whiche refused the goodnes of God Vpon this the Apostle bringeth in these wordes Wherefore he taketh mercie on whome he wil and hardeneth whom he wil. The which is not so to be taken as though the thing that God willeth he willeth it without great good reason For the wil of his euerlasting wisedome can not be sundered from vnderstanding reason and aduisement And his will is to rewarde the faith of the chosen not as of dewtie but according to grace His wil is also to withdraw his helpe and aide from such as refuse it aÌ„d to suffer them to be of a corrupt iudgement Hereuppon S. Paule sayeth Then you wil say vnto me Wherefore doth he yet complaine For who shal withstand his wil In these wordes S. Paule bringeth in the person of a presumpteous man the which iudged rashly of the counsel of God and vnderstandeth this sentence of the scripture naughtily and he maketh him to speake very vngodly that he may the better stop the mowth of vngodlines it selfe If this be true saith euery wicked person that God taketh mercy on whom he wil and whoÌ„ him listeth he refuseth him and hardneth his hart and no man can resist his wil then he that synneth sinneth of necessity If he do syn of necessity wherfore doth God so often coÌ„plaine of the hardenes and crueltie of wicked men This synful and presumpteous talke S. Paule coÌ„futeth two waies First of al he sheweth that it is a presumpteous act to iudge of the iugemeÌ„t of god For euen for this cause only that a thing is don bi god although we vnderstaÌ„d not the reason of it yet must we assuredly thinke that it was done not without great reason Then he declareth the counsel of God by the which he hardneth that is to saie beareth long time with the wicked and at the length leaueth them destitute of his aide and healpe that he may suffer them to perish to the profite of manier O man saieth the Apostle who art thou that reasonest with God Doth the thing which is fourmed saie vnto him that fourmed it why hast thou made me so May not the potter make of one lump of claie one vessel to honour and an other to dishonour In which place you may coÌ„sidre by the name of a pot that it is not a worke which is determined without reason but such a thinge as is done by workemaÌ„ship Wherin he geueth you to vnderstand this much If the potter as a potter doth what so euer he doth by art much more doth God al things by art reson and couÌ„sel S. Paul therfore speaketh after this sort O man wilt thou not loke circuÌ„spectly about thee wilt thou not acknowlege the frailtie of thy nature wilt thou not coÌ„sidre the wisdom and power of god Wilt thou not dreade his Maiestie If there were any sense in earthen vessels surely suche vessels were not to be borne withall as woulde dispute with the potter whiche made them of the workemanship wherwith they were made Much lesse is the presumpteousnes of a seelie man to be borne â–ª the which improueth the iudgemente of that most excellent gouernour and in an endlesse and incomprehensible wisedom findeth lacke of cunning and skill Art thou at that point in deede The thing the cause and reason wherof thou art not able to atteine vnto by wit wilt thou by and by stand vnto it that it is void of al reason The potter maketh by arte one vessel for honour an other for dishonour and loke what is made by arte no man may wel finde fault withal And wilt thou saie that the thing which is made of that most high and perfecte wisedome in the which neither rashnesse neither vniustice may rest is made vndiscretely and vniustly By these wordes S. Paul intendâ—th only to put vs to vnderstaÌ„d that it is a very grieuouse offence to trie the iudgements of God by the balance of mans reason and to doubt of his iustice He doth therefore onely keepe downe vnreasonable presumpteousnes and fraieth rash and prowde ' menne by denouncing vnto them the iudgement of god After that he declareth what is to be holden as touching this question These are his words If so be that God willing to shew his wtath and to make his power knowen hath suffered the vessels of wrath with much patience which were shaped to destructioÌ„ that he might shew the ritches of his glory towardes the vessels of mercie the which he hath prepared to glorie It is an vnperfecte speach the whiche manner of speaking S. Paule vseth ofteÌ„ tymes There lacketh either this or some other thing like to this And yet wilt thou reprooue the wise and iust counsel of god Now in these wordes first of al it is to be noted that God framed not the vessels of wrath Truth it is that God made nature vnto the vessels but not synne not vngodlines not the rest of vices which deserueth to be punished most sharply by the seueritie of Gods iudgement whiche the holie Scripture calleth wrath