The Elf-Fire of Purgatory, Part 3
Arguments against Purgatorie, and to prooue our Assertion.
1. Out of the Old Testament.
Ezek. 18.22. If the wicked returne, I will not remember all his iniquities: that is, I shall forget them all; as not to hold guiltlesse, is to hold guiltie. Hence we argue:
That which God forgets, as if it had neuer been; for that hee punisheth no wayes by any satisfactory punishment, which is cleare, 1 King. 17.18. where punishment is made onelyonly the sequell of remembrance.
But hee forgets all the sinnes of the conuerted sinner, Ezek 18.22.
Ergo, for them he punisheth him no wise by any satisfactory punishment.
Bell. lib. 1. de Purg. c. 12. Bell. lib 4. de Pan. c. 13.And whereas Bellarmine by not (to remember) would meane, not to punish eternally onelyonly: wee answere him with his owne rule; non nostrum est restringere, quod Deus amplum esse voluit: It is not lawfull to man to make a restriction of that by a circumstance of time, which is so comfortably promised, and freely by God.
Isai. 57.1. The righteous is taken away from the euill to come; hee shall enter into peace. Whence wee reason:
If the righteous be taken away from a lesse euill on earth in merciemercy, that they may neither see nor feele the common calamitie, then they are not particularly themselues put to suffer a greater in Purgatory; and there to enter, not into peace, but torment, to satisfie Iustice.
But they are taken away from a lesse euill, that they see it not, in mercy.
Ergo, much more from the feeling of a greater themselues, in Iustice.
Ecclesiastes 12.7. Then shall dust returne to the earth, but the Spirit to God that gaue it. Hence wee argue:
The soule that returnes or ascends to God that gaue it, after bodily departure, descends not to the fire of Purgatorie except they would make to goe to,Bell. lib. 2. de Purg. c. 13. and goe from Go… and Satan, (whom they say torments the Soule in Purgatorie) heauen and hell to be all one.
But the soules of the godly returne to God that gaue them, and are receiued by him; as Act. 7.59.
Ergo, they goe not to the fire of Purgatory.
Psal. 32.1, 2. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiuen, whose sinne is couered, and to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquitie. Hence we reason:
He whose sinne is forgiuen, the same is couered (saith Dauid;) and what is couered, is not seene; and what is not seene, is not imputed; and what is not imputed, cannot by any satisfactory punishment bee punished.Lomb. l. 4. Sent. dist. 18. Therefore saith Lombard (as Bellarmine grants) Deum tunc tegere peccata, quando ad poenam non reseruat. And to take away the evasion of meaning onelyonly the eternall punishment, Therefore (saith Chrysostome) where there is grace,Chrys. in 4. ad Rom. Hom. 8. there is forgiuenes; and where there is forgiuenes, there is no punishment at all. And Augustine on this Psalme saith, Si texit peccata, noluit aduertere; si noluit aduertere, noluit punire; noluit ne vel agnoscere, maluit ignoscere.
Now to subsume. But so it is, that the sinnes of the godly are forgiuen, couered, vnseene, and not imputed, as saith the Psalmist.
Ergo, they are not by any satisfactorie worke or suffering punished. Punishment being euer the worke of Iustice, and making the partie punished, wretched; and pardon being euer the worke of mercy, and making the partie pardoned, blessed: and so being incompatible.
Psal. 51.7. Purge mee, and I shall be whiter then snow. Whence we argue:
If to purge away sinne, and to remit, be all one, as is euident, 1 Iohn 1.19. and that none can remit sinne but God onelyonly, Mark. 2.7. therefore it followeth, that God onelyonly purgeth sinne; and consequently no other thing can doe so.
And againe; If where God purgeth, there remaine not the least spot, but the party purged is perfectly made cleane, yea whiter then the snow: then veniall sinnes, and temporall punishments remaine not to be purged by any other Purgatory.
But where God purgeth, there abides not the least spot, but the party purged is perfectly made cleane, as saith the Psalmist, as likewise Isa. 1.18.
Ergo, veniall sinnes, and temporall punishments remaine not to be purged by any other Purgatory. And for this cause saith Tertullian, Exempto reatu, remittitur & poena.
Isa. 53.4, 5. He hath borne our griefes, the chastisment of our peace was vponupon him, and by his stripes we are healed. Hence we reason:
If Christ bare our sinnes no otherwise then by bearing the punishment due for them, and bare the punishment to discharge vsus of the same, (nam si tulit, abstulit;) then the same, nor no part thereof as satisfactory to Gods iustice, remaines to be borne by vsus for our sinnes.
But Christ bare our sins, but by bearing the punishment due for them, and that to discharge vsus of the same;Aug. Ser. 27. de verbis Domini. and therefore saith Augustine, Suscipiendo poenam & non culpam, & culpam deleuit & poenam.
Ergo, the same, nor no part thereof remaines to be borne by vsus, as a satisfactory punishment.
Leuit. 1.3.4.5.6. Chap. Expiations & sacrifices were ordained for all sorts of sinnes, trespasses, and vncleannes, euen to the touching of the dead.
But neither was there any sacrifices or seruice appointed for any that were vncleane in Purgatory, (and such sacrifices also that were for sin, were for the guilt thereof.) Neither amongst all the points and priuiledges of the high Priests office, find we that hee had power by indulgence to deliuer any soule from Purgatory.
Ergo, it followes, that no such place nor punishment after this life was.
Ecclesiasticus 3.6. Which our aduersaries hold as Canonicall, and which we only vrge to shew, notwithstanding how clearely their Purgatory contradicts the same. The words are, The soules of the righteous are in the hands of God, there shall no torment touch them: and if no torment, therefore not that of Purgatorie.