Answer to a Popish Pamphlet Called the Touchstone of the Reformed Gospel, Part 2 · Subpart 47 – Subpart 48
47 THat there is no purgatorie fire, or other priſon wherein ſinn…s may be ſatisfied for, after this life.
VVHichWhich ſaith he is contrar to 1. Cor. 3. 13. 15. The fire ſhall try everie mans work of what ſort it is, if any mans work be burnt, he ſhal ſuffer loſſe. yet he himſelf ſhall be ſaved, yet ſo as by fire. To which I anſwer, or rather their owne Eſtius on this place, ſaying, Sindrie expoundeth this place (ſayeth he) of Purgatorie, wherein after this life, and before the day of the last judgement the ſoules of the juſt are purged from their lighter ſinnes, but it appeareth that this cannot be ſaid (ſayeth he) both becauſe the words ſhoweth that the day of particular judgement is not to bee underſtood, but of the generall judgement, whereas the purging of the ſoules pertaineth to the particular judgement, as alſo becauſe the fire of purgatorie doth not try everie mans work (ſayth he) but puniſheth onlie the evill works of good men. Bellarmin alſo lib. 1. de purg. cap. 5. ſayeth, That the word (fire) in the 13. and 14. verſes is to taken onlie allegoricallie, and that the fire of purgatorie is not thereby to bee meant, for of this fire the Apoſtle ſayes it ſhall burne the work, not the worker (ſayeth he) and therefore a purging or afflicting fire of perſons is not meant thereby, onlie hee would hauehave the word (fire) in the 15. verſe to bee taken in another ſenſe than in the other two verſes, and therby to be meant the fire of purgatorie, but Estius anſwereth unto him thus, & refuteth him, ſaying, That not without juſt cauſe it ſeemeth to be abſurd, that the Apoſtle in one Text of ſo few words would ſpeake of fire in ſo diverſe ſignifications, neither can any eaſilie be perſwaded (ſayeth hee) that in the third place a purgatorie fire of ſoules can be ſignified, when as in the firſt and ſecond place, another and diverſe fire from that is underſtood. And then he ſubjoines after the naming of ſome Romaniſt Divines that hath expounded theſe words otherwiſe thā hee doth, ſaying, Let none marvell that I hauehave not followed theſe authours in all things, becauſe that neither thē ſelves amongſt themſelves do alwayes agree▪ Such is his teſtimonie of their braged of unitie.
The ſecond place is Iohn 11. 22. But I know that even now (ſayeth Martha to Chriſt) Whatſoever thou will ask of God, he will give it thee. Ergo there is a fi…e of purgatorie, is as good a conſequence, as to ſay, ergo the ſtaff is in the corner.
The third place is Act. 2. 24. Whom God hath raiſed up looſing the ſorrowes of hell, that is, looſing men one of their paines there (ſayeth he) To which I anſwer 1. That he ſhamefullie perverteth the Text, for it is in the originall, Thanatu, & in our tranſlation, and their owne interlinear, (the ſorrowes of death, & not hell) So that altho he pretended in the Preface, & promiſed to refute our doctrine by the expreſſe text of our owne Bible, yet heere he groſſlie paſſeth therefra, and for eſtabliſhing of his purgatorie, he purgeth out the word (death) & putteth in (hell) in place therof which is a bold corrupting. 2. The text ſpeaketh onlie of Chriſts owne being looſed from the ſorrowes of death, and not of his looſing any other perſons from the ſame, and farre leſſe from hell, or any other place of purgatorie, which thing was done by his reſurrection. Therfore ſayeth Cardinall Cajetā on this place, The ſorrowes were the ſorrowes of death (ſaieth he) by which is was impoſſible that hee could bee holden, to wit, Chriſt.
The fourth place is 1. Cor 15. 29. Otherwiſe what ſhall they do who are baptiſed for the dead? That is, afflict themſelves & do penance for them that are in purgatorie (ſayeth hee) To which I anſwer 1. That this can not be ſaid of voluntarie afflicting thē ſelves, as by praiers almes and faſting undertaken for the help of the dead (ſayeth their owne Eſtius on this place) which if Paull had meant hee had not ſaid, who are baptiſed, as if it were by others, but who baptiſe themſelves for the dead (ſayeth hee) The expoſition then which he ſayeth is worthieſt to be preferred before al others, and which Epiphanius (haereſ. 28.) received from them who wer before him as approven, is this (ſayeth Eſtius) to wit, That theſe ar ſaid to be baptiſed for the dead, who having no hope of longer life heere, but as dead men, did craue & get baptiſme, reallie heerby declaring that they were baptiſed for the dead, that is, for this end that baptiſme (which witneſſeth their faith in the trinitie) might bee profitable to them at that time when they departed this life, and were to enter into the condition of the dead. As if the Apoſtle had ſaid, if there were no reſurrection of the bodie at all, what fruit can they reape who are baptiſed? being about to die, or counted for dead, and who for this cauſe profeſſe that they were baptiſed, in respect of that future eſtate that is after this life, and this meaning is moſt cleare, pure and ſimple (ſayeth Eſtius) and moſt …itt to prove what the Apoſtle intendeth, and which others alſo doth approve (ſaith he) Which expoſition likewiſe the Ieſuite alſo A-lapide approveth as moſt ſimple and plaine, declaring alſo that it is Chriſoſtoms. And ſo it proveth no purgatorie at all.
