souls; as may be well gathered by the parable of нOM.XIX. Lazarus and the rich man; which place St. Augus- Luke xvi. tine expounding, saith in this wise: That which Abraham speaketh unto the rich man in Luke's Lib. ii. Evang. Gospel-namely, that the just cannot go into those quæsti. cap. places where the wicked are tormented what 38. other thing doth it signify, but only this, that the just, by reason of God's judgment, which may not be revoked, can shew no deed of mercy in helping Them, which after this life are cast into prison, until they pay the uttermost farthing? These words, as they confound the opinion of helping the dead by prayer, so they do clean confute and take away the vain error of purgatory, which is grounded upon this saying of the Gospel, Thou shalt not depart thence, until thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Now doth St. Augustine say, that those men which are cast into prison after this life on that condition, may in no wise be holpen, though we would help them never so much. And why? Because the sentence of God is unchangeable, and cannot be revoked again. Therefore, let us not deceive ourselves, thinking that either we may help other, or other may help us by their good and charitable prayers in time to come. For, as the Preacher Eccles. xi. saith, When the tree falleth, whether it be toward the south or toward the north, in what place soever the tree falleth, there it lieth; meaning thereby, that every mortal man dieth either in the state of salvation or damnation: according as the words of the Evangelist John do also plainly import, saying, John iii. He that believeth on the Son of God hath eternal life; but he that believeth not on the Son shall never see life, but the wrath of God abideth upon him. Where is then the third place, which they call purgatory? Or where shall our prayers help and profit the dead? St. Augustine doth only ac- Lib. 5. Hyknowledge two places after this life, heaven and pogno. hell. As for the third place, he doth plainly deny that there is any such to be found in all Scripture. Chrysostom likewise is of this mind, Chrysost, in that unless we wash away our sins in this present Homil. v. Heb. ii, contra Demetrianum. HOM. XIX. world, we shall find no comfort afterward. And Cyprian. St. Cyprian saith, that, after death, repentance and sorrow of pain shall be without fruit; weeping also shall be in vain, and prayer shall be to no purpose. Therefore he counselleth all men to make provision for themselves while they may, because, when they are once departed out of this life, there is no place for repentance, nor yet for satisfaction. 1 John i. Heb. ix. Heb. x. Let these and such other places be sufficient to take away the gross error of purgatory out of our heads: neither let us dream any more, that the souls of the dead are any thing at all holpen by our prayers: but, as the Scripture teacheth us, let us think that the soul of man, passing out of the body, goeth straightways either to heaven, or else to hell; whereof the one needeth no prayer, the other is without redemption. The only purgatory, wherein we must trust to be saved, is the death and blood of Christ; which if we apprehend with a true and stedfast faith, it purgeth and cleanseth us from all our sins, even as well as if he were now hanging upon the cross. The blood of Christ, saith St. John, hath cleansed us from all sin. The blood of Christ, saith St. Paul, hath purged our consciences from dead works, to serve the living God. Also in another place he saith, We be sanctified and made holy by the offering up of the body of Jesus Christ done once for all. Yea, he addeth more, saying, With the one oblation of his blessed body and precious blood, he hath made perfect for ever and ever, all them that are sanctified. This then is that purgatory, wherein all Christian men must put their whole trust and confidence; nothing doubting, but if they truly repent them of their sins, and die in perfect faith, that then they shall forthwith pass from death to life. If this kind of purgation will not serve them, let them never hope to be released by other men's prayers, though they should continue therein unto the world's end. He that cannot be saved by faith in Christ's blood, how shall he look to be delivered by man's intercessions? Hath God more respect to man on earth, than he hath to Christ in heaven? If any man HOM.XIX. sin, saith St. John, we have an Advocate with the 1 John ii. Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins. But we must take heed that we call upon this Advocate, while we have space given us in this life; lest, when we are once dead, there be no hope of salvation left unto us. For, as every man, sleepeth with his own cause, so every man shall rise again with his own cause. And look, in what state he dieth, in the same state he shall be also judged, whether it be to salvation or damnation. Let us not therefore dream either of purgatory, or of prayer for the souls of them that be dead; but let us earnestly and diligently pray for them which are expressly commanded in Holy Scripture, namely, for Kings and Rulers, for Ministers of God's holy word and sacraments, for the saints of this world, otherwise called the faithful; to be short, for all men living, be they never so great enemies to God and his people, as Jews, Turks, Pagans, Infidels, Heretics, &c. Then shall we truly fulfil the commandment of God in that behalf, and plainly declare ourselves to be the true children of our heavenly Father; who suffereth the sun to shine upon the good and the bad, and the rain to fall upon the just and the unjust. For which, and all other benefits most abundantly bestowed upon mankind from the beginning, let us give him hearty thanks, as we are most bound, and praise his name for ever and ever. Amen. "This blessed man and this blessed woman were not disappointed of AN HOMILY OF THE abou PLACE AND TIME OF PRAYER. HOM. XX. GOD, through his almighty power, wisdom, and goodness, created in the beginning heaven and earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the fowls of the air, the beasts of the earth, the fishes in the sea, and all other creatures, for the use and commodity of man; whom also he had created to his own image and likeness, and given him the use and government over them all, to the end he should use them in such sort as he had given him in charge and commandment; and also that he should declare himself thankful and kind for all those benefits, so liberally and so graciously bestowed upon him, utterly without any deserving on his behalf. And although we ought at all times, and in all places, to have in remembrance, and to be thankful to, our gracious Lord-according as it is written, I will magnify the Lord at all times: and again, Wheresoever the Lord beareth rule, O my soul, praise the Psal. eiii. Lord yet it appeareth to be God's good will and HOм. XX. pleasure, that we should at special times, and in special places, gather ourselves together to the intent his name might be renowned, and his glory set forth in the congregation and assembly of his saints. As concerning the time, which Almighty God hath appointed his people to assemble together solemnly, it doth appear by the Fourth Commandment of God: Remember, saith God, that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. Upon the which day, as is plain in the Acts of the Apostles, the people Acts xiii. accustomably resorted together, and heard diligently the Law and the Prophets read among them. And albeit this commandment of God doth not bind Christian people so straitly to observe and keep the utter ceremonies of the Sabbath-day, as it was given unto the Jews, as touching the forbearing of work and labour in time of great necessity, and as touching the precise keeping of the seventh day, after the manner of the Jews:-for we keep now the first day, which is our Sunday, and make that our Sabbath, that is, our day of rest, in the honour of our Saviour Christ, who, as upon that day, rose from death, conquering the same most triumphantly:-yet, notwithstanding, whatsoever is found in the commandment appertaining to the law of nature, as a thing most godly, most just, and needful for the setting forth of God's glory, it ought to be retained and kept of all good Christian people. And therefore, by this commandment, we ought to have a time, as one day in the week, wherein we ought to rest, yea, from our law ful and needful works. For, like as it appeareth by this commandment, that no man in the six days ought to be slothful or idle, but diligently to labour in that state wherein God hath set him: even so, God hath given express charge to all men, that upon the Sabbath-day, which is now our Sunday, they should cease from all weekly and work-day labour, to the intent that like as God himself wrought six days, and rested the seventh, and blessed and sanctified it, and consecrated it to quietness |