must neades be confessed euen of the contrary teachers whiche thinges together conteine more probability for the proufe of oure purpose then they can for any other sense finde But nowe touchinge the texte nearer and finding that this woorke of mannes amending shall be wrought in the next liefe then it must nedes so induce this sense that no meaning may well be admitted whiche euidently setteth not forth the truthe of Purgatory And that this worke is not properly taken for any suche trouble or vexation that may fall to man in this liefe but for a very torment praepared for the next worlde firste the quality of the iudgement and meanes in the execution of that sentence of God whiche is named to be doone by fiere seemeth rather to import that then any other vexation the poonishement of the worlde folowing allwaies lightely so termed Then man is in this purging only asufferer which belongeth namely to the nexte worlde But especially that this sentence shall be executed in the day of our Lorde which properly signifieth ether the day of our death or the sentence of God whiche streghte foloweth vpon death or the laste and generall iudgement All the tyme off mans liefe wherein he foloweth his freedom is called Dies Hominis the daie of man bicause as man in this liefe for the most parte serueth his owne will so he often neglecteth Goddes but at his deathe there beginneth Dies Domini Where God executeth his ordinaunce and will vpon man This triall then of mannes misdeedes and impure workes must ether be at his deathe or after his departure by one of the two iudgementes But if we note diligently the circumstances of the saide letter it shall appeare vnto vs that this purgatiō was not ment to be onely at mannes death both bicause it shall be done by fyre whiche as is saide commonly noteth the torment of the next liefe and then S. Paule expressely warneth vs to take hede what we builde in respect of the difference that may fall to suche as builde fine workes and other that erecte vppon the foundation impure or mixte mater of corruption but the paines of deathe being common to the best as well as to the worst or indifferent and no lesse greuous in it sellfe to one then the other can not be imported by the fire whiche shall bring losse to th one sort and not paine thother Besides all this that day which the prophet speaketh of shall be notorious in the sight of the worlde and very terrible to many And S. Paule plainely affirmeth that in this iudgement there shall be made an open shewe of suche woorkes as were hidde before from man and not discerned by the iudgement of this world whiche the priuate deathe of one manne can not doo And lightely thapostle warning man of the sentence of God in the next lyefe 2. Cor. 5. admonisheth him that oure dedes must be laide open before the iudgemēt seate of God so here Dies domini declarabit quia in igne reuelabitur the day of oure lord will open the matter bicause it shall be shewde in fyre Last of all the Prophet nameth the tyme off this sharpe tryal Diem aduentus domini whiche is a proper calling of one of the iudgements ether that whiche shall be generall at the last day or elles that whiche euery manne must first abyde streghte after his departure when he shall be called to the peculiare reckoning for his owne actes In ether of whiche iudgements Magis l. 4 dist 47. this purging and amending fire shall be fownde For as in that generall wast of the whole world by the fyre of conflagration 2. Petri. Cap. 3. whiche is called ignis praecedeus faciem iudicis because it awaiteth to fulfill Christes ordinance in the day of his second comming as in that fier the whole man both body and soule may suffer losse and extreme payne for his poonishment or purgation and yet by that same fyre be saued euen so oute of doubt at this particulare iudgement streght vpon euery mannes death the soule of the departed if it be not before free must suffer paines and Purgation by the like vehement torment woorking onely vpon the soule as the other shall doo on the whole man And the prophets wordes now alleaged do meane principally of the purgation that shall be made of the faithfuls corrupted woorkes by the fiere of conflagration in the seconde comming of Christe thoughe his wordes well proue the other also as S. Paule too meaneth by theyme bothe That there is a particulare iudgement and priuate accompte to be made at euery mannes departure off his seuerall actes and dedes vvith certaine of the fathers mindes touching the textes of scripture alleaged before Cap. 7. ANd though such as shal liue at the comming of the iudge in the later daye shall then be purged of they re corruption and base workes of infirmity by the fyre that shall abetter and alter the impure nature of these corruptible elements or otherwise according to goddes ordinaunce yet the common sort of all men whiche in the meane tyme depart this worlde must not tary for theire purgation till that general amending of all natures no more then the very good in whome after theire baptisme no filthe of sinne is fownde or if any were was wiped a way by poenaunce muste awayte for they re saluation or the wicked tary for they re iuste iudgement to damnation The particulare iudgemēt But streght this sentence ether off iudgement or mercy must be pronounced and therfore it is called the particulare iudgement by whiche the soule onely shall receyue well the or woe as at the day of the greate accompt bothe body and soule must doo Of this seuerall triall the holy Apostle S. Paule saith Ad haebr 9 statutum est omnibus hominibus semel mori post hoc iudicium It is determined that euery man once must dye and after that commeth iudgement And a nother scripture more expressely thus Eccles 11. Facile est coram domino reddere vnicuique in die obitus sui secundum vias suas It is an easy matter before oure lorde that euery man at the day of his death shulde be rewarded according to his lyefe and ways Agayne in the same place Memor isto iudicij mei sic enim erit tuum mihi heri tibi hodie Haue in remembraunce my iudgement for such shal thy nowne be yester day was myne to day may be thyne And therfore S. Ambrose saith that with oute delay the good poore man was caryed to rest and the wicked riche owte of hand suffered torments That euery man saith he may feele before the day of iudgement Super 5. ad Roman what he muste then looke for And in another place the same holy man writeth that Iohn the beloued of Iesus is allredy gone to the paradise of euerlasting blesse In psa 118 ser 20. passing as fewe shall doo the fiery
text Whether he meaneth saith this father by finall impaenitence or by any mortall sinne coÌ„tynued vnto deathe it is sure and plaine a man must not pray for him that diethe in it Then yf we be admonished not to pray for one sorte of departed the case is cleare that we may and are bownd and shall be hearde for the other sorte that sinneth not vnto death To this place also S. Augustine disputing in his booke de ciuitate dei that praiers proffiteth not all meÌ„ departed alludeth Lib. 21. Cap. 24. or rather leanethe vnto â—t as a sure grounde against the Orginistes that would haue goddes mercy by mannes praiers obteined for the wicked soules deceased after this sort Si â—ui autem vsque ad mortem habebunt cor imâ—anitens nec ex inimicis conuertuntur in filios numquid iam pro eis id est pro talium lefunctoruÌ„ spiritibus orat ecclesia cur ita niâ—i quia iam in parte diaboli computantur qui lum essent in corpore non sunt translati in Christum Yf there be any that till death conntinue in stubburne impaenitency of hearte and of enimies to goddes Churche will not be made children doethe the Churche make intercession for suche that is to say for the soules of theime being departed in that state and why praieth she not for theyme but bicause they be nowe reckoned for the deuilles lote being deade that would not moue to Christes part when they were in theire bodies And this is the cause that for suche as in desperation destroy theyme selues by any kind of wilful or violent death or in the stubborne mayntenance of haeresye offer theime selues to be extirpate as well owte of the society of mannes lyfe as oute of the communion of the Christiane company our holy moother the Church who by her practise is the best construer off goddes worde neuer vseth any meanes for theire quiet rest Bracarens Cap. 34. Wheron there is a holy decrie of councell in this sense â–ª qui sibi ipsis quolihet modo culpabili inferuâ— mortem nulla pro illis fiat commemoratio neque cum psalmis sepeliantur All those that by any vnlawful way procure their own deathe Vide Timoth Alexand. respons 14 let no commemoration be had of theime nor be broght home with psalmes The which hath bene both diligently obserued euer emongest ChristiaÌ„s and for terrour of the wicked often by holy canons renewed Wherof there is no other cause but this that such persons being at th end cutt of the common bodie can receyue no vtility of that where vnto they are not nor now can not be ioyned And as in that case where goddes church hathe plaine presumption of any persons euerlasting perishing ether by coÌ„tinuance in infidelytie owte of her happy family or by haeresie and separation of him selfe till the last ende leaping owte of her holy lappe where he once was before or being and continuing with sum open euidence therof an vnprofitable membre and a deade branche as I saye in any plaine proufe of these thinges the Churche neuer practiseth for his rest bicause she nether hathe hope of getting any grace nor meanes to conuey any benefite vnto suche as be not in the lymmes of lyefe so if our sayde careful moother doo bestow of her customable kyndnesse al her godly meanes vpon those whome she knowethe not otherwise but in finall piety and paenitence to haue passed this lyefe and yett in deede before god to whome onely all secrets of mannes hearte be perfectly open dyed as abiectes and owtecastes in sinne and impaenitencye she can not for all that any whit helpe they re aestate so miserable nor appeace Goddes wrathe towardes theyme being nowe owte of the tyme of deseruing oute of the churchies lappe effectually and finally separated from the chosen people and oute of the coÌ„pase of grace and mercye Muche lesse any priuate maÌ„nes prayer caÌ„ be any thing at al beneficial to his frend or other that dyed not in Goddes fauoure whose payne can nether be finished nor by any of these ordynary meanes one moment released or lessened Yet euery good faythfull person must imitate the diligence of Goddes churche herein that ceaseth not bothe to offer and pray for all sortes wythe in her lymittes that be heÌ„se in any likelyhood of repeÌ„tance departed who hadde rather they shulde abuÌ„de to the needelesse theÌ„ at any tyme lacke for the reliefe of suche that might wante theyme Therfore let no man withdrawe his almose charity or praiers from any of the houshoulde of faithe vpon any light praesumption yea or strong coniecture of any mannes finall continuance in sin or wickednes vpon whom in the laste spirite of breathe as God may haue mercy so mannes praiers then shall be bothe needefull and exceding beneficiall vnto him Only with conscience thow may and must cease with Goddes Churche to practise the waies of mercy vpon such as be not baptised or otherwise after theire baptisme haue by leauing this holy communion of the faithefull iudged theim selues vnworthy and made they re case vnapte by continuaunce therin to receiue any benefite ether of the Churche which of theire owne accorde they haue forsaken or of any membre thereof whervnto by faithe and loue they are not ioyned And so al haeretikes shal be voyde of this mercy and grace after theire death which did in their lyfe so ernestly abhorre the same Vpon all other where any hope may be hadd if thowe pray or procure the meanes of mercy it shal at least be to thy selfe a singulare helpe and gayne thoughe the partye for whome thowe doost it ether neede it not being allready receiued into blesse Homil. 21. in Cap. 9. Actuum or elles in perpetuall damnation of helle be helples for euer Si praeces pro mortuis facimus saith S. Chrisostom si eleemosinas damus et si ille indignus sit nobis Deus placatior erit If we pray for the deade and bestowe allmose for their sakes if he be fownd vnworthy yet God wil the rather be mercyfull to our selues And sure it is that who so euer be fownde so gracious as with much compassioÌ„ of the deceaseds misery to procure with study and care Goddes merciful pardon towardes theyme that such a one especially shall find grace and fauour at the time of neede and be meruailous apte to receaiue bene fite by others procurement ageine VVho be most apte to receiue benefite by the praiers of the lyuing For as it is certaine that no man can receiue benefite after his departure by any worke or will of the liuing sauing suche as in theire lyfe deserued the same so must it needes be that where these remedyes be needefull and profitable that yet more or lesse they shal worke vpon the party for his relyefe according to the more or lesse deuotion and deseruing in this lyfe Therfore this truth of mutuall participation of the deade withe the lyue geueth no man
