for you for the obtaining of which double blessing both of grace and of glory together with all outward prosperitie and happinesse in this life you shall never want the instant praiers of Your Majesties most faithfull subject and humble servant IA. MIDENSIS TO THE READER IT is now about six yeeres as I gather by the reckoning laid downe in the 25 th page of this booke since this following Challenge was brought unto me from a Iesuite and received that generall Answer which now serveth to make up the first chapter only of this present worke The particular points which were by him but barely named I meddled not withall at that time conceiving it to be his part as in the 34 th page is touched who sustained the person of the Assailant to bring forth his armes and give the first onset and mine as the Defendant to repell his encounter afterwards Only I then collected certaine materials out of the Scriptures and writings of the Fathers which I meant to make use of for a second conflict whensoever this Challenger should be pleased to descend to the handling of the particular articles by him proposed the truth of euery of which he had taken upon him to prove by the expresse testimonies of the Fathers of the primitiue Church as also by good and certaine grounds out of the sacred Scriptures if the Fathers authoritie would not suffice Thus this matter lay dead for diuers yeeres together and so would still have done but that some of high place in both Kingdomes having beene pleased to thinke farre better of that little which I had done than the thing deserved advised me to goe forward and to deliver the iudgement of Antiquitie touching those particular points in controversie wherein the Challenger was so confident that the whole current of the Doctors Pastors and Fathers of the Primitiue Church did mainly run on his side Hereupon I gathered my scattered notes together and as the multitude of my imployments would give mee leave now entred into the handling of one point and then of another treating of each either more briefly or more largely as the opportunitie of my present leisure would give me leave And so at last after many interruptions I have made up in such manner as thou seest a kinde of a Doctrinall History of those seuerall points which the Iesuite culled out as speciall instances of the consonancie of the doctrine now maintained in the Church of Rome with the perpetuall and constant iudgement of all Antiquitie The doctrine that here I take upon me to defend what different opinions soever I relate of others is that which by publike authoritie is professed in the Church of England and comprised in the booke of Articles agreed upon in the Synod held at LONDON in the yeere 1562. concerning which I dare be bold to challenge our Challenger and all his complices that they shall never be able to prove that there is either any one article of Religion disallowed therein which the Saints and Fathers of the Primitive Church did generally hold to be true I use the words of my challenging Iesuit or any one point of doctrine allowed which by those Saints and Fathers was generally held to be untrue As for the testimonies of the Authors which I alleage I have beene carefull to set downe in the margent their owne words in their owne language such places of the Greeke Doctors only excepted whereof the originall text could not be had as well for the better satisfaction of the Readers who either cannot come by that variety of bookes whereof use is here made or will not take the paines to enter into a curious search of every particular allegation as for the preventing of those trifling quarrels that are commonly made against translations for if it fall out that word be not everie where precisely rendred by word as who would tie himselfe to such a pedanticall observation none but an idle caviller can obiect that this was done with any purpose to corrupt the meaning of the Author whose words he seeth laid downe before his eies to the end he may the better judge of the translation and rectifie it where there is cause Againe because it is a thing very materiall in the historicall handling of controversies both to understand the Times wherein the severall Authors lived and likewise what bookes be truly or falsly ascribed to each of them for some direction of the Reader in the first I have annexed at the end of this booke a Chronologicall Catalogue of the Authors cited therein wherein such as have no number of yeeres affixed unto them are thereby signified to be Incerti temporis their age being not found by me upon this sudden search to be noted by any and for the second I have seldome neglected in the worke it selfe whensoever a doubtfull or supposititious writing was alleaged to give some intimation whereby it might be discerned that it was not esteemed to be the booke of that Author unto whom it was intituled The exact discussion as well of the Authors Times as of the Censures of their workes I refer to my Theological Bibliotheque if God hereafter shall lend me life and leasure to make up that worke for the use of those that meane to give themselves to that Noble study of the doctrine and rites of the ancient Church In the meane time I commit this booke to thy favourable censure and thy selfe to Gods gracious direction earnestly advising thee that whatsoever other studies thou intermittest the carefull and conscionable reading of Gods booke may never be neglected by thee for whatsoever becommeth of our disputes touching other antiquities or novelties thou maiest stand assured that thou shalt there finde so much by Gods blessing as shall be able to make thee wise unto salvation and to build thee up and to give thee an inheritance among all them that are sanctified Which next under Gods glory is the utmost thing I know that thou aimest at and for the attaining whereunto I heartily wish that the word of Christ may dwell in thee richly in all wisedome THE CONTENTS of the BOOKE CHAP. I. A Generall answer to the Iesuites Challenge pag. 1. CHAP. II. Of Traditions pag. 35. CHAP. III. Of the Real presence pag. 44. CHAP. IIII. Of Confession pag. 81. CHAP. V. Of the Priests power to forgive sinnes pag. 109. CHAP. VI. Of Purgatorie pag. 163. CHAP. VII Of Praier for the dead pag. 182. CHAP. VIII Of Limbus Patrum and Christs descent into Hell pag. 252. CHAP. IX Of Praier to Saints pag. 377. CHAP. X. Of Images pag. 447. CHAP. XI Of Free-will pag. 464. CHAP. XII Of Merits pag. 492. THE IESVITES CHALLENGE How shall I answer to a Papist demaunding this Question YOur Doctors and Masters graunt that the Church of Rome for 400 or 500 years after Christ did hold the true Religion First then would I faine knowe what Bishop of Rome did first alter that Religion which you commend
