Lateran he is named the king Emperor and Prince of all the world Doctor Du Val goeth farther then al this and saith that these be only fleabitings and that I trouble my selfe without any ground in medling against the Pope Thus in liew of vnknitting the knot he cutteth it asunder and holdeth the encroaching vpon the Maiestie of God the establishing of a tyranny in the Church and the setting to sale the remission of sinnes as it were marchandize to be but small abuses and fleabitings The Frier might haue done more wisely if hee had imitated his companion Indeed in his running away he hath followed him and answered nothing to the premises yet hee addeth a childish slaunder saying Du Moulin findeth abuses in Indulgences because they are given forth in writing for he will haue them promulgated verbally Who did ever heare such a folly Or where spake I such a word Lift vp your cowl goodman and learne to read but not to slaÌ„der his iniuries bring mee in minde of Hecuba who was said togither with her estate to haue lost her humane shape and changed her speeches into howlings and barkings for this Observantine finding the overthrow of his cause cannot cease to barke Let vs now come out of this matter as out of a shop for indeed it is all but trash and trafficke and let vs requite these our masters and Doctors in questions such as being handled in schools in Quodlibetary manner may stand theÌ„ insteed of Purgations 1. I will aske first where and when the Pope first gathered togither the merits and superabundant satisfactions of Saints Martyrs and who gaue him commission to gather together this treasure or commanded them to gather vp these supererogatory satisfactions for the redemptioÌ„ of the punishments due to other mens sinnes 2. Secondly who told him that God would accept of the ierkes and lashes that a penitent giueth himselfe or of the labours of S. Frances or S. Dominicke in payment or satisfaction for others Will a Iudge set a prisoner
passages and falsifying others even so far forth as to make him say that the soules departed out of the bodies doe not enioy the beatitude before the resurrection albeit that Calvin hath beaten down this error in a treatise which he wrot expresly vpon that argument Calvini Psichopannichia he lastly in his 17. page beginneth his proofes by the holy Scripture 6. His words are these The holy Scripture which teacheth vs all that is necessary to saluation doth withall forbid vs any thing that may be contrary thereto now let any man shewe me so much as one place that forbiddeth to pray for the dead The fire of Helie saith the same Pag. 8. 62. only he denieth that the Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation and therefore giueth examples The baptisme of children The consubstantialitie of the father with the sonne The Trinitie of persons c. To all the which wee haue already answered in the second Chapter It were good these doctors could agree among themselues In the meane time in answer to the Fryer Isay It is a mishapen argument and two of the propositions are false The first Propositiō is this The holy Scripture commanding that which is necessary to saluation doth also forbid all that is cōtrary thereto Which we deny because here the question is of an expresse prohibition For the Frier requireth that we should shew him such a one but it is well knowe that God when hee hath commanded any thing doth not alwaies in expresse words adde the prohibition of the contrary he wil be prayed vnto but where doth he forbid that we should not pray to him It suffiseth that this prohibition follow the commandement albeit it be not expressed The second prohibition is also false That prayer for the dead is not forbidden For any addition to the commandement of God is forbidden Deut. 4.2 prayer for the dead is an additiō to the commandement of God it is therefore forbidden because it is not commanded Againe Prayer that is not of faith cannot be acceptable to God Iames 1.6 Hebrewes 11.6 Prayer for the dead is made without faith for faith cōmeth of the word of God and is grounded therevpon but throughout all the worde of God prayer for the dead is not spoken of It cannot then bee acceptable vnto God Which is more by the same argumēt we may proue al things we may say that all that is in Amadis or in the chronicle of S. Frances is true because wee find not that it is there contradicted And let this be spoken in answer to Doctor Du Val who groundeth his Purgatory vpon this that Iesus Christ did not condemne prayer for the dead which saith hee was put in practise among the Iewes yet Iesus Christ never reproued thē for it True it is that the Iewes had their abuses which are not condemned in the Gospell Ioseph in that place saith that the Esseans in the course of their life observed Pithagoras rule As the sect of the Esseans witnesse Pliny lib. 5. cap. 17. and Iosephus Antiquitatum lib 18. cap. 2. And their opinion was and yet is That the Messias should be a great Prince that should conquer the nations and subdue them to the Iewes Iosephus also in his 12. booke and 2. Chapter of the warres of the Iewes saith that the Pharises taught the passage of the soules out of one body into another yet did not Iesus Christ reproue them for the same As concerning the opinion of praying for the dead if any of the Iewes were tainted therewith yet was it not vniversall doctrine receaved among