the words of the Bul do run Manus porrigentibus adiutrices for such as shall put to their helping hands In the Church of S. Mary deliver vs from the paines of hell for that is the Churches name there are dailie granted eleven thousand yeares of IndulgeÌ„ce to such as shal bring an honest offering that is to say that shal giue not to the poore indeed but to the rich Moncks not to those that weep but to those that sing for now almes with the true vse thereof hath also altred the signification of the word In the church of S. Praxede you haue dailie twelue thousand yeares of verie pardon and as manie Quarentines of daies with the remission of the third part of your sins in such maÌ„ner that visiting this church three daies on a row you shal purchase plenarie pardon of all your sins and six and thirtie thousand years by provision besides the Quarentines which the Popes haue since encreased to sixscore thousand years for everie daie witnes the book of Indulgences printed at Rome in the house of Iulius Accolto an 1570. see also the book of Romaine Indulgences sundrie times printed at Rome namely in the yeare 1519 the second of Februarie by Marcell Franck. Yet are all these pardons but few in regard of those that belong to the Church of S. Iohn of Lateran Gab. Biel in his 17. lesson vpoÌ„ the CannoÌ„ of the Masse the somme whereof yee shal find either hanging vpon tables or graven in the wals of divers churches of Rome All this do we set downe to shew that as the plaister ought to be fitted to the largenes of the wound so the Popes haue thought it meet to perswade men to beleeue that the paines of Purgatorie are of long continuance sith they require so long a time to purchase release from the paines thereof withal presupposing that in that so fiery and scortching a countrey where the sun hath no being they reckon all by daies and by yeares This long continuance is also to bee gathered out of the Revelation of Venerable Bede in the fifth booke of his historie cap. 13. That is to say about some nine hundred years since where he saith that the souls which in his time were in Purgatorie should be delivered in the daie of Iudgement except some few that shoulde bee redeemed from thence by the praiers of the living Moreover besides all this the selfe doctors of the Romish Church doe agree that even during these so violent torments the soules neverthelesse are assured of their salvation out of the danger of hell neither do I know since when this opinioÌ„ crept into the church of Rome for in the Masse for the dead we finde a clause after the Gospell that contrarywise doth testifie that still they are in danger These be the words Libera Domine animas omniuÌ„ fidelium defunctorum de poenis Infernis de profundo lacu libera eos de ore Leonis ne absorbeat eos Tartarus O Lord deliver the soules of all the faithfull departed from the infernall paines from the deepe lake deliver them from the throat of the lyoÌ„ least the gulph of hell should swallow theÌ„ vp so they fall into vtter darknes Tearms over bitter to signifie Purgatory and such as may in no case stand with people assured of their salvation We haue also the ordinary prayers said â—t burials yea and vsed at the funerall of 〈◊〉 Pope wherein we find no mention of Purgatory Indeed this soule is brought â—n as praying to be delivered from hel and from eternall iudgement in these words Saue me o Lord from eternall death â—n the terrible day when the heauens and â—he earth shall bee moved Sacrar Cerem lib. 1. Sect 15. and when thou halt come to iudge the world by fire I treÌ„ble and quake and doe feare when the examination shall come and the day of wrath of calamitie and of misery that great and woÌ„derfull better day Speeches which caÌ„not proceed from a soul assured of her salvatioÌ„ Surely wheÌ„ these praiers were first penned these matters were not yet well considered of and this may we easily gather from Pope Gregory the first who in his dialogues placeth the Purgatory of some souls in bathes of some vnder the leaues and of some vnder the Ice and this do these three champions that haue assaulted my treatise both say and defend for nothing to them is to hard or to hot Damian speaketh of a soule that had her Purgatory in a river but whither she swam with the stream or against it he saith not The Rosarie of Bernardine hath of this nature many revelations and the Legend of S. Patricke telleth vs that in Ireland there is a caue that openneth into Purgatory to be briefe albeit many soules are returned from those partes which haue brought news yet did the matter still rest full of doubt vntil the Councell of Florence which among other occasions was assembled to perswade Purgatory to the Greeke Churches who both before and yet do deny it albeit their deputies in the Councell did agree vnto it in hope of succours against the Turk True it is that we find some more ancient Councels which made mention of prayer for the dead but hereafter we shall most evideÌ„tly proue that these prayers make nothing for Purgatory also that such prayers as we find among the ancients doe plainely shewe that they beleeved no Purgatory Even to this day doe the Greek Churches pray for the dead yet doe they deny Purgatorie In the last session therefore of this Councell holden in the yeare 1539. was it defined that wee should beleeue Purgatory In which Counsell as in all others holden within these fiue hundred yeares the Pope sat president and that with such auctority that hee grew to bee adored and intituled The Divine Maiestie the spouse of the Church the Saviour and Lion of Iuda the king Prince of all the world having all power both in heaven and in earth All which titles were attributed to Pope Leo the 10. in the Councell of Lateran Thus in all these Councels nothing passed but by his will Sess 1. 3. 9. 10. in such wise that if any did contradict him hee was soone burned as was Iohn Husse in the Councell of Constance notwithstanding the safe coÌ„duct and faith given by the Emperour and al the Councell But to returne to our Matter The soules thus purged in this fire are brought into Paradice Howbeit because this purgation will growe somewhat long the Popes mercy doth sometimes abridge this punishment For besides that the paines that the living haue vndergon for theÌ„ as fastes almes whippings pilgrimages liberalities to the Church c. also that the Masses fouÌ„ded for the deceased which leaue any rents or annuities to a convent or abbey or other religious house if we may beleeue those that sing theÌ„ are of great vse to mitigate and allay the heat of Purgatory and to
