and good workes shew their coÌ„uersion not only by wordes but in deed and in trueth c. With them the Byshop maie deale more gently whereas those that thinke it is sufficient onely to enter into the Church are charged in any wise to keepe the ordinary time c. Wherefore he that gathereth that paines are due to sinnes after remission of them by example of them that remitted no sinnes but after sufficient paines suffered for them or amendes made for them I holde him not onely malitious blinde but beastly vnreasonable 4 And if any man yet doubt why or to what end the Church of Christ thus greuousely tormenteth her owne children by so many meanes of heuy correction whome she might by good authoritie freely release of their sinnes let him assuredly know that she coulde not so satisfie Gods iustice alwayes by whome she holdeth her authoritie to edifie and not to destroye to bynd as well as to loose Although such dolour for offensies committed and so earnest zele may she sometimes finde in the offender that her chiefe and principall pastors may by their soueraigne authoritie wholy discharge him of all paines to come But els in the commoÌ„ case of Christian men this penaunce is for no other cause enioyned but to saue them from the more greuous torment in the worlde following In the which sense S. Augustine both speaketh him selfe and proueth his meaning by the Apostles wordes as followeth Propterea de quibusdam temporalibus poenis quae in hac vita peccantibus irrogantur eis quorum peccata delentur ne reseruentur in finem ait Apostolus si enim nosmetipsos iudicaremus a domino noÌ„ iudicaremur Cum iudicamur autem a domino corripimur ne cum hoc mundo dâ—mnemur Therefore sayth he it is of certaine temporall afflictions which be laid vpon their neckes that being sinners haue their trespasses pardoned lest they be called to an accompt for them at the latter ende that the Apostle meaneth by when he sayth If we woulde iudge our selues we shoulde not then be iudged of our lord And when we be iudged of our Lord then are we chastened that we be not damned with the worlde This onely carefull kindnesse of our mother therefore that neuer remitted sinne that was notorious in any age but after sharp punishment or earnest charge with some proportionall penaunce for the same doth not onely geue vs a louing warning to beware and preuent that heuie correction of the worlde to come which S. Paule calleth the iudgement of God because it is a sentence of iustice but also in her owne practise here in earth of mercy in pardoning of iustice in punishment she geueth vs a very cleare example of both the same to be vndoubtedly looked for at the handes of God him selfe by whome in the kingdome of the Church these both in his behalfe be profitably practised For if there were no respect of the dredfull day in the ende of our life nor any paine further due for sinnes remitted in the next world then were it cruell arrogancy in the ministers to charge men with penaunce needlesse to the offender and foly to the sufferer But God forbid any shoulde be so malipert or misbeleuing as to miscredit the doinges and doctrine of the Catholike Church which by the authoritie she hath to binde sinnes and the protection of the holy Ghost hath vsed this rodde of correction to the profit of so many and hurte of none euer sence our maisters death and departure 4 Marke here gentle reader what an absolute power of remissioÌ„ of sinns this Papist doth ascribe to the Church that she might he sayth by good authority freely release men of their sinnes with out satisfying of Gods iustice but that she will not except in some case where she findeth such dolour and zeale in the offender that her chiefe and principall Pastors may by there soueraine authoritie wholy discharge him of all paines to come Marke here the soueraigne authoritie of the Pope not subiect no not to the iustice of god For els how should the Popes pardons stand or Christes merites be excluded if the Pope had not power to doe by his soueraigne authority that Christ coulde not doe by his bitter passion to discharge penitent sinners of all paines to come you see therefore that the Popish church is not as a wife subiect to Christ her spouse to exercise on earth the authoritie of Christ in heauen according to his will but a presumptuous harlot to claime soueraigne authoritie in earth wherevnto he is bounde which is in heauen For otherwise though the olde fathers that were most earnest in maintaining the Churches authoritie as Cyprian Sermo de lapsis speaking against theÌ„ which thought it was sufficient if they were receiued by the ordinary authoritie of the Church although they were not truely penitent writeth thus Nemo se fallat nemo decipiat Solus dominus misereri potest veniam peccatis quae in ipsum commissa sunt solus potest ille largiri qui peccata nostra portauit qui pro nobis doluit quem Deus tradidit pro peccatis nostris Homo Deo esse non potest maior nec remittere aut donare indulgentia sua seruus potest quod in dominum delicto grauiore commissum est ne adhuc lapso hoc accedat ad crimen si nesciat esse praedictum Maledictus homo qui spem habet in homine Dominus orandus est dominus nostra satisfactione placandus est qui negantem negare se dixit Let no man sayth he deceiue him selfe let no man begile him selfe It is onely the Lorde that can shew mercy Onely he can graunt pardon to offenses that are coÌ„mitted against him who hath borne our sinnes Who hath suffered sorrow for vs whome God hath geuen for our sinnes A man can not be greater then God neither can the seruaunt by his indulgence remit or forgeue that which by so great offence is committed against the Lorde lest this offence also be added to him that is fallen away if he know not that it is fore shewed Cursed is that man that putteth his trust in man The Lorde must be intreated the Lorde must be pacified with our satisfaction which sayth he doth deny that man that denieth him In these wordes Cyprian not onely plainely denieth that absolute soueraigne authoritie of men which M. Allen affirmeth but also declareth what he meaneth by satisfactioÌ„ of god Namely that those which counterfected repentaunce and though by some outwarde obseruations to satisfie the Church might know they had to doe with God who was not pleased but with inwarde and harty conuersion whose knowledge they must satisfie with true repentaunce in deede as they seeke to satisfie iudgement of the Church by externall signes and tokens thereof But to returne to the common case of Christian men for the Popes cases be out of the common case of christen men M. Allen sayth penaunce and by penaunce he
worlde or the next but Christes passion alone the benefit whereof is not by the sufferers will extended to any that sinneth vnto death being able to satisfy for the same As often then as thou hearest any Catholike man affirme purgatory to punish or purge greuous and deadely offenses be assured his meaning of the temporall paine due vnto wicked men and their sinnes after their bonde and debt of euerlasting death with the very faulte it selfe be in Gods Church remitted For as S. Augustine sayth a mortall sinne forgeuen is becomne a veniall trespasse and so deserueth no more paine then a veniall sinne which by transitory punishment may be fully and perfitely released thus he sayth Quaedam enim sunt peccata quae mortalia sunt in poenitentia fiunt venialia non tamen statim sanata There be sinnes sayth he which being deadly of their owne nature be yet by poenaunce made venial though not alwayes straight healed Then by this rule what so euer is spoken of veniall sinnes or the purgation thereof it is ment both by the small offensies which of their owne nature are veniall and also of the greater so that they be forgeuen in Gods Church before whereby they are become veniall as the other and deserue proportionaly as the other and may be taken away as the same man affirmeth either in this worlde or the next by the same remedies as the other though not alwayes so speedely CAP. IX 1 NO maruell but you must crowe like a cocke of the game you haue obtayned such a noble victory out of Origens errour and specially you haue discouerâ—d such a solemne secrete to the yong petits of popery that onely veniall sinnes are clensed by purgatory that they are much beholding to you But lest your kitchen shoulde be colde if none but veniall sinnes should passe through the heate of purgatory you haue found out a sutle shifte howe to bring mortall sinnes also through the same pykes of purgatory for discharge of which you know men will bestow more cost then for release of those that with onely sprinckling of holy water as you wott well may be washed away Therefore mortall sinnes must be remitted in this life and then they may be purged in the fire of purgatory as being now become in the case of veniall sinnes O deepe mysteries reueiled out of the bottomlesse pitt which haue no grounde at all in the word of God but are manifestly ouerthrowne thereby euen from the foundations For the foundation of this doctrine is the distinction of veniall and mortall sinnes whereas the word of God plainly determineth that euery sinne is mortall and deserueth eternall death seeme it neuer so small Cursed is euery one that abideth not in all thinges that are written in the law to fulfill them Deu. 27. The soule that sinneth shall dye Eze. 18. The reward of sinne is death Rom. 6. And as for that distinction which S. Iohn maketh of a sinne to death a sinne not to death hath nothing common with that of the papistes for all sinne that by the mercy of God is pardonable he calleth a sinne not vnto death for which God is entreated that giueth life to them that haue so sinned And that sinne he counteth vnto death which is irremissible as obstinate wilful apostacy Heb. 6. blasphemy against the holy ghost Math. 12. c. for which it is not lawfull io pray Thus by iudgement of Gods word are all sinnes mortall which Papistes call veniall and all that they count mortall by Gods spirite are counted veniall For by the iustice of God all sinnes are mortall but by his mercy they are all pardonable except that sinne vnto death whereof S. Iohn speaketh 1. Ioan. 5. But to returne to M. Allens shift and to examine whether it will satisfie the iudgement of those olde writers which affirme that onely small and light offences are clensed by the fire of purgatory M. Allen sayth mortall sinnes become veniall by remission The Scripture teacheth that sinnes forgeuen are not imputed at all But M. Allens doctrine is that remission of sinnes doth not take sinnes away but onely chaungeth their nature from mortall to veniall yea he is not ashamed to vouch Augustine to warranty as though he should say that a mortall sinne forgiuen is become a veniall trespasse c. If all men were blinde this fellow would play trimly with their noses when he will be so bold with all men that can see Augustines wordes as he citeth them in Latine are these Quaedam enim sunt peccata quae mortalia sunt in poenitentia fiunt venialia that is there are some sinnes which are deadly of their owne nature but by repentaunce they are made veniall I haue translated them as he doth sauing that he calleth poenitentia penaunce which I to auoyd the ambiguitie of the english word as it is taken by the Papistes haue turned repentaunce Nowe is it all one to say that such sinnes as of their owne nature deserue death may yet be pardoned to him that repenteth which is the manifest meaning of Augustines wordes and that which M. Allen fathereth vpon him as though he said a mortall sinne forgeuen is become a veniall trespasse Againe this doctors wordes are playne of light and small offences and not of heynous and great offences that by pardon are made litle offences 2 VVell then to close vp briefely all this haue we founde by these scriptures alleaged that being diuerse degrees of men Purgatory apperteineth but to one sort First not to such as lacke the faith of Christ for they hauing no foundation are allready iudged neither to such as haue not builded vpon the foundatioÌ„ but rather defaced it with workes of death and deuilish doctrine For all these must like widdred branches be cast into the fire not to be purged but vtterly wasted There be yet other that kepe their foundation faste and worke there vpon both golde and siluer but yet abased and somewhat defiled by the mixture of other infirmities not sufficiently redressed in this life these must of necessity by Gods ordinaunce suffer the Purgation by fire that their workes purified and amended by the sentence of his iuste iudgement may at length by mercy and grace bring them to their desired ende Now the perfect estate which hauing this groundewarcke and building therevpon nothing for the most part but the tried fine workes of heauenly doctrine and perfect charity can not feare the fire as in whome it shall finde no matter of waste For if any drosse of seculare desires or worldly weakenesse was in their frailty contracted their fructefull penaunce in their life washed that away by the force of Christes bloude before the daye of our Lorde greate and fearefull came vpon them In which case God will not punish twise for one faulte nor entre into iudgement with such as haue iudged them selues to his hande These therefore thus guarded by Gods grace in whome onely
flambes of purgatory But as I haue noted before that you haue hetherto kept this order for the most parte to plante one thinge in one chapter and then to pull it vp by the rootes in the next so you haue not forgotten your selfe in the diuision of your bookes But that the latter shoulde be a sufficient confutation of the former or else the former a manifest excluding of the latter For if the iustice of God doth so necessarily require a punishment for sinnes remitted that the same coulde not be satisfied no not by that only sacrifice which the sonne of God offered once for all on the aulter of the crosse it is a colde comforte that a carefull conscience can receiue that the same shoulde be done by his merites or your Masses which was not done by the bloude of Christ Yet now you will talke how the fiery sword maye be turned away surely if the fiery and shaking sworde that was set to exclude man from Paradise was not taken away by the death of Christ when he opened Paradise yea the kingdome of heauen whereof Paradise was but a sacrament vnto all beleuers I meruaill how either the penitent these had passage into Paradise or what engins you Papistes haue to turne it awaye which he had not The wordes of Damascene if they were not applied as you saye they are to purgatory paines and remedies of the same were true of Gods iustice and his mercy but as his age is to young so his authoritie is to light to controll the trueth of the worde of God or the practise of the first purest Church which knew no purgatory nor prayers for the deade But if our sinnes forgeuen were neuer so greuous c. what mad man woulde euer write thus Euen such a one as might be allowed to speake thus if blacke were neuer so blacke before it were cleane taken away and perfect white placed in the steede yet when white is white it is white But M. Allen wil not allowe that the coullor of our sinnes is cleane taken away and a contrary coullor of righteousnesse set vppon vs but that sinnes forgeuen be but halfe forgeuen the gilte taken awaye the punishment due for the gilte still remayning And this one halfe of forgeuenesse is but graunted in wordes and denied in deede For if the gilte of our sinnes be cleane taken away from vs and layed vpon the person of Christ and the righteousnesse of Christ is communicated vnto vs what is there lefte in vs that God of his goodnesse can hate or of his iustice can punish So it is but for a fashion that the papistes graunt any parte of our sinnes forgeuen when they will haue vs make satisfaction for them our selues But where as M. Allen is out of measure prodigall in promising releiffe and release of purgatory paines to them whose sinnes were neuer so greuous their vicious life wasted in idle wealth the space of penaunce and opportunity of working neglected in time preuented by sodaine death c rehersing so many meanes of mitigation as sometime the bloude of Christ the residew of his merites the crye of the mother Church the memory of the Masse the merites of all Sainctes the prayers of the faithfull and workes of the charitable All this notwithstanding take heede you poore Papistes that you geue no credit to these flattering wordes For it is the opinion of all the olde writers that doe allowe any of these thinges to profit men after their death and concluded by the Maister of the Sentence and aduouched by Allen him selfe afterwarde chapt 7. that no man can receiue benefit after his departure by any worke or will of the liuing but he that in his life deserued the same neither shal any thing worke vpon him more or lesse but according to his owne deseruing in this life Trust not therefore in these sophisticall vanities which are contrary one to an other but imbrace the vniforme vndoubted doctrine of Gods word which teacheth repentaunce faith iustification and saluation not with curious questions to troble your braynes but with perfect conclusions to quyet your conscience not suffering you to sleepe in securitie vpon hope of helpe after your death but charging you to shew the force of mortification and fruictes of fayth while you are aliue Not puffing vp your phantasie with pride of your owne merites but teaching you to ascribe all prayse to Gods glorious grace and infinite mercy 2 The cruell aduersary of man kinde as before he wrought his worst against Purgatory so here he busely pricketh forwarde the schoole of Protestantes to improue to their owne vtter damnation and the notable hinderaunce of our louing bretherns saluation all such meanes as God by scripture or other testimony of his worde hath reueled to be profitable for the abating of paine or the release of the apointed punishment in that place of temporall torment to come Against which deceiuers I meane by Gods helpe in this ordre to trauell 2 The cruell aduersary of mankinde and enuyor of Gods glory inuented Purgatory to deface the merites of Christes death and to blemish the onely meanes of mans eternall life which when he coulde not with any seemely coullor establish by the authority of the holy Scriptures the onely testimony of his worde and will reueiled and confirmed by his holy Spirite he hath inuented fayned fables and deuilish illusions to deceiue the mindes of them whome he had enclined vnto superstition and not bene ashamed to match them in credit and estimation with the very worde of God it selfe As appereth by this scribe of Sathan which nameth the scriptures for a simple shew but by and by addeth other testimonies of Gods worde beside the scriptures inspired by God whereby he maketh equiualent those false reuelations raised vp from Hell with the inspiratiō of the holy Ghost which hath brought the truth from heauen But now commeth in the order of this deuillyshe horror 3 First I will proue that sinnes may be pardoned or the debt and bonde thereof released in the next worlde 3 You shall neuer proue by authoritie of Gods word that sinnes not repented in this life shal be pardoned after this life where there is no repentaunce profitable nor yet any debt payed but by them that paye it eternally in perpetuall torments 4 Then I shall shewe what meanes the holy Scripture approueth or the example thereof awarraunteth to be proffitable for the soules departed 4 When you can proue either by doctrine or example agreable to doctrine of the canonicall Scriptures that any thing profiteth the soules departed that be not in happy state we will beleue it 5 I will open what the principall pillars and in a maner the flowre of all the faithfull sorte in sundry agies and almost in all Christian contryes haue lefte in writinge for this pointe 5 You are not able to bring one authenticall writer that within one 100 yeares and more after Christ hath allowed prayer for
