Two Treatises Against the Papists, Book 1 · Chapter 7
That there is a particulare iudgement and priuate accompt to be made at eueryevery 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.The particular iudgement. But straight this sentēce either of iudgement or mercy, must be pronounced: and therefore is called the particulare iudgement, by which the soule onelyonly 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:Ad Hebr. 9. statutum est omnibus hominibus semel mori, post hoc iudicium: It is determined that eueryevery 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, Eccles. 11.secundum vias suas. It is an easy matter before our Lorde, that eueryevery 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. HaueHave 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 eueryevery man (sayth he) may feele before the day of iudgement, Super 5. ad Roman.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,In Psal. 118. Ser. 20. the firie sworde at the entraunce of ioy without all stoppe or tariaunce: because the fire of louelove 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.Cap. 14. 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 vsus 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:The soules be not in doubte of their damnation or saluation, till the day of iudgement & 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 hauehave 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 vnsemely wrething or wraesting do so plainely beare, that if ours were a sense neuer hearde of before, yet the onelyonly comparing of the textes, and necessary circumstancies of the letter might rather driue vsus to that meaning, then any other that they can euer alleage or proue. But now, as Catholikes euer do, keping the olde meaning and forging no newe, geuing no other sense then that which the persuasion of all Christian people both learned and simple hath driuen from the beginning of our faith downe to our dayes, and framing no other vnderstanding then that which we finde expressely in the learning and faith of our fathers both set forth and proued, who is so rude in iudgement, or so entangled with any contrary opinion, that will not acknowledge the trueth and doctrine eueryevery waye so compassed with proofe and all likelihoods?
CAP. VII.
1 THat the iudgement of God beginneth at the death of eueryevery man and so continueth vntil the full manifestation therof in the last day, is clearer by the Scripture of God, then that it needeth the confirmatiō of mans authoritie. But that Ambrose is alleged to proue, that eueryevery man immediatly after his death, doth feele that he must looke for in the daye of iudgement, I meruaile to what purpose it is brought in, if it be not to ouerthrow purgatory. For if it be true, as it must needes be, no man feeleth paine after this life, but he that shall feele it eternally. And surely to the same effect he speaketh in his booke de bono mortis where he commendeth the death of the faithfull quia deteriorem statum non efficit, sed qualem in singulis inuenerit, talem iudicio fururo reseruat, & quietè ipsis fouet, & praesentium inuidiae subducit, & futurorum expectatione componit. Because (death) maketh not their state worse, but such as it findeth in eueryevery man, such it reserueth into the iudgement to come, and quietly chierisheth them and both taketh them away from the enuy of things present, and setleth them in expectation of things to come. Thus sayth Ambrose plainely in this place, what soeuer he speaketh allegorically of the fiery sword in other places. VVell it is euident (you saie) that the soules departed sleepe not, of which error Luther also was noted. I neuer harde any man of credit note him therof, who is well knowne to hauehave bene of a cleane contrary iudgement: but I reade in the actes of the Councel of Constance, that Pope Iohn the 23 was condemned for denying the immortality of the soule, the resurrection of the deade and the life euerlasting. But if the soules sleepe not, then they be awake in purgatory, or if ye reason not so subtilly, you meane, that if they be at all in purgatory, they be there immediatly after their departure out of their bodyes. But how shall we proue, that they come there at all? Forsooth by the sayings of the Prophet and of the Apostle before alleged, which are so plaine proofe and so euident to be vnderstoode, of them selues, that they nede none other interpretation. But how plaine it is, that they serue nothing to that purpose, I hauehave sufficiently declared already: yet must we further follow the same matter, because here are brought in the authoritie of the doctors to agree with M. Allens glose.
