before the face of the fire Deut. 4. Heb. 13.19 and for this we beg the mediation and intercession of the blessed Saints in heaven To the fifth To what you urge out of the Apostle to Timothy that there is but one Mediator I do acknowledge that there is but one Mediator of Redemption that is Jesus Christ because he alone redeemed Mankinde nor is there any other name under heaven by which we can be saved but that hinders not but that there may be more Mediators of intercession so then there is but one Mediator by Redemption as but one Saviour for he is the only good Shepherd who gave his life for his flock but there are more Mediators by intercession as the Scripture names more Saviours Mediators and Redeemers too Moses says of himself that he was set apart or chosen for a Mediator between God and the children of Israel Again he raised up a Redeemer Deliverer or Saviour to them one Othoniel Deut. 3. Judg. 3.9 Nehem. 9 Gen. 4.1 and Nehemiah tels us how God did raise unto the children of Israel Saviours and Pharoah calls Joseph a Saviour To the sixth I say that as to the injury which you pretend done to God by the invoking of his Saints I have sufficiently answered already in my return to your first Arguments for the injury which you alledge done to Christ I answer in like manner if this be a good consequence Christ is our only Mediatour therefore we do an injury to him to invoke the Saints in heaven then this must be likewise a good Argument therefore it is injurious to Christ to invoke the Saints upon earth and that you all are guilty of praying one another to pray for you and doubtless you do not do amiss in it Again if we shew our diffidence and distrust in Christs Mediation by invoking the Saints in heaven then it will follow likewise that you diffide in Christs mediation by invoking one another or any Saints upon earth As for your supposition which indeed is the strength of your Argument that the Saints in heaven do not hear our prayers nor know what is done amongstâ—ns and therefore must be much less able to help us and as to the places of Scripture which you pretend to bring to that purpose I answer that they all signifie nothing for here we speak not of those who in the time of the Old Testament were either in Hell or in the Limbus that was appointed for them but of the Saints that since the time of the New Testament are in heaven we may safely grant that all those were ignorant of what was done here bua that proves nothing as to these last beattifi'd souls in heaven And yet I know you 'l be importunate to know how the Saints should be capable to hear our prayers and understand our inward affections and desires I would ask you again how the Saints in this life can know the secrets of other mens counsels and contrivances 1 Sam. 19. Samuel knew all things which were in the heart of Saul and told him all that was in his heart 2 Kings 5.26 2 Kin. 6.33 Did not Elishah know all things that were done by his servant that was at a great distance from him and so the same Prophet knew all the secret Counsels of the King of Syria Dan. 2.26 Did not Daniel know the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and the interpretation of it before he sent to him and did not the Apostle Saint Peter know the hidden fraud and close collusions of Ananias and Saphira And to conclude I would fain know what things were they which were hidden from the Prophets though never so close from the eyes of men And can these things be done on earth and not possibly be done in heaven Now that this veneration or invocation of Saints is expresly commanded in Scripture I cannot say nor see any reason that it should be first it could not be well in the old Testament where the people were so prone to idolatry and the Patriarchs besides were but in a Limbus Esay 63. reposed till our Saviours triumphant entry into heaven so they could not be beatified or made capable of hearing of prayers of men and therefore it was said Abraham knows us not and Israel does not acknowledge us Again under the Gospel it was not absolutely commanded least the Gentiles that were newly turned from Paganisme should believe that they were brought again to the worship of earthly gods for that was their use to worship their deified persons not as Patrons but as very Gods indeed as at Lyraania they would have sacrificed to Paul and Barnabas Besides if the Apostles and Evangelist had taught expresly that the Saints are to be prayed to it might have been thought as a piece of arrogance in them as if they had been after death ambitious of that honour to be done to them The holy Spirit therefore would not by express Scripture teach this doctrine of veneration and invocation of Saints but the Church being once establisht quickly found by the Miracles and succours that those Saints performed to men that they were to be worshipt and invoked with prayers that they would please to pray for us and this is a worship far different from that which we pay to God therefore no way prejudicial to the divine Majesty no though express Scripture as I said we have none for this yet very much inclining to and favouring of our purpose That the saints the freinds of God are to be implored that they will please to intercede for us I prove by express Scripture thus Our Saviour in S. Johns Gospell saies thus if any man serve me John 12.26 him will my Father honor if therefore God does honor his saints why should not we mortalls give honour to them Our Saviour saies again in S. Mat. 25.40 Mathews Gospell verily I say unto you insomuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my bretheren ye have done it unto me the honour therefore that is given to the saints of God he takes as done unto himself We finde in Job how Eliphaz saies to him Call now if there be any that will answer thee Job 5.1 and to which of the saints wilt thou turn which words though Eliphaz spoke yet Job reprehends them not but takes it as wholsome councell from his freind Again in another place Job 42.1 9 10. the Lord himself saies go to my servant Job and my servant Job shall pray for you for him will I accept least I deal with you after your folly c. so they did as the Lord commanded them the Lord also accepted Job and the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his freinds c. Then we finde how Absalon after he was reconciled to his father 2 Sam. 14.28 staid two years in Jerusalem before he saw his fathers face so a sinner though reconsiled to God will not
