at this day it is receiued in all the Churches of the world without contradiction though there be some question touching the meaning of it Bellarmine reckoneth three opinions of Protestants differently vnderstanding the same whereof the first is that to descēd into hell is to be vtterly annihilated brought to nothing the second that it is to suffer the paines of hell and the third that it is nothing else but his buriall Of these three opinions imputed by Bellarmine to the Protestants the first is nothing but his owne fancy neuer dreamed of by any Protestant For who euer professing himselfe a Christian thought that to goe downe into hell is to be vtterly extinct and to be no more But saith he Brentius bringeth in Christ speaking in this sort I will descend into hell I will feele the paines of hell seeme vtterly to perish therefore he is of that opinion whatsoeuer others are A strange thing it is that men of learning iudgement should so forget themselues as this Cardinall often doth saying hee knoweth not what For doth he vtterly cease to be that feeleth the paines of Hell or doe not the wicked perish is not their estate in holy Scripture described to be euerlasting perdition hee knoweth right well it is yet I thinke dareth not from thence inferre that they are vtterly extinct and haue no more beeing if he doe we will not feare to brand him with the marke of impiety and intollerable ignorance for the wicked are said vtterly to perish not by losing all being but all good desirable happy being If Brentius escape his hands hee hath good hope to conuince Caluine of this errour and so still to lay vpon vs the heauy imputation of so damnable impiety Caluine hath written a Booke called Psychopanychia the drift whereof is to proue that the soules spirits of men sleepe not after death but liue either in paine or rest out of this booke the Cardinall presumeth that he shall bee able to proue that the soules spirits of wicked men are vtterly extinct and haue no more beeing An ill chosen booke in my opinion for such a purpose the whole drift thereof being to demonstrate the contrary of that hee vndertaketh to proue out of it Yet let vs see how he goeth about to conuince the Author of this booke of that errour which throughout the same he laboureth to confute His first demonstration is this Caluine proueth at large in that booke that the wicked doe liue for euer though in paine torment therefore he thinketh that to goe downe into hell is to be vtterly extinct and to haue no more beeing Astrange illation such as perhaps will not satisfie all therefore let vs heare another for he hath store of proofes Caluine in the same booke laboureth to proue that the Spirits of iust men are not extinguished but that they liue remaine for euer because that Christs soule was not extinguished in his death but remained still liued after death That Christs soule was not extinguished in his death he strongly demonstrateth because it was so commended into the handes of his Father that it could not perish so as the wicked doe who are swallowed vp of hell destruction and yet still remaine and liue for euer If this demonstration satisfie vs not what will Christs soule was so kept by GOD the Father to whom it was commended that it could not perish at all no not so as the wicked doe who yet are not extinct but liue for euer in bitter sense of woe misery much lesse be extinct vtterly cease to be therefore Christs descension into hell was an vtter extinction These must be the Cardinals proofes if hee will bring any out of that booke to conuince Caluine of that errour wherewith he chargeth him But he knoweth right well that neither these nor any other that he doth or can produce out of the same conclude any such thing as he intendeth and therefore let the Reader know that the Cardinall neuer perswaded himselfe that either Brentius or Caluine or any other Protestant was of that opinion with which he chargeth them but that he sought onely to abuse his Reader and therefore that which in vile hypocrisy he saith of Caluine Brentius that they bring in Atheisme by these their impious damnable assertions may be verified of himselfe and other his consorts who by their shamelesse lying hellish slaundering wrong both God and men and bring all Religion into horrible contempt Wherefore leauing these Hellish Diuellish slaunderers to Gods most righteous and fearefull Iudgements touching the descending of Christ into hell it is true that Saint Augustine saith None but an Infidell will deny it for it is one of the Articles of our Christian Faith But how we are to vnderstand this his descending it is not so certaine Wherevpon wee shall finde that there are presently three opinions in the Church concerning the same For some vnderstand by the name of Hell the place of dead bodies and the dominion of death holding soule body asunder turning the body forsaken of the soule into rottennesse corruption These do so interprete this Article as that they vnderstand nothing else by Christs descending into Hell but his going downe into the chambers of death and his three dayes continuance in the places of darknesse vnder the dominion thereof Others vnderstand by the name of Hell the paines of Hell and thinke that Christs descending into Hell was nothing else but the suffering of hellish pains in his Soule in the time of his Agonie in the Garden and in the houre of his death vpon the Crosse. A third sort there are that vnderstand by the name of Hell into which in this Article Christ is said to haue descended the receptacles and places appointed for the soules of men after this life sequestred from the presence of God and not admitted into Heauen These places the Romanists imagine to be foure Of which the first is the Hell of the damned wherein wicked Cast-awayes impenitent sinners are punished not onely with the losse of the sight of God but with sense also of smart miserie that for euer The second is by them named Limbus puerorum where Infants dying vnbaptized and in the state of originall sin are supposed to be holden for euer exiled from the presence of God his holy ones yet without all sensible smart or paine The third they imagine is Purgatory where they thinke the soules of good but yet imperfect men are punished till they haue satisfied the wrath of God for sins committed in the time of their life but not sufficiently repented of nor satisfied for while they liued The fourth place imagined by thē is Limbus patrum wherein the soules of Abraham Isaack and Iacob and all the just were holden till the comming of Christ and kept from the sight and presence of God yet without all sensible
there either paine or ease and refreshing that there the rich man is in paine and the poore in a comfortable estate for sayth hee why should wee not thinke that the soules are tormented or refreshed in this invisible place appoynted for them in expectation of the future Iudgement In quadam vsurpatione candida eius The Iudgement doubtlesse is begunne there So that neither is good altogether wanting to the innocent nor the sence and freling of euill to the nocent Heere wee see Tertullian maketh but two sorts of men departing hence and that hee thinketh that presently after their departure hence the good are in a kinde of imperfect possession or enioying of that good they looke for hereafter and the euill and wicked in a kinde of state wherein they already beginne to taste of those euerlasting miseries that shall swallowe them vppe in the daie of judgement So that according to his opinion there is no Purgatorie nor state of temporall paine and affliction after this life out of which there is hope of escape or deliuerance Gregory Nazianzen in his Oration made in the praise of Caesarius after many comforts against the sorrowes conceiued for the losse of so worthy a man addeth this as the chiefest of all other Verbis sapientum adducor vt credam generosam omnem Deoque charam animam posteaquam corporis vinculis soluta hinc excesserit protinus bonum quod eam manet persentientem contemplantem vtpote eo quod mentem caligine obducebat vel purgato vel abiecto vel quo verbo eares appellanda sit nescio mirabili quadam voluptate affici exultare atque hac vita veluti gra◅issimo quodam ergastulo relicta excussisque compedibus quibus animi penna deprimi solebat hilarem ad Dominum suum conuolare beatitudinem recondita Imaginatione quadam iam percipere That is I am induced and inoued by the sayings of the wise to beleeue that euery generous soule and such as is beloued of GOD presently after the loosing from the bonds of the body and departure hence that which darkened the minde beeing either purged out or cast from it or done away in what sort I cannot well expresse beginneth sensibly to discerne and behold that good which remaineth for it to bee filled with wonderfull delights and to leape for ioy and that leauing this life as a most grieuous prison and hauing cast off those fetters that depressed and held her downe desiring to mount vpon high with her siluer wings shee flieth ioy fully to her Lord and presently in a certaine apprehension beginneth to tast of that hidden happinesse that shall be reuealed Epiphanius speaking of the Godly departed remembred in the praiers of the Church sayth they are and liue with God Ambrose is more full to this purpose then any of the former for in his booke de bono mortis first he sayth all soules remaine in certaine habitations till the day of Iudgment whence they shall be called forth in that great day of resurrection Secondly that till the fulnesse of time appointed they all are holden in an expectation of the reward due vnto them are not in full possession of it Thirdly that in the meane time neither the soules of the wicked are without some present sence of euill nor the other without some enioying of good The ioy of the good and righteous he sheweth to bee in respect of the victory which they haue obtained ouer the flesh the deuine testimony which they haue in their consciences of their former walking in the waies of God making them not to feare the future iudgment their escape out of the prison of the body of death the liberty they are come to and the possessing of the promised inheritance c. Heare we see plainely that Ambrose maketh but two sorts of men two sorts of soules separated from the body and two estates assuring vs that all good faithfull-ones ordained to eternall life are presently after their seperation in a state of happinesse boldly hastening to the view and and sight of that God whom they haue so carefully serued to which purpose he alleageth that of the Prophet to the Angell shall there be giuen a time to soules after they are seperated that they may see the thing thou hast spoken of and the Angells answer Seauen daies shall their liberty endure that in those seauen daies they may see the things that haue beene spoken and after they shall bee gathered into their dwelling places out of which as I noted before he thinketh they shall not bee called till the resurrection so that according to the opinion of Saint Ambrose there is no place of temporall paine and punishment after this life appointed for the soules of men dying in state of Grace Neither was this the opinion of Dionysius Irenaeus Iustin Martyr Tertullian Nazianzen Epiphanius and Ambrose only but all the auncient were of the same judgment touching the state of the faithfull departed and therefore neuer any of them made any praiers for the deliuering of them out of temporall paine and punishment but as it hath beene before obserued they made prayers for them respectiuely to their passage out of this world and the entrance into the other as also for their resurrection publike acquitall in the day of judgment and perfit consummation This the Masse-booke and all the prayers that are found in any auncient bookes of Ecclesiasticall prayers doe clearely shew George Cassander hath published a booke of Ecclesiasticall prayers gathered out of the old Liturgies and Bookes of diuine seruice that hee could meete with amongst which there are many pro commendatione animae some few of them I will produce for example The first We beseech thy clemency O God mercifully to receiue the soule of thy seruant returning vnto thee Let Michaell the Angell of thy couenant be present with it and vouchsafe to place it amongst thy Saints and holy ones in the bosome of Abraham Isaacke and Iacob that beeing freed and deliuered from the Princes of darkenesse and the places of punishment he may be confounded with no errors of his first birth of ignorance or of his owne iniquity frailty but that rather he may bee acknowledged of thine and enioy the rest of holy blessednesse and that when the day of the great Iudgment shall come being raised vp amongst thy Saints and chosen ones hee may be satisfied with the glory of the cleere beholding of thee The 2d Vouchsafe O Lord to giue to thy seruant a lightsome place a place of refreshing and quiet Let him passe by the gates of hel the punishments of darkenesse let him remaine in the mansions of the Saints and in holy light which of old thou promisedst to Abrahā to his seede let his spirit sustaine no hurt but when the great day of resurrectiō reward shal come vouchsafe to raise him together with thy Saints chosen ones blot out doe away his sins euen to the
ever after restore them againe Hoc est Angelis casus quod hominibus mors saith Damascene The reason why God limited so short a time to them and assigned so long a time to men was because they were spirituall substances all created at once and that in the empyreall heauens and so both in respect of nature condition and place were most readily prepared disposed and fitted for their immediate everlasting glorification so that it was fit there should be set vnto them a short time to make choice of their future state never after to be altered againe to wit till their first deliberate conuersion vnto him or auersion from him But man being created in a naturall body to fill the world with inhabitants by procreation being set in a place farre remooued even in an earthly paradise had a longer time set him before he should be in finall stay or haue his last judgement passe vpon him to wit till death for particular and till the end of the world for generall judgement when the number of mankind shall bee full These are the reasons that mooued Almighty God that spared not the Angels to shew mercie vnto the sonnes of men So that as god in the day of the creation called foorth all both men and Angels from among the rest of his creatures to whom he denied the knowledge enjoying of himselfe that these onely might know feare and worship him in his glorious Temple of the world and be vnto him a selected multitude and holy Church so when there was found amongst these a dangerous Apostasie and departure from him he held of the Angels so many as hee was pleased and suffered them not to decline or goe aside with the rest and raised vp and severed out of the masse of perdition whom hee would among the sonnes of men The Angels now confirmed in grace and those men whom in the multitude of his mercies he deliuereth out of the state of condemnation and reconcileth to himselfe doe make that happie society of blessed ones whom God hath loved with an everlasting loue This society is more properly named the Church of God than the former consisting of men and Angels in the state of that integrity wherein they were created in that they which pertaine to this happie company are called to the participation of eternall happinesse with the calling of a more mighty potent and prevailing grace then the other For whereas they were partakers onely of that grace which gaue them power to attaine vnto and continue in the perfection of all happie good if they would and then In tanta felicitate non peccandi facilitate in so great felicitie and facilitie of not offending left to themselues to doe what they would and to make their choice at their owne perill These are partakers of that grace which winneth infallibly holdeth inseparably and leadeth indeclinably in the wayes of eternall blessednesse CHAP. 4. Of the Church of the Redeemed ALl these aswell Angels that stood by force of grace vpholding them as men restored by renewing mercy haue a most happie fellowship among themselues and therefore make one Church of God yet for that the sonnes of men haue a more full communion and perfect fellowship being all delivered out of the same miseries by the same benefit of gracious mercie Therefore they make that more speciall society which may rightly be named the Church of the redeemed of God This Church began in him in whom sinne beganne euen in Adam the father of all the liuing repenting after his fall and returning to God For we must not thinke that God was without a Church among men at any time but so soone as Adam had offended and was called to giue an account of that he had done hearing that voice of his displeased Lord and Creator Adam where art thou that so he might know in what estate he was by reason of his offence the promise was made vnto him that the seede of the woman should breake the serpents head Yet for that Abel was the first that the Scripture reporteth to haue worshipped God with sacrifice and to haue beene divided from the wicked in whom GOD had no pleasure euen cursed Cain that afterward shed his innocent blood therefore we vsually say the Church or chosē company of the redeemed of the Lord began in Abel who being slaine by Cain God restored his Church again in Seth in whose race and posterity he continued his true worship till Noe. In whose time the wickednesse of men being full hee brought in the flood destroyed the whole world Noe onely and his family excepted whom he made a preacher of righteousnesse to the world before and after the flood and chose from among his children Sem his eldest sonne in whose race hee would continue the pure and sincere knowledge of himselfe and the expectation of that promised seede that should breake the serpents head This Sem was the father of all the sonnes of Heber of whom the people of god were afterwards named Hebrewes who was also as some thinke Melchisedech in whose posterity the true Church continued so that God vouchsafed to be called the God of Sem till the dayes of Abraham in whose time there being a great declining to Idolatry after the flood as there was in the dayes of Noe before the flood so that the defection was found not onely amongst those that descended of Cham and Iaphet but euen among the children of Sem and the sonnes of Heber also of whom Abraham was God called him out from his fathers house and gaue him the promise that he would make his seede as the starres of heaven in number that in his seede all the nations of the world should bee blessed and gaue him the seale of circumcision so that all posterities haue ever honoured him with the name and title of the father of the faithfull This man obtayned a sonne by promise in his old age when Sara his wife was likewise old and it ceased to bee with her after the manner of women and named his name Isaac of whom came Esau and Iacob concerning whom GOD pronounced ere they were yet borne or had done good or euill The Elder shall serue the yonger I haue loued Iacob and hated Esau. Iacob therefore prevailed with God and was named Israel the father of the twelue Patriarches of whom came the twelue Tribes of Israel and that chosen Nation of holy Hebrewes who were also named Iewes of Iudah the Patriarch to whom the Scepter and kingly dignity pertained to whom his fathers sonnes bowed according to the tenour of Iacobs blessing concerning whom the Lord did promise that the Scepter should not depart from Iudah nor a law giuer from betweene his feete till the Shilo were come Great was the honour of this people aboue all the Nations of the World for vnto them were committed the
doe those things he prescribeth to them in like sorte God seeing that sinne was entred brought in punishments to represse it and seeing that it would be eternall if man did continue immortall he brought in death to make an end of it For saith Epiphanius sin is so deepely rooted in vs that it cannot bee quite killed nor pulled vp by the rootes while the body and soule remaine together Euen as sayth hee when some wilde figge tree groweth in the walles of a Goodly and stately building and defaceth and hideth the beauty and glory of it the boughes and braunches may be cut or broken off but the roote which is wrapped into the stones of the building cannot bee taken away vnlesse the walles bee throwen downe and the stones cast one from another So the sinne vvhich dvvelleth in vs hath the rootes of it so invvrapped into our nature the parts of it that hovvsoeuer the boughs and braunches may be cut and broken off the roote remaineth vvhile vve carry about vs this body of death vvill cause more branches to grovv foorth till by death the parts of our nature to vvit the soule and the body bee sundred and diuided And as the vvall may be raised againe and the stones thereof in due sort laid together when the rootes of the trees which formermerly grew into it be taken forth So when the roote of sin is remoued by death out of mans nature God will bring these parts of his nature together againe and giue him that immortality both of body and soule which he intended to him in his creation and would haue giuen him had not death beene necessary for the rooting out of that sinne hee voluntarily fell into That sinne is soe deepely rooted in the nature of man that it cannot bee plucked vp but by death Epiphanius saith it is euident by that of the Apostle who pronounceth of himselfe that to will was present with him but he found no ability to performe That the good hee would do hee did not and the euill that bee would not doe that hee did And that yet it was not hee that did it but sinne that dwelleth in him By this sayth hee it is proued that sinne is not pulled vp by the rootes that it is not dead but liuing that there is no man but hath euill thoughts and desires which growe from this bitter roote of sinne which neither Baptisme nor faith do wholly remoue or kill that sinne is only repressed resisted and stilled from raging and preuailing in such sort as it did before but not wholly taken away Thus then wee see that Epiphanius most excellently deliuereth that in the defence of the trueth against Origen and such like heretickes which Bellarmine imputeth vnto vs as heresie condemned by Epiphanius Wherein surely he was either grosly abused by others making him beleeu Epiphanius sayth that which most peremptorily hee denyeth or else hee was vvilling to deceiue and abuse others Howsoeuer this aduantage wee haue gotten thereby that our assertion that sinne remaineth after Baptisme and that the roote of it is not taken away nor killed till by death the soule and body be diuided is proued to be the auncient doctrine of the Primitiue Fathers But if Epiphanius faile him Bellarmine hath another author whereon to relye For hee saith Theodoret reporteth that the Messalians were condemned for heretickes because they thought that Baptisme as a Razar shaueth away sinnes past but doth not take away the roote of sinne and that therefore for that purpose wee must flye to the force of prayer This opinion of the Messalians touching the not taking away the roote of sinne in such sort as they vnderstoode it and Theodoret disliked it wee also condemne For wee thinke that Baptisme doth not only take away sinnes past but the very roote of all sinnes which is Originall sinne though not wholly for then wee should dissent from Epiphanius before alleaged yet in such sort as I will deliuer in that which followeth The errour of the Messalians Bellarmine attributeth vnto vs because wee teach that concupiscence in the Regenerate is sinne For the better clearing of this point wee must obserue that the Romanists doe erre most daungerously in the matter of originall sinne and naturall concupiscence For first they teach that the contrariety betwene the spirit and the flesh the pronenesse inordinately to desire things transitory sensible and outward and the difficulty to that which is best are the primitiue conditions of the nature of man And consequently that concupiscence neither after nor before Baptisme in the Regenerate nor vnregenerate is sinne or punishment of sinne but a condition of pure and sole nature For if man had beene created in a state of pure nature that is hauing all that pertaineth to the integrity of nature and nothing else it would haue beene found in him Neither doe they make any doubt but that GOD might haue created man in the beginning with all those defects hee is now subiect vnto and yet without all sinne For the beeing subject to them argueth not sinne but whereas they were restrained bridled and suppressed by addition of supernaturall qualities the hauing of them at libertie by voluntarie losse of those qualities is not without sinne Thus then howsoeuer they talke of concupiscence in the Regenerate and would seeme to deny it to be sinne in them onely yet they doe as well deny it to be sin in men not Regenerate as in the Regenerate and make it onely a punishment of sinne if yet they yeeld so much vnto the truth For indeede according to their erroneous conceit concupiscence is a sequele of nature and not a punishment of sinne so that all that they doe or can say is nothing but this that concupiscence was naturall and such a thing as might bee found in the integrity of nature that it was restrained by supernaturall grace added aboue that nature requireth for the perfecting of her integritie that the hauing it now free and at libertie to prouoke moue and incline vs to sinne is the punishment of that sinne whereby we depriued our selues of supernaturall grace But wee say contrary to this absurd conceite of theirs First that all these defects and euils to wit contrariety betweene the better and meaner faculties of the soule pronenesse to doe euill and difficultie to doe good doe arise and grow out of the want of that originall righteousnesse the property whereof is to subject all vnto God and to leaue nothing voide of him Secondly that this righteousnesse was essentially required to the integrity of nature So that there is no state of sole and pure nature without addition of sinne or grace as the Papists fondly imagine for that the nature of man is such as must either be lifted aboue it selfe by grace or fall below it selfe and be in a state of sinne Thirdly that all declinings and swaruings from that perfect subjection vnto God and entire conjunction with God which grace worketh