For it cometh to passe by the wil of euery wicked man that he is made the vessel of wrath which would not be made the vessel of mercie The whiche thing S. Paule meaniÌ„g to set forth more plainly saith He suffered And being not satisfied with that word he saith moreouer He suffred in much patience the vessels of wrath What is this What griefe is that so great What torment is that so crewel that to the bearing of it God neded patieÌ„ce yea and that no meaâ—â— but exceding great patience Doubtles it is that which is if God were subiect to any griefe of al griefes that may be deuised the greatest to wit it is vicious liuing wickednes and an obstinate wil to coÌ„tinue in synne For there is nothing els that disagreeth with his vertue goodnes and wisedome there is nothing els that is directely against his most holy ordinaunces and lawes to be shorte there is nothing elles that God doth moste extremely hate and derest So that it is no wonder if a verie great patience were to speake of God as of a man needefull to beare such a bitter torment God therefore caused not this hardnesse of heart in Pharao but he suffred with a certaine great patience the wilfull stubbornes of that most wicked man whiche grieued his heart The which thing to expresse the beter S. Paule saith Vessels made to destruction He saith not The vessels which God him selfe hath made to destruction as he saieth a litle after of the vessels of mercie the whiche God him selfe hath prepared to glorie that you may vnderstande that Godlie menne are appointed vnto glorie by the wil and mercie of God and that wicked men are thrust out violeÌ„tly into euerlasting tormentes through euerie mans owne wilful synne as Esaie saith Goe into the fier whiche you haue kendled for your owne selues But to what ende I praie you did that most high Lord suffer so long time and
with suche great patience the vessels of reproch To shewe saith the Apostle his wrath that is to say to shewe the seueritie of his most holie iudgement and the power of his maiestie Againe I aske you to what pourpose was it to desire to declare that vnto menne To shewe saieth he the ritches of his glorie towardes the vessels of mercie the which he hath prepared to glorie For he doth al thinges for the chosens sake Now it remaineth that we doe coÌ„sider what fruict doe the chosen take by setting the iudgemente of god before their eyes Very great without doubt For first of al while the chosen see the wicked punished according to their desertes it putteth a certaine feare of Gods iustice into their hartes whiche causeth them to absteine from euil doinges For the foundation of true wisedoÌ„â—â— is laied vpon the feare of God Moreouer the vertue of the good being assaulted both by the priuy awaites as also by the forcible atteÌ„ptes of wicked personnes shineth a great deale the brighter For vertue maketh a great shew of her selfe when it is neither corrupted by the example of vicious menne neither tourned away from the exercise of godlines through naughtie counsell neither drawen from the loue of most holie Religion by threatninges or tormentes Againe when they consider by the fal of the wicked out of howe great thraldome they are delyuered by the mercie of God they embrace their parent and redeemer with a much more feruent desire and earnest loue Last of al the very holines it selfe of the euerlasting lawe and the ordre of Gods iustice being set before the eyes and sight of good menne bringeth them to a cleerer vnderstanding of God and causeth the mercy of God vsed towardes holy men to be the better knowen and so increaseth their ioye To the inteÌ„t therfore that the good might take so great and so manifold fruicts by the daÌ„nation of the wicked god would not vse any such violence towardes the wicked that they should coÌ„mit sinne as being driuen vnto it of necessitie but he suffred moste patiently their wilful frowardnes and stubborne obstinacy that he might in the end tourne altogether to the glory of his chosen If you haue not vtterly lost al sense of a sobre man you may see plainely that free wil is not by the saying of S. Paule taken away but rather verie surely established These thinges the Apostle prosecuteth afterwarde more at large and declareth at the length howe the Iewes fell from God thorough their pride arrogancie vnfaithfulnesse and obstinacie For they were so puffed vp with a vaine affiaunce of a shadowed iustice which stoode vpon the woorkes of the lawe that they despised very stubbornly and wickedlye the true iustice whiche consisteth in cleannes of life in holinesse in charitie in peace in ioye and in other the like fourniture of heauenly vertues whiche by the holie ghost are planted in the mindes of godly men Now for so