An Antidote Against Popery, Appendix · Chapter 8
CHAPT. VIII. Of Purgatorie, Which the Romanistes seeke to establish, by these Argumentes following.
PSAL. 66.12. Wee went thorow fire and water. Whereby is meant (say they) suffering in Purgatorie.
Answere. First,Bel. l. 1. de Purg. c. 3. §. ad sep timū. Bellarmine himselfe graunteth, that all such places which for this purpose are adduced out of the Olde Testament, probablie onelie or conjecturallie inferre, but doeth not necessarilie or demonstratiuelie inforce anie such thing, firmlie to bee believed.
Next, beside this generall ANSWERE to all, particularlie to answere to this place, which if it were literallie taken, would inferre not onelie a fire, but a watrie Purgatorie: as the Heathen Poët sayeth, eluitur scelus, aut exuritur igne. AVGVSTINE telleth vsus, (and with him Hilarie) that heere-by are meant the troubles and tryalls, where-with this lyfe abound (sayeth hee,) and therefore the living speake heere of their experience of them, which in lyke-manner they could not doe of the fire of Purgatorie.
Their owne Iansenius also, Emmanuell Sa, Estius in 1. Cor. 15. p. 269.and late Estius, expone this Text, lyke-wyse of the tribulations of this lyfe, and the Rhemistes expone this of temptations, saying, through GOD'S assistance, His Servauntes passe through and over-come all temptations.
ISAI 4.4. When the LORD shall hauehave washed away the filth of the daughters of Sion, and shall hauehave purged the blood of IERVSALEM from the midst ther-of, by the spirit of judgement and burning: That is, (say they) by the fire of Purgatorie.
Answere. S. Ierome (and with him Cardinall Tolet) expone this spirit of burning,Tolet in Luke 3. to bee the same which the Baptist called, the baptizing with fire: Now what is there-by meant,Maldonat in Math. 3. let Maldonat first declare, who sayeth, there is no doubt, but by fire the holie Ghost is meant: for the conjunction (and) in this place is not conjunctiue, (sayeth hee) but explicatorie. After the lyke-manner doeth Estius expone,Estius in 1. Cor. 15.29. pag. 490. Iansenius concord. c. 13. and Iansenius proveth the same stronglie, in his Concordance of the Gospell.
MALACHI 3.2. But who may abyde the day of His comming? And who shall stand vp when Hee appeareth? For Hee is lyke a refiners fire, and Fullers sope: and Hee shall sit as a refiner of Silver, and purifie the sonnes of LEVI. Which purifying (say they) is in the fire of Purgatorie.
Ruffin. in expos. symboli. Theod in Mal. 3.Answere. RVFFINVS (and with him Theodoret) telleth vsus, that this is meant of CHRIST'S second comming to Iudgement, saying, This was fore-tolde by the Prophets: therefore sayth Malachi, Beholde, the Almightie commeth, and who may abyde the day of His comming? &c.
Estius in 1. Cor. 3.15. pag. 271. Tolet in Luke 3.Lykewyse sayth their late Estius, (and with him Cardinall Tolet,) This is to bee meant of that generall conflagration, at the generall day of Iudgement, whereof MALACHI speaketh: and of this purging by fire, at the day of that great Iudgement, doe these Fathers vnderstand that place, (sayth hee) to wit, Ierome, in his Commentarie, Ambrose, on PSAL. 36. Augustine de civit. Dei, Lib. 20. Cap. 25. and Origen, hom. 6. on EXODVS.
ZECHARIAH 9.11. By the blood of thy Covenant, I hauehave sent out thy prisoners out of the pit, where-in is no water. That is, (say they) out of Purgatorie.
Answere. Heere-of no better exposition can bee, than this,Aug. l. 18. de civit. Dei. c. 35. (sayeth Augustine) that there-by is vnderstood, the drye and barren deepnesse of man's miserie, where the waters of Righteousnesse abound not, but where there is the puddle of Iniquitie.
Theodoret lyke-wyse, (and with him the interlinare Glosse,) exponeth this to bee the deepe pit of man's miserie, wherein all mankynde laye as prisoners, as the Prophet speaketh, till Christ redemed them therefrae,Isai 61.2. saying, When men were bound in this pit, our LORD IESVS CHRIST loosed them, and brought them foorth, when by His precious Blood Hee delyvered them, (sayth hee) and gaue them the new Covenant. Agayne the Romanistes confesse, that the Prophet speaketh heere of a place where there is no comfort, but in Purgatorie there is incredible comfort (sayth Bellarmine, Bel. l. 2. de Purg. c. 4. §. tertio quia.) therefore of Purgatorie, the Prophet speaketh not heere. The Rhemistes also say on this place, that S. Ierome, S. Cyrill, and other Fathers, vnderstand this lake to bee Limbus patrum, which is now emptied long agoe, and wherein there was no torment of fire at all.
