O how worthy an Act is this and how do you suffer in their sufferings And you may then infallibly interest your selues in the words of the Apostle Hebr. 6. God is not vniust that he can forget your good workes and charity which you haue shewed in his name and haue and do minister vnto his Saints I well remember that some twenty yeares since a certaine Prison hauing in it some six or seauen Priests far more poore lay Catholikes lying there in great want there was a Catholike gentle woman of good account who taking great cōmiseration of their wants relieued all the Catholike imprisoned company with weekly prouision of meate for seuerall months and so she intended still to continue this her Charity but that she was shortly after preuented by death This was an Heroicall and most Christian charity in her able no doubt throgh Christs mercifull acceptance thereof euen to abate the flames of Purgatory In like sort I could wish all of you who are carefull to preuent the raging flames or Purgatory that what workes of labour or satisfaction or Almes deeds you intēd to doe that you would not defer the accomplishing of them till the day of your departure out of this world but performe them when you are in health The differēce is most great betweene a worke of Charity done at the Houre of a mans death and when he is in health not likely to dye For in the first manner the party dying giueth away his goods to pious vses because he cannot enioy them any longer In the second it is in a mans power to keep his riches longer yet departing from them in his Health he is content thereby actually to lessen in his owne daies his temporall meanes and departeth with them with cherefulnes and alacrity of mind a circumstance most pleasing to God since we read 2. Cor. 9. Hilarem datorem diligit Deus God loueth a chearfull giuer In the former the will of a dying man is not for the most part in all things performed either through the Couetousnes of the wife Children or negligence of the Executors In this other a man is assured his will shall be performed since he is resolued to make his owne Hands his Executors and his owne Eyes his Ouerseers Lastly Almes-deeds dōne after the first sort do take effect only at the death of the Party not before whereas they being distributed after this second sort they begin to worke and obtaine by degrees Indulgēce lessening of the future paynes euen from that houre in which they were first bestowed So great a disparity there is betweene hauing a Candell going before a man lighting him the way to the Kingdome of Heauen hauing a Candell only to follow him I am persuaded there are very few of you so simple who if you did owe great summes of Money and were infallibly to pay euery penny of them if other course in the meane tyme could not be taken But that if by preuention of time I meane by paying afore the day of payment cōmeth you might be suffered in lieu of the whole to pay but the twentith part and thereby to be discharged of the whole great debt but that you would take course by all meanes possible yea by taking your siluer vp at Interest for the present discharge of the said twentith part so to redeeme your selues from the payment of all the rest I do assure you euen from the testimonies of all ancient learned Fathers that it is in your power to redeeme not only the twentith part of your future torments in Purgatory but euen the greatest part and perhaps all by your charitable Deeds liberality and pious workes now done in your life time And will you then be slow in taking the like course herein O insensati Galatae quis vos fascinauit Gal. 3. But I will yet go further with you There are not many of you I speake of such of you as are much deuoted to the world but that if you had a fayre demayne of fiue hundred pounds yearely worth though not in possession yet that it were infallibly to descend to you and your Posterity for euer after twenty yeares were expired And that notwithstāding it were in your Power Freedome to buy out and redeeme the said twenty yeares thereby to haue present possession of it I say there are not many of you but that you would striue though it were by impouerishing your selues for the tyme and by liuing vnder your owne worth thereby to procure meanes for the redeeming of the said terme of twenty yeares Heauen is your Inheritance after the guilt of eternall damnation is once remitted Yet thither it is impossible for you to arriue vntil for certaine yeares you haue performed your temporall punishments yet remaining These inexplicable punishments which may endure for many scores of yeares more then twenty yea it may be for seuerall hundreds of yeares you may redeeme perhaps for lesse charges to your Purse disbursed in your life time and health to pious religious vses through Christs most mercifull acceptance then you would be content to lay out for the getting in of the former mentioned twenty yeares And yet how Dull and Backward are most of you to vndertake the same How can you heere Apologize or excuse your selues Is Heauen not so good as an earthly demaine O men of little Fayth What a muddy disposition of the Soule is this which lyes so groueling vpon the earth and wholy absorpt in terrene thoughts and cogitations Well ceasing to enlarge my selfe further vpon the Premisses I earnestly desire euery one of you to procure now in tyme of Health the most Reuerend Dreadfull Sacrifice of the most blessed body and bloud of our Sauiour to be offered daily vp to two ends to wit for the spirituall good of your selues and your Children and secondly for the preuenting of your future paines of Purgatory And that you shall perceaue of what ineffable vertue and efficacy for mans soule the offering vp of that most dreadfull Sacrifice is I haue thought good to set downe the Iudgmentes of some few ancient Fathers pretermitting the greatest part of them for greater breuity First then we find S. Cyrill of Alexandria Epist ad Nestor to write that by meanes of this daily Sacrifice We are made partakers of the holy body and precious bloud of Christ. S. Austin calleth the said Sacrifice Precium nostrum Our pryce Confess cap. 13. And further the same Father thus writeth lib. 4. de Trinit cap. 14. Quid gratius offerri c. What can be offered vp or accepted more thankefully then that the flesh of our Sacrifice should be come the body of our Priest S. Chrysostome thus teacheth Homil. 