The Waters of Shiloh to Quench the Fire of Purgatory, Chapter 1
CAP. I. A deſcription of the foure Chambers or ſtages which the Church of Rome placeth vnderunder the earth: and particularly of the place called Purgatory.
THE Doctors of the Church of Rome doe hold, that vnderunder the earth, there bee 4. ſeverall places, which are ſo many priſons, wherein the foules are either broyled, or ſhutt vp.The loweſt place. The auctor of the fire of Helie. p. 44. The loweſt place is hell; the habitation of the damned: and the ſame is divided (if wee beleeue our adverſaries) into two parts. The one where the ſoules are tormented in fire: the other, where they are tormented in ſnowe. Throughout al… the word of God can we not find that that ever any came out of this place▪ Yet Pope Gregory the firſt, in the firſt Booke of his Dialogues, cap. 12. reporteth that S. Severus raiſed a dead bodie whome the Divels had carried away, Alſo Damaſcen, In 4 Diſt. 45 queſt. 2.and after him Thomas, Durand, and Richard, doe tell vsus that by the prayers of S. Gregory Traian an heathen Emperour was fetched out of hell Gabriel Biel in his 56. Leſſon vponupon the Cannon of the Maſſe, holdeth the ſame opinion▪ And Ciacconus hath written an Apologie expreſly for this hiſtory. Cayer and the Doctors that ſubſcribed to his book, do approue this hiſtorie:The ſecōd place. but his cōpanions do reiect it. The ſecond place is the Purgatory that ſerveth for ſuch as are indeed righteous and do not ſinne: but in their life time hauehave committed ſome treſpaſſes for which they hauehave not ſatisfied. The ſame …ope Gregory teacheth that ſo ſoone as … man is deceaſed his ſoule is preſented before the Iudge,Lib. 4. c. 36. alſo that ſōtime there happeneth abuſe, & they bring before God one that was not called. As (ſaith he) it chanced to one named Stephen, who being deceaſed and his ſoule preſented before God, immediatly as God ſaw him, hee ſaid that was not the man that hee had called for: but that it was …n other Stephen, a beater of Iron, who therevpon died incontinentlie, and the former Stephen revived againe and was ſent backe becauſe hee dyed before he was called. Theſe ſoules thus preſented before the Iudge, if they need any purging are inſtantly ſent to this ſecond place which they tearme Purgatory. And this doctrine is grounded vponupon this principle, which is a third article of their faith, and taken out of the vnwritten word:Read the catechiſme of the coū cel of Trens in the ch… of pennāce namely that Jeſus Chriſt by his death and paſſion hath indeede diſchardged vsus from the fault, and from the paines due to ſinnes committed before baptiſme: but from the paine du… to ſinnes committed after baptiſme he hath not diſcharged vsus. Therefore that ſuch as hauehave not made full ſatisfaction in this life by faſtings, ſcourgings, gifts to the Church, &c: ſhal be ſent to Purgatory there to finiſh their ſatisfaction and to pay [as they ſay] even to the laſt penny.
Herehence grewe that pennance which the Prieſt impoſeth vponupon the ſinner, which do farre differ from the pennance vſed in the primitiue Church which was publicke, of long continuance and rigorous, thereby to humble the ſinner and to repaire the ſcandall to the Congregation: but at this day in the Church of Rome they impoſe for the moſt part privat pennances, and the ſame either very eaſie or ridiculous: & theſe doe they make vſe of to prevent Purgatory, and yet to pay and ſatisfy Gods iuſtice. The formes of theſe pennances, are to ſay a ſet number of Anees intermixed with Paters vponupon a paire of beads: to ſcourge their bodies: or vponupon t…e bare fleſh to gird themſelues with a…cord: or to goe in pilgrimage to Saint …mes in Galicia, N. Giles, an. 768.&c. Our Annals do informe vsus of a pennance impoſed by a …ope vponupon one Robert the Norman, ſurnamed the Divell, vponupon ſundry his …ots committed: that is, that for the ſpace of ſeven yeares hee ſhould not …eake: and that he ſhould all that time, … at a ſtaier foote, and take no other food but the relicks of ſuch bones as a Grayhound ſhould hauehave gnawn. Was i… meet to abridge the benefit of Ieſus Chriſt, and to ſupply the places with ſuch frivolous deviſes, and in ſuch coū terfeit quoine to ſatisfie the iuſtice of God, which Ieſus Chriſt had before ſatisfied to the full?The Frier pag 75. As concerning the torments that the ſoules doe there endure, theſe our maſters doe tell vsus that all the fires and torments in this life, are …ut eaſie in regard of the heate of the …te of Purgatorie, and that the tormēt …hereof equalleth that of the damned. This doctrine was not yet receaued in the Church of Rome, when to the Cā nō of the Maſſe they added theſe words enſuing, which the Prieſt muſt daily ſay for the ſoules in Purgatory.Memento Domine. Remember Lord thy ſervants, whoſe ſoules doe reſt in the ſleepe of peace. Hereby it appeareth that they then beleeved that the paine was eaſie, or rather none at all, and that the ſoules for whom they prayed, did reſt in peace as in a ſleepe. Hereto accordeth the ſaying of the aforenamed Gregory, who advoweth that the ſoules of S. Severus & S. Paſcaſius wrought miracles in the Bathes where they lay in Purgatory.Lib. 7. Epiſt. 61. For it is hard to worke any great miracles in ſuch cruell torments. This is the ſame Pope Gregory, who doth in earneſt confeſſe, that the Apoſtles celebrating the Lords ſupper, added vntounto the conſecration nothing but the Lords prayer, and ſo conſequently prayed not for any ſoules in Purgatory.
