Purgatory surveyed, or, A particular accompt of the happy and yet thrice unhappy state of the souls there also of the singular charity and wayes we have to relieve them : and of the devotion of all ages for the souls departed : with twelve excellent means to prevent purgatory and the resolution of many curious and important points.

§. 3. The third. To b•• an Aposto∣lical Preacher.

A Third meanes to redeem Purgatory, is to be a zealous, and apostolical Preacher, for as this is a life of eminent perfecti∣on, and incredible merit, so is it extream painful, and may well passe for a Purgatory in this life. But observe, that I speak of an Apostolical Preacher, or of one that is full of divine fire, or a holy zeal for the good of souls. I mean not those that preach them∣selves, those that desire to be ad∣mired, and adored for Oracles, those that profane the word of

God with their vain glosses, idle applications and affected elo∣quence, seeking nothing more then worldly applause, and re∣ally destroying by their life and conversation, all they build up in the pulpit. St. Paul compares such vaine Preachers, to crackt trumpets, and broken bells, which make a noise indeed, but are al∣together useless. They send o∣thers to heaven (sayd St. Xave∣rius) and go Gods knows whether themselves. St. Gregory likens them to the water of baptisme which entitles children to the kingdom of heaven, and is it self conveyed into some noysome sinke: and there turnes to cor∣ruption. I speak then of a Preach∣er, who is a man of God, one that does what he says, and says what he does; one that ayms at nothing, but the salvation of souls, preaches to a few, or to many, in Cities or Villages, Prin∣ces Courts, or poor Hospitals, with the same fervour of spirit.

One that rents their hearts in sunder, and draws floods of tears from their eyes, one that prea∣ches like another St. Paul, and draws his sermons out of the Pentatuke, of the five wounds of his redeemer; one that after he has done all he can, believes he is an unprofitable servant, un∣worthy to open his mouth, or to tread upon the earth. Such a one in my opinion, if he die in the exercise of his holy function, either goes not at all to Purgato∣ry, or stays not there. This was the case of one Cherubin, a famous * 1.1 Preacher of the Order of St. Francis, who before he died, had the comfort to see St. Hierome, whom he had chosen for his pecu∣liar Pation, and with him three thousand souls, all saved by his meanes, who assured him, that they were sent expresly by Al∣mighty God, to carry him into heaven, and so to requite him, for shewing him the way thither, in his zealous sermons. Not un∣like

unto this, is that story which I touched elsewhere out of Car∣dinal Baronius. He tels us that * 1.2 St. Boniface, saw a holy Abbot at his death; surrounded with di∣vels, and much terrified see them so insolent, as to cry out; his soul was theirs, when he be∣hold his good Angel appears at the head of a white troop of blessed souls, who after a solemn profession, that they had been all saved by him, gave him the com∣fort to understand, that they had brought an express commission, to convey him instantly into heaven. But you long now, to have me paint you out such a Preacher, for though there may be many, that sooth themselves up, with a vain perswasion, that they are the men, yet if we sift a little narrowly into them, we shall possibly find so much vanity, so much care of esteem, so many by ends, and so many other im∣perfections to steale into their sermons, that we may safely say

there are but very few Apostolical preachers indeed, and such as seek only Gods cause, and the good of souls.

Take an exact Idea from one * 1.3 that lived but in the last Age. Father Gonzales Silveria, of the Society of Jesus, scarce ever went up into the pulpit without a hairshirt, and would say, a man must be well armed who goes to fight against vice. It was also very usuall with him, to encounter Goliah with Davids sling, to make a bloody discipline, and so to mount up into the Pulpit, and there like thunder, to carry all before him. He had for the most part, but five books for his Li∣brary, to wit, his breviary the Bible, the lives of Saints, a cru∣cifix, and the picture of our Blessed Lady. In these five books, he studied for all his sermons, and certainly, the thunder bolt•• of his admirable eloquence, were fram∣ed in the heart of his crucified Lord, the best furnace of divine

love, the sweet flowers of his Rhetorick, were steeped in the milke of the Virgin, his trops and figures, and the whole variety of his sermons, were borrowed out of the word of God, and the admirable lives of his Saints; and lastly the religious, and devout performance of his dayly task of divine office, and holy Masse, gave fire to his discourses, wherewith he did not only heat, but inflame the hearts of his auditours. He would preach you twice or thrice a day, and would do it the more willingly, in the meanest places, & to the poorest people. His com∣mon lodging was the Hospital, where he contented himself with a spare diet, and gross fare, he was never observed, to be over nice, and coy of his sermons, nor required he much time, to make them with applause. The only thing he had before his eyes, was the glory of God, and helpe of souls, and his life preached more then his tongue, for he really

acted more in his own person then he taught others: As for his manner of preaching, it was rather powerful then charming, and fitter to break their hearts then please their eares. Such was his fervour, that he poured his whole heart, and his whole zeal out of his mouth, and he would be so transported with this zeal, as not to take notice of any thing else. Once as he was Preaching, he struck his hand upon a sharpe naile, which stuck out in the Pul∣pit, and made it bleed so ex∣treamly, that the whole Auditory took notice of it, and some of the devout women courteously offer∣ed their handkerchiefs, to bind up the wound, and stop the bleed∣ing and all this while, the good man neither saw handkerchief, nor naile, nor blood, nor took the least notice of any thing till after his sermon, when the wound being grown cold, he was heard to wonder, how the blood came there, and to complain,

that his hand put him to some paine. Another time, preaching in the Queen of Portugals chappel, he had put himself into such a heat, that his mouth being clammed up, he could scarce get out his words, when the Queen perceiving it, called for an Ewer of water, which was instantly brought, and presented him by the young Princesse, but the man of God, was so rapt in his devout thoughts, that he saw neither the Ewer, nor the Princesse, nor the Queen; so that they were forced to pull him by the sleeve, that the Princesse Royal might not stand thus waiting on him, with the E∣wer in her hand; and then the Queen her self prayed him to make use of the water, to coole and refresh his dry mouth. With much a do, the good Father came to himself, and rising up, made a low obeysance to the Queen, and to the Princesse, thanked them for their care, excused himself for being so uncivill, as not to minde

them, but for all th••s, would not take a drop of water, but went on with his Sermon, to the great wonder and edification of all the standers by. This, this is to preach like a man full of Gods Spirit, like one that has his heart so transported with zeale, and his Eyes so bent upon moving his au∣ditours, that he can see nothing else. And would you have such a fiery man as this be condemned to Purgatory, one that has so much charity for others, that he forgets himself, and distills out his life into blood, sweat and tears and is consumed in the fire of Charity, which is the sweet Pur∣gatory of the servants of God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hist. St. Fran. 3. p. l. 7. c. 2.
• * 1.2

  Annal. Eccl. an. 716.
• * 1.3

  The Idea of an Apostoli∣cal Preacher