21. in Act. Apostolorum Hostia in manibus c. The sacred host being in the hands of the Priest the Angels are present the Archangels are present the sonne of God is present cum tanto horrore astant omnes
AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST PVRGATORY OR Discourse wherein is shewed that Good-Workes and Almes-deeds performed in the Name of Christ are a chiefe meanes for the preuenting or mitigating the Torments of Purgatory Written by that Vertuous and Right worthy Gentle-woman the Honour of her Sexe for Learning in England Ms. IANE OWEN late of God-stow in Oxfordshire deceased and now published after her death As VVater doth extinguish Fier so Almes-deeds do extinguish sinne Eccles 3. Printed M.DC.XXXIIII TO THE VVORTHY AND CONSTANT CATHOLICKES OF ENGLAND And more particularly to such who be of the best temporall Meanes WORTHY and Noble Catholiks My charity towards the aduancing of the spiritual good of your soules is the mayne Allectiue inuiting me to write this small Treatise pardon I pray the boldnes of my Sexe heerin The subiect therof is First to inculcate make deep impressiōs in your minds of the horrour and most dreadfull torments of Purgatory Secondarily to set before your eyes the best meanes to preuent at least to asswage and mitigate them gratū opus agricolis A labour I hope pleasing to such who are desirous to cultiuate their owne Soules for gayning their spirituall and expected haruest That you belieue there is a Purgatory your owne Catholike Faith teacheth you therefore presuming that you rest immoueable therein without the least fluctuation of iudgment I hould it were but lost labour to spend any tyme in prooffe thereof Only I heere couet that you would deeply consider and meditate thereof and thereupon that you would withall meditate and put in practise the meanes of auoiding the same Touching the terriblenes of the Torments of Purgatory I haue insisted in the Authority of the most Blessed Cardinall Bellarmine out of one of whose spirituall bookes I haue translated a whole passage concerning this subiect as hereafter I shall more fully shew Thus I make him the foundation or ground-worke of this my ensuing Discourse and the rest following I do build and erect vpon this foundation so as this Miscelene worke of myne may perhaps resemble the statua of Nabuchodonozor of which part was gould part siluer and part of baser mettall So I am sure that what is taken out of the learned Cardinalls writings in this my Treatise is perfect gould or siluer what is adioyned thereto by me must I willingly yield endure the touch of the learned to proue what mettall it is But now to proceede a little further I could wish you worthy Catholickes that you would haue a feeling apprehension of the paynes of Purgatory though yet to come True it is that the Time present and the Time future are in nature different yet if a man could in some case so liuely paint to himselfe the face of the Time future as that it might appeare to him to be the Time present it were felix Error a happy mistaking or confusion of tymes to vse the Catholike Churches like Dialect of the sinne of Adam calling it felix Culpa For then would men apprehende the Future paynes of Purgatory as present and certainely once they must be present and consequently would have a greater feare and dread of them then cōmonly they now haue It is not in mans power to depriue God of his incommumnicable Attribute of Iustice being euen of the Essence of God This then being so why will you not seeke to appease this his Iustice in this world when small satisfactions will serue rather then to performe those satisfactions incomparably far greater in a more horrible manner in the next world by enduring those Torments which are not to be endured And there to endure them donec reddas nouissimum Quadrantem Matth. 5. These are the words of holy Scripture and are vnderstood in the iudgment of the Ancient Fathers of a Soule lying in Purgatory and therefore must be performed which forcing words since they ought to be most dreadfull to ech Catholicke not performing his satisfaction in this life I haue therefore thought not amisse though I grant in a most vnusuall manner to set downe in the lower part of euery page that wheresoeuer the Reader shall open these few leaues his eye shall instantly meete with the said moouing words thereby to cause him to haue a more intense and serious meditation of them It is certaine that God is pittifully cruell as I may say since he is content to turne Eternity of punishments into temporall paines But withall it is no lesse certaine that a soule not performing its penance in this life before its dissolution from the body can no more immediatly ascend to Heauen then the Patriarchs which dyed in Egypt could be buryed in the land of Promise Well now the chiefest help for the preuenting of the paines of Purgatory is the practise of Workes of Almes-deeds and such other actions of Mercy as hereafter in this short Treatise wil more fully be proued Workes of this nature are the only Oyle which is to be powred into a Repenting soule whose full satisfaction for its former sinnes is not yet accomplished Gods sacred Word assureth you that you may buy Heauen with Good Workes Venite possidete paratum vobis regnum Esuriuienim dedistis māducare c Matth. 