is the estate of the godly soule departing without acknowledging any mid place or condition that when it is absent from the body by corporall death it is straightway present with the Lord in life euerlasting Bellarmine likewise in his first Booke of the Beatitude of the Saints to shew the conformitie that is betweene Christ and his members in their estate immediately after death brings in That as he was not after death immediately blessed in his bodie which rested three dayes in the graue till his resurrection but that in his soule notwithstanding he was immediately blessed and in Paradise according to his owne speech to the Thiefe on the crosse This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise Therefore likewise the Saints to be conformed with Christ saith he while they rest in their graues according to their bodies yet according to their soules they are happy and blessed in Paradise Which conformitie then wee see will clearely euince that there is no going to Purgatorie but that as Christs soule immediately after death went vnto Paradise and was blessed there so doth the soules of the godly that are Christs members goe thither immediately after death and are blessed likewise else if immediatly they went any where else in place of a conformitie there should bee a disconformitie and as his bodie abode in the graue till his resurrection notwithstanding of the present beatification of his soule after death So that their bodies shall in like manner abide in the graue till their resurrection notwithstanding of the present beatification of their soules likewise after death 3. Fathers adduced by Bellarmine himselfe to proue that the Saints presently inioye the vision of God and making expressely for vs against the dotage of Purgatorie And first Dyonisius Areopagita Dyonisius Areopagita saith thus the Saints in their death knowe surely that that wholly they shall attaine rest and a full conformitie with Christ when they come to the end of this present life in cleerely beholding the way to immortalitie hard at hand they praise the Lords bountie and with a heauenly mirth reioyce speaking so of all the Godly in common Whereupon Belarmine doth will vs to remarke this Nota saith he dicere Dyonisium animas Sanctorum statim a morte hominis consequi immortalitatem which they could not doe nor so exceedingly reioyce in death if â— vicino or hard at hand they saw the tormenting fire of Purgatorie rather then a glorious rest to abide them Iustin Martyr saith thus But after the departure of the soule from the body statim or instantly there is made a distinction betweene the good and the euill for they are carried to the places that they are worthy of the soules of the godly by the Angels being carried to Paradise where the company and sight of the Angels and Archangels is as also the sight of Christ our Sauiour according to these words while we are absent from the body we are present with the Lord but the soules of the wicked are carried into Hell Cyprian saith excluding no godly soule O what dignity and security is it in a moment to close thy eies whereby men in the world are seene and to open them instantly that God and Christ may be seene Oh what great happinesse is it to bee suddenly pulled from the earth that thou mayest presently be placed in heauen Augustine saith thus speaking of all the godly O happy soule who how soone it is loosed from the body being set at liberty presently goeth to heauen and is secure and at rest And againe he saith surely the good that are faithfull since that time that they are redeemed by that price which Christ by his blood-shedde powred forth doe no wise know any infernall place after death Prosper saith thus because according to the speech of Scripture the whole life of man is a temptation vpon earth then is the temptation ended when the fight is ended and then is the fight ended when to the same secure victory succeeds at the very end of this life that so all the Souldiers of Christ who euen to the end of this their present life by diuine aide haue valiantly resisted their enemies hauing ended their painefull pilgrimage may presently thenceforth raigne happy in their natiue Countrey Anselmus thus speaketh the Preachers of the Church after that they haue departed out of the body they are no wise delayed of the present possession of their Heauenly Countrey but instantly as they depart from the flesh whereunto the soule was formerly tyed so soone are they made to rest in the heauenly seate 4. Reasons adduced by Bellarmine to proue the Saints present fruition of ioy and making directly for vs against Purgatorie God saith he is no readier or more inclinde to punish then he is to reward wherefore it followes that if the wicked be presently cast in torment as we see the example of the rich Glutton teaches vs that by a like equitie that the godly instantly after death likewise receiue their owne reward As Basilius notes saith he before Christs comming the death of the Godly was lamented but since that time the same is celebrated with mirth and why so but because to die then it was a misery but now death is the beginning of happinesse which surely it could not be say we if the soule went to a tormenting fire in Purgatorie but a greater miserie then when the soule went before as they say to a painelesse Limbo Leuit. 