A reply to Fulke, In defense of M. D. Allens scroll of articles, and booke of purgatorie. By Richard Bristo Doctor of Diuinitie ... perused and allowed by me Th. Stapleton.

Secondly: directly of Purgatorie it selfe and praier for the dead. whether all the elect goe straight to Heauen: Afore Christes comming. Limbus patrum.

Directly against Purgatory, & prayer for the dead, you shoote diuers arrowes, or rather cockshotles, so deadly are the woundes that your shot doth make. First you will proue by many and eui∣dent Scriptures, that all the Elect do go, yea and alwayes from the beginning of the world haue gone straight to heauen, & there∣fore

neuer no Purgatory, neuer no Limbus Patrum. Whiche if you can do, your skill in the Scripture no doubt farre passeth all the auncient Doctors, were they neuer so wel studied therin. For they all could not finde so muche as one text, that all or any one also went to heauen before Christ: yea and not many textes,* 1.1 that any one after him also, goeth thither before the generall Resur∣rection, but rather very many textes, that vntill y^e Church with∣in these 300. yeres defined the contrarie, made it very probable, that none are there till then.

Well thus you begin, That the Fathers of the Old law before Christ, were not in hell, it is to be proued with manifest argumen∣tes, and authorities out of holy Scriptures. But first you thinke necessary to answere one text that stoode in your way, saying: Although they were not, nor yet are in perfect blessednesse, God prouiding a better thing for vs, that they without vs should not be made perfect. Heb. 11. By that they of the old Testament wer not

made perfect or consummate

, without vs of the new Testa∣ment, S. Paule there doth meane euidently that their Soules were not yet admitted into heauen:

As in that whole Epistle he sheweth, that the Old Testament did consummate nothing, but contrariwise,* 1.2 that it made continually euery yere a commemo∣ration of their sinnes, because they remayned still and were not perfectly remitted, and therefore that Christe dyed In Re∣demptionem earum praeuaricationum quae erant sub priore Te∣stamento, To buye out the preuarications that were all that while, that so at length the heires might attayne the euerlasting inheritance which was promised.* 1.3 Nondum enim propalatam esse Sanctorum viam, adhuc priore tabernaculo habente statum, For the way into Sancta or heauen, was not yet opened, vntill the high Priest Iesus entred first thereinto:* 1.4 qui initiauit no∣bis viam nouam, It was he that beganne this newe waye vn∣to vs, who nowe therefore haue fiduciam in introitu San∣ctorum, Confidence to enter in after him béeing our fore∣runner, into the same Sancta. And all this is spoken of our Soules: As for our bodies, neither yet is the way open, vn∣lesse Sancta were open when onely the High priest entred into them.

This was the prouidence of God for vs that we should not thinke we come to late, if the Fathers soules had beene

admitted in before vs.

Confer the end of your owne text with the beginning of it,* 1.5 vt non consummarentur, and, non acceperunt re∣promissionem. Sée how plainly he expoundeth, their not consum∣mating to be their not attayning of the promise. And what pro∣mise?* 1.6 Confer this other place, vt repromissionē accipiant aeternae haereditatis, That the heires might attayne the promise of euer∣lasting inheritance.

I might at large declare y^e same by the whole course of Scripture, as D. Allen saith very well, but that I am not here to alleage,* 1.7 but only to answere. Well then against these most manifest Scriptures let vs heare the manifest authorities of Scripture which you pretend.

* 1.8For you say, Seeing they all beleeued in Christ, they had euer∣lasting life, and entred not into condemnation, but passed from death to life, Io. 5.

To what life, but y^e life or resurrection of their bodies? for vntill the last day, all the dead are in death, but then some shall come forth into resurrection of life, some others into resurrection of damnation, but he that beleeueth in me, hath (that is, most certainly shall then haue, Iohn. 11.) life euerlasting, and commeth not into damnation, but passeth from death, (wherein he hath so long bene) to life.

This is the playne text of that place: As likewise in all the New Testament, lightly euery where, life after corporall death, signifieth the resurrection of the bodies, where the soules be in the meane time, here is neuer a word: no nor of the Saintes of the old Testament afore the institution of Baptisme: wherevnto beliefe in him giueth now accesse, Ioa. 1. and 3, that belieuing in him, they may haue life, Io. 20. But their state we must gather out of other places of holy Scripture.

And to what end (againe you say) was Christ called the Lamb that was slayne from the beginning of the world, but that the be∣nefite of his passion extendeth vnto the godly of all ages alike?

This is your expounding of Scripture by Scripture: you are a true man of your word. The place is Apo. 13. Whose names were not written in the booke of life of the Lambes that was slaine frō the beginning of the world. Cōferring it with this place, Apo. 17. Whose names were not written in the booke of life from the be∣ginning of the world, you perceiue the error of your cōstruction. It is not said, that the Lambe was slayne from the beginning of the world, but that all the reprobate shall adore Antichrist when

he commeth, as the Gospell also saith,* 1.9 that the Elect also should be then deceiued, if it were possible. Neuerthelesse, that y^e Lambe was slayne from the beginning of the world, is true, though not in your fond sense, but because his death was so long before pre∣ordeined of God and prefigured, as the Apostles do often say to stop the mouthes of them that obiected newnesse to our Religion of saluation by a dead man.