and cannot lye graunt unto them according to thy promises that vvhich eye hath not seene and eare hath not heard and which hath not ascended into the heart of man which thou hast prepared O Lord for them that love thy holy name that thy servants may not remaine in death but may get out from thence although slouthfulnesse and negligence have followed them and in that which is used by the Christians of S. Thomas as they are commonly called in the East Indies Let the holy Ghâ—st give resurrection to your dead at the last day and make them vvorthy of the incorruptible kingdome Such is the prayer of S. Ambrose for Gratian and Valentinian the Emperours I doe beseech thee most high God that thou wouldest rayse up againe those deare yong men with a speedie resurrection that thou mayest recompence this untimely course of this present life vvith a timely resurrection and that in Alcuinus Let their soules sustaine no hurt but when that great day of the resurrection and remuneration shall come vouchsafe to raise them up O Lord together with thy Saincts and thine elect and that in Grimoldus his Sacramentarie Almightie and everlasting God vouchsafe to place the body and the soule and the spirit of thy servant N. in the bosomes of Abraham Isaac and Iacob that vvhen the day of thy acknowledgement shall come thou mayest command them to be raysed up among thy Saincts and thine elect But yet the Cardinalls answer that the glorie of the body may be prayed for which the Saincts shall have at the day of the Resurrection commeth somewhat short of that which the Church used to request in the behalfe of S. Leo. For in that prayer expresse mention is made of his soule and to it is wished that profit may redound by the present oblation And therefore this defect must be supplyed out of his answer unto that other praier which is mâ—de for the soules of the faithfull depaâ—ted that they may be delivered out of the mouth of the Lion and that Hell may not swallow them up To this he saith that the Church doth pray for these soules that they may not be condemned unto the everlasting paines of Hell not as if it were not certain that they should not be condemned unto those paines but because it is Gods pleasure that we should pray even for those things which we are certainly to receive The same answer did Alphonsus de Castro give before him that very often those things are prayed for which are certainely knowne shall come to passe as they are prayed for and that of this there be very manie testimonies and Iohannes Medina that God dâ—lighteth to be prayed unto even for those things which otherwise he purposed to do For God had decreed saith he after the sinne of Adam to take our flesh and he decreed the time wherein he meant to come and yet the prayers of the Saincts that prayed for his Incarnation and for his comming were acceptable unto him God hath also decreed to grant pardon unto every repentant sinner and yet the prayer is gratefull unto him wherein eyther the penitent doth pray for himselfe or another for him that God would be pleased to accept his repentance God hath decreed also and promised not to forsake his Church and to be present with Councells lawfully assembled yet the prayer notwithstanding is gratefull unto God and the hymnes vvhereby his presence and favour and grace is implored both for the Councell the Church And whereas it might be obiected that howsoever the Church may sometimes pray for those things which shee shall certainly receive yet shee doth not pray for those things which shee hath alreadie received and this shee hath received that those soules shall not be damned seeing they have received their sentence and are most secure from damnation the Cardinall replieth that this obiection may easily be avoyded For although those soules saith he have received already their first sentence in the particular judgement and by that sentence are freed from Hell yet doth there yet remaine the generall judgement in which they are to receive the second sentence Wherefore the Church praying that those soules in the last judgement may not fall into darkenesse nor be swallowed up of Hel doth not pray for the thing which the soule hath but which it shall receive Thus these men labouring to shew how the prayers for the dead used in their Church may stand with their conceits of Purgatorie doe thereby informe us how the prayers for the dead used by the ancient Church may stand well enough without the supposall of anie Purgatorie at all For if we may pray for those things which wee are most sure shall come to passe and the Church by the Adversaries owne confession did pray accordingly that the soules of the faithfull might escape the paines of Hell at the generall Iudgement notwithstanding they had certainly beene freed from them alreadie by the sentence of the particular Iudgement by the same reason when the Church in times past besought God to remember all those that slept in the hope of the resurrection of everlasting life which is the forme of prayer used in the Greeke Liturgies and to give unto them rest and to