at the last appearing Finally the exact triall and purging that he speaketh of is the discouering of hypocrites by his doctrine wherof also Iohn Baptist preacheth that his fan is in his hand and he shall purge his floore c. To conclude that this may not be thought to be mine owne collection it is the iudgement and interpretation of Ieronym vppon this very text Malachy the 3. in euery poynt who with all his learning coulde finde no purgatory fire spoken of in this cap. Now to the other place o◠Paule that it can by no equity be drawen to purgatory for all M. Allens likelihoode numbring in the margent it shall be manifest by as many euident arguments First S. Paule speaketh not generally of all men but of preachers onely that are buylders of Gods Church Secondly he speaketh not of all their workes but of their preaching or building onely Thirdly he speaketh neuer a word of purging or making cleane of mens works but of the triall of the worke of building which is doctrine But what doctrine is tryed to be true or false substantiall or superficiall by the fire of purgatory Fourthly the workes are sayd that shall be tryed by fire and not the persons Fiftly the gold and siluer abideth the strawe and stuble consumeth through the fire of this triall which is the iudgement of God and not the paynes of purgatory And this is the iudgement of Ieronym vpon the place of Malachy before rehearsed where also he applyeth the text of Esay 4. before cited by M. Allen. fol. 59. The Lord sayth he is a consuming fire to burne vp our wodde hay and strawe The other obseruations be also taken out of that auncient doctor whose commentary vppon the epistle to the Corinthians hath gone vnder the name of Ieronym and is annexed to his workes sauing that by gold siluer wodde straw c. he vnderstandeth the men them selues and not their workes But as for purgatory he findeth none by that text S. Augustine also although otherwise inclining to the errour of purgatory yet he is cleare that this text proueth it not neither ought to be expounded of it and that he sheweth by many reasons Enchirid. ad Laurentium cap. 68. where he affirmeth that by the fire is ment the triall of tribulation in this life Chrysostom vpon the same text vnderstandeth by the fire euerlasting punishment euen of him that shall be saued through fire without any mention of purgatory except it be in reprouing them that denied immortall punishmēt to be meant by this place in 1. Cor. 3. Hom. 9. But if the place were to be considered absolutely without regard of circumstances as the Papistes doe when they expound it for purgatory yet can not it aptly be framed thereto because he sayth that euery mans worke or the man him selfe if they will shall passe through that fire but they thē selues affirme that perfect good men shall not come there at all nor very wicked men but onely men of a midle sort but by tryall of this fire whereof S. Paule speaketh good men shall receiue reward when their worke endure therefore this is not the fire of purgatory That there is a particulare iudgement 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 Scripture alleged before CAP. VII 1 ANd though such as shall liue at the comming of the iudge in the later daye shall then be purged of their corruption and base workes of infirmity by the fire that shall a better and alter the impure nature of these corruptible elements or otherwise according to Gods ordinaunce yet the common sort of all men which in the meane time depart this worlde must not tary for their purgation till that generall amending of all natures no more then the very good in whome after their baptisme no filthe of sinne is founde or if any were was wiped away by penaunce must awayt for their saluation or the wicked tary for their iust iudgement to damnatiō But straight this sentēce either of iudgement or mercy must be pronounced and therefore is called the particulare iudgement by which the soule onely shall receiue welthe or woe as at the day of the great accompt both body and soule must do Of this seuerall triall the holy Apostle S. Paule sayth statutum est omnibus hominibus semel mori post hoc iudicium It is determined that euery man once must dye and after that commeth iudgement And an other Scripture more expressely thus Facile est coram domino reddere vnicuique in die obitus sui secundum vias suas It is an easy matter before our Lorde that euery man at the day of his death shoulde be rewarded according to his life wayes Againe in the same place Memor esto iudicij mei sic enim erit tuum mihi heri tibi hodie Haue in remembraunce my iudgement for such shal thine owne be yesterday was mine today may be thine And therfore S. Ambrose sayth that without delay the good poore man was caried to rest and the wicked riche out of hand suffered torments That euery man sayth he may feele before the day of iudgement what he must then looke for And in an other place the same holy man writeth that Iohn the beloued of Iesus is already gone to the paradise of euerlasting blesse passing as few shall do the firie sworde at the entraunce of ioy without all stoppe or tariaunce because the fire of loue in his life time had such force in him that the amēding fier after his chaunge should take no holde of him at all so sayth Ambrose But of this priuate iudgement the Reuerend Bede hath a goodly sentēce in the fift of his historie Meminerimus facta cogitationes nostras nō in ventū diffluere sed ad examē summi Iudicis cūcta seruari siue per amicos Angelos in fine nobis ostendēda siue per hostes Let vs remēbre saith he that all our dedes thoghtes shal abide not be caried away with the winde but be reserued to the examination of the high Iudge so shall be laide before our face at our ending either by our good or aduersary Angels By all which it is euident that the soules sleepe not of which errour Luther was also noted nor be reserued in doubt of their damnation either perpetuall or temporall till the latter day but streight waye receiue as they deserued before in their life either welth or wofull paines In this day of our Lorde then this Purgatory paines must beginne to all such as haue after their Baptisme where they laide the foundation of Christes faith builded the workes of lesser sinnes and imperfection and not washed them a waye by penaunce in their life nor obteyned mercy for the same The which trueth the places of the Prophet and Apostle before alleaged with out all
incredulity to blaspheme these peculiar steppes of the spirite S. Cyprian complaineth of such misbeleuers in his time that woulde not agree to the trueth after especiall reuelations had of the same VVhich kinde of men he noteth in the latter ende of an epistle by these wordes Quanquam sciam omnia ridicula visiones ineptas quibusdam videri sed vtique illis qui malunt contra sacerdotes credere quam sacerdoti Sed nihil mirum quando de Ioseph fratres sui dixerunt ecce somniator ille venit Although sayth he I know right well howe litle accompte they make of visions which they esteeme as mere trieftes But yet it is such onely that had rather beleeue against then with Gods priestes And no meruaill that is seeing good Iosephs owne brethern saide by him in mockage Lo yender comes the dreamer So did they scoffe at him because he had more familiarity with the spirite of God then the other had 4 Now followeth a large and needelesse apologie of visions and reuelations the doctrine of which is briefely and plainely set forth in the worde of God what so euer is consonant to the word of God is to be receiued that which is not agreable therewith is to be detested although not a man from purgatory but an angell from heauen were the bringer of it Then seeing the doctrine of purgatory is blasphemous against the merites of Christes death though all those fables of visions that are fayned to defende it were true stories yet are we nothing moued with them I passe ouer the impudency of this man which is not ashamed to compare so many thousand fables or illusions of Sathan as are reported to the maintaining of purgatory to the reuelation of S. Paule and the Apocalypse of S. Iohn or the appering of Moses and Elias with christ They may be in deede a great nombre of them not vnlike to that spirite of Samuell which was raised by the witche which as Augustine affirmeth and M. Allen dare not simply deny was the spirite of the Deuill him selfe 5 Now as the ioyes of heauen Paradise with the tormeÌ„t of sinners and other secrets of the next life haue bin straungly represented to some one or other in all ages by sundry meanes most expedient to our saluation and most seemely to the wisedom and will of the worker so certainely no article was euer with more force of spirite or more graue authority set forth sence the beginning of Christian religion then this one of Purgatory Neuer nation was conuerted to the faith but it had this trueth not only taught by worde but by miracle also confirmed And namely in that aboundant floode of faith when it pleased God almost at once to spreade his name amongest all these contryes it was thought most necessary to his diuine wisedome together with the true worship of his name to plant in all faithfull mens heartes the awe and necessary feare of that greeuous torment for the reuenge and iust iudgement of wicked life This greeuous payne was vttered by the very sufferers them selues as we may see in the notable histories of Paschasius and Iustus reported by S. Gregories owne mouth This greeuous punishment was agayne declared by Furseus who as the reuerent Bede reporteth had the beholding of the eternall blesse the euerlasting miâ—ery and the temporall payne of the next life Drichelmus also by the ordinaunce of God taken from amongst mortall men into the state of the next world after he had seene likewise the terrible iudgement of God practised euen vpon the elect was restored to life againe in our owne nation and was a witnesse worthy of all credit of this same truth not only by his word wherof he was so sparing all his life time after that he would not vtter this same mistery but with singular care and respect of the persons intent that asked him thereof but namely by passing great penaunce and incredible chastising of his body which proceded of the sensible knowledge that he had of the paynes prepared And being asked sometime as holy Bede sayth why he so tormented him selfe in the willing toleration of extreme heate or contrary cold both of frost and snow he made aunswere simply and shortly Frigidiora ora ego vidi austeriora ego vidi Ah maisters I haue seene colder I haue seene sharper Meaning by the vnspeakeable paines of Purgatory The whole history of his visions with many the like may be reade in the Ecclesiasticall history of our owne nation written by as faithfull a witnesse as euer was borne in our lande of such vertue that he woulde begile no man willingly of so great wisedome that he woulde report no tale nor triefle rashly of such grace and learning that he was well able to disâ—erne a false fable and superstitious illusion from a true and diuine reuelation For as it were foly and mere vanity to geue credit to euery spirite so to condemne a spirite or reuelation or any worke of Gods finger approued by the Church of God in which there hath euer bene the gifte of discerning spirites it is properly a sinne against the holy Ghost And because euery man hath not that gifte as I woulde not counsell any man ouer lightely to geue credit to euery priuat spirite and peculiar vision because they may come of wicked intentes and sinister motions so I thinke it were good in feare reuerence and humility to commit the discerning of such thinges to the spirite and iudgement of Gods Church VVith the belefe of euery peculiar mans phantasie we are not charged with humble submission of our whole life and belefe to the Church of Christ there are we especially charged And because there is nothing reported either in the workes of S. Gregory or in Bede or in Damascen or in any other the like concerning the paines either of the elect or the damned in the next life but as much hath bene vttered before by all the holy and learned fathers in great agony of minde and feare of the saide iudgement we may be the more bolde to thinke the best or rather we are bounde to thinke the best of that spirite which so conformably agreeth with the doctrine of the Church and faith of all the fathers There can no man say more of Purgatory nor more plainely then S. Ambrose being in a maner a frade him selfe of wasting away in that horrible tormeÌ„t none more effectually then S. Augustine that confesseth there is no earthely paine comparable vnto it none more fearefully then Eusebius Emissenus who termeth it skaulding waues of fire none more pithely then Paulinus that calleth those places of iudgements Ardentes tenebras burning darknesse More peculiarly may the circumstances and condicion of that state by God be reueled but the trueth thereof can not be more plainely declared nor better proued These babes feared no bugges I warraunt you neither picked they Purgatory out of Scipio his dreame
children for a moment yet doth he not exact paines according to the measure of his iustice As for that Prosopopaeia of the mother opposing her to the father in worde is more rethoricall then Christian in deede and because it is vnfitte for the matter it is more of garrulity then of eloquence The rest of the exhortations are such as we haue hearde before to accept penaunce humbly to adde to the penaunce zeleously to merite while time serueth diligently c. 4 And for the other sorte which haue bene deceiued by the Maremaides song I shall humbly in our Sauiours blessed bloude beseeke them to consider with zele and indifferency what hath bene saide and whereon it standeth And if God him selfe hath in all ages chastised his best beloued people and dearest children both here and in the next life if the Church hath practised discipline by his authority vpon all obedient persons if all vertuous haue charged them selues with paine if all learned fathers haue both preached and done penaunce for the auoiding of paines hereafter prepared if the worde of God expressely make for this if all learned men with out exception beleued it and feared it if it agree with good reason if it setforth Gods iustice if it duely aunswere to the hatered of sinne if it raise the feare of God in mans hearte if it be the bane of prowde presumption if it be the mother of meekenesse of obedience of deuotion and of all good Christian condicions let it for Gods loue I pray thee once againe take place in thy harte and driue out that rest and quietnesse of sinne which these delicate doctors for thy present pleasure vnder the colour of some honest name haue deceitfully induced thee vnto 4 The conclusion hath an exhortation to those whome he termeth deceiued with the Maremaides songe to consider the weight of his arguments whereof he maketh a short recapitulation First if God haue punished his dearest children not onely in this life but also after this life then let purgatory haue place againe we are content but vntill it may be proued out of the worde of God that he hath punished his children after this life we are not bounde by this argument Secondly if the discipline of the Church the exercise of the godly the doctrine of all learned fathers that haue preached or done penaunce hath bene for the auoiding of purgatory then receiue purgatory againe But if the ende of godly discipline be either to heale the curable by repentaunce in this life or to separat the vncurable from infecting the sounde if the fructes of repentauÌ„ce and good workes of the godly are to be referred to the testifying of their repentaunce and their faith and to the glorifying of God if the doctrine of all the godly that haue preached and done penaunce according to the worde of God haue bene to the same endes we may not yet geue place to admit purgatory Thirdly if the word of God make expressely for purgatory we would not for our liues deny it nor doubt of it but if the word of God doe neither expressely nor by any probable collection allow but manifestly condemne it as blasphemous against the passion of Christ then must we still not onely exclude it from our beliefe but also abhorre it from our heart Forthly if all learned men without exception beleued and feared purgatory we will also beleue it and feare it but vntill that may be proued or that any godly learned euer knew of it for 200. yeares after Christ we must craue pardon of M. Allen at the least wise to suspend our iudgement Fifthly if it agree with good reason which agreeth with the word of God it were reason we should receiue it but we accoÌ„pt no reason good that is not consonant to the truth and therefore if it can not be wonne by Scripture we wil not yeld for any reason Sixâ—ly if it set forth the iustice of God to aunswere the hatred of sinne as God hath appoynted we refuse it not but if it be blasphemous both against the righteousnes of God and satisfaction for our sinnes aunswered in the sufferings of Christ and against his vnspeakeable mercies in prouiding such a wonderful meane of so perfect redemption we defie it and the maintainers of it Seuenthly if it rayse the feare of God in mans heart such as God alloweth we must needes accept it but if it rayse none but a slauish and that a vayne feare of torment and diminisheth the loue of Gods goodnes and mercy excludeth the peace of conscience there is no remedy but we must still reiect it If it be the bane of proud presumption we haue cause to thinke well of it but if it be the prouocation of deuilish presumption to ascribe more to our merits then to the mercy of God we acknowledge that it procedeth from the prince of pride and presumption against god If it were the mother of meekenes obedience deuotion and of all Christian conditions we were to blame if we would not entertaine it But if it be the father of fables and false worship of God the instrument of infidelitie and sleepe of securitie which are sworne enemies of all Christian religion we leaue it to Papistes deluded with the errours of Antichrist and nothing conuenient for the disciples and members of Christ whose payne is their purgatory whose suffering is their satisfaction whose merittes are their rewarde which are vessels of Gods mercy ordeyned to the praise of his glory 5 Aske once of thyne owne maisters if they be able to answere to any parte of this which I haue proued but by vnseemely wrasting of the Scripture shamefull deniall of the doctours or deceitfull colouring of nothing in vayne words without ground matter or meaning thou maist better beleue them and miscredit me But if thou finde they shall neuer be able to satisfie a reasonable man in this case then cast not thy self away willingly with them but betime turne home to vs againe I my selfe seeke no further credit at thy handes but as a reporter of the antiquity But the Scripture requireth thy obedience the Church which can not be deceiued clameth thy consent all the olde fathers would haue thee ioyne with them in their constant beliefe If thou did once feele what grace and giftes were In populo graui Ecclesia magna in the graue people and great Church as the prophet termeth Gods house or could conceiue the comfort that we poore wretchies receiue daily by discipline and perfect remission of our sinnes which can no where but in this house be profitably healed thou wouldest forsake I am sure al worldly welth wantons abrode to ioyne with our Church againe And that the name of the Church deceiue thee not this is the true Church sayth Lactantius In qua est religio confessio poenitentia quae peccata vulncra quibus est subiecta imbecillitas carnis salubriter curat In which deuotion confession and
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
gaue in commaundement that a memory should be had in the prayers of the Church for him as the custome was that all byshoppes after their death shoulde haue Here is now open practise of that which by wordes we proued before here is an euident testimonie of the vsage of the Greeke Church for the buriall of bishoppes and generall custome of keping their memoriall in the publike prayers and seruice of the Church It were not needefull to recite out of Eusebius the forme of Constantinus his funeralls kept in the same Church with solemnity of sacrifice singinge lightes and prayers Nor the buriall of the Emperour Constantius who as Nazianzenus writeth was brought forth with common prayses of all men with singing lightes and lampes all the night longe very honorably with which thinges saith he we Christian men thinke it a blessed thing to honour the memories of our freindes departed And if the aduersaries woulde here contentiously reason that these solemne rites of Christian burialls be nothing profitable or if the simple aske why they be profitable S. Chrysostome may instruct such as list learne and correct the other that list reprehende in these wordes Tell me saith he what all these festiuall lights in the buriall of the deceased meane what all this singing of Hymnes and Psalmes signifieth to what ende be so many priestes and musicians called together to which in fine he thus aunswereth do we not all these thinges to geue thankes to God and euerlasting glory that he hath deliuered the departed from the troubles of this mortall life do we not this to our comforte and honour of the departed And in the buriall of the Noble matrone Paula how the priestes did sing how the bishops of Hierusalem and of all Palestine and Syria for the most part caried torches how the religious both men and women did the rites of the dirigies how her almes folkes shewed their cotes to procure mercy euen as they did at Dorcas departure in the Actes of the Apostles how they cōtinued their singing and saying seuen dayes together at the Church in Bethleem where she was buried S. Hierom him selfe a true record thereof beareth witnesse in the like wordes as I haue recited and many moe which the feare of weereing the reader causeth me full sore against my will to omitte They so set forth not onely the substance of the thinge which standeth in prayer and sacrifice but also do proue against the enemies of good ordre that the smallest ceremonies that our Churchies of late haue vsed were not lately taken vp by our couetousnesse and superstition but with more aboundance and numbre and continuance and solemnytie practised in the flour of Christes Church in diuers principall partes of the worlde as at Hierusalem and Constantinople by the praysing and approuing of the grauest fathers of our faith 2 Why M. Allen what a mockery is this do you make bragge in the title of your chapter that you will shewe the practise of all holy men in words and prayers for the dead and nowe beginne your examples no higher then at Chrysostomes translation which was well neare 400. yeares after Christ The people with great plenty of lightes brought Chrysostomes body to Constantinople VVell this ceremony in carying torches at burialls being taken of the Gentiles they vsed to honour the memory of them that were deade as the ceremonies of the Heralds are vsed for the same ende What more The Emperour prayed for his fathers and mothers soules and as M. Allen thinketh but the story sayth not so he prayed to S. Chrysostome for them What else Atticus caused masse to be sayd for him that maketh vp all But where is any mention of masse or sacrifice of the masse M. Allen Are you such a cunning interpreter to expound celebrare sacra solemnia to say masse In deed such interpretations will help you well to finde that which else you might seeke long enough in the olde writers and goe without for all your labour It is all one with M. Allen to celebrate holy solemne seruice to say masse But you will say memory was made of him in the prayers so might there be and yet his soule not praied for ▪ but how agree you with your selfe M. Allen your opinion is that Theodosius praied to him as to a sainct in heauen howe then did Atticus cause him to be prayed for as one lying in purgatory I wisse you forget your selfe to much to vtter things so contrary so neare togither And as for the funeralls of Constantinus and Constantius what so euer you say haue no mention of Masse nor sacrifice of Masse In the buriall of Constantinus there is mention of prayer for his soule according to the error of the time and in the funeralls of Constantius there were lights but there is also shewed the vse of them as I haue touched already togither with the necessitie of some of them because they were lighted in the night The saying of Chrysostome with the example of the buriall of Paula shew nothing either of Masse sacrifice or prayer for the deade And whereas you bable of the rites of your popish dirige Ieronym saith al was singing of Psalmes and giuing thankes for her godly life happy departing Hebraeo Graeco Latino Syroque sermone Psalmi in ordine personabant Psalmes were song in Hebrewe Greeke Latine and Syrian language by course as there were diuers nations that came to honour the solemnitie of her funeralls Finally if your doctrine of purgatory were true yet Ieronym describeth her to be so perfect a woman as no prayers needed to be sayd for her her life was so full of good workes and her ende so full of faith And therfore M. Allen here is nothing for the sacrifice of the Masse whereof you made your promise to shew the practise in the chiefe partes of the worlde naming Ierusalem for one when Paula was buried at Betheleem and not at Ierusalem 3 And now S. Augustine being of Aphricke so farre from the other in distance of place yet ronneth ioyntly with them in religion He purposely writing of the solemne rites of Christian funeralls in that golden treatise De cura pro mortuis agenda thus after longe consideration of the whole cause determineth that the pompe of buriall with all such solemnyties as there vnto be in Gods Church ioyned is very seemely for that body which was the vessell of a Christian soule and an instrument or companion in well working whervnto it shall be also vnited in the resurrection for to receiue together the inheritance of the euerlasting kingdome But the lacke of these where they be not arrogantly contemned or can not be had is nothing hurtefull to the good nor the hauing any thing profitable to the wicked as the examples of Lazarus and the Riche man may well proue Therefore it is the sacrifice and prayers which properly do helpe or relieue the departed Curatio funeris sayth he