after this life but in that instant wherein grace may be sayd to be finall grace it hath full dominion and absolute command and expelleth all sinne Whereas therefore the Master of sentences and others do say that some veniall sinnes are remitted after this life we must soe vnderstand their sayings that therefore they are sayd to be remitted after this life because it being the same moment or instant that doth continuate the time of life and that after life so that the last instant of life is the first after life they being remitted and taken away in the very moment of dissolution are sayd to be remitted after this life for otherwise the wills of men after death are vnchangeable and there is no more place left for merit Hereunto Gregory seemeth to agree saying that the very feare that is found in men dying doth purge their soules going out of their body from the lesser sinnes Seeing therefore as Bernard sayth if all sinne be perfectly taken away whiâ—… is the cause the effect must needes cease which is punishment it followeth that seeing after death there is no sinne found in men dying in state of grace there remaineth no punishment and consequently no purgatory CHAP. 21. Of Purgatory TOuching Purgatory whether they that are to be purged be purged by materiall fire or by some other meanes it is doubtfull likewise touching the place the Roman Church hath defined nothing Whereupon some thinke that soules are purged where they sinned some in one place some in another neither is there any more certainty touching the continuance of sinfull soules in their purgation Dominicus â Soto thinketh that no man continueth in this purgation ten yeares his reason is for that seeing men may pacifie Gods wrath by very short penance in this life where they can neither endure any great extremity nor are perfectly apprehensiue of smart griefe therefore much sooner in the other where they may endure greater extremity and are more apprehensiue of it so that the extremity of their passion may counteruaile long continuance in paine This of Soto if we grant to be true saith Bellarmine no soule needes stay in purging one houre neither indeed caÌ„ he proue that any doth by Scripture or Fathers or any resolutioÌ„ of the Church but only because they vse to pray for men departed a long time after their death which doth no more proue that they neede prayers so long as they are prayed for then pardons for thousands of yeares proue Purgatory to continue so long and by certaine visions which sometimes he regardeth not For howsoeuer sundry visions reported by Beda Dionysius Carthusianus and in the first booke of the life of Bernard import that the soules of men in Purgatorie are tormented by diuels yet he thinketh that the children of God ouercomming Satan in the last conflict being secure of their future state for euer are neuer molested by Satan any more Thus then we see that notwithstâ—…ding any thing defined in the Church the soules of men may be purged from all the drosse of sinnefull remainders and freed from all punishments in the very moment of dissolution which is that wee say Hereupon Iohn Bacon sayth there be some who thinke that Purgatory after this life cannot be prooued by the authority of the Scripture that these do say the bookes of Macchabees are not Canonicall and that the Apostle 1. Cor. 3. speaketh of that fire that shall purge the elements of the world in the last day And touching that saying of Christ of sinne that shall neuer be remitted in this world nor that to come they say it prooueth not the remission of any sinnes in the other world but that this forme of speaking is vsed only for the better inforcing of that he intendeth to deliuer as if a man should say to a barren woman thou shalt neuer beare child neither in this world nor in that which is to come CHAP. 22. Of the Saints hearing of our prayers THat the Saints doe heare our prayers or are acquainted with our particular wants was neuer resolued in the Church of God Biel sayth that the Saints by that naturall or euening knowledge whereby they see and know things as they are in themselues do not know or discern our prayers neither mentall nor vocall by reason of the immoderate distance betweene them and vs and touching that morning knowledge whereby they see things in the eternall word it no way pertaining to their essentiall felicity to see and know our desires and it being vncertaine whether it appertaine to their accidentall happinesse hee sayth it is not certaine but that it may seeme probable that God revealeth vnto them all those suites which men present vnto them The Master of sentences sayth it is not incredible that the soules of the Saints that delight in the secrets of Gods countinance in beholding the same see things that are done in the world below Hugo de Sancto Victore leaueth it doubtfull whether the Saints do heare our prayers or not and rejecteth that saying of Gregory brought to proue that they do Qui videt videntem omnia videt omnia The interlineall glosse vpon Esay 63. sayth Augustine was of opinion that the dead though Saints know not what the liuing though they be their owne children doe here in this world Which appeareth to be true by his owne words pronouncing that if so great Patriarkes as was Abraham knew not what befell to the people that came of them it is no way likely that the dead do intermeddle with the affaires of the liuing either to know them or to further and set them forward whereupon he concludes that for ought is knowne to the contrary the Saints remaining only in heauen and praying for vs only in generall God by the ministery of Angels or immediately by himselfe without their particular intermedling giueth vs the things we haue need of Willihelmus Altisiodorensis sayth that many do thinke that neither wee do properly pray to the Saints nor they pray for vs in particular but that improperly only we may be sayd to pray to them in that wee desire God that the fauour which they finde with him resting from their labours and their workes being gone after them may procure vs their brethren acceptation likewise whom they haue left behind them in the warfare of this world Whereupon the prayers are Adiuuent nos eorum merita c. In the margent he sayth that this was a common opinion in his time CHAP. 23. Of the Superstition and Idolatry committed formerly in the worshipping of Images THat many in the Romane Church did see the abuse superstition that was in the vse of Images appeareth by Picus Mirand his Apology of his conclusion proposed in Rome that neither the Crosse nor any other image is to be worshipped with diuine worship by Durand blaming many things in the practise of the Church at that time and
damage It were impious to thinke that Christ suffered the former kinde but that hee suffered this latter kinde of punishment of losse damage many great Diuines are of opinion For though as hee was ioyned to God affectione iustitiae that is by the affection of vertue or justice hee could not be diuided or separated from him no not for a moment because he could not but loue him feare him trust in him giue him the praise and glory that belongeth to him yet as he was to be joyned to him affectione commodi that is by that affection that seeketh pleasing content in enjoying those ineffable delights pleasures that are found in him hee might bee and was for a time diuided from him For as very great graue Diuines do thinke he was destitutus omni solatio that is destitute void of all that solace he was wont to find in God in that fearefull houre of darknesse of his dolefull passion As saith Melchior Canus Christ in the time of his life miraculously restrained kept within the closet of his secret Spirit the happines that he injoyed in seeing God that it should not spread farther communicate it self to the inferior faculties of his Soule or impart the brightnes of it to the body so in the houre of his passion his very Spirit was with-holden from any pleasure it might take in so pleasing an object as is the Essence Majesty and glory of God which euen then he clearely beheld So that Christ neuer wanted the vision of that object which naturally maketh all them happy that beholde it and filleth them with such joy as no heart of mortall man can conceiue or tongue expresse But as it was strange and yet most true in the time of his life that his Soule enjoyed Heauen-happines and that yet neither the inferiour faculties thereof were admitted into any fellowship of the same nor his Body glorified but subject to misery and passion so it fell out by the speciall dispensation of Almighty God in the time of his death and in that fearefull houre of darknes that his Soule seeing God the pleasure delight that naturally commeth from so pleasing an object stayed with-held communicated not it selfe vnto it as a man in great distresse taketh no pleasure in those things that otherwise exceedingly affect him This his conceipt he saith he communicated to very great and worthy Diuines while he was yet but a young man and that they were so farre from disliking it that they approued it exceedingly But some man will say it is not possible in this life to feele extremity of paines answereable to the paines of hell more then on earth to enjoy the happines of Heauen and that therefore it is absurd to grant that Christ in the dayes of his flesh suffered in this World extremity of paine answerable to the paines of hell Hereunto it is answered that in ordinary course it is impossible for any man liuing in this World either to enjoy the happines of Heauen or feele the paines of Hell but that as Christ was at the same time both Viator and Comprehensor that is a manlike vnto vs that journey here in this World towards Heauen-happines and yet happy with that happines that ordinarily is found no where but in Heauen so hee might suffer that extremity of paine haue that apprehension of afflictiue euils that ordinarily is no where to bee found in this World euen while he liued here on earth Luther saith truely that if a man could perfectly see his owne euils the sight thereof would bee a perfect hell vnto him now it is certaine that Christ saw all the euils of punishment before expressed to which he voluntarily subjected himselfe to satisfie diuine Iustice comming fierce and violently vpon him with as cleare a sight and as perfect an apprehension of them as is to be had in the other World CHAP. 18. Of the nature and qualitie of the passion and suffering of Christ. HItherto we haue spoken of the punishments that Christ sustained and suffered to satisfie the justice and pacifie the wrath of his Father Now it remaineth that we come to take a view of the nature and qualitie of his passion and suffering consisting partly in his feare and agonie before and pardy in his bitter sorrow and distresse in the very act of that dolefull tragedy Touching the first the Scripture testifieth that he feared exceedingly and desired the cuppe might passe from him Touching the second that he was beset with sorrowes euen vnto the death and that in his extremitie he cried aloud My God my God why hast thou forsaken me But touching both these passions of feare sorrow it is noted that whereas there are three kindes of faults found in the passions of mens mindes the first that they arise before reason be consulted or giue direction the second that they proceed farther then they should and stay not when they are required and the third that they transport reason judgement it selfe Christ had these passions but in a sort free from all these euils For neither did they arise in him before reason gaue direction wherevpon he is said to haue troubled or moued himselfe in the case of Lazarus for whom he greatly sorrowed neither did they proceede any farther if once reason judgement commanded a stay and retrait wherevpon they are called Propassions rather then Passions not because as Kellison ignorantly supposeth reason preuenteth them and causeth them to arise though it bee true it doth so but because they are but fore-runners to passions at liberty and beginnings of passions to be staied at pleasure rather then full and perfect passions and therefore much lesse had they any power to transport judgement reason it selfe From these generall considerations of the passions of Christ let vs proceede to take a more particular view of the chiefe particulars of his passions to wit Feare Sorrow Feare is described to bee a retiring or flying backe from a thing if it be good because it is too high and excellent aboue the reach and without the extent of our condition power if it be euill because it is hard to bee escaped So that the proper and adequate obiect of feare is not as some suppose future euill but difficulty greatnesse excellency which found in things good makes vs know wee cannot at all attaine them or at least that wee cannot attaine them but with too great difficultie labour in euill that they will not easily be ouer mastered or escaped The difficultie greatnesse and excellency found in things that are good causeth feare of reuerence which maketh vs steppe backe and not to meddle at all with thinges that are too high excellent for vs nor with things hard without good advice and causeth vs to giue place to those of better condition and to acknowledge and professe by all significations of body and
preached to the spirits in prison sometimes disobedient in the dayes of Noe. But as Saint Augustine fitly noteth this preaching of Christ in spirit mentioned by the Apostle was not after his death in his humane Soule but in the dayes of Noe in his eternall Spirit Deity And as Andradius rightly obserueth they that he preached vnto are named spirits in prison because they were spirits in prison when Peter wrote of them not when Christ preached to them though if they should be vnderstood to be named Spirits in prison as being such when Christ preached vnto them yet we might rightly conceiue as Saint Augustine doth that he preached to the Soules and Spirits of Men shut vp in the prison house of their sinfull bodies and the darke dungeons of ignorance and sin and not in the prison of hell Thus then our Diuines deny the descending of Christ into Purgatory Limbus puerorum and Limbus patrum perswading themselues that there are no such places But his descending into the Hell of the damned they all acknowledge though not to deliuer men thence yet to fasten condemnation to them that are there to bind Sathan the Prince of darkenesse that hee may not prevaile against them that beleeue in Christ and to keepe them from sinking downe into that deuouring piâ—… into which he went and out of which hee soe triumphantly returned Onely this difference may seeme to be amongst them that some of them thinke he went personally and locally others onely vertually in power and operation Which diuersity of opinions is likewise amongst the Papists Bellarmine and some other in our time teaching that hee went locally into the lowest Hell and the Schoole-men that he went not locally into the lowest Hell but vertually onely in the manifestation of his vertue and power and into Limbus Patrum locally and personally soe that all the controuersie betweene them and vs standeth in two points The descending of Christ into Limbus Patrum and the suffering of Hellish paines For whereas Cardinall Bellarmine laboureth to proue a locall Hell he busieth himselfe in vaine no man denying it But sayth he Beza and others do say the words vsed in the Hebrew and Greeke Sheol and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe alwaies signifie the Graue in holy Scripture and not Hell whence it may seeme to follow that there is no other Hell then the Graue and soe consequently noe locall Hell for damned soules Surely this is a most vnjust and vntrue imputation For Beza and the other learned Diuines he speaketh of do not affirme that Sheol and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe precisely and alwayes in holy Scripture signifie the graue but as Arias Montanus Andradius and sundry other excellently learned amongst our aduersaries do that Sheol which the Septuagint translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not precisely and immediatly signifie the place of damned soules but in an indifferencie and generality of signification noteth out vnto vs the receptacles of the dead And that seeing there are two parts that are sundered one from another in them that are dead there are likewise two kinds of receptacles of death or dwelling places for them on whom death hath her full force the one prouided for their bodies putrifying and rotting and the other for their soules tormented euerlastingly Soe that when these words thus indifferently signifying either of these receptacles of death do note out vnto vs the one or the other of these two places either the graue for the body or hell for the soule cannot be gathered out of the words themselues but the circumstances of those places of Scripture where they are vsed In like sort they say that the word Nephesh translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and anima doth not alwaies signifie the spirituall substance of man that is immortall but the whole person the life yea and some times that which hath beene aliue though now dead euen a dead carcasse according as wee reade in Leuiticus where God pronounceth that whosoever toucheth Nephesh that is a deade corpes shall be vncleane And in this sense it is that Arias Montanus translateth not that place in the Psalme Non derelinques animam meam in inferno that is Thou shalt not leaue my soule in Hell but Non derelinques animam meam in sepulchro that is Thou shalt not leaue my Soule Life or Person or that Body that sometimes was aliue in the Graue For it it cannot be vnderstood that the reasonable soule or immortall Spirit of Christ was euer in the graue either to be deliuered thence or left there If it be sayd that the Greeke and Latine words vsed by the Translators signifie more precisely hell and the reasonable Soule or Spirit then those Hebrew words Sheol and Nephesh doe we answere that whatsoeuer their vse and signification be in prophane Authors yet they must be enlarged in the Scriptures to signifie all that which the Hebrew words doe that so the translation may be true and full Bellarmine to confute this explication and construction of the Hebrew words made by Beza and the rest vrgeth that the Septuagint neuer translateth Sheol by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifies the graue but by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that therefore Sheol doth not properly signifie the Graue Hereunto we answere that the word of it selfe being indifferent to signifie any receptacles of the dead whether of their bodies or soules must not be translated by a word precisely noting the graue as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth and that therefore it is not to be marvailed at that the Septuagint neuer translate the Hebrew word by this Greeke word of a narrower compasse straiter significatioÌ„ Secondly we say that seeing Sheol when by the circumstances of the places where it is vsed it is restrained to signifie onely the place of dead bodies yet doth not precisely note that fitting receptacle provided for them to be laide in as in their beds of rest by the liuing as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth but any other receptacle whatâ—…er euen of such as want that honourable kind of buriall whether they be devoured by wilde beasts swallowed vp of the Sea or receiued into any other place of stay and abode till the time of the generall resurrection the Translators vsed not the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of too narrow compasse straight signification but the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enlarged by them to expresse all that the Hebrew word importeth in this sense Iacob said he would go down mourning into Sheol or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to his son not into a place of soules sequestred from God or into hell sor he neuer thought his sonne to bee gone thither nor into the graue properly so named for he thought his son had bin devoured of a wilde beast but into the receptacles of the dead and into the chambers of death wherein there are many very different
vttermost farthing let him attaine the life of immortality with thee The 3◠Receiue the soule of thy seruant which thou leadest out of the dirty miry gulfe of this world to the heauenly coūtry receiue it into the bosome of Abrahā be-dew it with the dew of refreshing let it be kept apart from the cruell burning of the fiery flaming hell The 4◠Graunt that thy seruant may escape the place of punishment the fire of hel the flames af the lowest gulfe The like may bee shewed in the rest for they are all framed to the same purpose forthe escaping of hel the power of the Prince of darknes the deuouring gulfe of eternall condemnation al which things in the judgment of our Aduersaries thēselues are granted vnto men dying in the faith of Christ state of grace in the very entrance into the other world and the first instant of the next life so that all the prayers that wee finde in the auncient were made respectiuely to the passing hence entrance into the other world with desire of the Resurrection and perfect consummation which we expect in the last day and because this passage is often past they that are departed already entred into their rest before their friends whom they leaue behinde them canne send so many good wishes after them as they desire it was an ordinary thing with the Auncient in their prayers to acknowledge and professe they were perswaded the thing was already granted and performed which they desired and to beseech GOD notwithstanding to accept their voluntary deuotions good affections In this sort Augustine prayeth for Monica his Mother That God will keepe her from the powers and Princes of darkenesse and remit her sinnes And yet saith Hee beleeueth it is already done that hee asketh So Nazianzen professeth his assured perswasion that Caesarius is with God and yet commendeth him to God And the like wee finde in Ambrose touching Valentinian By all which it is euident that the Auncient prayed not to deliuer the departed out of Purgatorie or any estate of temporall affliction but on their obite dayes acknowledged the goodnesse of God towards them preuenting all desires of men declared their readinesse to entreate for them if they were in neede or danger and not past before they could send their good wishes after them and expressed their desires of the perfecting and accomplishing of all that which is yet wanting to them And as the Auncient were wont to pray for their brethren and friends on the dayes of their obites and the deposition of their bodies respectiuely to their passage hence and the escaping of the daungers of hell and eternall death in the same so in like sort in processe of time in those dayes wherein their obites were remembred and by returne of times represented to them they vsed the same forme of prayer againe as if they had beene but euen then in the passage hence and in danger of hell and the powers of darkenesse But as on the dayes of the birth circumcision apparition passion resurrection and ascension of Christ for so wee call the dayes answering to these representing them to vs signes and remembrances carrying the names of the things themselues men so speake asif God did then send his Sonne into the world to be borne of a woman to be made vnder the Law to suffer ouercome and triumph ouer death by ascending into Heaven to take possession thereof for vs and yet meane not as the wordes may seeme to import that Christ doth newly take flesh and is borne of the Virgin c. But that he is borne vnto vs and wee made partakers of the benefits of his birth circumcision passion c. So in the dayes wherein they remembred the obites of their brethren and friends as then present and prayed for them as then in passage hence and in danger to be swallowed vp of hell destruction they desired not that which the words may seeme to import for that was granted to them on their dying dayes or else they are vncapable of it for euer but that which is yet wanting to them In which sense the wordes of that prayer in the Masse-booke must bee vnderstood Lord Iesus King of glory deliuer the soules of all faithfull ones departed from the hand of hell and from the deepe lake deliuer them from the mouth of the Lyon that the lowest hell swallow them not vp and that they fall not into the dungeons of vtter darkenesse but let thy Standard-bearer holy Michael present them into the place of holy Light which of old thou diddest promise to Abraham and to his seede For these dangers of falling into the deepe lake the mouth of the Lyon the dungeons of vtter darkenesse and being swallowed vp of the lowest Hell the dead in Christ escaped in the day and time of their dissolution neither is there any thing to be wished farther vnto them in this behalfe but that publicke acquitall and full and perfect escape in the day of Iudgement according to that other prayer found in the Missall O gracious God which calledst backe the first man to eternall glory O good shepheard which broughtest backe the lost sheepe vpon thy shoulder to the folde Righteous Iudge when thou shalt come to Iudge deliuer from death the soules of them whom thou hast redeemed Deliuer not the soules of them which confesse vnto thee vnto the beasts forsake them not for euer In all these prayers there is no word of petition for the deliuerance of the dead out of any paines or punishments but for their escaping avoyding declining and not falling into hell eternall condemnation the power of Satan and the mouth of the Lyon It is true that some long since began to pray to deliuer men out of paines and punishments or to suspend mitigate and ease their paines but in such sort as the Romanists dare not pray It was an opiniō of many whootherwisewere right beleeuers that all Christians professing the truth in Christ how ill soeuer they liue shall bee saued in the end Frustrà nonnulli saith S. Augustine immò quamplurimi aeternam damnatorū poenam cruciatus sine intermissione perpetuos humano miserantur affectu atque ita futurumesse non credunt that is there are some nay there are exceeding many who out of an humane affection commiserate the eternall punishments of the damned and their torments that are without ceasing these men thought the sayings of CHRIST and his Apostles concerning the eternall punishments of the wicked were vttered rather minacitèr then veracitèr and that they rather shew what men according to their deseruing should suffer then what indeede they shall suffer Hence it came that many did pray for the deliuerance of men out of hell that died in mortall sinne This opinion Damascene followed and whereas the Prophet asketh Who shall confesse vnto thee O Lord in hell he
it is time for mee to looke about mee for I heare a horrible outcry as if Hanniball were at the gates of the cittie Theophilus Higgons causeth it to be proclaymed with sound of Trumpet that I haue shewed my selfe a notable trifler in the question of Purgatory and prayer for the dead to the vtter confusion of my booke and the Protestanticall Church When Moyses came downe from the Mount and heard the noyse in the Campe he sayd It was not the noyse of them that ouercome in battel nor of them that are ouercome but of singing So is this hideous clamor but the venting of the boyish vanity of a foolish youth in sporting sort calling companie to come and play with him for all that he saith will be found to be lesse then nothing The occasion of this strange out-crie is this In the Appendix to the third booke I shewe that there was nothing constantly resolued on in the Romane Church in the dayes of our Fathers before Luther beganne touching that Purgatory that is denied by vs and defended by the Papists which I haue demonstrated in such sort that this fellow hath nothing to oppose against it but flourishes of his youthfull Rhetoricke For the more cleare and perfit vnderstanding whereof the Reader must obserue that wee all acknowledge a purging out of sinne in the dissolution of soule and bodie and in the first enterance of the soule into the state of the other world But all the question is of the nature kinde qualitie of it Luther saith Bellarmine admitteth a kind of Purgatory but of most short continuance For hee supposeth that all sinnes are purged out by the dolours of death or by the very separation of soule and body wrought by death Which opinion of Luther wee all follow and the same was embraced by many in the Romane Church in the daies of our Fathers before Luther was borne who taught then as wee doe now that all veniall sinnes are done away and purged out in the moment of dissolution and in the first entrance into the other world as I haue shewed before So that concerning Purgatorie properly as it serueth to purge out the impuritie of sinne there was nothing resolued on in the daies of our Fathers but that which wee willingly admitte But the Papists at this day deny that all veniall sinnes are purged out in the dissolution of soule and body and the first enterance into the state of the other world They imagine that they are long in purging out that they are purged in materiall fire and that the place of their purging out is below in the earth nearely bordering vpon the Hell of the damned This is the true difference betweene Protestants and Papists and rightly deliuered by me howsoeuer it please Master Higgons to say I yeeld not the true difference in this matter nor propose the question as in learning and honesty it became me It is true that he saith that wee must distinguish matter of substance from matter of circumstance and that it is sufficient to haue fundamentall vnity in the first howsoeuer there may be accidentall diversitie in the second But it is a matter of substance whether all sinnefulnesse bee purged out in the moment of dissolution they deny it wee affirme it and are well assured they canne neuer proue that all our fathers agreed with them in this matter of substance and therefore Master Higgons may soone be answered when hee asketh where that man is who in the time of our fathers denied Purgatorie or shewed any doubtfulnesse therein against the essentiall Doctrine in which the true difference betwixt Papists and Protestants doth stand most eminently at this day seeing there were found very many as I haue shewed before who not onely doubted of the circumstances of materiall fire place and instruments of punishment but taught as wee doe against the Papists in the most substantiall point of all other that all sinnefulnesse is purged out of the soules of men departing hence in the state of grace not by materiall fire in a place of Purgation vnder the earth or neare Hell nor by being afflicted by the ministerie of Deuills or otherwise but by the completion of the state of grace getting full dominion in the soule vpon her diuiding from the body in the moment of dissolution Now if all impurity and staine of sinne bee purged out in the moment of dissolution by the taking away of impediments and leauing grace to her selfe that shee may fill all with her diuine effects as many of our fore-fathers beleeued and taught there is no such Purgatorie as the Papists at this day imagine If it be said that though all sinne be purged out by death in respect of the staine or sinfull impurity yet the punishment remaineth and so there is a kinde of Purgatorie wherein men are to suffer the punishments due to sinnes past though now perfectly blotted out It will easily be answered that whatsoeuer is of force to doe away all impurity of sinne offending God is likewise able to reconcile God vnto vs so perfectly as that no guilt of punishments shall remaine For seeing it is the nature of grace to expell sinne offending God and to make men acceptable to God that stood in termes of disfauour before where grace is so perfect as that it expelleth all sinfulnesse there it must needes worke and procure a perfect reconciliation with which guilt of punishment cannot stand Besides charity implieth a dislike of all that which is displeasing to God whom we loue and a sorrow that wee haue offended him therefore charitie in such perfection as is able to purge out all impuritie of sinne implieth dislike of that which in sinning was ill affected and desired before and sorrow for the same aequivalent to the pleasure and delight taken in sinning and consequently doth satisfie God in such sort as that no punishment shall come vpon him that so sorroweth Thirdly the punishments of men pure and cleane from sinne for such sinnes as they formerly committed if any such be imagined cannot be named Purgatory punishments but satisfactory onely So that if all sinfulnesse be purged our there remaineth afterwards no Purgatory properly so named Lastly if it were doubtfull in the dayes of our Fathers as Master Higgons confesseth it was whether the fire bee materiall or not in which men are to satisfie GODS displeasure what kind of suffering it is that is to satisfie whether of sorrow onely or some thing inflicted from without and likewise how long it doth continue it is evident that notwithstanding any thing resolued on in former times God may be so satisfied by the first conversion of the soule vpon her separation turning vnto him in mislike of her former misdeeds as that all guilt of punishments may be vtterly taken away in the very moment of dissolution Whence it will follow that nothing was constantly certainely and genelally resolued on in the dayes of our Fathers
