Two Treatises Against the Papists, Book 1 · Chapter 6
That Purgatory paines doth not onelyonly serue Gods iustice for the punishement of sinne, but also cleanse and qualifie the soule of man defiled, for the more seemely entraunce into the holy places, vvith conferēce of certaine places of Scripture for that purpose. CAP. VI.
1 IF we well cōsider the wonderfull base condition and state of mans nature corrupted by our first fathers disobedience, and more and more abased by continuall misery that sinne hath brought into our mortall life, we shall finde the worke of Gods wisedome in the excellent repaire of this his creature, to be full of mercy, and full of maruell. But proceding somewhat further, and weying not onelyonly his restoring, but also the passing great anauncement to the vnspeakable glory of the elect, there shall reason and all our cogitations vtterly faint and faile vsus.
The kingdome prepared is honored with the maiestie of the glorious Trinitie, with the humanitie of Christ our Sauiour, with the blessed Mary the vessell of his Incarnation, with the bewtifull creatures and wholy vndefiled, of all the ordres of Angels. There can nothing doubtlesse present it selfe before the seate of Gods glory, nor stand in his sight, that hath any blemish of sinne, any spotte of corruption, any remnaunt of infirmity.VVhat puritie is required for the entrāce into heauen. There may no creature matche with those perfect pure natures of spirituall substance in the happy seruice of the holy Trinity, that is not holy as they be, pure as they be, and wholy sanctified as they be. Nothing can ioyne with them in freedome of that heauenly city, in the ioyfull estate of that triumphant common welth, that is not purified to the point, and by the worke of Gods owne hande fully fined and perfected. This is the new City of Hierusalem, which the holy Apostle sawe by vision: Nec in eam intrabit aliquid coinquinatum. Nothing shall entre therein, that is defiled.Apoc. 21. It is the Church without spotte and wrinkle, it is the temple of God, it is the seate of the Lambe, and the lande of the lyuing.
Nowe our kinde, notwithstanding our pitifull fall and singular frailetie, with exceding corruption and vnaptenesse both of body and soule, hath yet by Christ Iesus our Redeemer, the assurance of this vnestimable benefit, and the fellowship of perpetual fruition with the Angels. To whome as we must be made equall in roume and glory, so we must in perfect cleannes be fully matched with them. For it were not agreable to Gods ordinary iustice,Leuit. 21. who in this earthly sanctuary expressely forbiddeth the oblations of the vncleane,Rupert. de diuini. offi. l. 6. cap. 36. that he shoulde in the celestiall soueraigne holy acknowledge any nature that were not pure and vndefiled: or make mans condicion not abettered, equall to the dignity of Angels that neuer were reproued: whereby vniustice might appeare in God, or confusion in the heauens common wealth, where onelyonly all ordre is obserued.
And though mans recouery after his fall be wroght by Christ. duplicate page duplicate page and the perfect purgation of sinnes by the bloude of him that only was with out sinne, yet it was not conuenient, that the might of that mercy shoulde worke in this freedome of our willes, with out all peine of the party, or trauell of the offenders. VVhereof mān streight vponupon his miserable downe fall (as S. Ambrose excellently well noteth) had warning by the fiery sworde holden at the entraunce of paradise:In Psa. 118. Serm. 20. therby putting him in remembraunce, that the returne to blesse so sone lost, shoulde be through fiere and sword hardely achieued againe. Therfore if any man thinke the onelyonly forgiuenesse of our sinnes past, sufficient either for the recouery of our first degree, or the atteining of further dignity in the glory of the Sainctes, he seeth not at all what a deepe stroke sinne hath set in mans soule, what filth and feeblenesse it hath wroght in the body, what rule and dominion it beareth in this our mortality, what care all perfect men hauehave had, not only in the healing of the deepe wounde, but also in purging the reliques, and fall abbating the abundant matter thereof. And yet when mā hath with all his might wrastled with the poure of sinne, being in this estate, he can not be able to recouer the worthinesse of his creation, much lesse the passing honour and ende of his redemption. Let him washe and water his coutch with teares, let him weaken his body with fasting, and humble his hearte with sorow? Happely the fiery sworde shall not hinder his passage after his departure, yet till the separation of the body and the soule, full freedome from sinne or perfect purgation thereof (excepting the priuilege of certaine) can not be fully obteined. VVherein yet mercy at the ende hath the chiefe stroke, by which the soule that was the principall vessell of sinne, and no lesse abased then the body, shall out of hande in the perfectest sort, obteine the purity of Angels and fellowship with them for euer.