25. Much more then may you with Good Workes dyed in the bloud of our Sauiour and not otherwise buy out the paynes of Purgatory And though you do find a reluctation in your naturall dispositions to relinquish a part of your state to that end now in your lyfe time yet let that be made easy to you by Grace which is hard and difficult by Nature that so it may be said of you as was said of Cornelius the Centurion Act. 10. Eleemosinae vestrae commemoratae sunt in conspectu Dei For assure your selues that the Grace of God euer seeketh a charitable Hart. And by this meanes you may become more rich in your graues then you could haue beene in your life tyme Since to giue away riches in a mans lyfe for the good of the soule is to carry them away after his death And in this sense they hould most who haue the most open hand in dispensing of their riches So true is that sentence to wit It is no small riches for Gods sake to abandon riches But alas such are the pittifull tymes wherein we liue such is the scarsity of Vertue among vs as that insteed of practising Workes of Charity men are commended and praysed if only they forbeare to practise workes of Iniustice and Wrong And thus we are glad to accept of a meere Priuation of Vice in place of a Positiue and reall Vertue O the miserablenes of our dayes The very Beasts do not nor can sinne nor can they do any wrong are they therefore vertuous Well I humbly besecch you to haue a setled eye vpon your soules good for the preuenting of future punishments and remember that our Sauiour in the Ghospell Luc. 17. commended the vniust Steward for hoording vp for the tyme to come and shall then
Now this Virgin Christina doth thus speake of her selfe instantly after she did rise from death to lyfe in the sight of many then liuing Statim vt è corpore excessi c. Presently after I did leaue my body certaine Angels of God being ministers of the light receaued my soule and brought it to an obscure darke and horrid place being full and replenished with the soules of men and women The torments which I did behould in that place were so extreme violent and insufferable as that they cannot be deliuered in any words I did see there diuers with whom I was acquainted whiles they here liued vpon the earth I did much pitty those poore miserable soules I demaunded of my Conductours what place this was for I did imagine that it was Hell They answered that it was the place of Purgatory reserued for such sinners who had obtayned true penitency of their sinnes before their death but had not yet performed any actuall satisfaction for their Crimes in their lyfe tyme committed After this my Conductours brought me to behould the punishment of the damned in Hel where also I did find certaine persons knowne to me in their lyfe tyme. After this I was conducted vp to Paradise euen to the Throne of the diuine Maiesty where I did behould our Lord wellcomming me I reioyced excessiuely thereat as being then perswaded that I should there remayne with our Lord for all eternity But he presently answered me saying Most wellcome daughter thou shalt with out all doubt finally stay with me but here I put to thee an election of which of these two things thou hadst rather make choyce to wit whether thou haddest rather now stay with me for all eternity or els to returne vnto the world and earth againe and there resuming thy former body to suffer paynes though without any danger to thy body by which paynes thou mayest free set at liberty those soules which thou behoulding in Purgatory didst commiserate pitty that so by this means men and women yet liuing vpon the earth through the example of thy penitent lyfe abstayning from commiting more facinorous Crymes and performing in satisfaction of them what they ought to do may in the end being enriched with store of merits and good deeds be conuerted to me Now I without any pause or delay answered that I had rather returne to my body vnder the former condition proposed to me and thereupon our Lord taking it well that I shewed my selfe so ready in the choyce commandeth my soule to be restored to its body In the performance whereof it was wonderfull to behould the incredible swiftnes and celerity of the blessed spirits For euen in that very houre when it is sayd in the Sacrifice of the Masse which was then offered for me Agnus Dei O Lambe of God c. my soule was placed before the diuine Maiesty and at the third time of the saying of the foresaid words Agnus Dei the Angells restored me to my body And thus the matter standeth touching my departure out of this world and my after returne to lyfe since all this was done concerning my being restored to lyfe for the chastizing of men and their amendment in manners and conuersation Therefore I would intreate all persons that they would not be troubled or affrighted with such things as they shall see in me The things do exceed mans vnderstanding which God commanding shal be performed in me Neither haue such euents at any tyme hapned among mortall men Thus much did she