π1r

An
Antidote
Against
Purgatory.

or
Discourse, wherein is shewed that
Good-Workes, and Almes-deeds,
performed in the Name of
Christ, are a chiefe meanes for
the preventing, 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. Jane Owen,
late of God-stow, in Oxfordshire,
deceased, and now published
after her death.

1 library stampomitted
“As Water doth extinguish Fier: so Almes-
deeds do extinguish sinne.”
Eccles. 3.

Printed 1634M.DC.XXXIIII.

4 numeralsomitted
π1v 1 library stampomitted
π2r

To the
Worthy
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 advancing of
the spiritual good of your soules, 2 is π2v
is the mayne Allective, inviting
me to write this small Treatise,
(pardon I pray the boldnes of my
Sexe heerin.) The subject therof
is, First, to inculcate, & make
deep impressiōons in your minds, of
the horrour, and most dreadfull
torments of Purgatory: Secondarily,
to set before your eyes, the
best meanes to prevent, at least
to asswage, and mitigate them:
“gratūum opus agricolis”; A labour
(I hope) pleasing to such, who
are desirous to cultivate their
owne Soules, for gayning their
spirituall and expected harvest.

That you believe there is a
Purgatory, your owne Catholike
Faith teacheth you; thereforefore π3r
presuming that you rest immoveable
therein, without the
least fluctuation of judgment, I
hould it were but lost labour, to
spend any tyme in prooffe thereof.
Only I heere covet, that you
would deeply consider and meditate
thereof; and thereupon that
you would withall meditate and
put in practise the meanes of avoiding
the same.

Touching the terriblenes of
the Torments of Purgatory, I
have insisted in the Authority
of the most Blessed Cardinall
Bellarmine
; out of one of whose
spirituall bookes I have translated
a whole passage concerning
this subject, as hereafter I shall 3 more π3v
more fully shew. Thus I make
him the foundation or groundworke
of this my ensuing Discourse;
and the rest following I
do build, and erect upon this
foundation: so as this Miscelene
worke
of myne, may perhaps
resemble the statua of Nabuchodonozor,
of which, part
was gould, part silver, 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 silver; what is adjoyned thereto
by me, must (I willingly yield)
endure the touch of the learned,
to prove what mettall it is.

But now, to proceede a little fur- π4r
further: I could wish you (worthy
Catholickes) that you
would have 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 lively 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 use the Catholike Churches
like Dialect of the sinne of
Adam, calling it, felix Culpa:).
For then would men apprehende
the Future paynes of 4 Pur- π4v
Purgatory, as present, (and
certainely once they must be present;)
and consequently, would
have a greater feare and dread
of them, then cōommonly they now
have. It is not in mans power to
deprive God of his incommunicable
Attribute of Justice, being
even of the Essence of God.

This then being so, why will
you not seeke to appease this his Justice in this world, when
small satisfactions will serve,
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 π5r
endure them, “donec reddas
novissimum Quadrantem”
,
Matth. 5. These are the words
of holy Scripture, and are understood
in the judgment 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 have
therefore thought not amisse
(though I grant in a most unusuall
manner) to set downe in
the lower part of every page; that
wheresoever the Reader shall
open these few leaves, his eye
shall instantly meete with the 5 said π5v
said mooving words, thereby to
cause him to have 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 Heaven, then the Patriarchs
which dyed in Egypt,
could be buryed in the land of Promise.

Well now, the chiefest help
for the preventing of the paines
of Purgatory, is the practise of Workes π6r
Workes of Almes-deeds, and
such other actions of Mercy, as
hereafter in this short Treatise
wil more fully be proved. 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 Heaven with
Good Workes: “Venite possidete
paratum vobis regnum;
Esurivienim, & dedistis māanducare
&c.”
Matth. 25. Much
more then, may you with Good
Workes
(dyed in the bloud of
our Saviour, and not otherwise)
buy out the paynes of Purgatory.6 ry. π6v
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. “Eleemosinæ
vestræ commemoratæ
sunt in conspectu Dei”
. For
assure yourselves, that the Grace
of God ever seeketh a charitable
Hart.

And by this meanes, you may
become more rich in your graves,
then you could have beene in
your life tyme: Since to give awayway π7r
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 have 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 live, &
such is the scarsity of Vertue among
us, as that insteed of practising
Workes of Charity, men
are commended and praysed, if
only they forbeare to practise
workes of Injustice and Wrong.
And thus we are glad to accept
of a meere Privation of Vice, in π7v
in place of a Positive, 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 beseech
you to have a setled eye upon
your soules good, for the preventing
of future punishments; and
remember, that our Saviour in
the Ghospell ( Luc. 17.) commended
the unjust Steward
for hoording up for the tyme to
come; and shall then the slouthfull
carelessnes of Catholikes be
upbrayded with that unjust
stewards
diligence? God forbid!
But before I do remit you to the perusall π8r
perusall of this ensuing Discourse,
I will put you in mind,
that all Good Workes streame
from Charity, & that without
it, there are no Good Workes.

Now, how necessary and efficacious
Charity is in its owne
Nature, it being the Queene of
all vertues (the which who hath
it, cannot be damned, and who
wanteth, cannot be saved) I will
not only refer you to the Apostles
just prayses given thereof
( I.Cor. 8.) but also to the
learned and grave Judgment of
Cardinall Bellarmine herein,
who thus writeth ( lib.5. de æterna
Felicitate
cap.6.
) “Audeo
dicere, si oleum charitatistis π8v
in animas damnatorum
&c.”
“I dare be bould to say,
that if the oyle of Charity
could distill downe into the
soules of damned men, or into
the Divells, we instantly
should behould, both the
damned Soules and the Divells,
to ascend out of their
torments. As on the contrary
side, if this oyle of Charity
should forsake the holy
Angels, Apostles, Martyrs,
Virgins, &c. they instantly
would become lumpish and
heavy, & thereupon would
descēend into the lowest parts”
.

Thus you see, what this learned
Cardinall censureth hereof.of π9r
Do not then sleight and neglect
the worth of this Noble
Vertue of Charity; and particularly
the most healthfull and
fruitfull effects, proceeding from
thence; I meane Good Workes,
Mercy, and pious Liberality imployed
upon others; ascertayning
your selves, that the next and
most speedy helpe to procure
God, to be mercifull, in mildly
chastizing the relickes of your
sinnes, & to mitigate your temporall
punishments, is to shew
your selves mercifull to others;
“Beati misericordes, quoniam
ipsi misericordiam consequentur,”
Matth. 5. I meane
prompt and ready in exercising the π9v
the Workes of Charity; since
silver in a large degree bestowed
in this manner, is the spirituall
Water, which quencheth the flames
of Purgatory.

One thing heere I wish you
to remember, that every man
(how yong soever) through the
wingy speedines of time, is even
flying towards his grave. And
when he is once thither come,
then hath he bidden his last Adieu,
or Good Night to all the
world. Therefore whiles the day
lasteth, employ your selves busily
in Good Workes: So true (and
withall wholesome) is that Counsell
in Holy Writ. Eccl. 9.
“Quodcumque facere potest manus π10r
manus tua, instanter operare
&c.”
“Whatsoever thy hand
can do, do it instantly; because
neither any worke, nor
reason, nor knowledge, nor
wisdome, is beneath whither
thou hastest”
.

And with this (Worthy &
deare Catholickes
) I remit
you to the perusing of this litle
Treatise; Humbly beseeching
his Mercy, that the reading of it
may beget great and worthy effects
in you; And then I shall
hope, that you will vouchsafe me
now and then, your charitable
prayers; not only for the remitting
of the guilt of eternall damnation,
due for my infinite sinnes;nes; π10v
but also, if so his Divine
Majesty
would vouchsafe me,
(though most unworthy) so
much favour and grace, that I
may escape this most dreadfull
fyer of Purgatory.

Your Soules well-wishing
Admonisher,

Jane Owen.

The
π11r [Table of contents omitted]
π12r
“Non exibis inde, donec
reddas novissimum Quadrantem.”
Matth. 5. v. 27. “Thou shalt not goe
out from thence, till
thou repay the last Farthing.”
π12v “Date Eleemosynam, &
ecce omnia vobis munda
sunt.”
Luc. 11. v. 41. “Give Almes, and behould
all thinges are
cleane unto you.”
of A1r 1

Of the inexplicable paynes of
Purgatory, and of other Circumstances
accompanying the
same; translated out of the spiritual
Booke of Cardinall Bellarmine,
entituled: De gemitu
Columbæ
.lib.2.ca.9.

The I. Section.

Among all the
Passions of the
mind, there is not
any, which hath so great a soveraignty, and A com- A1v 2
command over man, as the
Passion of Feare. The reason
hereof is evident, and even
ingraffed in mans Nature.
For every man taketh pleasure
and delight in a sweet
and quiet repose of his owne
beeing; and consequently
flyeth, and avoydeth whatsoever
may endanger to hinder,
or take away his said
quietnesse and rest; according
to that Axiome in Philosophy:
“Omnis res cupit conseruare
suum Esse”
. And hereupon
it ryseth, that the Passion
of Love is nothing so po
tent and prevayling with
men, as Feare. For we experimentallyri- A2r 3
see, that most
men are afrayd to commit
divers impieties, more for
Feare of punishment to be
inflicted by the Law, then
for Love of God, or Vertue.

Now, to apply this to my
present purpose. Whereas
my project in these ensuing
leaves is, to awaken the harts
and minds of divers Catholiks
for the preventing, or at
least lessening the paynes of
Purgatory by their good deeds
and workes of Charity, performed
in their lyfe tyme;
therefore I have in the Front
of this Treatise thought good
to plant a Discourse touchingA2 ching A2v 4
the incomprehensible
torments of Purgatory, and
other circumstances accompaning
the same torments;
that so, such persons, for
whose sake this labour is unshy;
dertaken, (as not being
blindfoulded under the veile
of carelesse negligence) may
have a greater Feare & Horrour
of the said torments;
and consequently, may be
more watchfull and sollicitous
for their preventing of
them, by their Almes-deeds,
and other such workes of
Charity.

Which kind of Feare was
(as I may tearme it) the Geniusnius A3r 5
of Reverend Antiquity,
causing the livers in those
ancient times, to be so dreadfull
not only of the torments
of Hell, but even of Purgatory:
So healthfull to mans
Soule is that admonition of
Holy Writ, 1.Pet. 1. “Walke
you in feare, during the tyme of
your earthly habitation”
. And
upon this ground our Forfathers
labored so much to
spread themselves in the doing
of good works; and this
with most just reason; since
he is truly rich, who is rich in
good-workes: and the want of
them is a spirituall beggary
.
And therfore most deservedlyA3 ly A3v 6
is this Feare stiled by the
Wiseman, “The beginning of
Wisdome”
, Prou. i1.1 as also by
some others, The Mother, &
Daughter of wisdome
; and so
holy Job had just reason to
say: “I feared all my works”. Job. 9.