much as this is the saying and meaning of S. Paul what rage was that that came into that mad maÌ„s brain the which weÌ„t about by the autority of S. Paul to persuade such an opinion as both ouerthrew good order emongest men and falsly charged God with vniustice For what right is it that wicked men should be punished for a wicked acte whiche they coÌ„mitted not willingly but being violently driuen vnto it by an euerlasting and external power Luther say you set out a Booke in the whiche he spake earnestly against the hurly burlies in Germanie What if some one of them whom he rebuked should haue said vnto him eueÌ„ then ô Luther why dost thou blame vs innoceÌ„t men whie keepest thou such a stirre whie plaiest thou the madde man we haue learned of the that it is not in vs to do any thing good or euil in so much that we are not free so much as to thinke such thinges as we would For God worketh al things in vs as you say and we are only certaine working tooles the which god thrusteth out with his hand whether so euer him listeth and wreÌ„cheth vs foreward and backeward at his pleasure These tourmoiles therfore aÌ„dseditioÌ„ for the which you blame vs God al only as you teach hath stirred vppe For so much as therfore that most mighty Lord whose power can not be hindered by any streÌ„gth of man is the mouer the deuiser yea the doer of this stirre whie blame you vs for it Whie reuile you vs Whie labour you vainly to withdraw vs from this sedition If anie man I saie of that multitude whiche Luther tooke vp with suche sharpe woordes had saied thus much vnto him I praie you what answere woulde he haue made With what honest shifte woulde he bothe maintaine his doctrine and defend the iustice of God But to let Luther passe what saie you sir Luthers aduocate which saie that he was sent from God how maie you if you approoue his doctrine and rules punish male factours If there be no freedome if mans will be tied if al power be taken awaie if the verie thoughtes be fettered if al things both greatest and least and middlemost be bownd with an euerlast necessitie if God be the authour and doer of all things both good an euyl vndowbtedly those seelie wretches which you as I take it commaunde to be had awaie to execution haue done nothing By what right doe you punish the innocent men What reason haue you to put gyltlesse persones to death who made this lawe that the doers of fellony should be acquited and the tooles or instrumentes of fellons coÌ„demned with what kind of speach are you able if you minde to maintaine this doctrine to rid that most high Iudge of the infamie of vniustice Is this no villanie Is this no madnes Is this no presumpteous part of a rash and an vnbridled mind And yet wheras Luther doth at one time both distourbe the order of mans life and lay vnto gods charg like a most shameles varlet the crime of vniustice he is not afraied to saie that he standeth in defence of Gods glorie whiche he goeth about to deface and ouerthrow You saie that I doe condemne the first fownders of this doctrine as no lesse wicked and vngodlie then if they were like vnto Protagoras or Diagoras I am not so blunt that I woulde saie so I thinke them not onlie comparable with Diagoras in wickednes but also incoÌ„parably worse then euer he was For I take it to be more tolerable to thinke that there is no God then to thinke that God is a malefactour and vniust Now as towching prouidence that I maie once coÌ„clude this matter I saie no more but this If the prouidence of God be a counsell determined by the foreknowledge of thinges if the word of election if the purpose of God that is to saie the preueÌ„ted iudgement and euerlasting decree do import a reason and meaning then doth he confesse the prouidence of God which
Whereas you saie that I doe fight or contend against an errour it soundeth to my commendacion For what goodlier thing can I doe them to plucke vp pestilent opinions by the roote But when you bring in vpō this that of the selfe same errour which I contēd against ther is none other authour bisides myne owne selfe we had nede of Oedipus to expound it You haue a meruelous liking in darke sayinges Heard you it euer reported that I should say that the workes of holie menne were defiled and spotted with synne and that for this cause no man could atteine iustice by holy workes This is the errour whiche I doe stand against But you wil not once say so and yet you are so babish that you can not vtter what you thinke But the fambling of your tongue we wil lette passe and consider howe fowly you are ouerseene in weightie matters You saie that woorkes are not auaileable to iustification and yet you say that workes are not to be despised for so much as we haue both these opinions