Chapter XIV. Of Prayers for the Dead, and of Purgatory

Q. What is the meaning of prayers for the dead?

A. Praying for the dead is a practice as ancient as Christianity, received by tradition from the Apostles, as appears by the most certain monuments of antiquity and observed by the Synagogue, or church of God in the Old Testament, as appears from 2 Machab. xii. v^ritten long before Christ's coming, and followed by the Jews to this day; — a practice grounded upon Christian charity, which teaches us to pray for all that are in necessity, and to implore God's mercy for all that are capable of mercy; which we have reason to be convinced is the case of many of our deceased brethren, and therefore we pray for them.

Q. How do you prove that the practice of p«raying for the dead is as ancient as Christianity?

A, From Tertullian, in his book of the Soldier's Crown, chap. 3. written about a hundred years after the death of the Apostles; where he reckons the oblations for the dead upon their anniversary days, amongst the immemorial traditions observed by all Christians: and in his book de Monogamia, chap. 10. where he affirms it to be the duty of a Christian widow to pray for the soul of her husband, and to beg a refreshment for him, and to keep his anniversaries. See St. Cyprian, epist. ^^, Arnobius, I. 4. Eusebius 1. 4. de Vita Constantini, c. 71. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. Mystag. 5. St. Gregory Nazianzen, Orat. 10, &c. Hence, St. John Chrysostom, Hom. 3. upon the Epistle to the Philippians, tells us, that it was ordained by the

Apostles that the dead should be commemorated in the sacred mysteries; and St. Augustine, serm. 32. *de Verbis Apost. J 2.' that it was a practice received from the fathers, and observed by the universal Church. And it appears from St. Epiphanius, Hser, 75. that Arius was ranked amongst the heretics by the Church in the fourth century, for denying that the prayers of the living did the dead any good.

Q. Is it any argument, in favour of prayers for the dead, that it was practised by Judas Machabseus, and by the Jews before the coming of Christ?

A, Yes, a very great argument; first, because this practice is expressly approved in the 12th chapter of the second book of Machabees; which books, by many councils and fathers, are ranked amongst the divine scriptures. Secondly, because the Jews in those days were undoubtedly the people of God. Thirdly, because as Dr. Taylor writes, Lib. of Prophesying, sect. 20. numb. 11. p. 265. ^ We find by the history of the Machabees that the Jews did pray and make offerings for the dead, which also appears by other testimonies, and by their form of prayers, still extant, which they used in the captivity. Now it is very considerable, that since our blessed Saviour did reprove all the evil doctrines and traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees, and did argue concerning the dead and the resurrection against the Saducees, yet he spake no word against this public practice, but left it as he found it; which he who came to declare to us all the will of his Father would not have done, if it had not been innocent, pious, and full of charity.''

Q. But what reason is there to believe, that our prayers can be of any service to the dead?

A. The same reason as there is to believe, that our prayers are of service to the living; Ibr v^hether we consult the scripture, or primilivo tradition, with relation to the pronaises or encouragements given in favour of our prayers, we shall no where find the dead excepted fronn the benefit of thenn; and the perpetual practice of the Church of God, which is the best interpreter of the scripture, has fronn the very beginning ever authorized prayers for the dead, as believing such prayers beneficial to thenn.

Q. But are not they that have past this nnortal life arrived to an unchangeable state of happiness or nnisery, so that they either want not our prayers, or cannot be bettered by them?

A, Some there are, though I fear but few, that have before their death so fully cleared all accounts with the divine Majesty, and washed away all their stains in the blood of the Lamb, as to go straight to heaven after death; and such as those stand not in need of our prayers. Others therQ are, and their numbers are very great, who die in the guilt of deadly sin, and such as these go straight to hell, like the rich glutton in the gospel, St. Luke xvi. and therefore cannot be bettered by our prayers. But, besides these two kinds, there are many Christians, who, when they die, are neither so perfectly pure and clean, as to exempt them from the least spot or stain, nor yet so unhappy as to die under the guilt of unrepented deadly sin. Now, such as these the Church believes to be, for a time, in a middle state, which we call purgatory; and these are they who are capable of receiving benefit by our prayers. For though we pray for all that die in the communion of the Church, because we do not certainly know the particular state in which each one dies, yet we are sensible that our prayers are available for those only that are in this middle state.