of the exposition of the fathers Hieronym in his commentary vpon this place expoundeth the Northe and the Southe not for the states of grace or wrath but for the places of rewarde or punishment of them that die Si dignos Austro fructus attulit in plaga iacebit Australi Nec est aliquid lignum quod aut ad Aquilonem non sit aut ad Austrum If it haue brought forth fructes worthy of the South it shal lye in the Southe coste Neither is there any tree but it falleth either to the North or to the South As for your babling of the Saduces secte and doubting of the resurrection bidde your Popes and Cardinalls take heede of it Pope Iohn the 23. was condemned for it in the Councell of Constance Epicureisme and Saduceisme is more common at Rome then Christianitye 4 Nowe for the other texte recited out of S. Matthewes Gospell of the double waye the one to perdicion and the other to saluation there is almost none so simple but he seeth that it maketh no more for your purpose then the other For there as our aduersary can not but knowe though to deceiue he liste dissemble mention is made and the meaning is only of these two wayes in this worlde and life in one of which being full of ease and libertie the wicked walketh towardes hell or damnation In the which waye the riche man and vnmercifull tooke his time of whome Abraham said that he had receiued good in his dayes In the other being both straite and harde the small numbre of the chosen take their iourney towardes heauen And yet if you thinke good you maye ioyne the place of temporall punishment for sinne in the worlde to come to the straite and painefull passage of the elect though perhaps all they entre not thereby And so shall you finde this place not onely nothing to further their cause but somewhat to helpe ours 4 If there be but two wayes in this life there are but two abiding places after this life If there be more then two after this life then there be more wayes then two in this life Controll our Sauiour Christes partition as vnperfect if you list You will saye that needeth not for purgatory after this life is that straight gate or a pece of it what els It is not enough for our English Anaxagoras to exclude our opinion out of these places but he must finde purgatory in them also This is plaine to make quidlibet ex quolibet But the commaundement of Christ marreth the market of this interpretation vnlesse you thinke when Christ willeth vs to striue to goe in by the straight gate that he biddeth vs striue to goe into purgatory 5 And so for the other taken out of the fift to the Corinth S. Augustine shall aunswere you and beare me witnesse it maketh nothing for you his wordes be these in his Encheridion This practise that Gods Church vseth in the commendations of the deade is nothing repugnant to the sentence of the Apostle where he saith that we all shall stande before the iudgement seate of Christ that euery one may receiue according to his desertes in the body either good or euill for this in his life and before death he deserued that these workes after his death might be profitable vnto him for in deede they be not profitable for all men and why so but because of the difference and diuersitie of mens liues whilest they were in this flesh c. And this same sentence the Doctor often repeteth almost in the same forme of wordes in diuers places both to correct their ignorance that mighe take a way prayers for the deade because they finde the sentence of Gods iudgement to be executed on man according to the deseruing of this liefe and no lesse to geue monition to the carelesse that they omitte not to doe well in this life vppon hope or presumption of other mens workes after their decease which as they be exceding beneficiall to many so they helpe none such as in their owne life woulde not helpe them selues The like declaration of this pointe hath S. Denyse in the 7. chapter of his Ecclesiasticall soueraignty which I omitte lest in this point by S. Augustine sufficiently auouched I weerye the reader without cause 5 And S. Ieronym with your owne canon law shall aunswere you that prayers preuayle not after this life 13. q. 2. In praesenti In this present world we know that we may be helped one of an other either by prayer or by councel but when we shall come before the iudgement seate of Christ neither Iob nor Daniel nor Noe can intreate for any man but euery man must beare his owne burden 6 The last obiection of the Angells wordes in the Apocalypse aâ—firming the state of all those that dye in our Lorde to be happy to be past trauell and in reste and peace they be properly spoken there of holy men that sheede their bloude in the times of persecution for Christes sake to geue them assured comforte after a litle toleration and patience in the rage of Antichrist of blessed and eternall reste and so the circumstance of the letter plainely geueth and so doeth S. Augustine expounde it And for such holy Martyrs it is needlesse to pray as to pray vnto them is most profitable Albeit the wordes are true and maye be well verified of all that passe hense in the happy state of grace being past the cares of this troblesome worlde and which is the greatest trauell of all other vtterly dispatched of the toile that sinners take in their wayes of wickednesse with freedome from sinne and all feare of sinne and damnation for euermore So that this reste from labour is no more but a happy ioye of conscience with securitie of saluation and peace in Christ iesu For which cause in the holy Canon of the Masse it is saide Christianos dormire in somno pacis in Christo quiescere That Christian folkes doe sleepe in the sleepe of peace and rest in Christ though for all that in the same place we aske Requiem refrigerium reste and refreshing for them And this holy peace from all toyle of the worlde and worme of tormented conscience the electe children of God in their fathers correction being assured of his eternall loue doe blessedly enioye But the wicked be in contrary case of whome it is saide non est pax impijs there is no rest or quietnesse to the wicked no not in their dayes of ioye much lesse in their infinite miserie of their euerlasting torments in the worlde to come Of whose vnhappy state the Prophet warneth vs thus againe Impij quasi mare feruens quod quiescere non potest The wicked be right like vnto the tumblinge and tossinge sea that neuer resteth The place of S. Iohn then being namely spoken of holy Martyrs that straight with out all paine after this life passe to heauen may yet very
conteyned the argument is most inuincible that concludeth negatiuely thus All true doctrine is taught in the Scripture purgatory is not taught in the Scripture therefore purgatory is no true doctrine And this conclusion M. Allen him selfe made of mans authoritie cap. 13. purgatory and prayers for the dead were not preached against at their first entry ergo they are true But of all mens authoritie it is false wheras he sayth we are ouerthrowers destroyers we confesse we are so of all false doctrine and heresie For the word of God is appoynted not only to teach truth but also to ouerthrow error not onely to build faith but to destroy falshood But it is a proper cōceit wherin he pleaseth him self as other of his sect do to tel vs that all our faith standeth vpon negatiues I could frame the Papists as holsome a creede all vpō affirmatiues if they wil receiue it This is more then boyish babling All trueth is to be affirmed all falshood to be denyed Therefore it is not to be loked what is affirmatiue and what negatiue but what is true or false that is affirmed or denyed But to runne through the articles of that creede which he hath framed for vs we truely beleue that man after his fall hath not free will no not aptnes of will to thinke any thing that is good 2. Cor. 3. we beleue truely that a man is not iustified by workes but by faith onely Rom. 3. And yet we beleue that good workes are necessary to be in euery man that is iustified Iac. 2. we beleue that the Church is not alwayes knowne to the wicked vpon earth neither the vniuersall Church seene at all of men because it is in heauen Gal. 4. we beleue that the catholicke Church hath no chiefe gouerner vppon earth but Christ vnto whom all power is giuen in heauen earth Matth. 28. we beleue there are but 2. Sacraments of the new testament baptisme and the Lordes supper instituted by Christ 1. Cor. 10. we beleue that they geue not grace of the worke wrought but after the faith of the receiuer and according to the election of God. 1. Cor. 10. Baptisme is necessary for all Christians to receiue that are not by necessitie excluded from it 1. Pet. 3. Christ is present at his Supper but not after a grosse and caparnaiticall maner but as he was present in Manna to the fathers 1. Cor. 10. There is no sacrifice propitiatory for our sinnes but onely the sacrifice of Christes death once offered for all Heb. 10. There is no priesthood to offer sacrifice propitiatory but only the priesthood of Christ according to the order of Melchizedech Heb. 7. The spirituall priesthood is common to all Christian men and women 1. Pet. 1. we haue an altar of which it is not lawfull for them to eate which serue the tabernacle and other beside we haue none Heb. 13. we call not vpon Sainctes because we beleue not in them for how shoulde we call vpon them in whome we beleue not Rom. 10. There is no prayer for the deade nor purgatory after this life because they that liue vnto Christ dye vnto him and being dissolued are with him Ioan. 17. Christ descended into hell to redeeme vs out of hell by suffering the wrath of God for our sinnes Heb. 5. There is no Lymbus for the fathers were at rest with God where they are now whether we call the place Abrahams bosome or paradise or heauen Luke 16. and 23. 2. Cor. 12. The rest which you adde maye be the beginning of the Popish creede which you maye as you list continue negatiuely or affirmatiuely after this maner God a lone knoweth not the heartes of all men God onely is not to be worshipped and serued for Sainctes haue both the one and the other God onely is not true for the Pope can not erre Christ is not our onely mediator and aduocate for Marie and the Sainctes are also Christes death is not a sufficient redemption for vs for we must satisfie for our selues Christes death hath not taken away both our sinnes and the punishment of them but the Popes padon maye Christ is not onely our high priest according to the order of Melchizedech for euery hedge priest is of the same order Christ hath not made them that are sanctified perfect by a sacrifice once offered for all For y greatest part is lefte to the masse Our sinnes are not freely forgeuen vs by Christ for we must satisfie for them A man is not iustified by fayth without the workes of the lawe for euery man must merite for him selfe The scriptures are not sufficient to teach vs all trueth but we must haue vnwritten verities The worde of God is not of soueraine authoritie for the decrees of the Pope and generall councells be equall with it This is the Papistes creede both in the affirmatiue and in the negatiue But in that you exhort the Papistes to reade Caluins institution and there to see whether he teacheth any truth therein I woulde to God that all Papistes in Englande woulde followe your counsell pray vnfaynedly that God would open there eyes that they may see his trueth if it be taught in that booke 2 This negatiue faith hath no grounde nor confidence of thinges to be hoped for nor any certaintie of such thinges as doe not yet appeare but it is an euident ouerthrowe of all our hope and a very canker of the expectation of thinges to come This faith therefore of these pluckers downe must needes vse a conuenient instrument to destroye and not to builde to plucke vp and not to plante to improue and not to make proofe But what way is that mary by way of negatiue proofe they confirme their negatiue and no faith Purgatory say they nor prayers for the deade be not so much as once named in all the scripture ergo there is neither of them to be beleued VVhich forme of argument serued the Arians against the consubstātiall vnitie of God the father his sonne our Sauiour It helped the Anabaptistes against the baptisme of infantes it was profitable to Heluidius against the perpetuall virginitie of Gods mother and it helpeth all pluckers downe but it neuer serueth a buylder The vanity whereof is so well knowen that I will not stande to talke thereof namely seeing it hath no place in our cause for which we haue brought diuers scriptures all construed by most learned fathers for that sense and some so euident that they droue our aduersaries to the open deniall of the holy canonicall scripture 2 What grounde or confidence of thinges not seene and yet hoped for our fayth hath it is not for infidells to iudge no more then for blinde men to iudge of collours And as for our negatiue argument it is stronger then your affirmatiue error can abide there of groweth the spight But when as you saye we frame our argument of the name of purgatory onely or prayers for
TVVO TREATISES WRITTEN AGAINST THE PAPISTES THE ONE BEING AN answere of the Christian Protestant to the proud challenge of a Popish Catholicke THE OTHER A CONFVTATION OF THE POPISH CHVRCHES doctrine touching Purgatory prayers for the dead by William Fulke Doctor in diuinitie Imprinted at London by Thomas Vautrollie◠dwelling in the Blacke friers 1577. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER WILLIAM FVLKE WISHETH GRACE AND PEACE from God the father and from our Lord Iesus Christ. THE great bragges that vvere made by diuers Papistes of this treatise of Purgatory that it vvas vnansvverable vvere so vntollerable that certeine of my godly friendes vvere moued thereby to sende the booke to me desiring me to shape an aunsvvere vnto it But vvhen I had readde it ouer and founde therein in deed much nevv rayling yet nothing else but the olde fonde kinde of reasoning I vvas altogether vnvvilling to deale vvith it both because there hath bene so much already vvritten of that argument and for that I thought that our contrymen vvere novv as vvel by reading of that vvhich hath ben vvritten before as also by continuall preaching against that absurde doctrine sufficiently dissvvaded from that blaspemous heresie of Purgatory But vvhē this excuse or any other that I could bring vvoulde not satisfie there ernest desier vvho importunatly still vrged me to take the matter in hand that I had once againe perused the treatise I began to thinke othervvise of the vvhole case then I did before I considered that many there vvere vvhich perhaps had not seene and many also that vvoulde not reade such bookes as haue bene vvritten in times past of this question that some also vvere so simple that they could not discerne this nevv disguised defence of the Catholike churches doctrine from the olde drousie dreame of popish Purgatory VVherefore if any one of these or any other that shall voutsalfe to reade this ansvvere might therby either be confirmed in trueth or reclaymed from error I began to thinke it vvere sufficient cause for me to take the paines and the paines so taken to be vvel bestovved Againe vvhen I remembred the spightfull rayling and the most disdainefull arrogance of Allen him selfe together vvith the presumptuous boasting and vaine confidence that some of his friends haue in his vvriting I cōfesse it kindled that smal zeale of godlines that is in me both to meinteine the common hope of Christians against the insolent assaultes of so malicious and proud an aduersary and also to discouer the infirmitie feeblenesse of that fortres vvhich these vvillfully blinde Papistes do vaunt to be inuincible In vvhich doinge I haue vsed great breuitie not onely by a naturall inclination vvherby I loue to be short in any thing that I vvright but also because my friendes vrged me to dispatch it vvith so great expedition And yet in this shortnesse I trust I haue not omitted any thing that hath any shadovv of reason or shevv of matter in it but that I haue sufficiently discharged it as the diligent and attentiue reader I hope vvill confesse no lesse Hovv be it neither my hast in finishing nor my friendes diligence in soliciting vvas so great but the slacknesse and vntovvardnesse of some Printers vvas much more For vvhere as it vvas ended authorized almost tvvo yeares a goe yet it hath stayed hetherto vntill a godly and learned brother vvho vvas once purposed to haue aunsvvered the same him selfe and colde full vvell and substantially haue acquited him selfe there in if other busines had not hindred him moued of godly zeale hath novv at the last vndertaken the printing thereof and brought it to this passe as you see I hearde of late also of a third man vvhich had learnedly begon the aunsvvering of this booke hovv so euer he vvas letted from accomplishing the same But hovv so euer Satan hath hether to hindred the setting abroade of this aunsvvere yet God hath novv at the length brought it forth I doubte not but to his glorie and the confusion of Satan in his membres the Papistes I haue thought good also to ioygne vnto this vvorke an other short treatise that hath lyen by me these eight or nine yeares vvritten at the request of a godly and learned friende of mine in aunsvvere to a proude challenge of the Papist against the Protestāt vvhich though at the first many yeares after I determined not to publish supposing the same challenge to haue ben priuate or in fevv mens handes yet novv of late that I haue seen it in diuerse godly Gentlemens handes to vvhome it hath bene deliuered by Papistes be like to peruert them and of vvhome also I haue bene desired to ansvvere it am further credibly informed that the same is in printe esteemed of many ignorant Papistes to be so vnaunsvverable that although it be protested by Gētlemen of great vvorshippe and credit that they haue seene the aunsvvere thereof in vvriting yet they vvill not beleue that any man dare set his penne to the paper once to attempt the matter I haue thought beste to putte it in printe as it vvas vvritten at the first Nothing doubting by Gods helpe but I shal be able to stande to that defence if the challenger vvill proceede to meinteine his challenge any longer That I haue copled it vvith the aunsvvere vnto M. Allens booke is because I doe greatly suspect that he vvas the authour thereof for the similitude of the stiles and of the stomakes in both at the least I trust I doe him no vvronge to suppose him to be so stout a champion And thus I committe the Christian reader to the direction of Gods spirite vvho voutsalfe to lead thee into all truth for Christes sake Amen The faultes of this impression are thus to be amended The first figure signifieth the page the second the line In the aunswere of a true Christian c. Pag. 3. line 35. Lithuania reade Lithūanda 5.3 vvriting r. vvritinges 10.10 the scripture reade the booke of scripture 13.17 then reade thou and line 19. you reade thou 15. line the laste Tiberius reade Liberius 19.4 you reade the. and line 10. Ca. line 58. reade Carolines 8. and line 19. Mercamas r. Marranias 20.9 fauour reade honor 23.26 the prince reade the printers 24.1 put out and. 25.9 not for his r. for his 29.10 vnitie of minde r. vnitie of faith minde 30.3 in the places aboue rehearsed in diuerse places of his epistles a◠lib. 3. epist. 14. and 15.16 c. 41.30 Rhenes r. Rhemes 49.5 the the r. that the. the 12. r. the Catho c. 52.13 in Brytish reade in the Brytish 63.14 about the articles r. about the chiefest articles 64.20 put out that hilde and the 24. here rea sore 67.21 vvhich can not rea vvhich you can not 68.4 in a name reade in a manner 69.4 prorsus opinemur r. prorsus non opinemur and 34. vniuersally r. vniuersalitie and 36. vvhich you do r. vvhich you do not 70.17 proponēda
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
