of the paines of Purgatory to send thē to heauen As for scriptures Roffensis Perionius Soto are inforced to confesse yet they were great papists they haue none plain enough to proue it And how can they seeing Christ the father of the scriptures hath diuided al mē but into two sorts beleeuers in him and not beleeuers in him Iohn 3.18 and hath told vs there are two waies only the one broade leading to hell and the other streite leading to heauen Mat. 7.13.14 Luk. 13.24 placing for further explication of his minde concerning the state of those two sorts of mē taking the one of those two waies Lazarus an exāple of the one sort streight in ioy and felicity and the rich glutton example of the other sort streight in hell after death Luke 16. And truely as for Fathers to proue their purgatory withal they are to seeke also Some of them as Origen his folowers imagin a purgatory through which both good bad shal go wherin the wicked and the diuell also after the iudgemēt in the ende after long tormentes shall be saued Which beastly heresie Aug. worthily condēneth confuteth in diuerse places as they well know And I am sure they will not hold such a purgatory neither Some other as Theodor. Oecumenius Alcuinus talke of a purgatory fire at the last day wherewith Christ shall come when he commeth in glory as they imagine through which al shall passe but this is not their purgatory neither is it any thing but a meere phāsie indeed Some other among whom Aug. is as they take it the chiefe man seeme somewhat to allow their purgatorie but indeed the chiefe places which they cite out of him for it are such where he speaketh but doubtfully as thus For sitan verum est non est incredibile An sit quaeripotest that is perhaps it is so It is not altogether incredible It may be a question whether there be any such place or no as in his booke de Ciuitate Deilib 21. cap. 26. in Enchirid cap. 69. And yet in diuers other places belike better aduised and more settled he flatly determineth that there is no such third place For in a sermon of his de vamiate huius saecul◠I read thus Scitote vos quod cū anima a corpore auellitur statim in paradiso collocatur aut in inferni tartara praecipitatur that is Knowe yee that when the soule is taken from the body either by and by it is placed in paradise or thrown into Hell And in hie Hypognosticon the 5. booke he saith thus The first place the Catholike faith by Gods authoritie beleeueth to be the kingdome of heauen the second place that same catholike faith beleeueth to be hell where all runnagates and all that are without the faith of Christ shall tast euerlasting punishment As for any third place penitus ignoramus that is we vtterly know none saith he neither shal we finde in the holy scriptures that there is any such And in his booke de peccatorum meritis li. 1. ca. 28. he hath these words Non est vlli vllus medius locus vt possit esse nisi cum diabolo qui non est cum Christo there is no middle place for any but that he must needes be with the diuel if not with Christ And truely for the releeuing of soules departed by things done for thē here by others as you haue heard the scriptures are against them so the fathers be also For Augustine saith flatly to Hesichius Epist 80. In what state thy dying day findeth thee the last day also shall come vpon thee And Hierom. vpon the 9. of Eccles before alleadged gathereth that there can nothing bee added to the dead by any thing done hereafter And accordingly writeth Cyprian de mortalitate saying Qualē t◠inuenit Deus cū hinc euocat talē pariter iudicat that is In what state God findeth thee whē he calleth thee hence such a one he wil also iudge thee Indeed they may haue these fathers the heathen philosopher Plato in his Gorgia Homer in his 1. 3. Odyss Virgil in his 6. book of AEneid Ouid in his 2. Fastorū Aristotle the Alcoran such like to fetch their purgatory from others of any sound credit they haue none And as for their reasons they are but discourses of their own wit or of others like themselues laste before named And their best are when they are driuen to the vtmost but counterfait writings of fathers falsly bearing their names and writen by some of their owne crew of later time false tales lying apparitions of men and diuels For rather than Purgatory shal be left without an author the diuell shal be he and they will make much of his authority also For they write in Lombardica historia that Saint Odilio at Vulcania of Sicilia hearing that the howlinges and cries of Diuels were hard mourning that soules were takē from them after their departure out of the body by the almes praiers of their friendes liuing caused the feast of the cōmemoration of the dead for the reliefe of soules in purgatory to be ordeined The truth is dearly beloued that their doctrine in this point is such that if ten thousand angels and al the fathers should tel vs that it were true we ought to bold both