The Discourse prefixed
touching the Paynes of Purgatory,
I have wholy taken,
and Translated out of one
of the spirituall Bookes of
the most Worthy Cardinall
Bellarmine
, entituled: De Gemitu
Columbæ.
lib.2. chap.9.
Therefore when the Reader
peruseth it, let him remember,
that it is Bellarmyne who
speaketh, not I. In this passagesage A4r 7
the learned Cardinall relateth
certaine dogmaticall
Miracles, touching the doctrine
of Purgatory. I have
thought it much more prevayling
to deliver the contents
therof in the Cardinalls
owne words, which are
without any affectation of
Oratory, of 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 present age) will sway
more with all good Catholiks,
by way of perswasion, A4 then A4v 8
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 writing, 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 giveth full A5r 9
full credit and assent thereto;
and also, in that he is an
over 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 Justice
heere-after to come;
themselves thus through supine
heedlesnes falling upon
that dangerous sentence of
the Wiseman: “Ita securi viuunt,
quasi Iustorum facta habeant.A5 ant A5v 10”
Eccles. 8. “They live as securely,
as if their workes
were of the Just”
. 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 us yet living in the
world, a great occc asion &
matter of teares; in so much
that a due consideration &
meditation of Purgatory may iustly A6r 11
justly 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 conjecture
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
tormēented with those paines.
The first of these Heades
is, that the paynes of Purgatory
are greater & more intense, A6 then A6v 12
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 themselves
. 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 A7r 13
those men, who yet are living,
are no lesse then half
mad and distracted in judgment,
who during their life
tyme, are carelesse and negligent
in satisfying for their
sinnes, and had rather descend
(upon their death) to
those places of Torments,
then to be depryved of any
pleasure, while they live 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 joyned together,
which in this lyfe we can
undergoe; this verity is confirmedfirmed A7v 14
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 æternum”
, “go into everlasting
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 shalbe saved,
but as by fyer”’
. And then a
litle after S. Austin thus furtherther A8r 15
inlargeth himselfe: ‘Et
quia dicitur saluus erit, contemnitur
ille ignis &c.’
‘And
because it is sayd in the place above,
they shalbe saved, therefore
that fyer is neglected and
litle feared. True it is, they shalbe
saved by fyer:’
‘gravior tamen
erit ille ignis’
(saith he) ‘quàam
quicquid potest homo pati in hac
vita:’
‘Notwithstanding that
fyer shalbe more heavy and intollerable,
then any paynes,
which a man can suffer in this
lyfe. And you well know, what
great torments divers wicked
men have here suffered, and are
able to suffer; yea good and vertuous
men have suffered as much as A8v 16
as the former. For what paynes
or torments hath any malefactour,
theefe, adulterer, or any
other wicked or sacrilegious person
suffered, which Martyrs
have not suffered for their confession
of Christ’
?
‘Therefore these Torments,
which are in this world, are of
a far more lower degree: And
neverthelesse, you see, how ready
and prepared men stand to
performe any thing commanded
them, to prevent the suffering of
them; with how much more reason
then have men to doe that,
which God cōommandeth them, that
so they may not undergoe those
(by many degrees more horrible) ble) A9r 17
torments?’
Thus far S. Austin,
whose judgment 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 lyfe some
mens sinnes shalbe expiated &
purged by the flames of Purgatory;
others shall undergoe the
sentence of eternall damnation.
Neverthelesse, because I do firmly
believe, that transitory fyer to
be more insufferable, then any
tribulation in this world; therefore
I thirst not only not to be aban- A9v 18
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 judgment herein,
are Venerable Bede, in 3.
Psal Pœnit.
S. Anselme, in cap.3.
Ep. I ad Cor.
S. Bernard de obitu
Humberti &c.
S. Thomas of Aquin l. 4 sent.
d. 30 q. I. art. 2.
doth not only
subscribe to the judgment 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; A10r 19
world; And yet notwithstanding
all this, we observe
daily, that men are not afrayd
to cōontemne 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
proveth this his former
sentence and judgment
from this following reason:
It is (sayth he) an inexpugnable
and undeniable truth,
that pœna damni, the payne
of the losse, incurred by sinne, A10v 20
sinne, is far more grievous,
then Pœna sensus, then any
payne of sense, or feeling.
And it is further most evident
and confessed, that all
those, who are in Purgatory,
during their stay there, do
suffer Pœnam damni, the paine
of losse; that is, the losse of
the vision of God.
But to avoyde 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 pu
nishment and the greatest of all A11r 21
all punishments; but during
the tyme of a soules staying
in Purgatory, the want of the
divine 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 have suffered in this
life; seeing that we, whiles
we live here upon earth, do
not see God, and yet we are
nor said truly to suffer pœnam
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 A11v 22
Yea the ancient holy Fathers,
Patriarchs, and Prophets,
who remayning in
Limbo Patrum, expecting the
comming of the Saviour of
the world, did not as then
see God; and yet they were
not afflicted with any pœna
damni
, because they were to
see God in a prefixed & designed
tyme. For thus Abrahāam
answeres to the Rich
glutton, Luc. 16. ‘Remember
sonne, that thou in thy lyfe tyme
receivedst thy pleasures, and Lazarus
paynes, now therefore he is
comforted, and thou tormented’
.
In which words, we do
not fynd, that Abraham said; La- A12r 23
Lazarus was tormēented with
pœna damni, with the punish
ment of losse; but that he
was in solace & comfort, &
cōonsequently not in torment.
And further, where S. Simeon
Luc. 2. sayth: ‘Nunc dimittis
seruum tuum in pace &c.’
‘Now (O Lord) thou lettest thy servant
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 A12v 24
the place, called Limbus Patrum,
did not suffer there any
torments, but did find rest &
quietnes. The force of this
objection or argument is easily
dissolved. The answere
is this. Whiles we are living
here upon earth, we do
not easily apprehend, how
heavy a matter it is, to want
the vision and sight of God;
both in regard, that what
things we apprehend by
meanes of corporall phan
tasmes, and the ministery of
the senses, we do but obscurely
understand, as also, in
that we being softened and
cherished in corporall delightslights B1r 25
and pleasures, we solace
and content our selves
therewith, and thereupon
we are not much sollicitous
and seeking after spirituall
contentments.
The ancient Fathers and
Prophets, were not tormented
with any pœna damni,
payne of losse, in that they
saw not God; because they
well did know, that this procrastination
& deferring of
enjoying 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.
B But B1v 26 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 cōomming of Christ,
it is impossible, but that they
should be in the highest degree
afflicted; for seeing
they in that state are deprived
both of body, and of all
corporall senses, they cannot
take further delight in sensible
objects, as in meate,
drinke, riches, honours, in
satisfying any carnall concupiscēence
&c. but they wholy
breath and thirst after the
contemplation of the first Truth, B2r 27
Truth, and their enjoying
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 adjoyned
this other reason; to wit,
that the soules in Purgatory
do wel know, that the kingdome
of Heaven is now
made open to the faithfull
Christians, and that the only
hindrance of not present
enjoying of it, is only the
guilt of payne, contracted
through their owne peculiar
sinnes; from whence it cannot
but follow, that these B2 soules B2v 28
soules are even offended &
angry with themselves, in
that they alone are the cause
of their long dilation & deferring
of their enjoying so
great an happines.
These soules may well be
resembled to a man in great
extremity of hūungar & thirst,
though having 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 deservedly caused
this his delay in tasting of B3r 29
of them.
We may add hereto, that
the most ancient Fathers,
Austin, Gregory, Beda, Anselme,
and Bernard, do not
speake de pœna damni, of the
payne of losse, which payne
all acknowledge to be most
great; but de pœna ignis, of the
paine of fyer; & this payne,
they all with one consent affirme
to be more horrid &
intollerable, thēen any tormēents
in this life. For althogh here
upon earth the torment by
fyer is great, yet that fyer,
which is not maintayned &
nourished with wood or
oyle, but is created as an in B3 stru- B3v 30
strument of Gods justice, to
burne and torment soules,
must without all doubt be
most violent, and sharpe in
the highest degree,.
Now, from the premisses
it is evicted, that though we
would not acknowledge
pœna 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 evidēently proved from the B4r 31
the authorities of so many
ancient Fathers above produced.
And because, there are
many men, who can hardly
be induced to believe any
thing, which thēemselves have
not seene, God sometimes
therefore hath vouchsafed,
to raise certaine persōons from
death to lyfe; commanding
them to relate to others living,
what themselves touching
this payne have seene.
Amonge so many eyewitnesses
(as I may terme
them) who have seene the
torments of Purgatory, I will
alledge only two, the one be B4 ing B4v 32
ing a man, the other a woman,
whose testimonies therein
are to be accepted without
any doubt or diffidency.
The one then, is Drithelmus
an English man; the history
of which man Venerable
Bede
writeth, & relateth
this accident, as a thing well
knowne & evident 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, & anti B5r 33
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 living, 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 have
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 B5 lead B5v 34
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 up in bed, all
those, who accompanied that
night the dead Body, through
feare and amazement presently
fled away’
.
‘But his wife, who loved him
dearely (though fearing) remayned
with him, whom he did
comfort in these wordes: “Feare not B6r 35
not wife, for I am truly risen
from death, with which this
night I have beene houlden; and
I am permitted to live againe
among men heere upon earth;
but not after the same manner
as I was accustomed heretofore
to live, 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 devided all his substance
into three partes; of the
which one part he gave to his
wyfe, another to his children,
and the third he distributed to
the poore’
.
B6 And B6v 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
provided 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 delivered the matter in
this manner’
.
‘“Lucidus erat aspectu, & clarus
indumento, qui me ducebat &c. B7r 37
&c.”
“One of a lightsome countenance,
and bright in apparell,
did lead me. We came unto a
certaine valley of a great largenes
& profundity, but of an infinite
length. That part of the
valley, which was upon 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 B7v 38
the violence of so great an heat,
the poore miserable soules did
cast themselves into the middest
of that insufferable cold, above
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 unfortunate
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 B8r 39
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 brevity
I omit; the Conductour
thus further said to the person
raysed from death: “Scis omnia,
quæ 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 B8v 40
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 make 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
Heaven. And many of these
poore soules are much eased by
the prayers of the living, by Almes-deedsmes B9r 41
of their friends, by
their strict fastings, and especially
by the celebration of holy
masses in their behalfe; so as by
these meanes divers of them are
freed from their torments before
the day of Judgment”’
.
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 B9v 42
art able to endure such asperity
of cold;”
He then replyed, “Frigidiora
vidi”
, “I have seene much
more cold places”
. And when
they in lyke sort said to him; “mirum,
quodtam austeram tenere
continentiam velis &c.”
“It is
wonderfull, that thou wilt keep
this austere cōontinency in meates
&c.”
He answered: “Austeriora
vidi”
, “I have seene greater austerity.”
And in this sort, through
an indefatigable desire of the
joyes of Heaven he tamed and
subdued his old feeble body untill
the day of his death, he much
profiting many by his perswasions
and conversation of lyfe’
.
Thus far S. Bede in his relationtion B10r 43
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 Job cap.24 ‘Ad
nimium calorem, transeunt ab
aquis nivium’
: ‘from waters of
snow, they passe to overmuch
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, B10v 44
events, and not curiosity or
vanity, but the health of
many soules by their conversion
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
lived in the dayes of the said
Christina.
The same is in like sort
witnessed by that Venerable
man Jacobus de Vitriaco (l. de
vita & rebus gestis B. Mariæ
de Oegnies
) a pious and learnedned B11r 45
Cardinall, who in a
booke of his maketh mention
of divers holy women,
and particularly of this Christina
Mirabilis
, whose life he
relateth most briefly in a
short Compendium. 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 living: ‘“Statim ut ēencorpore
excessi, &c.”’
‘“Presently after I did leave
my body, certaine Angels of God,
being ministers of the light, receaved
my soule, and brought it
to an obscure, darke, and horrid
place, being full and replenished with B11v 46
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 delivered
in any words. I did see
there divers, with whom I was
acquainted, whiles they here lived
upon the earth. I did much
pitty those poore miserable soules.
I demaunded of my Conductours,
what place this was, for I
did imagine that is was Hell.
They answered, that it was the
place of Purgatory, reserved for
such sinners, who had obtayned
true penitency of their sinnes before
their death, but had not yet
performed any actuall satisfactionction B12r 47
for their Crimes in their
lyfe tyme committed”’
.
‘“After this, my Conductours
brought me to behould the punishment
of the damned in Hell,
where also I did find certaine
persons knowne to me in their
lyfe tyme. After this I was conducted
up to Paradise, even to
the Throne of the divine Majesty,
where I did behould our
Lord wellcomming me. I rejoyced
excessively thereat, as being
then perswaded, that I should
there remayne with our Lord
for all eternity. But her presently
answered me, saying: ‘Most wellcome
daughter, thou shalt with
out all doubt finally stay with me, B12v 48
me, but here I put to thee an election,
of which of these two
things though hadst rather make
choyce, to wit, whether thou haddest
rather now stay with me for
all eternity, or els to returne unto
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 living upon the
earth, through the example of
thy penitent lyfe, abstayning
from committing more facinorousrous C1r 49
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 converted
to me’”’
.
‘“Now I, without any pause or
delay answered, that I had rather
returne to my body under
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 even in that very C houre, C1v 50
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 divine
Majesty, and at the third
time of the saying of the foresaid
words, ‘Agnes 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 conversation”’
.
‘“Therefore I would intreate
all persons, that they would not be C2r 51
be troubled, or affrighted with
such things, as they shall see in
me. The things do exceed mans
understanding, which (God commanding)
shalbe performed in
me. Neither have such events at
any tyme hapned among mortall
men”’
.
Thus much did she speake.
And then the wryter of her
lyfe adjoyneth these words
following, concerning her
Cap.6. ‘Tum vero cæpit illa exercere
&c.’
‘Then she did begin to
exercise and put in practise such
severities, for the performāance of
which she was sent by our Lord:
She did voluntarily enter into
burning Ovens, & was tormentedC2 ted C2v 52
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 be 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 Mosæ fluminis hyberno
tempore, cum rigerent om
nia gelu &c.’
‘She very often &
long stood in the waters of the
river Mosa, in winter time,
when it was congealed with
frost, remayning there in such
manner six dayes, and more’
.
And C3r 53 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 upon the wheele of
a water mill, and so in most horrible
manner was borne about
with the wheele thereof, being
notwithstanding perfect & unhurt
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 up against her all the
dogs of the towne of S. Truyen, C3 she C3v 54
she rūunning before them following
her, like a swift Deare, throgh
certaine obscure places full of
bryars and thornes, in so much,
as she was pricked & her skinne
torne in divers 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
woūunds 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 severall
wayes; First, because, as I
said above, he had Jacobus Bishop
and Cardinall of Vitriacum,tria- C4r 55
(a most grave man)
to beare witnesse thereof.
Secōondly, in that the authour
of this History did relate passages
done in his owne life
tyme, and in the same Province,
wherein himselfe lived,
seeing he was Bishop,
and suffragan to the Archbishop
of Cambray. Thirdly,
in that the matter and History
itselfe even publikely (as
it were) deposeth and averreth
the truth hereof; to wit,
that her body was so after
conformed and strengthned
by divine power, as that it
should suffer payne by fyer,
and yet should not be dissolved;C4 ued; C4v 56
should receave wounds
and sheed much bloud, and
yet no prints of those woūunds
should appeare.
In this sort this most blessed
woman lived, 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
converted many to true penance
and compunction of
their sinnes, and after her
death was glorious and eminent
for miracles: therefore
God by such examples above
insisted upon, would stop the
mouths of such incredulous per- C5r 57
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 have
two faythfull Witnesses, a
man and a woman, who have
seene the most bitter and insufferable
torments of Hell,
and Purgatory; and therefore
such men do wholy rest inexcusable,
who do not bleeve
these points: and yet those
men are more inexcusable,
who believing these & such
like examples, do notwithstanding
neglect, and contemne
them, forbearing to C5 make C5v 58
make satisfaction for their
sinnes to God, in fasting,
mourning, and bewayling
the most poore state of their
soules. But let us come to other
heads above secifyed.
The second Head was, the
long and dayly sufferance of the
paynes of Purgatory
. I grant,
that there is a wryter (otherwyse
of a great name and
worth) who did maintayne,
that not any soule remayned
tormented in Purgatory above
twenty yeares, yea perhaps
not above ten yeares;
notwithstanding the use of
the Catholike Church teacheth
the contrary, which pres- C6r 59
prescribeth Anniversary Sacrifices
of the Holy masse to
be offered up for soules de
parted, not only for ten yeares,
but even for a hundred
yeares, and more.
This point appeareth further
from the vision, which
we related above out of Venerable
Bede
, which sheweth
that many Soules are to remayne
to be tormented in
Purgatory, even till the day of
Judgment. And the same verity
may receave its further
warrant from the authority
of Tertullian, a most ancient
Authour, who speaking of
Purgatory under the name of C6 Hell, C6v 60
Hell, thus writeth, l. de Ani
ma
cap. 17
. ‘In carcerem te man
det Infernum &c.’
‘Hell may send
thee to that prison, from whence,
untill thy sinnes be expiated,
thou shalt not depart, perhaps
till the day of thy resurrection’
.
But S. Cyprian Epist. 2. l. 4.
discourseth of this point
more perspicuously & plain
ly, thus saying: ‘Aliud est pro
peccatis longo tempore cruciatum
purgari igne &c.’
‘It is
one thing to be tormented with
fyer for ones sinnes, during a
long tyme; and other thing, to
have purged his sinnes through
a mans owne sufferance and severity
of lyfe’
. Which point re- C7r 61
receaveth its further proofe
from the vision of blessed
Ludgardis, a most holy and
eminent Virgin, whose lyfe
was written by Thomas Cantipratensis
above mentioned,
who had written the lyfe of
Christina Mirabilis. And because
the matter is of Consequence,
& concerneth much
(by way of example) the
Prelats of the Church, I will
here set downe the words
of the Authour himselfe,
which are to be found in the
second booke of the lyfe of
holy Ludgardis ( apud Surium
tom 3. 16. Iunij.
) The words
are these.
Hoc C7v 62 ‘Hoc ferèe tempore Dominus
Innocentius Papa tertius &c.’

