Two Treatises Against the Papists, Book 1 · Chapter 11
An aunsvvere to certayne obiections of the aduersaries, moued vponupon the diuersitie of meanings vvhichwhich they see geuen in the fathers vvritings, of the Scriptures before alleaged for purgatory: and that this doctrine of the Church standeth not against the sufficiencie of Christes passion. CAP. XI.
1 BVt nowe the other side seeketh for some shiftes, and draweth backe in this extremity thus. That the places of the olde and new Testament,Obiect. now rather alleaged for my purpose and the proofe of purgatory, though they be thus expounded of the doctours, yet they may hauehave some other meaninge, and sometimes be construed otherwise by the fathers them selues. To which I aunswere, and freely confesse that they so may hauehave in deede:Aunsvvere. but the aduersary must take this with all, that the pillars of Christes Church woulde neuer hauehave geuen this sense amongest other, or rather before all other meaninges that probability or conferēce of scriptures did driue them vntounto, had it conteined a plaine faulsehood, as the heretike supposeth it doth. Yea had not the doctrine of Purgatory bene a knowne trueth in all ages, it should neuer by the graue iudgemēt of so many wise men, hauehave atteyned any colour of scripture. For though many meaninges be founde of most harde places in all the Bible, yet there is no sense geuen by any approued doctour, that in it selfe is false. And thinke you diuerse textes of the holy Scripture coulde hauehave caryed a false perswasion of Purgatory, downe from the Apostles dayes to our time, for true doctrine? Marke well, and you shall perceiue that the Church of Christ hath euer geuen roome to the diuersitie of mens wittes, the diuision of graces, and sondry giftes in exposition of most places of the whole testament: with this prouiso alwayes:Diuersity of sensies be allovved, so that none of them cō teine any falsehood in it selfe. The diligēt vvatch that the Church keepeth ouer the trueth. Epist. 110. that no man of singularity should father any falsehood or vntrueth vponupon any texte: but otherwise, that eueryevery man might abounde in his meaning. Mary falsehood she neuer suffered one moment, to take holde or bearing of any scripture, vnreprehended. Ecclesia multa tolerat (sayth S. Augustine) & tamen quae sunt contra fidem vel bonam vitam, non probat, nectacet, nec facit. the Church beareth many thinges: yet such thinges as be hourtfull to faith or good life, she neuer approueth, nor doth them her selfe, nor holdeth her peace, when she seeth them done by others.
Thereof we hauehave a goodly example in our owne matter. So long as any conuenient meaning might be found out by the holy writers, of that place alleaged out of S. Paule for such as shoulde be saued through fire, she liked and allowed the same. Some proued that the elect must be saued by long sufferance, some said the tribulation of this life and world must trie mens faith & workes, some saide the greefe of minde in loosing that which they ouer much loued, was the burning fire of mans affections: some woulde hauehave the greuous vexation of departure out of this life, to be a purgatory paines: some construed the texte, of the fire of conflagration, that shall purge the workes of many in the latter day: finally they all agreed, that the temporall torment of the worlde to come is litterally noted, and especially meant by the fire which the Apostle speaketh of. All these so litle do disagree amongest them selues, that not onelyonly by diuerse men, but of one man they might well all be geuen. And being all in them selfe very true, the holy Church so liketh and alloweth them eche one, that yet by the common iudgement of all learned men, that meaning for Purgatory paines, she approueth as the most agreeable sense to the texte, and whole circumstance of the letter. But as soone as Origen went about to proue by the same scripture, that all wicked men shoulde at length be saued after due purgation by fire: then this pillar of trueth seeing an open falsehood gathered by the scripture of Gods worde, coulde susteine no longer. She set vp against this errour her pastors, the graue fathers of our faith. who ceased not, as occasion serued, to geue men warning of the deceite intended: not onelyonly still mainteining the doctrine of Purgatory. but also expressely condemning all the reprehenders thereof, as hereafter it shall be better declared: and so misliking no sense that in it selfe was true, the meaning of Purgatory yet, hath bene of all the learned counted so certaine, that in geuing any other likely