griefs alas I have deserved far more but with all be pleased I beseech thee to remember in thy mercy to encrease also my courage and to fortify my patience Ther 's nothing sure that is Nothing to pure heavâ—nly consolations comparable to pure heavenly consolations When all creatures are wanting all other worldly satisfactions eclipsed from our hearts so that we remain in pure suffrance and savour nothing but God alone then it is says the mistical divines that we prosess the joy of all joys and the quintessence of all true and solid comfort God has done us the honour says St. Paul to ad Ephes 2. 6 make us sit by his divine Majesty and as it were side by side to his son Jesus Christ a favour that has so ravisht my soul that I cannot think on it without incredible St. Christ Homil. de laud Pauli joy Where do you imagine was S. Paul says S. Chrysostome when he spoke this For my part I believe he was lying in a dungeon in irons neck and heels together forsaken of all the world and that it was in this generall dereliction when he was surprised with those ravishing joys of heaven and had such a feeling of Gods greatness that he seem'd to be already seated at his right hand When thinke you says S. Thomas was he rapt up into the In ep ad Cor. third heaven I am apt to believe it was at his conversion when despoiled of all worldly comforts and all things failing him at once all mighty God snatcht up his soul into heaven and gave him a sweet relish of the delights of Paradise What shall I say then of the souls who seeing themselves besieged with fire and torments and a thousand Martyrdoms and having no humane consolation are put upon a sweet necessity to have their recourse unto God and to seek their contentment in him alone O what fervent aspirations what holy exstasies what cordial oblations what divine acts of uniformity How amorously doth God and his Angels inspire them what pure lights and affections do they instill Heare the Prophet David Ps 93. 19. according to the multitude of my bitter griefs your consolations O my God have rejoyced my heart And S. Paul when I 2 Cor. 1. 5. am oppressed with evills then it is that my soul swims in celestial joys and that I am as it were all can died with sweetness And the Prophet Esay in the greatness of our furies in the severest rigour of your anger O my Lord you have cast out some raies of your sweet mercies and have ravished me with admiration Now though all this be said of this mortal life yet may we in some proportion give a guesse by it how it fares wâ—th the holy souls in Purgatory and the rather because a soul once severed from the body has much more liberty to actuate her self and to couple an excess of torments with an excesse of joys since the same in some sort has been seen to have happened in this life Have you ever read in St Austin that if a drop of the Heavenly torrent should fall into Hell Hell would no longer seem to be Hell but a kind of Heaven Now certainly the divine goodnesse le ts fall some of those drops into Purgatory nor are the Angels sparing but rather prodigal in showring them down upon the souls there who within a few moments are to be exalted into Heaven as high and gracious as themselves and possibly more I begin to fear this discourse may debauch your devotions and coole your charity and that seeing the souls enjoy so much comfort in Purgatory your compassion for them may grow slack and so not continue equall to their desert Remember then that notwithstanding all these comforts here rehearsed the poor creatures cease not to be grievously tormented and consequently have extream need of all your favourable assistance pain and endeavours When Christ Jesus was in his bitter Agony sweating blood and water the superiour part of his soul enjoyed God and his glory and yet his body was so oppressed with sorrow that he was ready to dye and was content to be comforted by an Angel In like manner these holy souls have indeed great joys but feele with all such bitter torments that they stand in great need of our help So that you will much wrong them and me too to stand musing so long upon their joys as not to apply your best endeavours to afford them succour Let us then here break off this discourse and passe on to consider what assistance we owe and they expect of our charity and first let us see what a charity it is to help them The third Survey That there is not in this world a more eminent or Prudent Act of faternal Charity then to help the Soules in Purgatory THe Divine Apostle the Desciple of Paradise and 1 Cor. 13. Doctor of the universe reads us this lesson that the highest point of Christian perfection consists in Charity The abridgment of the Decalogue the epitome of the whole Bible the quintecense of all vertues is finally reduced to this sole point of divine Love Now fraternal charity or the love of our neighbor is cozen German to the love of God and upon these two holy loves as upon the two Poles of the World moves the Heaven of all perfections They are the two Angels that keep sentinell at the Gen. 3. 24. gates of Paradise the two Cherubins that cover the Ark when 3 reg 8. 7. the Manna of the felicity of this life is contained They are the two eyes of the spouse of the soul which wound the heart of God and pierce it so deep with their divine glances that he cryes out in the Canticles that they have Caâ—◠〈…〉 stolne away his heart alas says he my beloved thou hast wounded my heart and hast robbed me of it so powerfull are thy innocent charmes and chast allurements The more power the love of God has in us the greater is the heat of fraternal charity which burnes the very heart of our souls and like the Phenix takes delight to live and dye in so noble a fire and to consume in such harmlesse and yet murthering flames My designe here is not to treat of the love of God but only to suppose that the more one loves God the more he loves and desires to help his neighbour and to believe that a man loves God without doing his uttermost to assist his neighboure in way of charity is to fool him self directly Would you know how much you love God look with what courage you use to serve your neighbour for otherwise your charity is not fire but smoke and your affections are not divine love but winde or a meer natural love or in a word selfe love or rather an empty shadow or Phantastical appearance of divine love He that loves not his neighbour whom he daily sees with both his eyes says