bring them unto the place where the light of his countenance should shine upon them for evermore why should not we thinke that it desired these things should be granted unto them by the last sentence at the day of the Resurrection notwithstanding they were formerly adiudged unto them by the particular sentence at the time of their dissolution For as that which shall befall unto all at the day of judgement is accomplished in every one at the day of his death so on the other side whatsoever befalleth the soule of everie one at the day of his death the same is fully accomplished upon the whole man at the day of the generall iudgement Whereupon wee finde that the Scriptures everie where doe point out that great day unto us as the time wherein mercie and forgivenesse rest and refreshing ioy and gladnesse redemption and salvation rewards and crownes shall be bestowed upon all Gods children as in 2. Timoth. 1.16 18. The Lord give mercie unto the house of Onesiphorus the Lord grant unto him that he may finde mercie of the Lord in that day 1. Cor. 1.8 Who shall also confirme you unto the end that ye may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ. Act. 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sinnes may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 2. Thessal 1.6 7. It is a righteous thing with God to recompense unto you which are troubled rest with us when the Lord Iesus shal be revealed from heaven with his mightie Angells Philip. 2.16 That I may rejoyce in the day of Christ that I have not runne in vaine neyther
of the holy Scripture Or will you say that although they knew the Scriptures to repugne yet they brought in the aforesaid opinions by malice and corrupt intentions Why your selves cannot deny but that they lived most holy and vertuous lives free from all malitious corrupting or perverting of Gods holy word and by their holy lives are now made worthy to raigne with God in his glory Insomuch as their admirable learning may sufficiently crosse out all suspition of ignorant errour and their innocent sanctity freeth us from all mistrust of malitious corruption But by his leave hee is a little too hastie Hee were best to bethink himselfe more advisedly of that which he hath undertaken to performe and to remember the saying of the King of Israel unto Benhadad Let not him that girdeth on his harnesse boast himselfe as he that putteth it off Hee hath taken upon him to prove that our Religon cannot be true because it disalloweth of many chiefe articles which the Saints and Fathers of that primitive Church of Rome did generally hold to be true For performance hereof it wil not be sufficient for him to shew that some of these Fathers maintained some of these opinions he must prove if hee will be as good as his word and deale any thing to the purpose that they held them generally and held them too not as opinions but tanquam de fide as appertayning to the substance of faith and religion For as Vincentius Lirinensis well observeth the auncient consent of the holy Fathers is with great care to be sought and followed by us not in every petty question belonging to the Law of God but only or at least principally in the Rule of faith But all the points propounded by our Challenger be not chiefe articles and therefore if in some of them the Fathers have held some opinions that will not beare waight in the ballance of the Sanctuary as some conceits they had herein which the Papists themselves must confesse to be erroneous their defects in that kinde doe abate nothing of that reverend estimation which we have them in for their great paines taken in the defence of the true Catholick Religion and the serious studie of the holy Scripture Neither doe I thinke that he who thus commendeth them for the pillers of Christianitie and the champions of Christs Church will therefore hold himselfe tyed to stand unto every thing that they have said sure he will not if he follow the steppes of the great ones of his owne Societie For what doth hee thinke of Iustin Martyr Irenaeus and Epiphanius Doth he not account them among those pillers and champions hee speaketh of Yet saith Cardinall Bellarmine I doe not see how we may defend their opinion from error When others object that they have two or three hundred testimonies of the Doctors to prove that the Virgin Mary was conceived in sinne Salmeron the Iesuite steps forth and answereth them first out of the doctrine of Augustine and Thomas that the argument drawne from authoritie is weake then out of the word of God Exod. 23. In judicio plurimorum non acquiesces sententiae ut á vero devies In judgement thou shalt not be ledde with the sentence of the most to decline from the truth And lastly telleth them that when the Donatists gloried in the multitude of authors S. Augustin did answer them that it was a signe their cause was destitute of the strength of truth which was onely supported by the authority of many who were subject to error And when his Adversaries presse him not onely with the multitude but also with the antiquitie of the Doctors alledged unto which more honour alwayes hath beene given then unto novelties he answereth that indeed every age hath alwayes attributed much unto antiquity and every old man as the Poët saith is a commender of the time past but this saith he vvee averre that the yonger the Doctors are the more sharpe-sighted they be And therefore for his part he yeeldeth rather to the judgement of the yonger Doctors of Paris among whom none is held worthy of the title of a Master in Divinitie who hath not first bound himselfe with a religious oath to defend and maintaine the priviledge of the B. Virgin Only he forgot to tell how they which take that oath might dispense with another oath which the Pope requireth them to take that they will never understand and interprete the holy Scripture but according to the uniforme consent of the Fathers