speake And then the wryter of her lyfe adioyneth these words following concerning her Cap. 6. Tum vero caepit illa exercere c. Thtn she did begin to exercise and put in practise such seuerities for the performāce of which she was sent by our Lord She did voluntarily enter into burning Ouens was tormented in those fyers so as through the straytnes of the place and paynes she made a fearefull horrible noyse But after she came out of those places there was not to be seene in her body any print or marke of such her burnings And then the foresaid Authour thus further proceedeth in his discourse Cap. 7. Sub aquis Mosae fluminis hyberno tempore cum rigerent omnia gelu c. She very often long stood in the waters of the riuer Mosa in winter time when it was congealed with frost remayning there in such manner six dayes and more And then a little after the foresaid Authour thus further sayth cap. 9. Interdum in aquis orans c. She sometymes praying in the waters was caryed by them vpon the wheele of a water mill and so in most horrible manner was borne about with the wheele thereof being notwithstanding perfect vnhurt in all the parts of her body And the Authour thus more writeth ibid. Surgebat quandoque medijs noctibus totius Oppidi Trudonensis canes in se concitans c. She often tymes rysing about midnight would stir vp against her all the dogs of the towne of S. Truyen she rūning before them following her like a swyft Deare throgh certaine obscure places full of bryars and thornes in so much as she was pricked her skinne torne in diuers places as that no part of her body was free from wounds and yet after her sheeding of much bloud thereby no prints scarrs or marks of any woūds or pricks were to be seene in her body Thus far the forsaid Authour Now that this his Narration of all set downe was most true appeareth seuerall wayes First because as I said aboue he had Iacobus Bishop and Cardinall of Vitriacum a most graue man to beare witnesse thereof Secōdly in that the authour of this History did relate passages done in his owne life tyme and in the same Prouince wherein himselfe liued seeing he was Bishop and suffragan to the Archbishop of Cambray Thirdly in that the matter and History it selfe euen publikely as it were deposeth and auerreth the truth hereof to wit that her body was so after conformed and strengthned by diuine power as that it should suffer payne by fyer and yet should not be dissolued should receaue wounds and shee l much bloud and yet no prints of those woūds should appeare In this sort this most blessed woman liued not for the space of few dayes only but during all the time of fourty two yeares after her returne to lyfe And lastly because by this course of her life she conuerted many to true penance and compunction of their sinnes and after her death was glorious and eminent for miracles therefore God by such examples aboue insisted vpon would stop the mouths of such incredulous persons who are not afraid sometymes to demand Who hath returned from Hell who hath seene the torments either of Hell or Purgatory Behould heere we haue two faythfull Witnesses a man and a woman who haue seene the most bitter and insufferable torments of Hell and Purgatory and therefore such men do wholy rest
Gods grace be in you in extreme feare of your future Calamity I will take it from the examples of certaine most learned pious and ancient Fathers The Fathers shal be these following S. Austin S. Ambrose S. Gregory and S. Bernard all whose pens were guyded by the Holy Ghost S Ambrose through the extremity of his feare of the flames of Purgatory thus writeth Serm. 20. in Psal 118. I shal be searched examined as lead in this fyer till all the lead be melted away c. S. Austin through his fearefull and strong apprehension of this fyer thus breaketh out in words in explic Psal 37. O Lord let me be made such as that my Correction shall not be needfull to be increased with that purging fyer in respect of such men qui salui erunt sic tamen quasi per ignem And againe S. Austin thus further saith l 50. homil 16. O how happy are they that who liuing well and contented with necessary riches to their bodies liberall of their owne chast in themselues and not cruell to others do redeeme themselues from this fiery Fornace Of which fyer the said S. Austin thus saith in Psal 27. Grauior erit hic ignis quà m quis potest pati in hac vita This fyer shal be more intollerable then any man can suffer in this lyfe S. Gregory thus writeth in Psal 3. Poenit. I esteeme the purging fyer though it be transitory to be more intollerable then all tribulations which in this life may be suffered therefore I do not only desire not to be rebuked in the fury of eternal damnation but also I greatly feare to be purged in the wrath of transitory Correction Lastly to come to S. Bernard whose trembling penne through feare of the paynes of Purgatory thus discourseth Serm. de sex tribul 16. 