‘About this tyme Innocentius
the third
, being Pope, after the
Councell of Lateran was celebrated,
departed this lyfe, and
did presently after appeare visibly
to Ludgardis. After she
saw him compassed about on all
sydes with a great fyre, she asked
him, who he was. He answered,
that he was Innocentius the
Pope. But she replying with
griefe said, “What, is the Common
Father of us all, thus tormented
for so long a tyme?”
He
answered, “I am in these flames
for three causes. Which Crymes
of myne had justly deserved, that C8r 63
that I had beene punished with
eternity of torments; but that
through the intercession of the
most holy Mother of God, (to
whom I did build & consecrate
a Monastery) I had repentance
of my said sinnes. And so it is,
that I have escaped eternall damnation;
Neverthelesse I shalbe
tormented with most cruell paynes,
even till the day of judgment.
That I am permitted to
appeare to thee, thereby to intreate
thee to procure prayers &
suffrages to be said for me; this
favour the mother of mercy obtayned
of her sonne in my behalfe.”
And at the speaking of
these least words, he instantly vani- C8v 64
vanished away. Ludgardis did
make knowne this his necessity
to her sisters, that he might be
holpen with their prayers. But
Ludgardis herselfe taking great
commiseration of his poore state,
did undergoe wonderfull austerities
for his reliefe. Let the
Reader take notice, that Ludgardis
did acquaint us with
those causes of this mans torments,
which we for the reverence
of so great a Pope, have
thought good to conceale’
.
Thus much the former
Authour, touching the vision
of Ludgardis, which
example hath often affected
me with great feare and terrour.rour. C9r 65
For if so laudable a
Pope, who in the eies of men
appeared not only good,
but also holy, and worthy
imitation, was in great danger
of being eternally damned
in Hell; yet in lieu therof
is to be punished with
most insufferable flames,
even untill the day of judgment;
what Prelat may not
feare? Who ought not to
search most narrowly, into
every corner of his conscience?
For I am persuaded
that so great a Pope did not
commit any mortall sinnes,
except he committing them
under the shew of some good, C9v 66
good, was therein deceaved
by his flatterers, & such his
Domesticks, of whom it is
sayd in the Ghospell, Matth.
10
. ‘Inimici hominis domestici
eius’
: ‘A mans enemyes shalbe
they of his owne househould’
.
Therefore as being taught
by this great example, let us
all labour to make most diligent
inquiry into our consciences,
for feare they be
not erroneous, though to
our selves they appeare right
and sincere.
But let us returne unto
that point, from which we
have digressed. It is not to
be doubted, but that the paynes C10r 67
paynes of Purgatory may be
extended to ten, twenty, a
hundred, yea to a thousand
yeares. But let us grant for
the tyme, that those paynes
should endure but ten, or
twenty yeares; who is able
to endure most dreadfull &
inexplicable torments for
the space of twenty yeares
without any intermission or
ease? Now, that those burnings
are to be without any
alleviation or rest, appeareth
from the vision, which we
have above related, out of Venerable Bede.
Certainly, if a man were
assured, that he should continuenue C10v 68
afflicted for the space of
twenty yeares, without any
intermission or relaxation,
with the paine of the Goute,
or of the stomacke, or the
Head-ach, or tooth-ach, or
of the Stone; & that he could
not by reason of such his do
lours, take any sleep or rest;
no doubt such a man had rather
make choyce to dye,
then to persever, and live in
this miserable case. And if
choyce were given him,
whether he would remayne
for twenty yeares without
any respiration and ease in
those foresaid paynes, or
would suffer losse of all his state C11r 69
state and goods; Certainly
he would with a most ready
mind, seeke to be deprived
of all his temporall meanes,
that so thereby, he might
free himselfe from so continuall
& cruell paynes: with
how much more reason
then, ought every wise man
to make choyce of undergoing
of Penance, accompanied
with its fruits, which
fruits are, watching, Prayer,
Fasting, Almesdeeds, and es
pecially teares, which are a
signe of true Penance?
Now if we add to the acerbity
of these paynes and the
long continuance of them, this C11v 70
this third Calamity; to wit,
that the soules in Purgatory can
in no sort help themselves
, their
infelicity & misery is much
increased therby. For here
among men conversing on
earth, there is hardly to
be found any one so depressed
in misery and calamity,
but that either by flight, or
by resistance, or by mediation
of friends, or by appealing
to another Judge, or by
humbly beseeching the mercy
of the Judge, or by some
other meanes, he may free
himselfe in some measure
from the vexations, with
which he is environed.
But C12r 71 But (alas) in Purgatory the
Soules can do nothing, but
only patiently suffer their
punishment. True it is, that
Holy Men living heere on
earth, may pray for the dead,
may offer up almes, and other
satisfactory workes for
the soules in Purgatory. But
this priviledge is not granted
to the soules themselves
being in Purgatory, except
by a certaine Priviledge to
some few, and this most rarely;
to wit, to appeare to living
men, and to beseech
ayde and help by their charity.
Therefore the state and
condition of those soules are most C12v 72
most miserable, who being
in those torments, cāannot beget
any ease or help to themselves,
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,gatory, D1r 73
are innumerable; and
so many, as that the number of
them is sufficient to move and
stir up mercy, though their torments
were far more easy and
light
. This is evident, 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
frōom 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, D can D1v 74
can enter into the kingdome
of Heaven, but they
only, are able to penetrate
unto the sight of God,
(which is a light, and in
whom, there in not any dar
kenes) and to that place of
infinite purity who are trus
ly holy and immaculate, &
are mēembers 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 D2r 75
paynes of Purgatory.
Now, from all the former
passages of this discourse, it
may necessarily be gathered,
that the Dove hath just cause
daily to lament and mourne
for so many mēembers of hers,
which with an infinite desire
thirst after their heavenly
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.D2 gato- D2v 76
Which discourse (in
regard both of his Learning
& Sanctity) ought to sway
and prevayle 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
adjoyning a Reason drawne
from Schoole Divinity, 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 D3r 77
to joy. To wit; “Potentia, Obiectum,
& Coniunctio unius cum
altero”
(as S. Tho.Thomas p.2.q.31.ar.5.
saith:) An intelligent, or at
least a sentient Power, or Faculty;
a convenient Object to
that Power; and an Union or
Conjunction of the Object
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 Understanding
in a Rationall soule, is
(as it were) a mayne Fountaine;D3 taine; D3v 78
the Sense but a small
River. 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 River. 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 Object;iect; D4r 79
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 Justice, who would
shew his power in the creation
of it.

Lastly, touching the Conjunction
of the Power with the
Object
; the Conjunction 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
Conjunction made, but only D4 by D4v 80
by the touch of the Extremities,
or utmost 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 avoyde, at least
to mitigate, the paynes of
Purgatory.

Sect. II.

Having in the precedent
Section, shewed out of
the judgment of the most lear- D5r 81
learned Cardinall Bellarmyne,
the atrocity of the paynes of
Purgatory, and some other
Circumstances accōompaning
the said paynes; in this next
place it is convenient to set
downe the meanes, through
force whereof the sayd paynes
may receave some alleviation
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 D5 holy D5v 82
holy Sacrifice of the Masse,
Prayer, & Almes-deeds, or good
workes
; according to those
words of S. Austin ( serm. 32.
deverb. Apost.
) “Orationibus sanctæ
Ecclesiæ, & sacrificio salutari,
& Eleemosynis non est dubium
mortuos adivuari”
; “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. adCor.)
saying; Juvatur mortuus
non lachrymis, sed precibus, supplicationibus,
Eleemosynis”
. “A
dead man is helped, not with teares, D6r 83
teares, but with prayers, supplications,
and Almes-deeds”
.

With which two former
Fathers, Venerable Bede (to
omit many other to avoyde
prolixity) doth conspire in
these words. ( l.5. hist. c.13.)
“Multos, preces viventium, &
Eleemosynæ &c.”
“The prayers of
the living, 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 Judgment”
.

But of these three severall
kinds of Suffrages for reliefe
of the soules in Purgatory, I
will chiefly insist in shewing D6 the D6v 84
the force and efficacy of good
works
, or Almes-deeds. In the
explication of which point
I will first rest in the Authority
of the Sacred Scriptures;
Secondly in the judgment
of the ancient Fathers. And
First, touching the sacred
Scriptures, I will alledge divers
passages thereof, which
although they prove immediatly
the great vertue of
Good works, and Almes-deeds,
for the gayning of the Kingdome
of God, and remitting
of the punishment of eter
nall Damnation; yet (as the
Logitians phrase is,) à fortiori,
they much more prove, that D7r 85
that the Temporary punishments
of Purgatory, may be
taken away, and (as it were)
bought out by the pryce of
them.

Now, to begin with the
testimonies of Gods Holy
writ, we first read thus therin:
“Eleemosyna ab omni peccato
& à morte liberat, & non patitur
animam ire in tenebras”
.
Tob. 4. “Almes-deeds free a man
from sinne and death, and suffer
not the soule to descend into
darknes”
. And in another place
we read: “Sicut aqua extinguit
ignem, ita Eleemosyna extinguit
peccatum”
. Eccl. 3 “As water
doth extinguish the fyer, so do Almes- D7v 86 86
Almes-deeds extinguish sinne”
.
Yea Almes deeds, and Good
workes
are so powerfull, as
that our Saviour after he had
charged the Pharisyes with
divers great sinnes, yet thus
concludeth, Luc. 11. “Verumtamen
date Eleemosynas, & ecce
omnia munda sunt vobis”
; “but
notwithstanding, do you give
Almes, and behould all things
are cleane unto you”
.

And which is more, Gods
holy word extēendeth the vertue
of Almes-deeds even to
the Gentills and Heathens,
for thus we fynd it said to
Nabuchodonosor, who was a
Pagan: “Heare my Counsell (O King) D8r 87
King)
and redeeme thy sinnes
with Almes, and thy Iniquities
with works of Mercy”
. Dan . 4.

Now, if Good workes of Charity,
and Almes-deeds, performed
even by Heathens and
wicked livers, be so much
respected by God; much
more then, Good works of
Christians and good livers,
are accepted of God, not only
for the preventing the
paynes of eternall damnation,
but also (which is lesse)
of the temporall paynes of
Purgatory.

To come to the ancient
Fathers: S. Cyprian calleth
“Eleemosyna, Solatium grande cre- D8v 88
credentium, securitatis nostræ
salutare preæsidium”
: “Almes-deeds
a great solace of the faithfull,
a healthfull safegard of our security.”
Againe the said Father,
serm. de Eleemos. “Sicut
lavacro aquæ salutaris Gehennæ
ignis extinguitur, ita Eleemosynis
& precibus nostris delictorūum
flamma sopitur”
; “As the fyer of
Hell is extinguished through our
washing in that healthfull water”

(meaning at the tyme of our
Baptisme) so the flame of our
sinnes, is abated by our good
workes”
.

To whose judgment S.
Ambrose
alludeth in these
words. serm. 31. “Eleemosyna quo- D9r 89
quodammodo animarum aliud
est lavacrum &c. Lavacrum semel
datur, & semel veniam pol
licetur; Eleemosynam autem
quoties feceris, toties veniam
promereris”
. “Almes-deedes is a
certayne kind of Baptisme &c.”

But “Baptisme” (meaning the
Sacrament of Baptisme) “is but
once administred, and but once it
promiseth forgiveness of sinnes;
But as often, as thou shalt do
some act of Almes-deeds, so often
dost thou procure forgivenes
of sinnes”
.

S. Chrysostome thus averreth,
Hom. 25. in act. Apost.
“Non est peccatum, quod non possit
purgare Eleemosyna”
. “There is D9v 90
is no sinne so great which Almes-
deeds cannot purge, and take away.”
And more: “Omne peccatūum
infra illam stat”
: “All sinne is under
Almes-deeds”
; meaning
that Almes-deeds, and Good
Workes
can extinguish the
greatest sinne.

To conclude, S. Leo thus
writeth of this point, serm.
5. de Collectis
: “Eleemosynæ peccata
delent, mortem perimunt,
& pœnam perpetui ignis extingunt.”
“Almes-deeds do blot out
sin, destroy death, and extinguish
the payne of perpetuall fyer”
.

Thus we see, what wonderfull
efficacy and vertue
both the Holy Scriptures, and the D10r 91
the Ancient Fathers ascribe &
attribute to workes of Charity
and Almes-deeds; from
whence we may infallibly
conclude; that since such
good-works are of force to extinguish
the eternity of Hell
fyer, much more the temporary
flames of Purgatory.

Heere now I hould it expedient
to answere two Objections,
which such men
who are in slavery to their
riches, not having the magnanimity
and resolution to
part with their silver to any
good and charitable uses, either
for their owne soules
good, or for the benefit of othersthers D10v 92
that are needfull, are
accustomed to insist upon.
The first is, (say such men)
“My goods are my owne, therefore
I am not obliged to give
any part of them, but to what
end my selfe best pleaseth”
. Their
second argument and more
potent is, “I have wyfe and children,
I am bound by the Law of
God to provide for them, and after
my provision for them, I
shall have nothing remayning to
bestow upon good and charitable
uses”
.

To the first of these two
Objections I answere; First,
if we should dreame for the
tyme that a mans temporall goods D11r 93
goods were absolutely at his
owne disposall, & that therfore
it were in his power,
whether he would give any
part therof to good uses or
no: to this I first say, that admitting
for the present, that
a man had sole dominion
over his owne goods, and
might dispose of them, as
best pleaseth himselfe; yet
certaine it is from the former
authorities, both sacred
and humane, that, that man
who is so wholy drowned in
his temporall state, as that
he cannot endure to part
with some reasonable share
of them to pious uses, shall hardly D11v 94
hardly enjoy Heaven (for
without Charity a man cannot
be saved) much lesse,
shall he never escape the paines
of Purgatory.

Secondly, I affirme, that
it is a false ground to maintaine,
that a man is so sole a
Proprietary of the goods he
possesseth, as that he may, as
his owne passion and appetite
carryeth him, dispose of
them, without giving any
part therof to needfull and
charitable uses. And that this
is most true, I produce in
proofe thereof the Authorities
and words of these Reverend
Fathers following.

To D12r 95

To begin with S. Bernard,
who thus speaketh to rich
Men, in the person of the
poore (in Ep. ad Episc. Senonensem)
“Nostrum est pauperes
clamant &c.”
“The poore crye out,
‘It is ours, which you wastfully
spend; That is taken from us
most cruelly, which you (rich
men) wast vaynely’”
.

S. Gregory writeth in this
sort (in 3. parte Pastor curæ
admonit. 22.
) “Admonendi sunt
&c.”
“Men are to be admonished,
and instructed, that the earth,
of which we all are, is common
to all men; and that therefore it
affoardeth nourishment to all
men; in regard wherof they but in- D12v 96
in vayne and without cause repute
themselves to be innocent
herein, who peculiarly challenge
to themselves, the common guift
and liberality of God”
.

S. Austin Tract. in Psal.
147.
) “Superflua diviti, necessaria
sunt pauperi; res alienæ possidentur,
cùm superflua possidentur.”
“Those goods, which are
but superfluous to every rich
man, necessarily belong to the
poore; Another mans substance
is possessed, when superfluous riches
are possessed”
.