them Eccl. 49.10 besides that it hath no affinity with Purgatory For even to this day such Iewes as pray for the dead knowe not what Purgatory is and their ordinary prayer is that the memory of the dead may be blessed 7. These Doctors hauing thus produced their reasons without Sctipture do now alleage Scripture without reason Thus saith the Frier S. Iames in his fifth Chapter saith Pray one for another that yee may be saued Pag. 17. Here S. Iames tyeth not this to the liuing only Hee also alleageth S. Augustine in his 20. book of the City of God who saith that the soules of the dead are not seperated from the Church He farther demandeth whoe told vs whether our Lord teaching vs to say forgiue vs our trespasses c. limited this prayer for the living or for the dead This also is of the like nature and full of subteltie Pag. 40. Iesus Christ saith hee taught vs to pray for the dead when hee Instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist Where he said Drinke yee all of this for this is my bloode of the new Testament which shall be shed for MANY S. Luke saith for YOV In saying for you for many he meaneth both present absent and to come therefore it is not for you to limit the will of Iesus Christ only to the living To answere all this requireth much patience though smal dexterity for we are driven to reduce these men as litle children to the ABC of reason 1. First this passage of S. Iames is falsified for S. Iames speaketh of the cure of the body not of the salvation of the soule as appeareth by the verse next before Prayer in faith shall saue the sicke and the Lorde shall raise him vp againe And to the like end also was this vnctiō namely to cure the diseased Thus the Apostle healed many diseased by anointing them Marke 16. 13. Tertullian in his 2. booke Scepula c. 4. speaketh of one Proculus who cured the Emperour Severus by annointing him with oile 2. I would aske the subtle doctors to whom S. Iames writ whether to the living or to the dead or to both Surely he writ to the living for they vse to carry no letters into Purgatory then they whom he commanded to pray were living 3. What kinde of proofe call you this S. Iames excludeth not the dead neither doth he forbid to pray for them we must therefore pray for them Surely if this reason were of force we must also pray for the Angels for the Saints yea for the damned for S. Iames doth not forbid to pray for anie of the 〈◊〉 4. The same answere may serue for that which they say That the dead bee of the Church and one bodie with vs for who denyeth it Must we alleadge S. Augustine for that which we may learne in the word of God Apoc. 6 12 Heb 12.23 Ephes 3.17 But doeth it follow that wee must pray to God for all that be of the Church why thē doth not the Romish Church pray for the Saints and Martyrs 5. The mēbers of one selfe body must helpe each other when any one of them standeth in need of help But here we maintaine this is the somme of our difference that the faithful deceased need not our succours The Frier then presupposeth as granted that which is the main question The passage
Romans he speaketh thus of the last iudgement We shall all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ for it is written I liue saith the Lord let everie knee bow before me and every tongue giue praise vnto God In this place S. Paule taketh to appeare before the iudgement seat of God for bowing the knee before God The wicked therefore the divels shall bow the knee because they shall appeare and be forced to acknowledge the iustice of God In this regard doth Iustine the Martyr in his dialogue against Triphon say that the Infernall spirits are subiect to Iesus Christ bowing their knees at the bare pronountiation of the Crosse 8. As for the praises spoken of in the fifth of the Revelation they are the praises of all creaturs of whom even of the inanimate as of the heauens the earth the sonne c. The Scripture in aboue a hundred places saith that they praise the eternall Psal 19. Psal 140. Psal 145. especially in the Psalme 148. where this is repeated some twentie times Neither need we goe any further then this passage namely of the Revelation to proue it For he saith I heard EVERT CREATVRE which is in heauen thē the sunne the starres the Angels c. he also saith All that is on the earth vnder the earth and in the sea yea even all things that are comprised in them c. It appeareth then that he speaketh of all creatures and this is it that made our adversaries to omit these words yea all things that are comprised in them with a notable falsehood according to their custome thereby to abate the edge of Gods word and to take from him that which pierceth the very vntruth I should wrong the autor of the fire of Helie if I should suppresse one inventiō which he doth very gallantly produce to shewe that the divels doe not bowe to Iesus Christ If saith he Du Moulin himselfe will not put of his hat when wee speake of the name of Iesus how can the divels be forced to doe it The divels then by this Doctors saying doe wear hats but they will not put them of when we speake of Iesus Is it because they are somewhat surly and prowd or for that they feare the aire Note also that by this argument taken from the more to the lesse hee doeth vs this honour that hee holdeth vs lesse wicked then the divels and yet wee flee not for his holy water But in the end I say this doctor