them and their assertiō accursed it is so blasphemous and iniurious to the precious boud-shed of Iesus Christ the only purgatory indeed both of soul and body For to maintain this they first must hold that the merites and satisfactions of Christ are not sufficient of themselues and by themselues without these paines suffering in purgatory also and this other relief to saue the soule of the beleeuer in him Secondly they must hold that in the bloud of Christ the beleeuer hath forgiuenes of sinnes but not of the punishment due therefore Thirdly that God is such a God as will punish a soule with such hellish torments for the same sinnes which he hath already forgiuen in his sonne and therfore promised to remember no more Heb. 10.17 And lastly they must attribute power to do that to the paines of purgatory and to this their reliefe that they talke of which they hold the bloud of Christ hath not done without these to such You see therfore that these fellowes that are so busy in purgatory are wel worthy for their labour to finde nothing els whē they depart but hell and hellish torments And no doubt of it they sell heauen so fast to others that if they repent not there wil be no place els left for them but hell But to leaue them to their fained king the pope and to this his new kingdome which he hath appropriated to him and his it is further to be noted that in that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not onely signifie vp by but noteth also a continuāce of time thenceforth that to the full comfort of them that die in the
but to eat the flesh of the son of mā to drink his bloud is nothing else but to eat the bread of life wherupon it directly followeth that therfore it is nothing else to eat the flesh of the sonne of mā to drink his bloud but to beleue in him Which also is euident in that you shall find in that chapter within the compasse of the foresaide verses the same thinges both promised to the eaters and drinkers of Christes fleshe and bloude and to the beleeuers in him and also the same things threatned to the not eaters and drinkers thereof which are to the not beleeuers in him Which argueth that they are both one especially seeing the one is put for the other in the Chapter following verse 37.38 In the former whereof we reade thus Nowe in the last and great day of the feast Iesus stood and cried saying If any man thirst let him come vnto me drinke but in the latter whereas if he had continued the metaphoricall speech wherein he beganne he shoulde haue saide he that commeth vnto me and drinketh of mee changing his phrase and yet retayning his former meaning to shewe vs that to drinke him is nothing else but to beleeue in him hee saieth in the steed thereof Hee that beleeueth in me as saith the Scripture out of his bellie shall flowe riuers of waters of life And therefore not without good ground said Augustine Crede manducasti Beleeue and thou hast eaten Tract 25. vpon Iohn And Tertullian de resurrectione carnis 29. writeth that Christ is auditu deuorandus ruminandus intellectu fide digerendus that is to be deuoured by hearing to be chewed on by vnderstanding and to be digested by faith So that by all these proofes laide together wee see that Christ is receiued by faith that wee growe in him by faith yea to a perfect man in Gods sight and lastly that hee is as surely apprehended of vs by faith to our spirituall maintenance in the worde preached and sacramentes ministred which are the dishes wherein one and the selfe-same Christ is offered vnto vs as meate and drinke being set before vs is taken in by eating or drinking thereof to our temporall nourishment Whereof the Sacrament of Christes body and bloud is a most effectuall ratification and particular confirmation to euery right receiuer thereof by faith If it were otherwise that wee coulde not get to be in Christ and hee in vs by faith in him but to accomplishe this it were necessary bodily to take him into vs by the mouth of our bodies then forasmuch as there were neuer any that died that coulde be blessed that died not in him all the good Patriarkes Prophets and other seruantes of GOD that died before hee had an humane body must bee condemned But the contrary thereof is euident in that Abraham is placed in state of saluation by Christ Luk. 16.24 c. Yea and with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen Luk. 13.28.29 And therefore Paul is bolde 1. Cor. 10.3.4 to say of them that were before Christ that they all ate one spirituall meate and dranke the same spirituall drinke that we doe Christ which coulde not be otherwise effectually but by beleeuing aright in CHRIST to come Let vs therfore labour by diligent vse of the meanes that GOD hath appointed vs for that purpose to attaine to a right and sounde faith in Christ and to nourishe it still by the vse of the same meanes seeing thereby wee see it commeth to passe that wee put on Christ and be vnited vnto