Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	mortal_a	sin_n	venial_a	6,152	5	13.8485	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42386	A brief examination of the present Roman Catholick faith contained in Pope Pius his new creed, by the Scriptures, antient fathers and their own modern writers, in answer to a letter desiring satisfaction concerning the visibility of the protestant church and religion in all ages, especially before Luther's time.	Gardiner, Samuel, 1619 or 20-1686.	1689 (1689)	Wing G244; ESTC R29489	119,057	129

is no purging if no purging no Purgatory In another place he saith After this life is a time of punishment but not of purging Hence he adds It is better for a man to be chastis'd and purg'd by temporal affliction here All which places directly confront the Romish Doctrine concerning purgation of Souls by fire after death In his fourth Oration on Baptism he mentions several sorts of fire I know saith he the purging fire viz. that which Christ came to send on Earth viz. the fire of Tribulation and temporal Affliction as Nicetas in his Comment understands it The fire of love and faith towards God which purgeth the Soul from sin Therefore saith he Christ desired to have it kindled on Earth as soon as might be that we might have the benefit of it This cannot be Purgatory-fire which Christ kindled not on Earth I know saith he another fire but it is a punishing not purging fire as that of Sodom or that which goeth before the face of the Lord to burn up his Enemies or the fire join'd with the never-dying worm which is eternal Had Nazianzen known any other fire purgative of Souls after this life no question he would here have mention'd it but he was it seems wholly ignorant of this Romish Purgative fire after death which Bellarmine asserts to be a point of Faith which he that believeth not cannot be saved De Purgat l. 10. c. 15. but shall go to Hell. Parcite non credimus However to make a shew of Nazianzen's consent he quoteth those words in his Oration In Sancta lumina They shall be baptiz'd with another fire which is the last Baptism which devours the gross matter like fire and consumeth the levity of sin But herein the Cardinal discovers much want of sincerity and fair dealing for Nazianzen in that place speaketh thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By chance or it may be they shall be there baptiz'd with fire so that he delivers it not positively as an Artiele of Faith but as an uncertain Opinion or possibility onely as Augustin doth after him Again he directs his Speech to the Novatian Hereticks But the Roman Church is not so merciful as to send Hereticks to Purgatory and possibly he might mean by that Fire Origen cont Cols l. 5. Cyril Catech 15. the fire of Conflagration at the end of the World as others of the Fathers which Bellarmin denies not are sometimes to be understood I must not omit his intimate Friend Basil the Great who saith Moral sum lib. 10. The present time is the time of repentance and remission of sins In his Exhortation to Baptism he mentions only Heaven and Hell taking no notice of Purgatory By the Baptism of Fire he understands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word of Doctrine In his Comment on Psal 33. he distinguisheth two sorts of men onely such as are dead to sin and die in a mortify'd and sanctify'd Estate and such as are sinners The death of the former is blessed of the latter miserable in regard punishment attends them like Dives in the Parable Now Dives we know was in Hell as is plain Luke 16. not Purgatory Basil therefore it seemeth knew no such place I pass to Epiphanius who confuting the Novatians writeth thus Her. 59. In the other World after mens death there is no Fasting Pennance Alms or Piety there Lazarus cometh not to Dives nor Dives to Lazarus Why did he not except those who are labouring in Purgatory as Romanists speak Epiphanius goes on The Store-houses are sealed no coming out the time accomplished the Combat ended the Race run and the Crowns are given To what end then are Prayers Masses Indulgences c and they who have striven are quiet If quiet how labouring in Purgatory Again All things are plainly ended after death whilst all are in Combate after falling there may be rising again There is yet hope there is yet help Salvation is not desperate After death the King shuts the door admitteth none After our departure we may not correct what was amiss formerly in us How are these words reconcileable to the modern Romans Faith They say men may correct after death by the help of others what was formerly