CAP. VI.
1 ONce againe I pray you note this orderly proceding, looke when he maketh such a liberall promisse, as in the chapter going before, the performance shal not follow by and by after, but by interlacing of other matter, it shall be first out of minde, and then he may better keepe his credit, when he goeth about to performe it. Yere while he would in all the hast, make direct proofe by holy Scripture, of the doctrine of purgatory, but now as though purgatory were already proued, he will shewe for what vse it serueth, namely to clense and qualifie the soule of man, that it may be meete to enter into the holy places. And for this purpose, he sheweth at large, which might hauehave bene vttered in briefe, that the corruption of mans sinnefull nature is so great, and the perfection of dignitie, whereunto we are called so high, as man, except he be throughly purged, is no meete person to be partaker therof. But lest he should be thought here to forget the perfect restitution by Christ, he confesseth the perfect purgation of our sinnes to be wrought by his blood, yet he sayth, it is not meete that the might of that mercy should worke in this freedom of our will, without all paine or trauell of the offenders. This is to geue with one hand, and to pull away with the other hand. But that this enemy of the crosse of Christ, shall not thus passe away with his reseruations and exceptions, that which he graunteth, we will take at the hand of God, and not of this vnpure blasphemer: who by his holy spirite teacheth vsus that the blood of Christ doth purge vsus from all our sinnes: & being washed by him we are throughly cleane. Iohn 13. So that although our sinnes were as redd as scarlet, they are made as white as snowe. Esay 1. Then being throughly purged, washed & clensed as white as snow, we are made capable of the heauenly inheritaunce and the fruition of eternall glory. And if any man had rather beleue an Angell, before M. Allen, an elder of the heauenly consistory, sooner then a yong palting proctor of purgatory: Let him heare what is sayd to S. Iohn in his reuelation, 7. cap. whereby is declared by what priuilege, al the faithfull departed appeare in innocency before the throne of God. These are they (sayth the Angel) that came out of that great affliction, and hauehave washed their stoles and made them white in the bloud of the lambe: therefore they are in the presence of the throne of God, and serue him day and night, &c. Mark here that they which came out of this great affliction, were not purged thereby, after M. Allens fantasy, but that they washed and made white their garments, in the bloud of the lambe, by whose righteousnes they being clothed, may appeare in innocēcy before the throne of God. As for that which is cited out of Ambrose, of the fiery sword, is ment of the sorrow of repentaunce, and with no equity can be racked to the paynes of purgatory.
2 I maruell not now to see the Prophet seeke not only for the remission of his greuous sinnes, but to be better cleansed, to hauehave them wholy blotted out, to be made as white as snowe: beholding the purity that is requisite for a citizen of the celestiall Hierusalem. And I note this the rather of the soule, because I see that the body also, before it can shake of the stroke and plague of sinne, must be driuen (by the common course) to dust and elementes, that being at the ende raised vp againe in the same substance, may yet wholy in condicion and quality be so straungely altered, that in honour and immortalitie it may euerlastingly ioyne with the soule againe. To the newnesse whereof, the very elements that before aunswered it in qualities of corruption,August. lib. 20. de ciuit. cap. 16. 1. Cor. 15. shal be perfectly by fire reformed, and serue in beauty and incorruption eternall. If sinne then be so reuenged and throughly tryed out of mans body, and all corruption out of these elements for the glory of that new and eternall kingdome, shall we doubte of Gods iustice in the perfect reuenge of sinne in the soule, or purifying that nature, which as it was most corrupted & was the very feate of sinne,Note. so namely apperteineth to the company of Angels and glory euerlasting? It were not otherwise agreable to Gods iustice surely, nor conuenient for the glorious estate to come: it were neither right, nor reason.