pounishement to be suffered and som temporall payne remanent to be discharged in this world Melanch after remission of sinne but for the next after this liefe so ferde they be of purgatory they will haue none at all Thother secte maisters fearing what might folowe on that graunt in no case will confesse that there is any payne due for sinne in this worlde or the next after the fault be once remitted For Caluine capitayne of this later bande sawe well Caluinus that if any debt or recompense remayne to be discharged by the offender after his reconcilement it muste neades ryse by proportion weght continuance numbre and quaÌ„tity of the faultes committed before Whereby it must of necessity be induced that bicause euery man can not haue time ether for the hougenesse of his sinnes past or his late repentaunce or his carelesse nagligence to repay all in his liefe that there is all or som parte answherable in the nexte worlde to coom And therfore bouldely and impudently as in case of this necessity he aduentureth to deny withe shame that any of all these paynefull miseries be as pounishements for the sinnes of the sufferers but certeyne fatherly checkes exercises of patience and vertue rather then afflictions enioyned for sinnes Whiche vaine shifte hathe no bearing by reason or text of scripture but onely is vphoulden by the exercised audacity of the author S. Paul in plaine wordes writethe Corpus mortuum est propter peccatum Ad Ro. 6 Vide August super illud psal 50. in peccatis concepit me mater mea stipendium peccati mors est The body is deade because of sinne And deathe is the rewarde of sinne And so of Dauid bicause thowe haste slayne Vrias Non recedet gladius de domo tua saith the scripture the swhorde shall not depart thy howse And ageyne bicause thowe hast made the enemies blaspheme my name thy childe shall dye And of the people of Israell Visitabo hoc peccatum eorum I will viset this sinne of theyres also Yet in this lighte of scripture where as the pounishement is named so it is expressely mentioned that sinne is the proper cause thereof the aduersary seekethe a blinde mieste to dase the simplicyty of the reader and to mainteyne errour It helpethe oure cause exceding muche that the very shewe of an argument dryues theyme to suche vnseemely shiftes S. Augustines wordes shal for me sufficiently refute this errour Veritatem dilexisti impunita peccata eorum etiam quibus ignoscis non reliquisti In psa 50 He speakethe to god in the Prophets person Thowe loues righteousnes and hast not lafte vnpounished no not the sinnes of theyme whome thow louest Notwithstanding this is verye true that all these afflictions thoughe they come of sinne and for the rewarde of maÌ„nes offensies yet God of mercy turnethe theyme to the exercise of vertue August lib 2. de pecca to mer. cap 33. and benefit of suche as shall be sayued But it is one thing to dispute of what cause they come and an other to reason of the wisedom of God in the vse of the same Who as the sayde Augustine witnesseth is so mighty in his prouident gouernaunce that he is able to tourne euen the very sinnes theyme selues to the benefite of suche as by grace and mercy shall be raysed vppe to saluation And muche more is he ready to frame the pounishement whiche he him selfe of iustice workethe for correction of sinners to the saluation of the electe But nowe the other sorte which be more curteise The confutation of the second opinion and confesse that in this worlde the iust may suffer of reason for his sinnes already remitted but not in the nexte liefe as theire doctrine is very vntrue so it geueth greate license and liberty to euil lyuers and is the very moother of praesumption For if man weare sâ—ere to be discharged at his departure hense of all payne for his sinnes then certes weare it madnesse to trauell in this life forther for his offensyes then he must of necessitye Yea more it makethe the case of greuous sinners tyll the houre of they re deathe so that they then at last repent much better then of smaulle offenders conuerted longe before For these must be pounished in they re liefe thother can not be pounished as these suppose after they re deathe What a vayne absurdity is this that the prophet offending once or twise in all his tyme shoulde suffer so heuy iudgement and the party whiche abidethe in wickednesse tyll th ende of his liefe when sin rather leaueth him then he sinne must bicause of his late conuersion withe out payne be caried at ease to heauen This is not doubtlesse semely to Goddes iustice and ordinauÌ„ce whose waies be truethe and vprightnesse Homil. 11. in Leuit. Est apud iudicem iustum poenae moderatio non solum pro qualitate sed etiam pro quantitate To a iust iudge there must be consideratioÌ„ had of pounishement bothe for the quality and quantity so saith Origen And the holy scripture thus Quantum glorificauit se in delitijs fuit tantum date illi tormentum luctum Looke hou highe she exalted her sellfe and hou delicately she lieued and geue her so muche wo and torment ageyne Cap. 16. It is spoken as of Babylon in the reuelations of S. Iohn And bicause this toucheth our matter and the very point thereof I will stand withe the aduersary the longer Here then I aske him why God takethe pounishement in this worlde for sinne allready remitted His answher must nedes be for the reuenge and hatered of sinne and satisfiyng of iustice Now theÌ„ doth god practise iudgment and iustice no wher but in this world Or if it be not here answhered bicause of lacke of space or late recoÌ„ciliation of the offender shall oure lorde of necessity be forced to remitte the debt and release his sentence of iustice for lacke of meanes to pounishe in an other worlde No no Goddes haÌ„de is not abbridged by the terms of this liefe Late repentaunce can be a benefite to no man God forbed it shoulde Especially seing poonishement and iudgement for sin as many learned doo suppose and as reason withe scripture bearethe properly apperteineth not to this worlde but by a speciall grace and singulare benefite whiche God of peety graunteth to suche as he louethe that they may here praeuent his angre whiche elles in the nexte lyefe shoulde be found more greuous wher properly is the reward of sinne and iudgement kept ordinarily for the same As it is plaine mercy and grace when man may take pounishment of him selfe as S. Paule saithe and be his owne correctour 1. Cor. 11. to auoyde the iudgement of God And therof the nexte liefe is termed commonly dies domini where there is no place for oure woorking but sufferance alone where the accompt of mannes lyefe must be straitly required and the sinnes
here in the worlde benethe which is a straunge case hath force and effect in heaueÌ„ aboue The poure of all potentates vnder the maiesty of the blessed Trinity in heauen and earthe is extreme basenesse compared to this By this graue authority therfore the pastors and priestes imitating goddes iustice haue exercised continually poonishement froÌ„ the springe of Christian religion downe till these daies vppon al sinners perpetually enioyning for satisfiyng of goddes wrathe poenaunce and woorkes of correction ether before they would absolue theime as the oulde vsage was or elles after the release of theire offensies wiche now of late for graue causes hath bene more vfed In whiche sentence of theire iudgment we plainely see that as there was euer accompt made emongest all the faithfull of paine due vnto sinne thoughe the very offense it selfe and the giltinesse as yow woulde saye thereof were forgiuen before so we maye gather that it was euer enioyned by the priestes holy ministery after the quality and quantity of the faulte committed Whereupon they charged som meaner offenders with certaine praiers onely other with large allmose diuerse with longe fasting many withe perilous peregrinations sum with suspending froÌ„ the sacramentes and very greuous offenders with curse and excommunication Wherby thou maiste not onely proue that there is paine to be suffred for thy sinnes Excommunication hath the image of goddes iustice in the vvorld to coom but allso haue a very image of that misery whiche in the next lyefe may faule not only to the damned for euer but allso to all other whiche neglected in this tyme of grace the fructes of poenaunce and woorkes of satisfaction for thanswer of they re lieues past This greate correction of excommunication and separation from the sacramentes Virgam S. Paule termeth the rodde wherwith he often threatened offenders 1. ad Timo. yea and somtymes thoughe it was with greate sorowe the pounishment was so extreame he mightely in Goddes steade occupied the same Cap. 2. 1. Cor. 5. As once ageinst Himemeus and Alexander and another tyme towardes a Corinthian vpon whome being absent he gaue sentence of theire delyuery vppe to Satan not to be vexed off him as Iob was for thencrease of merite In 1. ad Cor. ca. 5. saithe Chrisostom but in theire flesshe meruelously to be tormented for paiment for theire greuous offensyes and as the Apostle writeth of the Corinthian that his soule might be false in the day of oure lorde This poonishment was euer by cutting of from the Christiane society and often ioyned with torment of body or sicknesse And sumtymes withe deathe Act. 5. Note As in thexcommunication off Ananias and Zaphiras Whiche Christes vicar S. Petre to the greate terrour euen of the faithfull grauely pronounced on theyme for retayning backe certayne Churche gooddes whiche by promesse they had before dedicated vnto god and thapastles distribution August de Carrep gra ca. 5. This kinde of poonishment of sinners was euer counted so terrible that we fiend it caulled of the oulde fathers damnation Ita Gregâ— Nis orat de Castigatione as one that most resembles the paynes of the worlde to coom off all other And iff man coulde see withe corporall eyes the misery of the party so condemned in Goddes church his hearte would brast and it would moue terroure of forther damnation euen to the stubborne contemners off the Churches authoritye The which censure of goddes priestes thoughe it was sumtymes to the euerlasting woe off suche offenders as neglected the benefite of that present payne yet commonly it was but chastisement and louing correction of oure deare moother for theire deliuery from greater greefe in the lyefe to coom And for this cause as thexample off all agies past may sufficiently proue Aug. Euch cap. 65. were certeyne tymes and ordinary termes of poenaunce apoynted for iuste satisfaction for euery offense and by the holy Canons so limited that no sinne weetingly might be reserued to Goddes â—euy reuenge in the end of oure short dayes It were to longe to reporte the rueles and prescription of poenaunce out of Nice Councell or Ancyre â—icen c â–ª 12. Ancyre 5 or out of S. Cyprian for theire pounishment that fell to Idolatry in the tyme of Decius and Diocletianus or out of Ambrose the notable excommunication of Theodosius themperour By al whiche and the lyke in the historys of the ecclesiasticall affaires he that can not see what payne is due vnto sinne euen after the remission therof I houlde him bothe ignorant and malitious blinde And if any man yet doubt why or to what ende the Church of Christ thus greuously tormenteth her oune children by so many meanes of heuy correction whome she might by good authoritye freely release of theire sinnes let him assuredly know that she coulde not so satisfye goddes iustice alwayes by whome she houldeth hâ— authoritye to edifye and not to destroie to byind as well as to lowse Althoughe suche dolour for offensyes committed and so ernest zele may she sum tymes finde in thoffender that her chiefe and principall pastors may by theire soueraigne authoritye wholy discharge him of all paines to coom But elles in the common case of Christian men this poenaunce is for no other cause enioyned Ibidem but to saue theime from the more greuous torment in the worlde folowing In the whiche sense S. Augustine bothe speake the him self and proueth his meaning by thapostles wordes as foloweth Propterea de quibusdam temporalibus poenis 1. Cor. 11. quae in hac vita peccantibus irrogantur eis quorum peccata delentur ne reseruentur in finem ait Apostolus si enim nosmetipsos iudicaremus a domino non iudicaremur Cum iudicamur autem a domino corripimur ne cuÌ„ hoc mundo damnemur Therfore saithe he it is of certaine temporall afflictions whiche be laide vpon theire neckes that being sinners haue theire trespasses pardoned lest they be called to an accompt for theime at the latter ende that the Apostle meaneth by when he saith Iff we would iudge oure selues we shulde not then be iudged of oure lorde And when we be iudged of oure lorde then are we chastened that we be not damned with the worlde This onely carefull kyndnesse of oure moother therfore that neuer remitted sinne that was notorious in any age but after sharpe poonishment or ernest charge withe sum proportionall poenaunce for the same doothe not onely geue vs a louing warning to be ware and preuent that heuy correction of the world to coom whiche S. Paule callethe the iudgement of God because it is a sentence of iustice but allso in her owne practise here in earth of mercy in pardoning of iustice in poonishement she geueth vs a very cleare example off bothe the same to be vndoubtedly loked for at thandes of God him selfe by whome in the kingdom of the church these bothe in his behallfe be proffitably practised â–ª for iff there