them but onely to terme vice by the name of vertue And then we must be examined by what right we chaunge the names of thinges that can not alter their natures Stay a while your examination M. Allen this is no orderly proceding Good order would require that you shoulde first proue vs gilty of the crimes and then to take away our excuses Howebeit I blame you not if you leaue of the proofe of those thinges which would sooner reproue your selues then conuict your aduersaries And yet that you may see howe cleare a conscience we haue in these crimes obiected I will not refuse to answere your interrogatories although by no lawfull and orderly proceding I can be compelled thereto In primis who authorised you to call that extirpation of superstition which our fathers called sacriledge To this I answere I care not what your fathers called or counted sacriledge But God our heauenly father commaunded vs to breake burne and destroy all your idols and to deface al the monuments of them Deut. 12. And all the godly Patriarkes and fathers both before Christes comming and since haue geuen vs example of obedience vnto this commaundement and the obseruation thereof they haue termed the extirpation of superstition and idolatry Or that blinde deuotion which our holy Elders named true religion we learned of our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles to condemne that for blinde deuotion which is not grounded vpon certaine knowledge of Gods word you worship you know not what saith Christ to the Samaritane Iohn 4. S. Paule chargeth the obstinate Iewes with zeale without knowledge Rom. 10. How can they for sinne and shame honour that with the name of holy mariage that S. Ambrose termeth aduoultry S. Augustine worse then aduoultery and they with al the residue of doctours horrible incest The holy Ghost hath taught vs to call mariage honorable in all men and the bed vndefiled whatsoeuer any man hath sayd to the contrary And yet diuers godly men of the auncient fathers as Hieronym and Epiphanius allow mariage in them that can not conteine although they haue vowed virginitie euen as the spirite of God also hath spoken by S. Paule Because it is better to marry then to burne Epipha lib. 2. Haere 61. Hieron Epi. ad Demetriaden And now that I haue aunswered your questions I must be bolde to demaunde the same of you what authoritie you haue to chaunge the names of thinges when you can not alter their nature Who taught you to call that religion which holy Scripture calleth Idolatry or that true deuotion which God calleth vaine worshipping where learned you to call a gluttonous feast of fish a religious fasting or a sumptuous banket of wine spices fruites and deintie conseites a streight and holy abstinence with what face or conscience can you call that ouerflowing lust of your popish vnmaried Cleargie a pure and vndefiled chastitie Finally where learned you but of the Deuill him selfe to commaund abstinence from meates and mariage for religions sake to some men at all times and to all men at some times If for these and an hundred such you can shew no better warrant then the termes of your fathers the practise of your elders or the authoritie of mortall men the curse of God pronounced by Esay against them that call euill good or good euill must needes be turned ouer vnto you But to goe on with this orderly proceding whereby we are first accused and then by and by condemned without euer being conuicted or once put to the triall Next of all lest men should maruell howe so manifest impietie could so mightely preuaile they are told that it is onely present pleasure and similitude of maners that ioyneth so many vnto vs And for proofe hereof men must call to remembraunce the first entrance of this misery how these preachers haue had certaine persons in admiration for their owne aduantage We refuse not the triall but let men on Gods name call to remembraunce howe our doctrine beganne to be restored in these last dayes I pray you what priuate aduantage could they by any likelyhood be supposed to seeke which incurred manifest daunger of their liues by the least suspition of their profession or what persons could they haue in admiration when all Princes great personages were their greatest persecutors but they wanne them by flattery and sewed them cushians vnder their elbowes and laid pillowes vnder their heades This is in deede a sore accusation but where is the proofe Forsoth to such as made no store of good workes they cast onely faith vnder their elbowe to leane vppon O impudent blasphemer which of vs euer taught that such a faith as is not liuely fruitefull of good workes did euer profite any man but to the increase of his damnation To such as were burdened with promise of chastity they made a cushen for their ease To such as had rashly vowed that which they could not possibly performe not we but S. Paule sayth if they can not containe let them marry for it is better to marry then to burne S. Ieronym otherwise an vnmeasurable aduancer of virginitie dispraiser of mariage Ep. ad Dem. speaketh of virgins that professed chastity and liued vnpurely c. apertè dicendum est vt aut nubant si se non possunt continere aut contineant si nolunt nubere It must be plainly sayd vnto them that either they should marry if they can not containe or els containe if they will not marry Epiphanius lib. 2. haer 61. calleth mariage for such men not a cushen for their ease but an holsome medicine against their disease and the wound of burning and that sayth he was the doctrine of the Church in his time To such as cast an eye vpon Church goods they borowed a pillow of Iudas why was not this solde and giuen to the poore If euer any man hearde this text alleged by any preacher for such purpose let that man be counted such one as M. Allen termeth him if no man were heard euer to speake after that maner let M. Allen be taken for a man of such truth as he sheweth him selfe to be But it is a small thing to breake the bondes of modestie in a fewe poyntes if a man striue not to passe impudencie it selfe in shamelesse lying Commit what you list omit what you list your preachers shall prayse it in their wordes and practise it in their workes Sauing that vaine glorious affecters of painted eloquence be sometime so carefull of their wordes that they forget their matter I would haue thought that the father of lies him selfe the continuall accuser of Gods Sainctes would haue feared for euer losse of his credite to haue vttered so vnseemely a sclaunder of vs But I suppose that this disciple of his more regarding how finely then howe truely he inueyeth against his aduersaries had such pleasure in allusion of these termes commit and omit praise and practise words and workes that he respected
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
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
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
the blessed martyr noteth certeine conuersies in his dayes who thought they had much wronge to be further burdened with penaunce for their fall more theÌ„ the returne to God againe he toucheth the maners of our time very neare his words sounding thus Before their sinnes fully purged before the confession of their faulte made before their consciencies by the priest and sacrifice be cleansed before the ire and indignation of God be pacified and past they thinke all is well and make boast thereof But he instructeth them in the same place better as followeth Confesse your selues brethren whilest ye are in this life and whilest the remission and satisfaction by the priestes apointement is acceptable Let vs turne vnto God with all our hartes expressing the penauÌ„ce for our sinnes by singular griefe and sorow let vs call for mercy let vs prostrate our selues before God let our heuinesse of hearte satisfie him let vs with fasting weeping and howling appeace his wrath Whome for that he is our louing father we acknowledge to be mercifull and yet because he beareth the maiestie of a iudge he is for iustice much to be feared To a deepe and a greuous wounde a long and sharpe sauluing must be accepted Exceding earnestly thou must pray thou must passe ouer the remnaunt of thy time with lamentable complaintes thou must for thy soft bedde take harde earth and ashes and romble thy selfe in sackecloth for the losse of Christes vesture refuse all apparell after the receite of the Deuils food chuese earnest fasting and by diligent applying thy selfe to good workes and almes deedes purge thy sinne and deliuer thy soule from death 3 Here he asketh leaue of the Reader to be somwhat long in rehearsing the opinions of diuerse doctors to confirme his former falshod but he should rather haue asked leaue of the doctors them selues to belye them so beastly to racke their sayings so violently farre from their purpose and meanings And to beginne with Origen what doth he in that place by him alleged but exhort men vnto harty and earnest repentaunce by humbling them selues before God and acknowledging their sinnes which holy Scripture testifieth to be the way to preuent the wrath of god And what his iudgement was concerning satisfaction for sinnes he declareth sufficiently in his 3. booke vpon the Epist. to the Rom. cap. 3. where often times he repeateth that a man is iustified before God by faith onely affirming that in forgeuenes of sinnes God respecteth no workes but faith onely as he proueth by the parable that our Sauiour vsed vnto Simon the Pharise Luke 7. and aunswereth also those obiections which euen the Papistes at this day make against vs for teaching that faith only doth iustifie vs in the sight of god S. Cyprian as I haue sufficiently shewed before calleth such as had fallen in time of persecution from the profession of christianity to harty repentaunce and to testifie the same by submitting them selues humbly vnto the discipline of the Church But it is straunge to see how vnconsideratly M. Allen allegeth his places that oftentimes they conteine more playne matter against him then apparant profe by violent wrasting can be wroÌ„g out from them I maruaile M. Allen either seeth not him selfe or thinketh that other men can not espye that Cyprian exhorteth men to confession of their offences in this life where onely satisfaction and remission made by the Priestes is acceptable vnto the lord If men can not satisfie nor Priest remit but whilest men are in this life then farewell satisfaction for the dead and purgatory 4 So doth S. Augustine correct the error of such as thinke the chaunge of life with out all cogitatioÌ„ or care of their offenses past to be sufficient for mans perfect repaire and reconciliation to our Lorde againe It is not sufficient sayth he to amende our maners and turne backe from our miâ—dedes vnlesse we satisfie before God for them which we haue already committed by dolour of penauÌ„ce by humble sighes grones by the sacrifice of a coÌ„trite harte working with almes dedes And in this sense againe he vttoreth this comfortable rule Sed neque de ipsis criminibus quamlibet magnis remittendis in Ecclesia Dei desperanda est misericordia agentibus poenitentiam secundum modum sui cuiusque peccati But we may not despaire of Gods mercy for the remission of sinnes in the Church be they neuer so greuoiâ— â–ª I meane to all such as will do penaunce according to the quaÌ„tity of their fault So S. Ambrose writing to a religious woman that had broken her vowe of chastity which in those dayes was reckened one ef the most deadly and greuous crimes that coulde be warneth her thus Grandi plagae alta prolixa opus est medicina grande scelus grandem necessariam habet satisfactionem A greuous hurt must haue a deepe long sauluing a heinous offense requireth maruelous much satisfaction Yea as I take his words he plainely admonisheth her that she shall haue much a doe to satisfie fully for her sinne during her life therefore he seemeth to will her not to looke for full remedy and release before she feele Gods iudgement VVhich he meaneth not by the generall day but the particular accompt which followeth streight vpoÌ„ mans death But that I deceiue no man wittingly I wil report his owne wordes Inhaere poeniteÌ„tiae vsque ad extremum vitae nec tibi praesumas ab humano die posse veniaÌ„ dari quia decipit te qui hoc tibi polliceri voluerit quae enim proprie in dominuÌ„ peccasti ab illo solo in die iudicij coÌ„uenit expectare remediuÌ„ CoÌ„tinue in penaunce to the last day thou hast to liue and presume not ouer boldly of pardoÌ„ to be obteined in mans day for who so euer promiseth thee so he deceiueth thee for thou that hast offended directly against God him selfe must at Gods hande onely in the day of iudgement trust of mercy If he meane by the last IudgemeÌ„t then the author supposeth that such horrible incest shall be punished till the day of the general resurrectioÌ„ in purgatory for after that day as Augustin affirmeth there shal be no more any of the elect in paine He meaneth theÌ„ surely nothing els but that there caÌ„ be no penaunce aunswerable fully in this life to so greuous a crime and that the Church ordinarely pardoneth not the sinnes which be not by some proportion of paine and punishment recompensed And this is ordinary though by the supreme power giuen to Gods ministers for the gouernement of the Church the offender may in this case or the like if his competent dolour of hearte and zeâ—e so require wholy be acquieted through the merites of Christes death and the happy fellowship of sainctes in the communion of the common body where the lacke of one membre is abundantly supplied by the residue Mary it is a â—arde matter to be so qualified that
altogither to discent though he doe not plainly allow it And that he writeth vpon the first of Ezechiel to which place M. Allen sendeth vs he speaketh of the prouidence of God which so gouerneth the afflictions of his Sainctes that that which seemed to be a punishment is conuerted into a medicine As children imagine that spirites and goblines be in euery darke corner So M. Allen neuer readeth fire and torment but by and by he dreameth of purgatory Origen is alleged for our cause vpon vvhose errour in a matter somevvhat appertayning to our purpose S Augustins iudgement is more largely sought and therevvith it is declared by testimony of diuers holy authors vvhat sinnes be chiefly purged in that temporall fire CAP. VIII 1 THese three noble learned men might right well satisfie our search for the sense of the textes both of the Prophet and Apostle and perswade any reasonable man in the whole cause yet for that there be â—ome that meane not to relent in their lewde opinions for light proffers I will store them with testimonies Origenes one of great antiquity in many places of his works vnderstandeth both the sayd textes of Malachie and S. Paule in the like sorte by whom we may well take a great taste of the time and Church where he liued what men of wisedom vertue then iudged of thinges which now of fooles be contemned and of heretikes condemned also But namely vpon the Prophet Ieremy in these wordes Si post fundamentum Iesu Christi non solum in tuo corde aurum argentum lapidem preciosum superae dificaueris verum ligna foenum stipulam quid tibi vis fieri cum anima seiuncta fuerit a corpore vtrum ne ingredi vis in sancta cum lignis tuis foeno stipula vt polluas regnum Dei an propter lignum foenum stipulam foris residere vis pro auro argento lapide precioso nil mercedis accipere sed neque hoc aequum est Quid ergo sequitur nisi vt primum propter lignum ignis tibi detur qui consumat foenum lignum stipulam c. If vpon the foundation which is Christ Iesus thou do not onely builde golde siluer and preciouse stone but also woodde hay and strawe what doest thou looke for after thy death wilt thou entre into the holy places with thy woodde hay and stooble and defile the kingdome of God or els for thy wood hay and straw thou wilt abide forthe and so liese the rewarde of thy golde siluer and preciouse stone But that were no reason then there is no waye but one first to receiue fire for to consume and burne out thy woodde hay and stooble and then afterwarde to receiue for thy better workes the rewarde of saluation so sayth Origen VVhose iudgement if any man mistrust in this point because he erred in other let him learne to miscredit only his or other mens singular opinioÌ„s priuate phaÌ„tasies wherein they disagreed from the residue of the common body of Christ his Church not contemne in any man the confirmation of the vniuersall sense which he findeth in the vniforme doctrine of all other Christian Catholikes In deede it was so euident that this Purgatory fire of which the Apostle speaketh shoulde be in the other life that this learned man afterwarde leauing the meaning which the holy Church had opened for the proofe of certeine transitory punishment in the next worlde for meaner offenders would of his owne head go forwarde which is the bane of many a goodly wit and mainteine that all greuous crimes and most wicked maners might be purged by this fire after death and the parties in time saued so that they had faith for their foundation whereby as S. Augustine noteth of him he made onely faith to saue the wicked without repentaunce or good workes CAP. VIII 1 WHether M. Allen knew that his former witnesses did not agree or that he would geue a tast of his bountifull dealing in pressing vs with more testimonies then needed he will nowe produce Origen whom though he confesse to be infamouse for heresy yet eueÌ„ of his error he wil not doubt but to grounde his purgatory Origen will haue men passe through a fire but to make it plaine that he meaneth not the fier of Popish purgatory we shal perceiue by other places of his writings that he speaketh of such a fire as all men be they neuer so iust shall passe through affirming that all meÌ„ haue neede of purifications after his life ye Peter Paule and such like in Num. Hom. 25. in Psal. 36. Hom. 3. But all men passe not through the Popes purgatory I passe ouer here the grosse allegory that he maketh of the bloude of Deuils by which a man shal be washed and purified in the kingdome of God that being so purified and made cleane he may enter into the city of god Num. Hom. 25. But how soeuer he doteth about passage through fier and purifications after this life yet he affirmeth in an other place that the day of Christian mens death is the deposition of paine whereby it appereth that either he was not constant with him selfe or els that Origens purgatory was a painlesse purgatory His wordes are in Iob Lib. 3. Nam priores diem natiuitatis celebrabant vnam vitam diligentes aliam post hanc non sperantes Nunc vero nos non natiuitatis diem celebramus cum sit dolorum atque tentationum introitus sed mortis diem celebramus vtpote omnium dolorum depositionem atque omnium tentationum effugationem The former men did celebrate the daye of natiuity as they that loued but one life and hoped for none after this But now we doe not celebrate the daye of Natiuitie seeing it is the entrance of sorrowes and temptations but we celebrate the daye of death as that which is a deposition of all griefes and an auoyding of all temptations 2 Against which perniciouse error the said doctor often writeth and proueth that this place of S. Paule can not make for the deliuery of the wicked or greuous offenders in any case And being somewhat vrged by the aduersaries arguments or els because he woulde take all holde from them which they seemed to haue by that scripture he seeketh them out an other meaning not contrary at all to the trueth of Purgatory but yet farther of their purpose Declaring that this fire might as he saith there signify some griefe of this worlde for the abating of some inordinate affectioÌ„s that be found in many euen towards things otherwise lawfull Though he was very loth to auouch this as the vndouted meaning of that scripture being pleaced with any other whereby they shoulde not be forced to deny the eternall damnation of impenitent sinners as in deede he neuer gaue this meaning but where the Origenistes did vrge him and in such places onely where he aunswereth to Origens arguments for
they chalenge this Priuilege can not feele any daunger their workes as S. Paule sayth abiding the brounte of the fire though they were in place of torment with the rest For if such do passe the firie sworde before they entre into the ioyes of heauen yet they shall euen there be so shadowed that to them it can neither be any whit molestious nor one moments staye from the reward of their pure golden workes which by fire can not perish For of such we muste beleue with Gods Church that they go straight to heauen vpon their departure with out stay or punishment in the next life Although Christ onely of his owne force being not subiecte to any spotte of sinne did passe this fire and entre into heauen the eternall gates opening them selues vnto him as to the king of glory VVho being before in the place of paines also yet coulde not possibly be touched thereby as the Apostle sayth And that is S. Ambrose his meaning as I suppose when he saide Vnus ille ignem hunc sentire non potuit Christ onely was he that coulde not feele this fire He speaketh of the fire through which euen the good must passe before they come to eternall ioy VVhere he doubteth not to auouche that many a man that thinkes him selfe golde and is taken so to be of others too shall yet there be proued full of drosse and impurity long to be cleansed before his finall freedome and deliuery and yet to be saued through fire But for those that be in deede perfect men as Iohn the beloued of Iesus and Peter with the rest this holy doctour was so sure of Purgatory that he thought these also to go through the same and yet the fiery flame to haue geuen place as it did to the three children and as S. Augustine supposeth it shall do in the generall conflagration to the bodies of vertuous men wheÌ„ at the very same time it shall bothe waste the wicked and purge the meane the workes of one sorte withstanding the flame the drosse of the other in a maner feeding the same S. Ambrose therfore thus writeth of the holy Apostle De morte Ioannis aliqui dubitaruÌ„t de transitu per ignem dubitare non possumus quia in paradiso est à Christo non separatur some doubt of Iohns death but of his passage by the fire because he is in ioy with Christ we can not doubt And of S. Peter he sayth siue ille sit Petrus qui claues accepit regni coelorum oportet dicat transiuimus per ignem aquam induxisti nos in refrigerium Yea if it be Peter him selfe to whome the keyes of heauen were committed he must say we passed by fire and water and thou hast brought vs into the place of refreshing But how so euer God worketh in this case with the perfite sort this the Church beleueth and so this doctour teacheth and therfore I dare be bolde to say it that such neither suffer any paine nor tariaunce by the waye Though by nature that fire or torment prepared for the amendment and punishing of sinne or the drosse thereof might of force and right take holde there where corruption of sinne by any meanes hath bene that is not wholy purified before Therefore the soule of our Sauiour being altogether vnspotted coulde not be subiect to any sufferance in the worlde to come by any ordinaunce prepared for the punishment of sinne that fire hauing no further graunt by creation and naturall property but to waste there where sinne is founde to haue bene Vpon other it woulde worke till all corruption were consumed if mercy did not preuent both in purifying those singular elect vessels and in repressing the nature of the flame prepared that it practise not iustice where God hath abundantly shewed grace and mercy before Albeit I do not say that the firie sworde is in the passage of euery soule towardes heauen for that is Gods secret and I will with S. Ambrose in the same place say Quod legi praesumo quod noÌ„ legi scientibus relinquo That which I haue reade in graue authority that will I boldely auouch that which I haue not reade with feare and reuerence I commit to men of more knowledge As with out exception I submit my selfe to the determination of Gods Church in all these pointes of misteries which in this deepe matter course of taulke may driue me vnto But now for the meaner sorte that with Christian faith and good workes haue yet some baser building of infirmity or lighter trespasses also those must needes be tried by the fire of iuste iudgement in the worlde to come And this is that which S. Augustine calleth so often the Amending fire S. Ambrose the firy sworde S Bernarde termeth it the place of expiatioÌ„ In quo pater benignus examinat filios rubiginosos sicut examinatur argentum In which our mercifull father trieth his rusty children as siluer is tried VVhiâ—h all these holy fathers with the rest oftentimes do name by the commoÌ„ calling of Purgatory Reade all these place is named if thou hast occasion thy selfe and there thou shalt finde to thy singular comforth sufficient proofe of thy faith great motion of godly life with necessary feare of Gods iudgements Thou shalt maruell at the ignorance of our time that could euer doubt of so plaine a matter thou shalt pity with all thy hearte the vnworthy deceiuing of the vnlearned and haue large matter to withstand the deceiuer and to helpe the simple home againe 2 The rest of this chapter is so vainly consumed in serching how the perfect men shall passe through purgatory and feele it not that it is not worth the aunswering but onely to see how he is combred to reconcile the doctrine of the Papistes concerning purgatory and the opinions of the olde writers touching them that passe through fire into paradise For their opinion as we haue seene before was that all men were they neuer so iust passed through that fire and were purified thereby The Papistes affirme that perfect iust men come not at all in their purgatory as the M of the sentence teacheth lib. â— dist 21. M. Allen to retayne the authority of the olde writers holdeth that perfect iust meÌ„ passe through this purgatory without sense of payne or making any stay there yea he doubteth not to affirme that Christ him selâ—e passed through the fire of purgatory though he could not feele the smart of it because he was pure from sinne Is not this holsome doctrine think you to be so carefull to racke the fiery sworde that Ambrose speaketh of vnto purgatory that he is not ashamed to inuent a new article of our faith that Christ descended into purgatory A place alleged for purgatory out of S. Matthevv vvith certayne of the auncient fathers iudgements vpon the same CAP. X. 1 ANd yet it shall be conuenieÌ„t that I helpe the studious reader with further