Other places, as 2 MACHAB. 12. and TOBIT 4. because they are Apocrypha, Cajet. in fine comment. histor. vet. test.nor make they any mention of Purgatorie. Therefore (as Cardinall Cajetane granteth out of S. Ierome,) they are not a rule to confirme matters of fayth.
Places out of the New Testament, adduced for Purgatorie, are these.
MATTH. 12.32. Hee who shall speake agaynst the holie Ghost, it shall not bee forgiven him, neyther in this world, nor in the world to come. Where wee see (saye they) that some sinnes are forgiven in the world to come after this lyfe, which must bee onlie in Purgatorie.
Answere. First, Bellarmine, Bel. l. 1. de Purg. c. 4. §. respōde… non sequi. Salmeron tom. 8 tract. 26.(and with him the Iesuit Salmeron) granteth, that this doeth nowayes follow, according to the rules of reasoning, if the sinne agaynst the holie Ghost bee not remitted, neyther in this Worlde, nor that which is to come. ERGO, Some other sinnes are remitted in the World to come. Wee graunt that this followeth not (sayeth hee) according to the rules of reasoning,
Next, Marke is a cleare interpreter of Matthew's wordes, (as witnesseth their Valentia) but so it is,Valen. l. de insolub. vine. matrim. c. 3. Mark 3.29. that Marke expresseth the meaning of Matthew's wordes to bee this, That the sinne agaynst the holie Ghost, shall never bee forgiven at all. To which exposition two Romanistes, Carthusian and Arboreus, both of them doe subscrybe.
Last, because in Purgatorie there is no remission of sinne, proceeding from MercieMercy, but punition for sinne, proceeding from justice; and that these two are opposite, as wee see EXOD. 20.5. visiting sinnes, and showing merciemercy are: therefore justly we may retort this place agaynst them, and proue thereby, that there is no Purgatorie.
In Purgatorie there is a punition for sinnes. But where a punition of sinnes is after this lyfe, there is not a remission for sinnes, (for these two are opposite:) therefore in Purgatorie there is no remission.
MATTH. 5.26. Verilie, thou shalt not come foorth thence, till thou pay the vttermost farthing. That is, out of Purgatorie, (say they) till thou hast satisfied for thy least or veniall sinnes, and suffered temporall punishment for others.
Answere. Iansenius, cōcord c. 40. p. 180Their owne Iansenius declareth, (and with him Chrysostome, Theophylact, Ferus, and Emmanuell Sa,) that this place is literallie to bee vnderstood, CHRIST therein onelie perswading to concord. And therefore out of this place, there is none (sayeth hee) that can rightlie vrge the proving of Purgatories wherefore also (sayeth Stapleton) there are few now that so expone the same.Stap. antidot. in Math 5.
But giving it were allegoricallie to bee exponed, yet it nowayes maketh for Purgatorie: for Augustine exponeth this prison to bee the Hell of the damned, (as Bellarmine showeth) the payment eternall punishment,Bel. l. 1. de Purg. c. 7. and donec, or till, to signifie that hee shall never come foorth who entereth in that prison. Therefore also (sayth Theophylact,) If wee must abide so long in that prison, till wee pay the vttermost farthing, that will never bee.
Therefore also sayeth their own Carthusian, (and with him Lyra, Stella, Maldenat, and …ansenius) till thou pay, &c. that is, thou shalt never bee redeemed, for in Hell (sayeth hee) there is no satisfaction.
1. COR. 3.15. If anie mans worke burne, hee shall suffer losse, but hee himselft shall bee saved: yet so, as by fire. Whereby (say they) Purgatorie is meant.
Answere. Some thinketh (sayth their late Estius) that the Apostle taketh not the worde (fire) throughout the whole Text, in one signification, — but this appeareth not without cause to bee absurde, that the Apostle in one Text of so few wordes, so diverslie should take the word (fire) neyther can anie man easilie perswade himselfe, (sayeth hee) that in the third place, the fire of purging of soules is meant: if in the first and second places, another fire bee vnderstood.
It must bee then the fire of that generall and last conflagration, that is heere spoken of, (sayeth Estius) as the instrument of that Iudgement, as Basill, Hilarie, Ambrose, (and manie moe whom hee there rehearseth) doeth vnderstand.
And (hee shall bee saved, yet as by fire) that is, as is spoken, 1. PET. 4.18. the righteous shall scarce bee saved, (sayeth Estius) Even as a Merchand in a Sea tempest, escapeth himselfe hardlie, ane with the losse of his goods.
And if it bee asked, when hee shall bee so saved? I answere, (sayeth Estius) that this shall bee in the day of the LORD: that is, of the last generall Iudgement, whereof mention is made, c. 5.5.
And thereafter having proponed this Question. How Purgatorie of soules then after this lyfe, can bee proven by this place, hee answereth, saying. If the fire shall prooue or trye everie man's worke, and that this tryall or examination, is to bee onelie in the day of the LORD, or at the generall judgement; and that vntounto that day, this which is sayde, (and hee himselfe shall bee saved, yet as by fire,) is to bee referred, not onelie doeth it appeare (sayeth hee) that the Purgatorie of soules, presentlie af…er the dea…h of the bodie, is not established by this place of the Apostle: but on the …ont…ari… by this place it is quyte overth…owne, seeing all is referred to the last Iudgement.