S. Chrysostome ( Hom. 34. ad
populum Antioch.
) “Non ad
hoc accepisti &c.”
“Thou hast not
receaved thy riches, to consume them E1r 97
them in wastfull expences, but
that thou shouldst bestow much
of them in Almes-deeds”
. And
againe in the same place:
“Tuarum rerum &c.” “O man, thou
art but a dispenser or steward of
thy owne substance; no otherwyse,
then he, who dispenseth
and distributeth the goods of
the Church”
.

S Jerome ( vide Gratian. dist.
42. Can Hospitale
:) “Aliena
rapere conuincitur, qui ultra sibi
necessaria retinere probatur”
?
“He is convinced to take even by
violence, those riches which belong
to others, who is justly accused
to retayne to himselfe more,
then is necessary to his state”
.

E S. Ba- E1v 98

S. Basill ( in orat. in illud,
Destruam horreamea
:) “At tu
nonne spoliator es, qui qua dispensanda
accepisti, propria reputas?”
“Art not thou even a
Robber, who takest those things
& that substance for thy owne,
which thou hast receaved to distribute
to others? The bread
which thou hast in thy house, belongeth
to the Hungry man, the
Coate to the Naked man &c.”

“Quocirca tot pauperibus iniuriam
facis, quot dare valeres”
:
“Wherefore, thou dost injure so
many poore men, how many thou
art able to relieve”
.

For greater brevity I will
conclude with S. Ambrose, serm. E2r 99
serm. 81. “Sed ais, ‘quid iniustum
est, si cum aliena non inuadam,
propria diligenter seruem’
? O
impudens dictum! Propria dicis?
Quæ”
? And then after: “Non minus
est criminis, quàm habenti
tollere, cùm possis & abundes,
indigentibus denegare”
. “But thou
wilt say? ‘What injustice is it in
me, if so I do not invade other
mens substance, but reserve my
owne proper riches only to my
selfe’
? O impudent and shamelesse
saying! Callest thou them thy
proper riches? Which be they? It
is no lesse a cryme, to deny to
give to the poore, when thou art
able to give, and dost abound;
then to take riches from those, E2 who E2v 100
who already do enjoy them”
.
Thus far touching the Fathers
Judgment in this point,
wherewith to shut up the
mouths of worldly and covetous
men.

Now, for the better understanding
of the former Authorities,
we are to cōonceave,
that those who possesse riches,
be indeed true Lords
over them, if so they be justly
obtayned and gotten: if the
Comparison be heere made
in respect of other men; yet
with reference to God, they
are not to be accounted
Lords, or absolute Proprietaryes,
but only dispensers of them. E3r 101
them. For God created all
things, and ordayned, that
some men are rich, others
poore; yet not in that sort, as
some should be so rich, as
that they shall abound with
all superfluities; and others
wāant necessaries, without having
reliefe from those who
are welthy. The reason hereof
being, in that God being
the Father of all men indifferently,
did creat the world
and all things therein, for
the Common profit of all
men; and therefore who retayne
superfluous riches to
themselves, without distributing
part of them to good E3 and E3v 101
and pious uses, do contrary
to the will of God therein,
and consequently do sinne.

Now, to come to that other
excuse, that men are obliged
to provide for Children
, and
that therefore they have nothing
to spare for any good uses, thereby
to redeeme themselves from
the future fyer of Purgatory
.
And in thus Apologizing
for themselves, they can readily
alledge that place of
Scripture, 1.Tim. 5. “Si quis
suorum, & maximè domesticorum
curam non habet, fidem negavit,
& est infideli deterior”
; “If
any man hath not care of his
owne, and especially of those of his E4r 103
his houshould, he denyeth his
fayth, and is worse then an Infidell.”

To this poore reason, shadowed
under the veyle of
naturall affection, and Paternall
care, I thus answere.
I do not disalow a moderate
care to be taken for the provision
of Children; for he
were an inhumane monster
who should neglect the same.
But this is it I say; to wit, for
a man to be on the one syde
so wholy absorpt & drunke
in a thirsty pursuite of temporall
riches, for a superfluous
advancement of his
owne children; and on the E4 other E4v 104
othe syde, to be wholy negligent,
careles, & incurious
for the preventing of the
horrible flames of Purgatory.

This I say, is that, which
may well be styled an insensible
Lethargy in men. The
Extremities I altogether dislike,
the Meane I imbrace.
And according to this (O Catholikes)
your over great sol
licitude in these matters, divers
of you will make superfluous
provision and charges
in erecting a second House
for a yonger Sonne, and the
like; because they are neere
to you, as being Proseminatedted E5r 105
from your owne loines;
But your owne poore soules
in the meane tyme you wholy
forget, as if they were but
strangers to you, or (as the
Phrase is) but of the halfe
bloud: such cecity & blindnes
in men is greatly to be
pittied.

Be not unnaturall to your
selves, in being naturall to
your Children. Let your
owne Soules (which are
more neere to you, then any
Children) have at least a
Childes Portion. When you
looke upon your children,
looke upon them, not with
and eye of an over-indulgent, E5 but E5v 106
but of a Christian Father:
And then may ech of you
say to your selves in an in
ward reflexe of your judgment:
“I love you all dearely,
with a Paternall love, but I love
my owne soule, more dearely. I
will provide for your temporall
meanes in fitting manner, and
according to my degree. But shall
my over much care of your temporall
advancement impoverish
my soule? O, God forbid”
!

“What pleasure will it be to
my poore soule, lying burning in
the most dreadfull flames of
Purgatory, for bestowing of that
superfluity of meanes, which being
otherwise bestowed for the good E6r 107
good of my soule, might have redeemed
me from those flames?
Will your selves thinke intensly,
of my such calamitous state, incurred
by my over great love towards
you? and accordingly will
you worke meanes, by prayers,
suffrages, and Almes-deeds in
my behalfe, for the lessening of
those my torments? O, I feare
you will not. And this I may
probably gather, from the carelesse
negligence in this point of
many children towards other parents
being now dead. And how
can I promise to my selfe more
from you, then we see by experience,
other dead Parents have
receaved from their living children?E6 dren? E6v 108”
Let this be your speach
in the secret Closet of your
harts, concerning your children.

There is no Parent so
kind, who would be content
to suffer daily torments and
rackings, to redeeme his
sonne from the like tormēents,
to which by cōommiting some
flagitious Cryme he stands
subject & obnoxious. Is not
then that Parent (I will not
say halfe distracted, but) of
most weake judgment, who
shall labour, and covet certainely
to undergoe most
horrible torments (and incōomparably
far greater, then this E7r 109
this world can affoard) and
this not for freeing his sonne
from any paynes at all; but
only that his children may
live in a more lautious, opulent,
& full manner, then otherwise
they should, though
competent, and sufficient
meanes would notwithstanding
be left unto them?

For is it not infinitly far
better for the Parēent, to leave
his children, in fitting degree
and quality, furnished
with temporall meanes, and
withall himselfe, by distributing
a good part of his
state in his life tyme to spirituall
ends, wholy to prevent, or E7v 110
or at least partly to diminish
the paynes of Purgatory; then
to leave his issue in greater
affluency and abundance of
worldly riches, and himselfe
to continue many yeares in
that insufferable conflagration
of fyer; the grievousnes
whereof truly to conceave
passeth our conceite? O,
“Ante faciem frigoris eius quis
sustinebit”
? Psal. 147.

Thus far I have thought
good to draw out, and enlarge
this Section, in stirring
the mould about the roote
of this ordinary pretence, &
excuse of Parents providing
for their Children; by reason that E8r 111
that most Parents (to the
great prejudice of their owne
Soules) do shaddowe their
want of Christian Charity
to others under this pretext;
and therby they make their
owne Children to become
Enemyes to themselves: and
so it falleth out to be most
true, as is above 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 judgment
of the Philosophers; “No man
knowes, what kind of love that is
which Parents beare to their chil- E8v 112
children, but he that hath children;”
not withstāanding before
I would endure an infinity
of torments for their greater
and more full advancement,
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, & Ultimus”.

A Per-
E9r 113

A Persuasory Discourse for the
putting in practise the meanes
(which are good Workes) for
the avoyding 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
prevent, at least to lessen &
mitigate them: It now followeth,
that I spend some
leaves in a Paræneticall (as I
may terme it) or Persuasory dis- E9v 114
discourse, therby to invite
Catholikes to put in practise
the said meanes, which are
conducing for the preventing
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 deplorableble E10r 115
state herein. Dangerous
wounds (you know) must
have deepe incisions; And
matter of Tragedy (for I account
yours to be such) is to
be delivered in mournefull
Accents. Never ought we in
this case to forbeare the tou
ching of the member affected
with a hard hand. O no.
The Apostle indoctrinateth
us otherwise, in those his fervorous
and fiery words, 2.
Tim. 4
. “Prædica, Insta, oportunè,
importunè, argue, obsecra,
increpa &c.”
To such Catholiks,
which are fervorous in
the performance of good
and pious Actions, this my speach E10v 116
speach doth not extend.

But here now I hould it
convenient to marshall and
range such men into severall
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 perhpas have lived
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 E11r 117
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 form the boūundles
Ocean of Gods mercy;
Yet, what inevitable Torments,
and for how many
yeares, do expect thēem in Purgatory,
if otherwise they
seeke not to deliver themselves
thereof, in their owne
lyfe tyme by good workes?
This point will best appeare
by discovering in part the
atrocity of Schisme, and a
Schismaticall lyfe. For the better E11v 118
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 ( Joahn.
10.
) One body ( Rom. 12.) One
Spouse
, ( Cant. 6.) and one
Dove
. But now Schisme, as
comming of the Greeke verbebe E12r 119
χιξω, scindo,devideth that
which is one, into parts:
Therefore as a member cut
off 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 pen
sill out a Schismatike, or Schisme:
I will urge but two or
three for brevity. S. Austin
then thus writeth ( l. de fide
& Symb. c. 20.
) “Schismatiks
though they believe the same points, E12v 120
points, which we believe; yet
through their dissention they do
not keep fraternall charity; therfore
we conclude, that a Schismatike
belongeth not to the Catholike
Church
, because he loveth
not his neighbour”
. Thus S. Austin.
Fulgentius thus teacheth,
( l. de fide ad Petrum c. 38. &
39.
) “Firmissimè tene &c.” “Believe
for certayne, and doubt not, that
not only Pagans, but also Jewes,
Heretikes, & Schismatikes, who
dye out of the Catholike Church,
are to goe to everlasting fyer”
. To
conclude, S. Cyprian thus averreth
( l. 4. Epist. 9 ad Florent.)
“Qui cum Episcopo non
sunt, in Ecclesia non sunt”
: “who agree F1r 121
agree not with the Bishop”
(meaning
the supreme Bishop &
Pastour of the Church) “are
not in Gods Church”
.

Thus we see, what is the
judgment both of Holy Scripture
and of the ancient Fathers,
passed upon 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 inveterate
Schismaticall lives; yet
what imminent temporall
tormēents (even hanging over F their F1v 122
their heads) are ready to
rush upon them, instantly
upon the separation of the
soule from the body, and to
seize upon their soules, for
the satisfying of Gods Justice?
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 saving
your temporall goods,
will endanger the losse of all
eternall good; How much
do you dishonour (yea vilifyfy F2r 123
God) by persevering in
your Schismaticall state? Assure
your selves (You Schismatikes)
that it is not in your
power to command at your
pleasure, over Tyme & Repentance.
God calleth every
one, but how often he will
call, no man knoweth; and
be you afrayd of that fearefull
Sentence of his Divine
Majesty: “‘My People would not
heare my voyce, and Israell
would none of me; So I gave
them up to the hardnes of their
hartes’”
. Psal. 81. O most dreadfull
Relegation!

But admit, God will give
you tyme to repent; yet the F2 strength F2v 124
strength of your Armes is to
weake to bend that Virgam
ferream
of Gods Justice, 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
Introversion upōon your
owne most deplorable states;
Suppose a Native Subject
should through some temporall
respect and end, beare him- F3r 125
himselfe most traitourously
towards his King, daily perpetrating
some Act of disloyalty,
and ever banding
himselfe openly with other
his professed Enemies: how
could this Man in reason
thinke, that his submission
could ever be sufficient for
his after reconciling to his
Soveraigne, and obtayning
Grace and favour, & future
advancement to honour &
Dignity? especially if the
King were of that severe disposition,
as that he was ever
accustomed to punish
(though often in a lower degree then the offence deserved)F3 ser- F3v 126
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 Divine
Majesty
, by his daily communicating
in Prayers and
rytes, with the Preaching
Members of an erroneous
Church, Gods designed Adversaries:
How then can he
expect, with his so much
gauled Conscience, to arrive
to Heaven without extraordinary
acts of Mercy to the
poore, and other workes of Pie- F4r 127
Piety in this world, or of suffering
most exquisite and inutterable
torments in Purgatory?
Considering God is
just, and severely chastizeth
every sinne, committed against
him; “‘Behould’” (sayth
he by his Prophet Isay) “‘I will
be revenged upon my Enemyes,
& will comfort my selfe in their
destruction’”
, Isa. 1. And againe:
“God shall rayne snares of fyer upon
sinners; Brimstone, with
tempestuous winds, shalbe 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 F4 for F4v 128
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, & impatiēence 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 selves out of this
spirituall Lethargy, & awake;
since the longer you continue
in this your desperate state, F5r 129
state, you do but all that time
(admitting you finally dye
repentantly) even heap fuell
together for the nourishing
of your flames in Purgatory.
Remember the Wisemans saying,
Eccles. 10. “Languor prolixior
gravat Medicum”
. You
cannot but know, that during
your state in Schisme,
you are wholy deprived of
Gods Grace, by which we
make clayme to Heaven;
(“Gratia Dei, vita æterna”. Rom.
6.
) since you wilfully deprive
yours selves of the benefit
of the Sacraments of
Gods Church; which Sacraments
our Saviour hath institutedF5 stitu- F5v 130
in his Church, as the
ordinary meanes, or Conduits,
for the deriving of
Gods grace into mans soule.

