written with a propheticall spirit Ergo God shall take away his part from the booke of life So dangerous a thing it is to discard Scripture 4. Secondly I answer that no Protestāt can deny these books of the Machabees to be at least of farre greater authority thē be the writings of any profane Author in the world and that far more credit is to be giuen to the writer of them then ought to be giuen to any man that euer did or shal write history For you your selues giue these Books a place in your Bibles which honour you would deny to the faithfullest history-writers in the world Neither can you deny but that there may well be made a doubt whether these books be the word of God or no seing we haue brought so great proofes to proue that they are Gods Word Well then say I if credit be to be giuen to any history that euer was written much more is it to be giuen to this It is therfore true that Judas Machabaeus who was then high Priest and the chiefe man amongst Gods onely people did cause this great summe of money to be gathered and sent to Hierusalem that Sacrifice might be offered for the sins of the dead It is true that the people and the onely people of God did contribute money very liberally to this end It is also questionles true that the Priests of Hierusalem hauing receaued this money did offer Sacrifice for the sins of the dead And it is most true that the ancient and most graue writer of this history doth commend it as a thing Holy and Wholsome to pray for the dead that they may be freed frō their sins And all this by the Coūcell of Carthage by the whole Church of God in her purest age as S. Austin and S. Hierome do witnes was held so true that they belieued it to be Scripture Shall we thinke that both the Church of the Iewes which then was the only true Church in the world and of the primitiue Christians the purest Church that euer Christ had did so generally maintaine an Errour fond superstitious as Protestāts call Prayer for the dead 5. As for the new Testament I shal haue a necessary occasion in the next Chapter to cite many places therefore now I will content my selfe with this one S. Paul writing to the Corinthians brings this argument to prooue the Resurrection What will they do who are baptized for the dead if the dead do not rise at all to what end are they baptized for thē 1. Cor. 15. As if he would say to what end do men do pennance for the dead If there be no resurrection why do they do pennance for them This and no other can be the sense of these words For what other Baptisme but the Baptisme of pennance so S. Marke S. Luke do call it can with profit be taken for the dead And heere S. Paul taketh his argument frō that which is profitably done for the dead for els whē he presseth so hoatly those words To what end are they baptized for them one mighty easily answere to no end This much for Scripture 6. That the Apostles did ordaine Prayer to help the soules of the dead is taught in playne words by S. Chrysostome Jt was not rashly ordained by the Apostles that in the dreadfull mysteryes Commemoration should be made of the dead for they knew that from thence there commeth to the dead much gaine profit Hom. 69. ad pop 7. But if we would wish an euidēt proofe that the Apostles did ordaine Prayer for the dead to the end they might be freed frō their sins what proofe could we haue greater then to haue this written by some Disciple of the Apostles themselues This you shall see how abundantly it is performed The Scripture telleth vs that among the true Belieuers who did cleaue vnto S. Paul Denis the Areopagite was one Act. 17. The same S. Denis spendeth the whole seauēth Chapter of his booke de Ecclesiastica Hierarchia in telling vs such things Quae diuino instituto super sanctè quiescentibus fiunt as by diuine ordination are done ouer those who haue reposed holily And amōg others this is one that Venerabilis Praesul precem super eo sacratissimam peragit the venerable prelate doth say ouer the dead party a most holy prayer And afterwards he tels vs the contents of this most holy prayer Precatur oratio illa diuinam Clementiam vt cuncta dimittat per infirmitatem humanā admissa peccata defuncto That prayer doth beseech the diuine Clemency that he would pardon vnto the dead man his sins committed through humane frailty Thus writeth this great disciple of S. Paul Is it prudence to belieue him or no Did the prime disciples of the Apostles vse superstition 8. I come now to the authority of the whole Church in her purest age The Councell of Carthage of which I spake before not onely approueth the Books of the Machabees for true Scripture but by name imbraceth prayer for the dead In the first councell of Nice l. 3. c. 65. it was ordained That when a Bishop died notice should be giuen of his death to all Churches and Monasteryes in the parish that prayer might be made for him But who can