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.

Places out of the New Testament, adduced for Purgatorie, are these.

MATTH. 12.32. Hee [ 1] who shall speake agaynst the holie Ghost, it shall not bee forgiven him, neyther in this world, nor in the world to come. Where wee see (saye they) that some sinnes are for∣given in the world to come after this lyfe, which must bee onlie in Purgatorie.

Answere. First, Bellarmine, (and with him the Iesuit Salmeron) granteth, that this doeth nowayes follow, according to the rules of reasoning, if the sinne agaynst the

holie Ghost bee not remitted, ney∣ther in this Worlde, nor that which is to come. ERGO, Some other sinnes are remitted in the World to come. Wee graunt that this followeth not (sayeth hee) according to the rules of reasoning,

Next, Marke is a cleare inter∣preter of Matthew's wordes, (as witnesseth their Valentia) but so it is, that Marke expresseth the meaning of Matthew's wordes to bee this, That the sinne agaynst the holie Ghost, shall never bee forgiven at all. To which exposi∣tion two Romanistes, Carthusian and Arboreus, both of them doe subscrybe.

Last, because in Purgatorie there is no remission of sinne, pro∣ceeding from Mercie, but puni∣tion for sinne, proceeding from justice; and that these two are op∣posite, as wee see EXOD. 20.5. vi∣siting sinnes, and showing mercie are: therefore justly we may retort

this place agaynst them, and proue thereby, that there is no Purgatorie.

In Purgatorie there is a punition for sinnes. But where a punition of sinnes is after this lyfe, there is not a remission for sinnes, (for these two are opposite:) therefore in Purgatorie there is no remission.

MATTH. 5.26. Verilie, [ 2] thou shalt not come foorth thence, till thou pay the vttermost far∣thing. That is, out of Purgatorie, (say they) till thou hast satisfied for thy least or veniall sinnes, and suffered temporall punishment for others.

Answere. Their owne Iansenius declareth, (and with him Chry∣sostome, Theophylact, Ferus, and Emmanuell Sa,) that this place is literallie to bee vnderstood, CHRIST therein onelie per∣swading to concord. And there∣fore out of this place, there is none (sayeth hee) that can right∣lie vrge the proving of Purgatories

wherefore also (sayeth Stapleton) there are few now that so expone the same.

But giving it were allegoricallie to bee exponed, yet it nowayes maketh for Purgatorie: for Augu∣stine exponeth this prison to bee the Hell of the damned, (as Bel∣larmine showeth) the payment eternall punishment, and donec, or till, to signifie that hee shall ne∣ver come foorth who entereth in that prison. Therefore also (sayth Theophylact,) If wee must abide so long in that prison, till wee pay the vttermost farthing, that will never bee.

Therefore also sayeth their own Carthusian, (and with him Lyra, Stella, Maldenat, and ••ansenius) till thou pay, &c. that is, thou shalt never bee redeemed, for in Hell (sayeth hee) there is no sa∣tisfaction.

[ 3] 1. COR. 3.15. If anie mans worke burne, hee shall

suffer losse, but hee himselft shall bee saved: yet so, as by fire. Whereby (say they) Pur∣gatorie is meant.

Answere. Some thinketh (sayth their late Estius) that the Apostle taketh not the worde (fire) throughout the whole Text, in one signification, — but this ap∣peareth not without cause to bee absurde, that the Apostle in one Text of so few wordes, so divers∣lie should take the word (fire) neyther can anie man easilie per∣swade himselfe, (sayeth hee) that in the third place, the fire of purging of soules is meant: if in the first and second places, ano∣ther fire bee vnderstood.

It must bee then the fire of that generall and last conflagration, that is heere spoken of, (sayeth Estius) as the instrument of that Iudgement, as Basill, Hilarie, Ambrose, (and manie moe whom hee there rehearseth) doeth vn∣derstand.

And (hee shall bee saved, yet as by fire) that is, as is spoken, 1. PET. 4.18. the righteous shall scarce bee saved, (sayeth Estius) Even as a Merchand in a Sea tem∣pest, escapeth himselfe hardlie, ane with the losse of his goods.

And if it bee asked, when hee shall bee so saved? I answere, (sayeth Estius) that this shall bee in the day of the LORD: that is, of the last generall Iudgement, whereof mention is made, c. 5.5.

And thereafter having propo∣ned this Question. How Purga∣torie of soules then after this lyfe, can bee proven by this place, hee answereth, saying. If the fire shall prooue or trye everie man's worke, and that this tryall or ex∣amination, is to bee onelie in the day of the LORD, or at the ge∣nerall judgement; and that vnto that day, this which is sayde, (and hee himselfe shall bee sa∣ved, yet as by fire,) is to bee referred, not onelie doeth it ap∣peare

(sayeth hee) that the Pur∣gatorie of soules, presentlie af••er the dea••h of the bodie, is not established by this place of the Apostle: but on the ••ont••ari•• by this place it is quyte overth••owne, seeing all is referred to the last Iudgement.

1. COR. 15.29. What [ 4] shall they doe who are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not? Where by bapt••zing is meant, af∣flicting of themselues, by Prayer and Fasting for the dead, (saye they) that th••y may bee delyve∣red out of Purgatorie.

