cannot but know Now if I belieue that the vniuersall Church did shine with this custome of offering sacrifice for the dead as in prudēce I must how can I in prudence thinke that the vniuersall Church euen in that her golden age was stained with such a profane Errour as Protestants hold this to be It is saith the same S. Austin Ep. 118. ad Januar insolent madnes to dispute against that which is practised by the whole Church all the world ouer And why so Because he that will not heare the Church let him be vnto thee as a Heathen or Publican Matth. 18. Because the gates of hell cannot preuaile against her Matth. 16. Because the is the pillar foundation of truth 1. Tim. 3. The Church then being the foundation of truth may we not well cry out with S. Paul O mad-men who hath be witched you not to obey the truth Gal. 3. For was not Iohn Caluin thinke you bewitched when he spake these words Before a thousand and three hundred yeares saith Caluin aboue an hundred yeares ago it was by custome receiued that prayers should be made for the dead but they all I confesse were ingulfed in an errour lib. 3. Iustit c. 5 Thus Caluin as boldly as if it were cleere that for thirteene hundred yeares togeather none of thē all vnderstood the Scripture so well as he But by his leaue I think I may be of the contrary opinion I am very confident that S. Austin had as good a wit studied as much was assisted as much by the holy Ghost and consequently vnderstood the Scripture as rightly as M. John Caluin yet this profound Doctour and great Saint writeth these very words which I do most faithfully trāslate out of him By the prayers of the holy Church and the wholsome sacrifice and by the almes which are giuen for their soules it is not to be doubted but the dead are holpen that they may be dealt withall more mercyfully by our Lord then their sins haue deserued for this deliuered from our Fathers the vniuersall Church doth obserue that for those who are dead in the Communion of the body bloud of Christ Prayer should be made when in the Sacrifice it selfe they in their place are remembred and that that Sacrifice should be remembred to be offered vp for them But when works of mercy are offered vp for their sakes who can doubt but that they auaile them for whom prayers are not in vaine offered vp to God It is not to be doubted in any case but that these things do profit the dead Serm. 32. de verb. Apost Thus writeth S. Austin repeating ouer ouer againe in so few lines It is not to be doubted who can doubt It is not to be doubted in any case that these things do profit the Dead This being so cleare all other authorityes may seeme superfluous He who desireth more testimonyes may read in Bellarmine de Purgatorio the words of S. Athanasius Basil Nazianzen Cyril Chrysostome Tertulliā Cyprian Ambrose Hierome others we also shall haue frequent occasions to cite many other places CHAP. II. Purgatory proued by Reason grounded in Scripture 1. AS it is a great Argument against Atheists who deny a God rewarder of good punisher of euil that all the world but they acknowledge such a God so it cānot but be a strong argument against Protestants who deny Purgatory that all Heathens Iewes Turkes and all ciuill nations do vse Prayer for the dead The reason why all agree so vniuersally in this point must needs be groūded in the light of naturall Reason which as it teacheth that there be some men very good who deserue nothing but reward others very bad who deserue nothing but punishment so it teacheth that there is a third kind of men who with the good they do worthy of reward do also some ill worthy of some though not eternall punishment consequently it will belong to higher Powers to giue these men due chastisment which as we see they escape often in this life it must therfore be giuen them in the next S. Austin thought this to be so manifest that he saith in Euchir c. 109. Jt is not to be denyed but that the soules of those who are departed are much relieued by the pitty of their liuing friends when either the Sacrifice of our Mediator is offered for them or Almes are giuen in the Church in their behalf because there is a certain state of life neither so good but that they may haue need of these helps after death nor yet so euill but that these offices may profit them And on the contrary there is another state of men so good that they need not this help and of others so euill that they cannot be helped by it when they are dead Wherfore heere in this life all merit is gottē wherby after this life a man may be relieued or not 2. The answer which Protestants vse to make is very weake for they say that although some men liue so that they do not deserue Hell and yet liue not so well but they deserue some punishment yet these men say they shall not go to Purgatory but by the onely vndergoing of the paines of death they shall be sufficiently punished for their sinnes This answere for two reasons is apparently false First for that the vndergoing of death is a punishment due vnto all men for originall sinne For saith S. Paul Rom. 5. by one man sinne entred into the world and by sinne death and so vnto all men death did passe euen vnto sucking babes who for no other cause vndergoe this