to drinke Matth. 25. Marke how God doth giue them heauen for the doing of good workes Possesse saith he the kingdome for you gaue me to eate to drinke c. And somewhat before in the same Chapter Because thou wert faithfull ouer a few things J will place thee ouer many enter into the ioy of thy Lord. Marke this causall because thou wert faithfull This is the cause for which Christ saith he giueth heauen Let Luther let Caluin let those who care for no good workes name what other cause they please 4. That our good Workes are impetratory that is haue vertue to mooue the liberality goodnesse mercy of God to bestow in regard of them the grant of many fauours when by prayer they are offered vp for this end for if they be not thus offered vp as they are ioyned and applyed to this end by prayer perhaps not any good workes at all are impetratory excepting only prayer it selfe not all prayer but such as containeth some petition That I say good workes are impetratory wheÌ„ they are thus ioyned with prayer is euidently prooued out of that fast of Dauid who with the Prayer made for his sonnes life ioyned also other workes of pennance lying on the ground fasting c. For the child saith he whilst he did yet liue I did fast weepe but now seeing he is dead why should I fast 2. Reg. 12. 5. That our good workes are satisfactory that is that they performed and dignified by Grace graÌ„ted through Christ his merits haue vertue to cancell out sin and the paines due to sin is most cleare in Scripture Heretikes if loathnesse to make satisfaction for their sinnes did not blind them cannot but see it Almesdeeds free froÌ„ death and Almes-deeds it is which purgeth sinne and maketh vs find mercy and life euerlasting Tob. 12. Almes-deeds free from sinne and from death and they do not suffer the soule to goe into darknesse Tob. 4. Water quencheth the burning fier and Almes-deeds resist sinne Eccl. 3. In the eleauenth Chapter of S. Luke our Sauiour speaking to the Scribes and Pharises saith that they shall be condemned in the day of iudgment that the bloud of all the Prophets slaine from the beginning of the world shall be required at their hands and six times one after another he pronounceth Woe against them to those vncleane men our Sauiour at the very same time said Neuerthelesse for that which remaineth giue Almes and behold all things are made cleane vnto you as sinfull people as you are Wherfore let my counsell please thee it is the most excelleÌ„t counsell of the Prophet Daniel redeeme thy sinnes with Almes-deeds and thy iniquityes with the workes of mercy Dan. 4. 6. This being thus declared it may easily be vnderstood how things do passe wheÌ„ we offer vp any work for the soules in Purgatory For first the good worke thus offered vp is meritorious and therfore we alwaies merit by it neither can we giue this merit away because reward is only due Scripture promiseth it to those only who shall haue done well wherfore we loose not the least parcell of the merit of our good workes if we do them for the soules in Purgatory yea we much increase it as shal be shewed Secondly the good worke thus offered is impetratory that is it is apt to mooue Gods mercy to graunt that fauour for obtaining of which it is offered wâ—â— as a happy death peace among Christians the long and happy life of our noble King or such like things Now the obtaining of all these requests is not the least hindered but very much as we shall shew furthered though these workes which we do be giuen to the soules in Purgatory and offered vp to God for the satisfaction of the paines due vnto their sinnes not fully satisfied for Thirdly and lastly this good worke which we offer for the soules in Purgatory is satisfactory and according to this satisfactory vertue which it hath not as it is either meritorious or impetratory we do commonly apply it to the soules in Purgatory because the thing which these poore soules stand most in need of is making satisfaction for their sins not fully satisfied for which satisfaction we make in their behalfe as holy Job did in behalfe of his sonnes when he offered daily sacrifices for their sinnes How this is not against Charity towards our selues shall be declared hereafter CHAP. VIII That by offering our actions for the Soules in Purgatory we do not merit lesse but more 1. THat we do not merit lesse is euident out of the last Chapter that we merit more then otherwise we should haue done if we had not applied these our actions to the soules in Purgatory is taught by the Prince of Deuines S. Thomas l. 3. cont Gentes c. 158. in these words The affection of Charity in him