at libertie because some friend of his hath scourged himselfe or fasted for him 3. Whether the pardons that the Pope giueth without enioining any penance be of any force as also those which he giueth with conditiō to work some wickednesse as in the yeares 1587 and 1588. when hee gaue seven yeares of pardon to every one that would ioine with the holy Vnion that is to say that would rebell against their king yet he a Roman Catholike 4. Againe In as much as these superabundant satisfactions of Saints are gathered together into the Popes treasurie because God will haue nothing lost how haue the superabundant satisfactions of such holy men as died vnder the old Testamēt as Moses Abraham c. beene husbanded be those also in the Popes treasury But where were they laid vp before the Pope had them Did they lie lurking in some corner two or three thousand yeares vntill the Pope gathered them together and found meanes to employ thē It were not amisse also to enquire the reason why the world in the yeare of Iubile maketh such hast to Rome cōsidering that at Rome they may at all times obtaine millions of yeares of Indulgences and full remission of sinnes and some six hundred thousand yeares of plenary pardon Aboue all we would gladly know when a man that needeth ten thousand yeares of pardon doth purchase enough for fiftie thousand yeares what becommeth of the fortie thousand yeares that remaineth Cayer saith that they returne into the treasurie for the good of others but because his companions doe despise disgrace him wee would willingly bee taught by some substantiall Doctor the rather for that at Rome and in one selfe place a man may obtaine besides the plenary pardon certaine thousands of yeares of surplussage To what end may that surplussage serue wil the Pope therewith pardon sins giue Indulgences by provision CAP. 6. That all the passages of holy Scripture by our adversaries quoted for prayer for the dead and for Purgatory are either false or vnprofitable IN all the Premises wee may see that our enimies fight but faintly that they are armed but with strawes against the force of the truth how much lesse shall they be able to do any thing when they shall be quite stripped and that little armour that is left them be cleane taken away This is it which in this Chapter wee will with Gods helpe performe My adversaries therfore whose desire of gaine induceth them to practise Pyrotechny doe heape together stubble good store that is to say simple proofs to kindle this fire of Purgatory Of these proofes some concerne prayer for the dead and some Purgatory some taken out of the old some out of the new Testament we will then without dissimulation propound them all and for my part I will deale with thē with as much equitie and sinceritie as they haue dealt with me with fraud vniustice which consisteth in suppressing my best obiections and corrupting the rest Passages produced by these three Doctors to proue prayer for the dead All that my adversaries doe alleage concerning prayer for the dead is groūded vpon a false principle namely that who so prayeth for a dead body presupposeth that there is a Purgatory but in the last Chapter wee will shew that the prayers for the dead which some of the ancients did vse were even against Purgatorie Here might we dispense for answering hereto the rather for that albeit they should obtaine their desires yet had they gained nothing toward the establishment of their Purgatory Howbeit we will doe them thus much more then right that nowe receaving their principle we wil lay open the falshood and impertinencie of their proofes therevpon 1. Cayers passages p. 24. A falshood Cayer shall haue the credit to march foremost as the most skilfull His words are these It is said Numbers 16. v. 47. 48. that Aaron reconciled the people both the quick and the dead A passage false and by him invented for as well in the Hebrew as in the translations even in the Roman it is thus Aaron standing vpright betweene the dead and the living besought God for the people and the plague ceased 2. In the third book of Kings cap. 8. v. 38. There is a manner of prayer for the dead saith Cayer in these words Every prayer and supplication made by any man for the wound of his heart in the Church it shall be acceptable to God Also in the 33. verse it is said If the people fall before their enimies in praying to God they shal be heard Were not this passage falsified yet shew me one word in it that importeth praying for the dead 3. Againe he saith that in the 57. of Esay the Prophet complaineth that they did not pray for the dead This also is false neither is there any such speech throughout all the Chapter Looke also what wee haue already said in the third Chapter and third Argument 4. He goeth on and saith that in the third Chapter of Baruch it is set downe in expresse words Heare o Lord God the prayer of the dead Israelits and of their children that haue sinned before thee And soone after Remember not the iniquitie of our Fathers First the booke is Apocriphall secondly In these wordes of Israell are comprised all the people of Israell who in those daies through the extremitie of their captivitie misery were as if they lived not as it appeareth in the eleventh verse where it is said Israell is counted with them that go downe to the graue Tearming those dead after the ordinary phrase of the Scripture that are oppressed with affliction and as it were within two inches of death As David in the 88. Psalme albeit aliue counteth himselfe among the dead and those that goe downe to the pit so also in the 18. Psalme v. 5. 6. and in the 116. Psalme v. 3. hee saith that he is environed and surprised with the snares of death and with the bonds of the sepulcher Also in the 18. Psalme v. 19. the faithfull doe desire of God that he would restore them to life as if they had beene dead and already brought to the graue Thirdly to what purpose doth hee come in with a prayer of the dead considering that our question cōcerneth only the prayer of the living for the dead Fourthly as concerning these words Remember not the iniquitie of our fathers hee prayeth that the threats of the lawe which denounce that God will visit the iniquitie of the Fathers vpon the children be not executed vpon them hee therefore prayeth that the sinnes of the fathers be no cause to prolong their captivitie as plainely appeareth in the eight verse Cayer produceth yet another passage out of the second of the Machabes but that you shal find among the passages of the other two 5. The Frier having discharged all his anger vpon M. Calvin and charged that good man with infinit slanders wresting the Interpretion of sundry his
plain and open tearmes Wee therefore demand what commandement of God he can find throughout the old Testamēt wherein it is commanded to pray for the dead or to offer any sacrifice for them either among them to distribute the superabundant merits and satisfactions of holy men deceased as Abraham or Moses to helpe them out of Purgatory Here our adversaries are at a stand and bite the bit for were there any cōmandement that might bear wreasting to that sence they that can so cunningly rack the Scriptures to their purposes would no doubt haue produced it Here doth our Frier frie in his greace would faine shift it of with blasphemies as they that are beset with fires would gladly leap out at the windows He doth no longer accuse the olde Testament of obscuritie but of omission and impection How many things saith he hath God left vnmentioned in the olde Testament Pag. 16. to the end to take from the people all occasion of Idolatry and yet are necessarie to saluation As invocation of the Trinitie Pag. 18. the immortalitie of the soule c Againe he saith vnder the law prayers for the dead were not so frequēt publike least they should giue the Iewes occasiō with the Gentils to thinke that they ought to sacrifice to the infernall powers Secondly that in regard that before the redemption of man kind the estate of the deceased was not so well knowne as after that our Saviour Iesus Christ descended into hell And thirdly because they had not so good means to relieue the dead as they had after that the merits of the death and passion of our Lord were committed into the hands of the Church to apply them So many wordes so many monsters and blasphemies First in that hee denieth that in the old Testament there is any mention of the Immortality of the soule wee haue before heard the depositions of Daniell Salomon and the Prophet Balaam prophecying Let vs hereto adioine the taking vp of Enoch and Elias into heaven proofes of their immortality The wordes of Iacob on his death bed Lord I haue waited for thy salvation Gen. 49.18 Iob. 18.26 The hope of Iob who assured himselfe that after his skinne should be consumed he should yet see God in his flesh The words of God himselfe who saith I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac Mat. 22.32 and the God of Iacob God is not God of the dead saith Jesus Christ but of the liuing The only name of Religion importeth the Immortality of the soule which being taken away what is Religion but an intollerable yoake a scrupelous feare a superfluous labour If in this life only saith S. Paul we haue hope in Christ wee are of all men the most miserable 1. Cor. 17.19 what was the old Testament but the Religiō of Gods people It doth therefore presuppose and as it were in the forehead beare written this title The Immortality of the soule As for Invocation of the Trinity it is commanded in the old Testament for there we are commaunded to call vpon God and he that calleth vpon God calleth vpon the Trinitie But what shall we say to the discretion of our Moncke who maketh God marveilous provident in that he would not speake of the Immortalitie of the soule so to take from the Jewes all occasion of Idolatry alas poore man God cureth not one evill by an other much lesse a smaller evill by a greater Idolatry by Atheisme or superstition by Irreligion the mother of all excesse As if it should be forbidden to speak of God either good or evill for feare of blaspheming him or as if a man should cut of his head for saving the wearing of a cap. What discretion to loose the principall for saving of the dependant To sell the horse for saving of the hay God provideth not against evils in such manner as the Popes who will saie they prevent heresies by prohibiting the vse of Gods word the diminishing of Ecclesiasticall profits by prohibiting marriage of the Cleargie Dist 18 Can Sirac vxor filii per quos Ecclesiast solet periclitari substantia contrarie to the doctrine of S. Paul 1. Tim. 3.2 howbeit if God followed this precept of discretion in the old Testament why did he alter his mind in the new where with too much simplicity if we beleue this Moncke he doth in every place inculcate Eternall life Are men since the daies of Jesus Christ lesse bent to Idolatry Nay which is more The opinion of the death of the soule Idolatry do for the most part follow each other between them there is a fraternity The heathen that had little or no hope of eternal life were Idolaters did not Pope Iohn 24. celebrating his Masse kneele to the bread yet did he beleeue that the souls of men died as the souls of beasts for which small sin togither with 54. others Consil Const Sess 11. the Councell of Constance in their eleventh session condemned him That which ensueth is ferial smelleth of the friery He yeeldeth an other reason why in the old Testament prayers and sacrifices for the deade were so vnfrequented It was saith he because before the redemption of mankinde ehe estate of the dead was not so well knowne as after that Christ descended into Hell He doth therefore presuppose that Jesus Christ when he came from hell brought assured news as if that Jesus Christ before his death knew not the state of the dead as well as after his resurrection or els that either he would not or could not instruct his disciples of the estate of the dead as wel before his death as after But now I pray you what be the news that Jesus Christ brought vndoubtedly even the same that the golden legend and the booke of the life and death of Jesus Christ do report how he came to hel gates and the good thiefe Dinas carying a Crosse before him how hee made the gates to be opened how hee beat and hampered the Divels how he entertained the fathers whom he foūd in this Limbo with goodly discourses a thousande such Iolly gallant histories after the imitation of the Romanes all which the Evangelists had forgotten for either of these or of any other news that ever Jesus Christ brought out of Limbo out of Purgatory or out of Hell we finde not one sillable in all the newe Testament The souldier raised again of whom S. Gregory Dialogue 4. cap. 36. doth make mention and one Nicholas mentioned in the legend of S. Patricke who by a Caue that he found in Ireland entred into Purgatory at their returne related his things as they had seen below more exactly As that they had seen mē fryed in frying pans others fluttering about the chimnies like small flames a bridge of yce of two fingers broad vnder the which ran a torrent of fire and over this bridge must they passe that were to enter into Paradice Thus grew
sufferingt Thus our Monke by doing of iustice and iudgement which signifieth to deale vprightly and to giue to every man his owne vnderstandeth it to chastise a mans selfe shewing himselfe a Novice in the phrase of the old Testament where this word Iudgement signifieth equitie and vpright dealing As in Deut. 32 4. Daniel 4.37 The Auctor of the fire of Helie answereth otherwise for they seldome concurre in their answers he will haue these words I will no more remember to signifie Pag. 6. I will not punish as an enimie that is to say with eternall punishment By his account the keeping of a man many thousands of yeares in a fire for his sinne signifieth not to remember his sinne How often did David pray to God to remember his sinnes and wickednesse of his enimies yet not so that he desired that God should punish them with eternall punishment After all this the frier maketh a digression wherein hee chargeth vs with sundry slanders but all besides the matter 2 Gods Angell Revelat. 14.13 saith thus Blessed are the dead that hereafter dy in the Lord yea truly the spirit saith that they rest from their labours their works follow them Surely if they rest from their labours they goe not into a burning fire This speech concerneth not the Martyres only as our adversaries doe faine for throughout that whole chapter there is not any word of the Martyres but of all such as keepe the commandements of God faith of Iesus as it is said one line before But if the Martyres only doe die in the Lord in whom doe the rest of the faithfull die Bellarmine saith they die in part in the Lord and in part not in the Lord Bellarm. de Purgat lib. 6. cap. 1. hee was ashamed to say in part in the Lord and in part in the divell 3 Esay cap. 57. v. 1. 