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Of the Purging of Sins

1. And by what meanes are sinnes purged?

HEere, first of all, it is out of controuersie, that Christ is vnto vs a1 propitiatour, and that Lambe 2 of God that taketh awaie the sinnes of the world, who only could deserue for vs remission of sinnes, & make purgation of the same.

Then is it most certaine, that God doth purifie mennes hearts by Faith, as3 S. PETER saith, because that without Faith (which is the dore and foundation of mans saluation) none can obtain, or hope for remission, or purging of their sinnes. And as touching Faith, they are vtterly destitute4 therof, who not consenting with the Faith of the Church, doe with a certaine vaine5 confidence promise vnto themselues, and others, remission of sinnes, and grace of Iustification through Christ.

But they that perseuering in the Faith and vnitie of the Church, doe desire to bee deliuered from their sinnes: haue many waies proposed vnto them in Scripture for the taking away of their6 sinnes, amongest which, the principall is the Sacrament of Penance. Which beeing despised, it is to no purpose to vse any7 other remedies for deadly sinnes. For this hath Christ the Phisician of soules ordained, not onely as a present, but also as a necessary medicine, to bee of force against any leaper of sin whatsoeuer: & commending the same, he hath said to the Priests: Whose 8 sins you shall remit, they are remitted them.

Secondlie, sinnes are cleansed and purged by Almes: because it is written: Almes 9 deliuereth from all sinne and from death; and will not suffer a soule to goe into darkenesse. Therefore the Prophet giueth this admonition:10 Redeeme thy sinnes with Almes, and thy iniquities with the mercies of the poore.

Thirdly, sins are remitted, when, although wee haue beene neuer so much wronged: yet we do forgiue our brother the offence: our Lorde haueing saide: If 11 you will forgiue men their offences, your heauenly Father will forgiue you also your offences.

Fourthlye, the same effecte is wrought, when by admonishing our brother that sinneth, we doe winne him, and bring him to amendment, as it is written: He 12 which maketh a sinner to be conuerted from the error of his way, shall saue his soule from death, and couereth a multitude of sinnes.

Fiftely, hereunto belongeth the aboundance of syncere Charitie, which is very puissant & mightie to obtain & accomplishe al good things: For which it is said of MARY MAGDALEN: Many 13 sinnes are forgiuen her, because shee loued much. For 14 Charity couereth the multitude of sins.

Sixtly, hereunto is auaileable the Sacrifice of a contrit15 hart, which God neuer despiseth, & an humble knowledg of a mans selfe, & confession of his sins. For our Lord hath respect 16 vpon the praier of the humble, and doth not despise their petitions: In somuch that hereupon holy DAVID also testifieth of him selfe;17 I haue saide: I will confesse against my selfe my iniustice vnto our Lorde, and thou hast remitted the impietie of my sinne. And S. IHON generally to al that doe truely confesse promiseth this grace:18 If we confesse our sinnes saith he, he is faithfull and iust for to forgiue vs our sins, & to cleanse vs from all iniquitie. Therefore the Niniuites 19 when they did earnestlye perseuer in workes of humilitie and Penance; appeased the present wrathe of God, and turned away the imminent destruction of their Cittie and cuntrey. And therefore of them we reade it thus written: God 20 sawe their workes, because they were turned from their euill waies: & God tooke compassion of the euill which he had spoken that he would doe to then, & did it not.

Thus finally we learne by the testimonie of holy Scripture, that by21 these, & other meanes & offices of true pietie done by the grace of Christ; this effecte is wrought, that the sinnes of faithfull penitents in the Church (as wee saide before) are purged and taken away: in regard whereof the Apostle warneth: Hauing 22 therefore these promises, my dearest, let vs cleanse our selues from all inquination of the fleshe and spirit perfiting sanctification in the feare of God. And with no lesse vehemencie speaketh S. IAMES23 Cleanse saith he, your handes you sinners: & purifie your hartes you double of minde. Be miserable and mourne, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and ioy into sorow. Be humble in the sight of our Lorde, and he will exalte you. For it is not sufficient for a man to amende his manners, & to leaue his misdedes: (that we may againe vse the wordes24 of S. AVGVSTINE) Vnlesse by the sorow of penance, by the sighings of humilitie, and by the sacrifice of a contrite harte, together with the cooperation of almes; satisfaction he made to God, for those thinges also that haue bene committed. Otherwise who so shall knowe that any mortall sinnes doe beare sway in him, as the same25 Saint writeth, except he worthely amende himselfe & (if he haue space) doe penance along time, and giue large almes, & refraine from the sinnes themselues: he cannot be purged with that transtorie fire whereof the Apostle 26 hath spoken but shall be tormented without any redresse in the euerlasting flame. For not deadly sinnes, but litle sinnes are purged and clensed after this life.