As the like would be a iustification of your new Gospell, if you could shew out of Scripture, that Luther was preordeined for that purpose.

Againe in the same place you alleage, that Esay speaking of the righteous that are departed out of this life, saith that ther is peace, and that they shall rest in their beds, Esa. 57. Like as he affirmeth that Tophoth, which is Gehinnone or hell, is prepared of old for the wicked, Esai. 30. Esai speaketh not of his owne time, but (as a Prophet) of the time now since the comming of Christ who is our peace.

There is peace, say you: but he saith, There shal come peace, or as the Churches translation hath no lesse agreably to the Hebrew, Let peace come I pray. Moreouer if it were graun∣ted, that then also they did rest in their beds, because the death of the Iust is but a sléepe, for the assurāce of their resurrection, what were this to their soules?

Also if their soules did rest, must euery rest néedes be the blisse of heauen? We say not that Limbus pa∣trum was Purgatory, but y^t it was a place of rest, because with∣out poena sensus, though not without poena damni for the time. Suppose a kings sonne and heire, that by some crime deserued disheriting, but the king his father of grace will let him inhirite, mary not at the time he otherwise should, but certayne yeres af∣ter, yet during those yeres also he shall be well and honorably prouided for: may we not say that this man is at ease, conside∣ring his prouision, and yet in punishment also, considering his losse for the time? Such was their case in Limbo. It was not hell, you say, because it was not Tophet or Gehenna. Why? our Créede and the Scripture saith, that Christes Soule was in hell,* 1.10 and yet no man so wicked except it were Caluine him selfe (I thinke) to say, it was in Gehenna. Therefore Gehenna or To∣phet, the place for the wicked, was not the onely hell.

As vaynly, and more falsely you argue that it was not hell, be∣cause Luc. 16. Lazarus was caried by Angels not downe to hell,

but vp to Abrahams bosome. Caried vp? is that portari, or, ape∣nechthinai? But the riche man is in hell, you say, and he looketh vp, and seeth a farre of Lazarus in the bosome of Abraham. The same wise argument againe: In this place this is called hel, ther∣fore no other may be called hell, although the Scripture it selfe els where nameth to vs another hell. The places might in situa∣tion (at least in respect of the heauenly mantions being so far di∣stant from them both) be nigh together, although one were vp∣ward, and also farr of both in state & situation (purgatorie perad∣uenture being betwéene them.) Againe if it were graunted that they were no way nigh together, yet it would not follow, that A∣brahams bosome was heauen. As neyther, if Lazarus were ca∣ried vpward.* 1.11 For so was Elias: who yet was not caried into hea¦uen that now we speake of.

Another of your manifest argumentes, being the last in that place: If righteousnes belongeth to Abrahams children, the re∣ward of righteousnes also pertaineth vnto them. Therefore A∣brahams bosome was open to receiue all the children of Abrahā, euen as * 1.12the bosome of God was ready to receiue Abraham, be∣cause he was his sonne through faith. Nay you should haue said, because he was * 1.13 vnigenitus qui est in sinu patris, The onely be∣gotten sonne, who is in the bosome of the Father, and then you had saide somewhat. But these your grosse ignorances in the scripture, I must reserue to their own proper Chapter. To your argument I say,* 1.14 that the reward of righteousnes may belong to one, and yet not paide him as soone as he dyeth. S. Paule naming both Abraham him selfe and many children of his, saith expresly:

According to faith all these departed,* 1.15 not receiuing the promi∣ses, but beholding them a farre of.

And againe,

And all these re∣nowned by faith, receiued not the promise

, that is, the inheri∣tance, the reward of righteousnes.

* 1.16In two other places also you prate against Limbus, but you alleage no other Scripture against it. Well then, you haue not proued, that afore Christes comming any one went to heauen: nor that all went straight to Limbus, and therefore none to Purgatorie. Now whether since Christes comming they all goe straight to heauen, and therefore none to Purgatorie, let vs likewise examine.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vide San∣der. monar. li. 7. pag. 518.520. Pur. 57.
• * 1.2

  Heb. 7. Heb. 10. Heb. 9.
• * 1.3

  Heb. 9.
• * 1.4

  Heb. 10.
• * 1.5

  Heb. 11.
• * 1.6

  Heb. 9.
• * 1.7

  Pur. 439.
• * 1.8

  Pur. 57.58.
• * 1.9

  Mat. 24.
• * 1.10

  Infra ca. 12.
• * 1.11

  4. Reg 2.
• * 1.12

  Ioan. 1.
• * 1.13

  That vvhich is proper to vni∣genitus, he ma∣keth common to Abraham.
• * 1.14

  Infra ca. 12.
• * 1.15

  Heb. 11.
• * 1.16

  Pur. 441.451.