Now this Virgin Christina doth thus speake of her selfe instantly after she did rise from death to lyfe in the sight of many then liuing Statim vt è corpore excessi c. Presently after I did leaue my body certaine Angels of God being ministers of the light receaued my soule and brought it to an obscure darke and horrid place being full and replenished with the soules of men and women The torments which I did behould in that place were so extreme violent and insufferable as that they cannot be deliuered in any words I did see there diuers with whom I was acquainted whiles they here liued vpon the earth I did much pitty those poore miserable soules I demaunded of my Conductours what place this was for I did imagine that it was Hell They answered that it was the place of Purgatory reserued for such sinners who had obtayned true penitency of their sinnes before their death but had not yet performed any actuall satisfaction for their Crimes in their lyfe tyme committed After this my Conductours brought me to behould the punishment of the damned in Hel where also I did find certaine persons knowne to me in their lyfe tyme. After this I was conducted vp to Paradise euen to the Throne of the diuine Maiesty where I did behould our Lord wellcomming me I reioyced excessiuely thereat as being then perswaded that I should there remayne with our Lord for all eternity But he presently answered me saying Most wellcome daughter thou shalt with out all doubt finally stay with me but here I put to thee an election of which of these two things thou hadst rather make choyce to wit whether thou haddest rather now stay with me for all eternity or els to returne vnto the world and earth againe and there resuming thy former body to suffer paynes though without any danger to thy body by which paynes thou mayest free set at liberty those soules which thou behoulding in Purgatory didst commiserate pitty that so by this means men and women yet liuing vpon the earth through the example of thy penitent lyfe abstayning from commiting more facinorous Crymes and performing in satisfaction of them what they ought to do may in the end being enriched with store of merits and good deeds be conuerted to me Now I without any pause or delay answered that I had rather returne to my body vnder the former condition proposed to me and thereupon our Lord taking it well that I shewed my selfe so ready in the choyce commandeth my soule to be restored to its body In the performance whereof it was wonderfull to behould the incredible swiftnes and celerity of the blessed spirits For euen in that very houre when it is sayd in the Sacrifice of the Masse which was then offered for me Agnus Dei O Lambe of God c. my soule was placed before the diuine Maiesty and at the third time of the saying of the foresaid words Agnus Dei the Angells restored me to my body And thus the matter standeth touching my departure out of this world and my after returne to lyfe since all this was done concerning my being restored to lyfe for the chastizing of men and their amendment in manners and conuersation Therefore I would intreate all persons that they would not be troubled or affrighted with such things as they shall see in me The things do exceed mans vnderstanding which God commanding shal be performed in me Neither haue such euents at any tyme hapned among mortall men Thus much did she speake And then the wryter of her lyfe adioyneth these words following concerning her Cap. 6. Tum vero caepit illa exercere c. Thtn she did begin to exercise and put in practise such seuerities for the performāce of which she was sent by our Lord She did voluntarily enter into burning Ouens was tormented in those fyers so as through the straytnes of the place and paynes she made a fearefull horrible noyse But after she came out of those places there was not to be seene in her body any print or marke of such her burnings And then the foresaid Authour thus further proceedeth in his discourse Cap. 7. Sub aquis Mosae fluminis hyberno tempore cum rigerent omnia gelu c. She very often long stood in the waters of the riuer Mosa in winter time when it was congealed with frost remayning there in such manner six dayes and more And then a little after the foresaid Authour thus further sayth cap. 9. Interdum in aquis orans c. She sometymes praying in the waters was caryed by them vpon the wheele of a water mill and so in most horrible manner was borne about with the wheele thereof being notwithstanding perfect vnhurt in all the parts of her body And the Authour thus more writeth ibid. Surgebat quandoque medijs noctibus totius Oppidi Trudonensis canes in se concitans c. She often tymes rysing about midnight would stir vp against her all the dogs of the towne of S. Truyen she rūning before them following her like a swyft Deare throgh certaine obscure places full of bryars and thornes in so much as she was pricked her skinne torne in diuers places as that no part of her body was free from wounds and yet after her sheeding of much bloud thereby no prints scarrs or marks of any woūds or pricks were to be seene in her body Thus far the forsaid Authour Now that this his Narration of all set downe was most true appeareth seuerall wayes First because as I said aboue he had Iacobus Bishop and Cardinall of Vitriacum a most graue man to beare witnesse thereof Secōdly in that the authour of this History did relate passages done in his owne life tyme and in the same Prouince wherein himselfe liued seeing he was Bishop and suffragan to the Archbishop of Cambray Thirdly in that the matter and History it selfe euen publikely as it were deposeth and auerreth the truth hereof to wit that her body was so after conformed and strengthned by diuine power as that it should suffer payne by fyer and yet should not be dissolued should receaue wounds and shee l much bloud and yet no prints of those woūds should appeare In this sort this most blessed woman liued not for the space of few dayes only but during all the time of fourty two yeares after her returne to lyfe And lastly because by this course of her life she conuerted many to true penance and compunction of their sinnes and after her death was glorious and eminent for miracles therefore God by such examples aboue insisted vpon would stop the mouths of such incredulous persons who are not afraid sometymes to demand Who hath returned from Hell who hath seene the torments either of Hell or Purgatory Behould heere we haue two faythfull Witnesses a man and a woman who haue seene the most bitter and insufferable torments of Hell and Purgatory and therefore such men do wholy rest
touching care to be had concerning the death of the soule a certaine Man being for the tyme dead was after restored to lyfe of Body relating many things worthy of remembrance of some of which I haue thought good at this present to make particular mention It is this There was a certaine Househoulder or Father of a family in the Country-Norman belonging to the Humbri This man did lead with his whole house a very religious lyfe Who being taken with a sudden infirmity and sicknes in body and his payne more and more increasing he was brought to the howre of death and dyed in the beginning of the Night But at the appearance of the morning he returned to life againe and setting himselfe vp in bed all those who accompanicd that night the dead Body through feare and amazement presently fled away But his wife who loued him dearely though fearing remayned with him whom he did comfort in these wordes Feare not wife for I am truly risen from death with which this night I haue beene houlden and I am permitted to liue againe among men heere vpon earth but not after the same manner as I was accustomed heretofore to liue but after a far different sort Hereupon he presently did ryse out of his bed and went to the Oratory or Chappell belonging to that village spending the most part of the day in prayer He instantly deuided all his substance into three partes of the which one part he gaue to his wyfe another to his children and the third he distributed to the poore And he with great speed freeing himselfe from all care of the world came to the Monastery called Mailros and there taking the Tonsure the Abbot prouided for him a secret cell into which he entred and there continued till the day of his death in such great contrition of mind and body that his very lyfe though his tongue had beene silent did speake that he had seene during the short tyme he was afore dead many things both fearefull and to be desired For he deliuered the matter in this manner Lucidus erat aspectu clarus indumento qui me ducebat c. One of a lightsome countenance and bright in apparell did lead me We came vnto a certaine valley of a great largenes profundity but of an infinite length That part of the valley which was vpon our left hand was most terrible through scorching flames The other part thereof was no lesse terrible through extremity of hayle frost snow and wynds Both these wyde passages of this valley were full of soules of men and women which seemed to be tossed to and fro as it were through force and violence of boysterous stormes For when they could not any longer endure the violence of so great an heat the poore miserable soules did cast themselues into the middest of that insufferable cold aboue related and when as neither there they could fynd any rest or ease they then agayne leaped into those inextinguishable flames of fyer And whereas an infinite multitude of poore soules I saw thus to be tormented with this vnfortunate vicissitude of torments and without any intermission or ease I began to call to mynd that perhaps this place was Hell of the intollerable torments wherof I had before heard much spoken My Conductour who went before me answered to my present thought saying Do not so thinke for this place which thou seest is not that Hell which thou supposest Now the vision of Hell and after of Paradise being explayned which for breuity I omit the Conductour thus further said to the person raysed from death Scis omnia quae vidisti dost thou know all these things which thou hast seene The raised party said No. I do not know them To whom his Conductour thus replyed That great vale which thou hast seene most dreadfull for flames of heate and fyer as also for insufferable cold is that place in which the soules of all those are to be purged and chastized who in their lyfe tyme delayed from time to time to confesse their sinnes and to makc satisfaction for the wickednes by them perpetrated and yet in the very last houre of their lyfe obtayned true penitency and contrition for their sinnes and so departed out of their bodies which soules because they made confession of their sinnes and had penitency of them though at the last houre of their death do yet belong to the Kingdome of Heauen And many of these poore soules are much eased by the prayers of the liuing by Almes-deeds of their friends by their strict fastings and especially by the celebration of holy masses in their behalfe so as by these meanes diuers of them are freed from their torments before the day of Iudgment Venerable Bede thus further addeth hereto Cum ille incredibili austeritate Corpus suum vexaret c. When as this man raysed to life did afflict his body with incredible austerity praying and praysing God with hymns he then standing in water frozen through cold with yce his fellow Monkes would say to him It is