A defence of the Apology of the Church of England containing an answer to…A defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande conteininge an answeare to…

In the Sacrament as well of Baptism, as of penance, all the bands of sin are loosed, and the whole everlasting pain due to sin is forgiven. At Baptism no temporal pain is enjoined to us, because Christ most freely bestoweth the benefit of his death upon us at that our first entry into the Church.^‡ But if afterward we abuse his mercy, returning again to filthy sin, Christ would our second, third, and all other reconciliations from thence forth, to be with due satisfaction, not of his dreadful anger, (which only his blood, and the Sacrament of penance, by due contrition and confession in deed or in vow received, is able to remove) but with satisfaction of such temporal pain, as his merciful justice required both of all others from the beginning, and^* namely of King David:³ To whom confessing his fault Nathan said, Our Lord hath put a way thy Sin, thou shalt not die. Behold the forgiveness of the mortal sin, and of the everlasting pain due to the same. But yet so is it forgiven, that withal it is transferred into a temporal satisfaction. What was that? It followeth in the story, that because David through his adultery and murder had caused the enemies of God to blaspheme his holy name, the child borne of the wife of Uriah should surely die. And so it came to pass. If the death of a Son be so grievous a punishment to a good Father, that King David was content to pray, to fast, to lie on the ground, afflicting him self seven days, only to try whether he might as it were by exchange buy out the death of his Son, and yet so could not obtain his desire: we may be most certain, that the very best friends of God, sinning after Baptism (or circumcision, which in the old law stood in place thereof) must by ordinary course satisfy with some temporal affliction that just judgement of our merciful Make and Redeemer, if farther grace be not found by some other way. This satisfaction hath been therefore justly called the third and last part of penance. Which if it be not fulfilled in this life, undoubtedly it shall be straightly exacted in the world to come in the fire of Purgatory.

In the Sacramente as wel of Baptisme, as of penaunce, al the bandes of sinne are loosed, and the whole euerlastinge paine due to sinne is forgeuen. At Baptisme no temporall paine is enioyned to vs, because Christe moste freely bestoweth the benefite of his death vpon vs at that our firste entrie into the Churche.