nature that by violence and the vniust courses holden by wicked men wee may be hindred from it without any fault of ours If the sentence of excommunication be iust yet it doth not cut the excommunicate off from the mysticall body of Christ but doth presuppose that they haue already cut off themselues or that if this sentence being duely and aduisedly pronounced make th◅ not relent but that still they hold out against it they will cut off themselues and depriue themselues of all inward grace and vertue From the visible Church of Christ it doth not wholly cut them off for they may and often doe retaine the entire profession of sauing trueth together with the Character of Baptisme which is the marke of Christianitie and so farre forth notwithstanding their disobedience still acknowledge them to be their lawfull pastours and guides by whose sentence they are excommunicate that they would rather endure and suffer any thing thē schismatically ioyne themselues to any other communion It doth therefore onely cut them off from communicating with the Church in the performance of holy duties and depriue them of those comforts which by communicating in the sacraments c. they might haue enioyed This excōmunicatiō is of two sorts the greater and the lesser The greater putteth the excōmunicate frō the sacrament of the Lords body blood depriueth them of all that cōfort and strength of grace which from it they might receiue it denieth to thē the benefit of the Churches publick prayers so leaueth thē to thēselues as forelorn miserable wretches without that assistāce presence protection which frō God she obtaineth for her obedient children Whence it is that they are said to be deliuered vnto Sathan because they are left naked void of all meanes to make resistance vnto his will pleasure as if this were not enough they are denied that solace which they might finde in the company and conversation of the people of God who now doe no lesse flye from them than in olde time they did from the Lepers who cryed I am vncleane I am vncleane The lesser excommunication excludeth onely from the Sacramentall pledges and assurances of Gods loue which when it is pronounced against them that stubbornely stand out and will not yeeld themselues to the Churches direction disposition is properly named excommunication but when it is pronounced against them that yeeld when they haue offended and seeke the blessed remedies of the euils they haue committed it is not so properly named excommunication but it is an act of the discipline of repentance and of that power and authority which Christ left vnto his Church whereby shee imposeth and prescribeth to her obedient children when they haue offended such courses of penitency whereby they may obtaine remission of their sinnes and recouer the former estate from which they are fallen CHAP. 16. Of the errours that are and haue beene touching the vse of the discipline of the Church in punishing offenders TOuching this discipline of repentance and power of the Church in ordering offenders and the vse thereof there are and haue beene sundry both errours and heresies The first of the Pelagians in former times the Anabaptists in our times who for euery the least imperfectiō cast men out of their societies denying that any are or can be in or of the Church in whom the least imperfection is found Which if it were true there should be no Church in the world all men being subject to sinne and sinfull imperfection that either are or haue beene For it is a vaine dispute of the Pelagians whether a man may be without sinne or not whereof see that which Augustine and Hierom haue written against the madnesse and folly of those men For confirmation of their errour touching absolute perfection they alleage that of the Canticles Thou art all faire my Loue and there is no spot in thee And that of the Apostle to the Ephesians that Christ gaue himselfe for his Church that he might make it to himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle but that it should be holy and without blame For answere wherevnto first we must remember that which formerly was obserued to wit that sundry glorious titles are giuen to the Church which agree not to the whole totally considered but to some parts onely so it is said to be faire glorious and without spot or wrinkle not for that all or the most part of them that are of the Church are so but because the best and principall parts are so and for that the end intent and purpose of the gift of grace giuen to the Church is to make all to be so if the fault be not in themselues Secondly we must obserue that there is a double perfection purity and beauty of the Church without spot or wrinkle to wit absolute and according to the state of this life The first is not found in any among the sonnes of men while they are clothed with the body of death And therefore if we speake of that absolute purity and perfection the Church is said to be pure all faire and to haue no spot or wrinkle not for that actually and presently it is so but for that it is prepared to be so hereafter as Augustine fitly ◅teth The second kinde of purity which is not absolute but according to the state of this life consisteth herein that all sinnes are avoyded or repented of and in Christ forgiuen and his righteousnesse imputed In this sense the Church is now presently pure and vndefiled and yet not free from all sinfull imperfection as the Pelagians and Anabaptists vainely and fondly imagine contrary to all experience and the wordes of the Apostle If wee say wee haue no sin we deceiue our selues and there is no trueth in vs. The second errour touching the power of the Church in the ordering of sinners and the vse thereof was that of the Novatians who refused to reconcile and restore to the Churches peace such as grievously offended but left them to the iudgment of God without all that comfort which the sacraments of grace might yeeld vnto them and if any fell in time of persecution and denied the faith how great and vnfained soever their repentance seemed to bee they suffered them not to haue any place in the Church of God The third of certaine of whom Cyprian speaketh that would not reconcile nor restore to the Churches peace such as foradultery were cast out The fourth of the Donatistes who would not receiue into the lap bosome of the Church such as hauing in time of persecution to saue their owne liues deliuered the bookes and other holy things into the hands of the persecutors did afterwards repent of that they had done and with teares of repentant greefe seeke to recouer their former standing in the Church of God againe yea they proceeded so farre in this their violent and
himselfe to the Church of Rome Which hee might not haue beene suffered to doe if hee had erred in the article of the incarnation These Nestorians inhabite though mixed with Mahumetanes and Infidels a great part of the Orient For besides the countries of Babylon Assyria Mesopotamia Parthia and Media where very many of them are found they are scattered in the East Northerly to Cataia and Southerly to India So that in the histories wee finde mention of them and no other sort of Christians in sundry regions of Tartary These haue a Patriarch residing in Muzall on the riuer Tigris in Mesopotamia This Muzall either is the citie of Seleucia so honoured in times past that the government of those parts was committed to the Bishop thereof with the name of a Catholicke and place of Session in Councells next the Patriarch of Hierusalem or if that were destroied the Patriarchall seat was thence translated to Muzal In this citie though subject to Mahumetans the Iacobites haue three temples the Nestorians fifteene beeing esteemed to bee about forty thousand soules In the time of Iulius the third certaine of these Nestorians fell from the Bishop of Muzal and tooke for their head Simon Sulaca of the order of Saint Basil. Who submitted himselfe to the Bishop of Rome exhibited an orthodoxe confession of his faith and was by him confirmed bishop of Muzal in title name but the other held the place still So that when hee returned he was forced to abide in Caramit This Simon Sulaca made certaine Archbishops and Bishops and caused the memory of Nestorius to bee put out of their liturgies and in the end hee was slaine by the Turkes ministers But Abdesu of the same order succeeded him and after him Aatalla after him the Archbishop of Gelu and Salamas renouncing the obedience of the Bishop of Muzal was elected Patriarch and confirmed by the Bishop of Rome So that there were foure Patriarches successiuely following one another that held communion with the Church of Rome but no one of them euer possessed that citie but resided either in Caramit Serit or Zeinalbach in the confines of Persia. All these were vndoubtedly orthodoxe touching the article of the incarnation of the Sonne of God And Elias one amongst the Bishops that held the seat at Muzal desired to be joyned in communion with the Church of Rome sent his confession which was found to be orthodoxe and right so that they of that faction also seeme not to haue differed much in judgement touching any article of faith The Nestorians are subject to these two Patriarches to this day The Patriarch of Muzal hath vnder him 22 Bishops more then 600 territories in which there are at the least 22 rich and flourishing cities and in euery of them 500 families in Muzal 1000 whereof euery one contayneth about fortie persons And other-lesser territories contayning about 200 or 300 families a piece and thirty monasteries In India also there are many families subject to this Patriarch by the name of Patriarch of Babylon to whom he was wont to assigne Bishops There were in India before the Portugals comming about some 15 or 16 thousand families About some thirtie yeares since their Archbishop fell from the Patriarch of Muzal or Babylon to the Bishop of Rome by the perswasion of the Portugals yet retayning the auncient religion which was permitted But his successor in another Synod holden at Diamper not farre from Maliapur by the Archbishop of Goa in the yeare 1599 receiued the religion of Rome also and suffered their liturgie so to bee altered as wee finde it in Bibliotheca patrum But let vs proceede to take a view of the particular poynts of their religion First all cleargie men amongst the Chaldeans and also all lay men that excell in devotion receiue the Sacrament of the Lords body and blood in their own hands vnder both kinds The rest receiue into their mouths the bodie of the Lord dipt into the blood They contract marriages within the degrees prohibited marrying in the second degree without dispensation Their Priests are marryed and after the death of the first wife haue libertie to marry the second or third time or oftner They minister the communion in leavened bread They vse not auricular confession nor confirmation They deny the supremacie of the Pope The specialties of the religion of the Indians or Christians of S. Thomas before they admitted any alteration were these First they distributed the sacraments in both kinds Secondly they vsed bread seasoned with salt and in steade of wine India affording none the juice of raisons softned one night in water and so pressed forth Thirdly they baptized not their children till they were forty dayes old except in danger of death Fourthly their priests were married but excluded from the second marriage Fifthly they had no images in their Churches but the crosse onely Sixtly they denyed the supremacie of the Pope From the Assyrians and Indians vniustly named Nestorians let vs passe to those Christiās that are supposed to be Monophysits as the Iacobites Armenians Cophti or Christians of Aegypt the Aethiopians or Abissens These beleeue that the nature of God and man were so vnited in the person of Christ that hee is truly God and truly man and that after the vnion they remaine distinct in their being of essence and property so that the diuinity is not of the same essence substance and nature with the humanity for the diuinity is infinite incomprehensible and increated and the humanity is finite and a created essence yet because they are vnited and conioyned in the vnity of the same person they say they are but one nature and will not acknowledge as wee do that there are two natures in Christ. That we may the better know what we are to thinke of these Christians differing thus from us I will first historically shew how this difference grew Secondly more largely refute their opinion And thirdly make it appeare that in respect of this difference they are not to be reiected as heritickes There liued at Constantinople a certaine man whose name was Eutiches a priest and an abbat This Eutiches in opposition to Nestorius who divided the person of Christ proceeded so farre that he confounded the natures imagining a conversion of the divinity into the humanity or of the humanity into the divinity or a kind of mixtion of them This Eutiches was well acquainted with Eusebius Bish. of Dorilaeum who vnderstanding by conference with him that he was fallen into such a damnable haerisie made the matter knowne to Flauianus the B. of Constantinople wishing him to call Eutiches vnto him and sharply to rebuke him least the faith might be indangered Flavianus assoone as he vnderstoode thus much called together 30 of his Bish. and in their presence asked of Eutiches whether he did beleiue that Christs body is of the same substance with ours He answered he had never said so hitherto but would seing they would haue it
if they die without Baptisme dare not pronounce of them as the Romanists do 7 They deny confirmation extream vnction to be sacraments 8 Touching the Eucharist they consecrate ordinarily in leauened bread but on Maundy Thursday in vnleavened bread and in wine or the juice of raisons moistened in water and so pressed out They minister the Communion in both kinds to all both Clergie men and Lay-men The priest ministereth the bread and the Deacon the wine in a spoone They giue this Sacrment to infants when they are baptized in this sort The priest dippeth his finger into the consecrated wine and putteth it into the mouth of the child They haue neither eleuation nor reservation nor circumgestation as the Roman Church hath They all Communicate twice every weeke but the Sacrament is neuer ministred in private houses no not to the Patriarch or Emperour him selfe 9 Touching purgatorie they beleeue that soules after death are detained in a certaine place named in their tongue Mecan aaraft id est locus alleviationis that is a place of refreshing in which the soules of such as die not hauing repented of their former sinnes in such full and perfect sort as was sitting are detained and so whether the soules of good men doe enioy the vision of God before the resurrection they resolue not 10 They say no masses for the dead they bury them with crosses and prayers but specially they vse the beginning of St Iohns Gospell The day following they giue almes and so a certaine number of dayes and make feasts also 11 They grant no indulgences 12 They haue no cases reserued 13 They beleeue that the Saints do intercede for vs they pray vnto them they haue painted images but none molten or carued they much esteeme them in respect of those holy ones they represent and make sweete perfumes before them 14 Their Priests receiue no tithes but they haue lands on which they liue 15 Their Bishops and Priests are married but may not marry a second wife and continue in those degrees and orders vnlesse the Patriarch dispence with them 16 They thinke it vnlawfull to fast on Saturdaie or Sundaie and vrge to that purpose the Canon of the Apostles 17 They keepe Saturday holy as well as Sunday following the Auncient Custome of the East Church they eate flesh on that day throughout the whole yeare except only in Lent and in some Provinces they eate flesh on that day euen in the Lent also 18 They fast Wednesdaies and Saturdaies till the Sunne setting and celebrate not on those dayes till the euening 19 Betweene Easter and Whitsontide they eate flesh freely on those daies 20 They abstaine from things strangled and blood observing the Canon of the Apostles in so doing as they suppose and besides forbeare to eate of such kinds of meate as were forbidden by Moses Law 21 The Emperour hath a supreame authority in all causes aswell Ecclesiasticall as Civill though the Patriarch also exercise a spirituall iurisdiction 22 They deny the supremacy of the Roman Bish. But they yeeld a primacie vnto him acknowledging him to be the first amongst Bishops Hauing spoken of the Grecians Assyrians and supposed Monophysites it remaineth that wee come in the last place to treate of the Maronites Touching the name ◠Baronius sheweth that it was not from any heretick named Maron but that there was a holy man so named and that in honour of him a certaine monastery was founded which was named the monastery of St Maron that all the monkes of that monastery were named Maronites These in time as it may be thought ioyned them selues to the Monophysites formerly described though happily not without some litle difference And hence all the Christians that professed to beleeue so as these did were named Maronites They haue a Patriarch of their own who claimeth to be Patriarch of Antioch He resideth in a monasterie some 25 miles from Tripolis in Syria He hath vnder him some 8 or 9 suffragan Bishops These Maronites inhabit mount Libanus and some of them in Damascus Aleppo and some parts of Cyprus Mount Libanus is of such extent that it is in compasse 7 hundred miles It hath no cities but villages which are neither few nor small Within this compasse none inhabite but Christians though vnder the Turke For they redeeme it at a high rate and pay an intollerable tribute to liue without mixture of Mahumetans The particulars of their Religion are these First they beleeue that the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father onely 2 They blesse consecrate the water so often as any are to be baptized And not as in the Roman Church on the Saturday before Easter only for the whole yeare The reason of which observation is for that at Easter and at Whitsontide onely in the Primitiue Church they ministred Baptisme which they did because in baptisme men are mortified to sin quickned in the life of grace by vertue of Christs death resurrection and giuing of the spirit All which things were cōmemorated in these solemnities 3 They neuer baptize males and females together lest they should contract a kind of affinity 4 None baptizeth with them in what necessity soeuer but a Priest or Deacon 5 They require not the intention of the Minister but thinke the faith of the Church sufficeth 6 They baptize not a male till the 40th day nor a female till the 80th in respect of the impurity of the mother which they thinke continueth so long 7 They seeke no confirmation from the Bishop nor haue any other anointing then that which is vsed in baptisme 8 They consecrat the Eucharist in vnleauened bread in a massie loafe out of which they giue a peece to euery cōmunicant 9 They giue the Sacraments to Lay men in both kinds 10 They celebrat but once in one day vpon one the same altar 11 They think the Person of the Holy Ghost to be in the holy oile in such sort as the Person of Christ is in the Eucharist 12 They thinke that the Eucharist receiued into the mouth goeth not into the stomack but presently diffuseth it selfe through all the members of the body 13 On fasting-dayes they celebrate not till the euening which custome Tho à Iesu saith is not to be altered affirming that it was most auncient in the Church of God the Councell of Cabilon related in the decrees prescribing that they should celebrate the Sacrament in the Ember fasts in the euening on the saturday before Easter in the beginning of the night And although saith he the Church yeelding to our infirmity permit the Latines to doe otherwise yet where the old custome may be kept it is not only not to be takē away but much to be cōmended that men when they fast may put it off as long as may be before they eat any thing In former times they did not eat in Lent till the euening as appeareth by the Councell formerly mentioned Which custom continued till
concurreth with grace not as precedent vnto it but as following after it and as a handmaide attending on it is most false For hee approoueth the saying of Augustine but reproueth the Master of sentences for misseunderstanding and misseapplying it That which followeth that Caluine dissenteth from Augustine in the matter of iustification is of the same nature For he saith only that though nothing be to bee disliked in the matter it selfe deliuered by Augustine for that it is plaine that acknowledging the imperfection of inherent iustice and thinking it our greatest perfection to know our owne imperfections and seeke remission of our sinfull defects he cannot but acknowledg the imputation of Christs righteousnesse to be that in confidence whereof we stand in the sight of God yet his manner of deliuering this article is not so full perfect and exact as wee are forced to require in these times against the errours of the Romanists For that when hee speaketh of grace hee seemeth for the most part to vnderstand nothing else thereby but that sanctification whereby the holy spirit of God changeth vs to become newe creatures seldome mentioning the imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ. That which Bellarmine chargeth Caluin with in the next place argueth his intollerable impudencie Caluin sayth hee doth thinke that the sonne of God is subiect to the father in respect of his Deitie which because all the Fathers deny he pronounceth they all erred and that their errour cannot be excused Let the Reader peruse the place and he shall finde that Calvin saith no such thing but the cleane contrary Indeed Hugo de S. Victore in his questions on the 1 Epist. to the Corinth 15. saith that CHRIST is subject to his Father according to his divine nature and sheweth that many haue beene of that opinion But Caluin saith no such thing neither doth hee charge the Fathers with any errour touching the distinction of the Natures of God and Man in Christ or the vnity of his Person but saith onely that some of them applying those things distinctly to one of the natures of Christ which are applyable to the whole Person of the Mediatour entangle themselues in some doubts which otherwise might easily be cleared which will easily appeare by that place of Hugo before mentioned The kingdome saith Hugo which Christ shall deliuer to his Father so become subject vnto him either was giuen vnto him in that he was God and then he cannot resigne it nor become subject to his Father because in that respect he is equal vnto him whence we say equalis Patri secundùm diuinitatem minor Patre secundum humanitatem Or in that he was man and that seemeth not conceiuable For the nature of man is not capable of that infinite power that is implyed in the Kingdome which God gaue his Sonne He answereth that he may be said to be subject to his Father in that he is God because though he haue the same essence with him yet he hath receiued it from him How aptly this may be said I will not now examine but how in this sense he may be said to giue vp his kingdome to his Father is yet more hard to conceiue Ambrose saith he may be said to giue it vp not by reall resigning of that he had but by bringing vs to his Father and shewing vs that Fountaine whence he receiued it and all that fulnesse whereof we are partakers These are doubts which Calvin saith that the Fathers doe not cleare attributing the Kingdome of Christ vnto him distinctly in respect of this or that nature But he affirming that the Kingdome of Christ doth not agree vnto him distinctly or seuerally in respect of this or that nature but to the whole person considered in both natures easily expresseth himselfe For saith he God gaue to his Sonne by eternall generation the same essence he had in himselfe and with it the same power and kingdome and this he shall neuer resigne Secondly he gaue to the nature of man not by formall transfusion but in the Person of his Sonne which in the admirable worke of the Incarnation he bestowed on it to support and sustaine it all that power he had originally in himselfe and eternally gaue his Sonne so that the Sonne of God after the taking of our nature into the vnity of his person administreth not his Kingdome without the vnion knowledge assent and cooperation of the nature of man which he shall continue to doe while wee neede mediation and till he haue brought vs to his Fathers presence and to the cleare view and sight of his Majestie Then shall hee cease to rule in this sort any more his humane nature shall not neede to bee interposed any longer but he shall appeare in the glory of his Godhead then shall he be subject to his Father in the nature of man in more speciall sort then now he is because though now he be inferiour vnto God in that he is man and so subject to him yet that nature of man intermeddleth with the administration of the Kingdome in such sort as then it shall cease to doe though it shall neuer lose that power and kingdome which in the Person of the Son of God it is honoured with CHAP. 16. Of Limbus patrum concupiscence and satisfaction touching which Caluine is falsely charged to confesse that hee dissenteth from the Fathers THe next imputation is touching Limbus patrum supposed to be a place below in the earth neere hell if not a part of hell which Caluin pronounceth to bee but a fable though it haue great authours and patrons as if this were so strange a thing that a fable and meere fancie should finde approbation among some of the Fathers The opinion of the Millenaries I suppose Bellarmine thinketh but a meere fancie yet had it great and reuerend patrons If hee say that all the Fathers did hold the opinion of Limbus and that Caluin opposeth himselfe against them all hee is cleerely refuted by Augustine who doubted of it Besides that their popish Limbus supposed to haue beene a receptacle for the soules of the Patriarches but only till the death and resurrection of Christ as being then emptied by him is a meere priuate conceite of their owne wanting the testimonies of the most auncient Fathers For Tertullian Irenaeus and others did thinke the soules of all men to bee holden in hell till the last day And if it were resolued that there was such a Limbus as they fancie yet their Schoolemen are not agreed of the place neither dare they affirme that it was below in the earth though they seeme most inclineable to that opinion The next false reporte that Bellarmine maketh of Caluin is that he opposeth himselfe against all Antiquitie in the question whether concupiscence in the regenerate be sinne or not This hee endeauoureth to make good in this sorte Calvin saith he professeth that Augustine hath truely and