haue given power to bind and lose vpon earth and in heaven and on my behalfe demand of him this Indulgence Herevpon this good Saint repaired to Pope Honorat at his hands craved this large Indulgence without offerings But the Pope answered him that it might not bee Note this principle for it was meete that whosoever would purchase pardons must also merit them Ponendo manus adiutrices by putting to his helping hand id est by coÌ„tributing Being asked for howe many yeares he demanded this pardon hee answered that he craved no yeares but soules and therevpon would none of his buls but said that the Virgin should be his paper Iesus Christ his Notary and the Angels his witnesses But now is this Indulgence restrained to one day of the yeare only and that is the first of August It is called Portiuncula or S. Mary of the Angels vpon which day whosoever visiteth the said Church obtaineth remission of all his sinnes coÌ„mitted since his baptisme as well for the sinne as for the punishment wherof it ensueth that whosoever dieth comming from theÌ„ce shall never come in Purgatory This Indulgence is yet in great esteeme in Italy and is set downe in Bernardines Rosary and Bellarmine defendeth it in his second booke of Indulgences Thus doe we with griefe behold the accomplishment of the prophecie of S. Paule 2. Thes â— 11 God shall send them strong delusions that they shall beleeue lies and that for a punishment because they haue accompted Godlinesse to be a gain religion a marchandize for the time and Gods word a dangerous booke such a one as the common people may not looke into so long as such vngodly and impious â—nventions are published as most convenient for the instruction of the vnâ—earned This is the history of Purgatory â—hese are her tenents and butteresses and herein were matter sufficient to make men merry had they not a greaâ—er ground of sorrow in seeing religioÌ„â—urned into fables and the only cleanâ—ng of our sinnes which is the bloud of â—esus Christ be as it were degraded and â—based to the ende to make a gaine to â—hose who in the Temple haue againe â—aised vp the tables of the mony chanâ—ers which Iesus Christ did once overâ—hrowe and cast downe Of the Limbo of Children The third stage or chamber is the Limbo of children deceased without â—aptisme The third place who are there without torment as also without pleasure Pag 9. or hope ever to come forth and there doe remaine saith our frier in griefe for that they cannot attaine to beatitude and this is it that they call poena damni but if this grief be also felt it is poena sensus and surely it were a goodly matter to knowe what they doe in this place where they haue no communication either with God or with the Divels besides that they are without remembrance of any thing that they haue seen or done having no body to instruct them sith also that they must rise again and what sentence the Iudge shal in the day of iudgement passe vpon them For our Lord Iesus Christ in the 25. of Matthew speaketh of no more but sentence against the damned and for the elect But these questions are to bee resolved by Doctors for the word of God penetrateth not so farre The auctor of The fire of Helie doth resolue vs Pag. 38. saying These children shall not bee iudged in the last day For it is written in the 3. 〈◊〉 S. Iohn Whosoever beleeveth not is already â—udged But they never had faith then be they already fully iudged By this his Maiesteriall conclusion he also maketh the children that die soone after Baptisme to be already iudged and banished into Limbo for they likewise had no more faith then the former that died a â—ittle before Then maketh he one step of a Clarke farther because hee seeth not that Not to beleeue in this place is spoken of the rebellious and incredulous for of those that haue not beleeved Iohn speaketh in the next verse following Vers 19. They loved darknesse more then light that is to say errour more then â—ruth which cannot bee imputed to children newe borne Thus the Church of Rome by excluding childreÌ„ that dy without Baptisme from salvation committeth sundry oversights 1. First in so doing shee tyeth the Grace of God to the water 2. Here â—y also shee referreth the salvation of â—he child to the power of man or of a midwife for if they list to baptize the childe while it is dying it shall go into Paradise if they list not to baptize it it shall not come there 3. Herein also they accuse God that he provided but badly for the salvatioÌ„ of children born vnder the old Testament in that hee would not haue them to bee circumcised before the eighth day 4. Neither was it a small point of rashnesse mixed with barbarisme to bring in the custom practised at Paris where they cast their children headlong into a gulph that is in our Ladies hospitall or Gods house 5. Againe these our Masters doe place this Limbo vnder the earth and so what shall become of it when the earth shal haue no more being but be vtterly consumed with fire as saith S. Peter in hiâ— second Epistle Apoc. 21.1 chap 3. and David Psal 102. ver 26 27. At the least they should in time haue chalked out some other lodging for those childreÌ„ in some other place This so presumptuous and cruel doctrine against children is grouâ—ded vpon the words of Jesus Christ in the third of S. Iohn Except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God Wherin the church of Rome is contrarie to her selfe for shee holdeth that many are saved that were never baptized in water as many Martyrs that were never baptised in water neither will it serue their turne to say that those Martyrs were baptized in their blood for this place of S. Iohn importeth That of necessity they must be borne againe of water besides that this baptisme in blood is contrary to the caÌ„nons of the Church of Rome which saith that the Sacrament is no Sacrament if hee that conferreth it hath not â—n intent to baptize But the heathen executioners had never any intent to baptize Againe sith Baptisme is vnreâ—iterable what reasoÌ„ is it that the martyrdome of a man not baptized should be Baptisme Yet will wee not deny but â—hat the Martyrs are baptized in their â—lood alwaies provided that this word to baptize be taken simply to wash aâ— that is the significatioÌ„ of the word but if we speake of Baptisme as it is a Sacrament of the Church a scale of the covenant exhibitiue of the grace of God in Jesus Christ the blood of a sinnefull man cannot bee this washing for the blood of the sonne of God is the onlie washing of our sins In answere to this place of the third of S. Iohn I
are dead 2. S. Paule released that which himselfe had enioined saith the doctor but the Pope fetching the soules out of Purgatory released that which he had not enioyned 3. S. Paule remitted a sin to one whose repentaÌ„ce he knew well The Pope giveth Indulgences to such as he knoweth not as when vpon his coronation day hee distributeth pardons for some thousand yeares to the presse of people that is in S. Peters street Cerem Sacr. lib. 1. Sect. 2. cap. 3. 4. S. Paule never prescribed any tearme of ten or twenty thousand yeares only after Excommunication he received the penitent sinner into the Church againe 5. S. Paule gaue no Indulgences by buls sealed in Autenticke maÌ„ner but to the penitent sinner he preached remission of his sinnes through Iesus Christ 6. S Paule never added the clauses and cautions that the Pope doth namely that such a pardon is given Manus porrigentibus adiutrices To those that shal giue and contribute â— S. Paule never tyed remission of sinnes â—o any certain day to any certain place or to any certaine yeare as the Pope doeth to the fiue and twentieth yeare which he calleth Iubile As if God were more mercifull in the yeare 1600 then he was in the yeare 1509 8. S. Paule distributed no hallowed graines no halâ—owed crosses or medalles with a thousand such bables as the Pope doth at this day which wosoever weareth or kisseth hee shal obtaine certaine hundred yeares of pardon 9. S. Paule never coÌ„secrated any Agnus Dei that had vertue to purge sinne as the Pope doth from seaven yeares to seaven yeares 10. S. Paule never priviledged any parsons that they should not go into Purgatory or that they should come forth incontinently as the Pope doth to the Carmelites and the fraternity of the Cord. 11. S. Paule receiving againe the incestuous that was cut of from the Church never imposed any