Pererius in his disputations upon the Epistle to the Romans confesseth that the Greeke Fathers and not a few of the Latine Doctors too have delivered in their writings that the cause of the predestination of men unto everlasting life is the foreknowledge which God had from eternitie either of the good workes which they were to doe by cooperating with his grace or of the faith wherby they were to beleeve the word of God to obey his calling And yet he for his part notwithstanding thinketh that this is contrary to the holy Scripture but especially to the doctrine of S. Paul If our Questionist had beene by him hee would have pluckt his fellow by the sleeve and taken him up in this maner Will you say that these Fathers maintained this opinion contrary to the word of God Why you know that they were the pillers of Christianity the Champions of Christ his Church and of the true Catholick religion which they most learnedly defended against diverse heresies and therefore spent all their time in a most serious studie of the holy Scripture He would also perhaps further challenge him as he doth us Will you say that although they knew the Scriptures to repugne yet they brought in the aforesaid opinion by malice corrupt intentions For sure hee might have asked this wise question of any of his owne fellowes as well as of us who doe allow and esteeme so much of these blessed Doctors and Martyrs of the ancient Church as he himselfe in the end of his Challenge doth acknowledge which verily we should have little reason to doe if wee did imagine that they brought in opinions which they knew to be repugnant to the Scriptures for any malice or corrupt intentions Indeed men they were compassed with the common infirmities of our nature and therefore subject unto error but godly men and therefore free from all malicious error Howsoever then we yeeld unto you that their innocent sanctitie freeth us from all mistrust of malitious corruption yet you must pardon us if wee make question whether their admirable learning may sufficiently crosse out all suspicion of error which may arise either of affection or want of due consideration or such ignorance as the very best are subject unto in this life For it is not admirable learning that is sufficient to crosse out that suspicion but such an immediate guidance of the holy Ghost as the Prophets and Apostles were
The Confession therfore which is made unto God purgeth sins but that which is made unto the Priest teacheth in what sort those sinnes should be purged For God the author and bestower of salvation and health giveth the same sometime by the invisible administration of his power sometime by the operation of Physicians This Canon is cyted by Gratian out of the Penitentiall of Theodorus Archbishop of Canterbury but clogged with some unnecessarie additions as when in the beginning thereof it is made the opinion of the Grecians that sinnes should be confessed onely unto God and of the rest of the Church that they should be confessed to Priests where those words ut Graeci in Gratian seeme unto Cardinall Bellarmine to have crept out of the margent into the text and to have beene a marginall annotation of some unskilfull man who gathered by the fact of Nectarius that Sacramentall Confession was wholly taken away among the Grecians For otherwise saith hee in the Capitular it selfe of Theodorus whence that Canon was transcribed those two words ut Graeci are not to be had nor are they also to be had in the second Councell of Cauaillon c. 33. whence Theodorus seemeth to have taken that chapter neyther yet doth the Master of the Sentences in his 4. booke and 17. distinction bringing in the same sentence adde those words ut Graeci But the Cardinalls conjecture of the translating of these words out of the margent into the text of Gratian is of little worth seeing wee finde them expressely laid downe in the elder collections of the Decrees made by Burchardus and Ivo from whence it is evident that Gratian borrowed this whole chapter as he hath done manie a one beside For as for the Capitular it selfe of Theodorus whence the Cardinall too too boldly affirmeth that Canon was transcribed as if hee had looked into the booke himselfe we are to know that no such Capitular of Theodorus is to be found onely Burchardus and Ivo in whom as we said those controverted words are extant setteth downe this whole chapter as taken out of Theodors Penitentiall so misguided Gratian. for indeed in Theodorus his Penitentiall which I did lately transcribe out of a most ancient copie kept in Sir Robert Cottons Threasurie no part of that chapter can be seene nor yet any thing else tending to the matter now in hand this short sentence onely excepted Confessionem suam Deo soli si necesse est licebit agere It is lawfull that Confession be made unto God alone if need require And to suppose as the Cardinall doth that Theodorus should take this chapter out of the second Councell of Cauaillon were an idle imagination seeing it is well knowne that Theodore died Archbishop of Canterbury in the yeare of our Lord 690 and the Councell of Cauaillon was held in the yeare 813. that is 123. yeares after the others death The truth is hee who made the additions to the Capitularia of Charles the great and Ludovicus Pius gathered by Ansegisus and Benedict translated this Canon out of that Councell into his Collection which Bellarmine as it seemeth having someway heard of knew not to distinguish between those Capitularia and Theodors Penitentiall being herein as negligent as in his allegation of the fourth book of the Sentences where the Master doth not bring in this sentence at all but having among other questions propounded this also for one Whether it be sufficient that a man confesse his sinnes to God alone or whether hee must confesse to a Priest doth thereupon set down the diversitie of mens opinions touching that matter and saith that unto some