illud singulare sacrificium offertur veterem Ecclesiae morem reuocare quo non solum sacrificans ipse sed diaconi reliqui Ecclesiae ministri qui diebus solennioribus velut testes taÌ„ti sacrificii necessarâ—…ruÌ„ ministeriorum coadiutores adhibentur vt perceptionis corporis sanguinis domini nostri Iesu Christi participes se preberent seria canonum sanctione iubebautur sed fideles omnes pro recolendà mortis domini nostrae redemptionis memorià ad hoc mediatoris nostri sacrificium confluentes sedulis exhortationibus monendi excitandi sunt vt prius explorati confessi absoluti sacrosanctae communionis gratiam sumant diuinissimae Eucharistiae participationem vnà cum sacerdote sedulo deuotè frequentent that is And here truely it were expedient that when that most true and singular sacrifice is offered wee should renewe the old custome of the Church by which not only he that celebrateth but the Deacons also and the other ministers of the Church which on the more solemne daies are vsed as witnesses of so solemne an act as coadiutors in respect of sundry necessary ministeries were commaunded by a serious sanction of the canons to be partakers of the sacrament of the Lords body blood but all such faithfull beleeuing men as resort to this sacrifice of our mediator to renew the memory of the death of our Lord and our redemption by the same should be admonished and stirred vp by effectuall and often exhortations hauing examined themselues confessed their sinnes and obtained absolution to receiue the grace of the holy communion and carefully and deuoutly to frequent the participation of the diuine Eucharist together with the priest By this which hath been said it appeareth that the priests receiuing alone neglecting or excluding the coÌ„municating of others as not much necessarie his act being availeable to apply the benefits of Christs passion without receiuing the sacrament is indeed a point of Romish religioÌ„ but not coÌ„tained in the masse for it is contrary to the name of the masse the words of the canon intendmeÌ„t of theÌ„ that coÌ„posed it contrary to the old canons the practice of the Church it proceeded froÌ„ the indeuotion of the people or rather the negligence or error of the guides of the Church that either failed to stirre theÌ„ vp to the performaÌ„ce of such a duty or made them belieue their act was sufficient to communicate the benefits of Christs passion to them not without the dislike of the better sort So that hitherto no proofe is made that the Church wherein our Fathers liued and died was no Protestant Church but rather the contrary for this Church did euer protest against this abuse professed her dislike of the same acknowledged that this custome was much different from the auncient Honorius in gemma animae saith it is reported that anciently the priests were wont to receiue meale of euery house or familie which custome the Greeks are said to coÌ„tinue still that out of this they made the Lords bread which they did offer for the people hauing coÌ„secrated it distributed it to theÌ„ For euery of theÌ„ that offered this meale were present at the masse respectiuely to theÌ„ it was said in the canon omniuÌ„ circuÌ„stantiuÌ„ qui tibi hoc sacrificiuÌ„ laudis offeruÌ„t that is coÌ„sider the deuotioÌ„ of all that stand rouÌ„d about who offer to thee this sacrifice of praise But after that the Church encreased in number but decayed in deuotion it was decreed in respect of carnall men that they that could should coÌ„municate euery Sunday or on the chief feast daies or thrice in the yeare And now because the people ceasing to coÌ„municate so great a quantity of bread was no longer necessary it was decreed that it should be formed in fashion of a pennie instead of offering meale they offered euery one a penny by which they acknowledged Christs being sould for a certain number of pence These pence were conuerted either to the benefit of the poore or for prouiding of somthing pertaining to the sacrifice in stead of the consecrated bread they were wont to receiue there was giuen them holy bread as they called it Whatsoeuer men think of this which Honorius hath of offering meale it is certaine that in the Primitiue Church they did offer those things that were to be consecrated in the sacrament and that the breade that was there consecrated was vsuall and loafie bread and in forme round as it appeareth by Epiphanius in Ancoratu Gregory in his dialogues who calleth the bread of consecration coronas round â—…aues all which things shew a Protestant Church Wherefore let vs come to the next point of Romish religion supposed to be contained in the masse which is the depriuing of the people of the one part of the Sacrament and the giuing them the same onely in one kind In the Primitiue Church saith â— Lyra the Sacrament was ministred in both kinds Dionysius Carthusianus agreeth with him affirming the same which thing may be prooued by innumerable testimonies of antiquity Ignatius saith there is one bread broken to all one cup distributed to all After the offering is made let euery one saith Clement in order take the Lords body and his precious blood with all reuerent shamefastnes feare The bread saith Dionysius which was one is broken in parts the cup that is but one is divided amongst al. Iustin Martyr in his 2 Apologie saith that after he that is the president hath finished his thanksgiuing the people by a joyfull acclamation haue approoued consented to the same the deacons ministers divide vnto euery one of theÌ„ that are present that each one may partake of that bread wine water ouer which the blessing thanksgiuing hath bin powred out and they doe beare the same to them that are absent Of whose hand saith Tertullian speaking of a faithfull woman married to an Infidell shall shee receiue of whose cup shall she partake Cyprian in his Epist. to Cornelius How doe we teach or prouoke them in for the confession of Christs name to shed their bloud if wee deny vnto theÌ„ when they are to enter into this warfare the blood of Christ or how shall we make them fit for the cup of martyrdome if wee shall not first admit them to drinke the cup of the Lord iure communicationis by the right of communicating in another place Therfore they daylie drinke the cup of Christs blood that they may shed their bloud for Christ. And in a 3 place speaking of a certain child that had bin polluted in the idols temple he saith When as the solemnities were fulfilled the deacon began to offer the cup to them that were present when other had receiued her course came but the little girle by the instinct of God turned away her
of Christ they haue no life that he hath instituted holy Sacraments of his body and blood under the formes of bread and wine in which he will not onely represent but exhibit the same vnto all such as hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and therefore they desire him so to accept and sanctifie these their oblations of breade and wine which in this sort they offer vnto him that they may become vnto them the body and blood of Christ that soe partaking in them they may bee made partakers of Christ and all the benefits of redemption and saluation that hee hath wrought Secondly by the name of sacrifice is vnderstood the sacrifice of Christs body wherein wee must first consider the thing offered and secondly the manner of offering The thing that is offered is the body of Christ which is an eternall and perpetuall propitiatory sacrifice in that it was once offered by death vpon the crosse and hath an euerlasting and neuer failing force and efficacie Touching the manner of offering Christs body and blood wee must consider that there is a double offering of a thing to God First soe as men are wont to doe that giue something to God out of that they possesse professing that they will no longer be owners of it but that it shall be his and serue for such vses and imployments as hee shall conuert it too Secondly a man may bee sayd to offer a thing vnto GOD in that he bringeth it to his presence setteth it before his eyes and offereth it to his view to incline him to doe something by the sight of it and respect had to it In this sort Christ offereth himselfe and his body once crucified dayly in heauen and soe intercedeth for vs not as giuing it in the nature of a gift or present for hee gaue himselfe to God once to be holy vnto him for euer nor in the nature of a sacrifice for hee dyed once for sinne and rose againe neuer to die any more but in that hee setteth it before the eyes of GOD his Father representing it vnto him and soe offering it to his view to obtaine grace and mercie for vs. And in this sort wee also offer him dayly on the altar in that commemorating his death and liuely representing his bitter passions endured in his body vpon the crosse wee offer him that was once crucified and sacrificed for vs on the crosse and all his sufferings to the view and gracious consideration of the Almighty earnestly desiring and assuredly hoping that hee will encline to pitty vs and shew mercie vnto vs for this his dearest sonnes sake who in our nature for vs to satisfie his displeasure and to procure vs acceptation endured such and soe grieuous things This kind of offering or sacrificing Christ commemoratiuely is twofold inward and outward Outward as the taking breaking and distributing the mysticall bread and powering out the cuppe of blessing which is the Communion of the blood of Christ. The inward consisteth in the faith and deuotion of the Church people of God so commemorating the death and passion of Christ their crucified Sauiour and representing and setting it before the eyes of the Almighty that they flye vnto it as their only stay and refuge and beseech him to be mercifull vnto them for his sake that endured all these things to satisfie his wrath worke their peace good And in this sense and answerable herevnto that is which wee finde in the canon where the Church desireth Almighty God to accept those oblations of bread and wine which shee presenteth vnto him to make them to become vnto the faithfull communicants the body bloud of Christ who the night before he was betraied tooke bread into his sacred hands lifted vp his eyes to heauen gaue thankes blessed it gaue it to his disciples saying take and eate yee all of this for this is my body And in like manner after hee had supped tooke the cuppe and gaue thankes blessed it and gaue it to his disciples saying drinke yee all of this for this is the new Testament in my bloud doe this as oft as you shall drinke it in remembrance of mee And then proceedeth and speaketh vnto Almighty GOD in this sort Wherefore o Lord wee thy seruants and thy holy people mindfull of that most blessed passion of the same CHRIST thy sonne our Lord as also of his resurrection from the dead and his glorious ascension into heauen doe offer to thy diuine maiestie out of thine owne gifts consecrated and by mysticall blessing made vnto vs the body and bloud of thy sonne Christ a pure sacrifice a holy sacrifice and an vndefiled sacrifice the holie bread of eternall life and the cuppe of euerlasting saluation that is wee offer to thy view and sette before thine eyes the crucified body of Christ thy sonne which is here present in mystery and sacrament and the blood which hee once shedde for our sakes which wee know to be that pure holy vndefiled and eternall sacrifice wherewith onely thou art pleased desiring thee to bee mercifull vnto vs for the merit and worthinesse thereof and soe to looke vpon the same sacrifice which representatiuely wee offer to thy viewe as to accept it for a full discharge of vs from our sinnes and a perfect propitiation that soe thou mayest behold vs with a pleased cheerefull and gratious countinance This is the meaning of that prayer in the canon supra quae propitio sereno vultu respicere digneris c. as the best interpreters of the canon doe tell vs. And when in the same prayer wee desire that this sacrifice may be accepted for vs as the sacrifices of Abell Abraham and Melchisedec were they obserue that this comparison must not be vnderstood in quantitie but in similitude onely For the thing it selfe is infinitely better then the figure and the sacrifice that CHRIST offered and wee here commemorate is incomparablie more excellent then those of Abell Abraham and Melchisedec And that therefore the meaning of those words is That as God accepted those sacrifices which his seruants offered vnto him before the comming of CHRIST his sonne as prefigurations of that sacrifice which he was afterwards to offer and as a profession of their hope of remission of sinnes by the same soe it will please him to accept the sacrifice which CHRIST once offered and wee now commemorate for vs and vs for it That soe our sinnes may be remitted and wee receiued to fauour After this there followeth another prayer in the canon wherein as humble suppliants they that come to celebrate and to communicate beseech Almighty God to commaund the oblations which they offer to be carried by the hands of his holy Angell vnto his altar that is on high and into the view and sight of his diuine Maiestie that soe many as shall by partaking of the altar receiue the sacred body and bloud of his sonne may bee filled vvith all heauenly benediction
and grace thorough the same Lord IESVS CHRIST This forme of prayer wee finde to haue beene verie auncient but what the meaning of it is it is not soe easie to finde out For how may wee bee vnderstood to desire that the body of CHRIST which we represent vnto GOD in this commemoratiue sacrifice should bee carried into heauen seeing it is alwaies there Wherefore let vs heare what the holy Fathers haue sayd to this purpose Quis fidelium haberet dubium sayth Saint Gregorie in ipsâ immolationis hora ad vocem sacerdotis coelos aperiri in illo Iesu Cristi mysterio Angelorum choros adesse summis in a sociari terrena coelestibus iungi vnum quid ex visibilibus invisibilibus fieri That is What faithfull man or beleeuer will euer make any doubt but that in the houre of the oblation the Heauens are opened that so soone as the voyce of the Priest is heard Quires of Angels are present the lowest and highest things enter into a societie earthly things are joyned with those that are celestiall and things visible and invisible become one And in another place At one and the same time and moment that which is presented on the altar is caught vp into Heauen by the ministerie of Angels to bee ioyned in a neere sort vnto the body of Christ and is at the same time before the eyes of the Priest vpon the altar So then the oblations which we present vnto God on the Altar are then carried by the hands of Angels into Heauen when those sacramentall elements which we bring thither though they be still visible on the altar as Gregory saith yet being changed and become vnto vs in mysterie and exhibitiue signification the body and bloud of Christ once sacrificed and shed for vs and now in heauen continually represented vnto God to intercede for vs may rightly be said to bee carried vp into heauen But seeing by the precedent wordes of mysticall blessing and prayer the sacramentall Elements are so chaunged before the pronouncing of this prayer that they are already become in sort before expressed the body and bloud of Christ which is in heauen wee doe not in these wordes desire any such thing to bee done but this is that wee say Lord wee heere commemorate the death and sacrifice of thy Sonne Christ that once died for vs and now continually representeth the same his death vnto thee to procure vs good humbly beseeching thee that for his sake thus dying for vs now continually in heauen representing himselfe vnto thee setting the same his passions and sufferings before the eyes of thy Diuine Maiesty as if euen now he did hang on the Crosse all euill may bee farre remoued from vs all good brought vpon vs. And that all we that by communicating in these holy mysteries receiue the body bloud of the same thy Son Christ may be filled with all heauenly benediction and grace So that to commaund the sacrifice of Christs body and bloud once offered here by vs commemorated to be carried into heauen and to bee represented vnto God is no more but to make it appeare that that body of Christ which hee once offered by the passion of death and which we now commemorate is in Heauen there so represented vnto God that it procureth for vs all that wee desire There is nothing therefore found in the Canon of the Masse rightly vnderstood that maketh any thing for the new reall offering of Christ to God his Father as a propitiatorie sacrifice to take away sinnes neither did the Church of God at before Luthers time know or beleeue any such thing though there were some in the midst of her that so conceiued of this mystery as the Romanists now do Wherfore for the clearing of this point I will first set down what the conceipt of the Romanists now is then make it appeare that all the best learned at and before Luthers time thought otherwise touching this matter then these now doe These that now are expresse their conceipt touching this point in this sort First they shew what an oblation is Secondly what the nature of a sacrifice is And thirdly how and in what sort they imagine Christ is now newly really not offered onely but sacrificed also to take away our sinnes An oblation they rightly define to bee the bringing of some thing that we haue into the place where the name of God is called on and where his honour dwelleth a representing of it there vnto God a professing that wee will owne it no longer but that God shall bee the owner of it that it shall bee holy vnto him to bee imployed about his seruice if it bee an irrationall thing or to serue him in some speciall sort if it bee rationall as when parents presented and offered their children to God to bee holy vnto him as were the Nazarits who were to serue him in some peculiar and speciall sort and in this sort Christ presented and gaue himselfe to God his father from his first entrance into this world and was holy vnto him and an oblation But in this sort it is not for vs to offer Christ to God his father whatsoeuer any Papist may imagine For it were a wofull thing for vs so to giue vp Christ to his father as to professe that wee will owne him no longer nor haue any interest in him nor claime to him any more And besides if it were fit for vs so to doe yet who are wee that wee should present Christ vnto God his father to bee holy vnto him that so presented and gaue himselfe vnto him from his first entrance into the world that hee bringeth vs also to God to bee holy vnto him A sacrifice implyeth more than an oblation For if wee will sacrifice a thing vnto God wee must not onely present it vnto him professing that it shall bee his and that wee will owne it no more nor make any claime vnto it but wee must destroy and consume it also As wee see in the old law when liuing things were sacrificed they were slaine and consumed in fire when other that had no life were sacrificed they were consumed in fire And answerably herevnto Christ was sacrificed on the crosse when hee was crucified and cruelly put to death by the Iewes But how he should now bee really sacrificed sacrificing implying in it a destruction of the thing sacrificed it is very hard to conceiue First therefore they say that Christ may truely bee said to bee really sacrificed because when the words of consecration are pronounced ouer the bread they so cause the body of Christ to bee where the bread was that they cause not the presence of the blood and in like sort the words pronounced ouer the wine cause the presence of Christs blood and not of his body so that vpon the pronouncing of the words of consecration there would bee in the sacrament the body of Christ without the
blood and the blood without the bodie and so a slaine and a crucified Christ if that naturall concomitance by reason whereof the one of them will not bee absent where the other becommeth present did not hinder their being asunder Thus then they say there is a true reall sacrificing of Christ in that as much as is on the part of the words pronounced and him that pronounceth them Christs bloud is againe powred out and hee consequently slaine This is the conceipt of Gregorius de Valentia and in this sorte hee imagineth Christ is daily newly sacrificed on the altar But besides that it is an impious thing for the priest to endeauour as much as in him lies to slay Christ and to powre out his bloud againe this proueth not a reall sacrificing of Christ but onely an indevour so to doe For his bloud is not powred out neither is hee slaine indeede So that as in the time of the old law if the priest reaching forth his hand to slay the beast that was brought to bee sacrificed had beene so hindred by something interposing it selfe that hee could not slay the same hee had offered no sacrifice but endeavoured onely so to doe so is it here Bellarmine therefore reiecteth this conceipt and hath another of his owne For hee sayth that Christ hath a two fold beeing the one naturall the other sacramentall The Iewes had him present amongst them visibly in his naturall being this beeing they destroyed and so killed and sacrificed him The Romish Priests haue him not so present neither can they destroy his naturall beeing and so kill him but they haue him present in a sacramentall presence and in a sacramentall being this beeing they destroy For consuming the accidents of bread and wine which are there left without substance and with which hee is present they make his presence there to cease and so cause him to loose that beeing which formerly hee there had Thus doe they suppose that they newly sacrifice Christ and destroy him in that being wherein hee is present with them And the Priests eating is not for refection but for consumption that hee may destroy Christ in that beeing wherein hee is present as the fire on the altar was wont to consume and destroy the bodies of those beasts that were put into it But first it is impious to thinke of destroying CHRIST in any sort For though it bee true that in sacrificing of Christ on the altar of the crosse the destroying and killing of him was implyed and this his death was the life of the world yet all that concurred to the killing of him as the Iewes the Roman souldiers Pilate and Iudas sinned damnably and soe had done though they had shed his bloud with an intention and desire that by it the world might be redeemed Soe in like sort let the Romish priestes haue what intention they will it is hellish and damnable once to thinke of the destroying of Christ in any sort And besides if it were lawfull for them so to doe yet all that they doe or can doe is not sufficient to make good a reall sacrificing of CHRIST Because all they doe or can doe is noe destroying of his beeing but onely of his being somewhere that is in the Sacrament For as if the things which were brought to be sacrificed in the time of the Law had beene only remoued out of some place into which they were brought or onely caused to cease to bee where they were and not what they were they could not truly haue beene sayd to haue beene sacrificed no more can it be truly said that Christ is really sacrificed in that the priests consuming the accidents of bread and wine vnder which they supposed him to be make him cease to be there any longer Hauing thus in their erring imaginations framed to themselues a reall sacrificing of Christ they beginne to dispute of the force and efficacie of it affirming that this reall offering and sacrificing of CHRIST by the priest is propitiatorie in that it pacifieth God and procureth and obtaineth grace and the gift of repentance that the sinner may come to the sacrament and so be iustified satisfactorie in that it applyeth the satisfaction of Christ and procureth remission of temporall punishments to them that by faith and repentance are alreadie free from the guilt of eternall condemnation meritorious because it obtaineth that grace whereby wee may merit and impetratory in that it obtaineth for vs and procureth to vs all desired good This force and efficacie they say it hath ex opere operato that is the verie offering and sacrificing of Christ in sort before expressed of it selfe hath force and power to obtaine and procure grace remission of sinnes and the like for all them for whom such offering is made if there bee no hinderance or impediment in themselues And that God hath tyed himselfe by promise to conferre such gifts and worke such effects soe often as the body and bloud of his sonne shall bee thus offered And farther they adde that it conferreth good and remoueth euill not infinitely but in a stinted and limited sort Nor in that limited sort equally in respect of all but in proportionable sort as the intendment of the Church is to apply this sacrifice more or lesse to the procuring of more or lesse And that therefore the benefitte that this sacrifice procureth is in one degree communicated to all faithfull ones liuing and dead in another to such as by the Churches appointment are specially named as the Pope King and Bishoppe or the like in another to them that procure the offering of this sacrifice in another to them that are present and stand by in another to them that minister and attend in another to the priest that sacrificeth and in another to whomsoeuer it pleaseth the priest to impart and communicate the benefitte and effect of this sacrifice For as Gregorius de Valentia alleadgeth out of â— Scotus it is to be thought that the priest that is the minister of this sacrifice may apply to whom hee will not only that which by worth of his personall merit in the religious performing of this seruice hee may deserue but some part also of that effect which this sacrifice hath ex opere operato and that God hath committed vnto him the effect which it hath in this kinde in some degree and sort to bee dispensed by him to whom hee thinketh good in recompence of his seruice And further they resolue that those effects which this sacrifice hath ex opere operato and are by the intendment of the Church communicated in different sort and degree to those diuers sorts of men before specified are equally communicated to each of those sorts according to their seuerall differences whether the sacrifice be offered for more or fewer As they that procure Masse to be said for them whether they bee more or fewer shall haue like effects wrought in them But that portion of this