in the way with him least at any time the adversary deliver thee to the Judge and the Judge deliver thee to the officer and thou be cast into Prison verily I say unto thee thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing This prison our Saviour speaks of has been always received by the Church for Purgatory Again our Saviour says in S. Mat. 12.32 Matthews Gospel that whosoever speaketh against the holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come By which it is manifest that some sins are to be purged and forgiven in the next world S. Paul is likewise very plain in this in his Epistle to the Philippians Phil. 2.10 wherein he tells them that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth Here are cleerly three sorts of persons spoken of as for those under the earth it is impossible should be meant of those in hell no the damned souls are so far from paying a reverence to the name of Jesus that they are always busie in blaspheming of it it must then of necessity be the faithful souls that are in Purgatory In the like manner we finde in the Revelation of S. Revel 5.13 John how the Apostle saw every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and sea and all that are in them and heard them saying blessing hnour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Now observe how the Apostle makes a threefold order of the prayers of God first of the blessed in heaven then of the righteous upon earth than of those that remain to be purged under the earth and it must be so understood for the damned in hell as I said before are so far from praysing and glorifying of God and blessing him that fits upon the Throne that their malice does wholely imploy it self in cursing and blaspheming of his divine Majesty and all the blessed souls with him Again 2 Mach. 15. Mat. 17. Mark 9. Luke 9.24 a great evidence of the truth of Purgatory and a convincing one indeed may be taken from the frequent apparitions of many departed souls to pass by those in the Machabees of Onias and Hieremias that appeared to Judas we finde that Moses and Elias did appear to Christ when he was transfigured and the disciples themselves after the resurrection of our Saviour when he appeared to them thought that they had seen a spirit which they would never have thought unless they had known that the spirits of some departed did make usual apparitions now granting such a thing as the apparition of a spirit which I take to be already proved it must follow that those souls must be reposed in some place that is not in heaven for then they would never wander here to so great a loss nor can they be in hell from whence there is no redemption Again we finde the Theif upon the Cross saying to our Saviour Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom which he had never said but that he thought that Jesus Christ had a power to pardon sins after this Life S. Paul likewise was certainly of this opinion where he tells the Corrinthians thus else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead which plainly shews that it was a practised course amongst the Christians then to undertake duties and voluntary afflictions in the behalf of the dead which sure was imagined to be for their advantage and yet you think much to pray for them Now the reason of all this is very cleer for we know that a man who sins mortally may have the mortality of that sin forgiven him and consequently be freed from the guilt of eternal punishment and yet may be obnoxious to some temporal penalties which if he does not satisfie in this life he must expect to do it in the next As for example we see a King does often pardon an offender his life which he has forfeited to the Law and deserved to loose and yet he may inflict banishment or imprisonment upon the same person and this very course we finde taken by God in Scripture Num. 20 12. Deut. 32.48 2 Sam. 12.13 14. 2 Sam. 24.10 First we see the sin of unbelief forgiven by God to Moses and Aaron that is as to the eternal punishment and yet they were punisht with a temporal death Again we finde King David after he had obtained a pardon for his fins of Adultery and Murder was punisht yet with the death of his son nay after the prophet Nathan had declared that the Lord had put away his sin he should not dye yet his son must and again the same King David for his sin of pride in numbring the people was pardoned as to the eternal guilt and yet we see what a temporal punishment followed upon it and he was forced to choose one of the three Plagues for it I might be infinite in examples of the like kinde but I have something else to say to this point so must not insist too long in that particular of it We know again that a righteous man may sometimes happen to dye with a great many venial sins about him especially if he be prevented with any sudden death so cannot possibly have time enough to bethink himself much less to repent of them so must still remain obnoxious to the temporal punishment that is due to those sins certainly in such a case that person cannot be admitted into the joyes and glory of heaven till he be freed from those venial sins and the guilt of that temporal punishment that is due for them So we finde in the Revelation that there shall in no wise enter into it Rev. 21.27 any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye c. now such a person is possible to be and we may very well suppose it that he cannot be freed in this life therefore after it it must be nor can this be in Heaven or in Hell therefore it must be in Purgatory Over and above all this the undeniable practise of the Church in praying for the dead is a most invincible argument for Purgatory and no man can deny but that custome is much ancienter than Christianity and has continued ever since That it was ancienter then Christianity we finde in the Machabees which book though you shut out of the Cannon of holy Scripture with as much reason as you do other things yet you allow it more credit than any ordinary Author 2 Mach. 12.43 44 45. how then should it fail so grossy as to make a lye in matter of fact as well as matter of faith We are told there of a sacrifice offered for the