in them is learned so hath she perpetuall confirmation in the same and nothing contrary vnto her But heresie as she is inuented in mans head so she seeketh confirmation in the reason and authoritie of man which because they haue not full credit with them that professe religion without the authoritie of Gods word at length whē it is fully shaped in the shop of mans brayne then it is brought to the Scripture to see if it can finde any colour by any phrase of wordes wrested from the meaning or by any vayne collection that hath no force of necessary conclusion being content to haue but onely a colde claime vnto the authoritie of Scripture although it haue the whole scope and purpose of the holy Ghost yea often times also manifest wordes against it which difference as it may be found in all heresies so in none more notably then in this errour of purgatory Consider what textes of holy Scripture are alleged for it and you shall see they can not bring one out of which any necessary argument may be framed to proue their cause or which hath not by learned interpretors of the olde time bene otherwise expounded then of their cause As in the text here alleged out of S. Matt. cap. 12. who so euer shall speake blasphemy against the holy ghost it shall not be forgiuen him neither in this world nor in the world to come If the sense were not plaine of it selfe that he which so sinneth shall not obtayne forgeuenes in this life nor be absolued in the last iudgement yet the other Euangelistes doe plainly expound the meaning S. Luke sayth simply he shal not be forgiuen S. Marke saith he hath no remission for euer but is guilty of euerlasting iudgement Neuertheles behold what a wrangling M. Allen maketh about the interpretation of these wordes But I will offer him fayre play he is an auncient maister of art since he writ this booke he hath added tenne yeares to his study of diuinitie in which space he might haue bene a doctour of the same faculty let him with all the diuinitie that euer he studied or with all the artes that euer he professed make a true syllogisme in forme and matter out of this authority to proue that God forgiueth sinnes after this life which are not remitted in this life and I will confesse the doctrine of purgatory with him which otherwise I would not doe to winne all the patrimony of S. Peter that the Pope claymeth in Italy but vntill such tyme as we may obtayne a good argument let vs consider such as we haue He signifieth sayth M. Allen that a man in some case might perhaps not speede of a pardon in this life yet may obtayne it in the next when the matter goeth by perhaps it is good to beware of after claps why M. Allen what sinnes are those of which a man may perhaps not speede of a pardon in this life and yet obtayne it after this life If they be truely repented in this life we haue a warrant of Gods owne mouth without your perhaps that in the same hower they shall be remitted Ezech. 18. 33. But if they be not repented where is your warrant that euer they shall be remitted But I aske againe what sinnes are those that perhapps maye misse of a pardon in this life and obteine it after this life by all likelyhood they must be some great sinnes that perhapps may not speede of a pardon here and yet finde it afterwarde There is no man would thinke otherwise by these wordes nor by the wordes of Christ if he vnderstood them so that some sinnes might be forgeuen after this life but whē all commeth to all The Maister of the Sentence and Gregory before him and M. Allen him selfe woulde alowe no sinnes to be forgeuen after this life but very small and light offences How be it it is plaine that these wordes neither in the worlde to come are added by waye of amplification for it is the purpose of our Sauiour Christ to set forth to the vttermost the heynousnesse of blasphemy against the holy Ghost so that if he had ment that any sinnes might be remitted after this life that were not pardoned after this life he shoulde haue ment the greater and not the lesser for lesse sinnes be soner pardoned and the pardon of greater more hardely obteined But marke the equitie of M. Allen the horrible blasphemer for all the vehemency of Christes wordes by M. Allens iudgement is but in a manner discharged of hope of remission as though he were not simply and altogether excluded And the light offender is turned ouer to purgatory for his remission yet M. Allen will stand vpon the forme phrase of words not knowing that this worlde is taken for all the time that is vnto the ende thereof and the worlde to come not for the state or time of them that are departed vnto the iudgemēt but for the time of eternitye after the ende of this worlde or els the wordes of Christ in Matthew should not be equiualent with the wordes in Marke he shal be guilty of euerlasting iudgement or condemnation which the olde interpretor calleth eternall offence The like forme or phrase of words is vsed by S. Paule to the Ephesians cap. 1. that Christ is exalted aboue euery name that is named not onely in this worlde but also in the worlde to come by which wordes he meaneth the supreme and euerlasting kingdome of Christ which extendeth vnto all eternitie But if a contentious person like to the Valentiniane heretikes or such like woulde inuent monstruous names as those heretikes did and proue by this place that there are names named in the worlde to come that are not named in this worlde shoulde he not haue as good grounde out of this place as the Papistes haue of the other 2 But because we haue to do with fickle marchauntes that will not sticke to brast boldely the bandes of euident scriptures as anone you shalt see and therefore will as I thinke litle be moued with reasonable and playne gathering out of the scriptures nor much esteeme this likelihood as ouer small a proofe in so greate a doubte therefore I will shew my warraunt for this construction that thereby the studious reader may see whome the aduersaries do so rashly contemne herein and whome we haue as authors in this meaning of Christes wordes now recited that neither they may be beleued with out reason and proofe nor we miscredited after so good authority of the auncient writers as neither they for shame nor we of conscience can deny S. Gregory whose authority I may boldely vse against them because they mislike not his iudgement when it may appeare to make for them as in deede it neuer doth he doubted nothing to gather of this our Sauiours speach that sinnes might be forgeuen in the next worlde And thus he writeth for that point De quibusdam leuibus culpis esse
ante iudicium purgatorius ignis credendus est pro eo quod veritas dicit Si quis in sancto Spiritu blasphemiam dixerit neque in hoc saeculo remittetur ei neque in futuro In qua sententia datur intelligi quasdam culpas in hoc saeculo quasdam in futuro posse relaxari quod enim de vno negatur consequens intellectus patet quia de quibusdam conceditur sed tamen vt praedixi hoc de paruis minimisque peccatis fieri posse credendum est For certaine small sinnes that there is a purgatory fire before the daye of iudgement we must needes beleue because the trueth it selfe vttered so much in these wordes If any sinne against the holy Ghost it shall not be remitted neither in this worlde nor in the worlde to come By which sentence it is geuen vs to vnderstande that as some offensies be released in this worlde so there may some other be remitted in the life following For that which is denyed in one sorte the meaning is plaine that of some other kinde it must needes be graunted But as is saide before this is onely to be taken of lighter offensies thus farre spake S. Gregory and proueth learnedly beside by examples and sondry Scriptures through out the whole worke our matter If our aduersaries woulde with desire to learne as they commonly do to reprehend reade but his discourse onely they might quickely see their owne foly and amende their misbelefe They call him the last good Pope as he was in deede a blessed man and by his authority the perfect conuersion of our nation to Christes faith was wrought I woulde his holy workes deserued but as much credit now with certaine forsakers as his Legates then did with all the vnfaithfull people of our countrie But to go forwarde in our matter we shall finde in S. Bernarde the same wordes of our Sauiour alleaged for our purpose thus Non credunt ignem Purgatorium restare post mortem sed statim animam solutam a corpore vel ad requiem transire vel ad damnationem quaerant ergo ab eo qui dixit quod dam peccatum esse quod neque in hoc saeculo neque in futuro remittetur cur hoc dixerit si nulla maner in futuro remissio purgatione peccati They beleue not sayth he by some heretiques of his owne time that there is any purgatory paines remaining after death but they suppose that the soule straight vpon departure hense goeth either to rest or damnation let such fellowes aske therefore of him that saide a certaine greuous crime coulde neither be forgeuen in this worlde nor in the worlde to come why he so saide if there were no remission nor purgation of sinnes in the life following thus said Bernarde opening his graue iudgement both vpon the text and our matter whose authority if any esteme lesse because of his late writing let him know that the aduersaries haue none for their side so auncient by C C C. yeare except they name the heretike Aërius or such like whose antiquitye maketh not so much for them as his auncient condemnation for heresie in this poynt maketh against them 2 M. Allen in his conscience knoweth that he hath no grounde in the authority of Gods word and therefore he flyeth to the authority of man But that he might seeme to be driuen perforce to that where vnto he doth come most willingly he pretendeth a fonde excuse because he hath to doe with such fickle marchaunts as wil not sticke to breake boldly the bands of euident Scriptures But he knoweth in his conscience that he hath no authoritye of Scripture to charge vs for if he thought we would breake the bonds of Gods word he might well thinke we would not be holden by the authoritie of mens writing and those of the latter sort six hundreth yeares after Christ the eldest For Augustine makeâ—h as litle for them as he doth against vs Gregory and Bernarde whereunto he addeth Bede are of opinion that sinnes not remitted in this world may be remitted in the world â—o come but how hapneth it that Chrysâ—stome and Ieronym which both interpreted that place could gather no such matter although they otherwise allowed prayer for the dead The reason must needes be because the errour of purgatory growing so much the stronger as it was nerer to the full reuelation of Antichrist Gregory and Bede sought not the true meaning of Christ in this Scripture but the confirmation of their pausible error M. Allen thinketh we must be sore pressed with the authoritie of Gregory because we mâ—slike not his authority where he inueigheth against the supremacy of one Bishop aboue all other or where so euer he agreeth with the truth But he must be once againe admonished that we are bound to no mannes authoritie no longer then he followeth the authoritie of Gods word And therefore though Gregory were the last of all the Romish Bishops in whom was any sparke of goodnes because Boniface his successor and so all the rest by Gregoryes owne iudgement prophecy were all Antichristes yet is not all that Gregory writte of equall authoritie with the word of God without authoritie whereof we beleue not an Angell from heauen as I haue often shewed much lesse a Bishop of Rome 3 But that in the mouth of two or three witnesses all trueth may appeare and contrary falsehood vanish away S. Augustine him selfe gathered by this place now alleaged euen then when he had no occasion geuen him by the wrangling of any misbeleuer to wreast any scripture otherwise then the very wordes imported the trueth of remission of certaine faultes in the next life in these wordes Facta resurrectione mortuoruÌ„ non deerunt quibus post poenas quas patiuntur spiritus mortuorum impertiatur misericordia vt in ignem non mittantur aeternuÌ„ neque enim de quibusdam veraciter diceretur quod non eis remittetur neque in hoc saeculo neque in futuro nisi essent quibus etsi non in isto tamen remittetur in futuro There shall be certaine at the time of resurrection also who shal obteine mercy after they haue suffered such paines as deade mens ghostes do abide that they be not cast into the euerlasting fire for els it coulde not in any true sense be spoken that certaine shoulde neither haue pardon in this worlde nor in the worlde to come except there were some that speeding not of pardon in this life might yet haue remission in the next so sayth he Being I warraunt you so sadde witted and so farre from phantasies that he would not grounde any assured doctrine vpon euery light occasion offered or motion made had not the very words and forme of phrase approued it and Gods Church liked it Hauing then these graue fathers with others for our warraunt in the exposition of this place we do take it for a sure grounde that the paine of purgation in the next worlde
patrum which they say is but an edge and border of hell But Christ maketh hell one place and Abrahams bosome an other and not that onely but the one farre from the other yea a great distaunce betwene the one and the other therfore no edge nor border of hell but a place of comfort an high place for the rich man loketh vp and seeth a farre of Lazarus in the bosome of Abraham who was a true childe of Abraham by fayth for fayth maketh children vnto Abraham Rom. 4. And euen as faith was imputed to Abraham so is it to all that be his children by fayth as well as it was to Abraham if righteousnes belongeth to Abrahams children the reward of righteousnes also pertayneth vnto them therefore Abrahams bosome was open to receiue all the children of Abraham euen as the bosome of God was ready to receiue Abraham because he was his sonne through fayth And now to confute your vaine reasons which eyther be manifest wrestinges of the holy Scripture or else are builded vpon the authority of mortall men First you allege that the place into which Christ descended was called a lake without water in which the godly fathers were Zachary 9. but this is so euident an abusing of the word of God that he which doth only reade that verse of Zachary in the originall tongue must needes confesse that those wordes haue an other sense for God there contineweth his speaking to Ierusalem or the daughter of Syon saying he hath deliuered her prisoners by the bloud of her couenant from the lake without water that is from miserable and desperate captiuity where appeared no comfort For the pronoune thou is of the feminine gender wherefore it is most cleare that this is not spoken of Christ but of the Church of christ As for the common translation which turneth the feminine gender into the masculine the first person into the second with manifest deprauation of the sense is not to be admitted in this case Nowe that prison which you bring out of 1. Pet. 3. is the prison of the damned soules into which S. Peter doth not say that Christ descended but that he came in the daies of Noe by his spirite and preached to those that were then disobedient and therefore are their spirites now in perpetuall prison and torment And this is the true and naturall sense of S. Peters wordes which by meanes of that predicate errour rather then of any great obscurity in them hath bene diuersly wrested by expositors The wordes of Irenaeus may be well vnderstoode of Christes comming downe from heauen to saue mankind which deserued iust condemnation for sinne rather then of his descending into hel and the name of Adam seemeth to be taken in these wordes rather for a noune common then for a proper name He hath wordes towards the latter ende of the fift booke that sound more like to this matter where he sayth Cum enim Dominus in medio vmbrae mortis abierit vbi animae mortuorum erant post deinde corporaliter resurrexit post resurrectionem assumptus est manifestum est quia discipulorum eius propte◠quos haec operatus est Dominus animae abibunt in inuisibilem locum definitum eis à Deo ibi vsque ad resurrectionem commorabuntur Seing the Lord went in the middest of the shadow of death where the soules of the dead were and afterward arose corporally and then was taken vp it is manifest that the soules of his disciples for whom the Lorde wrought these thinges shall goe into an inuisible place appoynted for them by God and there shall tarry vntill the resurrection Neuertheles out of these wordes can nothing be necessarily enforced but that the soule of Christ when he was deade was in the place of the godly that were deade before him which no man denyeth If you vrge that he was in the middest of the shadow of death I aunswere that is a phrase of the Scripture signifying that he was verely dead and that death had him in possession after which maner of speach S. Peter sayth that God raysed him agayne loosing the sorrowes of death and you your selfe count it a blasphemy to say that he suffered any torments in hell after his death and Irenaeus him selfe affirmeth that it was such a place as all his disciples shall rest in vntill the time of the generall resurrection which plainly ouerthroweth your fantasy Eusebius Emissenus helpeth you as litle as Irenaeus for he speaketh rhetorically of the glorious victory that Christ obtained against hel the power of darkenes by his death and passion and descending into hell whose words if you would expounde grammatically you will make a mad sense of them he shal be smally beholding vnto you But it is plaine enough except it be to him that wil seeke confirmation of errors out of that which is truely spoken that he meaneth that the effect and power of Christes death mightely vanquished the power of hell eternal damnation not which it had actually ouer the godly but which by the iustice of God it should haue had if his sacrifice had not purchased mercie And therfore he saieth Aeterna nox the euerlasting night which adiectiue is referred also to the gnashing cheines of the damned For it was eternall not temporall damnation from which they were deliuered by Christes death And therfore that fond shift which M. Allen imagineth which he saith may seeme like to be the authors meaning is not worth a straw as being enforced and brought to the wordes by him not expressed in them by Eusebius But when these wil not helpe the supposal of S. Augustine is set downe which because it is but the authority of a man him not constant with him selfe alwayes it is not of sufficient weight to beare downe the testimony alleged out of Gods word The same man contra Felicianum ad Optatum cap. 15. writeth these words Si igitur mortuo corpore ad paeradisum anima mox vocatur quenquam ne adhuc tam impium credimus qui dicere audeat quoniam anima saluatoris nostri triduo illo corporeae mortis apud inferos custodiae mancipitur If therefore the body being dead the soule is immediatly called to paradise beleue we yet that there is any man so vngodly that he dare say that our Sauiours soule in that 3. daies of his bodily death was committed to prison in hel c. In these words he semeth vtterly to deny that he came in that prison of hel You wil say he denieth that he tarried there so long but not that he came not there at all But then marke this reason if the soules of good mē immediatly are called to paradise much more was Christes soule immediatly receiued into paradise who committed the same into his fathers handes 5 Let the enemies of Gods trueth come now and denie if they cā for shame that Gods iustice for sinnes remitted reacheth not sometimes to the places of punishment in the next life let them with purgatory rase vp the fathers resting place so plainely set forth by scripture beleued of the whole Church and alwayes taught by the holy fathers