I am si canon ille missae in hunc quem diximus sensum intelligatur nihil habet incommodi superstitiosa tantum absit opinio quia quidam de naturâ energiâ huius sanctissimi sacrificii male edocti virtutem eius ex solo externo opere quod facit Sacerdos in se deriuari putabant tametsi illi nullam viuam fidem adferrent nullam pietatem adhiberent nulla communione vel precum seu orationis sacrificio assensum praeberent quales erant qui nullâ suae nefandae impietatis execrandorum flagitiorum habitâ ratione se huic sacratissimae diuinissimae actioni damnabiliter miscuerunt missam solius externi operis quod sacerdos facit virtute prodesse put antes etsi ipsi nihil probae mentis adferrent That is If the canon of the Masse bee vnderstood in this sense which wee haue expressed there is no euill in it so that men haue no superstitious conceipt of things for there were some who being ill instructed touching the nature of this sacrament supposed that vertue might be deriued vnto them by the sole externe action of the priest although they brought no liuely faith no piety nor gaue any consent to the sacrifice by any communion so much as of prayer of which sort they were who hauing no consideration of their owne horrible impieties evills committed by them persevering in the purpose of sinning damnably presumed to be present at this most holy action and put themselues in a sort into it perswading themselues that the masse by the vertue of the externe worke of the priest alone would doe them good though they brought no motions affections or desires of a good mind with them Hosius was of the same opinion with these before recited When the priest sayth hee lifteth vp the eucharist let men remember that sacrifice wherein Christ being lifted vp to the crosse offered himselfe to God a sacrifice for vs. Let them thinke how bitter the torments were that hee sustained let them know that mens sins were the cause of such his sufferings let them greiue as it is fitte they should for them and let them shew by all meanes that they hate them And because by his precious death hee hath so fully satisfied for all sinnes that there are none that are not abolished let them with good assurance considence goe vnto the throne of grace and whereas wee haue no merit of our owne let them plead that of Christ let them present that his body that did hang on the crosse and his bloud which was shed for the remission of our sinnes to God the Father and let them humbly beseech him to turne away his face from their sinnes and to looke vpon the face of his son Christ who bare our infirmities to looke vpon his face for his merit to remit their sinnes and to graunt that they may deriue vnto themselues all that fruite which that sacrifice of the crosse that is represented on the altar brought to the world Thus he sayth the people were taught by our forefathers and this hee sayth is enough for them to know Notwithstanding hee sheweth that Michael Bishop of Merspurge a man learned godly and truely catholique published certaine sermons touching the sacrifice of the massâ—… which hee wisheth to bee in the hands of all men in these sermons the same explication is made of the sacrament so often mentioned that I haue already deliuered And with him agreeth another learned Bishop Thomas Watson sometimes Bishop of Lincolne in his sermons vpon the seauen sacraments his words are these Christ in heaven and wee his mysticall body on earth doe but one thing for Christ being a Priest for euermore after his passion and resurrection entred into heauen and there appeareth now to the countenance of God for vs offering himselfe for vs to pacifie the anger of God against vs and representing his passion and all that he suffered for vs that we might be reconciled to God by him euen so the Church our mother being carefull for vs her children that haue offended our father in heauen vseth continually by her publique minister to pray to offer vnto God the body bloud of her husband Christ representing renewing his passion and death before God that wee thereby might bee renewed in grace and receiue life perfection and saluation and after the same sort the holy Angels of God in the time of this our sacrifice do assist the priest and stand about the host thinking that the meetest time to shew their charitie towards vs and therefore holding forth the body of Christ praye for mankind as saying thus Lord wee pray for them whom thou hast so loued that for their saluation thou hast suffered death spent thy life vpon the crosse we make supplication for them for whom thou hast shed this thy bloud we pray for them for whom thou hast offered this same thy very body In that houre when Christs death is renewed in mysterie his most fearefull and acceptable sacrifice is represented to the sight of God then sitteth the King on his Mercie-seat enclined to giue and forgiue whatsoeuer is demaunded and asked of him in humble manner In the presence of this body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ the teares of a meeke and humble man neuer beg pardoÌ„ in vain nor the sacrifice of a contrite heart is neuer put back but hath his lawfull desires granted giuen By resorting to this sacrifice of the masse we evidently declare protest before God the whole world that we put our singular only trust of grace saluation in Christ our Lord for the merits of his death his passion not for the worthinesse of any good worke that we haue done or can doe that we make his passion our only refuge For when wisedome faileth which onely commeth by the doctrine of Christ when righteousnesse lacketh which onely is gotten by the mercie of Christ when vertue ceaseth which onely is receiued from him who is the Lord of all vertue then for supplying of these our lacks needs our refuge is to Christs passion then we run as the Prophet saith to the cup of our Sauiour and call vpon the Name of our Lord that is to say we take his passion offer to God the Father in mystery the worke of our redemption that by this memorie commemoration of it it would please his mercifull goodnes to innovate his grace in vs to replenish vs with the fruit of his Sonns passion We are become debtors to Almighty God for our manifold sins iniquities done against him we can neuer pay this debt no scarse one farthing of a 1000 pounds what remedie then haue we but to run to the rich man our neighbour that hath enough to pay for vs all I meane Christ our Lord who hath payde his heart bloud for no debt of his own but for our
debt there whiles wee celebrate the memory of his passion we acknowledge confesse our sinnes which be without number grant that we are not able to satisfie for the least of them therfore beseech our mercifull Father to accept in full payment satisfaction of our debts his passion which after this sort as hee hath ordained to be done in the sacrifice of the masse we renew represent before him where our sinfull life hath altogether displeased him wee offer vnto him his welbeloued Son with whom we are sure he is well pleased most humbly making supplication to accept him for vs in whom only we put all our trust accounting him all our righteousnes the authour of our saluation Thus doth the Church daylie renew in mysterie the passion of Christ doth represent it before God in the holy masse for the attaining of all the graces benefites purchased by the same passion before after the measure of his goodnes as our faith deuotion is knowne vnto him And againe The Church offereth Christ Gods Sonne to God the Father that is representeth to the Father the body and bloud of Christ which by his omnipotencie hee hath there made present and thereby reneweth his passion not by suffering of death againe but after an vnbloudy manner not for this end that we should thereby deserue remission of sins deliuerance from the power of the deuill which is the proper effect of Christs passion but that we should by faith devotion this representation of his passion obtaine remission grace already deserued by his passion to be now applyed to our profite and saluation c. not that we can apply the merits of Christs death as we list to whō we list but that we by the representation of his passion most humbly make petition prayer to Almighty God to apply vnto vs the remission grace which was purchased deserued by Christs passion before after the measure of his goodnes and as our faith and deuotion is knowne vnto him The thing offered both in the sacrifice of Christ on the Crosse in the sacrifice of the Church on the Altar is all one in substance being the naturall body of Christ our high Priest and the price and ransome of our redemption but the manner and effects of these two offerings are diuerse the one is by the shedding of Christs bloud extending to the death of Christ the offerer for the redemption of all mankind the other is without shedding of his bloud onely representing his death whereby the faithfull and deuout people are made partakers of the merits of Christs passion Hitherto the Bishoppe of Lincolne and to the same purpose the Authour of the Enchiridion of Christian religion hath these words Diligenter ergo haec omnia nobis intuentibus nihil vel absurdi vel scrupulosi in toto missae contextu occurret sedomnia praesertim quae canon complectitur pietatis plenissima ac plané reuerenda vt sunt videbuntur Aut enim Ecclesia respicit ad corpus sanguinem Christi pro se in cruce oblata vi omnipotentis verbi in altari praesentia non veretur haec appellare hostiam puram hostiam sanctam hostiam immaculatam panem sanctum vitae aeternae calicem salutis perpetuae aut ad oblationem repraesentatiuam commemoratiuam passionis seu corporis Christi veri quae fide misericordiam per Christum apprehendente redemptionem quae est in Christo deo patri opponente peragitur non dubitat hoc sacrificium laudis offerre pro se suisque omnibus pro spe salutis incolumitatis suae nimirum spem salutis incolumitatis ac redemptionem animarum debitalaude ac gratiarum actione deo accepta referens petitque vt hanc oblationem seruitutis suae Deus placatus accipiat diesque nostros in sua pace disponat atque ab aeterna damnatione nos eripi et in electorum suorum grege iubeat numerari non quidem ex meritis nostris aut ex dignitate nostrae seruitutis sed per Christum dominum nostrum that is If wee rightly looke into these things nothing will occurre vnto vs in the whole context of the masse that may iustly seeme absurd or cause any scruple but all things there found especially such as are contained in the canon will appeare vnto vs as they are indeede full of piety and much to be reuerenced for either the Church hath respect to the body and bloud of Christ offered for her on the crosse and by force of his Almighty word present on the altar and so feareth not to call these a pure host an holy host an immaculate host the holy bread of eternall life and the cuppe of eternall saluation or else shee hath an eye to the representatiue and commemoratiue oblation of the passion or true body of Christ which consisteth in faith apprehending mercy by Christ and opposing vnto God the redemption that is in Christ and soe shee doubteth not to offer this sacrifice of praise for her selfe and all her members for the hope of her saluation and safety that is with all due praise and thankesgiuing shee acknowledgeth that shee hath receiued from GOD the hope of saluation safetie and the redemption of the soules of her sonnes and daughters and desireth that God will take in good part this oblation of her service and bounden dutie that hee will dispose our dayes in peace that hee will deliuer vs from eternall condemnation and that hee will make vs to be numbred with his elect not for our merits or the worthinesse of this seruice but thorough Christ our Lord. With these Georgius Wicelius a man much honoured by the Emperours Ferdinand and Maximilian fully agreeth defining the masse to bee a sacrifice rememoratiue and of praise and thankesgiuing and in another place he saith the masse is a commemoration of the passion of Christ celebrated in the publike assembly of Christians where many giue thinkes for the price of redemption With these agreeth the Interim published by Charles the fift in the the assembly of the states of the Empire at Augusta March 15 t 1548 and there accepted by the same states But some man happily will say here are many authorities alleaged to proue that sundry worthy diuines in the Roman Church in Luthers time denyed the new reall offering or sacrificing of Christ and made the sacrifice of the altar to bee onely representatiue and commemoratiue but before his time there were none found soe to teach Wherefore I will shew the consent of the Church to haue beene cleare for vs to uching this point before his time and against the Tridentine doctrine now prevailing Bonaventura in his exposition of the masse hath these words The body of Christ is eleuated and lifted vp in the masse for diuers causes but the first and principall is that wee may obtaine and regaine the favour of God the Father
which wee haue lost by our sinnes for there is nothing that offendeth God and provoketh him to be dipleased but sinne only as the Psalmist sayth they prouoked and displeased God with their inuentions the Priest therefore lifteth vp the body of Christ on the altar as if hee should thus say O heauenly Father wee haue sinned and provoked thee to anger but now looke on the face of Christ thy sonne whom wee present vnto thee to moue thee to turne from thy wrath and displeasure to mercie and grace turne not away thy face therefore from this thy holy child Iesus from this thy sonne but remember that thou hast sayd of this same thy sonne this is my welbeloued sonne in whom I am well pleased correct therefore mercifully in vs whatsoeuer thou findest in vs fit to be corrected and turne vs vnto thee and turne thy wrath from vs. The question is proposed sayth Petrus Cluniacensis why this sacrifice is so often repeated seeing Christ once offered on the crosse is sufficient to take away the sinnes of the whole world especially seeing here and there not a diuers but the same sacrifice that is the same Christ is offered For if that on the crosse sufficed this seemeth to bee supefluous but it is not superfluous c. for after hee had sayd doe this hee addeth in remembrance of mee This then is the cause of this Sacrament euen the commemoration of CHRIST Our Sauiour knew what hee had done and what hee would doe for man hee knew how great and singular that worke was which hee had done in putting on the nature of man hee knewe how wonderfull that worke would bee that hee was to do when hee should die for man hee knew that by this worke hee should saue man but that noe man could be saued without the loue of this worke hee knew that this worke of his becomming man and dying for man as it was renowned aboue all his workes soe it was especially to bee recommended vnto men for whome it was done it was specially to bee commended to them seeing his flesh was tormented for them his soule grieued and death seized on him that they might liue this was solemnly to be commended vnto them that Christ might bee beloued that being beloued hee might be possessed that being once had hee might neuer bee lost But this loue of him could not haue beene retained by men if they should-haue forgotten him neither could they haue retained the memorie of him vnlesse they should haue beene put in minde of him by some fitting outward signe For this cause was this signe proposed and appointed by CHRIST which yet is so a signe that it is the same thing that it signifieth and herein it differeth from the sacrifices of the old Law which were not that they signified Sed istud nostri sacrificij signum non aliud sed ipsum est quod signat ita vero est ci idem quod signat vt quantum ad corpus id est ad veritatem carnis sanguinis Christi pertinet sit idem quod signat non quoad mortem passionem neque enim ibi Christus vt olim dolorem mortem patitur cum tamen immolari dicatur cum videlicet inviolabiter in altari frangitur diuiditur comeditur cum ijs quibusdam alijs signis in quantum fieri potest mors domini maximè repraesentatur vnde sicut dixi quantum ad veritatem corporis sanguinis Christi pertinet est idem quod signat non quoad mortem passionem quam tamen maximè signat that is This signe of our sacrifice is noe other but the same thing that it signifieth but wee must soe vnderstand it to bee the same thing that it signifieth in respect of the trueth of the flesh and bloud of Christ which it signifieth but not in respect of his passion death though it very liuely expresse signifie that also for Christ doth not there suffer griefe or death as once he did though hee be said there to be offered immolated when hee is inviolably broken vpon the altar distributed eaten when by these the like signes Christs death is represented asmuch as possibly it may be so that as I said if we speake of the trueth of the body and bloud of Christ this signe is the thing it signifieth but if we speake of the death and suffering of Christ it is not so though it doe very clearely expressely represent signifie that his death and passion Thus we see he maketh the sacrifice to be merely representatiue Algerus excellently expresseth the same thing in these words Notandum quia quotidianum nostrum sacrificium idem ipsum dicit cum eo quo Christus semel oblatus est in cruce quantum ad eandem veram hic ibi corporis substantiā quod verò nostrum quotidianum illius semel oblati dicit esse exemplum id est figuram vel formam non dicit ut hic vel ibi alium Christum constituat sed ut eundem in cruce semel in altari quotidiè alio modo immolari offerri ostendat ibi in veritate passionis quâ pro nobis occisus est hic in figurâ imitatione passionis ipsius quâ Christus non iterum verè patitur sed ipsius verè memoria passionis quotidiè nobis iteratur quod ipse Ambrosius notans subiicit Quod nos facimus in commemorationem fit eius quod factum est hoc enim facite inquit in meam commemorationē non aliud sacrificium sed ipsum semper offerimus magis autem sacrificii recordationem operamur Non ergo est in ipsius Christi veritate diversitas sed in ipsius immolationis actione quae dum veram Christi passionem mortem quâdam suâ similitudine figurando repraesentat nos ad imitationē ipsius passionis invitat accendit contra hostem nos roborat munit à vitiis purgans virtutibus condecorans vitae aeternae idoneos dignos exhibet That is It is to bee noted that our daylie sacrifice is the same thing with that sacrifice whereby Christ was once offered vpon the crosse in that the same true substance is offered here that was offered there whereas therefore he saith that the sacrifice which we daylie offer is a similitude figure or representation of that sacrifice which Christ once offered he is not to be conceiued to imagine that there is one Christ essentially here another there but his meaning is to shew that the same Christ once offered on the crosse is dayly offered in another sort on the altar there in the truth of his passion being slaine for vs here in figure and imitation of his passion not suffering againe indeed but hauing the memory of his passion which once he endured daylie renewed which thing Ambrose himself also obseruing hath these words That which we doe is done in remembrance of that which
Christian Churches throughout the world as well those of the East as of the West doe euer did though they doe not so certainely resolue what their state is that are departed hence what is yet wanting vnto them or wherein or how far forth they may bee benefitted by our prayers but the Romish conceipt of Purgatorie and their praying to deliuer thence none of the Easterne Churches admit neither doe wee This is that which our Aduersaries must finde in the Canon of the Masse if they will say any thing against vs for the proofe of the Romish religion out of the canon Let vs heare therefore what the forme of the prayer for the dead is which is found in the canon of the Masse The words of it are Remember Lord thy servants and thine handmaides N. or N. which are gone before vs with the badge of faith and doe sleepe in the sleepe of peace O Lord wee pray thee to graunt to them and to all that are at rest in Christ a place of refreshing of light and peace That this prayer hath no respect to Purgatorie or to the deliuerance thence it is evident For how doe they sleepe in peace that are tormented in Purgatorie and whose paines are no lesse than those of hell though they bee not eternall Or who is so voyde of sense as to thinke that all that are at rest in Christ are tormented in Purgatorie and that to all these God is entreated in this prayer to graunt a place of refreshing of light peace So that first it is euident that a place of refreshing light and peace is wished to such as are not in Purgatorie For it is wished to all that are at rest in the Lord. But all that are at rest in the Lord are not in Purgatorie whence it will further follow that the Church prayeth for them that shee doth not thinke to bee in Purgatorie and consequently that prayer for the dead proueth not Purgatorie as they would make the world beleeue that it doth And secondly that the Church at that time when this forme of prayer was first composed did not beleeue or thinke that there is any Purgatory For if shee had had any such perswasion shee would not haue forgotten to recommend to God the wofull estate of men so afflicted as they are supposed to bee that are there That this prayer can haue no reference to the state of men in Purgatorie paines it is so cleere that Iohn the 22 who supposed as many of the auncient also did long before him and the Easterne Christians still doe that the soules of the iust are so at rest in Christ that yet they remaine vnder the altar that is vnder the protection and comfort of the humanity of Christ in a state place of happines foretasted but not fully enioyed and that they shall not bee lifted vp aboue to the view of the deitie of Christ as it is in it selfe the vision of God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost till the judgement produceth this prayer for confirmation of his opinion supposing that seeing a place of refreshing peace is here wished to them that are at rest in Christ which cannot in any sense be vnderstood of such as are in purgatory therefore there is some state of men free from paine punishment wherein they are expect the accomplishment of happines To which though Ockam so answere that hee would haue this prayer to haue reference to the estate of distressed soules in Purgatory yet in the end hee sayth it may bee vnderstood of the soules of holy men that are in heaven the meaning of it is that the soules of such men as sleepe in the sleepe of peace hauing resumed their bodies may enter into that place of refreshing light peace that includeth the highest essentiall accidentall degree of eternall peace which they cannot haue till the resurrection And Florus that liued in the time of Carolus Calvus in his exposition of the Masse saith it is most cleare that the soules of perfect iust men so soone as they are loosed from the body are receiued into heauen but this is to bee vnderstood of the soules of Apostles Martyrs and confessours and men of great perfection of life For the soules of certaine just men are not presently admitted into the heavenly kingdome but though they bee in blessed rest yet are stayed in certaine mansions by which their stay and not enjoying presently what they most desire it appeareth they come short of perfect righteousnesse Besides these he thinketh there is a third sort of such as are in Purgatorie Bernard as it appeareth in the place of Ockams dialogues aboue cited maketh three estates of the soule the first in corpore corruptibili the second in requie the third in beatitudine consummatâ the first in the body subject to death corruption the second in rest the third in consummate happinesse The second excludeth all punishment affliction the third all desire of having any higher perfection or attayning any farther good A man of great place worth that hath written not long since feareth not to deliuer his opinion that the soules of the iust are so in rest peace and in heauenly mansions immediatly after their departure hence that yet they come not into the highest heaven place of greatest felicity till the resurrection Which of these opinions the authour of this forme of prayer followed it doth not certainely appeare But sure it is hee thought those who are there commended to God to bee in a state of rest farre from paine torment and so desired the perfecting of whatsoeuer is yet wanting vnto them without any reference to purgatory or the deliuering of any thence From this of prayer for the dead let vs come to the other objection touching the commemoration of the blessed Apostles other Saints holy Martyrs by through whose intercession for whose merits the priest people desireth God to graunt that they may in all things be kept safe strongly defended by the help of diuine protection That the Saints doe pray for vs in genere desiring God to bee mercifull to vs and to doe vnto vs whatsoeuer in any kind he knoweth needfull for our good there is no question made by vs and therefore this prayer wherein the Church desireth God to bee gracious to her to graunt the things shee desireth the rather for that the Saints in heauen also are suppliants for her will not be found to containe any poynt of Romish doctrine disliked by vs. But they will say there is mention made in this prayer of the merits of those holy Apostles Martyrs and the Church desireth God to graunt her petitions for those merits which is contrary to the doctrine of Protestants that deny all merit properly so named and therefore cannot but condemne the opinion of one mans meriting for another For answere herevnto wee must obserue as Cassander
rightly noteth that there is no merit properly so named to bee attributed to mortall miserable men and that though the ecclesiasticall writers vse the word merit and when they speake of holy mens workes call them merits yet they thinke them not to bee properly so but doe so name the good actions of holy men that proceed from faith and the working of the holy Ghost because Almighty God though they bee his gifts and joyned in them by whom they are wrought with defect imperfection yet is so pleased to accept of them out of his goodnesse that he not onely rewardeth the doers of them with ample great rewards in their owne persons but so as to doe good to others for their sakes So God sayd to Abraham if there were but fifty righteous in the city hee would spare the whole city for their sakes Neither onely doth hee good for their sakes whose workes hee thus rewardeth while they liue but euen after they à re dead also And therefore God promiseth that hee will protect Hierusalem for his owne sake and for Dauid his seruant which he must be vnderstood to doe not onely in respect of the promise made vnto him but with respect had to his vertue according to the which we read 1 Reg. 15. 3. that God left a little light in Hierusalem to Abiam the sonne of Roboam King of Iudah for Dauids sake who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. This Dauid saith Chrysostome did not only please God while he was in the body but he is found to haue yeelded great comfort after his death to such as he left behinde him aliue The Prophet Esay commeth to Hezekiah and saith vnto him I will defend this city for mine own sake and for Dauid my seruants sake David is dead but his vertues that pleased God do still liue O strange thing O ineffable clemencie a man long since dead patronizeth him that liueth In this sense then it is that the Church desireth God to be gratious vnto her in graunting her petitions for the merit of those his holiest Ones that she remembreth no way derogating from the merites of Christ but putting a great difference betweene them and those of the Saints for Christs merite is the onely price of our redemption by which onely we are redeemed from sinne eternall death and being reconciled to God are adopted to bee sonnes and heires of eternall life but the merites of the Saints here mentioned are nothing but those imperfect good workes which they did while they liued here which God was pleased so to accept that hee promised not onely to reward them with great and ample rewards in their owne persons but to doe good for their sakes that did them to others also Bucer speaking of the publique prayers of the Church which wee call Collects in which the intercession and merites of Saints are commemorated hath these words Seeing in these prayers whatsoeuer is attributed to the intercession and merites of Saints all that is asked not of the Saints but of our mercifull God through Iesus Christ they that so pray doe thereby professe and testifie that they acknowledge that those things which they aske of God by the intercession and for the merites of the Saints are the free gifts of God c And a little after Wee willingly acknowledge and publiquely professe that GOD doth reward the workes of his Saints not onely in their owne persons but in those also that pertaine vnto them and for whom they intercede for hee hath promised to doe good to a thousand generations to them that loue him and study to keepe his Commaundements hence it was that hee would not heale those of the house of Abimelech till Abraham interceded and intreated for them and hence it was that God graunted and gaue the deliuerance and saluation of all the people to Moses when he intreated for the same These are the wordes of Bucer which not being contradicted by any of our profession it is evident that no part of Romish Religion disliked by vs can bee prooued out of this part of the Canon of the Masse Thus hauing cleared that great objection of Mr Brerelie touching the publique Liturgie vsed in the Church in the dayes of our Fathers and made it appeare that the vsing thereof is no proofe that the Church that then was was not a Protestant Church and hauing made it cleare and evident that both the Liturgie it selfe and the profession of such as vsed it shew plainely that the Church that then was neuer allowed any Romish errour howsoeuer some did in the midst of her it remaineth that I now proceed to shew in the particulars that the outward face of Religion at and before Luthers appearing was not as M ◠Brerelie telleth vs the now professed Romane Religion and that whatsoeuer wee haue done in the reformation of the Church was long before wished for and desired by the best men amongst the guides of the Church CHAP. 1. Of the Canon of the Scriptures THat the Church did not admit the Canon of Scripture which the Romanists now doe nor euer accounted those bookes Canonicall which we thinke to be Apocryphall it will easily appeare in that all the most famous Divines from the beginning of the Christian World euen till the time of Luther did reject those bookes as Apocryphall that wee doe The Church of the Iewes to whom as S. Paul saith the oracles of God were committed admitted but onely 22 Bookes as deliuered to them from God to be the Canon of their faith as Iosephus witnesseth Neither did the Christian Church euer admit any more Melito Bishop of Sardis being desired by Onesimus to send him a catalogue of the bookes of the old and new Testament writeth thus vnto him Hauing diligently sought out the bookes of the old Testament and put them in order I haue sent them vnto you the names whereof are these the 5 bookes of Moses Genesis Exodus Leuiticus Numbers Deuteronomie then Iesus the sonne of Naue Iudges Ruth the 4 bookes of Kings two bookes of Chronicles the Psalmes of Dauid the Prouerbes which is also called the Wisdome of Salomon Ecclesiastes the Canticles Iob the Prophets Esay Hieremie one booke of the twelue Prophets Daniel Ezechiel Esdras Some soe translate the words of Melito as if hee reckoned the wisdome of Salomon as a seperate booke and so meant the booke that is commonly called the Wisdome of Salomon and is by vs accounted to be apocryphall but Ruffinus translateth as wee doe and that wee haue rightly expressed the meaning of this worthy Bishoppe and that hee onely added this as a glorious title to the booke of Salomons Prouerbs which as Eusebius saith the auncients vsually called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reader will soone be satisfied if he peruse that which D. Raynolds hath touching this point in his prelections Eusebius she weth that Iosephus according to the auncient