2 But as reason is, and my promise was at the beginning. I will let the good Christian see the wordes of most notable auncient writers, that he may reioyse his faith to be so surely grounded. First then you shall perceiue that S. Augustine expoundeth the texte of the prophet Malachie before recited,Cap. 3. for purgatory paines euen as I saide. I am certaine he may much moue our aduersaries, as one whome they chalenge to be patrone of some of their opinions: but how vniustly in all pointes, God knoweth, and in this matter especially you shall now perceiue. After the rehersall of the Prophets wordes and well weying of the matter, he thus writeth. Ex ijs quae dicta sunt videtur euidentius apparere, Lib. 20. de ciuit. dei. Cap. 25.in illo iudicio quasdam quorundam purgatorias poenas futuras. Vbi enim dicitur. Quis substinebit diem introitus eius? aut quis ferre poterit vt aspiciat eum? quia ipse ingreditur quasi ignis conflatorij, & quasi herba lauantium, & sedebit conflans & emundans sicut argentum & aurum, & emundabit filios Leui, & fundet eos sicut aurum & sicut argentum, quid aliud intelligendum est? dicit tale aliquid & Isaias: Lauabit dominus sordes filiorum & filiarum Syon, & sanguinem emundabit de medio eorum spiritu iudicij, & spiritu combustionis. Nisi sortè sic eos dicendum est emundari à sordibus, & eliquari quodammodo, cū ab eis mali per poenale iudicium separantur, vt illorum segregatio atque damnatio purgatio sit istorum, quia sine talium de coetero commixtione victuri sunt: sed cum dicit, & emundabit filios Leui, & fundet eos sicut aurum & argentum, & erunt domino offerentes hostias in iusticia, & placebit domino sacrificium Iuda & Hierusalem: Vtique ostendit eos ipsos qui emundabuntur, deinceps in sacrificijs iusticiae domino esse placituros: ac per hoc ipsi a sua iniustitia emundabuntur, in qua domino hostiae displicebant. porrò in plena perfectaque iustitia ipsi erunt cum mundati fuerint: quid enim acceptius deo tales offerunt quàm seipsos? verum ista quaestio de Purgatorijs poenis, vt diligentius pertractetur in tempus aliud differenda est. thus in English. By the foresaide wordes in semeth very euident, that in the time of that iudgement there shall be certaine Purgatory paines for some sort of men. For when it is saide: Who can be able to susteine the day of his comming? who can stand in his sight? because he shall sit trying out and purifying as it were golde and siluer, and entre in like the fier of the fornace, and as washers sope: he shall make cleane the sonnes of Leui & shall trie them as golde and siluer: VVhat other thing by all these wordes can be ment?Cap. 4. (but purgatory paines.) Namely seeing the prophet Esaie hath the like in these wordes. God shall washe a waye the filthe of the sonnes and daughters of Syon, and purge bloude from the middest of them, in the spirite of iudgement and fier. Except a man might conueniently say that they shall be washed from filthe, and as you would say newe fourged, when the wicked by finall iudgement are seuered out of their company: that so their departure and damnation may be the purgation of the rest, because after that day they shall liue for euer without the company of the badde. But when the Prophet sayth more, that he will clense the children of Leuy, and purify them as golde and siluer, that they may offer their oblations in righteousnesse, and the sacrifice of Iuda and Hierusalem shall please our Lorde. He …urely giueth vsus to wit, that euen the same selfe men which shall be purged, must afterwarde offer to God the sacrifice of iustice, that being once thus amended of their vnrighteousnesse, in which their offeringes could not be acceptable vntounto God, may afterwarde in pure and perfect iustice offer them selues as a most pleasaunt hoste and oblation vntounto our Lord. But this question of purgatory paines I will differ to a further treaty hereafter. All this hath S. Augustine: VVhereby we may both acknowledge his minde and the Prophets meaning: which according to the grace geuen vntounto him in the expounding of Scriptures, he hath sought out by conference of that place with other the like out of Esay, by weying discretly the whole circumstance of the letter, & finally by comparing of the other meaning, which to some might hauehave bene reckened apte and mete for that place. In all which doing he was as farre from rashe iudgement, as our newe doctors be from good aduisement.