grounded vpon the authoritie of S. Paul The principal deuisours and Archbuylders of your newe gospell whome you worshippe as Goddes of whome you learned these mysteries went further then so and said plainly that al the workes the which holy mē doe are not only vnprofitable but also vncleane and spotted through the contagion of originall synne For they doe not beleeue that originall or engraffed synne the whiche we tooke from the spring is quite blotted out in the baptisme of life but that it groweth still and casteth out such a deale of vncleane vice that all the doinges of holy men although thei be done by the mocion and instincte of the holie Ghost yea and referred to the glorie of Christ yet they are deadlie synnes and deserue of iustice the punishment of euerlasting damnation without the great goodnes and mercie of Christ If it be but litle ciuilitie as you saie and as yt pleaseth your great lawier to write also to iudge of a lawe vnlesse it be thoroughly weighed and considered reade diligently the bookes of Luther Melanchthon Caluine and other your learned men and you shall see that this was their opinion or rather that the whole somme of the doctrine whiche they professed stoode vpon this opinion that they condemned al workes as wicked and synfull You see here an extreme desperation of atteining vnto iustice For if no man can be iust but he only that keepeth the law as S. Paule saith if not he that saith Lord Lord shal enter into the kingdome of heauen as our Lord him selfe declareth plainely but he that doth the wil of the Father if iustice as the Prophetes witnesse is a shunning of all vices and an earnest desire to folowe vertue and honestie if iustice cōsisteth in cleanes of life in innocencio in good and seemelie ordre of the mind in holy conuersation in newnes of heauenly life and in the cōtinual exercise of charity and we be able neither to keepe the commaundementes of God neither to forsake vice neither to folowe honestie neither to doe the woorkes of charitie if it be so that wil we nil we we must needes beare the yoke of synne by what meanes in the worlde shall we be able to assure our selues of the state of iustice through the grace and mercie of Christe if Christe hath not yet broken the force of synne in vs by the merite of his bloude as your maisters say You see here after what sort that man that was as you say sent from heauen hath cut of by his deuises all hope of atteining vnto iustice But see on the other side how wittily he hath deuised a remedie and how al the rest haue folowed him He saieth that no man hath anie particular iustice through the grace of Christ but that the iustice of Christe him selfe is applied to all beleeuers by faith in such sorte that the iustice of Christ is no lesse accōpted and esteemed in euerie faithfull man be he neuer so wicked then if it were that mās owne iustice that staieth vppon faith onely He sayth therefore that it cometh to passe through this faith by the which euerie Christian man assureth him selfe that he is in the fauour of God that the iustice of Christ is imputed to be the iustice of that man that beleeueth You haue here the law of Luther so muche as concerneth this present place thoroughly scanned so that you can not iustly complaine of any wrong done vnto Luther Nowe consider you on the other side what a meruelouse easie waie he hath deuised to atteyne vnto iustice For to whome shal it not be a very easie matter if he wil beleeue Luther to say thus with him selfe This geare goeth gaily wel with me I am in high fauour with God for my faithes sake It is so that the iustice of Christ is become mine owne iustice I am therefore as iuste as Paule as Peter yea 〈◊〉 the moste blessed mother of God her selfe for so much as no man hath the cōmendation of any particulare iustice through the grace of Christ but there is one only iustice applied indifferētly to al such as keepe the faith the which bicause it can not be higher or lower greater or lesser it foloweth that I am so iuste my selfe although there remaine synne in me as he that is most iust You see now how by the diligence of this excellent felow all feare is put to flight presumption set on tip toe boldhardinesse confirmed in her full strēgth and force For so much as therfore a man can not be earnestly prouoked to doe any vertuouse acte being either in extreme despaire or elles in extreme presumption and Luther hath in parte cutte of all hope of iustice and in parte hath brought his disciples into a moste presumpteous affiaunce of atteyning vnto it by deuising an other iustice that was neuer hearde of before is it not euident although to eschewe enuie he spake sometymes manie thinges concerning the woorkes of iustice that he quenched