Two Treatises Against the Papists, Book 1 · Chapter 9
A further declaration of this pointe, for the better vnderstanding of the doctours vvordes. VVherein it is opened hovv purgatory is ordeined for mortal sinnes: & hovv for smaller offences vvho are like to feele that griefe, & vvho not at all. CAP. IX.
1 ANd I thinke they now hauehave small aduantage, by the exception of Origens testimony: by occasion whereof, such light is founde for our cause, that we now by goodly authority hauehave both founde the placies alleaged plainely to proue purgatory, and also what sinnes it namely purgeth, and what men after their death may be amended thereby. That not onelyonly the bare trueth, but some necessary circumstances to the studious of the trueth, hauehave bene here by iust occasion opened, and all errour wholy remoued. Except this point may somewhat stay the reader, that heareth in some places the paines of Purgatory to be both a punishment for greuous sinnes, and a purgation of lighter trespasses with all: and yet that it now may appeare the contrary, by the minde of some learned authors, who expressely make that paine as a remedy onelyonly for veniall sinnes, and not to apperteine at all to the capitall and deadely crimes that man often times doth commit: Therefore to be as plaine as may be necessary for the vnlearned, or any other that is godly curious in things much tending to the quiet rest of mans conscience, it is to be noted: that this ordinary iustice of God in the life following for the purgation of the elect,A mortall sinne not remitted in this life is not discharged by purgatory. can not discharge any man of mortall sinne, which was not pardoned before in the Church militant vppon earth. And therefore what crime so euer deserueth damnation, and was not in mans life remitted, it can not by purgatory paines be released in the next: because it deserueth death euerlasting, and staieth the offender from the kingdome of heauen for euer: no peine temporall in this worlde or the next but Christes passion alone, (the benefit whereof is not by the sufferers will, extended to any that sinneth vntounto death) being able to satisfy for the same.
As often then as thou hearest any Catholike man affirme purgatory to punish or purge greuous and deadely offenses, be assured his meaning of the temporall paine due vntounto wicked men and their sinnes, after their bonde and debt of euerlasting death, with the very faulte it selfe, be in Gods Church remitted. For as S. Augustine sayth,A deadely sinne remitted is in case of a veniall sinne. De vera & falsa poeni…ent. ca. 18. a mortall sinne forgeuen, is becomne a veniall trespasse, and so deserueth no more paine then a veniall sinne, which by transitory punishment may be fully and perfitely released: thus he sayth. Quaedam enim sunt peccata quae mortalia sunt, & in poenitentia fiunt venialia, non tamen statim sanata. There be sinnes (sayth he) which being deadly of their owne nature, be yet by poenaunce made venial, though not alwayes straight healed. Then by this rule, what so euer is spoken of veniall sinnes or the purgation thereof: it is ment both by the small offensies which of their owne nature are veniall: and also of the greater, so that they be forgeuen in Gods Church before: whereby they are become veniall as the other, and deserue proportionaly as the other: and may be taken away (as the same man affirmeth) either in this worlde or the next,Ench. ca. 71. by the same remedies as the other, though not alwayes so speedely.
CAP. IX.
1 NO maruell but you must crowe like a cocke of the game, you hauehave obtayned such a noble victory out of Origens errour, and specially you hauehave discouer…d such a solemne secrete to the yong petits of popery, that onelyonly veniall sinnes are clensed by purgatory, that they are much beholding to you. But lest your kitchen shoulde be colde if none but veniall sinnes should passe through the heate of purgatory, you hauehave found out a sutle shifte, howe to bring mortall sinnes also through ye same pykes of purgatory, for discharge of which you know men will bestow more cost, then for release of those, that with onelyonly sprinckling of holy water, as you wott well, may be washed away. Therefore mortall sinnes must be remitted in this life, and then they may be purged in the fire of purgatory, as being now become in the case of veniall sinnes. O deepe mysteries reueiled out of the bottomlesse pitt, which hauehave no grounde at all in the word of God, but are manifestly ouerthrowne thereby, euen from the foundations. For the foundation of this doctrine, is the distinction of veniall and mortall sinnes, whereas the word of God plainly determineth, that eueryevery sinne is mortall and deserueth eternall death, seeme it neuer so small. Cursed is eueryevery one that abideth not in all thinges that are written in the law to fulfill them. Deu. 27. The soule that sinneth shall dye. Eze. 18. The reward of sinne is death. Rom. 6. And as for that distinction, which S. Iohn maketh of a sinne to death, a sinne not to death, hath nothing common with that of the papistes, for all sinne that by the mercy of God is pardonable, he calleth a sinne not vntounto death, for which God is entreated that giueth life to them that hauehave so sinned. And that sinne he counteth vntounto death, which is irremissible, as obstinate & wilful apostacy. Heb. 6. blasphemy against the holy ghost. Math. 12. &c. for which it is not lawfull io pray. Thus by iudgement of Gods word, are all sinnes mortall which Papistes call veniall, and all that they count mortall, by Gods spirite are counted veniall. For by the iustice of God, all sinnes are mortall, but by his mercy, they are all pardonable, except that sinne vntounto death, whereof S. Iohn speaketh. 