tell vs better the vniuersall custome of the Church then the greatest doctour of the Church who did see with his eyes that which he wrote with his pen therfore although he were a man and might erre in other things yet of this which he did see shine before his eyes he could not be ignorant and it cannot but be imprudence not to belieue him for els whom may we prudently belieue S. Austin then writeth thus l. de cura pro mort c. 1. We read in the books of Machabees sacrifice offered for the dead but although it were no where at all read in the old Testament yet notwithstanding the authority of the vniuersall Church is not small which shineth with this custome where the remembrance of the dead hath place in the prayers of the Priest which are powred out to our Lord God at the Aultar Heere you see first the Machabees accoūted part of the old Testamēt Secondly that although sacrifice for the dead were not Scripture yet being practised by the whole Church we haue sufficient warrant to thinke it well done Thirdly that the vniuersall Church did shine with this custome of offering sacrifice for the dead Let vs graūt that S. Austin as a man might erre in the two first points yet in this third that the Church did shine in his dayes with this custome of sacrificing for the dead he could not be ignorāt no more then the greatest Doctor of Oxford or Cambridge can be ignorant that in England seruice is said in the English tōgue Wherfore I say it must needs be imprudence not to belieue him who ought in prudence as much to be belieued as any man ought to be in a thing which he
A REMEMBRANCE FOR THE LIVING TO Pray for the Dead Made by a Father of the Soc. of Iesus By the Prayers of the Holy Cath. Church the wholesome Sacrifice of the Altar by Almes giuen for their Soules it is not to be doubted but the DEAD are holpen that they may be dealt withall more mercifully by our Lord then their Sinnes haue deserued S. August Serm. 32. de verb. Apost tom 10. Permissu Superiorum Anno 1641. TO THE Deuout and Charitable READER LORD sayth holy Dauid Psal 8. What is mā that thou art mindfull of him The Hebrew word Enosch which Dauid in this place vseth to signify Man doth most properly signify a most miserable forgetfull Creature So that in the language of Scripture a Man a Creature most miserable and most forgetfull is all one This forgetfulnes is chiefly in things of the other life which though they be neuer so important neuer so much inculcated yet they find either no place at all or the very least last in our thoghts I did not therefore without particular reason entitle this briefe Treatise A Remembrance for the liuing to pray for the dead for I thinke deare Reader that if thou hast the hart of a Man and not a stone in place of a hart that this Remembrance will stir thee vp to affoard farre more assistance to these distressed Soules in Purgatory then thou didst vse to doe meerly for want of due Remembrance Reflection and Consideration of this matter I haue in this Treatise made much vse of a litle Book lately set forth in Latin of the same subiect for I found in it diuers points briefly touched which seemed to me most worthy of longer Consideration I haue done my best to obserue that method and vse that plainesse of style which might most help my Reader to carry away my whole discourse Sweet IESV who didst loue all Soules so dearly that thou didst powre out the last droppe of thy sacred bloud for them graunt I beseech thee euen by this excesse of thy Charity that we may not be so vncharitable to those very Soules whom thou didst loue so tenderly as to neglect their complaints to slight their sufferings and to leaue them without due assistance in their miseries A Remembrance for the Liuing to pray for the Dead The Preface BEsides many who erroneously think there is no such matter is a Purgatory and consequently that it is a vaine thing to pray for the dead there be many who either for want of sufficient instruction in that which they belieue or by inconsideratiō of what they belieue do passe ouer this important busines of praying for the dead so coldly as that they think they do inough to help their owne ye a Christs owne Brother if they do but say God rest his soule which is a most vnmercifull manner of proceeding For if we saw our litle Brother falne into the fier we should neuer be so hard-harted as to see him broile there and perswade our selues it were charity inough to throw a little drop of water into the fier somewhat to asswage his torments And so I know not how it comes to passe that many flatter themselues with the name of good-natur'd kind-harted Creatures who notwithstanding take so litle to hart this extreme necessity of their Brethrē that their thoughts are busied about nothing lesse then relieuing them The intention therefore of this presēt Treatise is first though very briefly to rectify the vnderstanding