or take vpon them to prescribe inward actions of the soule or spirit or the performance of outward actions with inward affections whereas none but God that searcheth the heart canne either take knowledge of things of this kind or conuent the offenders and judge and trye them Thus then wee see what it is to binde and that none can binde men to the performance of any thing but by the feare of such punishments as they haue power to inflict CHAP. 33. Of the nature of Conscience and how the Conscience is bound IN the next place wee are to see what the nature of Conscience is and how the Conscience is bound Conscience is the priuity the soule hath to things known to none but to God her selfe Hence it is that conscience hath a fearefull apprehension of punishments for euills done though neither knowne nor possible to be knowne to any but God and the offendour alone The punishments that men can inflict wee neuer feare vnlesse our euill doings be known to them For though we haue conscience of them be priuy to them yet if they bee hidden from them vve knovv they neither vvill nor can punish vs. To binde the conscience then is to bind the soule and spirit of man with the feare of such punishments to bee inflicted by him that so bindeth as the conscience feareth that is as men feare though none but God themselues be privie to their doings Now these are onely such as God alone inflicteth therefore seeing none haue power to binde but by feare of such punishments as they haue power to inflict none can binde the conscience but God alone Neither should the question be proposed whether humane lawes binde the conscience but whether binding the outward man to the performance of outward things by force feare of outward punishments to be inflicted by men the not performance of such things or the not performance of them with such affections as were fit be not a sinne against God of which the conscience will accuse vs hee hauing commaunded vs to obey the Magistrates and Rulers hee hath set ouer vs. For answere whereunto wee say there are three sorts of things commaunded by Magistrates First euill and against God Secondly injurious in respect of them to whom they are prescribed or at least vnprofitable to the Common-wealth in which they are prescribed Thirdly such as are profitable and beneficiall to the societie of men to whom they are prescribed Touching the first sort of things God hath not commaunded vs to obey neither must we obey but rather say to them that cōmand vs such things with the Apostles whether it be fit to obey God or men judge you Yet wee must so refuse to obey that we shew no contempt of their office and authoritie which is of God though they abuse it Touching the second sort of things all that God requireth of vs is that we shew no contempt of sacred authoritie though not rightly vsed that we scandalize not others and that wee be subject to such penalties and punishments as they that commaund such things doe lay vpon vs so that God requireth our willing and ready obedience onely in things of the third sort The breach violation of this kinde of lawes is sin not for that humane lawes haue power to binde the conscience or that it is simply and absolutely sinfull to breake them but because the things they commaund are of that nature that not to performe them is contrary to justice charitie and the desire wee should haue to procure the common good of them with whom wee liue Wee are bound then sometimes to the performance of things prescribed by humane lawes in such sort that the not performance of them is sinne not ex sola legislatoris voluntate sed ex ipsa legum vtilitate as Stapleton rightly obserued But some man will say What doe the lawes then effect seeing it is the Law of Iustice and charitie that doth binde vs and not the particularitie of Lawes newly made To this wee answere that many things are good and profitable if they be generally obserued vvhich vvithout such generall obseruation vvill doe no good as for one man to pay tribute or for one man to stay his goods from transportation is no vvay beneficiall to the Common-vvealth vvhich vvould bee very profitable if all did so Novv the Lavv procureth a generall obseruation vvhence it commeth that a man is bound by the Lavv of charity and justice to that after the making of a Lavv vvhich before he vvas not bound vnto And this is it that Stapleton meaneth vvhen hee sayth that humane Lavves doe binde the conscience not ex voluntate legislatoris sed ex ipsa legum vtilitate ratione Not because they prescribe such things but because the things so prescribed if they bee generally obserued are profitable to the Common-vvealth By this vvhich hath been said it appeareth that they doe impiously vsurpe and assume to themselues that vvhich is proper to God vvho vvill haue all their Lavves taken for diuine Lavves and such as binde the conscience no lesse then the Lavves of GOD vvho publish all their Canons and constitutions in such sorte that they threaten damnation to all offenders Whereas no creature hath power to prescribe commaund or prohibite any thing vnder paine of sinne and eternall punishment vnlesse the partie so commaunded were formerly either expressely or by implication either formally or by force and vertue of some generall dutie bounde vnto it by Gods lawe before because God onely hath power of eternall life or death The soule of man as it receiueth from GOD onely the life of grace so it loseth the same when hee for the transgression of his lawes and precepts forsaketh it For as none but hee can giue this life so none but hee canne take it away hee onely hath the keyes of DAVID hee openeth and no man shutteth hee shutteth and no man openeth Hence it followeth that no law-giver may commaund any thing vnder paine of eternall punishment but God onely because he onely hath power to inflict this kinde of punishment And that no man incurreth the guilt of eternall condemnation but by violating the lawes of God Wherevpon Augustine defineth sinnes to be thoughts words and deedes against the law of God That men doe sinne in not keeping and obseruing the lawes of men it is because being generally bound by Gods lawe to doe those things which set forward the common good many things being commaunded and so generally obserued grow to bee beneficiall which without such generall observation flowing from the prescript of law were not so and so though not formally yet by vertue of generall duety men are tyed to the doing of them vnder paine of sinne and the punishments that deseruedly follow it CHAP. 34 Of their reasons who thinke that humane Law es doe binde the Conscience THe reasons which Bellarmine and other of that faction bring
diuided into these two factions the nobles and great ones enclining for the most part to the Sadduces and the common people to the Pharisees whereupon wee reade in the acts of the Apostles that Paul standing before Ananias the high Priest and the rest of the chiefe Priests and Rulers of the people to be judged knowing that the one part of them were Sadduces and the other part Pharisees cried aloud I am a Pharisee and the sonne of a Pharisee I am accused of the hope and resurrection of the dead and that vpon the hearing of these words there was a dissention betweene the Pharisees and Sadduces so that the whole multitude was diuided that there was a great cry and that the Scribes of the Pharisees part arose vp and stroue saying Wee finde no euill in the man But if a Spirit or an Angell hath spoken vnto him let vs not fight against God CHAP. 8. Of Prophets and Nazarites BEsides the Priests and Levites whom God chose to attend his Seruice Sanctuary rent and divided in latter times into the manifold factions and Heresies aboue-mentioned there were other who medled not with the Ministery of holy things and yet were specially dedicated and sanctified vnto God These were either such as dedicated their bodies and persons vnto God as the Nazarites or such as God raised vp extraordinarily to fore-shew future things and to reforme abuses and errours as were the Prophets The vow of the Nazarits is described in the book of Numbers where the Lord God spake vnto Moses saying Speake vnto the children of Israel and say vnto them When a man or woman doth separate themselues to vow a vow of a Nazarite to separate himselfe vnto the Lord he shall abstaine from wine and strong drinke no razorshall come vpon his head but he shall let the lockes of the haire of hishead to grow during the time that he separateth himselfe vnto the Lord He shall come at no dead body hee shall not make himselfe vncleane at the death of his father or mother brother or sister for the consecration of the Lord is vpon his head The Nazarites were of two sorts for some did separate themselues vnto the Lord but for a time and others perpetually Nazarites of the former sort they were of whō Iames and the Elders doe speake in the Acts saying vnto Paul Wee haue foure men which haue made a vow them take and purifie thy selfe with them and contribute with them that they may shaue their heads and all shall know that those things whereof they haue beene informed concerning thee are nothing but that thou thy selfe also walkest and keepest the Law Of the latter sort the Scripture mentioneth onely two Sampson and Samuel Concerning Sampson we reade that the Angell of God appeared vnto the wife of Manoah his mother and said vnto her Behold now thou art barren and bearest not but thou shalt conceiue and beare a sonne and now therefore beware that thou drinke no wine nor strong drinke neither eate any vncleane thing For loe thou shalt conceiue and beare a sonne and no razor shall come on his head For the Childe shall be a Nazarite vnto God from his birth and he shall begin to saue Israel out of the hands of the Philistines And of Samuel his mother sayd before he was borne I will giue him to the Lord all the dayes of his life and no razor shall come vpon his head To these Hierome addeth out of Egesippus Iames the just the brother of our Lord. Prophets properly are such as fore-know and fore-tell things that are to come but because as Gregory fitly noteth it is as hard to know the things that are past whereof there is no report and the things that are done a farre off or in secret or that are but contriued and resolued on in the purposes of the heart as to fore-see what shall come to passe hereafter the knowledge of all these things pertaineth to propheticall grace and illumination and it was no lesse a propheticall spirit that directed Moses in writing the storie of the Creation fall and propagation of mankind nor no lesse a Propheticall illumination that made Elizeus know what was done in the King of Arams privie chamber then it was in Esay and the rest that enabled them to foretell and fore-shew the things that were to come And therefore the Diuines make diuerse sorts of Prophets some to whom principally things past were reuealed or hidden things then being and some to whom things that were after to come to passe were more specially manifested or made knowne Some that were Prophets both in grace and mission some in grace onely In grace and mission as they that were specially sent to foreshew the people of God what was to come to passe to tell them of their transgressions and the judgments that were to follow In grace onely as were all such as were not specially imployed to this purpose and yet had the knowledge of secret things as Daniel and some other CHAP. 9. Of Assemblies vpon extraordinary occasions THVS hauing spoken sufficiently of the persons that God sanctified to serue him in the Temple and to teach direct and instruct his people as also of such as voluntarily dedicated themselues vnto him or were extraordinarily raised vp by him Let us see what the gouernement of the Church and people of God was vnder them during the time of the law vntill the comming of Christ. The Scriptures shew vs that God appointed for the gouernement of his people extraordinary Assemblies and set judgments Whereunto the Prophet Dauid seemeth to allude when he sayth The wicked shall not rise vp in judgment nor Sinners in the assembly of the righteous In assemblies were handled things concerning the state of the whole common-wealth In the set Courts things concerning particular parts of it Assemblies were of two sorts either of the whole people or of the Elders and Rulers only Assemblies of the whole people were gathered together to heare the commandements of God to make publike praiers vnto him or to performe and doe some extraordinary thing as to appoint a King a Iudge or a Prince to proclaime or wage warre or the like These Assemblies were either of the whole people of Israel or onely of the whole people of one tribe or citie For the calling of these assemblies God commanded two trumpets of siluer to be made and to be in the custodie of Moses and his successours with this direction that when they blowed with them both all the congregation should assemble vnto them but when they blowed but with one the Princes or Heads ouer the thousands of Israel onely should come The set Courts and Tribunals were of two sorts the one in the gates of euery Citty called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudgment the other at Hierusalem called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Councell wherevnto Christ seemeth to haue alluded when he sayd
as they are in themselues euill without the consideration of any good to follow so caused a desire to decline them expressed in the prayer he made But Superiour reason considering them with all circumstances knowing Gods resolution to be such that the World should thereby be saued by no other meanes perswaded to a willing acceptance of them Betweene these desires and resolutions there was a diversity but no contrariety a subordination but no repugnance or resistance There was no contrariety because they were not in respect of the same circumstances for Death as Death is to be avoided neither did Superiour reason euer dislike this judgement of the Inferiour Faculties but shewed farther and higher considerations wherein it was to be accepted embraced There was no repugnance or resistance because the one yeelded to the other For euen as a man that is sicke considering the potion prescribed to him by the Physitian to be bitter vnpleasant declineth it while he stayeth within the bounds confines of that consideration but when casting his eyes farther he is shewed by the Physitian the happy operation of good that is in it he willingly accepteth it in that it is beneficiall and good So Christ considering death as in it selfe euill contrary to nature while hee stayed within the bounds and confines of that consideration shunned and declined it and yet as the meanes of mans saluation joyfully embraced it accepting that he refused and refusing that he accepted There is a thing saith Hugo de Sancto Victore that is Bonum in se good in it selfe the good of euery other thing There is a thing good in it selfe yet good but to certaine purposes onely And there is a thing euill in it selfe yet good to some purposes The two former sorts of things may be desired simply and absolutely the third cannot but onely respectiuely to certaine ends of this kinde was the death of the Crosse with all the wofull tormentings concurring with the same which simply Christ shunned and declined but respectiuely to the ends aboue specified willingly embraced The Papistes impute I know not what impiety to Caluine for that he saith Christ corrected the desire wish that suddenly came from him But they might easily vnderstand if they pleased that hee is farre from thinking that any desire or expressing of desire was sudden in Christ as rising in him without consent of reason or that he was inconsiderate in any thing hee did or spake but his meaning is that some desires which he expressed proceeded from Inferiour reason that considereth not all circumstances that hee corrected revoked the same not as euill but as not proceeding from the full perfect consideration of all things fit to be thought vpon before a full resolution be passed Thus hauing spoken of Christs feare agony before his passion it remaineth that we proceede to speake of the sorrowes that afflicted distressed him in his passion These sorrowes were such so great that being beset compassed about with them on euery side he professed his soule was heauy euen vnto the death Yea. such was the bitternesse of his Soule that pressed with the weight burthen of grieuous and insupportable euils he was forced to cry out aloud My God my God why hast thou forsaken me These words of sorrowfull passion the Papists say Caluine thought to bee words of despaire and that Christ despaired when he vttered them Surely this shamelesse slander sheweth that they that thus speake they care not what are desperately malitious and maintaine a desperate cause that cannot be vpholden but by falshood lying But Caluine is farre frō any such execrable hellish blasphemie For hauing by occasiō of these words amplified the sorrowes distresses of Christ in the time of his passion hee sayth there were some that charged him that hee sayd these words were words of desperation and that Christ despaired when he vttered them but hee accurseth such hellish blasphemie and pronounceth that howsoeuer the flesh apprehended destroying euils inferiour reason shewed no issue out of the same yet there was euer a most sure resolued perswasion resting in his heart that hee should vndoubtedly preuaile against them and ouercome them wherefore passing ouer this wicked calumniation of our aduersaries let vs see in what sense Christ the Sonne of God complained of dereliction and cried aloud vnto his Father My God my God why hast thou forsaken me For the clearing hereof the Diuines do note that there are sixe kindes of dereliction or forsaking whereof Christ may be thought to haue complained The first whereof is by disunion of Person the second by losse of Grace the third by diminution or weakning of grace the fourth by want of assurance of future deliuerance and present support the fift by deniall of protection the sixt by withdrawing of solace and destituting the forsaken of all comfort It is impious once to thinke that Christ was forsaken any of the foure first wayes For the vnity of his person was neuer dissolued his graces were neuer either taken away or diminished neither was it possible he should want assurance of future deliuerance and present support that was eternall God and Lord of life But the two last waies he may rightly be sayd to haue beene forsaken in that his Father denied to protect and keepe him out of the hands of his cruell bloudy and mercilesse enemies no way restrayning them but suffering them to doe the vttermost of that their wicked hearts could imagine and left him to endure the extremity of their furie and malice and that nothing might be wanting to make his sorrowes beyond measure sorrowfull withdrew from him that solace he was wont to finde in God and remoued farre from him all things that might any way lessen and asswage the extremity of his paine So that Christ might rightly complaine that he was forsaken though he were farre from despaire and words of despaire CHAP. 19. Of the descending of Christ into Hell WITH the sufferings of Christ his Descension into Hell is connexed both in the order of things and in the Articles of the creede and therefore it remaineth that in the next place we speake of that Bellarmine obserueth that the Article of Christs descending into Hell was not in the Creede with all Churches from the beginning for that Irenoens Origen and Tertullian haue it not and Augustine in his booke de Fide Symbolo and in his foure bookes de Symbolo ad Catechumenos mentioneth it not expounding the Creede fiue times though elsewhere he say that none but an Infidell will deny the descension of Christ into Hell Ruffinus expoundeth it amongst the articles of the Creede but noteth that it is not in the Symbole of the Romane Church nor those of the East The Nicene Creede hath it not but that of Athanasius hath and other of the Fathers reade it also And
smart or griefe These being the different mansions of that place wherein the soules of men are sequestered from the presence of God comprehended all in a sort vnder the name of Hell as our Adversaries fancie the ordinary opinion of the Schoole-men heretofore was that Christs Soule went locally onely into Limbus Patrum not into any of the other manâ—…ons of Hell neither Limbus puerorum Purgatory nor the lowest Hell but that hee descended into these places vertually onely in that he made it appeare to all that were in them that the worke of Redemption was now wrought by force whereof they in Purgatory after full satisfaction should be receiued into Heauen the rest as well in Limbus puerorum as in the lowest Héll being excluded from all hope of bettering their estate and left in endlesse misery with the Diuell and his Angels But Bellarmine thinketh he went personally and locally into the place of the damned euen into the lowest Hell These being the diuerse and different opinions of men touching the meaning of the Article of Christs descending into Hell let vs see what is to be resolued touching the same It is true according to the first and second opinion imputed by Bellarmine vnto the Protestants that Christ dying after a sort suffered the paines of Hell and being dead was vnder the dominion of death three dayes yet neither of these interpretations seemeth fitly to agree to the Article of our Faith for that the hellish bitter sufferings of Christ are sufficieÌ„tly expressed in that he is said to haue suffered vnder Pontius Pilate to haue beene crucified and to haue dyed and his being vnder the dominion of death in that he is said to haue beene buried Wherefore the third opinion which is that he descended into the places of soules sequestred shut out from the presence of God seemeth more truely to expresse the meaning of this Article not vnderstanding that he went into Purgatory Limbus puerorum or Limbus patrum but that hee descended into the lowest Hell For the three former imagined places are no where and so no part of Hell into which Christ descended Of Purgatory we finde nothing in the Scriptures or in the writings of the most ancient Fathers as I haue elsewhere shewed Of Limbus puerorum wee reade in Augustine but confuted and rejected by him as an erroneous conceipt of the Pelagians who imagined a third place betweene Heauen and Hell and a third or middle estate betweene heauen happinesse and the miseries of the lowest Hell wherein men dying in the state of Nature onely shall continue for euer depriued of the happinesse of seeing God but no way subjected to sensible smart and griefe Of this it is that S. Augustine saith he hath heard of the right hand and the left of Come yee blessed and Goe yee cursed of Sheepe Goates of the Kingdome of Heauen Hell where the Diuell and his Angels are euerlastingly punished But of a third estate of a third sort of men or of a third place hee hath neuer heard or read and therefore is verily perswaded there is no such Touching Limbus patrum it is true that some amongst the Ancient seeme to speake of some such thing but we cannot perswade our selues that there is any such place nor that Christ is to bee vnderstood to haue descended thither when in the Article of the Creede hee is sayd to haue descended into hell First because as S. Augustine fitly noteth we do not find in the Scripture that the word Hell is euer vsed to expresse any other place but a place of woe and misery and therefore so direfull a word vsed onely to note vnto vs the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone cannot signifie that place where the soules of the just did rest till the comming of Christ named in the parable or history of the rich man and Lazarus Abrahams bosome Neither did Augustine euer learne any other lesson afterwards as some vntruly report that he did Secondly because wee cannot conceiue what Christ did benefit the spirits of the just Abiding in Abrahams bosome when hee went downe into hell A quibus as Saint Augustine rightly noteth secundum beatificam Diuinitatis praesentiam nunquaâ—…ecessit sed quemadmodum apud Tartara semper fuit judicante potentiâ ita in paradiso sinu Abrahae beatificante sapientiâ that is from whom according to that presence of his Deity that maketh all them happy that enjoy it he neuer departed but as hee was euer present in hell by his power judging fastning condemnation to the woful inhabitants of that place of vtter darkenes so he was allwaies in paradise in the bosome of AbrahaÌ„ as that wisdom of God that filleth al with blessednes where it vouchsafeth to manifest it self Christ therefore desceÌ„ded into Hell according to the Article of the Creed into the place of soules sequestred froÌ„ the presence of God into the place of daÌ„ ned soules euen into the lowest hell for there are no soules or spirits of men sequestred from the presence of God after the separation froÌ„ the body but the soules of wicked Cast-awayes nor other place of soules so sequestred but the prisoÌ„ of the lowest hel The end of Christs going descending into the hell of the damned was not as Clemens Alexandrinus and â—…ome other did thinke to preach vnto the damned spirits and to deliuer from thence such as should there beleeue in him either all or any For wee must constantly resolue that none were deliuered out of hell by Christs descending nor none there conuerted by his preaching but that his descending was onely to fasten condemnation to the Diuell and his Angels to triumph ouer the principalities of darkenesse to secure vs from being surprized by them and to preuent our comming thither not to fetch backe any that were there already The places that are brought to proue that Christ preached in Hell and sought the deliuerance either of all or at the least of some of them he found there are specially two The first is that of the Apostle S. Peter where he sayth The Gospell was preached to the dead that they might be judged according to men in the flesh but liue according to God in the Spirit Here we see the Apostle speaketh of preaching vnto the dead but he is to be vnderstood to speake of preaching to the dead that is to such as were dead when he wrote but not when the Gospell was preached vnto them as wee say Christ shall judge the quicke and dead not as if any should be iudged being dead but because many of them that shall be judged are then deade when wee speake of them though they shall not be when they shall come into judgment Or otherwise that he speaketh of such as were dead in sinne as some enterpret his words The second place is that of the same Apostle where he sayth that Christ in spirit went and