grace But howsoever the institution of our Saviour I 'm sure could not be without it Matth. 19.1.6 and first he is pleased to repeat the words of the first Institution For this cause shall a man leav his Father mother shall cleave to his Wife and they twain shall be one flesh wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh What therefore God hath joynd together let no man put asunder Now if God hath joyndthemtogether it must be a divine conjunction and that cannot possibly be without divine grace But this is most fully exprest by St Paul to the Ephesians thus Wives submit your selves to your own Husbands as unto the Lord for the Husband is the head of the Wife even as Christ is the head of the Church and he is the Saviour of the body therefore as the Church is subject to Christ Ephes 5.22 23 225 so let the Wives be to their own Husbands in every thing Husbands love your Wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it c. And then concludes for this eause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joyned with his Wife and they two shall be one flesh This is a great Mystery or Sacrament chuse you which Here the Apostle clearly proclaims it a Sacrament because the Conjunction of man and wife is the visible sign of that Sacred Conjunction between Christ and his Church Again to the Hebrews he says thus Marriage is honourable in all and the bed undefiled Heb. 13.4 but Wheremingers and Adulterers God will judge Now if there were not a divine and Sacramentall grace in marriage how could the Bed be undefiled Again to the Corinthians he adviseth every one to have his own Wise 1 Cor. 7.2 for the avoyding of Formeation yet it is not to be supposed that any man by the help of a Wife onely be she what she can be of virtue and beauty can be capable to avoyd Fornication without the said Sacramentall Grace Again to the Thessalonians thus 1 Thes 1. Let every one amongst you know how to possess his Vessells in sanctification and honour now sanctification we know cannot be without divine grace Then he tells Timethy that a woman shall be saved by Childbearing if she remain in saith and love now to beget children without the grace of this Sacrament would be more probably occasion of damnation than salvation Then again to the Corinthians he saith 1 Cor. 7.12 13 14 If any brother hath a wife that believeth not and she be pleased to dwell with him let him not put her away And the woman which hath a busband that believeth not and if he be pleased to dwell with her let her not leave him For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband else were your children unclean but now are they holy which must needs be understood as by the grace of this holy Sacrament I shall conclude all concerning this Prov. 19. with what the wise King Solomon tells us that a house and riches we have from our Parents but a prudent wife is from the Lord. Thus we must acknowledg God to be the immediate Authour of Marriages as we say matches are made in heaven and by the grace of this Sacrament onely to be made happy That extream Vnction is a Saeroment likewise and a visible sign of an invisible grace I prove by ezpress Scripture thus We find in Saint Markes Gospell how our Saviour called unto him the twelve Mark 6 7 8.9 10 11 12 13. and began to send them out by two and two and gave them power over unclean Spirits c. And after he had given them their mission fully with orders how to behave themselves in their business we find that they went out accordingly and Preached that men should repent and they cast out many Devills And then anointed with Oyle many that were sick and healed them This it is not to be thought that they did this upon their own heads but by their Masters command by whose power they did those mighty works and having his command sure then none can deny but it was his Institution Then this Sacrament is so loudly proclaimed by Saint James that I admire how any Christian can believe in Scripture and doubt the other It any sick among you says the Apostle James 5.14 15. let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him anointing him with Oyle in the Name of the Lord c. and if he have committed sinns they shall be forgiven him Here is plainly a most visible sign and as plainly a most extraordinary grace accompanying it that is to say remission of sins Thus you may clearly see how extream Unction is a Sacrament of our Saviours own Institution or at least plainly impli'd to have been instituted by him and that by the action of the Twelve Apostles before his face whilst he was upon earth and at large declar'd to be so by the express words of one of the Twelve that is Saint James Over and above this we have the universall tradition of the Church of Christ that in these matters of faith we know cannot erre and that alone indeed might have been a sufficient proofe of the verity of it if our Saviour himself his Apostles and Evangelists had been silent in it The truth is that the Evangelists being to write in short for if they had writ at large the whole world had not been able to contain the books that might have been written as Saint John tells us of the Acts and words of our Saviour Jesus Christ made it their principall care to deliver punctually to us onely those things that were most highly necessary to our salvation as we see how amply they have set down the Sacraments that were absolutely necessary as Baptisme Pennance and Eucharist and as for confirmition and extream Unction they do not so much as insist upon because they are not of absolute necessity to salvation though they are very great expedients towards it the one to confirm us in grace after Baptism the other to remove the reliques of sin after a hearty repentance And it is the opinion of the learned in this point that the benefit of this Sacrament is such that a penitent with attrition onely receiving this Sacrament receives likewise such a grace along with it that by virtue of it his sins though mortall may be forgiven him Thus I conceive enough said as to this and all the rest of your last paper and when you please I am ready for another and to serve you with any thing that may lye within the power of Your faithfully loving and true friend M. This paper my Lady had no sooner dispatcht but she sent it away by one of her servants sealed up and by him she roceived this Answer Madam I have received your Ladyships Letter and Paper