which Christ sweareth shall be made vnto the vttermost farthing For he that refuseth reconciliation or repentance in this life must not looke for a pardon after this life Therefore if M. Allen will needes vnderstand this pryson for purgatory I will be so bold vppon Christes oth and earnest asseueration to affirme that he which is so imprisoned shall neither looke for mercy nor satisfaction by other mens payment but by his owne suffering But let vs see how he proueth that this place is to be vnderstood of purgatory First by likelihood that he should not haue sayd he shall not escape vntill he hath payd the vttermost farthing but rather cast him into the darke dungeon of euerlasting damnation M. Allen either can not or will not see that Christ here continueth an allegory of a temporall iudgement as Matt. 18. where he hath the same Donec as the same in like sense is often vsed else where Secondly the name of imprisonment will not well admitt he sayth any other meaning but of a temporall torment as though hell is not called a prison 1. Peter 3. And Apoc. 20. which is a place of euerlasting torments Therefore here is no shew of matter but bigge wordes onely 2 And these notes well and diligently considered may geue greate light to the alleaged wordes otherwise somewhat obscure and therewith proue our matter too They be not of my scanning onely as for some parte thou shalt perceiue by these wordes of Rupert an excellent good author Aduersarius eorum qui erant eiusmodi sermo fuit euangelij omnis praedicator euangelicae veritatis potestatem habens non consentientem sibi tradere iudici non solum iudici verum etiam malo ministro quemadmodum vnus eorum tradidâ—t hominem satanae The aduersary of such men was the worde of the Gospell and ech preacher of the trueth who had poure to deliuer him that would not agree vnto him to the iudge yea further then that he had authority to commit him to an euill minister as one of them gaue vp a man to Satan Here we see what that aduersary is to whome we must consent in this life and withall we haue an example in this iudgement of Gods ministers how man may be committed in the next life to a tormenter that may vexe him then at Gods prescription as he doth now at the charge onely of his minister then in fauour and mercy of the iudge as it is now in loue and charity of the vicegerent then for the atteining of heauens blesse as it is nowe for the saluation of the person punished For the executioÌ„ of Gods sentence may be either by a good spirite or our aduersary Angell or by his will and worde onely to whome all creatures serue and obey In this sense Paulinus who was S. Augustines peare writeth that the holy Ghost and Gods worde be mans aduersaries in earth to whome if we applie our selues obediently in this world our sorowe can not be long in the next life But these be his owne wordes Neque septem dies luctus noster excedat si consentiamus in huius vitae via aduersario nostro id est spiritui ac vei bo dei quod nobis peccaÌ„tibus aduersatur c. Our griefe can not be much longer then seuen dayes he meaneth it shall be a temporall paine and not very long if we consent in the way of this life to our aduersary that is to witte the spirite and worde of god For they be our aduersaries when we sinne because the holy Ghost chargeth the world with sinne and the worde of God if we obey not will be our accuser and promotour vp vnto the Iudge who will haue an accompt of his talent to the vttermost farthinge Thus farre spake this Author and in like sense many moe whome I neede not nowe name Because there is such store of testimonies that not onely in some part make for the opening of this scripture but altogether for Purgatory And one or two of them I will briefly recite because I determined with my selfe and bounde my selfe for my discharge and the readers more safe warraunt to bring no texte of scripture for the proofe of my purpose except I might finde some holy writers of the antiquity that vsed the same directly in that sense that if any maÌ„ would repreheÌ„d my meaning yet he should not be so bold with such as I caÌ„ name proue to be my authors therin 2 In this part are two testimonies alleged one of Rupertus an other of Paulinus of which Rupertus affirmeth his exposition of the aduersary but touching purgatory he sayth nothing Paulinus interpreteth the aduersary somewhat otherwise but he speaketh of them that doe agree with him in the way of this life whose sorrow he sayth shal not exceede seuen dayes but what sorrow they shall abide that contemne this agrement he sayth nothing but generally of the accompt of the vttermost farthing I maruell whether M. Allen was awake when he alleged these two testimonies for purgatory or whether he thought that all men should be asleep that should reade them 3 But whome may I more safely alleage for the contentatioÌ„ of sober wittes and repressing the aduersaries boldenesse then the blessed martyr S. Cyprian VVho in the forth booke of his Epistles for the declaration that euery one which here is pardoned of his sinnes shall not straight be exalted to the glory of sainctes and martyrs after their death vseth very fitly as he doth all other placies of scripture the forsaide text by these wordes Aliud est ad veniam stare aliud ad gloriam peruenire aliud missum in carcerem non exire donec soluat nouissimum quadrantem aliud statim fidei virtutis accipere mercedem aliud pro peccato longo dolore cruciari purgari diu igne aliud peccata omnia passione purgari aliud denique pendere in die iudicij ad sententiam domini aliud statim a domino coronari In English it is an other thing to stande at a pardon then out of hande to atteine to glory it is an other maner of matter to be coÌ„mitted to prison thense not to depart till the last farthing be discharged to receiue out of hand the rewarde of faith and vertue It is one thing by greate sorow to be tormented for our sinnes and by long fire amended purged of the same and an other to haue sufficiently purged them by martyrdom in fine it is not all one to hange on Gods sentence in the day of iudgement and out of hande to be crowned of our Lorde These wordes as you see expressely proue our matter open the meaning of the scripture whereon we nowe stoode and do clearely set forth the ordre of Gods iustice in the next life And they shall content the reader better if he marke vpon what occasion this blessed man spake these wordes There were many in the persecutioÌ„ of that time
reasonable cleere light for the good simple peoples instruction and with full safety from all the force our aduersaries can make against vs The Patriarches example the wordes of scripture the practise of the Church the naturall society betwixt the partes of Christes misticall body in this worlde and his members in the next and all our fathers faith haue wonne so much that almes and offeringes in sundry memorialls and diuers obseruations of mindes and obittes be singular and soueraigne to procure Gods mercy for the pardon of the soules deceased And nowe lest any man take occasion of Gods mercy which he seeth to be so ready that it may be wone by other mens workes to liue in contempt of vertuous exercise and to passe the time of his owne life in carelesse negligence presuming to purchesse fauour at Gods hande so mercyfull by other mens merites with out his owne deede or deserte let that man be aduertised quòd non habet partem in sermone isto that he shall in that case haue no benefite by our talke the mercy which we speake of perteineth not vnto him such idle drone beyes can take no fructe of other mens labours neither quicke nor deade For that membre which in this body was so vnprofitable to him self it is no right nor reason he should haue any gaynes by other mens trauell Therefore all these liberall promisies of fauour and grace to be procured by the workes of the liue towardes the departed reach neither to the vnfaithfull out of this house nor to the impenitent who was but an vnprofitable burden of the house These thinges sayth Clement we meane of the godly for if thou gaue all the welth of the world to the poore for the wicked sake thou couldest not profite them a heare For he that dyed in Gods displeasure can not looke for more mercy then he deserued Therefore S. Iohn the Apostle seemeth to abbridge our prayers and the obteining of our petitions by borderinge them as with in certaines bondes after this sort VVe know that God doth here vs what so euer we require we be sure he will accomplish our requestes which we make vnto him Therefore he that knoweth his brother to sinne being not a sinne to death let him pray and life shall be geuen to him that sinneth not to death there is a sinne to death for such I do not will any man to praie This place of the Apostle seemeth to declare the wonderfull force that the prayers of the faithfull haue in procuring grace and remission for others so that they be â—rethern and passe hense with out the bonde of mortall sinne And the letter well weyed shall make exceding much to proue the prayers for departed in piety as it in a maner forbiddeth all intercession for such as be knowen to passe in continuance of mortall sinne There is no crime so greuous that man may commit in the course of this life but the Church vseth prayers customably therefore and for her reuerence is often hearde Therefore it may well be thought that the party must be deceased of whome such diuersity of desertes doth arise for all that be a liue with out exception if they be brethern of our familie must be prayde for And so longe as they be in this worlde and may repent their sinne is not so vnto death but life by prayers may be and is commonly at Gods hande obâ—eined Then it may well be deduced that the Aposâ—le meaneth to incourage the faithfull to pray for such their brethren departed as dyed without bonde of deadly sinne to their sight in a maner warning them that for such their prayers shall be acceptably hearde But for others continuing in sinne to death he willeth not them to praye nor can assure them they shall be hearde So doth Dionysius a man not very auncient but of a full spirite and good grace expounde this text VVhether he meaneth sayth this father by finall impenitence or by any mortall sinne continued vnto death it is sure plaine a man must not praye for him that dieth in it Then if we be admonished not to pray for one sorte of departed the case is cleare that we may and are bounde and shall be hearde for the other sorte that sinneth not vnto death CAP. VII 1 HItherto but that you loue to tell your chickens before they be hatched you neede not greatly to boast of your winnings But now you will shewe that prayer and almes helpeth not them that dye in mortall sinne and that beside your Clement with whose cloutes you cloy your booke you woulde fayne proue out of the Epistle of S. Iohn cap. 5. For that which S. Iohn speaketh of the prayers that Christian men make for their brethren aliue whom they see to sinne but not vnto death you would take if you could for prayers to be made for them that are deade but passed not hence in deadly sin â–ª that which he sayth of prayers not to be made for them that sinne not vnto death you weene he ment of them that are known to passe hence in continuance of sinne But you that dare not presume to make any interpretation without authoritie of the olde Martyrs when all commeth to all haue none to father your new exposition vppon but Denys the charterhouse Monke a yesterdayes bird But seeing you are not onely voyd of all auncient authoritie but also haue all the olde writers against you that euer interpreted or alleged this place let vs see what is your reason Forsooth the letter well weighed maketh much for you by the way it may be noted that you call the word of God the letter in that sense that S. Paule sayth the letter killeth but I omitte that grosse contumely against the holy Scriptures where S. Paule sayth the letter killeth he meaneth not that the holy Scriptures killeth in which is contemed life but that the law which onely commaundeth and giueth no power to fulfill it pronounceth sentence of death to them that breake it But to follow your reason There is no crime so greeuous that man may commit in this life but the Church prayeth for it is often heard therfore it may be thought that the party must be deceased of whom such diuersitie of deserts doth arise I deny your antecedent For the church of Christ prayeth not for them that sinne against the holy Ghost our Sauiour Christ affirmeth that he which sinneth against the holy Ghost shall neuer be forgiuen who so euer pray for him and of such sayth S. Iohn that there is a sinne vnto death for which we ought not to pray Samuell was not heard when he prayed for Saule 1. Sam. 16. Ieremy is oftentimes forbidden to pray for the obstinate Iewes Iere. 7.11 14. And the Lord testifieth that if Noach Daniell and Iob prayed for the wicked they should not be heard Ezec. 14. Therefore there be sinnes for which the Church ought not to pray and though she
by it But Christ you say hath instituted this sacrifice to be offered vp for the remembraunce of his death the clensing of our sinnes Shew one word M. Allen out of the Scripture of any sacrifice instituted by Christ at his last supper or else you are a most horrible and blasphemous lyer The holy Ghost sayth we are sanctified by his will thorough the offering of the body of Christ once made for al and where remission of sinnes is there is left no sacrifice for sinne Heb. 10. But you are not content to ioyne your sacrifice of the masse as an appendix vnto the onely once offered and no more offerable sacrifice of Christ his death except you proceede and vtterly deny all the force and benefite of the oblation of his bitter passion For you say that Christ in his last supper not onely gaue to his Apostles but also offered to God his father that body which was after betrayed and that blood which was shed after also for remission of sinnes being that sacrifice which should succede the bloody offerings of the olde testament what place haue you here left for the passion of Christ O intolerable blasphemy Christ offered vp but one sacrifice and that you affirme to be before his death Christ offered but once and that you affirme to be at his supper By that one sacrifice which Christ did once offer he redemed vs from all our sinnes and that you affirme to haue bene offered in the sacrament Doe you not now plainly exclude the death and passion of Christ and all the merites thereof who can abide to heare you afterward when you say that the sacrifice of the masse is an application of the benefits of Christ his death vnto vs when now you affirme that it is the continuance of that sacrifice which Christ offered and instituted before his death who neuer offered but one sacrifice and that but once O Lord these blasphemers are more worthy to be beaten downe with thunderbolts then their blasphemies so directly contrary to the holy Scriptures haue neede to be confuted with wordes 2 Now this is that blessed sacrifice which S. Augustine with feare and reuerence termeth in a thousand places of his workes the sacrifice of the Altar the sacrifice of our Mediatour the sacrifice of our price the sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ the holsome and profitable sacrifice the sacrifice of Melchisedech the new sacrifice S. Chrysostom the reuerent sacrifice the honorable Mysteries the Fearefull sacrifice Athanasius the propitiatory sacrifice the vnbloody Host. S. Cyprian the sacrifice of the Church the perpetuall sacrifice the meate offering the medecine for our infirmities Irenaeus the pure sacrifice the new sacrifice of the new testament Clement againe the vnbloudy sacrifice the rationable sacrifice and so doth the holy Counsell of Ephesus call it Dionysius the sacrifice most excellent of all sacrificies and the hoste of hostes The Latines altogether afterward named it the holy Masse so did S. Augustine call it Ambrose Hierome Epiph. scholastic with all the posteritie both in Latin and other barbarous languagies Besides many other excellent high and peculiar callinges which can agree to no other common worship of God internall nor external but onely to this most worthy and honorable sacrifice which by the vertue that it hath receiued by the first examplar therof and by the might and mercy of the Lambe of God which vnder the couer of breade and wine is there the appointed hoste and oblation is profitable both to the quicke and the deade And therefore is hath ben vsed euer sith the Apostles age by Christes owne prescription and theirs commaunded to be religiously obserued and of all faythfull people honoured as the principall protestation of our religion as the grounde of all true worship as the badge of Christian peace as the bonde of holy society betwixt the heade and the membres as the loue knot betwixt Christ and his spouse as the vniting of the liue with the dead the holy sainctes with vs poore sinners Angells with men heuenly thinges with earthly and the Creator of all with his owne creatures beneth as the plentifull condeth to deriue the grace of Christes death and merites of his passiō to the continuall conforth of our soules as the onely practise of his eternall priesthood according to the ordre of Melchisedech as the only effectuall memoriall and comfortable memory of the sheeding of his blessed bloude and sufferance of so deare and painefull death for our redemption VVhat altar so euer be erected against this altar it is nothing els but a waste of Gods worship a canker of religion a token of dissension a separation of the holy society of the Christian communion a larome towardes schisme a departure from Christ an open badge of heresy a saulsy shouldering with Christes Church and ordinaunce an open robbry of his honour and priesthood a plaine stoppe of the passage of his giftes and grace in his louing house the onely waye to paganisme and eternall obliuion of his death and passion 2 Now we shall heare how many of the olde writers call it a sacrifice but he neede not take all that paynes for we confesse that the celebration of the Lordes supper is commonly but vnproperly called of them a sacrifice Howbeit they ment nothing lesse then to set vp a blasphemous aultar and new sacrifice and priesthoode against our Sauiour Christ the onely priest aultar and sacrifice of our redemption as Augustine calleth him but onely there meaning was that it was a remembraunce and memoriall of that onely sacrifice with thankes giuing for the same Augustine de fide ad Petrum Diaconum cap. 19. shewing the difference of the sacrifices of the olde lawe the onely sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of breade and wine which the Church offered sayth In illis enim carnalibus victimis figuratio fuit carnis Christi quā pro peccatis nostris ipse sine peccato fuerat oblaturus sanguinis quē erat effusurus in remissionem peccatorum In isto autem sacrificio gratiarum actio atque commemoratio est carnis Christi quam pro nobis obtulit sanguinis quem pro nobis idem Deus effudit For in these carnall sacrifices there was a figuring of the flesh of Christ which he being with out sinne shoulde offer for our sinnes and of his bloude which he shoulde shedde for remission of our sinnes But in this sacrifice there is thankes geuing and commemoration of the flesh of Christ which he offered for vs and his bloude which the same God shedde for vs In his 23. epistle to Bonifacius he sheweth that sacraments take the names of those thinges whereof they are sacraments by a certeine similitude and liknesse that they haue vnto the thinges them selues whereof they are sacraments And so the sacrament of Christes sacrifice is called a sacrifice as after a certeine manner the sacrament of Christes