exposition, that was euer added with all, as most consonant to the will and wordes of the writers. So doth Theodoretus, so doth S. Augustine, and so in a maner did they all. And as the saide holy doctour saith (with whose wordes I am much delited, by cause he of all other maketh trueth stand most plainely vponupon it selfe.12. Confess.) One texte of scripture may well hauehave so many vnderstandings as may stand with trueth, and be not repugnaunt to good life and maners. And he hedgeth the diuersity of mens wittes in the exposition of scripture, with in the double knot of louelove, which is towards God and our brother: Who so euer (sayth he) taketh him selfe to vnderstand scripture or any parte thereof, De doctri. Christiana lib. 1. ca. 36.and in that meaning edifieth nothing at all the double louelove, of God and our neighbour, he misseth the true meaning thereof. But who so euer can finde out such a sense that may be commodious to the increase of charitie, although it were not directly intended by the writer, yet he is not harmefully deceiued, nor founde a lyar therein. so sayth he. Now as for our matter, I am well assured, there dare no man, though he were destitute of Gods grace, yet not for shame of him selfe, affirme that the doctrine of purgatory is hourtfull to vertuous life, the only miscredit whereof, hath vtterly banished all good Christian condicions: or iniurious to the faith of Gods Church, which is not only agreable, but principally intended by the plaine letter of Gods worde, and consonant to all other meanings, that may be gathered by any such scripture as we hauehave alleaged there for: and to be short, receiued of so many fathers, so wise, and so well learned, as we hauehave named for that purpose, as a trueth most reasonable, most naturall, and most agreable to Gods iustice.
VVell then, the misbeleuers can hauehave no shifte nor escape, by the chalenge of Gods word, or doctures, or diuersity of sensies: here is no holde for errour: all I trust be safe and sure on eueryevery side.
CAP. XI.
1 YOu shoulde breake your olde wonte, if you did not in this chapter ouerthrow something, that you hauehave builded in that which went next going before. He hath labored all this while to proue, that purgatory hath grounde in the Scriptures, now he cō fesseth franckely: that there hath bene no text of scripture by him alleaged to proue it, but it may hauehave an other meaninge, and is sometime other wise construed of the fathers them selues. I will aske no more to proue that purgatory hath no grounde in the worde of God, which is not an ambiguous oracle, that may be drawen eueryevery way like a leaden rule, & hath but one true sence or meaning, which is the right meaning of the holy Ghost. For although diuerse men may geue diuerse interpretations of some obscure and harde place, which all conteine no impiety or falshode, yet the spirite of God meaneth but one thing, and not what eueryevery mans wit and iudgement will take it to be. True it is that so longe as the proportion of faith is kept, the Church beareth with them that geue wronge interpretations, but the spirite of God which is in his Church, alloweth not wronge interpretations for right. And where as M. Allen alloweth all the interpretatiōs that the fathers hauehave made of the text by him alleaged, as true, so long as they affirmed no error, he may by the same reason affirme, that contradictories are true, as in that saying of him that shall not come out vntill he hauehave payed the vttermost farthing: some hauehave expounded, that he shalbe alwayes punished, some that he shall not be alwayes punished. One sayth he shal neuer be released, an other saith, he shall be released at length, how is it possible that both these interpretations can be true? and yet both these interpretations are founde in some writers. But his suerest shifte is, that the doctrine of purgatory, was a knowen trueth in all ages. But this is the whole matter in controuersie. For how can it be taken for a knowen trueth in all ages, which hath none so suer grounde in any text of scripture, that cā be wrested for it, but the same text may hauehave an other, and that a true interpretation. But of the antiquity of that error, we shall hauehave better occasion hereafter to discusse in the second booke, where this matter is of purpose intreated of. In the meane time, we wil take that which is here graunted so liberaly, that there is no text of scripture alleaged for purgatory, but it may be otherwise truely interpreted, and not of purgatory, and that the fathers hauehave so done by M. Allens owne confession.