who suffereth for his friend doth make his satisfaction more pleasing to God then if he had suffered for his owne selfe And it is certaine out of holy Scripture that Charity doth adde an exceeding worth and value to our least actions for only Charity it is which maketh a cup of cold water giuen for Christs sake to be rewarded in the life to come And only Charity it was which made the poore widdows mite of greater price then the richest guifts 2. Now then all meriting hath for reward some higher degree of celestiall glory which degree should not haue bin purchased without that meritorious worke had bin done so that if there be two men who before were of equall merits the one of theÌ„ should but giue a cup of cold water more for Christs sake then the other should giue this man for this so small a good work should haue a higher degree of glory then the other and consequently he should see God for all eternity more perfectly and be for euer more happy then the other So that if we did truly loue either God or our selues we should thinke all sufferings whatsoeuer euen those of Purgatory to be a small price for the least degree of glory for indeed the least is a good so great that the suffering of neuer so long a Purgatory for purchasing it would not be so much as suffering a flea-bite to purchase the Empire of the whole world It would make a man blesse himselfe to see how starke mad men are in neglecting such a good 3. To our purpose theÌ„ I say that by applying our actions to the soules in Purgatory we do merit more then if we had not applyed them to this end and not onely more but very much more and therefore though we did sustayne other many and great inconueniences yet they were all to be accounted as nothing in comparison of these inestimable treasures of merit which by this deuotion we purchase The causes which make this act of so high merit may be many for as we haue shewed in the sixt chapter this deuotion may be a worke
Wherefore we must be lyable to some punishmeÌ„t for euery idle word so that if a man of full age conuerted from idolatry be baptized and by and by after killed before he commit any other sinne then the speaking of one idle word onely shall this man be tormented for euer and euer so long as God shall be God And shall the Father of mercyes giue this vnmercifull sentence Doubtlesse if any man can do a thing worthy of stripes for doing it deserue only to be beaten with few stripes this maÌ„ may hope for this mercy but for greater theÌ„ this he cannot hope seeing that Christ saith that some accouÌ„t is to be giuen for that idle word Some punishment therefore he must suffer but not eternall consequently not in hell but in Purgatory for he must be beaten with few stripes not with many or euerlasting stripes 4. The second Principle is taught vs in the Apocalips cap. 21. to wit That nothing defyled shall enter into the kingdome of heauen consequently a man defiled with one onely idle word and so dying shall not enter into the Kingdome of heauen vntill he be cleansed in Purgatory-fyre For he who buildeth â—tuble vpon the foundation shall be saued yet so as by fyre saith S. Paul 1. Cor. 3. But saith S. Ambrose wheras S. Paul saith yet so as by fyre he sheweth indeed that he shall be saued but yet shall suffer the punishment of fyre that being purged by fyre he may be saued and not tormented for euer as the Jnfidels are with euerlasting fyre Serm. 20. in Psal 118. Most agreeable to this doctrine be the words of our Sauiour Be at agreemeÌ„t with thy Aduersary betyme whilst thou art in the way with him least perhaps thou be cast into prison Amen I say vnto thee thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repayest the last farthing Matth. 5. That is vntill thou shalt haue made satisfaction for euery one of thy least sins according to the expositioÌ„ of S. Hierome who telleth vs This is that which he sayth Thou shalt not go out of prison vntill thou shalt pay euen to thy little sinnes In c. 5. Matth. 