2. And what conceipte ought we to haue of litle sinnes?

27THis surelie, that such lighter sinnes, as, the wandering of the minde, an idle worde, immoderate laughter, and such like, which are called quotidian, or veniall sinnes, and without the which this life is not past ouer, for in 28 many thinges we offend all; as we also noted before: although they are not deadly, and do seeme litle in outward apparance; yet they are not to bee29 contemned. For somuch as they displease God, or (as S. PAVL speaketh) they30 contristate the holy Ghost, they darken and obscure the conscience, they diminish the feruour of charitie, and they doe hinder the proceeding of vertues, & drawe a man often times to greater vices and dangers. For which cause it is written: He that 31 despiseth litle thinges, shall by little and little fall. He 32 that loueth danger, shal perish in it. He 33 that shall sinne in one thing, shall lose many good thinges.

Therefore these blottes & filthes of the soule, as much as may be, are to bee eschewed: for as wee reade:34 There shall not enter into the Heauenly Ierusalem any polluted thing. And except they be washed away in this life, they doe burden a man after35 his death, and cannot certes be cleansed without the bitter paines of Purgatorie fire. Which fire although it be not euerlasting; yet, if wee beleeue36 Sainte. AVGVSTINE, It is more sharpe & grieuous, than whatsoeuer a man can suffer in this life.

3. What then are the remedies to purge the lighter sorte of sinnes?

FOR the washing away of such filthes of the soule in this life; the Primitiue Church hath37 acknowledged and vsed these remedies. An humble accusation of a mans selfe: our Lords praier: knocking of the Breaste: & other the like deuoute exercises, either towardes God, or towardes our neighbour, and afflictions of the bodie, voluntarilie and deuoutlie vndertaken. Which remedies, wise men certes so much the more willingly and seriously doe imbrace, by how much they doe more perfectly knowe, & more diligently waigh and consider the seuerity of Gods Iustice in38 reuenging of sinne. Which may be expressely shewed euen by that one dreadful speach of Christ: I say vnto you 39 that euery idle word that men shal speake, they shall render an account for it in the day of iudgement: Also by that speeche of S. PETER:40 The iust man shall scarce be saued. Insomuch that for this cause IOB a man otherwise. Iust and Innocent hath saide: I did 41 feare all my workes knowing that thou didest not spare him that sinneth. And the Apostle Saint PAVL: It is 42 horrible to fall into the handes of the liuing God: But 43 if we did iudge our selues (as the same Apostle warneth vs) wee shoulde not bee iudged. Therefore,44 Blessed is that man that is alwaies fearefull: but he that is of a hard heart shall fall into euill.

4. Is it sufficient to abstaine from sinne?

CHristian Iustice,45 whereof wee haue hitherto treated, proposeth two partes, and as equally necessary commendeth them vnto vs, in these wordes: Decline 46 from euill, and doe good. As also S. PAVL teacheth: Hating 47 euill & cleaueing to good. Therefore It is not sufficient, as48 S. AVGVSTINE hath plainely saide; to abstaine from euill: except that be done which is good: and it is a small matter to hurt no man, except thou doest endeuour to doe good to many. Wherefore, hauing nowe finished after our manner, the first part of Iustice, which prohibiteth euills; it followeth nowe, that by the helpe of Christ we go foreward to speake of the other part also, which consisteth in the pursute of those thinges which are good.