paines after his reconciliation but contented himselfe with that punishment that he had vndergone before his absolution The Pope coÌ„trarywise pardoning sins imposeth paines and in one selfe action first looseth and then bindeth againe 12. S. Paule never reserved to himselfe only the autority to giue Indulgences and pardons as knowing that Iesus Christ spake to al the Apostles and pastors when he said Whatsoever yee shall binde on earth shall bee bound in heaven Mat. 18.18 Also whose sinnes you shall forgiue they shall be forgiven Ioh. 20.23 Therefore also when he forgaue he craved no leaue nor autority of Peter or of any other who had the only managing of the treasure of the Church 13. Lastly S. Paul distributed not to the sinner any of the superaboundant merits or sufferings of the Saintes for the redemption of his sin for all his skil and all his hope is in Iesus Christ crucified neither doth hee tell vs of any other redeemers With what conscience then can they bring in the example of S. Paul to establish their Indulgences and the fetching of souls out of Purgatorie As for mee who by these our Masters am provoked and challenged in so manie places may not I now challenge them to shew me in al these oppositions that I haue exhibited any correspondence betweene S Paule and the Pope But they will not deale this they will gently passe over and in liew of reasons lay vp on me Invectiues and slaÌ„ders enough Cayer only hath bethought himselfe of a proofe for the fetching of soules out of Purgatory that is that vnder the law there was an altar of propitiation as indeede the others are but dunces to him Here wee are to note wherein the principall abuse and heape of Impietie doth rest That is that the Popes Indulgences haue no community with the remission of sinnes propounded in the Gospell For the faithfull pastours doe preach to the sinner vpon his repentance remission of sinnes and in vertue of their ministery doe pronounce forgiuenesse of the same inviting the sinner to participate in this grace as herehaughts of the pardon purchased by Iesus Christ But the Pope giveth his pardons kinglike in letters patents sealed with lead in forme of decrees those letters dispatched in chancery And the office of this chamber is farmed out at a very high rate Poterit pontifex Indulgentias concedere etiaÌ„si nondum sit sacris ordinibus insignitê° Sess 10. Imperium sanctitatis vestrae c. Sess 9. Râ—gale Rom pont genus Sess 3. Papa Sacerdos Rex Sess 1. Princeps totius Orbis neither doth the Pope giue forth these pardoÌ„s as he is Bishop or a preacher of the Gospell for he not only preacheth not nor instructeth but if a meere lay man that never receaued holy orders bee chosen Pope he may confer Indulgences as we may see in the first booke of sacred ceremonies and in Bellarmine in his first book of Indulgences cap. 11. Therfore likewise doth he weare three Crownes which he nameth his Tyare Il regno as also in the last Councell of Lateran he is named the king Emperor and Prince of all the world Doctor Du Val goeth farther then al this and saith that these be only fleabitings and that I trouble my selfe without any ground in medling against the Pope Thus in liew of vnknitting the knot he cutteth it asunder and holdeth the encroaching vpon the Maiestie of God the establishing of a tyranny in the Church and the setting to sale the remission of sinnes as it were marchandize to be but small abuses and fleabitings The Frier might haue done more wisely if hee had imitated his companion Indeed in his running away he hath followed him and answered nothing to the premises yet hee addeth a childish slaunder saying Du Moulin findeth abuses in Indulgences because they are given forth in writing for he will haue them promulgated verbally Who did ever heare such a folly Or where spake I such a word Lift vp your cowl goodman and learne to read but not to slaÌ„der his iniuries bring mee in minde of Hecuba who was said togither with her estate to haue lost her humane shape and changed her speeches into howlings and barkings for this Observantine finding the overthrow of his cause cannot cease to barke Let vs now come out of this matter as out of a shop for indeed it is all but trash and trafficke and let vs requite these our masters and Doctors in questions such as being handled in schools in Quodlibetary manner may stand theÌ„ insteed of Purgations 1. I will aske first where and when the Pope first gathered togither the merits and superabundant satisfactions of Saints Martyrs and who gaue him commission to gather together this treasure or commanded them to gather vp these supererogatory satisfactions for the redemptioÌ„ of the punishments due to other mens sinnes 2. Secondly who told him that God would accept of the ierkes and lashes that a penitent giueth himselfe or of the labours of S. Frances or S. Dominicke in payment or satisfaction for others Will a Iudge set a prisoner
so to omit Pope Iohan. Pag. 35. of being tainted with this heresie wherein he sheweth himselfe a sclanderer in print for how is it possible we should holde that opinion sith we condemne it in others As for Iohn the 22. alias 23. the case is to plaine to be dissembled William Ockam in his worke of 53. daies and Adrian in the question of confirmation doe accuse him to haue held that the souls should not see God before the resurrection Gerson in his sermon of the passeover witnesseth the same and saith that the Divines of Paris with the assistance of Philip the long king of France forced him to vnsay it Neither doth it any whit helpe the Monke to search whether the time quoted by Calvin be free from error for it importeth not whether Gerson lived in the time of the said Iohn or after so long as the matter is true as Bellarmine from whom the Monke borrowed this Arithmeticall disputation doth confesse in his fourth booke De Pontifice Rom. in these words In the behalfe of Adrian I answer that this Iohn did indeed beleeue that the soules shall not see God vntill after the resurrection Iohannem hunc revera sensisse animas non visuras Deum nisi post resurrectione The autorities of the Fathers that he doth afterward alleage are false and hereafter shall be spoken of 18 They do yet adde one passage more out of the 12 of Matthew v. 32. The fire of Helie Whosoeuer shall speak against the holy Ghost it shall not be forgiuen him in this world nor in the world to come This would not Iesus Christ haue spoken say our masters if there were not some sinnes that shall not be forgiven in this world but shall in the world to come and this world to come is Purgatory wherein their memory faileth them for they say that Purgatory was already in the time of Iesus Christ then could not Iesus Christ call it in the world to come But if our mens reply be true that Purgatory is the world to come in regard of every particular living person to whome this punishment is yet to come there shall be by that reason a thousand millions of worlds to come all differing in beginning and in continuance This at the least doth remaine that with Iesus Christ who spake Purgatory could not be the world to come 2. Againe Iesus Christ speaketh of a world wherein sinnes are forgiuen but they say that in Purgatory sinnes are punished and that the pardon for all manner of sinnes is already granted in the life through Iesus Christ only In Purgatory they bear the punishment of the sinnes alreadie pardoned Thus doe they runne themselues on the Pikes as also they answer nothing to