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but to be a place of purging, punishment, and penance, by the which the soul should make satisfaction, that it might so deserve to enter into the rest of heaven?

Now

50.

that die in

are blessed,

and there

fore are not

in purga

tory.

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforward: Yea truly, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours. But their works follow with them. This text they use in their soul-masses, as Apoc. xiv. though it made for purgatory; but surely, methinketh that it maketh much against them. For let us The dead inquire of all the proctors and fautors of purgatory, the d whether the souls that must be prayed for are departed in the Lord or not? And they must needs answer that they are departed in the Lord, for the unfaithful which die not in the Lord must not be prayed for; and, therefore, must they be upright Christian souls which are tormented, for the others are all damned. saith the text, that all such dead as die in the Lord are blessed but what blessedness were that to broil in purgatory? And if they would here feign a gloss (as their manner is, when they are in a strait ever to seek a starting hole,) and say that they are blessed because they are in a good hope, although they have not yet the rest, but must suffer before in purgatory; that evasion will not this text suffer, for the text saith, that they rest and are in peace, as Isaiah also saith in the 57th chapter; that Isa. lvii. the righteous (and every faithful man is righteous in the sight of God, as we have often proved before,) when he departeth, resteth in peace as in a bed. And (Sapien. Sap. iii. iii.) it is said, that the righteous souls are in peace: and so is it not possible that there should be such a painful purgatory.

:

Thus have we confuted Rastell, both his arguments and also solutions; for all that he writeth is false and against Scripture. Furthermore we have brought in, to prove that there can be no such purgatory, fifty arguments all grounded on Scripture; and if need were, a

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The conclusion of

against

Rastell's

book.

man might make a thousand, of which our clergy should not be able to avoid one.

Here I think some men will wonder that I have the John Frith Scripture so full on my side, because that there are certain men, as my Lord of Rochester and Sir Thomas More, which, by Scripture, go about to prove purgatory; and this is sure, that Scripture is not contrary unto itself. Therefore, it is necessary that we examine the texts which they bring in for their purpose, in marking the process, both what goeth before, and what cometh after. And then shall we easily perceive the truth, and how these two men have been piteously deceived. First, I will answer unto M. More, which hath in a manner nothing but that he took out of my Lord of Rochester, although he handles it more subtilly. And whatsoever is not answered in this part, shall be touched and fully convinced in the third, which shall be a several book against my Lord of Rochester.

Thus endeth the First Book.

THE SECOND BOOK,

WHICH IS AN ANSWER UNTO SIR THOMAS MORE.

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MASTER MORE beginneth with "the silly souls of

purgatory, and maketh them to wail and lament that they hear the world wax so faint in the faith of Christ, that any man should need now to prove purgatory to Christian men, or that any man could be found which would in so great a thing, so fully and fastly believed for an undoubted article this fifteen hundred years, begin now to stagger and stand in doubt," &c.

Verily, methinketh it a foul fault so sore to stumble even at the first. It were a great blot for him, if he should be compelled by good authority to cut off four hundred of his aforesaid number. Now if we cannot

in 400

only prove that he must cut off that four hundred years, Purgatory but also bring witness that it was neither at that time years after believed for an article of the faith, nor yet for an undoubted truth; then, I think, ye would suppose this man somewhat out of the And that will I prove the faith,

way.

Christ was neither be

lieved as an

article of

an un

doubted

truth.

by God's grace. St. Austin was four hundred years nor yet for after Christ; and yet in his time was it not fully and fastly believed for an article of the faith; no, nor yet fully and fastly believed to be true. For he himself writeth in his Enchiridion in this manner, speaking of purgatory. After he expounded the place of Paul, (1 Cor. iii.) and had taken this word fire, not for purga- 1 Cor. tory but for temptation and tribulation, he added these words in the sixty-ninth chapter: It is not incredible that such a thing should also chance after this life, and whether it be so or not it may be questioned, &c. Of these words may we well perceive that he counted it not for an article of the faith, neither yet for an undoubted truth, for if it had been an article of the faith, or an undoubted truth, then would he not have said, Potest etiam queri, that is to say, It may be questioned, doubted, or moved for those holy fathers used not to make questions and doubts in the articles of the faith among themselves, neither yet in such things as were undoubted Rom. iv. true: they used not to dispute whether Christ died for our sins, and rose again for our justification, but only believed it.