according to the Translation they follow there is first a speech directed to the Church concerning Christ then an Apostrophe to Christ and then thirdly a returne unto the Church againe Secondly if that were graunted which he vrgeth touching the supposed Apostrophe it would not proue that there is no probabilitie in our Interpretation For this consequence will neuer be made good in the Schooles Christ is prophesied of in the words immediatly going before in these words God speaketh vnto him by way of Apostrophe therefore they cannot be vnderstood of deliuerance out of Babylonicall captivitie seeing it is certaine that Christ deliuered the Israelites out of all the miseries out of which they escaped But saith Bellarmine if wee admit this Interpretation in what bloud of the couenant may wee vnderstand the Iewes to haue beene deliuered out of Babylonicall captivitie Surely this question is soone answered For their deliuerance out of the hands of their enemies and all other benefites were bestowed on them by vertue of the couenant betweene God and them which was to be established in the bloud of Christ in figure whereof all holy things among the Iewes were sprinkled with bloud as the Booke of the Covenant the Altar the Sanctuary and People Wherefore seeing this place maketh nothing for the confirmation of the Popish errour touching Limbus let vs come to the last place brought for proofe thereof which is that of S. Peter concerning Christs going in spirit and preaching to the spirits in prison see whether from thence it may be proued any better S. Augustine vnderstandeth the words of the Apostle as I noted before of Christs preaching in the dayes of Noe in his eternall Spirit of Deity not of preaching in Hell in his humane Soule after death but this interpretation of S. Augustine first Bellarmine rejecteth as contrarie to the Fathers secondly endeauoureth to improue it by weakening the reasons brought to confirme it and by opposing certaine reasons against it The first of the Fathers that he alledgeth is Clemens Alexandrinus who indeede vnderstandeth the words of S. Peter not as S. Augustine doth but of Christ preaching in Hell after his death in his humane Soule but not conceiuing to what purpose preaching should serue in Hell if there were not intended a conversion sauing of some there he runneth into a most grosse dangerous error cōdemned rejected as well by Bellarm. his companions as by vs so that his authority as contrary to Augustines interpretation needed not to haue beene alledged nor would not haue beene if Bellarmine had meant sincerely For Clemens Alexandrinus affirmeth as hee well knoweth that so many Infidels as beleeued in Christ and listened to the wordes of his preaching when hee came into Hell were deliuered thence and made partakers of euerlasting saluation against which errour himselfe being Iudge Saint Augustine not without good cause disputeth in his Epistle to Euodius The second auncient Writer that hee produceth for proofe of Christs preaching in Hell after his death is Athanasius who indeed doth expound the wordes of Peter of Christs going in Soule to preach in Hell after his death but no way expresseth in what sort to whom to what purpose or with what successe he preached Epiphanius whom he produceth in the third place doth not so interprete the words of Peter himselfe but onely vpon another occasion citeth the epistle of Athanasius to Epictetus wherein hee doth so interprete them So that the authority of Epiphanius might haue beene spared Ruffinus in his explication of the Creede interpreteth the words of Peter as Athanasius doth Cyrill in the place cited by Bellarmine speaketh of Christs preaching to the spirits in Hell but saith nothing in particular of this place of Peter S. Ambrose doth not speake of this place but that other of preaching the Gospell to the dead So that there are no moe Ancient writers cited by Bellarmine that doe precisely interprete this place of Peter of Christs preaching in Hell in his humane soule after death but onely Clemens Athanasius Ruffinus and Oecumenius On the other side we haue S. Augustine Beda the authors of the Ordinarie and Interlincall Glosses Lyra Hugo Cardinalis and other interpreting the words as wee doe so that our Aduersaries haue no great aduantage in respect of the number of Interpreters and yet if they had it would not helpe them for confirmation of their supposed Limbus seing some of the Fathers cited by him as namely Clemens Alexandrinus speake directly of preaching in the lowest Hell for the conuersion of Infidels which they dislike as much as wee Wherefore let vs proceede to examine the reasons that are brought either of the one side or the other to confirme their seuerall interpretations of these words and let vs see how Bellarmine weakneth the reasons brought by S. Augustine and improueth his interpretation by reasons brought against it The first reason whereby S. Augustine confirmeth his interpretation is for that mortification in the flesh and viuification in the Spirit mentioned by the Apostle cannot be vnderstood of the body Soule of Christ as they that follow the other interpretation doe vnderstand them seeing Christ neuer dying in soule could not be said to be quickned in it Besides that the very phrase of the Scripture opposing flesh and Spirit in Christ doth euer import the infirmity of his humane nature and the power of his Deitie and in other men that part that is renued by the sanctification of the Spirit and that which is not yet so renued Against the former part of this reason of S. Augustine Bellarmine opposeth himselfe saying that it is not good seeing a thing may be sayd to be quickned that was neuer dead if it be preserued from dying kept aliue But he should know that onely those thinges may be said to be quickned in that they were preserued from dying which otherwise if they had not beene so preserued might haue beene killed or dyed of themselues Which cannot be verified of the Soule of Christ that could neither die of it selfe nor be killed by any other and therefore the Soule of Christ cannot be said to bee quickned in this sense The place in the seauenth of the Acts brought by Bellarmine to proue that those things may bee said to bee quickned that were neuer dead besides that it is nothing to the purpose is strangely wrested For S. Stephen in that place speaketh nothing of viuification or quickning in that sense we now speake of it but of multiplying increasing saying that After the death of Ioseph there rose vp another King in Egypt that knew not Ioseph who euill intreated our Fathers and made them cast out their infants and new borne children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is that they should not increase multiplie and therefore Bellarmine should not in reason so haue pressed the Latine word of viuification vsed by the Vulgar translatour seeing the
Originall importeth no such thing as he endeauoureth to proue But to take away all doubt touchâ—…ng the words of Peter there is a decree of the Tridentine Councell that the Romanists in all their disputations readings and sermons shall vse the Vulgar translation and no way dare to refuse the authority of it vnder any pretence whatsoeuer Now in the ordinarie readings of the Vulgar Translation the words of the Apostle doe lie in this sort Christ dyed for sinners the iust for the vniust that hee might offer vs to God mortified in the flesh but quickened in the Spirit in which Spirit he went and preached c. So that according to this reading the Apostle speaketh not of Christs quickening but of our quickning in the Spirit which cannot be vnderstood of the humane Soule of Christ but of the Spirit of sanctification whence it followeth that Christ going to preach in that Spirit by the force whereof we are quickned made aliue from the death of sin went in his eternall spirit of Deity not in his humane Soule But saith Bellarmine it cannot be sayd properly but Metaphorically onely that Christ did goe in his eternall Spirit of Deitie to preach to the old world Suppose it to be so Is it so strange a thing that such locall motions should be Metaphorically attributed vnto God that we should therevpon deny the going of Christ to preach to haue beene in his eternall Spirit of Deitie Doe wee not often reade in Scripture of Gods comming downe to see what thinges are done on earth But it is hard to vnderstand by Spirits in prison the soules of men shut vp in the prisons of their bodies and in the darke dungeons of ignorance and impiety as Augustine doth and therefore we must not follow his interpretation Surely it is true that it is something hard to vnderstand these words of the Apostle as S. Augustine doth and therefore we rather follow the interpretation of Andradius before mentioned who expoundeth the words of the Apostle so as Augustine doth saue that he thinketh that they to whom Christ preached in his eternall Spirit in the daies of Noe are named spirits in prison not for that they were so when hee preached to them but when Peter wrote of them Thus wee see the Cardinall hath not yet greatly weakned any of Augustines reasons One reason more S. Augustine hath so forcible and strong to confirme the interpretation hee followeth that I thinke the Iesuite will hardly be able to say much against it If the Apostle saith S. Augustine had meant to describe the descending of Christ in his humane soule to deliuer the Patriarches hee would not haue expressed his meaning by saying Hee went and preached to the spirits in prison sometimes disobedient in the daies of Noe. For to say aâ—… Bellarmine doth that Christ went and preached onely to the good spirits in Limbus but that the Apostle describing the same nameth the disobedient in the dayes of Noe lest it might bee thought that they all perished is friuolous seeing there was no reason why the Apostle in describing the descending of Christ into Limbus should bee so carefull to let all men know that they did not all perish that contemned the preaching of Noe and besides if the Apostle had meant any such thing hee would haue added that howsoeuer these men were disobedient for a time yet they did afterwards repent obeying the voyce of God speaking by the mouth of Noe. If any man shall aske as Bellarmine doth why Peter should mention Christs preaching in his eternall Spirit to them in the dayes of Noe more then to them in the dayes of Abraham or Moses the answere is easie for therefore doth hee mention them rather then any other because they that liued before the floud were men of another world are named the old world it was the greatest mutation of the world that euer was before or since that followed vpon the refusall of Christs preaching by the mouth of Noe who was the same then that he is now the same yesterday to day for euer That which the Cardinall hath in the conclusion that the Fathers generally beleeued that Christ descended into Hell wee thinke to be most true but that the soules of all the iust were in Hell till the resurrection of Christ and then deliuered thence is not the opinion of the Fathers For Augustine clearly denieth that the spirits of the just dying before Christ were in Hell till the comming of Christ touching the rest of them some thought that the Spirits of the just are shall bee in a place of sequestration separate from the presence of God till the generall resurrection so that according to their opinion Christ by descending into Hell did not deliuer them from thence of which opinion wee finde Irenaeus Tertullian some others to haue beene Some there were that thought that Christ deliuered out of the lowest Hell such as beleeued in him when hee came thither and some that hee went not to Hell to deliuer any from thence but to preserue keepe such from going thither as otherwise should haue gone thither if by vertue of his descending they had not beene preserued from falling into that hideous deuouring gulfe So that though it were euer most certainly resolued that Christ descended into Hell to triumph ouer the prince of darkenesse to fasten condemnation to the Diuell and his Angells and to preserue all beleeuers and faithfull ones from falling into the pit of destruction yet as it appeareth by Augustines Epistle to Euodius there was no certaine resolution amongst the Ancient whether Christ deliuered any or all or whom he deliuered if any when he went into Hell CHAP. 20. Of the Merite of Christ of his not meriting for himselfe and his meriting for vs. HAuing spoken sufficiently of the sufferings of Christ and his descending into Hell it remaineth that in the next place wee come to speake of his merite where we must obserue three things First whether he might or did merite Secondly whether he merited for himselfe Thirdly how and in what sort he merited for vs. The first of these questions is moued because Christ being in termino and comprehensor that is in possession of all desired blessednes and seeing God face to face euen while he liued heere may seeme to haue beene extra statum merendi that is in such a state and condition wherein there is no place for merite and so not to haue merited to merit being proper to them that are viatores that is men journeying towardes the possession of Heauen-happines not yet attained Wherefore for the clearing of this point the Diuines doe note that Christ in his humane nature in the dayes of his flesh was both Viator and Comprehensor in termino and extra terminum that is both a man journeying toward heauen-happinesse one that had already attained it being already come to the vttermost
Liberius Bishoppe of Rome did not consent to this Councell it will easily be answered that though at the very first he did not consent to the Hereticall practises of the Arrians yet in the end he did after he had beene in banishment for a time As likewise Vigilius refused to subscribe to the Fifth Generall Councell till he was banished for his refusal The only thing that can be said is that they proceeded not orderly in this Councell but violently and fraudulently But this absolutely ouerthroweth the infallibility of Councels and their Decrees For if Councels may erre when they proceede disorderly and vse not that diligence for the finding out of the Truth which they should what certainty can there be in their Decrees Seeing it may be doubted whether they proceeded orderly and consequently whether they erred or not Leo confesseth that in the Second Councell of Ephesus there were a great number of worthy Bishops who might haue been sufficient to haue found out and cleared the Truth if he that obtained the chiefe place had vsed accustomed moderation and suffered euery one to speake his minde freely and not forced all to serue his vile designes If it bee saide that howsoeuer this was a Generall Councel and lawfully called yet the resolution was not the resolution of a Generall Councell because it was not consented vnto but mainely resisted by the Legates of the Bishop of Rome we shall finde that in the councels vnder Michael the Emperour the Legates of the Bishoppe of Rome consented also to an ill and vnlawfull conclusion there made If it be further alleadged that howsoeuer the Legats of the Bishop of Rome may erre as well as other Bishops in the councell when they presume to define without instructions or to goe against their instructions yet the Pope himselfe cannot giue consent to any thing that is not true and right it will bee proued that Popes also may be so mis-led by sinister affections as not onely to consent to that they should not but also to miscarry all in Councell as well as others For Sigebert reporteth that Stephen Bishoppe of Rome and after him Sergius called Councels and proceeded in them in furious manner against Formosus their Predecessour not only pulling his dead body out of the graue and despightfully re-ordaining such as hee ordained but judicially pronouncing and defining that his ordinations were voide which was an errour in Faith seeing hee was knowne once to haue beene a true and lawfull Bishop though in respect of perjury or violent intrusion he had beene judged neuer to haue beene lawfull Bishop of Rome But heere I cannot passe by the contradiction of Cardinall Bellarmine strangely forgetting himselfe and saying hee knoweth not what For first hee saith it is certain and a matter of Faith that a Generall councell confirmed by the Pope cannot erre Secondly he saith the infallibility of Councels is wholly in the Pope and not partly in the Pope partly in the Bishops And thirdly he saith he dareth not to affirme it to be a matter of Faith that the Pope is free from danger of erring though hee haue a particular Councell concurring with him So strangely doth the good man crosse himselfe and ouer-throw that in one place which hee built in another For how can it bee certaine and a matter of Faith that the Generall Councell approued by the Pope cannot erre if it haue no certainty of not erring but from the Pope and it bee not certaine that the Pope cannot erre That Councels though lawfull to which nothing wanted but the Popes consent haue erred hee saith it is most certaine and vndoubted So that Generall Councels are not in them-selues free from errour but their infallibility resteth in the Pope Now that it is not certaine that the Pope is free from danger of erring hee proueth first because they are still tollerated by the Church not condemned as Heretikes that thinke the pope subiect to errour euen in judiciall sentence and decree Secondly out of Eusebius who saith that Cornelius the pope with a National councel of all the Bishops of Italy decreed that Heretikes ought not to be rebaptized and Stephen afterwards approued the same sentence and commaunded that Heretikes should not bee rebaptized and yet Cyprian thought the contrary and earnestly maintained it charging Stephen with errour and obstinacy which he would not haue done if he had thought the pope free from danger of erring Neither would the Church haue honoured him as a Catholicke Bishop and blessed Martyr that thus confidently contradicted the Pope and resisted his decrees and mandates if it were certaine and a matter of Faith and all men vnder paine of Heresie bound to beleeue that the Pope cannot erre Wherefore to conclude this point how can wee be sure with the certainty of Faith that Generall Councels cannot erre if their infallibility depēd on the Popes who may be most prodigiously impious and worse then infidells not onely erring in some particular points concerning the Faith but ouerthrowing all as he did that Picus Mirandula speaketh of who peremptorily denied that there is any God and confirmed the same his execrable impiety by the manner of his entering into the Popedome and liuing in it And that other he speaketh of who denied the immortality of the soule though after his death appearing to one of them to whom in his life time he had vttered that his impious conceit he told him he now found to his endlesse woe and misery that soule he thought mortall to be immortall neuer to dye Yet when there is a lawfull Generall Councell according to the former description to wit wherein all the Patriarches are present either in person or by their deputies and the Synode of Bishoppes vnder them signifie their opinion either by such as they send or by their Prouinciall letters if there appeare nothing to vs in it that may argue an vnlawfull proceeding nor there be no gaine-saying of men of worth place and esteeme wee are so strongly to presume that it is true and right that with vnanimous consent is agreed on in such a Councell that wee must not so much as professe publikely that wee thinke otherwise vnlesse wee doe most certainely know the contrary yet may wee in the secret of our hearts remaine in some doubt carefully seeking by the Scripture and Monuments of antiquity to finde out the Trueth Neither is it necessary for vs expressely to beleeue whatsoeuer the Councell hath concluded though it be true vnlesse by some other meanes it appeare vnto vs to be true and wee be convinced of it in some other sort then by the bare determination of the Councell onely But it sufficeth that we beleeue it implicitè and in praeparatione animi that out of the due respect wee beare to the Councels Decree we dare not resolue otherwise and bee ready expresly to beleeue it if it shall be made to appeare vnto vs.
Dioscorus Bishoppe of Alexandria was deposed by the Councell of Chalcedon Proterius sette in his place a mighty intollerable sedition grew among the people for it some affecting Dioscorus some cleauing to Proterius The people opposed themselues against the Magistrates and when they thought with strong hande to suppresse the vprore the multitude with stones beat the souldiers into the church besieged theÌ„ in it destroyed a number of them with fire and vpon the death of Martian the Emperour they chose a new B. and brought him into the church on Easter day They slew Proterius and sixe other with him in the Temple and drew his body wounded and mangled along through the quarters of the citie The like dissention grewe in the Church of Millaine after the death of Auxentius the Arrian Bishoppe but the issue was very happy for Ambrose at that time a secular Magistrate seing the diuision to be very dangerous and threatning the ouerthrow of the state of the citty entred into the Church and made an excellent Oration perswading them to peace wherwith all sides were so well pleased that with one consent they desired to haue Ambrose for their Bishoppe who was not yet baptized and the Emperour was carefull to satisfie their desire and commaunded that it should be as they had desired In the Church of Rome after Liberius Damasus succeeded in the Episcopall office whom Vrsinus a certaine Deacon of that Church not enduring to bee preferred before him waxed so madde that hauing perswaded and drawne vnto him a certaine ignorant rude Bishop and gathered together a company of turbulent and seditious persons in the church of Sicinius hee procured himselfe to be made Bishop against all order law and auncient custome From which fact proceeded so great sedition nay so great warre some of the people defending Damasus as lawfull Bishop and some Vrsinus that the places of prayer were filled with the bloud of men The people in this sort abusing their authority power were restrained by the decrees of Coucels and by the lawes of Princes and their right and power to choose their Pastours many waies limited and straitned till in the end it was wholy taken from them For first the Councell of Laodicaea forbad that elections of such as were to serue in the holy Ministery of the Church and execute the Priests office should bee left to the multitudes But that Councell was but particular and could prescribe no lawes to the whole world and therefore after this the people swayed things very much still and Leo Bishoppe of Rome after this time charged the Bishoppes to thrust none vpon the people without their consent And euen in the Romane church the election of the people continued a long time after this decree of the Councell of 〈◊〉 For Pope Nicholas the second in the Councell of Laterane in the yeare of our Lord 1059. with the consent of the whole Synode decreeth on this sorte Instructed guided by the authority of our predecessours and other holy Fathers wee decree and determine that when the Bishoppe of this Vniuersall Church of Rome dyeth first of all the Cardinall Bishops shall most diligently consult together about the election of a new and soone after they shall take vnto them the Cardinall Cleargy-men and so the rest of the Cleargie and people shall come to giue consent to the new election And because the See Apostolick is preferred before all the Churches in the world and therefore canne haue no Metropolitane ouer or aboue it the Cardinall Bishops doubtlesse supply the place of the Metropolitane and are to promote and lift vp the new elected Bishop to the top of Apostolicke heigth Yea the presence and testimony of Lay-men was not excluded in such elections a longtime after For Gregory the seuenth was elected by the Cardinals of the church of Rome Clearkes Acoluthes Subdeacons and Presbyters many Bishops Abbots others both of the Cleargy Laity being present But Christian Princes Kings and Emperours being chiefe among those of the Laity and so hauing a soueraigne consent among and ouer the rest in such elections as pertained vnto them by the right of humane fellowship and gouernment interposed themselues in these businesses and sundry wayes abridged that liberty that the people in some places tooke vnto them Zozomen noteth that after the death of Nectarius Bishoppe of Constantinople the Cleargy and people resolued to haue Chrysostome a Presbyter of Antioch a man famously renowned throughout all the Empire to bee their Bishop Which their resolution the Emperour confirmed by his assent sent and fet him and called a Councell to make his election more authenticall Likewise after the death of Sicinius though some would haue had Philip others Pâ—…clus Presbyters of that church to succeed yet the Emperour by the perswasion of certaine vaine men called a stranger thither to wit Nestorius who afterward proued an Arch-hereticke After the death of Maximianus successor to Nestorius the Emperour tooke order without delay that Proclus might bee placed in the Bishoppes chaire by the Bishops present before the body of Maximianus was buried least any variance and quarrelling might ensue Neither did the Emperours medlelesse with the election of the Bishop of Rome then of Constantinople For as Onuphrius rightly obserueth after the Gothes were driuen out of Italy by Narses the Lieutenant of the Emperour and the country subjected againe to the Empire of the East in the dayes of Iustinian the Emperour there beganne a new custome in the election of the Romane Bishoppes which was that so soone as the Bishop of that See should be dead the Cleargie and people as formerly they had done should presently choose another to succeede into his place but that he might not bee confecrated ordained by the Bishoppes till his election were confirmed by the Emperour and till he gaue leaue to ordaine him by his Letters Pattents For which confirmation a certaine summe of money was paide which it is likely Iustinian did or by his authority caused Vigilius the Bishop of Rome to doe it that the Emperor might be assured of the conditions of the newly elected Bishoppe least a factious and busie man being chosen hee might conspire with the barbarous people that then sought to encroch vpon the Empire and so cause a reuolte of the citie of Rome and the country of Italy from the Easterne Empire the Bishoppe growing great and the Emperour being farre off Vpon which constitution it came to passe that the Romanes chose for the most part such a one as they thought would be acceptable to the Emperour and of whom hee might bee perswaded that hee would attempt nothing preiudiciall to the state of the Empire the Lombards about that time or presently after troubling Italy This custome was continued till the time of Benedict the Second in whose time Constantine the Emperour for the good opinion hee had of him and loue
grow vnto if it bee immutable For to dislike that which before we did not dislike or to dislike a thing more then formerly we did vpon farther better consideration argueth a mutability in the Wil so that if the Wil be immutable in those that are departed hence immediately vpon their dissolution as our Aduersaries think it is the fire of purgatory can no way helpe to the purging out of sin To these reasons they adde another takē frō the story or parable of the rich man Lazarus in the Gospell where Christ sheweth that the poore man Lazarus as soone as hee was dead was carryed by the Angels into Abrahams bosome that the rich mans soule as soone as hee was dead was found in the torments of hell By the bosome of Abraham expressing a most excellent estate in the blessed rest of such as are beloued of God and by hell and the torments thereof the vtter most condemnation and the euerlasting punishment of sinners and no way leauing any other place betweene these hauing temporall affliction and paine but making betweene them a great and vnpasseable gulfe separating the one from the other and establishing an extreame and immediate opposition betweene them then which what could bee more cleerely spoken against Purgatory for our opinion For if there be no middle place of temporall torment as the Authors of this Apologie say there is not if there be but two sorts of men the one expressed by the condition of the rich man the other of Lazarus and if the one of these goe immediately vpon death into a place of torment euerlasting the other into a place of rest and into the bosome of Abraham where is the Purgatory of Papists either in the name or in the thing in substance or in circumstance To these reasons for farther confirmation they adde two most excellent testimonies out of Gregory Nazianzen who vpon these wordes touching the Passeouer Wee shall carrie out nothing nor leaue nothing till the morning saith expresly and clearely that beyond or after this Night there is no purging calling the life of each man heere the Night and yeelding no purging to be after it and else-where hath these wordes I omitte to speake of the torments to which impunity doth deliuer men in the other world for they are such that it were better for a man to be chastised and purged heere then to be reserued and deliuered ouer to that punishment that is after this life when as there is a time of punishment but not of purgation so expressely defining that there is no purging after the departure out of this life and that there remaineth nothing but eternall punishment for such as must there be punished Elias Cretensis a learned Grecian writing vpon that place of Nazianzen where he saith Hee is a poore and a meane Pastour and not liked of other Pastors whether because hee defendeth the trueth or for what other cause he knoweth not but God knoweth and as the Apostle saith that day of reuelation and last fire shall clearely manifest it whereby all our workes are either iudged or purged hath these wordes The word iudged Gregory Nazianzen put for tried and purged for reuealed or manifested for that fire doth make the workes of iust men to shine and burneth vppe the workes of sinners and that I may speake plainly and simply manifesteth of what sort each mans workes are those thinges being taken away that in this world did hide them and suffered them not to appeare to be such as indeede they are For here oftentimes as well the workes of a vertuous man as of an euill man are hidde but there they are reuealed and made manifest therefore there judgement is passed vpon all that is all are tried and againe all thinges are purged that is manifested and not by any meanes according to the fooleries of those men who thinke that there shall be an end of punishment after a thousand yeares and that after they are purged men shall cease to bee punished Thus doth this worthy Bishoppe of Candie contradict the Papistes in their fancie of Purgatory and agree with the Authors of the Apologie In the writings of Armacanus I finde that one Athanasius a Grecian proposed sundry excellent reasons against the imagined Purgatory of the Latines which Armachanus goeth about to answere but indeede cannot answere the first is this It is no way iust that the Soule alone should bee punished for the sinnes of the whole man or that the body should haue part and fellowship in Sinne and glory after remission of Sinne and not in the punishment that purgeth out sinne The second is this It is more proper to God to reward good thinges then to punish euill So that if it were necessary that the soules of such as are truely penitent should after death goe into Purgatory punishments it were much more necessary that the soules of such as haue kept the commaundements of GOD all their life long and at last falling into sinne die in such an estate without repentance should goe first into a place of refreshing to receiue the rewardes of their well doings before they should be cast out into eternall punishments but this is not to be graunted by any meanes therefore much lesse the other Thirdly whereas some goe about to proue Purgatory by the custome of praying for the dead hee sheweth by an vnanswerable reason that if wee admitte Purgatory wee may not pray for the dead his reason is this Whosoeuer causeth another to bee afflicted doth it in one of these three sortes either onely out of vnreasonable passion and desire of tormenting and afflicting or for the vpholding of the course of iustice and the example and good of others as when murderers are put to death or thirdly in mercy for the good and benefite of him that is punished as the Physician afflict◅h the sicke patient And in this third sort it is that God is supposed to afflict soules in Purgatory As therefore the Physician and Surgeon delight not in afflicting their sicke patients but deale as tenderly with them as possibly they may due respect had to the recouering of their health and former estate so God will afflict no more then is precisely necessary for the purging out of sinne so that as it were vaine if not hurtfull to intreat the good and skilfull Physician tendering his patient and no way afflicting him more then is precisely necessary for the recouering of his health either wholly to withdraw his hand or to remitte any thing of that hee intends to doe for that if so hee should doe the patient could not recouer so in like sort it were not onely vaine but hurtfull for the soules of men departed to intreate GOD any way to lessen their afflictions which otherwise he would lay vpon them seeing hee intendeth to afflict them no more then is precisely necessary for the purging out of the impurity that is found in them and