Well, I will close this point
of Schismatikes with this one
asseveration: To wit, that a
poore Motley foole (be you
not offended, for I speake the
truth) to whome God hath
afforded only the use of his
five Senses, is in far more
happy state, then you Schismatikes
are. This māan (though
most despicable in the eye of
the world) as through want
of the use of Reason, cannot
merit; so he cannot demerit:
You through your abuse of Rea- F6r 131
Reason, do not only, not merit;
but in lieu thereof you
increase the heape of your
sinnes, through a daily coacervation
of your Schismaticall
Transgressiōons. 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 F6 there F6v 132
thereto: You are indeed
freed by your ablution in
that sacred Font, form 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 Heaven) then
to be the greatest, and most welthy
Schismatike in England; being
resolved to continue yeare
after yeare, in this his most
wicked course of Schisme
; “Quid
proderit homini, si universum
mundum lucretur, animæ verò sua F7r 133
sua 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 upon such, who
are at this present actually
Catholiks, yet have persevered
many years 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 perevent the paynes of Purgatory,
or els to endure them
for many yeares? This partly
appeareth, from the ugly state F7v 134
state (so to call it) of a Schismatike,
above in part described.
And if he will not performe
such abstersive Acts
of penance in his owne lyfe
tyme, by contributing, shewing
pitty, and relieving of
others; let him take heed, he
fall not upon that dreadfull
sentence of the Apostle, Jac.
2
. “Iudicium sine misericordia
ei, qui non fecerit misericordiam.”
Judgment 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 ren- F8r 135
render a most strict accoūunt
for your fore-passed lyfetime,
even 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 Jerusalem
with a Candle”
. And will you
then be so negligent, and
careles, in preventing 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 delivering it from
Purgatory, except great Almes-deedsmes- F8v 136
(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 instāant,
thou wert lying upon 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 every minute for
thy last dissolution; How would F9r 137
would thy Judgment be altered?
and wouldst thou not
thus (in all likely-hood)
reason and dispute with thy
owne Soule? “True it is, I
thanke God, of his most infinite
and boundles Mercy, that as a
straying sheep, I am at length
brought into Christs sheep-fold,
and I hope to dye (through the
benefit of our Saviours passion,
and of the holy Sacraments) his
servant, and in state of Grace,
and finally to enjoy the intermi
nable joyes of Heaven. But alas,
though the guilt of Eternall
damnation (incurred by my long
former Schismaticall lyfe, & by
my many other infinite sinnes) as F9v 138
as I hope, through Gods infinit
mercy, be remitted; yet temporall
punishment due for all my former
said sinnes, in most inexplicable
torments of Purgatory doth
expect me.”

“My poore Soule must continue
in those burning Flames
(how many yeares, his divine
Majesty only knoweth) for the
expiating of my said sinnes, before
I can arrive to Heaven.
When I was in health, enjoying
my temporall state in all fulnes,
how easily with a voluntary relinquishing
of a reasonable part
thereof to pious and religious
uses, could I have avoyded (at
least mitigated) these now imminentmi- F10r 139
and unavoydable torments?
Good god! where then
were my Wits? The very plowman
provides for the tyme of
Winter; yea the Ant (to the
which we are sent by Gods word
( Prou. 6.) to be instructed)
hoords graynes of Corne for his
after sustenance; And have I
so negligently carryed my selfe,
as to lay up before-hand no provision,
against this tempestuous
and rugged future storme? O
beast, that I was! Sweet Jesus,
how far distant were my former
course of lyfe and daily actions
from ever thinking of this unavoydable
danger? I have lived
many yeares in fulnes of state: I haue F10v 140
have beene labouring in laying
out good summes of Silver, to
heap land to land for my Children
to inherit. I have lived
(perhaps) in a most profuse or
wastfull manner; I have spent
to much, to gayne the deceitfull
favour of the world, in sumptuous
apparell, exceeding my
state, in keeping an over wastfull
house, and in over great &
unnecessary Attendance about
me. By meanes of some, or all of
these extravagant Courses, I
have spent much; And yet not
once did I ever thinke to bestow
the twentieth part of these superfluous
charges to pious uses, for
the preventing of those flames, which F11r 141
which within few dayes (perhaps
few houres) my poore soule
must suffer.”

“O wretch that I am, that have
thus senselesly so neglected this
fearefull day! Here now my former
pleasures, and Jollity are
come to their last end and period.
Gods Justice must, and will
be satisfyed; since nothing defyled
and contaminated (except
all the rust therof be afore fyled
away) can enter into the Kingdome
of Heaven. Whither then
now, being encompassed on ech
syde with such thornes of danger,
& anxiety, shall I turne my
selfe? To the world, and my former
pleasures thereof? O God, the F11v 142
the remembrance of them is
most nauseous, and distastfull to
me; since the fruition of them is
a great cause of my future paynes.
To my former greatnes and
fulnes of my temporall state? O,
that I had beene so happy, as to
have made true benefit in tyme,
of that Mammon of Iniquity,
my wastfull spending whereof
must give fuell to that fyer! And
we are taught, that, ‘Divitiæ non
proderunt in die ultimo’
. Prou.
11
To my Friends, Kyndred, &
former familiar acquaintance,
which I shall leave behind me in
the World? Wo is me, they are as
wholy negligent of their owne
soules danger, concerning this point, F12r 143
point, as my selfe have beene.
How then can I expect them to
be solicitous & carefull of myne?”

“To thee then alone (most mercifull
and heavenly Father) who
art Pater misericordiarum, ( 2.
Cor. 1.
) and who dost crowne us
in misericordia & miserationibus
( Psal. 102.) I do flye. Who
tookest mercy of the Woman of
Canaan, of Mary Magdalen,
of the Publican, and of the thiefe
hanging upon the Crosse. Betweene
the armes of thy ineffable
Compassion I cast my selfe.
Lessen, (ô Lessen) for thy owne
honours sake, and the bitter pas
sion of thy most Deare Sonne, my
Saviour Jesus Christ, these temporallporall F12v 144
paynes, which now wayte
for me. Let my present Compunction
and Contrition of all my
former sinnes (through thy mercy,
& Sons pretious death) arrive
to that ascent and height,
as that my Saviour may say to
me with the good thiefe; ‘to day
thou shalt be with me in Paradise.’
So shall thy Mercy thereby
over-ballance thy Justice; For to
speake in the Churches Dialect;
‘Plus potes dimittere, quàm ego
committere’
: ‘and it is my Comfort,
that I read in holy Writ’
;
‘Suavis est Dominus universis,
& miserationes eius super omnia
operaeius’
, ( Psal. 144.) ‘Our
Lord is sweet to all, and his mercycy G1r 145
is above all his Workes’
.”

“O that I had beene so happy,
as to have followed the wholsome
advyce, given to me by way
of Presage in a little Treatise,
entituled, An Antidot against
Purgatory
: I then did read it,
but with a certaine curiosity, as
thinking it nothing to belong to
me. But (alas) I now find it to
be a true Sybill, or Prophet of my
future Calamitous state.”

“Well then, seeing my owne
hower-glasse is almost run out,
let me turne my speach to you
(Deare Catholiks) in my health
my chiefest Familiars; & with
whom I did most consociate in
my former pleasures. There is no G dif- G1v 146
difference betweene you and me,
but the tyme present, and the
tyme to come. You all must once
be forced to this bed of sorrow,
and be brought to your last
Sicknes. To you then, and to all
others, who are negligent in providing
against this Day, I do direct
this my charitable Admonition.
You are yet in health, &
perhaps as improvident in laying
up spirituall riches against this
fearefull day, as my selfe have
beene. O change your Course,
whiles there is tyme. Let my present
state preach to you, & suffer
these my last dying words to give
lyfe to your future Actions; since
they preach feelingly whose Pulpitpit G2r 147
is their death-Bed. Be not
in the number of those sensles
creatures, who are buryed so deep
in earth, as that they have no
tast or feeling of things to come;
‘Nolunt intelligere, ut benè agant.’
( Psal. 35.)”

“Do now therefore (Deare
Friends) do now, what you can.
Now while you have tyme, heap
up togeather, that spirituall
Wealth, which will buy out all
ensuing paynes; and turne the
Current of your former superfluous
Charges, into the fayre
streame of pious workes, that so it
may affoard you water, for the
quenchinge of those raging
Flames. Consider how you shall G2 be G2v 148
be convented before the severe
Judge, frōom whom nothing can be
hiddēen, of whōom the Prophet saith:
‘Tu cognovisti omnia, nouissima
& antiqua’
. ( Psal. 138.) He is
not appeased with guifts, nor admtiitteth
excuses, who out of his
boundles mercy remitteth to us
(upon our true repentance) the
paynes of eternall damnation;
but yet chastizeth us with temporall
punishment to satisfy his
Justice: ‘misericordia & veritas
obviaverunt sibi, iustitia & pax
osculati sunt’
. Psal. 81. Therefore
now begin to spread your selves
in workes of Piety. Lessen your
temporall Pompe, descend in outward
comportment under your selues G3r 149
selves, and let your sparing charges
by this meanes saved, serve
to redeeme you from those horrid
flames, which are hereafter
to invade you.”

To these, and the like disconsolate
and Tragicall lamentations
in the inward
reflexe of thy soule (my deare
Catholike
) shalt thou in thy
last Sicknes be driven, if
thou seeke not to prevēent the
danger in tyme. Therefore
Remember, that he is truly
Wise, who laboreth to be such in
his health, as he wisheth to be
found in Gods sight, at the
hower of his Death
.

But now to come to you G3 other G3v 150
other Catholiks, who thogh
you ever lived within the
bosome of the Catholike
Church
; yet the state of many
of you is otherwise most
deplorable, who though you
dye in state of grace (though
many hundred Catholikes,
through their owne vicious
lives and finall irrepentance
do not) yet your Case (with
reference to the torments of
Purgatory) is lamēentable. Most
of you are wholy heedles &
negligent in seeking by your
good Workes, and Almes-
deeds to avoyde Purgatory.
How many of you, whose
meanes are great, might with- G4r 151
without any stay after your
Death, even post to Heaven
by your Religious dispensing
of a good part thereof;
whereas others, through
want of temporall meanes
so to be distributed, must stay
long in Purgatory? O, that
Man should be so treacherous
to his owne Soule!

It is daily observed (even
with griefe to all Zealous
Catholikes) that many of
you are ready to lay out great
summes of silver for the increasing
of your temporall
states; That others of you,
who are devoted to the contentments
and pleasures of G4 this G4v 152
this World, to dissipate a
great part of your living in
fruitles charges: Some in
gallantry of apparell, others
at Dyce, in Running-Horses,
in keeping wastfull
Christmasses; yourselves &
your Cōompany feeding most
lautiously upon all variety
of curious meates & wynes,
whiles in the meane tyme
your poore soules perhaps
remayne, even hunger-starved
(as I may say) for want
of spirituall nourishment. In
all which courses it is be
feared, that many, even
mortall sinnes, are by you
committed, of the which, though G5r 153
though you after have purged
your selves by the holy
Sacrament of Confession,
yet what reckonings are
there remayning touching
the temporall punishments
attending such your sinnes?
which either in this world
must be taken away by great
satisfaction performed by
you, or els all such rust must
be purged and burned away
in the Horrible Flames of
Purgatory.

Therefore it is not a simple
Imprudency; It is not a
weakenes of the understanding;
It is not a bare mistaking
of the judgment: But it G5 is G5v 154
is meere Lunacy & Madnes
in you, thus to advance temporal
respects either of gaine
or pleasure, before the preventing
of those insufferable
torments. And if any of you,
who are of great states, do
leave a hundred pounds at
your deaths to be prayed for,
O, you thinke, you have
made a large and ample satisfaction
for all your sinnes,
and that after those Prayers
are performed, you are sure
instantly to goe to Heaven.
A selfe flattering, and credulous
conceit! Thinke of the
custome of the Venerable Bishops
of the anciēent Church, who G6r 155
who were used to tye a sinner
to performe penance seaven
yeares, for the committing
but of one mortal sinne:
How much different was
their Judgment, from your
Judgment herein?

Againe, what small a proportion
hath this so niggard
an Almes-deeds of yours,
with that of the man restored
to lyfe, and recorded by
Venerable Bede, who gave the
third part of his goods to the
poore, the rest to his wyfe
and Children; of whome
Cardinall Bellarmyne did above
speake in the first section
of this booke? Or how G6 stands G6v 156
stands your Charity to good
uses with reference to Za
chæus
, spoken of in the Gospell,
Luc. 19. who after he
had seene Christ, gave instantly
the halfe of his state
to the poore. Truly I speake
in all sincerity; I knew two
Gentlemen in Englāand, who
were but Esquyers, (though
of good states) and yet at
the tyme of their deaths (besides
many other most good
and holy workes done by
them in their life tyme) the
one of thēem did leave to good
uses fifteene hūundred pounds,
and the other a thousand
Markes. Therefore let such Ca- G7r 157
Catholiks, who are carefull
of their Soules good, be vertuously
emulous of such mēens
devotion and charity; and
let them remember, that saying
of S. Chrysostome ( serm. 37.
ad pop. Antioch.
) “Non dare,
sed copiosè dare, Eleemosyna est”
.
But to proceed.

If any of you, upon your
just Demerits, were to be
racked for divers moneths
togeather; or if any of you
were in the highest degree
afflicted with some Corporall
payne; what would you
not give (if it were in your
power) to redeeme your selves
from these torments? And G7v 158
And yet the first of these paines
might endure through
the Clemency of the Prince,
but few moneths (perhaps
but few dayes) the other
could not endure many yea
res, through the extremity
of the payne (for “nullum violentum
est perpetuum”
:) And
will you then be so leaden,
stupid, and dull in judgment,
as willingly, and affectedly
to undergoe (it being in
your power, by abandoning
in your lyfe tyme a little
Drosse, to prevent them)
such paynes for many yeares
(perhaps for many hundred
of yeares;) in reference and com- G8r 159
comparison of which, all the
greatest torments in this
world (in the judgment of
the ancient Fathers) are to
be reputed, as shaddowes, or
tipes of paynes? where is māans
understanding, where is the
light of his Reason? But it
seemes, they are exiled, and
in their roome, are imbraced
a most sordid & earthly respect
of temporall, & fading
vanities.

Therefore I may well here
demand; Are such persons
Catholikes? Are they Chri
stiāans
? yea are they men? who
thus betrample withall carelessnes,
and supine neglect the G8v 160
the good of their owne soules,
and ravell out their tyme
in idle toyes and pleasures?
Alas! what are riches, greatnes
of state, a needles fruition
of temporall pleasures,
or that, which you call your
reputation & honour (which
with draw many from doing
of good deeds) able to
performe?

Syr John Oldcastle being exprobated
of his Cowardlynes,
and thereby reputed inglorious,
replyed; “If through
my persuyte of Honour, I shall
fortune to loose an Arme, or a
Leg in the wars, can Honour restore
to me my lost Arme, or legge? G9r 161
legge”
? In like manner I heere
say to you, Catholikes: Can
your Riches, your worldly
pompe and pleasures, or antiquity
of your House, and
Family redeeme your Soules
out of Purgatory? Or can this
poore weake blast of wind
or ayre, which you call your
reputation (consisting in other
mens words, passed upon
you) coole the heate of
those burning flames? Nothing
lesse, since these toyes
(through your abuse of
them) shall serve, as bellowes,
the more to blow the
Flames of Purgatory.