But because he referreth vsus to the further discussing of the same matter afterward, in the named worke: it shal be to our purpose not a litle, to hauehave this dictors full minde & constant iudgement therein. In the xxj. booke after much matter vttered, and very deepe discussing of the cause, he maketh this groūded Conclusion.Cap. 13. Temporales poenas alij in hac vita tantum, alij post mortem, alij nunc & nūc, veruntamē ante illud saeuerissimū, nouissimúm que iudiciū patiuntur. Non autem omnes veniūt in sempiternas poenas quae post illud iudiciū his sunt futurae, qui post mortem sustinent temporales: nam quibusdam quod in isto nō remittitur, remitti in futuro saeculo, id est ne futuri saeculi aeterno supplicio puniātur, iam supra diximus. Temporall paines (that is to say punishment which shall hauehave an end) some men suffer in this life, some other after their death, & other some, both now, & then: But all this before the day of iudgement that is the greatest and last of all other iudgements:Temporall paines in the next life as vvell as in this. not all that be tēporally punished after their departure come into paines perpetuall which shall be after the generall daye: for we hauehave already declared, that there be certaine which hauehave remission in an other worlde, that is to say a pardon that they be not punished euerlastingly, that had not forgeuenesse in this. By these wordes we may be assured, that as in the next life there be paines endelesse and perpetuall for the wicked, so in the same worlde after our ende here, there must needes be some transitory punishment and correction, for such of the meane sorte as shall afterwarde be saued. And againe he speaketh (as I take it) of the fier of Conflagration that shall in the latter day purge some that be meane, and wast other that be wicked, and sende them from that present punishment, to further eternall damnation. I will recite his owne wordes, that ye may perceiue the perpetuall constancy of this excellent mans minde in this matter. It shall also be a testimonie sufficient for the vnderstanding of S. Pauls wordes nowe before alleaged. Si aedificauerit super fundamentum, ligna, foenum, Serm. 3. in Psal. 103.stipulam, id est mores saeculares fundamento fidei suae super aedificauerit, tamē si in fundamento sit Christus, & primum locū ipse habeat in corde, & ei nihil omnino anteponatur, portētur & tales: Veniet caminus & incēdet ligna, foenū, stipulam: ipse inquit saluus erit, sic tamen quasi per ignem. Hoc aget caminos: alios in sinistram …eparabit, alios in dexteram quodammodo eliquabit. If any man erect vponupon the foundatiō woodde, hay, or straw, that is to say worldely affections vponupon the groundewarke of his sayth: if yet Christ be in the foundation, and beare the greatest stroke in his harte, so that nothing be preferred before him, such may well be borne withall, for the fiery fornace shall come & burne the wood, hay, and stooble, & shall be saued, as the Apostle saith, though it be for all that through the fier, that fornace then shall parte some to the lift hande, and try forth other (if a man may so tearme it) to the right hande.