out till they haue payed the vttermost farthing Those must passe the fiery floode by horrible fordes of skawlding waues VVhereof the Prophet maketh mention thus And a firy streame ranne before his face The space of passage shall be measured by the matter of sinne according to the encrease of our offensies the discreite discipline of that flame shall reuenge againe and looke how farre in wickednesse our foly did reach so farre this punishment shall wisely waste And like as Gods worde compareth mans soule to a brasen potte saying Set the potte empty ouer the coles till the brasse thereof of waxe hote So there thou shalt see periury angre malice vnfructefull desires sweate out which did infect the purity of mans noble nature there the pewter and leade of diverse passions which did abase the pure golde of Gods image shall be consumed away All which thinges might in our life time haue easely bene wiped away by almes and teares Such a strait accompt loe will he kepe with man that for mans sake gaue him selfe to death and being throust through with nailes hath fastened the dominion of death also So farre hath Emissenus spoken and his wordes be so weighty that they haue bene counted worthy rehersall in solemne Sermâ—ns and Homilies of the Antiquity to stirre vp their hearers to the necessary awe of Gods iudgements with much prouocation of vertuous life S. Augustine hath the selfe same discourse almost no word thereof chaunged VVith this addition Ideo fratres charissimi conuertamus nos ad meliora dum in nostra potestate sunt remedia Therfore deare brethern let vs turne and amende by time whilest the remedies be yet in our owne dealinge And in an other place thus he toucheth the scripture alleaged Apparebit Deus Deorum in Syon sed quando post peregrinationem finita via si tamen post finitam viam non iudici tradamur vt iudex mittat in carcerem The God of Gods in Syon shall appeare but when mary after our pilgramage be past and the iourney ended Excepte it sâ— fall out that after our iourney here we be deliuered vp to the iudge so the iudge send vs to prison To this place also S. Bernarde doth sâ—eetely but yet fearefully allude in this exhortation Volat sayth he irreuocabile verbum dum creditis vos cauere poenam istam minimam incurritis multo ampliorem Illud enim scitote quia post hanc vitam in locis purgabilibus centupliciter quae fuerunt hic neglecta reddentur vsque ad nouissimum quadrantem Our worde not possible to be called backe flyeth farre and whilest you seeke to auoyde a litle griefe here you incurre much greater For assure your selfe of this that after this life in places of purgation all negligencies past must be repaide a hundreth foulde home againe till the discharge of the last farthinge 4 As for this authority of Eusebius which hath serued for a patch to peece vp so many homilies of so many diuerse men as a Cuckowes song vttered in diuerse places semeth neither to haue Eusebius nor Augustine nor any other good author to be the father of it but euen some cowled cuckowe that hath left this egge in so many birdes nestes to be hatched vnder their winges and to be counted for one of their chickens but that your voyce doth soone bewray it And here a man may note a great peece of cunning in them that had the writing out of bookes about those times when errours began to take strength that not onely whole workes were falsly intitled to diuers good authours but also patches inserted to their owne workes And if any thing by them were once spoken that sounded to the confirmation of those errors that was thrust into diuers places of their writings lest it should scarse be espied in one And hereof it commeth that such sayings in Augustine Chrysostome and other as seeme to allow prayer for the dead be so often repeated in their writings and especially in homilies that were taken of their mouthes by Scribes and Notaries But who so euer was the father of this sentence as he speaketh friendely for the paynes of purgatory so he sheweth him self an vtter enemy to the release of the same So doth that Augustine which addeth his exhortation to these wordes by him repeated But the other Augustine which writeth vpon the 103. Psalme sayth that God shall appeare to them onely which are not cast into prison when they be departed out of this life therfore I muse wherefore those wordes are here brought in For Augustine as I will shew afterward vnderstandeth that prison for hell and eternal tormeÌ„ts Bernard although he be too yong to depose in this cause yet he speaketh not so much to auouch the paynes of purgatory as to deny the remedy or remission of them wherefore his testimony helpeth not purgatory so much one way as it hindreth the Papistes gayne an other way 5 Here now let our aduersaries in this bright shining trueth blinde them selues let them boldely bost of their accustomed impudency that the Catholickes haue no scriptures nor apparence of scriptures or if they stande with vs for the meaning let them shape with all their conueyaunce any one shifte to aunswere these doctors words Or if the vniforme consent of so many of the best learning and greatest wisedom in the whole Church may haue no roome with them let them shew whereupon their owne credits be growne so great that without reason likelihood or authority men must needes beleue them It is a straunge case that what soeuer they auouch it must be Gods word what meaning so euer they make for maintenance of their wicked foly it must be termed the true sense of Scripture And the truth it selfe shewing all force in the conference of diuers places of holy writte in weight of reason in the workes and writings of all antiquitie shall be so lightly regarded I would to God the people pitifully deceiued by such vayne flying talke could beholde the vpright wayes of truth or could learne by the playne dealing of our side to require some grounded proofe of these newe doctors deuises They may well perceiue if they haue any necessary care of those weighty matters touching our saluation so neare that the Catholike neuer aduentureth to bring any Scripture for his purpose but he will be sure for his warrant to haue the same so expounded by the auncient fathers of our faith lest by his rashnesse he deceiue other and father some falshood vpon the holy writers of Gods will which were horrible sacrilege But on the other side if a man might pose M. Caluin or Flaccius or such other of that light family what doctor or Scripture they followed in the exposition of S. Iames his place for the anoynting with holy oyle when they were not ashamed to giue this sense of that Scripture that it were good to call the elders of the people that had
delicat teachers of our time that vnder pretence of preaching the Gospell auouching the glory of God and the grace of our redemption haue serued mens lustes abandoned the olde austerity of Christian life and rased out of the peoples hartes the feare of Gods iudgements were foreseene by the holy Apostle Iudas And he calleth them Impios transferentes Domini nostri gratiam in luxuriam VVicked men turning the grace of our Lorde vnto wantonnesse and lust Against whome also S. Paule made this exception that they shoulde not in any wise by the freedome of our redemption chalenge any liberty of the fleshe Notwithstanding Christes passion then we must not otherwise thinke but to suffer for our owne sinnes not as helping the insufficiencie of his merites but as making our selues apte to receiue that blessed benefit which effectually worketh vpon no man but by meanes nor serueth any to saluation but by obedience of his will and worde For if Christes death shoulde worke accordinge to the full force of it selfe it woulde doubtlesse suppe vp all sinne and all paine for sinne it might wipe away death both of this present life and eternall it woulde leaue neither Hell Purgatory nor paine the price and worthinesse thereof being so aboundaunt that it might being not otherwise by the vnserchable will and wisedome of the sufferer limited saue the whole worlde But now ordinary wayes by Gods wisedome appointed for the bestowing of that excellent medicinable cuppe as S. Augustine termeth it and condicions required in the parties beside Christes death doth not discharge vs of satisfaction for our sinnes nor of any other good worke whereby man may procure his owne saluation 2 The sufficiency of Christes passion is compted a light argument to M. Allen but the weight thereof shall not withstanding beaâ—e doune all the blasphemous doctrine of Popery He sayth thereby we cloke falsehoode and licentious liuinge The Lorde knoweth that he â—claundereth vs Then he will frame our argument therof as he list but there in he doth vs too much wronge But thus we reason in deede Christ hath payed the full price of our sinnes therefore there is no parte of the price left to be payed by vs Christ hath fully satisfied for our sinnes therefore their remaineth no satisfaction for vs Christ hath suffered for our iniquities therefore we are healed by his stripes And yet we neither exclude repentance nor the true fructes thereof which are good workes but rather we establish them For Christ hath payed the price of their sinnes that repente and beleue in him that follow his steppes that walke in his precepts but neither our repentaunce nor our fayth nor good workes deserue any thing onely the death of Christ is all our merite and the onely meane by which the same is applied vnto vs and we receiue it is our fayth thus the scripture teacheth thus we beleeue And as for that vaine amplification of M. Allen that the full force of Christes death woulde suppe vp all sinne death hell and paine we may see there by how Sathan deludeth heretikes to extende the benefits of Christes death vppon a fonde supposition beyonde the limittes of his will not to allow the same to stretch so farre as Gods determination hath apointâ—d it Christ hath satisfyed for our sinnes yet we must make satisfaction our selues Christ by his suffering is become a cause of saluation to all that beleiue in him yet euery man by good workes must procure his owne saluation These are the enemies of the crosse of Christ which glory in their owne shame whose ende is confusion 3 And I am not a frayde to vse the word Satisfaction with Cyprian Oâ—â—gen Ambrose Augustine and the rest of that blessed fellowship VVho right wel knew the valew of our redemption and the force of that satisfaction which our Sauiour made vpon the Crosse. I dare well leaue these pety diuines and speake with the grand capitanes of our faith and religion And I woulde to God I coulde as well in any part come after them in example of Christian life VVho not so much in worde as in the course of all their conuersation lefte vnto vs perfect paterns of great and greuous penaunce Their longe watching and wailinge their straunge weyelde and waste habitation their rough appareling their hard lying their meruelous fasting their perpetual praying their extreme voluntary pouerty and all this to preuent Gods iudgement in the worlde to come for those small infirmities and offensies of their fraile life may make our aduersaries ashamed of them selues that neither will followe their blessed steppes nor yet which is the greatest signe of Gods anger towardes them that can be like it and allowe it in others 3 Touching the worde of Satisfaction vsed by the olde writers I haue shewed before that they vsed it not in that sense which the Papistes doe And I confesse with M. Allen that they not onely knew but also haue expressed the valewe of our redemption by Christ in such words as it is not possible that the Popish satisfaction can not stand with them Against the valew of which redemption if they haue vttered any thing by the worde of satisfaction or any thing els we may lawfully reiect their auctoritie not onely though they be doctors of the Church but also if they were angels from heauen There heartie bewayling of their sinnes and fructes of true repentaunce that they shewed not to iustifie them selues thereby but to humble them selues before God and to cause their light to shine to his glorie we praye God we may follow not to set vp our righteousnesse but to the prayse of his name An euident and most certaine demonstration of the trueth of Purgatory and the greuousnesse of the paines thereof vttered by the prayers and vvordes of the holy doctors and by some extraordinary vvorkes of God beside CAP. XII 1 ANd we also that by Gods grace and great mercy be Catholikes must needs here conceiue singular feare of Gods terrible iudgments which of iustice he must practise vpon our wickednesse that liue nowe in pleasure and worldely welth after such a carelesse sorte that men may iudge we haue no respect of the dredfull day nor care of Purgatory which in wordes we so earnestly mainteine The deepe and perpetuall feare whereof caused our elders not only to leade their life in such perpetual paine but further forced them to breake out in bitter teares and vtter most godly prayers that they might escape the iudgement of God exercised by the paines of Purgatory at the ende of our shorte and vncertaine life Some of them I will recite that our hartes may melte in the necessary foresight of that terrible time and the heretikes be ashamed to deny that which so constantly in worde and worke they euer professed For feare of this fire to come holy S. Bernarde maketh this meditation O vtinam magis nunc daret aliquis capiti meo aquas oculis
meis fontem lachrymarum fortè enim non reperiret ignis exureÌ„s quod interim flueÌ„s lachryma diluisset Oh woulde to God some man woulde nowe before hande prouid for my heade abundaunce of waters to mine eyes a fountaine of teares for so happely the burning fire shoulde take no hold where ronning teares had cleansed before And thus againe the same blessed man debateth the matter with his owne conscience I tremble and shake for feare of fawling into Gods handes I woulde present my selfe before his face already iudged and not then of him to be iudged Therefore I will make a reckening whiles I am here of my good deedes and of my badde my euill shall be corrected with better works shall be wattered with teares shall be punished by fasting and amended by sharp discipline Prouision must be made that I bring not thether cockel in steade of corne or chaffe together with Wheate I shall rippe vp to the very bottome all my wayes and my whole studie that he may finde nothing vntried or not fully discussed to his handes And then I hope in his mercy that he will not iudge for the same faultes the second time In the like godly sense spake another longe before his dayes Beatus qui hic mala sua deflere qui hic debita sua festinat exoluere innocentiam quam iam non potest per baptismum reparare recuperare studeat per summum poenitentiae fructum ad tales merito ipse Dominus loquitur non iudicabo bis in idipsum Happy is he that euer he was borne that with speede bewaileth his sinnes and in time dischargeth his debtes that he may so endeuour to recouer by the fructes of penaunce his innocency which by baptisme he can neuer repaire againe to such surely our Lorde sayth that he will not call twise to accompte for one faulte CAP. XII AFter the exhortation to your fellow Papistes to stande in awe of purgatory you bringe in the meditation of Bernard for feare of the fire thereof If you meane thereby to terrifie your fellow Papistes it is somewhat for you know he is a very late writer and therefore his authoritie with vs is of small accompt in such cases as he followeth the common errour of his time I would both you your fellowes not for feare of temporall paynes but either for loue of God or feare of eternall damnation would leaue your blasphemous heresies contrary to Godâ— word your sclaundering persecuting and murthering of Gods Sainctes and reforming your life after the rule of Gods Gospel would take hold of Christ by faith to your eternall health and so sorrow for your sinnes that you might reioyce alwayes as the children of God doe The saying of Emissenus proueth no feare of purgatory but of Gods iudgement vnto condemnation preuented by repentaunce 2 S. Ambrose sheweth his feare also of Purgatory by this prayer Quod si etiam in illo adhuc saeculo aliquid in me vindicandum reseruas peto ne me potâ—stati daemonum tradas dum scelus meum Purgatoria poena detergis O Lorde sayth he if thou reserue any whit in me to be reuenged in the next life yet I humbly aske of thee that thou geue me not vp to the power of wicked spirites whiles thou wipes away my sinnes by the paine of Purgatory Lo good reader the feare and fayth of our fathers lo how olde this doctrine is how auncient the worde is But in an other place the same author expresseth his care and continuall cogitation of this iudgement to be practised in Purgatory comparing thus S. Peter his state with his owne Ille sayth he of S. Peter examinabitur vt argentum ego examinabor vt plumbum donec plumbum tabescat ardâ—bo si nihil argenti in me inuentum fuerit heu me in vltima inferni detrudar aut vt stipula â—otus exurar si quid in me inuentum fuerit auti vel argenti non per meos actus sed per gratiam misericordiam Christi per ministerium sacerdotij dicam fortasse ego Etenim qui sperant in te non coÌ„fundentur In english He shall be tryed as siluer but I must be searched and examined as leade till the leade melt awaye must I continually burne And if then there be no siluer matter founde wo is me I shall be throust downe to the neither partes of the deepe hell or wholy waste away as strowe in fire But if any golde or siluer be founde in me not through my workes but by grace and Christes mercy and for my ministery and priesthood sake I shall also once say those that put their trust in thee shall neuer be confounded Alasse Ambrose was thou so carefull fâ—r wasting away in thy purgation what shall become of vs where all is drosse and no fine substance so continuall sinning and so litle sauluing where the dignity of priesthood whereby thou conceiued such comfort is almost worne away his feare was so harty and his meditation of purgatory paines was so earnest that he conceiueth a doubt in respect of his desertes of wasting away and further casting into damnation though he knew right well that man admitted to the temporall iudgement of the next world could not euerlastingly perish but because the paines of the one is so like the other the griefe of theÌ„ both lightly occupieth mans minde at once especially where mans case is doubtfull and often deserueth the worse of the twayne 2 That Ambrose that writ the preparatory to masse might be afferd of purgatory of tormeÌ„ting by deuils also as his words are But Ambrose of Millayne wrate no such booke It is sufficient for Papists that euery vnlearned asse may intitle his fantasies to some auncient writer and then they must be authenticall But draffe is good enough for swine As for that Ambrose that wrote vpon the 118. psalme sheweth a feare of hell if God should deale with him according to his iustice but by the grace and mercy of God which is dispensed by his ministers he recouereth him self being assured that all they that trust in him shal not be confounded M. Allen translateth per ministerium sacerdotij for my ministery and priesthood sake as though he ioyned his priesthood with the grace of christ I had rather referre it to the priesthood of Christ but that I haue geuen the true meaning of his wordes before 3 So S. Augustine likewise after that he had vttered his feare of hell in the Prophet Dauids person as I sayd once before streight he adioyneth his request vnto God to saue him from Purgatory paynes by the Prophets wordes also I will recite his minde in English O Lord amend me not in thy anger but pourge me in this life that I may escape the amending fire which is prepared for such as shall be saued through fire And why but because they build vppon the foundation woode hay and strawe men might build gold siluer and
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
and Angels in heauen to the chosen and elect people either in earth or vnder the earth beneth And that this holy consent of good workes and mutuall agreement of prayer to the continuall supplying of eche others lackes doth also apperteine to the soules departed no man that hath any sense of this happy community can denie for being membres of our common body they must needes be partakers of the common vtilitie CAP. II. 1 IF you aske me by what meanes they may be releued whome the bloude of Christ hath not purged from all their sinnes suerly I must aunswere you plainely as I haue learned in the scripture that there is no name geuen vnder heauen by which they maye be helped which are not helped by Christes death Act. 4. But you haue merites of men to helpe the merites of Christ. O blasphemy they that can not be iustified by their owne merites by the vertue of them shall healpe to iustifie other But this is worthy to be noted that they which are in purgatory can not by any motion of minde atteine more mercy then their life past deserued Therefore faith either is not in them or else pâ—ofitteth them nothing for that is a notable motion of the minde Then the merites of other men must profite with out faith or els they profitte them not all But with out fayth it is not possible that they shoulde profit them for as much as with out fayth it is not possible to please God Heb. 13. therefore it is not possible that other mens workes aliue shoulde profit them that are dâ—ad But we haue an other shift sought out to serue them that is the communion of Saintes What manner of communion is that which is with out fayth But because M. Allen bringeth in the communion of saintes I must shew where in the same consisteth The communion of saintes is considered either of the whole body of the church or else of the Church militant here on earth The communion of the whole body is the participation of life and all other offices of life that euery member and the whole body hath of the heade as S. Paule teacheth plainely Ephes. 4. The communion of saintes here on earth as it is a paâ—te of the whole communion so the whole Vertue commeth also from the heade and the members haue but the administration thereof according to the measure and office of euery one So that when we speake of the vniuersall Church we beleue that all the elect of God are one mysticall body that so liueth by Christ that it is not possible for any one member thereof to perish when we speake of the communication of the faythfull heare on earth we meane the dispeÌ„sation of the grace and gifts of God which as euery one hath receiued of God so of charity he is bouÌ„d to imploye the same to the profit of his fellowe members here on earth what place is here to merit for them that are deade when one can not merit for an other that is aliue no not for him selfe but euery man hath his worthynesse of Christ this is the doctrine of the scripture the other participation of merittes is a mere deuise of men hauing no foundation in the worde of God so that M. Allen him selfe can not vouch so much as one text of scripture to warranty where in he can haue any coullor for such communion of merites For that which S. Paule writeth 1. Cor. 12. is manifestly vnderstood of the mutuall offices of loue whereby one member hath compassion with an other by no meanes teacheth either the estate of the deade or the merittes of the liuing Of like credit it is that he so constantly affirmeth that the Saintes in heauen pray for their fellowes beneth and that they belowe pray for the helpe of the Saintes aboue moreouer that Christ our heade by whose bloude the society standeth will haue no worke nor waye of saluation that is not common to the whole body in generall and particularly profitable to supply the neede of any parte thereof Here you see by a plaine distribution that M. Allen will haue other workes and wayes of saluation beside the bloude of christ These things being onely affirmed and not proued by the authority of Scriptures although I might confute at large by the same yet it shall suffice to aunswere with that auncient father That which hath no authority in the Scriptures is as easily denied as it is affirmed But it is a worlde to see what a compasse you fetch to bringe in the Masse for one of the speciall meanes It was wont to be a sacrifice propitiatory both for the quicke and the deade nowe you haue nicer termes for it Now it is the sacrifice of the Church By whome instituted I pray you which by the will of the author if you make God the author where haue you one sillable in the Scripture to declare his will but that which followeth passeth By the likenesse of the exemplar as in deede being in an other manner the very selfe same What is this that I heare doth the Masse aueyle because it is like the exemplar if you meane the sacrifice of Christ his passion to be the examplar the masse is as like it as an apple is like an oyster for all the apish pageantes that be played in it We read in the Scriptures that all the sacrifices of the olde lawe with the tabernacle were made conformable to the exemplar and paterne that was shewed vnto Moses which was Christ Exod. 25. Heb. 8. Act. 7. But that there shoulde be any more shadowes or resemblaunces when the bodye and substance it selfe is come it is contrary to the whole scope of the Epistle to the Hebrues M. Allen hath a shift for that saying it is the very selfe same in an other maner But he is so deepe in diuinity that he forgetteth his first principles of logike For euery boye in Oxford can tell him that those things which be like can not be the same If therefore the Masse be like the sacrifice of Christ then is it not the sacrifice of Christ it selfe Againe the exemplar and the example be proper relatiues therfore if the sacrifice of Christ be the exemplar whereof the Masse is the example the Masse can not be the sacrifice of christ Neither will it helpe that he sayth It is the selfe same in an other maner so long as the same respect remaineth But let him make of his Masse what he can the Church of God instructed by Gods worde receiueth no more sacrifices propitiatory but onely the sacrifice of Christ his death which was offered by no other but by him selfe and that once for all Seeing that by one oblation he hath made perfect for euer those that are sanctified Hebr. 10. 2 And so sayth S. Augustine in these words Neque enim piorum animae mortuorum separantur ab ecclesia quae nunc est regnum Christi alioquin nec ad