amiss in them After death Salvation is not desperate there is yet hope and help for some of a middle sort when they have undergone temporary punishment or penance in Purgatory The door of Heaven after death is not shut the Store-houses are not seal'd up but may be open'd afterward the Combate is not ended nor whatsoever Epiphanius saith all the Crowns yet given some being reserv'd for those that are making satisfaction for their venial sins or compleating it for those that were mortal in Purgatory Yet the Fathers are all theirs and the Roman Church never did never can err But it 's objected that Epiphanius undoubtedly held Purgatory as a point of Faith in regard he alloweth Prayers for the dead and condemns Aërius as an Heretick for denying it I answer Prayer for the dead doth no way prove the Romish Purgatory Or that they for whom the Church anciently prayed were in pain or torment neither doth Epiphanius intimate any such thing yea he contradicts it in part at least when he saith We pray for the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs who as our Adversaries confess were never in Purgatory but happy in the Lord. Saint Ambrose pray'd for the Emperour Valentinian when deceased De Obitu Valentin Confess lib. 9. cap. ult yet in the very same place he declares that he believ'd he was in heavenly Glory Saint Augustin also pray'd for his Mother Monica when departed yet immediately adds that he believ'd God had granted what he begg'd i. e. remission of her sins and everlasting life Prayer then for the dead does not infer Purgatory But this by the way Let us now hear what Saint Chrysostom saith in his third Sermon upon the Philippians he makes not three but onely two sorts of Christians Such as die in the true Faith and such as die in Infidelity and their Sins The former after their departure out of this life are blessed who are gone to Christ and there are nearer to him not by Faith but face to face And Homily the fourth on the Epistle to the Hebrews Tell me what mean those bright Lamps in Funerals Is it not that we bring forth the dead like victorious Combatants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why are the Hymns Is it not because we glorifie God for crowning him that is departed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he hath free'd him from labours and from the fear of death having him with himself Consider what ye sing when ye say Return unto thy Rest O my soul c. These expressions agree with Purgatory like Water with Fire How are they blessed with Christ victorious crowned free from all sorrows at rest and peace who being of the number of the faithful no gross sinners but in a state of Grace are yet

confess that their Purgatory Fire is of no use after the Resurrection and eternal Judgment The like saying he hath in his Epistle to Demetrian After we have gone out of this life nullus remanet satisfactionis locus There is no place for satisfying for our sins Here life is got or lost for ever Our Adversaries say after we are gone out of this World we may by suffering in Purgatory fully satisfie God for our sins compleat our Exomologesis or Penance obtaining thereby at last life eternal Surely Saint Cyprian was of another opinion Come we to Lactantius The Heathens saith he Instit lib. 6. c. 3. lib. 3. c. 19. Caeli inferorum speak of a Bivium two ways apud inferos relating to the dead which more truly say that these two ways are Heaven and Hell for to the righteous immortality to the wicked eternal death belongs Here Lactantius mentions two not three ways men go after death The next Latin Father is Saint Hilary who in his Comment on Matth. C. 27. overthroweth the main ground on which Purgatory is built for he saith expounding the Parable of the Virgins Alienis meritis ac operibus neminem adjuvandum c. that no man after this life can be helped or deliver'd by the good works or merits of others because every man must necessarily provide Oil for his own Lamp. The wise Virgins in Saint Hilary's judgment are they who embracing the opportunity or season of this life the time of repentance and reconciliation with God prepare themselves for Christ's coming The foolish are they who would be borrowing Oil of their Neighbours provide not in time for themselves but depend on the courtesie of others their Works Prayers Merits which will stand them in no stead when being out of their bodies they have neglected and lost the time of repentance If Hilary was in the right redemption of Souls out of Purgatory by other mens Prayers Merits Fastings by Indulgences Masses Pardons Scapularies and such