all loue and desire of well doing For I praye you by what meanes wil you encourage a faint man to doe anie honest thing if he haue learned before of some graue person that such as endeuour them selues to doe anie vertuouse acte doe but loose their labour Agayne howe will you driue the feare of euerlasting damnation into them that are altogether carelesse and presume so muche of their owne iustice that they beleeue that no man doth passe them in any excellencie of iustice Wherefore no man in the worlde wil euer bend him selfe to doe holie woorkes if he hearken to the Doctrine of Luther for so much as it is impossible that any man being either in extreme despaire of honestie or elles in extreme presumption of saluation should earnestly endeuour him selfe to folow godlines But you wil say that it may be that Luther did exhorte his countrey men to good workes in his Bookes and sermons I know that
he saith vnto Moyses I wil haue mercie on whom I haue mercie and I wil haue compassion on whom I haue compassion S. Paule geueth a reason wherfore no man can possibly laie any vniustice to God For the defence of Gods iustice standeth altogether in his mercie For that often repetition of Gods mercie signifieth his great constaÌ„cie in geauing mercie And the mercy of God quiteth his iustice of al slauÌ„den As though oure Lorde him selfe should saie I am by nature so merciful that I pleasure in no thing more then in pardoning of syns and in keeping a most coÌ„stant and euerlasting mercie to mainteine them whome I haue receiued into my protection It may therefore be sene very wel when I do punnish syn â–ª that such as are coÌ„demned do perish through their owne default For if thei would come to good order thei might obtein the like mercy and be saued But forsomuch as of their own accord thei estemed more darkenes then light bondage then freedom â–ª pouertie then riches death then life it was iust that they shoulde be throwen downe headloÌ„g into bitter paine and torment And so by this place which S. Paul allegeth after a heueÌ„li sort of the assured nes of Gods mercie we see his iustice vtterly discharged of al slander Wherfore in the calamity of the Iews no maÌ„ could finde any lacke of truth in God but he might well blame the vnfaithfulnes and wicked stubbornes of them that would not be saued by the mercie of God Then to coÌ„firme this saying aÌ„d to teach vs that al hope of saluatioÌ„ is to be referred to the merci of God which is so freely offred to al meÌ„ he saith It is not therfore in hi that willeth neither in him that ruÌ„neth but in God that taketh mercy Wil importeth a desire ruÌ„ning signifieth an earnest endeuour to honestie the which both are compreheÌ„ded in the benefit of God For it is he the which with often calling vpoÌ„ me causeth me to wil it is he also the which geueth a cheerefulnes vnto my wil. Howbeit neither my desire neyther my cherfulnes shal haue ani good successe vnlesse he of his mercie shall bring both my wil and my earnest endeuour to perfection For our strength is appaired our hopes vanish al to nothing so often as the mercie of God for our vnkindnes of heart departeth from vs. When I therefore doe any good woorke it is to be ascribed neither to mans will as being naturallie inclined to honesty neither to my earnest endeuour but only to the mercy of God But that it might appeare yet more plainely that the Iewes fell not through the vniustice of God as vngodlie men reported but through their owne vnfaithfulnesse and wilfull sinne he reherseth the like example of naughtines and lacke of beleefe For God vsed the like meanes in callinge Pharao to honestie and fraying him from vnbeleefe But he of a pride and stubbornes which was in him would abuse the mercie of God to his farre greater punishmente and damnation Vppon this S. Paule bringeth in these wordes For the Scripture saith vnto Pharao for this haue I stirred thee vp that I maie shewe my power in thee and that my name may be declared in al the earth In the which place two thinges are to be noted The first is that Pharao was not driuen to suche outrage by any violence oâ— force of Gods behalfe as S. Paule declareth him self unon after The other point is that the wickednes of Pharao was therfore tolerated a great while of God the most wise and bountiful Lord of al things which out of euil thinges draweth euermore some good and bringeth thinges disordered into good order that by shewing one example of â—â—ueritie he might kepe a great many men in wel doing And this may appeare much better if we will trie the wordes at the Hebrew fountaine for this sentence might very well be translated after this sorte For this cause haue I suffred thee to stand that I may shâ—we my power to theo