upon the Crosse and sitting now at thy right hand makes Intercession for us I know she has willingly and from her heart forgiven such as offended her forgive thou also her sins O Lord forgive her I beseech thee and enter not with her into judgment Let thy Mercy overtop thy Justice c. And I verily perswade my self that thou hast already done what I desire but yet accept O Lord this prayer which I willingly make For she when the day of her death drew neer upon her did not crave that her body might be sumptuously adorned or embalmed with Spices and Odours nor desired she any curious or choice monument or cared she to be conveyed into her own Country They were not these things she recommeâ—ded to us but only she desired to be remembred at the Altar whereat she used to assist without pretermission of any one day c. Let her therefore rest in peace with her husband c. And inspire O Lord my God inspire thy servants my brethren that whosoever reads these my confessions may at thy Altar remember thy servant Monaca with Patricius her husband c. St. Paulinus that charitable Prelate who sould himselfe to redeem others cold not but have a great proportion of charity for captive souls in the other world No he was not only ready to have turnd slave himself to purchase their freedom but he became an earnest solicitour to others in their behalf for in a letter to Delphinus alluding to the story of Lazarus he beseeches him to have at least so much compassion as to convey now and then a drop of water wherewith to coole the tongues of poor souls that lye burning in the church which is all a fire I am astonisht when I call to mind the sad regrets of the people of Africa when they saw some of their Priests drag'd away to Martyrdome The Author says they Victor utic l. 2. de persec Wandal flocked about them in great numbers and cryed out alas if you leave us so what will become of us who must give us absolution for our sins who must bury us with the wonted ceremonies of of the church when we are dead and who will take care to pray for our souls such a general belief they had in those dayes that nothing is more to be desired in this world then to leave those behind us who will do their best to helpe us out of our torments §. 3. A continuation of the same subject from the sixth Age after Christ unto our dayes ALmighty God has often 6. Age. miraculously made it appear how well he is pleased to be importuned by us in the souls behalf and what comfort they receive by our prayers S. John Climacus In 4. gradu scalae writes that while the Monkes were at service praying for their good Father Mennas the third day after his departure they felt a marvellous sweet smell to rise out of his grave which they took for a good omen that his sweet soul after three dayes Purgation had taken her flight into heaven For what else could be meant by that sweet perfume but the odour of his holy and innocent conversation or the incense of their sacrifices and prayers or the primitiall fruits of his happy soul which was now flown up to the holy mountain of eternal glory there enjoying the odoriferous and never fading delights of paradise Not unlike unto this is that story which the great St. Gregory relates of one Justus a l. 4. dial c. 55. Monke He had given him at first for a lost creature but upon second thoughts having ordered Mass to be said for him for thirty dayes together the last day he appears to his brother and assures him of the happy exchange he was now going to make of his torments for the joys of heaven Pope Symmachus and his Council 6. Synod Rom. had reason to thunder out anathema's against those sacrilegious persons who were so frontless as to turn pious legacies into profane uses to the great prejudice of the souls for whose repose they were particularly deputed by the founders And certainly it is a much fouler crime to defrande souls of their due relief then to disturbe dead mens ashes and to plunder their graves And yet we read of dead carcasses that have risen up in their graves to struggle for their sheets with the wicked wretches who would have stolne them away And it were to be wished that more were permitted to do the like and that souls might have leave to appear sometimes to those that abuse them so unconsieonably happily they might fright them into reason who will not be otherwise perswaded to do them right St. Isidor delivers it as an apostolical tradition and general 7. Age. l. 1. de offic c. 18. l. 2. c. penuâ—t practise of the Catholick Church in his time to offer up sacrifices and prayers and to distribute almes for the dead and this not for any encrease of their merit but either to mitigate their pains or to shorten the time of their durance Venerable Bede is a sure witness 8. Age. for the following Century whose learned works are ful of wonderful stories which he brings in confirmation of this Catholick doctrine and practise St. John Damascene made an eligant Orat. quod ij qui. c. oraâ—ion on purpose to stir up this devotion where amongst other things he says it is impossible to number up all the stories in this kind which bear witness that the souls departed are relieved by our prayers and that otherwise God would not have appointed a commemoration of the dead to be dayly made in the unbloody sacrifice of the