with owt doubte ther is none at al. Yff S. Augustine had but saide belike there is no suche meane place in the lyefe folowing mary sir then they might haue picked more matter of their infidelity and yet of that speach determining no certeinty there had bene no greate cause why they shulde haue forsaken the iudgement of Goddes Churche But nowe he so doubteth that he fyndeth more cause to thinke there should be one then that any man might gether vpō his wordes that ther should be none at all No nor he neuer went so farre good reader as to make any doubte of Purgatory paynes for poonishment of sinnes committed in the worlde For in all the same bokes where he hathe the lyke saing and allmost in the very same places he houldeth as a matter of faithe and to be beleued of all Christen men that the prayers of the lieuing doo release som of theire paines in the next liefe And he constantly as all other Catholikes euer did confesseth that the sinnes or vncleane workes of the liuing not duely by paenaūce wyped away in this worlde must be mended after oure deathe all thoughe it be very doubtefull in dede whether there be any worldly affections lefte in mannes mynde vntaken vppe by death and resolution of the body and the soule the care and remembrance wherof might be afterward by sorowe bothe purged and poonished And this to be his meaning and that he termeth here purgatory the griefe whiche a man hathe in losing that whiche he loued in this mortall liefe his owne wordes testifye in euery off those workes in whiche he kepeth this combate with Origenistes Lib. 21. de Ciuit. 26. In one place thus Quod sine illicienti amore non habuit sine dolore vrente non perdet ex earum rerum amissione tantum necesse est vt vrat dolor quantum haeserat amor That which by tiklinge loue was kepte can not be loste with oute burning grefe And looke howe fast the loue of suche thinges did cleaue to mannes mind so farre must sorow burne Ca◠So in the like talke with the saide Origenistes in his booke de fide operibus he foloweth the same signification of Purgatory Haec igitur saith he qnoniam affectu dilecta carnali non sine dolore amittuntur qui sic ea habent in eorum amissione passi detrimentum per ignem quendam doloris perueniunt ad salutem these thinges being by carnall affection loued be not lightly lost with oute grefe and therfore those that thus be affectionate fele losse in parting from theime and so coom to saluation throughe the fyer of sorowe ▪ suche a sadnesse the yonge man that demaunded of our maister the waie to heauen conceiued streght Matth. 19. when motion was onely made of distributiō of his gooddes Who being otherwise in the state of saluation and to be borne with all bicause he was a iuste man and lacked not the foundation of his faith yet the very losse or leauing of his gooddes was vnto him if he cōtinued in that affection a wonderful greate torment and as S. Augustin here calleth it a kind of purgatory the which perfect mē that aesteme al the trasshe of this worlde as durte and donge to winne Christe feele not at all whome the doctoure supposethe therfore to take no damage in the losse of thinges whiche they so litle loued Nowe in euery place where this exposition is founde as I think it is neuer in al his workes lightly but in conferēce with the Origenistes he alwaies addeth that the like fire of sorow may also correct the affectiōs euē of the departed but yet whether it be so or no he coūteth it a quaestiō of probable disputation rather thē any matter of faith ▪ as it is in dede very doubtful whether any such vnordinate affectiō may remaine vntakē vppe after mannes departure which by grefe and sorowe in the other worlde may be in time wholy consumed And further he neuer doubted For in that famous worke of the City of God withe in two chapters of that doubte made of this kind of purgation whiche we now haue declared Cap. 24. li. 21. he vttereth his faithe withe Goddes Churche off that greate torment and iust poonishement of sinfull liefe not sufficiently purged by poenaunce in oure time whiche he calleth the Amending fire and thus he saithe there Tales etiam constat ante iudicij diem per paenas temporales quas eorum spiritus patiuntur purgatos receptis corporibus aeterni ignis supplicijs non tradendos cae It is certeine saithe he Constat whiche is no worde of doubtefullnesse that suche men being purged by the temporall paines whiche theire soules do suffer before the day of iudgement shall not after they haue receiued theire bodies ageine be committed to the torment of the euerlasting fire This he vttereth in the same place where he doubteth of the other kinde of purgation Vide quaest 8. ad Dulcitium as he cōfessethe him selfe to be vncertein of the whole exposition refusing none at all that were agreable to faithe and woulde not helpe the falshood whiche he then refuted In his Enchir where he disputeth ageinste the same erroure Cap. 110. he so little doubteth that he calleth Purgatory damnation thoughe not perpetuall as that whiche might be bothe eased and vtterly remoued by the sacrifice and suffragies of the Churche And thus did that graue author withstand Origen then whose folowers wer as it may be thought very busy and trooblesom in those daies and long after But yet his sure staffe ageinst that erroure was this and the most common defense of all Catholikes that the temporall paines in the next world coulde neuer deliuer the great and greuous sinners that died with oute repentaunce or remission of theire sinnes from euerlasting death bicause that torment was praepared for the smaule offenseis whiche we call venial sinnes by whiche the holy Apostle ment vnder the names of the base substances off woodde hay and straw Ser. 4. de sanctis as these wordes of muche importaunce may wel declare There be diuerse saithe he that misconstruing these wordes of S. Paule before aleaged by ouer vaine security and confidence deceiue theime selues beleuing that if they do build capitall and greuous crimes vppon the fundation whiche is Christ they shall be pourged throughe fire and theyme selues afterward escape to euerlasting liefe but this vnderstanding good brethern must be corrected For those that so flatter theime selues shamefully do begile theime selues For that fiere whiche the Apostle speaketh of in these wordes He shall be saued through fier pougeth not mortal sinnes but smauler offensies onely To this purpose S. Hieroms wordes or the reuerēt Bedes whether you will for ether of theire graue authorities shall serue my turne doo wholy agree in the exposition of this sentence Mortuo homine impio non erit vltra spes In Cap. 11.
oute the whole worke oure matter Yf oure aduersaries would with desire to lerne as thei commonly do to reprehend reade but his discourse onely they might quickly see theire owne foly and amend theire misbeliefe They call him the last good pope as he was in dede a blessed man and by his authority the perfect conuersion of oure nation to Christes faithe was wrought I woulde his holy woorks deserued but as muche credet nowe with certaine forsakers as his legates then did wyth all the vnfaithfull people of our coontrye But to go forwarde in our matter we shall finde in S. Bernarde the same wordes of our sauiour alleaged for oure purpose thus Ser. 66. in canti Non credunt ignem Purgatorium restare post mortem sed statim animam solutam a corpore vel ad requiem transire vel ad damnationem quaerāt ergo ab eo qui dixit quoddam peccatum esse quod neque in hoc saeculo neque in futuro remittetur cur hoc dixerit si nulla manet in futuro remissio purgatioue peccati They beleue not saithe he by sum haeretiques of his owne time that there is any purgatory paines remaining after deathe but they suppose that the soule streght vpon departure hense goeth ether to rest or damnation let suche felowes aske therfore of him that saide a certain greuous crime coulde nether be forgeuen in this worlde nor in the worlde to coom why he so saide iff there wer no remission nor purgation of sinnes in the liefe following thus said Bernard opening his graue iudgement both vppon the text and our matter whose authority if any aesteme lesse bicause off his late writing let him know that the aduersaries haue none for theire side so auncient by CCC yeare except they name the heretike Aerius or suche like whose antiquity maketh not so muche for them as his auncient cōdemnation for haeresy in this pointe maketh ageinste theime But that in the mouth of two or thre witnesses all truethe may appeare and contrary faulshood vanishe away S. Augustine him selfe gathered by this place nowe alleaged euen then when he had no occasion geuen him by the wranglyng of any misbeleuer to wreast any scripture other wise thē the very wordes imported the trueth of remission of certaine faultes in the nexte lyfe in these wordes Ca. 24. li. 21. de ciuit Facta resurrectione mortuorum non deerunt quibus post paenas quas patiuntur spiritus mortuorum impertiatur misericordia vt in ignem non mittantur aeternum neque enim de quibusdam veraciter diceretur quod nō eis remittetur neque in hoc saeculo neque in futuro nisi essent quibus etsi non in isto tamen remittetur in futuro There shall be certaine at the time off resurrection allso who shall obteine mercy after they haue suffered suche paynes as deade mennes gostes doo abyde that they be not caste in to the euerlasting fyer for elles it coulde not in any true sense be spoken that certaine shoulde nether haue pardon in this worlde nor in the worlde to com except ther were summe that speeding not of pardon in this lyfe might yett haue remission in the next so saith he Being I warraunt yowe so sadde witted and so farre from phantasies that he woulde not grounde any assured doctrine vpon euery light occasion offered or motion made had not the very wordes and forme of phrase approued it and Goddes Churche liked it Hauing then these graue fathers with others Beda in 3. Cap. Marci for oure warraunt in the exposition of this place we doo take it for a sure grownde that the payine off purgatiō in the next worlde may be remitted that is to saie ether made lesse or elles wholy released before the due execution of Goddes sentence be extreamly doone Som tymes Goddes iustice is an svvered fully by the paine of the party For it is not ment that the freedom which man may haue after ful answer and payment of his sinnes in that place of poonishement temporal shoulde be properly termed a remission or pardon For that is aunswerable to Goddes iustice and althoughe there were no praiers or other waies of helpe yet the patient by toleration in time might vnder the protection off Christes merites make ful satisfaction and so be discharged who being a vessel of mercy can not be damned But when we say that sinnes may be forgeuen in the next world Goddes Church whiche is the moother of all beleuers teacheth vs that sum parte as well off the rigour end extremity of the paine as of the time and continuance therof thoughe God him selfe hath appointed that poonishment may yet be mercyfull released That the faithfull soules in Purgatory being novve past the state of deseruing and not in case to help theime selues may yet receiue benefite by the vvoorkes of the lyuing to vvhome they be perfectly knitte as felovve membres of one body Cap. 2. BVt nowe what meanes may be fownde to ease oure brethern departed of theire paine or what wayes can be acceptable in the sight of God to procure mercy and grace where the sufferers theyme selues being owt of the state of deseruing and place of welworkyng can not helpe theyme selues nor by any motion of mynde atteyne more mercy then they re liefe past did deserue Where shal we then finde ease for theyme suerly no where elles but in the vnity and knotte of that holy felowship in wich the benefite of the heade perteynethe to all the membres and euery good woorke of any one mēbre wonderfully redoundeth to all the rest This socyety is called in oure crede communio sanctorum the communion of Sanctes that is to say a blessed brotherhood vnder Christe the heade by loue and religion so wroght and wrapped to gether that what any one membre off this fast body hath the other lacketh it not what one wanteth the other suppliethe when one smartethe all feeleth in a maner the lyke sorowe 1. Cor. 12. when one ioyethe thother reioysethe wythall This happy socyety August ep 23. is not inpared by any distance of place by diuersity off goddes giftes by inequalyty off estates nor by chaunge of liefe so farre as the vnity of goddes spirit reacheth so farr this fellowship extendethe this city is as large as the benefite of Christes deathe takethe place Yea withein all the compasse of his kingdom this felloweship is fownde The soules and sanctes in heauen Idem tract 32. in Ioan. the faithful people in earth the chosen childrē that suffer chastisement in Purgatorye are by the perfect bond of this vnity as one abundeth redy to serue the other as one lacketh to craue of the other The christian communion and felouship is expressed The soules happely promoted to the ioye of Christes blessed kyngdom in this vnitye and knotte of loue perpetually praye for the doubtfull state of they re owne fellowes benethe the carefull condition of the membres belowe