55. in Cant. O would to God that some man would now before hand prouide for my head abundance of water and to myne eyes a fountayne of teares that so perhaps the burning fyer should take no hold where running teares had clensed before And now to reflect a little vpon the Worth of these foure former alledged Fathers and then to draw our inference and deduction S Ambrose for his learning he writing many bookes in defence of the Christian Fayth as also for his sanctimony of lyfe obtayned the title of being called per Excellentiam One of the foure Fathers of the Primitiue Church S. Austin gayning the like title was of that eminency for learning and piety that S. Ierome thus extolleth him Tom. 2. Ep. 25. inter opera August I haue allwayes reuerenced thy Sanctity with that honour which is fitting and I haue loued our Lord and Sauiour dwelling in thee Thus much briefly of S. Austin whose infinite paines labour and study besides his extraordinary holynes in his conuersation course of lyfe in writing of so many and so great Tomes with such wonderfull perfection of iudgment learning and all in defence of the Christian and Catholike Faith might seeme in the eye of many to be sufficient to expiate the temporall punishment due for his sinnes S. Gregory was our Apostle first planting Christianity in England and of that Piety as that M. Godwin the Protestant in his Catalogue of Bishops pag. 3. thus commendeth him That blessed holy Father S. Gregory To come to S. Bernard This blessed man as Osiander witnesseth in his Epitome p. 309. was an Abbot authour of many monasteries both in France Flanders instituting a Religious Order in Gods Church Yea he was eminent for working of Miracles of whom in regard of his piety of life euen D. Whitaker our Aduersary lib. de Eccl. pag. 338. thus celebrateth his worth Ego qui dem Bernardum verè fuisse sanctum existimo Now if these foure most worthy shining Lamps in the Church of God or rather so many bright stars in the celestiall Spheare remarkable for learning and more remarkable for piety and deuotion they spending their whole tyme in writing in defence of the true Religion be trāpling vnder their feet all temporall Honours and Preferments liuing most chastly in Purity of body wearing themselues out in Fasting Prayer and seuerely punishing their owne flesh Yf these men I say notwithstanding all this their rigorous course to flesh bloud did stand in such feare and horrour of the torments of Purgatory as we see aboue by their owne words and writings they did what then My deare Catholickes may be said of most of you who enioy the pleasures of the world pamper your bodies liue in great riches and abundance yet do thinke to escape the flames of that fyer what is this but madnes and incredible partiality in the highest degree you being thus become Parasytes to your owne selues in thus flattering your owne most fearefull state But it may be there are some of you who so you may enioy Heauen eternally in the end become thereby lesse carefull of preuenting the temporall paynes of Purgatory sleighting the consideration of them But S. Austin shall discouer this vanity who thus discourseth of this point serm 41. de sanctis Some vse to say I care not greatly how long soeuer I stay in passing this fyer seeing at the last I shall attayne to life euerlasting To which words S. Austin thus answereth But alas deare Brother Let no man say thus for that this Purgatory fyer is more sharpe then any punishment which in this lyfe can be seene imagined or felt And wheras it is said of the day of Iudgment That one day shal be as a thousand yeares and a thousand yeares as one day how doth any man know whether his passage through this fyer be for dayes months or perhaps yeares And he that will now be loath to put one of his fingers into burning fyer ought to feare the torment of that fyer though it were but for a litle tyme. Therefore let euery man labour with all his force that he may auoyde mortall sinnes which cast men into Hell and to redeeme lesser sinnes by good workes so as no part of them remayne to be consumed by that fyer And then a litle after in the same place Who commit litle and daily sinnes let them not cease daily to redeeme them with good works to wit by continuall Prayer frequent Fastings large Almes Thus this blessed Father seriously meditateth in the secret of his soule vpon this point What may we say of such men as read this and are nothing moued therewith Truly such men may be thought to haue but the outward shape or faces of men that is they weare fayre Cloaths they talke they walke togeather they busy their minds in needles toyes but as for the true vse of Reason wherein the essence of man consisteth so far forth as it may become seruicable to the aduancement and spirituall good of their soules they participate in their actiōs more with beasts who want soules then with Rationall Creatures A griefe not to
by cultiuating of diuers of these barrē places And how forcible would such pious endeuours be for the expiating of the relicks of your sinnes Therefore let not the Puritan Gentilmen and others exceed and ouergoe you in their Zeale towards God though Zeale not according to knowledg Rom. 10. in this point who are most liberall in maintaining of their Preachers and all to plant their Errours to the spirituall Danger of the soules of their credulous and ignorant Hearers But labour by secret meanes without contestation to the present state to which you ought euer to beare all duty and reuerence to supererogate with them in pious workes of this Nature An other point wherein we may well follow the steps of our Aduersaries is this The Protestant Gentlemen though of very great worth and Ranke do often send their yonger Sonnes to our English Vniuersities prouiding that they may become fellowes of Houses whos 's Terminus ad quem as I may say is finally to become Ministers and thereby to be promoted to great and rich Ecclesiasticall liuings in which store and abundance England exceedeth all Nations in Christendome Now to be emulous of our Aduersaries proceeding herein if Catholike Parents would seriously ponder this point no doubt they would be more carefull and willing to send ouer their yonger sonnes to Catholike