him so that wee may bee saide according to the vsuall phrase of the Scripture to bee in him and consequently alwaies found ready to dye in him Of which number I count as well them that died before Christ in a right faith in him to come as since in him already come But not by euery kind of faith But nowe least wee deceiue our selues in thinking we haue attained vnto this faith and so are in Christ when it is nothing so wee are diligently to consider what manner of faith that is and of what nature it is that worketh this great and glorious effect And the rather are wee diligently to consider hereof because this woorde Faith is not alwaies taken in one and the selfe-same signification in the Scriptures for there are diuers sortes and kindes of faith Not by the miraculous faith Vnderstande therefore Righte Honourable and welbeloued in our Sauiour Iesus Christ that it is not fides miraculosa a faith to woorke miracles by that is a resolution by some extraordinarie meanes of Gods will to worke a wonder and therefore thereupon to attempt it in his name and to bring it to passe that maketh vs haue this fellowshippe with Christ For of such as haue this faith we reade thus Mat. 7.22.23 Many wil say vnto me in that day saith Christ Lorde Lorde haue we not in thy name prophecied And by thy name cast out Diuels And done many great workes And then will I professe to them Not by the historicall faith I neuer knewe you depart from me you workers of iniquitie Neither is it an historicall faith onely whereby wee assent to the trueth of those thinges that are written in the Scripture For no doubt of it the very diuels of hell are enforced to yeeld thus much to their smart and woe And therefore we read Iames. 2.19 The diuels beleeue and tremble Not by the temporarie saith Neither is it a temporary faith fleeting in the conceite of man not firmely setled and rooted in his heart For such as haue that kinde of faith onely are compared by our sauiour Christ Mat. 13. to the thornie and stonie ground wherein though for a time the good seede of the woorde seemed to make faire promise of a plentifull haruest yet ere due time of haruest came either through the cares and pleasures of this life it was so choaked and ouer growen or through the scorching heate of persecution so burnte vppe that it came to no good And therefore you haue hearde that it is sayde heare not without cause Which dye in the Lorde to shewe vs that it must bee a continuing and perseuering faith vnto the ende howsoeuer in the meane time it bee assaulted that must serue the turne in this case to make vs such as of whom the LORDE here speaketh Not by the dead faith I say further that a faith though seeming to be neuer so liuelye in woordes yet if it be fruitlesse in good woorkes it is not the faith that canne make vs to be in Christ For both immediatlye before the woordes of my text and in the ende thereof it is euident that a faith accompanied with good woorkes is heere required For before you reade that Iohn set downe these woordes Heere is the patience of Saintes heere are they that keepe the commaundementes of GOD and the faith of Iesus And my text concludeth that
should beleeue that the righteousnesse of Christ should be imputed vnto the beleeuer in Christ for righteousnesse This they count absurde and therefore in their Tridentine Conuenticle accurse it as an heresie In the meane time holding that the workes which they themselues doe after faith is the formall righteousnesse whereby they deserue to bee accompted righteous before God In which point because their owne consciences tell them that their doctrine souÌ„deth greatly to the derogatioÌ„ of Christs glorie to coulour the Antichristianity thereof as well yet as may bee they haue now found out this deuise to say that their owne works are not so of their owne worthinesse absolutenesse but through the worthinesse of the merites of Christ Which in effect in plainer tearms is to say that Christ came not perfectly to saue by himselfe to be a full sauiour in his own person but to merite that meÌ„ might by their own works be their own sauiours as though Christ died to be our sauior to post ouer either part or the whole of that his office to any thing wrought by man And as their doctrine is so is their faith For to take it at the best as now they haue fined it thereby they seek in Christ but their former iustificatioÌ„ which they accouÌ„t nothing els but the first translation from the state of mere naturall men to the state of grace fauor of God And yet eueÌ„ herunto they hold that men may haue workes of preparation of their owne common abilitie left vnto them of nature but as for sinnes done after this former iustification attained they beleeue they must flie to a second refuge which they call the sacrament of Penance for them and so they beleeue they must either in this life by them-selues or after in Purgatorie satisfie for these sinnes