19.13 Thou shalt not retaine the wages of the hireling beside thee all night till the morning therefore lest God should seeme lesse iust or pitifull at the very end of the day of his life much more wil he giue glory to the godly according to that Parable Mat. 20. and consequently say we he will not delay them of that reward not only one night but many hundreds of yeares as the Papists hold tormenting their soules in Purgatorie Bellarmines Arguments for Purgatory answered 1. Out of the Old Testament 2 Maccab. 12.45 It was a holy and good thought saith the Authour to pray for the dead that they might bee absolued from their sinnes Whence it followeth saith Bellarmine that the dead after this life may be absolued and may haue sinnes to satisfie for whereof before their death they were not absolued And this is done in Purgatorie 1. Our generall reply to all such Arguments brought out of Apocripha is that no disputation can bee but out of principles mutually by both parties receiued such as these Bookes are not by vs as Canonicall And therefore it is that wee argue not with a Iew out of the New Testament 2. Our reason of reiecting them as not Canonicall is beside the consent of the Primitiue Church with vs confessed by Bellarmine and testified by Ierome the proofe which wee haue out of Canonicall Scripture and out of themselues For all Scripture saith Paul is by immediate and by diuine
any such thing be as Bellarmine grants and saith posse dubitari et periculosissimum esse definire or else expresly he sayes that except Hell and Heauen he knoweth no third place 5. Last of all themselues say Masse for children dying soone after baptisme who haue not committed any actuall sinne and to whom the whole punishment of originall is remitted and so consequently can not be in Purgatory AN ANNEXE TO this Treatise of Purgatorie concerning the Distinction of Sinne into Mortall and Veniall which is the maine Pillar of this Pyrotechnie and being pulled downe makes the whole Fabricke to fall IF we consider aright what Sinne is of its own nature as Saint Iohn describes it to wit that all sinne whatsoeuer is a transgression of the Law or if we consider what is the proper wages of sinne of whatsoeuer sort it bee as Saint Paul cleares it to wit death or if we consider what is onely able to expiate and doth purge vs from all sinne name it as they will to wit Christs blood and death onely Then surely any such distinction of sinne into Mortall and Veniall by nature will quite evanish and sinne of it owne nature will bee acknowledged to bee mortall solely and to say Peccatum and yet Veniale simply and not Mortale properly will be 〈◊〉 to bee vertuall contradiction and we know that there is no composition of meerely opposites nor construction of mutuall destructiues Yea out of their owne mouth to condemne them how is sinne vniuerâ—ally distinguished by themselues into Veniall and Mortall if the Veniall bee not sinne and that properly and if it bee sinne or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then of necessitie it must bee as is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as saith Saint Iohn and the wages thereof as the Lawe threatneth is Gods curse or as Saint Paul pronounceth doome is death So that euery sinne is as a Viper and there is no Viper if wee respect the meere nature of the best of them but shee killeth whom shee biteth yet if one shall light on the hand of Paul shee is shaken off into the fire without any harming but not the lesse is shee to bee feared and accounted deadly of her owne nature although the Apostle be safe Wherefore the distinction of sinne into â—ortall and Veniall ariseth 〈…〉 sed personis From whence it followes That all sinnes are damnable in all men but not to all men all deserving but not all receiuing damnation for to the reprobate no sinne is finally veniall and to the elect no sinne is finally mortall Notwithstanding that there is one sinne which is simply and vniuersally mortall because it is not only punishable but euer punished with eternall death and is that sinne against the Holy Ghost but is no wayes incident to the elect Therefore I call sinne mortall two wayes First by explication and generally and to say a mortall sinne is to shew the nature