The fi…th place is Luke 19. 6. Make you friends of the mammon of unrighteouſnes, that when yee faile, they may receiue you into everlaſting habitations. To which I anſwere, That this place proveth nowiſe after death any fire of pu…gatorie, but rather the contrarie, that when the godlie and charitable perſons faile, that is▪ die, they are received preſentli… into the eternall habitations of heavenlie glorie. Therfore ſaith Bellarmin (lib. 1. de ſanctis cap. 3. on 2. Cor. 5. 1.) The Apoſtles reaſoning heere is excellent (ſayeth he) to wit, if this mortall life periſh we hauehave inſtantlie another far better in the heavens, for God is no read…er to puniſh ſayeth he (lib. 1. de ſanctis. cap. 6.) than to reward. whence it followes, that if the wicked after death preſentlie go to hell, that the godly in likemanner after death preſentlie go to heaven, and conſequentlie to no fire of purgatorie.
The ſixth place is Luke, 23. 42. Lord remember me when thou commeth into thy kingdom. which ſhoweth (ſayeth he) that ſoules may be helped after death. Which indeed we grant, by Chriſts receiving thē into his heavenlie kingdome, as is heere by the Theef petitioned, but no word is here of Chriſts helping out of a hel…ſh purgatorie. Thus wee ſee by how weake arguments hee would prove his Purgatorie, which B Fiſher (cont. Luth art▪ 18.) granteth was knowne but of late onlie, and after many ages believed. And therefore little or no mention is of it in the ancient fathers (ſayeth hee) and yet, which Bellarmin ſayeth is a doctrine of faith of ſuch conſequence. That hee that believeth not purgatorie to …e ſhall never come ther, but ſhall be tormented in hels fire for ever. (ſayeth he lib. 1. de purg. cap. 15.) and ſo he condemneth all the eaſterne or greeke churches to hel, (beſide the Proteſtants) which notwithſtanding the B. of Bitonto in his oration before the Councell of Trent acknowledgeth to be the only mother Church of the Roman.
As for fathers whō he citeth, Ambroſe in that place ſpeaketh onlie of the fire of Gods judgement. Jerome alſo ſpeaketh nothing of a popiſh purgatory, & as for Gregory he ſaies That the fire wherof the Apoſtle ſpeaketh 1. Cor. 3. 13. may be meant of the fire of affliction. And as for any other fire, he buildeth it on Math. 12. 32. which both by Mark 3. 29. and by the fathers that comment on that place, as alſo by Romaniſts themſelves, as Carthuſian and Arboreus, maketh nowiſe for purgatory. And as for Origen hee ſpeaketh onlie of the fire of affliction. yea, their B. Fiſher cont. Luth. art. 18. ſayeth, That ther is little or no mention of it in the ancient fathers at all.
48 THat it is not lawfull to make or hauehave images.
VVHichWhich is contrarie (ſaith he) to Exod. 25. 18. And thou ſhall make two Cherubims of beaten gold &c. As alſo to the 1. King. 6. 35. And he car…ed theron Cherubims, and palme trees &c. Whence he inferreth that theſe graven Angels, were images of the higheſt order of Angels (one excepted) which S. Ierome witneſſeth that the Iewes worſhiped. To whom I anſwere, where Moſes is commanded to make two Cherubims of gold, and place them in the holieſt, & where Solomon on the doors of the Oracle cauſed carve Cherubims in likemanner. Both had a particular warrant from God to do ſo, which Papiſts hauehave not for making their Images of the bleſſed Trinitie, and of ſaints, ſetting them up in publick places of divine worſhip to be adored. And therefore worthie & remarkable is that ſpeech of Tertullian anſwering the ancient Idolaters, who objected in likemanner for their defe…ce Moſes his making and ſetting up of a braſen ſerpent to whō Tertulliā (l. 1. de idololatria) replyeth ſaying, One and the ſame God both by his generall Law forebad any image to be made (…aieth he) as alſo by his extraordinarie and ſpeciall command, willed an image of a ſerpent to be made, if then thou be obedient to the ſame God (ſayeth hee) thou hast this-law of his, Make thee no graven image, but if thou reſpect the image of the ſerpent that was afterward made by Moſes, then do thou a… Moſes did (ſayeth he) and make no image againſt the Law, unleſſe God cōmand thee as he did Moſes. Whoſe word is a Law.
Next, where he ſaieth, that S. Jerome witneſſes that the Iewes worſhiped theſe images of the Cherubims. I anſwere 1. That they wer not ſeene by them, ſeing they were placed in the holie of holies, into which the High-Prieſt onlie entered once in the year onlie. 2. Their owne Eſtius on Heb. 9. 5. teſtifieth the contrarie ſaying, Neither were the Cherubims placed in the Sanctuary to be worſhiped (ſayeth he) but both for the ſignification of things to come, as alſo for augmenting the majeſtie of the place.
His next place is, Hebr. 9. 1. 5. Where the images of the Cherubims ar called divine ordinances. To which I anſwere, That this confirmeth what hath beene ſaid, to wit, that thoſe were made by Gods ſpeciall command, and what God cōmanded under the law to be done, as typicall and ſignificative of more ſpirituall things under the goſpell, (as the Apoſtle ſhoweth v. 8. 9. 10.) was a ſufficiēt warrāt, the like wher of papiſts hauehave not for their unwarrantable making of the images of the Trinitie & others abuſed to idolatrie.