partly by their owne sufferinges and partly by deedes done for them by others after they bee dead And for the seconde iustification which is the consummation and perfection of the former they beleeue that that must bee made vppe and finished by their owne merites madeÌ„ able to merice their saluation by the merites of Christ And that this is their faith and their docerine euen nowe I coulde make it euident from point to point out of the Tridentine councell the Censurer of Coled Canisius Catechisme the Romish Catechisme and our of our own counâ—rimens writings which are counted not the meanest of the Iesuites But I need not it â—â—ble you with any further proofe thereof For they themselues will not deny it And yee hereby it cannot d ee but you plaiuely see that Christ is not the onely foundation to them wherupon as vpon their onely foundation they stand and test For you see they trust to stand before the Lorde paâ—tly by his satisfactions paâ—â—y by their owns parâ—ly by his merits and pâ—â—tly â—y their owne and others and therefore they are built but halflings at the most vppon him halflings vpon themselues others For whatsoeuer he hath done for them yet vnlesse their owne satisfactioÌ„s be ful their merits such as for which they may euen in the iustice of God clasme heauen they can be at no rest nor peace in their consciences And therefore because they can neuer but doubt whether their satisfactions bee full their meries perfect they hold that they may neuer haue an assured trust and confidence that they shall be saued but that lawfully they may alwaies be in some doubt thereof O what an vucoÌ„fortable doctrine of desperatioÌ„ is this And yee so far off are they froÌ„ being ashamed of this which is the iust iudgement of God vpon them for leauing to rest vpon Christ the only most stedfast foundation that they are not ashamed that their doctrine be intitiled A doctrine of doubtfulnesse Yea they count that their doubtfulnes humility the assurance that true faith breedeth presumption Euen the bare opening vnto you thus what the popish faith is I hope sufficiently proueth vnto you that they that die in such a faith cannot bee saide to die in the Lorde Iesus because that out of the Lorde Iesus you see in themselues and others they seeke a great part of their saluation Howbeit because it is a point of great importance and weight and wherin as yet great multitudes will not bee so easily resolued let vs see howe from point to point this their faith and religion is opposite and contrarye to Gods reuealed will in his worde The former doctrine and faith confuted first generally They holde as you haue heard generally this that Christ in his own person by that which he hath doone himselfe hath not already done whatsoeuer is necessary for man to be iustifled saued by And therefore they ad thereunto their own satisfactions merits by his doings this togither to make vp their iustificatioÌ„ saluation But the scripture saith Heb. 7.25 he is able perfectly to saue those that come vnto God by him Heb. 10.10 by the will of God we are sanctified by the offering of the body of Iesus Christ once made a litle after verse 14. with one offering hath he coÌ„secrated for euer them that are sanctified And Christ himselfe that knew best to giue an infallible note of his owne body the Church telleth vs Matth. 22.1 that the sounde and earhand of the true Messengers therein is this All things are already prepared namely in the mariage of the kings son come vnto the mariage Whereby it is most cleare the the word setteth forth Christ vnto vs as one that of himselfe by himselfe hath already done what soeuer we are to looke to be saued by or for Then particularly in three points To leaue now the generall ground of their faith and to come to the particulars thereof first you heare that they hold that Christ hath not clean purged by himselfe and by that which he hath done in his own person those that beleue in him both froÌ„ their sinnes from the penalty due for the same and that therefore God requireth to the satisfying of his iustice fully some further satisfaction at their own handes But we reane to the contrarie in the Scriptures For there it is thus written The bloud of the son of God doth clense vs froÌ„ all sinne Iohn 1.7 and least this should be taken as spoken onely of sinnes before faith Iohn addeth and putteth himselfe in the number and yet long before that be had faith If we say we haue no sin we deceiue our selues the truth is not in vs If we acknowledge our sinnes he is faithfull iust to forgiue vs our sinnes to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes If they reply that all this proueth but remissionem omnis culpae that is forgiuenesse of the fault or guilt onely of all our sinnes and not also of the punishment I proceede and aske them whether the curse of the lawe and damnation bee not punishmentes due for sinne and