Answere. First, this can not bee applyed (sayeth Estius) to voluntarie afflictions, as Prayers, Almes, and Fasting, vndertaken for the helpe of the dead: which if Paull had vnderstood, hee had not sayde, who are baptized, as it were by others, but who bap∣tizeth themselu••s for the dead, as according to Scripture they are

sayde to afflict themselues, who vndergoe voluntarie Fastinges, and the lyke, LEVIT. 23. and 16.

The exposition, then, which their owne Estius sayeth, is wor∣thilie to bee preferred before all others, and which Epiphanius re∣ceaved from them who was before him as approved; is this, (sayth hee) to wit, that these are sayde to bee baptized for the dead, who having no hope of longer lyfe heere, (but esteemed as dead men) did craue and receaue bap∣tisme, reallie heereby declaring, that they were baptized for the dead, that is, for this ende, that Baptisme might bee profitable vn∣to them at that tyme, when they departed this lyfe; and were to enter into the estate of mankynde after death: as if the Apostle had sayde, if there bee no resurrection of the bodie at all, what fruit can they reape who are Baptized, beeing now about to die? and for this cause professeth they are

baptized, in respect of that future estate that is after this lyfe; and this sense is most cleare and simple (sayeth Estius,) and most fit to proue what the Apostle intendeth; which other Learned Men also, most gladlie approue.

The Iesuit also, à Lapide, after the rehearsall of fiue other Expo∣sitions, hee counteth this onelie the best, which Chrysostome gi∣veth, (sayeth hee) to wit, as if Paull would say, wherefore doe all the faythfull receaue Baptisme, for the hope of the resurrection from the dead, or in respect of the estate of the dead, that in that estate after death, it may bee well with them, if the dead rise not? for certainlie they should doe this in vayne otherwyse, which is not credible. And this Exposition (sayeth à Lapide,) of all others seemeth to bee most simple and playne.

MATTH. 5.22. But I say vn∣to [ 5] you, who-so-ever is angrie with

his brother without a cause, is in danger of judgement, and who-so-ever shall say to his brother, Racha, shall bee in daunger of the Councell: but who-so-ever shall say, Thou foole, shall bee in daunger of Hells fire. Heere (saye they) are three sortes of sinnes, and three sortes of puni∣shmentes, whereof the last one∣lie, for greatest offences, is Hell fire, but a lesser punishment for lesser sinnes, and this is in Purgatorie.

Answere. First, there are not set downe heere, three sortes of sinnes and of punishmentes, but three degrees of one, and the selfe same sinne; to wit, Murther, and three degrees of one, and the selfe same sort of punishment, to wit, Eternall, our SAVIOVR'S scope being (as their owne Aqui∣nas showeth) because they did not vnderstand Murther to bee committed, but when a man was

killed: there-fore our LORD (sayeth hee,) did manifest that all sinfull motion agaynst a man's brother to hurt him, was to bee also esteemed, a kynde of Mur∣ther.

Lykewyse that this punishment, whereof our SAVIOVR speaketh, is not a temporall punishment in Purgatorie, for the first two de∣grees of sinne that are mentioned, and an eternall in Hells fire, for the last onelie, wee haue first the Text it selfe to convince them, which sayeth, VERSE 21. Who-so-ever shall kill, shall bee guiltie of judgement: which word is vsed also in the verie next VERSE, where it is sayde, Who-so-ever is angrie at his bro∣ther without a cause, shall bee guiltie of judgement. There∣fore if by judgement, (as the Ie∣suit Salmeron showeth) eternall punishment for the Act of Homi∣cide, bee vnderstood in the first place, then by judgement in lyke

manner, eternall punishment for vnjust anger, which is the mur∣ther of the heart, must bee vn∣derstood in the second place, and which beeing an inward motion onelie, vnbroken out as yet in word nor deede, could not bee taken holde on, by anie humane Iudicatorie.

Next, the evidence of the Text, Antiquitie concurreth, therefore (sayeth Isidorus Pelusic∣ta) Hee will not onlie haue vs to abstaine from Slaughter, but also from Anger: and vnto those who will not obey. Hee hath threatned vnquencheable fire.

In lyke-manner, (sayeth their owne Maldonat) all these three degrees of punishment, signi∣fieth that the punishment of Hell fire, is appoynted for everie mor∣tall sinne: there-fore it is lyke (sayeth their owne Barr••sdas) that CHRIST speaketh heere of an∣ger, as a mortall sinne, which the punishment thereof proveth.

Notes

• Bel. l. 1. de Purg. c. 4. §. respō∣de•• non sequi. Sal∣meron tom. 8 tract. 26.
• Valen. l. de inso∣lub. vine. ma∣trim. c. 3. Mark 3.29.
• Ianse∣nius, cōcord c. 40. p. 180
• Stap. anti∣dot. in Math 5.
• Bel. l. 1. de Purg. c. 7.
• Epi∣pha∣nius her. 28.
• Aqui∣nas in catena
• Sal∣meron Iom. 5 tract. 24.
• Isido∣rus l. 4. Epist. 204.