2 Their extreme and onelyonly refuge is, that the paine of Christes passion,Obiection. and his sufficient payment for our sinnes, standeth not with our satisfaction or penaunce in this life, nor with paine or purgatory in the next. O Lorde how farre may mans malice reach? that not contented to abuse their reason and the word of God in persuasion of errour, but are bolde to referre Christes blessed death also,Aunsvvere. to cloke together with falsehood, wanton and licentious liuing.
Many vertuous persons hauehave bene prouoked by the meditation of our Sauiours sorowes, to leaue the stattering welth of this worlde, and to charge them selues with perpetuall vexation of body: but that any did euer so rest vponupon Christes passion, that in respect thereof, they might passe their dayes in idle welth of lust and liberty, that was (I trow) vnhearde of, before this sinnefull sect. These fellowes argue thus: Christ hath paide the full price of our sinnes, ergo we must do no penaunce, nor suffer any paine for them. But S. Paule thus: Christ by paine and passiō is entred into the glory of his kingdome, Rom. 8.ergo if we looke to be his fellow heires, or partakers of his glory, we must suffer affliction with him, and ioyne with him in paines and passion. S. Peter also thus: Christ hath suffered, leauing you an example that ye should follow his steppes, 1. Petri. 2.therefore all his blessed life passed in paine must be a perpetuall sturring vp of toleration, & gladde suffering for his name againe.Matth. 3. Iohn our maisters messenger prepared the way of Christes death and doctrine, by worthy fructes of penaunce: and that was the beginning of Christes owne preaching,Matth. 4. therfore I dare be bolde to say these thinges are not abrogated by the teaching of the Gospel, nor voide by Christs passion: which onelyonly maketh our workes and merites, to be of that value and acceptation, that all Catholike men counte them of: which els to the satisfying for sinne shoulde be nothing auaileable, nor to the atteining of heauen any thing profitable. But it is foly to make ouer many wordes in a case so plaine, seeing the example of both God and good mens dealing, abundantly proueth mans punishment either temporall or eternall, to stande well with the excellent value of our Sauiours death. For if paine for sinne, were iniurious to Christes death, then, the holy prophet Dauid that liued long in greuous penaunce, were iniurious to his Lordes death: then the Church were iniurious to her owne spouse his death, that chargeth all offenders with penaunce: then God him selfe were iniurious to his owne sonnes death, that sharply punisheth sinne forgeuen: then Christ him selfe were iniurious to his owne death, that both by his example and holy preaching, did euer commend sharpe penaunce and paine.
These delicat teachers of our time, that vnderunder pretence of preaching the Gospell, auouching the glory of God and the grace of our redemption, hauehave 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, Iudas in epist.transferentes Domini nostri gratiam in luxuriam. VVicked men, turning the grace of our Lorde vntounto wantonnesse and lust. Against whome also S. Paule made this exception:Ad Gal. 5. 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 vponupon no man, but by meanes: nor serueth any to saluation, but by obedience of his will and worde.Ad Haebr. cap. 5. 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,Articulo. 1. falso imp. Christes death doth not discharge vsus 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 bea…e doune all the blasphemous doctrine of Popery. He sayth thereby we cloke falsehoode and licentious liuinge. The Lorde knoweth that he …claundereth vsus. Then he will frame our argument therof as he list, but there in he doth vsus 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 vsus. Christ hath fully satisfied for our sinnes, therefore their remaineth no satisfaction for vsus. 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, onelyonly the death of Christ is all our merite, and the onelyonly meane by which the same is applied vntounto vsus 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 apoint…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 eueryevery 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, The vvorde Satisfaction so abhorred of heretiks is common vvith the old fathers.with Cyprian, O…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 vponupon 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 vntounto vsus 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 hauehave shewed before, that they vsed it not in that sense, which the Papistes doe. And I confesse with M. Allen, that they not onelyonly knew, but also hauehave 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 hauehave vttered any thing, by the worde of satisfaction or any thing els, we may lawfully reiect their auctoritie, not onelyonly 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.