Popes haue approued the appearing of soules.
It is euen as foolishe to say, the Pope (who wil be counted aboue all Councels) hath confirmed this or that miracle to be true, which they say was wrought in some one monasterie or other. How can the bishop of Rome being so far off, knowe any thing better than they which dwell in the same places? If the bishop hauing no other assuraunce than out of their words or writings, which perhaps go about to erecte newe pilgrimages, and newe deuises to get money, confirme once that this or that soule was séene, it must straight way without any gaynsaying be beléeued. But if any other men who haue with diligence sought out the truth of the matter, do testifie the contrary: al that they say must not be regarded. Consider (I beséeche you) of this matter. Before, all haue doubted whether the thing were so or no, but assoone as the Pope doth giue his verdicte, or some Church man do in his dreame sée it to be so, it is a heynouse matter afterwards to doubt of it. O time! O manners!
Many affirme they haue seen soules.
As touching other common and lay men as they terme them, which say they haue séene one after his death, and haue heard and knowne him, and haue spoken with him: I easily graunt they haue séene and heard some thing, and haue thought verily they were soules, and that they did speake with them. But it followeth not therfore, that they were soules indéede, much lesse that any dead man hath appeared in bodie & soule vnto them. For at doomes day only, the soules shall returne to their bodies againe. Soules are spirits, but spirits are inuisible, wherefore they cannot so be séene, vnlesse they take some outward shape vpon them. But it can neuer be proued by the testimony of holy scripture, that as good and euil Angels, so soules take som shapes vpon them. Besides this, it is most true that oftentimes the shapes and formes of them whose soules are not yet sundred from their bodies by death (as when one lieth vpon his death bed) are no lesse séene than theirs which are already dead. Therfore it is not necessary that we beléeue yͤ ghostes which are séene, to be soules. By these things you vnderstand what is to be thought of the tale of Platina, Nauclerus, and others, which write that a certaine Bishop sawe Pope Benedict the eight (lately dead) in a solitary place sitting on a blacke horse, and being demaunded why he was so carried about with the blacke horse, he warned the Bishop that he should distribute the money which was giuen to the vse of the poore (but now wickedly kept to other purposes) vnto those poore folkes to whom of right it belonged. Other tales of like stampe are rife euery where.
CHAP. XIII.
Whether soules do returne againe out of Purgatorie, and
the place which they call Limbus puerorum.
THat soules, which are gone either to heauen or to hell, returne not thence, nor appeare againe before the latter day, perchaunce some men would easily graunt: but they imagine there is a third place, (which is Purgatorie) out of the which soules do returne vpon earth. For as yet the last sentence hath not passed on them, and therfore as yet they may be helped, and therfore also they do craue help, and shewe themselues vnto men. But we haue proued before at large, both out of the scriptures, and also out yͤ writings of the auncient Fathers, that the soules of the faithfull are saued, and that the soules of the vnbeléeuers are damned immediatly without delay, and therefore there is no Purgatorie. Against this, they alledge sundrie arguments, amongst the which this, albeit it be very common, yet is it the chéefest, when they say, that no man is saued except he bee purged from all his sinnes, and that sinne cleaueth vnto vs euen vnto the graue. If we say that puritie and cleannesse consisteth not in our workes, or in the paines which wee endure, but that God through faith in his sonne Iesus Christ (who is our onely redemption, iustification, satisfaction, and raunsome for our sinnes) dooth iustifie vs: they straight aunswere, that our faith is vnperfect, and that the moste godly men complaine when they depart hence, of the weakenesse of their faith. And therefore that God dooth not take vp suche kinde of men straightwayes into heauen, nor yet because they are not vtterly voyde of faith, thrust them presently downe into hell. And therefore, that there is a middle place betwéene both, which is called Purgatorie, in which the soules are purified from the imperfection whiche remained in them at the time of their death, and out of the which they are deliuered by the merits of the liuing, and by large pardons. Is not this as much as to attribute that vnto our owne paines and to externall fire, which ought only to be ascribed vnto the death of Christ? Dooth not Christ teache vs, that if at any time we féele any weaknesse of faith, we shuld crie out with the Apostles, Lord increase our faith? Dooth God disdaine to heare the prayers of his faithfull people in the extremitie of death? Christ saith, he that is washed hath no néede saue to washe his féete, but he is cleane euery whitte: Hée will saue vs, not for the woorthinesse of our faith, but by his méere grace onely. He dooth bestow these things amongst vs, as if some riche man did fréely giue meate and drinke vnto others, whereof some of them receiueth it in woodden, some in earthen, and some in siluer or golden vessels: or as if a Prince did distribute vnto euery one a piece of golde, and some receiue it with a féeble hand, and some with a strong and lustie hand. He that hath the [weake] hand, receiueth money as well as he that hath the strong hande. Saint Paule exhorteth the Thessalonians in his first Epistle and fourth Chapter, 1. Thess. 4. that they mourne not for the dead as the Gentiles doo. If there had bene a fire of Purgatorie, as they haue falsely imagined, he could not haue bene angry with them, although they had taken their friendes departure somewhat impatiently, &c. Other arguments which are brought for the confirmation of purgatorie, are of late so confuted by many godly and learned men, that it is maruaile our aduersaries will so often repeate them.
But before I leaue this matter, I will here insert this historie following. A certaine Germain being accused by the Inquisitours of heresie (as they terme it) that amongest his companions he denied Purgatorie, contrarie to the common consent of the Catholike Churche, made his answeare thus: If our parish Priest (quoth he) whome I credite very much, preach vnto vs true doctrine in the Pulpet, either there is no Purgatorie at all, or else it is cleane emptie. For hée oftentimes saieth, that Turkes, Iewes, heretikes, and wicked men, goe not into Purgatorie, but straight into Hell fire, from whence they shall neuer bee deliuered: Then that by Pardons whiche are euery where solde for money, many soules are restored to their first perfection. And moreouer, that the Masse is of such force, that there is not one sung in all the world, by whiche one soule at the least is not deliuered out of the flames of Purgatorie. If these things (quoth he) be true, (for I will not go about to refell that which maister Parson hath saide) I will stande in this my opinion. For you doo all complaine, that the nomber of the Catholikes is verie small, the greater part of men being diuided into sundry sectes, and the multitude of Epicures daily increasing. Then are all mens pursses many times drawne drie by pardoners, which for mony sell their indulgences, that by them the soules of men may bee deliuered out of the torments of Purgatorie. Furthermore, there is no village but there are a great many Masses sung in it, before any one husbandman dieth. What followeth then, but that there is either no Purgatorie, or one vtterly voyde and emptie? When the Inquisitors (who knew very well that their men commonly taught such doctrine) heard these things, they were amazed, and taking aduise togither, they all berated him for occupying his head about questions nothing appertaining vnto him, which they commaunded him to leaue vnto Diuines, and to follow his owne businesse.