foolish inventions are all vain and insignificant which will stand men in no stead yield them no help or relief The same Father elsewhere maketh only two sorts of men Fideles Impii In Psal p. 120. faithful and impious The former he saith going out of the body are placed in Abraham's bosom where they are kept free from evil viz. of punishment till after the resurrection so he thought they be admitted into Heaven the other are hindred like Dives by the interposing Gulf from going thither To the same purpose he discourseth in Psalm 2. I pass to Saint Ambrose who in his Book De Bono Mortis saith thus Cap. 2. He that receiveth not here remission of sins shall not be there i. e. in Heaven He speaketh indefinitely of all sins whether mortal or venial And again Cap. 12. When that day viz. of death cometh they go to their Redeemer to the very bosom of Abraham a place of rest not torment speaking of good Christians Certainly it is harsh to affirm that justify'd persons reconcil'd to God by Christ's bloud for as Hilary even now taught us this must be done here in this life or no where and consequently in a state of Grace and favour with him should in regard of some small venial sins or mortal as they are called not fully satisfy'd for in this life by Penance Fasting Alms c. be cast into fiery torments and to lie there many years none know how long unless helped out by the uncertain Prayers Merits c. of others particularly unless the alsufficient and abundantly satisfactory Merits of Christ be applyed to them by the Popes Indulgences I add next Saint Hierom In Amos cap. 9. who saith When the Soul freed from the bands of the body shall have liberty to fly whither it will or whither it is compell'd to go It shall either be carried to Hell of which it is written In Hell who will confess to thee or it shall be lifted up to Heaven It seemeth a third place viz. Purgatory Hierom knew not I will end with Saint Augustin who having mention'd Heaven and Hell Hypognost lib. 5. De Pecc mer. remiss c. 28. Epist 80. adds A third place we are altogether ignorant of neither do we find it in holy Scripture Elsewhere he saith There is no middle place to any that he should not be with the Devil who is not with Christ In his Epistle to Hesychius he writeth thus In what state the day of death findeth any one accordingly shall he be judged at the last day The like Sentence almost word for word we find in Justin Martyr In Dial. p. 107. who quoteth it as a saying of our Saviour In what things I find you so will I judge you In his Epistle to Macedonius he saith After this life there is no place to correct our manners or what hath been amiss How then can Repentance or temporal satisfaction for sins be perfected or supply'd after death I will add his words upon the 31. Psalm If God pardon sins he will cover them if he cover them he will not take notice of them if he will not take notice of them he will not punish them How is this reconcileable with Gods punishing the sins that he hath pardon'd in Purgatory It 's true We know God punisheth sometimes in this life such as he pardons for their future amendment and for example to others but what is this to punishing men after this life when there is no amendment possible as our Adversaries grant nor others to be thereby warned I acknowledge there are some places quoted by Bellarmin and others wherein St. Augustin seemeth to own Purgation of the Souls of some men from sin after this life as De Genesi lib. 2. contr Manich. Cap. 10. de Civit. Dei lib. 21. cap. 24. Altho Ludovicus Vives saith Comment in locum the place is not to be found in the antient Manuscripts nor in that printed at Friburge Hom. 16. inter 50. in Psalm 37. But in his Enchiridion his Book De fide operibus and Ad Dulcitium where he professedly handles this Point and expoundeth the principal place of Scripture now urged by Romanists for their Doctrine of Purgatory he speaketh very doubtfully and uncertainly First He acknowledgeth that 1 Cor. 3. is difficult and obscure one of those intimated by Saint Paul 2 Epist Cap. 3. ver 16. of the true meaning of which he was not certain But such an obscure place is as all will grant a very unfit ground to build an Article of Faith upon which to deny shall be Heresie and destructive of Salvation Secondly To Dulcitius quoting his own Books before-mention'd he interprets it expresly De igne doloris of the figurative and metaphorical Fire of grief according to Psalm 39. My heart was hot within me at last the fire kindled c. arising from the loss of temporal enjoyments as Estate Wealth c. too earnestly loved