wonderfull ô Brother Drithelmus that thou art able to endure such asperity of cold He then replyed Frigidiora vidi I haue seene much more cold places And when they in lyke sort said to him mirum quod tam austeram tenere continentiam velis c. It is wonderfull that thou wilt keep this austere cōtinency in meates c. He answered Austeriora vidi I haue seene greater austerity And in this sort through an indefatigable desire of the ioyes of Heauen he tamed and subdued his old feeble body vntill the day of his death he much profiting many by his perswasions and conuersation of lyfe Thus far S. Bede in his relation of this history Now that the contents hereof are most true I little doubt because it is agreable to the sacred Scripture in the booke of Iob cap. 24 Ad nimium calorem transeunt ab aquis niuium from waters of snow they passe to ouermuch heate Againe S. Bede a Venerable most godly man recordeth the same as happening out in his owne dayes and lifetime To conclude there did follow out of this vision great spirituall benefit the which God is accustomed to draw and extract out of such miraculous euents and not curiosity or vanity but the health of many soules by their conuersion to pennance vertue In this next place will I come to the testimony of a most admirable woman her name was Christina whose life is written by Thomas Cantipratensis of the order of S. Dominicke a man most worthy of credit and who liued in the dayes of the said Christina The same is in like sort witnessed by that Venerable man Iacobus de Vitriaco l. de vita rebus gestis B. Mariae de Oegnies a pious and learned Cardinall who in a booke of his maketh mention of diuers holy women and particularly of this Christina Mirabilis whose life he relateth most briefly in a short Compendium
another Iudge or by humbly beseeching the mercy of the Iudge or by some other meanes he may free himselfe in some measure from the vexations with which he is enuironed But alas in Purgatory the Soules can do nothing but only patiently suffer their punishment True it is that Holy Men liuing heere on earth may pray for the dead may offer vp almes and other satisfactory workes for the soules in Purgatory But this priuiledge is not granted to the soules themselues being in Purgatory except by a certaine Priuiledge to some few and this most rarely to wit to appeare to liuing men and to beseech ayde and help by their charity Therefore the state and condition of those soules are most miserable who being in those torments cānot beget any ease or help to themselues or to the soules of their Father Sonne Brother Mother sister or wyfe or of any other friend lying in Purgatory But perhaps It may be here suggested that few are those Soules who come to Purgatory and therefore the punishments there inflicted are not much to be apprehended but in a sort to be sleighted and smally regarded But to this I answere that the soules which lye cruciated tormented in Purgatory are innumerable and so many as that the number of them is sufficient to moue and stir vp mercy though their torments were far more easy and light This is euident seeing we are instructed a little before from the history of Venerable Bede that Drithelmus did see an infinite number of soules in Purgatory as also frō the lyfe of Blessed Christina that the place of Purgatory was a most vast huge place replenished filled with soules Neither can it be otherwise seeing nothing that is defiled and contaminated can enter into the kingdome of Heauen but they only are able to penetrate vnto the sight of God which is a light and in whom there is not any darkenes and to that place of infinite purity who are truly holy and immaculate are mēbers of that Church in which there is not either macula or ruga spot or wrincle Ephes 5. Now who these men are are most rare and most few and therfore it followeth that all others who belong to the number of the Elect are to passe through the torments and paynes of Purgatory Now from all the former passages of this discourse it may necessarily be gathered that the Doue hath iust cause daily to lament and mourne for so many mēbers of hers which with an infinite desire thirst after their heauenly Country and yet are in the meane time detayned from thence by intollerable flames of fyer and are cruciated afflicted with most bitter inexplicable paines Thus far doth the Godly Cardinall Bellarmyne discourse of these former foure Heads touching the Nature of Purgatory Which discourse in regard both of his Learning Sanctity ought to sway and preuayle much with all such good pious English Catholikes who are sollicitous and carefull of their owne soules good Now the Authour of this Treatise wil conclude this first Section by adioyning a Reason drawne from Schoole Diuinity which demonstrateth that the paynes of Purgatory are far more atrocious and intollerable then any paynes or torments of this life can be It is this Three things do concurre as well to griefe or payne as to ioy To wit Potentia Obiectum Coniunctio vnius cum altero as S. Tho. p. 2. q. 31. ar 5. saith An intelligent or at least a sentient Power or Faculty a conuenient Obiect to that Power and an Vnion or Coniunction of the Obiect with the Power Now as concerning the Power doubtlesly Potentia rationalis a Rational Power or Faculty is more capable of payne or griefe then Potentia animalis a sensible Faculty or Function For if we respect Apprehension or knowing the Vnderstanding in a Rationall soule is as it were a mayne Fountaine the Sense but a small Riuer So far as concerneth the Appetite or Desire the wil of a Rationall Soule is a maine Fountayne also The Appetite being inferiour to it is but like a small Riuer Seeing therfore the naked soule it selfe is immediatly tormented the griefe thereof ought to be the greatest in respect of the Patient for here in this lyfe not so much the soule as the body is tormented by reason of the paynes of the body some griefe and dolour passeth into the soule Now concerning the Obiect The fyer of Purgatory must be far more violent horrible intense then the fyer in this world is seeing that fyer is created and instituted as an instrument of Gods Iustice who would shew his power in the creation of it Lastly touching the Coniunction of the Power with the Obiect the Coniunction of the Soule with the fyer in Purgatory shall be most strait and as it were intrinsecall For heere in this world where all things are corporall and bodily there is no Coniunction made but only by the touch of the Extremities or vtmost parts of the bodyes and the Superficies of things wheras in Purgatory the torments and fyer thereof shall penetrate most inwardly the very soule it selfe Thus farre touching this first Section Of the meanes to auoyde at least to mitigate the paynes of Purgatory SECT II. HAuing in the precedent Section shewed out of the iudgment of the most learned Cardinall Bellarmyne the atrocity of the paynes of Purgatory and some other Circumstances accōpaning the said paynes in this next place it is conuenient to set downe the meanes through force whereof the sayd paynes may receaue some alleuiation and mitigation I imitating herein the Physitian who first inquireth into the disease after prescribeth Medicines for the curing of the same These meanes according to the Doctrine of the Catholike Church are these following To wit the most holy Sacrifice of the Masse Prayer Almes-deeds or good workes according to those words of S. Austin serm 32. deverb Apost Orationibus sanctae Ecclesiae sacrificio salutari Eleemosynis non est dubium mortuos adiuuari It is not to be doubted but that the Soules of the dead are helped by prayers of the holy Church by the healthfull Sacrifice and by Almes deeds With whom accordeth S. Chrysostome Hom. 41. in 1. ad Cor. saying Iuuatur mortuus non lachrymis sed precibus supplicationibus Eleemosynis A dead man is helped not with teares but with prayers supplications and Almes-deeds With which two former Fathers Venerable Bede to omit many other to auoyde prolixity doth conspire in these words l. 5. hist c. 13. Multos preces viuentium Eleemosynae c. The prayers of the liuing Alms-deeds Fasting and principally the Celebration of the Masse do helpe many who are dead that they may be freed from their torments before the day of Iudgment But of these three seuerall kinds of Suffrages for reliefe of the soules in Purgatory I will chiefly insist in shewing the force and efficacy of good works or Almes-deeds In the explication of
O how worthy an Act is this and how do you suffer in their sufferings And you may then infallibly interest your selues in the words of the Apostle Hebr. 6. God is not vniust that he can forget your good workes and charity which you haue shewed in his name and haue and do minister vnto his Saints I well remember that some twenty yeares since a certaine Prison hauing in it some six or seauen Priests far more poore lay Catholikes lying there in great want there was a Catholike gentle woman of good account who taking great cōmiseration of their wants relieued all the Catholike imprisoned company with weekly prouision of meate for seuerall months and so she intended still to continue this her Charity but that she was shortly after preuented by death This was an Heroicall and most Christian charity in her able no doubt throgh Christs mercifull acceptance thereof euen to abate the flames of Purgatory In like sort I could wish all of you who are carefull to preuent the raging flames or Purgatory that what workes of labour or satisfaction or Almes deeds you intēd to doe that you would not defer the accomplishing of them till the day of your departure out of this world but performe them when you are in health The differēce is most great betweene a worke of Charity done at the Houre of a mans death and when he is in health not likely to dye For in the first manner the party dying giueth away his goods to pious vses because he cannot enioy them any longer In the second it is in a mans power to keep his riches longer yet departing from them in his Health he is content thereby actually to lessen in his owne daies his temporall meanes and departeth with them with cherefulnes and alacrity of mind a circumstance most pleasing to God since we read 2. Cor. 9. Hilarem datorem diligit Deus God loueth a chearfull giuer In the former the will of a dying man is not for the most part in all things performed either through the Couetousnes of the wife Children or negligence of the Executors In this other a man is assured his will shall be performed since he is resolued to make his owne Hands his Executors and his owne Eyes his Ouerseers Lastly Almes-deeds dōne after the first sort do take effect only at the death of the Party not before whereas they being distributed after this second sort they begin to worke and obtaine by degrees Indulgēce lessening of the future paynes euen from that houre in which they were first bestowed So great a disparity there is betweene hauing a Candell going before a man lighting him the way to the Kingdome of Heauen hauing a Candell only to follow him I am persuaded there are very few of you so simple who if you did owe great summes of Money and were infallibly to pay euery penny of them if other course in the meane tyme could not be taken But that if by preuention of time I meane by paying afore the day of payment cōmeth you might be suffered in lieu of the whole to pay but the twentith part and thereby to be