Mass nor would the Church have so religiously observed anniversaries and other dayes set a part for the service of the dead Were it but a dog says Simeon 9. Age. In vita St. Pachom St. Euseb c. Metaphrastes that by chance were faln into the fire we should have so much compassion for him as to help him out and what shall we do for souls who are faln into Purgatory fire I say souls of our Parentâ— and dearest friends souls who are predestinate to eternal glory and extream precious in the sight of God And what did not the Saints of Gods Church for them in those days some armed themselves from head to foot in course hair cloth others tore of their flesh with chains and rude disciplines some again pined themselves with rigourous fasts others dissolved themselves into tears some passed whole nights in contemplation others gave liberal almes or procured great store of Masses In fine they did what they were able and were not well pleased that they were able to do no more to relieve the poor souls in Purgatory Amongst 10. Age. Luitprand l. 4. c. 7. others Queen Melchtild is reported to have purchased immortal fame for her discreet behaviour at the death of the King her Husband for whose soul she caused
we but give way to our vertues and those divine graces which are hourely showred down upon our souls from heaven to work according to the full extent of their energy and power But alas an infirm body much passion a faint heart with a thousand other obstacles in this life make us to do scarse half whaâ— we are able And divines are of opinion that besides the mother of God there hath hardly been one amongst all other pure creatures who has acted according to the full latitude of his power and those gracious helps sent him from heaven Others indeed have somtimes made valiant attempts but it was as it were but in a bravado and by spurts and they often came off but poorly and failed of their designes But the souls in Purgatory who are as it were new minted and cast into a pure spâ—ritual substance free from the body and all corporeal and humane infirmities nor are at all impeded by their torments from the free exercise of all the powers of their souls they I say give full scope and liberty to all the quires of vertues to play their parts and suffer grace to have her entire effect and this doubtless affords them such unspeakable comforts and advantages as cannot well be expressed in this mortal life O what ejaculations of their pure love what submissions of their profound humility what conformities of their wills what submissive obedience to the holy decrees of Gods justice what fidelity and justice to satisfie the rigour of Gods justice for all they owe him what passionate desire of purity to see themselves without blemish or hinderance from enjoying God what incredible tenderness towards God who treats them so sweetly in comparison of their ingratitude and infidelity what excess of joy to see themselves within two fingers breadth as it were of Paradise In fine what a Paradise of vertues what divine endeavours of these happy souls what attractions of almighty God and heavenly allurements who can worthily comprehend such a medley of so sweet a Paradise in Purgatory so cruelly sweet and so amorously bitter And now I understand why St. Catherine said that in case the souls did not meet with Purgatory it would be a kind of Hell to them to want the help of those purging flames to cancel out the blemishes of their sins and make them worthy to see God I have not tould you what jaculatory prayers they make what sweet aspiratious they breath out and what flaming darts of love they shoote up into the heart of God For if the Martyrs in the greatest extreamity of their torments could cast out such gentle sighs and break into such divine and amourous speeches as to draw tears from the eyes of a hangman or tyrant what will not these holy souls do since they have scarse any sweeter entertainment then to converse with God and implore his mercy The afflictions Lib. de Provid and sufferings of the body says Solucanns cannot hinder the Paradise of the soul and her interiour sweetness much less when the Soul is in the other world §. 6. They joy in the continual decrease of their pains and influence of pure heavenly consolations THe fire of love makes more sensibly with them then their tormenting flames The natural instinct they have to be with God and their longing thirst so to take their fill of those inebriating joyes when they see themselves forcibly detained and bound fast to so base an Element as Fire is a torment beyond expression St. Ambrose St. Ambr. Ser. 1. maintains that the fire of love which had seized on St. Laurence his heart was more active then that which consumed his flesh and melted the very marrow of his bones Wherefore it must needs be great comfort unto these sweet souls to see that their sufferings Their pains go still decâ—easiâ—g are every moment diminished if not otherwise at least for as much as concernes the prefixed time of their durance which goes lessening it selfe more and more as it draws nearer to an end And according to the probable opinion of holy men the intensenes of the pain it self is perpetually remitted according to the proportion of the fresh supplies of succour which the Church militant never failes to administer unto them by her prayers and sacrifices since there is not an hour neither by day nor by night where there is not Mass said or some devout prayers offered up in some part of the Christian world Besides St. Catherine tells us that God also grows still more and more liberal in showring down his heavenly sweet favours and gracious influences upon these his wretched and yet happy souls There was a young woman Heavenly comforts encrease upon them Val. Max. had lived with her husband with so much chast love that she was not more tender of her own life and