these be the right obittes these shall be commodious to the lyuing and proffitable to the deceased Againe in another place he arguethe that this vnordinate mourning can not stand with the stedfast beleefe of resurrection of the departed which the praiers of Goddes Churche and the rites of Christian dirigies doo plainely protest Homil. 32 in Cap. 9. Math. and proue these be his wordes Cur post mortē tuorū pauperes cōuocas cur presbyteros vt pro eis velint orare obsecras non ignoro te responsurum vt defunctus requiem adipiscatur vt propitium iudicem inueniat his ergo de rebus flendum atque vlulandum arbitraris Non vides quam maximè ipsi repugnas In his tyme the priestes vvere desired to pray for mennes soules Why doost thowe gather the poore people to coom to thy frendes buriall Why desirest thow the priestes to pray for theire soules Thy answher I am shure will be that thowe doost these thinges to prouide for his rest and to obteyne mercy and fauour at his iudgies handes Wel then go too what cause hast thowe to mourne or be waile his case doost thow not perceiue that thowe arte contrary to thy selfe in thy owne facte nowe all studiouse men may see what force the charity and allmose of faithfull people euer had especially towardes the dead howe litle weeping auaylethe howe vnlikly it is that the prescribed daies of the oulde funeralles in the lawe of nature or afterward were spent in mourning with owte woordes or workes for the departed but namely howe this holy fathers sentēce and minde fully setteth fourth the meaning of Tobies praecept for setting his breade and drinke vpon the sepulchres to be nothinge elles but a calling together of the poore people and feeding theime for the benefite of the person departed that not onely they by earnest praier but he by charitable workes might together obteine reste and mercy for his soule And here the simple sorte and suche as be ignoraunt off the force of almose or oure fathers practise for theire yeares being brought vppe in this sinful age whē vertue is defaced A greate decay of vertue in oure tyme and the workes of Christianitye scarse to be seene in a whole country and where they be muche merueled at as thinges rare or contemned as vnproffitable or of the wicked condēned vtterly as superstitious and vngodly suche good younge mē must looke backe a greate waye with me to lerne theire dueties of the blessed times paste that were wholy free from the contagion off this pestilent waste in religion euen to those daies that our aduersaries confesse to haue bene holy and vndefiled Man may be relieued after his departure ether by the almose vvhiche he gaue in his lyfe time or by that vvhich is prouided by his testament to be geuen after his deathe or elles by that almose vvhiche other men doo bestovve for his soules sake of theire ovvne gooddes Cap. 5. ANd we fiend the workes of mercy and charitie to helpe the soule of man in this life towardes remissiō of his sinnes or elles in the next worlde for release of paine due vnto the same sinnes Al which may be doone two waies firste by thyne owne handes or appointment liuing in this worlde Lucae 11. 16. Dan. 4. Ec. 3. Iob. 12. which is the best perfecteste and surest meanes that may be for that pourgeth sinnes procurethe mercy maketh frendes in the day of dreade cleansethe beforehand staithe the soule from deathe and lifteth it vppe allso to liefe euer lasting Regarde not here the ianglers that wil crie oute on the that mannes workes must not praesume so farre as to winne heauen or to pourge sinnes lest they intermeddle with Christes work of redemption and the office of onely faithe make no accompt of such corrupters of Christian conditions liue wel and carefully folowe these workes off mercy so expressely commaunded and commended in the scriptures kepe the within the householde of the faithfull and thy very good conuersation in operibus bonis shall refute they re vaine blastes and improue theire idle faithe Iacob 2. Say but then vnto theime by the wordes of S. Iames. Maister Protestaunt let me haue a sighte of your only faithe with out good workes and here lo behoulde mine and spare not by my good workes What religiō so euer you be of I know not but I would be off that religiō which the apostle calleth religionem mundam immaculatam Iacob 1. The pure and vnspotted religion and that is as he affirmeth to viset the fatherlesse and succoure widowes in theire neede And then tell theyme bouldely that the Churche of God hathe instructed the that all woorkes whereby mā may procure helpe to him selfe or other be the workes of the faithfull which haue receiued that force by the grace and fauoure of God and be throughe Christes bloode so wattered tempered and qualyfied that they may deserue heauen and remission of sinne Doubt not to tel them that they haue no sight in this darknes of haeresy in the waies of Goddes wisdō they haue no feele nor tast of the force of his death they see not howe grace prepareth mannes workes they can not reache in theire in fidelitie how wonderfully his death worketh in the sacraments they cā not atteine by any gesse how the dedes of a poore wrech may be so framed in the childrē of God that whereas of theire owne nature they are not hable to procure any mercy yet they nowe shall be counted of Christ him self sitting in iudgemēt worthy of blesse and lyfe euerlasting Bid theime coom in coom in and they shall feele with the in simplicity and obediēce that which thei could not owte of this society in the pride of contention euer perceiue And if they will not so doo let theim perish alone Turning then from theim thether where we were let vs practise mercy as I saide in our owne time in our helthe when it shal be much meritorious as proceding not of necessity but of freedom and good will And thē after oure departure the repraesentation of our charitable deedes by such as receiued benefite thereby shall excedingly moue God to mercy as we see it did sturre vpp the compassion of his apostle in the fullfilling of so straūge a request Wheruppon S. Cyprian saithe that almose deliuereth often from both the seconde deathe whiche is damnation Serm. de Eleemos and the firste whiche is of the body Yf thow yet chaunce to be negligent in the working of thine owne saluation whē thou arte in strenght and helthe when ouer muche carefulnesse of worldly welthe hindereth the remembraunce of thy duety towardes God for al that helpe they selfe at the least in thy latter ende for thoughe it had bene muche better before yet it is not euill nowe I speake not for priestes aduauntage God is my iudge I am not of that rowme my self and wil not condemne my soule for other But
were customably kept tricesimales quadragesimales anniuersariae memoriae the thirtithe the .xl. the yeres mindes and portions apointed owt as he saith in testamets for the mainteinaunce therof And all this commonly besides the peculiare deuotion of som towardes theyr singularely beloued If thow list go yet vppeward thow shalt find no lesse care for the helpe of the soules deceased for S. Ambrose reporteth of his time Super obit Theodos that otherwhiles the third and the thirtith otherwhiles the vij and the fourtith minde daies were religiously obserued yea and that as he saith by good authoritye and auncient vsage of the patriarches both in the law of nature and Moyses Cum frequentibus oblationibus omnibus with often and sundry oblatioÌ„s for the rest of the departed This xxx daies memoriall Iulio interpr ould holy Ephreem in his testament and last will prouideth for him selfe after his departure The seuenth day was also euer in the primitiue Churche with greate religioÌ„ obserued bicause as Beda saith that hath the representation of the lyfe to coom And S. Ambrose practised it for his brother for the like protestation and signe of the resurrection and rest perpetuall De fide resur Die septimo saith he ad sepulchrum redimus qui dies symbolum est futurae quietis the seuenth day we coom together againe to my brothers sepulchre bicause that day is a pledge of the rest to coom Hould on vpward stilli and Tertulian will witnesse with the that in that floure of Christes Church with in lesse then CC. yeres of our masters death Oblationes fiebant annua die pro defunctis That oblations and sacrifice were yerly made at the xij monthes mindes of moste men De Cor. milit he meanethe bothe by the sacrifice of the Churche and offeringes of the frendes of the departed â–ª as there also In exhort Castitat Repete apud DeuÌ„ pro cuius spiritu postules pro qua oblationes annuas reddas Cal to thy remembraunce for whose soule thowe prayes and in whose behallfe thowe makes yerly offeringes He speaketh of a frend of his that practised thus for his wiues departure And in another place he wel declareth the duety of maried â—d persons one towards another De monogamia if God by death separate them in sonder Pro anima eius orat et refrigeriuÌ„ interim postulat offert annuis diebus dormitionis eius She praieth for her husbandes soule and obteineth in the meane space ease and offereth euery yere at the mind day of his passing hense And he letteth not to affirme that the maried coople that practise not thus doo not beleue the resurâ—ection Therfore he concludeth thus Nunquid nihil erimus post mortem secundum aliquem Epicurum non secundum Christum quòd si credimus mortuorum resurrectionem vtique tenebimur cum quibus resurrecturi sumus rationem de alter utro reddituri What say yowe shall we faule to nothing after oure death as the Epicure thinkethe and not rise ageine as Christe teacheth And if we beleue the resurrection of the deade then doubtlesse we shall be bounde to make accompte one of an other This haeresy muche ioyneth vvith the Saduces as we shall together rise againe Beware here my masters once ageine I must tel you yowe are goinge towardes the deniall of the resurrection so many as condeÌ„ne the vsage of the Church in praying or offeringe for the deade Tertuliane saith yow be Epicures in this poynt and so yowe be in all others I say yowe are past priuy muttering in your heartes that there is no God Psal 13. for yowe are coÌ„me to plaine Cor. 1. Cap. 15. Manducemus bibamus cras enim moriemur Let vs eate and be mery we can not not tell howe longe we lieue I say yow must answer for parting the affection of man and wiefe and th one must be countable at the day of iudgement to an other that they procured not the dueties of the deade by right of Goddes holy Church for theire soules departed Take heede therefore yowe are warned But as neere as we be Christes time by Tertulians helpe we wil approch yet nyerer to the very Apostles age and looke out sum recorde of that time for oblations and distributions with memorialles for the departed And the further from yowe of the newe secte we go the more plaine destruction of your doctrine and more manifest proufe of our ould deuotion shall we fiend to your open shame and the conforte of Catholikes S. Clement therfore the Romane one coÌ„uersaunt with the apostles and instruâ—ted by theime in his faithe a familiare of S. Paule and promoted by S. Peter a â—â—ue pastor and a holy martyr thus reâ—orteth of the apostles ordinauÌ„ce in our â—atter Li. 8. CoÌ„st Cop. 48. Peragatur dies mortuorum in psaltis in lectionibus atque orationibus proâ—ter eum qui tertia die resurrexit Item â—onus in commemorationem superstitum atâ—ue defunctoruÌ„ EtiaÌ„ quadragesimus secundum veterem formam Moysen enim hoc modo luxit populus nec non anniuersarium pro memoria ipsius deturque de illius facultatibus pauperibus in commemorationem ipsius Thus in english We will that the third day be obserued for the departed in psalmes lessons and praiers for his sake that rose the third day And so the ix day for the vniting together in one memorie the departed with the liuing In lyke maner the fourtithe day must be kept according to the ordre vsed of ould for so did the people obserue the bewayling of Moyses And with al these the xij monthes mind beside Where for the memory of his departure lett sumwhat be distributed amongest the poore people How say yow now my masters is this popish or apostolike doctrine was it inuented for priestes couetousnes or obserued as Christes ordinaunce made we much of late of the litle we fownd before or of late lost for lacke of deuotion that which we had so long before Mercifull God who would thinke this geare were so auncient and so little set by Who woulde thinke the aduersaries were so impudeÌ„t and yet so much regarded What heart think yow they reade the auncient writers with all Or with what conscience can they passe by so plaine practise of all the Chistian world Or with what face can they name ether scripture or doctor How dare they looke backe att ony one steppe of antiquitie all which be nothing elles but a testimony off their wickednes and as yow would say a pointing with finger at their horrible spoile of ould doctrine and deuotioÌ„ What if one of their own scholares seeing this light in our matter shoulde aske of his maister a lasse sir what if this be true that is proued so ould The maistèr Protestant is posed and you chauÌ„ce to lie that are so late where are we your scholares then It is not answered if yow conforte him with faire wordes