Colledges beyond the Seas then they are not to become schollars only thereby to be aduanced to spirituall liuings an ouer vnworthy Allectiue but to become Priests that throgh sheeding of their bloud euen after an Apostolicall manner they may labour to reduce their owne Country to its former ancient Catholike and Roman Fayth Now such yonger Brothers of Catholikes which haue not their education abroad but only bred vp in England into what for the most part do they finally resolue They for example being left by their Parents Twenty or Thirty or perhaps forty pounds Annuity and sometimes lesse then any of these what course do most of these after their parents decease vsually vndergoe To be in seruice to any mā or Knight or Nobleman of worth or to be in any good employment abroad for their temporall aduancement many of them out of a long habituated idlenes and as being at their owne disposall and liberty will not And what then commonly do they Forsooth they rest content with their owne poore Annuities burdening commonly their Elder Brother if he be a man of a good and kind Nature for their diet and they rauell out their yeares walking vp and downe and domineiring among their Eldest Brothers Tenants and Neighbours with a Marlin or Sparhauke on their fist a Grey-hound or water spanell following them the very badge or armes of most yonger Brothers in diuers Shyres hiding themselues for the most part of the day in some base Ale-house and often becomming through dissolution of life Fathers before they be Husbands But in the end belike for feare their House from whence they descend should be extinct for wāt of Heires they marry their Sister-in-lawes wayting mayde or some other poore woman and then they beget a litter of Beggars both burdensome and dishonorable to their Family and Stock But now if we cast our eye vpon the other end of the ballance Yf such yonger sonnes of Catholike Parēts being of good wits were sent ouer in their Parents life time and that when their minds and wills were of a supple and waxen Disposition as not being acquainted afore through want of yeares with any sinne or Euill and ready to receaue the impression of Vertue learning how seruiceable to the Church of God in tyme might such men become For by this meanes of education many of them do vndergoe as we fynd by experience a most holy Function of life spending their whole age after in laboring to administer the Sacramēts of the Church to Catholikes in reducing diuers Protestants to the only true and Catholike Fayth and in daily praying offering vp the most Venerable Sacrifice of Christes body for the soules of their dead Parents and others their liuing or deceased Friends O quantum distat ortus ab occasu for so great is the Disparity betweene these two differēt courses of Yonger Brothers here set downe not only in the eye of God but euen in the eye of the world And heere by digression I will touch a little vpon the Daughters of Catholicke Gentle-men Heere in England diuers of them as well as the Daughters of Protestants take throgh a blind affection often cast vpō some base man or other a most vnworthy Course to the vnutterable griefe of their Parents and ouerthrow of their temporall state And if they be placed in mariage with their Parents consent answerably to their Degree yet if either the Husbands proue vnkind or in course of life vitious or their Children vntoward and licentious what a vexation is it then to the Parents And how do they languishingly spend their dayes in inconsolable sighs and sorrow But now if the said Daughters being in their Virginall tender and innocent age be brought vp in places of Religion and that through the speciall grace of God and meanes of ther daily education they proceed and become Religious women in the Church of God How ineffable a comfort may this be to their Catholike parents Since they then by these meanes freeing thēselues from all illaqueations and worldly entanglements shall bestow the greatest part both of Day and Night in performing singing Hymnes of Prayses to his Diuine Maiesty for the good of themselues their Friends To euery one of which at the Close of their lyfe may be said in the Catholicke Churches Dialect Veni sponsa Christi accipe coronam quam tibi Dominus praeparauit in aeternum in Collect Natalit Virg. Thus far of this point And I would to God that Catholicke Parents would apprehend this Paragraph or passage with a serious feeling consideration And thus far of these former Courses in imitating the examples of our Aduersaries which exāples were most worthy of all commendation being incorporated in an Orthodoxall Religion But yet heere in our Imitation of them I euer wish that what is attempted in this kind or els not to be attempted were performed as before I intimated with all sweetnes and moderation and withall dutifull Respect to the state of our Realme Since I hould it most repugnant to true Iudgment Religion to vndertake to put in practise orderly things by vnorderly meanes and therefore in all such our spirituall endeauours let vs remember to shew all duty and reuerence to the State and that it is recorded in sacred Writ Rom. 13. We are to be subiect to higher powers seeing there is no power but of God And there againe Who resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God In regard of which promptnes of our duty I hope these examples as being taken by imitation from the Protestants themselues will not be iustly offensiue to the graue Protestant Magistrate There