inclosed for which I teturn my most humble thanks and instead of another which you seem to require of me I have sent you two herein inclosed the one to shew you the superstition Idolatry and Will-worship of your Church the other to convince you of the Pride Arrogancy Tyranny and Usurp'd power of it which when your Ladyship hath been pleased to peruse and as well as you can to answer I shall summe up all that you have said rogether and make a short rejoynder to the whole of your replies for I am refolved to trouble your Ladyship with no more Papers so praying God for your Ladyships good health both of Body and Soul I take leave to remain Madam Your Ladyships most assured faithfull servant N. My Lady upon the return of her servant opening the Packet that Mistress N. had sent back to her found the Papers inclosed whereof the first was to this effect as followeth That which your Church teacheth concerning the invocation of Saints is a Doctrine very injurious to God and yet not more prophane then superstitious and impertinent and that I will prove thus 1. Jesus Christ our blessed Saviour with God the Father God the Holy Ghost Holy Trinity in Unity three Persons and one God alone is all-sufficient alone is most liberall and alone is most mercifull and who alone loves us more than all the Saints There is not a Christian living that I think dares deny a word of this if there should be such a monster a were easie to prove every word of it by express Scripture who can think it rationall then to invoke any other thing and besides that this all-bountifull all-mercifull all-powerfull most good most gracious and most loving Lord God has not onely enjoin'd us but importun'd us to pray to him and him alone promising to hear and grant our requests and that I prove by most express Scriptures thus 2. First by the Gospells it is most clear our Saviour in Saint John assures it with a Verily verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you John 16.23 24. and then in the next verse Ask and ye shal receive thus it is but asking of God and having and yet you must think fit to go about by the Saints 3. Then in Saint Lukes Gospel we find and I say unto you ask and it shall be given you Luke 11.9.10 11 12 13. seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you For every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened Then by the paralel of God with a good Father granting his childs requests he concludes how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Again what you ask in prayet believing ye shall receive as Saint Matthews Gospell tells Matth. 2. with an infinity of other places too many to repeat to that purpose wherefore Saint Paul most pithily concludes Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need 4 The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 1.3 that God is the Father of mercies and the Lord of all comforts who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selvs are comforted of God c. If all our comfort then be from God had we not better make our address to him that we know is the fountain of all Grace than to the Saints who can have nothing but what they derive from him 5. The same Apostle tells Tymothy plainly that there is but one Mediatour between God and men and that is Christ Jesus what an offence then must it needs be to God to make more Mediators that is the Saints Then we finde frequently in Scripture that he alone maketh intercesion for us as in Isaiah that he makes intercession for transgressors 1 Tim. 2.5 Isai 53.12 Rom. 8.26.24 Heb. 7.25 and Saint Paul tells us that he ever liveth to make intercession for us And again who always maketh intercession for us why should we date to make more intercessors that is the Saints 6. In fine to summe up all in short your Doctrine of invocacion of the Saints is highly injurious to God who is a jealous God and will onely be worship'd It is injurious to Jesus Christ who is the onely Mediatour between God and man Thirdly it is injurious to our selves for it is an argument of a diffidence and distrust in God when we fly to the Saints for succour and then lastly it is an impertinent and unprofitable piece of devotion because the Saints in heaven neither do nor can hear our prayets nor know our wants or what is done here amongst us as Job tells us Job 24.21 Eccles 9.5 his sons came to honor and he knoweth it not Ecclesiastes assures us that the living know that they shall dye but the dead know not any thing and the Prophet Isaiah yet more plainly Isai 63.16 doubtlessthou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel do not acknowledge us c. Thus it is plain that the Saintf in heaven are incapable to know our wants or hear our prayers much less to help us That your Doctrine of Veneration of Images is an abominable Idolatrcus Dactrine and prejudicial to divine Worship I prove Thus. First out of the plain words of the Commandement Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven Image Exod. 20.4 5. Deut. 4.5 2â— or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the waterunder the earth thou shalt notbow down thy self to them nor serve them c. The same thing is repeated at the latter end of Exâ—dus and in severall places of Deuteronomy and in many other places of the Old Testament 2. Again we find how good Hezekiah 2 King 18.4 removed the high places and brake the Images and brake in pieces the beazen Serpent that Moses had made c. Yet your Religion strives to restore to Christians that kind of worship 3 How well our Saviour is pleased with that kinde of Worship Joh. 22 23 24. you may see in Saint John's Gospell where our Saviour says ye worship ye know not what c. But the hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seekes such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth Now I would feign know what a Spirit hath to do with Images or how can the worship of Images be thought a spiritual worship 4 Over and above the danger of Idolatry and many unclean thoughts that may be occasioned by Images I shall onely add this