conditio sepulturae pompa exequiarum magis sunt viuorum solatia quà m subsidia mortuorum Non tamen ideo contemnēda abijcienda sunt corpora defunctorum maxime que iustorum fidelium quibus tanquam organis vasis ad omnia bona opera sanctus vsus est spiritus Curious prouision for the buriall and the pompe of the solemne obittes be rather done for the solace of the lieue then for helpe of the deade neuerthelesse the bodies of the departed namely of faithfull folkes may not be contemned or cast forth the which the holy Ghost vsed as vessells and instruments of well working By all which thinges it may well be noted that some thinges haue bene vsually practised in funeralls for thankes geuing to almighty God as Hymnes and Psalmes other some for decent comelinesse and solace of the liuinge as the place of the buriall the lights the ringing and such like although euen these things proceeding of loue and deuotion be after a sorte meritorious to the doers and a helpe to them for whome they be procured and good motions and memories of mans duety For which causies those and the like haue bene vniformelie vsed through out the whole Catholike Church from the beginning But the principall thinges perteining to the iustes of the departed be prayers and sacrifice and other such like whereby they are assuredly much proffited by release of their paines So saith S. Augustine in these wordes Non existimemus ad mortuos pro quibus curam gerimus peruenire nisi quod pro eis siue altaris siue eleemosinarum sacrificijs solemniter celebramus Let vs neuer thinke that any other thinge properly apperteineth to the reliefe of the departed sauing the solemne sacrifice of the altar almes and prayer And therefore as the saide holy doctour confesseth the worthinesse of the place where man is buried of it selfe profiteth not at all but in respect of the holy prayers which be there rather made then els where and the patronage of holy martyrs and sainctes to whome he nothing doubteth but intercession may profitably be made for the deceased for which cause as it may appeare by Paulinus men were very desirous euer in the primitiue Church to be buried by some blessed martyrs body And so must we thinke also of buriall by the reuerent holy sacrament that it wonderfully helpeth man not for the placeis sake although the deuotion of the desirer is therin commēdable but because the liuing may there effectually commende the departed to God in the time of the holy sacrifice may be put in remembraunce to call vpon Christes blessed person there present for the soule of that man which with care and study laide his body in the hope of resurrection by the soueraigne holy body that is already risen againe And this was the cause that our forefathers from Christes time till our dayes haue had respecte and desire as occasion serued to be buried there where by ordre prayers and sacrifice were daily had and where the patronage of holy sainctes might best be procured It is a high point of wisdome surely good reader onely to see what godly wisdome our fathers vsed in shew of their zele faith and Christianity As it is an vntollerable arrogancy and a singular signe of infidelity to laugh at and blaspheme those thinges whereof not the prowdest heretike that liueth hath any intelligence at all Obcoecauit enim eos malitia eorum For their owne malice hath blinded them 3 But let vs now followe you into Africa First you allege Augustine in his booke de cura pro mortuis agenda wherin he is so full of doubtes that he knoweth not him selfe what to determine but that he will hold the common opinion receiued in his time But this pasteth M. Allen that you will content your selfe with Augustines authoritie that the pompe of buriall c. profiteth not the deade but that you will haue lightes ringing c. proceding of loue and deuotion to help them for whom they are procured If you may goe beyond Augustine why may not we come short of him But in the 18. chapter he nameth the sacrifice of the aultar to be profitable to the deade This soundeth somewhat like the matter but if it be well marked it maketh nothing for the propitiatory sacrifice of the Masse for euen in the same place he calleth it the sacrifice of almes which is but a sacrifice of thankes giuing And that by this sacrifice he meaneth not the body of Christ nor a propitiatory sacrifice is manifest in his booke de fide ad Petrum diaconum cap. 19. where he sayth that Christ offered him selfe for vs that sacrifice whereby God was reconciled and that the Church offered to Christ the sacrifice of breade and wine in faith and charitie which is a thankes geuing and memoriall of his death The body of Christ is not offered to him selfe but thankes giuing is offered to him for the offering of his body for vs His wordes are Firmissimè tene nullatenus dubites ipsum vnigenitum c. Hold most stedfastly and nothing doubt then that the only begotten sonne of God being made flesh offered him selfe for vs a sacrifice oblation for a sweete fauour vnto God to whom with the father and the holy Ghost by the Patriarches Prophets and Priestes in time of the olde Testament beastes were sacrificed and to whom now that is in the time of the new Testament togither with the father and the holy Ghost with whom his diuinitie is all one the holy Catholike Church throughout all the worlde ceaseth not to offer the sacrifice of breade and wine in faith and charitie For in these carnall sacrifices there was a figuring of the flesh of Christ which he him selfe being without sinne should offer for our sinnes But in this sacrifice there is thankes giuing commemoration of the flesh of Christ which he offered for vs and of his bloode which the same God shed for vs Nowe for the other poynt of inuocation of Sainctes M. Allen affirmeth that S. Augustine neuer doubteth but intercession may be made vnto them for the deade who so euer will take paynes to reade the treatise de cura pro mortuis agenda shall find nothing else but doubtes and questions of that matter as cap. 5. Cum ergo mater fidelis filij defuncti corpus desyderauit in Basilicam martyris poni si quidem credidit eius animam meritis martyris adiuuari hoc quod ita credidit supplicatio quaedam fuit haec profuit si quid profuit Therfore when the faithfull mother desired the body of her faithful sonne departed to be layd in the Church of the Martyr if she beleued that his soule might be helped by the metites of the martyr this that she so beleued was a certeyne supplication and this profited if any thing profited Here Augustine doubteth whether supplications to the Martyr profite any thing or no. Moreuer he can not
vnordered Apostates shoulder the ordinary successours of the Apostles Fâ—asting hath wonne the field of fasting chambering almost banished chastity It was surely a wonderfull fetch of our busy aduersary when he so ioyned heresy and euill life togither that either might be a singular garde to thother both togither easily be the plage of all good order And now the matter brought to such tearmes and so euident an ishue for the cleare gaine of sinne here nedeth no Caueat for the fruites of the doctrine as in other cloked heresies before and continually in case of deceit is requisite for no man can be deceiued here but he that willingly wittingly list perish Hauing no excuse reasonable why he should followe or credite the publike professours of plaine impietie vnlest this may be accompted cause sufficient of his light credit that they tearme the foresaid offences and others the like not by their accustomed callings but by some honester name of vertue VVhich thing rather sheweth their folly theÌ„ excuseth their malice For they must here be asked by what right they chaunge the names of things that can not alter their natures VVho authorised theÌ„ to call that extirpation of superstition which our fathers called sacriledge Or that blinde deuotion which our holy elders named true religion How can they for sinne and shame honour that with the name of holy mariage that S. Ambrose termeth adultery S. Augustin worse then adultery they with al the residue of the doctors horrible incest But because they can shew no warrant I must charge them for their labour with Gods curse pronounced vpon all such by the Prophets wordes thus as followeth Vae qui dicitis malum bonum bonum malum ponentes tenebras lucem lucem tenebras VVo to you that call euill good and good euill making darkenes light and the light darkenes But as I sayd in such open show of wickednes and all vnlikelihood of their assertions there can none doubtles ioyne with them except they be allured by present pleasure or driuen headlong by the heauy lode of sinne For as I thinke they doe not follow these sect maisters as scholars moued by any probabilitie of their teachers perswasion but rather ioyne vnto them as fitte fellowes of their lustes and good companions for their owne conditions Ostendisti tales discipulos sayth S. Hierom to Iouinian non fecisti Thou hast but opened to the world who be thy followers and not procured them thy selfe to be thy scholars Yea S. Paule affirmeth by such louers of lustes whom he calleth Voluptatum amatores that they should geue ouer the true teachers prouide or make masters for their owne tooth Ad sua desideria coaceruabunt sibi magistros Sinne therfore as it semeth hath ingendred and framed her selfe this new faith for the garde and safety of her person And the vngodly procured for their owne diet maisters of perdition ready both by life and doctrine to further the lustes of licentious persons to serue the itching eares of new fangled folkes so to set them in all securitie with wordes of peace and pleasure Call to your memories the first entraunce of this misery and you shall finde how they had certaine persons in admiration as the Apostle sayth for their owne aduantage Since which time these preachers haue by obseruation raised vp a perfect schoole of flatterie and brought the detestable excusing of most horrible sinnes vnto a formall arte It is long sith the Poete fayned that Gnato would haue bene the author of a sect and haue had some scholars to beare his name Here he might haue had for his turne but that the Epicure hath preuented him The Prophet Ezechiel termeth this pernicious flattery in matters of such importance the boulstering of wickednes And geueth a heauy blessing from Almighty God to all boulsterers in these words Vae his qui consuunt puluillos sub omni cubito manus faciunt ceruicalia sub capite vniuersae aetatis ad capiendas animas VVo be to all them that sowe cushens vnder the elbow of euery arme and boulster vp the heades of all ages meaning to catch their soules And surely if this curse tooke euer hold of any as it could not proceede from Gods mouth in vaine it must needes fal streight down vpon these men that wholy bend them selues thus to vphold iniquity and to set sinne soft To such as made no store of good works they cast only faith vnder their elbow to leane vpon To such as were burdened with promise of chastity they made mariage a cushen for their ease For such as cast an eye vppon Church goodes they borowed a pillowe of Iudas Quare non vaenijt trecentis denarijs datum est egenis VVhy is not this made money of and geuen to the poore And so in all pointes they artificially follow mans fantasie nourish the humour of the vngodly and preach peace with pleasure Commit what you lift omit what you list your preachers shall praise it in their wordes and practise it in their workes For looke how they teach and so doe they liue farre passing the Epicure who as Cicero sayth in talke praised pleasure but in all his life was full curteous and honest And much exceding Iouinianus who as Augustine reporteth of him being a Monke maintained the mariage of votaries but yet for diuerse inconueniences him selfe for all that would not be maried But ours being once in Bishops roome or of that disordered new ministerie ere they be well warmed in their benefices as in all other licentious life they wil lead the daunce so they must out of hand for the most part as though it were annexum ordini as schole men terme it haue a wife with necessary cherishing to that state belonging And good reason it is that these delicate doctors hauing euer in readines pillowes for their friendes ease should want whole coutches for their owne But it were to long a matter for me at this present purposing an other thing fully to declare how sinne in all pointes hath achiued such libertie by the vnhappy yoking her selfe vnto heresie Onely this may be noted briefly for that point that generally in the beginning of their endeuours they remoued with speede out of their wayes as especiall impediments and stumbling stockes all those meanes which Christ commaunded or the Church prescribed or our fathers followed for thabating of sinnes dominion that the world might well vnderstand they meant the extolling of all vice and to make the way for sinne and wickednesse First that soueraigne remedy of mans misdeedes that graue iudgement left by Christ to his Church for the weale of vs all that power which the Sonne of man hath in earth to remit sinnes the true court of mans conscience the very word of reconcilement and the borde of refuge after shipwracke which is the Sacrament of penaunce they haue to the vnspeakeable gaine of
person A childe then of this houshold continuing in fauour though he can not euerlastingly perish with the impenitent sinners yet he must being not by some especial prerogatiue pardoned beare the rodde of his fathers discipline And gladly say with the prophet In flagella paratus sum I am ready for the roddes And whatsoeuer these wantons that are runne out of this house for their owne ease or other mennes flattery shal forge let vs continue in perpetuall cogitation of our sinnes forgeuen and by all meanes possible recompence our negligences past Let vs not think but God hath somewhat to say to vs euen for our offences pardoned being thus warned by â—is owne mouth Sed habeo aduersum te pauca quòd charitatem tuam primam reliquisti Memor esto itaque vnde excideris age poeniteÌ„tiam prima opera fac But somewhat I haue against thee because thou art fallen from thy first loue Remembre therefore from whence thou fell do penaunce and beginne thy former workes againe And the consideration of this diuersitie betwixt remission had by baptisme and after relapse by the sacrament of penaunce moued Damascen to call this second remedie Baptismum vere laboriosum quod per poenitentiam lachrymas perficitur A kinde of Baptisme full of trauell by penaunce and teares to be wroght In which God so pardoneth sinnes that both the offence it selfe and the euerlasting paine due for the same being wholy by Christes death merites wyped away there may yet remaine the debt of temporal punishmeÌ„t on our parte to be discharged as well for some satisfactioÌ„ of Gods iustice against the eternal ordre wherof we vnworthely offended as for to aunswere the Church of her right as S. Austine saith in which only al sinnes be forgeueÌ„ Mary when occasion of satisfying for our offensies in this life is neglected or lacke of time by reason of longe continuance and late repentaunce suffereth not due recompense in our life which is the time of mercie then certes the hand of God shall be much more heuie and the punishment more greuous And this is with out doubt to be looked for that the debt due for sinne must either here by paine or pardon be discharged or els to our greater grief after our departure required CAP. I. 1 ALthough the argument of this chapter be but one yet I thought it good to diuide the answere into two partes The former part containeth his proposition the latter his confirmation And first concerning the sufficiency of Christes redemption there is nothing can be spoken so magnifically but that the worthines thereof passeth and excedeth it I will therefore agree with you in that you say of the comfort sufficiency and aboundant pâ—â—ce of the death of Christ and I would you would alwayes agre with your selfe in the constant confession of the same truth I receaue also that which you affirme that the benefit of his death extendeth also to the members of his mystical body But in that which you make to be the onely meane whereby the same is conueyed and applyed vnto vs I can not but dissent from your iudgement For the meane on Gods behalfe by which we are made partakers of the fruites of Christes passion and so grafted into his body is his holy spirite of promise which is the earnest and assuraunce of our inheritaunce who worketh in vs fayth as the onely meane by which the righteousnes of Christ is applyed vnto vs Eph. 1. And as for the Sacraments which you seeme to make the onely condittes of Gods mercy we are taught in the holy Scriptures that they are the seales of Gods promises geuen for the confirmation of our fayth as was circumcision to Abraham when he was iustified before through faith Rom. 4. You will vs in the margent to marke the grounde of your cause which is in deede a good admonition For seeing the grounde of your cause leaneth vpon your onely affirmation and is contrary to thautority of Gods word iniurious to the spirite of God and neglecting the fayth of Christ what so euer you buyld thereuppon must needes be like the foundation But howe shoulde your free will be maintayned if Gods spirite had any place that distributeth to euery one according to the good pleasure of his owne will. 1. Cor. 12. And how should the Sacrament geue grace of the worke wrought if fayth were requisite in them that receiue them Of like authority it is which you say that like effect is not geuen to all the Sacramentes Surely all the Sacramentes of Christes institution haue lyke effect in Gods elect But let vs heare your difference By baptisme all sinne committed before and the punishment thereof is clearely forgeuen by the Sacrament of penaunce though the sinne be forgiuen yet there remayneth a temporal punishment When the Pope geueth a general pardon à poena culpa doth he not it by the sacrament of penaunce if he do it by that sacrament then are temporall paines also remitted therby Thus one falshod ouerthroweth an other But Christ you say the author of this sacrament meant not to communicate such efficacie â—o this as to Baptisme Here are two assertions first of the author then of the force of this Sacrament but neither of both able to be proued by the word of god Neuerthelesse here is brought in that which is thought to be the piller not onely of purgatory but also of all other popish satisfactions namely the chastisement and correction that God ministreth to his children whose sinnes he hath pardoned which is not a satisfaction for the sinnes past but a warning for the time to come and is neuer accompted in scripture for an answering of Gods iustice but a token of his mercy being not the punishment of a iudge but the chastisement of the father to the amendement of his childe that suffereth and for an admonition of other that they likewise offend not Heb 12. And after this manner are also those places to be vnderstood where God is sayd to punish the offences of his children But whereas M. Allen allegeth the saying of Christ vnto the Angell of the Church of Ephesus Apoc. 2. But I haue somewhat against thee c. to proue that God hath somewhat to say for our offences pardoned I maruell whether he were sleeping or waking when he wrote it for there the pastor and Church is charged for their offence which is not to be pardoned except they repent if they repent to be clearly remitted But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or age poenitentiam with M. Allen is doe penaunce doing of penaunce with him soundeth to make satisfaction He professeth in one place his ignoraunce in the Greeke tongue but if he would but acknowledge what poenitere in Latine signifieth to be sory he neede not to haue occupied him selfe in alleging that place But proceding a litle further he maketh two causes why the debt of temporall punishment remaineth to be
