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* 1.1THeir opinion is, that the praiers of the liuing are neither auailable for the Saints in heauen, for they neede them not, not for the damned in hell, for
they cannot be helped, but onely for the soules tormented in Purgatorie, who doe finde great ease, say they, by the praiers of the liuing, and therfore we ought to pray for them, Bellar. lib. 2. de purgator. cap. 15.18. Rhemist. annot. 2. Thessal. 2. sect. 19.
Argum. 1. Christ while he liued, profited the dead, for he raised to life the ru∣lers daughter, Math. 9. the widdowes sonne, Luk. 7. and Lazarus, which were dead: therefore euen so the members of Christ ought one to helpe another, the liuing the dead, Bellarm. cap. 15.
Ans. First, is not here a strong argument, thinke you, Christ raised Lazarus and some others from death to life, Ergo, we ought to pray for the dead? for it followeth not, that vpon the miraculous workes of Christ, we should build the ordinarie dueties of Christians: Augustine would haue told you that Christ is not to be imitated in such workes: Non hoc tibi dicit, non eris discipulus meus, nisi ambulaueris supra mare, aut nisi suscitaueris quatriduanum mortuum: He saith not vnto thee, Thou shalt not be my disciple, vnlesse thou walke vpon the sea, & raise one that hath been dead foure daies: But, Learne of me: for I am humble and meeke. Secondly, if prayer for the dead be vnto vs, as the raising of the dead was to Christ: then, as all the dead are to be praied for, so Christ should haue rai∣sed againe all that went then to Purgatorie, or els, by your conclusion, he failed in charitie, as we doe now, if we pray not for the dead, as you beare vs in hand. Thirdly, though the Saints departed, and the faithfull liuing are members of the same bodie, and so are bound in loue one to the other, yet it followeth not, that one should pray for the other. They with vs, and we with them doe wish and long to see the redemption of the sonnes of God accomplished, Reuel. 6.10.22.20. But charitie bindeth vs not one to pray for another, because we knowe not one the particular needes of another. Nay, to pray for any departed, is against the rule of charitie: for loue beleeueth all things, and hopeth all things, 1. Co∣rinthians 13.7. Wee ought to hope the best of the dead, that they are at rest: but in praying for them, wee presuppose they are in miserie, and so neede our prayers: therefore wee hope not the best of them, as charitie willeth vs.
Argum. 2. Iohn 5. vers. 16. The Apostle sayth, There is a sinne vnto death, for the which a man ought not to pray: that is, deadly sinne, wherein a man dyeth without repentance: but for other sinnes not vnto death, where∣of men repent themselues, it is lawfull to pray: Ergo, we may pray for those that are departed not in deadly sinne: for this place is properly to be vn∣derstood of praying or not praying for the dead: because so long as a man liueth he may be prayed for, because all sinnes are pardonable in this life, Rhe∣mist. ibid.
Ans. First, a sinne vnto death is not onely finall impenitencie, but sinne also against the holy Ghost, such as was the sinne of Iudas, and of the Pharisees. Se∣condly, though we should vnderstand it of finall impenitencie, yet it is but a so••y argument, some of the dead ought not to be praied for: Ergo, the rest may,
Thirdly, the text cannot be vnderstood of praying for the dead: for the text sayth not, If any man see that his brother hath sinned not vnto death, but, If he see him sinning: but the dead doe neither sinne, nor are seene to sinne. Fourthly, whereas you say, that all sinnes are pardonable in this life, our Sauiour Christ saith contrary, that the sinne against the holy Ghost can neuer be forgiuen, nei∣ther in this world, nor in the world to come. Plura. apud. Fulk. ibid.
TO pray for the dead, is a worke neither pleasing before God, because he hath no where commanded it, nor auailable for them that are departed, because they haue their iudgement alreadie. While we liue, let vs one pray for another, but when we are gone, the praiers of the liuing helpe vs not.