of all sinne Secondly by way of distinction and specially and so to say a mortall sinne is to designe that sinne against the Holy Ghost in particular and which sinne Impenitencie doth follow necessitate ineuitabili as an inseparable consequent where in all other sinnes it is rather contingent for as no sinne can bee forgiuen without repentance so this sinne excludes possibilitie of repentance and therefore is irremissible and is called Mortall in an eminent degree and neuer becomes veniall not because God in his absolute power cannot forgiue it but because in his iust will hee hath decreed neuer to forgiue it the partie so sinning being euer obdured by his owne vniust action and Gods iust desertion And this is that which is spoken Mathew 12.31 and which Christs beloued Disciple vnderstands saying There is a sinne to death and a sinne not vnto death distinguishing so not betweene some sinnes mortall in nature and some sinnes veniall by nature But betweene one sinne simply mortall in nature and in necessary effect vnto all and all other sinnes simply mortall in nature also but not in necessary effect vnto all and therefore possibly and by repentance veniall through grace vnto the elect Whereas the same sinnes are iustly through want of repentance retained and be comes finally mortall to the obdured reprobate Neither is it to any purpose which Bellarmine alledgeth out of Iames 1.15 that because concupiscence brings foorth sinne and sinne consummate brings foorth death therefore that concupiscence it selfe should not bring foorth death or be a mortall sinne but veniall Where in the contrary it is rather to bee reasoned that Concupiscence being the euill Tree budding or poysoned Spring flowing it is the cause of all that which proceeds therefrom to wit both sinne consummate and death inflicted as from the seed both stalke and each eare comes And in the very regenerate where no consent is thereto as it is called sinne properly and a rebellion against the Law of God Rom. 7.20 23. so the fruit and merit thereof is affirmed to be death vers 24 and Rom. 8.2 and consequently it is of nature mortall Neither is it forbidden in the Law with that restriction of giuing consent thereto but simply it is said Thou shalt not couet and therefore to lust or couet although it proceed no further as Christ himselfe expounds that Precept is a breach of the Lawe and consequently merits death and the curse Neither may we according to Bellarmines owne rule restraine that which God hath set downe more amply And as for that out of a 1 Corinth â— where veniall sinne is desweined saith Bellarmine Ex leuitate materiae wee may iustly say it is leuis probatio and whereas through wanting more solid stuffe for proouing their distinction they haue their recourse then to stubble they may fitly bee compared to that thralled people in the Egyptian bondage who wanting long straw were forced to gather short stubble to themselues to make vp their â—aske which they could not accomplish and for building such stuffe not vpon the foundation but rather thereby euerting the foundation they may feare a fearefull and consuming fire at last But heereunto wee will onely giue them but their owne answeres and fully pay them with their owne coyne Bellarmine then testifies that because by the Builders in that place is vnderstood Doctors therefore by the worke must bee vnderstood doctrine and consequently by Hay and Stubble saith hee is vnderstood curious and vnprofitable doctrine Next he saith That by the fire that burneth this combustible and light stuffe Purgatory wherein Veniall sinnes enter cannot bee meant because it purgeth not the worke but altogether consumes the worke This likewise is but Metaphorically then so called fire but that of Purgatory is reall Et ignis Purgatoriae qui verâ—â— realis est saith Bellarmine non potest opera comburero quae sunt actiones transeuntes jam transierunt And whereas the Ancients seeme to poynt at this Distinction making
if his departure had been to enter him in so fierce a fire nor the other if his dissolution had not been straightway to ioyne him to Christ. Neither doth hee say that at the finishing of his course or ending of his fight a crowne onely is laid vp for him which should bee giuen him in that day to wit of his departure as verse 6. but likewise that in the very like manner it abode all them that loue the Lord Iesus Now to close vp our Arguments out of their owne distinction of Culpa Poena thus wee reason If Purgatory purge away ought either it purgeth the fault or the punishment But it purges not away the fault or guilt of mortall sinnes by the Papists owne confession nor the eternall punishment of them both being before remitted Neither purgeth it away the temporall punishment because out of the definition of