2. saith The righteous perisheth and is taken away from the evill then he addeth Hee shall enter in peace or peace shall come they shall rest in their beds every one that hath walked before him Why did he not except those that goe to Purgatory or what peace or rest is there in a burning fire And this is the point wherein the Frier is brought into such a straight that his only recourse is to his ordinary boldnesse Pag. 19. and laboureth to make this passage a meanes to establish his Purgatory Hee affirmeth it to bee a prayer of Esay for the dead and to make it the more probable in liew of these words Peace shall come he saith let peace come also for They doe rest he saith let them rest contrary to the truth of the original Hebrew which hath Iavo that is to say shal come and Ianuchu they shall rest Yet let vs thus farre yeeld all this to his ignorance in the Hebrew tongue but herein doth he shew his bad meaning even in this that hee affirmeth it to bee a prayer of Esay sith by the words ensuing it appeareth that they bee the wordes of God who saith Yee witches children come hither yee seed of the adulterer and of the whore drawe neere Whome haue yee mocked c. and againe Can I be content with all these things and thou hast discovered thy selfe behind mee Throughout all this Chapter God opposeth the blessed estate of the righteous against the curse prepared for the wicked 4 S. Paule to the Corinthians saith 2. Cor. 5.1 If our earthly habitation be destroied we haue an eternall building in heaven But why did he not adde but that shall bee after you are purged with fire 5 The Apostle in the 9. to the Hebrewes saith It is ordained that all men shall once die after that the iudgement He forgat Purgatory that should haue gon betweene For throughout the holy Scripture we find not any other iudgment spoken of after death but the last and vniversall iudgement 6 In the 20. Matt. the laborers doe all receaue their promised wages towards the end of the day that is to say in the end of their liues and when their works is done but Purgatory can bee no part of this labour as the auctor of the fire of Helie would haue it to be for in that place they speake only of labouring in the Lords vinyard which is his church which hath no communitie with any torment in fire Againe Purgatory caÌ„not be the last houre of the day because they make it continue much longer then all the life Besides that even in this last houre some labourers are called and hired but in Purgatory no man is called to the service of God 7 In the holy Scriptures we haue many examples of men receaved into Paradice immediatly after their decease but no example of any soule sent into Purgatory Luk. 2.26 Simeon had a promise that he should not see death before hee had seene the Messias S. Paul 2. Tim. 4. saith that after he had fought the good fight there remained no more but to receaue the crowne of glory And S Luk cap. 1â— saith that the Angels carried the soule of Lazarus into Abrahams bosome where hee was comforted whiles the â—ich man was tormented but of any passage to Purgatory either to or fro we heare no newes 8 Iesus Christ said to the good theif This day thou shalt be with me in Paradice This thiefe was surely a great sinner satisfied civill iustice either for theft or murder But where had hee made satisfaction to God for all his sinnes committed all the daies of his life Hee that was converted to God in the very article of his death But God requireth no satisfactory paines of such as doe repent but for them hee doth accept of the obedience and death of Iesus Christ who hath sufficiently satisfied aswell for our sinnes as for the punishment due to our sinnes The auctor of the fire of Helie with the rest will needes haue this priviledge to bee granted to this thiefe in regard of the greatnesse of his faith of his hope of his charitie of his zeale c. wherein they doe the more accuse themselues 2. By exalting the faith of the thiefe they do at vnawares confesse that in case we haue a stedfast faith in Iesus Christ we shall not come in Purgatory 3. Herein also they do coÌ„fesse that it standeth with the iustice of God freely and without imposing any satisfactory paines to pardon alwaies provided that the sinner haue a stedfast faith and hope in Iesus Christ 4. How could this thiefe at Gods hand merite this privilege by his faith and hope considering that God endued him with this faith For what kind of merit is this to receaue the gifts and graces of God with a stedfast faith which faith also God gaue him who giueth not only the benefits but also the means to receaue them And the same doe I say also of other vertues which were the gifts and effects of the spirit of God in him For it is God
which we can satisfie the divine Iustice our Lord hath not otherwise satisfied but in applyed to vs his merites by the which our satisfactions doe supply that temporall paine but he giveth vs power to satisfie and to giue a man power to beare the deserued punishment and to make the satisfaction to be of force implyeth not to satisfie or to be punished for him But the Friers memory faileth him much more his respect to the word of God in that he endevoureth to frame vs new articles of faith yea which is more even in that that is of greatest importance and is as it were the soule and principall part of Religion without any auctority of the holy scriptures saying that Iesus Christ did not otherwise satisfie for temporal punishment that is Purgatory but by applying to vs his merits whereby wee do satisfie Thus much for the agreement of Purgatory and mans satisfactions with the merits of Iesus Christ from which argument before I depart I cannot forbeare but must of necessity propounde one excellent note that Cardinal Bellarmine setteth downe in his booke De poenitentia where he laboureth to shewe that the sinnes committed before baptisme are redeemed by the blood of Iesus Christ without our satisfactions Bellarm. de poenitent lib 4. cap. 10. but the sinnes after baptisme are redeemed by our owne satisfactions He saith that S. Iohn the Evangelist instructing a yong man who after baptisme had committed many Ryots he exhorted him to fasting and to praier as saith Eusebius And herevpon the Cardinall setteth downe this note Euseb Hist Eccl. l. 3. c. 17 Iohannes non id precepit quod luther anisolent vt Christi sanguine peccata sua purgata esse certò crederet sed preces Ieiunia indixit that is S. Iohn commanded him not that which the Lutherans doe vse to command that is that hee should certainely beleeue that his sinnes were purged by the blood of Iesus Christ but he enioyned him to fasting and praier In this regard then are wee called Lutherans and Heretickes Thus also shall the Apostle himselfe be foūd a Lutheran and worthy the Inquisitiō because he saith 1. Ioh. 1.7 The blood of Iesus Christ purgeth vs from all sinnes for he writ to the faithful and to the baptized and to those whom hee calleth his children These our Masters matters thus discovered and themselues convict of prophaning the merits of Iesus Christ to be revēged they vse this recrimination The Frier saith that We doe so assure the soules in this blood Pag. 91. A slander that the only remembrance of baptisme once received is a remedy against all sinne without need of any other matter A slander forged in the shop of the father of Lyes as is also the same which the fire of Helie chargeth vs withall namely that It is enough that Iesus Christ suffered 62. A slander and so for our parts we need do nothing and herevpon they heap vp many passages proofes for the necessity of pennance and good works but all in vaine considering wee beleeue nothing of that they accuse vs of but do affirme that the only way to life is to obey the commandements of God It is necessary that we heare his word and obey him that we repent vs of our sinnes and convert vnto God That we subdue the flesh and quench the heate of the concupiscence therof that we suffer with Iesus Christ and for Iesus Christ to the end we may be glorified with Iesus Christ For albeit our paines and good workes bee no sufficient price to purchase salvation yet are they necessary for the attaining thereto In that we extoll the excellencie of the satisfaction of Iesus Christ we doe it not to make vs negligent in good workes but to invite and stirre vs vp to loue God and to acknowledge his graces God is not good to vs to the end we should be wicked to him His benefits are to vs as bonds Iesus Christ is vnto vs not only matter to hope well but also a rule to liue well If he haue bought vs it is to the end we should be his and how his by seruing the divell The pascall Lambe must be all eaten for Iesus Christ cannot bee divided wee cannot participate in the fruit of his death if we be not made conformable to his resurrection by newnesse of life neither can we enioy his promises vnlesse wee keepe his commandements And there fore saith David Psal 130. There is forgiuenesse with thee that thou maist be feared There by shewing vs that the mercy of God towards vs must be by vs accompanied with his feare According to this Franciscans doctrin David should haue said There is no full forgiuenesse with thee that thou maist be feared He thē that of Gods mercy shall make an exemption from wel doing or shal put of his amendmēt from day today thinking that it is not yet time to become an honest man wil find himselfe deceaved for repentance is a guift of God which hee giueth not to scorners And ordinarily such as seek to reserue to God the last part of their daies and as it were the lees and dreggs of their liues are surprised by death before they attaine thereto as being a matter iust and equall that they should haue no portion in God who did so vnequally divide with him In the meane time to heare these men dispute of the necessitie of good workes you would thinke them to bee saints or pettie Gods and our Church to be a harbour to all wickednesse and a schoole of excesse as if sinne were a matter lawfull among vs. Indeed to our great griefe we confesse that wee haue but over many bad examples among vs. We could earnestly wish that as the high Priest disrobed himselfe at the entring into the holy place so that every of vs could put of his olde sinnes and rellicks of wickednesse at the entry into the Church of God but the perversitie of this age together with the contagion and haunt that wee hold with such as be yet out of the Church doe corrupt the manners of many yet dare I say thus much that among vs you shall find more examples of charitie of sobrietie and of diligent reading the word of God then among our adversaries that the pillars of the Church of Rome are more polluted then the pauement of ours that our spend thrifts are more tollerable then the sobrietie of those that reproue vs that our vices are evē vertues in regard of the riotous excesse of the Roman Prelats The murderers of Kings were not of our flocke Vices and sinnes against nature haue no place among vs. Trading and Pride haue in the Court of Rome put of the habit of vices and are now accompted for honest carriage activitie and ordinary occupation ietting vp and downe in the cloake of of discretion and wisedome Bern. ser 33 super Cant. Ministri Christi sunt serviunt Antichristo Inde is que
beleeue neither heaven nor hell The intent of the Ministers saith he is to deny both Purgatory and Paradice for wee know that at Geneva in the Italian Church after they had argued of the means to root out the beliefe of Purgatory one of their Deacons rising vp said let vs doe that which we had once determined let vs deny the Immortalitie of the soule so shall wee soone see Purgatory laid along The fire of Helie saith it was not a Deacon but a Minister yea he saith moreover that one Perrat a Minister of Geneva in his life coÌ„plained that among vs the beasts are buried with greater honour then men But he speaketh as if a man already deceased so truely hee is informed but the man yet liveth and if the accuser or accusation did deserue it I could easily from himselfe procure the confutation of so cold a slander Herevpon were the Divell our principall enimie a man to be examined I would demand of him whether our fathers that suffered martyrdome for the Gospell who were so lavish of their blood and so sparing of the glory of God did think that there was no heaven or that the soules were mortall But in as much as wee meddle not with coniurings or making the spirits to appeare as our adversaries doe let the Frier take his place and be our Iudge therein Dare hee say that these persons did not aspire to eternall life The two Decij Curtius or Empedocles who with their deathes did purchase fame voluntary lost their liues to purchase commendatioÌ„s after death might haue done it without hope of immortalitie But where the death is accompanied with infamy the ashes overlaid with reproach what man will without hope of immortalitie seeke an inglorious death and voluntarily lose both his life and his honor Moreover who be our slanderers Even the props and pillers of the Roman sea a sea that hath beene blemished with Popes that haue made profession to teach that there is no Paradise and that the soules of men doe die together with their bodies as doe the soules of beastes Let these writers of fires furnaces torrents acknowledge whether these bee not the very words of the Councell of Constance Sess 11. Iohn the 23. Often and very often in the presence of sundry prelats and other good and honest men hath said supported taught and obstinately at the instigation of the divell maintained that there is no eternall life neither any other life after this yea he hath said and obstinately beleeued that the soule of man dieth with his body and is extinct as those of brute beasts He hath also said that man once dead shall neuer rise againe at the last day c. And afterward it is said that all this is publikely and well knowne O how the pulpets should haue rung of it if any one of vs had spoken but the huÌ„dreth part hereof 12 There resteth yet one place taken out of S. Paule 1. Cor. 15.29 What shal they doe that are baptised for dead The Frier in liew of these wordes for dead hath set downe for the dead The fire of Helie committeth a notable falsehood and disguiseth the passage thus Pag. 46. Falshoods What shall they doe that baptise themselues for the dead And then expoundeth that which he hath corrupted in this maner To baptise ones selfe signifieth to doe laborious and satisfactory workes for the dead and withall wee must vnderstand that it is to fetch them out of Purgatory Good God what a troublesome thing lying is This interpretation is taken from Bellarmine who according to his manner hauing alleaged the explication of a number of the fathers as Tertullian Ambrose Sedulius Theodoret Chrysostome Oecumenius Theophilact c washeth al their heads and for the establishment of his owne exposition confuteth all their explications And this doth the Frier confirme with the autoritie of Turrian the Iesuite who maketh vse of this passage An excelent testimonie and of great antiquity But the sense of these wordes must be taken of the Apostles intent This is bee seene in Mat. 5 16â— Marc. 1.10 his intent was to proue the resurrectioÌ„ here to hee imployeth baptisme which in those daies was celebrated by plonging the whole body in water in token that we are in death the comming forth of the water representeth the resurrection S. Paules meaning is that this signe were in vaine if there were no resurrection and that in vaine we are baptized for dead or as dead and to represent vnto vs that wee are in death if there be no hope of Resurrection The explicatioÌ„ of Theodoret groweâ—h much herevpon which also Caietan doth follow The places of scripture wherevpon these Doctors doe lay the foundations of their Purgatory 1. Cayer pag. 5. proveth the multitude of habitations vnder the earth by the creed where it is saide Descendit ad Inferos in the plurall number but his grammar faileth him for in the Greeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the singular and Inferi in the plurall importeth no more diversity of chambers or habitations then Superi which signifieth those that liue vpon the earth Virgill Aeneid 6. Apud superos furto laetatus inani 2 Againe vpon the last of the Revelation where it is written Pag. 9. Out of the throne proceeded a river of water cleare as christall He foundeth Purgatory in rivers in bathes in yce vnder the leaues of trees c To the same end he alleageth the 92. Psalme The righteous shall flourish like a Palme tree And this passage doeth hee make to serue for a defence of his flowred medow that lieth at the end of Purgatory Let vs yeeld Peter Victor Palme Cayer this Doctor taketh vp the straw which is not like the palme albeit he assumeth that name but rather like the figge tree which Christ cursed it bare no more fruit 3 Himselfe defendeth the altars wherevpon the saying of a stinted nuÌ„ber of Masses sufficeth to fetch a soule out of Purgatory Pag. 17. because in the lawe there was an altar of propitiation 4 In page 23. he heapeth vp a whole bedroule of passages for Purgatory as if they were paternosters 1. Because there was a flaming sworde before the garden of Eden and the same passage doth the fire of Helie make vse of 2. By the fire of sacrifices after the law of nature for he imagineth that the making of sacrifices by fire is a law of nature thus doth he confesse that he hath lost his humane nature because he doth not sacrifice by fire 3. Because the law was given in fire 4. By the perpetuall fire that was vpon the altar 5. By the iudgement of God that must be in fire 2. Pet. 3. Out of al this he coÌ„cludeth that there is a purgatory How many pens sonnets shall wee pin vpon this doctor in reward of his profound subtlety Some few other passages there bee but they wil be found among those of