it seemed to suffice if confession vvere made to God onely without the judgement of the Priest or the confession of the Church because David said I said I will confesse unto the Lord he saith not Vnto the Priest and yet he sheweth that his sinne was forgiven him For in these points as the same author had before noted even the learned were found to hold diversly because the Doctors seemed to deliver diverse and almost contrarie judgementâ— therein The diverse sentences of the Doctors touching this question whether externall confession were necessarie or not are at large layd downe by Gratian who in the end leaveth the matter in suspense and concludeth in this maner Vpon what authorities or upon what strength of reasons both these opinions are grounded I have briefly layd open But to whether of them wee should rather cleave to is reserved to the judgement of the reader For both of them have for their favourers both wise and religious men And so the matter rested undetermined 1150. yeares after Christ howsoever the Romane Correctors of Gratian doe tell us that now the case is altered and that it is most certaine and must be held for most certaine that the sacramentall confession of mortall sinnes is necessary used in that maner and at such time as in the Councell of Trent after other Councels it is appointed But the first Councell wherein we finde any thing determined touching this necessitie is that of Lateran under Innocent the III. wherein wee heard that Transsubstantiation was established for there it was ordayned that Omnis utriusque sexus sidelis every faithfull one of eyther sex being come to yeares of discretion should by himselfe alone once in the yeare at least faithfully confesse his sinnes unto his owne Priest and indevour according to his strength to fulfill the penance injoyned unto him receiving reverently at least at Easter the sacrament of the Eucharist otherwise that both being alive hee should be kept from entring into the Church and being dead should want Christian buriall Since which determination Thomas Aquinas in his exposition of the text of the fourth booke of the Sentences distinct 17. holdeth the deniall of the necessitie of Confession unto salvation to be heresie which before that time saith Bonaventure in his disputations upon the same fourth booke was not hereticall forasmuch as manie Catholick Doctors did hold contrarie opinions therein as appeareth by Gratian. But Medina will not admit by anie meanes that it should be accounted strictly heresie but would have it said that it savours of heresie and for this decree of Confession to be made once in the yeare hee saith that it doth not declare nor interpret any divine right of the thing but rather appointeth the time of confessing Durand thinketh that it may be said that this statute contayneth an holy and wholsome exhortation of making confession and then adjoyneth a precept of the receiving of the Eucharist backed with a penaltie or if both of them be precepts that the penaltie respecteth onely the precept of communicating of the transgression whereof knowledge may be taken and not the precept of confession of the transgression whereof the Church can take no certaine notice and therefore can appoint no certaine penaltie for it
Peter of binding and loosing upon earth just as Theodoret reporteth the Audians were wont to doe who presently after confession graunted remission not prescribing a time for repentance as the lawes of the Church did require but giving pardon by authoritie The lawes of the Church prescribed a certaine time unto Penitents wherein they should give proofe of the soundnesse of their repentance and gave order that afterwards they should be forgiven and comforted lest they should be swallowed up with overmuch heavinesse So that first their penance was injoyned unto them and thereby they were held to be bound after performance whereof they received their absolution by which they were loosed againe But the Audian hereticks without anie such triall taken of their repentance did of their owne heads give them absolution presently upon their confession as the Popish Priests use to doe now a dayes Onely the Audians had one ridiculous ceremonie more then the Papists that having placed the Canonicall bookes of Scripture upon one side and certaine Apocryphall writings on the other they caused their followers to passe betwixt them and in their passing to make confession of their sinnes as the Papists another idle practise more then they that after they have given absolution they injoyne penance to the partie absolved that is to say as they of old would have interpreted it they first loose him and presently after binde him which howsoever they hold to be done in respect of the temporall punishment remayning due after the remission of the fault yet it appeareth plainly that the penitentiall workes required in the ancient Church had reference to the fault it selfe and that no absolution was to be expected from the Minister for the one before all reckonings were ended for the other Onely where the danger of death was imminent the case admitted some exception reconciâ—iation being not denied indeed unto them that desired it at such a time yet so granted that it was left verie doubtfull whether it would stand the parties in anie great stead or no. If any one being in the last extremitie of his sicknesse saith S. Augustin is willing to receive penance and â—oth receive it and is presently reconciled and departeth hence I confesse unto you wee doe not denie him that which hee asketh but wee doe not presume that he goeth well from hence I doe not presume I deceive you not I doe not presume Hee who putteth off his penance to the last and is reconciled whether hee goeth secure from hence I am not secure Penance I can give him securitie I cannot give him Doe I say hee shall be damned I say not so But doe I say also he shall be freed