Againe, the Church of Rome holdeth this torment to be of long continuance: for every ſinne they muſt abide there ſeaven years: beſides alſo that we pray for ſome that died many hundred yeares ſince. And in this regard doth the Pope grant pardons ſome for fifty, ſome for an hundred thouſand yeares: and the Frier may verie well remember that when I ſhewed him in the Maſſe booke a praier that contained foure & fiftie thouſand yeares of pardon thereto adioined, he did not onlie advow it, but tooke vponupon him to defend theſe ſo …iberal indulgences.
In the Church of S. Bibian at Rome vponupon the day of all Saintes they hauehave ſixe hundred thouſand yeares of verie pardon for the ſpace of one whole day.In the booke of Romane Indulgences theſe ſixe hundred thouſand years are writtē at large. The Pope that granted that pardon pre…uppoſing that a ſoule may hauehave committed ſo many ſinnes [beſids thoſe for which the paines of Jeſus Chriſt hauehave …atisfied] that hee muſt hauehave ſo manie …eares of torment to purge all his ſins, …nleſſe the Maſſes and ſuffrages of the …ving, togither with the Popes indulgences doe procure him eaſe and abbreviation of his paines. At Paris in the entering into a chappel of the friers Fevillans in the ſuburbs of S. Honorat hangeth to be ſeene a long bedrole of pardons: wherein among other is contained that vponupon everie daie of lent there are to bee purchaſed three thouſande eight hundred ſixtie ſeaven yeares and two hundred and ſeaven Quarentines of daies of verie pardon. In the church of S. Euſebius at Rome they hauehave ſeaven thouſand, foure hundred fifty and foure Quarenteins of daies of verie pardon for ſuch as ſhall bring thither any honeſt offering, and as the words of the Bul do run Manus porrigentibus adiutrices for ſuch as ſhall put to their helping hands. In the Church of S. Mary deliver vsus from the paines of hell [for that is the Churches name] there are dailie granted eleven thouſand yeares of Indulgēce to ſuch as ſhal bring an honeſt offering, that is to ſay, that ſhal giuegive, not to the poore indeed, but to the rich Moncks: not to thoſe that weep, but to thoſe that ſing: for now almes with the true vſe thereof hath alſo altred the ſignification of the word. In the church of S. Praxede you hauehave dailie twelue thouſand yeares of verie pardon and as manie Quarentines of daies, with the remiſſion of the third part of your ſins: in ſuch māner that viſiting this church three daies on a row you ſhal purchaſe plenarie pardon of all your ſins and ſix and thirtie thouſand years by proviſion beſides the Quarentines, which the Popes hauehave ſince encreaſed to ſixſcore thouſand years for everie daie: witnes the book of Indulgences printed at Rome in the houſe of Iulius Accolto, an. 1570. ſee alſo the book of Romaine Indulgences ſundrie times printed at Rome, namely in the yeare 1519 the ſecond of Februarie by Marcell Franck. Yet are all theſe pardons but few in regard of thoſe that belong to the Church of S. Iohn of Lateran, Gab. Biel in his 17. leſſon vpō the Cannō of the Maſſe.the ſomme whereof yee ſhal find either hanging vponupon tables, or graven in the wals of divers churches of Rome. All this do we ſet downe to ſhew that as the plaiſter ought to be fitted to the largenes of the wound, ſo the Popes hauehave thought it meet to perſwade men to beleeue that the paines of Purgatorie are of long continuance, ſith they require ſo long a time to purchaſe releaſe from the paines thereof: withal preſuppoſing that in that ſo fiery and ſcortching a countrey, where the ſun hath no being, they reckon all by daies, and by yeares. This long continuance is alſo to bee gathered out of the Revelation of Venerable Bede in the fifth booke of his hiſtorie cap. 13. That is to ſay about ſome nine hundred years ſincewhere he ſaith that the ſouls which in his time were in Purgatorie ſhould be delivered in the daie of Iudgement, except ſome few that ſhoulde bee redeemed from thence by the praiers of the living.