verse 11. And besides all this the spirite of GOD inwardly in the heartes of all such teacheth them to crie Abba Father Romanes 8.15 and testifieth to their spirits that they are the children of God ver 16. and so sealeth them vp to the day of redemption 2. Corint 1.22 Vpon which euidence to grounde an assured confidence to enioye the thing promised who may not Yea the Lord hauing giuen such euidence ground vnto vs of assurance who seeth not that this notwithstaÌ„ding to doubt whether the thing promised shall bee giuen vs or no is most horrible sinne against the Lorde calling his trueth into question 1. Iohn 5.10 And therefore whatsoeuer they say to the contrary wee know it is our dueties to yeelde vnto the exhortation made to all them that beleeue aright in Christ Heb. 10.19 c. which is this Seeing therefore brethren that by the bloud of Iesus we may be bolde to enter into the holy place by the new and liuing way which hee hath prepared for vs through the vaile that is his flesh and seeing we haue an hie Priest that is ouer the house of of God let vs drawe neare in a true heart in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience washed in our bodies with pure water and let vs keepe the profession of our hope without wauering for he is faithful that hath promised Thus I hope you see proofe sufficient to prooue The popish faith 〈◊〉 antichristian popery antichristianity that the popish faith is not that faith whereby men can grow into an vnion with Christ and consequently not the faith wherby any can dy in the Lord. Howbeit because they shall not say the I was driuen to seeke for forraine profes to proue this haue no proofe or argumeÌ„t to coÌ„firme it in this my preseÌ„t text giue me leaue to vse one argument more to prooue it and that deduced from the very circumstances of my text which I thus frame Whosoeuer dieth bearing the marke of the beast either in forhead or haÌ„d dieth not in the Lorde but in the Babylonish that is Antichristian religion but whosoeuer dieth in this popish faith dyeth bearing the mark of the beast in the forhead or haÌ„d ergo so far off is it that such a one dyeth in Christ that in deede and trueth hee dyeth in Antichrist The first part of this argument they neither can nor will deny For they reade vers 9.10.11 that who so worshippeth the beast and his image and receiueth his marke either in his forehead or hand the same shall drinke the wine of Gods wrath and be euerlastingly tormented Yea what then wil they say your assuÌ„ption or second part of pour argument is vtterly false Well that then being prooued the conclusion must bee yeelded vnto This themselues grant that by Babylon the fall whereof heere denounced shall followe vpon the preaching of the Gospel vers 6.7.8 is ment the florishing kingdome of Antichrist and they confesse that by wearing the marke of the beast in foreheade or hande is vnderstoode perseuering still a fauourer and liker of Antichristianity notwithstanding the warning here giuen to the contrary And if they woulde deny either of these they coulde not for shame the text in this booke and the circumstaunces thereof are so preguant to prooue them If therefore I can prooue that by Babylon here we haue to vnderstande Rome By Babylon we are to vnderstande Rome and that Antichristianitye and Popery be al one then I am sure that they must needs graunt my assumption For the first of these I doe boldly affirme that here by Babylon we must vnderstande Rom. My reasons are these The phrase vsed in this booke generally is figuratiue and not literallye to bee taken and therefore it is not likely but by Babylon is ment same other Citye which figuratiuely might bee so termed And it is euident that Iohn speaketh of such a Babylon as florished in his time and should long after and yet that should in the end haue a fall and therefore not of Babylon in Chaldea for that was fallen and decayed before Neither is it straunge in the Scripture to finde one Citye and people called by the name of another for the liklihood of manners bewixt the one and the other For Isai 1.10 wee reade that God speaketh thus to the Princes and people of Israel that dwelt in Canaan Heare the word of the Lord O Princes of Sodome harken vnto the law of our God O people of Gomorrha By which reason most aptly after the same figure of speech may Rome be called Babylon For as old Babylon vexed the Church in the olde Testament with long captiuâ—â—y so hath Rome done the Church of Christ in the newe as that ouercame the Iews and burned their City so hath also this doone by Titus and Vespasian as Babylon was the seat and fountaine when it floorished of Idolatrye and all abhomination so hath Rome beene both in the time of the beast and his image that is both in the time of Paganisme vnder the heathen Emperours and nowe in the time of Papisme vnder the Popes the Princes thereof And it is no small reason to moâ—ue vs by Babylon here to vnderstand Rome