is deceived in one point and deceiveth in an other hee is deceived in that he thinketh that by the name of Iesus Saint Paule in this place meant the word IESVS cōsidering that the scripture by the name of God ordinarily vnderstandeth his auctority his glory his strength his power c. and so say we Our helpe be in the name of God also hallowed bee thy name and I come against thee in the name of the Eternall 2. Sam. 17.45 In this sense we honour the name of Iesus but our adversaries honor the syllables and thereof commeth the feast Masse of the name of Iesus for as concerning his parson there is a feast apart But in this that he falsely accuseth vs he deceiveth For if a man hearing the name of Iesus putteth of his hat we like it well so as it be done without superstition But marke what it is They vse many salutations to the name of Iesus whiles in the mean time his parson is wronged and his benefite abused and they finde out other redeemers and an other purging for our sins he is entreated as he was by those that buffeted him saying vnto him All haile Thus is Religion corrupted which at this day hold her handes in rule and giveth godlinesse her pasport Hereof it cōmeth that the service of the Church of Rome namely the Masse consisteth in gestures in a set number of bowings in frisking from one end of the alter to the other in Allegoricall habites historied at pleasure whiles the people looking on learneth nothing and is entertained with gestures when they should be instructed by the intelligible worde Thence commeth also the gallāt Interpretations of Pope Innocent the 3. of Durands Rationals and others which say that the Priest turneth his backe to the people because God said to Moses Thou shalt see my backe parts That the miss all is laid vpon a Quisheon because it is written Mat. 11. My yoake is easie my burdē light That he that serveth the Priest at Masse moveth and steppeth vp and downe as the Priest doth because Iesus Christ said Where I am there shal my servant be also That the Gospel booke is laid vpon a deske in forme of an Eagle because it was written in the 18. Psalme Hee flyeth vpon the wings of the winde That the deakon goeth in at one side of the pulpet commeth out at the other because it is written Mat. 2. They were warned from heauē to returne an other way And he that serveth a Bishoppe at his Masse kisseth his shoulder looking a scance on his face because it is written 1. Cor. 13. Wee see now in part Thus is the whole battery of our adversary dismounted which was not charged but with stubble and hay against the truth and here would I shut vp this chapter did not the falshoods of the fire of Helie detaine mee yet a while so extreamely licentious is he in falsifying Many of his falshoods haue we already produced yet here followe some more In the pages 40 41. to proue the Limbo of the fathers he alleadgeth the Apostle in the 11. to the Hebrews Having beene tryed by the testimony of faith This word salaried is of his own invention they received not the promises that they without vs should not be made perfect and salaried In the 43. page he saith that God by the leaues of the figge tree closed vp Ezechias sore and for that citeth the 4. of Kings 26. and Esay 38. In page 44. to defende Purgatory in bathes in yee in rivers c. hee alleadgeth Iob. 24. in these words The wicked that are in hel from a heate of fire do passe to a coldnesse as snow Al this is false and by him devised In the same place where S. Peter Act. 2.24 saith that God raised vp Iesus Christ hauing loosed the sorrows of death he saith the sorrowes of Hell In page 56. to proue that the Pope may graunt Indulgences for the dead he maketh S. Paule 1. Cor. 5. say The stewardship of Indulgences vvas by Iesus Christ left to the Church whereof there is not a word in the whole chapter In page 66. be corrupteth this excellent passage of Esay 57. Whosoever vvalketh before God goeth in peace he maketh him say Whosoever vvalketh before God vvalketh in peace In pages 69 70. he maketh S. Paule say to the Colossians 1.24 I fulfill in my flesh that which wanteth in the passion of the Lorde for his body which is the
saepe negemâ—â— or beetles or Cham who discovered his fathers shame But the greatest inconvenience is that the copies are divers discordant mangled and falsified yea so farre as to haue some tracts of other men suggested and inserted into them wherevpon I remember that I propouÌ„ded to the frier the preface to the last edition of S. Augustine wherin our masters the correctors doe confesse that they haue changed some things and taken forth the errours intruded by the malice of hereticks that is to say al that mislike them and in plaine tearms they say that The bookes of the ancient fathers must bee purged according to the decree of the tridentine Councell and to the same purpose I alleadged the Confession of the doctors of Doway in their Expurgatory Index in the letter The Index is printed at Antw. by Plantin 1571. by autority of K. Phil. the D Alua. B. where speaking of the purging of the book of Bertram they say thus Considering that in all other Catholick autors we beare with many errors which we do extenuat shake of and often times excogitato commento deny by some faigned Invention and do insert into them some commodious sense wee see no reason wherefore Bertram deserveth not the like equity and the same diligent review