and that my name may be honoured in al the earth He sayeth not I haue taken away thy wittes from thee and I haue caused thee to be madde that thou shouldest continually rebell against mee but I haue suffred thee a greate while and haue differred thy due punnishmente that I mighte reserue it to the greater setting out of my glorie and the saluation of many men He called Pharao both to faith and also to honestie But for so much as Pharao regarded not the goodnesse of God but ranne on like a wild colt vpon an vnbridled affection it stode verie wel not onely with Goddes iustice but also with his mercie that many menne should by the most iust example of Pharao be put in feare and so brought to good ordre For as the gouernours of common weales doe vse to out of with constant seueritie such as they can not redresse by lighter punishmentes to the ende that they may by the terrour of that punishment keepe the rest of the citizins in ordre euen so doth that most high gouernour shew sometimes an exaÌ„ple of seueritie vpon them that wil not be refourmed but wil vpoÌ„ sinne wickedly coÌ„mitted heape a shamelesse defence that he maie by the deathe of those lewd persons benefite the whole and that he may in punishing the wicked shew many points of his high mercie What is the cause then that we see that word so often repeted And God hardened the heart of Pharao To hardeÌ„ is to gâ—ue vnto wicked men which do abuse good thiÌ„gs vnto malice some matter with the which they may encreace their syn and stubbornes Knowest thou not saith S. Paule that the goodnes of God mooueth the to penaÌ„ce But thou according to thy hardnes and vnrepentaunt hart doest treasure vp to thy self displeasure In like maner therefore God caused not that hardnes in Pharao but Pharao refused the mercie of God and of a certaine hardnes and frowardnes that was rooted in him abused the clemeÌ„cy of God vnto greater syn and so encreased the heape of Gods wrathe towardes him euery day more and more Now marke how wonderfully the Apostle linketh together his argumeÌ„ts â–ª First of al he declareth that to be a true Israelite cometh not of mans nature but of the grace of God Then he confirmeth the iustice of God by the greatnes of his grace which is offred freely to al men that wil vse it For by that mercie it is euidently seene that such as perished perished through theyr owne default and this doth he declare more plainly by the example of Pharao the whiche refused the mercie of God and was willingly forlorne that it might be gathered by this that the Iewes fell in like manner through their owne wilful blindnes bicause their hearte was to obstinatly bent and harâ—lened in wickednes and that their daÌ„nation is not to be imputed vnto God which called them to saluation â–ª but vnto their owne naughtines and stubbornes
shamefull language when he had vttered most horrible and diuelish blasphemie when he had wasted spoiled and burned all holie thinges when he had committed all these outrages and villanies then was he thought a meete man to be taken into gods pricuie counsell and a persone woorthie to whome God besides all other secretes shoulde mercifully reuele that mysterie also of the deuising of purgatorie Then did this great wise man vnderstand at the length that S. Augustine which held that we should praie vnto God in our Sacrifices for the dead that S. Cyprian which laied this most grieuous punishment vpon such as appointed Priestes in their testamēt to be tutours or gouernours to their children that there should no sacrifice be offred vp for them in the churches that S. Chrysostome whiche referred this ordinaunce to the tradition of the Apostles that S. Denise to passe ouer a numbre of others which wrote very diligently of the care that is to be had for the departed in the faith and of praiers that are to be made vnto God for their deliueraunce Luther I saie vnderstood from heauen that al these men had ben in great errour and folie Trulie the capitaine of this your faction had a great commoditie of his naughtines and folie if after the reising of such broiles and troubles in the worlde he was deliuered by the benefite of God from that errour in the which those holie Fathers most Godlie and wise men excellently wel learned in the Scriptures linked vnto Christe with a most streight band of heauenlie loue were quite drowned If no man can thus perswade him selfe vnlesse he be peeuish frantike and starke mad void not only of al godlie religion but also of common sense who doth not see that this opinion of Luther is wicked ād detestable taught and set out by none other then by the enemie the diuell But this saie you is not witten in the scripture What then The thing which the Apostles taught by word of