the matter And as for the Frier his answers are ridiculous haue no correspondence with that which I haue said The autor of the fire of Helie doth shew by the example of David Achab that the sinner obtaineth mercy by the punishment but hee deceaueth himselfe for it is true as concerning such paines of this life as tend to the amendment of the sinner but not of Purgatory where there is no amendment neither could this haue bin better confuted then by cyting S. Augustine who saith Hie vre hic seca vt in aeternū parcas For he saith Hic not in purgatorio 3. Thirdly what is this world to cōe then Let vs learne it not of these people which transforme all things into matches to kindle their Purgatory but of Iesus Christ himselfe and his word Iesus Christ Luke 20.35 telleth vs that this other world beginneth by the resurrection They saith he that shall bee coūted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection of the dead Neither must we think it strange that it is said that in that day sinnes shall be forgiuen 2. Tim. 1.18 1. Sith S. Paule desireth that God would shewe mercy to the house of one Sephorus in that day which is as much as to pardon the sinnes 2. S. Peter also Act. 3.19.20 saith that in that day our sinnes shal be blotted out Amend your liues that your sinnes may be blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord and that hee shall haue sent Iesus Christ who was before preached vnto you 3. Rom. 8.23 Luk. 21.28 For as the holy Scripture calleth that day the day of our redemption and adoption because that then it shall bee fully revealed and consummate so the same day vpon the same reasons may be called the day of remission of our sinnes And some sinnes there be which albeit by the iudgement of the Church they may be pardoned in this life yet they shall not bee pardoned in the last day such is the sinne against the holy Ghost To all this our adversaries are as dumbe as a fish and endeavor by a great heap of the Fathers to proue that sinnes are also forgiuen in the world to come but to what purpose sith we doe grant it Shall this people be suffered to pervert our words turne our speech contrary to that which wee beleeue They beat the aire and lose their blows and our Monke sclandereth mee saying that I call the fathers our adversaries Sclander but where did I so 19 The passage wherevpon they doe most insist is taken out of the first to the Corinth cap. 3. where S. Paule saith Other foundation can no man laie thē that which is laid which is Iesus Christ If any man build vpon this foundation gold siluer precious stones timber hay stubble every mans worke shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every mans worke of what sort it is If the worke of any that hath built therevpō doe abide he shall receaue waies If any mās worke burne he shall lose but hee shall bee safe himselfe howbeit as by fire For fire say my men is Purgatory wherein the workes are tried by fire for it is said If any mans worke burne and againe Hee shall be saued but as it were by fire Al this is full of impossibilities and absurdities 1. First an article of faith must not bee grounded vpon allegories saith S. Hierom on Mat. lib. 2. Nunque Parobolae du bia aenigmatum intelligentia potest ad autoritatem dogmatum proficere so saith Tertullian also But albeit S. Paul who by revelation receaved the sence of the Scriptures did sometime vse the Allegorie as in the fourth to the Galathians it followeth not that it is to be permitted to every newe commer much lesse to men that plead for their owne profit Besides the selfe same thing that S. Paule teacheth by Allegories is elsewhere proued by evident demonstrations Ierem. 30. Heb. 12.9 But these men produce no manifest passage where it is said that after this life there is a place wherein the soules of such as haue not satisfied to the full
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
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
saith Iesus Christ hath by himselfe purged our sinnes In this place if we beleeue him purgation signifieth punishment whervpon it must follow that Jesus Christ hath made the punishment for our sinnes whereas he did only beare it Moreover sith this punishment and passion of Iesus Christ was the cause of the purgation of our sinnes it is not the purgation it selfe And indeed himselfe though falsely maketh Ieremie to say Falsehood Ierem. 11. The chastisements serue to purge vs Then is the chastisement one thing and the purgation an other for the end of a matter is divers from the meanes to attaine therto Now follow two places out of Ecclesiasticus the 7. Two falsehood Purge thy selfe by thine owne arme purge thee of thy negligēce That is to say saith the Moncke Chastise thy selfe Let vs overpasse the follie of this explication for both the places are falsely alleadged And in the Gteek which is the Original of this booke we finde no one word of all this neither in any of the translations but the Roman with the like falshood haue they alleadged out of the 47. chapter of the same booke ver 11. these words Christ purged his sinnes But in the Greeke it is The Lord hath taken away his sinnes The same likewise is false that they alleadge out of the third of Malac. Falsehood The Lord shal purge the sonnes of Levy For endevouring to perswade that to purge signifieth to punish he hath suppressed the words following which do proue that to purge in that place signifieth to purifie after the manner as they purge mettals The whole place is this He shall even fine the sonnes of Levy and purifie them as gold silver He here speaketh of purifying cleansing the hearts by the efficacie of the spirit of God as saith S. Peter Act. 15. God purifieth the harts by faith After so many falsifications our Monke triumpheth and croweth like a cocke on his owne dunghil saying that we be the spirits of Satan beasts and in his iudgement fooles Let this passe for it is the priviledge of that Robe this Monke is like his wallet that hath nothing but belly and throat He therfore runneth on his course and would faine proue that a torment may iustly be called a Purgatory or purgation These be his words Is not the Medicine an afflictiō of the patient which serveth to evacuat his corrupt humors In some he wil haue the physicke to be a punishment which we deny especially considering that in this question of purgatory we intreat only of punishment imposed to satisfie the party offended for who ever tooke physicke to the end thereby to be punished vnlesse you wil haue Socrates poyson taken for physick Or who ever tooke phisicke to be a satisfaction for an offence Let vs glorifie God and acknowledge Gods iudgements vpon his adversaries who after the losse of their cōsciences haue lost also al common sense And this will more manifestly appeare if wee call to minde that here our question concerneth only that purgation for sinne that is performed in Purgatory We heare deale only with the purgation of sins past of a clensing of vncleanenesse that doth no longer remaine as wel because the souls that doe roast in this imaginarie fire are already righteous and do sin no more as because the sinnes that are purged in this fire were heretofore cōmitted whereof do ensue two evident absurdities The one that this serveth to purge the vncleanenesse that is not and to purifie the souls already pure free from sinne the other that the fire doth grosly mistake in the examples passages afore alleadged which speake of the purging of such