full of horrour and feare will result out of the said consideration And in like sort it is certaine that an earnest and intense consideration of the said point will ingender in vs a vehement desire of helping the said soules in Purgatory by satisfactory workes to wit Prayer Fasting Almes-deeds and chiefly by the most holy oblation and Sacrifice of our Lords body And indeed it is most admirable to obserue how gainfull a negotiation and this most iust may accrew vnto vs thereby And this spirituall negotiation may well be resembled to the proceeding of a man who should deliuer one and the same siluer vpon vsury to seuerall Merchants and yet should receaue a full and entyre Interest for one and the said Siluer from euery one of the Merchants Let vs explayne our selues in few words A man prayeth for the Dead attentiuely piously with fayth and great confidence of impetration and obtaining the thing prayed for This man so praying by way of merit purchaseth to himselfe the gayne of eternall felicity and happines since Prayer is a good worke in that respect deseruing eternall life if it proceed from Charity Of which gayne our Lord speaketh in the Ghospell in these words Matth. 6. Tu autem cum oraueris c. Thou when thou shalt pray enter into thy chamber and hauing shut the doore pray to thy Father in secret and thy Father who seeth thee in secret will repay thee To wit a Reward answerable to the merit Furthermore this praying for the Dead by way of satisfaction doth profit the departed soule in Purgatory for the which it is performed seeing Prayer is amongst others a laborious worke and therein it is satisfactory and consequently it is profitable for that soule to which it is applyed according to the intention of him that prayeth the Doctrine of the Church To conclude by way of impetration and humbly begging it profiteth the said departed soule whose freeing from Purgatory at least whose ease and mitigation of those paynes is therin beseeched and desired Since that for which Iust men pray to God through Christ is easely obtayned Our Lord himselfe saying Luc. 11. Petite accipietis c. Aske and you shall receaue and againe Marc. 11. Quicquid orantes petitis c. All things whatsoeuer you aske praying belieue that you shall receaue and they shall come vnto you And more Ioan. 16. Si quid petieritis c. Yf you aske the Father any thing in my name he shall giue it you Behould heere a threefould gayne proceeding from prayer made in behalfe of the soules departed But there may be adioyned a fourth benefit That is the soules for which we pray will not be vngratefull when they shall arriue into their heauenly Country but shall answere recompence our prayers with their like prayers in our behalfe To proceed Fasting being performed by vs and applyed for the deceased obtayneth a manifould gaine For first as a meritorious worke it is profitable to him who fasteth euen by the testimony of our Lord himselfe Matth. 6. Tu autem cum ieiunas c. When thou dost fast annoynt thy head and wash thy face that thou appeare not to men to fast but to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret will repay thee Fasting also as a satisfactory worke being applyed for the dead doth helpe the dead For not without iust cause did Dauid fast with all his retinue and trayne euen till night when he was aduertized of the ouerthrow of King Saul and Ionathas and of a great part of the people of God To conclude Fasting in an other manner profiteth the party so fasting to wit in that the soules of the departed when they shall ascend to Heauen will not be forgetfull of their Benefactours but will power out prayers for them and such their prayers as proceeding from true Charity shall be heard Now in this next place to come to Almes-deeds This kind of good Worke also is accompanied with a threefould gayne For first it profiteth the poore to which the Almes-deeds are giuen and maketh them to become our friends that so when we fayle they may receaue vs into eternall Tabernacles Luc. 16. Againe Almes-deeds being applyed for the vse of the soules departed do bring a refreshing and refocillation to the said soules and consequently make them also to become our friends who hauing a title to the Kingdome of Heauen will no doubt helpe vs with their holy Prayers and Intercessions Thirdly Almes-deeds do as I may say bynd God to be a debtour vnto vs for thus the Holy Ghost speaketh by the mouth of Salomon Qui miseretur pauperis foeneratur Domino Who taketh pitty of the poore doth put out his siluer to interest euen to our Lord. Prou. 19. And Christ confirmeth the same in the Gospell saying Matth. 6. Te faciente Eleemosynam c. When thou dost an Almes deed let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth that thy Almes-deed may be secret and thy Father which seeth in secret will repay thee To descend to the most blessed Sacrifice of Christs body bloud It is most cleare and euident that that oblation profiteth the party who offereth it vp as a guift most gratefull to God It profiteth the faithfull liuing as also the faithfull soules departed And that this is most vndoubtedly true appeareth from the many most credible Visions or apparitions manifesting that the faithfull soules in Purgatory do desire and expect nothing more then that the most celestiall oblation of the body and bloud of Christ may be offered vp for their refreshing or freeing them from their paynes Of which point read S. Gregory lib. 4. Dialogorum cap. 75. sequent Also the History of England writen by Venerable Bede lib. 5. cap. 13. In like sort the Epistle of Petrus Damianus ad Desiderium may be read finally the lyfe of S. Nicolaus