or daunger or to shew their sorrow for prophanation of Gods glory And any of these are more reasonable causes then the superstitious surmise of Beda with his curious conceit of the six ages of the worlde where other make seuen and eight ages 3 And that charitable reliefe of the poore by open almes and doles was also practised for the welth of the departed in the obittes of olde time the scripture it selfe in the fourth chapter of Tobie maketh mention by report of that godly commaundemeÌ„t that the good olde father gaue is sonne herein Panem tuum cum esurientibus comede de vestimeÌ„â—is tuis nudos tege Panem tuum vinum tuum super sepulturam iusti constitue noli ex eo manducare bibere cum peccatoribus Eate thy breade with the hongry and needy and couer with thy clothes the naked Set thy breade and wine vpon the sepulture of the vertuous make not the sinnefull partaker therof which wordes of exhortation can haue no other sense but that as before in the same place he gaue his sonne in charge to bestow vppon all men according to his hability for that there was hope to all charitable almes giuers of Gods mercy so now he warneth him to feede the poore and breake his breade to such especially as should come to the iustes and funeralls of the departed He would neuer haue put him in minde to haue releeued the poore at burialls but for some commodity that might arise to the party deceased for otheâ—wise his charity might haue proffeted the needy at other times as well as vpon mens departure Some tooke foolish occasioÌ„ by this place to set store of meate vpon the graue it selfe where their father or freinde was buried as though the dead had bene desirous of corporall foode The which superstitious error S. Augustine earnestly improueth Other some made great feastes at the daye of their freindes death But the texte is plaine it was the needy and good people that were at those soleÌ„ne exequies or other wise by their prayers might be profitably present in the dayes of memories holden for them which practise was not prescribed as a newe thing to the yong Tobie but it was moued and praised vnto him as a holy vsage of other burialls in those dayes and alwayes before Bona est oratio cum ieiunio elecmosina Prayer is profitable sayth the holy Raphel when it is ioyned with fasting and almes and therefore as the fathers in their prayers for the dead fasted as we haue proued so nowe I doubt not but almes shall crie for mercy at Gods hande for the soule departed vpon whose sepulture these thinges be charitably wroght 3 What else if we had not doles at burialls proued by the example of the Patriarkes all were marred Therefore Tobias must saye for doles But first we haue shewed already by authoritie of Hieronym which is proofe sufficient against the Papist that the Church receiueth not this booke of Tobias for canonicall scripture And secondly if we shoulde receiue it yet here is nothing that helpeth M. Allens cause but his owne simple surmise He sayth in dede the wordes can haue no other sence yet all that he sayeth is not gospell but what if the truer texte of Tobias hath other wordes First in the Greeke there is no mention at all of wine as is in the Latine nor of setting breade and wine vpon the graue of the vertuous but the sence is this As before he exhorted his sonne to feede the hongry with his owne breade and to cloth the naked with his owne garments so nowe he willeth him to spare the breade out of his owne mouth to bury the righteous as he him selfe had done chap. 1. which is a cleere interpretation of this but to geue nothing at all to the vngodly or to be liberall to the rightuous euen to their death and to see them buried honestly As for the iustes and funeralls M. Allen dreameth that the poore came vnto to receiue penny dole or soule breade appeareth in the first and second Chapters how solemne they were when poore Tobie was fayne to steale the bodyes and bury them priuily by night yet vpon that corrupt Latine texte as it should seeme wherevpon M. Allen buildeth they vsed in Affrica to make sumptuous and dronken feastes vpon the graues of men in the places of buriall which they thought not onely to perteine to the honor of the martyrs but also to be some comforte to the soules of the deade This olde superstition Augustine reproueth epist. 64. Aurelio But it is pretily renewed in the funerall feastes of the Papistes as also the selling of oblations for the deade which he in the same place condemneth 4 VVe haue a notable example in the Actes of the Apostles of the force of almes with prayers which wroght life and procured mercy eueÌ„ in the next world For the benefit of faithfull workes and holy prayers will not be limited by the termes of this worlde it will haue course doune so farre as the fellowship of this Christian societie reacheth the deuill and all his abettours can not stoppe the rase thereof The onely shew of certaine cotes with the requeste of the pore widowes that wore them made to Peter the Apostle turned Tabitha to life againe after her departure those garments geuen by her when she was a lieue by the careful trauel of her almes folkes procured reliefe in the worlde to come They warmed the backes of widowes in earth sayth Emissenus and the geuer had comforth of them being gone from the earth It is good we shoulde all learne here that haue receiued benefite of any man in this liefe with loue and carefullnesse not onely in this present worlde but most of all when our frend is departed to represent vnto God before his altare and holy ministers with sorowfull weeping hearty prayer the memory of such thinges as we haue receiued by way of almes or loue at his hand It shall be a soueraigne remedy for his infirmities and the approuedst way to procure Gods mercy that can be The elders of the Iewes making earnest supplication to our Sauiour for the Centurions seruaunt lying in extremitie vsed the memorie of that gentilmans charitable actes in their church as the rediest waye to obteine grace and fauour at his handes They cried out together dignus est vt hoc illi praestes diligit enim gentem nostram synagogam ipse aedificauit nobis Lorde be gratious vnto him he is worthy that benefite for he loueth our nation and hath him selfe founded a Synagoge And S Cyprian sayth notably that good workes make a more effectuall intercession then good wordes he speaketh of the same Tabitha as followeth Circumsteterunt Petrum viduae flentes rogantes pallia tunicas omnia illa quae prius sumpserant indumenta monstrantes nec pro defuncta suis vocibus sed ipsius operibus
deprecantes the widowes compassed Peter round about weeping and crauing holding forth the clokes and cotes and all their wiedes which they had giuen them before not requesting for the good woman deceased so much by their wordes as by her owne good workes I pray God we be not ouer carelesse in offering to almighty God in these our dolefull dayes the vnestimable benefites which we haue receiued of our forefathers by the building of all our Collegies our Oratories Churchies and chappelles They were founded first to procure Gods mercy they were many yeares together in the mindes and memories of their beadsmen represented before the face of God at his holy altare they are now forgotten with most men and offered to God with teares almost of none VVe should be much more diligent for our frends offensies doubtlesse then the poore women were onely for restore of there benefactors liefe againe And the force of prayers and almes worketh rather mercy in remission of sinne then fauour for calling to the life of this worlde any more Therefore seeing we reade expressely that prayers and almes haue bene proffitable to many out of the state of our present life we can not deny but the workes of the vertuous passe by Gods prouidence to the soules separated from their bodyes and worke grace and fauour as the case and condicion of the party requireth 4 But when shall we make an end if we aunswere such arguments as these The widdowes entreated Peter to restore Tabitha and shewed such garments as she made whilest she liued therfore prayer and almes helpeth the soules in purgatory At a word I say here is no necessary nor probable consequence But this is notable that he allegeth the sorrowing of the vnbeleuing Iewes He is worthy of this benefite because he loueth our nation and hath builded vs a Synagoge Belike he would haue men thinke this Synagoge was some chauntry that he builded for the benefite of the soules in purgatory 5 The soule of Lazarus whom our Sauiour reuiued was 4. dayes in the place and state of the next world when Martha and Mary his sisters prayers procured his restore to the land of the liuing again VVhich wemen I am sure were as earnest suters for the rest of his soule as for recouery of his personage they wished Christ had bene present in his sicknes they were assured of his resurrection at the latter day but being stinking ripe they thought our maister would not presently call him vp at that turne yet for his rest we neede not to doubt but they made sute with sighes sorowfull teares euery day VVho by custom of their countrey as I take it kept solemne prayers for diuers dayes togither in certaine seasons at the sepulâ—hre as the coniecture of Maries friendes which came to comfort her in heauines may well declare vnto vs For as she sâ—denly at her sisters call brake from them they knowing the vsage of that solemne weeping at the sepulchre of the departed sayd one to an other quia vadit ad monumentum vt ploret ibi she is surely gone to his graue there to wepe In which weeping kept as it were by course order and tyme if our aduersaries yet deny to haue bene vsed any prayers or wordes of request then let them make proofe by Gods worde that they vsed nothing but vnprofitable lamentation which if it be immoderate hath especiall mistrust of the resurrection as S. Paule declareth but ioyned with prayers or almes as before is proued it hath the liuely hope of the life of those that sleepe in peace And that to be the true mourning for the dead S. Chrysostome witnesseth with me both often else and namely vppon the Epistle to the Philippians thus Defleamus istos iuuemus eos pro viribus procuremus illis aliquid auxilij modici quidem attamen iuuemus eos quomodo quaue ratione precantes pro illis adhortemur alios vt orent pro eis pauperibusque indesinenter pro illis eleemosinas demus habet res ista non nihil consolationis Audi quippe quid Deus dicat protegam ciuitatem istam propter me propter Dauid seruum meum si memoria duntaxat iusti tantum valuit quando opera pro tali fiunt quid non poterunt Let vs mourne and weepe sayth he ouer the deade and helpe them according to our abilitie somwhat let vs succour them though it be neuer so small yet let vs put to our helping handes But howe and by what meanes mary both our selues praying for them and mouing others to doe the like yea and with out ceasing let vs bestowe almes for them this is somewhat confortable For see I pray you what God sayth I will defend this city for mine owne sake and for my seruaunt Dauids sake Truely if the onely remembrance of a iust man might make so much with God what may not charitable workes done for the same intent obteyne at his hand This was the mourning meete for the Christian burialls as this noble father teacheth vs and this no other was practised in the fathers funeralls in Christes time and before As in an other place this same doctor earnestly correcteth the vse of vaine mourning or outragious costly and curious couering of the body buried Cessemus quaeso ab hac insana diligentia sed eam morientium curam habeamus quae nobis illis conferat ad gloriam Dei. Largas pro his eleemosinas faciamus mittamus eis pulcherrima viatica Eleemosina mortuos suscitauit quando circumsteterunt viduae ostendentes quae fecerat ipsis Dorcas Cum ergo moriendum sit quisque funus sibi paret persuadeatque vt indigentibus aliquid relinquat Nam si reges haeredes scribentes familiaribus partem relinquunt in puerorum cautionem cum Christum cohaeredem filijs tuis dimittis intellige quantam tibi illis concilias beneuolentiam Haec sunt funera pulcherrima remanentibus abeuntibus proficiunt caetera For Gods loue sayth he let vs leaue this vndiscrete and madde curiositie and let vs so prouide for the departed that we may both helpe them and our selues to the glory of god Large almes must we geue for them in so doing we shall sende vnto them as you woulde say a kinde of necessary foode and sustenaunce for their soules This hath raised vp the deade when the widowes stoode round about making shewe of the garnements that Dorcas made for them Therefore seeing dye we must it were not amisse that euery man procured his owne funerall before hande that is to say by determination to leaue somewhat to the poore needy For if mighty kinges making their heires do bequeath somewhat to their familiars for the salfe prouiso of their successours thou may well vnderstande when thou makest Christ the copartener with thy children thou procurest thereby his mercy both to them and thy selfe And these be the right obittes these shall be commodious to the lyuing
which remember your mysteries of iniquity and are witnesses of your detestable doinges And yet you do clame of the decay of vertue in our dayes which whether it haue suffered a greater diminishing then in the time of your blinde and blasphemous gouernment let them that haue knowen both the times consider diligently and iudge indifferently Finally where as you affirme that your aduersaries cōfesse that the dayes of Chrysostome were holy and vndefiled and woulde make young men boyes beleue so you must either bring forth your authors that so confesse or else all men both young and olde must saye you are a shamelesse lyer we confesse that in those dayes the onely foundation Iesus Christ was taught and the article of iustification by the onely mercy of God was preached but yet we affirme that much straw wodde and other impure matter was builded vpon the foundation which was a preparation to the kingdome of Antichrist which was not longe after to be reueiled It may be a shame for you Papistes to leaue and condemne for heresie all that is true in those mens writings and agreable to the scripture and to make such vaunt for a fewe superstitious ceremonies and vnsincere opinions which yet if eyther young or olde wil indifferently compare with your abhominations of desolation they shall easily perceiue that they differe as much from you as we from them Man may be relieued after his departure either by the almes vvhich he gaue in his life time or by that vvhich is prouided by his testament to be geuen after his death or els by that almes vvhich other men do bestovv for his soules sake of their ovvne goods CAP. V. 1 ANd we finde the workes of mercy and charitie to helpe the soule of man in this life towardes remission of his sinnes or els in the next worlde for release of paine due vnto the same sinnes All which may be donne two dayes ▪ first by thine owne hands or appointment liuing in this world which is the best perfectest and surest meanes that may be for that purgeth sinnes procureth mercy maketh frendes in the day of dreade cleanseth beforehand staieth the soule from death and lifteth it vp also to life euerlasting Regarde not here the ianglers that will crie out on thee that mans workes must not presume so farre as to winne heauen or to purge sinnes lest they intermeddle with Christes worke of redemption and the office of onely faith make no accompt of such corrupters of Christian conditions liue well and carefully followe these workes of mercy so expressely commaunded and cōmended in the scriptures kepe thee within the householde of the faithfull and thy very good conuersation in operibus bonis shall refute their vaine blastes and improue their idle faith Say but then vnto them by the words of S. Iames. Maister Protestaunt let me haue a sight of your onely faith with out good workes and here lo beholde mine and spare not by my good workes VVhat religion so euer you be of I know not but I woulde be of that religion which the Apostle calleth religionem mundam immaculatam The pure and vnspotted religion and that is as he affirmeth to viset the fatherlesse and succoure widowes in their neede And then tell them boldely that the Church of God hath instructed thee that all workes whereby man may procure helpe to him selfe or other be the workes of the faithfull which haue receiued that force by the grace and fauour of God and be through Christes bloude so wattered tempered and qualified that they may deserue heauen and remission of sinne Doubt not to tell them that they haue no sight in this darkenesse of heresie in the wayes of Gods wisedome they haue no feele nor tast of the force of his death they see not howe grace prepareth mans workes they can not reach in their infidelitie how wonderfully his death worketh in the Sacraments they can not attayne by any gesse how the deedes of a poore wretch may be so framed in the children of God that whereas of their owne nature they are not able to procure any mercy yet they now shall be counted of Christ him selfe sitting in iudgement worthy of blesse and life euerlasting Bidde them come in come in they shall feele with thee in simplicitie obedience that which they could not out of this society in the pride of contention euer perceiue And if they will not so doe let them perish alone Turning then from them thether where we were let vs practise mercy as I sayd in our owne time in our helth when it shall be much meritorious as proceeding not of necessitie but of freedom and good will. And then after our departure the representation of our charitable deedes by such as receiued benefite thereby shall exceedingly moue God to mercy as we see it did sturre vp the compassion of his Apostle in the fulfilling of so straunge a request VVhereupon S. Cyprian sayth that almes deliuereth often from both the second death which is damnation and the first which is of the body CAP. V. 1 NOw we shall see how many wayes almes proffiteth mens soules First almes giuen by a mans owne handes is allowed for the best but that my thinkes M. Allen shoulde kepe men out of your purgatory and not helpe them when they be there And here you will seeme to be zealous in exhorting men to almes and charge vs with iangling against it because we affirme that mens workes must not presume to winne heauen nor to purge sinnes nor to medle with Christes worke of redemption and the office of onely faith which assertions you call corruptions of Christian cōditions O blasphemous barking of an horrible helhound Doth the glory of Gods mercy and grace the worke of Christes redemption and the office of onely faith hinder almes or corrupt good conditions who seeth not although it be a foolish thing to boast of our works but that we are compelled by this sclaūderous tongue of yours who seeth not more true almes which is giuen for Gods cause in one citie where the Gospell is preached then in a whole cuntrey where popery is receiued Neither doe we refuse the triall of S. Iames with the proudest of the popish hypocrites that make most of their merites And because you would be of that religion that S. Iames calleth holy and vndefiled which is to visite the fatherlesse children and widowes in their affliction If I should speake of singular persons the triall were neither certayne nor possible let vs therefore consider the whole states Shew me M. Allen if thou canst for thy gutts or name me any city in the world where popery preuayleth that hath made such prouision for the fatherlesse children and widowes and all other kind of poore as is in the noble city of London and in diuers other cities and townes of this land and by publike law appoynted to be throughout all the realme of England I knowledge and
confesse before the Lorde that it is nothing in comparison of his mercy towards vs nor our duety towards him But yet blessed be his holy name that it is sufficient to iustifie our profession against the Papistes if not to stoppe their malicious mouthes yet to condemne their cancred conscience of obstinate lying against the manifest light of truth And whereas M. Allen will haue vs told that the blood of Christ maketh mens workes meritorious we will not let to tell him that the church of Christ abhorreth that blasphemy whereby Christes blood is made not the only nor the principall but an accessary and helping cause of remission of sinnes eternall saluation and will not doubt to tell him all such hypocrites as he is that neither see feele tast nor know the mystery of Christes redemption or any thing that ishueth vnto vs thereof which mingle merites of men by what colour or conueiance of wordes what so euer with the infinite and onely cause of our saluation the meere mercy of god And whereas he biddeth vs come into his Church we say to all them that are curable among them as the spirite of God hath taught vs come out of her my people come out of her lest ye be partakers of her plages and torments But nowe at the last he returneth to his matter of mercy affirming that after mens departure the representation of almes by such as receiued it shall moue God exceedingly to mercy O vaine imagination for which he hath neither Scripture nor doctor for neither the example of Peter and the saying of Cyprian helpeth him one iote because there is not the like comparison betwene man and God nor betwene deliuerance from hel which is certayne purgatory which is the controuersie 2 If thou yet chaunce to be negligent in the working of thine owne saluation when thou art in strength and helth when ouer much carefulnesse of worldly welth hindereth the remembraunce of thy duety towardes God for all that helpe thy selfe at the least in thy latter ende for though it had bene much better before yet it is not euill nowe I speake not for priestes aduauntage God is my iudge I am not of that roome my selfe and will not condemne my soule for other But I speake for pity of the deceiued people for compassion of the soules that lacke the reliefe of so soueraigne a remedy for mine owne helpe and those that I so dearly loue against the day of our accompt I speake it because I beleue it and I beleue it because I finde it practised of those men and in those dayes when true christianitie was yet feruent in Christes bloude when the faith was vndefiled and when workes and faith ranne together in the rase of mans life ioyntly without contention Then floorished this doctrine and thou shalt haue further tast of their vsage for mine owne discharge we can not occupy our penne better S. Chrysostome thus instructed his flocke in this case Si adhuc in hac vita constitutus omnia quibus animae tuae prodesse poteras bene dispensare neglexisti vel ad calcem vitae tuae tuis mandasti vt tua tibi ipsi submittendo erogent bonisque operibus te adiuuent eleemosinis dico oblationibus etiam hac ratione saluatorem conciliaueris scribe in tabulis cum filijs cognatisque tuis haeredem nomina dominum Nulli autem viuentium propterea occasionem damus ne faciat eleemosinas differendo vsque ad mortem If thou in thine owne time was ouer negligent in disposing thy goods for the proffit of thy soule and yet at the very ende doest at the last charge thy frendes or executors that they will employ thy proper goods for the reliefe of thy selfe and so helpe thee with good workes that is to saye with almes and oblation euen that way there is great hope thou maiest procure Gods fauour write in thy will that our Lorde may be named a fellowe heire with thy children and kinnesfolkes Neuerthelesse let no man take occasion hereby to be slacke in his life time or to differe his almes charitie till deathes approching This was the preaching of that doctours dayes this proceeded out of his golden mouth and this sounded out of euery pulpit And surely if you knew his life and qualities you woulde not take him to be the priestes proctor of whose dignity as he wrote much so where he founde any vicious he punished sore But he was a true proctor of our soules Chrysostome was no crauer perdye nor Christ neither though they warne vs to make frâ—ndes by Mammon for our owne saluation They aske not much they thrust out no inheretours it was but a mite that wanne the poore widowe that prayse a cuppe of cold water where more abilitie wanteth shall winne heauen at th end This then is the benefite of almes giuen in the time of mans life or otherwise by his appointment of his owne goodes after his departure both which procure mercie as well by the deede it selfe as by the prayers of those to whome that charity apperteined 2 This matter standeth vpon chaunce medly for if thou chaunce sayth he to be negligent c. and more rightly then he termeth the buriall of Geneua it may be called a matter of mumchaunce for he beginneth with a chaunce but he hath neuer a title of scripture nor any sufficient authority of a doctor to proue that almes bequeathed in a mans testament helpeth him out of purgatory And yet as though he had some greate speake to make he protesteth that he speaketh not for priestes aduantage because he is not of that roome him selfe c. but hereby you maye see what he counteth almes cheefely that which is geuen vnto priestes or else what needeth he to make any such protestation But he speaketh it because he beleueth it he would fayne counter fect his speach like the Apostle but an ape will be an ape although he be clothed in purple For the grounde of his belefe is not as the Apostles was the worde of God Rom. 10. but the practise of men which though they were neuer so good yet they were such as might deceiue and be deceiued But to the matter the florish of this doctrine was so great in those times which he commeÌ„deth to be so happy that he can not finde one man that speaketh of it but he is fayne to cite out of Damascene that which Chrysostome shoulde saye Which wordes proue no more but that almes is better geuen at the last then not at all of deliuerance from purgatory neuer a worde There is one word oblationibus which perhaps M. Allen would draw to masses for he translateth it oblation in the singular number which in the Latine is the plurall numbre His fetch is easy to finde the Masse though it be sayed neuer so often yet is it called of them but one oblation But I inferre vppon his owne conscience Chrysostomes