5. The third Principle is that although our sins both mortall and veniall be forgiuen vs whensoeuer we are truly penitent for them yet all the paine due to these our sins is not always forgiuen togeather with the sins This may be demonstrated by many examples in the Scripture For breuity sake I will specify only two The first it this Originall sinne is forgiuen vs by baptisme yet the paines which are inflicted for originall sinne be not wholy taken away by baptisme but euen those innocent infants vnto whom by baptisme original sinne was forgiuen do suffer the punishment of death due vnto them for no other cause but for that very originall sinne which was forgiuen them by baptisme for that I say they endure death because by one man sinne entred into the world and by sinne death and so vnto all men euen vnto innocents death did passe Rom. 5. The second example is this Dauid did so truly repent him of his sinne of adultery murther that God told him by the Prophet Nathan Our Lord hath taken away thy sinne 2. Reg. 12. Behold heere the sinnes of Dauid forgiuen and yet presently God tels him Neuerthelesse because thou hast made the enemyes of the Lord to blaspheme for this thing the sonne which is borne vnto thee dying shall dye Behold heere a punishment inflicted vpon Dauid euen for this thing for which God had pardoned him 6. Out of this Principle it clearly followeth that there is a Purgatory For seing that as we haue proued there remaineth many tymes some punishment due to the sinne which is forgiuen and seing that a man may dye before he hath suffered this punishment due by iustice vnto him it doth necessarily follow that this punishment must be giuen him in the world to come not in hell because the sinne is forgiuen but yet in the prison of Purgatory out of which he shall not goe vntill he hath payd the last farthing 7. But heere it may be demanded how this doctrine agrees with the saying of God When the wicked maÌ„ shall be conuerted from his impiety I will not remember his iniquities Ezech. 18. I answere that God is said not to remember them in his wrath vengance by remitting the eternal paine due vnto them So he did not remember the sinne of Dauid but did take it away from him yet neuerthelesse for this thing he took from him by an vntimely death his sonne whose life he begged so earnestly The matter may fitly be declared by this similitude If a man should owe me a millioÌ„ of pounds should beg of me to forgiue the debt I might be most truly said to grant his request though I should forgiue the debt on this conditioÌ„ that he should pay me only twenty shillings as it were for a fine Now we know our sinnes be our debts for one mortall sinne only a man is lyable to euerlasting torments but if this man being truly penitent beggeth pardon of this his sinne God is so mercifull that he will forgiue and forget it yet withall he is so iust that in place of it he will impose some small fine as I may say though this fine be far smaller then twenty shillings in comparison of a million of pounds for one pound a million of times doubled will come to be a million but a Purgatory euen of a million of yeares though it should be neuer so often doubled or redoubled can neuer come to make a summe of yeares equall to the yeares contained in the Eternity of paines due to this sinne before it was forgiuen This I haue set downe at large that all may see how mercifully God doth deale with vs wheÌ„ for one act of true pennance he exchangeth an Eternity of paines into the temporall punishment of some yeares in Purgatory for this caÌ„not be but a great mercy thogh this Purgatory were to last neuer so many yeares in number because the yeares of Eternity be without number CHAP. III. The first Motiue to pray for the Soules in Purgatory which is The greatnes of the sensible Paines they suffer 1. NAture doth teach vs that the most forcible Eloquence to mooue compassion is that which setteth forth the greatnes of our misery The miseryes which these poore soules suffer are reduced to two The one Paena sensus which is the sensible paine they feele caused by the excessiue bitternes of their torments The other is called Paena damni which is that inexplicable anguish of mind and grief arising from the liuely apprehension of the losse of God which for a tyme they are to sustaine To which we may add the long continuance of their torments From these three we will draw the motiues which if they be well pondered may make the hardest Pharao-like hart in the world to take some compassion on
bitter death vnto him for a full pardon and remission of all their sinnes O Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world we beseech thee throgh thy seauen words which are full of mercy and mystery that thou wilt mercifully pardon these poore soules whatsoeuer they haue offended in the seauen deadly sinnes or any branch of them Miserere THE XXVII PRAYER WE salute thee ô most sweet Lord Iesus the vanquisher of death descending with the banner of thy crosse into hell O how were those Prisoners which so many yeares with longing desires had expected thee comforted when as they saw thee and knew thee to be God and man their Lord and redeemer and that Adam said I see heere that hand that