that one Victor who had made Geminus Faustinus being a priest ageynst the ordre taken in the councell of Aphrik thexecutor of his testament shoulde therfore haue no prayers of the clergye nor facrifice after his departure sayde or doone for him For in that tyme of greate persecution suche instant prayers so often sacrifice the scarsity of ministers the peoples necessity required that the priestes shoulde perpetually with oute all exception of worldly affayers serue the altare But you shall heare this blessed Martyrs or rather his wordes together with the councelles ordinaunce Victor cum contra formam nuper in consilio a sacerdotibus dataÌ„ Geminum Faustinum presbyterum ausus sit actorem constituere non est quò pro dormitione eius apud vos fiat oblatio aut depraecatio nomine eius in ecclesia frequentetur vt sacerdotuÌ„ decretuÌ„ religiose necessariò factuÌ„ seruetur a nobis simul caeteris fratribus detur exemplum ne quis sacerdotes ministros dei altari eius ecclesiae vacantes ad seculares molestias deuocet In englishe thus Seeing victor ageinst the ordre taken of late in a holy synod of priestes hathe made Geminus Faustinus the chefe dooer in th execution of his will and testament lett it be prouided that there be no oblation ther wyth yowe for his rest nor yet any prayers in his behaulfe in the churche that the decrye of the priestes before sayde may be religiously obserued and executed by vs. That therby all other oure bretherne may beware by his example how they wythdrawe suche as should serue the author to entangle theim selues with worldely affayres And here nowe oure aduersaryes must be called vpon and asked howe they can a way with this geare The haeretikes called vpon to ansvver whether this light of truethe be not ouer vehement for they re bleared eyes owle light or mooneshyne I trowe or mirke midnight were more fit for they re darke workes and doctryne oure way is ouer muche trodden for theues All this course of oure cause The vvhole matter ordered to oure hands so agreethe with it selfe so standethe wythe reason so vphoulden by scripture so ordered in all poyntes that Momus him selfe coulde practise no arte nor picke no quarelles here For such we must pray for those we must not praye in this case the sacrifice of goddes churche relieueth the departed in that case it is comfortable onely to the liuynge sum men neede helpe aster their death others helpe we neede and not they oures for open infidelles and haeretikes praiers are not vsed for all secrette offendres bicause their case is not knowne to the church of charity towardes her childreÌ„ she opeÌ„ly prayethe sum she poonishethe sum she pardonethe for al she merueilous teÌ„derly carethe This doctrine of truethe is purposely ordered by our elders euery point is touched and tried to our handes What time of the day was it in goddes church say trueth and shame the deuill when holy Cyprian wrote these thinges when the councell of aphrick decried these thinges when victor was punished by lack of sacrifice and prayers at his departure doeth your time of ignorance which yowe haue lymited for your waulke reache vp so highe in goddes howse but I will spare yow to anone your answer is not redie VVhat that holy sacrifice is vvhiche vvas euer counted so beneficiall to the liue and deade The punishement of oure sinnes by the heuy losse thereof The greate hatered vvhich the diuell and all his side hath euer borne tovvardes Christes aeternall priesthood and the sacrifice of the Churche And that by the saide sacrifice of the Masse the soules departed are especially relieued Cap. 8. ANd now we must faule in hand with the good ChristiaÌ„ Catholike for the searche of this so ofteÌ„ named sacrifice so coÌ„fortable to the liue so profitable to the dead and what that oblatioÌ„ is which the holy catholike and apostolike Church hath euer vsed through oute the world for the sinnes of the departed in place of the offeringes of the lawe and that sacrifice which Iudas Machabaeus made and procured at Hierusalem for the offensies of his people that perished in battle Surely it is no other but the sacrifice of our mediatour as S. Augustine termeth it and the offering vppon the altare It is no other then that obltation which so fully and liuely expressethe the death and passion of Christ Iesus Who being once offered by the sheeding of his blessed bloude for the redemption of man kind hath wrought such a vertuous effect not onely in the holy sacraments for the giuing of grace and remission of sinnes but allso hath lefte in a merueilous mistery his owne holy and blessed body and bloode as wel to feede vpoÌ„ for the especial streÌ„ght and comforth of our soules as to offer vppe the same for the remembrance of his death and cleaÌ„sing of our sinnes Not in that wise as it was doone vpon the crosse by the painefull sheeding of his bloude but as it was instituted first in the last supper Where Christ oure God and redemer according to the order of Melchisedech gaue to his apostles and offered to God the father that body which afterwarde was betraide and the same bloudde which was shed after also for the remission of sin beinge with all tearmed by him the bloude of the newe and aeternall testament as that which in the newe lawe shoulde succeade the bloddy offeringes of the owlde testament Whereof God allmighty being as a man woulld say lothesom or full hathe instituted this by his onely sonne as a most pure and praecious oblation and sacrifice to be continued in the Church through out the costes and corners of the rounde worlde Whiche being celebrated in the blessed memory of his sonnes passion and hauing no other hoste nor oblation then that whiche then was offered can be no other sacrifice then that whiche there was made for the forgiuenesse of sinne and redemption of the worlde The which woorthy action of Christes Churche so fructefully applieth vnto vs the benefite of oure maisters death that thereby we may haue comfortable hope of remission of all such misdeedes as most iustly deserued Goddes wrathe and terrible indignation ageinst vs. Now this is that blessed sacrifice which S. Augustin with feare and reuerence termeth in a thousand places of his works the sacrifice of the Altare the sacrifice of our Mediatour the sacrifice of oure price the sacrifice of the body and bloude of Christ the holsom and proffitable sacrifice the sacrifice of Melchisedech The common names of honoure geuen to the holy masse in olde time the new sacrifice S. Chrisostom the Reuerent sacrifice the honoâ—able Mysteries the Fearefull sacrifice Athanasius the propitiatory sacrifice the vnbloudy Hoste S. Cyprian the sacrifice of the Churche the perpetuall sacrifice the meate offering the medicine for our infirmities Iraeneus the pure sacrifice the new sacrifice of the new testament Clement ageine the vnbloudy sacrifice the rationable
sacrifice and so doothe the holy councel of Ephesus caull it Dionisius the sacrifice most excellent of all sacrificies and the hoste of hostes The latines altogether afterward named it the holy Masse so did S. Augustine call it S. li epist 33. epist et praecat prima praeparante ad missam b super vndec prouer Ambrose c Histor tripaâ—tit 24. cap. li. 10. Hierom d  Epiph scholastic with al the posteritie both in Latin and other barbarous languagies Besides many other excellent high and peculiare caullinges whiche can agree to no other common worship of God internall nor externall but only to this most worthy and honorable sacrifice which by the vertue that it hathe receiued by the first examplare thereof and by the might and mercy of the lambe of God which vnder the couer of breade and wine is there the appointed hoste and oblation is proffitable bothe to the quicke and the deade And therfore is and hathe bene vsed euer sithe the apostles age and by Christes owne praescriptioÌ„ and theirs coÌ„mauÌ„ded to be religiously obserued and of all faithfull people honoured as the principal protestatioÌ„ of our religioÌ„ as the grownde of al true worship as the badge of ChristiaÌ„ peace as the boÌ„de of holy society betwixt the heade and the membres as the loue knot betwixt Christ and his spouse The force and institution of the holy Masse as the vniting of the liue with the deade the holy sanctes with vs poore sinners angelles withe men heuenly thinges with earthely and the creatour of all with his owne creatures beneth as the plentifull condethe to deriue the grace of Christes death and merites off his passion to the continuall conforthe of our soules as the onely practise of his aeternall priesthod according to the ordre of Melchisedech and as the only effectuall memoriall and comfortable memory of the sheeding of his blessed bloude and sufferance of so deare and â—ainefull deathe for our redemption What altare so euer be erected against this altare it is nothing elles but a waste of goddes woorship a canker of religioÌ„ a token of dissension a separation of the holy society of the Christiane coÌ„munion The nevve communion is here described a larom towardes schisme a departure froÌ„ Christe an open badge of heresy a saulsy shoulderinge with Christes Church and ordinaunce an open robbry of his honour and priesthodde a plaine stoppe of the passage of his giftes and grace in his louing howse thonly way to paganisme and aeternall obliuion of his deathe and passion The deuil which is the oulde serpeÌ„t knowing by long experience and often proufe that the holy masse is the chiefe bane of sinne and his wicked kingdom hather euer from the begymyng shot at this marke by all the cursed indeuoures of wicked haeretiques to roote owte that stronge garde of vertue and pilloure of deuotion and religion Howe so euer they dissemble at they re firste enteraunce the diuill hathe that fetche in his faulse heade in all tymes of such toyle and perturbation of religion To which horrible indeuour thoughe he hathe for our sinnes and deseruing put greater force and wroght with more aduantage then euer before yet tyll the latter day and son of perditions appearing which is vnknowe to him he shal not bring it to passe The lawe the sacrifice the priesthod the altare of the newe and aeternal testameÌ„t praefigured by Melchisadech and perfited by Christe shall stand with and in the holy Churche tyl the worldes end Haeresy vvith her disordered ministers shall not out face Goddes Churche and Christes aeternall pristhod It is not your bare breade and borde not your Ministers nor your Seniours nor Elders nor your Nuper intendeÌ„ts nor what so euer yowe list be caulled that shall owt face goddes Churche she hathe by the spirite of God beaten downe your proudders the Arrians the Macedonians the Anabaptistes and all your predecessoures And nowe I tell yowe and be bowlde of it as owld oure moother waxethe as contemptible as yowe make her so little as yowe regarde her she will once yet in hir owlde daies gyue the ZwingliaÌ„s the Lutherans or of what other straunge souldier so euer your campe standethe an open ouertrowe Psa 100. Mat. 61. For yff hell were broken louse and the gates open it cowlde not preuaile We haue oure Presthod confirmed by a faire othe we haue our mothers right by an oppen promesse established