These be his words in the 48. chapt of his Apologeticall The soule alone can suffer no thing without some solide matter that is without flesh Hilary vpon the seconde Psalme toward the end saith Hell receaveth vs at the very instant and if we haue lived so wheÌ„ we depart out of this body we perish from the right way Hereof haue wee for witnesse the rich man and the poore in the Gospell of whom the one was by the Angels placed in the seat of the blessed and in Abrahams bosome the other was received into the Region of torments Theodoret in the fifth booke of his history cap. 9. Dominus nostâ—â— humano generi absolutissimam contulit salutem vt hominem totumà toto peccato occupatum à toto peccato liberaret citeth an Epistle of Damasus which saith Christ the son of God our Lord hath by his passion conferred to mankinde a most accomplished salvation to the end to deliver from all sinne man whollie possessed with all sinne But this must bee false if the faithfull shal yet endure torments to satisfie to God for their sins We haue also S. Cyprian a mighty enemie to Purgatory In his works he hath an excellent tract of mortality wherein we are to note that he therewith coÌ„forteth his auditory in a time of Contagion speaketh of the death not of the Martyrs but of such as dyed by sicknesse Lord novv leauest thou thy seruant in peace protesting and prouing that the seruants of God do theÌ„ enter into peace Expuncta hac morte ad immortalitatem venimus yea into a free and quiet rest vvhen being takeÌ„ out of the troubles of this vvorld they arriue in the hauen of Eternal rest and vvheÌ„ from this mortality they enter into immortality And againe God doth promise thee immortality at thy departure out of this vvorld and dost thou doubt of it TheÌ„ dost thou not knovv God Againe wishing the living not to weepe over their dead brethren he saith accersione dominica de saeculo liberatos Non exitus sed transitus temporali itinere de cursu ad aeterna transgressus That God having called them to him they are deliuered from this vvorld Non amitti sed praemitti That they be not lost but sent before That vve should not put on blacke garments vvhen our friends put on vvhite that death is the passage to eternity How cold woulde these comfortes bee to such as shoulde thinke their deceased friends to be tormented in a fire Surely such haue great cause to lament as thinke that their friends are in such horrible flames and of so long continuance Eius est mortem timere qui ad Christum nolitire Eius est ad Christum nolle ire quise non credit cum Christo incipere regnare who caÌ„not be said to put on white but red robes wheÌ„ they shall bee throwne into such scortching flames and scalding heates In the same sermon Hee may feare death that vvill not goe to Christ Iesus It is not for him to be vvilling to go to Iesus Christ who beleeueth not that he doth begin to raigne with Iesus Christ Aevi temporalis fine coÌ„pleto ad aeternae vel mortis vel immortalitatis hospitia dividimur Amplectamur dieÌ„ qui assignat singulos domicilio suo qui nos laqueis secularibus exutos paradiso restituit regno celesti Quando istinc excelsuÌ„ fuerit nullus iam locus poenitentiae est nullus satisfactionis effectus Tusub ipso licet exitu vitae temporalis occasu pro delicto roges Deum venia confitenti dabitur credenti Indulgentia salutaris de divina pietate conceditur ad immortalitatem sub ipsa morte transitur In the same place speaking of death Ad refrigerium iusti vocantur ad supplicium rapiuntur iniusti Datur velocius tutela fidelibus perfidis poena That is the righteous are called to a refreshing the wicked are haled to torments Safety is soone granted to the faithfull and to the transgressors punishmeÌ„t The same in his tract against Demetria This temporall life ended we are seuered into the habitations either of death or of Eternall life hee also speaking of the day of death saith Let vs embrace the day that bringeth every man into his house which hauing dravvne vs out of the snares of this world returneth vs into Paradice and into the kingdome of heauen Also toward the end of the same treatise Being departed hence there is no farther place for penance neither any fruit and effect of satisfactioÌ„ Then he addeth If at Gods hand thou cravest pardon for thy sin were it euen at thy end and departure out of this temporal life yet vpon thy confession it should be graunted thee and through the Divine goodnes salutary forgiuenes is giueÌ„ to all beleeuers and in death it selfe we passe to immortality What could hee haue spoken more expresly against Purgatory Againe in his aforesaid sermon of mortality Qualem te inuenerit Deus cum vocat talem iudicabet such as God shall find then when he calleth such will he iudge thee He there speaketh of the day of iudgement One place of Cyprian doe our adversaries alleadge but they corrupt it as wee will hereafter shew Cyrill of Alexandria in his 12. booke vpon Iohn cap. 36. saith The souls of the Saints departed from their bodies remaine not vpon earth then not in a fire vnder the earth Firmitur credentes in manibus Dei nos post mortem futuros vitamque multo meliorem ac perpetuo cum Christo victuros not in bathes not in rivers crept but are in the handes of God the father And then he addeth For Iesus Christ hath returned his soule in to the hands of his father to the end that the beginning being made by her we may haue a stedfast hope hereof stedfastly beleeving that after death we shall be in the hands of God and shall for ever liue with Christ in a far better life S. Hierome in his Epistle to Marcella concerning the death of Lea Scimus Nepotianum esse cuÌ„ Christo also in his Epitaph of Nepotian and Basill saith that their souls do already enioy the eternall beatitude that they are already entred into the light that they were receiued by a quier of Angels Himselfe vpon the 9. of Amos. When the soule freed from the bonds of this body hath her liberty Quando anima vinculis relaxata corporis volandi quo velit seu quo ire compellitur propter tenuitatem substantiae habis erit libertateÌ„ aut ad inferna ducetur aut certe ad sublimia sublevabitur in regard of the thinnesse or lightnes of her substance to fly where shee list or at the least where she is enforced to go then shall she be led into the hell whereof it is written sinners shall be reduced or cast into hell or els she shall be exalted into the Coelestiall heavens Bellarmin in his first
doubt of the Lords sentence in the day of iudgement The Friers falshood But our adversaries say that the soules in Purgatory are assured of their salvation and therefore the Frier pag. 56. omitteth these last words of S. Cyprian 3. Finally sith hee speaketh of such as doe pennance after their revolt it is not possible hee should speake of soules separated from their bodies either of Purgatory Wrongfully therfore doe my adversaries make so many brags of this passage for it is most vniustly and fraudulently alleaged As also the Frier pag. 63. citeth S. Hierom vpon the fourth of Ieremy and in his second booke against Iovinian also Nazianzē in his 39. oration and Basil in his oratiō vpon the 9. of Esay where hee speaketh of purging torments and afflictions of a fire that trieth the faithfull but in this life or at the day of iudgement And here doe our adversaries shew the third degree of their bad consciences in their allegations of the Doctors Of Commemoration and prayer for the dead practised by divers of the ancients and that it maketh nothing for their Purgatory Throughout the bookes of my adversaries there is nothing more grosse thē their false presuppositiōs that they make aboue an hundred times wherby so soone as they haue alleadged any father that speaketh of Commemoratiō Almes Oblations or Sacrifice for the dead they strait conclude Then is there a Purgatory A matter false and that for sundry reasons 1. Wherefore did Saint Augustine in writing a whole tract of the care for the dead set downe never a word therin of Purgatory 2. Why did they offer for the Apostles Prophets Martyrs and made sacrifices for them As witnesseth Cyprian in his third book Epist 6. and in his fifth booke Epist 4. dare my adversaries therevpon inferre that the primitiue Church beleeved that the Apostles were in Purgatory 3. Epiphanius accuseth Arrius of heresie because hee reiected praier for the deade and bringeth many reasons to proue that this prayer made for the Patriarches Prophets Apostles and al the faithful is profitable to bee received yet speaketh hee not one word of Purgatory albeit that was the place where to speak of it or not at all 4. Denis falsly tearmed Areopagite disputing of the cōmodity of prayer for the dead still presupposeth that those for whom wee pray are blessed propounded for examples to the living and for matter of thanksgiving but of Purgatory or of any fire that purgeth soules he hath not a word 5. We haue heard in the second of the Macchabees that to pray for the dead is but meere madnesse vnlesse we haue regard to the Resurrection so not to the torment of Purgatory 6. The Greeke churches do pray for the dead yet do they denie Purgatory 7. Wee heard before by Chrysostome in his 32. homily vpō Matthew that such as procured praiers for their dead parents did beleeue that they were in flowred meddowes in that homily in aboue twēty places he saith that Death is the entrie to rest and an end of sorrow S. Augustin in the ninth book of his Cōfessions praieth for his mother Monica and S. Ambrose for the Emperour Valētinian yet do they protest that they beleeue that these parsons deceased are with God do enioy the pleasures of Eternall life But the matter of greatest consideratiō is that S. Ambrose saith that Valentinian dyed without Baptisme Oratione de obitu Valentiniani Valentinian I say who was a great Emperour and a Christian even from his birth having so many cleargy men at his command at whose hands to haue received Baptisme who then did better deserue to bee confined into Limbo or Purgatorie then he yet saith Ambrose He is in coelestiall felicity 9. Wee haue heard that most of the ancients shut vp the soules of all men in certaine hidden receptacles where they desired refreshing thervpon had they some groūd to pray for the dead albeit they did not beleeue Purgatorie wherin appeareth the corrupt faith of the Frier for he sets a brag vpon the words of S. Augustine in the 110. chapter of his Manual Wee must not deny but that the soules of the dead are relieued by the piety of the liuing but hee was wiser then to alleadge the wordes going before namely The soules are in hidden receptacles euen from their decease vntill the resurrection For so it woulde haue appeared that the opinion of S. Augustin touching praier for the dead was grounded vpon an error which the Church of Rome reiecteth also that frō an error will soone spring an abuse 10. We haue alreadie heard the opiniō of Origen and his followers touching the fire of the daie of Iudgement that should scortch and burne the soules evē of the most holy and perfect Also wee haue shewed howe fearefull S. Hillary was of this fire All this therfore might haue ministred vnto thē argument sufficient to haue praied for the deade as trembling at the punishment to come 11. What more can we desire Let vs make our adversaries our iudges in this case Do not the Priests many times receiue money for saying Masses for the young children that dyed soone after Baptisme who neverthelesse as they beleeved were neither in Limbo nor in Purgatory Let them now choose whether they will confesse their error or acknowledge their Avarice their want of knowledge or their bad consciences 12. Do they not in their dailie Masse pray for the soules that sleepe in a slumber of peace and therfore are not in the horror of flames 13. Let vs therfore heare the forme of the ordinarie praiers of the Church of Rome for the dead This book of sacred cerem sect 5. c. 1. libera domine à morte aeterna in die illo tremendo Saue them O Lorde from Eternall death in that terrible day when the heavēs and the earth shall bee moved when thou shalt come to iudge the world by fire I trēble and feare when the triall shall come and the wrath to come that day of wrath of calamity of misery that great and mervailous bitter day They pray that the souls of the dead may be saved from eternall death and the last iudgement which is more Throughout all the publicke praiers of the Church of Rome for the dead we finde not one word of Purgatory which proveth that it was not yet established in the Church at that time when they praied onlie for the refreshing of souls in their hidden receptacles or for the last iudgement or to eschew Eternall death 14. Finally is it not a matter mervailous notable that among such a multitude of the passages of the fathers by our adversaries quoted for praier for the dead there is not one that saith that these praiers were made to redeeme soules out of Purgatory This thē is the fourth degree of the deceipts and fraudulent allegations that our adversaries do make whē at every speech they still inculcate praier for the dead for proofe of