mowth which their schollers deliuered to the posteritie whiche hath ben most constantly holden and beleeued from the primitiue Churche till our times whiche hath ben approued by the beleefe and full agreement of the whole Church for so manie hnndred yeares shall Luther a seditious mad selowe after so manie ages garishly auowch it to be a feined matter Shall men whiche take vpon them to be both Godlie and religious folow him as a God of heauen that attempteth most desperatly to assault heauen For he maketh warre against heauē which taketh vp armour against the faith of the Church No no saie you you would not thinke what manner of man he was For he I tel you woulde allowe nothing vnlesse he fownde it written in the holie scriptures Well sir I will not nowe handle that matter whiche is by the holy Fathers discussed long a goe howe the gospell consisteth not only in thinges written but also in customes and ordinaunces receiued without any writing deliuered vnto the Churche by worde of mowth and order of the Apostles how much the sure and groūded authoritie of the Church which is the piller and staie of truth is to be esteemed of howe great value and importaunce the agreement of all holy men in one minde without anie varietie ought to be all these thinges I will nowe omit and aske you one question how Luther when he saied there was a purgatorie to prooue it alleaged the testimonies of the holie scripture if there were no testimonie in the scripture that proued that there was a purgatorie Then againe when he saied that there was no Purgatorie by what testimonie of the Scripture thought he that Purgatorie might be vtterly disprooued Brought he anie one place by the whiche he might conuince that there is no Purgatorie Dowbtlesse not one Such therefore was his presumption that what so euer came into his head that woulde he constantly affirme and againe the selfe same thing if it misliked him would he vtterly denie And yet his disciples for sooth find no fault at all neither with his inconstancie neither yet with his lewd fasshions but what so euer the drowsie blowbol draueled out ouer his pottes that toke they vp so griedily as though it had ben good gospell But lest you should saie that it can not be shewed by the testimonie of the scripture that there is a purgatory although it be not necessarie yet besides those places whiche are wont to be alleaged for the proofe thereof I thinke it good to bring a fewe of the whiche that is one of S. Marke where our Lorde when he had saied that hel into the which al such shalbe throwen downe as esteeme more their bodilie pleasure then their dewtie towardes God shoulde haue this propertie that the worme of them that shall be tombled down headlong into it should neuer die and their fyer neuer be quenched he brought in foorthwith these wordes for euerie man shalbe seasoned in fyer and euery sacrifice shalbe seasoned in salt In this place there are two thinges to be noted One is that there is a worme that is to saie a vexation or torment of cōscience gnawing and molesting the minde the whiche shal haue an ende and that there is a torment of fyer also the whiche in like manner shall haue and end in some men For otherwise our Lorde woulde neuer haue brought that place out of Esaie their worme dieth not and their fyer is not quenched By the whiche place we are taught that there is one torment euerlasting and an other that lasteth but for a time For so muche therefore as this worme and fyer is a torment or vexation of minde and of tormentes there is one whiche is appointed by the iudgement of God to last but a time and the other to continew for euermore is it not euidently prooued that there is a purgatorie for so is the place of punishment called in the whiche by the sentence of God the sowles are purged within a certaine time of suche spottes of venial offences as they had gathered in this life An other thing worthy to be noted is this that no synne shal escape vnpunished For euen as in the old lawe it was not lawful to offre vp any Sacrifice without salt so is it not lawful for our soules to approch vnto the throne of Gods maiestie vnlesse their vncleanes be before clensed by salt and fyer that is to say by the rigour of Goddes iudgement and by dewe punishment that when al the spottes of vncleane affection be put out and quite consumed the faithful sowles may come to haue such a puritie and cleerenes that thei may be able to receiue the brightnes of God in them selues and be likened and confourmed to the glory of God For although by the mercy of God synne is taken quite away in such as stay them selues vppon a liuelie saith yet are they for the most parte so bounde with some knot of the law that they must needes satisfie