framed me O deerest Sauiour we beseech thee through the Ioy those holy soules had when thou didest lead them out of that Infernall Prison and by that vnspeakable gladnesse thou hadst when thou beheldest the first happy fruit of thy death and passion through al thy merits that thou wilt lead forth these poore soules out of all captiuity Miserere THE XXVIII PRAYER WE salute thee ô most sweet Lord Iesus foūtaine of loue and mercy and represent to thee how Longinus furiously opened thy side with a speare which transpeirced euen thy Sacred hart of out which flowed both water and bloud O deerest Lord we humbly thanke thee for this most liberall effusion of thy precious bloud and humbly beseech thee by it to receiue these poore Soules into thy sacred woundes and hart and cleanse them with thy precious bloud and by the fiue woundes of thy handes feet and hart all the other sacred woundes of thy most precious body mercifully to pardō all their sinnes Miserere THE XXIX PRAYER WE salute thee ô most sweet Lord Iesus the innocent sacrificed Lambe represent vnto thee how thy wounded body was takē downe frō the Crosse laid in the lap of thy sorrowfull Mother from which crosse thou wouldst not descend vntill thou haddst accomplished the worlds redemption O deerest Lord through that thy infinite mercy and all other merites of thy bitter passion we humbly beseech thee to vnloose these poore soules frō all the chaines wherewith they haue bound themselues by their sinnes we humbly beseech thee also O Sacred Mother of God through the sorrow and tender compassion thou hadst to see the wounded body of thy deerest sonne lying dead in thy lap that thou wilt offer his and thy merites for these poore Soules vnto the eternall Father to obtaine a full pardō remissiō of all their sinnes Miserere THE XXX PRAYER WE salute thee ô most sweet Lord Iesus and offer vnto thee thy holy buriall how after all thy labours and miseries thou didest rest in thy graue We humbly beseech thee to giue these soules rest in the holy City of heauen forgiue them who haue so often times withdrawne their soule from thee by the distraction of temporall thinges and not suffered thee their peacefull king to rest in their hartes Miserere THE XXXI PRAYER WE salute thee ô most sweet Lord Iesus the ioy of Angels and saluation of men and represent to thee thy glorious resurrection and ioyfull apparitions to thy holy Mother deere friends through which we humbly beseech thee O conquerer of death that thou wilt with thy diuine power shew thy selfe to these poore Soules finish all their bitter paines Mise THE XXXII PRAYER WE salute thee ô soueraigne King of glory and represent to thee thy Glorious Triumphant Ascension and Assumption of those Soules which in Limbo so long time had expected their Redēption most humbly beseeching thee sweet Sauiour that thou wilt be pleased through thy infinite goodnesse to lead these Soules into thy eternall glory where for euer they may behold thy diuine and heauenly face O good Iesus and deere Sauiour we beseech thee by thy holy conuersation and painfull passion to pardon them all their sinnes and bring them into thy eternall rest and fruition of thy glory Miserere THE XXXIII PRAYER WE salute thee ô eternall increated Sonne of God full of grace and mercy the reward of all those that hope in thee most humbly beseeching thee mercifully to forgiue vs all our omissions of intention in these prayers let thē not be throgh our coldnes lesse meritorious to these poore Soules but receiue them according to the worthinese of the sacred mysteries mentioned therin through that infinite loue wherewith they were accomplished and the worthinesse of the person that wrought them by all which we humbly beseech thee to deliuer these poore soules frō all paines and reioyce them with thy heauenly presence for all eternity Miserere The Conclusion O Most sweet Lord Iesus soueraigne Lord life of our soules we humbly beseech thee to encline thy eares to our prayers deliuer these Soules or this Soule from all paines and admit them into thy eternall glory Let thy preciou◠bloud thy deep woundes thy cruell torments thy bitter passion innocent death thy Nobl◠Soule and the prayers and merits of thy sacred Mother and all the holy Angels and Saintes be vnto them a full satisfaction for all their sinnes negligences and omissions and suffer no◠their Soules whom thou hast redeemed with thy preciou◠bloud any longer to be separated from thee O Redeemer o◠the world we hūbly offer these prayers for them to thy ttanspeirced Hart beseeching thee to grant them the fruition of thy eternall Glory Amen FINIS