of those who thinke and belieue amisse of Purgatory Secōdly more at large to stirre vp in the will of all faithfull belieuers an ardent desire to redresse the vnspeakable miseries of these distressed Soules CHAP. I. PVRGATORY proued by all kind of sacred Authority 1. FIrst I must put my Reader in mind that it commeth all to one to proue that Prayers do profit the Dead to proue a Purgatory for prayers can neyther profit those dead who are in Heauen nor those dead who are in Hell and are past our help Those dead then who can receaue profit by our Prayers must neyther be in Heauen nor in Hell but in a third place which we call Purgatory where being detayned to suffer for their sinnes not fully satisfied for do stand in need of the help of their liuing brethren To pray for these soules we hould it Piety Impiety to deny them this reliefe 2. This we prooue first by the authority of the old Testament In the second Booke of the Machabees Cap. 12. it is recorded how the most pious and valiant Judas Machabaeus hauing to this end made a gathering of twelue thousand drachmes of siluer did send this mony to Jerusalem That sacrifice might be offered for the sins of the dead And this Scripture addeth A holy therfore wholsome thought it is to pray for the dead that they may be freed from their sinnes Hence it is cleare that the Iewes did hold prayer for the dead consequently a Purgatory seeing that they did all contribute for the making vp of this great summe of money to procure that sacrifice might be offered for the sins of the dead And this pious custome of praying for the departed is vntill this very day kept and obserued by the Iewes Lastly chiefly this custome is recommended by Scripture as holy wholsome 3. The Protestāt wil perhaps say that these two Books of the Machabees be not Canonical Scripture I answere that a thousand and almost three hundred yeares ago these books were defined to be canonicall by the Councell of Carthage in which S. Austin himselfe being present did subscribe to this definitiō of the Councell The words of the Councel can 47. are The Canonicall Scriptures be these Genesis Exodus c. the 2. Books of the Machabees And S. Austin saith l. 18. de Ciuit. c. 36. The Books of the Machabees not by the Iewes but by the Church are held for Canonicall And S. Hierome in Prolog Although the books of the Machabees be not in the Canon of the Iewes yet by the Church they are reckoned among the historyes of diuine volumes If therefore we wil receiue the Canon of Scripture from the Church our question is at an end if we will not we may make questions without end So we see Luther himselfe calleth into question the authority of the Apocalyps saith in Praefat noui Testam that he esteemeth this booke neyther written with a Propheticall nor Apostolicall spirit yet our Gospellers who are so well skilled in the spirit scarce esteeme more any one booke of scripture But by the way I would aske of them how if the Apocalyps be true Scripture Luther can be a true Saint For in the end of the Apocalyps cap. 22. it is said If any man shall diminish from the words of the booke of this Prophecy God shall take away his part from the booke of life But Luther tooke away all the words of this Prophecy saying it was not
Secondly he must not slubber ouer this deuotion in a careles māner giuing his works away and little marking why or what he giues but he must take some short time to consider the Motiues set downe in this Treatise and must ponder ech motiue by it selfe vntill his will be stirred vp effectually to affoard all reliefe he is able to the distressed soules Neither is this any long busines because euen the reading attentiuely these motiues is sufficient to moue any heart to helpe such help-les soules and this is the thing we desire for we little regard the being moued to a soft and tender compassion which God know's is often very fruitles and soone vanisheth away 3. Wherfore that all may performe this with little or no difficulty we will set downe in playne and full words the manner of making perfectly all those acts which in any part of this Treatise haue bin recōmended But let no man thinke vnles he would make a meditation of this matter as he may do with great fruit in the space of halfe an houre that we would haue him make all these acts at one time but rather that he exercise now one now another more or fewer according to his leasure and deuotion yet it wil be best to exercise often the most perfect Now for the Readers commodity we will cite the Chapters where the matters are treated at large which here are only touched in a word 4. The first Act answerable to the third fourth fifth Chapter may be thus made O how excessiue is the bitternesse of those paynes which these afflicted soules do suffer in Purgatory What a misery is it to be banished though for a time only from the face of God! In what