purging which is taking away as Iohn 1.29 is euident the same is not taken away but on the contrary is inflicted non aufertur enim sed infertur Therefore of mortall sinnes it purgeth nothing and so in that respect it cannot bee called Purgatorie And as for veniall sinnes which Bellarmine saith Quoad culpam poenam intrant Purgatorium we prooue thus that it purges them not away No transient actions can enter into Purgatorie to bee burnt vp or purged away which are Bellarmines owne words saying Ignis Purgatory que verus realis est non potest opera combur â—râ— quae sunt actiones transeuntes iam transierunt But to subsume Veniall sinnes are transient actions which none can deny Therefore they enter no wise into Purgatorie to bee burnt vp or purged away and consequently seeing neither mortall nor veniall sinnes guilt nor punishment is purged away from the Soule in Purgatory there is no such thing at all Nam Purgatorium as is said est semper alicuius rei purganda Purgatorium As also that is not remitted which wholly is punished saith Bellarmine Remissio enim sonat condonationem But the Scripture and Fathers expressely teach saith hee that light or veniall sinnes are remitted after this life Therefore say wee they are not totally punished nor enter into Purgatorie quoad culpam poenam as hee said before nor are they punished at all seeing their temporall punishment is their totall punishment Arguments against Purgatory and for our Assertion out of Bellarmin and our Aduersaries themselues 1. Their Confession and arguments of their owne Doctors for vs. Bellarmine saith Fatemur Christum pro nobis pro toto mundo integre imo plenissime deo patri satisfecisse And againe Christ passions saith he omnem culpam originalem actualem lethalem venialem omnem poenam tam sempiternam quam temporariam expiare valent idque totum per se etiam si nullae admiscerentur passiones sanctorum Whence it followes 1 That the satisfaction of men for them selues are superfluous at least and that he who relyes only on Christs satisfaction relyes on that which for saluation is alwayes al-sufficient 2 That to exact that punishment of man which Christ hath already satisfied to his Fathers iustice is to make God vniust by taking two payments for one debt as also in not accepting Christ satisfaction for as much as it is worth to the Godly being of value to free them as well from Purgatory which is the lesse as from Hell which is the greater 3 To say that Christs satisfaction serues to make our satisfaction acceptable is against common sense as who would say that a cautioner had payed the debt thereby to inable the principall debtor being vnresponsall to pay it ouer againe to the Creditor and much more absurd is it to say that this second payment is a grace as after a free and full pardon of all punishment whatsoeuer it should bee a fauour done to a malefactor to bee cast so long in prison and cruelly whipped Dignitas satisfactionis saith Bellarmine mensuram accipit a dignitate persona satisfacientis quemadmodum grauitas offensionis a dignitate personae laesae Now betweene finite man who is the offendor and the infinite God who is offended there is no equalitie of comparison or correspondence therefore neither of the finite satisfaction of the one to the infinite Iustice of the other for which cause it behooued him to bee of an infinite nature who was our Redeemer Againe Christs satisfaction is infinite saith Durand and Mairâ—â—es therefore it is altogether needlesse to ioyne to Christs satisfaction say they any satisfaction of the sufferings of men which without being so ioyned to Christs wants not their owne fruits nor are in vaine being indured heere both in respect of the sufferers their owne reformation and conformitie with Christ wrought and the confirmation of the godly and good example to others that redounds thereby If by the sufferings of the godly sinnes may be expiate saye the same men cited by Bellarmine then it would not be absurd for them to bee called Redeemers of themselues in a part But it is absurd for them to bee called redeemers of themselues because Christ is the sole and onely Redeemer of mankind of whom saith the Apostle Who is made vnto vs righteousnesse and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Therefore by the sufferings of the godly sinnes cannot bee expiate neither veniall nor other in regard of punishment or otherwise To this argument of their owne Doctors Bellarmine no wise answeres but blasphemously affirming That it is no absurditie to say that wee are our owne redeemers in a part seeing the Councell of Trent hath decreed no lesse Sess. 14. Cap. 8. Can. 13. 2. Scriptures adduced by Bellarmine to proue that the Saints presently inioy the vision of God making directly for vs against Purgatory Ecclus. 