Moreover beſides all this, the ſelfe doctors of the Romiſh Church doe agree, that even during theſe ſo violent torments, the ſoules nevertheleſſe are aſſured of their ſalvation, & out of the danger of hell: neither do I know ſince when this opiniō crept into the church of Rome: for in the Maſſe for the dead we finde a clauſe after the Goſpell that contrarywiſe doth teſtifie that ſtill they are in danger. Theſe be the words.Libera Domine animas omniū fidelium defunctorum de poenis Infernis, & de profundo lacu: libera eos de ore Leonis ne abſorbeat eos Tartarus. O Lord deliver the ſoules of all the faithfull departed, from the infernall paines, & from the deepe lake: deliver them from the throat of the lyō, leaſt the gulph of hell ſhould ſwallow thē vp, & ſo they fall into vtter darknes. Tearms over bitter to ſignifie Purgatory: and ſuch as may in no caſe ſtand with people aſſured of their ſalvation. We hauehave alſo the ordinary prayers ſaid …t burials, yea and vſed at the funerall of … Pope, wherein we find no mention of Purgatory. Indeed this ſoule is brought …n, as praying to be delivered from hel, and from eternall iudgement, in theſe words. Saue me o Lord from eternall death …n the terrible day, when the heauens and …he earth ſhall bee moved, Sacrar. Cerem. lib. 1. Sect 15.and when thou halt come to iudge the world by fire. I trē ble and quake, and doe feare when the examination ſhall come, and the day of wrath, of calamitie and of miſery: that great and wōderfull better day. Speeches which cā not proceed from a ſoul aſſured of her ſalvatiō. Surely whē theſe praiers were firſt penned, theſe matters were not yet well conſidered of, and this may we eaſily gather from Pope Gregory the firſt, who in his dialogues placeth the Purgatory of ſome ſouls in bathes, of ſome vnderunder the leaues, and of ſome vnderunder the Ice: and this do theſe three champions that hauehave aſſaulted my treatiſe, both ſay and defend: for nothing to them is to hard or to hot. Damian ſpeaketh of a ſoule that had her Purgatory in a river, but whither ſhe ſwam with the ſtream or againſt it, he ſaith not. The Roſarie of Bernardine hath of this nature many revelations: and the Legend of S. Patricke telleth vsus that in Ireland there is a caue that openneth into Purgatory: to be briefe, albeit many ſoules are returned from thoſe partes, which hauehave brought news, yet did the matter ſtill reſt full of doubt, vntil the Councell of Florence, which among other occaſions was aſſembled to perſwade Purgatory to the Greeke Churches, who both before and yet do deny it, albeit their deputies in the Councell did agree vntounto it in hope of ſuccours againſt the Turk. True it is that we find ſome more ancient Councels, which made mention of prayer for the dead: but hereafter we ſhall moſt evidētly proue that theſe prayers make nothing for Purgatory: alſo that ſuch prayers as we find among the ancients doe plainely ſhewe that they beleeved no Purgatory. Even to this day doe the Greek Churches pray for the dead: yet doe they deny Purgatorie. In the laſt ſeſſion therefore of this Councell holden in the yeare 1539. was it defined, that wee ſhould beleeue Purgatory: In which Counſell, as in all others holden within theſe fiue hundred yeares, the Pope ſat preſident, and that with ſuch auctority that hee grew to bee adored and intituled The Divine Maiestie: the ſpouſe of the Church: the Saviour and Lion of Iuda: the king & Prince of all the world, having all power both in heaven and in earth: All which titles were attributed to Pope Leo the 10. in the Councell of Lateran. Thus in all theſe Councels nothing paſſed but by his will,Seſſ. 1. & 3. & 9. &. 10. in ſuch wiſe, that if any did contradict him, hee was ſoone burned, as was Iohn Huſſe in the Councell of Conſtance, notwithſtanding the ſafe cōduct and faith given by the Emperour and al the Councell. But to returne to our Matter. The ſoules thus purged in this fire are brought into Paradice. Howbeit becauſe this purgation will growe ſomewhat long, the Popes mercy doth ſometimes abridge this puniſhment: For beſides that the paines that the living hauehave vndergon for thē, as faſtes: almes: whippings, pilgrimages, liberalities to the Church, &c. alſo that the Maſſes foūded for the deceaſed, which leaue any rents or annuities to a convent or abbey, or other religious houſe [if we may beleeue thoſe that ſing thē] are of great vſe to mitigate and allay the heat of Purgatory, and to diminiſh the paines thereof, yet hauehave the Popes found out a more ready and gallant invention to the ſame end: and this it is. Hee raketh together all the ſuperabundant ſatisfactions as wel of Ieſus Chriſt as of all his Saints