Footnotes

  1. Ro. 3, 24. 1. Io. 2, 1. & 4, 10. & 1, 7. ↩

  2. Io. 1, 36. Mat. 1, 21. 1. Cor. 1, 30. 1. Tim. 2, 5. Heb. 1, 3. & 9, 12. Act. 4, 12. ↩

  3. Act. 15, 9. Heb. 11, 1.6. Gal. 2, 16. & 3, 8. Rom. 3, 24. Luc. 7, 50. Ephes. 2, 8. Trid. sess. 6. cap. 8. ↩

  4. Aug. tra. 67. in Ioan. Leo. ser. 4. de Nat. Dom. ↩

  5. See before of presumption. pag. 315. ↩

  6. Orig. ho. 2. in Leuit. Aug. l. 2. cont. Cres. cap. 12. Chry. Conc. 4. de Lazar. in finc. & ho. 6. in Io. ↩

  7. See before of the Sacrament of Penance. pag. 196. ↩

  8. Io. 20, 22 ↩

  9. Tob. 4, 8. & 12, 8. Eccli. 3, 15.33 Pro. 13, 8. & 15, 27. & 16, 6. Luc. 11, 41. ↩

  10. Dan. 4, 24 Esa. 1, 17.18. Heb. 13, 16. See after of Almes. ↩

  11. Mat. 6, 14. Luc. 6, 37. Mar. 11, 25. Eccli. 28, 2. ↩

  12. Iac. 5, 20 ↩

  13. Luc. 7, 47 ↩

  14. Pro. 10, 12. 1. Pet. 4, 8. ↩

  15. Ps. 50, 19. Luc. 18, 13. Mat. 18, 32. Eccli. 21, 1. ↩

  16. Psal. 101, 18. ↩

  17. Psal. 31, 5. ↩

    1. Io. 1, 9.
    ↩

  19. Ionae. 3, 5 Mat. 12, 41. Luc. 11, 32. 3. Reg. 21, 29. Sap. 11, 24. Cypr. ep. 40.8.26. ↩

  20. Ione. 5, 10. Num. 25, 11 Psal. 105, 30. ↩

  21. Pro. 10, 2 Act. 8, 22. 2. Cor. 7, 10. ↩

    1. Cor. 7, 1. 2 Tim. 2, 19.21.
    ↩

  23. Iac. 4, 8. Ezec. 18, 27. ↩

  24. Hom 50 ex 50. cap. 5. & in Ench. cap. 70. & Cypr. de lapsis in fine & others as before of Satisfaction pag. 209. ↩

  25. Se 41. de Sanctus. ↩

    1. Cor. 5, 15. Aug. lib, 16. ex 50. Ench. ca. 67. & de fid. & op. ca. 16. & quaest. 1. ad Dulcitium.
    ↩

  27. Aug. Ench. cap. 78. & li. 21. ciu. 5.27. Isid. lib. 2. de sum. bo. c. 18 ↩

  28. Iac. 3, 2. 1. Io. 1, 8. Eccles. 7, 21. Pro. 24, 16. Psal. 31, 6. ↩

  29. Aug. de 10. chord. c. 11. & in Pse. 129. ser. 244. de temp. & tr. 12. in Ioan. ↩

  30. Eph. 4, 30 Chry. ho. 87. in Mat. & 8. in 1. Cor. & in ser. de leuium peccatorum periculis. Bern. ser. 1. de conuers. Pauli. et in tract. de praecepto & dispens. c. 14. ↩

  31. Eccli. 19, 1. ↩

  32. Ibid. 3, 27. ↩

  33. Eccles. 9, 18. ↩

  34. Apoc. 21, 27. Psal. 14, 2. & 23, 4. ↩

  35. See aboue of Satisfaction. page. 215. ↩

  36. In Psal. 37. & ser. 41. de Sanctis. Greg. in 3. Ps. poenit. ↩

  37. Aug. ep. 108. Ench. c. 71. 72. in Io. tract. 12. ser. 41. de Sanct. lib. 21. ciu. c. 27. & ho. 50 ex 50. ca. 13. Conc. Tolet. 4. can. 9. ↩

  38. Iob. 24, 12. Prosp. in sent Aug. c. 210. Aug. in Ps. 58 ↩

  39. Mat. 12, 36. ↩

    1. Pet. 4, 18.
    ↩

  41. Iob. 9, 28. ↩

  42. Heb. 10, 31. ↩

    1. Cor. 11, 31.
    ↩

  44. Pro. 28, 14. ↩

  45. Bern. ser. 34. ex paruis. Chrys. in Ps. 4. & ho. 16. in ep. ad Ephes. Aug. serm. 59. de temp. ↩

  46. Ps. 36, 27. & 33, 15. & ibid. Aug. ↩

  47. Ro. 12, 9. 1. Pet. 3, 10.11. Tob. 4, 13. Esa. 1, 16. Eccli. 3, 32. Col. 3, 8. Ephes. 4, 16.17.20. Iac. 4, 17. Mat. 3, 10. & 7, 19. ↩

  48. In sent. Prosp. c. 86. Aug. lib. 19. ciu. cap. 14. ↩

Chapter 23 of 36