No. What doest thou then say unto mee I know not I presume not I promise not I know not Wilt thou free thy selfe of the doubt wilt thou escape that which is uncertaine Doe thy penance while thou art in health The penance which is asked for by the infirme man is infirme The penance which is asked for onely by him that is a dying I feare lest it also dye But with the matter of penance we have not here to deale those formal absolutions and pardons of course immediately granted upon the hearing of mens confessions is that which wee charge the Romish Priests to have learned from the Audian hereticks Some require penance to this end that they might presently have the communion restored unto them these men desire not so much to loose themselves as to binde the Priest saith S. Ambrose If this be true that the Priest doth binde himselfe by his hastie and unadvised loosing of others the case is like to go hard with our Popish Priests who ordinarily in bestowing their absolutions use to make more hast then good speed Wherein with how little judgement they proceed who thus take upon them the place of Iudges in mens consciences may sufficiently appeare by this that whereas the maine ground whereupon they would build the necessitie of Auricular confession and the particular enumeration of all knowne sinnes is pretended to be this that the ghostly Father having taken notice of the cause may judge righteous judgement and discerne who should be bound and who should be loosed the matter yet is so carried in this court of theirs that everie man commonly goeth away with his absolution and all sorts of people usually receive one and the selfe same iudgement If thou seperate the pretious from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth saith the Lord. Whose mouth then may we hold them to be who seldome put anie difference betweene these and make it their ordinarie practise to pronounce the same sentence of absolution aswell upon the one as upon the other If we would know how late it was before this trade of pardoning mens sinnes after this maner was established in the Church of Rome wee cannot discover this better then by tracing out the doctrine publickly taught in that Church touching this matter from the time of Satans loosing untill his binding againe by the restoring of the puritie of the Gospell in our dayes And here Radulphus Ardens doth in the first place offer himselfe who toward the beginning of that time preached this for sound divinitie The power of releasing sinnes belongeth to God alone But the ministery which improperly also is called a power hee hath granted unto his substitutes who after their maner doe binde and absolve that is to say doe declare that men are bound or absolved For God doth first inwardly absolve the sinner by compunction and then the Priest outwardly by giving the sentence doth declare that he is absolved Which is well signified by that of Lazarus who first in the grave was raysed up by the Lord and afterward by the ministery of the disciples was loosed from the bands wherewith he was tyed Then follow both the Anselmes ours of Canterbury and the other of Laon in France who in their expositions upon the ninth of S. Matthew cleerely teach that none but God alone can forgive sinnes Ivo Bishop of Chartres writeth that by inward contrition the inward judge is satisfied and therefore without delay forgivenesse of the sinne is granted by him unto whom the inward conversion is manifest but the Church because it knoweth not the hidden things of the heart doth not loose him that is bound although he be raysed up untill hee be brought out of the tombe that is to say purged by publick satisfaction and if presently upon the inward conversion God be pleased to forgive the sinne the absolution of the Priest which followeth cannot in anie sort properly be accounted a remission of that sinne but a further manifestation onely of the remission formerly granted by God himselfe The Master of the Sentences after him having propounded the diverse opinions of the Doctors touching this point demandeth at last In this so great varietie what is to be held and returneth for
them And therefore it is no marvaile that somewhat not so fitt should be contayned in the foresaid prayers and be tolerated in the Church seeing such prayers were made by private persons not by Councells neyther vvere approved at all by Councells And we easily doe beleeve indeed that their Offices and Legends are fraught not only with untrue and unfit but also with farre worse stuffe neyther is this any newes unto us Agobardus Bishop of Lions complayned about 800. yeares agoe that the Antiphonary used in his Church had many ridiculous and phantasticall things in it and that hee was faine to cut off from thence such things as seemed to be eyther superfluous or light or lying or blasphemous The like complaint was made not long since by Lindanus of the Romane Antiphonaries and Missals wherein not only apocryphall tales saith he out of the Gospell of Nicodemus and other toyes are thrust in but the very secret prayers themselves are defiled with most foule faults But now that wee have the Romane Missall restored according to the decree of the Councell of Trent set out by the command of Pius V. and revised againe by the authoritie of Clemens VIII I doubt much whether our Romanists will allow the Censure which their Medina hath given of the praiers contained therein And therefore if this will not please them he hath another answer in store of which though his country man Mendoza hath given sentence that it is indigna viro Theologo unworthy of any man that beareth the name of a Divine yet such as it is you shall have it Supposing then that the Church hath no intention to pray for anie other of the dead but those that are detayned in Purgatorie this he delivereth for his second resolution The Church knowing that God hath power to punish everlastingly