discharged of the whole great debt but that you would take course by all meanes possible yea by taking your siluer vp at Interest for the present discharge of the said twentith part so to redeeme your selues from the payment of all the rest I do assure you euen from the testimonies of all ancient learned Fathers that it is in your power to redeeme not only the twentith part of your future torments in Purgatory but euen the greatest part and perhaps all by your charitable Deeds liberality and pious workes now done in your life time And will you then be slow in taking the like course herein O insensati Galatae quis vos fascinauit Gal. 3. But I will yet go further with you There are not many of you I speake of such of you as are much deuoted to the world but that if you had a fayre demayne of fiue hundred pounds yearely worth though not in possession yet that it were infallibly to descend to you and your Posterity for euer after twenty yeares were expired And that notwithstāding it were in your Power Freedome to buy out and redeeme the said twenty yeares thereby to haue present possession of it I say there are not many of you but that you would striue though it were by impouerishing your selues for the tyme and by liuing vnder your owne worth thereby to procure meanes for the redeeming of the said terme of twenty yeares Heauen is your Inheritance after the guilt of eternall damnation is once remitted Yet thither it is impossible for you to arriue vntil for certaine yeares you haue performed your temporall punishments yet remaining These inexplicable punishments which may endure for many scores of yeares more then twenty yea it may be for seuerall hundreds of yeares you may redeeme perhaps for lesse charges to your Purse disbursed in your life time and health to pious religious vses through Christs most mercifull acceptance then you would be content to lay out for the getting in of the former mentioned twenty yeares And yet how Dull and Backward are most of you to vndertake the same How can you heere Apologize or excuse your selues Is Heauen not so good as an earthly demaine O men of little Fayth What a muddy disposition of the Soule is this which lyes so groueling vpon the earth and wholy absorpt in terrene thoughts and cogitations Well ceasing to enlarge my selfe further vpon the Premisses I earnestly desire euery one of you to procure now in tyme of Health the most Reuerend Dreadfull Sacrifice of the most blessed body and bloud of our Sauiour to be offered daily vp to two ends to wit for the spirituall good of your selues and your Children and secondly for the preuenting of your future paines of Purgatory And that you shall perceaue of what ineffable vertue and efficacy for mans soule the offering vp of that most dreadfull Sacrifice is I haue thought good to set downe the Iudgmentes of some few ancient Fathers pretermitting the greatest part of them for greater breuity First then we find S. Cyrill of Alexandria Epist ad Nestor to write that by meanes of this daily Sacrifice We are made partakers of the holy body and precious bloud of Christ. S. Austin calleth the said Sacrifice Precium nostrum Our pryce Confess cap. 13. And further the same Father thus writeth lib. 4. de Trinit cap. 14. Quid gratius offerri c. What can be offered vp or accepted more thankefully then that the flesh of our Sacrifice should be come the body of our Priest S. Chrysostome thus teacheth Homil. 21. in Act. Apostolorum Hostia in manibus c. The sacred host being in the hands of the Priest the Angels are present the Archangels are present the sonne of God is present cum tanto horrore astant omnes
AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST PVRGATORY OR Discourse wherein is shewed that Good-Workes and Almes-deeds performed in the Name of Christ are a chiefe meanes for the preuenting or mitigating the Torments of Purgatory Written by that Vertuous and Right worthy Gentle-woman the Honour of her Sexe for Learning in England Ms. IANE OWEN late of God-stow in Oxfordshire deceased and now published after her death As VVater doth extinguish Fier so Almes-deeds do extinguish sinne Eccles 3. Printed M.DC.XXXIIII TO THE VVORTHY AND CONSTANT CATHOLICKES OF ENGLAND And more particularly to such who be of the best temporall Meanes WORTHY and Noble Catholiks My charity towards the aduancing of the spiritual good of your soules is the mayne Allectiue inuiting me to write this small Treatise pardon I pray the boldnes of my Sexe heerin The subiect therof is First to inculcate make deep impressiōs in your minds of the horrour and most dreadfull torments of Purgatory Secondarily to set before your eyes the best meanes to preuent at least to asswage and mitigate them gratū opus agricolis A labour I hope pleasing to such who are desirous to cultiuate their owne Soules for gayning their spirituall and expected haruest That you belieue there is a Purgatory your owne Catholike Faith teacheth you therefore presuming that you rest immoueable therein without the least fluctuation of iudgment I hould it were but lost labour to spend any tyme in prooffe thereof Only I heere couet that you would deeply consider and meditate thereof and thereupon that you would withall meditate and put in practise the meanes of auoiding the same Touching the terriblenes of the Torments of Purgatory I haue insisted in the Authority of the most Blessed Cardinall Bellarmine out of one of whose spirituall bookes I haue translated a whole passage concerning this subiect as hereafter I shall more fully shew Thus I make him the foundation or ground-worke of this my ensuing Discourse and the rest following I do build and erect vpon this foundation so as this Miscelene worke of myne may perhaps resemble the statua of Nabuchodonozor of which part was gould part siluer and part of baser mettall So I am sure that what is taken out of the learned Cardinalls writings in this my Treatise is perfect gould or siluer what is adioyned thereto by me must I willingly yield endure the touch of the learned to proue what mettall it is But now to proceede a little further I could wish you worthy Catholickes that you would haue a feeling apprehension of the paynes of Purgatory though yet to come True it is that the Time present and the Time future are in nature different yet if a man could in some case so liuely paint to himselfe the face of the Time future as that it might appeare to him to be the Time present it were felix Error a happy mistaking or confusion of tymes to vse the Catholike Churches like Dialect of the sinne of Adam calling it felix Culpa For then would men apprehende the Future paynes of Purgatory as present and certainely once they must be present and consequently would have a greater feare and dread of them then cōmonly they now haue It is not in mans power to depriue God of his incommumnicable Attribute of Iustice being euen of the Essence of God This then being so why will you not seeke to appease this his Iustice in this world when small satisfactions will serue rather then to performe those satisfactions incomparably far greater in a more horrible manner in the next world by enduring those Torments which are not to be endured And there to endure them donec reddas nouissimum Quadrantem Matth. 5. These are the words of holy Scripture and are vnderstood in the iudgment of the Ancient Fathers of a Soule lying in Purgatory and therefore must be performed which forcing words since they ought to be most dreadfull to ech Catholicke not performing his satisfaction in this life I haue therefore thought not amisse though I grant in a most vnusuall manner to set downe in the lower part of euery page that wheresoeuer the Reader shall open these few leaues his eye shall instantly meete with the said moouing words thereby to cause him to haue a more intense and serious meditation of them It is certaine that God is pittifully cruell as I may say since he is content to turne Eternity of punishments into temporall paines But withall it is no lesse certaine that a soule not performing its penance in this life before its dissolution from the body can no more immediatly ascend to Heauen then the Patriarchs which dyed in Egypt could be buryed in the land of Promise Well now the chiefest help for the preuenting of the paines of Purgatory is the practise of Workes of Almes-deeds and such other actions of Mercy as hereafter in this short Treatise wil more fully be proued Workes of this nature are the only Oyle which is to be powred into a Repenting soule whose full satisfaction for its former sinnes is not yet accomplished Gods sacred Word assureth you that you may buy Heauen with Good Workes Venite possidete paratum vobis regnum Esuriuienim dedistis māducare c Matth. 25. Much more then may you with Good Workes dyed in the bloud of our Sauiour and not otherwise buy out the paynes of Purgatory And though you do find a reluctation in your naturall dispositions to relinquish a part of your state to that end now in your lyfe time yet let that be made easy to you by Grace which is hard and difficult by Nature that so it may be said of you as was said of Cornelius the Centurion Act. 10. Eleemosinae vestrae commemoratae sunt in conspectu Dei For assure your selues that the Grace of God euer seeketh a charitable Hart. And by this meanes you may become more rich in your graues then you could haue beene in your life tyme Since to giue away riches in a mans lyfe for the good of the soule is to carry them away after his death And in this sense they hould most who haue the most open hand in dispensing of their riches So true is that sentence to wit It is no small riches for Gods sake to abandon riches But alas such are the pittifull tymes wherein we liue such is the scarsity of Vertue among vs as that insteed of practising Workes of Charity men are commended and praysed if only they forbeare to practise workes of Iniustice and Wrong And thus we are glad to accept of a meere Priuation of Vice in place of a Positiue and reall Vertue O the miserablenes of our dayes The very Beasts do not nor can sinne nor can they do any wrong are they therefore vertuous Well I humbly besecch you to haue a setled eye vpon your soules good for the preuenting of future punishments and remember that our Sauiour in the Ghospell Luc. 17. commended the vniust Steward for hoording vp for the tyme to come and shall then