the fire of Helie p. 44. The lowest place is hell the habitation of the damned and the same is divided if wee beleeue our adversaries into two parts The one where the soules are tormented in fire the other where they are tormented in snowe Throughout alâ— the word of God can we not find that that ever any came out of this place Yet Pope Gregory the first in the first Booke of his Dialogues cap. 12. reporteth that S. Severus raised a dead bodie whome the Divels had carried away Also Damascen In 4 Dist 45 quest 2. and after him Thomas Durand and Richard doe tell vs that by the prayers of S. Gregory Traian an heathen Emperour was fetched out of hell Gabriel Biel in his 56. Lesson vpon the Cannon of the Masse holdeth the same opinion And Ciacconus hath written an Apologie expresly for this history Cayer and the Doctors that subscribed to his book do approue this historie The secoÌ„d place but his coÌ„panions do reiect it The second place is the Purgatory that serveth for such as are indeed righteous and do not sinne but in their life time haue committed some trespasses for which they haue not satisfied The same â—ope Gregory teacheth that so soone as â— man is deceased his soule is presented before the Iudge Lib. 4. c. 36. also that soÌ„time there happeneth abuse they bring before God one that was not called As saith he it chanced to one named Stephen who being deceased and his soule presented before God immediatly as God saw him hee said that was not the man that hee had called for but that it was â—n other Stephen a beater of Iron who therevpon died incontinentlie and the former Stephen revived againe and was sent backe because hee dyed before he was called These soules thus presented before the Iudge if they need any purging are instantly sent to this second place which they tearme Purgatory And this doctrine is grounded vpon this principle which is a third article of their faith and taken out of the vnwritten word Read the catechisme of the couÌ„cel of Trens in the châ—â— of pennaÌ„ce namely that Jesus Christ by his death and passion hath indeede dischardged vs from the fault and from the paines due to sinnes committed before baptisme but from the paine duâ—â— to sinnes committed after baptisme he hath not discharged vs. Therefore that such as haue not made full satisfaction in this life by fastings scourgings gifts to the Church c shal be sent to Purgatory there to finish their satisfaction and to pay as they say even to the last penny Herehence grewe that pennance which the Priest imposeth vpon the sinner which do farre differ from the pennance vsed in the primitiue Church which was publicke of long continuance and rigorous thereby to humble the sinner and to repaire the scandall to the Congregation but at this day in the Church of Rome they impose for the most part privat pennances and the same either very easie or ridiculous these doe they make vse of to prevent Purgatory and yet to pay and satisfy Gods iustice The formes of these pennances are to say a set number of Anees intermixed with Paters vpon a paire of beads to scourge their bodies or vpon tâ—e bare flesh to gird themselues with aâ—cord or to goe in pilgrimage to Saint â—â—mes in Galicia N. Giles an 768. c. Our Annals do informe vs of a pennance imposed by a â—ope vpon one Robert the Norman surnamed the Divell vpon sundry his â—ots committed that is that for the space of seven yeares hee should not â—â—eake and that he should all that time 〈◊〉 at a staier foote and take no other food but the relicks of such bones as a Grayhound should haue gnawn Was iâ— meet to abridge the benefit of Iesus Christ and to supply the places with such frivolous devises and in such couÌ„terfeit quoine to satisfie the iustice of God which Iesus Christ had before satisfied to the full The Frier pag 75. As concerning the torments that the soules doe there endure these our masters doe tell vs that all the fires and torments in this life are â—ut easie in regard of the heate of the â—te of Purgatorie and that the tormeÌ„t â—hereof equalleth that of the damned This doctrine was not yet receaued in the Church of Rome when to the CaÌ„noÌ„ of the Masse they added these words ensuing which the Priest must daily say for the soules in Purgatory Memento Domine Remember Lord thy servants whose soules doe rest in the sleepe of peace Hereby it appeareth that they then beleeved that the paine was easie or rather none at all and that the soules for whom they prayed did rest in peace as in a sleepe Hereto accordeth the saying of the aforenamed Gregory who advoweth that the soules of S. Severus S. Pascasius wrought miracles in the Bathes where they lay in Purgatory Lib. 7. Epist 61. For it is hard to worke any great miracles in such cruell torments This is the same Pope Gregory who doth in earnest confesse that the Apostles celebrating the Lords supper added vnto the consecration nothing but the Lords prayer and so consequently prayed not for any soules in Purgatory Againe the Church of Rome holdeth this torment to be of long continuance for every sinne they must abide there seaven years besides also that we pray for some that died many hundred yeares since And in this regard doth the Pope grant pardons some for fifty some for an hundred thousand yeares and the Frier may verie well remember that when I shewed him in the Masse booke a praier that contained foure fiftie thousand yeares of pardon thereto adioined he did not onlie advow it but tooke vpon him to defend these so â—iberal indulgences In the Church of S. Bibian at Rome vpon the day of all Saintes they haue sixe hundred thousand yeares of verie pardon for the space of one whole day In the booke of Romane Indulgences these sixe hundred thousand years are writteÌ„ at large The Pope that granted that pardon preâ—upposing that a soule may haue committed so many sinnes besids those for which the paines of Jesus Christ haue â—atisfied that hee must haue so manie â—eares of torment to purge all his sins â—nlesse the Masses and suffrages of the â—ving togither with the Popes indulgences doe procure him ease and abbreviation of his paines At Paris in the entering into a chappel of the friers Fevillans in the suburbs of S. Honorat hangeth to be seene a long bedrole of pardons wherein among other is contained that vpon everie daie of lent there are to bee purchased three thousande eight hundred sixtie seaven yeares and two hundred and seaven Quarentines of daies of verie pardon In the church of S. Eusebius at Rome they haue seaven thousand foure hundred fifty and foure Quarenteins of daies of verie pardon for such as shall bring thither any honest offering and as
the world very skilfull and a good boy but to the detriment of the purity and simplicity of the Gospell Lastly he saith that Vnder the olde Testament they had no such meanes to releeue the dead as they had after that the merites of Iesus Christ were committed into the handes of the Church to apply them These are three principles forged in the Vatican to vnderprop the Popes greatnes to bring in the traffique for soules first that the dead could not bee so well relieved before the cōming of Jesus Christ as now they are Secondly that the merits of Jesus Christ are nowe in the Churches hands to apply thē Thirdly that these merits of the death and passion of Iesus Christ were never passed over to the Church vntill since the comming of Iesus Christ since which time the dead haue beene the better relieved And this is to bee noted that by the Church we are to vnderstand the Pope who taketh vpon him to be the Guardian and treasury of this treasure of the Church where he shutteth vp the merits and supererogatorie satisfactions both of Iesus Christ and of the Saints Monks And this we cannot finde very strange Dist 95. causa satis and in the last councel of Lateran sess 9. Extrav De facund Eccl. Can. quoniā for having assumed to himselfe the name of God of the divine Maiesty and the name of Jesus Christ and tearming himself the Spouse of the church it is no great matter for him to take the name of the Spouse of Jesus also Let vs now therfore proceed to the examination of these three principles For the first That the dead could not bee so well relieved before the comming of Iesus Christ as since I demande whether he speaketh of the reliefe of man or of the reliefe of God To say that God hath now better meanes to relieue the dead then he had before is Blasphemy His power and goodnesse are ever infinite and without encrease and craue no helpe of any new means but if he speak of the reliefe of man I aske him who imparted to them now those meanes that their forefathers had not The Monke no doubt wil say that God gaue them to them thē belike God had thē If he had then I suppose he would then haue bestowed them as wel as men do in these daies whereof it must follow that the faithfull that liued before Iesus Christ might by praiers and sacrifices haue entreated God to employ those means which since he hath committed into hands the of men Wherefore did they not Wherefore was there in the law no sacrifice for the dead Nor no publike service instituted by God Thus doth this difficulty still remaine vnresolved The second principle is That the merits of Iesus Christ were cōmitted into the hands of the Church to apply them 1. Tim. 2.6 A doctrine as farre repugnant from the gospell as helping to the Popes commodity For by the scripture it plainely appeareth That Iesus Christ offered himselfe 〈◊〉 ransome to God for vs to whom wee were endebted and enthralled to eternall paine and emprisonment This ransome then did God receiue at his sonnes hands If he receiued it when did he againe dispossesse himselfe of it to passe it over into the Popes hands May it be lawful for vs in a matter of such importance which concerneth the participation in the merites of Jesus Christ to speake without the authority of the worde of God Againe what prodigious dealing is this that a creditor having received of his debtors surety the ransome for many prisoners shoulde deliver the same over into the handes of some one of his prisoners to apply it to the rest It is a matter not only without example but even besides all reason All men do know that in such a case it is enough that the creditor or detainer receiue the ransome and that the debter or prisoner reape and enioy the benefit God hath for me receaved the full ransom by the hands of my surety redeeme◠Iesus Christ God then hath it with himselfe therefore will I go neither to the Pope nor to any other to entreat them to distribute it to me but will rely onlie vpon Iesus Christ and will trust to his death and in acknowledgement of so great a favour will consecrate my life to his service The pastors are set over vs to preach this benefit to the penitent sinner to let him vnderstād that he is reconciled to God also that whosoever beleeveth in Iesus Christ shal through his name obtaine remission of his sinnes Act. 10.43 If our frier shall yet invent any reason to proue it to bee necessarie that the Pope or his Prelates should be the treasurers and dispensers of the merits of Iesus Christ he shal but skirmish with him selfe for he shal find the same necessities before the comming of Iesus Christ considering that both quick and dead in that age stoode in no lesse necessity of Gods graces then they that liue in these daies Againe if the Pope haue in his treasury the merits of Iesus Christ his Saints to distribute them to others how commeth it that he taketh none to himselfe Or why doth he not keepe for himselfe so many as may serue to keepe him out of Purgatorie How is it that after his death they saie so many Masses for his soule Must sillie Priests by their Masses and suffrages apply bestow the merits of Iesus Christ and his Saints vpon him who distributing them to others yea even so farre forth as to graunt to some one an hundred thousand yeare of plenary pardō could not reserue enough for himselfe albeit if we list to beleeue him himself continually carryed the keies of this treasure even to his last gaspe Where note withall that if the distributing and applying of the merits of Iesus Christ to the faithfull be a part of the Pastors charge it followeth that the dead haue no part in this the Popes liberality considering that he is no longer their pastor Now let the reader iudge whether this gay principle be not a butteresse or prop to support tiranny that the people may thinke that they cannot participate in the merits of Iesus Christ but by the hands of the Pope or of such as he doth authorize therevnto The third principle is the worst and as it were vpon the highest step of impietie and therefore it is our dutie to cast it downe headlong The merits of Iesus Christ saith hee were not in the hands of the Church vnder the old Testament as now they are and therefore there were not so good meanes to relieue the dead But here we wil set down another principle gathered out of the word of God That is that the merits of Iesus Christ were of power sufficient to saue the faithfull even from the beginning of the world as saith St. Paule 2. Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ and reconciled the world to himself not imputing their sinnes
that worketh the will and the deed saith S. Paul Phil. 2.13 2. Cor. 3.6 and without him wee cannot thinke any good saith the same Apostle 5. Let vs step yet farther We demande how where or when the thiefe bare the satisfactory paines for his sinne towards God But here in liew of answering directly they stand vpon the magnifying and extolling of the faith charitie and zeale of this thiefe but to what purpose seeing vertues are no satisfactory paines but rather lenitiues and proppes to strengthen and fortify the soule against all the griefes thereof 6. That which I hold to be the principall in this case is this That these our Masters doe make the charitie zeale patience of this thiefe in a moment to be of so great merit as to exempt him from the torments of Purgatory yet that they will not graunt that the charitie of the faithfull that are in this burning fire their zeale or any other the vertues which in these soules were in greater perfection then they were in the thiefe in that hee was yet a sinner could haue any merit or power to draw them out of this fire But wherefore should they by their magisterial auctoritie take from these poore soules the power of meriting but only by prolonging the torments of the dead the consciences of the living being the more astonished might bee stirred vp to redeeme them whiles they may by masses anniversaries gifts to the Church yea and that so far forth as to perswade the people that an offering for the dead being by a surviver offred was of power and merit to free the dead from that torment and yet that in the dead himselfe neither his faith neither his charitie neither his patience no not the torments of many yeares haue any merit or can moue God to abridge this torment 7. Hereto let vs also adioine thus much that the punishment that the thiefe suffered being deserved inevitable and by civill iustice imposed vpon him could not bee counted for a satisfactorie worke to God for hee ought voluntarily to haue vndergon it and by order of the Church not by sentence of the Magistrate especially according to the doctrine of the Romish Church â— Moreover is it not a meere mockage â—o say that the exemption from enteâ—ing into Purgatory was a privilege granted to this thiefe Bellarm. lib. 1. cap 8 Privilegia paucorum legem non faciunt considering that â—hroughout all the worde of God wee caÌ„not find the example of any one that ever went into Purgatory Privileges are extraordinary but here they seeke to make that which is ordinary and without exception in the word of God to passe for a priviledge 9 In this also doe they much forget themselues that they wil here bring in privileges where the matter concerneth the Iustice of God which saith these men after the pardon of the fault will neverthelesse haue vs to satisfie for the paine If then Gods iustice hath suffered one man to enter into Paradise without any satisfactory paine for his sinnes why should it not suffer two If two why not ten If ten whie not a hundred or a thousand and so forth infinite Our Reverend writers of fires furnaises and torrents doe giue way to the maine body of these reasons as being to great too strong and too close set together and having hidden themselues doe afterward make semblance to appeare Pag. 68 but farre enough of The auctor of the fire of Helie no griefe to his person hath made vs a little merry for supposing that hee hath found some newe matter to make this privilege currant saith that the blood of Iesus Christ which they boiled and sprang vpon the thiefe carried him immediatly into eternall felicitie Where found he this Did the blood of Iesus Christ spring forth but on one side and so the eviâ— thiefe through