which remain in the treaſurie of the Church, whereof himſelfe doth carrie the keyes: and theſe doth he diſtribute among his Indulgences, for the freeing of ſoules out of the fire of Purgatorie. To the ſame vſe doth he alſo apply his hallowed graines and medals which hee diſtributeth abroad, granting hundreds and thouſandes of yeares of pardon, to all ſuch as ſhal kiſſe or reverently keepe them. And theſe pardons ſerue not only for this life but alſo for Purgatory. The Church of the Fevillants at Paris hauehave this priviledge, That the Maſſes in that church ſaid for the dead vponupon the moonday or wedneſday, doe every of them deliver one ſoule out of Purgatorie. Many ſuch Churches doth Rome containe. S. Potentian: S. Laurence without the walls, S. Praxede, &c. vponupon the 7. of May, anno 1586. did Pope Sixtus the 5. grant to ſuch of the fraternitie of the corde of S. Frances as ſhould ſay 5 Paternoſters & as many Ave Marias vponupon the Saturday before palme Sunday: and vpō the feaſt daies of St Iohn Evangeliſt and St Iohn Port Latyn plenary Indulgence for all their ſinnes: yea and more then then that: for they ſhall moreover deliver one ſoule out of Purgatorie, as appeareth in the booke of Indulgences granted to that reverend Corde, printed at Paris by Iohn le Bouc vpō Mount S. Hillary at the ſigne of diligence ann. 1597. And theſe priviledges were reconfirmed by other letters pattents of the ſame Pope: Given at S. Markes the 9. of Auguſt. ann. 1587. But the principall matter that we are herein to note is this. That this grace is not conferred to any that is not of that fraternity, albeit in the ſame places hee ſhould ſay the 5. Paters and as many Avees, yea and fifty more and that with farre greater devotion then that fraternity doth. Some Alters alſo there be whereto his holineſſe hath conferred ſuch priviledges that vponupon the ſaying of a ſet number of Maſſes vpō them,At Rome in the church of S. Praxe de and in many other places. they ſhall bring a ſoule out of Purgatorie: Some people alſo there bee that are ſo priviledged that after their deaths either they go not into Purgatory at all, or if they go in, they ſtaie not there any time, but come forth by and by: albeit they be as heavy loaden with ſin as any other: ſuch ſhall the elect bee that ſhall liue in the day of Iudgement, or ſuch as ſhall die immediatlie after the Iubile. Sub auſpiciis ſapientiſſimi D.N. Bartholomei Guitart Navarrici.Wee hauehave ſeene certaine Theologicall Theſes diſputed on at the Carmelites in Paris vponupon the eighth of October 1601 by a certaine Carmelite named Iacobus de Rampont Carmelitarum preſentatus ac Metenſis Carmeli Alumnus: at the end whereof the ſaid Rampont in good ſort and with a good grace maketh a briefe Oration in commendatiō of his order: tearming the Carmelites the firſt Anachorites: the Imitators of the Apoſtolicke life, practiſing both the life & wearing the habit of Elyas and Elizeus, brethren ro the Virgin Mary: and among al other preeminences endued with this ſinguler priviledge, That whoſoever is entred or ſhall vowe to enter into this fraternitie ſhall no longer abide in Purgatorie, but from his death vntill the next Saturday following. A priviledge which Cayer with tooth and naile defendeth in his Oven of Reverberate, &c. and promiſeth ſhortly to ſhow vsus the Bull of that Pope which graunted this priviledge, with whom the Carmelites are vnited who thereto hauehave ſet their ſeales, and among the reſt this frier Rā pont. And this is the reaſon that they vſe ſo few Maſſes for the ſoules of their brethren, eſpecially if they die vponupon the Friday. The Pope himſelfe ſometimes granteth his Buls, as our ſelfe hauehave ſeen whereby at the petition of ſome ſurviver of the kindred that craveth it, hee fetcheth the ſoule out of this fier. Yet for the expedition of ſuch Buls, as alſo of all other Buls of Abſolution or diſpenſation the Penitentiaries,That is to ſay Notaries dataries & brethren of the lead, &c. Who farme their offices at the Popes hand, muſt be greaſed in the fiſts: and theſe our Maſters muſt be paid in duckats of the chā ber, as in the pallace of Paris the ſpices are paid only in crownes of the ſunne. Thus doe they wrong in ſubſcribing their Buls Datum Romae for if they wold deale truly they ſhould write Venditum Romae. Hereof did Aeneas Silvius complaine before he was Pope ſaying,Epiſt. 66. ad 1. Peregallū. Nihil eſt quod abſ que argento Rom. curia dedat… nam & ipſae manuū impoſitiones, & Spiritus ſancti dona venduntur: nec peccatorum venia niſi nummatis venditur. That is to ſaie in few words: In the Court of Rome nothing paſſeth without mony, no not the holy Ghoſt, or remiſſion of ſinnes.