all that are bitten by the devil As to the breaking of it by Hezekiah I have hinted already that the end for which it was made ceased it was of no use longer then the children of Israel were in the wildernes for there was no more danger of Serpents in the land of promise But the image of Christ Crucified is made to this end to represent to us our bleeding Saviour and to call to minde those benefits that we receive by that his bitter death and passion now this end must last till the end of the world therefore his image is still to be retained and kept with honour for ever 2 King 8 Besides the brazen Serpent after the end of its making ceased began to be as a foresaid an occasion of Idolatry which the image of Christ cannot be amongst us Christians for we know it is set up to no other intent of purpose then to represent our Saviour and his benefits to us Again Levi. 26.1 Josh 24.26 we finde in Leviticus forbidden to make idols or graven images nor to rear up a standing image nor to set up any graven stone in the land and yet we finde that Joshua took a great stone and set it up there under an oak that was by the Sanctuary of the Lord and so the Altar that was built by the children of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh was permitted to them though contrary to their Law so soon as they had satisfied their brethren Iosh 22. that there was no intention of Idolatry in their so doing and in the like maner did Samuel which I have before insisted upon Again if to set up Images in the house of God had been absolutly Idolatry 1 Kings 7 would Solomon have done it Nay it was done by Gods own order so many Lions Oxen and Cherubims and all carrying a divine morall or signification with them had never sure been set up in that glorious Temple the beloved house of God if they had not been as well usefull as lawfull and specious And so let the use remain in the name of God and the abuse be taken away In the last place I beseech you tell me now if that Scripture and the whole Church were filent in this case by what reason you proceed when you endeavour with so much charge and artifice to paint adorne and preserve the statues and Pictures of Princes and great persons the pictures of Parents Children husbands and wives you will not deny but this you do and you think well done too What madness therefore must it needs appear to be in you to contemn the picture of Christ Spit upon his Images or throw durt in the faces of them beat e'm down abolish or exterminate them would not any indifferent person say that sees those actions that you have a greater kindness for a parent kinsman child or freind then you have for your Crucified God I must tell you that a good honest Pagan would blush and be troubled at it a good Jew would no doubt be pleased at the action yet angry with all those that did it and none but the Devil could rejoyce and make sport with it I am sure I pitty it as the action of poor blind men that are led by those that are willfully blind that is blinder than themselves To what you are pleased to alledge against our doctrines of Indulgencies Purgatory and prayer for the dead I answer thus To the first Now first as to the matter of Indulgencies you say you have but one blow to give me but that must be a mortall one and that must be out of S. Paul to the Romans well I shall freely and humbly grant all that the holy Apostle saies that nothing that we suffer heer can be compared to the glory that we are to receive by his favour heâ—reafter But you must understand that as the works of Jesus Christ upon earth so are those of his saints heer as well satisfactory as mertorious For he merited both for himself us For himself he merited because by the humility of his passion he merited the glory of his Resurrection for so S. Paul tells us Phil. 2.9 10. that being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name c. Then he merited for us Rom. 5.17 18 19. as S. Paul declares to the Romans for if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by Jesus Christ therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life for as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous c. For all this his works were meritorious Now they were satisfactory not for his own sins because he had non as S. Peter tells us Who did no sin 1 Pet. 2.22 Esay 5.4.5 6. Ephes 5.2 1 Pet. 2.24 neither was guil found in his mouth but for our sins as is apparent out of scripture he was wounded for our transgression and brused for our iniquities the chastisment of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all c. therefore S. Paul tells us that he hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour and S. Peter saies that his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness by whose stripes we are healed 1 John 2 2. and S. John assures us that he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours onely but also for the sins of the whole world just so we are to conceive of the works and sufferings of the saints which as they are meritorious are more then enough and infinitly beyond their merit remunerated as the Apostle whom you so urge does diliver to us But as they are satisfactory for punishment we do finde that there are many saints who have satisfyed and suffered more than they ought to have done for their own sins as is plain in holy Job Job 6.2.3 in whose book and divers others of holy writ it is said that he suffered much more than he deserved and S. Paul speakes it most plainly of himself Colos 1.24 thus who now rejoyce in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bâ—dies sake which is the Church Can any thing be more plain than this for the doctrine