I will urge one reason, which G9v 162
which shall make you (negligent
Catholikes
) to blush, and
withall to grow pale; for it
shall force you to be ashamed
of your incredible negligēence
in this great busines heere
treated of; and it shall put
you (if so Gods grace be in
you) in extreme feare of
your future Calamity. I will
take it from the examples of
certaine most learned, pious,
and ancient Fathers. The
Fathers shalbe these following,
S. Austin, S. Ambrose,
S. Gregory, and S. Bernard; all
whose pens were guyded by
the Holy Ghost.

S. Ambrose through the ex- G10r 163
extremity of his feare of the
flames of Purgatory, thus
writeth ( Serm. 20. in Psal.
118.
) “I shalbe searched & examined
as lead, in this fyer, till all
the lead be melted away &c.”
S.
Austin
through his fearefull
and strong apprehension of
this fyer, thus breaketh out
in words ( in explic. Psal. 37.)
“O Lord, let me be made such, as
that my Correction shall not be
needfull to be increased with
that purging fyer, in respect of
such men, qui salvi erunt, sic tamen
quasi per ignem”
. And againe
S. Austin thus further
saith ( l. 50. homil. 16.) “O how
happy are they, that who living well, G10v 164
well, and contented with necessary
riches to their bodies, liberall
of their owne, chast in themselves,
and not cruell to others,
do redeeme themselves from this
fiery Fornace”
? Of which fyer
the said S. Austin thus saith:
in Psal. 27. “Gravior erit hic ignis,
quàm quis potest pati in hac
vita”
. “This fyer shalbe more intollerable,
then any man can suffer
in this lyfe”
.

S. Gregory thus writeth (in Psal. 3. Pœnit.) “I esteeme the
purging fyer (though it be transitory)
to be more intollerable,
then all tribulations, which in
this life may be suffered; there
fore I do not only desire, not to be G11r 165
be rebuked in the fury of eternal
damnation; but also I greatly
feare to be purged in the
wrath of transitory Correction”
.

Lastly, to come to S. Bernard,
whose trembling penne
through feare of the paynes
of Purgatory, thus discourseth:
( Serm. de sex tribul. 16.
& 55. in Cant.
) “O would to God,
that some man would now before
hand, provide for my head abundance
of water, and to myne
eyes a fountayne of teares; that
so perhaps the burning fyer
should take no hold, where running
teares had clensed before”
.

And now to reflect a little
upon the Worth of these foure G11v 166
foure former alledged Fathers;
and then to draw our
inference and deduction. S
Ambrose
for his learning
(he writing many bookes in
defence of the Christian
Fayth) as also for his sanctimony
of lyfe, obtayned the
title of being called (per Excellentiam)
One of the foure Fathers
of the Primitive Church
.

S. Austin (gayning the
like title) was of that eminency
for learning and piety,
that S. Jerome, thus extolleth
him: ( Tom. 2. Ep. 25. inter
opera August.
) “I have allwayes
reverenced thy Sanctity
with that honour, which is fitting;ting; G12r 167
and I have loved our Lord
and Saviour dwelling in thee”
.

Thus much briefly of S.
Austin
, whose infinite paines,
labour, and study (besides
his extraordinary holynes
in his conversation &
course of lyfe) in writing of
so many, and so great Tomes,
with such wonderfull perfection
of judgment & learning,
and all in defence of
the Christian and Catholike
Faith, might seeme in the
eye of many, to be sufficient
to expiate the temporall punishment
due for his sinnes.

S. Gregory was our Apostle,
first planting Christianity in En- G12v 168
England, and of that Piety,
as that M. Godwin the Protestant
(in his Catalogue of
Bishops. pag. 3.
) thus commendeth
him: “That blessed &
holy Father S. Gregory”
.

To come to S. Bernard:
This blessed man (as Osiander
witnesseth in his Epitome p.
309.
) was an Abbot, authour
of many monasteries, both
in France & Flanders, instituting
a Religious Order in
Gods Church: Yea he was
eminent for working of Miracles;
of whom in regard of
his piety of life, even D. Whitaker
our Adversary ( lib. de
Eccl. pag. 338.
) thus celebratethbra- H1r 169
his worth: “Ego quidem
Bernardum verè fuisse sanctum
existemo”
.

Now, if these foure most
worthy shining Lamps in
the Church of God (or rather
so many bright stars in
the celestiall Spheare) remarkable
for learning, and
more remarkable for piety
and devotion; they spending
their whole tyme in writing
in defence of the true Religion;
betrāampling under their
feet all temporall Honours
and Preferments; living most
chastly in Purity of body; &
wearing themselves out in
Fasting, Prayer, and severely H pu- H1v 170
punishing their owne flesh:
Yf these men I say ) notwithstanding
all this their rigorous
course to flesh & bloud
did stand in such feare and
horrour of the torments of
Purgatory (as we see above,
by their owne words and
writings, they did;) what
then (My deare Catholikes)
may be said of most of you,
who enjoy the pleasures of
the world, pamper your bodies,
live in great riches and
abundance, & yet do thinke
to escape the flames of that
fyer? what is this, but madnes
and incredible partiality
in the highest degree; you beinging H2r 171
thus become Parasytes to
your owne selves, in thus
flattering your owne most
fearefull state?

But it may be, there are
some of you, who, so you
may enjoy Heaven eternally
in the end, become thereby
lesse carefull of preventing
the temporall paynes of Purgatory,
sleighting the consideration
of them. But S. Austin
shall discover this vanity,
who thus discourseth of
this point, serm. 41. de sanctis.
“Some use to say, ‘I care not greatly
how long soever I stay in passing
this fyer; seeing at the last,
I shall attayne to life everlasting’”
. H2 To H2v 172
To which words S. Austin
thus answereth: “But alas,
(deare Brother) Let no man
say thus, for that this Purgatory
fyer is more sharpe, then any
punishment, which in this lyfe
can be seene, imagined, or felt.
And wheras it is said of the day
of Judgment: That one day
shalbe as a thousand yeares, and a
thousand yeares as one day; how
doth any man know, whether his
passage through this fyer be for
dayes, months, or perhaps yeares?
And he, that will now be loath
to put one of his fingers into burning
fyer, ought to feare the torment
of that fyer, though it were
but for a litle tyme. Therefore let H3r 173
let every man labour with all
his force, that he may avoyde
mortall sinnes, which cast men
into Hell; and to redeeme lesser
sinnes by good workes, so as no
part of them remayne to be consumed
by that fyer”
. And then a
litle after in the same place:
“Who commit litle, and daily sinnes,
let them not cease daily to
redeeme them with good works;
to wit, by continuall Prayer, frequent
Fastings, & large Almes”
.

Thus this blessed Father
seriously meditateth in the
secret of his soule upon this
point. What may we say of
such men, as read this, and
are nothing moved therewith?H3 with? H3v 174
Truly such men may
be thought to have but the
outward shape, or faces of
men; that is, they weare fayre
Cloaths, they talke, they
walke togeather, they busy
their minds in needles toyes;
but as for the true use of
Reason (wherein the essence
of man consisteth) so far
forth as it may become servicable
to the advancement
and spirituall good of their
soules, they participate in
their actiōons more with beasts
who want soules, then with
Rationall Creatures: A griefe
not to be expressed, but in
most deplorable Threnes and La- H4r 175
Lamentations.

Nay, I dare be bold to say,
that Beasts seeme to have
greater practise of Reason,
then divers of these men
have. Strike a Horse, or an
Asse once or twyce, or thrust
him into a deep or dangerous
hole, out of which he
can hardly get; he will conceave
such Feare thereof, as
that he will for a long tyme
after seeke to avoyde both
the stroakes, and the hole:
And yet, where the Scripture,
the testimonies of the Ancient
and holy Fathers, the
severall miracles exhibited
in proofe of the torments of H4 Pur- H4v 176
Purgatory, do fully proclame
the horriblenes of those pai
nes, divers Catholikes who are
infallibly hereafter to endure
the same paynes (if so they
make no prevention in their
lyfe tyme) have no Feare, no
Sense, no Feeling thereof
. O
God, that Men should thus
cease to be Men, and Beasts
(after a certaine manner)
should step in their place.

Well, I will conclude this
my discourse to you (Worthy
Catholikes
) humbly besee
ching you, even for the most
precious, and bitter Passion
of our Lord and Saviour, &
for the future good of your owne H5r 177
owne soules, to cast your eye
upon all the Premisses set
downe in this smal Treatise,
and have a feeling Consideration
both of the extremities
of the paynes, and of the
infallible authorities proving
the undoubted certaynety
of those payens; and do
not suffer your judgments to
fluctuate or waver, touching
the certainty of them. Therfore,
I will only demand, Is
there a Heaven? Is there a
Hell? Is there a Purgatory? Yf
you believe these things to
have a true and reall being,
(as no doubt infallibly you
do) where then (through H5 your H5v 178
your so much sleighting of
them) is your Judgment? If
you hould them (as God forbid)
but as intentionall and
aery Speculations of the
braine, where is your Fayth?
And a most miserable Election
it is, whether a man
will be damned for all eternity,
for want of practising
necessary points of Christian
Religion; or through
want of Fayth.

But before I end this passage
I will turne my penne,
but withall gentle, and soften
in part my style, in respect
of the Persons to which
I will direct these few ensuinging H6r 179
lynes. To you then (great
Catholicke Ladyes
) and other
Catholicke Gentle-women of
worth (to whom in regard
of my Sexe, I may be the
more bold to speake freely)
whose present Widdowed
states by reason of your deceased
Husbands, stand enriched
with more then ordinary
affluency (during your
lives) of lands, money, and
other temporall goods: You
I say (Noble Ladyes, and others
of Worth
) though you
be weake in Nature, yet
know your owne strength,
and what great matters during
your Widowhoods you H6 are H6v 180
are able, through Gods assistance
to performe, for the
freeing you from the flames
of Purgatory: and remember,
that howsoever the nycenes
& delicacy of divers of you
be such, as that in this world,
you can brooke nothing displeasing
to you; yet in the
next world, admitting you
dye in state of Salvation,
you must infallibly undergo
those horrible flames (so
much spoken of in these
leaves) except by your charitablenes
(and this in a most
full degree) you redeeme
those paynes.

O what good Workes might H7r 181
might you do during your
Widdowhoods? And yet I
feare, you are most forgetfull
therein. Many of you (I
know) are ready to bestow
a hundred Marks, or more,
upon one gowne; and that
gowne must not serve two
yeares, but another (as chargeable)
must instantly be
had. Agayne, some of you
will be content to lose a hundred
marks, or more, in one
night at Gleeke; and will
weare about your necks
Jewels, worth many hundreds
of pounds.

O cut off these needles &
fruitles charges, and bestow a H7v 182
a good part thereof upon
your Soules, with the preciousnes
of good and satisfying
works, though your bodies
in part be deprived of
such glorious Ornaments.
There is none of you, but
besides your greater sinnes,
you daily commit lesser sinnes;
for it is said in holy
Writ, Prou. 24. “The Just man
shall fall seaven tymes a day”
.
How many idle, and unnecessary
thoughts and words
passe from you, but in one
day? and yet you must make
satisfaction for every such
thought or word, either here
or in Purgatory, before you can H8r 183
can arrive to Heaven. For it
is sayd, Prou. 19. “They shall
render an account of every idle
Word, in the day of judgment”
.

Now then in tyme of your
Widowhoods, lay out a great
part of your riches to spirituall
usury (as I may terme
it) for the good of your Soules.
I did know a yong gentle-woman,
now dead: she
was left by her deceased Father
two thousand pounds,
and better in portion. She intended
to mary (and so before
her death she did) yet
before she would subject herselfe,
and her state to any
man, (besides divers good acts H8v 184
acts before) she gave at one
tyme (I speake of certaine
and particular knowledge)
three hundred pounds of her
portion away, to the bringing
up of poore schollers
beyond the Seas; saying
thus to herselfe; “If I shalbe
content to enthrall my selfe,
& seaventeene hundred pounds
at least, to the will of a stranger,
who I know not how he
will use me; have I not reason to
give three hundred pounds away
to my owne Soule, for his sake,
who will not suffer a cup of could
water given in his name, to be
unrewarded”
?

This is an Example worthythy H9r 185
of your taking notice of,
thereby to put you in mind,
to remember to prevent the
flames of Purgatory, during
the tyme of your Widowhoods.
For if you be not solicitous
thereof before your
second mariage, when your
states are in your owne disposall;
it is much to be feared,
that your future Husbands
will bridle you of all
such (though most necessary)
charges. This Example
may also be worthily a President
for all other yong
Catholike gentle-women of
great portions, to provide
for the good of their soules, before H9v 186
before they tye themselves
in mariage to any one.

Well (Worthy Ladyes) let
a Woman once preach to
women, and since you are
Women. Imitate that Blessed
Woman
so much celebrated
for her charity to others, in
Gods holy writ, Prou. 31. “Manum
suam aperuit inopi, &c.”

“She opened her hands to those
that wanted, and stretched out
her armes to the poore”
; and
thereupon it followeth of
her in the said word of God:
“Et ridebit in die novissimo”; “and
she shall laugh at the last day”
,
That is, at the day of her
death she shall rejoyce: and so (Noble H10r 187
(Noble Ladyes, and others) it
is in your power (if your
selves will) to enjoye the
like felicity and retaliation,
for your workes of charity,
with her. And with this I
give a full close to this my
Exhortative Discourse.

Certaine examples of good works
to be practised, for the avoyding
of Purgatory, propounded
by the Authour of this
Treatise.

Sect. IV.

The first of these Good
Workes
, so much wished by H10v 188
by me, shalbe not only in a
mans private Devotions &
Prayers; but also by soliciting
of others of our Catholike
Clergy (though even
of their owne most ready
propension and loyalty
herein, I know they are not
wanting) to pray for his
Majesty of England, our most
gratious King, and for his
worthy Queene, and their
Royall Issue.

This is the Duty, which
all Subjects (of what Religion
soever) ought to performe;
and the performance
thereof is a pleasing, & most
gratefull spirituall Sacrifice to H11r 189
to the Divine Majesty, and a
good meanes (among others)
to expiate our former
Transgressions; “Thus shall ech
of us feare the Lord, and honour
the King”
. Prou. 24. And, “give to
Cesar, what is Cesars”
. Matth.
22
. For if the Prophet Jeremy
(sterned by Gods holy spirit,
and therefore spoake the
truth) commanded the Israelits,
being brought into Captivity
to Babylon, to pray for
the good state thereof, saying
to them; “In the peace therof,
you shall have peace”
. Jerem.
29
. And if further also the
Israelites be counselled by
God in his holy Writ, to pray H11v 190
pray for the life of Nabuchodonosor,
and his sonne Baltasar.
Baruch 1. How much
more Reason then, have all
Priests, and Catholikes in
England, even to besiege the
eares of God with their daily
and incessant Prayers and
impetrations, for the spirituall
and temporall good of
their King Charles?