Thus is he named in the frōt of the booke of the conformitie of S. FrancesThis might ſuffiſe for this argumēt, were it not that I am willing to gratifie our Portugall frier in regarde of our friendſhip. Whoſe patron the Typicall Jeſus, namely S. Frances (in their booke of conformities, compared with Jeſus) hath greatly contributed to the redeeming of ſouls out of Purgatory. For the Roſary of Barnardin, Thomas 2. quaeſt. vlt. Artic. Eandē grati. am conſequū tur Religionem intrantes, quam cō ſequuntur Baptizati. Anton. tit. 24 cap. 7 & Roſarium Bernardini. Aſſiſium, a towne in the Dutchy of Spoletū wherein dwelt the firſt Franciſcan Friers.alſo Thomas vponupon the fourth booke of Sentences doth teſtifie that the taking of S. Frances habit is of like vertue as Baptiſme▪ hereof it muſt needs enſue that whoſoever dieth in this habit doth go ſtraight into Paradice. And in hope hereof there hauehave bin ſome who in the verie agonie of death hauehave cauled themſelus to be ſhrowded in this habit. Or hauehave at the leaſt thruſt an arme into the ſleeue thereof. Among others Robert King of Sicill, as Anthoninus reporteth. To this Reverend Saint, being at his towne of Aſsiſium in Italyano, 1223 appeared an Angell who told him that Ieſus Chriſt, the Virgin Mary, and the …ngels attended him in the Church …alled St Mary of the Angels: wherevpō …e being come thether, Ieſus Chriſt …aid vntounto him, Frances, Luk. 2 22.demand any thing concerning the ſalvation of ſoules: for thou art ſet to be a light to the Gentiles. Frances anſwered, I require thee to grant pardon for all ſinnes to every one that ſhall enter into this Church, and I beſeech the Virgin Mary, the advocate of mankind, to aſsiſt me in this petition. Then ſaid Ieſus vntounto him, Brother Frances, thou haſt deſired a great matter: but thou art worthy of greater: Goe therefore to my Vicar, to whome I hauehave given power to bind and loſe vponupon earth and in heaven, and on my behalfe demand of him this Indulgence: Herevpon this good Saint repaired to Pope Honorat, & at his hands craved this large Indulgence without offerings. But the Pope anſwered him that it might not bee:Note this principle. for it was meete that whoſoever would purchaſe pardons, muſt alſo merit them Ponendo manus adiutrices by putting to his helping hand, id eſt, by cō tributing. Being asked for howe many yeares he demanded this pardon, hee anſwered that he craved no yeares but ſoules: and therevpon would none of his buls: but ſaid that the Virgin ſhould be his paper, Ieſus Chriſt his Notary, and the Angels his witneſſes. But now is this Indulgence reſtrained to one day of the yeare only, and that is the firſt of Auguſt:It is called Portiuncula or S. Mary of the Angels vponupon which day, whoſoever viſiteth the ſaid Church, obtaineth remiſſion of all his ſinnes cōmitted ſince his baptiſme: as well for the ſinne as for the puniſhment: wherof it enſueth that whoſoever dieth comming from thēce ſhall never come in Purgatory. This Indulgence is yet in great eſteeme in Italy, and is ſet downe in Bernardines Roſary, and Bellarmine defendeth it in his ſecond booke of Indulgences. Thus doe we with griefe behold the accompliſhment of the prophecie of S. Paule. 2. Theſ. ….11God ſhall ſend them ſtrong deluſions, that they ſhall beleeue lies, and that for a puniſhment, becauſe they hauehave accompted Godlineſſe to be a gain: religion a marchandize for the time: and Gods word a dangerous booke: ſuch a one as the common people may not looke into, ſo long as ſuch vngodly and impious …nventions are publiſhed, as moſt convenient for the inſtruction of the vn…earned.
This is the hiſtory of Purgatory: …heſe are her tenents and buttereſſes: and herein were matter ſufficient to make men merry: had they not a grea…er ground of ſorrow in ſeeing religiō …urned into fables, and the only clean…ng of our ſinnes, which is the bloud of …eſus Chriſt, be as it were degraded and …baſed, to the ende to make a gaine to …hoſe who in the Temple hauehave againe …aiſed vp the tables of the mony chan…ers; which Ieſus Chriſt did once over…hrowe and caſt downe.
Of the Limbo of Children.