of Indulgence that the residue of his satisfaction and sufferings should be added to the sufferings of Christ and applyed to the body of Christ that is his Church out of the treasury of Indulgencies And sure this satisfaction of the saints does turn to their greatest glory As for example if the satisfaction and suffering of Laâ—erence does pay the punishment due to John being a penitent will not Laurence have a kinde of additionall joy in heaven for that his satisfaction has paid for his brother John and so the works of the saints as they are sattisfactory and penall are perfectly remunerated to the Saints in that others enjoy the benefit of them being aplyed by the Churches indulgencies And this you may please to accept not onely for a sufficient answer but also a reply as to this particular To what you are pleased to alledge against our doctrine of Purgatory I answer thus To the first I grant that which those texts you urge requir which is that after the day of judgement there shall be but too places for those which are grown in years and that is all which can be enforced out of those Texts But as yet there are as also ther were in the old Testament more places or receptacles for souls And truly granting that there were but too I would fain have you or any man to tell me where the fouls of those were who died and were afterwards raised again to life I would fain know I say how the son of the widow of Sarepta was raised by Elias how the Shunamites son was raised by Elisha how the Son of the widdow in Naim and the daughter of Jarus the Ruler of the synagoge and Lazarus in Bethâ—ny were raised by Jesus Christ how Tabitha was raised by S. Peter and Euâ—yous by S. Paul I would fain know I say where the souls of these persons were between the time of their death and there raising to life They could not be in Hell for from thence there is no redemption Nor in heaven for then it had been so far from being a benefit as it would have proved a loss if from the joys beatitudes there they should return to miserable mortal life It must then follow of necessity that they were in some third place distinct from heaven and from Hell so call it what you will your argument is answered To the second I answer and grant what you collect out of those Scriptures which you quote that the righteous after this life ended are presently admitted into heavenly glory but I must tell you not all the righteous neither who leave nothing to be purged out of them after this life they questionless are admitted presently into heaven But they that have any thing to be expiated left in them shall be admitted in Gods good time but so as by fire as the Apostle tells us Nor are your testimonies out of Scripture any thing importing to the contrary Fâ—r that to day shalt thou be with 〈◊〉 in Paradice was a singular thing and particular priviledge indulged to the good Theife to whom Christ did most liberally forgive all his sins without any further obligation of temporall punishment after death â—ut this is not granted to all no more than the priviledge of one is to be drawn into a president for another Then out of that Text I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ nothing else can be collected then that the Apostle had a great desire to live with Christ which desire you and I may likewise have especially if we can truly say with the same Apostle I do chastise my body and bring it into subjection Such a mortification as that on earth may give us indeed a present life in heaven which God of his mercy grant us both and all the world besides if so be it may confist with his blessed will To what you say against our doctrine of praying for the dead which is a consequence of Purgatory I answer thus To the first To what you alledge out of the Prophet Jeremy I answer that the Prophet Jeremy does not speake it absolutly of all the dead but of one onely that was the King Joachas who died in captivity in Egypt so saith the Prophet Weep not for the dead neither bemoane him but weep for your following Kings undâ—er whom you are to suffer greater Tribullation To the Second I grant that Christ did forbid the widdow to weep for her Son but it was because he was immediately to raise him from the dead so she was not to weep for him as dead but to be comforted for the miraculous life which he was to receive I must profess that I see not a word against Purgatory or prayer for the dead in all this To the Third and Last I say that which you bring so confidently out of S. Paul as a most invinsible and unanswerable argument give me leave to tell you comes off but very lamely for you for the words of the Text do sufficiently cleer themselves that ye sorrow not for those that sleep as others which have no hope so we agree that to weep for the dead out of any dispaire of a future resurrection is so far from being the practice of our Church that we hold it to be a sin or to weep for a dead friend out of diffidence that we shall never see him again or a fear that we have for ever lost him is very injunious to God and Christianity but when we weep adâ—prayers to our tears in the behalf of our dead friends we are so far from weeping as those without hope that we testify our Christian Confidence and assurance in the Security of his condition for being in Purgatory he is sure of salvation though he may stay some time for it to pay the temporall punishment there due for his sins heer That there is a third place which we call Purgatory and that the prayers of the faithfull upon earth are very helpfull to them I prove thus First we finde it delivered at large by S. 1 Cor. 3.12 13 14 15. Paul in these words Now if any man build upon this foundation gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble every mans work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every mans work of which sort it is if any mans work shall be burnt he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire Here it is most plain that though a man do works to be burnt as shall appear in the day of every mans particular judgement that is his death yet he shall be saved by fire that cannot be meant of infernal fire for from thence there is no redemption it must be then understood of Purgatory Our Saviour in the Gospels implys Purgatory plainly though under a Parable in these words Matth. 5.25.26 Luke 12.38 Agree with thine adversary quickly whilest thou art