And yet neuer the lesse good Catholike Christian lett vs thus persuade oure selues The holy masse takeÌ„ a vvay for oure sinnes that we haue so longe lost the vnestimable treasure of this holy sacrifice for oure greuous sinnes it is oure sinnes I say woo is vs therfore which haue deserued this plage which haue sett vs at variaunce with God and our mercifull redemer which haue taken from vs as vnworthy of so greate a treasure the dayly sacrifice the helpe of those which are a lyue the coÌ„forte of those which are departed the only grounde of al religioÌ„ and acceptable woorship of god And our misery is the greater because fewe feele the sore The lacke of this sacrifice for the departed only with the godly praiers therin Men tha vvere greuous offenders in oulde time punished by lacke of the sacrifice was counted when goddes truethe and Church floorished the greatest and extremest punishmeÌ„t that could be deuised and euer enioyned for sum notable crime to the terroure of other as for horrible desparation for willful heresye for contempte of the decries of of goddes holy ministers as by the late alleaged place out of S. Cyprian may be very profitably noted A lasse we haue nowe in amaner lost that wholy which then was denied only to such for theire greuouse poonishemnts as were heynous offenders Otherwise in earnest consideratioÌ„ of our case can not I thinke but that this blessed iuel is nowe denied vs of allmighty god generally for our greuous offensies which then was denied by his ministers to som one offender for the due poonishment of sin and wickednes O good reader what woulde that holy martyr haue saide if he had liued in our daies when to haue that oblation ether for the quicke or deade which once was estemed so necessary that no Christian man nether could in his lyfe nor after his death lacke it is nowe of it sellfe odious to most men and which abhorrethe me to speake poonishable by the lawes of the spiritualty and condemned well nere of all men what weene yowe this blessed bisshop woulde haue sayde if he had seene the holy hoste and offeringe to haue bene taken awaie De CoenaÌ„ domini which he once affirmed to be so necessary that if it were takeÌ„ awaie or wasted there were no religion nor worship of god at all would not he thinke yow with ferueÌ„t zele of goddes house haue cried out vpoÌ„ the sinnes of the people the blindnesse of the preachers and pastours
the vnworthinesse of these our dooleful daies and bewailed his own misery as we shoulde doo oures Ita Policarp ex Iren. crying owt with an oulde blessed father O Deus bone in quae me seruasti tēpora vt ista blasphema sustineā O Lorde that I shoulde be reserued for these times to abide suche blasphemie victor de persecut vandal Victor reporteth in his history of the persecution of the vandalles that were Arians that the Gouernour of that cursed company of cruel haeretikes would not suffer the christian men whome he had slaine to be broght home withe seruice and sacrifice but then the good people woonderfully bewailed theire case seeing theim practise cruelty vpon theire soules allso in that they would not suffer theime to enioye at their departure and buriall the rites of goddes church Thus saithe that Author Quis vero sustineat atque possit sine lachrimis recordari dum praeciperet nostrorum corpora defunctorum sine solemnitatehimnorū cum silentio ad sepulchra perduci O Lord who coulde haue fownd in his heart to be houlde then or could yet once thinke of it withe owte teares how he gaue in charge that the bodies of our brethern departed should be broght to the graue and buried with owte all solemnity of himnes in silence and sorowe Ecclesi Cap. 7. It was euer giuen to wicked hard harted haeretiques to prohibere gratiam mortuis to be vnmercifull and to staie the fauoure of good men from the departed epist 8. li. 2. Nouatus as S. Cyprian chargeth him noluit patrem fame defunctū sepelire would not bury his owne father deade of honger bane But to let suche men passe withe the praesent bewayling of our vnhappy dayes let vs with more conforte behould the steppes of good men past how kindely and brotherlyke they haue principally procured the holy sacrifice for they re frendes and felowes gone before For seeing the onely prayers of good men haue bene proued so profitable and the repraesentation of som holy workes of almose hath often moued God to pity as we haue proued towards the release of the departed his payne what may we not hope to obteyne for oure britherne deceased when we shal ioyne in prayers withe the holy angelles with the blessed sanctes with Goddes holy ministers in the representation of Christes most blessed body and bloude before the face of his father when the whole churche of god in that honorable action prayethe and Christe him selfe is both the sacrifice and the priest both the asker and the geuer of pardon when the maiesty of God the blessed trinitye is passingly pleaced by the merites of Christes deathe so liuely set out in these honorable but vnspeakable mysteries what may we not here procure for the soule of the churchies childe what shal be denied to so humble askers in the praesence of goddes own son and begging mercy for his deathes sake And so doth S. Chrisostom assure the faithfull in these goulden wordes Non frustra ab apostolis sancitum est vt in celebratione vener andorū mysteriorum memoria fiat eorum qui hinc discesserunt Homil. 3. in epistolā ad philipp nouerunt quippe illis multum hinc emolumenti fieri multū vtilitatis stante siquidem vniuerso populo manus in coelos extendente coetu item sacerdotali verendoque proposito sacrificio quomodo deum non placaremus pro istis orantes Yt was not for noght that the apostles decried and ordeined that in the celebratiō of the honorable mysteries there should be an especiall memoriall of the departed for they right well knewe greate commodity and benefite to arise ther vpon For the whole multitude houlding vp theire handes towards heauen together with the company and quiere of priestes and the dreadfull sacrifice set furth before all men howe is it possible but we shoulde appeace goddes wrath praying for theim loke ye what this mannes iudgement was and see from whense he had it euē of the holy apostles I warraunt yowe and no worse nor latter fownders But of that pointe for the full deriuing of our christian vsage frō the first fathers of our faith more cōuenient place shal be geuen herafter Nowe I wil serue the cause and the readers desire first withe certaine peculiare examples of most learned and godly fathers worthy of all credet in the godly prouision for certeine of theire dearest frendes by sacrifice and praier both made by theim selues and procured by others That we may haue here not onely whom to beleeue teaching the truethe but whome to folowe practising the same with deuotion which they preached withe cōstancye before That the practise of any pointe in religion maketh the most open shevve of the fathers faith And that all holy men haue in plaine vvordes and most godly praiers vttered their beliefe in our matter Cap. 9. ANd I take the open practise of any point to be a more pithy protestation of a mānes faithe thē by words cā be made Therfore if a mā were doubtful ether of the trueth of any article or of the meaning of sum doctours wordes looke the same mannes practise and it shall put him owt of doubt thereof streght wayes as for an example seeme sum wordes of S. Augustin to make for the sacramentaries haeresie that Christe is in the honourable sacrament but by a figure or Theodoretus or any other auncient fathers declaratiō are their wordes doubtful to the reader leaue the wordes thē if thowe syncerely seeke for truethe with owte contention and seeke owte if thowe can sum practise of those same men and that Churche where they liued for the same point But what way of worke in this matter consisting in doctrine may assure vs of theire beliefe of whose wordes we doubted before Theodor. dial 2. August super psal 98. Dionis ecclesiast hierarch Cap. 3. Basil de spiritu sanct Cap. 27. Mary sir this looke howe they behaued theime selues in the receiuing of it in the ministering of it in the carefull keping of it whether they did adore it with godly honoure whether they solemnely shewed it to the people to be worshipped whether they praide by solemne and formall wordes vnto it whether they taughte theire children to caulle it God and Christe Lib. 3. de Trin. c.. 10 yea so farre that Augustine affirmeth that the children in his daies till they were after instructed thought that God appeared in the shappe of breade as all these yongers seeing the honour and reuerence of theire elders and theime selues nurtered to houlde vppe theire handes and knocke theire brestes must yet needes meruaile how these owtwarde formes came to so holy an vse further whether the Christiā people were not sclaundered for worshipping and doing sacrifice to Ceres and Bacchus Lib. 20. cōtra Faustū Cap. 13. when the wicked infidelles sawe theire behauiour towardes the holy Hoste whether it was not vsed in woorking of miracles in driuing away deuilles in daungerouse times of
that was coÌ„mon in all Churchies as partly is and yet shall be better declared anone The which her worthy wll her sonne Augustine so allowethe that he setteth it forthe in the ninth of his confessioÌ„s to her aeternal memorie in these wordes My mother saieth he when the day of her passing hense was nowe at hande much regarded not howe her body might curiously be couered or with costly spiceis powdered nether did she counte vpoÌ„ any gorgious tumbe or sepulchre Note the vvhole History and feare not to folovv it these thinges she charged vs not will all But her whole and onely desire was that a memory might be kept for her at thy holy altare good Lorde at which she missed no day to serue the where she knewe the holy hoste was bestowed by which the bonde obligatory that was ageinst vs was cancelled Marke good reader as we go by the waie what that is which in the blessed sacrifice of thaultare is offered howe cleare a confession this man and his moother doo make of theire faithe and the Churchies belife concerning the blessed host of our daily oblation behoulde that weemen in those daies knewe by the grounde of theire constante faith that which our superintendents in theire incredulity nowe a daies can not confesse CoÌ„sider howe carefull all vertuous people were in the primityue Church bothe lerned and simple as to be present at the altare in they re lyfe time so after theire death to be remembred at the same Whose woorthy indeuours as often as I consider and often truely I doo consider theyme I can not but lament our contrary affection which can nether abyde the sacrifice the hoste nor the altare in oure daies and therfore can looke for no benefite therby after the day of oure deathe once coom vpon vs as oure fore fathers bothe looked for and oute of doubt had But leauing the peculiare consideration of suche thinges to the good and well disposed let vs go forwarde in the fathers pathes and see whether this so well lerned a clerk counted this zele of his oulde moother blinde deuotion as we brutes thinke of oure fathers holynesse now a daies For which matter we shall find The cursed ChaÌ„ hathe many children in oure daies that first eueÌ„ as she desired the sacrifice of the masse was offered for her not onely for thaccomplishent of her godly request but bicause the Church of god did that office for al that was departed in Christe as we reade in sundry placies of this maÌ„nes workes and as in the same booke of confessions he thus declareth and testifieth I leaue the Latine because the treatise growes to greater lengthe then I was aware of at the beginning yf I corrupte the meaning or intent of the writer let my aduersaries take it for an aduauntage thus he saith therfore Nether did I weepe in the tyme of the praiers wheÌ„ the sacrifice of our price was offered for her nor yet afterwarde when we weere at oure praiers lykewise the corps standing at the graue side c. Cap. 13. Lib. 9. vltimo Wherby euery reasonable man must needes acknouledge that bothe praiers and sacrifice was made for her as her meanig and godly request was before her passage she being thus therfore broght home with supplication and sacrifice solemnely Maister Grindall looke in youre grammer vvhat figure S. Augustine vsed here was not yet forgotten of her happy childe But afterwarde he thus very deuoutly maketh intercession for her quiett reste Nowe I call vpon the gratious Lorde for my deare moothers offensies geue eare vnto me for his sake that was the sallue for oure sinnes and was hanged vpon the crosse who sittethe on the right haÌ„d of God and makethe intercession for vs. I knowe she wroght mercyfully and forgaue those that did offend her and nowe good God pardoÌ„ her of her offensies which she by