Argum. 1. The ground of this popish opinion of prayer for the dead, is their superstitious deuise of Purgatorie: for none els doe they hold it lawfull to pray for but for the soules onely in Purgatorie. But there is no Purgatorie, as we haue shewed before, after this life: our purging is onely in this life: Christ hath by him selfe purged our sinnes. Hebr. 1.3. Christ his bloud is the chiefe and onely pur∣gation of our sinnes: there are also other inferiour and ministeriall purgings, whereby that onely soueraigne purging is made beneficiall, and applied vnto vs: as the inward operation and worke of the spirit is compared to fire, Math. 3.11. 1. Corinth. 3.13. There is also a purging fire of affliction compared by the Prophet to fullers sope, Malach. 3.3. There also shall be a third purging fire in the day of the Lord, 1. Pet. 3.7. when as the corruption and mortalitie of our bodies shall be purged away, and then shall our mortalitie put on immortalitie, 1. Corinth. 15.53. Other Purgatorie after this life we acknowledge none. Seeing then that there are no soules in Purgatorie, and for none els it is lawfull to pray but for the soules tormented in Purgatorie: it followeth, that we are to pray for none at all that are dead.
Argum. 2. No prayer is acceptable to God without faith. We must pray without wauering and doubting, Iames. 1.6. But so can we not pray for the dead: for we cannot tell in what case they are for whom we pray, whether they be in heauen, hell, or purgatorie, and therefore we cannot assure our selues that our prayers are heard, but must needes pray with great doubting and wauering of the mind: Ergo, such praiers are in vaine, Iames 1.7.
Argum. 3. Our praiers profite not the dead, because there is no place after this life for repentance or remission of sinnes: for this should be the end and in∣tendment of our praier, that they might be released of their sinnes, and eased of their paine. There is no remission of sinnes after death, because there is no true repentance: repentance there is none, because there can be no amendment of life, which alwaies followeth repentance: for Iohn Baptist that was a preacher of repentance, bid not onely the people to repent, but to bring forth fruites worthie repentance, Math. 3.2.8. So saith the Prophet Ezechiel, If the wicked
will returne from his sinnes, and doe the thing that is lawfull, he shall liue and not dye, 18.21. There are two parts then of repentance, as Isay sayth, Cease to doe euill, learne to doe well, 1. Isay. 16.17. But there is no place of working out of the bodie: Ergo, then no repentance.
To this Augustine agreeth: Non est apud inferos poenitentia ad salutem pro∣ficiens, ecce nunc tempus est salutis, nunc tempus remissionis. In hac vita poenitentiae tantum patet libertas, post mortem nulla correctionis est licentia: De tempor. serm. 66. In hell, or among the dead, there is no repentance vnto saluation: behold now is the time of saluation, the time of forgiuenes: In this life onely haue men libertie to repent, after death there is no place for amendment. What is become now (I pray you) of your Purgatorie repentance? after this life there is no salua∣tion to be had, because there is no remission of sinnes: no remission of sinnes, because there is no repentance: there is no repentance, because there is no a∣mendement.
Rhemist. Our Sauiour saith, Math. 12.32. that blasphemie against the spirit shal neither be forgiuen in this world, nor the world to come: Ergo, some sinnes may be forgiuen in the world to come.
Ans. Mark expoundeth Mathew: He saith, It shall neuer be forgiuen, Mark. 3.29. So that not to be forgiuen either in this world or the world to come, is no∣thing els, but neuer to be forgiuen: for if it be not forgiuen in this life, it shall ne∣uer be forgiuen.
Bellarm. Yea, but Mathew must expound Marke, because he setteth it downe more fully, and Marke doth but abridge the Gospell written by S. Matthew, De Purgat. lib. 1. cap. 4.
Ans. But why should not Mark rather expound Mathew, seeing he writ after him? and we vse to expound the former writers by the later, not contrariwise.
Haeres. 15.