was no cause for here is neither falsehood nor absurdity but in himselfe who to wrecke his anger hath sold himselfe to bee an absurd Patron of errour and vntruth The rest of his friuolous discourse following being but a reflection as hee calleth it vpon these premises I will not trouble my selfe nor the reader with The Second Booke §. 1. I Come to his Second Booke in the first part whereof hee challengeth mee for traducing the foure Doctors of the Church beginning with Gregory and from him proceeding to the rest To make it appeare that I haue wronged Gregory First he noteth that the principall drift of my discourse touching the Church is to proue that the opinions wherein the Papists dissent from the Protestants at this day were not the doctrines of the Church wherein our Fathers liued and died but of a faction only predominating in the same Secondly that to this purpose I frame an appendix wherein I produce the testimonies of sundry Fathers and Schoole-authors to justifie the foresayd position Thirdly that descending into the controuersie whether any sinnes be remitted after this life or not I vse this pretense to wit that whereas Lombard and other do say that some veniall sinnes are remitted after this life we must so vnderstand their sayings that therefore they are sayd to bee remitted after this life because they are taken away in the very momēt of dissolution the last instant of life being the first after life That this is the summe of that Exposition I make of Lombards other mens opinion cōcerning the remission of sins after this life wherein how sincerely exactly I deale he wil not dispute 4ly That to corroborate this my Exposition I bring a testimony of S. Gregory not without great wrong done vnto him To these his obseruations I briefely answere First that it is true that the doctrines wherein the Papists and We dissent at this day were not the doctrines of that Church wherein our Fathers liued and dyed but that I haue in any part vntruly set downe the differences betweene them and vs this false runnagate shall neuer be able to proue though if his credit would reach vnto it hee would gladly make men beleeue so 2ly That I haue indeed framed and added such an Appendix as he speaketh of to my Third booke wherein I haue produced sundry learned men and Schoole-authors for proofe of that my former position calling them as they well deserue worthy learned men but that they are mine enimies or that I speake honourably of them for mine own aduantage is but the saying of a silly fellow that careth not much what hee sayth soe he may be thought to say something Thirdly that this good fellow that complaineth so much of falshood and bad dealing hath in his third obseruation wholy mistaken the matter shamefully belied me for I make not that costruction of the sayings of Lombard and others which he speaketh of but it is the construction of Alexander of Ales the irrefragable Doctor and first of all the Schoole-men But that the Reader may the better perceiue how hee peruerteth all that commeth in his way I will lay downe the matter at large In the twentieth Chapter of that Appendix he speaketh of I produce the iudgment and resolution of Scotus Durandus and Alexander of Ales that all sinfulnesse is vtterly abolished in the very moment of dissolution and that there is no remission of any sin in respect of the fault and staine after death The words of these Authors I set downe at large The words of Alexander of Ales are these Finall grace taketh away all sinfulnesse out of the soule because when the soule parteth from the body all pronenesse to ill and all perturbations which were found in it by reason of the coniunction with the flesh do cease the powers thereof are quieted perfectly subiected to grace by that means all veniall sins remoued so that no veniall sin is remitted after this life but in that instant wherein grace may be said to be finall grace it hath full dominion absolute command and expelleth all sin Whereunto he addeth that whereas the Mr of Sentences some other do say that some veniall sins are remitted after this life some answer that they speake of a full remission both in respect of the fault and staine and the punishment also but that others more narrowly and piercingly looking into the thing do say that they are to be vnderstood to say sins are remitted after this life because it being the same moment or instant that doth continuate the time of life that after life so that the last instant of life is the first after life they are remitted in the very moment of dissolution grace more fully infusing and powring it selfe into the soule at that time then before to the vtter abolishing of all sin all impediment formerly hindering her working now ceasing So that these are the words of Alexander of Ales deliuering the opiniōof many worthy men in the church and not mine and therefore whether he and they doe aptly expound the sayings of the Master of Sentences and others or not it is nothing to me for I doe not so interpret the sayings of these men nor cite him to proue they are to bee so interpreted but cite him onely to shew that many learned men in former times did thinke all sinfulnes to be purged out of the souls of men departing hence in the state of grace euen in the very moment of dissolution which he clearely sheweth and besides telleth vs how they sought to construe the sayings of them that seemed to bee of another judgement that they might not be thought to bee contrary herevnto The same may bee confirmed out of Bonaventura who sayth it was the opinion of certaine Doctours who were of good vnderstanding that no sinne is remitted after death because the force of Free-will in respect of merite or demerite doth altogether cease These as he saith thought that veniall sinnes are wholly remitted and taken away either by repentance or by finall grace if there bee no time and place for repentance as when a just good man is suddainly seized vpon by death The Authour of the booke called Regimen Animarum a manuscript copy whereof I haue who liued about the yeare 1343 hath these words Delet gratia finalis veniale peccatum in ipsà dissolutione corporis animae ex virtute completionis sui status quamvis motus contritionis non sit ad illud directus hoc ab antiquis dictum est sed modò communiter tenetur quod peccatum veniale hinc deferatur à multis etiam quoad culpam That is finall grace doth abolish and vtterly take away veniall sinne in the very dissolution and parting of the soule and body in that she groweth to bee in a full and perfect estate though no motion of contrition bee directed to the putting of it
the very same more peremptorily namely that Gregory by this saying and some other found in him doth vtterly ouerthow that Purgatory which hee is thought to teach And if hee will bee pleased to peruse the Schoole-men hee shall finde in Alexander of Ales that the best of them thought Gregorie to bee of opinion as they also were that all sinne in respect of the staine or fault is purged out in death some interpreting his wordes where hee speaketh of remission of sinnes after this life of that remission which is in the last instant of this life and the first of the next and â—…her â—…herwise And therefore Master Higgons might well haue spared his taxation of me and omitted his marginall note that many such tricks were found by the Bishoppe of Eureux in the writings of the Lord Plessis Mornay For in all that which I haue written touching this point there is not so much as the least shadow of any ill dealing and for that worthy Gentleman against whom that Bishoppe soâ—…ght aduantage by cauilling against some parts of his allegations it will bee found that hee hath more sincerely handled the controuersies of religion then euer any Romanist did That if any mistaking be found in him there are many moe and more materiall in farre lesse compasse in the writings of Cardinall Bellarmine himselfe and that in his anatomy of the Masse the booke excepted against by the Bishoppe of Eureux hee hath in such sort cutte in sunder the sinewes not onely of the Masse but of the whole masse of Romish religion that all the rabble of Romanists will neuer bee able orderly to answere that whole booke howsoeuer it is easie to cavill against some parts of any thing neuer so well written But to returne to the matter in hand whatsoeuer wee thinke of Gregory of whom I say onely that hee seemeth to agree vnto the opinion of those Diuines who thinke all sinnefulnesse to be purged out of the soules of men dying in the state of grace in the moment of dissolution it is certaine that exceeding many of best esteeme in the Romane Church informer times were of that opinion and the same is proued by vnanswerable reasons Whence it will follow ineuitably that there remaineth no punishment to bee suffered after death by men dying in the state of grace For they are propositions of Saint Bernard that all the world cannot except against that when all sinne shall bee wholly taken out of the way no effect of it shall remaine that the cause beeing altogether remoued the effect shall bee no more and that all punishment shall hee as farre from the outward man as all fault shall bee from the inward Now that all sinfulnesse is purged out in the very dissolution of soule and body is confirmed as I said by vnaunswerable reasons for seeing the remaines of naturall concupiscence the pronenesse to euill difficultie to doe good and contrarietie betweene the better and meaner faculties of the soule are wholly taken out of the soules of all them that die in the state of grace in the moment of dissolution euen in the iudgement of our aduersaries themselues there being nothing in the fault or staine of sinne but the acte desire purpose which cannot remaine where concupiscence the fountaine thereof is dried vp or the habituall liking and affecting of such things as were formerly desired purposed or done ill which cannot be found in a soule out of which all naturall concupiscence inclining to the desiring of things inordinately is wholly taken away and it selfe turned to the entire desiring of God alone and nothing but in and for him as is euery soule out of which concupiscence inclining to affect finite things inordinately is wholly taken away It is more then euident that all sinnefulnesse is wholly taken out of the soule of each good man in the very moment of his death dissolution and departure hence See then the absurditie of Romish Religion the soule of a good man in the moment of death is wholly freed from all sinnefulnesse there is nothing found in it that displeaseth God charitie and grace making those in whom it is acceptable to GOD is perfect in it and yet it must bee punished to satisfie the iustice of GOD because it was sometimes sinnefull Truely Ieuer thought whereas there are two things in sinne the fault deformity or staine and the punishment that Christ who is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world by the working of his sanctifying grace purgeth out the one and by vertue of his satisfactory sufferings freeth such as he purgeth from the impuritie of sinne from the punishment due vnto it and that in proportionable sort he purgeth out the one and by vertue of his satisfactory sufferings freeth vs from the other So that when sinne is onely so purged out that it is no more predominant there remaineth no condemnation but yet some punishment as in the case of Dauid and when it is wholly taken away there remaineth no punishment at all which whosoeuer contradicteth is iniurious to the sufferings of Christ the Iustice of God who will not require one debt to be twise paid For it is most certain that Christ suffered the punishments not only of those sins that men commit in the time of ignorance 〈◊〉 and the state of Nature before Baptisme and Regeneration but of all sinnes and that the reason why notwithstanding godlesse men are subiect to all kindes of punishments as before is because they doe not become one with CHRIST nor are made partakers of his sanctifying Spirit purging out the sinfulnesse that is in them that they might enjoy the benefite of his satisfaction as likewise the reason why good men such as Daâ—…id turning to God by repentance are still subject to some punishments in this life notwithstanding their vnion with CHRIST is because they are not so fully conjoyned to CHRIST and made partakers of his Spirit as to be purged from all sinne For if they were they should be freed from all punishment by his sufferings he hauing suffered for all them that become one with him all that the Iustice of God requireth This is that heresie of the Papists which I speake of namely that to satisfie Gods Iustice the soules of men dying in the state of grace must suffer punishments answereable to the sinnes they some-times committed though now pure from all sinne This conceipt neuer any of the Auncient had howsoeuer some of them supposed that sinfull men in hell may be eased or deliuered thence and some other as Augustine such as followed him in the Latine Church were doubtfull whether some impuritie might not remaine to be purged out of the soules of men dying in the state of grace by afflictions and chastisements after this life And therefore it is vntrue that M Higgons saith This imputation of heresie cleaueth as fast to the Fathers whom we pretend to honour and reuerence as to
most blessed ones are who are in that possession it is a great question that the holy Angells are there is no question but concerning holy men departed whether they may be said to be now already in that possession it is doubtfull c. Surely it is maruaile if Saint Augustine escape the censure of Master Higgons who pronounceth it folly to doubt of these thinges Sixtus Senensis saith wee must ciuilly interpret Saint Augustine in these his sayings but Bellarmine saith directly hee sometimes doubted of the place where the soules of the iust are after death and that vpon the 36. Psalme he denyeth them to be there where after the iudgement they shall bee This is that Augustine that Master Higgons in his scurrill and ruffian-like phrase saith was not so easily to bee iaded by me as Ambrose Thinking them all Iades as it seemeth and vnfitte for such a horse-man as hee is to ride on that haue beene doubtfull or found to erre in this point if he doe I would desire to know of him what he thinketh of Irenaus who saith that the soules of men dying shall goe into an invisible place appointed for them by God and shall abide there till the resurrection attending and waiting for it and that after receiuing their bodies and perfitly rising againe that is corporally as Christ rose they shall come into the sight of God Of Iustine Martyr who saith no man receiueth the reward of the thinges he did in this life till the resurrection that the soule of the good theefe that was crucified with Christ entered into Paradise and is kept there till the day of resurrection reward that there the soules of good men doe see the humanity of Christ themselues the thinges that are vnder them and besides the Angels and Diuels Of Tertullian who saith Nulli patet coelum terrâ adhuc salvâ ne dixer im clausa that is heauen is open to none while the earth remaineth safe and whole that I say not shut vp and againe thou hast our booke of Paradise wherein wee determine that euery soule is sequestred apud inferos with them that are in the lower dwellings till the day of the Lord. Of Lactantius who will haue no man thinke that soules are iudged presently after death but that they are all detayned and kept in one common custody till the time come when the greatest iudge shall examine their workes Of Victorinus Martyr who vpon those wordes of Iohn in the Reuelation I saw the soules of the slaine vnder the Altar of God obserueth that in the time of the Law there were two Altars one of Gold within another of brasse without that as heauen is vnderstood by that golden Altar that was within to which the Priests entered onely once in the yeare so by the brasen Altar the earth is vnderstood vnder which is Infernus a region remoued from paines and fire and the resting place of the Saints in which the iust are seene and heard of the vngodly yet they cannot passe one to another Of Bernard whose opinion Alphonsus á Castro confesseth to be as I haue said Sixtus Senensis likewise but thinketh that hee is to be excused with a benigne affection because of the exceeding great number of renowned Fathers of the Church which seemed to giue authority to this opinion by their testimony amongst whom he reckoneth Ambrose for one Lastly of Pope Iohn the 22. who was violent in the maintenance of this opinion These premises considered let the Reader iudge whether Master Higgons had any cause to complaine of want of faithfullnesse and exactnesse in me in that I say that many of the Fathers thought there is no iudgment to passe vpon men till the last day that all men are holdē either in some place vnder the earth or else in some other place appointed for that purpose so that they come not into heauen nor receiue the reward of their labours till the generall iudgement and that many made prayers for the dead out of this conceipt such as that is in Iames his Liturgy that God would remember all the faithfull that are falne a sleepe in the sleepe of death since Abel the Iust till this present time For I doe not make this the ground of the generall practise and intention of the Church in her prayers as this shamelesse companion would make men beleeue SECT 5. FRom the foure Doctors of the Church and the supposed wronges offered to them he proceedeth to shew that I calumniate a worthy person to defend the inexcusable folly of our Geneuian Apostle his meaning is that I wrong Bellarmine to iustifie Calvine but what is the wrong done to the Cardinall Doctour Field saith hee accuseth Bellarmine vniustly of trifeling and sencelesse foolery in the question of prayer for the dead Let the reader take the paines to peruse the place cited by Master Higgons out of my booke and he shall finde him to bee a very false vnhonest trifeling fellow in so saying For first I doe not accuse Bellarmine of sencelesse foolery in the matter of prayer for the dead as hee vntruly reporteth against his owne knowledge but in that he seeketh to calumniate Master Caluine worthy of eternall honor in very childish sort about the name of Merit Caluine saith the Fathers were farre from the Popish errour touching merit and that yet they vsed the word whence men haue since taken occasion of errour therefore saith Bellarm hee dissenteth from all antiquity and acknowledgeth the Romane faith to be the auncient faith religion This is Bellarmines form of reasoning against Caluin if he say any thing which whether it be full of senceles foolery or not I wil refer it to the iudgment of any one that hath his sences Yet notwithstanding M. Higgons goeth on maketh a consolatory conclusion that Bell needeth not to be discontented that I haue thus wronged him seeing I haue likewise vniustly accused the Fathers But if hee may be as justly charged with foolery in his manner of reasoning against Calvin as the Fathers are truely reported to haue holden the opinion imputed to them by me as there is no question but he may I thinke this comfortable conclusion will not be very cordiall vnto him Secondly I doe not say that Bellarmine doth trifle in the question of prayer for the dead as he likewise adding one lye to another sayth I doe but in prouing the doctrine of the Romane Church that now is to be the same with that which was of olde And therefore silly Master Higgons knoweth not what he writeth But that Bellarmine doth indeede whatsoeuer this trifler sayth to the contrary egregiously trifle I will demonstrate to the Reader in such sort that neither Higgons nor any of his new masters shall be able to avoyde it Thus therefore the case standeth Bellarmine in his discourse of the notes of the Church not in the particular question
of prayer for the dead vndertaketh to proue the conspiring of the present Romane Church with the true Catholique Church that was of olde this he saith may be proued by producing the sayings and sentences of the Fathers touching euery particular controversie now on foote but because this would be a tedious course he saith there is another shorter and certainer way by demonstrating out of the confession of Protestant Writers first that the points now defended by Papists are the doctrines of all the Auncient secondly that the doctrine of the Protestants was condemned by the Auncient Church Touching the first hee goeth about to proue that Protestants confesse the points of Popish doctrine to bee the doctrine of the Auncient because Caluine in his Institutions when hee oppugneth the assertions of Papists confesseth that in so doing he opposeth himselfe against all Antiquity Amongst other particulars he giueth instance of prayer for the dead So that the thing which the Cardinall is to proue is this that Caluine impugning the Popish manner of prayer for the dead to deliuer men out of Purgatory confesseth himselfe in so doing to be opposite to all Antiquity and consequently that all Antiquity beleeued Purgatory and admitted a necessity of praying for the deliuerance of men out of it This he doth not but is forced to confesse that Caluine affirmeth that the doctrine of Purgatory and prayer to deliuer men thence was vnknowne to all Antiquity whence it followeth vnavoydably that the Cardinall doth nothing but trifle for if to talke idlely and not to conclude the thing intended be to trifle he is found to do so most grossely Neither doth it helpe the matter that Caluine confesseth that many of the Fathers were led into errour in the matter of prayer for the dead as namely such as thought they might suspend mitigate or wholly take away the paines or punishments of men in hell for these errors the Romanists condemne dislike as much as wee but saith Master Higgons Master Caluine confesseth the action of praying for the dead was performed by the Auncient howsoeuer he litigate about the intention It is true he doth so but his confession maketh neither hot nor cold to any thing now in controuersie and question betweene Vs and the Papists Whereforeto silence this pratler that multiplyeth vaine wordes without all sense or reason first wee say that neither Calvine or any of vs did euer simply condemne all prayer for the dead for wee all pray for the resurrection publike acquitall in the day of CHRIST and perfit consummation of them that are dead in the LORD and therefore the generall practise and intention of the Ancient in praying for the dead is not condemned by vs. Secondly we say that some of the Auncient prayed for the dead in such sort as neither wee nor the Romanists dare allow as for the suspension mitigation or releasing of the paines of such as are in hell and so were carryed into errour as Calvine rightly noteth Thirdly we say that neuer any man amongst the Auncients knew any thing of Purgatory or the Popish manner of praying to deliuer men thence So that I trifle not in accusing Bellarmine and defending Calvine as hee is pleased to tell mee I doe in the front and title of his next ensuing Chapter but he talketh idlely as his manner is §. 6. HIs next challenge is that I make an vntrue construction of the Heresie of Aerius condemning the commendations of the dead vsed in the Church at that time For the clearing whereof wee must make a difference betweene the generall practise and intention of the Church and the priuate opinion and conceipt of some particular men in the Church The generall practice of the Church was first to name the names of the dead and to keepe a commemoration of them to signifie expresse the assurance that resteth in the liuing that they are not extinct but that they are and liue with God that their spirits and soules are immortall and that their bodies shall rise againe Secondly to offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist that is of praise and thanksgiuing for them to desire of God the destroying of the last enemy which is death the raising of them vp againe in the last day the publique remission of their sins in the iudgement of that great day and their perfit consummation and blisse which Aerius could not condemne without iust note of hereticall temerity and rashnesse and all these things are excellently deliuered by Epiphanius and rightly iustified by him as right and good Some there were that extended these prayers farther supposing that men dying in the state of sinne may be relieued by the piety and deuotion of the liuing whose erroneous conceipt Aerius hauing an eye vnto rather then to the generall practise and intention of the Church inferred that if it bee soe men may doe what euils they will and be freed from the punishments of them by the meanes of such friends as they think good to procure assure to thē in the end to make prayers for them after they are gone To which obiection Epiphanius answereth that though the prayers of the liuing cutte not off the whole punishment of sinne yet some mercie is obtained for sinners by them at the least for some mitigation or suspension of their punishments of which opinion as I haue shewed before many other were as well as Epiphanius and Saint Augustine seemeth not much to dislike it saying if the mercifull men of his time would haue contented themselues with an opinion of the onely mitigation or suspension of the punishment of the damned he would not haue striued much with them about the matter so that if Aerius his reprehension had reached onely to this erroneous conceipt hee had neuer beene condemned for his censure but in that vppon the consideration of the error of some particular men hee presumed to condemne a generall custome that was lawfull and good hee was iustly condemned himselfe as rash and inconsiderate which things considered the contradiction which this simple fellow would faine force vppon vs is easilie auoided for his reprehension of the particular erroneous conceipt and sinister intention of some men misvnderstanding the Churches prayers is rightly iustified by Doctor Humphrey and the rest named by him and his reprehension of the generall practise and intention of the Church is rightly condemned by mee and others and the Church of that time defended against his rash and inconsiderate censure Neither let this foolish Fugitiue thinke that he can blow vp all with the breath of his mouth and put away this distinction by the sound of his bare word and by only saying I vainely excuse the folly of Protestants which sheweth it selfe in the diuersity of their censures touching the heresie of Aerius nor by sporting himselfe with the soueraigne plaister applied by me for it will be found to haue vertue to heale a greater wound then he can cause §. 7. BVt