any meanes after her baptisme committed forgeue her mercifull god forgeue her I humbly for Christes sake pray the and entre not into iudgemeÌ„t with her but let thy mercy passe thy iustice bicause thy wordes are true and hast promised mercy to the mercifull And in the same chapter a little afterwarde he thus bothe praieth him selfe for her and ernestly inuitethe other men to do the same in these wordes Inspire my lord God inspire thy seruantes my bretherne thy children and my masters whome withe will worde and penne I serue that as many as shall reade these may remembre at thyne altare thy hand mayden Monica And her laite husband Patricius throughe whose bodies thowe broght me into this liefe and worlde Thus was that holy matrone by her good childe made partaker after her deathe of the thing which she most desired in her liefe And him selfe afterwarde in his owne see of Hippo in Aphrick had sacrifice saide for him at his departure though the day of his deathe fell at the pityfull hauocke which the Vandalles kâ—pt being Arians in those parties coÌ„maunding the christian Catholikes to be buried with owt seruice as I saide before This blessed Bishop departing owt of this liefe in the besiege of his owne Citye had notwithstanding oblation for his rest as Possidonius writing his life Possidonius in vita August and praesent at his passage dooth testifie Augustinus meÌ„bris omnibus sui corporis incolumis integro aspectu atque auditu nobis astantibus videntibus ac cum eo pariter orantibus obdormiuit in pace cuÌ„ patribus suis enutritus in bona senectute nobis corà m positis pro eius commendanda corporis depositione sacrificium deo oblatum est sepultus est Augustine saith he being sownde in his limmes nether his sight nor hearing failing him I being then praesent and in his sight and praying together with him departed this worlde in peaâ—e vnto his elders being continued till a fare age And so we being praesent the sacrifice for the commendacion of his rest was offered vnto God first and streght vpon that was he buried Thus lo all these fathers taughte thus they practised thus they liued and thus they died none was saued then but in this faithe lett no man looke to be saued in any other nowe That vve and all nations receyued this vsage of praing and sacrificing for the departed at our first conuersion to Christes faithe And that this article vvas not onely confirmed by miracle amongest the rest but seuerally by signes and vvoonders approued by it sellfe An that the Church is grovvne to suche beauty by the fructes of this faithe Cap. 10. MAny moe examples of these matters might be broght oute of S. Gregorye diuerse owte of Damascene enowe out of what writer so euer yowe lyke best such choise we haue in so good a cause wherof euery mannes workes are full But I wil passe ouer the rest that I may onely reporte one history owte of our own Church in the pure spring wherof the apostolick faith abundantly isshued downe from the
and praiers for the deade or elles by any one lerned maÌ„ in all the world was euer expounded for any such sense And lo now good reader what scriptures they alleage that can abide nothinge but scripture Firste owte of Ecclesiastes Cap. 11. The tree whether it faule to the southe or the north it lyeth ever wher it lighteth Then they alleage owt of S. Matthews ghospell Cap. 7. that there be two waies one to bring to heauen and thother leading streght to helle And then owte of the seconde to the Corinthians they bring in Cap. 5. howe we must all stande before the iudgement seat of Christe there to receiue eche of vs according to our workes and life and that by other mennes labour oure state can not be amended Again they alleage this sentence of the Apocalipse Cap. 14. Beati mortui c. blessed be the deade that dye in our Lorde for after that the spirite saithe that they shall rest from trauelles All which textes and the lyke of that sorte make no more ageinst purgatory then they doo ageinst hell or heauen excepte that aâ— Anaxagoras the philosopher saide Phisic 1. l. all thinges were in euery thinge so these diuines can finde euery texte of scripture to make for what purpose they liste and yet if the Catholikes alleage a number of scriptures and theime with the mind and iudgement of the whole worlde that doubteth not but they proue that for whiche they be recited yet they set light by theime and impudently with clamors beare men in hand that they haue no scriptures at all Which thinges as they smelle of muche arrogancie in al men so in these foulke that so malepertly controwle others where theyme selues haue no scripture at all it is vntolerable And for these which they here or elleswhere alleage I aske theyme sincerely and desire theime to tell me faithefully what doctour or wise learned man of the whole antiquity euer expounded these textes recited or any one of theyme or any other whiche yowe bring in elles when ageinst Purgatory or practise for the deade Yff they did not howe can yowe for sinne and shame dissent from the whole Churche off Christe vpon so light grounds Or howe dare yowe be so boulde that seeke in euery controuersy expresse scripture to alleage these placies whiche wyse meÌ„ nor I think your selues take for any suche purpose Or howe may yow for shame reiecte the euident word of God by vs truely reported for the triall of oure matter your selues hauing almost nothing that can be wraasted to youre sense An ansvver to the first place If yow stande to the triall of youre alleaged testimonies yowe will be muche abasshed I knowe For howe can yowe imagine that the place recited out of Ecclesiastes should further youre intent any thing at all Seeing that euen then when the wyseman spake those wordes the soule of man streght after her departure and the faule of the bodye continued not where it first fell for the iuste had a place of abidinge and rest in the inferiour partes whiche was called of Ezechias the gate of helle Isai 38. In the ghospel Sinus Abrahae the bosom of Abraham and nowe Lymbus Patrum in whiche they all abode till they were deliuered by the bloude and trauell of oure sauioure Iesus Bern. ser 4 de fest omnium sanct Amb. super 5. ad Romanos Withe whome they after were translated to the aeternal ioyes of heauen Whiche thinge if it be true as it can not but be true and certaine whiche the whole course of scripture the article of oure faithe in Christes descension in to hel and al the auncient fathers doo constantly setforth what blindnes be they in then that bring this place againste Purgatorie which as it is a stay of certaine for a time from heauen so the other before Christe was the staye off all And therefore it is plaine that this faulynge of the tree meanithe nothinge lesse then that euery man shoulde streght vpon his departure be conueyde ether to hell or heauen Or if any wedded to Caluines blasphemous and vnfaithefull paradoxies doo with Purgatory deny the fathers place of abode before the cooming of Christe and impugne the beleefe of Goddes churche so muche that he withstand the article of oure Crede for Christes descendinge in to hell or turne the cause of his going into hel to sum other purpose then the lowsing of theire captiuity that there were in expectation of his ioyfull apparance Caluins absurde doctrin is refuted yet I woulde demaunde so much of Caluins successor or scholare seeing he wil of this figuratiue speach of the trees fauliÌ„g gether so grounded and generall a rule that with owt delay euery man must to heaueÌ„ or hel streght after his death there to remaine in perpetuall state of his faule in the nexte life ether good or badde I woulde aske of him I saye what he thinketh by all those that were by the Prophets Apostles or Christe him selfe raysed vppe againe from deathe to lyfe Who receiuing by death that faule by theire accompt must needes abide where they first fell and so not in case to be reuoked by this theire faulse conclusion they diminishe the powre of the spirite in woorking their raisinge againe Or elles they must impute deceite to the holy men and oure master Christe whiche abhorreth me â—o speake for that they raysed theyme not beinge perfectely deade but in sum deadlye traunce or apparance of deathe But bicause the soule of Lazarus was nowe iiij daies owte of his bodye before Christe wroght vpon him The state of such in the next vvorlde as by goddes omnipotency vvere raised to lyfe againe it is sure and most certaine that it had sum place of abyding after the separation from the fleshe I can not thinke that his soule was in heauen nor it is not like that oure sauioure woulde so muche abase the happy condicion of him whome he loued so well as to reduce him to the vncertaine state of this lyfe I will define in this my ignorance nothing touching the secrettes of goddes wisdom herin But very like it is that the parties raysed from theire faule and deathe were not in the ioyes of heauen As before Christes death I am sure they were not but I speake of Tabitha also or other reuoked by thapostles handes that then after Christes passion might full well diyng in perfect state of lyfe go streght to heauen of suche I say it is very reasonable that they were not in the ioyes of thelect For elles Tabitha shoulde not haue had suche a benefite by her almose as the fathers doo witnesse she hadde And they vse her for an exaÌ„ple of the benefite which may rise to one after departure by charitable woorkes doone in this lyfe It had bene a smaule pleasure to haue plucked her from hauen to this mortalitye againe and misery of oure common lyfe and I trowe no
man may auouche withe salfety of his belefe that she or any other raysed againe miraculously was reuoked from the desperate estate of the damned soules then she muste necessarily be called from some meane condicion of her present abode and perhappes from paine too to this former state of lyfe againe But as in this secrett of god no man with owte iust reprehension may deeply wade so it may reasonably be gathered â—hat the faule of the tree before mentiâ—ned can not induce withe any probaâ—ilitie the necessity of the soules abiâ—ing in all respectes where it first lighâ—e Marye we freely graunt with diuers of the auncient fathers that the faule of the tree into the southe parte may â—ignifie vnto vs the departure of maÌ„ in the happy state of grace and the norâ—he side lykewise the cursed and damnable state of the wicked and that he which passethe hense in ether of these estates and condicions as euery lyuing man doothe can not procure by other nether deserue by him sellfe the chaunge of his happy lote or his vnlucky happe otherwise then in his lyfe time he deserued That is to say if he passe this worlde an electe person in the loue and grace of God he is oute of doubt of all damnation or rather oute of possibilitye to be reiected and so the case of the forsakeÌ„ is vtterly remedilesse And further by that figuratiue speache yowe had not best on your owne heade be ouer boulde least som Saduceie of your secte gather the perpetuall reste of the body with owte all hope of resurrection I can not tell howe it faulethe but yet so it doothe that your doctrine and arguments minister ouer muche occasion of erroure and that to the deceiued in the depest matters of our faithe But I will rubbe yow no more on thatsore I warned yowe before to take heede to the resurrection An Ansvver to the secoÌ„d text Nowe for the other text recited oute of S. Matthewes gospell of the double waie th one to perdicion an the other to saluation there is allmost none so simple but he seeth that it maketh no more for your purpose then the other For there as oure aduersary can not but knowe though to deceiue he liste dissemble mentioÌ„ is made and the meaning is onelye of these ij waies in this worlde and lyfe in one of which being full of ease and libertye the wicked waulkethe towardes hell or damnation In the which way the riche maÌ„ and vnmercifull tooke his tyme of whome Abraham saide that he had receiued good in his dayes In the other being bothe straite and harde the smal numbre of the chosen take their iourney towardes heauen And yet if yowe thinke good yowe may ioyne the place of temporall punishment for sinne in the worlde to coom to the straite and painefull passage of the electe though perhappes all they entre not therby And so shall yowe find this place not onely nothing to forther theire cause but sumwhat to helpe oures And so for the other taken oute of the fyft to the Corinth S. Augustine shal answer yowe and beare me witnesse An Ansvver to the thirdâ— argumeÌ„t it makethe nothing for yowe his wordes be these in his Encheridion This practise that Goddes Churche vseth in the commendations of the deade Cn. is nothing repugnaÌ„t to the sentence of the Apostle where he saithe that we all shall stand before the iudgement seate of Christe that euery one may receiue according