Two Treatises Against the Papists, Book 2 · Chapter 1
That there be certaine sinnes, vvhichwhich may be forgeuen in the next life, and that the deserued punishement for the same, may be eased, or vtterly released, before the extreme sentence be to the vtmost executed. CAP. I.
1 ANd first, that sinnes may be pardoned in the next worlde, that were not in this life forgeuen, our Sauiours owne wordes do teach vsus,Cap. 1…. written in the Gospell of S. Matthew thus: Ideò dico vobis: omne peccatum & blasphemia remittetur hominibus, spiritus autem blasphemia non remittetur. Et quicū que dixerit verbum contra filium hominis, remittetur ei: qui autem dixerit contra spiritum sanctum, non remittetur ei neque in hoc saeculo, neque in fu…uro. I tell you, that all maner of sinne and blasphemy shall be forgeuen vntounto men, but the blasphemy of the spirit, shall not be forgeuē. And who so euer shall speake against the sonne of man, it shall be forgeuen him: But if he speake against the holy Ghost, it shall neither be pardoned in this worlde, nor in the worlde to come. The same thing in sense, hath Marke and Luke, affirming that such offense shall neuer be forgeuen.Cap. 3. Cap. 12. The which worde Neuer, S. Marke expresseth thus, in aeternū non habet remissionem, he shall not hauehave pardō (as you would say) in all eternity, by which he may plainely seeme, to reache further then the limites and borders of this worlde, for the remission of sinne. And this speach hath as much pith and proper force in it, as S. Matthewes, who expressely, distinctly, and belike as Christ spake it, vttereth that sense of the eternity, which passeth the measure of worldely time, by these words: Neither in this world, nor yet in the world to come. And for that cause S. Marke sayth, Reus erit aeterni delicti, he shall be gilty of an eternall faulte, signifying that in some case a man might perhaps not speede of a pardon in this life, & yet may obteine it in the next: But for that horrible blasphemy, he in a maner dischargeth the offender of all hope of remission, either in this life, or in the next that is to come. VVhichWhich forme of wordes can neither be founde in scripture, nor in mans common talke, to hauehave any place in such thinges as extend no further but to the transitory time of our life: for in those matters, it had bene vsually, and truely spoken, it shall neuer happen in this world. And therfore instructing vsus, that sinnes, or the paine due vntounto sinnes, may either be released in this worlde, or in the worlde to come, he followeth that phrase and forme of wordes, in which man might well conceiue the reache of remission and pardoning of sinnes, farre to passe the compasse of our time, and life.
CAP. I.
1 YOu were as good to kindle a fire out of y…e and snow, as to goe about to frame your fiery forge of purgatory out of this place. The meaning of our Sauiour Christ is so playne, & his wordes so expresse, that no reasonable man can gather any errour out of them. For vndoubtedly the errour of purgatory was first inuented before this place was drawne vntounto it. So is there no heresie so absurd, which Satan putteth into the head of wicked men, but it may finde some sound of wordes in so many bookes of the holy Scriptures, that by peruerse wit may be wrested vntounto it. But the doctrine of Gods truth and all articles of our beliefe, are plainly taught in the Scripture, either by manifest words, or by necessary conclusion and argument, which by no subtilty of Satā or his instrumēts, may be auoided or deluded. And this is the difference betwene heresie and truth, when they both apeale to the authorities of the Scripture. Truth as she hath her foundation in the Scriptures, and in them is learned, so hath she perpetuall confirmation in the same, and nothing contrary vntounto her. But heresie as she is inuented in mans head, so she seeketh confirmation in the reason and authoritie of man, which because they hauehave not full credit with them that professe religion, without the authoritie of Gods word, at length whē it is fully shaped, in the shop of mans brayne, then it is brought to the Scripture, to see if it can finde any colour, by any phrase of wordes wrested from the meaning, or by any vayne collection, that hath no force of necessary conclusion, being content to hauehave but onelyonly a colde claime vntounto the authoritie of Scripture, although it hauehave the whole scope and purpose of the holy Ghost, yea often times also manifest wordes against it, which difference as it may be found in all heresies, so in none more notably, then in this errour of purgatory. Consider what textes of holy Scripture are alleged for it, and you shall see they can not bring one, out of which any necessary argument may be framed to proue their cause, or which hath not by learned interpretors of the olde time bene otherwise expounded then of their cause. As in the text here alleged out of S. Matt. cap. 12. who so euer shall speake blasphemy against the holy ghost, it shall not be forgiuen him, neither in this world nor in the world to come. If the sense were not plaine of it selfe, that he which so sinneth shall not obtayne forgeuenes in this life, nor be absolued in the last iudgement: yet the other Euangelistes doe plainly expound the meaning. S. Luke sayth simply, he shal not be forgiuen. S. Marke saith he hath no remission for euer, but is guilty of euerlasting iudgement. Neuertheles behold what a wrangling M. Allen maketh about the interpretation of these wordes. But I will offer him fayre play, he is an auncient maister of art, & since he writ this booke, he hath added tenne yeares to his study of diuinitie, in which space he might hauehave bene a doctour of the same faculty, let him with all the diuinitie that euer he studied, or with all the artes that euer he professed, make a true syllogisme in forme and matter, out of this authority, to proue that God forgiueth sinnes after this life, which are not remitted in this life, and I will confesse the doctrine of purgatory with him, which otherwise I would not doe to winne all the patrimony of S. Peter that the Pope claymeth in Italy: but vntill such tyme as we may obtayne a good argument, let vsus consider such as we hauehave. He signifieth (sayth M. Allen) that a man in some case, might perhaps not speede of a pardon in this life, & yet may obtayne it in the next: when the matter goeth by perhaps, it is good to beware of after claps, why M. Allen, what sinnes are those of which a man may perhaps not speede of a pardon in this life, and yet obtayne it after this life? If they be truely repented in this life, we hauehave a warrant of Gods owne mouth without, your perhaps, that in the same hower they shall be remitted. Ezech. 