punishment Secondly we see the paines of death equally shared among the good and bad and in the floud of Noë all mē suffered the same death of being drowned yet the sinnes of many were most vnequall 3. This proofe drawne from naturall Reason is exceedingly illustrated and confirmed by three principles certaine in holy Scripture The first is that there are some sins only veniall and not lyable to eternall torments and yet lyable to some torments That seruant saith S. Luke cap. 22. who knoweth the will of his Lord and doth not according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes but he that knoweth it not and doth things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes Hence it is euident that there be some men who do things worthy of stripes which they shall not escape but yet they shall be beaten with few stripes But if these stripes be to be layd on for all Eternity as all stripes be which are payd in hell they will not be few because being euerlasting the number of thē will be without number will any one call these stripes few Or can any man perswade himself that a God who is all mercy will in this vnmercifull manner punish the speaking of one idle word yet Christ himselfe saith that we shall be accountable for euery idle word we speake Matth. 12.
Wherefore we must be lyable to some punishmeÌ„t for euery idle word so that if a man of full age conuerted from idolatry be baptized and by and by after killed before he commit any other sinne then the speaking of one idle word onely shall this man be tormented for euer and euer so long as God shall be God And shall the Father of mercyes giue this vnmercifull sentence Doubtlesse if any man can do a thing worthy of stripes for doing it deserue only to be beaten with few stripes this maÌ„ may hope for this mercy but for greater theÌ„ this he cannot hope seeing that Christ saith that some accouÌ„t is to be giuen for that idle word Some punishment therefore he must suffer but not eternall consequently not in hell but in Purgatory for he must be beaten with few stripes not with many or euerlasting stripes 4. The second Principle is taught vs in the Apocalips cap. 21. to wit That nothing defyled shall enter into the kingdome of heauen consequently a man defiled with one onely idle word and so dying shall not enter into the Kingdome of heauen vntill he be cleansed in Purgatory-fyre For he who buildeth â—tuble vpon the foundation shall be saued yet so as by fyre saith S. Paul 1. Cor. 3. But saith S. Ambrose wheras S. Paul saith yet so as by fyre he sheweth indeed that he shall be saued but yet shall suffer the punishment of fyre that being purged by fyre he may be saued and not tormented for euer as the Jnfidels are with euerlasting fyre Serm. 20. in Psal 118. Most agreeable to this doctrine be the words of our Sauiour Be at agreemeÌ„t with thy Aduersary betyme whilst thou art in the way with him least perhaps thou be cast into prison Amen I say vnto thee thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repayest the last farthing Matth. 5. That is vntill thou shalt haue made satisfaction for euery one of thy least sins according to the expositioÌ„ of S. Hierome who telleth vs This is that which he sayth Thou shalt not go out of prison vntill thou shalt pay euen to thy little sinnes In c. 5. Matth. 5. The third Principle is that although our sins both mortall and veniall be forgiuen vs whensoeuer we are truly penitent for them yet all the paine due to these our sins is not always forgiuen togeather with the sins This may be demonstrated by many examples in the Scripture For breuity sake I will specify only two The first it this Originall sinne is forgiuen vs by baptisme yet the paines which are inflicted for originall sinne be not wholy taken away by baptisme but euen those innocent infants vnto whom by baptisme original sinne was forgiuen do suffer the punishment of death due vnto them for no other cause but for that very originall sinne which was forgiuen them by baptisme for that I say they endure death because by one man sinne entred into the world and by sinne death and so vnto all men euen vnto innocents death did passe Rom. 5. The second example is this Dauid did so truly repent him of his sinne of adultery murther that God told him by the Prophet Nathan Our Lord hath taken away thy sinne 2. Reg. 12. Behold heere the sinnes of Dauid forgiuen and yet presently God tels him Neuerthelesse because thou hast made the enemyes of the Lord to blaspheme for this thing the sonne which is borne vnto thee dying shall dye Behold heere a punishment inflicted vpon Dauid euen for this thing for which God had pardoned him 6. Out of this Principle it clearly followeth that there is a Purgatory For seing that as we haue proued there remaineth many tymes some punishment due to the sinne which is forgiuen and seing that a man may dye before he hath suffered this punishment due by iustice vnto him it doth necessarily follow that this punishment must be giuen him in the world to come not in hell because the sinne is forgiuen but yet in the prison of Purgatory out of which he shall not goe vntill he hath payd the last farthing 7. But heere it may be demanded how this doctrine agrees with the saying of God When the wicked maÌ„ shall be conuerted from his impiety I will not remember his iniquities Ezech. 