11.26 It is an easie thing to the Lord in the very day of death without longer delay to reward a man according to his wayes and consequently to giue glory to the godly Et illud facile est Domino non significat saith Bellarmine posset si vellet sed reddit Deus facile reddit vnicuique secundum opera sua in die obitus aloquisi posset non redderet frustra nos hoc argumento hortaretur sapiens Also he brings that saying of Paul 2 Cor. 5.1 where the Apostle saith in the very instant and present time after the laying downe of our earthly bodies in death wee haue an eternall habitation in the heauens and so the soule remaines no time without a house but as soone as it goes out of the earthly it presently enters into the heauenly and therefore Bellarmine sayes Apostoli argumentatio optima est nimirum ista Si vita haec mortalis perit habemus statim aliam longe meliorem in coelo speaking so of all the godly indifferently To the same purpose is that which he adduceth out of the 8. verse where the Apostle setteth downe that this
Purgatorie Act. 2.24 Whom God raised hauing loosed the dolours of Hell that is deliuered soules out of Purgatory 1. The words are the dolours of death and not of Hell by which what is meant is cleare out of Psalm 18.4.5 calling the dolours of death the snares of death and by the dolours of the graue meaning the same and by both vnderstanding so the captiuating of death and the detayning power of the Graue wherein our Sauiour by his buriall as Deaths prisoner was inclosed and both which powers by his resurrection hee overcame as by his triumph Hose 13. is euident and as Bellarmine grants Lib. 4. de Christo. cap. 8. and that with Chrysostome and Oecumenius is meant thereby either that by Christ resurrection God loosed the dolours of death that was pained in holding him so long in the graue or else that by his resurrection he destroyed death and all the stinging dolours thereof which accompanied the same And so he makes him do that by the raysing vp of his body there which by the discense of his soule he would haue him to doe here Next if by such words Purgatory were meant then it would follow that Christ should haue suffered in Purgatory seing as is euident Peter speakes of the dolours which his humane nature suffered and his diuine loosed And therefore it was himselfe that was loosed from them as Sampson from his cords at first because it was impossible that he saith the Apostle and not others in Purgatorie should be holden by them And to vse retortion of this place against themselues if they meane Purgatory by these dolours as Bellarmine doth the same is quite vndone because Christ is said not to haue loosed any soules out of these dolours but the dolours themselues whereof it will follow either that there is no Purgatorie left at all or else such a one as is quite dolourlesse and without paine Philip 2.10 At the Name of Iesus euery knee shall bow of things in Heauen on earth and vnder the earth Which last sort seeing it is not the deuils nor the damned that giue voluntary obedience it must be the soules in Purgatory 1. Bellarmine himselfe answeres for vs and shewes that this speech borrowed from Isai. is expounded by the Apostle Rom. 10.14 of Christ comming to iudge all men before whom all the wicked sore against their wils shal compeare and yeeld subiection whereof the bowing of the knee among men is a signe Neither by bowing of the knee could be meant a voluntary subiection for this reason because then it would follow that all the wicked euen in this life gaue voluntary subiection to Christ because it is said That euery knee on earth shall bow As for 1 Pet. 3.20 Bellarmine prooues Limbus patrum thereby Therefore it cannot be adduced likewise to prooue Purgatory neither doth the word Prison in Scripture signifie but only the hell of the damned when it speaks of the imprisoning of Spirits And therefore it is the wicked and disobedient that are said to bee there and so neither the Fathers not the godly whom Christ is not said to haue deliuered the 〈◊〉 but to whom he is said to haue preached by that Spirit whereby hee was quickened which was not therefore his Soule but by his diuine Spirit in the dayes of Noah while they had time then to repent by the meanes of preaching and not after this life when there is no conuersion And for which exposition we haue not onely the clearnesse of the Text but Augustine also plainly with vs and after him Beda as 〈◊〉 grants Iohn 11.43 and Luke 8.55 The soule of Lazarus Maries brother returned and so did the soules of Iairus daughter and the widowes sonne whom Christ raised Now this was not from hell they being godly nor from heauen for so iniurie should haue been done to them Therefore saith Bellarmine Mortui quos exitarunt Christus Apostoli creduntur fuisse in Purgatorio