vncleannesses as are still remaining in effect for everie physicall medicine serveth to purge the humors offending that actually are in the body And God saith that hee will purge the sonnes of Levy as men purge gold that is from those vncleannesses that in effect are not from those that are taken away Thus is this marchandise blowne vp this purgatiō grown ridiculous that doth more manifestly appeare by the extravagant forme of the Monks speech where he saith That the paines doe serue to purge vs from those obligations of sin whereto it left vs subiect for yet was there never man that had his iudgement so farre out of ioint as to say that he purgeth himselfe of an obligation when hee dischargeth all that he was bound vnto But to mōstrous divinity wee must vse monstrous tearmes They therfore that reap most profit by this purgatory may do wisely to seek it out some other name because herein we find nothing to be purged 10 Saint Paul saith Rom. 3.24 that we are FREELY iustified by the redemptiō that is in Iesus Christ If it be FREELY then do we pay nothing The same Apostle Colloss 2.13 saith God hath forgiven or remitted all our trespasses In the Greeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gratis largitus est he pardoned freely for so much the word importeth The same Apostle also in the second to the Corinthians 2.10 vsing the same word saith that hee pardoned the incestuous to whom he imposed no satisfactorie paine after the pardon He saith moreover All our offences that wee may knowe that God doth not pardon to halfes All our offences thus taken away and pardoned the satisfactory punishment is also taken away for there cānot be any such punishmēt but in regard of the offence and the cause which is the offence that only produced this effect being taken away this effect is also takē away Here vnto also compare the saying of our adversaries that in Purgatory veniall sinnes are remitted for if this be true then S. Paule abused the Colossians in telling them that al their offences were remitted Againe is this any remission of sins to punish thē in a fire The frier in liew of answering setteth downe some principles but so strange as the very propounding of them may serue for a sufficient Confutation God saith he pardoneth vs freely but there resteth an obligation to his iustice which must of necessity be satisfied As if he should haue said God doth pardon and acquit vs freely yet not freely be cause we are not acquitted of the Obligation to the paine but that we must satisfie the same This is even the like God saith he doth freely pardon our offences but yet he dischargeth vs not of the Obligation to satisfie to his iustice Could he more evidently contradict himselfe Considering that to pardon a criminall person is no more but to free him frō the pain wher to by the iustice of the Law hee standeth bound Thus the auctor of the fire of Helie saith That God forgiveth al our debts yet saith he with some cōtribution of our parts Now if that which we contribute be holdē for payment and satisfaction as our Doctors would haue it who perceiveth not that God acquitteth vs not of all our debts Thus doth the spirit of Contradiction
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
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
Barrabas S. Paul defending himselfe before his Iudge Felix saith that he will satisfie for himselfe in Greeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I defend my self Yet in al this haue we no speech of paiment or redemption What is now become of our Coniurations and the demonstrations of my grossenesse Learn brother Minor and thanke me Now let vs wrastle with these humane satisfactions taken for redemptions payments to the Iustice of God for the payments due to our sins hereto serveth al that hath beene spoken against the satisfaction of Purgatory for the sufficiency of the only satisfaction of Iesus Christ now let vs thereto adioine the reasons 2 By the holy scripture we learne that Salvation is a gift yea a free gift Rom. 6.23 Luk. 12.32 Ephes 2.8 Pag. 102. we do not then buy it neither doe wee pay any price for it in part or in whole Du Val answereth not The frier saith that the two first passages are false and that there is not such a worde let vs therefore looke vpon the passages at large In the 6. to the Rom. v. 23. S Paule saith the gift of God is eternal life through Iesus Christ In the 12. of S. Luke v. 32. Iesus Christ saith Feare not litle flock for it is your fathers pleasure to giue you the kingdome Am I a falsifier or hee a slanderer You see it is his hope was that the reader woulde never haue searched out the places for their prohibition that none shall read the holy scripture emboldeneth him in this liberty yet doth it not serue his turne for having so falsely accused me of falshood in the next line himselfe committeth a notable falshood corrupting this excellent passage of S. Paul to the Ephes cap. 2. For by grace are yee saved through faith and that not of your selues It is the gift of God Then NOT BY WORKES least any man should boast him selfe But this Frier to breake the force of this passage and to entāgle it maketh the Apostle to speak thus The salvation wrought by our Lord proceeded of the only grace of God of his mercy and loue He perverteth the sense and taketh away the words of most importance that it is not by workes that wee are saved but by the gift of God Where is truth and plaine dealing become Where is conscience O God how lōg shal thy advesaries tread thy holy word vnder foot 3 Against this so wholsome doctrine which appeaseth our cōsciences and giueth to God the glory of our redemption our adversaries doe obiect the Counsell that Daniell gaue to Nabuchadnezar Redeeme thy sinnes by alms 1. But this redemption was not toward God but toward men whome hee had robbed and was therefore to recompence them by liberalitie 2. Againe here the question concerneth satisfactory paines in which ranck Almes hath no place albeit it is a worke commanded to all and an exercise pleasing to the faithfull Never will any man exercise charitie as he ought so long as hee thinke it a punishment or satisfactorie paine Is that helpe where one member helpeth another as the hand doth the foot a paine We all are members of one selfe bodie saith Saint Paul 3. Which is more our adversaries will haue our satisfactions to serue to redeeme from the iustice of God not the sinnes but the punishment for the sinnes Now here it is Redeeme thy sinnes Here therefore haue we need of a glosse after the Romish manner that Sinne here signifieth the punishment of sinne as who should call Theft the whip Murder the gallows For everie absurdity is good with these men provided that yee beleeue a Purgatory 4. The principall point is this that this king Nabuchadnezar beeing a heathen needed no satisfactions which they say serue but to redeem tēporal paines and that after baptisme or after Circūcision but this king was never circumcised being out of the Church needed not these meanes to avoide eternal paine The frier produceth yet other passages as in the Proverbs cap. 5. v. 29. Almes purgeth sinne but this place is false the whol verse left out of the Hebrew yea even the Romane translatiō it hath no speech of Almes 2. To what purpose speake we of purgation where the question is of redemption 3. Finally we confesse that amendment of life purgeth sinne so farre forth as by this meanes the sinner becommeth cleane as cleanlynes purgeth the body