seeâ—ng him one day laid dead upon a burning pile and having a long time in vain cast about how she might come to receive him at length threw her self just upon his heart and so chose willingly to die with him and mingle her ashes with his And who doubts but the Angel Gardians those Eagles of Paradise seeing the souls of their pupils for whom they had so much tenderness and care in this life to lie burning in scorching flames often casts himself in to comfort them and if not release them at least entertain them with such pleasing discourses as takes of much of the sense of their bitter torments When the King asked Daniel whether the Lyond had not devoured him and whether his God had power to preserve him from that inevitable death he answer'd yes sir my God has sent his Angel who is come down from Heaven to protect me and has tied up the mouths of the hungry Lyons who have not offered to touch me nor had I ever so much comfort in my whole life as in this place of death and despaire for Paradise is every where where God and his Angels are The same happened to those three innocent yong men who had leasure to sing in the middle of a burning furnace which of a kind of Purgatory was become a terrestriall Paradise or an empereal heaven This being so and the goodness of God comforting the Souls with a world of good thoughts you must know that Purgatory seems a great mercy to them and so much the greater by how much they see clearly the vast difference between this condition of theirs and that of the damned Souls and what an unspeakable favour God has done them to dispose things so sweetly that they might be convayed into Purgatory they that so often deserved to be thrust into Hell fire and possibly more then many of the damned souls since there are certainly many damned but for one or two mortal sins whereas they may know themselves to have committed thousands And who knows then whether in their extasies of love they may not cry out with holy S. Gregory O my God encrease my
are applied to them intention be to help any one in particular who is really in Purgatory so your work be good it is infallibly applied to the party upon whom you bestow it For as Divines teach it is the intention of the offerer which governs all and God of his infinite goodness accommodates himself to the petitioners requeâ—â— applying unto each one what has been offered for his relief If you have no body in your thoughts for whom you offer up your prayers they are only beneficial to your self and what would be thus lost for want of application God lays up in the Treasury of the Church as being a kind of spiritual waife or stray to which no body can lay any just claime And since it is the intention which entitles one to what is offer'd before all others what right can others pretend to it or with what justice can it be parted or divided amongst others who were never thought of And hence I take my rise to Better to pray for few then many resolve your other question that if you regard their best advantage whom you have a minde to favour you had better pray for a few then for many together for since the merit of your devotions is always limited and often in a very smal proportion the more you divide it subdivide it amongst many the lesser share comes to every one in particular as if you should distribute a crown or an angel amongst a thousâ—â—â— poore people you easily see yoâ—â— Almes would be so inconsiderable they would be little better for it whereas if it were all bestowed upon one or two it were enough to make them rich in their conceipts Now to define precisely whether it be alwaies better done to help one or two souls efficaciously then to yeald a little comfort to a great many is a question I leave for you to exercise your wits in I could fancy it to be your best course to do both that is somtimes to single out some particular soul and to use all your power to lift her up to heaven somtimes again to parcell out your favours upon many and now and then also to deal out a general Almes upon all Purgatory And you need not fear exceeding in this way of charity whatsoever you bestow for you may be sure nothing will be lost by it And St. Thomas will tell you for your comfort that since all the souls in Purgatory are perfectly united in charity they rejoyce exceedingly when they see any of their whole number to receive such powerfull helps as to dispose her for heaven they every one take it as done to themselves whatsoever is bestowed upon any of their fellows whom they love as themselves and out of a heavenly kind of curtesy and singular love they joy in her happiness as if it were their own So that it may be truly said that you never pray for one or more of them but they are all partakers and receive a particular comfort and satisfaction by it Me thinks this very consideration should inkindle in your hearts a fresh desire to be often â—olafing those happy souls and to entitle your selves their special benefactours who will never suffer the remembrance of your tender mercies to be blotted out of their gratefull memories But let us now state the case How if we employ otherâ— to help theâ— thus suppose you should employ another to do those good works for the souls whether or no will they have the same effect as if you had done them your self again should this other whom you thus employ be an ungratious fellow whether would all his endeavours be able to give any ease to the souls for whose sakes you procure them I am so taken with the Angelical Doctrine of St. Thomas I le go no further for an answer He tells us then that if you be good and he starke nought by whom you procure for example the Dirge to be said or any other good work to be performed that can be done by a third person for there be some that be personal it does not at all blast the fruit of your devotion nor obstruct the souls benefit for