disgrace could obtainâ— no aspersion of it Or how could a few drops of blood moistning the outward parts of the body bring forth so wholâ—some an effect Considering that in the Masse they hold that the wicked do receaue all Iesus Christ inwardly and yâ—â— are never the better nor more happy But now I remember where he found this fable hee remembred that blessed S. Longin who pierced the side of Iesus Christ and so recovered his sight for of that speare the Church of Rome hath made a speareman and of that speereman a Saint And why not sith that of Deucalion Pirrhaes casting of stones behind them men and women sprang vp That which he here produceth concerning the baptisme of the thiefe on the Crosse is already confuted in the first Chapter and this man maketh the heathen Executioners to be baptizers of Christians By all this it doth appeare that togither with this thiefe Purgatory was crucified for I am ashamed to produce the argument of these Doctors who doe make even this thiefe an advocate for Purgatorie The sire of Helie p. 67 For say they he craved succours not in this life for death was even betweene his iawes already but after his death he therfore beleeved that after death the soules stood in need of succours Hereto doe we answer that he craved indeed no succour for this life neither for after this death but even for the death it selfe and for the departure of his soule which Iesus Christ entring into Paradice tooke and brought with him into the coelestiall glory But who can here forbeare laughing at this Portugall The boldnesse of this fire p. 95. who would haue the worde Paradice here to signifie hell Or how can he faiâ— of an answer that suffereth himselfe soliceÌ„tiously to interpret the Scriptures 9 S. Iohn in his first Epistle chap. 1. saith The blood of Iesus Christ purgeth or cleanseth vs from all sinne Our sinnes are the spots and vncleanesse of our soules and there be no other Iesus Christ purgeth and taketh them all away saith S. Iohn then is there no more to purge so no more Purgatory For albeit after all our offences pardoned there should yet remaine some paine to be endured for the satisfying of the iustice of God yet could not this punishmeÌ„t be called a Purgation for who did ever here the whip or the gibbet called a Purgation for theft or murder Pag 69. A stander The fire of Helie slandering vs answereth and maketh vs to say that it is enough that Iesus Christ satisfied for vs so as for our parts wee need doe nothing at all An opinion which we abhorre and leaue to the prophane and Libertines Whereas wee say that the punishment of a sinne cannot be called a Purgation the frier affirmeth the contrary Pag 97. saying that it is never called otherwise and to that end he alleageth many places wherin he preteÌ„deth that to purge signifieth to punish and chastise Passages which I am even ashamed to confute The first maketh cleane against him all the rest are false The Apostle to the Hebrewes chap. 1.3
vides quotidie Meretricius nitor c intestina insanab est plaga Ecclesiae Hereof read the complaints of Petrarch in his Epistles and sonnets The Epigrams of Zanazarus the complaints of St. Bernard who tearmeth the traine of the Court of Rome the traine of the whore of Babylon and of Antichrist And after all this must these people with a Romish Catholike zeale come and preach to vs the necessitie of good workes and complaine that wee open â—he gate to all vice Faelicia saecula quaevos â—oribus opponunt habeas iam Roma puâ—orem But what if we shall proue that the â—octrine of the Church of Rome is a â—octrine of Licentiousnesse and openâ—th vnto men a large gate to escape at â—ow much people feeling the approch â—f the Iubile do emboldeÌ„ theÌ„selues vnâ—er the assurance of plenary pardon â—hat a gate of liceÌ„tiousnes do they opeÌ„â—o the rich who assure theÌ„selus that by â—iving to the Church after their deaths â—hey may haue masses enough song for â—hem and so abridge the paines of Purâ—atory And doth not the custome of â—uying other mens praiers make a man â—egligent in praying for himselfe Yea â—nd which is more by enioining the sin â—er for his penance to fast and pray do â—hey not make that a punishmeÌ„t which â—ught to be a consolation Also when â—hey make but seaven mortal sinnes calâ—ing the rest venial and easie sins such as may be blotted out with an Aue oâ— a little holy water do they not entertaine the sinner in wickednes and sow cushions vnder his elbowes to lul him the faster a sleepe in his vice Or terrifying the consciences with the feare oâ— Purgatory do they not therby corrupt piety vnder the colour of establishing it Making it not a filiall and voluntary obedience but a servile feare Led oâ— not for the loue of God but for fear oâ— punishment not for hate to the sin buâ— for terror of the torment Rom. 12. The Apostlâ— exhorteth vs by the mercies of God to consecrate and offer our selues to God yet not for fear of his iustice PropouÌ„â— to the sinner the loue and excellenciâ— of the son of God shewing him that iâ— was our sin that crucified him that oâ—â— offences are the very nailes that pieâ—ced him what is there of greater forâ—â— to plant in his hart both a loue of Iesuâ— Christ and a hatred of sin which waâ— the cause of the torments of the son oâ— God Especially when he shal consideâ— that by this death himselfe shal obtaine â—ife that from a bondman of Satan he is bought to bee the sonne of God also that in beleeving in him he shal not perish but haue life everlasting Shal hee not feele himselfe moved to loue God and in acknowledgement of so great a grace to consecrate himselfe to God and after the rule of his worde to â—spire to the reward that God hath pitched him at the end of his course these men therefore by their traficke doe but subvert religion and in the fire of Purgatory in liew of true piety forge an â—dea and fantastical forme of the feare of God 15 The same fire blasteth and abaâ—eth the mercy of God as not pardoâ—ing vs at the full sith our selues must â—n a fire beare part of the punishment Wherefore shall we limit the mercies of God in matters wherein hee will bee pleased and glorified by doing vs good 16 The iustice of God is likewise â—iolated therein in that they make it to exact two payments for one debt The first which it receaved of Iesus Christ and was sufficient for all the punishments due to our sinnes what interest therefore haue these people that they are so willing to enter into this fire aâ—â— the charge of the glory of God whoâ— could be content freely to pardon thâ—â— through Iesus Christ 17 Againe every payment and satisfaction that is acceptable to Goâ— must be voluntary and not forced otherwise he accepteth it not But thâ— paine of Purgatory say our people 〈◊〉 vnto those that haue not sufficientâ— satisfied in this life inevitable and whether they will or no they must of necâ—â—sitie passe that way Then is it not a paâ—ment acceptable with God And albeâ—â— these men say that the poore soules dâ— patiently beare those paines yet câ—â— we hardly beleeue but that they had other presently be in Paradice then to â—bide a thousand or two thousand yeaâ—â— broiling in a fire 18 Hereof ariseth another reason namely that those soules do not satisfie God but that God rather satisfieth him selfe in punishing them against their wills 19 By the same doctrine also the consciences are in perpetuall torment through the apprehension of this fire for what would not we giue to avoid a fire of an houre long how much more if it should last a moneth Yet what were this in regard of many hundreds and thousands of yeares and that in a fire as hot as the fire of of hell saith our frier Ioh. 14.27 where is that peace promised by Iesus Christ or how in our death shall we haue these effects of the spirit of God dwelling in the hearts of the faithfull namely ioy and peace as saith Saint Paul Galat. 5.22 My adversaries doe contradict theÌ„selues in their answers which indeed are no answers but recriminations Pag. 106. A slaunder The frier saith that we doe preach liberty of conscience without apprehension of the iudgements of God which is false and slanderous Wee preach neither libertie nor licentiousnesse but peace of conscience to such as repent beleeue in Iesus Christ but to the impenitent we denounce the iudgements of God Thus this frier accuseth vs of flattering and lulling mens consciences asleepe But the fire of Helie contrariwise accuseth vs of holding them in torment because we account all sinnes both mortall and veniall equall Whereto I answer that albeit wee should hold those which they tearme veniall equall with the mortall yet in as much as we teach that both mortall and veniall are forgiven by Iesus Christ A slaunder wee doe no whit astonish the consciences But in truth it is a slander of our adversaries Wee acknowledge the inequalitie of sinnes In some God is more offended grieved then in other some yea even amoÌ„g the sinnes that they call mortall some are more hainous then other some To overskip a leafe or two at mattins or vnder color of shrift to talke of loue are smaller sins theÌ„ to slay his own king Sacrilege is more hainous then simple theft Incest then whoredome only we smile at their folly in distinguishing sins into veniall and mortall because this word veniall signifieth pardonable And we knowe that the sinnes which they cal mortall as murder and whoredome doe growe pardonable in such as doe convert and truly repent as in David who was defiled in both these sinnes But in the impenitent these sinnes are indeed mortall and punished with eternall death And so through ImpeniteÌ„cy that sinne which is
veniall and pardonable in one is mortall in another The parts therefore of this distinction doe iustle and encroch each vpon other besides I will say thus much more that it is rashnesse in our adversaries to define that there bee but seuen mortall sinnes that all other sinnes be pardonable for it is the office of the iudge not of the offender to determine what paine each sinne deserueth for in the sight of God we be all guiltie 20 Purgatory likewise bringeth with it many inconveniences for in that it teacheth that the fasts offerings and almes deeds of the living doe serue to bring soules out of Purgatory the same maketh many to bee more negligent to relie vpon their friends that surviue Daily examples we haue many of people that buy Masses hire men to pray for their soules whiles in the meane time they take license to practise all excesse dissolution and rapine All Doctor Du Valles answer stil resteth in recriminations Pag. 75. The auctor of the fire of Helie denieth that Iesus Christ hath fully satisfied He saith that we are they that make men carelesse in that we teach that Iesus Christ hath fully satisfied and that on our behalfe there is nothing to satisfie Hereto I haue before fully answered and at large Yea I doe protest that we hold no such beliefe Hee farther saith that the prayers made for such as are in Purgatory make not men more carelesse then the same which in this world one maketh for another whereto we say that it is true that the prayers of the living one for another make the sinner to be more negligent when these prayers are taken for payments redemptions and satisfactions Herevpon the Auctor of the fire of Helie to shaddow his purposes in liew of speaking of fasts offerings speaketh only of prayers which peradventure he would haue beene ashamed to reckon among the redemptions and payments for other mens offences sins 21 By this gate also came in the trafficke and the exchange was opened in the Church The rich do build obits and anniversaries for their soules for them are the privat Masses song the poore must be content with the generall praiers wherein the rich also haue their shares Al the Churches shal ring with peales praiers and diriges after the decease of a man that hath been extraordinary liberall and bountifull to the Clergie but for one that hath giuē nothing ye shal never heare so much as one Masse neither will the orders of begging Friers presse to a poore mans house By these means haue the church of Rome heaped togither so much goods that one only hospital entituled of the Spirit in Rome may in rents dispende foure thousande crownes a day His holynes keies are of gold a mettall that openeth both heavē Purgatory for this good prelate and his factors followers are better studyed in the golden number then in the dominicall letter which is the holy scripture Should a poore beggerly soule participate in those graces which his holinesse hath reserved for the greatest Lords It were a goodly sight to see some porter or pointmaker or some such base fellow sollicite in the Court of Rome for to purchase buls of delivery of the soule of some poore kinsman of his out of Purgatory and indeed the booke of rates in the Popes chancery hath sundry clauses of this nature Sed hoc tātum pro qualificatis Printed at Paris by Toussain Denis in S. Iames street at at the sign of the Crosse 1520. with priviledge of the court istae gratiae non conceduntur pauperibus By this reckoning Jesus Christ was deceived when he said Blessed are the poore considering that the rich haue such goodly priviledges by thē do so soon enter into Paradice This traficke also doth appeare in this that the Church of Rōedoth hold that children dying soone after Baptisme do go straight into Paradice which notwithstanding the Priests do not forbeare to take money for their Masses for such children also in that the Cleargie pay least for the souls of their friends there by acknowleging the slightnes of their marchandize Page 76. The Doctor Du Vall confesseth there is abuse so daintyly doth he speake of so horrible and publike abhomination The Frier knowing that this traficke the more it is stirred the more it stincketh saith nothing at all of it 23 The same errour maketh God more favourable to those that shal liue in the day of Iudgment then to others for they shall not come in Purgatorie at all to the Carmelite Friers then to the Franciscans for they pretend a priviledge to abide there but vnto the next saterday after their deathes to those that haue meanes and friendes to procure them Masses then to others For why should a poore man giue sixe pence to be named in the memento of the Masse if hee did not hope of some good that he should haue lost if he had not beene therein named Yet had hee not bin named if he had given nothing for with thē No peny no paternoster Let vs also cōsider that by this doctrin such as die immediately after they haue ended their Iubile go straight to Paradice and are exempt from Purgatory but that man peradventute not so vitious neither oppressed with so many sinnes yet dieth before the yeare of Iubile goeth into Purgatory and is deprived of so great a benefite likewise that he that is wel horsed and dwelleth not far from the place where these pardons are to be had doth much more easily obtaine pardon for his sinnes then he who dwelling three hundred leagues of hath never a horse The same abuse also tyeth the mercy of God to one certain place as that al sinnes are remitted at the Frāciscans but not at the Carmelites or Iacobins Yea so far doth some pardon stretch that hee that in the Covent of the Franciscans shall say the praiers in the bull ordained obtaineth plenary pardon for al his sinnes but though he say ten times more praiers in an other couvent yea and that with much greater devotiō yet shal he al this notwithstanding obtaine thereby no remission of sinnes For like a foole he went to seeke remission of his sinnes in places that the Pope had not appointed Herevpon the auctor of the fire of Helie taketh vs at the first rebound and saith You say not well for mercy hath regard to the offence and eternall punishmēt but iustice hath regard only to the temporall Wel spoken of this doctor What hath not Gods iustice regard likewise to eternall paine Page 71. And doth he not also shew his mercy in remitting the temporall The same doctor doth also wōder that in all these things I can finde any inconveniencie And willeth vs here vpon in profound silence to adore the impenetrable Iudgements of the Lord. But I doe more marvaile that with me he doth not marvaile that at our hāds he should require adoration with silence where