eius I am sore vrged but better it is to fall into Gods handes for his mercyes be exceding many And so according to his election he had many thousandes of his people perished by Gods plague Of whose case S. Gregory sayth maruelous much in these fewe wordes Deus delictum delet sed inultum non deserit peccato non parcitur quia sine vindicta non laxatur God wypeth away mannes offence but he leaueth it not vnpunished sinne is not spared because it is not without reuenge released But before this he had a full warrant of remission of his horrible murder and adultery by the Prophet Nathan saying vnto him thus after his repentaunce Dominus quoque transtulit peccatum tuum nonmori eris veruntamen quoniam blasphemare fecisti inimicos nomen Domini propter verbum hoc filius qui natus est tibi morte morietur Our Lord hath remoued thy sinne neuerthelesse because thou hast made thenimies blaspheme our Lordes name by this worde thy sonne which is borne vnto thee shall dye the death Of which matter S. Augustine by occasion talking against Faustus asketh what maner of pardon it was that the Prophet brought from God vnto Dauid And he answereth thus Ad quam rem nisi ad sempiternam salutem neque enim praetermissa est in illo secundum Dei comminationem flagelli paterni disciplina To what ende else had he his pardon but to euerlasting-saluation For he scaped not the scourge of his fathers discipline according as the threatning of God before did portend All the forsaâ—d examples then being so euident they must needes conclude this assuredly that after our offences be remitted there commonly yet remaineth some paine and right debt to be discharged by the offenders punishment before he receiue the ample benefite of eternall saluation 2 Now commeth in the colourable confirmation of this false proposition and that by examples of the holy Scripture which must therefore more diligently be wayed because they are so seldom alleged But first he must rayle a crash at the forsaken Protestantes which would so gladly liue at ease in their onely faith that they list neither to satisfie for their sinnes nor to procure Gods mercy with good workes Doubtles M. Allen they list not by seeking to iustifie them selues procure to be forsaken of god But you Papistes are they that seeke to iustifie your selues like the olde pharisees and boast of your prayers fastings and satisfactions but God knoweth what you are within As for our onely faith shall stand before God when your infidelity shall condemne you and the fruites of our onely faith shall appeare to Gods glory when the vayne bragge of your meritorius workes shal be discouered to your eternall shame But to come to your examples I must admonish the Reader that neither your wit memory diligence nor learning deserueth any commendations for alleging them that haue so often before bene abused by all them that of your side haue defended your cause of whom you are but a translator or borower not an author or obseruer your self And therefore I might iustly referre the Reader to the learned and godly aunswers of so many as haue impugned this heresie before but because euery man either can not or will not seeke further then this booke I will briefly aunswere euery example as it is an easy matter to doe they are so vnfitly applyed to the purpose for which they are alleged The first example is of our first parent Adam whose sinne though it were pardoned through Christ yet he and all his posterity feeleth the punishment thereof An argument very farre fetched to maintayne the paynes of purgatory The miseries of this life in that they be common to the godly with the wicked they sufficiently declare that they are no satisfaction for sinne but a demonstration of our miserable condition to humble vs make vs desirous of restitution by christ And although they were enioyned by the curse of God against sinne yet to those that are deliuered from the curse of God by the blessed seede Iesus they also are conuerted into blessings Hereof the godly reioyse in afflictions knowing that afflictions worke patience patience worketh trial triall hope and hope confoundeth not yea by them we are made conformable vnto Christ that suffering with him we may raigne with him Rom. 5. 8. As for that which Adam suffered after his death when you haue declared it then will I also confute it Next followeth the examples of the Israelites which often fell were punished and rose againe The former example was not so farre of in tyme as this is in matter for that example although it were impertinent yet it had some similitude with the cause for that Adam was pardoned and yet bare some part of punishmeÌ„t But here are brought in the whole people among whom many were wicked and commonly more hypocrites then true Israelites and yet the very text alleged out of the 88. Psalme declareth that the godly children which were punished were chastised in mercy and not condemned by iustice And as for the saying of god Exod. 32. that notwithstanding he had pardoned the Israelites yet he would visit their sinne in the day of vengeance litle helpeth the matter For the pardon was generall to the whole people that he would not destroy them from being a nation as appeareth in the 14. verse of that chapter but not perticular to euery one that he would remitte their sinne take them into his fauour as appeareth verse 33. where he sayth that who so euer had sinned he would put him out of his booke The same answere serueth for the like text Num. 14. But Moises Aaron are examples of this matter most manifest I answere to the punishment of Moises Aaron as to the punishment of all other faithfull persons they were not to satisfie the iustice of God but to declare his mercy in admonishing them and others by their examples how odious sinne is vnto him and yet euen the chastisement of God is a benefite vnto his children not onely because it is a signe of his fatherly loue toward them but also because he conuerteth it alwaies vnto their reward and profit As in the example of Moises and Aaron it was a fatherly rodde to discharge them of guiding Gods people and entring into the lande of promise but in the meane time it was a great benefite that they were discharged of a heauy and troublesome burden and entred sooner into that land of eternall life whereof the other was but a signe and shadow And therefore the Psalmist sayth iustly of them that God was mercifull vnto them in reuenging their inuentions But because S. Augustines words may be of more credit with you he sayth of the death of Moises Aaron that they were signa futurorum non supplicia indignationis Dei. Signes of things to come not punishments of Gods displeasure Quaestion Num. lib. 4. Quest. 53. But the
example of King Dauid is counted a great and speciall bulwarke of this cause which notwithstanding is answered euen as the rest Dauid the child of God was beaten with the mercifull rodde of Gods fatherly correction and set as an example to Gods children of all ages to shew how God abhorreth murder and adultery And although the payne were bitter for the tyme as all chastisment is yet no doubt but he receaued great profite thereby Heb. 12. And as for the plague for numbring the people it fell vpon them for their own sinnes as the text is playne The saying of Gregory that God leaueth no sinne vnpunished which is pardoned if it be vnderstood that all the sinnes of the faithfull are punished in Christ which became sinne for vs it is most true But if he meane that God punisheth all sinnes that he pardoneth in the partyes them selues it is contrary to the manifest worde of God and infinite examples of the Scripture The Publicane the prodigall childe the debters all clearely remitted doe playnly proue that God freely forgiueth iustifieth rewardeth the penitent sinners without exacting any punishment of them for aunswering of the debt satisfying for the sinnes abusing his fatherly clemency Luke 7. 15. 18. Finally for auouching myne aunswer I would wish no better authority of the auncient fathers then euen that which M. Allen him selfe allegeth out of Augustine contra Faustum lib. 23. cap. 67. that the punishment of Dauid was flagelli paterni disciplina the chastisement of Gods fatherly scourge as he doth most playnly declare the same in his booke de peccatorum meritis ac remissione lib. 2. cap. 33. and for a flatt conclusion contradictory to M. Allens assertion I will vse the very wordes of Chrysostome in the 8. Hom. vppon the Epistle to the Rom. Vbi venia ibi nulla erit poena Where there is forgeuenes there is no punishment The double and doubtfull shiftes of our aduersaries pressed by this conclusion are remoued and it is proued against one sort that these foresayde scourges vvere in deede punishments for sinnes remitted And agaynst thother sect that this transitory payne hath often endured in the next life CAP. II. 1 ANd the weight of this foresayd grounde hath euer pressed the aduersaries of truth so sore that beholding as it were a farre of what inconuenience this might import they euer busily endeuored to stay the beginning of their likely ouerthrow But yet as it was and will be for euer noted in false teachers they seeke diuerse escapes so disagreable that one hindereth an other and neither of them helpes their owne cause One sorte not so impudent but a great deale more foolish then their fellowes agree by force of the places named and euidence of the examples that there is punishment to be suffered and some temporall paine remane at to be discharged in this world after remission of sinne but for the next after this life so fearde they be of purgatory they will haue none at all Thother secte maisters fearing what might follow on that graunt in no case will confesse that there is any payne due for sinne in this world or the next after the fault be once remitted For Caluine capitaine of this latter baÌ„d saw well that if any debt or recompense remaine to be discharged by the offender after his reconcilement it must needes â—ise by proportion weight continuance number and quantity of the faultes committed before VVhereby it must of necessity be induced that because euery man can not haue time either for the hugenesse of his sinnes past or his late repentaunce or his carelesse negligence to repay all in his life that there is all or some part aunswerable in the next world to come And therefore boldly and impudently as in case of this necessity he aduentureth to deny with shame that any of all these painfull miseries be as punishments for the sinnes of the sufferers but certaine fatherly checkes exercises of patience and vertue rather then afflictions enioyned for sinnes VVhich vaine shift hath no bearing by reason or text of Scripture but onely is vpholden by the exercised audacity of the author CAP. II. 1 IF M. Allens titles of his chapters were as sufficient reasons as they be bolde affirmations there were no man able to stand against him But I can well compare them to the arguments of those vayne fables that were wont to be printed in english of Beuis of Hampton Guy of VVarwick such like where the arguments shew how such a Knight ouercame such a Gyant how such a sorcerer wrought such a miracle which are tould as confidently as though they were true and yet there is no man of meane witte so ignoraunt but he knoweth them to be fayned fantasies Euen so with M. Allen to affirme is to proue to deny is to confute briefly in his titles and at large in his chapters But if he would as he pretendeth haue remoued all those reasons that we bring against his false conclusion or any of them all he must haue proued that Christ hath not satisfied the iustice of God perfectly by his death and suffering that God doth not freely forgeue vs our sinnes that he is stil an angry Iudge against them that put their trust in him He must haue proued against Ezechiel that what tyme so euer a man doth truely repent the Lord doth not put all his sinnes out of his remembraunce against Dauid that he hath not remoued our sinnes from vs as farre as the East is from the West Against S. Iohn that if any man sinne after Baptisme Iesus Christ is not our aduocate with the father and propitiation for our sinnes If he could say any thing against these reasons authorities with an hundred more of the same sort he were worthy to be heard But because that is to hard a matter for him to take in hand without all shame or shew of truth most impudently he fayneth a contrariety betwene Melanthon and Caluine but not once noting by one letter where the same is to be found in any of their workes lest their manifest wordes out of the same places being brought against him should reproue his shamelesse lying Melancthon he saith acknowledgeth some temporal payne after remission of sinnes to be discharged in this life but not in the life to come Caluin wil haue none at all O brasen face and yron forhead doth Caluine deny thafflictions of this life or Melancthon affirme that they are suffered for satisfaction of our sinnes Doth Melancthon deny the passion of Christ to be a perfect aunswering of the iustice of God or Caluine affirme thereby to be taken away the mercyfull correction of God Would God that all that professe the religion of Christ agreed in all pointes as truely as they doe in this But admitte that M. Melancthon or any man beside should graunt that the sufferinges of the godly in this life are some parte of satisfying vnto the iustice of
God what were purgatory promoted thereby Forsoth then of necessitie it must be induced that some parte of these sufferinges are aunswerable in the next worlde to come what necessitie call you this euen such as he suffereth which being bounde hande and foote with a strawe can not steare to helpe him selfe But lette vs see this adamantine chayne of Maister Allens necessity If any punishment remayne it must needes ryse by proportion weyght continuaunce number and quantity which if it be not all discharged in this lyfe then it is to be aunswered in the lyfe to come By proportion Maister Allen What proportion Arithmeticall or Geometricall If it be by arithmeticall proportion then so many thousandes of sinnes whereof euery one deserueth one death must be punished by so many thousand deathes If by geometricall proportion then so many offences committed against that infinite maiesty can not be aunswered but by infinite and eternal punishment and which way so euer you take it by weight number time or measure it is euident that while you seeke for purgatory you haue founde out hell For otherwise saith the spirite of God in the person of the faithfull He hath not dealt with vs according to our sinnes neither rewarded vs after our iniquities Psal. 103. But as heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercy as a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lorde compassion on them that feare him This is an other maner of proportion M. Allen then you Papists can skill of which thinke such a necessity to be of this conclusion that if any sinnes be punished in this life they must be punished after this life also For if nothing but iustice be sought against sinnes then followeth nothing but eternal damnation if mercy may moderat the matter what necessity is in this consequence some sinnes are sometime punished in this life ergo in the life to come Thus I haue reasoned supposing that any man had graunted that the iustice of God must be satisfied with our sufferings in this life for I my selfe had rather see the Pope at the deuill then I would affirme the sufferings of Christ to be vnsufficient to aunswere perfectly the iustice of god But behold christian reader the blasphemy of these popish serpents first they will seeme in wordes throughly to acknowledge the benefite of Christes passion lest that euery man that heareth them speak should spit at them When they haue thus obtained audience then they will gather in them selues begin in some part to diminish the perfection therof so proceede vntill they haue in deede though not in wordes cleane excluded Christ and all his merits whereof thou hast a plaine example in this hipocrite who in the beginning of his first chapter confesseth liberally the effect of Christes death â–ª afterward restraineth the force thereof to sinnes committed before baptisme then bringeth in punishment for aunswering the iustice of God in this life afterward extendeth the same vnto the life to come last of all estemeth the punishment by proportion weight continuance number quantity of the faults committed which of necessity thrusteth backe againe the sinnes into eternall torments And what then becommeth of the propitiation for our sinnes purchased vnto vs by the bloud of the sonne of God 2 S. Paule in playne words writeth Corpus mortuum est propter peccatum stipendium peccati mors est The body is dead because of sinne and death is the reward of sinne And so of Dauid because thou hast slayne Vrias Non recedet gladius de domo tua saith the Scripture The sword shall not depart thy house And againe because thou hast made the enemies blaspheme my name thy child shall dye And of the people of Israell Visitabo hoc peccatum eorum I will visite this sinne of theirs also Yet in this light of Scripture whereas the punishment is named so it is expresly mentioned that sinne is the proper cause thereof the aduersary seeketh a blinde mist to dase the simplicity of the reader and to maintaine errour It helpeth our cause exceding much that the very shew of an argument driues them to such vnseemely shiftes S. Augustines wordes shall for me sufficiently refute this errour Veritatem dilexisti impunita peccata eorum etiam quibus ignoscis non reliquisti He speaketh to God in the Prophets person Thou loues righteousnes hast not left vnpunished no not the sinnes of them whom thou louest Notwithstanding this is very true that all these afflictions though they come of sinne aâ—d for the rewarde of mans offences yet God of mercy turneth them to the exercise of vertue and benefite of such as shal be saued But it is one thing to dispute of what cause they come and an other to reason of the wisedom of God in the vse of the same VVho as the said Augustine witnesseth is so mighty in his prouident gouernaunce that he is able to turne euen the very sinnes them selues to the benefite of such as by grace and mercy shal be raised vp to saluation And much more is he ready to frame the punishment which he him selfe of iustice worketh for correction of sinners to the saluation of the elect 2 This peace should proue that the fatherly rodde of Gods mercy is a sword of his iustice to punish those sinnes that are remitted But what maner of proues bringeth he S. Paule he sayth in plaine wordes writeth the body is deade because of sinne and death is the reward of sinne In deede S. Paule writeth so but is the mercy of God turned therfore into iustice or his rodde into a sworde or he from a mercifull father into an angry iudge to omit howe vnfitly he ioyneth these 2. places togither whose sense is so farre differing for in the former saying Rom. 8. he speaketh of the relicks of sinne that are not altogither abolished in them that are regenerate in the latter Rom. 6. he sheweth that they which serue sinne deserue eternall damnation what is this to the proofe of his conclusion but his purpose was onely to make some shewe of variety of places for by and by he returneth to the places alleged and aunswered before of Dauid and of the people of Israell whereunto he adioyneth the saying of Augustine that God leaueth not the sinnes of them vnpunished whome he hath pardoned One aunswere serueth al if there were ten times as much of this sort That God punisheth not to satisfie his iustice but to shew his mercy toward his children to bring them to repentaunce to humble them to make them beware of the like sinnes to admonish others by their example but in no wise that they should make a mendes by due punishment for that which by transgression was committed which aunswere howsoeuer he would seeme to eleuate by wordes yet he bringeth no matter against it but euen the places by him selfe alleged in the chapter before which either all or almost all doe