whom you procured it That if he chance to be good so much the better the benefit will be the greater though God look more upon the chief Agent and principal cause then upon the accessory or instrument he thinks fit to make use of That if you be wicked your self and the other good the good work will have its effect and the soul will be assisted by it That if you should be both so unlucky as to be neither of you in the state of grace excepting Masse only which can never fail of its effect all other means you use will be utterly void and of no effect because they proceed from so ungratefull hands and worse hearts Would you have God to accept of his enemies presents and while you refuse to give him your heart to seal with his divine grace would you have him to deliver you up his to dispose of his mercies for the benefit of others No wicked wretch no till you alter your condition do not look that God will appear in his mercy to bestow a Jubily on those holy soules you entreat for nay it falls out somtimes even in this world thâ—â— the pleading of an infamous advocate or a sworn enemy of the Prince or State makes the criminals case more odious and desperate and in lieu of a Gibet procurcs him a wheel or a worse punishment Yet I must tell you and I must conjure you by all the obligations of humanity that be you never so lost a creature never so covered with enormious crimes you never fail at least to procure Masses and to distribute liberall Almes for the relief of the poore souls and this for many reasons First Because the Masse is alwayes to good purpose as having its effect ex opere operato as they speak in schoools or of it self without any relation had to him that says it or causes it to be said Secondly Because they use to say that the last wholsome advice we ought to give to a desperate soul plunged over head and ears in sinne is to be sure alwayes to be good to the poore for sooner or later good will come of it Thirdly It is truly said of alms-deeds that they are good sollicitours and have a most charming Rhetorick to obtain of God and to extort as it were out of his hands what they please In so much that if the sentence of condemnation were already signed in the hands of God it is the expression of St. Chrysologus God Serm. 8. himself would teare it in pieces and revoke the sentence rather then refuse any favour to the mercifull Give Almes sayes the Eccl. 29. holy Ghost and hide it in the bosome of the poore and your Alms will intercede for you So that although you wicked wretch cannot say a good prayer for the
souls yet your charity will supply your place and plead for you and the poore that partake of it will also pray for you and all this may possibly be to good purpose What your tongue cannot your hand will perform with greater advantage and what cannot proceede from your heart which is poysoned with deadly sin will out at your purse which is full of mercy and help to purchase some comfortable refreshment to take of the fury of those hungry flames which are incessantly preying upon the poor souls And here again taking upon me to be Proctour for this sufferring Commonwealth I conjure you to be liberal in distributing your almes and procuring Mâ—sses for the souls departed I can expect no less from their goodness but that their Angel gardians or yours or those of the poor will inspire them with good thoughts and move them to poure ouâ— their ardent and innocent prayers for you in recompence of so great a charity Mean while you shall be like the Crow that brought bread to St. Paul the Hermite without so much as tasting it or like the Whale that convay'd Jonas safe to the shoar without feeding on him or to use St. Gregory's comparison you shall be like the water in the Sacrament of Baptisme which falling upon the head of a child washes away the foul staine of original sin and entitles him heir to the Kingdom of Heaven and mean while glides away into some noysome sinke and there turnes to filth and corruption Now to the last Query for what What souls we ought most to pray for souls in particular we ought most to concern our selves I answer briefly thus 1. Without question all obligations of kindred promise gratitude rule command c. are to be served in the first place 2. You cannot do better then to offer up your devotions for those souls which are dearest to God or his blessed Mother 3. It is a singular charity to remember those that are in most need or most neglected 4. It is a pious and laudable piece of spiritual craft to do for thosâ— that will be soonest released for by this means you shall send into heaven good store of powerful advocates who will incessantly plead for you before the throne of mercy §. 6. How dangerous it is to trust others with what concerns the sweet rest of our souls in the next world AS I cannot but highly magnifie It is a folly to trust others and extoll their charity that have a sollicitous care to rescue out of Purgatory the Souls of their dear parents friends and acquaintance so I cannot forbear deploring and even laughing at their folly and meer madness as I may rightly tearm it that leave all to the discretion of their heirs and friends they leave behind them They must pardon me if I wrong them it is the zeal of their good transports me it is a just indignation sets my heart all on fire to see how the wisest often prove the veriest fools in this occasion which is the most important of all others How many wills never see any other light but that of the fire which consumes them to ashes How many false ones are dayly forged to fill up the others roome How few do we see at this day punctually performed or rather how many do we see not performed at all Having procured a Mass or two of Requiem and the Dirige to be said for decency sake and for the honour of their house who is there almost that will give himself any further trouble to