those soules by which when they lived he was mortally offended and that God hath not tyed his power unto the Scriptures and unto the promises that are contayned in the Scripture forasmuch as he is above all things and a◠omnipotent after his promises as if he had promised nothing at all therefore the Church doth humbly pray God that he would not use this his absolute omnipotencie against the soules of the faithfull which are departed in grace therefore shee doth pray that he would vouchsafe to free them from everlasting paines and from revenge and the judgement of condemnation and that he would be pleased to rayse them up againe with his Elect. But leaving our Popish Doctors with their profound speculations of the not limiting of Gods power by the Scriptures and the promises which he hath made unto us therein let us returne to the ancient Fathers and consider the differences that are to be found among them touching the place and condition of soules separated from their bodies for according to the several apprehensions which they had thereof they made different applications and interpretations of the use of praying for the dead whose particular intentions and devotions in that kinde must of necessity therefore be distinguished from the generall intention of the whole Church S. Augustine that I may begin with him who was as the most ingenious so likewise the most ingenuous of all others in acknowledging his ignorance where hee saw cause being to treat of these matters maketh this Preface before hand unto his hearers Of Hell neyther have I had any experience as yet nor you and peradventure it may be that our passage may lye some other way and not prove to be by Hell For these things be uncertain and having occasion to speake of the departure of Nebridius his deare friend Now he liveth saith he in the bosome of Abraham whatsoever the thing be that is signified by that bosome there doth my Nebridius live But elsewhere he directly distinguisheth this bosome from the place of blisse into which the. Saincts shall be received after the last judgement After this short life saith he thou shalt not as yet be where the Saincts shall be unto whom it shall be said Come ye blessed of my Father receive the kingdome which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world Thou shalt not as yet be there who knoweth it not But now thou mayest be there where that proude and barren rich man in the middest of his torments saw a farre off the poore man sometime full of ulcers resting Being placed in that rest thou dost securely expect the day of judgement when thou mayest receive thy body when thou mayest be changed to be equall unto an Angell and for the state of soules betwixt the time of the particular and generall judgement this is his conclusion in generall The time that is interposed betwixt the death of man and the last resurrection contayneth the soules in hidden receptacles as every one is worthy eyther of rest or of trouble according unto that which it did purchase in the flesh when it lived Into these hidden receptacles he thought the soules of Gods children might carry some of their lighter faults with them which being not removed would hinder them from comming into the kingdome of heaven whereinto no polluted thing can enter and from which by the prayers and almes-deeds of the living he held they might be released But of two things he professed himselfe here to be ignorant First What those sinnes were which did so hinder the comming unto the kingdome of God that yet by the care of good friends they might obtaine pardon Secondly Whether those soules did endure anie temporary paines in the Interim betwixt the time of Death and the Resurrection For howsoever in his one and twentieth book of the City of God and the thirteenth and sixteenth chapters for the new patch which they have added to the foure and twentieth chapter is not worthy of regard he affirme that some of them doe suffer certaine purgatorie punishments before the last and dreadfull judgment yet by comparing these places with the five and twentieth chapter of the twentieth booke it will appeare that by those purgatory punishments he understandeth here the furnace of the fire of Conflagration that shall immediatly go before this last judgement and as he otherwhere describeth the effects thereof separate some unto the left hand and melt out others unto the right Neither was this opinion of the reservation of soules in secret places and the purging of them in the fire of Conflagration at the day of iudgement entertained by this famous Doctor alone diverse others there were that had touched upon the same string before him Origen in his fourth book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we have him translated by Ruffinus for in the Extracts selected out of him by S. Basil and S. Gregory wee finde the place somewhat otherwise expressed saith that such as depart out of this world after the common course of death are disposed of according to their deeds and
afterwards invented by the Popish Schoolmen yet was it reiected as repugnant to the doctrine of the Church of God by the Princes and Bishops of England first about the yeare 792. and by Charles the great afterward and the Bishops of Italy France Germany which by his appointment were gathered together in the Councell of Frankford the yeare of our Lord. 794. The foure bookes which by his authoritie were published against that Nicene Synod and the adoration of Images defended therein are yet to be seene as the Resolution also of the Doctors of France assembled at Paris by the command of his sonne Ludovicus Pius in the yeare 824. and the booke of Agobardus Bishop of Lions concerning Pictures and Images written about the same time the argument whereof is thus delivered by Papirius Massonus the setter out of it Detecting most manifestly the errors of the Grecians touching images and pictures he