1. COR. 15.29. What shall they doe who are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not? Where by bapt…zing is meant, afflicting of themselues, by Prayer and Fasting for the dead, (saye they) that th…y may bee delyvered out of Purgatorie.
Answere. First, this can not bee applyed (sayeth Estius) to voluntarie afflictions, as Prayers, Almes, and Fasting, vndertaken for the helpe of the dead: which if Paull had vnderstood, hee had not sayde, who are baptized, as it were by others, but who baptizeth themselu…s for the dead, as according to Scripture they are sayde to afflict themselues, who vndergoe voluntarie Fastinges, and the lyke, LEVIT. 23. and 16.
The exposition, then, which their owne Estius sayeth, is worthilie to bee preferred before all others,Epiphanius her. 28. and which Epiphanius receaved from them who was before him as approved; is this, (sayth hee) to wit, that these are sayde to bee baptized for the dead, who having no hope of longer lyfe heere, (but esteemed as dead men) did craue and receaue baptisme, reallie heereby declaring, that they were baptized for the dead, that is, for this ende, that Baptisme might bee profitable vntounto them at that tyme, when they departed this lyfe; and were to enter into the estate of mankynde after death: as if the Apostle had sayde, if there bee no resurrection of the bodie at all, what fruit can they reape who are Baptized, beeing now about to die? and for this cause professeth they are baptized, in respect of that future estate that is after this lyfe; and this sense is most cleare and simple (sayeth Estius,) and most fit to proue what the Apostle intendeth; which other Learned Men also, most gladlie approue.
The Iesuit also, à Lapide, after the rehearsall of fiue other Expositions, hee counteth this onelie the best, which Chrysostome giveth, (sayeth hee) to wit, as if Paull would say, wherefore doe all the faythfull receaue Baptisme, for the hope of the resurrection from the dead, or in respect of the estate of the dead, that in that estate after death, it may bee well with them, if the dead rise not? for certainlie they should doe this in vayne otherwyse, which is not credible. And this Exposition (sayeth à Lapide,) of all others seemeth to bee most simple and playne.
MATTH. 5.22. But I say vntounto you, who-so-ever is angrie with his brother without a cause, is in danger of judgement, and who-so-ever shall say to his brother, Racha, shall bee in daunger of the Councell: but who-so-ever shall say, Thou foole, shall bee in daunger of Hells fire. Heere (saye they) are three sortes of sinnes, and three sortes of punishmentes, whereof the last onelie, for greatest offences, is Hell fire, but a lesser punishment for lesser sinnes, and this is in Purgatorie.
Answere. First, there are not set downe heere, three sortes of sinnes and of punishmentes, but three degrees of one, and the selfe same sinne; to wit, Murther, and three degrees of one, and the selfe same sort of punishment, to wit, Eternall, our SAVIOVR'S scope being (as their owne Aquinas showeth) because they did not vnderstand Murther to bee committed,Aquinas in catena but when a man was killed: there-fore our LORD (sayeth hee,) did manifest that all sinfull motion agaynst a man's brother to hurt him, was to bee also esteemed, a kynde of Murther.
Lykewyse that this punishment, whereof our SAVIOVR speaketh, is not a temporall punishment in Purgatorie, for the first two degrees of sinne that are mentioned, and an eternall in Hells fire, for the last onelie, wee hauehave first the Text it selfe to convince them, which sayeth, VERSE 21. Who-so-ever shall kill, shall bee guiltie of judgement: which word is vsed also in the verie next VERSE, where it is sayde, Who-so-ever is angrie at his brother without a cause, shall bee guiltie of judgement. Therefore if by judgement, (as the Iesuit Salmeron showeth) eternall punishment for the Act of Homicide,Salmeron Iom. 5 tract. 24. bee vnderstood in the first place, then by judgement in lyke manner, eternall punishment for vnjust anger, which is the murther of the heart, must bee vnderstood in the second place, and which beeing an inward motion onelie, vnbroken out as yet in word nor deede, could not bee taken holde on, by anie humane Iudicatorie.
Next, the evidence of the Text, Antiquitie concurreth, therefore (sayeth Isidorus Pelusicta) Hee will not onlie hauehave vsus to abstaine from Slaughter,Isidorus l. 4. Epist. 204. but also from Anger: and vntounto those who will not obey. Hee hath threatned vnquencheable fire.
In lyke-manner, (sayeth their owne Maldonat) all these three degrees of punishment, signifieth that the punishment of Hell fire, is appoynted for everie mortall sinne: there-fore it is lyke (sayeth their owne Barr…sdas) that CHRIST speaketh heere of anger, as a mortall sinne, which the punishment thereof proveth.