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.

Whether since Christ all go straight to heauen.

There is no prayer for the dead nor Purgatory after this life (you say) because they that liue vnto Christ, dye vnto him,* 1.1 and being dissolued are with him. Ioa. 17. And in another place more distinctly,* 1.2 We beleue that the soules of the faithful & the repentāt are where Christ is, as he prayeth, Ioa. 17. Father I will that those whom thou hast giuen me, where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory. And euen so he saith to the Theefe no perfect iust man, but a sinner repentant: This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. Luc. 23. And S. Paul desireth to be dissol∣ued and to be with Christ. Philip. 1. That to be with Christ, is to sée his Godheades glory, and not onely his manheades glory, would hardly be proued out of the Scripture. Yet because it ma∣keth with the foresaid definition of the Church, I graunt it. So then, the example of the Apostle S. Paule declareth, that a perfect iust man goeth straight to Christ: The example of the Theefe de∣clareth, that likewise a penitent sinner, goeth straight to Christ, if either his penance be full and perfect, or his pardon, which is a remission of his penance, be a plenary. And the saying, Ioan. 17. specially béeing illustrate with these two examples, declareth as much: howbeit by it self alone it declareth no more, but that they which are Christes, may and shall be with Christ, but when, it sayth not. You allude there to one place more, which is Rom. 14.

We liue to our Lord, and we dye to our Lord

. Whereby he mea∣neth not, that we be with our Lorde when we dye, no more then he meaneth that we be with our Lorde when we liue: but that both in our life and at our death, from the beginning to the end, we be not our owne men, but seruantes to another, and that he therefore is my Iudge if I do not well, and not thou: also to him I my selfe must make my count, and not thou for me. This béeing the sense of that place, you had forsooth great reason to con∣ferre it with Apoc. 14. to controll S. Augustines sense,* 1.3 who ex∣poundeth it of Martyrs, which is there saide,

Blessed are the dead that dye in our Lord: now after that the spirite saieth that they shall rest from their labours.

You reply, saying, that D. Allen vn∣derstanding it onely of Martyrs,* 1.4 calleth Augustine to witnesse thereof: but that it is spoken of all the faithfull, and there∣fore ouerthroweth Purgatorie, witnesse hereof I will not

take of flesh and bloud, say you, (sée what he maketh of S. Au∣gustine,) but of the holy Ghost. Rom. 14. wee all dye vnto the Lorde. Your skill in the Scripture is great, that make it all one, to dye in the Lorde, and, to dye to the Lorde. All that dye to the Lorde, haue (as the Apostle there sayth) to make their accompt•• to him, which may and will to some fall out to their damnation. but blessed are al they that dye in the Lord. Wherefore these two are not all one.

True it is, that all, whiche dye well and in the Churches peace, dye in our Lord, as they are called also dormi∣entes in Christo. 1. Cor. 15. and mortui in Christo. 1. Thes. 14. they that slepe in Christ, the dead in Christ, wheresoeuer their Soules be after that sléeping and dying, in heauen or in purgatorie.

But yet the place Apoc. 14. is verie well sayd of D. Allen to be spoken not of all that so dye, but onely of martirs, neither of al martirs, but of them onely that shall suffer

in the time and rage of Anti∣christ

, for

so the circumstance of the letter playnlye geueth.

You therfore that wil haue one place always conferred with another, consider the circumstance, sée what goeth afore, what commeth after, and you shall finde, that he speaketh of the last time, exhor∣ting the faithfull then not for any feare to adore the beast, but to dye constantly in our Lorde, for now the Resurrection is euen at hand, and therefore their labours all at an end.

Feare the Lord (saieth one Angel, preaching to all the world at that time) and geue honour to him: because the very houre of his Iudgement is come: and adore him, adore not Antichrist. And another Angell foloweth, saying: Cecidit, cecidit, downe downe is fallen Babilon. And another Angell: If any adore the beast, he shalbe tormented in fire and brimstone for euer and euer. Then a voyce from hea∣uen: Blessed are the dead that (will not adore the beast, but) dye in the Lord. Now after this the Spirite sayth, that they shall rest from their labours. For their workes (that is, their rewarde) do folow them now at hand. And immediatly there after commeth forth the Iudge vpon a white cloude, and the Siethes, and downe goeth al the world.

Lo this is the circumstance. Wherby you sée, the place saith not so much as those Martyrs to be at rest so soone as they dye, but onely within a very short time after. This is the place that quite ouerthroweth Purgatory.

And so I haue examined all that you alleage for going straight

to heauen. Another way you procéede against Purgatory and prayer for the dead, by the Iudgement which is after this life.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Pur. 451.
• * 1.2

  Pur. 276.
• * 1.3

  Pur. 436.446.
• * 1.4

  Aug. ca. 9. li. 20. de Ci.