A Disputacion of Purgatorye

Johan Frith vnto the Christen Reader.

GRace and peace be with the christen reader. I am sure there are manye that will moch mer uel and counte it a greate presumpcion that I beinge so yon ge and of so smalle lerninge dare attēpte to dispute this matter agēst these thre personages of the which numbre two / that is to saye my 〈…〉 de of Rochestre ād Sir thomas More / are aun cient mē both of greate witte and dignite. Notwithstondinge I wil desire them pacientlye 〈…〉 heare mine answere / not aduertysinge who speaketh the wordes but rathere what is sayed. And [1. Tim. 4.] as concerninge myne youth / let them remembre what paule monischeth. 〈…〉. Timo. 〈…〉. willinge that Timothens shuld instrude the congregacion and that no man shulde despice his youthe for as the sprete of god is boūde to no place / euē so is he not addicre to any age or person / but enspireth when he will and where he wil makin 〈…〉 the yonge to se visiōs & espye the truth / and ◊he eldres to dreame dreames and to wandre in phantasyes Ades. 2. Joe◊. 2. [〈◊〉 . 2.]

And as touchinge my l◊ninge I must nedes aknowiege (as the truth is) that it is verysmal / neuerthelesse that litle (as I am bounde / haue [1. Lo. 12] I determed / by goddes grace) to bestowe to the edefyinge of christes congregaciō which I praye god to encrease in the knowlege of his worde.

I wolde not that any man shulde admitte my wordes or lerninge / excepte they will stonde with the scripture and be approued therbye. Laye them to the touchstone ād trye them with goddes worde. If they be founde false ād countrefaite / then dampne them / and I shall also reuo◊e them with all myne harte. But if the scripture alowe them / that you can not denye but it so is / then reciste not the doctrine of god / but knowlege youre ignoraunce and seduccion and retourne gladlye in to the right waye. For if you can not improue it by goddes worde / and yet / of an hate and malicious minde that you beare vnto the truth laboure to resist it and cō 〈…〉 it that it shulde not sprede: I ensure you youre sinne is ◊remissible and euen agenst the holye gost / and the bloude of them that perish [〈◊〉 . 33.] for faute of enstruccion shalbe requyred on youre handes.

◊araduenture some of you will saye that youre fathers and olde 〈…〉 with many holye men and doctoureo haue so heleued / & that therfore you will abyde by the olde. I answere: The wayes and iudgementes of god are m◊ruelous / who 〈…〉 whethere god haue suffered his 〈…〉 to erre and be seduced for a 〈…〉 / to the 〈…〉 that the vnfaithfull which wold not beleue the truth but had pleasure in iniquite might st◊ble at their erroure in to their [1. 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 .] 〈…〉 confusion and ruyne? Although a mā be neuer so faithfull and holye / yet is there moch imperf◊ction in him as longe as he is included in this mortall bodye / how be it it is not imputed vnto him / but thorow the faith in christes bloude hoellye pacefyed and forgeuen. And therfore it is not sure that we folowe their exterior workes or other imaginacions / but let vs euer conferre them vnto the pure worde of god / and as the 〈…〉 testefyeth so let 〈…〉 th◊.

〈…〉 lorde of Rochestre doth testefye him silfe writinge vppō the. 〈…〉. article / that there are manye poyntes both of the gospels and other scriptures which are now discussed more 〈…〉 lye / and more clerelye vnderstondē then they haue bene in tymes past. And addeth furthermore that there are diuerse places ī scripture yet sum deale darke / which he douteth not but that they shalbe more open and light vnto our◊ posterite / for why shall we despayre of that (sayeth he) sith that the scripture is for that entent lefte with vs that it maye be vnderstonde of vs exactlye and to the vttmost poynte? Of this maye you euidentl◊e perceaue that ◊he olde fathers and holye doctoures haue not sene all the truth. But sumwhat is also lefte / thorow the hye prouision of god / to be discussed of their successoures. And therfore is it not mete that we streyght wayes cleaue vnto their wordes with out any further enserchinge the scriptures / but we must examine all thinges by the scriptures although. S. Paule or Peter shulde preach it vnto vs / as we se experience Actes. xvij. that [Actes. 17.] when Paule preached / the audience daylye serched the scriptures whether it were as he sayed But you haue bene of longe continuaunce secluded from the scriptures / which is the cause of such grosse erroures as ye are now fallen in / so that ye coulde neyther serch them / nor yet once loke on them. Alas what blindnes doth occupye oure ey◊s? Are ye so childishe to beleue that the same worde which hath made the vnfaithfull and heretikes / faithfull and christen in tymes past / is now so farre altered that it shulde cause the faithfull and christen to become he reti◊es? I praye god open youre eyes. How be it we maye now wel tast at oure fingres endes that we haue longe bene in that miserable case that Paule prophesyed vppon vs. ij. Thessalo. ij. that god hath sent vs stronge delusions because [〈◊〉 . Thes. 2] we wolde not receave the knowlege of the truth: what greater delusion can we haue / then to thinke that the verye worde of god / which was writen for oure comforte / which is the verye fode and sastenaunce of oure soules / which is the sure metyarde and perfeyte touchstone that iudgeth and examineth all thinges: [Rom. 15] to thinke (I saye) that this holesome worde shulde be oure poyson and condempnacyon?