2 The first place is geuen vntounto Augustine, because he is in a maner confessed to be a patrone of some of our opinions, though he be not of all. This doctor in his 20 booke de ciuitate dei, is saide to expound the texte of Melachy as M. Allen hath doen of the paines of purgatory. But reade the place with indifferent iudgement who so can and will, and he shall plainely perceiue, that Augustine speaketh not of M. Allens purgatory, which is said to be immediatly after mens death, but of certaine purging paines, which he supposeth some shall suffer at the last daye of Gods generall iudgement, and yet he is so vncertaine of that exposition, that he doubteth whether this purging, whereof the Prophet speaketh, may not be vnderstoode of that seperation, which shalbe of the godly from the wicked in that daye. Howbeit 21. booke cap. 13. of the same worke, he concludeth very cleerely, that some suffer temporall paines after this life. This maye not be denyed: but how vnconstant Augustine was in his error, appereth by this, that sometime he doubteth whether there be any such matter, other whiles he seemeth plainely to deny all other receptacles of the soules departed beside heauen and hell. For both in his Enchiridion ad Laurentium cap. 69. & de octo Dulcitij in quaestionibus quaest. 1. he sayeth, that as it is not incredible, that such a matter may be after this life, so it may be doubted, whether it be so or no. Likewise in his booke de fide & operibus cap. 16. he hath these wordes speaking of that texte to S. Paule 1. Corinthians. 3. Siue ergo in hac vita tantum homines ista patiuntur, siue etiam post hanc vitam talia iudicia subsequantur, non abho…ret quantum arbitror a ratione veritatis, iste intellectus huius sententiae. Whether men suffer these things in this life only, or whether such iudgements follow after this life also: the vnderstanding of this sentence abhorreth not as I thinke, from the waye of trueth. Againe in Hypognost. contra Pelagianos lib. 5. he acknowledgeth the kingdom of heauen for to receiue the godly, and hell fire for the punishment of the wicked, but a third place sayth he we are altogither ignoraunt of, neither doe we finde it in the holy Scriptures. He writeth against the Pelagians, that imagined a third place, for the rest of infants, that were not baptised, but the same reason serueth as well against the popish purgatory, because we finde it not in the holy Scriptures: to the like effect he writeth de verbis Apostoli sermone 14. where he acknowledgeth the right hand and the left hand of God, that is the kingdom of heauen, and the paynes of hell: the midle place he vtterly denyeth, wherein infantes may be placed because there is no mention thereof in the Gospell. But to returne to the third place, alleged by M. Allen, out of S. Augustine, ser. 3. Psal. 103. How would he hauehave vsus to take it for a confirmation of his exposition of S. Paules wordes, touching the paines of purgatory, which are sayd to begin immediatly after this life, when he him selfe confesseth that it is to be vnderstoode of the vniuersall conflagration of the world at the day of iudgement? Thus you see that here were great bragges made, that Augustines authority maintained his interpretation of those 2. textes of Scripture, concerning popish purgatory, which he him selfe contendeth to beginne as soone as men are dead: When Augustine in both those places (as the playne circumstance of the place declareth the one, and the conf…ssion of M. Allen admitteth the other) speaketh of a kind of purging which he did thinke should not be, before the whole world were purged at once by fire.
3 And as S. Augustine taketh these base substances of wood, hay, or stuble, to signifie worldly affections and secular desires: so S. Ambrose noteth by the same, vayne, curious, & vnprofitable doctrines:In com. super hunc lo cum. the drosse of which friuolous matter much corrupting the sinceritie of our faith, must be separated from the foundation, by the fire of the sayd fornace. For this is a generall doctrine without exception, that what so euer be vnderstanded by those light matters, whether it be a difformity in life or in doctrine, that onelyonly defileth and not vtterly destroyeth the fayth which is the foundation, nor wasteth the louelove due vntounto our Lord, what so euer (I say) that be, it must be tryed out by the spirite of iudgement and fire. Briefly then, thus S. Ambrose expounding the Apostles wordes. He shall be saued by fire, writeth,In commen tarijs super 3. c. 1. ad Cor. Ostendit illum saluum quidem futurum, sed poenam ignis passurum, vt per ignem purgatus fiat saluus, & non sicut perfidi aeterno igne in perpetuum torqueatur. The Apostle declareth that he shall be saued, and yet suffer the paynes of fire: that being purged by that fire, he may so be saued, and not as the vnfaithfull, perpetually be tormented in euerlasting fire.
3 As he sayth litle out of Ambrose so it is soone aunswered: first it maketh litle for him, that Ambrose expoundeth the wodde, hay, and stuble, vayne curious and vnprofitable doctrine, for that prouethe, that onelyonly the worke of teachers shall passe the triall of this fire, which is the iudgement of Gods spirite the true discerner of doctrines, but yet Ambrose expoundeth the fire to be a purging and a punishment. But whether it be in this life or after this life, you hauehave no ground out of this place of Ambrose, and therefore it finally auaileth your cause. And that Ambrose allowed no purging after this life, is playne enough by those wordes which he writeth vponupon the 40. Psalme: For where the prophet sayth he shall be made happy on earth: Ambrose inferreth, Bene addidit in terra, quia nisi hic mundatus fuerit, ibi mundus esse non poterit. He hath well added on earth, for if he be not clensed here, he can not be clensed there.
