A Golden Chain, Section 17
The 17. point. Of Purgatorie.
Our consent.
We hold a Christian Purgatorie, according as the word of God hath set downe the same vntounto vsus. And first of all by this Purgatorie we vnderstand the afflictions of Gods children here on earth. Ier. 3. The people afflicted say, thou hast sent a fire into our bones. Psal. 65.12. We hauehave gone through water and fire. Malach. 3.3. The children of Levi must be purified in a purging fire of affliction. 1. Pet. 1.7. Afflictions are called the fi…rie triall, whereby men are clensed from their corruptions, as golde from the drosse by the fire. Secondly, the blood of Christ is a purgatorie of our sinnes, 1. Ioh. 1.7. Christs blood purgeth vsus from all our sinnes. Heb. 9.14. It purgeth our consciences from dead workes. And Christ baptizeth with the holy Ghost and with fire: because our inward washing is by the blood of Christ: and the holy Ghost is as fire to consume and abolish the inward corruption of nature. To this effect saith Origen,in Levit. l. 9. apud Cyril. Without doubt, we shall feele the vnquenchable fire, vnles we shall now intreat the Lord to send downe from heauen a purgatorie fire vntounto vsus, whereby worldly desires may he vtterly consumed in our mindes. August. Suppose the merciemercy of God is thy purgatorie.de Act. Foelic. c. 21.
The difference or dissent.
We differ from the Papists touching purgatorie in two things. And first of all, for the place. They hold it to be a part of hell into which an entrance is made onelyonly after this life: we for our parts denie it, as hauing no waraant in the word of God: which mentioneth onelyonly two places for men after this life, heauen and hell, with the two-fold condition thereof, ioy and torment, Luk. 16.25, 26. Ioh. 3.36. Apoc. 22.14, 15. and 21.7,8. Matth. 8.11. Nay we finde the contrarie, Reu. 14.13. they that die in the Lord are saide to rest from their l…bours: which can not be true, if any of them goe to purgatorie. And to cut off all cauills: it is further said, their workes, that is, the reward of their workes,Homil. 50. tom. 10. Enchir. cap. 115. de verbis Apost. ser. 31. Lib. 3. in Es. ad pop. Antioch. hom. 22. follow them, euen at the heeles, as an Acoluth or seruant doth his master. Augustine saith well, After this life there remaines no compunction or satisfaction. And, Here is all remission of sinne: here be temptations that mooue vsus to sinne: lastly here is the euill from which we desire to be deliuered: but there is none of all these. And, We are not here without sinne, but we shall goe hence without sinne. Cyril saith, They which are once dead can adde nothing to the things which they hauehave done, but shall remaine as they were left, and waite for the time of the last iudgement. Chrysost. After the ende of this life, there be no occasions of merits.
Secondly, we differ from them touching the meanes of Purgation. They say, that men are purged by suffering of paines in Purgatorie, whereby they satisfie for their veniall sinnes, and for the temporal punishment of their mortall sinnes. We teach the contrarie, holding that nothing can free vsus from the least punishment of the smallest sinne, but the sufferings of Christ, and purge vsus from the least taint of corruption, sauing the blood of Christ. Indeede they say, that our sufferings in themselues considered, doe not purge and satisfie, but as they are made meritorious by the sufferings of Christ: but to this I oppose one text of Scripture, Heb. 1. 3. where it is said, that Christ hath purged our sinnes by himselfe: where the last clause cuts the throat of all humane satisfactions and merits: and it giueth vsus to vnderstand, that whatsoeuer thing purgeth vsus from our sinnes, is not to be found in vsus but in Christ alone: otherwise it should hauehave bin saide, that Christ purgeth the sinnes of men by themselues, as well as by himselfe: and he should merit by his death, that we should become our owne Sauiours in part.
To this place I may well referre praier for the dead: of which I will propound two conclusions affirmatiue, and one negatiue. Conclus. I. We hold that Christian charitie is to extend it selfe to the very dead: and it must shew it selfe in their honest buriall, in the preseruation of their good names, in the helpe and releefe of their posteritie, as time and occasion shall be offered. Ruth 1.8. Ioh. 19.23.
II. Conclus. We pray further in generall manner for the faithfull departed, that God would hasten their ioyfull resurrection, and the full accomplishment of their happines, both for the bodie and the soule: and thus much we aske in saying, Thy kingdome come, that is, not onelyonly the kingdome of grace, but also the kingdome of glorie in heauen. Thus farre we come: but nearer the gates of Babylon we dare not approch.
III. Conclus. To pray for particular men departed: and to pray for their deliuerance out of purgatorie, we thinke it vnlawfull: because we hauehave neither promise nor commandement so to doe.