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 the Doctors say, no Scripture to make for it.

For the first: Tertullian speaking no more but of the Oblations for the dead which we make vpon their yeres mindday, saith,* 1.1 Hu∣ius disciplinae si legem expostules Scripturarum, nullam inuenies, For this discipline if thou require a lawe out of the Scriptures, thou shalt finde none. Traditio tibi praetendetur autrix, Consue∣tudo confirmatrix, & Fides obseruatrix, Tradition shal be decla∣red to be the author of it, Custome the corfirmer, & Faith the ob∣seruer. Nowe commeth Fulke (which also I noted in the third Chapter) and for this one particuler is bold to say generally,* 1.2 that all offering and all praying for the dead is confessed of Tertul∣lian to be beside the Scripture. As where he saith:* 1.3 They (that is S. Chrysostome with some other old Doctors, as also nowe their Successors the Catholikes) labour to wrest the Scriptures to find that which Tertullian confesseth is not to be founde in them.* 1.4 A∣gaine: Tertullian hath discharged you of authoritie of the Scrip∣ture already. Againe: Tertullian, as wise a man as M. Allen,* 1.5 af∣firmeth (as we heard before) that prayer for the dead hath no foundation in the Scriptures. Againe:* 1.6 Neuer once mentioned in the Scripture, and so confessed by Tertullian, one that leaned to some part of your cause. Againe:* 1.7 He vtterly denieth that they came from the Scriptures. Therfore by Tertullians iudgemēt you do abuse the Scriptures. Agayne:* 1.8 Praying and offering for the dead, as Tertullian himselfe confesseth, is not taught by the Scrip∣tures.

Yet soone after, to shew that Tertullian with Montanus had in all poyntes the opinion of the Papistes, amongest other poyntes of his opinion he noteth,* 1.9 that all small offences must (as he thought) be punished after this life, where the prison is, and the vttermost farthing to be paide. Mat. 5. But reseruing that to the eleuenth chapter as one of his grosse contradictions, I will here note, how vpon the foresaid particular of only Tertullian, he is farre more bold then yet we haue heard.* 1.10 For thus he saith: They them selues (that is, the old Doctors) for the most part confesse, that prayer & oblation for the dead, is not taken at all out of the Scriptures,* 1.11 as Tertullian, Augustine, and other. Againe: Of them (amongst the auncient Fathers) that mainteined prayers for the dead, the most confessed they had it not out of the Scriptures, but of tradition of the Apostles, and custome of the Church. They denied it to be receiued of the scriptures. This he saith of S. Augu∣stine by name, and withall of the most part of the fathers, hauing in his whole booke no such saying of any other, neither euen that of Tertullians importing so much, but only as I haue declared.

So then haue I shewed, that he fayleth in this that he brag∣geth of the Doctors confessing against them selues and vs, as though generally no Scripture at all doth make for Purgatory or prayer for the dead. Now let vs come to particuler Scrip∣tures. Thus he sayth:

Notes

• * 1.1

  Tertul. de corona Mi¦litis.
• * 1.2

  Par. 2. diu. 3
• * 1.3

  Pur. 264.
• * 1.4

  Pur. 268.
• * 1.5

  Pur. 275.
• * 1.6

  Pur. 286.
• * 1.7

  Pur. 393.
• * 1.8

  Pur. 410.
• * 1.9

  Pur. 417.
• * 1.10

  Pur. 363.
• * 1.11

  Pur. 435.