worde is oblationibus oblations therefore he meaneth not Masses but onely almes deedes which in scripture are called oblations or sacrifices where with God is pleased Heb. 13. But I will let this slight geare passe and goe to the rest 3 Nowe there is an other way of reliefe by almes of other men which for loue and pitie they bestow vpon the poore that the soule hense departed may through their charitie receiue comforte And this conteineth a double worke of mercie principally towardes the deceased for whome it was geuen and then towardes the needy that receiued present benefit thereby and it singularly redoundeth to the spirituall gaine both of the geuer and the person for whose sake it is geuen And this kinde of almes is it which good Tobie did commende vnto his sonne being so much more meritorious to the person that procureth it then the other whiche we spake of before because it is grounded not onely of loue towardes a mans owne proper person but reacheth to the benefite of our neighbour by the singular gift of compassion and tender loue that we beare euen towardes them which can neither helpe vs nor them selues It is nothing els but a wing of prayer and a token of earnest sute for the party on whome it is practised which no man will vse for his neighbours good that list not do it before in his owne behalfe This effectuall supplication by wordes and workes together is as straunge nowe a dayes in our country either for the liuing or the departed either in our owne lackes or in other mens necessities as it was common in olde time and commended in the scripture Bona est oratio cum ieiunio eleemosina Prayer is soueraigne ioyned with almes and fasting the which being done either for the liue or deade is with speede by Angels ministery caried into heauen For I take it and so the text excedingly beareth that the bitter prayers which the Angell so commended in that good father and which had such good successe was made in the funerals of the faithfull departed Quando orabas cum lachrimis sayth Raphael sepeliebas mortuos ▪ c. Ego obtuli orationem tuam Domino Tobie when thou with teares prayd and buried the deade I offered vp thy prayers to our Lord god he seemeth to tearme that prayers with weeping which in other placies of scripture is called mourning ouer the deade And weying the wordes with out affection it must needes be graunted that the iuste funeralls had and required prayers with weeping and that the Angels of God do speedely offer such effectuall requeste vp to the presens of the Maiesty as well to the reliefe of the dead as to the comfort of the procurer But I would be lothe to descant vpon Gods worde for the beating out of any newe doctrine or deuised meaning or to auouch a sense not knowen to the time of perfect spring in religion Therefore to go surely to worke I will looke about me for example of this good Tobies almes and prayers for the poore departed soules that we may learne withall not onely to be beneficiall to our selues but to our neighbours both a liue and deade All the antiquitie here offer to take my part in so good and so knowen a quarell I may haue as many as I will and whome I will ▪ such therefore I doe searche for as be plainest for testimonie of open doles and reliefe of the poore in the burials of Christian people That not onely one mans assertion but also the plaine practise of the Church of God may beare downethe aduersaries boldnesse and the more auncient the better Origene then shall helpe vs to the vsage of his time and Church He writeth thus Celebramus diem mortis quia non moriuntur hi qui mori videntur Celebramus nimirum religiosos cum sacerdotibus conuocantes fideles vnà cum clero inuitantes adhuc egenos pauperes pupillos viduas saturantes vt fiat festiuitas nostra in memoriam requiei defunctis animabus c. VVe solemnly kepe the day of our frendes departure because they be not deade which appeare vnto vs to dye And this is our way of celebrating their funerals VVe gather the religious men and priestes the faithfull people with the cleargy we inuite also the poore the needy and the fatherlesse with the widowes and we fill their bellies that the memorial of their rest may be kept solemnly But Tobies scholar may learne his duety yet better of the Apostles owne scholar S. Clement who once or twise hath these wordes in effect To viset the sicke to bury the deade to kepe their obittes to pray and geue almes for them is commendable vpon whose wordes I will not now stand because by and by other occasion must driue me to repeate for the worthynesse of the man and the weight of his testimonie more plaine euidence of his Church and time If thou here yet doubt how the prayer worke or sacrifice of one mā a liue may helpe an other departed remembre alwaies what I saide in the beginning for the knot of our brotherhood and society in one body and vnder one heade and thou shalt not wonder how one membre by compassion may helpe relieue an other And there with for example consider how the sacrifice of Iob and daily almes were auaylable for the misdeedes of his children and appeaced Gods wrath towardes his importunate freindes And though his benefite went onely then amongest the liuing in this worlde neither his children nor freindes at that time departed yet the case of the liuing amōgest them selues differeth nothing herin from the communion and fellowship which the departed in Christ hath with the liuing in earth And therefore I bring the example of Iob amongest many like in scripture for that S. Chrysostome fitly induceth the same to proue the partaking of good workes to be common as well betwixt the liue and deade as of the liuing among them selues These be his wordes in english Let vs helpe our brethern departed keeping a memory of them For if the oblation of Iob purged his children why doubtest thou of the solace that may arise by our offeringes vnto such as be asleepe in Christ seeing God is pleased with some for other mens sakes It was so knowen a trueth in that time that they neuer put difference nor doubt any more of the mutuall helpe of the liue towardes the deade then they did for that benefite which in Christes Church one man may holde of an other 3 Nowe commeth an other waye of releefe by almes of other men which being ioyned with prayers in our countrie is as straunge as sometime it was common He woulde make fooles beleue that prayers and almes as they are in deede not so common as they should be yet among vs are not at all But omitting that sclaunder with the rest almes for soules departed is neuer mentioned in the scripture And
although Tobies story be no canonicall scripture yet it is not once mentioned nor by any reasonable or sober man can be imagined there But who can let M. Allen to dreame that Tobies prayer and almes were for the deade whome he buried yet who can beare him when he bosteth that all antiquitie doth offer to take his parte and he may haue whome he will to testifie the same This is a strange matter M. Allen that you maye haue your choyse of so many and will not vouchsafe to bring one that so doth write of Tobies prayer and almes But you will say you meane generally of almes and prayers for the dead and thereof you haue store of auncient testimonies and the more auncient the better I will not deny but you haue much drosse and dragges of the latter sorte of doctors and the later the fuller of drosse But bring me any worde out of Iustinus martyr Irenaeus Clemens Alexandrinus or any that did write with in one 100. yeares after Christ that alloweth prayer or almes for the deade and I will saye you are as good as your worde But if neither you nor any Papist for you be able to doe it out of these which I haue named which are the most auncieÌ„t writers whose workes are extant nor out of an auncient or authenticall writer with in the compasse that I haue named I may iustly say that you will boast of more in a minute of an houre then you are able to performe all the dayes of your life But you will come neare the time if you can not come to it And Origen shall speake for you all that he can or at least wise as much as you will giue him leaue to say But if a man might be as bold to pose you M. Allen as you are to pose your betters where had you this testimony of Origen did you read it in his owne workes or did you borrow it of some other mans collection I know you will be ashamed to confesse the latter but you may be more ashamed to acknowledge the former For who soeuer allegeth this place of Origen to proue prayers and almes to profite the deade is a foule falsery of Origens meaning a beastly gelder of auncient authoritie though it be M. Allen him selfe For this place of Origen as it maketh nothing in the world to proue that prayer and almes profite the deade but the cleane contrary so doth it plainly declare to what ende those prayers almes and oblations that were vsed in the primitiue Church were referred and how in pâ—ocesse of time superstitious and erroneous opinions grew of them Wherefore that this may be euident I will rehearse the whole testimony of Origen which M. Allen hath so mischieuously mangled Nam priores diem natiuitatis celebrabant vnam vitam diligentes aliam post hanc non sperantes Nunc verò nos non natiuitatis diem celebramus cum sit dolorum atque tentationum introitus sed mortis diem celebramus vtpote omnium dolorum depositionem atque omnium tentationum effugationem Diem mortis celebramus quia non moriuntur hi qui mori videntur Propterea memorias sanctorum facimus parentum nostrorum vel amicorum in fide morientium deuotè memorias agimus tam illorum refrigerio gaudentes quam etiam nobis piam consummationem in fide postulantes Sic itaque non diem natiuitatis celebramus quia in perpetuo viuent ij qui moriuntur Celebramus nimirum religiosos cum sacerdotibus conuocantes fideles vnà cum clero inuitantes adhuc egenos pauperes pupillos viduas saturantes vt fiat festiuitas nostra in memoriam requiei defunctis animabus quarum memoriam celebramus nobis autem efficiatur in odorem suauitatis in conspectu aeterni Dei. The former men did celebrate the daye of their natiuitie louing but one life and not hoping for any other after this But now we doe not celebrate the daye of natiuitie seeing it is the entraunce of sorrowes and tentations but we celebrate the day of death as that which is the putting away of all sorrowes and the escaping of all tentations VVe celebrate the day of death because they doe not dye that seeme to dye Therefore also doe we make memories of the Sainctes and deuoutly keepe the memories of our parents or friendes dying in the faith as much reioysing in their rest as desiring for our selues also a godly finishing in faith So therefore we doe not celebrate the day of natiuitie because they which dye shall liue perpetually And thus we celebrate it calling togither the deuout men with the Priestes the faithfull with the clergy inuiting also the needy and poore filling the fatherlesse and widdowes with foode that our festiuitie or ioyfulnes may be done in remembraunce of the rest which is vnto the soules departed whose memory we celebrate may be made vnto vs a sauour of sweetenes in the sight of the eternall God. By this place it is manifest that Origen the east Church in his time acknowledged no purgatory paynes because he confesseth death to be the ende of all sorrowes to the faithfull Secondly that they pray not for their friendes soules as being in torment but that they reioysed for them because they were in rest Thirdly that the prayers which they vsed in the memories of the dead were not for the deade but for them selues which were aliue that they might likewise dye in the fayth as their friendes had done before them Fourthly that the assembly of the cleargy and people with the feeding of the poore was not to pray for the deade nor to merite for their soules but to reioyse for the rest of the deade and to be a sacrifice of thankesgiuing for them that were aliue This one testimony of Origen shall testifie what the iudgement of the greeke Church was concerning purgatory prayers for the dead from the Apostles time vnto his dayes I wotte well superstition in the Latine Church was somewhat forwarder in as much as there was the seate of Antichrist appoynted to be set vp according to the reuelation of S. Iohn and the exposition of Irenaeus who iudged that Lateinos was the number of the beastes name spoken of Apoc. 13. By the way it may be noted how M. Allen translateth religiosos the religious men which worde might well be vsed but that he would haue fooles to thinke that there were Monkes and fryers in that tyme which were vsed to be called to burials but it is playne that Origen calleth theÌ„ religious whom by and by after he calleth faithfull Moreouer in the latter end where he libbeth of the conclusion of Origens wordes he translateth vt fiat festiuitas nostra in memoriam c. That the memoriall of their rest might be kept solemnly yet when he hath clipped shauen pared gelded and falsified all that he can the dead be in rest and not in purgatory for whose sake he imagineth in Origens time
they gaue almes But next followeth a worthy authoritie of Clement the Apostles owne scholer and he forsooth in his Epistle to Iames the brother of our Lord commendeth obites prayer and almes for the dead But why doe ye not M. Allen rehearse his owne wordes as they are written in his Epistle belike you are ashamed of his lousie latine and thinke that all wise men would say you are madde if you beleue that Clemens which liued in the Apostles time could write no better stile thē the cobling counterfecter of those epistles For shame away with such a durty doctor as writeth to S. Iames to see there be no mise tordes murium stercora among the fragments of the Lordes portion c. Epist. 2. He was a beastly asse that writ such nasty stuffe and thought to make the world beleue that such a godly and learned father as Clemens was would write so foolishly so barbarously so filthily so malapertly of such bables as were not inuented 600 yeares after to so holy and excellent an Apostle as S. Iames was but the olde prouerbe must alwayes be true Draffe is good enough for swine But to put all out of doubt the example of Iobes sacrifice and almes which were auailable for his children and friendes sheweth that the almes of men aliue profite them that be deade In deede I reade in the booke of Iobes sacrifice and prayer but I reade not of almes giuen to merite for those that were liuing much lesse for those that were deade I doubt not but Iob gaue almes liberally when tyme occasion serued But I say those places are vnfitly of M. Allen alleged to shew the force of almes where no worde of almes is spoken Howebeit he sheweth his reason afterward why he allegeth this example of Iob because Chrysostome applyeth it to the same purpose I deny not but that Chrysostome doth as substantially alleage this example for prayers to profitte the deade as he doth the saying of God that he will protect the cittie for Dauid his seruaunts sake what shall we say Those good men in that declining state of the Church to superstition being destitute of the cleere testimonies of scripture to maintaine these plausible errors are driuen to such simple shiftes to vpholde them as it is great pitty to see It seemed to Chrysostome the best waye to staye the people from immoderate mourning but he might haue vsed a better way if he had comforted them as the Apostle teacheth 1. Thess. 4. 1. Cor. 5. Otherwise when he iudged vprightly and according to the scripture his wordes sounde cleane contrary to the opinion of purgatory and workes of other men to be meritorious for the deade as in the very next Homilie being the 42. 1. Cor. Quapropter oro obsecro vos adeoque ad genua supplex procumbo c. The wordes are long therefore I will rehearse them in English and let M. Allen finde fault with my translation if he can wherefore I praye and besech you yea and I fall downe as an humble suter to your knees while neuer so small a portion of your life remaineth be ruled by my sayinges be ye conuerted be ye amended into better lest like vnto that richman when we are gone hense we pouer forth teares which shall nothing profit there and lament in vaine for whether thou hast a father or a sonne or a freind or any other whome so euer that putteth his trust in the Lorde none of these shall deliuer thee being accused of thine owne workes For such iudgement is exercised there euery man is iudged of his owne deedes neither is any man otherwise saued there And these thinges I warne you of not as he that woulde make you sadde or bring you into desperation but that being fedde with vaine and vnprofitable hopes trusting in this man or that man we shoulde not neglect our owne vertue for if we be slothfull and doe slacke the matter neither any iust man nor Prophet nor Apostle shall helpe vs but if we be diligent hauing helpe enough of our owne workes we shall departe hense with great confidence and enioye those good thinges that are layed vp for them that loue the Lord which that we may all enioye let it be so through the grace and mercy of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Compare these wordes with the former and marke here not onely the sounde of his wordes but the weight of his reasons where as in all other places that he holdeth the contrary the wordes only fauoreth your cause his reasons are either feeble or none at all 4 But that I may serue not onely the turne of trueth but with plainnesse also instruct the vnlearned and with store satisfie the godly greedinesse of some that list see more for the comforte of their conscience I will report one notable place for the declaration of charities force euen towardes the deceased out of Gregory Nissen of the Greeke church and an other out of Athanasius the greate both directly touching the practise of good Tobie in compassion of the deade Thus sayth Gregory Dicitur bene quòd si qui hinc non praemissis bonis migrauerint postea à familiaribus neglecta oblatis reliquijs sarciantur imputari opus perinde ac ab eis factum fuerit est enim haec volūtas benignissimi Domini vt creaturae quae ad salutem petuntur sic petantur distribuantur vt exoretur non solum quando quis pro salute propria est anxius sed quando pro proximo aliquid operatur in english It is very well saide that if any depart this life his goods by alme◠being not sent to God before him and yet afterwarde the matter by his freindes in the offering vp the residue be amended that his freindes fact shall stande and be reputed as his owne worke For so hath God of his mercy ordeined that his creatures by vse whereof life and saluation may be obteined shoulde so be procured and in this ordre disposed that man shoulde not onely obteine his request in the carefull study of his owne saluation but also when he wellworketh for his frende or neighbour Here may we well perceiue that all the wayes of our Lorde be mercy and trueth And that he in a maner releeueth of his owne accorde our miseries both here and in the next life that there may be no damnation to such as be in Christ Iesus for whose sakes he turneth these base creatures of mans seruice in this life to the vse of his pardon and saluation in the life to come he accepteth the good will and trauell of other for the helpe of them which can not relieue them selues And which is the property of a most mercyfull father where he loueth he will raise the hearte of some good intercessor that by patronage and prayers of some lust Iob his fury may cease by his owne procurement But howe this mutuall worke of mercye is currant through the
and such like either had no leasure to espie or else made lesse accompt to reforme Of certaine offeringes or publike almes presented to God for the deceased in the time of the holy sacrifice at mens burialles and other customable dayes of their memories and of the sundry mindes kepte in the primitiue Church for the departed CAP. VI. 1 KEping our selues then from by matters if those be by that are so neare of relieuing the departed by the almes of the liuing there we lefte and there must we borowe breefely a worde or two more Because I thinke it very necessary to be knowen that besides the priuate procuring of the deceased soules welth and more then the common doles at the day of buriall there was also an other kinde of almes not much differing in effect from the other but in ordre and vsage not all one VVhich because it was solemnely presented to Gods minister before the holy altare in the face of the whole faithfull assembly harde at then try vnto the soueraigne sacrifice was highly alwayes esteemed and called an oblation for the departed or an offeringe And it was most practised at the mindes of the departed and memoriall dayes which were very many at the beginning of those happy times of our forefathers the deuotion of the good Christians then very feruent and be not nowe a dayes as they faulsely affirme increased by superstition but of late yeares euen before this pitifull ouerthrow of vertue by our negligence and lacke of deuotion much decayed There is now vsed onely for the most part but twelue monthes mindes or monthes for the most and that commonly but for the first yeare of their rest and then afterward either cleane forgotten or openly not often remembred I speake of the late better times For now there is no blessing of mans memory at all These often oblations in the sacrifice time for both the liue dead gaue name to that part of the Masse which is yet called the offertorie wherof there was a signe of late in the offering of some small peece of mony in the common funeralls and at other times also of greater solemnitie But in the primitiue Church it rose to such a summe that both the Church was thereby mainteyned and the poore singularly relieued And the name of the peoples oblation is often taken in this sense although because they ioyne by these meanes and other with the holy minister in the great and dreadfull oblation of Christes owne blessed person in the sacrifice they be sayd sometimes truely to offer as it were by the Priestes ministery whome with hart and affection they doe assist and with whom they truely communicate they may offer I say that sacrifice in this sense for their friendes departed But else commonly besides the blessed Sacrifice of the newe Testament which was alwayes the chiefe meane of Gods mercy to both quicke and deade and in euery minde or memory for the soules principally procured the offering of some part either of the deceaseds owne goods or his louers for the vpholding the ministery was also made Of which kind of participating with the departed we reade in the auncient councell named Bracharense thus si quid ex collatione fidelium aut per festiuitates martyrum aut per commemorationem defunctorum offertur per aliquem clericorum fidâ—liter deponatur constituto tempore semel aut bis in anno inter omnes clericos diuidatur If there be any offeringes by the contribution of the faithfull made either in the festiuall dayes of martyrs or mindes and memorialls of the dead let them be laide vp aside in custody of one of the cleargie that once or twise in the yeare as time shall serue they may be truely parted emongest the reste And because all times haue had certaine draw backes in religion and hinderers of deuotion the Councell kept at Vase of greate antiquitie excommunicateth all such as in any wise hinder the oblations for the departed And in like case the fourth Councell holden at Carthage Thus runneth the decree of them both VVe doe curse and excommunicate all those that by any meanes withdrawe or els staye from the Churches the oblations of the departed as murderers of the poore The decrees of both these notable assemblies were thought worthy to be confirmed by the vj. generall Councell holden at Constantinople then are our ministers in the ruffe of their newe communion thrust out of the olde holy communion of sainctes if either vniuersall or prouinciall Synode can take holde of men so desperat that neither care for mans curse nor Gods blessinge VVell murderers and manquillers they must be counted their predecessors not halfe so euill deserued no better name CAP. VI. 1 IN the latter ende of the fift Chapter was promised a whole rancke of Gods holy host all the blessed band of Martyrs and Sainctes to stand on their side But this promise is no soner made then it is forgotten The title in deede talketh of almes presented for the deceased in time of the holy sacrifice but the treatise hath neuer a one that speaketh for it But M. Allen him self who first speaketh of the decay of popish deuotion euen in popish tyme then telleth vs whence the offertory of the masse tooke the name which he sayth was of such oblations as were offered for the deade But except his word be good payment he bringeth nothing else for proofe But if we shall rather beleue Iustinus Martyr one of the most auncient and authentical writers of the Church whose workes remayne the oblation that was made after the communion was of almes for the reliefe of the poore As appeareth in his second Apollogie vnto the Emperour for the Christians where he describeth the whole order of their meeting and what so euer was done or sayd among them As first the reading of the Scripture the exhortation of the chiefe minister the common prayer of the whole Church the administration of the Lordes supper and then sayth he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. They that are rich such as wil according as euery man shall thinke good geue what they will c. by which it is manifest that in those first and purer dayes there was no mention at all of sacrifice for the dead but onely oblation for the poore liuing And as for the councell Bracharense which was helde 4. or 5. hundreth yeares after Iustinus time yet proueth nothing but the commemoration of the deade and a collation of the faythfull but no oblation for the deade Neuerthelesse to help the matter be added 2. other prouinciall councells namely the councell of Vase and the 4 of Carthage which excommunicate all such as hinder in any wise the oblations for the departed and these decrees also are confirmed by the 6. generall councel holden at Constantinople Therefore these ministers that be in the ruffe of their newe communion must be thrust out of the olde communion with all a