Since the Israelites then
prayed for their Enemy; We
pray for our Dread Soveraigne.
They for him, who
did lead them into Captivity:
We for him, who keepes
us in liberty, peace, & tranquillity.
They for a meere stran- H12r 191
stranger and Idolater; We
being Christiāans, for our Native
Christian Prince. Finally,
they for a forrayne Nation:
We for our owne Coūuntry,
in which we are bred &
brought up, and to which
we owe “Omnes omnium charitates:”
So willingly we must
remember, that it is said, 1.
Pet. 3
. “We ought to be subject to
the King, as excelling”
.

Therefore in regard of so
worthy a worke, which even
in duty ought to be performed
by all English Catholikes
and Priests; I the poore
authour of this Treatise, will
make bold, though a woman to H12v 192
to Personate all the English
Priests and good Catholikes
in my selfe, and will offer up
to the Highest (in behalfe of
us all) this our most zealous
and daily prayer: “God preserve
with his eye of Vigilancy, and
care our most Noble Prince King
Charles
, and his most illustrious
Queene, and most worthy Issue.
God grant him to prosper in all
true felicity, both temporall and
spirituall; and give him the Priviledg
that he may in his Successours
perpetuate his Issue from
generation to generation: That
so of him it may be sayd with the
Prophet, Psal. 127. ‘Filij tui sicut
novellæ olivarum, in circuitu mensæ I1r 193
mensæ tuæ’
. And grant, that
in the close of their lives, they
may all leave the Stage or Theater
of this world with spirituall
Trophees and Triumphs, for the
gayning of that Celestiall Kingdome;
in compare of which, all
the kingdomes upon the Earth
deserve not to be Types or adumbrations.”
And, “to this my unfeigned
Prayer, I wish all good
English Priests, and Catholikes
to say, Amen”
.

Now I will I descend to other
pious deeds, and such as
consist in charges of silver.
And heere I will insist (by
way of Example) in certaine
courses taken by divers of I the I1v 194
the more earnest Protestāants,
whose intentions therein
(supposing their Religion
were true) are most commendable.
I here may be the
more bould to rest in such
examples (I hope) without
offence to any Protestant
Reader (which willingly I
labour to avoyde,) because
they are warranted by the
Protestants owne practise,
though in a different Religion.
Therefore their actiōons
for the advancement of their
Religion, may be a spur and
incitement to us, to practise
the like actions for the Honour
of our Catholike Religion,gion, I2r 195
which is most Ancient
and infallible.

For no small dishonour it
would be to us Catholikes,
that those words of sacred
writ should be averred herein
of them and us: “Filij huius
sæculi prudentiores filijs lucis
in sua generatione sunt”
. Luc. 16.
“The children of this world are
more wise in their generation,
then the Children of light”
. For
shall such men, whose Fayth
even depresseth the merit of
Good Workes, exceed the Catholikes
in the practise of
their supposed Good Workes?
O no. Let therfore our owne
practize of Good Workes becomeI2 come I2v 196
a Scholia, to paraphraze
our doctrine, & beliefe touching
Good Workes. And how
preposterous would it be,
that our Adversaries putting
no confidence in Good Works,
should neverthelesse in their
owne judgments be ready to
performe them? We, who
put confidence in them, as
receaving their worth from
the Merits of Christ his Passion,
and his promisse of reward
to them (& not otherwise)
yet should be slow in
the operation of them? Therfore
may we not blush, that
our owne cold remissnes in
good actions, should become a I3r 197
a foyle to their greater seeming
Actions of that Nature?

Well then, to descend to
particulars: We observe,
that the more forward Protestants,
fynding Youths
(though meere strangers unto
them) of pregnancy and
hope to be Schollars, will
strayne themselnues & open
their purses, to maintayne
them in our english Universities;
that finally they may
become Ministers, thereby
more & more to disseminate
in the Realme their owne
Protestant Religion. Now
seeing the Catholike ReligionI3 gion I3v 198
is only true, for Una fides,
unum Baptisma”
, Ephes. 4.
how meritorious and pleasing
is it in the sight of God,
for you to practize the like
Charity to yōong poore schollars
of hopefull expectation,
for their bringing up in such
places of literature, as that
when they have ended their
studies, they may be serviceable
in the Catholike
Church
for the general good
of others?

I instance (for example)
in a pregnant yong boy of
seaventeene, or eighteene
yeares of age; This boy
through want of meanes, for his I4r 199
his better preferment is to
become a Servingman, a
Clarke, a Prentise, or at the
best (indeed the worst) a
Minister; In all which states,
considering the present
streme of Protestancy in En
gland
, his soule is in all likelyhood
to perish eternally,
for his not dying in a true
Fayth, and Religion. Now
here observe the wonderfull
difference, rising from the
performing, or omitting of
such a charitable deed. Yf
such a boy stay in England,
then is his soule (as above is
said) in great perill of eternally
perishing, through his I4 Pro- I4v 200
professing of an erroneous
Fayth: Yf he be Catholikly
brought up, and sent over
the sea’s, he is to be instructed
in the only saving Catholike
Faith, to the most hopefull
Salvation of his soule.

Yf he be here sent to our
English Universities, and finally
become a Minister; he
then, not only looseth his
owne soule, but is to be feared,
will be the cause of the
everlasting perdition of many
other mens Soules, by his
envenoming, and infecting
their Judgments with his
owne Religion: Yf he be
brought up in Catholike pla- I5r 201
places, beyond the Seas,
and proceed forward in his
course, he then (living according
to the strict course
of his undertaken Profession,)
not only saveth his
owne Soule, but is a subordinate
Instrument under
God, for the saving of many
other mens soules; partly by
practising his function among
such as be already Catholikes;
and partly by his
persuasion (if so he prove
learned,) of others yet remaining
Protestants, to imbrace
the Roman Catholike
Fayth.

And thus if you observe, I5 ei- I5v 202
either the preventing of the
great Hurt, and Evill, 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 undergoing
the other State: You may
thinke your silver employed
to such an Act, to be most
happily layed out; Assuring
your selves, that the worke
of the Evill here prevented,
and the Good here performed
(& all originally under God,
by your meanes) shall find a
great retaliation at Gods
most mercifull hands, both
for the increase of your merits,rits, I6r 203
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 have
tyme, lay wayte by all convenient
meanes to enquyre
after such occasions; Especially
when such a particular
worthy Act may oftentymes
be performed with
lesser charges; then divers of
you wil bestow upon a good
suite of apparel. O thēen, apparaileI6 raile I6v 204
and invest 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 abūundant meanes for the
practizing of the workes of
Piety, I had rather make
choyce to distribute to this
use of providing and maintaining
of hopeful youths in
learning, to the end above
expressed, then to any other
particular End whatsoever.
For if neither any places of
Residence beyond the Seas
had beene provided, and furnished
with sufficient maintenance
for the bringing up of I7r 205
of English Schollers; nor that
there had beene any Catholikes,
who would have opened
their purses to this noble
End, Catholike Religion
had beene utterly extinct
many yeares since, in England.

This Zeale of many good
Catholikes both dead (and
no doubt, alive) 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 over
to be (after their studies ended)
created Priestes, how could I7v 206
could the profession of Catholike
Religion continue
in these so great stormes among
us? Therefore what a
great and inexplicable comfort
will it be to you in your
last Sicknes, even 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 overthrowing
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 mo- I8r 207
money, did under God, therby
rescue the sayd youth,
even out of the Devills
jawes, and have beene a second
meanes of saving both
the youths owne soule, & of
the soules of divers others?

This being so, let me then
intreat you (Most worthy
Catholikes
) even for our Saviours
sake (who gave not
silver (as is heere only expected)
but his most precious
bloud, for the ransonming of
all soules out of the Devills
possession) that you would
cast a most serious, and intense
consideration of this
one point. And thus far touchingching I8v 208
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 have a feeling
and sensible touch of
divers well-disposed yonge
gentlewomen; who through
the decay of their Parents
state, not having sufficient
portions left them to enter
into Religion (being of
themselves otherwise most
desirous to shake handes for
ever with the world, by taking
that course) are forced
to forbeare that their most Re_ I9r 209
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
dāangerous course? Which
if you do performe, what
have you done? This you
have done. You have caused
a yong Gentle-woman
(otherwise exposed, & lying
open to the dangers of the world) I9v 210
world) to Cloyster herselfe
within a wall, there to spēend
all her lyfe tyme, in Chastity,
Obedience, Voluntary
poverty, and other devotiōons;
rysing at midnight (to forbeare
all other her austerities)
when your selves are
taking your sweet repose &
rest, to sing laudes to God, &
to pray for her benefactours,
& particularly for you, who
have 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 deserving the true I10r 211
true name of Christian charity,
and such as shalbe 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
divers earnest Protestants,
who seeing some neighboring
places wanting preaching
Ministers, are ready to
plant such men there; affording
them large allowāance, &
this to the end, the more to
dilate their owne Protestanticallticall I10v 212
Fayth, over much allready
spread and disseminated.
And hence it is, that so
many Stipendary Ministers
are setled in severall 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 divers of you, seeing
a peece of land close by
you, though rough and untilled;
yet of its owne Nature
(through smal charges) most fruit- I11r 213
fruitfull: I doubt not (I say)
but that divers 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 divers wast places adjoyning
to every one of you,
wherein live many civill &
morall men, yet their understanding
(in regard of any
Religion) are but as Tabulæ
Rasæ
, or unmanured land.

Now heere, what a most
worthy and Christian attempt,
and endeavour were
it in you, to seeke to plant
spirituall labourers in such
places, by whose paynes the seed I11v 214
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, receaveth 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 Heavenly
Corne?

O what a spirituall increasecrease I12r 215
might such of you
make, who have full and open
purses, by cultivating of
divers of these barrēen places?
And how forcible would
such pious endevours be, for
the expiating of the relicks
of your sinnes? Therefore let
not the Puritan Gentilmen,
and others, exceed and overgoe
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 ignorantnorant I12v 216
Hearers; But labour
by secret meanes without
contestation to the present
state (to which you ought
ever to beare all duty and reverence)
to supererogate
with them, in pious workes
of this Nature.

An other point, wherein
we may well follow the
steps of our Adversaries, is
this. The Protestant Gentlemen
(though of very great
worth and Ranke) do often
send their yonger Sonnes to
our English Universities,
providing that they may become
fellowes of Houses;
whose Terminus ad quem (as I may K1r 217
may say) is finally to become
Ministers, and thereby to be
promoted to great and rich
Ecclesiasticall livings; in
which store and abundance,
England exceedeth all Nations
in Christendome. Now
to be emulous of our Adversaries
proceeding herein: if
Catholike Parents would
seriously ponder this point,
no doubt they would be
more carefull and willing to
send over their yonger sonnes
to Catholike Colledges
beyond the Seas, then they
are; not to become schollars,
only thereby to be advanced
to spirituall livings (an over K vn- K1v 218
unworthy Allective) but to
become Priests, (that throgh
sheeding of their bloud) even
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
have not their education abroad,
but only bred up in
England; into what (for the
most part) do they finally resolve?
They (for example)
being left by their Parents
Twenty, or Thirty, or perhaps
forty pounds Annuity
(and sometimes lesse then, any K2r 219
any of these) what course
do most of these after their
parents decease, usually undergoe?
To be in service to
any māan or Knight or Nobleman
of worth, or to be in
any good employment abroad
for their temporall advancement,
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)K2 ture K2v 220
for their diet; and they
ravell out their yeares, walking
up 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 divers
Shyres) hiding themselves
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 K3r 221
whence they descend, should
be extinct for wāant 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 upon the other end of
the ballance: Yf such yonger
sonnes of Catholike Parēents
(being of good wits) were
sent over in their Parents life
time, and that when their
minds and wills were of a
supple and waxen Disposition,
as not being acquaintedK3 ted K3v 222
afore (through want of
yeares) with any sinne or Evill,
and ready to receave the
impression of Vertue & learning;
how serviceable to the
Church of God in tyme,
might such men become? For
by this meanes of education,
many of them do undergoe
(as we fynd by experience)
a most holy Function of life;
spending their whole age after,
in laboring to administer
the Sacramēents of the Church
to Catholikes, in reducing
divers Protestants to the only
true and Catholike Fayth,
and in daily praying & offering
up the most Venerable Sa- K4r 223
Sacrifice of Christes body,
for the soules of their dead
Parents, and others their living
or deceased Friends. O
quantum distat ortus ab occasu?

for so great is the Disparity
betweene these two differēent
courses of Yonger Brothers
here set downe; not only in
the eye of God, but even in
the eye of the world.

And heere by digression
I will touch a little upon the
Daughters of Catholicke
Gentle-men. Heere in England
divers of them (as well
as the Daughters of Protestants)
take (throgh a blind
affection, often cast upōon some K4 base K4v 224
base man or other) a most
unworthy Course, to the
unutterable griefe of their
Parents, and overthrow of
their temporall state. And if
they be placed in mariage
with their Parents consent
answerably to their Degree;
yet if either the Husbands
prove unkind, or in course
of life vitious; or their Children
untoward 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 Vir- K5r 225
Virginall, tender, and innocent
age, be brought up 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
thēemselves from all illaqueations
and worldly entanglements,
shall bestow the greatest
part both of Day and
Night in performing, & singing
Hymnes of Prayses to
his Divine Majesty, for the K5 good K5v 226
good of themselves & their
Friends: To every 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 præparavit
in æternum”
. (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 Adversaries; which exāamples
were most worthy of all K6r 227
all commendation, being incorporated
in an Orthodoxall
Religion. But yet
heere, in our Imitation of
them, I ever 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
with all dutifull Respect to
the state of our Realme. Since
I hould it most repugnant to
true Judgment & Religion,
to undertake to put in practise
orderly things, by unorderly
meanes; and therefore
in all such our spirituall
endeavours let us remember, K6 to K6v 228
to shew all duty and reverence
to the State, and that it
is recorded in sacred Writ,
( Rom. 13.) “We are to be subject
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 themselves,
will not be justly offensive
to the grave Protestant
Magistrate.

There is yet another thing
most worthy of your charitable
commiseration. You see, K7r 229
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 overcharged
with these yearely payments,
as that their meane
Estates are not able to support
any long time such payments;
of which his Majesty
(who is most prone to commiseration
and pitty) litle
heareth in particular; this
being effected only by certaine
Subordinate Magistrates,
adverse to our Catholike
Religion. And thereupon for K7v 230
for their avoiding of the said
payments, imposed upon
them, divers of these poore
men and women have 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 have
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 K8r 231
your worthy performāance 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
prevent, that divers 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
Salvation.

And can you then otherwise
thinke, but that God (who K8v 232
(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 preventing of your eternall
perdition, as also for
mitigating your temporall
punishments in Purgatory?
For heer our Saviours words
would be justified in you,
Matth. 25. “Verily I say unto
you, in so much as you have donne
it unto one of the least of
these my brethren, you have
done it unto me”
.