4 This temporall torment of the next life S Hierom very fitly calleth, A iudgement of God ioyned with mercy, the continuance whereof, or other circumstances to serue mens curiositie he dare not define, being contented out of doubt to beleue that certaine sinners be in greuous torments, and yet not without hope of mercy these be that holy mans words in his commentaries vponupon the Prophet Esai, Cap. vlr. & in primum Cap. Eze. in illud vidi quasi speciem electritalking by occasion, of the continuance of purgatory paynes. Quid nos solius Dei scientiae debemus relinquere, cuius non solum misericordiae sed & tormenta in pondere sunt: & nouit quem, quomodo, & quandiu debeat iudicare. Solumque dicamus quod humanae conuenit fragilitati, Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me, neque in ira tua corripias me: & sicut diaboli omniumque negatorum atque impiorum qui dixerunt in corde suo non est Deus, credimus aeterna tormenta, sic peccatorum atque impiorum, & tamen Christianorum, quorum opera in igne purganda sunt atque probanda, moderatam arbitramur & mixtam clementiae sententiam iudicis. In English: VVe must commit this secrete to Gods wisedom and knowledge, whose not onelyonly mercy, but iudgement and iust punishment be paised. For he right well knoweth whom, how, and what time he ought to punish. And let vsus onelyonly as it becommeth our frailty cry out: Lord in thy furious wrath argue me not, neither correct me in thy anger: for as we beleue the eternall damnation and torment of the deuill with the forsaken sort and wicked, that sayd in their harte there is no God, so we suppose, that vponupon sinners and euill men, being yet christen men, whose workes shall be both purged and tryed by fire, shalbe pronounced a moderate sentence mixed with mercy and clemency. Lo here, this worthy writer graunteth there be two sortes of punishments by fire, one of the damned spirites and wicked men eternall, and an other of certayne that in their life were sinners, & some wicked men too, who yet being in Christes Church and vsing the benefite of the blessed Sacraments, had their sinnes so forgeuen, that not purging their wicked life by sufficient penaunce in their dayes, they must of necessity enter into the torment of transitory fire, there to be punished not in rage and rigor without pity, but in anger of fatherly correction ioyned with clemency and much mercy.
4 The last place is reserued for S. Ieronym, who seemeth to geue a perfect testimony for M. Allens behoofe, if he be no further examined, then M. Allen rehearseth his wordes. but howe litle they make for him if they be duely discussed, except it be to proue Ieronym an Origenist, and so to discredite his testimony, I will stand to the iudgement of all reasonable Papistes, that will vouchsafe to weygh the matter with me, and not be wilfully deceiued. For first it is manifest, that Ieronym writing vponupon these wordes of Esay, whose worme shal not dye nor the fire be extinguished, speaketh of the last iudgement in the ende of the world, and then rehearseth the arguments of them, that thought the punishment of that worme and fire shoulde be ended after long time, and great torments: which thing Ieronym sayth must be left to the onelyonly knowledge of God, &c, whom he confesseth to be a mercifull iudge, and so it may be, that he will release the eternall torments that wicked Christians hauehave deserued after the day of iudgement, but he defineth nothing. And as for M. Allens purgatory, which he defendeth to begin streight way after mens departure hence, he speaketh neuer a word. But rather of the purging fire of Gods iudgement, which some of the Origenistes did extend to the purifying and sauing of all Christians, were they neuer so wicked, from whose opinion he seemeth not altogither to discent, though he doe not plainly allow it. And that he writeth vponupon the first of Ezechiel, to which place M. Allen sendeth vsus, 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 eueryevery darke corner: So M. Allen neuer readeth fire and torment, but by and by he dreameth of purgatory.