that it is called Babylon the great City that hath made all nations drimke with the wine of the wrath of her fornication that is that hath infected all nations with a false faith and religion whereby men in falling from their fathonely in the true and onely husbande Christ fall to put their trust and confidence in other thinges that are not CHRIST and to commit fornication spiritually with those thinges for the which the Lorde is wroth with them Which cannot bee sayde of Babylon in Chaldea nor of any other Citye so called For none of that name haue doone so since Iohns time but most fitly as appeareth by viewe of the popish doctrine and faith may be said of Rome and the Princes therof the Popes So that thus you see by the way that their glory is turned to their shaure For they bragge of their vninersalitye and generall consent which yee see heare their doctrine being as you haue hard is a most plaine note of the Antichristian Babylon But which is of all reasons the most forcible whereas it cannot be denied but by the purple silken and proud whore of Babylon is ment Antichrist Apoc. 17.4 their she is described sitting vppon a Crimson coloured beast full of names of blasphemy which had seuen heades and ten homes vers 3. which seuen heades are by the Angell vers 9. expounded to be seuen mountaines on which the woman sitteth The names of the bils be these Capâ—olitius Palatinut Auentinus Caelius Exquilinus Viminads Quirinasis And the woman is sayde verse 1â— to be that great Citie which raigneth ouer the kings of the â—aâ—th Then by which description it was impossible more playnely to describe â—ome which then wâ—â— the mistresse and these of
to beleeue that for his â—â—ly sake they shal not only be quit of al their sins the punishmeneâ— due for the same but that also God will vouchâ—â—â—â— to accouÌ„t theÌ„ righteous and woâ—â—thy or meet for the kingom of heauen for his righteousnes imputed vnto theÌ„ So that faith seeketh for the whol matter and cause to be saued by in Christ Iesus alone in him alone it findeth apprehendeth sufficient matter why the owner of it shold be iustified and saued The grouÌ„d of this faith in the coÌ„futation of the popish faith you haue heard already wherunto ad yet these 2 manifest places wherof the first is in the 10. of Ioh. 1. 7. where Christ flatly teacheth that he is the only dore into Gods sheepfold that so earnestly that he pronouÌ„ceth theÌ„ all theeues robbers that seek to get in any other way The other is in the 4. of the Act. 10.12 where we read that Peter boldly before the high Priests and their company in a solemne assembly sayth Be it knowen vnto you all to all the people of Israell that there is saluatioÌ„ in no other but in Iesus of Nazareth For amoÌ„g meÌ„ there is giueÌ„ no other naÌ„e vnder heaueÌ„ wherby we must be saued The which 2 places if there wer no more to be fouÌ„d through out the whole scripture were sufficient to put vs out of all doubt that there is no part of saluation to be looked for but only in through and for Iesus Christ And therfore the greater is the iudgment of God vppon the Church of Rome which notwithstanding these places will yet seeke for some part of the cause of their saluation by their owne satisfactions and merites But 〈◊〉 to whom the Lord hath giuen grace to see the glorious riches which hee hath prepared for vs in this his son hereby may be assured the seeing there lacketh in Christ neither ablenesse nor willingnes to be such a one that wtout all wauering wee may he bold to beleeue that God as both able and willing freely fully soly wholy to iustifie vs here and to glorifie vs elswhere for this his sons sake alone Which persuasion grounded vpoÌ„ this and other such groundes in the Scripture before touched is that which I boldly affirme vnto you to be the faith that indeede maketh vs to be in the Lord so ready to dye in the Lorde I exhort you therfore as many as be desirous to dye in the Lord to seeke in time by this sayth to liue in the Lord. Remember that it is the Lordes gift that by the ordinary means of the word preached Gal. 5. Ro. 10.14 1. Cor. 1.21 And therfore if you would haue it and hauing it once reteyne and keepe it you must diligently seeke it at the Lords hands by the vse of this means and that while the Lord doch offer the means vnto you least as he threatneth Pro. 1.24.26 Because he called ye refused he will laugh at your destructioÌ„ mock when your fear commeth Do not defer off the seeking for it and the streÌ„gthening of it vntil old age come If you wil do in it you must learne to liâ—â— in iâ— first and there is no reason yâ— you should spend the strength of your dayes in vanity ignorance misbeliefe and infidelity in the seruice of 〈◊〉 in the and 〈◊〉 these things are weary of you to think that it is enough to serue God with your old dry rotten bones God neuer liked to be serued with the lame blinde and maimed of the flock but the