18. I answere that God is said not to remember them in his wrath vengance by remitting the eternal paine due vnto them So he did not remember the sinne of Dauid but did take it away from him yet neuerthelesse for this thing he took from him by an vntimely death his sonne whose life he begged so earnestly The matter may fitly be declared by this similitude If a man should owe me a millioÌ„ of pounds should beg of me to forgiue the debt I might be most truly said to grant his request though I should forgiue the debt on this conditioÌ„ that he should pay me only twenty shillings as it were for a fine Now we know our sinnes be our debts for one mortall sinne only a man is lyable to euerlasting torments but if this man being truly penitent beggeth pardon of this his sinne God is so mercifull that he will forgiue and forget it yet withall he is so iust that in place of it he will impose some small fine as I may say though this fine be far smaller then twenty shillings in comparison of a million of pounds for one pound a million of times doubled will come to be a million but a Purgatory euen of a million of yeares though it should be neuer so often doubled or redoubled can neuer come to make a summe of yeares equall to the yeares contained in the Eternity of paines due to this sinne before it was forgiuen This I haue set downe at large that all may see how mercifully God doth deale with vs wheÌ„ for one act of true pennance he exchangeth an Eternity of paines into the temporall punishment of some yeares in Purgatory for this caÌ„not be but a great mercy thogh this Purgatory were to last neuer so many yeares in number because the yeares of Eternity be without number CHAP. III. The first Motiue to pray for the Soules in Purgatory which is The greatnes of the sensible Paines they suffer 1. NAture doth teach vs that the most forcible Eloquence to mooue compassion is that which setteth forth the greatnes of our misery The miseryes which these poore soules suffer are reduced to two The one Paena sensus which is the sensible paine they feele caused by the excessiue bitternes of their torments The other is called Paena damni which is that inexplicable anguish of mind and grief arising from the liuely apprehension of the losse of God which for a tyme they are to sustaine To which we may add the long continuance of their torments From these three we will draw the motiues which if they be well pondered may make the hardest Pharao-like hart in the world to take some compassion on
no hould where running teares had clensed before de 6. tribul 16. 55. in Cant 8. Two other cōsiderations may be added vnto these the one is the cause why these torments are inflicted which is the making of due satisfaction for sinne which thogh it be but veniall yet being that it is an offence of God is a thing so detestable that it cānot be cōmitted either for the gayning of ten thousand worlds or the auoyding of the greatest euill possible because the goodnes of God is not to be violated and displeased his sacred maiesty is not the least to be dishonoured being that it is soueraigne and infinit for the good of any inferior creature that is or may be Wherfore the so light cōmission of so many veniall sins as men daily hourly commit cannot be expiated but by punishmēt of a higher rank then we can imagin And this is the reason why the learnedst Doctors holiest Saints who had most light of Gods greatnes had also greatest feeling of the paines due to euery litle offence of so infinit a Nature and this is the reason why they whose vnderstaddings are either clouded with naturall ignorance or obscured with sinfull affections or wholy darkned with heresy are as dul in apprehending these paines as they are blockish in framing a worthy conceit of Gods infinit goodnes and supreme Soueraingty 9. The other thing heere considerable is that the day of mercy ending with the day of our life we are after to expect nothing els but iustice and therfore our Sauiour doth verily say vnto vs that we shal not go out of this prison vntill we haue payd the last farthing Math. 5. Which is a terrible cōsideration if we haue a due feeling of our debts whereunto what we are to say in the fifth Chapter will exceedingly help Neither can Protestants be scandalized at what hath heere bin said if they remember that according vnto their faith all sins are mortall and therefore deserue euerlasting paines 10. Wel thē these distressed soules suffering such things as none who hath the hart of a man could endure to see a dog suffer if he could ease him and these soules being the soules of our Bretheren the soules of Christs Bretheren the soules which he loued so dearely that he most ioyfull spent the very last drop of bloud in his body for their sakes how can we thus slight their complaints with a deafe eare O if we were in this pittifull case how hoatly should we cite those words of our Sauiour that voice that outery of nature her selfe All that you would that men should do for you do also for them Matth. 