propitiatory which he affirmeth the Popish priests to doe in their Masse But lest I might seeme to doe them wronge in denying vnto them that priesthoode which is confirmed by othe Psal. 110. Let vs here what the holy Ghost sayeth thereof Hebr. 7. And in as much as Christ was not made priest with out the othe where as they meaning the sonnes of Aaron were made priest with out an othe but he with the othe by him that sayed vnto him the Lord hath sworne will not repēt thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchizedech by so much is Iesus made suertie of a better testament And among them many were made priestes because they were not suffered to endure by reason of death but he because he abideth for euer had such a priesthoode as passeth not by succession VVherefore he is able perfectly to saue those that come vnto God by him seeing he liueth for euer to make intercession for them For such an high priest it became vs to haue which is holy harmlesse and vndefiled separated from sinners and made higher then the heauens which needed not daily as those high priest to offer vp sacrifice first for his owne sinnes then for the peoples for that did he once for all when he offered vp him selfe For the lawe maketh men high priestes which haue infirmitie but the worde of the othe that was since the law maketh the sonne who is consecrated for euer more Marke well the plaine wordes of this testimonie and iudge indifferently whether I charge them with greater blasphemy then ensueth this there assertion That there priesthoode is confirmed by othe Psal. 110. 4 And yet neuerthelesse good Catholike Christian let vs thus perswade our selues that we haue so longe lost the vnestimable treasure of this holy sacrifice for our greuous sinnes it is our sinnes I say woe is vs therefore which haue deserued this plage which haue set vs at variaunce with God and our mercyfull redemer which haue taken from vs as vnworthy of so great a treasure the daily sacrifice the helpe of those which are a liue the comforte of those which are departed the onely grounde of all religion and acceptable worship of god And our misery is the greater because fewe feele the sore The lacke of this sacrifice for the departed onely with the godly prayers therin was counted when Gods trueth and Church flourished the greatest and extremest punishment that coulde be deuised and euer enioyned for some notable crime to the terrour of other as for horrible desperation for willfull heresie for contempte of the decrees of Gods holy ministers as by the late alleaged place out of S. Cyprian may be very profitably noted Allasse we haue nowe in a manner lost that wholy which then was denied onely to such for their greuous punishments as were heynous offenders Otherwise in earnest consideration of our case can not I thinke but that this blessed iuell is now denied vs of almighty God generally for our greuous offensies which then was denied by his ministers to some one offender for the due punishment of sinne and wickednesse O good reader what would that holy martyr haue saide if he had liued in our dayes when to haue that oblation either for the quicke or deade which once was esteemed so necessary that no Christian man neither coulde in his life nor after his death lacke it is nowe if it selfe odious to most men and which abhorreth me to speake punishable by the lawes of the spiritualty and condemned well neere of all men what weene you this blessed bishoppe woulde haue saide if he had seene the holy hoste and offeringe to haue bene taken awaye which he once affirmed to be so necessary that if it were taken awaye or wasted there were no religion nor worship of God at all woulde not he thinke you with feruent zele of Gods house haue cried out vpon the sinnes of the people the blindnesse of the preachers and pastours the vnworthinesse of these our dolefull dayes and bewailed his owne misery as we shoulde doe ours crying out with an olde blessed father O Deus bone in quae me seruasti tempora vt ista blasphemia sustineam O Lorde that I should be reserued for these times to abide such blaspemie Victor reporteth in his history of the persecution of the Vandalles that were Arians that the Gouernour of that cursed company of cruell heretikes would not suffer the Christian men whome he had slaine to be brought home with seruice and sacrifice but then the good people wounderfully bewailed their case seeing them practise cruelty vpon their soules also in that they would not suffer them to enioyne at their departure and buriall the rites of Gods Church Thus saith that Author Quis vero sustineat atque possit sine lachrymis recordari dum praeciperet nostrorum corpora defunctorum sine solemnitate hymnorum cum silentio ad sepulchra perduci O Lord who coulde haue founde in his heart to beholde then or coulde yet once thinke of it with out teares how he gaue in charge that the bodies of our brethern departed should be brought to the graue and buried with out all solemnity of hymnes in silence and sorowe It was euer giuen to wicked harde harted heretikes to prohibere gratiam mortuis to be vnmercyfull and to staie the fauour of good men from the departed Nouatus as S. Cypriā chargeth him noluit patrem fame defunctum sepelire woulde not bury his owne father deade of honger bane 4 This collorable and hypocriticall complaint containeth nothing for vs needefull for to aunswere for the place of Cyprian is aunswered already But this maye be demaunded of him seeing he calleth the sacrifice of the Masse the onely grounde of all religion and acceptable worshippe of God what religion or worshippe God had before the Masse came into the worlde But this is the howling of the merchantes for the decaye of Babylon because no man byeth their ware any more what so euer they pretend this is the cause of their mourning and this lamentation shal be continued euen vnto hell fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth for euer 5 But to let such men passe with the present bewayling of our vnhappy dayes let vs with more comfort beholde the steppes of good men past how kindely and brother like they haue principally procured the holy sacrifice for their freindes and fellowes gone before For seeing the onely prayers of good men haue bene proued so profitable and the representation of some holy workes of almes hath often moued God to pity as we haue proued towardes the release of the departed his paine what maye we not hope to obteine for our brethern deceased when we shall ioyne in prayers with the holy Angells with the blessed sainctes with Gods holy ministers in the representation of Christes most blessed body and bloude before the face of his father when the whole Church of God
and them selues nurtered to holde vp their handes and knocke their breastes must yet needes meruail how these outward formes came to so holy an vse further whether the Christian people were not sclaundered for worshipping and doing sacrifice to Ceres and Bacchus when the wicked infidells sawe their behauiour towardes the holy Hoste whether it was not vsed in working of miracles in driuing away deuills in daungerous times of tempests of trauelling of sickenesse and in other necessities VVell these be plaine practises no heretike can denie but they haue bene so vsed of the whole Church of God with many such other like in that holy action which can not in any case stande with bare breade or any other way of presence but onely the proper true and bodily presence of Christes owne person A doctors wordes may be misconstrued may be picked out of place may be writhen and wastred by false teachers but a mans example can not lightly be misconstrued And therefore heretikes whose purpose is alwayes by sutteltie to deceiue the simple will neuer make discours by the practise of the Church or exercise and example of the auncient learned men through out the Church of Christ hauing enough for their meaning to racke a place or two out of the fathers whole workes that may seeme to the ignoraunt to set forth their errour So if thou woulde knowe whether that place that our aduersaries impudently doe alleage out of Gregory the great against the soueraignty of the see of Rome was in deede written for their seditious purpose beholde the practise of the same father and thou shal s finde him selfe exercise iurisdiction at the very same time when he wrote it in all prouincies Christianed through out the worlde both by excommunication of byshoppes that gouerned not well by often citation of persons in extreme prouincies by many appeales made vnto him by continuall legacies to other nations sent either to conuert them to the faith or to gouerne in their doubtfull affaires and by all other exercise of spirituall iurisdiction Is it not now a very false suggestion to the poore people that this blessed man in so plaine vtteraunce of his meaning by workes and not by wordes shoulde yet be brought as a witnesse to condemne him selfe though the wordes being well vnderstande make for no suche meaning in deede as by others it hath bene sufficiently declared The like impudencie it is to alleage S. Bernarde against the Masse or the presence of Christ in the blessed Sacrament Good man I dare say for him he sayde Masse euery daye if he were well at ease For other busines did not commonly let them in those dayes from that worke of all other most necessarie So the reciting out of S. Ambrose for the improuing of inuocation of holy Sainctes is no more but an abuse of the simples ignorance knowing well that he and all other of that time did practise prayers both often to all holy martyrs and sometimes peculiarly to such whome for patronage they did especially chuese of deuotion amongest the rest I speake not this that any might hereby iudge the doctors wordes to stande against their owne deedes but that euery man maye perceiue that where the workes and practise of all men be so plaine their words in some one place founde darke can not by any meanes be preiudiciall to that trueth which in all other placies they plainely set forth by wordes and by the euident testimonie of their owne practise to the worlde proteste the same Therefore I woulde exhorte all men in Christes name for their owne saluations sake to take heede how they giue credit to these libelles conteining certaine wrasted places out of the doctours workes against any trueth which by the further discourse of vsage and practise they are not hable before the learned to iustifie And therefore that all mistrust of vntrue dealing maye be farre from vs I will as I saide let them haue the feeling and handling of our cause throughly They shall behold in examples of most noble personagies both for their name vertu and learning the peculiar practises in praying and Masse saying for the deade both in the auncient Greeke and Latine Churchies CAP. IX 1 NOwe shall we haue the practise and examples of the olde fathers concerning sacrifice and prayer for the dead And here M. Allen before he commeth to the matter maketh much a do to shew how much more certayne the practise is then the wordes of any doctor because the wordes may be mistrusted or wrested the practise can not be altered As though he could shew vs any practise but that which is vttered in their wordes in which if there be any obscuritie or improprietie there shall be as great cōtrouersie of their workes as of their doctrine as they vsed the name of sacrifice in their teaching so they vse it in declaring what they did practise according to their teaching And therefore it is not worth a straw that M. Allen thinketh we may knowe their meaning rather by their practise then by their wordes except he could either in picture or in vision describe vnto vs euery thing that they did But let vs consider the examples of those thinges which he bringeth in to proue that practise is more certeyne then wordes First he can not deny but the wordes of Augustine and Theodoretus stand with vs that the sacramēt of Christes supper is a figure of his body and bloode and not the same naturally But the practise must expound the words not to stand with vs For they did so carefully keepe it adore it shew it to be worshipped prayed to it yea they taught children to call it God and Lorde which they would not haue done if they had not beleued it to be the very body of christ For this is cited 1. Theodoret. Dial. 2. in the margent His wordes be not set downe because they be directly against transubstantiation and nothing fauouring the grosse imagined presence of Christes body in the sacrament for he calleth the sacrament signa mystica the mysticall signes and the diuine mysteries which represent the body of Christ that is a true body and not fantasticall or absorpt of the diuinitie as the Eutichians dreamed wherefore it is playne that the adoration he speaketh of is nothing else but the reuerent estimation of the sacrament to be that which by Christ it is ordeyned to be and not any knocking or kneeling as M. Allen would haue vs beleue Augustine also vppon the 98. Psalme is cited belike to proue the adoration who in deede alloweth the adoration of the body of Christ whereof that is a sacrament but neither can you proue out of that place that he would haue the sacrament honored nor that the sacrament is the very body of Christ but euen in the same place speaking of the sacrament he sayth in the person of Christ non hoc corpus quod videtis manducaturi estis bibituri illum sanguinem quem fusuri sunt
mainteined perhaps by occasion of such vnproper speach as then was vsed of the sacrifice of the Masse and propitiation both of the quicke and the deade But that I may consider these places particularly whereof you make so great accompt First where you will vs to take our aduantage of your translation I say you haue falsyfied Augustines wordes and meaning in the latter ende of the first sentence to make fooles beleue that the priuate Masse was sayd in Augustines dayes as it is among you First you call memoriam sui fieri ad altare which is that remembraunce of her shoulde be made at the altar that a memory might be kepte for her as though she woulde haue her sonne to be a chauntry priest to sing for her c. Item you translate vnde sciret dispensari victimam sanctam where she knew the holy hoste was bestowed as though she had ment nothing but that the hoste was layed vpon the altar where as you should haue sayed from whence she knoweth the holy sacrifice was dispensed or ministred by which wordes it is manifest that the communion was daily receiued not of the priest alone but of all them that were present You are as bolde as one of your wisedome may be with such a man to will M. Grindall to looke in his grammer for Augustins figures but if I may be so bolde with so profound a clearke as you are I woulde desire you to looke in the etymologies of your grammer whether sui be for her and vnde where And if you can not proue these significations by that parte of grammer which is called Etymologie that you would defende them by that part of cunning where in you are better learned called Pseudologia but to the matter of this testimony we haue in this first remembraunce of her in the nexte we haue the sacrifice of our price offered for her In deede this soundeth more like the matter you would haue if S. Augustine had not before in plaine wordes expounded his meaning which is nothing else but that the communion was celebrated in ministration of which there was speciall remembraunce of her in the prayers as there was of all deade in the sayth a generall memory And if you aske me what figure S. Augustine vsed though I coulde referre it to diuerse figures yet it may best be excused by Acyrologia which is an vnproper kind of speaking to call that the sacrifice of our price which was but a thankes giuing for the sacrifice of our price which Christ onely offered once for all vpon the aultar of the crosse As Augustine him selfe when he speaketh properly will confesse The other two places proue nothing but prayer for the deade vsed by Augustine But that you may see all this was but superstition or will worship in him he him selfe in a maner confesseth as much in the same place where he prayeth most earnestly lib. Con. 9. cap. 13. Et credo quod iam feceris quod rogo sed voluntaria oris mei approba Domine And I beleeue that thou hast done already that which I pray for but Lord approue this voluntary offering of my mouth His meaning is to allude to the free will offerings of the lawe but in deede he declareth that he prayed not according to the rule appoynted by God but according to the corrupt motion of his owne minde As for the place of Possidonius proueth plainly that it was the sacrifice of thankes giuing that was offered for the commendation of the godly and quiet deposition or putting of of his body which he before describeth In steed of which M. Allen translateth for commendation of his rest as though he had bene out of rest sayth that not withstanding his holy life and godly departure yet euen that day the citie was taken had oblation for his rest But if the men of those dayes had bene of M. Allens opinion concerning purgatory they would not both haue compted Augustine for a perfect man and yet after his death to doubt of his rest Finally where he boasteth that none were saued in those dayes but in this fayth he followeth his owne vayne of lying and not any proofe of auncient writing For although they were in that tyme infected with some errours and that not so great as he chargeth them withall yet was the fayth of their saluation in the onely foundation Iesus Christ and not in merittes or Masses pardons or pilgrimage but in the onely mercy of god Tota spes mea sayth Augustine non nisi magna valdè misericordia tua Da quod iubes iube quod vis lib. con 10. cap. 29. Al my hope is nothing else but thy exceeding great mercy Giue that thou commaundest commaund what thou wilt That vve and all nations receyued this vsage of praying and sacrifycing for the departed at our first coÌ„uersioÌ„ to Christes faith And that this article vvas not onâ—ly conâ—irmed by miracle amongest the rest but seuerally by signes and vvounders approued by it selfe And that the Church is grovvne to such beauty by the fructes of this faith CAP. X. 1 MAny moe examples of these matters might be brought out of S. Gregory diuers out of Damascene enowe out of what writer so euer you like best such choise we haue in so good a cause whereof euery mans workes are full But I will passe ouer the rest that I may onely reporte one history out of our owne Church in the pure spring whereof the Apostolike faith aboundaÌ„tly ishued downe from the principall pastors of Gods Church with great spreade of religion which sith that time hath bewtified our country in all Gods giftes with the best And amongest many euident testimonies of this trueth with the practise therof both to be founde in Gildas and in holy Beda there is a straunge and a very rare example not onely for the plaine declaration of the vsage of our Church in the first foundation of our faith but for an open shew by miracle in this liefe how God releaseth of his mercye by the holy oblation at the altar the paines of the departed in the worlde to come It shall be comfortable to the Catholikes to consider this parte of our belefe to be confirmed by the miraculous working of God as all other lightly be in placies where the faith is first taught And that our whole faith which our nation receiued of S. Augustine the monke was so confirmed by the power of God not onely our owne histories do declare but S. Gregory him selfe affirmeth it writing his letters to Augustine in this sense that he should not arrogate any such wounderous workes to his owne power or vertue which then God wrought by him not for his owne holinesse but for the planting of Christes faith in the nation where those signes were shewde Beda therefore writeth this notable history of a miracle done not many yeares after our people was conuerted in the beginning of his owne dayes that in a