In this next place, I will
descend to acts peculiar only
to us Catholikes; & such as K9r 233
as do insist, and rest in offering
up the prayers both of
our selves, but especially of
the generall Liturgy of the
most blessed sacrifice of the
Eucharist, offered up either
for the benefit of our selves,
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 K9v 234
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
Saviour himselfe, as that he
pronounceth, Matth. 5. “Beati
misericordes, quoniam ipsi miserecordiam
consequentur”
; “Blessed
are the mercifull, for they shall
obtayne mercy”
: So avaylable &
behooffull is pitty and mercy
to the performers thereof.
But to proceed to another
benefit of such a pious deed.

Yf K10r 235

Yf a prudent man, had a
Cause of most great importance,
to be tryed before a severe,
yet most just Judge;
And if at the same tyme,
there were certaine persons
in prison, whom that Judge
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 K10v 236
thus set at liberty by this
mans meanes (being men of
most good and gratefull Natures
& Dispositions) would
be ready to speake to the
Judge, 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 Heaven, &
shall be most pleasing and
gratefull to his Divine Majesty;iesty; K11r 237
who cannot, nor will
not deny them the grant of
any thing, which they shall
demaund, and petition for at
his hands.

Every Catholike (as all
other men) are to plead their
cause before God, the most
just Judge: 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 divers of the said K11v 238
said tormented soules.

Now this being once performed,
those then Happy
Soules, shall no sooner leave
their Goale and Prison, and
ascend to Heaven; but as
even abounding with a Seraphicall
Charity, shall in
recompēence of so great a spirituall
ease and Relaxation
procured to them, ever batter
at the eares of our Almighty
and mercifull Lord,
with their daily and incessant
prayers; that his Divine
Mercy would be most indulgent
and pittifull to such
men, for the preventing (or
at least mitigating) of their tem- K12r 239
temporall paynes, by whose
meanes those soules had a
more speedy delivery 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 Advocates 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? K12v 240
need? And fooles (I will not
say Madmen) are all such,
upon whom God hath bestowed
abundance of temporall
riches; and yet themselves
remayne unwilling &
slow in this spirituall traffique
of a good and competent
part of their said temporall
state and meanes.

But because this point of
relieving by Good Workes the
soules in Purgatory, is of most
great importance, both to
the poore soules relieved, &
the living party performing
such a most charitable work
to them: Therefore besydes
what is already delivered by L1r 241
by me above, I will adjoyne
(as most moving any man
of Piety and Judgment) the
discourse of the aforementioned
learned and worthy
Cardinall Bellarmine of this
point; who maketh the
ninth Chapter of the third
booke de Gemitu Columbæ, the
subject hereof: Thus then
that blessed man writeth: “We
have shewed above, 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 L ga- L1v 242
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 us 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 L2r 243
of our Lords body. And indeed it
is most admirable to observe,
how gainfull a negotiation (and
this most just) may accrew unto
us thereby. And this spirituall
negotiation may well be resembled
to the proceeding of a man,
who should deliver one and the
same silver (upon usury) to severall
Merchants; and yet
should receave a full and entyre
Interest for one and the said
Silver, from every one of the
Merchants.”

“Let us explayne our selves
in few words. A man prayeth
for the Dead, attentively, piously,
with fayth, and great confidence
of impetratioun and obtainingL2 ning L2v 244
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 deserving eternall
life, if it proceed from Charity.
Of which gayne our Lord
speaketh in the Ghospell in these
words, Matth. 6. ‘Tu autem
cum oraveris &c.’
‘Thou, when
thou shalt pray, enter into thy
chamber, and having 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 L3r 245
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 Just men pray to God, L3 through L3v 246
through Christ, is easely obtayned:
Our Lord himselfe saying
Luc. 11. ‘Petite, & accipietis
&c.’
‘Aske, and you shall receave’:
and againe, Marc. 11. ‘Quicquid
orantes, petitis &c.’
‘All
things whatsoever you aske, praying,
believe that you shall receave,
and they shall come unto
you’
. And more, Joahn. 16. ‘Si quid
petieritis &c.’
‘If you aske the
Father any thing in my name,
he shall give it you’”
.

“Behould heere a threefould
gayne, proceeding from prayer,
made in behalfe of the soules departed.
But there may be adjoyned
a fourth benefit: That is,
the soules, for which we pray, will L4r 247
will not be ungratefull, when
they shall arrive into their heavenly
Country; but shall answere
& recompence our prayers,
with their like prayers in our
behalfe”
.

“To proceed; Fasting being
performed by us, and applyed for
the deceased, obtayneth a manifould
gaine. For first, (as a meritorious
worke) it is profitable
to him, who fasteth, even 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 L4 ther L4v 248
ther, 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 just cause, did David
fast, with all his retinue and
trayne even till night, when he
was advertized of the overthrow
of King Saul, and Jonathas,
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 Heaven, will not
be forgetfull of their Benefactours;
but will power out prayers for L5r 249
for them; and such their prayers,
as proceeding from true Charity,
shall be heard”
.

“Now, in the 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
given, and maketh them to become
our friends, that so when
we fayle, they may receave us into
eternall Tabernacles. Luc. 16.
Againe, Almes-deeds being applyed for the use of the soules
departed, do bring a refreshing
and refocillation to the said
soules; and consequently make
them also to become our friends, L5 who L5v 250
who having a title to the Kingdome
of Heaven, will no doubt
helpe us with their holy Prayers
and Intercessions”
.

“Thirdly, Almes-deeds do (as
I may say) bynd God to be a debtour
unto us; for thus the Holy
Ghost speaketh by the mouth of
Salomon: ‘Qui miseretur pauperis,
fœneratur Domino’
: ‘Who taketh
pitty of the poore, doth put
out his silver to interest, even to
our Lord’
. Prov. 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 L6r 251
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 evident,
that that oblation profiteth
the party, who offereth it up, as
a guift most gratefull to God:
It profiteth the faithfull living,
as also the faithfull soules departed.
And that this is most undoubtedly
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 L6 bloud L6v 252
bloud of Christ may be offered
up 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
written by Venerable Bede
lib. 5. cap. 13”
.

“In like sort the Epistles 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 prin- L7r 253
principall Remedy for their paines
in Purgatory. Now from all
the Premisses, it is evident, that
we may receave 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 sastisfy 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 delivery out of Purgatory”
.
Thus far learned Bellarmine
discourseth of this point.
Whose words I would desire
every good Catholicke Rea- L7v 254
Reader seriously to observe.

But to enlarge my selfe a
little further, I could wish all
of you of good states, when
just occasiōon is presented, that
you would be most bountifull
in relieving imprisoned
Priests, and poore imprisoned
Catholiks. O how worthy
an Act is this, and how
do you suffer in their sufferings?
And you may then
infallibly interest your selves
in the words of the Apostle,
Hebr. 6. “God is not unjust,
that he can forget your
good workes, and charity, which
you have shewed in his name,
and have, and do minister unto his L8r 255
his Saints”
.

I well remember, that
some twenty yeares since, a
certaine Prison having in it
some six or seaven Priests, &
far more poore lay Catholikes,
lying there in great
want; there was a Catholike
gentle woman of good
account, who taking great
cōommiseration of their wants,
relieved all the Catholike
imprisoned company, with
weekly provision of meate
for severall months; and so
she intended still to continue
this her Charity, but
that she was shortly after
prevented by death. This was an L8v 256
an Heroicall and most Christian
charity in her, able no
doubt (throgh Christs mercifull
acceptance thereof)
even to abate the flames of
Purgatory.

In like sort, I could wish
all of you, who are carefull
to prevent the raging flames
of Purgatory, that what
workes of labour, or satisfaction,
or Almes deeds you
intēend 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 differēence
is most great betweene a L9r 257
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, giveth away
his goods to pious uses,
because he cannot enjoy
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 L9v 258
since we read) 2. Cor. 9. “Hilarem
datorem diligit Deus”
; “God
loveth a chearfull giver”
. In the
former, the will of a dying
man is not (for the most
part) in all things perfor
med, either through the Covetousnes
of the wife, Children,
or negligence of the
Executors: In this other, a
man is assured his will shall
be performed; since he is re
solved to make his owne
Hands, his Executors, and his
owne Eyes, his Overseers.

Lastly, Almes-deeds dōonne
after the first sort, do take effect
only at the death of the
Party & not before; whereasas L10r 259
they being distributed af
ter this second sort, they begin
to worke and obtaine by
degrees Indulgēence, lessening
of the future paynes, even
from that houre, in which
they were first bestowed: So
great a disparity there is betweene
having a Candell going
before a man, lighting
him the way to the Kingdome
of Heaven, & having 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 every penny
of them, if other course in L10v 260
in the meane tyme could
not be taken; But that if by
prevention of time (I meane
by paying afore the day of
payment cōommeth) 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 silver up at Interest)
for the present discharge
of the said twentith
part, so to redeeme your selves
from the payment of all
the rest. I do assure you even
from the testimonies of all an L11r 261
ancient & learned Fathers,
that it is in your power to
redeeme not only the twentith
part of your future torments
in Purgatory, but
even 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
Galatæ, 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 devoted to the
world) but that, if you had a L11v 262
a fayre demayne of five hun
dred pounds yearely worth,
though not in possession; yet
that it were infallibly to descend
to you and your Posterity
for ever, after twenty
yeares were expired: And
that notwithstāanding it were
in your Power & Freedome,
to buy out and redeeme the
said twenty yeares, thereby
to have present possession of
it; I say, there are not many
of you, but that you would
strive, though it were by
impoverishing your selves
for the tyme, and by living
under your owne worth,
thereby to procure meanes for L12r 263
for the redeeming of the said
terme of twenty yeares.

Heaven is your Inheritance,
after the guilt of eternall
damnation is once remitted;
Yet thither it is impossible
for you to arrive,
until for certaine yeares you
have 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 severall
hundreds of yeares) you may
redeeme perhaps for lesse
charges to your Purse, dis
bursed in your life time and health L12v 264
health to pious & religious
uses (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 undertake the same?
How can you heere Apologize
or excuse your selves?
Is Heaven not so good, as an
earthly demaine? O men of
little Fayth! What a muddy
disposition of the Soule is
this, which lyes so groveling
upon the earth, and wholy
absorpt in terrene thoughts
and cogitations?

Well M1r 265

Well, ceasing to enlarge
my selfe further upon the
Premisses, I earnestly desire
every one of you, to procure
now in tyme of Health, the
most Reverend & Dreadfull
Sacrifice of the most blessed
body and bloud of our Saviour
to be offered daily up,
to two ends; to wit, for the
spirituall good of your selves
and your Children; and
secondly, for the preventing
of your future paines of Purgatory.
And that you shall
perceave of what ineffable
vertue and efficacy for mans
soule, the offering up of that
most dreadfull Sacrifice is, I M haue M1v 266
have thought good to set
downe the Judgmentes of
some few ancient Fathers,
pretermitting the greatest
part of them, for greater brevity.

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 up, or accepted more M2r 267
more thankefully, then that the
flesh of our Sacrifice, should become
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
, 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 joyned with the bodiesM2 dies M2v 268
of the faythfull, that by the
conjunction of the immortall
body, man may be made partaker
of immortality”
. S. Cyprian thus
teacheth of the offering up
of the body, and bloud of
Christ in the holy Eucharist
( Serm. de cœna 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 Heaven
to us”
.

And M3r 269

And now having shewed
out of the testimonies of the
ancient Fathers, the impreciable
efficacy and vertue of
the most Reverend Sacrifice
of Christs body and bloud,
for the spirituall good of
mans Soule; we may from
thence conclude, that the
daily offering up of the said
most dreadfull Sacrifice (cōonsidering
the worth of him
there sacrificed) is most avaylable
& behoofull, both
for the soules of men yet living,
thereby to arme and
strengthen them with grace,
against all the temptations
of the World and the divell; M3 as M3v 270
as also for the expiating of
mans Sinnes in Purgatory.
Sweet Jesus! 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 divine
grace) the Sonne pleadeth
to the Father, God to
God; And the same man, is
both the Priest, and the Sacrifice.

Yea this most Reverend
Mystery of the Sacrifice of
the Masse, is the very center
of Religion, and hart of devotion;
by meanes whereof his M4r 271
his divine Majesty most
bountifully imparteth, and
powreth out his favours and
graces to our soules: So certaine
and infallible it is, that
our Prayers made in Union
of this divine Sacrifice (whether
for our spirituall good
during our Peregrination in
this world, or for the taking
away of the paines of Purgatory,)
have an inexplicable
power and efficacy: And
therfore those men are great
Enemies to themselves, and
their Children, who neglect
this so soveraigne a meanes,
both for their owne & their
Childrens advancement in M4 san- M4v 272
sanctity and Vertue .

Yet before I end this discourse,
I must adjoyne this
ensuing Animadversion; that
whereas most of the former
examples of Good Workes above
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 (above alledged)
peculiarly belongeth,
“Non dare, sed copiosè dare Eleemosyna
est”
: Neverthelesse we
are to conceave, that the
Charity of such, as be but
poore in temporall faculties though M5r 273
though, never so small, are
most pleasing to his divine
Majesty, for the mitigating
of the torments of Purgatory.
And in this sense we must
understand, that even the
poore Widdow in the Ghospell,
who had but two mites,
gave as much as Zachæus,
who contributed the halfe
of his great substance to the
poore; because, though the
widdow had lesser goods to
give, yet she had the like will
of giving; And though, that
which was severally given
by them both, were unequall
& divers; yet the fountaine
from whence they gave (to wit M5v 274
wit from a prompt and charitable
disposition of relieving
the poore) was the
same. And thus did it fall
out, that whereas the whole
Widowes state was but small,
yet the part thereof given,
was great; Since he giveth no
litle, who freely and cheerefully
giveth a part of a little
. And
therefore the foresaid S.
Chrysostome
accordingly thus
teacheth ( Hom. 34. ad pop.
Antioch.
) “Eleemosinæ magnitudo,
non in pecuniarum multitudine
iudicatur, sed in dantiūum
promptitudine”
. With whom
accordeth S. Leo ( ser. 4. de
Quadrag.
) saying, “Ex affectibusbus M6r 275
piorum, benignitatis mensura
taxatur”
.

Well, I will close up 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 preventing or lessening
of the torments of Purgatory)
put in daily practise that coun- M6v 276
counsell of our Saviour:
Luc. 16. “Facite vobis amicos de
Mammona iniquitatis, ut cum
defeceritis, recipiant vos in æterna
tabernacula”
. “Make you
friends of the Mammon of Iniquity,
that when you fayle, they
may receave you into eternall
Tabernacles”
.

Finis.

God save the King.

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