haue gathered of their owne confessions that the penance or repentance practised in the Church of Rome is not the stone that Jesus Christ and S. Iohn Baptist did preach for they indeed when sinners came to them imposed no satisfactory paines Note likewise that the same which when Iesus Christ preached it was a vertue is nowe become a Ceremony and from a changing of the soule is come to be an Exercise of the body and now set down for the redemption of our soules as before we heard in Bellarmine that men are Redeemers of themselues Neither may we omit that this their sacrament of penance serveth but for the sins committed after Baptisme whereof it followeth that if an old Pagan should convert to the faith he should be received without penance or repentance 13 There is yet more For as it were Ridiculous to sowe a piece of friese vpon a satten garment so is it a matter that can hardly agree to ioine our satisfactions our fasts our scourgings a haire cloath a corde a friers coule a roasting of soules with the passion of the only son of God to make vp the total of the redemptiō of our souls and of satisfaction vnto God 14 In this matter our adversaries do still retire to their withered and olde beaten principle that is that God after he hath pardoned the sin requireth satisfaction to his iustice by the punishment of the sinne We haue already shewed that to forgiue a sinne and thē to exact satisfactorie punishment for the same are things incompatible That God never required any such satisfaction of the theefe neither Iesus Christ of the woman taken in adultery neither S. Paule of the Incestuous person after he had forgiven him That Iesus Christ hath satisfied for all the paines due to our sinnes That the iustice of God accepteth of no payment but such as shal be most exact and to the proofe of his righteousnes But there is no satisfaction sufficient to vndergoe that examen but only the satisfaction of the son of God by Ieremy called The eternall our righteousnesse And therefore that our travailes and afflictions are profitable to exercise proue amend and humble vs but not to redeeme vs or to satisfie to Gods Iustice which is already fullie satisfied by Iesus Christ and which requireth not two paymentes for one debt 15 Yea which is more themselues do acknowledge that in baptisme God forgiveth both the fault and the punishment and requireth not of the sinner any satisfactory paine Bellar. de paenit l. 4. c. 10. It is not therfore repugnant to the iustice of God to forgiue without our satisfactions 16 But in as much as this is one of the greatest abuses in popery That God by Baptisme doth pardon both the fault the punishment of sinnes committed before Baptisme yet that wee must satisfie and pay the Iustice of God for the sins committed after Baptisme It is necessary we should a little crush out this impostume 1. Conc. Trid. Sess 24. c. 8. First who authorized them in matter of remission of sins and redemptiō to invent new articles of faith with out warrant of the holy scriptures If a heathē murderer or incestuous parson shoulde hypocritically cause himselfe to be baptized shall this baptisme blot out all his former sinnes or shal his hypocrisie prooue fruitfull before God Tertul. de paenit cap. 6. Tertullian indeed in his booke de Poenitentia saith that it cannot be yet doth Spaine furnish vs of many examples thereof where the Mahumetan Marannes do cause themselues dissemblingly to be baptized 2. Againe let vs represent to our selues a heathen man a murderer a sacrilegious person c. One who sinneth not of ignorance or of feare but of meere malice and at the last in his old age repenteth frameth himselfe to Christianity and receiveth baptisme which as our adversaries do say is of such vertue that God doth simply and without satisfaction forgiue him all his sins committed before his baptisme but for the sins that he shall afterward commit albeit smal and of in firmity yet God requireth that he beare the punishment as well here as in Purgatory Doth it stande with the iustice of God simply and without satisfaction to pardon the greater sinnes committed of malice at one time and at another time to impose fiery torments for much lesser offences committed ignorantly or of infirmitie Moreover when by baptisme we haue put on Christ as saith S. Paule Galat. 3.27 haue wee put him on only for that time or for all the daies of our life Or is the benefite of Christs death of lesse effect after baptisme then in baptisme 4. Wherein I pray you consisteth the vertue of baptisme but in this that thereby wee are made partakers in the merits of the death of Iesus Christ being by baptisme buried with him in his death Also if in the holy supper Rom. 6. and in the gospell apprehēded by faith we be also partakers why should we not feel the like effects 5. I would aske againe what the reason is that sith in their Masses is applied as they say the benefit of Iesus Christ why their Masse should bee of lesse efficacy then baptisme or wherefore it cannot exempt a sinner from satisfactory punishment Also for what cause they so highly extolling the excellency of their Masse do in this point so clip her wings and trusse her vp so short Yea and why they stand in neede of so many Masses to fetch one soule out of Purgatoty cōsidering that if their Masses doe apply to that soule the benefit of Iesus Christ they cannot apply it otherwise then it is namely hauing an infinit power and consequently able to deliuer that soule at the first dash But the mischiefe is that if this should bee performed by one Masse only then should the profits of the Clergie bee mightily diminished Now albeit all these things be as cleere as the day yet are we in small hope that those men can take any relish in them that are fed maintained by the abasement of the benefit of the death of Iesus Christ For the documents of Gods word can never pierce into the vnderstanding vntill the true zeale of God be first entred into the heart Avarice Idlenesse and Incredulitie do harden the minds exasperate the stomacks and as rude barbarous vngratefull porters hinder the entry and from our mindes stop vp all the waies to the doctrine of the gospell The fruits of the Sacrament of pennance Now if there be any thing that vpholdeth the tyranny that fostereth the vices or that nourisheth the idlenesse of the Clergie it is this newe sacrament of pennance which is as it were the Palladium of Babylon First by their auricular confessiō a member of this sacrament they search into the secrets of houses and make themselues terrible to those whoe after they haue revealed to them their filthines faults cannot behold them without feare and shame By this they
ensuing besides the aforesaid absurdities hath yet this particular that it presupposeth that the Lords praier is said for the dead also If so theÌ„ do we also pray that God would giue them their dayly bread As for bread it is the lesse strange because the fire of Purgatory is sufficient to bake it and sith in the Masse it is said that the soules do sleepe in this fire and rest in a slumber of peace it is like wheÌ„ they awake they haue a good appetite But I cannot comprehende howe this bread may be called Dayly sith there they haue neither day nor sun Hereto let vs adioine the same that our doctors haue confessed That God hath already pardoned those roasted soules from all their offences that he only requireth of them the paines due to the sins already pardoned how can we theÌ„ desire God to forgiue theÌ„ their sins which are already forgiven them A lyer must haue a good memory The last passage for subtiety beareth away the bel Iesus Christ saith the Monk shed his blood for many therefore for the dead What need he to seeke so farre set proofes to proue that which we confesse who denieth but the blood of Iesus Christ was shed for many for al the faithful for all the Saints and Martyrs How impertinent also is this collection that the Frier here maketh out of the ancients to proue that the Lords Supper is a sacrifice What maketh it for Purgatory Sith we grant that it is a sacrifice but as it is said in the Masse A sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving neither Propitiatory nor redemptory but by representation because the supper is a commemoratioÌ„ of the death of Iesus Christ the only propitiatorie sacrifice And in regard hereof this sacrifice was alwaies called Eucharistia that is A thaÌ„ksgiving As for the coÌ„memoration of the dead practised by some of the ancients in the supper I wil in the next chapter following proue that it maketh against Purgatorie for therein they also made a commemoration of the Apostles and Martyrs And in this place doth the Frier proue himselfe a most ridiculous flatterer in spreading abroad such Panegericks and praises of Monsieur Duranti one that deserveth commendations out of an honester mans mouth as also of our king who is too wise to thinke that such commeÌ„dations are other then shamelesse beginnings But what is become of those daies when men of his coat went in Procession in armes the pike in one hand the portuise in the other and were the firebrands of publike combustions encouraging the people against their king whilst we as good subiects even such as we will be to the death did shed our blood in his service Of like substance also is the fable that hee patcheth vp of a Masse song in England for the soule of the late Queene and the offerings contributed in her funerall wherevpon in full hope he exclaimeth At length the truth shall rise out of Democritus well you deceaue your selfe good man she rose from thence even in the time of the Apostles and primitiue Church But the divel hath dealt with her as he did with Ioseph when hee came out of the well she hath been sold to strange marchaÌ„ts brought into bondage and put in subiection not as Ioseph was to an Eunuch but to the father of lies marveilous fruitfull 8 This now decided let vs into our way againe In his 19. page hee bringeth in a prayer for the dead taken out of Esay 57.1 2. Cayer also pag. 24 citeth the same place but contrarieth the Frier saying that it is not a prayer for the dead but a lamentation that he maketh because that in those daies in Israel they prayed not for the dead The fire of Helie is content to say only that this passage doth not condemne Purgatory Pag. 66. Thus doe these our masters agree among themselus but in the third Chapter we haue shewed that the Frier falsifieth this place and that the same quite quencheth Purgatory 9 Nowe followeth the passage which all the 3 Doctors make vse of whereof they forme a mightie Bulwarke It is in the 2. of the Machabes the 12. where say they Iudas sent 12 thousand drachmes of silver to Hierusalem to be offered in sacrifice for the dead Hereto we answer 1. They falsifie the place The Frier pag. 10. 2. The book is not Canonicall 3. Were it Canonical yet maketh it nothing for Purgatory 4. They sinne against the naturall principles of the question For we never dispute against any but by the principles and autorities that we receaue Men dispute not with Iewes by the autoritie of the new Testament neither will the Gentils disputing against the Christians produce the testimony of Hesiods Theogony This S. Augustine knowing in his question against Maximine saith in his third booke and 14. Chapter that he will vse the Scriptures non quorumcunque propâ—ijs sed vtrique communibus Not proper to such or to such but coÌ„mon to both Now let vs returne over the three first points First the falsification is proued by reading over the place This it is Iudas sent to Hierusalem the summe of twelue thousand drachmes of silver to offer sacrifises for the sinne hee saith for the sinne not as the Frier saith for the dead Now what these wordes for the sinne doth signifie shall hereafter appeare That the book is not Canonicall we haue infinite proofes 1. First these books are not in the Hebrewe 2. Iesus Christ and his Apostles whoe vpon every occasion did alleage the passages of the old Testament never named any of these bookes neither out of them cited any passage 3. The Autor himselfe cap. 2. v. 19. saith that his purpose is to abridge the fiue bookes of Iason the Cirinean into one booke Now if Iasons bookes were not Canonicall how can the abstract of them be Canonicall If Trogus or Dyon bee prophane bookes how can Iustine or Xiphiline be sacred S. Paule 2. Tim. 3.16 saith All Scripture is given by inspiration of God But what inspiration is it to say the same that another in a prophane booke hath spoken and only to abridge his words What more The Autor doubting whether he had said well toward the ende concludeth thus If I haue said well and as it appertaineth to the history it is as much as I desire Are the motions of the spirit of God so insensible or doubtfull as to leaue the mind in suspense and vncertaine concerning the excellency of such things as it hath suggested a little after hee excuseth the simplicitie of his stile Will God who hath no interest to be beleeued whose naked words doe farre exceed the most polished words of man excuse the poverty of his owne phrase Or shall not hee that made the tongue haue eloquence enough yes for hee inspireth his servants with so much eloquence as he thinketh good neither is it for vs either to distast it or to bring excuses But in the reading of these