Besides that the secret things belong onely to God and the things reuealed onely to vs there could bee no iniury heere done to the creature whose priuate good must euer giue place to the manifestation of Gods glorie whereto it was created But more peremptorily let Bellarmine in that same Chapter answere this saying Se igitur aliqui sancti redierunt ad corpus non fuerunt beati sed Deus praevidens eorum excitationem distulit eorum beatificationem interim detinuit eos in optimo aliquo loco such as is no wayes a tormenting Purgatory Yea to shew how desperate their cause is and how impudent themselues are in wresting most cleare parts of Scripture to prooue this fiery furnace of theirs Let vs see that place Ex quo saith Bellarmine insigne habetur argumentum pro Pugatorio Hebr. 10.27 For whom remaines saith the Apostle a certaine fearefull looking for of Iudgement and fiery indignation which shall deuoure the aduersaries speaking there no wayes of the godly that are friends as Bellarmine would haue it that for their sinnes after Baptisme must bee temporally punished in a purging fire but of the Lords aduersaries as the cleare Text sheweth which the fiery indignation of God shall vtterly deuoure and of the fearefull iudgement and finall damnation of those who by wilfull apostasie from the knowne truth as vers 25 26. is euident doe tread the Sonne of God vnder foot and count the blood of the Couenant an vnholy thing and doth despise the Spirit of grace which none of the godly euer either did or doth Next to such places of Scripture Bellarmine brings in examples of Scripture whereby hee intends to prooue that the guilt of sinne being remitted the temporall punishment remaines to be satisfied for and wherin because many are remisse in this life therefore a Purgatorie is appoynted hereafter The first examples are of Dauid and Miriam both pardoned and yet temporally punished but hee should prooue that these punishments were payments and satisfactions to Gods Iustice and redemptions of themselues as Bellarmine calles them where in the contrary the Scripture clearely affirmes that God by such corrections dealeth not as a Iudge with malefactors to satisfie Iustice but as a father with his sonnes to manifest his mercy doing it not for any payment to himselfe but for profit to them and not to free them from any Purgatory hereafter but to make them pertakers of his holinesse here Neither auailes it Bellarmine that the cause of Dauids correction is set downe to bee his sinne begun for wee confesse that the sinnes of the godly are the efficient causes of these corrections that God layes vpon them But all our Controuersie is of the finall cause which wee say is for example to others his children and their owne amendment that are chastised and which they say is for satisfaction to his Iustice and redemption of the sufferer himselfe The next instance that hee brings is of death which is the temporall
punishment of sinne and is inflicted vpon the godly not to preuent sinne but for satisfaction to Gods Iustice. Whereto wee answere That to no purpose doth hee instance the common calamities of all men or death of all in generall seeing our controuersie heere is onely of satisfactory punishment proper to the godly in particular which Bellarmine himselfe confesseth the former not to be and so most clearly answeres for vs saying That Indulgences take not away Poenas naturales communes sed illam quae infligitur in foro poenitentiario haec enim est per quam Domino satisfacimus cui succedit nisi Domino satisfiat in praesenti purgatorii poena So that these other naturall and common calamities are the fruites of sinne but not satisfactions for sinne Againe Bellarmine more plainely as yet answeres for vs saying Mortis debitum non erat solum vt moreremur sed vt in morte perpetuò maneremus And this debt by his satisfaction Christ hath so freed vs thereof that death altering its nature to the godly is now but a safe passage to life of a curse made a full cure and blessing ending our fight leading vs to our crowne bringing vs to our countrey to the sight of God company of Angels societie of Saints and coniunction with Christ and therefore so expected with ioy and desired with longing which no punishment could bee Besides that hereby he contradicts himselfe saying that in baptisme the whole guilt and the whole punishment of sinne is remitted and yet sodainely after baptisme many Infants die To say therefore that the death of these is a satisfactory punishment when nothing is to bee satisfied for vnremitted fully is an absurd contradiction His third instance is of violent death inflicted on some as a satisfactorie and temporall punishment after the remission of the sinne as Exod. 32. of those that were killed for worshiping the golden Calfe Numb 14. of