plainly confirme it as is before noted and none of them all confute it 3 But now the other sorte which be more curteise and confesse that in this world the iust may suffer of reason for his sinnes already remitted but not in the next life as their doctrine is very vntrue so it geueth great liceÌ„se and liberty to euill liuerâ— and is the very mother of presumption For if man were suere to be discharged at his departure hense of all paine for his sinnes then certes were it madnesse to trauell in this life further for his offensies then he must of necessitie Yea more it maketh the case of greuous sinners till the houre of their death so that they then at last repent much better then of small offenders conuerted longe before For these must be punished in their life the other can not be punished as these suppose after their death VVhat a vaine absurdity is this that the prophet offending once or twise in all his time shoulde suffer so heuie iudgement and the party which abideth in wickednesse till the ende of his life when sinne rather leaueth him then he sinne must because of his late conuersion without paine be caried at ease to heauen This is not doubtlesse semely to Gods iustice and ordinaunce whose wayes be truth and vprightnesse Est apud iudicem iustum poenae moderatio non solum pro qualitate sed etiam pro quantitate To a iust iudge there must be consideration had of punishment both for the quality quantity so saith Origine And the holy Scripture thus Quantum glorificauit se in delitijs fuit tantum date illi tormentum luctum Looke how high she exalted her selfe and how delicatly she liued and geue her so much woe and torment againe It is spoken as of Babylon in the reuelations of Saint Iohn And because this toucheth our matter and the very point thereof I will stand with the aduersarie the longer Here then I aske him why God taketh punishment in this worlde for sinne already remitted His aunswere must needes be for the reuenge and hatered of sinne and satisfying of iustice Nowe then doth God practise iudgement and iustice no where but in this worlde Or if it be not here aunswered because of lacke of space or late reconciliation of the offender shall our lorde of necessitie be forced to remitte the debte and release his sentence of iustice for lacke of meanes to punish in an other worlde No no Gods haÌ„de is not abbridged by the termes of this life Late repentaunce can be a benefit to no man God forbid it shoulde Especially seing punishment and iudgement for sinne as many learned do suppose and as reason with scripture beareth properly apperteineth not to this worlde but by a speciall grace and singular benefite which God of pity graunteth to such as he loueth that they may here preuent his anger which else in the next life should be found more greeuous where properly is the reward of sinne and iudgement kept ordinarily for the same As it is playne mercy grace when man may take punishment of him selfe as S. Paule sayeth and be his owne correctour to auoyde the iudgement of god And thereof the next life is termed commonly dies Domini where there is no place for our working but sufferance alone where the accompt of mans life must be straitly required and the sinnes euen of the iust not otherwise amended sharpely visited Therefore if Melanthon graunt that the righteous and reconciled persons may iustly beare the scourge of God for satisfying for their sinnes before pardoned in this world where though punishment be exercised for wickednesse properly yet at the least not so ordinarily as in the next wher God hath layd vp the great store of rewarde as wel for the good as the badde he must needes by force of reason acknowledge that the world to come is no lesse if it be not more appoynted of our Lord for iust iudgeing of our faultes forgiuen then the time of this present life whereas many an euill liuer escapeth all punishment so diuerse of great vertue suffer full greeuous torments Excellently well sayd S. Augustine Multa mala hic videntur ignosci nullis supplicijs vindicari sed eorum poenae reseruantur in posterum c much euill may seeme here to be pardoned and without all punishment released but the payne for such thinges is reserued til the world to come 3 He ascribeth more curtesie to the other sort whose opinion is of his owne framing but yet they please him not altogither because their doctrine geueth licence to euill liuers For if a man were sure to be discharged at his death for all payne for his sinne then it were madnes to trauaile further for his offences in this life then he must needes M. Allen speaketh here according to his owne affection the sence of all Papistes which will take no paynes to please God but onely for their profite they will not bestow one halfe peny for the loue of God nor suffer a fillippe for the glory of God but for the satisfaction of their sinnes and increase of their merittes And therefore that which is the chiefe cause that doth and ought to moue and the principall ende for which all godly men are moued to seeke to please God by good workes namely the loue of God and the glory of God the Papistes thinke to preuaile with no man because they are voyd of it them selues But may not a man now iustly enforce that the opinion of purgatory satisfactions of sinnes after this life is the very doctrine of licentiousnes to maintayne wicked men in their presumptuousnes For what hast will they make to amendement newnes of life when they haue hope of release after their death The other absurdity riseth of deuilish enuy that God shoulde be more liberall to them that repent at the houre of death then to them that were but small offenders conuerted long before And therefore M. Allen I wil aunswere you as the housholder aunswered those murmurers which grudged that they which wrought but an houre were made equall in reward with those that had borne the burthen heat of the day Is thy eye euil because God is good is it not lawfull for him to doe what he will with his owne Matth. 20. But this is that which alway deceiueth the papistes because they measure the reward by iustice and not by mercy I thinke M. Allen is angry with Christ that he did not send the penitent theefe into purgatory but euen that day promised to be with him in paradise For Origen is alleged to proue that a iust Iudge must haue consideration of punishment both for quality and quantity He neuer thinketh of Châ—ist all this while who was striken for our sinnes and wounded for our iniquities in whose punishment God had regard of such quality and quantity as his iustice required Es. 53. For the
chastisement of our peace was layd vpon him but we say with the prophet Lord if thou looke straightly to our sinnes who were able to abide it but with thee there is mercy therefore thou shalt be feared Psa. 130. But for a stronger proofe there is alleged a place out of Apoc. 18. looke howe high Babylon did exalt her self how delicatly she liued geue her so much woe torment againe Now I promise you I will say M. Allen is a cunning Logitian if he can draw a good argument out of this place to proue that God punisheth his children to satisfy his iustice The whorish church of Rome is iustly condemned to eternal torments for her pride voluptuousnes there ore Gods children are punished to aunswere the iustice of god The people of God are commauÌ„ded to reward Babylon according to her wickednes and to spare her no more then she sâ—ared them in her tyrannye What pertaineth this to the afflictions of Gods Saincts But because this matter toucheth the point he will tary longer with his aduersary demaund why God taketh punishmeÌ„t in this world for sinne already remitted And then he will coÌ„pel him to answere for satisfying of his iustice which if it be not performed in this life it must be in the life to come This is a fine kinde of reasoning M. Allen that you will enforce your aduersary both to aunswere you also to aunswere what you list then you are good enough for him Is this the logicke of Louayne Nay you haue a finer reason then this punishment iudgement for sinne properly appertayneth not to this worlde but to the next life Then would I grossely inferre therfore the temporal paines that the godly suffer in this world be not properly punishments for sinne But it is of mercy and grace that they suffer in this life that I graunt but not to satisfie for their sinnes Of which matter you doe vntruely call Saynct Paule to witnes 1. Cor. 11. as wheÌ„ he is hearde to speake him selfe it will appeare manifestly If we would iudge our selues sayth he we should not be iudged but when we are iudged we are chastised of the Lorde because we shoulde not be condemned with the worlde Here is chastisement to amendement or obstinacy to condemnation but neuer a word sounding toward purgatory here is a manifest difference betwene the iudgement which God exerciseth towards his children which is chastismeÌ„t to auoyd damnation that iudgement by the which the impenitent world is condemned But in the next life you say there is no place for our working but sufferance alone c. what then shal other mens workes auaile when our owne will not serue and yet it is a matter not so fully agreed vpon among you papistes whether a man may merite in purgatory But to take your owne affirmation and not to charge you with dissention of other men because you dissent so much from your selfe who so weigheth the grounde of your first booke must needes confesse that it ouerturneth your second booke if the matter of your second booke be true then is the ground of your first booke false For the ground of purgatory you would make the iustice of God which requireth punishment for sinnes committed in this life but how can that stand if God accept the worke of other men to release them that should suffer by his iustice if these workes wil answere the matter theÌ„ there is no such necessity of purgatory to satisfie his iustice So that one of your bookes is a prety confutatioÌ„ of the other As for the saying of Augustine helpeth you nothing at all onely he sheweth that God punisheth not all sinnes in this world because many are reserued to eternall torments But howe vncertaine his iudgement was concerning purgatory in that Enchiridion ad Laurentium he him selfe most plainly declareth Tale aliquid etiam post hanc vitam fieri incredibile non est vtrum ita sit quaeri potest It is not incredible that such a thing may be after this life and whether it be so or no it may be doubted and either it may be found or else it may be hidde that some faithfull should passe through a certaine purgatory fier c. cap. 69. By which wordes it appeareth that Sathan was but then laying his foundations of purgatory had not yet finished this worke by a great deale and that this was not so graue a doctrine nor so constant a fayth of the fathers as M. Allen boasteth of in the former cap. Fol. 25. 4 But let vs steppe a foote further and yet so much nearer the matter and note well whether we may finde any case where the payment for sinnes remitted passeth the bondes of this life and so required in the next that by playne dealing and orderly proceeding we may the better instruct the simple confound the aduersary and make truth stand vpon it selfe Consider then with me that our first father pardoned of his sinne as I proued before was punished for the same with him all the iust of those dayes not onely in the time of this present mortall life but many hundreth yeares after their departure For whose deliuery the Catholike church holdeth and our Crede teacheth also that our Maister Christ descended downe into hell And that no man here be deceaued he must vnderstand that it was no smal punishment to be banished so many worlde 's togither from the land of the lyuing and to lacke the ioyfull fruition of heauens blisse which of it selfe but that it was not eternall had bene more then all temporall paynes that may be suffered And this to be one of those miseries which our first fathers disobedience wrought and so to be payne for sinne I thinke euery wise man will confesse Yea it was the greatest dominion of sinne that could be for the ouerthrow of which Christ him selfe vouchsafed to enter into the land of darkenes It is called of the Prophet lacus sine aqua a lake without water And of the Apostle Carcer a prison VVhere the fathers be also named vincti tui thyne that were bounde VVhereby we must vnderstand that Christ had a flocke imprisoned and bound for the debt of sinne in an other worlde But that we may make inuincible proofe that this their captiuity was a iust inioyned plage and penalty for sinne we must report what we finde in auncient Irenaeus of this matter And he affirmeth that Adam was iudged and condemned for his wilfull fall till Christes comming in these wordes Necesse fuit Dominum ad perditam ouem venientem tandem despositionis recapitulationem facientem suum plasma requirentem illum ipsum hominem saluare qui factus fuerat secundum imaginem similitudinem eius id est Adam implentem tempora eius condemnationis quae facta fuerat propter inobedientiam And straight after Solutus est condemnationis vinculis qui captiuus ductus fuerat
homo thus I english it It was necessary that our Lorde comming to the lost sheepe making a recapitulation of his appoynted ordinaunce and vew of his owne handeworke should also saue the same man which was formed after his owne image and likenesse I meane Adam then fulfilling the time of that condemnation which was for his disobedience appoynted and so the man ledde into captiuity was released of the bondes of his condemnation Eusebius Emissenus yet more expresly helpeth our cause as followeth Confestim igitur aeterna nox inferorum Christo descendente resplenduit siluit stridor ille lugentium Cathenarum disrupta ceciderunt vincula damnatorum Out of hand at Christes comming into hell that eternall darkenesse shined bright the gnashing of the mourners ceased and the brosten bandes of condemned persons fell from them Here loe many one by the iudgement of this holy writer were loused from much misery by Christes descending downe VVhere to our purpose we must especially be aduertised that all the iust in those inferiour parts were not in like felicity with our father Abraham or other of such perfect holinesse although he also suffered the common lacke in long looking for translation to ioy for some there were of meaner vertue yet in the fauour of God which suffered personall paine for purging recompense of their sinnes committed in this life of whome this Author semeth to meane And as S. Augustine supposeth the scripture must needes import such a like thing vndoubtedly teaching that Christ was not onely in the place of rest where Abraham and other in his harbour were but also in places of tormeÌ„t which could not touch his holy person Quem Deus suscitauit solutis doloâ—ibus inferni VVhome God raised vp againe after he had loosed hell paines Thus saith this holy Author Quia euidentia testimonia infernum commemorant dolores nulla causa occurrit cur illò credatur venisse Saluator nisi vt ab eius doloribus saluos faceret sed vtrum omnes quos in eis inuenit an quosdam quos illo beneficio dignos iudicauit adhuc requiro fuisse tamen eum apud inferos in eorum doloribus constitutis hoc beneficium praestitisse non dubito Bycause saith he euident testimonies make mention both of Hell and paines I see not why we shoulde beleue that our Sauiour came thether but to discharge some of the paines thereof mary whether he loosed all or summe whome he thought worthy of that benefite that woulde I learne For I am out of doubt he was in hell and bestowed that gracious benefite vpon some that were in paines Thus farre spake Augustine Let no man here take occasioÌ„ to thinke that this father ment of any release of the damned in the inferious hell for that errour he euer detested writeth earnestly against Origine for the same Then it must needs be that he spake of some which were in paine and torment and yet worthy to receiue mercy so he termeth their estate both here and in the xij Booke of the literall exposition on the Genesis where he hath the same wordes with more large proofe of the conclusion which neither agreeth with the state of Abrahams rest nor yet with the forsaken soules And the name of hell is now commonly taken for any one of the inferiour partes where God practiseth iudgemeÌ„t for sinne euerlastingly or temporally though as Augustine saith it caÌ„ not be found in plaine scripture that Abrahams happy resting place should be termed Hell or InfernuÌ„ But I neede not seeke further in the depe mistery of Christes affaires in the inferiour partes For as I am not ashamed to be ignorauÌ„t vpoÌ„ whom he bestowed the grace of deliuery so with Augustine or rather with Gods Church I dare beleue that he loosed somme vpon whome he exercised iudgement before And further may boldely auouche that as there were certaine at his comming downe not vnworthy after long paines tolerated to be released in his presens so there be yet some which by mercy and meanes of Gods Church be released daily Not of that sorte which died out of Gods fauour Quibus clausa est ianua misericordiae omnis spes interclusa salutis Vpon whome the doore of mercy and the hope of helthe be closed and shut vp for euer but of the iust departed in faith and pietie and yet not fully purged of all corruption of iniquitie 4 This man hath hitherto raked in purgatory nowe he will steppe a foote further into hell and all to finde a case where sinnes remitted are punished after this life and then he will returne againe into purgatory For this purpose we must consider with him that Adam and all the iust of those dayes were punished for their sinnes forgiuen not onely in this life but many hundreth yeares after their departure For whose deliuery the Catholike Church he sayth holdeth our creed teacheth that Christ descended into hell First marke how he agreeth with him selfe after how he cauilleth with the holy Scripture of god Here he sayth that Abraham and all the iust were punished in hell afterward in the next leafe he saith that all the iust in those inferiour partes were not in like felicity with our father Abraham or other of such perfect holinesse and in the next leafe after that he affirmeth out of Augustine that Abrahams happy resting place can not be found in Scripture to be termed hell But that the fathers of the olde lawe before Christ were not in hell although they were not nor yet are in perfect blessednesse God prouiding a better thing for vs that they without vs shoulde not be made perfect Heb. 11. It is to be proued with manifest argumentes and authorityes out of holy Scriptures For seeing they all beleeued in Christ they had euerlasting lyfe and entred not into condemnation but passed from death to lyfe Ioan 5. And to what ende was Christ called the lambe that was slayne from the beginning of the worlde but that the benefite of his passion extendeth vnto the godly of all ages alike Esay speaking of thè righteous that are departed out of this life sayth that there is peace and that they shall rest in their beddes Esay 57. like as he affirmeth that Tophoth which is Gehinnom or hell is prepared of olde for the wicked Es. 30. So that felicity and rest was the portion of the godly fathers of the olde time after their death and hell was prepared but for the wicked and vngodly The same doth our Sauiour Christ teach in the history of Lazarus and the rich man Luke 16. where the soule of Lazarus was caried by Angels not downe to hell but vp into Abrahams bosome from which hell is manifestly deuided when it is sayd that the rich man being in hell in torments lifted vp his eyes and saw Lazarus a farre of which wordes doe plainly confute that drousy dreame of the Papistes concerning limbus