Q. But what grounds have you to believe that there is any such place as a purgatory, or middle state of souls?

A. We have the strongest grounds imaginable from all kind of arguments, from scripture, from perpetual tradition, from the authority and declaration of the Church of God, and from reason.

Q. What grounds have you for purgatory from scripture?

A. First, because the scripture teaches us in many places, that it is the fixed rule of God's justice, ' to render to every man according to his works.' See Psalm Ixii. 12. St. Matt. xvi. 27. Romans ii. 6. Rev. xxii. 12, &c. So that according to the works which each man has done in the time of his mortal life, and according to the state in which he is found at the moment of his departure out of this life, he shall certainly receive reward or punishment from God. Hence it evidently follows, that as by this rule of God's justice, they that die in great and deadly sins, not cancel-led by repentance, will be eternally punished in hell; so by the same rule, they that die in lesser or venial sins (which is certainly the case of a great many) will be punished somewhere for a time, till God's justice be satisfied, and this is what we call purgatory.

Secondly, because the scripture assures us, Rev. xxi. 27. that 'there shall in no wise enter into the heavenly Jerusalem any thing that defileth, or that is defiled.' So that if the soul is found to have the least spot or stain, at the time of her departure out of this life, she cannot in that condition go straight to heaven.

Now, how few are there that depart this life, perfectly pure from the dregs and stains, to which we are ever subject in this state of mortality? and yet God forbid that every little spot or stain should condemn the soul to the everlasting torments of hell. Therefore, there must be a middle place for such souls as die under these lesser stains.

Thirdly, because the scripture assures us, St. Matt* xii. 36. that we are to render an account hereafter to the great Judge, even, 'for every word,' that we have spoken; and consequently, every idle word, not cancelled here by repentance, is liable to be punished by God's justice hereafter. Now no one can think that God will condemn a soul to hell for every idle word; therefore there must be another place of punishment for those that die guilty of these little transgressions.

Fourthly, because St. Paul informs us, 1 Cor. iii. 13, 14, 15. that 'every man's work shall be made manifest,' by a fiery trial; and that they who have built upon the foundation, which is Christ, wood, hay, and stubble, (that is, whose works have been very imperfect and defective, though not to the degree of losing Christ) 'shall suffer loss; but themselves shall be saved, yet so as by fire.' Which place cannot be well explained otherwise than by the fire of purgatory.

Fifthly, because our Lord tells us, St. Matt. xii. 32. that 'whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.' Where our Lord (who could not speak any thing absurd, or out of the way) would never have mentioned ' forgiveness in the world to come,' if sins not forgiven in this world could never be forgiven in the world to come. Now if there may be forgiveness of any

Bin whatsoever in the world to come, there must be a middle place or purgatory; for no sin can enter heaven to be forgiven there, and in hell there is no forgiveness.

Add to these texts of scripture the prison mentioned, St. Matt. V. 26. out of which a man 'shall not come till he has paid the uttermost farthing;' and 'the spirits in prison,' to which our Saviour is said to have gone to preach, 1 Pet. iii. 18, 19, 20.

Q. What grounds have you for purgatory from perpetual tradition?

A, Because, as we have seen already, the Jewish Church long before our Saviour's coming, and the Christian Church from the very beginning, have offered prayers and sacrifice for the repose and relief of the faithful departed, as appears from innumerable testimonies of the fathers, and from the most ancient liturgies of all Christian Churches and nations, Romans, Greeks, Syrians, Armenians, Nestorians, Egyptians, Ethiopians," Indians, Mosarbes, &c. Which consent, so ancient and so universal, of all ages and of all nations, before protestantism, is a most convincing argument that this practice came by tradition from the Apostles; and consequently that the belief of a purgatory is an apostolic tradition: for what sense could there be in praying for the repose and relief of the souls of the faithful departed, if there were no middle place, but all went straight to heaven or hell?

