the heauens; and so the soule remaines no time without a house: but as soone as it goes out of the earthly, it presently enters into the heauenly: and therefore Bellarmine sayes, Apostoli argumentatio optima est, nimirum ista, Si vita haec mortalis perit, habemus statim aliam longe meliorem in coelo, speak∣ing so of all the godly indifferently.
To the same purpose is that which he adduceth out of the 8. verse, where the Apostle setteth downe, that this is the estate of the godly soule de∣parting, without acknowledging any mid place or condition, that when it is absent from the body by corporall death, it is straightway present with the Lord in life euerlasting.
[ 7] Bellarmine likewise in his first Booke of the Be∣atitude of the Saints, to shew the conformitie that is betweene Christ and his members in their e∣state immediately after death, brings in, That as he was not after death immediately blessed in his bodie (which rested three dayes in the graue till his resurrection,) but that in his soule notwithstan∣ding he was immediately blessed, and in Paradise, (according to his owne speech to the Thiefe on the crosse, This day thou shalt bee with mee in Para∣dise.) Therefore likewise, the Saints (to be con∣formed with Christ, saith he) while they rest in their graues according to their bodies, yet accor∣ding to their soules they are happy and blessed in Paradise. Which conformitie then wee see will clearely euince, that there is no going to Purga∣torie; but that as Christs soule immediately after death went vnto Paradise, and was blessed there; so doth the soules of the godly that are Christs members goe thither immediately after death, and