18. & 33. But if they be not repented, where is your warrant that euer they shall be remitted. But I aske againe, what sinnes are those that perhapps maye misse of a pardon in this life, and obteine it after this life? by all likelyhood they must be some great sinnes, that perhapps may not speede of a pardon here, and yet finde it afterwarde. There is no man would thinke otherwise, by these wordes, nor by the wordes of Christ, if he vnderstood them so, that some sinnes might be forgeuen after this life, but whē all commeth to all. The Maister of the Sentence and Gregory before him, and M. Allen him selfe woulde alowe no sinnes to be forgeuen after this life, but very small and light offences. How be it it is plaine, that these wordes (neither in the worlde to come) are added by waye of amplification: for it is the purpose of our Sauiour Christ, to set forth to the vttermost, the heynousnesse of blasphemy against the holy Ghost, so that if he had ment that any sinnes might be remitted after this life, that were not pardoned after this life, he shoulde hauehave ment the greater and not the lesser, for lesse sinnes be soner pardoned and the pardon of greater more hardely obteined. But marke the equitie of M. Allen, the horrible blasphemer for all the vehemency of Christes wordes, by M. Allens iudgement is but in a manner discharged of hope of remission, as though he were not simply and altogether excluded. And the light offender is turned ouer to purgatory, for his remission: yet M. Allen will stand vponupon the forme & phrase of words, not knowing, that this worlde is taken for all the time that is vntounto the ende thereof, and the worlde to come, not for the state or time of them that are departed vntounto the iudgemēt, but for the time of eternitye after the ende of this worlde, or els the wordes of Christ in Matthew should not be equiualent with the wordes in Marke, he shalbe guilty of euerlasting iudgement or condemnation, which the olde interpretor calleth eternall offence. The like forme or phrase of words is vsed by S. Paule to the Ephesians cap. 1. that Christ is exalted aboue eueryevery name that is named, not onelyonly in this worlde but also in the worlde to come: by which wordes he meaneth the supreme and euerlasting kingdome of Christ, which extendeth vntounto all eternitie. But if a contentious person like to the Valentiniane heretikes, or such like, woulde inuent monstruous names as those heretikes did, and proue by this place that there are names named in the worlde to come, that are not named in this worlde, shoulde he not hauehave as good grounde out of this place as the Papistes hauehave of the other?
2 But because we hauehave to do with fickle marchauntes, that will not sticke to brast boldely the bandes of euident scriptures, as anone you shalt see, and therefore, will (as I thinke) litle be moued with reasonable and playne gathering out of the scriptures: nor much esteeme this likelihood, as ouer small a proofe in so greate a doubte, therefore I will shew my warraunt for this construction, that thereby the studious reader may see, whome the aduersaries do so rashly contemne herein: and whome we hauehave as authors, in this meaning of Christes wordes now recited: that neither they may be beleued with out reason and proofe, nor we miscredited, after so good authority of the auncient writers, as neither they for shame, nor we of conscience can deny. S. Gregory, whose authority I may boldely vse against them, because they mislike not his iudgement, when it may appeare to make for them, (as in deede it neuer doth) he doubted nothing to gather of this our Sauiours speach that sinnes might be forgeuen in the next worlde. And thus he writeth for that point. De quibusdam leuibus culpis, Lib. 4. dialog. cap. 19.esse 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 vsus 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 onelyonly to be taken of lighter offensies,OnelyOnly small offensies be remitted in the next life. 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 onelyonly, 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:Serm 66. in Canti. 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 vponupon 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 vponupon the text, and our matter: whose authority, if any esteme lesse, because of his late writing, let him know, that the aduersaries hauehave 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 vntounto 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 vsus, 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 make…h as litle for them, as he doth against vsus. Gregory and Bernarde, whereunto he addeth Bede, are of opinion that sinnes not remitted in this world, may be remitted in the world …o come, but how hapneth it, that Chrys…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 m…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 hauehave 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,Cap. 24. lib. 21. de ciuit. Facta resurrectione mortuorū, non deerunt, quibus, post poenas quas patiuntur spiritus mortuorum, impertiatur misericordia, vt in ignem non mittantur aeternū, 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 hauehave 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 hauehave pardon in this worlde, nor in the worlde to come, except there were some, that speeding not of pardon in this life, might yet hauehave 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, vponupon eueryevery 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,Beda in 3. Cap. Marci. 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 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,Sometimes Gods iustice is aunsvvered fully by the paine of the party. that the freedom which man may hauehave 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, vnderunder 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 vsus, 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 giuegive 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 vsus, but it maketh as litle for you. For if you hauehave translated his words according to his meaning, (as you hauehave 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 hauehave 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 iudiciū 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 hauehave sayd already, that vntounto 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 vponupon 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.