Q, What grounds have you for the belief of a purgatory from the authority of the Church?

A. Because the Church of Christ has declared that there is a purgatory, as well by condemning of old Arius for a heretic, for denying that the prayers of the living did the dead any service, as also by the express definitions of her general Coun-

CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. ISS oils. Now the Scripture most evidently teaches us, in many places, that we are to hear and obey the Church, and that Christ and the Holy Ghost will be always with the Church to guide her into all truth, and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. So that what the Church has thus declared can be no error, but must absolutely be a most certain truth.

Q. What grounds have you for the belief of a purgatory from reason?

A. Because reason teaches these two things: first, that every sin, be it ever so small, is an offence of God, and consequently deserves punishment from the justice of God; and therefore that every person that dies under the guilt of any such offence un repented, must expect to be punished by the justice of God. Secondly, that there are small sins, in which a person may happen to die, that are so small, either through the levity of the matter, or for want of a full deliberation in the act, as not to deserve everlasting punishments. From whence it plainly follows, that besides the place of everlasting punishment, which we call hell, there must be also a place of temporal punishment for such as die in those lesser offences, and this we call purgatory.

Q. But does not the blood of Christ sufficiently purify us from all our sins, without any other purgatory?

A. The blood of Christ purifies none that are once come to the use of reason, from any sin without repentance; and therefore such sins as have not been here recalled by repentance, must be punished hereafter, according to their gravity, by the divine Justice, either in hell, if the sins be mortal; o^ if venial, in purgatory.

Q. Do you then think that any repentance can be available after death?

A. No; but God's justice must take place after death, which will render to every man according to his works. So that we do not believe that the repentance of the souls that are in purgatory, or any thing else that they can then do, will cancel their sins; but they must suffer for them till God's justice be satisfied.

Q. Are they not then capable of relief in that state?

A, Yes they are, but not from any thing that they can do for themselves, but from the prayers, alms, and other suffrages offered to God for them by the faithful upon earth, which God in his mercy is pleased to accept of, by reason of that communion which we have with them, by being fellow members of the same body of the church, under the same head, which is Christ Jesus.

Q. But what do you say to that text of scripture, Eccles. xi. 'If the tree fall towards the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth there shall it lie?'

A, I say that it is no way evident that this text has relation to the state of the soul after death; but if it be so understood as to have relation to the soul, it makes nothing against purgatory, because it only proves what no Catholic denies; viz. that when once a soul is come to the south, or to the north, that is to heaven or hell, its state is unchangeable.

Q. But does not the scripture promise rest after death to such 'as die in the Lord,' Rev. xiv. 13.^

A. Yes it does, but then we are to understand, that those are said to die in the Lord, who die for the Lord by martyrdom; or at least those who, at the time of their death, are so happy as to have no debts nor stains to interpose between them and the Lord. As for others who die but imperfectly in the Lord, they shall rest indeed from the labours of this world; but as their works that follow ihem are imperfect, they must expect to ' receive from the Lord according to their works.'

Q, Christ said to the thief upon the cross, St. Luke xxiii. ' this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise;^ what appearance then is there that any one dying in God's grace should go to purgatory?

A. The case of this penitent thief, to whom Christ was pleased to give a full discharge at once of all his sins, was extraordinary, as his faith and confession were extraordinary; and therefore to make a general rule from this particular instance is a bad way of arguing; the more, because we have reason to be convinced, that not one in a thousand dies so perfectly penitent, as to be perfectly purified before death from all the dregs of sin, which was the particular grace granted to this penitent thief.

If you ask me, — what is meant by Paradise in that text, and how the penitent thief could be with Christ that day in Paradise, before our Lord had taken possession of heaven for himself and us, by his resurrection and ascension? I answer, that our Lord descending after death into limbo, to the holy fathers, made that place a Paradise, by manifesting his glory to those happy souls: and this was the Paradise into which he introduced the penitent thief immediately after his death.