7. Denis the Carthasian relateth the words of one who by diuine reuelation was admitted to see these torments indeed they be worth relating God is my witnes saith he that if I did see any man though this man had as cruelly as man could either misused tortured or killed my dearest friends and had done me all the mischiefe which one man could do to another yet if J did se this man condemned to such paines as there in Purgatory I beheld I would a thousand times if it could be done suffer death for his deliuery l. de iudic Anim art 23. Such force hath this Consideration liuely apprehēded CHAP. IV The second Motiue drawne from the intolerable paines the soules suffer by being banished from the sight of God 1. TO vnderstand how great a paine it is to be banished though but for a time from the face of God is a thing wholy impossible vntill we come to know what an infinit good it is to possesse God but we may haue some little scantling of it by these considerations 2. The first Consideration All the ioy pleasure dainties riches and honours of this world yea and of a million of worlds though they were a million of times more excellent then this world is and all this ioy happines were eternall yet all this put togeather and enioyed as perfectly as might be is a thing no wayes cōparable to that happines which the possession of God for one onely moment doth bring with it so that to be depriued of this possession debarred of this happines restrayned of this Blisse when we are in an estate capable of it requiring it is a misery without all comparison greater then should be the losse of all the riches honours and pleasures which the eternall possession of a million of worlds a million of times more pleasant then our world could affoard What griefe then must the losse of this good cause in a soule that knoweth her losse 3. The second Consideration All the torments of this world though they were a thousād times greater ought according to right reason to be ioyfully suffered if by the suffering of them altogether we might be able to purchase the sight of God but for one moment for to see God is such a good that it would seeme cheape bought with all those euills his sight being a good of a far higher order thē any euill can be an euill Hence it followeth that the suffering though but for a moment the losse of this good is a misery inconceptible How cleare is this and yet how litle vnderstood 4. The third Consideration may be taken from the liuely cleare manner with which these soules haue their whole mind and attention fast bent both night and day vpon the greatnes of this their so infinit a losse We know by experience that in matter of paine anguish and misery nothing torments more thē wholy to giue our selues ouer or rather to be carryed by the violence of them to the cōtinuall consideration of the bitternes of our afflictions All other comforts which may be thought on for the ease of those desolate Soules are no more then inough to keep their mindes in a perfect patience amidst a world of so great miseryes 5. The fourth Consideratiō The soules do most perfectly loue God they do penetrate in a far perfecter manner then they could do in this life the reasons which are all most forcible mouing to loue that infinite Goodnes Wherfore seing themselues on the one side in an estate capable of enioying God and on the other debarred of enioying him whome they loue so affectionatly that it is a death to be separated frō him their minds are as it were torne asunder on the rack of loue Loue saith the Scripture Cant. 8. is as stronge as death and emulation as hard as hell the torches of it be torches of fire flames many waters cannot quench it neyther can riuers ouerwhelme it c. Euē in this world where we haue so little knowledge of God in our vnderstanding where we follow this knowledge so faintly with our wils some choice seruants of God suffer strange things in this kind through the absence of their beloued though as yet they are not in an estate fit to enioy him Father Baptista Sanctius of the Society
of Iesus was one of these For when he manifested his conscience vnto his Superiour he professed he was really of opinion that very griefe would kill him out of hand if he should come to know for certayne that his life should be prolonged for the space but of one whol day so truly strong as death was that loue which inflamed his heart to the enioying of his beloued Ludou de Ponte in vita P. Baltas c. 17. Few can belieue and fewer can vnderstand this but those who indeed loue God see it with their eyes If the ruthefull moanes of such true louers deserue not compassion there is no such thing as they call Mercy in the world 6. The fift Consideration These soules know they are depriued of this infinit good which they so ardently loue for no other cause but their owne fault their owne carelessy committed sinnes sinnes which did offend and affront this infinit goodnes which now they loue so tenderly And this it is which cutteth as deep as the sharpest edge of grief can cut into the softest heart which weepeth with teares of blood as oftē as it thinks and it can neuer cease from thinking that it was not only a trifle which separated it in this manner from God but a wickednes abominable in his sight an offence of such an Excellency a