That barbarous impostor (as dMolanus rightly styleth him) who counterfeited a letter, as written by S. Cyril Bishop of Jerusalem unto S. Augustin, touching the miracles of S. Hierome, taketh upon him to lay down the precise time of the first arising of this sect ⟨p. 223⟩among the Grecians in this manner. eAfter the death of most glorious Hierome, a certain heresy or sect arose amongst the Grecians, and came to the Latins also, which went about with their wicked reasons to prove: that the souls of the blessed until the day of the general Judgment, wherein they were to be joined again unto their bodies, are deprived of the sight and knowledge of God, in which the whole blessedness of the Saints doth consist; and that the souls of the damned in like manner until that day are tormented with no pains. Whose reason was this: that as the soul did merit or sin with the body; so with the body was it to receive rewards or pains. Those wicked sectaries also did maintain, that there was no place of Purgatory wherein the souls, which had not done full penance for their sins in this world, might be purged. Which pestilent sect getting head, so great sorrow fell upon us, that we were even weary of our life. Then he telleth a wise tale, how S. Hierome, being at that time with God, for the confutation of this new-sprung heresy, raised up three men from the dead (after that he had first fled their souls into Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell; to the end they might make known unto all men the things that were done there:) but had not the wit to consider, that S. Cyril himself had need to be raised up, to make the fourth man among them. for how otherwise should he, who dyed thirty years before S. Hierome (as is known to every one that knoweth the history of those ⟨p. 224⟩times) have heard and written the news which those three good fellows, that were raised by S. Hierome after his death, did relate concerning Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory? Yet is it nothing so strange to me (I confess) that such idle dreams as these should be devised in the times of darkness, to delude the world withal: as that now in the broad day light, gBinsfeldius and hSuarez, and other Romish merchants should adventure to bring forth such rotten stuff as this, with hope to gain any credit of antiquity thereby unto the new erected staple of Popish Purgatory.
That barbarous impostor (as dMolanus rightly styleth him) who counterfeyted a letter, as written by S. Cyrill Bishop of Ierusalem unto S. Augustin, touching the miracles of S. Hierome, taketh upon him to lay down the precise time of the first arising of this sect ⟨p. 223⟩among the Grecians in this maner. eAfter the death of most glorious Hierome, a certaine heresie or sect arose amongst the Grecians, and came to the Latines also, which went about with their wicked reasons to prove: that the soules of the blessed untill the day of the generall Iudgment, wherein they were to be joyned againe unto their bodies, are deprived of the sight and knowledge of God, in which the whole blessednesse of the Saincts doth consist; and that the soules of the damned in like maner untill that day are tormented with no paines. Whose reason was this: that as the soule did merit or sinne with the body; so with the bodie was it to receive rewards or paines. Those wicked sectaries also did maintaine, that there was no place of Purgatory wherein the soules, vvhich had not done full penance for their sinnes in this world, might be purged. Which pestilent sect getting head, so great sorrow fell upon us, that we were even weary of our life. Then he telleth a wise tale, how S. Hierome, being at that time with God, for the confutation of this new-sprong heresie, raysed up three men from the dead (after that hee had first fledd their soules into Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell; to the end they might make known unto all men the things that were done there:) but had not the witt to consider, that S. Cyrill himselfe had need to be raysed up, to make the fourth man among them. for how otherwise should he, who dyed thirtie yeares before S. Hierome (as is knowne to every one that knoweth the history of those ⟨p. 224⟩times) have heard and written the newes which those three good fellowes, that were raised by S. Hierome after his death, did relate concerning Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory? Yet is it nothing so strange to me (I confesse) that such idle dreames as these should be devised in the times of darknesse, to delude the world withall: as that now in the broad day light, gBinsfeldius and hSuarez, and other Romish merchants should adventure to bring forth such rotten stuffe as this, with hope to gaine anie credite of antiquitie thereby unto the new erected staple of Popish Purgatory.
- dJo. Molan. histor. Imag. lib. 3. cap 36.Io. Molan. histor. Imag. lib. 3. cap 36.
- ePostobitu• gloriosissimi Hieronymi, qua•dam haeresis inter Graecos, id est, secta surrexit, quae ad Latinos usque devenit, quae suis nefandis nitebatur rationibus probare: quòd animae beatorū usque ad universalis judicii diē, in quo eorum corporibus erant iterum conjungendae, vision & cognitione divinâ, in quâ tota constitit beatitudo sanctorū, privabuntur; & damnatorū animae similiter ad diem illum nullis cruciabuntur poenis. Quorum ratio talis erat; Sicut anima cum corpore meruit vel peccavit, ita cum corpore recipit proemia sive poenas. Asserebant etiam illius sectae nequissimi, nullum fore purgatorij locum in que animae, quae nondum de suis peccatis in mundo plenam egissent poenitentiam, purgarentur. Quâ quidem sectaâ pestiferâ crebrescente, tantus in nos dolor irruit, ut nos ampliùs pigeret vivere. Pseudo-Cyrillus, tom. 2. operum Augustini, epist 206. & sub finem tomi 4. operum Hieronymi edit. Basil. vel 9. ut á Mariano Victorio •omi sunt dispositi.Postobitu• gloriosissimi Hieronymi, qua•dam haeresis inter Graecos, id est, secta surrexit, quae ad Latinos usque devenit, quae suis nefandis nitebatur rationibus probare: quòd animae beatorū usque ad universalis judicii diē, in quo eorum corporibus erant iterum conjungendae, visione & cognitione divinâ, in quâ tota constitit beatitudo sanctorū, privabuntur; & damnatorū animae similiter ad diem illum nullis cruciabuntur poenis. Quorum ratio talis erat; Sicut anima cum corpore meruit vel peccavit, ita cum corpore recipit proemia sive poenas. Asserebant etiam illius sectae nequissimi, nullum fore purgatorij locum in que animae, quae nondum de suis peccatis in mundo plenam egissent poenitentiam, purgarentur. Quâ quidem sectaâ pestiferâ crebrescente, tantus in nos dolor irruit, ut nos ampliùs pigeret vivere. Pseudo-Cyrillus, tom. 2. operum Augustini, epist 206. & sub finem tomi 4. operum Hieronymi edit. Basil. vel 9. ut á Mariano Victorio •omi sunt dispositi.
- fNam (ut mihi postmodùm interroganti dixerunt) beatus Hieronymus eos conduxerat secum in Paradisum, Purgatorium, & Infernum: ut quae ibi agebantur, patefacerent universis. Ibid.
- g•isfeld. de condition animr. post mortē, sect 5.