The third ſtage or chamber is the Limbo of children deceaſed without …aptiſme:The third place. who are there without torment, as alſo without pleaſure,Pag 9. or hope ever to come forth: and there doe remaine [ſaith our frier] in griefe, for that they cannot attaine to beatitude: and this is it that they call poena damni: but if this grief be alſo felt, it is poena ſenſus, and ſurely it were a goodly matter to knowe what they doe in this place, where they hauehave no communication either with God or with the Divels: beſides that they are without remembrance of any thing that they hauehave ſeen or done, & having no body to inſtruct them: ſith alſo that they muſt riſe again and what ſentence the Iudge ſhal in the day of iudgement paſſe vponupon them: For our Lord Ieſus Chriſt in the 25. of Matthew, ſpeaketh of no more but ſentence againſt the damned, and for the elect. But theſe queſtions are to bee reſolved by Doctors: for the word of God penetrateth not ſo farre. The auctor of The fire of Helie doth reſolue vsus,Pag. 38. ſaying, Theſe children ſhall not bee iudged in the laſt day: For it is written in the 3. … S. Iohn, Whoſoever beleeveth not, is already …udged: But they never had faith: then be they already fully iudged. By this his Maieſteriall concluſion, he alſo maketh the children that die ſoone after Baptiſme to be already iudged and baniſhed into Limbo: for they likewiſe had no more faith then the former that died a …ittle before. Then maketh he one ſtep of a Clarke farther, becauſe hee ſeeth not that Not to beleeue, in this place is ſpoken of the rebellious and incredulous: for of thoſe that hauehave not beleeved Iohn ſpeaketh in the next verſe following.Verſ 19. They loved darkneſſe more then light: that is to ſay, errour more then …ruth; which cannot bee imputed to children newe borne.
Thus the Church of Rome by excluding childrē that dy without Baptiſme from ſalvation, committeth ſundry overſights. 1. Firſt in ſo doing ſhee tyeth the Grace of God to the water. 2. Here …y alſo ſhee referreth the ſalvation of …he child to the power of man, or of a midwife: for if they liſt to baptize the childe while it is dying, it ſhall go into Paradiſe: if they liſt not to baptize it it ſhall not come there. 3. Herein alſo they accuſe God, that he provided but badly for the ſalvatiō of children born vnderunder the old Teſtament, in that hee would not hauehave them to bee circumciſed before the eighth day. 4. Neither was it a ſmall point of raſhneſſe, mixed with barbariſme to bring in the cuſtom practiſed at Paris, where they caſt their children headlong into a gulph that is in our Ladies hoſpitall or Gods houſe. 5. Againe theſe our Maſters doe place this Limbo vnderunder the earth: and ſo what ſhall become of it when the earth ſhal hauehave no more being, but be vtterly conſumed with fire, as ſaith S. Peter in hi… ſecond Epiſtle,Apoc. 21.1 chap 3. and David Pſal. 102. ver. 26, & 27. At the leaſt they ſhould in time hauehave chalked out ſome other lodging for thoſe childrē in ſome other place. This ſo preſumptuous and cruel doctrine againſt children is grou… ded vponupon the words of Jeſus Chriſt in the third of S. Iohn Except a man be born of water and the ſpirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God. Wherin the church of Rome is contrarie to her ſelfe: for ſhee holdeth that many are ſaved that were never baptized in water: as many Martyrs that were never baptiſed in water: neither will it ſerue their turne to ſay that thoſe Martyrs were baptized in their blood: for this place of S. Iohn importeth, That of neceſsity they muſt be borne againe of water: beſides that this baptiſme in blood is contrary to the cā nons of the Church of Rome, which ſaith that the Sacrament is no Sacrament if hee that conferreth it hath not …n intent to baptize. But the heathen executioners had never any intent to baptize. Againe ſith Baptiſme is vnre…iterable, what reaſō is it that the martyrdome of a man not baptized ſhould be Baptiſme? Yet will wee not deny but …hat the Martyrs are baptized in their …lood: alwaies provided that this word to baptize be taken ſimply to waſh, a… that is the ſignificatiō of the word: but if we ſpeake of Baptiſme as it is a Sacrament of the Church: a ſcale of the covenant: exhibitiue of the grace of God in Jeſus Chriſt: the blood of a ſinnefull man cannot bee this waſhing: for the blood of the ſonne of God is the onlie waſhing of our ſins. In anſwere to this place of the third of S. Iohn, I ſay that if it be ſpoken of Baptiſme, it cannot bee vnderſtoode but in caſe of contempt. That is to ſay, if any man that may bee baptized & hath opportunitie to cauſe himſelfe to be baptized, doth notwithſtanding in cōtempt reiect it, ſuch a one cannot be ſaved: of which baptiſme, S. Peter in the 3. chapter of his firſt Epiſtle maketh mention: likewiſe of this waſhing of the ſoule ſpeaketh Zacharias, ca. 13.1. which the Church of Rome calleth Baptiſmus flaminis. Whereas in the 7. of Iohn Jeſus Chriſt ſaid that Out of his belly that beleeved in him ſhould flovv rivers of life, S. Iohn addeth that by this water he meant the holy Ghoſt, which they ſhoulde receiue that beleeved in him: alſo as in the 3. of Matthew, v. 11. It is ſaid, that Jeſus Chriſt baptizeth or waſheth vsus with the holy Ghoſt & with fire, is meant with the holy ghoſt warming & purifying our harts; ſo that to bee borne of water and the holy Ghoſt ſignifieth to be regenerat by the holie Ghoſt waſhing and cleanſing our harts which is a phraſe of ſpeech familiar among men, and vſed in the Goſpell, as in S. Iohn the 14. & 6. verſe, I am the waie the truth, the life, in liew of ſaying, I am the true way to the life.