haue thought it much more preuayling to deliuer the contents therof in the Cardinalls owne words which are without any affectation of Oratory or fyled Speach then by any other meanes or Method of my owne in altering the same Since I presume that the speaches of so worthy so learned so pious a man being an Ornament of this presentage will sway more with all good Catholiks by way of perswasion then any words of myne can effect And certaine it is that who speaketh perswadingly speaketh Eloquently And I hould it a greater Honour to become a poore Translator of any part of his learned writings doing therby the more good then to be accounted a skilfull Composer of Bookes doing therin the lesser good And with this I refer the Reader to the passage of Bellarmyne by me Translated wishing him not to be diffident of the truth of the Contents thereof seeing he may see that the Cardinall giueth full credit and assent thereto and also in that he is an ouer Materiall and Sensible Christian as I may tearme him who measures matters of Fayth and Religion by the false yard of naturall apprehension And great incredulity and dulnes it is to thinke of things touching the soule only as he seeth them abstracting them from the trutination of Gods Iustice heere-after to come themselues thus through supine heedlesnes falling vpon that dangerous sentence of the Wiseman Ita securi viuunt quasi Iustorum facta habeant Eccles 8. They liue as securely as if their workes were of the Iust But what doth there immediatly follow Hoc vanissimum This is most vayne The discourse of Cardinall Bellarmine touching the inexplicable paynes of Purgatory THose Soules who remayne in Purgatory do afford to vs yet liuing in the world a great occcasion matter of teares in so much that a due consideration meditation of Purgatory may iustly be termed a flowing well of teares Now touching the paynes of Purgatory foure principall heades or branches are to be considered from the which we may in part coniecture of the greatnes of those paines and in regard of such their greatnes all good men may be the more easily induced to powre out their teares in commiseration of their Christian Brethren who are in the meane tyme tormēted with those paines The first of these Heades is that the paynes of Purgatory are greater more intense then any paynes which men can suffer in this lyfe The second that the paynes of Purgatory to them that suffer them do for the most part endure longer then any paynes of this life can endure The third that the soules which lye in Purgatory cannot helpe or bring any ease to themselues The fourth and last Head is that the soules which are in Purgatory are of huge number and almost infinite in number Now from all these different passages it is cleare that the soules in Purgatory are in a pittifull state and therefore most worthy of all commiseration that those men who yet are liuing are no lesse then half mad and distracted in iudgment who during their life tyme are carelesse and negligent in satisfying for their sinnes and had rather descend vpon their death to those places of Torments then to be depryued of any pleasure while they liue in this world And now to begin with the first which is that the paynes of Purgatory are greater and more violent then all paynes ioyned together which in this lyfe we can vndergoe this verity is confirmed by the authority of S. Austin in Psal 37. who thus writeth hereof Domine ne in indignatione tua arguas me c. O Lord do not chastice me in thy wrath and indignation Let me not be in the number of those to whom thou shalt say Ite in ignem aeternum go into euerlasting fyer neither otherwise correct me in thy anger but that I may be made such as that my said correction shall not be needfull to be increased with that purging fyer in respect of such men qui salui erunt sic tamen quasi per ignem who shal be saued but as by fyer And then a litle after S. Austin thus further inlargeth himselfe Et quia dicitur saluus erit contemnitur ille ignis c. And because it is sayd in the place aboue they shal be saued therefore that fyer is neglected and litle feared True it is they shal be saued by fyer grauior tamen erit ille ignis saith he quà m quicquid potest homo pati in hac vita Notwithstanding that fyer shal be more heauy and intollerable then any paynes which a man can suffer in this lyfe And you well know what great torments diuers wicked men haue here suffered and are able to suffer yea good and vertuous men haue suffered as much as the former For what paynes or torments hath any malefactour theefe adulterer or any other wicked or sacrilegious person suffered which Martyrs haue not suffered for their confession of Christ Therefore these Torments which are in this world are of a far more lower degree And neuerthelesse you see how ready and prepared men stand to performe any thing commanded them to preuent the suffering of them with how much more reason then haue men to doe that which God cōmandeth them that so they may not vndergoe those by many degrees more horrible torments Thus far S. Austin whose iudgment herein many other Fathers follow Saint Gregory thus dilateth of the same point Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me c. Lord do not chastice me in thy fury nor rebuke me in thy anger I know well that after the end of this lyfc some mens sinnes shal be expiated purged by the flames of Purgatory others shall vndergoe the sentence of eternall damnation Neuerthelesse because I do firmly belieue that transitory fyer to be more insufferable then any tribulation in this world therefore I thirst not only not to be abandoned and remitted to eternall damnation but also I greatly feare to be chastized in this temporall punishment of Purgatory Thus much S. Gregory Of the same iudgment herein are Venerable Bede in 3. Psal Poenit. S. Anselme in cap. 3. Ep. 1 ad Cor. S. Bernard de obitu Humberti c. S. Thomas of Aquin l. 4. sent d. 30. q. 1. art 2. doth not only subscribe to the iudgment of the former Fathers in this point but he also further maintayneth that the least payne in Purgatory is greater more insupportable then the greatest torment in this world And yet notwithstanding all this we obserue daily that men are not afrayd to cōtemne those most insufferable torments in Purgatory who cannot endure far lesse paines in this world But this is the blindnes of mans corruption which is much to be deplored in this our vale of Teares To proceed further S. Thomas proueth this his former sentence and iudgment from this following reason It is sayth he an inexpugnable and vndeniable truth that poena damni the payne of
the losse incurred by sinne is far more grieuous then Poena sensus then any payne of sense or feeling And it is further most euident and confessed that all those who are in Purgatory during their stay these do suffer Poenam damni the paine of losse that is the losse of the vision of God But to auoyde the force of this Reason it may be perhaps replyed by some that the perpetuall punishment of losse to wit to lose for all eternity the sight of God as such suffer who are in Hell is truly indeed a punishment and the greatest of all punishments but during the tyme of a soules staying in Purgatory the want of the diuine vision and sight of God is not properly to be accounted a punishment or at least not a punishment or payne more fearefull then those punishments which Martyrs haue suffered in this life seeing that we whiles we liue here vpon earth do not see God and yet we are nor said truly to suffer poenam damni any payne of losse because we shall see God in due tyme if so we purge free our harts from sin as is our duty to doe Yea the ancient holy Fathers Patriarchs and Prophets who remayning in Limbo Patrum expecting the comming of the Sauiour of the world did not as then see God and yet they were not afflicted with any poena damni because they were to see God in a prefixed designed tyme. For thus Abrahā answeres to the Rich glutton Luc. 16. Remember sonne that thou in thy lyfe tyme receiuedst thy pleasures and Lazarus paynes now therefore he is comforted and thou tormented In which words we do not fynd that Abraham said Lazarus was tormēted with poena damni with the punishment of losse but that he was in solace comfort cōsequently not in torment And further where S Simeon Luc. 2. sayth Nunc dimittis seruum tuum in pace c. Now O Lord thou lettest thy seruant depart in peace was not of opinion that through death he should descend to any most insupportable paynes but to a most sweet repose and peace To conclude S. Gregory l. 3. moral c. 22. teacheth that the ancient Patriarches and Fathers during their being in the place called Limbus Patrum did not suffer there any torments but did find rest quietnes The force of this obiection or argument is easily dissolued The answere is this Whiles we are liuing here vpon earth we do not easily apprehend how heauy a matter it is to want the vision and sight of God both in regard that what things we apprehend by meanes of corporall phantasmes and the ministery of the senses we do but obscurely vnderstand as also in that we being softened and cherished in corporall delights and pleasures we solace and content our selues therewith and thereupon we are not much sollicitous and seeking after spirituall contentments The ancient Fathers and Prophets were not tormented with any poena damni payne of losse in that they saw not God because they well did know that this procrastination deferring of enioying the vision of God was not occasioned through any default in them but because the prefixed tyme of that most blessed sight was not yet come But heere in our case it falleth out otherwise since touching those soules who are condemned and relegated as it were to Purgatory after the cōming of Christ it is impossible but that they should be in the highest degree afflicted for seeing they in that state are depriued both of body and of all corporall senses they cannot take further delight in sensible obiects as in meate drinke riches honours in satisfying any carnall concupiscēce c. but they wholy breath and thirst after the contemplation of the first Truth and their enioying their Summum bonum or chiefe good for the obtayning whereof as for their last end they well know that they were created Heerunto may be adioyned this other reason to wit that the soules in Purgatory do wel know that the kingdome of Heauen is now made open to the faithfull Christians and that the only hindrance of not present enioying of it is only the guilt of payne contracted through their owne peculiar sinnes from whence it cannot but follow that these soules are euen offended angry with themselues in that they alone are the cause of their long dilation deferring of their enioying so great an happines These soules may well be resembled to a man in great extremity of hūgar thirst though hauing a table before him furnished with all variety of meats wynes choyce waters and yet the only reason and impediment of his not feeding of them proceedeth from some former miscariage of the said man which hath deseruedly caused this his delay in tasting of them We may add hereto that the most ancient Fathers Austin Gregory Beda Anselme and Bernard do not speake de poena damni of the payne of losse which payne all acknowledge to be most great but de poena ignis of the paine of fyer this payne they all with one consent affirme to be more horrid intollerable thē any tormēts in this life For althogh here vpon earth the torment by fyer is great yet that fyer which is not maintayned nourished with wood or oyle but is created as an instrument of Gods iustice to burne and torment soules must without all doubt be most violent and sharpe in the highest degree Now from the premisses it is euicted that though we would not acknowledge poena damni the temporary payne of losse which is in Purgatory to wit of the losse of the vision of God for a long tyme to be more insufferable then all the torments in this life yet that the punishment of the fyer in Purgatory is greater then any temporall afflictions in this lyfe is euidētly proued from the authorities of so many ancient Fathers aboue produced And because there are many men who can hardly be induced to belieue any thing which thēselues haue not seene God sometimes therefore hath vouchsafed to raise certaine persōs from death to lyfe commanding them to relate to others liuing what themselues touching this payne haue seene Amonge so many eye-witnesses as I may terme them who haue seene the torments of Purgatory I will alledge only two the one being a man the other a woman whose testimonies therein are to be accepted without any doubt or diffidency The one then is Drithclmus an English man the history of which man Venerable Bede writeth relateth this accident as a thing well knowne euident to himselfe it happening in Bedes owne life tyme with great amazement to all of those dayes Thus then Bede writeth hereof in his fifth booke of the History of the nation of England cap. 13. His temporibus miraculum memorabile antiquorum simile in Britannia factum est c. In these tymes a most memorable miracle and like to the ancient miracles did fall out in Britanny For to incite the liuing