in this life must bee purged by fire They resemble foxes who being hunted doe saue themselues in some thick bush for they seeke only thorny and darke places 2. It is here spoken of a fire that trieth the worke but tormēteth not the persons 3. Also even in Purgatory the soules are not tried but punished for God needeth not their triall to knowe them 4. Againe here it is spoken of a fire wherein every mans worke shall be manifest In Purgatorie nothing is manifest to vs. 5. Againe of a fire wherein every mans works are tried Pag. 17.18 then also the worke of the Virgin Mary and of the Apostles which moved the autor of the fire of Helie to make them also to passe through Purgatory But he saith this fire shall bee to them as the fiery furnace was to the three children which seemed a moist wind Thus doth this doctor imagin or mock but his companions say nothing 6. It is here spoken of a fire that burneth the worke but not the soules and vpō this place it was that the Frier being demanded whether was whipped the thiefe or the theft answered with the mirth of all the assistants that it was the theft that was whipped 7. Hereto adioine that it is said if it burne the workeman shall haue losse but in Purgatory nothing is lost besides although the sins were burned yet in such burning there should be no losse 8. This examen and triall by fire is called Day but Purgatory if we list to beleeue them is vnder earth The fire of Helie denieth that this fire is called Day but note these words of the Apostle Every mans worke shal be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire For hee setteth this proofe in the day in sight and therefore the fire of Helie hath omitted these words The day shall declare it It is in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Frier hath changed them saith The day of the Lord shal declare them This day of the Lord say they is the day of death so large is their liberty to falsifie and to wrest For whoe did ever heare death called the day of the Lord Yea and admit this explication were receaueable how is every mans worke then revealed and manifested But the sense of this word day must bee taken from the same Apostle in the 13. verse of the next Chapter where this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth triall and iudgement 9. Againe S. Paul saith as by fire it is not then by fire and to no purpose do they bring vs in the words of S. Iohn Vidimus gloriam quasi vnigeniti for the barbarisme and incongruities of the vulgar translation must not be admitted for a rule The autor of the fire of Helie produceth yet another passage out of the 125 Psalme where this word Quasi importeth no similitude but the truth it selfe When Syon returned out of captivity we were as comforted but according to the Hebrew originall Wee were as they that dreame and so hath Pagnine and Arias and all good translations 10. Also throughout all this passage there is not one word whereby it may appeare that this tryall is made after this life I confesse that the rewarde of the faithfull is after this life and the fire of Helie neede not to admonish vs with such exclamations for the question concerneth not the time of the reward but the time of the triall 11. Neither is there any word that speaketh of the torment of the soules for the saide fire of Helie endevouring to proue that here it speaketh of tormēts is deceived in his Logicke For these be his words Doth not S. Paule say Pag. 16. If any mans works burne he shall incurre damages Is not hee that is tormented endamaged An argument in the second figure composed all of affirmatiues He that is tormented endureth damage He whose works burne endures damage Thē he whose work burneth is tormēted Besides the first proposition is manie times false and particularly in this matter considering that the torment of the soules in Purgatory is if wee beleeue these men without losse to the good of the soules Now herein I must frākly confesse that the auctor of the fire of Helie hath yet some dexterity in sophistry Du Val. but the Frier speaketh like an Ideot and a man of a crased braine for all his discourse is spent in laying of maximes and principles whereby hee will haue this case decided as if it were in him to impose lawes and principles in this businesse And indeed if you looke narrowly into the matter you shall finde these principles to bee the case it selfe for they set downe as a plaine case and confessed that in this fire the people are tormented and do feele the trial of this fire Now this is the point of the controversie and that which wee doe stiffe and stedfastly deny that S. Paule speaketh no such thing Howbeit in the end he must haue the grace of it admireth my slacknesse as being incapable to comprehend his so childish principles As for the explication of this passage it must be gathered out of that that goeth before S. Paule in the 5. verse of this chapter speaketh of doctors and pastours and of the preaching of the Gospell And particularly of Doctors who holding a good foundatiō which is Jesus Christ do neverthelesse adde of their inventions and slight doctrines which he calleth wood hay and stubble in regard of the pure and solide doctrine which he tearmeth Gold silver and pretious stones This wood therefore this stubble being examined by the word of God as mettals in fire can not subsist but must needs be consumed But as cōcerning the parson of the pastor he shal be saved in regard of the good foundation that he hath holden yet after triall made as it were by fire This explicatiō is naturall and springeth of it selfe and every one that knoweth that S. Paule here speaketh of shepheards whom he nameth Builders Hieron cōtra Iovinian lib. 2. will easily admit this explication And hereto do agree Saint Ambrose S. Hierome Sedulius Tertullian in his first book against Marcion cap. 6. yea even the chiefe doctours of the Romish Church Lyra Thomas Caietan and Bellarmine in his first booke of Purgatory cap. 4. They all hold I say that these builders are the pastours and the preachers § Vtraque Hormildas Pope in the Tomes of the coūsels saith that the builders are the doctors and the fire the Synode Dial. 4. c. 39. and the building the preaching of the Gospell yet doth the Fryer make a scorne of all this and saith that they be meere fopperies This also is the reason that in the front of his book hee armeth himselfe with these titles The reverent father Frier Iames an Observantin Portugall Doctor of Divinity and preacher ordinary to the King that so hee may with the greater auctority fight
booke of Purgatory cap. 9. alleadgeth this place and falsifieth it both in the words and in the sense He saith that S. Hierom speaketh of the vnbinding of the soule that is made by speculation not of the transporting of the soule in her substance but by imagination and to set the greater shew vpon this glosse and contemplation hee omitteth these words propter tenuitatē substātiae which do proue that S. Hierom spake of the trāsport of the soule in her substance with all that contemplation doeth not deliver the soule from the body neither necessarily trāsporteth her into Paradice or into hell for Contemplation hath infinite other obiects Can. in praesenti In the decrees of the Romish Church Causs 13. Quest 2 there is a Canon taken out of S. Hierom and these be the words In this present world we know that we may helpe one another either by praier or by Councell but when we shall come before the tribunall seat of Christ neither Iob nor Daniell nor Noah can pray for any but every one shal bear his owne burden But the decree hath clowted on a taile and saith that S. Hierom spake of the impenitent But how can that be For S. Hierom putteth himselfe in the number saying But when wee shall come Gregory Nazianzen in the Epitaph of his brother Caesarius saith I beleeue the words of the wise namely that every honest soule that loueth God when it is delivered from this body that is tyed thereto and is departed away IMMEDIATLY it is admitted to the fruition and contemplation of that good that attend it and doth reioice in admirable pleasure Vpon this principle doeth hee ground his stedfast perswasion that his brother is already blessed Now was he neither Martyr nor Saint nor otherwise qualified then the ordinary of the faithfull The like he speaketh in the Epitaph of his sister Gorgonia S. Ambrose hath written an excellent treatise of the benefite of death De bono mortis Vt corpus resolvatur acquiescat anima autem cōvertatur in requiem suā which is no other but a refutation of the Purgatory of the Romish Church And it is to bee noted that he speaketh of the death of all the faithfull but omitteth the Saints and Martyres more priviledged by God In this third Chapter he doth thus define death Death is a separation of the soule from the body Then he addeth Now what doth this separation saving that the body dissolveth and resteth but the soule is set in quiet and free who if shee be faithfull shall be with Christ In the fourth Chapter he saith that Death is a haven after a storme and that shee reserveth vs to iudgement such as shee founde vs and addeth that by her Transitura corruptione ad incorruptionem à mortalìtate ad immortalitatem à perturbatione ad tranquillitatē We passe from corruptiō to incorruption from mortalitie to immortalitie from trouble to rest Againe in the 7. Requies post labores finis malorum Mors stipendiorum plenitudo summa mercedis gratia missionis Chapter The foole doth feare death as the soveraigne evill the wise man doth desire it as a rest after labour and the ende of all calamities In the same place Death is the fulnesse of wages the sum of rewards the favour or grant of dispensation or license In the tenth Chapter he mocketh such as thinke that the habitation of soules is vpon earth and saith Animarū superiora esse habitacula scripturae testimonijs varijs probatur It appeareth by many testimonies of the scriptures that the habitation of the soules is aboue In the last Chapter speaking of himselfe and of al that beleeue in Iesus Christ hee saith Intrepide ad Abrahamū patrem nostrum cum Dies advenerit proficisca mur intrepide pergamus ad illum sanctorum coetū c. When that day shall come let vs goe boldly to Abraham our father to the assembly of Saints and congregation of the righteous for wee shall goe to our fathers to the schoolemasters of our faith to the ende that albeit our workes faile vs yet faith may succour vs and the inheritance be kept for vs. And to the ende no man should thinke that he speaketh only of the most holy and perfect he saith Etiamsi opera desint albeit workes faile vs and soone after he saith that it doth appertaine to all the beleevers in God and that When the day of death shall come to the end the Popes factors should not put of that day to the issue out of Purgatory Also that our adversaries may no longer shrowd themselues vnder this passage in the 12. of Matthew Blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiuen neither in this world nor in the world to come he saith in the second Chapter of the same booke Qui hic non acceperit remissionem peccatorum illic non erit Hee that will not here receaue remission of sinnes shall not bee there S. Chrysostome hom 75. in Matth. If we now doe not that we should when wee come there we shall haue no meanes to satisfie Againe hom 22. ad populum Antiochenum Read the Scriptures of our Saviour and learne that none can helpe vs when we depart hence Also in his 2. hom vpon Lazarus Pay all here that without trouble thou maist come to that tribunall seat while we are here we haue great hope but so soone as wee are departed to goe thether it remaineth no longer in our power to doe pennance or to blot out or amend that we haue done amisse Hereto Bellarmine answereth that Chrysostome speaketh of the remission of mortal sinnes which no man saith are remitted in Purgatory And all this is false for Chrysostom speaketh of all sinnes and in any of all these places never maketh distinction betweene mortall and veniall sinnes indeed hee speaketh of the wicked rich man who was not punished for one sinne only but for all his sinnes withall that our adversaries do hold that in Purgatory they may beare the punishment for mortall sinnes but that by the mercy of God of eternall they be made tēporall Yea they proceed so far as to limit the time of this punishment namely seaven yeares for every sinne as wee shewed in the first Chapter Likewise vpon the 23. of Matthew hom 25. hee saith that pennance after death is as vnprofitable as the Phisitian who after death can doe no good The same he saith vpon the first of Genes hom 5. Also vpon the fourth to the Romans hom 8. Where there is grace there is forgiuenesse where there is forgiuenesse there is no punishment Now punishment being taken away and righteousnesse through faith granted nothing may hinder vs but that we shall be made heires of this promise which is by faith Himselfe vpon Matth. hom 32. asketh of the parents of the deceased these questions Wherefore after the death of thy friends dost thou call them poore Why dost thou desire the Priest to pray for them
I knowe that thou wilt answer it is to the ende the deceased may obtaine rest and find his iudge favourable thou weenest that thou must weepe for these matters but seest thou not that even in the same thou dost wrong him For considering that thou thinkest he is gon into the flowred fields why dost thou yet stir vp great stormes against him Againe in his 70. hom ad populum Antiochenum speaking of the funerals and the duty that we performe to the dead with torches and hymnes he saith What is the meaning of these flaming lamps No other but that we convey the Champions after the combat ended and these hymnes but that in them we glorifie God and giue him thankes that he hath crowned the dead and freed him froÌ„ all sorrowes that he now keepeth him about him hauing taken from him all vncertainties all which are actions of ioy Hee hath almost the same words in the moralitie of his fourth homily on the Hebrewes Both there and in his third homily on the Philippians hee gathereth that the duties that wee performe to the dead do testifie that their soules are in rest for the people say Convertere anima mea in requiem My soule returne into thy rest Againe in his 32. homily vpon Matthew Teares and lamentations beseeme the enemy not thee that goest to rest surely Death is a quiet hauen from all troubles Againe There is the spirituall bride bed and coelestiall And he saith that after death there is no more sorrow To bee briefe In Nilus Bâ—shop of Thessalonica we haue an expresse book against Purgatory which is an Apology for the Greeke Churches wherein they saie that this temporall fire was coÌ„demned in the fifth Councel as also to this day the Churches of the Greeks and Russians the Abissines and the Armenians knowe not what this Imaginary fire meaneth There also the Greeke Churches do protest that S. Chrysostome never beleeved any such matter nether any of their ancient Doctors whereof we doe gather that some places of this doctour which seeme to make for Purgatory either must bee vnderstoode of an other kind of Purgatory such as was the purging fire of Origen and Ambrose which shall be spoken of hereafter or els that those passages are corruptly inserted and suggested Tunc est tentatio finieÌ„da quando finitur pugna tunc est finienda pugna quando post hanc vitam succedet secura victoria paulo post milites Christi labori osa peregrinatione traÌ„sacta regnant felices in patria Illis omnia remissa sunt delicta nihil ob delicta puniâ—is for likewise in the couÌ„sell of Florence where the Greekes armed them selues with the auctority of their Doctours the Latins would not haue forborne to bring in these passages to convince them Prosper in his first book of Contemplatiue life cap. 1. saith Temptation shall end when the Combat is ended and the Combut shall end when after this life an assured victory shall succeed Againe soone after he saith The souldiours of Iesus Christ after they haue finished their laborious pilgrimage do raigne happyly in their Countrey Procopius vpon Exodus To those who by faith are entred into the number of their confederates and brethren and haue beene made partakers of the divine nature by the participation of the holy Ghost all their sinnes are pardoned they haue received no punishmeÌ„t for their offences Epiphanius in his second book of heresies heresie 39 which is the same of the Catares and Novatians seemeth to haue taken a smatch in the ConfutatioÌ„ of Purgatory where he saith In the age to come after a mans death there is no more helpe by fasting no more vocation of pennance no more exhibition of Almes hee also saith It is as the corne that swelleth not after it is reaped neither can be spoiled with the winde Finally he coÌ„cludeth The Garners are sealed vp the time is past the combat is finished the lists are voided and the Garlands are given Now saith hee all this is finished at the departure out of the body after which departure our adversaries do impose grievous penances and augment the difficulty of the fight and torments and doe deferre the giuing of the Crownes vntill the comming out of Purgatory that is to say many hundreds and thousands of yeares after death Arnobius in his second book against the gentils saith that Plato after this life hath set downe Rivers of fire in quibus animas asseverat volui mergi exuri where the soules are tossed plunged and burned But himselfe