still meaneth punishment is for no other cause enioined but to saue them from more greeuous torment in the world following In deede true repentaunce deliuereth men from eternall torments but what is this to purgatory euen as much as the saying of Augustine by him alleged where he sayth that God punisheth in this life with temporall paynes those whose sins are pardoned lest they should be reserued in finem that is for euer which is to be chastised by the Lord lest we should be damned with the world of which matter enough hath bene sayd already To conclude this chapter because the wordes following contayne nothing but a vayne repetition of that which he hath often sayd before the censure of excommunication with the power of binding and loosing remayneth still inuiolable to the Church nowe the opinion of purgatory is ouerthrowne as it did before the doctrine of purgatory euer came into the world That the manyfolde vvorkes and fructes of penaunce vvhich all godly men haue charged them selues vvith all for their ovvne sinnes remitted vvere in respect of Purgatory paines and for the auoiding of Gods iudgement temporall as vvell as eternall in the next life CAP. IIII. 1 THere be of the Epicures of our time that seeing the vsuall practise of penaunce not onely by the Churches prescription but also by mans owne voluntary acceptation openly to tende towardes the trueth and proofe of Purgatory haue boldely improued not withstanding the expresse counsell of the Apostle where he willeth vs to iudge our selues all chastisement of our bodies as vnnaturall torments to the iniury of our owne person and the excellencie of our nature CAP. IIII. 1 THat a detestable error may be defended with a shamelesse lye he beginneth this chapter with a deuilish sclaunder He reporteth that Melancthon but sheweth no place where lest his impudent lye might be euidently reproued doth boldely improue all chastisement of our bodies as vnnaturall torments to the iniury of our person and the excellencye of our natuâ—e and in a maner he is as bold with S. Paule whose expresse counsayle he sayth is that men should chastise their bodyes where he willeth to iudge them selues As though it were all one for men to iudge them selues and to chastise their bodies In deede else where S. Paule coÌ„maundeth and by his example commendeth christian chastisement of mens bodyes by abstinence and fasting and that not for feare of purgatory but for daunger of eternal damnation This doe I sayth he for the Gospells sake that I may be made partaker of it and agayne I chastise my body and bring it in subiection lest while I preach to others I my selfe should become a castaway 1. Cor. 9. So that all godly men did not chastise their bodyes in respect of the auoyding of the temporall paynes of purgatory as M. Allen affirmeth in the title of this chapter but contrariwise all godly men that followed S. Paules doctrine and example had also the same respect that he had But to returne to Melancthon it may be that in some place of his writinges he improueth the immoderate exercise of bodily chastisement by which some haue killed them selues some made them selues leapers some made them selues vnable to execute the office of ecclesiasticall administration whereunto they were called by god But in these cases he hath S. Paule for his warraunt who forbiddeth Timothe the drinking of water and willeth him to vse a litle wine because of his stomacke and his often infirmities assuring him that such bodily exercise profiteth but a litle 1. Tim. 4. 5. But that Melancthon improueth all godly chastisement of mens bodies and for godly purposes it will neuer be proued vntill M. Allen haue brought purgatory with all men in as great credit as euer it was with any man. 2 Against these corruptors of Christian condicions vertuous life though the examples of all faithful worshippers of God sence the worlde beganne do clearely stande yet the notable history of the Prophet Dauids repaire after his heuy faule because it hath an especiall warrant of his pardon a plaine processe in penaunce a goodly platte of due handeling the sores of our sinns after they be remitted and conteineth a manifest feare of Purgatory shall best serue our turne This Prophet then though he was assured of his pardon and afterwarde as I saide before by Gods owne hande punished yet crieth out with abundant teares Amplius laua me ab iniquitate mea a peccatis meis munda me More and more washe me from my iniquitie and of my sinnes purge me cleane Dauid offended sayth S. Ambrose as kinges commonly do but he did penaunce he wept he groned as kinges lightly do not he confessed his fault he asked mercy and throwing him selfe vpon the harde grounde bewailed his misery fasted praide and so protested his sorow that he left the testimony of his confessioÌ„ to all the world to come VVhat moued this blessed man by Gods owne mouth pardoned of his sinnes so to torment him selfe That happy awe and deepe feare of Gods iudgement in the next world which the cursed security of this sweete poisoned doctrine of our dayes hath now taken awaye euen that necessary feare of the thinges that might faule vnto him in the next life caussed this holy prince and prophet so to vexe and molest him selfe It was hell it was Purgatory that this penitent did beholde either of which he knew his sinnes did well deserue S. Augustine shall beare me witnesse in wordes worthy of all memory Yea the Prophets owne wordes vttered in a bitter prayer and a Psalme full of sorow shall beare me witnesse thus sayth S. Augustine Haec iste grauiora formidans excepta vita ista in cuius malis plangit gemit rogat dicit Domine ne in surore tuo arguas me neque in ira tua corripias me Non sum inter illos quibus dicturus es ite in ignem aeternum qui praeparatus est diabolo angelis eius Neque in ira tua emendes me vt in hac vita me purges ralem me reddas cui emendatorio igne opus noÌ„ sit This man besides the miseries of this life in which he was when he thus houleth wepeth further maketh sute and sayth O Lorde rebuke me not in thy furie let me not be one of them to whome thou shalt saye awaye from me in to fier perpetuall which is prouided for the Deuill and his aungels Neither yet correct me in thy wrath but so purge me in my life time and wholy frame me that at length I may haue no neede of the AmeÌ„ding fier So farre speaketh this doctor By whome we may learne that Dauid after sharpe punishment taken first at Gods hande and then in the middest of many miseries of this mortall life did yet before hande beholde the horrible iudgements in the next worlde the one for the damned soules and spirites the other for the amendement of such as God
After the sinnes of man be pardoned God oftentimes punisheth the offender the church punisheth him and man punisheth him selfe ergo there is some payne due after sinne be remitted Secondly this payne can not alwayes be discharged in this world eyther for lacke of space after the remission as it happeth in repentaunce at the houre of death or else when the party liueth in perpetuall welth without care or cogitation of any satisfaction therefore it must be aunswered in an other place Thirdly the common infirmities and the dayly trespasses which abase and defile the workes euen of the vertuous of their proper condition doe deserue payne for a tyme as the mortall offence deserueth perpetuall Therefore as the mortall sinne being not here pardoned must of iustice haue the reward of euerlasting punishment so it must needes followe that the veniall fault not here forgeuen should haue the reward which of nature it requireth that is to say temporall payne And therefore not onely the wicked but the very iust also must trauell to haue their daily infirmities and frailty of their corrupt natures forgiuen crying without ceasing forgeue vs our debts Quia non iustificabitur in conspectu tuo omnis viuens For no man aliue shal be able to stand before the face of God in his owne iustice or righteousnes and if these light sinnes should neuer be imputed then it were needelesse to cry for mercy or confesse debt as euery man doth be he neuer so passing holy To be briefe this debt of paine for sinne by any way remayning at the departure hence must of iustice be aunswered VVhich can not be without punishmēt in the next life then there must be a place of iudgement for temporall and transitory paynes in the other world The whole discourse made before hath geuen force enough to euery part of the argument the Scriptures doe proue it the practise of the Church confirmeth it all the doctors by our aduersaries graunt agree vpon it If they haue any thing to say here I make them fayre play the ground is open the reasons laide naked before their face remoue them as they can Lette them deale simply if they meane truely and not flourish as they vse vppon a false ground that in flowe of wordes they may couer errour or in rase of their smoth talke ouerrunne truth And that euery man may perceiue that we haue not raised this doctrine vpon reason only or curiositie although the graue authoritie of Gods Church might here in satisfie sober wittes we will now by Gods helpe go nearer the matter and directly make proofe of Purgatory by holy Scriptures reciting such places of the olde and new Testament as shall proue our cause euen in that sense which the learnedst and godlyest fathers of all ages by conference of places or other likelyhood shall fynde and determine to be most true Alleaging none els but such as they haue in the flour of Christian faith noted and peculiarely construed for that purpose which now is in question That the aduersaries of that doctrine may rather striue with the said saincts and doctours then with me that will as they shall well perceiue do nothing but truely reporte their wordes or meaninge Or rather that such as haue erred in that case by giuing ouer light credit to the troblesome teachers of these vnhappy dayes maye when they shall vnderstand the true meaning of the Scriptures the constant doctrine of the Catholike Church the wordes of all auncient writers the determination of so many holy Councels the olde vsage of all nations by humble prayers obteine of God the light of vnderstanding the trueth and the gifte of obedience to his will and worde Or if there be any so sattled in this vnlickely sect that he purposeth not to beleue the graue writers of olde times nor receiue their expositions vpon such places as we shall recite for that preiudice which he hath of this owne witte and vnderstanding yet let him not maruell at my simplicity that had rather geue credit to others then my selfe Or that in this hote time of contention and partaking in religion I do repose my selfe vnder the shadow of so many worthy writers as anone shall giue euidence in my cause CAP. V. 1 TRiumphing before the victorie and that is more before the encontry of hāde strokes for we come to ioyning but now you will now win your spurs or els it shal be a blacke daye with all Protestantes I will be as shorte in mine aunswere as you are in your arguments And that I may put on an armour of proofe to beare of your terrible haileshot your first argumēt hath neither good forme nor matter no more hath your second no more hath your third If you or any for you will prepare your selfe to geue a bitter charge either I or some other shal be redy to shape you an other aunswere But because here is nothing in this briefe ioyning but which hath bene largly discharged before in aunswere to your longe excursions it were nedelesse to make such vaine repetition as you doe especially in your last shorte argument in which space all the substaunce of your large booke might easily haue bene placed only to fil vp a competent length of the fift chapter and with such a tedious inlarging of a superfluous matter as a yong practiser of Rhetoricke would be ashamed to vse in a fayned declamation much worse becomming an auncient master of arte professing to trusse vp his arguments by Logicke to make a perfect perswasion As for the promisse of further proofe both out of the Scriptures and out of the doctors that followeth after this gallant ioyning and lusty challenge shall haue no preiudice of my disabling of the meane to perform it vntill it appeare by playne conference of his arguments and myne aunswers that his words are but winde and his promisse but pratling That Purgatory paines doth not onely serue Gods iustice for the punishement of sinne but also cleanse and qualifie the soule of man defiled for the more seemely entraunce into the holy places vvith conferēce of certaine places of Scripture for that purpose CAP. VI. 1 IF we well cōsider the wonderfull base condition and state of mans nature corrupted by our first fathers disobedience and more and more abased by continuall misery that sinne hath brought into our mortall life we shall finde the worke of Gods wisedome in the excellent repaire of this his creature to be full of mercy and full of maruell But proceding somewhat further and weying not onely his restoring but also the passing great anauncement to the vnspeakable glory of the elect there shall reason and all our cogitations vtterly faint and faile vs. The kingdome prepared is honored with the maiestie of the glorious Trinitie with the humanitie of Christ our Sauiour with the blessed Mary the vessell of his Incarnation with the bewtifull creatures and wholy vndefiled of all the ordres of Angels There can nothing doubtlesse
purged of the smaller spottes which sticke by him In the same sense doth Theodoretus both expounde the wordes of the Apostle and vtter his iudgement of Purgatory also and almost the rest of all the Latine or Greeke writers which my purposed breuitie with plentifull proofe otherwise forceth me to leaue to the studious reader 3 Next ensueth the authoritie of Ieronym or Bede or perhaps neither of them both but yet of some olde writer which holdeth that from light sinnes men may be absolued after their death by paynes prayers almes or masses This was a writer for M. Allens tooth but neither of antiquitie nor credit sufficient to cary away this cause The iudgement of Oecumenius and Theodoretus though they were writers about that time when corruption of doctrine had greatly preuailed yet are they not cleare for popish purgatory which the greeke Church although they pray for the dead yet would neuer agree to acknowledge 4 One place more I will onely adde out of Remigius because he learnedly may knit vp the place by ioyning both the Prophet and Apostles wordes together vpon which we haue stand so longe Thus that good author writeth Ipse enim quasi ignis conflans peccators exurens Ignis enim in conspectu eius ardebit in circuitu eius tempestas valida Hoc igne consumūtur lignum foenum stipula Nec solum erit quasi ignis sed etiam quasi herba fullonum qua vestes nimium sordibus infectae lauantur Porro his qui grauiter peccauerunt erit ignis conflans exurens illis vero qui leuia peccata commiserunt erit herba fullonum Hinc per Isaiam dicitur si abluerit dominus c. Qui enim habent sordes leuium peccatorum spiritu iudicij purgantur qui vero sanguinem habent hoc est grauioribus peccatis infecti sunt spiritu ardoris exurentur purgabuntur Et sedebit conflans emundans argentum colabit eos quasi aurum argentum hoc est intellectum colloquium vt quicquid mixtum est stanno vel plumbo camino domini exuratur quod purum aurum est argentum remaneat Et purgabit filios Leui In filijs Leui omnem sacerdotalem ordinē intelligimus a quibus iudicium incipiet quia scriptum est tempus est vt iudicium incipiat a domo dei alibi à sanctuario meo incipite Si autem sacerdos flammis purgandus est colandus quid de caeteris dicendum est quos nullum commendat priuilegium sanctitatis These golden wordes haue this sense He shall come as the goldesmithes fire burning sinners For in his sight a flame shall rise and a mighty tempest rounde about him by which fire our woodde hay and stooble shall be wasted and worne away VVith that he shall be like the clensers herbe whereby garments very much stained be purged To all those that haue greuously offended he wil be a burning and melting fire but to the light sinners he shall be as the washers herbe VVhich difference the prophet Esay noteth thus If our Lorde wipe away the filthe of the daughters of Syon and bloude from the middest of Israel in the spirite of iudgement and fire For such as haue onely the spottes of veniall sinnes they may be amended by the spirite of iudgement but men of bloude to witte the more greuous offenders must be tried by fire And he shall sit casting and purifying siluer and shall purge men as golde and siluer be purified that is to say our thoughtes understanding and wordes from impurity and vncleannesse as from pewter and leade by Gods fornace shall exactly be purged and nothing shall be left but as pure as golde and fine siluer And he shal purge the sonnes of Leui that is the ordre of priesthood where this heuy iudgement shall first begin For so it is writtē Time is now that iudgemēt begin at the house of God and againe Begin at my sanctuary If the priest must be purged and fined what shall we deme of other whome priuilege of holy ordre doth not commende or helpe thus farre goeth the author in conference of diuerse scriptures VVho with the rest of al the holy fathers that compassed their senses within the vnity of Christes Church hath founde by euident testimony of sundry scriptures the paines of purgatory which the busy heades of our time by vaine bragging of scriptures in singular arrogancy of their owne wittes can neuer finde 4 Last of all here is vaunt made of the testimony of Remigius as though he were a new author and perhaps M. Allen in his notes founde him so but it is nothing else but the saying of Ieronym almost word for word vppon 3. Malach 3. which before we haue shewed sufficiently to be mēt of the iudgement that Christ should exercise by his doctrine at his first comming and nothing at all pertayning to purgatory And therefore these golden words as you cal them M. Allen haue a leaden exposition when they be drawne from the preaching of the Gospell to the mayntenance of purgatory A further declaration of this pointe for the better vnderstanding of the doctours vvordes VVherein it is opened hovv purgatory is ordeined for mortal sinnes hovv for smaller offences vvho are like to feele that griefe vvho not at all CAP. IX 1 ANd I thinke they now haue small aduantage by the exception of Origens testimony by occasion whereof such light is founde for our cause that we now by goodly authority haue both founde the placies alleaged plainely to proue purgatory and also what sinnes it namely purgeth and what men after their death may be amended thereby That not onely the bare trueth but some necessary circumstances to the studious of the trueth haue bene here by iust occasion opened and all errour wholy remoued Except this point may somewhat stay the reader that heareth in some places the paines of Purgatory to be both a punishment for greuous sinnes and a purgation of lighter trespasses with all and yet that it now may appeare the contrary by the minde of some learned authors who expressely make that paine as a remedy onely for veniall sinnes and not to apperteine at all to the capitall and deadely crimes that man often times doth commit Therefore to be as plaine as may be necessary for the vnlearned or any other that is godly curious in things much tending to the quiet rest of mans conscience it is to be noted that this ordinary iustice of God in the life following for the purgation of the elect can not discharge any man of mortall sinne which was not pardoned before in the Church militant vppon earth And therefore what crime so euer deserueth damnation and was not in mans life remitted it can not by purgatory paines be released in the next because it deserueth death euerlasting and staieth the offender from the kingdome of heauen for euer no peine temporall in this