succeeding after foulnesse as they say in the schooles non efficienter but formaliter But where the question concerneth such a purging of sinnes as by vertue thereof we shall appeare cleane and innocent in the day of iudgement there the holy Scripture saith that The blood of Iesus Christ purgeth vs from all our sins 1. Ioh. 1.7 Hee also citeth the 16. of the Proverbs Almes redeemeth iniquitie whereto I haue already answered vpon the place of Daniel besides the passage is falsely set downe for according to the Hebrew it is thus There shal bee propitiation for iniquitie by gratuitie and truth Yea even in the Romane translation there is no speech of almes That which hee addeth out of the 12. of Toby That almes maketh vs to finde eternall life is not in the greeke originals neither is it to the purpose for we do confesse that almes and all other good workes are the way to salvation and consequently to make vs finde salvation but here our questiō concerneth the price of our redemption from the paine due to our sinnes which also may bee an answer to that which he hath alleaged out of the 4 of Tobie Almes deliuereth from death and suffereth vs not to come into darkenesse For so it is in the greeke Surely no man doth deny but that good works be the way to salvation and in applying our selues to them we withdraw our selues from perdition Let vs goe on and sith the old serpēt though cut asunder knitteth himselfe againe let vs not cease mangling of him with the word of God and sword of the Gospell 4 God commanding vs to pray that he would forgiue our offences as wee forgiue them that haue offended vs doth thereby shewe that wee must looke for like forgiuenesse from him as we doe giue to our neighbours that is without revenging or exacting satisfactory paines 5 But what if I should proue to these advocats of mans satisfactions that man by satisfactory paines cannot satisfie God for paines due to the least sinne For if slandering of our neighbor or calling of our brother fool be in the Church of Rome veniall sinnes yet S. Paul saith in the first to the Corinthians the 6. that backbiters shall not inherit the kingdome of God Iesus Christ saith that hee that calleth his brother fool is punishable in hel fire when shal we haue satisfied for the paine due to such a sinne which many times evē the best doe incurre Or when shal we haue endured paines satisfactory for hel fire or for a sinne that deserveth deprivation
from eternall life To the ende also that our adversaries should not make cursing a mortall sinne by their glosses and consequences their owne decree distinct 25. maketh a long list of veniall sinnes among which cursing hath his place saying Si cum omni facilitate vel temeritate maledicimus quoniam scriptū est nec Maledici possidebunt regnum Dei By the iudgement therefore of their own Canōs cursing is of two natures The one that it is veniall the other that it is excluded out of the kingdome of heauen and consequently deserveth eternall death Whereas our frier doth coniecture granteth that the calling of a mans brother foole draweth with it the sinne of wrath consummate hee shall hold vs excused although we admit not his coniectures for rules besids I will returne him to Cayer Caier p. 20 who will haue Gehenna here to signifie Purgatory not hel as the Frier would haue it Ioh. 8.11 6 Our Saviour Christ said to the woman taken in adultery Goe and sinne no more Dismissing her hee did not impose vpon her any satisfactory paines no more then S. Paul when hee pardoned the incestuous man That which particularly maketh against Purgatory is this That if neither Iesus Christ not S. Paul imposed any satisfactory paines vpon the sinners even when in apparance they might haue beene profitable for amendment howe much lesse will God impose satisfactory paines vp on his children in a burning fire when there is no farther place for amēdmēt Here doth our Monk come forth with such an answer as hitteth himselfe and his fellowes on the knuckles saying The griefe may ly so heauie on the sinner that it may satisfie for the whole obligation of the paine For besides that hee doth thus coniecture of the womās cogitation he also evidētly accuseth the Popes and Priests of manifest iniustice rashnesse in that they impose satisfactory paines vpon the sinner that protesteth sorrow and repentance For what know they whether the sinner bee so oppressed with sorrow as that heauinesse may serue for satisfaction Or what knowe they whether she hath sufficiently satisfied sith they wot not how grievous her sorrow was 7 Againe who hath givē the Pope or his Priests auctority to impose corporal or pecuniary punishments vpon sinners Let them shew vs any cōmandemēt from God or his Apostles The Primitiue Church indeed reproved sin by excluding men for a time from the communion of the faithful and that after the example of S. Paule who for a time cut of the incestuous person from the Church of Corinth but after absolution to impose Corporal or pecuniary punishment or to enioine men to pilgrimages or scourgings we find no example The old Testament doth indeed furnish vs of some examples of such as haue fasted and wept for their sins because weeping proceedeth from sorrow and fasting is a helpe to devotion and freedome of minde but as I said after forgiuenes to impose punishments vpon the sinner whereby to redeeme the paines of Purgatory and so to satisfie the Iustice of God I finde no example 8 And it seemeth that these our masters haue compounded with God that they are assured that God wil be content with any summe of mony or any pilgrimage and so wil bee appeased toward the sinner But if this seem hard to be beleeved how can mens consciences be at quiet How shal they be assured that God wil be cōtent with such satisfactions imposed by the Priest Whosoever vndertaketh to pay his debts must first inquire what he oweth as also consider of the valew of coines that he giveth to his creditor but the sinner knoweth not howe much temporal paine he oweth to God neither the value of every of his satisfactions How shal he then know when he hath sufficiently satisfied What knoweth he how neere every fast bringeth him to Paradice every pilgrimage every scourging and indeed we see how these consciences whom they haue captivated are in perpetual disquiet and so haue recourse to the satisfactions of others to buy Masses for after their decease to depart hence in marveilous feare anguish A iust punishment for choosing for the foundation of their hope other props and stayes then the only satisfaction of Iesus Christ 9 Againe in as much as some condemned to corporal pennances can exchange them into pecuniary how shall we be assured that God in liew of corporal punishments will be cōtent with money Penitent Ro. Tit. 9. c. 29. The Romane penitentiall telleth vs that A rich man may redeeme one fasting day for two shillings but an extreame poore mā must giue at the lest foure pence Thus may the poore man when he hath paid his money fast for more 10 If in absolution they pretende to loosen the sinner how doe they in loosing his bonds entangle him farther and by pardoning him condemne him to greater paines 11 I would farther demand whether the satisfactions that they impose be good works or no. If they bee not good why do they enioine thē If they bee good why doeth the Pope release them and by his Indulgences dispense with them Can we without horrour read that which Bellarmine hath writtē in his booke De poenitentia Bellar. de Penit l. 