good part of his state in his life tyme to spirituall ends wholy to preuent or at least partly to diminish the paynes of Purgatory then to leaue his issue in greater affluency and abundance of worldly riches and himselfe to continue many yeares in that insufferable conflagration of fyer the grieuousnes whereof truly to conceaue passeth our conceite O Ante faciem frigoris eius quis sustinebit Psal 147. Thus far I haue thought good to draw out and enlarge this Section in stirring the mould about the roote of this ordinary pretence excuse of Parents prouiding for their Children by reason that most Parents to the great preiudice of their owne Soules do shaddowe their want of Christian Charity to others vnder this pretext and therby they make their owne Children to become Enemyes to themselues and so it falleth out to be most true as is aboue alledged by the foresaid illustrious Cardinall Inimici hominis Domestici eius Matth. 20. Yet before I conclude this Section I only say although according to the iudgment of the Philosophers No man knowes what kind of loue that is which Parents beare to their children but he that hath children notwithstāding before I would endure an infinity of torments for their greater and more full aduancement I would in part lessen my temporall State for the good of my owne Soule for though Children be most neere to their Parents yet that sentence is most true Tu tibi Primus Vltimus A Persuasory Discourse for the putting in practise the meanes which are good Workes for the auoyding of the paynes of Purgatory SECT III. IN the two former Passages are layed open First the Horrid atrocity of the paynes of Purgatory Secondly the meanes how to preuent at least to lessen mitigate them It now followeth that I spend some leaues in a Paraeneticall as I may terme it or Persuasory discourse therby to inuite Catholikes to put in practise the said meanes which are conducing for the preuenting of those temporary direfull flames And whereas these my speaches are directed chiefly to such of you Catholikes which are most slouthfull and sluggish in the prosecution of the same meanes I meane in the performance of Good Workes Therefore I must heere intreate you to pardon my rudenes of style since it best sorteth to point forth for words are the Images of things your most deplorable state herein Dangerous wounds you know must haue deepe incisions And matter of Tragedy for I account yours to be such is to be deliuered in mournefull Accents Neuer ought we in this case to forbeare the touching of the member affected with a hard hand O no. The Apostle indoctrinateth vs otherwise in those his feruorous and fiery words 2. Tim. 4. Praedica Insta oportunè importunè argue obsecra increpa c. To such Catholiks which are feruorous in the performance of good and pious Actions this my speach doth not extend But here now I hould it conuenient to marshall and range such men into seuerall kinds to which men this my Admonition belongeth The first kind of these are such as are yet Schismatikes in the present course of their lyfe and other Catholikes who hertofore perhaps haue liued for many yeares in a Schismaticall state Touching the first kind of actuall Schismatikes admitting that before their death they become truly penitent of their former continuance in Schisme for otherwise their soules are infallibly to descend to Hell not to Purgatory But admitting I say the best to wit that they do dye in true repentance of their former sinne which only must proceed from the boūd-les Ocean of Gods mercy Yet what ineuitable Torments and for how many yeares do expect thē in Purgatory if otherwise they seeke not to deliuer themselues thereof in their owne lyfe tyme by good workes This point will best appeare by discouering in part the atrocity of Schisme and a Schismaticall lyfe For the better explayning whereof I will insist in the Authorities of the Holy Scripture the most ancient Fathers And to begin with Gods word we thus read Galat. 5. The workes of the flesh are adultery fornication Sects meaning thereby Schismes They which shall do such things shall not inherit the kingdome of God And in respect of the state of Schisme the Church of God is styled in sacred Writ One sheepfould Ioan. 10. One body Rom. 12. One Spouse Cant. 6. and one Doue But now Schisme as comming of the Greeke verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scindo deuideth that which is one into parts Therefore as a member cut of from the whole body ceaseth to be a part of the said body so a Scismatike by open profession of an Erroneous Religion impugned by the Church of Christ ceaseth thereby to be a member of the Church of Christ To descend to the Fathers Marke how they pensill out a Schismatike or Schisme I will vrge but two or three for breuity S. Austin then thus writeth l. de fide Symb. c. 20. Schismatiks though they belieue the same points which we belieue yet through their dissention they do not keep fraternall charity therfore we conclude that a Schismatike belongeth not to the Catholike Church because he loueth not his neighbour Thus S. Austin Fulgentius thus teacheth l. de fide ad Petrum c. 38. 39. Firmissimè tene c. Belieue for certayne and doubt not that not only Pagans but also Iewes Heretikes Schismatikes who dye out of the Catholike Church are to goe to euerlasting fyer To conclude S. Cyprian thus auerreth l. 4 Epist. 9. ad Florent Qui cum Episcopo non sunt in Ecclesia non sunt who agree not with the Bishop meaning the supreme Bishop Pastour of the Church are not in Gods Church Thus we see what is the iudgment both of Holy Scripture and of the ancient Fathers passed vpon the most dangerous state of Schismatiks From whence we may infallibly conclude that supposing the best I meane that Schismatiks do finally repent dye in state of Grace which is most doubtfull considering their long inueterate Schismaticall liues yet what imminent temporall tormēts euen hanging ouer their heads are ready to rush vpon them instantly vpon the separation of the soule from the body and to seize vpon their soules for the satisfying of Gods Iustice But seeing the state of Schismatikes is so desperate dangerous I am to be pardoned if I sharpen my pen more peculiarly against the Schismatikes of our owne Countrey Heare then you Schismatikes of England who for sauing your temporall goods will endanger the losse of all eternall good How much do you dishonour yea vilify God by perseuering in your Schismaticall state Assure your selues You Schismatikes that it is not in your power to command at your pleasure ouer Tyme Repentance God calleth euery one but how often he will call no man knoweth and be you afrayd of that fearefull Sentence of his Diuine Maiesty My People would not heare my voyce
and Israell would none of me So I gaue them vp to the hardnes of their hartes Psal 81. O most dreadfull Relegation But admit God will giue you tyme to repent yet the strength of your Armes is to weake to bend that Virgam ferream of Gods Iustice by the which he punisheth with eternall damnation finall Irrepentance and chastizeth sinne if so all such points be not with good workes cleared afore in this world with temporary but most insupportable paynes of Purgatory But yet to make you to cast a more feeling and intense Introuersion vpō your owne most deplorable states Suppose a Natiue Subiect should through some temporall respect and end beare himselfe most traitourously towards his King daily perpetrating some Act of disloyalty and euer banding himselfe openly with other his professed Enemies how could this Man in reason thinke that his submission could euer be sufficient for his after reconciling to his Soueraigne and obtayning Grace and fauour future aduancement to honour Dignity especially if the King were of that seuere disposition as that he was euer accustomed to punish though often in a lower degree then the offence deserued ech act of Disloyalty and Disobedience committed against him And is not the state of a Schismatike far more desperate and dangerous This man committeth spirituall Treason against the Diuine Maiesty by his daily communicating in Prayers and rytes with the Preaching Members of an erroneous Church Gods designed Aduersaries How then can he expect with his so much gauled Conscience to arriue to Heauen without extraordinary acts of Mercy to the poore and other workes of Piety in this world or of suffering most exquisite and invtterable torments in Purgatory Considering God is iust and seuerely chastizeth euery sinne committed against him Behould sayth he by his Prophet Isay I will be reuenged vpon my Enemyes will comfort my selfe in their destruction Isa 1. And againe God shall rayne snares of fyer vpon sinners Brimstone with tempestuous winds shal be the portion of their Cuppe Psal 11. Poore wretch I meane poore Schismatike how wilt thou be able to suffer these insufferable paynes and this for many yeares at the best that is if finally thou dye in true Repentance of thy former Schismaticall Course who with such anxiety toyle impatiēce art accustomed to endure the payne of the tooth-ach or other torment in this world And is the Schismatike so sensible of a litle payne in this life yet hopes he shall not be sensible of infinitly greater paynes in the life to come Therefore now in tyme rayse your selues out of this spirituall Lethargy awake since the longer you continue in this your desperate state you do but all that time admitting you finally dye repentantly euen heap fuell together for the nourishing of your flames in Purgatory Remember the Wisemans saying Eccles 10. Languor prolixior grauat Medicum You cannot but know that during your state in Schisme you are wholy depriued of Gods Grace by which we make clayme to Heauen Gratia Dei vita aeterna Rom. 6. since you wilfully depriue yours selues of the benefit of the Sacraments of Gods Church which Sacraments our Sauiour hath instituted in his Church as the ordinary meanes or Conduits for the deriuing of Gods grace into mans soule Well I will close this point of Schismatikes with this one asseueration To wit that a poore Motley foole be you not offended for I speake the truth to whome God hath afforded only the vse of his fiue Senses is in far more happy state then you Schismatikes are This mā though most despicable in the eye of the world as through want of the vse of Reason cannot merit so he cannot demerit You through your abuse of Reason do not only not merit but in lieu thereof you increase the heape of your sinnes through a daily coaceruation of your Schismaticall Transgressiōs This man is infallibly freed from the paines of Purgatory much more of Hell You are assured to suffer the paines of Purgatory at least God grant through your finall irrepentance not the paynes of Hell Briefly this man through the benefit of his Baptisme hath his Originall sinne cancelled as for Actuall sinne he standes not obnoxious thereto You are indeed freed by your ablution in that sacred Font from originall sinne but then you repeale the worth Dignity therof by your actuall perpetrating of mortall sinne I speake in the sight of God I had rather be one of these poore-rich fooles so to call them for he is rich who is assured of his inheritance of Heauen then to be the greatest and most welthy Schismatike in England being resolued to continue yeare after yeare in this his most wicked course of Schisme Quid proderit homini si vniuersum mundum lucretur anima vero suae detrimentum patiatur what shall it profit a man if he gayne the whole world and loose his owne Soule Matth. 