pray even for his parents The good man is scarse cold in his Grave but his Children fall together by the Eares run into endless suits seaze upon what they can next lay their hands on right or wrong and will not be perswaded to forego it but by main force of Law or by the terrour of dreadful excommâ—nications One layes injustice â—â— his Fathers charge for doing so much to advance his eldest Sons fortune another cries out upon him for being so unnatural as to undo his own Child The Daughters think much their portions are no greater the whole house is up in armes and in continual alarums and in a word there 's nothing but a meer confusion and hurly burly amongst them Mean while the good man has leasure enough to fit at his taske of suffering and to lye frying in Purgatory not so much as one of his Children thinks on him unless it be to brand him with some injurious reproach The unfortunate soul almost killed himself with care and had like also to have damn'd himself to make his Children happy in this world and these barbarous harpies are so insatiable as to be raking at the bones and gnawing the very heart of their deceased father who must needs be very sensible if he know it to see himself so undutifully regarded by his own Children I will bring him in anon to speak for himself as best able to hold forth his own lamentable condition and sure it will break your very heart to hear him And yet tell me seriously does he not deserve all this who might so easily when time was have provided better for himself and prevented all this mischief by obliging the Chuch to offer up good store of Masses for him and was so indiscreet as to leave it wholly to the discretion of his Heirs and Executours who are little better then direct Barbarians For is there any likelihood they will stir to help him out of Purgatory they that cannot so much as afford him a stone upon his Grave worth a crown with a little inscription to put good people in mind who lies there that they may cast a good thought after him But I shall have occasion yet to enlarge my self more upon this subject and to make it appear what an irreparable folly is committed by the wisest in the world in neglecting one of the most important affaires in their whole life It would go hâ—rd with many Whether a soul must stay in Purg. till restitution be made were it true that a person who neglected to make restitution in his life time and only charged his heirs to do it for him in his last Will and Testament shall not stir out of Purgatory till restitution be really made let there be never so many Masses said and never so many satisfactory works offered up for him And yet St. Brigit whose revelations are for the most part approved by the Church sticks not to set this down for a truth which God had revealed unto her Nor are there wanting grave Divines that countenance this rigourous position and bring for it many strong reasons and examples which they take to be authentical and the Law it self which says that if a man do not restore anothers goods there will always stick upon his soul a kind of blemish or obligation of justice and since the fault lies wholly at his doore he cannot say they have the least reason to complaine of
Solomon Answer It is chastity Again which of you can walk Prov. 6. 27. 28. upon firebrands or tread upon glowing coales as upon a bed of flowers Answer It is a Virginal chastity Witness St. Agnes who lay smiling in the midst of a most cruel fire Witness St. Thecla who could walk as confidently upon hot burning coales as if they had been Roses Witness St. Apollonia who made nothing of leaping into a dreadful fire which was prepared for her Witness a thousand other Virgins who were seen to triumph in flames of fire as if they had been in the empireal Heaven You may remember the Mart. Rom. 17. May. most chast and incomparable virgin Restituta who being condemned to be burnt alive was for that purpose put into an old ship ful â—f Pitch Brimstone and Fire and thus exposed to the mercy of those merciless Elements She apeared in the midst of the Sea as in a floating fire upon her knees and there breath'd out her sweet soul into the hands of her heavenly spouse leaving her Virginal boâ—â— still entier and without suffering the least detriment by the smoke or by the fire Now it was the fire of love that gave her the mortal wound no other fire durst touch or consume that Virginal flesh which was consecrated to her dear Saviour by the fair hands of chastity Go cast me such a soul into Purgatory fire and let it do its worst and burn her if it can No Fire will sooner melt a Diamond and all things that are the most impossible will sooner come to pass then a pure and angelical Virgin shall feel the smart of tormenting fire which has the discretion says St. Chrysostome to Hom. de tribus innocent distinguish innocency from guilt and to fly furiously upon the one while with veneration and reverence it fawnes upon the other §. 10. The tenth A profound humility IT cannot enter into my â—â—â—d that a soul which is truly humble shall ever enter into this place of torments much less be long detained there They say there is a bird that will be sure to save her self in all occasions of danger by sinking down so low into the water as to be out of all reach The soul of a man that is truly humble sinks down so deep into the center of her own nothing that there is not the thing under heaven that can come near her to annoy her and if by chance a little Purgatory fire should be let down upon her it would do by her as they say the fire which falls from heaven does by a peâ—ce of well disposed moulde which is so far from burning and destroying it that it converts it into some precious stone The great God of heaven who loves to crush the heads of ambitious persons to lay them level with the ground and to grinde them to powder takes pleasure