denieth that they ought to be worshipped which opinion all wee Catholickes doe allowe and follow the testimonie of Gregory the great concerning them This passage together with the larger view of the contents of this Treatise following afterwards the Spanish Inquisitors in their Index Expurgatorius commande to be blotted out which wee finde to be accordingly performed by the Divines of Cullen in their late corrupt edition of the great Bibliothecke of the ancient Fathers Gretser professeth that he extreamely vvondereth that this judgement of the booke of Agobardus should proceed from a Catholicke man For Agobardus saith he in that wâ—ole booke doth nothing else but endevour to demonstrate although with a vaine labour that images are not to be worshipped And who be these Grecians whose errors touching images Agobardus doth refell as this Publisher saith Surely these Grecians are the Fathers of the Nicene Councell who decreed that Images should be adored and worshipped Against whom whosoever disputeth doth mainely dissent from right beleevers To which blinde censure of the Iesuite we may oppose not onely the generall judgement of the ancient Almaines his owne countriemen who within these foure or five hundred yeares did flatly disclayme this Image-worship as by Nicetas Choniates is witnessed but also the testimonie of the Divines and Historians of England France and Germanie touching the Nicene Councell in particular rejecting it as a Pseudo-synode because it concluded that Images should be worshipped which thing say our Chroniclers the Church of God doth utterly detest And yet for all that we have newes lately brought us from Rome that it is most certaine and most assured that the Christian Church even the most Ancient the Whole and the Vniversall Church did with wonderfull consent without any opposition or contradiction worship statues and images Which if the cauterized conscience of a wretched Apostata would give him leave to utter yet the extreame shamelessenesse of the assertion might have withhelde their wisedomes whom he sought to please thereby from giving him leave to publish it But it may be I seeke for shamefastnesse in a place where it is not be founde and therefore leaving them to their Images like to like for they that make them are like unto them and so is every one that trusteth in them I proceede from this point unto that which followeth OF FREE-VVILL THat man hath Free-will is not by us gainesayd though wee dare not give him so large a freedome as the Iesuites presume to doe Freedome of will wee knowe doth as essentially belong unto a man as reason it selfe and he that spoyleth him of that power doth in effect make him a verie beast For this is the difference betwixt reasonable and unreasonable creatures as Damascen rightly noteth The unreasonable are rather ledd by nature then themselves leaders of it and therefore doe they never contradict their naturall appetite but as soone as they affect any thing they rush to the prosecution of it But man being indued with reason doth rather lead nature then is ledd by it and therefore being moved with appetite if he will he hath power to restraine his appetite or to follow it Hereby he is inabled to doe the things which he doth neither by a brute instinct of nature not yeâ— by any compulsion but by advise and deliberation the Minde first taking into consideration the grounds and circumstances of each action freely debating on eyther side what in this case were best to be done or not done and then the Will inclining it selfe to put in execution the last and conclusive judgement of the practicall Vnderstanding This libertie we acknowledge a man may exercise in all actions that are within his power to doe whether they be lawfull unlawfull or indifferent whether done by the strength of nature or of grace for even in doing the workes of grace our free-will suspendeth not her action but being moved and guided by grace doeth that which is fit for her to doe grace not taking away the libertie which commeth by Gods creation but the pravitie of the Will which ariseth from Mans corruption In a word as we condemne Agapius and the rest of that mad sect of the Manichees for bringing in such a kinde of necessitie of sinning whereby men were made to offend against their wils so likewise with Polychronius and other men of understanding we defend that vertue is a voluntarie thing and free from all necessitie and with the author of the bookes De vocatione Gentium attributed unto Prosper we both beleeve and feele by experience that Grace is so powerfull that yet we conceive it no way to be violent But it is one thing to inquire of the nature another to dispute of the strength and abilitie of Free-will We say with Adamantius in the Dialogues collected out of Maximus against the Marcionites that God made Angels and Men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee indued them with freedome of Will but not with abilitie to doe all things And now since the fall of Adam wee say further that freedome of Will remayneth still among men but the abilitie which once it had to performe spirituall duties and things pertayning to salvation is quite lost and extinguished For vvho is there of us saith S. Augustine which would say that by the sinne of the first Man Free-will is utterly perished from mankinde Freedome indeed is perished by sinne but that freedome which was in Paradise of having full righteousnesse with immortalitie for vvhich cause Mans nature standeth in neede of Gods grace according to the saying of our Lord If the Sonne shall free you then yee shall be free indeed namely free to live well and righteously For free-will is so farre from having perished in the sinner that by it they sinne all they especially who sinne with delight and for the love of sinne that pleaseth them which liketh them When we denie therefore that a naturall man hath any free-will unto good by