dead and that he sent two thousand Drachmes of silver to Jerusalem to offer a sin-offering doing therein very well and honestly in that he was mindeful of the resurrection for if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead and also in that he perceived that there was a great favour laid up for those that dyed godly it was a holy and good thought whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead and that they might be delivered from sin 2 Tim. 1.16 18. But if you will deny the authority of this book you will not sure deny that of S. Paul who prays for the whole household of Onesiphorus some whereof were dead in all probability and Onesiphous himself dead in history before the writing of that Epistle wherefore he prays to the Lord to give mercy unto them and that Onesiphorus himself may finde mercy of the Lord in that day it is plain from hence that there is a capacity for mercy at the lastday by consequence therefore there must be a third place that is nesther Heaven nor Hell and so by consequence again prayer for the dead must be a a very good devotion and available to the case and release of those poor souls And to this truly if all Scripture were perfectly silent the practise of the Church of Christ has been cleer and universal that no prudent Christian can deny his assent if he be not resolved to shake the very foundations of Christianity it self which the gates of bell shall never prevail against Thus my Lady having dispatcht her answer and replies to this paper made hast to open the next which she found to this purpose following Madam this is the last paper that I shall be bold to offer to your Ladiship which indeed might have served for all the rest for it striks at the very root of all your Religion and what a pitiful weak and sandy foundation you have you shall see if you shall please impartially to confider what followes That your Pope or Bishop of Rome is not nor can be head of the Church of Christ nor S. Peter successor as you pretend nor has any priminary or superiority over other Bishops I prove out of Scripture thus 1 S. Rom. 12.5 Paul tells the Romans plainly that we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another Heer the Apostle acknowledgeth no head but Christ and concludes Peter to be as much a member as any one of the faithfull and that not onely in respect of Christ we are members but in respect of our selves is cleer by those words every one members one of another so that Peter Pope or Bishop be he what he will is not onely a member of the body of the Church as he has relation to Christ the head but as he does relate to the other faithfull members 2 Again as the head and the other members make up one entire naturall body 1 Cor. 12 so Christ and his Church make up one entire mysticall body which is so made up of head and members as the Apostle tells us therefore all others besides Christ who is the head are but members of the body of the Church and none but Christ can be the head of the Church 3 We finde in the Gospells Math. Mark Luke John that Jesus Christ does equally commend the care of his Churh to all his Apostles for he said to all the rest as well as Peter as the father sent me so send I you again go ye and teach all Nations c. then again we know that he did teach and instruct them all equally and sent the holy Ghost to them all equally and indifferently at the time of Pentecost therefore Peter had no priveledge nor prehemminence over the rest 4 S. Gal. 2.11 Paul tells us that when Peter was come to Antioch he withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed therefore Peter was not then taken for the head of the Church For S. Paul had he beleived that would not have shewed such arrogancy and perversness as to resist the head of the Church in such an open manner 5. Then it is manifest that the Church of Christ could not be built upon the person of Peter for then the gates of Hell had prevailed against it and him when he was terrified from his faith by the voice of a silly wench And so by consequence it cannot be built upon his successors who are dayly guilty of such personall crimes 6 Again we finde that the Church of Christ is built upon a Rock and that Rock was Christ 1 Cor. 3. 1 Cor. 10 therefore it could never be understood of Peter for another foundation can no man lay besides that which is already laid as the Apostle tells us 7 Then it is very disputable whether Peter was ever at Rome and sure we are out of Scripture that he was eighteen years at least after our Saviours passion in and about Jerusalem where was then the Romane Church 8 Then again how could Peter be the Rock upon which he would build his Church when our Saviour himself said to him Mat. 16. get thee behind me satan he never intended sure satan should be the head of his Church as it is too much to be feared he makes himself now to be of yours 9 We cannot finde that S. Peter did ever exercise any power or jurisdiction over the other Apostles Acts 8. but they did plainly over him when they sent him and John into Samaria 10 Again Peter knew fullwell that such a power or superiority was expresly forbiden by our Saviour himself Mat. 20.25 Mark 10.46 Luke 22.24.25 in all the Gospeles you know saith he that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentils exercise Lordship over them and their great ones exercise authority upon them but so shall it not be amongst you but whosoever will be great amongst you shall be your Minister who soever of you will be the cheifest shall be servant of all All which our Saviour spok rebuke a strife that was amongst them who should be the greatest Nay it is plain by the Text in all those Gospells that it is onely for the Kings and rulers of the Earth to take upon them power and Authority Bishops therefore of the Church have nothing to do with it therefore not the Pope 11 Nay our Saviour shews such a detestation of this affected superiority that he rebukes the Diciples for it and warnes them against it in severall other places of the Gospells and set a little child before them and tellls them Mot. 18.4 Mark 9.46 that whoosever shall humble himself as that little child the sames is greatest in the Kingdome of heaven c. How well your Pope is an immitator of Jesus Christ and follower of his commands I will leave your self to judge who takes upon him