Tolentinus in Surius tom 5. ad diem 10. Septembris For to this blessed Priest appeared once a great multitude of soules who with teares and most lachrimall voyces desired of him the celebration of the most holy Sacrifice as a principall Remedy for their paines in Purgatory Now from all the Premisses it is euident that we may receaue a most preciable and incomparable gayne if we daily powre out our prayers for the soules departed or if we do distribute Almes to the poore for the ease and refreshment of their paynes or if we do satisfy for the said soules either by our Fasting or other penitential works or finally do celebrate the most holy Sacrifice of the Masse for their deliuery out of Purgatory Thus far learned Bellarmine discourseth of this point Whose words I would desire euery good Catholicke Reader seriously to obserue But to enlarge my selfe a little further I could wish all of you of good states when iust occasiō is presented that you would be most bountifull in relieuing imprisoned Priests and poore imprisoned Catholiks
with so much feare and horrour all of them are present S. Gregory Nyssene thus expresly writeth Orat. Cathech c. 36. Fidelium corporibus c. That body meaning the body of Christ in the Sacrifice of the Masse is ioyned with the bodies of the faythfull that by the coniunction of the immortall body man may be made partaker of immortality S. Cyprian thus teacheth of the offering vp of the body and bloud of Christ in the holy Eucharist Serm. de coena Dom. Perpes est hoc sacrificium c. This is a daily Sacrifice and is a permanent or perpetuall Holocaust To conclude the forementioned S. Chrysostome thus writeth hom 2. in 1. ad Cor. Dum in hac vita sumus c. Whiles we are in this life this mistery of the Eucharist maketh that the earth it selfe is a Heauen to vs. And now hauing shewed out of the testimonies of the ancient Fathers the impreciable efficacy and vertue of the most Reuerend Sacrifice of Christs body and bloud for the spirituall good of mans Soule we may from thence conclude that the daily offering vp of the said most dreadfull Sacrifice cōsidering the worth of him there sacrificed is most auaylable behoofull both for the soules of men yet liuing thereby to arme and strengthen them with grace against all the temptations of the World and the diuell as also for the expiating of mans Sinnes in Purgatory Sweet Iesus no other impetration or prayer is more piercing in the eares of God then this since heere for remitting of our sinnes and regulating our actions for the tyme hereafter with diuine grace the Sonne pleadeth to the Father God to God And the same man is both the Priest and the Sacrifice Yea this most Reuerend Mystery of the Sacrifice of the Masse is the very center of Religion and hart of deuotion by meanes whereof his diuine Maiesty most bountifully imparteth and powreth out his fauours and graces to our soules So certaine and infallible it is that our Prayers made in Vnion of this diuine Sacrifice whether for our spirituall good during our Peregrination in this world or for the taking away of the paines of Purgatory haue an inexplicable power and efficacy And therfore those men are great Enemies to themselues and their Children who neglect this so soueraigne a meanes both for their owne their Childrens aduancement in sanctity and Vertue Yet before I end this discourse I must adioyne this ensuing Animaduersion that whereas most of the former examples of Good Workes aboue alledged instanced aime at great high points sorting only to such to performe whose temporall states are great and rich and to whom that admonition of S. Chrysostome aboue alledged peculiarly belongeth Non dare sed copiosè dare Eleemosyna est Neuerthelesse we are to conceaue that the Charity of such as be but poore in temporall faculties though neuer so small are most pleasing to his diuine Maiesty for the mitigating of the torments of Purgatory And in this sense we must vnderstand that euen the poore Widdow in the Ghospell who had but two mites gaue as much as Zachaeus who contributed the halfe of his great substance to the poore because though the widdow had lesser goods to giue yet she had the like will of giuing And though that which was seuerally giuen by them both were vnequall diuers yet the fountaine from whence they gaue to wit from a prompt and charitable disposition of relieuing the poore was the same And thus did it fall out that whereas the whole Widowes state was but small yet the part thereof giuen was great Since he giueth no litle who freely and cheerefully giueth a part of a little And therefore the foresaid S. Chrysostome accordingly thus teacheth Hom. 34. ad pop Antioch Eleemosinae magnitudo non in pecuniarum multitudine iudicatur sed in dantiū promptitudine With whom accordeth S. Leo ser 4. de Quadrag saying Ex affectibus piorum benignitatis mensura taxatur Well I will close vp this small Treatise with referring the Catholicke Reader to the practise of a skillfull Phisitian who can extract medicinable and healthfull Physick out of hurtfull and venemous drugs or hearbs So heere I most earnestly wish that all good Catholikes according to the different proportion of their states and power would in their owne life time for the preuenting or lessening of the torments of Purgatory put in daily practise that counsell of our Sauiour Luc. 16. Facite vobis amicos de Mammona iniquitatis vt cum defeceritis recipiant vos in aeterna tabernacula Make you friends of the Mammon of Iniquity that when you fayle they may receaue you into eternall Tabernacles FINIS God saue the King