An antidote agaynst poperie: most necessarie for all in this back-slyding age. Wherein 1. The trueth is confirmed, by authoritie of scriptures, witnessing of antiquitie, and confession of the popish partie. 2. Popish scripturall arguments are answered, by the exposition both of father and of their own doctours / by William Guild.

1. Authoritie of Scripture.

1. IOHN 1.7. And the blood [ 1] of IESƲS CHRIST His Sonne, purgeth vs from all sinne.

That is (say the Rhemistes them∣selues) from Originall & Actuall, Veniall and Mortall, from the fault and paine due for the same. In lyke-manner, (sayeth Lombard) CHRIST by His death, and by that one true Sacrifice of His, hath abolished WHAT-SO-EVER faults wee had, whereby wee were hol∣den by Satan to vndergoe punish∣ment. And more particularlie (sayeth Bellarmine,) The suf∣ferings of CHRIST are able to ex∣piate all sinne, originall & actuall,

mortall and veniall, and all punish∣ment, eternall and temporall: and all this by it selfe alone. All which these sufferings doe not onlie per∣forme, when in Baptisme wee are first reconciled with GOD, but also thereafter (as the Rhemistes on this same place confesse) when wee repent of our sinnes commit∣ted after our first reconciliation, notwithstanding of these calami∣mities that haue come vpon the godlie thereafter, as vpon DAVID, and others: For Infants after Bap∣tisme, are subject to the lyke tem∣porall calamities. As sicknesses & death it selfe, as well as those who actuallie sinne after Baptisme, and are of riper age: so that, if such common calamities, or chastise∣ments should argue no plenarie pardon of sinnes committed after reconciliation in those who are of age, then should it argue the lyke also in Infants, and so there should no plenarie pardon bee of all: which were to derogate greatlie from the vertue of the sufferings

of CHRIST, and from the LORDS mercie in lyke-manner, and so to make the Father of mercies in mer∣cifulnesse farre inferiour to man, and that hee requyreth of vs, in free and in full pardoning, a farre greater perfection of mercie than hee hath in himselfe.

The sufferings of CHRIST then beeing of an infinite value (sayeth Durand and Mairones cited by Bel∣larmine) to joyne therefore, the satisfactions of the sufferings of the godlie thereto, is altogether su∣perfluous, for as where there is grace, there is pardon, so where there is pardon (sayeth Chryso∣stome) there is no punishment at all, to wit, satisfactorie.

PSAL. 73.24. Thou wilt [ 2] guyde mee with thy counsell, and afterward receaue mee vp into Glorie.

Remarke, then, that after the finishing of this lyfe, wherein the godlie are guyded by the councell

of GOD, and His Grace; imme∣diatlie followeth the receaving vp of their soules to Glorie. There∣fore (sayeth Augustine) O hap∣pie Soule, who HOW SOONE it is loosed from the bodie, beeing set at libertie, PRESENTLIE goeth to Heaven, and is secure at rest.

In lyke-manner sayeth Prosper of the godlie, that having ended their paynfull pilgrimage, presentlie thence-foorth they raygne happie (sayeth hee) in their natiue coun∣trey.

2. COR. 5.1. For wee know, [ 3] that if our earthlie house of this tabernacle bee dissolved, we haue a building of GOD, a house not made with handes, eternall in the Heavens.

Vpon which wordes sayeth An∣selme, We know that PRESENTLIE wee haue from GOD a building, that is, a blessed Mansion place.

Yea, in lyke-manner, (sayeth Bellarmine himselfe) The Apostle's

reasoning is most excellent, to wit, this, if this mortall lyfe perish, (sayeth hee) wee haue presentlie another farre better in the Hea∣vens.

REVEL. 14.13. Blessed are the dead which die in the LORD, [ 4] from hence-foorth now, sayeth the Spirit: for they rest from their laboures, and their workes fol∣low them.