advice and assistance in the management of hir further discourses with my Lady The Doctor was at this time fallen into some indisposition of body notwitnstanding he took the pains to look hastily over them and then called his wife to him and told her after this manner Indeed sweet-heart you have done very ill to engage your self in any business of this nature without my knowledge and approbation for what you have said or done amiss in it wil be all imputed to me though utterly ignorant and innocent in the matter And I must tell you that you have ventured very boldly upon some main points in which the most learned Doctors in the world are yet to seek for satisfaction and again give me leave to tell you that you charge the Church of Rome with some things that the Church of England does not and so instead of healing up those breaches that are betwixt us which should be all our endeavours to do you have made the wounds wider and differences greater then indeed they are and that truly is no small fault amongst us all Then last of all I fear you have hazarded much of that good opinion that my Lady had of us by entring the list with her upon this occasion and that interest we had in her was not a little considerable being so excellent a neighbour and especiall a friend as she has always been to us so for my part I will have nothing to do in the business but as you begun you shall e'n make an end without me but if you must needs be scribling of controversie and dabling in divinity I 'le let you a task and you may offer it to my Lady if you please and you are both I perceive so good Scripturists as that I may entrust you with it it is a Paper that I received from Mr. R. the grand Patriarch of all the Anabaptist in these parts I will write a Letter to my Lady to beg her excuse of me for not waiting on her Ladyship at dinner Mr is N. not a little troubled to finde no better acceptation of her zealous and painful endeavours for my Ladies conversion yet being unwilling to move her husband further at that time took the Anabaptists paper from him so left him to his other studies and she betook her self to her houshold occasions The next morning early she made her self ready to wait on my Lady that she might have some private discourse with her Ladyship before dinner so calling for her husbands letter she took her walk and comming to my Ladies house she found her in her Kitchin giving orders about dinner and directing her servants how to employ themselves in the other affairs of her family My Lady begging pardon for her being surprized in that place and posture took Mrs. N. along with her to her chamber where after she had delivered her husbands letter they fell to read the Anabaptists paper which when they had done my Lady willingly undertook the task to joyn with her in the answer but what shall we doe with the Latine that is here said my Lady O for that Madam replyed Mrs. N. my husband will direct us and has promised us all his assistance in this though he does not approve our other disputes at all Nay further he sayes that when we have answered in our way he will answer it too in his Well then replied my Lady we will not trouble him till we have done for I have a Kinsman in my house that will be able to give us the English of his Latine and so they fell to work immediately and in two or three meetings more they made an end of the business in this manner as followeth That to build or to use Steeple-houses which you call Churches in the service of God is altogether unlawfull much more to beautifie or adorn them and to give priviledges lands or possessiens to them or to the persons of your Churchmen but that we are all Priests equally and that your Canonical hours and prayers in those Churches are utterly unlawfull too I prove by Scripture thus 1. FIrst we find that Stephen in the latter end of his Sermon and in the words foregoing his death expresly declares against the vanity of all Temples or Churches call them what you please Acts 7.48 49 50. and quotes the Prophet for it Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in Temples made with hands as saith the Prophet Heaven is my Throne and earth is my footstool what house will ye build me saith the Lord or what is the place of my rest hath not my hands made all these things c. From hence it is plain that God delights not in any of your Steeple-houses Again we find Paul as plainly declaiming against the Idolatry of all Steeple-houses assuring the Athenians Acts 17.24 25. that God that made the world and all things therein seeing that he is Lord of Heaven and earth dwelleth not in Temples made with hands neither is he worshipt with mens hands c. Thus you see how in the begining of Christianity there were not onely no steeple-houses but by Scripture expresly forbiden that there should be any 3. The Apostle Paul bids us again 1 Tim. 2. to pray always in all places holding up pure hands what need have we more of Churches and steeolehouses to pray in than in any other roomes 4 Nay finde we not our Saviour Jesus Christ himself prophesying the destruction of that Idoll of the Jews their Temple to say Matt 24.2 Verely Verely I say unto you there shall not be left heer one stone upon another that shall not be throwne down You may see then what pleasure he tooke in that place which was the gloriousest of the whole world what then will become of your pittifull Temples and steeple-houses 5 Our Saviour yet more plainly shews his distast of that kinde of worship when he tells the woman of Samaria in S. Johns Gospell John 4.21.23 Women believe me The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Hierusalem worship the Father c. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him Heer it is plain that he will not have his worship confined to places no not to his holy Temple 6 Then does not the Prophet Jeremy heat down the fond confidence that the Jews had in their Temple when he bids them not to trust in lying words saying Jer. 4.7 The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord it is plain he says that to call that the Temple of the Lord was to give lying words 7 Is not God in every place and can there be any one place shewed where he is properly present but he is always ready to hear sinners every where as is frequently sayd in Scripture what need have we then of your Churches or