to his desertes in the bodye ether good or euill for this in his lyfe and before deathe he deserued that these woorkes after his death might be profitable vnto him for in deede they be not profitable for allmen and why so but bicause of the difference and diuersitye of mens liues whilest they were in this flesh c. And this same sentence the Doctor often repeteth allmost in the same forme of wordes in diuers placies bothe to correcte theire ignorance that might take a way praiers for the dead bicause they finde the sentence of goddes iudgement to be executed on man according to the deseruing of this lyefe and no lesse to geue monition to the carelesse that they omitte not to doo well in this lyfe vppoÌ„ hope or presumtioÌ„ of other mennes works after their decease which as they be exceding beneficial to many so they helpe none suche as in their owne lyfe woulde not helpe theime selues The lyke declaration of this pointe hathe S. Denyse in the 7. chapter of his Ecclesiastical soueraignty whiche I omitte lest in this point by S. Augustine sufficiently auouched I weerye the reader without cause The last obiection An ansvver to the last scripture of the angelles words in the Apocalipse affirming the state of all those that dye in our Lorde to be happy to be past trauel and in rest and peace they be properly spoken there of holy men that sheede theire bloude in the times of persecution for Christes sake to geue theime assured comforte after a litle toleration and patience in the rage of Antichrist of blessed and aeternal rest and so the circumstance of the letter plainely geueth and so dooth S. Augustin expounde it Cap. 9. lib. 20. de ciui And for suche holy martyrs it is needlesse to pray as to pray vnto theime is most profitable Albeit the wordes are true and may be wel verified of all that passe hense in the happy state of grace being past the cares of this troblesom world and which is the greatest trauell of all other vtterly dispatched of the toile that sinners take in theire waies of wickednesse with freedoÌ„ froÌ„ sin and al feare of sinne and damnation for euermore So that this rest froÌ„ laboure is no more but a happy ioy of conscience with securitye of saluatioÌ„ and peace in Christe Iesu For which cause in the holy Canon of the Masse it is saide Christianos dormire in somno pacis in Christo quiescere That Christian folkes doo sleepe in the sleape of peace and rest in Christ thoughe for all that in the same place we aske Requiem refrigerium rest and refreshing for theyme And this holy peace from all toyle of the worlde and woorme of tormented conscience the electe children of God in theire fathers correction being assured of his aeternall loue do blessedly enioye But the wicked be in contrary case of whome it is saide non est pax impijs there is no rest or quietnesse to the wicked no not in theire daies of ioye much lesse in their infinite miserie of their euerlasting torments in the world to coom Of whose vnhappy state Isai 57. the prophet warneth vs thus againe Impij quasi mare feruens quod quiescere non potest The wicked be right like vnto the toomblinge and tossinge sea that neuer restethe The place of S. Iohn then being namely spoken of holy martyrs that streght with owte all paine after this lyfe passe to heauen may yet very fitly stand with
that haste before thyne eyes in these forsakers an image and a perfect platte of damnable desperation Mightily hathe God executed this sentēce of iudgemēt vpon al sortes of mē that hath withstand the trueth The Iewes feeling it till this day the folowers of Mahomet the Arians and all other haeretikes that haue forsaken the felowship of the faithfull The lamē table case of haeretikes and haue left the fowntaine of lyfe cowld neuer be reduced to the truethe coulde neuer see they re owne misery bicause God hath giuen theime ouer for their withstanding And let not the forsakers wōder that I shoulde compare theire case to the misery of the Iewes August in psal 30 seeing S. Augustine confesseth that all haeretikes be much more blinded then they bicause the Prophets speake more plainely of the Churche which properly all haeretikes doo impugne then they doo of Christe him self whome the prowde Iewes doo contemne And therefore let vs that be Catholikes blesse Goddes name for euer that he hath not taken his mercye from vs that he hathe not dealte with vs according to oure sinnes We haue offended surely and haue deserued this plage our Priestes haue offended our Princies haue offended and oure People haue offended yet for his own name sake he hath loked vpon vs and hathe kept vs withe in the howsehould of saluation Glory and honoure be to his holy name for euer more Amen FINIS Quoniam Liber iste Anglico Idiomate conscriptus est lectus ab Anglis Sacrae Theologiae peritis mihi optimè notis qui eum per omnia Catholicum nationi Anglicae perutilem attestantur iudico expedire vt admissus imprimatur Itae testor Cunnerus Petri de Browershauen Pastor Sancti Petri Louà niensis indignus 8. Martij an 1564. Stilo Brabantiae THE ARGVMENTES of euery Chapiter of bothe the Bookes Of the first Booke THe Praeface where in be noted two sortes of haeretikes th one pretending vertue thother openly professing vice And that oure time is more troubled by this second sort VVith a briefe note of the Authors principall intent in this Treatise praef argu fol. 9. Cap. 1 That often after oure sinnes be forgiuen by the sacrament of poenaunce there remaineth summe due of temporall pounishment for the satisfying of goddes iustice and som recompense of the offensies past fol. 12. Cap. 2 The double and doubtefull shiftes of our aduersaries pressed by this conclusion are remoued and it is proued agaynst one sort that these foresayde skourgies were in dede pounishments for sinnes remitted And against thother secte that this trāsitory paine hath often endured in the nexte liefe fo 29. Cap. 3 That the practise of Christes churche in the courte of binding and lousing mannes sinnes dothe lieuely sett fourthe the ordre of Goddes iustice in the nexte liefe and prooue Purgatory fol. 39. Cap. 4 That the manyfoulde workes and fructes of poenaunce whiche all godly men haue charged theime selues withe all for theire own sinnes remitted were in respect of Purgatory paines and forthe auoyding of goddes iudgement tēporall as well as aeternall in the nexte lyfe fol. 44. Cap. 5 A briefe ioyning in reason and argument vpon the proued groundes withe the aduersaries for the declaration and proufe of Purgatory fol. 53. Cap. 6 That Purgatory paines doothe not onely serue Goddes iustice for the poonishement of sinne but also cleanse and qualify the soule of man defiled for the more seemely entraunce into the holy placies with conference of certaine textes of scripture for that purpose fol. 56. Cap. 7 That there is a particulare iudgement and priuate accompte to be made at euery mannes departure of his seuerall actes and dedes with certaine of the fathers minds touching the textes of scripture alleaged before fol. 64. Cap. 8 Origen is alleaged for oure cause vpon whose errour in a matter sumwhat apperteyninge to oure pupose S. Augustines iudgement is more largely soght and there with it is declared by testimony of diuerse holy authors what sinnes be chefely purged in that temporall fyre fol. 73. Cap. 9 A forther declaration of this pointe for the better vnderstanding of the doctoures wordes Wherein it is opened howe Purgatory is ordeined for mortal sinnes and howe for smauler offenses who are like to feele that grefe and who not at all fol 82. Cap. 10 A place alleaged for Purgatory owte of S. Matthewe withe certeine of the Auncient fathers iudgements vpon the same fol. 88. Cap. 11 An answer to certaine obiections of the aduersaries moued vpon the diuersity of meanings which they see geuen in the fathers writinges of the scriptures before alleaged for Purgatory and that this doctrine of the Churche standethe not againste the sufficiency off Christes Passion fol. 98. Cap. 12 An euident and most certaine demonstration of the truethe of Purgatory and the greuousnesse thereof vttered by the praiers and wordes of the holy doctoures and by sum extraordinary workes of God beside fo 105. Cap. 13 Of the nature and condicion of Purgatory fire the difference of theire state that be in it from the damned in hell with the conclusion of this Booke folio 117. An end of the Argumentes of the first Booke ARGVMENTA CAPIT LIBRI II. TThe preface of this booke wherein the matter of the treatise and the ordre of the Authors poceeding be briefely opened fol. 23. Cap. 1 That there be certaine sinnes whiche may be forgeuen in the nexte lyfe and that the deserued poonishement for the same may be eased or vtterly released before the extreme sentence be to the vtmost executed fol. 127. Cap. That the faithful soules in Purgatory being novve past the state of deseruing and not in case to help theime selues may yet receiue benefite by the woorkes of the lyuing to whome they be perfectly knitte as felowe membres of one body folio 132. Cap. 3 What the Churche of God hathe euer principally practised for the soules departed by the warraunt of holy scripture with the defense of the Machabees holy history against the heretikes of oure time folio 137. Cap. 4 That the funeralles of the Patriarches bothe in the lawe of nature and Moyses and Christe had practise in theime for the reliefe of the soules departed folio 146. Cap. 5 Man may be relieued after his departure ether by the almose whiche he gaue in his lyfe time or by that which is prouided by his testament to be geuen after his death or elles by that almose whiche other men doo bestowe for his soules sake of theire own gooddes fol. 158. Cap. 6 Of certaine offeringes or publike almose presented to God for the deceased in the time of the holy sacrifice at mennes burialles and other customable daies of theire memories and of the sundry mindes kepte in the primitiue Churche for the departed fol. 169. Cap. 7 That the benefite of praier and allmose apperteineth not to suche as dye in mortall sinne though in the doubtefull case of mannes beeing the Church vseth to pray for all departed in Christes faithe fol. 177. Cap. 8 What that holy sacrifice is whiche was euer counted so beneficiall to the liue and deade The punishment of oure sinnes by the heuy losse thereof The greate hatered whiche the diuell and all his side hath euer borne towardes Christes aeternall priesthood and the sacrifice of the Churche And that by the saide sacrifice of the Masse the soules departed are especially relieued folio 187. Cap. 9 That the practise of any pointe in religion maketh the moste open shewe of the fathers faithe And that all holy men haue in plaine wordes and moste godly praiers vttered their beliefe in our matter fol. 195. Cap. 10 That we and all nations receiued this vsage of praing and sacrificing for the departed at our first conuersion to Christes faith And that this article was not onely confirmed by miracle amongest the rest but seuerally by signes and woonders approued by it selfe An that the Churche is growne to such beauty by the fructe of this faith fol. 210. Cap. 11 That in euery ordre or vsage of celebration of the blessed Sacrament and Sacrifice through owte the Christian worlde since Christes time there hath bene a solemne supplication for the soules departed fol. 220. Cap. 12 The haeretikes of oure time and contry be yet further vrged withe the practise of prayiers for the deceased theire conrary communion is compared with the owlde vsage of Celebration They are ashamed of the firste originall off theire Christian faithe they are weery of theire owne seruice they are kepte in ordre by the wisdome of the Ciuile magistrates and are forced to refuse all the Doctors fol. 230. Cap. 13 That the praying for the dead was appointed to be had in the holy sacrifice by the Apostles commaundement and praescription And that our doctors by the maiesty of their name beare downe oure light aduersaries fol. 242. Cap. 14 The first Author of that secte whiche denieth prayers for the departed is noted his good condicions and cause of his error be opened what kind of men haue bene most bent in all agies to that secte And that this haeresy is euer ioyned as a fit companion to other horrible sectes fol. 257. Cap. 15 Their falshood is condemned and the Catholike truethe approued by the authority of holy Councelles Their pride in cōtemning and the Catholikes humility in obediēt receiuing the same And a sleight wherby the heretikes deceiue the people is detected f. 267 Cap. 16 An answer to suche arguments as the haeretikes doo frame of the holy scriptures not well vnderstanded against the practise of Goddes Churche in praying for the deade or the doctrine of Purgatory fol. 274. Cap. 17 An answer to theire negatiue argument with the conclusion of the Booke fol. 281. FINIS