He will then, where man neglecteth the day of mercy, sharply viset with torment, him selfe: and both purge and purifie the drosse of our impure natures defiled and stained by sinne, with iudgement and rightuousnesse. Abluet Dominus sordes filiarum Syon, Isaie. 4.& sanguinem Hierusalem, lauabit de medio eius, in spiritu iudicij, & spiritu ardoris. Our Lorde shall washe out the filthe of the daughters of Syon: and will cleanse bloude from the middest of Hierusalem, in the spirite of iudgement, and the spirite of burning. But because we will not stande vponupon coniectures in so necessary a point, you shall see by what Scriptures the graue and learned fathers hauehave to my hand confirmed this beleued trueth. And first I will recite those places which do set forth both the quality and condition of that punishment, which God taketh vponupon man for sinne in the other worlde: and also did giuegive iust occasion to our forefathers of the name of Purgatory.
2 Consider what wholsome doctrine this student in Diuinitie gathereth out of the Scriptures of God. Dauid not content with remission of his sinnes, seeketh to be better clensed, to hauehave them wholy blotted out, and to be made as white as snowe▪ but by what meanes M. Allen? or at whose handes? Dare you say that he prayeth God to clense him better by his owne suffering, then he was by Gods mercifull pardon? What was figured by the bunch of Isope, dypped in the lambes bloud, with which he desireth to be sprinckled, assuring him selfe that therby he shall be washed whiter then snowe? Was it purgatory, or the aspertion of the bloud of Christ? O horrible blasphemer, wilt thou neuer acknowledge the omnisufficiency of the benefite of mans redemption by the sonne of God? shal thy vayne gangling and iumbling of thy deuises with Gods decrees, obscure the glory of our Lord and Sauiour Christ his passion, who hath loued vsus, and washed vsus, from our sinnes by his bloud, and made vsus Kings and Priestes in the sight of God, who hath geuen him selfe for his beloued Church, that he might sanctifie it, and clense it, by the washing of water, through the word, that he might make it vntounto him self a glorious church, not hauing spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blame. What similitude hath this with Allens pratling of purenesse and patching in of purgatory? As for the place alleged out of Esay the 4. Because he dare not abide by it him selfe, but confesse that it is but a coniecture of his own, to draw it to purgatory which in deede is playnly spoken of the reformation of the Church in this life. I neede spend no more tyme in aunswering it.