And this was the place where the Monke said that Excogitatum Commentum signified a Commentary But in this booke page 1. Hee saith that it is an explication devised contrary to the text Thus doth he confesse that it is his occupation to bring in such explications vnlesse hee should shrinke from the vnion of those purgers auctorised by his holinesse Here might I alleadge a great heape of falsifications brought in by these correctors albeit we know not the huÌ„dred part Yet are we greatly to praise God who hath not suffered them to compasse their intents but among the fathers hath yet left vs sufficient weapoÌ„s to fight with the Church of Rome And that is it that in this chapter wee are to produce yet with this protestation that I alleadge not the doctors fathers as meaning vpon their auctorities to hang the truth of my cause but to shew how our adversaries doe abuse them and make them to speake manie things contrary to their owne opinioÌ„s I take them not to bee advocates in my cause but am my selfe their advocate For Iesus Christ Iohn 5.14 telleth vs that he craveth not the testimonies of men neither doth his word neede their witnesse The truth that those good men haue spoken we do beleeue not because they spake it but because wee finde it in the word of God And this is the reason that I reserved this tract to the end least I shoulde mixe divine auctority with humane This is a chapter rather not superfluous then necessarie which we giue not to the necessity of the matter but to the stiffneckednesse of the age wherein the holy scripture is growne into suspition and men opeÌ„ their cares when wee speake of Origen Ambrose Tertullian c. But stop them when we speake of the Prophets or Apostles Bellarm. de verbo Dei lib. 4. cap. 12 The holy Bible say they is a booke for hereticks a sword for all hands a pecce of a rule a forrest of forraging yea saith the autor of the three truths It will make a man become an Atheist Passages of the ancient Doctors against Purgatory Iustin Martyr in his 75 question After the departure of the soule out of the body there is immediatly made a distinction betweene the good and the bad for by the Angels they are brought into the places worthy for them the soules of the good into Paradice where is the haunt and viewe of the Angels the soules of the bad into hell Himselfe in his 60. question saith that men cannot after the soule is departed from the body by any provision care or study get help and succour Cum anima à corpore evellitur statim aut in Paradiso promeritis bonis collocatur aut certè pro peccatis in in ferni tartara praecipitatur S. Augustine in his book of the vanitie of the world tom 9. c. 1. Knowe yee that when the soule parteth from the body shee is for her good workes instantly placed in Paradice or for her sinnes cast headlong into the pit of hell And our masters the Expurgators in their last edition at Paris found themselues so puzled with this saying that they set down in the margent Vbi nunc Purgatorium Where now Purgatory is Himselfe in his first Chapter of his second sermon of Consolation over the dead saith Recedens anima ab Angelis suscipitur collocatur aut in sinu Abrahae c. Tertium penitus ignoramus immo nec necesse esse in Scripturis sanctis venimus The soule at her departure if shee bee faithfull is by the Angels taken and carried into Abrahams bosome if a sinner into the charter of the infernall prison Himselfe in the fifth book of his Hypognostique saith The Catholick faith grounded vpon diuine autority beleeueth the first place which is the kingdome of heaven from whence all that are baptised are excluded also the second which is hell where every Apostata such as are estranged from the faith of Christ shall endure eternall punishments For any third place we knowe none neither doe we finde any such place throughout the holy Scriptures Yea and which is more In this place S. Augustine maintaineth that Children not baptised are excluded out of the kingdome of heaven therevpon gathereth this consequence Sâ—th they are not in Paradice they must of necessitie be in hell and in eternal torment because there is no third place Surely hee would never haue beene so rigorous towards these children had he knowne of any place of punishment more gentle and easie as Limbo or Purgatory The fire of Helie pag. 37. saith that S. Augustine denieth any such place as Pelagius doth paint forth A matter that this Doctor very presumptuously hath invented for hee there doth simply deny and saith that there is no third place at all neither doth hee there speake of any delights as hee would make vs beleeue In his 14. sermon vpon the words of the Apostle hee tearmeth the right hand the kingdome of heaven and the left damnation with the Divell and then addeth There is no middle place where thou maist put the children And soone after Nullum medium locum in Evangelio novimus We find not any middle place in the Gospell In his 18. Sermon he reproueth those who taking liberty to doe evill haue nevertheles some hope Duo enim sunt loci nec tertius est vllus He saith he that is such a man let him chuse where hee will dwell whiles yet bee hath time to change for there are but two habitations the one in the eternall kingdome the other in everlasting fire In his 232. sermon which is against drunkennesse Deere brethren let no man
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