4. c. 13. Indulg faciunt vt pro iis poenis quae nobis per Indul condonantur non teneamur praecepto illo de faci endis dignis paenitentiae fructibus Bellar. de paenit l. 1. c. 4. That Indulgences do dispense with obedience to this cōmandement in the third of Matthew Bring forth fruits worthy repentāce for sith they will needes haue it so that this saying Bring forth fruits worthy repentance to signifie to chastise a mans owne selfe and the Pope doth dispense with this chastisement it plainly appeareth that the Pope dispenseth with Gods Commandements 12 And here I beseech you consideratly to way howe farre superstition hath encroached vpon the auctority of the Gospel Our enemies do make a ceremony and a sacrament of Penance which indeed is of it selfe a vertue Being demaunded whether Penance were a sacrament before the comming of Christ they say no Cons Trid. Sess 4. c. 1. Even the prelates assembled in the Councell of Trent doe acknowledge that the pennāce which Iesus Christ before his passion and resurrection and Iohn the Baptist preached was no sacramēt for they wil haue it to be made a sacramēt since the resolution of Jesus Christ and that without any other proofe then their owne authority for they wil be beleeved vpon their owne words But wee haue one passage in the Revelation written since the ascention of Jesus Christ that expoūdeth vnto vs the signification of Agere poenitentiam to doe penance or to repent In the second of the Revelation God complaining of the Ephesians who were fallen from their first loue commandeth them to Repent and to do their first works therby shewing that Repentance consisteth in amendment of life At the least thus much we
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
purchase great liberty with Princes Princesses whose most secret affaires they doe by shrift discover By this such as make any proiects of Civill warres doe find the particular affections of the people and vnderstand of whom and how many they may make account hauing the Priests trustie to them and feede for that purpose By this doe the Priests make way to their covetous desires for hauing by shrift discovered such as bee of a good temper they can soone knowe where to find but easie resistance In this shrift they also sport themselues with strange questions for they never aske the sinner whether hee loue God withall his heart whether he preferreth the glory of God before worldly goods whether he loueth his neighbour as himselfe whether he trusteth in the promises of the Gospell and hath a stedfast faith in Christ whether he bestoweth his time in the daily reading and meditating vpon Gods word which are the first points of pietie but he asketh him whether he doth obserue Lent whether he had the company of his wife in the weeke before Easter called the great week whether hee hath paid his duties to the Church whether hee hath beene troubled with any fowle cogitations of licentious handlings voluntary or not voluntary pollutions c. Looke vpon their mirrour of confessions the comment of Anthony Augustin Bishop of Aragon vpon the poenitentiall Canons of the Roman Poenitential and namely Benedictus Summe of sinnes which is in every shop Also the 19. book of Burchard Bishop of Wormes which entreateth of confessions and then call mee a deceauer a beast the spirit of Satan as the Frier doth if you finde not all kinde of abominatioÌ„s curiously set forthwith the vices against nature the secrets of religious houses and the subtil sleights of Nunnes exactly taught vnder the shaddow of Reprehension These matters will I leaue to such as are past shaÌ„e yet can I not forbeare but must of necessitie touch some of the most tollerable that by them you may iudge of the rest The Roman Penitentiall demandeth of the sinner in his shrift Fecisti fornicationem cum equa velasina If hee haue so done the pennance is to fast with bread and water fortie daies In Burchard the Priest saith to the woman Feâ—isti quod quaedam Multeres facere solent Prosternunt se in faciem discoopertis natibus iubent vt super nudas nates confiotatur panis eo decocto tradunt maritis ad comedendum hoc ideo faciunt vt plus in amorem earum exardescantisi fecisti duos annos per legitimas ferias poeniteas Againe he asketh Fecisti quod Mulieres quaedam facere solent Tollunt piscem vivum eum ponunt in c. Againe Fecisti quod quaedam Mulieres facere solent vt cum filiolo tuo parcuùlo fornicationem faceres Let the reader seeke the rest if he list but by my counsell he shall never goe about it for if it be lawfull to speak of that a man hath not seene I thinke the discipline of Tiberius in his secrets of Capreae the Sibariticall bookes and Aretins tables for the which hee was surnamed Il Divino Aretino are in regard of these but modesty and simplicity But this mischiefe is not so done for after shrift they giue absolution and do pardon after the manner of Iudges that pronounce sentence of remission wheras they ought to pronounce pardon as herehaughts of the grace of God preaching to the penitent sinner that God is recoÌ„ciled vnto him through the blood of Iesus Christ and as ministers loosen the sinner not as Iudges but as preachers of the grace of God which is purchased for them through the death of Iesus Christ for it lieth not in mee to pardon offences committed against another but the party against whome they be committed is to pardon them much lesse then can man that is vile perverse pardon sinnes committed against God who is righteousnes it selfe If a sinner doe earnestly and hartely repent God will forgiue him although the Priest will not but if he doe not repent God will not forgiue him albeit the Pope himselfe should Now doe I leaue it to your consideration in what manner the Pope can giue pardons by his letters patents sealed in forme of Decrees coÌ„sidering that himselfe knoweth not whether his pardons be acceptable with God and may stand the sinner in any stead neither is hee sure that the sinner haue true repentance without the which there is no forgiuenesse saith God in Esay cap. 43. for it is God only that can pardon sinne as saith St. Cyprian Cyprian ser de lapsis Nemo se fallat Nemo decipiat solus Dominus miserere potest Veniam peccatis soius potestille largâ— riquâ— pâ—ecata nostra portavit c. nec remittere Indulgentia sua potest quod in Domâ—num delicto graviori commissuÌ„ est Let no man deceaue himselfe there is but one God only that can forgiue sinne And Tertullian in his booke of shamefastnesse cap. 21. saith Who forgiveth sinne but God only This absolution thus giveÌ„ the priest imposeth vpon him satisfactory paines either corporal or pecuniary herein lieth the tyranny for by this meanes albeit vnder other titles they haue encroached a civil dominion over al people yea even so far forth as to cut theÌ„ off from some sorts of meates to enioine them abstinence from the duties of marriage to condemne them to pilgrimages to girt a cord vpon their bare flesh to giue some portion of mony to some Church or religious house TheÌ„ having thus imposed corporall paines either vpon favour or vpon covetize they convert the same into pecuniary or peradventure they wil licence them to hire some other to perfourme their penance or to be scourged for them as at Rome in the passion weeke which they call the great weeke you may see whole troopes of hired persons who masked and disguised with their faces hiddeÌ„ do publikely mangle their backs with scourgings See Apuleiê° in his eight book of the golden asse where hee painteth the Priests of Diana the Syrien scourging themselus in the same manner with a mercenary cruelty and ambitious penance But wherfore is not all this performed in secret Why still vpon one day Is sorrow and repentance ordered after the course of the sunne Or is penitent affliction become an ordinary ceremony What example in all antiquity of so cruell a iest And indeed they are people but of meane calling If there be any of accoÌ„pt vndoubtedly they be frenchmen for the Italians will never do it without great pay and as men better advised do mocke our simplicity They may peradventure finde some lazy company who can be coÌ„tent that his back should feed his belly like a porter but in other manner Rhenanus a very learned man in his annotations vpon Tertullian ad Martyres saith that this maÌ„ner of scourging is taken from the Lacedemonians who customably vsed such whippings Now as the Pope is the