3 There be two textes of Scriptures to this purpose so like, that many of the doctors, for better conference in so weighty a case, hauehave ioyned them together to make their proofe full: and so will I do by their example. The first is in the thirde chapter of the prophet Malachie in these wordes.Malach 3. Ecce venit dicit Dominus exercituum, & quis poterit cogitare diem aduentus eius? Et quis stabit ad videndū eum? Ipse enim quasi ignis con…ans, & quasi herba fullonum: & sedebit con…tans & emūdans argētum, & purgabit filios Leui, & colabit eos quasi aurum & argentum, & erunt Domino offerentes sacrificia in iustitia. Et placebit Domino sacrificium Iuda & Hierusalem, &c. Beholde he commeth (sayth the Lorde of Hostes.) And who may abide the day of his cōming? VVho can stand & endure his sight▪ For he is like melting and casting fier, and as the washers herbe. And he shall sit casting and trying out siluer,Sope. and shall purge the children of Leui, & clense them as golde or siluer, And thē shal they offer sacrifice in righteousnesse: & the offerings of Iuda & Hierusalem, shall be acceptable vntounto our Lorde. And thus farre spake the prophet. The second is this, taken out of the first Epistle to the Corinthians.Cap. 3. Secundum gratiam Dei quae data est mihi, vt sapiens architectus fundamētum posui, alius autē superaedificat. Vnusquisque autē videat quomodo superaedificet. Fundamētū enim aliud nemo potest ponere, praeter id quod est positū: quod est Christus Iesus. Si quis autē superaedificat super fundamētum hoc, aurum, argētum, lapides preciosos, ligna, foenū, stipulam, vniuscuius que opus manifestū erit. dies enim Domini declarabit, quia in igne reuelabitur: & vniuscuius que opus quale sit, ignis probabit. Si cuius opus māserit quod superaedificauit, mercedē accipiet: si cuius opus arserit, detrimentū patietur: ipse autē saluus erit, sic tamē quasi per ignē. Thus in English: According to the grace of God geuen vntounto me, as a discriete builder I hauehave laid the groundewarke: but an other buildeth theron. Let eueryevery man be circumspect how he buildeth on it. For no fundatión can be laide, but Christ Iesus, which is already laide. If any man builde vponupon this groundewarke, golde, siluer, preciouse stones, wodde, hay, or stooble, eueryevery mans worke shall be laide open. For the day of our Lorde will declare it, because it shall appeare in fire. And that fire shall trie eueryevery mans worke what it is: if any mans worke erected vponupon that foundation do abide, he shall receiue rewarde, but if his worke burne, he shall susteine losse (or it shall susteine …osse, meaning by the worke it selfe, as the texte well serueth also) but him selfe shall be saued notwithstanding, and that yet as through fire. These be S. Pauls wordes.
Now as men studious of the trueth, carefull of our faith and saluation, and fully free from contention and partaking, let vsus entre into the search of the meaning of these two textes, with such plainnes & sincerity that I dare say the aduersaries, them selues shall not mislike our dealing.Plaine dealing. VVe will follow all likelihoodes by comparing the scriptures together, and admit with all, the counsell and iudgement of such our elders, as by their confession shall be taken for holy, learned, and wise. First the prophet and Apostle both, make mention of purging & of purifying sinne, & corruption of mans impure or defiled workes: they both agree this cleansing or trying out of the filthy drosse gathered by corruption of sinne, to be done by fier: they both throughly follow the similitude of the fornace and goldesmith in fining his metalles, and trying out the drosse and base matter from the perfect finesse of more worthy substaunce: they both plainely vtter their meaninges of such as shall afterwarde be saued, though it be with losse: geuing vsus to vnderstande, that the parties so purged, shall be after their triall worthy to offer a pure sacrifice in holynesse & righteousnes: They both note this purgatiō to be wrought by the hand of God. All these must needes be confessed, euen of the cōtrary teachers: which things together, cōteine more probability for the proofe of our purpose, then they can for any other sense finde. But now touching the text neerer, and finding that this worke of mans amending shall be wrought in the next life, then it must nedes so induce this sense, that no meaning may well be admitted, which euidently setteth not forth the trueth of Purgatory.