foughten field betwixt Egfride and Edeldred two princies of our lande it fortuned that a younge gentleman of Egfrides armie shoulde be so greuously wounded that falling downe both him selfe with out sense and in all mens sightes starke deade he was letten lye of the enemies and his body sought with care to be buried of his freindes A brother of his a good priest and Abbate with diligent making search for his body amongest many happed on one that was exceeding like him as a man many easly be deceiued in the alteratioÌ„ that streight falleth vpon the soules departure to the whole forme and fashion of the body and bestowed of his loue the duety of obsequies with solemne memorialls for the rest of him whome he tooke to be his brother deceased burying him in his owne monasterie and causing Masse to be done daily for his pardon and soules release But so it fortuned that his brother Huma for so was he called being not all out deade with in foure and twenty houres came reasonably to him selfe againe anâ— gathering with all some strength rose vp washte him selfe aâ—â— made meanes to come to some freinde or acquaintaunce wheâ—â— he might sallue his sores and close his woundes againe But by lacke of strength to make shifte and by misfortune he fell into his enemies handes and therby the Capitane examined of his estate he denied him selfe to be of name or degree in his country Yet by the likelyhoods that they gathered of his comely demeanure and gentleman like talke which he coulde hardly dissemble they mistrust as it was in deede that he was a man of armes and more then a common souldiar Therefore in hope of good gaine by his raunson they thought good after he was full recouered for feare of his escape to laye yrons vpon him and so to make sure worke But so God wrought that no fetters coulde holde him for euery day once at a certaine houre the bandes brake loose with out force and the man made free The gentleman maruailed at the case him selfe but his kepers and the capitaine were much more astonied thereat and straitely examined him by what cunning or crafte he coulde with such ease set him selfe at libertie and bare him in hande that he vsed characters or letters of some sorcery and wichcrafte with the practise of vnlawfull artes But he aunswered in sadnesse that he was altogether vnskillfull in such thinges Mary que he I haue a brother in my country that is a priest and I knowe certainely that he sayth often Masse for my soule supposing me to be departed and slaine in bataile And if I were in an other life I perceiue my soule by his intercession shoulde be so loosed out of paines as my body is now from bondes The capitaine perceiuing so much and belike in some awe of religion seeing the worke of God to be so straunge soulde him to a Londoner with whome the same thinges happened in his bondes loosing euery daye By which occasion he was licensed to go home to his freindes and procure his ranson for charging him with diuers sortes of surest bandes none coulde salfely holde him And so vpon promesse of his returne or payment of his appointed price he went his wayes and afterwarde truely discharged his credit VVhich done by freindship that he founde in the same country afterward returned to his owne parties to his brothers house to whome when he had vttered all the history of his straunge fortune both of his misery and miraculous relieuing he enquired diligently the whole circumstance with the houre and time of his daily loosing and by conferring together they founde that his bondes brake loose especially at the very iuste time of his celebration for his soule At which times he confessed that he was otherwise in his great aduersities often released also Thus hath that holy writer almost worde for worde and at the ende he addeth this Multi haec a praefato viro audientes accensi sunt in fide ac deuotione pietatis ad orandum vel eleemosinas faciendas vel ad offerendas Domino victimas sacrae oblationis pro ereptione suorum qui de saeculo migrauerant Intellexerunt enim quod Sacrificium salutare ad redemptionem valeret animae corporis sempiternam Hanc mihi historiam etiam hi qui ab ipso viro in quo facta est audiere narrarunt Vnde eam qui aliquando comperi indubitanter historiae nostrae Ecclesiasticae inserendam credidi Many hearing thus much of the party him selfe were wounderfully inflamed with faith and zele to pray to geue almes and to offer sacrifice of the holy oblation for the deliuery of their well-beloued freindes departed out of this life For they vnderstoode that the healthfull sacrifice was auaileable for the redemption of both body and soule euerlastingly And this storie did they that hearde it of the parties owne mouth reporte vnto me VVhere vpon hauing so good proofe I dare be bolde to write it in my ecclesiasticall history And thus much sayth Beda aboute eighte hundred yeares agoe when our nation being but younge in Christianity was fedde in the true belefe by sundry wounderous workes of God. CAP. X. 1 THe examples out of Gregory or Damascene you may spare for your friendes there is none of vs that maketh great accompt of them and yet neither Gregory nor Damascene were so grosse in their errour of prayer for the deade and purgatory as you but where you bragge of such choyse that you can bring enowe out of what writer so euer we like best you shoulde passing well prouide for the credit of your cause and the discredit of ours if out of so great store you would helpe vs with some thing out of Iustinus Martyr Irenaeus Clemens Alexandrinus or any Authenticall writer which liued within one hundreth yeares after the Apostles age But when you beginne with Chrysostoms buriall and yet can not proue that which you pretende all men maye well thinke and they which haue redde the olde writers know you can not reach so high for all your proude promises But you will do that which shall be as good you will shew that we and all nations receiued these vsages of praying and sacrificing for the departed at our first conuersion to the fayth you shall doe a great peece of worke and such as no Papist yet was euer able to doe You shall be a Cardinal if you can doe it yea you shall conuert all the Protestantes to the Catholike Church of Rome Goe too man beginne Take the history of the Acts of the Apostles into your handes in which mention is made of the conuersion of many nations to Christes faith shew that the vsage of praying sacrifycing for the dead was receiued of them or any of them Come of quickely or all the worlde will saye you are but a prating merchant But you will beginne with the conuersion of our nation Goe to take Gildas into your hande which
then trauailed through it in deede when you walked through the city of God which Augustine describeth I maruaile you could not see the westerne Babylon Rome to be the city or cōmon wealth of the deuill lib. 16. cap. 17. lib. 18. cap. 21. cap. 22. cap. 27. The mother of all abominations of the earth which either inuented or tempered of others inuention that golden cuppe full of abominations vncleanes of her whordoms with which she made drunken all the Kinges of the earth And therefore that we can not reade out of the word of God we shall heare of Purgatory among the Paganes Carpocratianes Heracleonites and Montanistes of whose heresies and pestilent practises the whore of Babylon hath patcht vp her purgatory and sacrifices for the deade as by and by I shall declare In deede the enuious man the deuil hath sowed these wicked sect masters And that doctrine which is first agreeable to Tertullians rule is vndoubtedly true and that which is later is false But howe shall the first doctrine be knowen but by the word of God wherein all the doctrine of God is taught But by the holy Scriptures which are able to make the man of God perfect and prepared to all good workes And seeing praying and offering for the deade as Tertullian him selfe confesseth is not taught by the Scriptures it is no good worke whereto the man of God should be prepared And for as much as you haue giuē me example of a syllogisme in Baroco in the last chapter I wil frame you the like nowe All good workes are taught by the Scriptures oblatiōs for the deade are not taught by the Scriptures therefore oblations for the deade are no good workes The maior is S. Paule 2. Timot. 3. The minor is Tertullians de corona militis Deny the conclusion if you dare 2 And yet besides that generall and most certaine instruction learned Damascen helpeth vs to the trial of this peculiar case Doubting not to affirme that all such cogitations as doe entre into mans head against the prayers or charitable workes for the departed be the deuills enuious and subtill suggestions for the hinderaunce of our brethern departed from the heauenly ioyes For thus he writeth in a sermon for the same purpose That olde serpent sayeth he whose endeuoure is to corrupt and deface the good and acceptable workes of God to lay snares for the entrapping of mens soules who is much perced through brotherly loue and brasteth in sunder for the enuy that he beareth towardes our faith and finally is madded by our naturall compassion one towardes an other as one that is the vtter renouncer of all good lawes he enspireth to some a fayned and false imagination cleane contrary to the holy constitutions that is to saye that all good and acceptable workes before God shoulde no whit proffet the departed soules If this writers iudgement be good as it is sure most sounde then must all our vnnatural and vnkind preachers haue an especiall inspiration of the deuill him selfe so often as they hinder fauour and grace from the deade For as he reduced our origin to the Apostles so he doubteth not to auouche the contrary perswasion to be euidently moued by the olde serpent of especiall enuie towardes mans saluation And nowe if thou list knowe in whome this subtill suggestion tooke first place and roote after the longe vsage of the other according to the Apostles planting we shall make thee for thy especiall comfort partaker thereof also VVe will not vse the aduersaries as they doe vs charging vs with later preaching or doctrine then the Apostles planted yet can neither tell where nor by whome it beganne But we shal by open euidence call the woolfe by his name Let an heretike but set out foot and once open mouth though he doe no harme at all yet the watcheman of Israell hath him by the backe straight The dogges were neuer so dumme in Gods Church but they woulde barke at the first apparance of any straunge cattell For that the notation of his arising and name was not onely a warning to the present time to take heede to their faith but an admonition to all the posteritie to beware of the like And it was euer counted a refutation of an heresie to the full to reduce it to a latter infamous author by the certaine recorde of the Churches historie The which kinde of reason both amongest the learned hath singular strength and is sensible for the people and of the aduersarie vtterly inuincible Irenaeus vseth it against the heresies of his time as a demonstration of much force VVhat saith he before Valentinus there was none of that his false secte and he came in with his seede after the first preaching of our faith a good while I can tell when he beganne howe he increased how longe he continued Both he and that other Cerdon entered first vnder the gouernment of Hyginius grewe vpwarde vnder Pius and continued till Anicetus time and so making the like accompt of other archeheretikes at length thus he concludeth all these rose vp in their apostacie longe after that the Church was ordered in faith and doctrine In this sense spake Irenaeus 2 Damascene your doctor which knew the depth of Satan so well should first haue reproued that perswasion by Scripture and then it had bene easy to haue found out the policie of the deuill But when we learne by Scripture that your doctrine is contrary to the fayth and hope of Christians it is not hard to iudge that the deuill inuented it vnder colour of charitie to ouerthrow faith and vnder shewe of helpe of mē to dishonour god You spend many words in vayne to proue that the first author of an opinion being found the opinion is found to be an heresy It shal be graūted with all fauour but so that no man shall be counted the first author of an opinion that is able to proue his opinion out of the word of god And withall that who so euer is not able to proue by the word of God any opiniō that he holdeth obstinatly though he haue many authors before him yet is he neuerthelesse an heretike 3 But the rule is common and certaine as any can be in the worlde and I woulde stande vpon the grounde thereof against all false doctrine in the worlde and thus it is Any opinion that may be truely fathered vppon any priuate man that was longe after the trueth was first preached by the Apostles if it be vpon a point of our faith and contentiously mainteined it is an heresie And thus againe who so euer was withstande in his first arising and preaching by such as were in the vnitie of the Church he was a false teacher and his abettours be heretikes And the force of this conclusion is so greate that the heretikes them selues if they can get any likely shew of raysing of any doctrine or practise of Gods Church in these latter
sorte so euer they be Take awaye the prayers and practise for the deade either all those monuments must fall or else they must stand against the first founders will and meaning Looke in the statutes of all noble fouÌ„dations and of all charitable workes euer sith the first day of our happy calling to Christes faith whether they doe not expresly testifie that their worke of almes and deuotion was for this one especiall respect to be prayd and song for as they call it after their deathes Looke whether your Vniuersities protest not this fayth by many a solemne oth both priuatly and openly Looke whether all preachers that euer tooke degree in the Vniuersitie before these yeares are not bound by the holy Euangelistes to pray for certayne noble Princes and Prelates of this Realme in euery of their sermons at Paules or other places of name And so often as these preachers doe omitte it so often are they periured so often as they eyther eate or drinke of their benefactors cost so often beare they testimony of their owne damnation 4 This and almost all the rest to the ende of the chapter might be as wel the expostulation of the heathen men with the Apostles or them that first preached the faith of christ Were there not as goodly building of temples colledges and vniuersities among the heathen as are among vs at this daye but all they were builded and indowed by men of a contrary religion doth it thereâ—ore follow that their religion was good which erected such noble monuments both of their common welth and of their religion Although it is most false that Allen affirmeth that this doctrine founded all byshopprickes builded all Churches c. but admit it were so what argument were that to proue that his religion were true Our stories testifie that at the first conuersion of this lande to Christianity in the time of Lucius that arch flamines of the Paganes were conuerted to archbyshopprickes And the Pagane flamines were conuerted to Bishopprickes and so the temples of the Paganes were conuerted into the Churches of the Christians Gregory also instructeth Augustine how he should conuerte the temples of the Idolatrous Saxons vnto the vse of the Christian Churches If these stories be true then is it both false that M. Allen sayth that his doctrine of Purgatory founded all Bishopprickes Churches c. and also that all Bishopprickes Churches colledges c. must remaine in the religion of them by whome they were first founded he procedeth further to charge all our superintendents of periury for not keeping their othe made in the vniuersity to praye for the deade Let them that haue made such othe aunswere for them selues I am sure he lyeth of many and of the most of them for that othe was onely in Oxeford for any thing that I haue heard which vniuersity hath yeilded fewe to that place as yet But it is certaine that your popish Bishoppes of Queene Maries time almost euery one and the chiefest Bonner Gardyner Heth Hopton Therlebye c. were manifestly periured against that othe which they tooke in K. Henry K. Edwarde his daies to maintaine the kinges supremacie against the vsurped power of the Pope This all the world knoweth and therefore ye may be ashamed to accuse our superintendents of periurye of whome I am sure you can name but a fewe that euer tooke the oth 5 Aunswere me but one question I aske you VVhether the first authors of such benefites as you enioye in the Church at this daye either of bishoppricke or colledge or any other spirituall liuely hoode say your mindes vnfeinedly whether they euer meÌ„t that such men of such a religion of such life of such doctrine should enioy that almes which they especially ordeined for other men and for contrary purpose say trueth and shame the deuill thought they euer to make roume in Collegies for your wiues meÌ„t they euer to mainteine preachinge against the Masse against prayers for their owne soules when they purposely vpon that grounde beganne so godly a worke if they in deede neuer ment it as I knowe they did not and as your owne consciencies beare witnesse with them and against your selues that they did not how can you then for feare of Gods high displeasure against their owne willes vsurpe those commodities which they neuer ment to such as you be A lasse good men they thought to make freindes of wicked Mammon and full dearly with both landes and goods haue they procured enemies to their owne soules But if there be any sense in those good fathers and founders as there is and if they be in heauen as their good deseruing I trust hath brought them then surely they accuse you most iustly of wicked vniustice before the face of God for deluding the people for breaking their willes for usurping their commodities against their professed mindes and meaninges Or if they be in hell which God forfende and yet you must needes so suppose for raysing the monuments of such superstition then blotte out their memorie and names that haue not onely in their life mainteined horrible abusies but also after their death haue lefte such open steppes of superstition to all posteritie 5 The same question you maye demaunde of the fathers of the primitiue Church and in deede the same question or the like was demaunded of them and it is not so harde to answere as you imagine Many of these Churches and colledges yea the most notable cathedrall Churches in England were builded for preachers of the Gospell and there wiues to dwell in Our stories are plentifull in that point that they were the first inhabiters of them and afterwarde as Idolatrie and superstition preuailed were with all violence and iniury expelled out of them and monkes placed in their steede If you be so skilfull in antiquity as you make your selfe you can not be ignorant of this which is testified by Ranulphus Castrensis Mathaeus VVestmonasteriensis the storie of Peterburghe and many other Now whether any ment to maintaine preaching against Masse or prayers for their owne soules as we knowe not whether they did or no so we compt it not materiall Such liuinges as are appointed by the prince and the lawe for maintenaunce of them that preach the Gospell we maye enioye with a good conscience without regarde of their meaning that first builded the houses or possessed the landes For we must not seeke to learne our faith and religion out of their meanings and intentes but out of the worde of god And whether the builders of such places be saued or damned it perteineth not to vs to iudge nor to enquire Such things as were well done of them we woulde commend if they were heathen men but if any thing were euill in them we may not allowe it though they were neuer so good 6 Suppose I pray you which yet I woulde be lothe shoulde come to proofe or passe but suppose for all that that with the
taking away of this olde faith of praying and offering for the dead all the workes of the same faith which ishued downe from that fountaine might shrinke with all or returne to the founders againe because there is no rowme to fulfil their willes how many Churches and Chappelles what Colledges or hospitalls woulde our newe no faith bring forth VVould not euery bishoppes wife builde a Church thinke you or founde a Colledge in such a necessitie lest their husbands shoulde be driuen to serue in a reformed french barne 6 Nowe as touching your vaine supposing if all such landes as were geuen to mainteine prayers for the deade or other like purposes either good or supposed to be good should reuerte to the heyers of their first founders for not performing the intent of the founders perhaps fewe monasteries colledges or hospitalles In Italy Spayne Fraunce or Flaunders shoulde enioyâ— one halfe peny worth of their landes or reuenewes They ment not onely to be prayed for but to be prayed for by men of honester conuersation then the greatest parte of those cloysterers are They are too well knowen to the worlde to be taken for that they be called holy religious and chaste But suppose as you sayde that we had no manner of Churches to assemble in though byshoppes wiues be not able to builde them yet we doubt not but in the time of peace and tranquilitie vnder godly princes we shoulde haue as many and as faire builded Churches as the religion of Christ hath neede of Haue you not hearde of the Churches builded in Orleans and Antwerpe other places by the professors of the Gospell But if it were in time of persecution and tyranny I doubt not but all godly bishoppes had rather serue in a french reformed barne then in a popishe gilded minster And how so euer you iest like a scornefull caytifie of those holy assemblees of Gods children in Fraunce there barnes are more like those caues and vaultes vnder the earth that the olde Christian byshoppes were content to serue in before the time of Constantine theÌ„ your Idolatrous Babylonicall temples are like those princely buildings that by Constantine and other Christian princes were first set vp for the publicke exercise of Christian religion 7 One of these mocke byshoppes complaines very sore in a booke of his that men be not now bent with such zele and deuotion to preferre Gods honour in maintenaunce of his Ministers as they were in olde time and as Constantinus with the like christiaÌ„ Princies in the primitiue Church were But the good man marked not wherevpon this colde deuotion ariseth he considereth not that this is the fructlesse effect of so idle a false faith as his owne lordship preacheth he would not see that the maintenaunce of Gods honour both by liefe landes and goods in the peculiar fructe of that charitable louing faith which the Catholikes doe professe he weyed not well that the great grauntes of Constantinus were made to Syluester Bishop of Rome and not to the maried Byshop of Duresme He remembred not that the like holy workes of the noble kinges of our owne countrie were practised vpon such as wouldâ— professe the trueth and serue the altar and not vpon false pastors that were destroyers of all altars Such honorable portions were parted out for Gods lot and not taken from the worlde to goe to the worldely againe Thinke you any man were so minded to take from his owne wife and children either landes or goods to bestow on priestes babbes or bedfellowes No no God knoweth it was separated from them selues to the sacrifice to the priesthoode to the honour of Gods Church and ministerie The which thinges by your owne preaching my lordes decaide woulde you haue the Prince or peoples deuotion towardes you as is was and woulde be still if you were like your predecessors and serued the altar as they did I wisse if the olde S. Cuthbert Wilfride and William whome they compare in holynesse to horsies so good is their opinion of their holy auncieters had bene of the same religion that the occupiers of their roumes now be all the Prelates in England might haue put their rentes in a halpeny purse Come in againe come in for Christes sake come in to the Church againe serue the altar and then you be wortâ—â— to liue of the altar followe our fathers and you shall be loued as our fathers were confesse that religion which our owne Apostles first taught and we all haue beleued and all the workes of Gods Church protest to be true and then you shall be blessed of God and honoured of men 7 You are a priuileged person as your owne talke doth declare and therefore you may prate what you list if he be a mocke bishoppe which beside his excellent learning is also a painefull and diligent preacher of the Gospell what are those vnlearned Asses and rechlesse ruffians of your secte which haue nothing of a bishop but a rotchet and a myter or because I will not charge you with the worst what are they which if they haue some more learning then the rest of which number there are but fewe yet they count it the least part of their office to preach and teach which S. Paule counteth to be chiefe part of a Christian shepeheard ouerseer But to leaue the name come to the matter you mistake that godly mans complaint if you thinke he meaneth of superfluous buyldinges of Synagoges whereof you speake or the vnnecessary enryching of Prelates whereof you meane when he speaketh of the necessary sustentations of a great number of Pastors which through the rauening of your gluttonous Monkes be robbed of their portions And whereas you aunswere it is the fruite of so idle a false faith as his lordship preacheth your mastership lyeth For that fayth which he preacheth is both a true and a working faith which if it were as generally receiued in this land as it is truely preached by him and others the ministers of Gods word could lacke no liuings as God be thanked they neither doe nor can lacke sufficient for necessity among so many of high authority nobility and wealth as doe vnfaynedly professe the Gospell and dayly bring forth the fruites of a true liuely working and onely iustifying fayth The Churches of Fraunce in time of greatest persecution yet haue alwayes liberally susteyned their Pastors And as for the great grauntes that Constantine made to Syluester Byshop of Rome of such as he made in deede he made to married Byshops of Rome as some of them were since Syluester time rather then vnto Syluester the coniurer Hildebrand the hell hounde Iulius the warriar or any that succeeded Boniface the third which beside their abominable life were all heretikes and Antichristes And touching such benefites as were receiued at the handes of princes and noble men of our cuntry if they were ment to be bestowed vpon the professors of the truth and such as serue the aulter of