Chapter VII. Of Purgatory

What is the doctrine of the Church as to this point?

We constantly hold that there is a Purgatory; and that the souls therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful: that is, by the prayers and alms offered for them, and principally by the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

What do you mean by Purgatory?

A middle state of souls which depart this life in God's grace, yet not without some lesser stains or guilt of punishment, which retards them from entering heaven. But as to the particular place where these souls suffer, or the quality of the torments which they suffer, the church has decided nothjng.

What sort of Christians then go to Purgatory?

1st. Such as die guilty of lesser sins, which we commonly call venial; as many Christians do, who, either by sudden death or otherwise, are

40 Of Purgatory.

taken out of this life before they have repented for these ordinary failings. 2ndly. Such as having been formerly guilty of greater sins, have not made full satisfaction for them to the divine justice.

Why do you my, that those who die guilty of lesser sins go to Purgatory?•

Because such as depart this life before they have repented of these venial frailties and imperfections, cannot be supposed to be condemned to the eternal torments of hell, since the sins of which they are guilty are but small, which even God's best servants are more or less liable to. Nor can they go straight to heaven in this state, because the scripture assures us, Rev. xxi. 27, “ There shall in no wise enter thither anything that defileth.” Now every sin, be it ever so small, certainly defileth the soul. Hence our Saviour assures us, that we are to render an account “ even for every idle word." Matt. xii. 36.

Upon what then do you ground your belief of Purgatory?

Upon scripture, tradition, and reason.

How upon Scripture?

Because the scripture in many places assures us, “ that God will render to every one according to his works," Ps. lxii. 12, Matt. xvi. 27, Rom. ii. 6, Revel, xxii. 12. Now this would not be true, if there were no such thing as Purgatory; for how would God render to every one according to his works, if such as die in the guilt of any even the least sin, which they have not taken care to blot out by repentance, would nevertheless go straight to heaven?

Of Purgatory. 41

Hare you any texts which the Fathers and ecclesiastical writers interpret of Purgatory?

Yes; 1 Cor. iii. 13, 14, 15, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest. For the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. And the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon ** (that is* upon the foundation, which is Jesus Christ, ver. 11), “he shall receive a reward. If any man’s works shall be burnt, he shall suffer loss: but he himself 8HALL BE SAVED, YET SO AS BY FIRE.” From which text it appears, that such as both in their faith, and in the practice of their lives, have stuck to the foundation, which is Jesus Christ, so as not to forfeit his grace by mortal sin; though they have otherwise been guilty of great imperfections, by building wood, hay, and stubble (ver. 12), upon this foundation; it appears, I say, that such as these, according to the apostle, must pass through a fiery trial, at the time that “every man’s work shall be made manifest:” which is not till the next life; and that they shall be “ saved ” indeed, “ yet so as by fire,” that is, by passing first through Purgatory.

2ndly. Matt. v. 25, “ Agree with thine adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Yerily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." Which text St Cyprian, one of the most ancient D 2

42 Of Purgatory.

Fathers, understands of the prison of Purgatory Epistle 52, ad Antonianum.

3rdly. Matt. xii. 32, “ Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come/ 1 Which last words plainly imply, that some sins, which are not forgiven in this world, maybe forgiven in the world to come; otherwise, why should our Saviour make any mention of forgiveness in the world to come? Now, if there may be forgiveness of sins in the world to come, there must be a purgatory; for in hell, there is no forgiveness, and in heaven, no sin.

Besides, a middle place is also implied, 1 Pet. iii. 18, 19, 20, where Christ is said, by his spirit to have gone and “ preached to the spirits in prison which some time were disobedient." Which prison could be no other than Purgatory; for as to the spirits that were in the prison of hell, Christ did certainly not go to preach to them.

How do you ground the belief of Purgatory upon Tradition?

Because both the Jexoish Church long before our Saviour's coming, and the Christian Church from the very beginning in all ages and all nations, have offered prayers and sacrifice for the repose and relief of the faithful departed: as appears in regard to the Jews from 2 Machab. xii. where this practice is approved of, which books of Machabees, the church, says St. Augustine, /. 18, de Civ. Dei, c. 36, accounts canonical, though the Jews do not. And in regard to the Christian church, the same is evident from all the Fat hens

• Veneration of Angels and Saints. 43 and the most ancient liturgies. Now such prayers as these evidently imply the belief of a purgatory; for souls in heaven stand in no need of our prayers, and those in hell cannot be bettered by them.

How do you ground the belief of Purgatory upon reason £

Because reason clearly teaches these two things: 1st. That all and every sin, how small soever, deserves punishment. 2ndly. That some sins are so small, either through the levity of the matter, or for want of full deliberation in the action, as not to deserve eternal punishment. From whence it is plain, that besides the place of eternal punishment, which we call hell, there must be also a place of temporal punishment for such as die in lesser sins, and this we call Purgatory.