may be remitted that is to say either made lesse or els wholy released before the due execution of Gods sentence be extremely done For it is not ment that the freedom which man may haue after full aunswere and payment of his sinnes in that place of punishment temporall shoulde be properly termed a remission or pardon For that is aunswerable to Gods iustice and although there were no prayers or other wayes of helpe yet the patient by toleration in time might vnder the protection of Christes merites make full satisfaction and so be discharged who being a vessell of mercy can not be damned But when we say that sinnes may be forgeuen in the next worlde Gods Church which is the mother of all beleuers teacheth vs that some parte as well of the rigour and extremity of the paine as of the time and continuance thereof though God him selfe hath appointed that punishment may yet be mercyfull released 3 S. Augustine is much beholding to you that you giue men to witte that when he was wrangled withall by any misbeleuer he had occasion to wrest the Scripture otherwise then the words imported so you iudge of him because he would not for your pleasure expound the fire of tryall 1. Cor. 3. For your fire of purgatory But concerning this testimony of Augustine it maketh not so much against vs but it maketh as litle for you For if you haue translated his words according to his meaning as you haue not according to his wordes he vnderstandeth by this place remission of the paynes and not of the sinnes which helpeth you nothing to that which you haue taken in hand to proue that sinnes are forgiuen after this life And so he seemeth to say in the 13. chapter of the same booke Non autem omnes veniunt in sempiternas poenas quae post illud iudiciuÌ„ his sunt futurae qui post mortem sustinent temporales nam quibusdam quod in isto non remittitur remitti in futuro saeculo id est ne futuri saeculi aeterno supplicio puniantur iam ante dixi All they come not into euerlasting paynes which after that iudgement shall be to them that after death suffer temporall paynes for I haue sayd already that vnto some that which is not remitted in this world is remitted in the world to come that is that they should not be punished in the world to come In these wordes he speaketh of release of paynes but not of forgiuenes of sinnes But in the place by you alleged if the words be truly translated according to the discourse of that chapter he affirmeth that after the resurrection those paynes which the spirites of the dead doe suffer there shal be some vpon whom mercy shall be bestowed so that they shall not be cast into eternall fire c. So that Augustine in this place speaketh not of such sinnes as are remitted in purgatory but of such persons as are forgiuen in the last iudgement when purgatory is ended Wherefore though Augustine erred in this place yet he erred from your cause And whereas you affirme in the margent that sometime Gods iustice is aunswered fully by the payne of the party you are contrary to the rest of your family for they hold that the generall prayers and sacrifices of your mother Church doe help them Yea the maister of the sentence holdeth that a poore man hauing equall merites with a rich man though there be no special prayers masses fasting or almes done for him is holpen as well by the common almes and prayers as the rich man for whom speciall prayers and large almes are done lib. 4. dist 45. For otherwise the opinion of merites could not stand And vnlesse M. Allen thinke that all such masses and prayers in which the dead are generally commended be vnprofitable his proposition can not stand by his owne learning That the faithfull soules in Purgatory being novv past the state of dâ—seruing and not in case to helpe them selues may yet receiue benefit by the vvorkes of the lyuing to vvhome they be perfectly knitte as fellovv membres of one body CAP. II. 1 BVt now what meanes may be founde to ease our brethern departed of their paine or what wayes can be acceptable in the sight of God to procure mercy and grace where the sufferers them selues being out of the state of deseruing and place of well working can not helpe them selues nor by any motion of minde atteine more mercy â–ª then their life past did deserue VVhere shall we then finde ease for them surely no where els but in the vnity and knotte of that holy fellowship in which the benefite of the heade perteyneth to all the membres euery good worke of any one membre woÌ„derfully redouÌ„deth to all the rest This society is called in our Crede communio Sanctorum the communion of Sainctes that is to say a blessed brotherhood vnder Christ the heade by loue and religion so wroght and wrapped together that what any one membre of this fast body hath the other lacketh it not what one wanteth the other supplieth when one smarteth all feeleth in a maner the like sorow when one ioyeth the other reioyseth withall This happy society is not impared by any distance of place by diuersity of Gods giftes by inequality of estates nor by chaunge of life so farre as the vnity of Gods spirit reacheth so farre this fellowship exteÌ„deth this city is as large as the benefit of Christes death taketh place Yea within all the compasse of his kingdome this fellowship is founde The soules and sainctes in heauen the faithfull people in earth the chosen children that suffer chastisement in purgatory are by the perfect bonde of this vnity as one abundeth ready to serue the other as one lacketh to craue of the other The soules happely promoted to the ioye of Christes blessed kingdome in this vnitie and knotte of loue perpetually praye for the doubtfull state of their owne fellowes beneth the carefull condition of the membres belowe continually crieth for helpe at their handes in heauen aboue Nowe the membres of Christes Church here yet trauelling in earth they pray together they faste together they desire together they deserue together Christ our heade in whose bloude this city and society standâ—th will haue no worke nor way of saluation that is nâ—t common to the whole body in generall and peculierly proffitable to supply the neede of euery parte thereof He which instituted the blessed sacraments will haue them in this vnity to worke in common as farre as the ende of eche of their institutions requireth and out of it to haue no force at all he that maketh all our workes acceptable though they be done of one will haue them perteine to all the holy sacrifice of the Church by the will of the author and the likenesse of the exemplar as in deede being in an other maner the very selfe same is made so common that it ioyneth the Sainctes
lyr De fide operibus Cap. 16. Ench. Cap. 67. 68. Ench. Cap. 69. This clearkly argumeÌ„t our English apologie vrgeth Lib. 21. de Ciuit. 26. Cap. 16. Matth. 19. Cap. 24. lib. 21. Vide quaest 8. ad Dulcitium Cap. 110. Serm. 4. de sanctis De haeres ad quod 43. In Cap. 11. Prouerb Super. 3. Cap. 1. ad Cor. Super. ca. 3. Malach. In 3. cap. Malach. 1. Petri. 4. Cap. 4. I call stannuÌ„ peuter moued by the circumstaÌ„ce of the letter 1. Pet. 4. A mortall sinne not remitted in this life is not discharged by purgatory A deadely sinne remitted is in case of a veniall sinne De vera falsa poeniâ—ent ca. 18. Ench. ca. 71. Naum. 1. 1. Cor. 11. Act. 2. Dan. 4. Serm. 20. in Psal. 118. Psal. 65. Ibidem Vide Rupeâ—tum in 3. cap. Genes In Ser. de S. Nicolao Cap. 5. Lucae 12. 1. Petri. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Litigator seu actor Vide Bern. ser. 85. super Cantic Act. 10. De libero Arb trio lib. 3. cap. 15 Carcer Super. 5. ca. Matth. Lib. 21. de ciuit Dei. cap. 13. Ad Amandum epist 1. Epist. 2. See hovv fully he expresseth both the vvorde and meaning of purgatory He calleth the senteÌ„ce of God in the next life iudgement Markevvel Homil. 3. de Epiphania Dan. 7. Ezech. 24. He alludeth to the place of the secoÌ„d chapter to the Colossians of the obligation of death vvhich vvas against vs. Homil. 16. Tom. 10. In Psal. 103. In vita HuÌ„berti The difference betvvixt the Catholikes dealing the aduersaryes Iacob 5. 1. ad Tim. 5. Obiect Aunsvvere Diuersity of sensies be allovved so that none of them coÌ„teine any falsehood in it selfe The diligeÌ„t vvatch that the Church keepeth ouer the trueth Epist. 110. 12. Confess De doctri Christiana lib. 1. ca. 36. Obiection Aunsvvere Rom. 8. 1. Petri. 2. Matth. 3. Matth. 4. Iudas in epist Ad Gal. 5. Ad Haebr cap. 5. Articulo 1. falso imp The vvorde Satisfaction so abhorred of heretiks is common vvith the old fathers For Christes sake let all Catholikes here attende Ser. 55. in Cantic Naum. 1. Emissaenus de poeniteÌ„tia Niniuit Precat praeparatoria 2. ad mis. In Psal 118. Serm. 20. In Psal. 37. Note here Christian reder vvhether S. Augustine douted of purgatory as the lying vnlearned aduersaries vvould make the simple people beleue De vera falsa poeniten Cap. 18. The paynes of purgatory hath ben reueiled to many holy persons 1 Thes. 5. 2. Cor. 12. Apocal. 20. Ecclesi 4 6. 1. Reg. 28. Matth. 17. Intercourse betvvixt the liue and dead though it be not ordinary yet it is not impossible De cura pro mor. cap. 16 Matth. 12. VVicked men haue euer resisted the holy Ghost Lib. 4. epist. 9. Genes 37. Cap. 24. l. 4. dialogorum Cap. 13. li. 3. Lib. 5. ca. 13. P. Beda 1. Cor. 12. Damascenus voâ—at purgatoriuÌ„ baptisma ignis Lib. 4. Cap. 10. de ortho fid Ad AmanduÌ„ epist. 1. Epist. 1. cap. 4. Ambros. vbi supra Epist. 2. Lib. 20. Libro â— cap. 5. Cyrill The diuersity of the dâ—mneds case and of such as be temporally punished in purgatory Philip. 2. Vide Greg. 4. dialo 20. Isiodo de ordi creat Luke 11. Dan. 4. Lib. 4. Cap. 30. de sap 2. Cor. 7. Ambros. Rupert in 3. cap. Genes In orat pro defunctis A comparison of the mercy and iudgement of God tovvardes the soules in Purgatory that mercy is more Psal. 76. The motioÌ„s of Gods mercy In releasing or mitigation of the paine of Purgatory Psal. 76. Li. 1 de poenit cap. 1. A briefe note of the contentes and principall pointes of this booke Cap. 1â— Cap. 3. Cap. 12. Lib. 4. dialog cap. 19. Onely small offensies be remitted in the next life Serm 66. in Canti Cap. 24. lib. 21. de ciuit Beda in 3. Cap. Marci Sometimes Gods iustice is aunsvvered fully by the paine of the party 1. Cor. 12. August epi. 23. Idem tract 32. in Ioan. The christiaÌ„ communioÌ„ and fellovvship is expressed The soules depaâ—ted in pâ—ety are of our church fellovvship Lib. 20. de ciuit Cap. 9 Quaest. ad Ant. 34. The communion expressed betvvixt the liue and the dead by the naturall agreement betvvixt the vine in the fielde the vvine in the vessel Cal. Instit. Ad frat in herem 44. Gregori in epist. ad Bonifac Cap. 12. Take heede In heresi Aerij In oratione pro de funct Ecclesiast Hierrarch Cap. 7. Antiq. li. 1â— Cap. 8. Hiero con vig. Prayers for the departed agreeth to our faith of the resurrection and immortalitie Heretikes deny scriptures In prol mach Though against a levve or an heretike they coulde not proue any article of faith neither then nor novve by them Cap. 48. Cap. 47. Lib. 2. Cap. Cap. 36. In lib. pro defunct De cura pro mort agenda Augustines ansvvere to Pelagius denying scripture for that it made agaiÌ„st his heresie August de haeresib 24. haeres Tâ—rtul de praescrip Iren. cap. 26 libr. 1. Euseb. eccles histor lib. 4. De haeresi ad quod vult deum 30. haeresi The Churches vse in confirmation or publishing of the canonicall Scripture A necessary vvarning Iudas follovved the order of the church and not prescribed to the Church any nevv sacrifice or ceremony De vniuersa iudeoruÌ„ fide recitatur a Groppero in lib. de Eucharist Genes 23. Genes 50. Deut. 34. Eccles. 22. Super obit Theod. Geneua booke appointeth a still buriall Cap. 1. Fasting for the departed 2. Reg. 12. 1. Reg. 31. Tobiae 4. Ser. de cath sancti Pet. Lir. super huÌ„c locum Tob. 12. Act. 9. Sermo de initio quadrage Lucae 7. Ser. de eleemos Ioh. 11. 1. Thes. ca. 4 Homil. 3. 4. Reg. 19. Homil. 84. in Ca. 20. Ian. As prayers doe protest the resurrectioÌ„ so vnordinate mourning shevveth the lacke of beliefe therin Homil. 32. in Cap. 9. Matth. In his time the priestes vvere desired to pray for mennes soules A great decay of vertue in our time Iucae 11. 16. Dan. 4. Ecc. 3. Tob. 12. Iacob 2. Iacob 1. Serm. de Eleemos O that vvas a happy time Citatur à Dam. Marci 12. Matt. 10. The perfectest kind of almes Tob. 12. Lib. 3. in Iob. In compeÌ„d epistola ad Iacob fratrem domini Iob. 1 2. In 15. cap. 1. Cor. Homil 14. Ex Damasceno pro defunctis Psal. 24. In Athanasius his time candels vvere light in churchies for their sakes that vvere dead sicke or absent Athanas. authoritie onely vvill beare dovvn all heretiks in the vvorlde The name onely of Christianity lefte in many Deuotion much decaide somevvhat before this heresy began Can. 39. Cap. 2. Cap. 95. In vita Iosaphat Super obit Theodos. Iulio interpr De fide resur De Cor. milit In exhort Castitat De monogamia This heresy much ioyneth vvith the Saduces Psal. 13. Cor. 1. ca. 15 Lib. 8. CoÌ„st Cap. 48. The maister
penaunce there remaineth some due of temporall punishement for the satisfying of Gods iustice and some recompense of the oftensies past 31. chapter 2 The double and doubtfull shiftes of our aduersaries pressed by this conclusion are remoued and it is proued against one sorte that these foresaide skourgies vvere in deede punishments for sinnes remitted And against the other secte that this transitory paine hath often endured in the next life 43. chapter 3 That the practise of Christes Church in the courte of binding and loosing mans sinnes doth liuely set forth the ordre of Gods iustice in the next life and proue Purgatory 65. chapter 4 That the many folde vvorkes fructes of penaunce vvhich all godly meÌ„ haue charged theÌ„ selues vvith all for their ovvn sinnes remitted vvere in respect of Purgatory paines for the auoyding of Gods iudgemeÌ„t teÌ„poral as vvell as eternal in the next life 74. chapter 5 A briefe ioyning in reason and argument vppon the proued groundes vvith the aduersaries for the declaration and proofe of Purgatory 89. chapter 6 That Purgatory paines doth not only serue Gods iustice for the punishement of sinne but also cleanse qualify the soule of man defiled for the more seemely entrauÌ„ce into the holy placies vvith confereÌ„ce of certaine textes of scripturs for that purpose 92. chapter 7 That there is a particular iudgemeÌ„t and priuate accompt to be made at euery mans departure of his seuerall actes and deedes vvith certaine of the fathers mindes touching the textes of scriptures alleaged before 103. chapter 8 Origen is alleaged for our cause vpon vvhose error in a matter somvvhat apperteining to our purpose S. Augustins iudgement is more largely sought and there vvith it is declared by testimony of diuers holy authors vvhat sinnes be chiefly purged in that temporall fire 114. chapter 9 A further declaration of this point for the better vnderstanding of the doctors vvordes VVherein it is opened hovv Purgatory is ordeined for mortall sinnes and hovv for smaller offenses vvho are like to feele that greefe and vvho not at all 125. chapter 10 A place alleaged for Purgatory out of S. Matthevv vvith certeine of the auncient fathers iudgements vpon the same 132. chapter 11 An aunsvvere to certaine obiections of the aduersaries moued vpon the diuersity of meaninges vvhich they see geuen in the fathers vvritinges of the scriptures before alleaged for Purgatory and that this doctrine of the Church standeth not against the sufficiency of Christes Passion 148. chapter 12 An euident and most certaine demonstration of the trueth of Purgatory and the greeuousnesse thereof vttered by the prayers and vvordes of the holy doctors and by some extraordinary vvorkes of God beside 156. chapter 13 Of the nature and condicion of Purgatory fire the difference of their state that be in it from the damned in hell vvith the conclusion of this Booke 169. THE ARGVMENTES OF THE Chapters of the seconde booke THe preface of this booke vvherein the matter of the treatise the order of the authors proceding be briefly opened 180 chapter 1 That there be certeyne sinnes vvhich may be forgiuen in the next life and that the deserued punishment for the same may be eased or vtterly released before the extreme sentence be to the vtmost executed pag. 187. chapter 2 That the faythfull soules in purgatory being novve past the state of deseruing and not in case to helpe them selues may yet receiue benefite by the vvorkes of the liuing to vvhom they be perfectly knitte as felloâ— members of one body 197. chapter 3 VVhat the Church of God hath euer principally practised for the soules departed by the vvarrant of holy Scripture vvith the defence of the Machabees holy hystory against the heretikes of our tyme. 205. chapter 4 That the funeralls of the Patriarches both in the lavv of nature and Moyses and Christ had practise in them for the reliefe of the soules departed 220. chapter 5 Man may be relieued after his departure eyther by the almes vvhich he gaue in his life tyme or by that vvhich is prouided by his testament to be giuen after his death or else by that almes vvhich other men doe bestovv for his soules sake of their ovvne goods 238. chapter 6 Of certeyne offerings or publike almes presented to God for the deceased in the time of the holy sacrifice at mens burialls other customable dayes of their memories and of the sundry mindes kept in the primitiue Church for the departed 266. chapter 7 That the benefite of praier almes apperteyneth not to such as dye in mortal sin though in the doubtfull case of mans being the Church vseth to pray for all departed in Christes faith 271. chapter 8 VVhat that holy sacrifice is vvhich vvas euer counted so beneficiall to the liue and deade The punishment of our sinnes by the heâ—uy losse thereof The great hatred vvhich the deuill and all his side hath euer borne tovvardes Christes eternall priesthood and the sacrifice of the Church And that by the sayd sacrifice of the Masse the soules departed are especially relieued 288. chapter 9 That the practise of any poynt in religion maketh the most opeÌ„ shevv of the fathers faith And that all holy men haue in plain vvordes and most godly prayers vttered their beliefe in our matter 304. chapter 10 That vve all nations receiued this vsage of praying sacrificing for the departed at our first conuersion to Christes faith And that this article vvas not onely confirmed by miracle amongest the rest but seuerally by signes and vvonders approued by it selfe And that the Church is grovvne to such bevvty by the frute of this faith 328. chapter 11 That in euery order or vsage of celebration of the blessed Sacrament and Sacrifice throughout the Christian vvorlde since Christes time there hath ben a solemne supplicatioÌ„ for the soules departed 347. chapter 12 The heretikes of our tyme and cuntry be yet further vrged vvith the practise of prayers for the deceased their contrary coÌ„munion is compared vvith the olde vsage of celebration â—hey are ashamed of the first originall of their Christian faith they are vveary of their ovvne seruice they are kept in order by the vvisdome of the ciuill Magistrates and are forced to refuse all the doctors 364. chapter 13 That the praying for the deade vvas appoynted to be had in the holy sacrifice by the Apostles commaundement and prescription And that our doctors by the maiestie of their name beare dovvne our light aduersaries 386. chapter 14 The first author of that sect vvhich denyeth prayers for the departed is noted his good conditions and cause of his error be opened vvhat kind of men haue bene most bent in all ages to that sect And that this heresie is euer ioyned as a fitte compagnion to other horrible sectes 407. chapter 15 Their falshood is condemned and the Catholike truth approued by the authority of holy Councells Their pride in contemning the Catholikes humility in obedient receiuing the same And a sleight vvhereby the heretikes deceiue the people is detected 424. chapter 16 An aunsvvere to such arguments as the heretikes doe frame of the holy scriptures not vvell vnderstanded against the practise of Gods Church in praying for the deade or the doctrine of Purgatory 436. chapter 17 An aunsvvere to their negatiue argument vvith the Conclusion of the booke 448. FINIS