to raise humble souls out of the dirt to make them prime potentates of Paradise and to fit among the Princes of his heavenly kingdom He that will be sure to find the glory of the Saints sayd St. Ser. 1. Dorotheus must seek it in the bosome of humility for there and only there all true joy content and happiness are to be found Paradise will sooner stoop down to Purgatory then suffer an humble soul to lye burning in those merciless flames Will you says St Chrysostome pass quickly thorough the raging and â—empâ—stuous ho. 38. ad pop ocean be sure that humility be your pilot When St. Paul took himself for no better then the dust of the common streets then it was that he was rapt up to the third heaven True And I may be bold to tell you that if you be but humble they will not easily make you stoop so low as Purgatory but will rather lift you up above the wings of Seraphims The royal Prophet made it his prayer to God to look down upon his humility to consider his labours and to blot out all his sins and make him as innocent as an Angel or a child of a year old What has an Angell or an Infant to do in Purgatory Some hold a man that is St. Doroth. ser 2. de humil very humble to be a kind of Martyr Must Martyrs be sent like criminals to broyle in Purgatory No no says Climachus rejoyce Grad 25. not that you have the gift of miracles like an Apostle or that you tread all the devills in hell under your feet it is a greâ—ter advantage to be humble and to have your names written in the golden book of humility Shall such as stand in competition with Apostles be sent into Purgatory There are stones of so happy a temper that though they should lye a thousand years in a hot furnace they would not be the worse for it but become still more fayre and beautiful Behold the true emblem of humility Purgatory will be sooner turned into Paradice then do an humble soul the least prejudice Ester whose very name carries humility was ready to dye when she saw the Majesty of King Assuâ—rus she humbled her self and lay prostrate at his feet and what followed They were so far from putting her to death according to the laws of the kingdome that they placed her in the Queens throne and made her onâ— of the greatest Princesses of her time when God sees a soul that is humble in good earnest to lye prostrate at his feet he has not the heart to condemn â—er to death or to torments my friend will he say mount up higher it is not your place to lye there melting in Purgatory mount up higher and do it boldly for I love to raise those high that humble themselves low and of the Children of Abraham who esteem themselves no better then a little dust I make the stars of my firmament and the Angels of my Paradice It is a strange thing to see that poor Lazarus as humble and contemptible as he was comes no sooner to dye but the Angels do him the honour to conduct him into Abrahams bosome And the good thief who had scarce any other vertue to pleade for him but a little humility to confess himself a vile wretch as he was did scarce find himself in the other world but he found himself in Paradise So true it is that God loves humility and that all the heavens stand open to entertain those that are truly humble §. 11. The Eleventh To communicate well and often I Should never make an end should I go about to bring in all the heroical vertues which are strong antidoâ—s and powerfull preservatives against the fire of Purgatory and yet I cannot chuse but vent a thought or two more which with the rest I submit to your discreete judgement And First I take those that communicate often and do it well and worthily to be pritty secure from feeling any great smart in Purgatory St Ignatius Ep. ad Eph. had reason to stile the holy Eucharist the
4. c. 27. Abbot that this fact of Matius was as pleasing to God as that of Abraham and that he should be eternally blessed for it Go now and cast this soul into Purgatory who stuck not to cast his only Son into the River at the command of his superiour and when you have done will they not sooner think you cast in the whole River which was thus blessed by a perfect act of obedience and so quench the flames then suffer her to lye burning there Mutius did but once cast his son into the River and how many Religious souls out of the same spirit of obedience expose themselves a thousand times to all dangers both by Sea and Land and after all this must they needs visit Purgatory in their way to heaven It seems boldly said of St Austin Tract 10. in Joan. that the blessed Virgin was happier in obeying God then in being the Mother of God and yet Christ himself said as much in express tearms For when by way of applauding him they were crying up her Luc. 11. 27. 28. happy that had the honour to be his Mother and to nourish him with the milk of her breasts he sudainly replied that he took them to be happy indeed that heard his word and put it in Practise Luc. 8. 21. and another time when they had told him that his good Mother and his brothers stood without waiting for him who say he are my brothers and whom do you call my Mother whosoever does the will of my Father he is my Mother my brothers and my whole parentage Now to our purpose if an obedient person have the honour to bear this honorable title of being the brother and even the Mother of God can God so far neglect this brother and mother of his as to leave them in Purgatore fire The Abbess one day commanded S. Catherine of Bolognia that for the love of God and the excercise of l. 1. vite ejus obedience she would enter into a burning furnace The Saint runs away instantly and doubtless would have thrown herself in had not the Religious stood in the way to hinder her It is not a crime 1 de civ c. 1 says St. Austin to be thus prodigal of our lives and even like Samson to make our selves away when God requires it No this is no crime but a pious holocaust