16. Well in this next place to touch a litle vpon such who are at this present actually Catholiks yet haue perseuered many yeares in a Schismaticall state before they were incorporated into the Catholike Church what satisfaction and deeds of extraordinary Mercy to others are they bound to performe to peeuent the paynes of Purgatory or els to endure them for many yeares This partly appeareth from the vgly state so to call it of a Schismatike aboue in part described And if he will not performe such abstersiue Acts of penance in his owne lyfe tyme by contributing shewing pitty and relieuing of others let him take heed he fall not vpon that dreadfull sentence of the Apostle Iac. 2. Iudicium sine misericordia ei qui non fecerit misericordiam Iudgment without mercy is to fall to him who will not practise mercy Alas Are you not men Must you not once dye and how soone God knoweth And are you not then to render a most strict accoūt for your fore-passed lyfetime euen to him of whom it is said for his most exquisit and narrow search into our sinnes Scrutabor Ierusalem in lucernis Sophon 1. I will search the sinnes of Ierusalem with a Candle And will you then be so negligent and careles in preuenting that dreadfull time Since God is no accepter of Persons neither will Riches Worldly pompe nor any other such glorious miseries help a soule ready to depart out of its body for the deliuering it from Purgatory except great Almes-deeds besides other penitentiall works be performed in the life tyme. Well then my poore and deare Catholike who for many yeares through thy wicked dissimulation in matters of Religion hast most highly offended God Imagine thy selfe that at this very instāt thou wert lying vpon thy death bed that bed I say which the Prophet calleth Lectum doloris Psal 40 the bed of griefe worne away with payne and sicknes not expecting to escape but looking euery minute for thy last dissolution How would thy Iudgment be altered and wouldst thou not thus in
as be already Catholikes and partly by his persuasion if so he proue learned of others yet remaining Protestants to imbrace the Roman Catholike Fayth And thus if you obserue either the preuenting of the great Hurt and Euill which is in likely-hood to come by the youthes taking the one course of life or the great Spirituall good to himselfe others by his vndergoing the other State You may thinke your siluer employed to such an Act to be most happily layed out Assuring your selues that the worke of the Euill here preuented and the Good here performed all originally vnder God by your meanes shall find a great retaliation at Gods most mercifull hands both for the increase of your merits as also for the expiating of your sinnes which otherwise is to be performed in Purgatory Why then therfore should such of you as be of the greater Ranke and best abilities be slow in practizing workes of this nature Therfore now while you haue tyme lay wayte by all conuenient meanes to enquyre after such occasions Especially when such a particular worthy Act may oftentymes be performed with lesser charges then diuers of you wil bestow vpon a good suite of apparel O thē apparaile and inuest your Soules with such good workes and be lesse chargeable in gorgeous attire for your bodies I do assure you if I had great and abūdant meanes for the practizing of the workes of Piety I had rather make choyce to distribute to this vse of prouiding and maintaining of hopeful youths in learning to the end aboue expressed then to any other particular End whatsoeuer For if neither any places of Residence beyond the Seas had beene prouided and furnished with sufficient maintenance for the bringing vp of English Schollers nor that there had beene any Catholikes who would haue opened their purses to this noble End Catholike Religion had beene vtterly extinct many yeares since in England This Zeale of many good Catholikes both dead and no doubt aliue in this point is the fuell that hath nourished and kept in the fyer of Catholike Religion in our owne Country for many yeares past Since if Youths were not sent ouer to be after their studies ended created Priestes how could the profession of Catholike Religion continue in these so great stormes among vs Therefore what a great and inexplicable comfort will it be to you in your last Sicknes euen for satisfaction of your temporall punishments when you shall remember that wheras such or such a pregnant youth was in the high way of perdition and of ouerthrowing his owne and other mens soules also if he had proceeded in his former intended Course of life yet you through your charity in laying out a little peece of money did vnder God therby rescue the sayd youth euen out of the Deuills iawes and haue beene a second meanes of sauing both the youths owne soule of the soules of diuers others This being so let me then intreat you Most worthy Catholikes euen for our Sauiours sake who gaue not siluer as is heere only expected but his most precious bloud for the ransoning of all soules out of the Deuills possession that you would cast a most serious and intense consideration of this one point And thus far touching this particular kind of Almes-deeds Only this much more I will annex as an Appendix to the former that I could wish the most able of you in temporall state to haue a feeling and sensible touch of diuers well-disposed yonge gentlewomen who through the decay of their Parents state not hauing sufficient portions left them to enter into Religion being of themselues otherwise most desirous to shake handes for euer with the world by taking that course are forced to forbeare that their most Religious inclination for want of meanes to take some secular Course of life either by mariage or otherwise Now here how truly Worthy and Heroicall a part of Christian Catholike Munificene and bounty were it in you by increasing their Portions to supply such their wants thereby to turne the channell of their otherwise dāgerous course Which if you do performe what haue you done This you haue done You haue caused a yong Gentle-woman otherwise exposed lying open to the dangers of the world to Cloyster herselfe within a wall there to spēd all her lyfe tyme in Chastity Obedience Voluntary pouerty and other deuotiōs rysing at midnight to forbeare all other her austerities when your selues are taking your sweet repose rest to sing laudes to God to pray for her benefactours particularly for you who haue beene the cause of such her most happy choyce of life she thus by your charity increasing the number of those qui sequuntur agnum quocumque inerit Apoc. 14. Here is an Act deseruing the true name of Christian charity and such as shal be able through Gods most mercifull acceptance therof to arme the Soule against the Flames of Purgatory But to proceed to other sorts of good Deeds practised by the forward Protestant We see in most places of the Realme that there are diuers earnest Protestants who seeing some neighboring places wanting preaching Ministers are ready to plant such men there affording them large allowāce this to the end the more to dilate their owne Protestanticall Fayth ouer much allready spread and disseminated And hence it is that so many Stipendary Ministers are setled in seuerall places of the Realme Now why should such of you as be of greater ability be inferiour in Zeale to the Protestants herein as to suffer such vacant places as are neare to you to be destitute of all such instruments in the Catholike Faith I doubt not but that diuers of you seeing a peece of land close by you though rough and vntilled yet of it owne Nature through smal charges most fruitfull I doubt not I say but that diuers of you would be desirous either to buy or at least to take a Lease of the said land therby to better your states the more There are diuers wast places adioyning to euery one of you wherein liue many ciuill morall men yet their vnderstanding in regard of any Religion are but as Tabulae Rasae or vnmanured land Now heere what a most worthy and Christian attempt and endeauour were it in you to seeke to plant spirituall labourers in such places by whose paynes the seed of Catholike Religion might be sowne in mens soules since the Georgikes of the mind so to speake are far more worthy noble then the Georgikes or Agriculature of land And would not then those sacred textes of Scripture here be verified of you Seminanti iustitiam merces fidelis Prou 11. He that soweth righteousnes receaueth a sure reward and againe Qui operatur terram suam inaltabit aceruum frugum Eccl. 20. Who tilleth his land shall increase his heape of Corne to wit Heauenly Corne O what a spirituall increase might such of you make who haue full and open purses
by cultiuating of diuers of these barrē places And how forcible would such pious endeuours be for the expiating of the relicks of your sinnes Therefore let not the Puritan Gentilmen and others exceed and ouergoe you in their Zeale towards God though Zeale not according to knowledg Rom. 10. in this point who are most liberall in maintaining of their Preachers and all to plant their Errours to the spirituall Danger of the soules of their credulous and ignorant Hearers But labour by secret meanes without contestation to the present state to which you ought euer to beare all duty and reuerence to supererogate with them in pious workes of this Nature An other point wherein we may well follow the steps of our Aduersaries is this The Protestant Gentlemen though of very great worth and Ranke do often send their yonger Sonnes to our English Vniuersities prouiding that they may become fellowes of Houses whos 's Terminus ad quem as I may say is finally to become Ministers and thereby to be promoted to great and rich Ecclesiasticall liuings in which store and abundance England exceedeth all Nations in Christendome Now to be emulous of our Aduersaries proceeding herein if Catholike Parents would seriously ponder this point no doubt they would be more carefull and willing to send ouer their yonger sonnes to Catholike Colledges beyond the Seas then they are not to become schollars only thereby to be aduanced to spirituall liuings an ouer vnworthy Allectiue but to become Priests that throgh sheeding of their bloud euen after an Apostolicall manner they may labour to reduce their owne Country to its former ancient Catholike and Roman Fayth Now such yonger Brothers of Catholikes which haue not their education abroad but only bred vp in England into what for the most part do they finally resolue They for example being left by their Parents Twenty or Thirty or perhaps forty pounds Annuity and sometimes