1. Ioan. 5. But to returne to M. Allens shift, and to examine whether it will satisfie the iudgement of those olde writers, which affirme that onelyonly small and light offences are clensed by the fire of purgatory. M. Allen sayth, mortall sinnes become veniall, by remission. The Scripture teacheth that sinnes forgeuen are not imputed at all. But M. Allens doctrine is, that remission of sinnes doth not take sinnes away but onelyonly chaungeth their nature, from mortall to veniall, yea he is not ashamed to vouch Augustine to warranty, as though he should say, that a mortall sinne forgiuen, is become a veniall trespasse, &c. If all men were blinde, this fellow would play trimly with their noses, when he will be so bold with all men that can see: Augustines wordes as he citeth them in Latine are these. Quaedam enim sunt peccata quae mortalia sunt, & in poenitentia fiunt venialia, that is, there are some sinnes which are deadly of their owne nature, but by repentaunce they are made veniall. I hauehave translated them as he doth, sauing that he calleth poenitentia penaunce which I, to auoyd the ambiguitie of the english word, as it is taken by the Papistes, hauehave turned repentaunce. Nowe is it all one to say, that such sinnes as of their owne nature deserue death, may yet be pardoned to him that repenteth? which is the manifest meaning of Augustines wordes, and that which M. Allen fathereth vponupon him, as though he said, a mortall sinne forgeuen is become a veniall trespasse? Againe this doctors wordes are playne of light and small offences, and not of heynous and great offences, that by pardon are made litle offences.
2 VVell then, to close vp briefely, all this hauehave we founde by these scriptures alleaged: that being diuerse degrees of men, Purgatory apperteineth but to one sort. First not to such as lacke the faith of Christ, for they hauing no foundation are allready iudged: neither to such as hauehave not builded vponupon the foundatiō, but rather defaced it with workes of death and deuilish doctrine. For all these must like widdred branches be cast into the fire, not to be purged, but vtterly wasted. There be yet other that kepe their foundation faste, and worke there vponupon both golde and siluer, but yet abased and somewhat defiled by the mixture of other infirmities not sufficiently redressed in this life: these must of necessity by Gods ordinaunce, suffer the Purgation by fire: that their workes purified and amended by the sentence of his iuste iudgement, may at length by mercy and grace bring them to their desired ende.
Now the perfect estate, which, hauing this groundewarcke, and building therevpon nothing for the most part, but the tried fine workes of heauenly doctrine and perfect charity, can not feare the fire, as in whome it shall finde no matter of waste. For if any drosse of seculare desires or worldly weakenesse, was in their frailty contracted, their fructefull penaunce in their life, washed that away by the force of Christes bloude, before the daye of our Lorde greate and fearefull, came vponupon them:Naum. 1. In which case God will not punish twise for one faulte, nor entre into iudgement with such, as hauehave iudged them selues to his hande.1. Cor. 11.
These therefore thus guarded by Gods grace, in whome onelyonly 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 vponupon their departure, with out stay or punishment in the next life. Although Christ onelyonly, 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 vntounto 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.Act. 2.
And that is S. Ambrose his meaning (as I suppose) when he saide. Vnus ille ignem hunc sentire non potuit. Christ onelyonly 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 hauehave geuen place as it did to the three children,Dan. 4. and as S. Augustine supposeth it shall do in the generall conflagration to the bodies of vertuous men, whē 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 dubitarūt, Serm. 20. in Psal. 118.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, Psal. 65.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 vsus 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 hauehave bene. VponUpon 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 eueryevery soule towardes heauen, for that is Gods secret: and I will with S. Ambrose in the same place say: Quod legi praesumo, Ibidem.quod nō legi scientibus relinquo. That which I hauehave reade, in graue authority, that will I boldely auouch: that which I hauehave 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 vntounto. But now for the meaner sorte that with Christian faith and good workes hauehave 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,Vide Rupe… tum in 3. cap. Genes. In Ser. de S. Nicolao. S Bernarde termeth it the place of expiatiō, In quo pater benignus examinat filios rubiginosos, sicut examinatur argentum: In which our mercifull father trieth his rusty children as siluer is tried. VVhi…h all these holy fathers with the rest, oftentimes do name by the commō 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 hauehave 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 onelyonly 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 hauehave 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. …. dist. 21. M. Allen to retayne the authority of the olde writers, holdeth that perfect iust mē passe through this purgatory, without sense of payne, or making any stay there, yea he doubteth not to affirme, that Christ him sel…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, vntounto purgatory, that he is not ashamed to inuent a new article of our faith, that Christ descended into purgatory.