of this fire howe chaunceth it that hee drawes out no more What humanity is this in him that is tearmed The holy father and is the head of the Church to let his children lie frying in the horrors of a flaming fire and yet is able to help them out And he who saith that if by his bad courses hee shoulde carry innumerable troopes of souls into hell with him Can. si Papa Dist 40. yet let no mā presume to reproue him for he that is iudge of all is not to be iudged of any Why doth hee not fetch thē out of Purgatory by troops 8. Neither are we here to alleadge that the Popes giue their pardons to the dead in forme of suffrages intercessiō but not of Iurisdictiō absolute power for in this questiō that is of no import because it is holden that in whatsoever forme the Pope giveth these pardons they be alwaies of force and the soules be released by thē out of this fire there fore our continual demand is this why he offereth not his Indulgences or suffrages for more folkes and for longer time then he doth 9. At the least this remaineth sith the Pope pretendeth Iuridical power over the living and giveth them pardons with Iurisdiction and power to absolue from all temporall paine why doth he not take order that every mā may before his death receiue ful Indulgence And that everie the soules of the faithfull may carry along with it three or foure hundred thousand yeares of pardon for her better indemnitie why should the French or Spanish be in lesse favour with God then the enhabitants of Rome of whō none goe to Purgatory vnlesse he be a very dolt considering that even at his dore he hath so many Churches where in in one day he may purchase two or three hundred thousand yeares of pardon 10. Again how is it that the Pope delivereth the soules that are not of his charge from so long and grievous a torment and yet cannot deliver the living that are as he saith of his charge from the smallest paines diseases and afflictions Hereto the Frier in liew of answer saith J am a foole and so overslippeth them with many frivolous demands to no purpose 11. Whereof also cōmeth it that our Doctors memories are so short as to forget that before hauing said that of necessitie the soules that haue not sufficiently satisfied in this life must be purged in Purgatory so to satisfie the Iustice of God they can now be content to permit the Pope by his pardons to fetch the soules out of this fire and thereby hinder both the purging of the soules and the satisfaction of Gods iustice But if they reply that Gods iustice is satisfied because the Pope presenteth for them the overplus of the merits of Iesus Christ and his Saints they runne themselues on the pikes for why did he not presēt to God the same merits before the soules departed out of their bodies so to exempt thē wholy out of Purgatory Or rather why should wee goe into Purgatory at all sith Iesus Christ sitting at the right hād of God and offering to his father his benefit for our redemptiō performeth all that the Pope pretendeth to doe Against so many such pregnant obiections our Doctors do shroud themselues vnder a miserable distinction as vnder a wet net against the raine They say that the Pope delivereth no soules out of Purgatory by any Iuridicall authoritie but by suffrages And the Doctor Du Val expoundeth this dictinction by a similitude he saith If the french King were desirous to redeeme out of Spaine a prisoner there detained for debts he would not offer to fetch him thence by authoritie or iurisdiction but by suffrage and entreatie offering his debt to the king of Spaine Here he compareth our King to the Pope the king of Spaine to God and Spaine it selfe to Purgatory but that wee must say is in regard of the Inquisition Now albeit this distinction hath no more force against such maine obiections then their holy water against the divels yet must I open the falsehood and absurditie thereof Pag. 41. 48. 75. For first herevpō these Doctors do contradict themselues for Cayer fighteth against his companions and maintaineth that the Pope giueth his Indulgences to the dead by power of absolution and that hee pardoneth their sinnes as a king and indeed in the taxe of the Popes Chancery wee finde these words For an excommunicate person for whom his parents doe entreat the letters of absolution Pro mortuo excommunicato pro quo supplicāt cōsanguinei litera absolut vaenit Duc. 1 Caro. 9. disp 7. c 34. disp 6. c. 41. Bielin Can. Missae lec 57 the charge is one duckat and nine Carolus Also Michael Medina a Doctor of note among our adversaries doth hold that the soules in Purgatory are vnder the Popes iurisdictiō See also the wordes of Bonaventure alleaged by Gabriel Biel. If any man maintaineth that the Vicar of Iesus Christ hath power of Iurisdiction over the dead wee must not greatly contradict him Thus our people are of contrary minds but reason and practise are on Cayers side Reason because these words to pardon informe of suffrage or intercession beare no sense besides that there is contradiction in them for how is it possible to pardon a man by entreating for him to pardon by forme of petition or intercession hee that hath interceded to the king for a criminall person will never say that he pardoned him The same doth common practise convince for what meaneth a pardon given to the soule by buls patents sealed in forme of a decree Doe wee not also reade in Maior and Wesselus Maior in 4. Dist 20. quaest 2. Clemens 6. In Bulla super Iubileo quod revocavit ad Annos 50. that Clement the sixt commanded the Angels to transport into Paradice the soules of those that died in the voiage to the holy land Nay more Toward the end of the Councel of Lateran holden vnder Innocent the 3 yee shall find a Bull wherein he promiseth to all chose that shall goe in the expedition to the holy land not only plenary remission of all their sinnes but also an augmentation and higher degree of glory in the kingdome of heaven but to such as would not goe themselues but send others at their charges he granteth only remission of sinnes yea he proceedeth so farre as against the gainesayers of the iourney hee denounceth that they shall answer him in the day of iudgement as if the Pope should then be iudge In all this it appeareth that the Pope pretendeth to haue power over the dead But what should we seeke for more proofe whē Pope Sixtus the fourth in a Bull set downe in the first booke of sacred ceremonies in the chapter of the benediction of the sword vanteth that hee hath all power in heaven and in earth The same degree is also attributed to Pope Leo the tenth in the last