Of the limbo of the Fathers.
The fourth place is the Limbo of the fathers & mothers, that is to ſay,The fourth place. of ſuch perſons as lived before the comming of Chriſt. There were [ſay they] Adam, Eue, Noah, Abraham, &c. vntill that Jeſus Chriſt vponupon the day of his reſurrection in his returne from hell delivered them out of this priſon: himſelfe alſo [ſay our adverſaries] by his aſcention, brought them into heaven: For they ſuppoſe that the way into heaven was not open, vntil that Chriſt by his aſcentiō entered in. But becauſe Jeſus Chriſt ſaid vntounto the thiefe, This day thou ſhalt be with me in Paradice, wherby it appeared that the thiefe paſſed into Paradice forty daies before the aſcention of Jeſus Chriſt, our Monke preventeth him by vſing his priviledge: hee will hauehave vsus hereby Paradice to vnderſtande the lower parts, that is to ſay, Limbo or Purgatorie. For page 95. he ſaith whereſoever the preſence of God is there is Paradice, as much as if he ſhould ſay, The thiefe being on the Croſſe was in Paradice, becauſe Jeſus Chriſt was there preſent: and that Jeſus Chriſt did but mocke him, in promiſing him that hee ſhould ſhortly be in Paradice, ſith hee was there already. Now in as much as it was forty daies betweene Chriſts reſurrection and his aſcention, It may be ſaid that theſe ſouls being come out of Limbo were ſet ſentinels in ſome corner or other: or that peradventure they walked their ſtations here below: for of this matter we find no deciſion of the Popes,Extrav de Conſtit. tit. 2. Can. licet. to whom only it belongeth to decide all matters of Religion, as to thē that cannot erre in faith, & in their Cā nons doe boaſt that all right reſteth in the ſhrine of their harts. Our Franciſcan and the auctor of Helies fire do ſay, that during the forty daies thoſe ſoules were with Jeſus Chriſt: that is to ſay,Pag. 38. 44. when Jeſus Chriſt was in the chamber with his Apoſtles, all the ſoules of the old Teſtamēt were there alſo with him. That when he went to Emaus they followed him: That when he was by the ſea ſide, there alſo they were aſſembled and arranged vponupon the ſands.
Into this Limbo entred two ſorts of ſoules: The one ſort, ſuch as without need of purgation came directly in: the other, they that after their purgation and ſatisfaction in Purgatory, came nevertheleſſe thither. In thoſe daies was the torment of Purgatory of much lō ger continuance then in this age it is: For then the ſoveraigne high Prieſts gaue no Indulgences, neither fetched any ſoules out of Purgatory: whereby it appeareth that God being now more liberall, they doe wrong to call the firſt age The goldē age. Of this Limbo would our men make Iacob to ſpeake in the 37 of Geneſis, where [according to the Roman tranſlation] he ſaith I ſhall go down into hell, bewailing my ſonne: wherevpon [ſay we] that it followeth that in the 42 Chapter, where theſe words are repeated. Iacob ſpake of this Limbo: & yet he there ſaith that his white haires ſhall go downe. The ſoules then are hairy, for theſe good fathers went downe into Limbo with gray haire: whereof we are alſo to preſuppoſe that in that country they hauehave barbers: And all this abſurdity groweth of this, that they wil not vnderſtand that Sheol in Hebrew, namely in theſe places, ſignifieth ſometimes the ſtate of the dead: and ſomtime the Sepulcher, albeit they be driven to it by ſundry places of the ſcripture: as in the 14 Pſal. ver. 7. and in the 30. verſ. 4. & in many other places: They alſo produce the 9. of Zachary and the 4. of S. Paule to the Epheſ. but they do only quote the places and ſo leaue the reader to gueſſe at the matter: and good reaſon: for of Limbo there is no ſpeech throughout al the ſcriptures but cōtrarywiſe we finde that Moſes and Elias talked with Jeſus Chriſt vponupon the mountaine, wherby it appeareth that they were not in a corner vnderunder the earth. Againe if the death of Ieſus Chriſt were of force to deliver the fathers of the old Teſtament out of hell, why not out of Limbo, which they ſay is a more eaſie priſon? As concerning the paſſage in the ninth of Zachary there is no ſpeech of Limbo, but of the deliverance from hell, vnderunder the figure of the deliverance from the Captivitie of Babilon: The words of the prophet are theſe. In the blood of thy covenāt thou haſt delivered thy priſoners out of the lake where is no water. They alſo obiect vntounto vsus the 4. of S. Paule to the Epheſ. Where ſpeaking of the Incarnation and habitation of Jeſus Chriſt vponupon earth, hee ſaith, that he deſcended into the loweſt parts of the earth, accommodating to our Savior Chriſt the words of David in the Pſalme. 