Vpon which wordes, (sayeth the Iesuit Ribera) It is almost the common exposition of all, which Andreas Caesariensis followeth, that these wordes are spoken of all the godlie, (and not onlie of Martyres) therefore Beda sayeth, I thanke thee, O IESV, who makest them blessed in Heaven, (not in Purgato∣rie) who die in thee on earth: how much more these, who lay downe their happie soules both in Thy faith, and for Thy faith? And this exposition Ribera proveth to bee true, by sundrie lyke speaches

of Scripture, and by the custome of the Church which in her pub∣licke offices for the dead vnder∣standeth the same so; and there∣fore hee calleth it, the most fit and convenient meaning, because it cō∣prehendeth them that die for the LORD, (as Martyres) and ex∣tendeth it selfe also vnto all others the godlie who-so-ever. Thus also doeth Primasuis, Aretas Caesariensis, Bernard, Haymo, and the Iesuit Lorinus, expone these wordes.

Next, (à modo) or from hence foorth Ribera exponeth, from the verie tyme of their death, as Am∣brose, Haymo, and Beda, expone (sayeth hee) who therefore brings that of the PSALMIST, when Hee hath given vnto His well-beloved their sleepe, beholde, the inheri∣tance of the LORD.

COL. 1.20. Having made [ 5] peace through the blood of His Grosse by Him, to reconcile all thinges vnto Himselfe, whether

they bee thinges in Earth, or in Heaven.

Whence wee see, that the A∣postle distinguisheth the Church, which is reconciled to GOD by CHRIST, into that which is on Earth, and that which is in Hea∣ven: but of anie part there-of in Hell, hee speaketh not at all. There-fore, that reconciliation which was made by CHRIST'S Blood, belongeth not to anie who are there, eyther in Limbus, or Purgatorie.

Agayne, 2. COR. 4.18. These thinges that are seene, are Temporall; and these thinges which are not seene, are Aeter∣nall. Whence it followeth, that there is no invisible place after this lyfe, which is not eternall, and con∣sequentlie, there is no Purgatorie.

In lyke manner (sayeth Andreas Casariensis, and with him Aretus) Their verie departure out of the bodie, is this resting from their laboures: and therefore, from

hence-foorth, that is, from the verie tyme of their death is signi∣fied, sayeth Richardus de sancto Victor.

Wherefore, (sayeth Cyprian) O what dignitie and securitie is it, in a moment to close thy eyes, whereby men in the world are seene, and to open them instant∣lie, that GOD and CHRIST may bee seene•• O what great happi∣nesse is it, to bee speedilie pulled from the earth, that thou mayest Presentlie bee placed in Heaven! Last of all, to rest from their la∣bours, is, (as Beda calleth it) to bee blessed in Heaven: and not as the Rhemists expone it, To bee dis∣charged of the troubles of this lyfe. For this were a miserable Rest, to bee fred of such, and yet to bee tormented with hellish paynes af∣ter this lyfe.

[ 6] 2. COR. 5.8. Wee are confident, I say, and willing, rather to bee absent from the body, and to bee present with the Lord.

So also PHILIP. 1.23. I de∣sire to bee dissolved, and to bee with CHRIST.

Whence wee reason thus, They who are with the LORD, or with CHRIST, are in no place of torment, (for to bee with CHRIST, is to bee in Paradise, as hee sayde to the Thiefe.) But the godlie Soules presentlie after their beeing absent from the bodie, which is by death and dissolution, are present with the LORD, or with CHRIST, as the Apostl's words import, and the Rhemists confesse. Therefore they are in no place of Torment.

Therefore doeth Tertullian adde the particle of tyme, saying, I de∣sire, sayeth the Apostle) jam re∣cipi, even now, to bee receaved, and to bee with CHRIST.

Notes

• Lomb lib. 3. sent. dist. 19. Bell. lib. 2. de in∣dulg. cap. 5 §. At non.
• Chap. 15. 1. ••
• Bell. lib. 1. de in∣dulg. cap. 4 §. Ter¦tia. Chry∣sost. in Rom. Hom. 8.
• Aug. medit c. 22. & lib 20. de Civit DEI, c. 15. Pros. l. 1. de vita cōtem plati∣va. cap. 1
• Bel••. l. 1. d•• sanct. cap. 3
• Rom. 8.1. And 16.11 7
• Gal. 1 22 Iohn 15.4 5
• Bern. ad mi¦lites Tem∣pli. cap. 2 ••p. 98.
• Psal. 127.
• Cy∣prian. de ex∣hort. Mar∣tyrii cap. ••lt.
• Ter∣tul. de patiē∣tio c. 9. & de spe∣ctacu∣lis c. 28.