lesse then any of these what course do most of these after their parents decease vsually vndergoe To be in seruice to any mā or Knight or Nobleman of worth or to be in any good employment abroad for their temporall aduancement many of them out of a long habituated idlenes and as being at their owne disposall and liberty will not And what then commonly do they Forsooth they rest content with their owne poore Annuities burdening commonly their Elder Brother if he be a man of a good and kind Nature for their diet and they rauell out their yeares walking vp and downe and domineiring among their Eldest Brothers Tenants and Neighbours with a Marlin or Sparhauke on their fist a Grey-hound or water spanell following them the very badge or armes of most yonger Brothers in diuers Shyres hiding themselues for the most part of the day in some base Ale-house and often becomming through dissolution of life Fathers before they be Husbands But in the end belike for feare their House from whence they descend should be extinct for wāt of Heires they marry their Sister-in-lawes wayting mayde or some other poore woman and then they beget a litter of Beggars both burdensome and dishonorable to their Family and Stock But now if we cast our eye vpon the other end of the ballance Yf such yonger sonnes of Catholike Parēts being of good wits were sent ouer in their Parents life time and that when their minds and wills were of a supple and waxen Disposition as not being acquainted afore through want of yeares with any sinne or Euill and ready to receaue the impression of Vertue learning how seruiceable to the Church of God in tyme might such men become For by this meanes of education many of them do vndergoe as we fynd by experience a most holy Function of life spending their whole age after in laboring to administer the Sacramēts of the Church to Catholikes in reducing diuers Protestants to the only true and Catholike Fayth and in daily praying offering vp the most Venerable Sacrifice of Christes body for the soules of their dead Parents and others their liuing or deceased Friends O quantum distat ortus ab occasu for so great is the Disparity betweene these two differēt courses of Yonger Brothers here set downe not only in the eye of God but euen in the eye of the world And heere by digression I will touch a little vpon the Daughters of Catholicke Gentle-men Heere in England diuers of them as well as the Daughters of Protestants take throgh a blind affection often cast vpō some base man or other a most vnworthy Course to the vnutterable griefe of their Parents and ouerthrow of their temporall state And if they be placed in mariage with their Parents consent answerably to their Degree yet if either the Husbands proue vnkind or in course of life vitious or their Children vntoward and licentious what a vexation is it then to the Parents And how do they languishingly spend their dayes in inconsolable sighs and sorrow But now if the said Daughters being in their Virginall tender and innocent age be brought vp in places of Religion and that through the speciall grace of God and meanes of ther daily education they proceed and become Religious women in the Church of God How ineffable a comfort may this be to their Catholike parents Since they then by these meanes freeing thēselues from all illaqueations and worldly entanglements shall bestow the greatest part both of Day and Night in performing singing Hymnes of Prayses to his Diuine Maiesty for the good of themselues their Friends To euery one of which at the Close of their lyfe may be said in the Catholicke Churches Dialect Veni sponsa Christi accipe coronam quam tibi Dominus praeparauit in aeternum in Collect Natalit Virg. Thus far of this point And I would to God that Catholicke Parents would apprehend this Paragraph or passage with a serious feeling consideration And thus far of these former Courses in imitating the examples of our Aduersaries which exāples were most worthy of all commendation being incorporated in an Orthodoxall Religion But yet heere in our Imitation of them I euer wish that what is attempted in this kind or els not to be attempted were performed as before I intimated with all sweetnes and moderation and withall dutifull Respect to the state of our Realme Since I hould it most repugnant to true Iudgment Religion to vndertake to put in practise orderly things by vnorderly meanes and therefore in all such our spirituall endeauours let vs remember to shew all duty and reuerence to the State and that it is recorded in sacred Writ Rom. 13. We are to be subiect to higher powers seeing there is no power but of God And there againe Who resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God In regard of which promptnes of our duty I hope these examples as being taken by imitation from the Protestants themselues will not be iustly offensiue to the graue Protestant Magistrate There
is yet another thing most worthy of your charitable commiseration You see that the Catholickes throughout England pay yerely great sommes of money for their Recusancy Among whom there are many hundred of poore Catholikes who are so ouercharged with these yearely payments as that their meane Estates are not able to support any long time such payments of which his Maiesty who is most prone to commiseration and pitty litle heareth in particular this being effected only by certaine Subordinate Magistrates aduerse to our Catholike Religion And thereupon for their auoiding of the said payments imposed vpon them diuers of these poore men and women haue forsaken already contrary to their conscience externally their Religion and are content to come to the Protestant Church Now heere I say such of you as be of great Abilities how ample a field haue you to sow your merits and satisfactions in I meane by contributing out of your purses some yearly sommes to these poore Catholikes thereby to ease and lessen their yearely payments In your worthy performāce of this my propounded Motion you do not only help and succour them touching their bodies but which is far more pleasing in the sight of God you so take pitty of their soules as you preuent that diuers of them do not Apostatate forsake their Catholicke Religion which perhaps throgh feare of want of meanes they would doe And so you are become a secondary great Instrument of their finall Saluation And can you then otherwise thinke but that God who is mercy it selfe and who will take this Charity of yours as done to himselfe would take the like pitty of your owne soules both for the preuenting of your eternall perdition as also for mitigating your temporall punishments in Purgatory For heer our Sauiours words would be iustified in you Matth. 25. Verily I say vnto you in so much as you haue donne it vnto one of the least of these my brethren you haue done it vnto me In this next place I will descend to acts peculiar only to vs Catholikes such as do insist and rest in offering vp the prayers both of our selues but especially of the generall Liturgy of the most blessed Sacrifice of the Eucharist offered vp either for the benefit of our selues or of others Of which most dreadfull Sacrifice sayth S. Chrysostome homil 25. in Act. Apost Hostia in manibus adsunt Angeli adsunt Archangeli adest Filius Dei cum tanto horrore astant omnes And to begin Thinke what a worthy and charitable Act it were to concurre by causing Sacrifices and Prayers to be made for the redeeming of poore Soules out of Purgatory There is no man of an Humane and sweet Nature but he would commiserate a very beast much more a man lying in extremity of paynes And this Naturall Pitty is so gratefull to our Sauiour himselfe as that he pronounceth Matth. 5. Beati misericordes quoniam ipsi misecordiam consequentur Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtayne mercy So auaylable behooffull is pitty and mercy to the performers thereof But to proceed to another benefit of such a pious deed Yf a prudent man had a Cause of most great importance to be tryed before a seuere yet most iust Iudge And if at the same tyme there were certaine persons in prison whom that Iudge did much respect to whose earnest solicitations in any reasonable point he would lend a willing eare Now would not this Suppliant lay wayte by all meanes to redeeme the said men out of Prison if so he could who during their stay there were put to daily torments and rackings as well assuring himselfe that these Persons thus set at liberty by this mans meanes being men of most good and gratefull Natures Dispositions would be ready to speake to the Iudge and be earnest and solicitous in his behalfe And then is it not most probable if not certaine that this man would speed the better in determining his Cause The case is here a like and both are cast as it were in one mould The soules in Purgatory once from thence released shall become most blessed Saints in Heauen shall be most pleasing and gratefull to his Diuine Maiesty who cannot nor will not deny them the grant of any thing which they shall demaund and petition for at his hands Euery Catholike as all other men are to plead their cause before God the most iust Iudge Yet for the more easy obtayning of their Plea it is in the power of ech Catholike of good meanes if his will be answerable thereto to procure at least much to further by his liberall charges bestowed for the praying for the soules in Purgatory the releasing and setting free of diuers of the said tormented soules Now this being once performed those then Happy Soules shall no sooner leaue their Goale and Prison and ascend to Heauen but as euen abounding with a Seraphicall Charity shall in recompēce of so great a spirituall ease and Relaxation procured to them euer batter at the eares of our Almighty and mercifull Lord with their daily and incessant prayers that his Diuine Mercy would be most indulgent and pittifull to such men for the preuenting or at least mitigating of their temporall paynes by whose meanes those soules had a more speedy deliuery from their torments in Purgatory Heere then may a man who is rich in temporall state if so he be rich in charity lay out his wealth to an infinite increase of spirituall gayne O how many peculiar Aduocates and Intercessours of the then most blessed soules released out of Purgatory might a rich Catholike purchase to himselfe by this former meanes thereby to pleade his cause before the Throne of Almighty God in his greatest need And fooles I will not say Madmen are all such vpon whom God hath bestowed abundance of temporall riches and yet themselues remayne vnwilling slow in this spirituall traffique of a good and competent part of their said temporall state and meanes But because this point of relieuing by Good Workes the soules in Purgatory is of most great importance both to the poore soules relieued the liuing party performing such a most charitable work to them Therefore besydes what is already deliuered by me aboue I will adioyne as most mouing any man of Piety and Iudgment the discourse of the aforementioned learned and worthy Cardinall Bellarmine of this point who maketh the ninth Chapter of the third booke de Gemitu Columbae the subiect hereof Thus then that blessed man writeth We haue shewed aboue that there are very many or rather innumerable soules of the faithfull in Purgatory and that they are a most long tyme to be tormented almost with incredible punishments Now here we will declare the fruite which may be gathered from this consideration And certainly it cannot be doubted but if the ponderation and weighing of this point be serious longe attent and full of fayth and confidence a most vehement commiseration and