contempt of such a Maiesty a displeasure of such a Goodnes an ingratitude against such a Benefactour All this it is that goeth to their very heart this all the powers of their Soules bewaile and lament to the vttermost of their power with teares which neither can nor will admit of comfort vntill due satisfaction be made euen to the least and last farthing 7. The sixt and last Consideration differeth in this from the former that as those soules are tormented with such vnspeakable grief whilst they ponder the miseries of this banishmēt for their owne offences as they are displeasing to him whō they so purely loue so they are also put on a new torture when out of naturall loue vnto themselues which now well-ordered charity doth much increase they attentiuely consider and deeply penetrate what it is to be depriued of such a good such a ioy such a blisse for such a small such a no good such a mischieuous euill as they sinned for a pleasure so vaine so short so vgly so irrationall and so pernicious to their soules and yet to vse their language such was my folly ah wretch not only miserable but mad as to forgo euen such a good for such a bare such a shamefull such a pestiferous trifle as that was so many degrees of glory which would haue made me so happy for all eternity are wholly and irrecouerably lost for a pure ah most impure nothing How oftē was I inspired to do this thing and yet c. These far more miserable then these be the anguishes of those soules far greater then eyther those of Esau selling his inheritance for a messe of potage or those of Adam for making away Paradise for the taste of an apple or any other this world euer had or shall haue 8. Summe vp now in thy mind all these considerations together and thinke in what a sea of sorrowes that heart must bee into which day and night so great so many flouds do vnlade their waues and yet canst thou not find in thy hart to affoard them some small reliefe He saith S. John cap. 1.3 who possesseth the substance of this world and shall see his brother to haue necessity and shutteth his bowels from him how doth the Charity of God remaine in this man He saith not how doth the charity towards his neighbour but how doth the Charity of God remaine in him And if thou whosoeuer thou art thus shuttest thy bowels in a necessity as extreme almost as a necessity can be of thy owne and Christs brother I am sure that the charity of thy neighbour hath no place in thee but as for charity towards God it is not I but S. Iohn who doth as it were denying aske how doth the charity of God remaine in thee CHAP. V. The third Motiue taken from the long time that these Paines do indure 1. IF these paines were to be ended in a short space our hard-hartednes might thē haue some excuse but speaking stil of what happeneth for the most part it is a thing scarce to be doubted of that they continue very long for the holy Church is accustomed to keepe the Anniuersaryes of those who dyed a hundred or two hundred yeares ago Whēce it appeareth that there is reason to feare that many haue a long stay in Purgatory The learned Bellarmine l. 2. de gemit columb cap. 2. doth recount some histories very authenticall as he excellently proueth out of which it appeareth that diuers soules are condemned to Purgatory euen till the day of Iudgement And Tertullian one of the ancientest fathers speaking of these paines of Purgatory saith Thou shalt not depart perhaps vntill the day of thy Resurrection lib. de anima c. 17. 2. Now if we require why God doth hould this manner of proceeding in rather deteyning vs long time in our punishments then in adding to the bitternes of our torments that which is taken out in length of time we can deuise no other reason then that our sinnes haue deserued this misery also and men would litle apprehend to suffer all that could be suffered in one moment if the next moment they were to be eternally happy and therefore God who in his seuere iudgement had a mercifull regard to that which would worke most with our dull apprehensions did ordaine that as S. Augustin speaketh hom 15. ex 50. hom Quanta fuerit peccati materia tanta esset trāscunti mora so great as the matter of our sinnes shall haue bin so long should be the stay of our passage The best way therfore to make vs haue some conceit of the long cōtinuance of these paines is to see how great the matter vses to be on which they feed that is what a kind of quantity the sinnes of men vse most commonly to amount vnto 3. A little Arithmaticke will giue vs a great insight in this matter The iust man is said to sinne seuen times a day wherfore we may easily allow thrice more a day to one of those whom we call good and honest men such as the world hath but few of such a man therfore as this is doth sinne venially ten times a day taking one day with another The dayes in a whole yeare are three hundred sixty fiue wherefore he who euery day sinneth ten times must at the yeares end haue sinned ten times as often as there be dayes in a yeare which summe is easily found out by only putting one cypher to the number of the dayes in the yeare which are 365. add now one cypher we shall haue 3650. So that the sinnes of this good man euē in one yeare come to no