offered upon the Altar of obedience and will you then kill a man that is already dead will you burn him in Purgatory that is already consumed in the holy flames of obedience God does not use to punish or purge the same fault twice and therefore a soul that has been once purged in the fire of obedience hath no need of being purged again in the fire of Purgatory O what a thing it is to be obedient cried Gerard as he lay a dying in St. Bernards armes I have been carried before Gods high tribunal and have seen the power of obedience no body shall ever perish that is truly obedient but when he comes to die shall mount above the quires of Angels Arch-angels and Apostles according to the merit of his obedience and with this he died Must Angels Arch-angels Apostles and those that are in the same degree of perfection be thrust into Purgatory fire Is it reasonable that they should be confined to so loathsome a prison that made themselves voluntary prisoners under the severe government of obedience I am resolved said H. David to fear no evils of what ragged nature soever they be Ps 22. so long as thou my God dost lead me by the hand though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death in the very suburbs of hell which is Purgatory I will feare nothing for thy rod and thy staff wherewith thou dost governe and direct me to do thy holy will in all occasions will be my sure comfort and protection An obedient man speaks nothing but victories says the holy Ghost in the Proverbs What victories Such as St. Dorotheus Pro. c. 21. 28 Doct. 1. describes when he tells us that a soul being scated in her triumphant chariot drawn by humility and obedience treads all underfoot and with a swift motion steeres her course up to heaven If humility and obedience be her horses they will not easily convey her into Purgatory for they know not the way thither but only into heaven their own native country where they will be surâ— to leave this triumphant and victorious soul in the joyful fruition of eternal happiness Take away self-will and there will be no hell cries St. Bernard If obedience can put out hell fire Ser. 1. de resur she most needs have power to put out the fire of Purgatory What a solid comfort must this be to religious souls who have given themselves over to the practice of this vertue and to all those that living in the world yet do nothing of their own heads but are constantly ruled by the will of God It is a strange but very true observation Bonau c. 13 reg noviâ— to 7. of St. Gregory and of St. Bonaventure that God who is invincible will yet suffer himself to be overcome by the obedience of his servants so far as even to obey them I say obey for it is the very expression he uses himselfe in the case of Josua who is said to have stopped the sun in his full carreere because God was pleased to obey the voice of his obedient servant If this be so that God will refuse nothing to an obedient soul let her aske him to be freed from Purgatory and she will not be denied it who never denied him any thing And without all doubt it is as easy for her to curb the fire of Purgatory as to stop the sweet motion of the heavens You then that are obedient know your power you may appeale from God to God in case he should sentence you to Purgatory you may boldly claim his promise of denying you nothing and then you will be sure to make it in your bargain to have nothing to do with Purgatory but to go straight into heaven there to enjoy him for ever The Conclusion IT is now high time to conclude this § and with it the whole Treatise And I cannot leave you better then in heaven whether I have brought you if you will your self for you see it is in your power to make your way thither without passing through Purgatory Believe mee it is no trifling matter but the most important business we have to do in this world to purchase heaven and to purchase it so as to have right to take possession of it immediately after we have left this world Christ our Saviour tells us that the kingdome of heaven suffers violence and that they must be both violent and valliant that run away with it where St. Ambrose observes well S. Amb. in Luc. that God loves to be forced and that they which importune him most and use the greatest violence are the men he makes most of Take courage then deare Reader take courage imitate the good thief snatch heaven out of his hands steal away his Paradise do something worthy of him worthy of your self and worthy of Paradise If no better means occur to you at least strive to to be hugely concerned for the poor souls in Purgatory pray often devoutly for them and procure that good store of Masses may be said for their relief You have the ell in your hands by which you may measure out your 〈◊〉 happiness says the devout Salvianus be charitable to others and they will be no less to you The time is not long that is allowed you to sojourn in this world in this little time be sure you make the Saints in heaven and the souls in Purgatory your friends that they be obliged to help you in your greatest need Learne at least by these discourses to have a tender heart for the poor souls and to use your uttermost endeavours to go your self directly into heaven out of this wiâ—ked world It is the thing I earnestly beg of Gods infinite mercy for you and for my self at the instance of your good prayers For though I must acknowledge I have de 〈◊〉 〈…〉 â—easoâ—â—â— take 〈…〉 â—our to be sentâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 to lye there as â—any months and years aâ—â—â— shall please God yet I confess ingenuously I have no great minde to either place â—ut only to heaven which I beseech God by the merits of my dear Saviour and by the plenary indulgence of his most infinite mercy to grant us all Amen Et Fidelium animae per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace Amen FINIS