full of horrour and feare will result out of the said consideration And in like sort it is certaine that an earnest and intense consideration of the said point will ingender in vs a vehement desire of helping the said soules in Purgatory by satisfactory workes to wit Prayer Fasting Almes-deeds and chiefly by the most holy oblation and Sacrifice of our Lords body And indeed it is most admirable to obserue how gainfull a negotiation and this most iust may accrew vnto vs thereby And this spirituall negotiation may well be resembled to the proceeding of a man who should deliuer one and the same siluer vpon vsury to seuerall Merchants and yet should receaue a full and entyre Interest for one and the said Siluer from euery one of the Merchants Let vs explayne our selues in few words A man prayeth for the Dead attentiuely piously with fayth and great confidence of impetration and obtaining the thing prayed for This man so praying by way of merit purchaseth to himselfe the gayne of eternall felicity and happines since Prayer is a good worke in that respect deseruing eternall life if it proceed from Charity Of which gayne our Lord speaketh in the Ghospell in these words Matth. 6. Tu autem cum oraueris c. Thou when thou shalt pray enter into thy chamber and hauing shut the doore pray to thy Father in secret and thy Father who seeth thee in secret will repay thee To wit a Reward answerable to the merit Furthermore this praying for the Dead by way of satisfaction doth profit the departed soule in Purgatory for the which it is performed seeing Prayer is amongst others a laborious worke and therein it is satisfactory and consequently it is profitable for that soule to which it is applyed according to the intention of him that prayeth the Doctrine of the Church To conclude by way of impetration and humbly begging it profiteth the said departed soule whose freeing from Purgatory at least whose ease and mitigation of those paynes is therin beseeched and desired Since that for which Iust men pray to God through Christ is easely obtayned Our Lord himselfe saying Luc. 11. Petite accipietis c. Aske and you shall receaue and againe Marc. 11. Quicquid orantes petitis c. All things whatsoeuer you aske praying belieue that you shall receaue and they shall come vnto you And more Ioan. 16. Si quid petieritis c. Yf you aske the Father any thing in my name he shall giue it you Behould heere a threefould gayne proceeding from prayer made in behalfe of the soules departed But there may be adioyned a fourth benefit That is the soules for which we pray will not be vngratefull when they shall arriue into their heauenly Country but shall answere recompence our prayers with their like prayers in our behalfe To proceed Fasting being performed by vs and applyed for the deceased obtayneth a manifould gaine For first as a meritorious worke it is profitable to him who fasteth euen by the testimony of our Lord himselfe Matth. 6. Tu autem cum ieiunas c. When thou dost fast annoynt thy head and wash thy face that thou appeare not to men to fast but to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret will repay thee Fasting also as a satisfactory worke being applyed for the dead doth helpe the dead For not without iust cause did Dauid fast with all his retinue and trayne euen till night when he was aduertized of the ouerthrow of King Saul and Ionathas and of a great part of the people of God To conclude Fasting in an other manner profiteth the party so fasting to wit in that the soules of the departed when they shall ascend to Heauen will not be forgetfull of their Benefactours but will power out prayers for them and such their prayers as proceeding from true Charity shall be heard Now in this next place to come to Almes-deeds This kind of good Worke also is accompanied with a threefould gayne For first it profiteth the poore to which the Almes-deeds are giuen and maketh them to become our friends that so when we fayle they may receaue vs into eternall Tabernacles Luc. 16. Againe Almes-deeds being applyed for the vse of the soules departed do bring a refreshing and refocillation to the said soules and consequently make them also to become our friends who hauing a title to the Kingdome of Heauen will no doubt helpe vs with their holy Prayers and Intercessions Thirdly Almes-deeds do as I may say bynd God to be a debtour vnto vs for thus the Holy Ghost speaketh by the mouth of Salomon Qui miseretur pauperis foeneratur Domino Who taketh pitty of the poore doth put out his siluer to interest euen to our Lord. Prou. 19. And Christ confirmeth the same in the Gospell saying Matth. 6. Te faciente Eleemosynam c. When thou dost an Almes deed let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth that thy Almes-deed may be secret and thy Father which seeth in secret will repay thee To descend to the most blessed Sacrifice of Christs body bloud It is most cleare and euident that that oblation profiteth the party who offereth it vp as a guift most gratefull to God It profiteth the faithfull liuing as also the faithfull soules departed And that this is most vndoubtedly true appeareth from the many most credible Visions or apparitions manifesting that the faithfull soules in Purgatory do desire and expect nothing more then that the most celestiall oblation of the body and bloud of Christ may be offered vp for their refreshing or freeing them from their paynes Of which point read S. Gregory lib. 4. Dialogorum cap. 75. sequent Also the History of England writen by Venerable Bede lib. 5. cap. 13. In like sort the Epistle of Petrus Damianus ad Desiderium may be read finally the lyfe of S. Nicolaus Tolentinus in Surius tom 5. ad diem 10. Septembris For to this blessed Priest appeared once a great multitude of soules who with teares and most lachrimall voyces desired of him the celebration of the most holy Sacrifice as a principall Remedy for their paines in Purgatory Now from all the Premisses it is euident that we may receaue a most preciable and incomparable gayne if we daily powre out our prayers for the soules departed or if we do distribute Almes to the poore for the ease and refreshment of their paynes or if we do satisfy for the said soules either by our Fasting or other penitential works or finally do celebrate the most holy Sacrifice of the Masse for their deliuery out of Purgatory Thus far learned Bellarmine discourseth of this point Whose words I would desire euery good Catholicke Reader seriously to obserue But to enlarge my selfe a little further I could wish all of you of good states when iust occasiō is presented that you would be most bountifull in relieuing imprisoned Priests and poore imprisoned Catholiks
with so much feare and horrour all of them are present S. Gregory Nyssene thus expresly writeth Orat. Cathech c. 36. Fidelium corporibus c. That body meaning the body of Christ in the Sacrifice of the Masse is ioyned with the bodies of the faythfull that by the coniunction of the immortall body man may be made partaker of immortality S. Cyprian thus teacheth of the offering vp of the body and bloud of Christ in the holy Eucharist Serm. de coena Dom. Perpes est hoc sacrificium c. This is a daily Sacrifice and is a permanent or perpetuall Holocaust To conclude the forementioned S. Chrysostome thus writeth hom 2. in 1. ad Cor. Dum in hac vita sumus c. Whiles we are in this life this mistery of the Eucharist maketh that the earth it selfe is a Heauen to vs. And now hauing shewed out of the testimonies of the ancient Fathers the impreciable efficacy and vertue of the most Reuerend Sacrifice of Christs body and bloud for the spirituall good of mans Soule we may from thence conclude that the daily offering vp of the said most dreadfull Sacrifice cōsidering the worth of him there sacrificed is most auaylable behoofull both for the soules of men yet liuing thereby to arme and strengthen them with grace against all the temptations of the World and the diuell as also for the expiating of mans Sinnes in Purgatory Sweet Iesus no other impetration or prayer is more piercing in the eares of God then this since heere for remitting of our sinnes and regulating our actions for the tyme hereafter with diuine grace the Sonne pleadeth to the Father God to God And the same man is both the Priest and the Sacrifice Yea this most Reuerend Mystery of the Sacrifice of the Masse is the very center of Religion and hart of deuotion by meanes whereof his diuine Maiesty most bountifully imparteth and powreth out his fauours and graces to our soules So certaine and infallible it is that our Prayers made in Vnion of this diuine Sacrifice whether for our spirituall good during our Peregrination in this world or for the taking away of the paines of Purgatory haue an inexplicable power and efficacy And therfore those men are great Enemies to themselues and their Children who neglect this so soueraigne a meanes both for their owne their Childrens aduancement in sanctity and Vertue Yet before I end this discourse I must adioyne this ensuing Animaduersion that whereas most of the former examples of Good Workes aboue alledged instanced aime at great high points sorting only to such to performe whose temporall states are great and rich and to whom that admonition of S. Chrysostome aboue alledged peculiarly belongeth Non dare sed copiosè dare Eleemosyna est Neuerthelesse we are to conceaue that the Charity of such as be but poore in temporall faculties though neuer so small are most pleasing to his diuine Maiesty for the mitigating of the torments of Purgatory And in this sense we must vnderstand that euen the poore Widdow in the Ghospell who had but two mites gaue as much as Zachaeus who contributed the halfe of his great substance to the poore because though the widdow had lesser goods to giue yet she had the like will of giuing And though that which was seuerally giuen by them both were vnequall diuers yet the fountaine from whence they gaue to wit from a prompt and charitable disposition of relieuing the poore was the same And thus did it fall out that whereas the whole Widowes state was but small yet the part thereof giuen was great Since he giueth no litle who freely and cheerefully giueth a part of a little And therefore the foresaid S. Chrysostome accordingly thus teacheth Hom. 34. ad pop Antioch Eleemosinae magnitudo non in pecuniarum multitudine iudicatur sed in dantiū promptitudine With whom accordeth S. Leo ser 4. de Quadrag saying Ex affectibus piorum benignitatis mensura taxatur Well I will close vp this small Treatise with referring the Catholicke Reader to the practise of a skillfull Phisitian who can extract medicinable and healthfull Physick out of hurtfull and venemous drugs or hearbs So heere I most earnestly wish that all good Catholikes according to the different proportion of their states and power would in their owne life time for the preuenting or lessening of the torments of Purgatory put in daily practise that counsell of our Sauiour Luc. 16. Facite vobis amicos de Mammona iniquitatis vt cum defeceritis recipiant vos in aeterna tabernacula Make you friends of the Mammon of Iniquity that when you fayle they may receaue you into eternall Tabernacles FINIS God saue the King