those that murmured against the Lord. 1 King 13. of the Prophet slaine by the Lyon and 1 Cor. 11. the death of those that vnworthily communicate We answer that these first that were slaine were manifest Idolaters of whose repentance or remission we reade not but of the iust deserued temporall punishment here and what such merite hereafter 1 Cor. 6.9 Next the others that murmured are called by the Apostle hard-hearted misbeleeuing wicked and disobedient and who as cleerely appeares Heb. 4.2.3 were also excluded out of the heauenly rest that which God remitted being according to Moses desire only their full deletion as God had threatned and their posterities To the other two examples we answer that all that they proue we grant to wit that disobedience and sinne is the efficient cause of temporall punishments but such punishments of the godly are not payments to God and redemptions of themselues So our difference is of the finall cause which is either for example to others to be aware or amendment of themselues or as Augustine saith cited by Bellarmine vel ad demonstrationem debitae miseriae vel emendationem labilis vitae vel ad exercitationem necessariae patientiae Neither read we of the Prophets repentance nor remission nor of the reconcilement of these vnworthy receiuers against whom that are such the Apostle threatneth the receiuing of their damnation Last of all when enforced by truth Bellarmine is made to confesse meritū Christi sufficere ad omnē culpam et poenam tollendam he comes to this shift that it must be applyed by Purgatory and all be it that in baptisme it take away all yet hee saith blasphemously quod deus tantum semel utitur ea liberalitate et postea contrahit nonnihil manum and will haue vs to satisfie for our selues and that for the temporall punishment quod vna tantum si actualis satisfactio et ea sit nostra Whereunto wee answer that wee grant that Christs merit is not auailable to any without application but the meanes are set downe expresly in the word to wit faith by the Word and Sacraments and by which meanes whensoeuer it is applyed it looseth none of its full vertue nor as they blasphemously affirme doth the Lord but once only vse such liberalitie to accept it for as much as it is worth towards the godly like the Pope who neuer but once at his Coronation scatters his copper money amongst the people but Faith applies it euer and he accepts it euer according to the full vertue and value thereof as being sufficient to free the godly as well from the temporall satisfactorie punishment which is the lesse as from the eternall which is the more Besides likewise that the meanes of applying a thing should be actiue and not a passion or torment so neither should these meanes be contrary to the benefit which we enioy by them as who to see should cloose his eie lids applying Gods mercie by the execution of his Iustice pardon by punishment discharge of debt by payment and applying the grace of Christ by a meanes derogating from his grace which is altogether impious and absurd As for his testimonies of Councels and Fathers that he brings in for prayer for the dead out of which hee would inferre Purgatory they neuer proue his point 1. Because this did proceede of an errour that sundry of the Fathers did hold and the whole Greeke Church as yet whom Bellarmine refutes that the soules of the Godly remained till the resurrection in certaine hid receptacles without seeing God 2. Their owne Canon of the Masse prayes for the soules of the faithfull which doe sleepe in the slumber of peace for so are the words Memento domin◠animarum famulorum famularumque tuarum quae nos pracesserunt in signe fidei et dormiunt in somno pacis And yet these soules so long since departed cannot be said now to be in the fire of Purgatory for none could sleepe peaceable or found in so easelesse a bed except they make labouring and rest sleepe and waking peace and torment to bee all one 3. Cyprian testifies that they offered for the Apostles and Martyrs whom yet they thought not to be in Purgatorie and in the ancient Missalls Bellarmine grants that on the day of Pope Leo the 8. canonized Saint the Church said Annuè quaesumus domine vt animae B. Leonis haec prosit oblatio and yet this prayer for his soule imported not by their owne confession that it was in Purgatory 4. Likewise they prayed for the dead for declaration of their loue to them and not doubting that the soules notwithstanding were in blisse already and in that ioy which they prayed for vnto them as Augustines words for his mother Monica plainely manifests et credo domine quod feceris quod te rogo sed voluntaria oris mei approba domine And whereas the same Augustine would seem more plainely to make for Purgatorie in other places againe he either calles it in doubt if