contrarywise doth holde that the souls out of the bodies can endure no sorrow Quis hominum non videt quod sit immortale quod simplex nulluÌ„ posse dolorem admittere Wherein albeit he erreth not yet doeth it sufficiently shewe that hee beleeveth not that the soules without bodies can after this life bee cast into a fire Note also that throughout all antiquity wee finde no mention of buls of fetching of soules out of Purgatory of Indulgences for the dead aulters and of fraternities that haue priviledge to fetch a soule out of Purgatory As this is but lately inveÌ„ted and as old age encreaseth in covetousnesse so hate Avarice beene more inventiue in this declining old age of the world for it is credible that the Apostles and their first successours omitted the fetching of foules out of this fire by indulgences for want either of knowledge either of abilitie either else of good will Also that togither with their greatnesse and riches skill spirituall power pietie and charitie haue growne vp in the Bishops of Rome That the Doctours in the primitiue Church in this matter had their errors which the Church of Rome reiecteth namely in this that for the most part they beleeved that the soules are detained in dennes or corners vntil the day of iudgmeÌ„t whereof neverthelesse it appeareth that they knew not Purgatory Irineus toward the end of his fourth and last booke condemneth two opinions the one that hell is in the world the other that the soule which hee calleth the inward man comming out of the body ascended into the region that is aboue the heauens Then he addeth For sith our Lord went into the middest of the shadow of death where the soules of the dead remained and is since corporally risen againe and after his resurrection was receaued on high It is evident therefore that the soules of his disciples for whom Iesus Christ acted and suffered these things shall also goe into an invisible place to them appointed by God where they shall remaine vntil the resurrection afterward being perfectly that is corporally raised as Iesus Christ was they shall appeare in the presence of God for no disciple is aboue his master c. In summe his meaning is that herein the condition of the faithfull deceased shall bee conformable to that of Iesus Christ whose soule came not into the presence of God before his resurrection but was in darknesse and
capax illa Dei virgo ventura est desiderare quis à Deo audebit Iudicari To bee briefe his feare of the heate of this fire which must burne even the Virgin Mary doth keepe him saith he from desiring the day of iudgement Of this fire then doth Gregory Nazian speak in the passage alleadged by the Frier page 84. Whereout I gather two things First how easily mans spirit is misled when it strayeth from the word of God secondly that my adversaries do abuse the people and perswade them that these Doctors doe speake of Purgatory They do indeed speak of the fire of the last iudgment likewise that they make mention of a torment reserved to those only that haue not sufficiently satisfied in this life when they speake but of a torment or purgation common to all the faithfull to the saints to the Martyrs and to the Virgin Mary And this is a second degree of their vnfaithfulnesse in their allegations S. Augustine who throughout the whole course of this questiō hath shewed himselfe inconstant in his 20. book of the Citty of God cap. 25. saith well that in the day of iudgement the fire shall to some only stand insteed of the paines of Purgatory Ex his quae dicta sunt videtur evidentius ap parere in illo Iudicio quasdam quorundam poenas purgatorias futuras The Frier pag. 37. citeth this passage but to dissemble that S. Augustine spake of the day of iudgement he concealeth these words In illo Iudicio Againe in his 16. booke of the citty of God cap. 24. Significatur isto igne dies Iudicij dir imens carnales salvandos per ignem igne damnandos This day signifieth the day of iudgement which must discerne the carnall men who are to bee saved by the fire and who to bee condemned into the fire There is nothing so evident This error is condemned then by the Church of Rome which could not fit it selfe to this Purgatory that beginneth not vntil the day of the resurrection very well foreseeing that the Popes Indulgences dispensations could haue no colour if they should dispense with this purging whereto the father 's subiected the Apostles yea even the blessed Virgin which also is of so short cōtinuance And therefore it was requisit to make a Purgatory that should begin immediatly after death and a torment equall with the torments of hell long and horrible from whence the Pope might exempt and fetch forth by his Indulgences such as it pleased him That the Fathers doe speake of another purgation by fire which is in this life The ancients doe often vse the Allegoricall wordes of S. Paul 1. Corin. 3. namely of stubble hay wood of triall by fire and they tearme the afflictions and pennance of this life a fire or a triall or purgation by fire S. Hierom vpon the 3. of Matthew speaking of this fire saith that when the children of Levi shall be purged they shall offer sacrifices acceptable to God for Iuda and for Hierusalem which cannot be done but in this life and that by fire S. Augustine in the 21. booke of the citty of God cap. 13. Wee confesse that in this life there be Purgatory paines Nos in hac mortali vita esse quasdam purgatorias poenas confitemur but such as are purging to those who being exercised in them doe amend their liues And in cap. 26. Such delights and carnall loues shall be burned by the fire of tribulation To this fire doe belong the losse of kindred and all sorts of calamitie Marke this Canon of Pope Siricius which is to be seene in Luityrandus and others Vt in suis ergastulis detrusi Purgatorio possiat poenitud nis igne decoqui Hee commanded that the Monkes should immediatly bee driven out of the Monasteries to the ende that being shut vp in their workehouses they might bee baked in the Purgatory fire of pennance He tearmeth the labour of a Monke shut vp in a shop and tied to travaile as it was the custome of the first Monks to haue an occupation and to labour with their hands a Purgatory fire S. Gregory in his fourth dialogue cap. 39. speaking of the fire whereby men be saved saith It may be meant of the fire of the tribulations of this life And S. Augustine in his Manuel to Laurentius cap. 68. Est ignis tribulatio tentationis This fire is the temptation of afflictions Againe soone after he saith that This fire is in this life S. Cyprian in his fourth booke and 2. Epistle speaking of Ecclesiasticall pennance imposed vpon such as for feare had revolted to Idolatrie compareth the condition of those penitents which he saith are to be purged by fire with the condition of such as never shrunke but suffered martyrdome And hee holdeth the condition of such Martyrs to be more blessed then the condition of those penitents marke his comparison It is one thing standing vp to aske forgiunesse as did these penitents after their revolt another thing to attaine to the glory as they did that persevering receaved Martyrdome One thing it is being cast into prison not to come forth vntill thou hast payd the vttermost farthing another thing immediatly to receaue the reward of thy faith and vertue One thing it is being afflicted by a long sorrow for sinne to be corrected and purged a long time by fire and another to be cleansed from all sin by passion and martyrdome To bee briefe One thing it is long to hang in suspense cōcerning the sentence that the Lord shall giue in the day of iudgement and another to be incontinently crowned by the Lord. According to the manner of the ancients he tearmeth pennance and long affliction after sinne a purging fire opposeth it against the present and assured glory of the Martyres as against a condition more assured and farre more blessed And this said he to the end that such as were prisoners for Christ shold not revolt vpon this perswasion that afterwards repenting they should enioy like blisse and assurance as others that suffered martyrdome But of temporall torment after this life or of any purgation of soules separated from the bodies there is not one word throughout that Epistle neither elsewhere throughout all Cyprian who in puritie giueth place to none of the Ancients And indeed wee need not to seeke farther then the same Epistle wherein hee willeth that the penitents confessing their fault should be receiued For saith he Apud inferos confessio non est nec Exomologests illic fieri potest Which is more none of the wordes vttered in this passage can in any wise stand with our adversaries Purgatory 1. For he saith Longo dolore cruciatum emendari purgari diu igne The penitent long time tormented is amended and purged by the fire Now our adversaries say that the soules doe not or cannot amend thēselues in their Purgatory 2. It is also said that hee that is thus purged resteth in suspense and
his word cleere the peoples minds from all doubts or difficulties withal cut of the pathes that lead to this trafficke How vniustly the Frier and his fellowes doe make vse of the example of the primitiue Church in matter of Indulgences In the times of persecutions the primitiue Church sought all meanes possible to honour martyrdome and to encourage the Christians thereto Amōg other meanes they had taken vp a custome that such as for any notorious offence were cut of from the Church for some long time did resort to the prisons wherein such as suffered for the gospel were detained there besought these Martyres to make intercession to the Church that the time of their pennance and excommunication might be abridged and thus did the Bishops vse at the intercessions of these prisoners appointed to martyrdome to readmit the penitent into the Congregation S. Cyprian in his sermon of the fallen also in the second Epistle of his fourth booke and Tertullian in his booke De pudicitia doe disallow this custome thinke thay they yeeld too much to these imprisoned Martyrs Yea Tertullian speaketh thereof in his book of the Martyrs cap. 1. Our adversaries like the Israelites that gathered straw vnder the bondage of Pharao for want of more substantiall proofes doe make vse of this custome in their establishing of the Popes Indulgences and in the distribution of the overplus workes and superabundant satisfactions of the Saints collected into the Popes treasurie and converted into paimentes for others Tertullian calleth thē appointed Martyrs wherein I suppose they haue no intent that men should beleeue them so farre from all apparance doe they speake 1. These Martyrs that S. Cyprian spak of were yet aliue those that our adversaries spake of are dead 2. Wee cannot finde that ever the paine of any sinner was abridged by the merits and superabundant sufferings of these Martyres who would never haue vndergon those torments had they not beleeved that God called them thereto and consequently that they were bound to endure them so it followeth that they neither did nor suffered any thing supererogatory for they could not doe otherwise vnlesse they would haue denied the Gospell 3. These imprisoned Martyrs commended to the Church this or that penitent and besought that they might be receaued into the Communion but they neither paid for them nor redeemed them as our adversaries doe say that the Saints by their sufferings are in some sort our redeemers 4. These Martyrs entreated only that the sinner might bee admitted to the Communion not that he might be exempt from Purgatory 5. In those daies there was no speech of this worthie treasure of the Church composed of the superabundant satisfactions of Iesus Christ and his Saints 6. Every Bishop imposed or abridged the pains or excommunications in his owne flocke without expecting either advice or buls from the Bishop of Rome 7. In those daies men knew not the meaning of pardons hanged vpon certain Churches by his holinesse autoritie O what a goodly sight it would haue beene in those daies to haue seene such buls set vp and fixed vpon the Church dores or some one that might haue instructed the people in this new Gospell namely that his Papall holinesse having in his treasury all the superabundant satisfactions of Iesus Christ his Saints doth giue ten thousande or fiftie thousande yeares of plenary pardon and as many quarentines with the third of all their sinnes or even full Indulgence to every one that shall say a stinted number of Paters or Avees or his rosary or beads or weare or kisse some halowed grains or contribute some peece of mony or that shall ioine himselfe to the fraternitie of the Corde likewise that such a stinted number of Masses said vpon a certaine priviledged altar shal fetch out of Purgatory any one soule even such a one as he shall chuse that must pay for it also that such venerable pardons are to be purchased in such a Church vpon such a day even vntill sun set besides that he that shall buy these pardōs may chuse him a ghostly father such a one as in the houre of death shall absolue him from all his sinnes both frō the paine and from the fault Surely I say if any man in the primitiue Church should shaue preached so prodigious a doctrine even the little children would haue hissed after him or the Phisitians would haue felt his pulse so to haue learned the cause of his frensey and to purge his hypochondriall humour for as yet it was not the custome to burne any man for heresie Now in our enterview the Frier alleaged vnto me this intercession of the Martyrs for the penitent to defend papall Indulgences I answered that that intercession had no resemblance with the Popes Indulgences besides that that custome did Tertullian condemne Then did he take me vp in a most impudent manner saying that I was deceaued also that I tooke Tertullian for S. Cyprian but I told him that both the one and the other condemned this custome howbeit wee wanted bookes to satisfie the assistants vpon this point This did not the Frier forget in his booke and therefore marke his words pag. 12. The Minister should remember what a Novice be shewd himselfe in the reading of the fathers how hee mistooke himselfe in citing them quoting Tertullian for S. Cyprian But let him nowe learne that which he yet knewe not so confesse himselfe to be the Novice Tertullian in his book de Pudicitia cap. 22 complaineth of this custome at large even so farre forth as to say That diverse procured their own imprisonment that so they might be Intercessors for some of their friends or that they might commit folly with women detained in the same prison Violantur viri feminae in tenebris plane ex vsu libidinum notis Et pacem ab his quaerunt paenitentes qui de sua periclitantur In the end hee concludeth thus Sufficiat Martyri propria delicta purgasse Ingrati vel superbi est in alios quoque spargere quod pro magno fuerit consequutus Quis alienam mortem sua soluit nisi solus Dei filius c. that is to say Let it suffise the Martyr that hee hath purged his owne sinnes It is the part of an vnthankfull and proud person to seeke to impart to others that which hath beene granted to himselfe for a great grace What man did ever by his owne death satisfie for anothers death but the only sonne of God In al this appeareth both the Monks ignorance in commō matters as also his assurāce in speaking that which he knoweth not besides his childish waunting of prevailing in so slight a cause For had I named Tertullian for Cyprian can the weakenesse of my braine amend his cause but it is memory that fayleth him or rather knowledge but especially conscience Note in the meane time how well these Indulgences are vnderpropped with antiquitie for my adversaries in