a sea of affliction must that poore soule be which for a long space is condemned to remaine in this pittifull state Wherfore O my Soule affoard these soules of thy Brethren all help thou canst Pray for them exercise acts of pennance for them procure the holy Sacrifice of Masse may be offred for them giue almes that they may be prayed for relieue them by all Indulgences which may be gayned for them let all thy satisfactory actions and sufferings of thy whole life be offered vp for them so far as it is sutable to Gods holy will so far as it maketh to his greater glory bequeath vnto thē all the good workes which after thy departure out of this life shal be done for thee O Lord accept of this my most harty oblation made in behalfe of my distressed Brethren 5. The secōd Act answerable to the sixt Chapter n. 2. O my God how great is thy Excellency Worth and Perfection ◠All honour and glory is due vnto thee I poore creature know not how more perfectly to procure thy diuine Maiesty to be praysed honoured and glorifyed then by doing al I am able to deliuer some soule or soules which being released by my meanes from Purgatory may honour prayse and glorify thy sacred Maiesty in the highest manner Wherfore O my Soule to this end affoard these soules of thy Brethren all the help thou canst Pray for them c. as it followeth in the former Act. 6. The third Act answerable also to the sixt Chapter nu 3. O most mercifull liberall good God how many how great benefits hast thou with vnspeakable loue heaped vpō me How shall I be able to requite this thy bounty mercy and goodnes I poore Creature know not how more perfectly to procure thy diuine Maiesty c. all as followeth in the second Act. 7. The fourth Act answerable to the sixt Chapter n. 4. How many how enormous haue bin the sins by which I haue dishonoured thee my good God! Thee O infinite Excellēcy Thee O immēse Goodnes I poore Creature know not how more perfectly to procure thy diuine Maiesty c. as before in the secōd Act. 8. The fifth Act answerable to the sixt Chapter also nu 5. O my deare Iesus thou louest the soules of my Brethren so dearely that whatsoeuer for thy sake is done vnto them thou accountest done vnto thy selfe Wherfore O my Soule to this end affoard the soules of thy Brethren c. as before in the first Act. 9. It is very good to renew these Acts often and to make euery morning some one of these oblations for this is a deuotion by which we may purchase many great commodityes and suffer no discōmodity by which our works may become more meritorious our prayers more impetratory our actions more higly satisfactory and finally by which we may haue great hope to escape eyther all or at least a great part of Purgatory 10. Neither is there any danger of violating Charity due to our selues by the practice of this deuotion but we may rather offend against charity by making slight of a deuotion which might haue bin so beneficiall to vs. For it is cleare we cā loose nothing must needs gaine much much for our selues much for our neighbour much for the glory of Almighty God to whom be all prayse glory for euer and euer Amen A TABLE Of the Chapters of this Booke Chap. I. PVrgatory proued by all kind of sacred Authority pag. 7. Chap. II. Purgatory proued by Reason grounded in Scripture pag. 21. Chap. III. The first Motiue to pray for the Soules in Purgatory which is the greatnes of the sensible paines they suffer pag. 32. Chap. IV. The second Motiue drawne from the intollerable paynes the soules suffer by being banished from the fight of God pag. 44. Chap. V. The third Motiue taken from the long tyme that these paynes do endure pag. 53. Chap. VI. That for the loue we beare to God we ought to be much moued to help the Soules in Purgatory pag 64. Chap. VII That by offering our Actions for the Soules in Purgatory we purchase many great Commodities for our selues sustaine no Incommodity pag 68 Chap. VIII That by offering our Actions for the soules in Purgatory we do not merit lesse but more p 77. Chap. IX That our Actions offered vp for the soules in Purgatory are not lesse but more impetratory of other fauours pag. 86. Chap. X. That by offering our Actions for the Soules in Purgatory we do not lesse but more satisfy for our owne sinnes pag. 96. Chap. XI That by offering our Actions for the Soules in Purgatory we haue great hope of escaping either all or a good part of Purgatory pag. 104. Chap. XII That it is not against Charity to our selues to offer our Actions for the Soules in Purgatory but it is rather against it not to offer them pag. 112. Chap. XIII By what meanes we may help the Soules in Purgatory pag. 115. Chap. XIV Of Jndulgences pa. 132. Chap. XV. Two other meanes of higher Perfection by which we may relieue the Soules in Purgatory pag. 153. Chap. XVI To what Soules in Purgatory we are chiefly to apply our satisfactory workes pag. 161. Chap. XVII