Besides that, the occasion why he wrote the book entitled Enchiridion, was this. There was one Laurentius, a Christian man, which instantly required of St. Austin that he would write him a form of his belief, which he might continually bear in hand, and whereunto he should stick. Upon this, wrote him St. Austin this little book, wherein he commandeth him not fully and fastly to believe (these are M. More's words,) that there was a purgatory; but saith, that it may be questioned, doubted, or moved, whether there be such a

St. Austin

doubted of

purgatory.

M. More much deceived in the accounting of

his.

M. More.

second rea

son.

place or not. Of this have we plain evidence, that it was none article of the faith in St. Austin's time, (which was four hundred years after Christ,) neither yet undoubted truth. And so may all men see that M. More is sore deceived, and set on the sand even at the first brunt and in the beginning of his voyage.

His second reason that he hath to prove purgatory, is M. More's this: "The very miscreants and idolaters, Turks, Saracens, and Painims, have ever, for the most part, thought and believed that after the bodies are deceased, the souls of such as were neither deadly damned wretches for ever, nor on the other side, so good but that their offences done in this world have deserved more punishment than they have suffered and sustained there, were purged and punished by pain after the death, ere ever they were admitted unto their wealth and rest. And so must there needs be a purgatory."

Frith.

M. More

maketh a false and

fond argu

ment.

John Frith amidst M. More's argument.

I answer, if it were lawful to require wisdom in a man so wise as M. More is counted, here would I wish him a little more wit, for I think there is no wise man that will grant this to be a good argument, the Turks, Saracens, Painims, and Jews believe it to be true, ergo, we must believe that it is true; for I will show you a like argument. The Turks, Saracens, Painims, and Jews believe that we have not the right Christ, but that we are all damned which believe in Christ. Is it therefore true? Shall we turn our faith because they believe that we be deceived? I think there is no man so foolish as to grant him this. But if M. More will have his reason hold, he must argue on this manner: The miscreants and infidels before named believe that there is a purgatory, and their belief is true, therefore, we must believe that there is a purgatory. Now followeth this argument somewhat more formally. Here might I put him to the proof of his minor: which is, that their belief (in believing purgatory,) is true which thing he shall never be able to prove. But I have such confi

John Frith moveth the

negative to be true.

dence of the truth on my side, that I will take upon me to prove the negative, even that their belief is not true as concerning purgatory. For these miscreants which believe purgatory, believe that there is a purgatory for us that be Christian; for they believe that we are fallen from all truth and utterly damned. But they think that there is a purgatory for themselves, wherein they shall be purged and punished until they have made full satisfaction for their sins committed: but that is false, for neither Turks, Saracens, Painims, nor Jews, which believe not in Christ, have or ever shall enter into any purgatory, but they are all damned wretches, because they believe not in Jesus Christ. (John iii.) Now since John iii. they be deceived, for they have no purgatory, but are all damned as many as believe not, alas! what blindness is that to argue that we must follow them which are both blind and out of the right way!

ments from

M. More.

After this disputeth he by natural reason that there Rastell had must be a purgatory; his disputation continueth a leaf his arguand a half, out of which Rastell took all his book. And so are all his apparent reasons disclosed before against Rastell. Then beginneth he with the Scripture, on this manner.

"IT seemeth very probable and likely, that the good M. More. king Hezekiah for no other cause wept at the warning of Hezekiah. his death given him by the prophet, but only for the

fear of purgatory."

Is. xxxviii.

The story is written, (2 Kings xx. and Isaiah xxxviii.) Frith. Hezekiah was sick unto the death. And Isaiah the 2 Kings xx. prophet, and son of Amos, came unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Dispose thy house, for thou shalt die and not live. He turned his face unto the wall, and prayed the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, Lord, remember, I pray thee, how I have walked before thee in truth, and in a perfect heart, and have done that thing which is pleasant and acceptable before thee. Then Hezekiah

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