strong lusty vnblemished hee alwaies called for Mal. 1.8 13. And therfore let euery one in his youth time of his streÌ„gth remeÌ„ber his creatour turn vnto him Ec. 12.1 A briefe report testimony of the Earle of Bedfords life and death Of this fayth and early and timely seeking for it this noble person whose funeral and burrall we are now about hath bin a noble example vnto vs. For we know that not only in his later daies in her Maiesties time that now is when to be of this fayth was and hath bin safe and commendable vnto him but also before when to shewe himselfe of this fayth was daungerous to his liuing and honour he hath shewed himselfe in his life a zealous and constant professor and confessour of this faith vsing al good means both priuatly and publikely to nourish it by the diligent vse of the means aforesayd I my selfe haue bin both an eye witnesse and an eare witnesse that both in respect of his sins he had infallible tokens of a very broken and contrite hart and thought as baselye of himselfe in respect of himselfe as a true penitent man should and that yet casting his eyes vpon Gods mercyes towards such in Christ noâ—â—aÌ„ could be more comforted and râ—ysed vp agayne Notwithstanding he was as free from the common corruptions of the world wherinto â—eâ— of his place are greatly assaulted and prouoked to fall and as ful of loue and charity and all the fruites thereof as lightly amongst men any can be found yet this I canne testifie of him and I thinke so canne all that knew him and were acquainted with him that he was neuer the more puffed vppe with any conceyt of his own righteousnes yea though his course of life and dealing with all men were such that he had got this title commonly in the mouthes of al The good Earle of Bedforde yet stil his cry was that only in Iesus Christ and his merites was all his hope and trust concerning his saluation And truely as he liued in this faith in this sort so to the glory of his God al our good exaÌ„ple and his own euerlasting comforte hee dyed constantly in the same And therefore as they that were most about him can testifie a litle before his death in this his last sicknesse out of the abundance of his heart and fayth that was lodged therein hee vttered these words with great comfort Satan is cheyned Satan is cheyned The seede of the woman hath broken the serpentes head The seede of the woman hath broken the serpents head Euen for mee Euen for mee And a little before his death he ioyned in prayer with a godly Minister whom hee kept in his house for the watering of himself and his family from time to time with the water of life vnto the Lorde most earnestly and made in his hearing after some good comfort giuen him by him a notable sweete and Christian confession of his fayth in God the father God the son and God the holy Ghost shewing how fully he hoped to be saued in and for Iesus Christs sake alone coÌ„cluding in the end thus Thus I beleeue with my heart to iustification confesse with my mouth to saluation and so quietly within a very litle space after gaue vppe the Ghost I dare therefore be bolde to place him within the number of them that here in my text the
said to be blessed streight after their death and to rest there in peace Which if it be true then their doctrine of the paines that soules abide there is but a frai-bug and if their doctrine be true then this is false which they write Lo here the popish vnity But howe maye they notwithstanding the pâ—â—â—es there be sayd to be blessed Because say they them notwithstanding they are ceased from the labours of this life and al danger to sin and are put in security of eternall ioy in the ende with vnspeakable peace of conscieÌ„ce in the mean time Then it cannot be say I once againe that the paines of purgatory be so great for the time as the paines of hell For there is no security of ioy there in the end nor in the mean time any coÌ„fort at al in conscience but extreame anguish and horror Againe who seeth not that it is a poore blessednes to go from the afflictions of his life which the faithful with ioy and reioycing suffer Act. 5.41 and that In ful assurance of ioy in the end Ro. 8.33 and so to the end of the chapter coÌ„sequently with great coÌ„fort of conscience indeede to a place where for the space of ten mens liues yea they cannot tell howe long they shall suffer paines tormeÌ„ts the least wherof as they write infinitely exceedeth the greatest of the other And if this were so that it might stand with the Apostles meaning as they in their notes woulde faine make vs beleeue theÌ„ no doubt of it here is a colde hartning ministred to those the liue in the Lorde to perseuere to their death against all assaultes to the contrary that when they dye they shall streightway make onely this chaÌ„ge No no dearly beloued the scope of the text the nature of the blessednes here spoken of wil not abide this their glose The greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here translated labors signifieth as I haue told you al labors with griefe wearisomnesse or payne generally and cannot be restreyned to the afflicitions only of this life And though they could hold their purgatory by their cauilling for all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet seeing they must needs vnderstand the last clause by a metonymie of the rewarde of works For the works themselues they knowe were either actions or pâ—ssions which are not extant but vanished and gone when the action and passion was finished and seeing also the greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot more properly be englished than their works go with them and seeing in purgatory they wil not for shame say that they haue already the reward of their workes it must needs follow the presently after their death they go thither where forwith they may haue the reward of their workes which they must needes confesse is heauen and therfore that there can be no such purgatory for them to stay in as they imagine before they come there The popish relife for soules in purgatorie despised Yea further the due weying of these words as they clean quench the fire of purgatory so they ouerthrow al the reliefe which the papists haue deuised and yet vse to releeue the soules that be there For we reade here that their own works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accompany them and all these their reliefes consisteth of that which others doe for them when they bee dead and here is no promise that any woorkes shall followe them but their owne And therefore S. Paul 2. Cor. 5.10 writeth that we must be all manifested before the iudgement seate of Christ that euery manne may receiue the thinges done in his owne body according to that which he hath done bee it good or euill Now if when soules shall appeare in iudgement with their bodyes euery one be but to receiue according as he hath done in his owne body is it not most euident that in the meane time what so euer is done for soules departed hence by others it shall neuer benefite them And therfore heere the spirite of God woulde not comfort them that dye in the Lord with that Popish comforte that thinges doone for them by others when they be dead should also follow them onelye he telleth them that their owne workes shall go with them And yet his purpose beeing to comforte them in the best and most effectuall manner without all doubt if hee coulde in truth haue comforted them with that he woulde not haue omitted it But hee hath wee see quite past that kinde of comforte ouer and speaketh onely of our owne woorkes Wherefore let vs not after the manner of the Papistes be slack in good works while we are aliue trusting that by doles Masses dirges trentals pardons made done procured for vs by others wheÌ„ we are gon we shal haue the state of out souls departure relieued but as S. Paul hath commaunded vs. Whiles we haue time let vs doe good vnto all men especially vnto the householde of faith Gal. 6.10 for where the tree falleth there it lieth vntill it bee reared againe Eccle. 11.3 and the dead haue no portion of any thing that is done vnder the Sun Eccle. 9.6 And we see by Christs parable Mat. 25.10 c. that the foolish virgines that lacked oyle in their lampes of their owne sought it at the hands of others could get none though they would neuer so faine haue had some of them whatsoeuer it had cost them and so were shut out from entring in with the bridegrome into his chamber O therefore the spiritual craftines of poperye first in deuysing that there is a thirde place betweene hell and heauen or a meane place called Purgatory for soules departed to go vnto before they goe to heauen and then in inuenting such a reliefe for them when they were gone thither by others For by the first they put soules departing into such feare that they cared not what they gaue depriued their heires wiues and other children of to buy at their handes their praiers masses pardons wherby they wonderfully to the spoile of others inriched themselues by the latter they greatly occasioned men to be slacke in godlines loose in life whiles health lasted vpon hope of this prouision in the end also so led them from the present faith in Christ to a faith in these things and consequently murthered their soules yet marueilously inriched them selues Whereby they haue proued themselues to be the cruellest cunningest and greatest theeves that euer were in the world They may well pretend Scriptures fathers reasons for this their deuise thereby to bleare the eies of the simple it is so passing gainefull vnto them but in deed and truth the very onely roote and fountaine thereof was insatiable couecousnes to inrich themselues they cared not how and intollerable ambition to lift vp themselues into credit among the people in that thus they made theÌ„ beleeue it lay in their hands to ease them