And that this worke is not properly taken for any such trouble or vexation that may fall to man in this life, but for a very torment prepared for the next worlde, first the quality of the iudgement, & meanes in the executiō of that sentence of God (which is named to be done by fier) seemeth rather to import that, then any other vexation, the punishment of the worlde following alwayes lightely so termed. Then man is in this purging onelyonly a sufferer, which belongeth namely to the next worlde. But especially that this sentence shal be executed in the day of our Lord, which properly signifieth either the day of our death, or the sentence of God which streight followeth vponupon death: or the last and generall iudgement. All the time of mans life wherein he followeth his freedome, is called Dies Hominis: the day of man, because as man in this life for the most parte serueth his owne will, so he often neglecteth Gods: but at his death, there beginneth Dies Domini: VVhere God executeth his ordinaunce and will vponupon man. This triall then of mans misdeedes & impure workes, must either be at his death, or after his departure by one of the two iudgements. But if we note diligently the circumstances of the saide letter, it shall appeare vntounto vsus, that this purgation was not ment to be onelyonly at mans death: both because it shall be done by fire, which (as is saide) commonly noteth the torment of the next life: and then S. Paule expressely warneth vsus to take heede what we builde, in respect of the difference that may fall to such as builde fine workes, and other that erect vponupon the foundation, impure or mixte matter of corruption: but the paines of death being common to the best, as well as to the worst or indifferent, and no lesse greuous in it selfe to one then the other, can not be imported by the fire which shall bring losse to the one sort, and not paine the other. Besides all this, that day which the Prophet speaketh of, shall be notorious in the sight of the worlde and very terrible to many: And Saint Paule plainely affirmeth, that in this iudgement there shall be made an open shewe of such workes as were hidde before from man, and not discerned by the iudgement of this worlde: which the priuate death of one man can not do.2. Cor. 5. And lightely the Apostle warning man of the sentence of God in the next life, admonisheth him that our deedes must be laide open before the iudgement seate of God so here, Dies domini declarabit, quia in igne reuelabitur: the day of our Lord will open the matter, because it shall be shewed in fire. Last of all, the Prophet nameth the time of this sharp triall, Diē aduētus domini: which is a proper calling of one of the iudgements: either that which shall be generall at the last day, or els that which eueryevery man must first abide straight after his departure, when he shall be called to the peculiar reckening for his owne actes. In either of which iudgements,Magis. l. 4. dist. 47. this purging and amending fire shall be founde. For as in that generall wast of the whole world by the fire of conflagration,2. Petri. cap. 3. which is called ignis praecedens faciem iudicis, because it awaiteth to fulfill Christes ordinance in the day of his second comming, as in that fier the whole man both body and soule may suffer losse & extreme paine for his punishment or purgation, and yet by that same fire be saued: euen so out of doubt at this particulare iudgement straight vponupon eueryevery mans death, the soule of the departed if it be not before free, must suffer paines and Purgation by the like vehement torment working onelyonly vponupon the soule, as the other shall do on the whole man. And the Prophets wordes now alleged, do meane principally of the purgation that shall be made of the faithfuls corrupted workes, by the fier of conflagration, in the second comming of Christ: though his wordes well proue the other also, as S. Paule too, meaneth by them both.
3 Now I trow commeth the confirmation of purgatory out of the holy Scriptures, or else it wyll neuer come, when two textes are alleged at once. But although M. Allen hath rather craftily confounded, then faithfully compared these two textes together, for all his protestation of plaine dealing: yet will I seuerally consider them, and shew both by the plaine circumstances of the places them selues, and also by the iudgement of the auncient doctors, that neither of them both appertaineth any whit to purgatory. First Malachy prophecieth plainly of the first comming of Christ, and of his fore runner Iohn Baptist, as the wordes going before, without all controuersy doe declare. Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye seeke, shall spedely come to his temple, euen the messenger of the couenaunt whom ye desire, beholde he shall come sayth the Lord of hostes, but who may abide the day of his comming, &c. witnesse of this is no lesse, then euen our Sauiour Christ him selfe, Luke the 7. alleging this saying of the Prophet, for the comming of Iohn the Baptist. These wordes also, where it is sayd that the Lord shall come into his temple, doe sufficiently declare, that he describeth the office of Christ, in reforming the corrupt state of the Church at his first comming, and not in iudging the quicke and the dead at the last appearing. Finally the exact triall and purging that he speaketh of, is ye 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 eueryevery 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 onelyonly that are buylders of Gods Church. Secondly he speaketh not of all their workes, but of their preaching or building onelyonly. 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 vponupon 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 vnderunder 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 vponupon 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 eueryevery 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 onelyonly 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.