139. v. 15; where he ſaith that he was formed in the loweſt parts of the earth: that is, in his mothers wōb and according to the Greek foreign in the ſuperlatiue: but what communitie hath this with Limbo? Much leſſe is it meant of the fetching of the Fathers out of Limbo, which is in the eight verſe Hee led captivitie captiue, for would he hauehave led captiue the ſoules of the fathers, conſidering that they would that hee ſhould hauehave brought them out of captivitie? For in the Greeke it is foreign, which ſignifieth to lead into captivity thoſe whō they hauehave taken at the ſwordes point. Theſe captiues thē are the divels, death, &c. The Auctor of the fire of Helie giveth it vsus brauely: he maketh S. Paul, Heb. 11. v. 39. & 40. to ſay that theſe fathers are not rewarded before vsus: but neither there nor in any other place ſhall wee find any word thereof. Thus is this place now emptie, if we cannot find any to lodge in it. And becauſe it is likely that the Franciſcans, according to their rule, doe not goe into Purgatory ſingle, but by two and by two. This Limbo, lying in the way to Purgatory, ſeemeth a very convenient place to lodge him, who being departed hence alone, muſt attend his companion.
Beſides theſe foure places, Bellarmine who lately writ at Rome,The flowred meddow. and as it were in the Popes boſome, with the approbation and commendation of all the Church of Rome, but particularly of al our Doctors, in the 7. Chap. of his ſecond booke of Purgatory, hath found out a fifth place: that is to ſay, a bright and cleere meddow, all diapred with ſweet ſmelling flowers, which hee maketh to be a dependance of Purgatory, and as it were a withdrawing chamber, wherein thoſe doe take their reſt, who are moſt kindly entreated & moſt gently dealt withall, and groundeth himſelf vponupon the auctoritie of venerable Beda: and Dioniſe a Charterhouſe Monk, an auctor of great credit, whoe is full fraught with fantaſticall revelations: he ſhould hauehave added how theſe flowers doe ſpring without ſun or raine: & frō whence that goodly brightneſſe could pierce into thoſe deepe partes of the earth. Out of this meddow do the ſouls immediately paſſe into Paradice: but before the comming of Ieſus Chriſt, they went thence into Limbo, a matter of great compaſſion, that paſſing out of a bright meddow full of recreation, they ſhould come to bee ſhut vp in a darke priſon.
Such therfore is the building which our Maſters hauehave erected vnderunder groūd, making, by an order contrary to nature, the loweſt chambers to be the hotteſt: digging without any autoritie of the Goſpell, ſundry compartiments vnderunder the earth, like to mouldwarpes, blinded with the ſunſhine of Gods word.
In this place I would entreat the reader, throughout all this myſterie to take note of a certaine kinde of ſoules, which ſhould hauehave more agilitie & experience then their fellowes: ſo many walkes and turnings are they put vntounto. Theſe are thoſe ſoules, who departing from their bodies vnderunder the old Teſtament, were firſt preſented before the Iudge, and thence ſent into Purgatory: but eſcaping thence, after a ſcalding fire entered into a bright meddow, ful of recreation. Afterwards from this medow they paſſed into Limbo: & thence came forth with Ieſus Chriſt: then did they follow him 40 daies vponupon the earth, & finally entered into Paradice. Let vsus therefore finde no farther fault with Plato or his Metempſychoſis: for his revolutions and paſſages of ſoules, are nothing ſo prodigious: & indeed our Maſters doe carry away the bell for invention from all Poets. Theſe matters thus diſpatched and ſet out as it were in a table, it reſteth that wee now examine this Purgatory, and the abuſes therevpon depending, and proue that the word of God is a ſpring more then ſufficient to quench this the Popes ſo profitable a fire. Here may our Reader, if it pleaſe him, note that Purgatory is by our adverſaries placed among the Articles of our beleefe, ſo as vnleſſe wee beleeue therein,Bellarm. de Purgat. lib. 2 cap. 12. Haec ſunt. we cannot bee ſaved: that the importance of the matter may tie him to attention. So ſhall we breake one of the legges of this Coloſsus, one of the principall pillers of Babylon.