Answer to Book by Romish Priests, Doctrine 47
XLVII. That there is no Purgatory fire, or other Priſon, wherein Sins may be ſatisfied for, after this life.
Anſwer.
VEry right; and there is nothing either in Scripture or Antiquity to prove it.
The fire ſpoke of, 1 Cor. III. 13.1 Cor. III. 13. is by their own Authors interpreted, to ſignify the fire at the day of Judgment, in the Conflagration of the World. So Menochius and Eſtius expreſsly diſputes againſt the application of this to Purgatory. Nor doth one of the Ancient Fathers, in the Six firſt Centuries ſo underſtand it; but all apply the words to other purpoſes. St. Auſtin in a great many places, particularly in his Enchiridion *Cap. 67, 68. &c.expounds it of the tribulations of this life, and that grief, wherewith a man's mind is ſtung, when he loſes thoſe things which he dearly loves; And hence ſaith, it is not incredible, that ſome ſuch thing may be after this life; but whether it be ſo or no, he leaves it to every ones inquiry. Which demonſtrates, he did not look on this, as an Article of Faith, but as a thing uncertain; and it is certain, underſtood theſe words of St. Paul otherways. And in the place he here mentions, Pſalm 37. it is evident he ſpeaks of the fire at the end of the world, as any one may ſee who will look into it.
The Learned reaſoning (as he eſteems it) of Card. Allen upon XI. John 22.XI. John 22. is ſo frivolous, that it ſhows how impoſſible it is, with all the Learning or Wit in the world, to make good their Cauſe. For Martha's Speech, any one may ſee without much Learning, hath reſpect to the Reſurrection of her Brother out of his Grave, not to Praying for his Soul in Purgatory: Which if ſhe learnt in the Synagogue, we have the leſs reaſon to receive it: Eſpecially if ſhe was then ſo ignorant, as he ſaith ſhe was, that ſhe did not know our Saviour to be the Son of God.
It might be ſufficient to Anſwer to the next place, II. Acts 24.II. Acts 24. that he falſifies our Bible, to make a ſhow of an Argument againſt us, for we Tranſlate thoſe words, God hath raiſed him up, having looſed the pains of death; not as he reports it, the ſorrows of hell. And St. Chryſoſtom, with other of the Ancients, juſtify our Tranſlation, when by the pains of Hades, they underſtand Death; which ſuffered grievouſly by Chriſt's Reſurrection from the dead. Menochius himſelf puts in both words, and ſaith; The pains of death and of hell, are by a Metanymy, moſt grievous pains: So that the ſenſe is, God raiſed up Chriſt, death and hell being overcome, with all the pains that attend it; he looſing, that is, making void whatſoever death had done by its pains and torments. See by what pitiful wreſting of Scripture theſe men maintain their Doctrine: Applying that to Chriſt's looſing others, which is evidently ſpoken of God's looſing him from the bands of death (as the plaineſt meaning is) for it was not poſſible he ſhould be held by it, as the next words explain it.
If thoſe words, baptized for the dead, 1 Cor. XV. 29.1 Cor. XV. 29. afforded ſuch an evident proof, as he pretends, of the help which the Souls departed out of this world, may receive by the Church on Earth, for their deliverance out of Purgatory: It is a wonder that not ſo much as one of the Ancient Interpreters, thought of this ſenſe of the words, among the very many they have given; but every one carry the ſenſe another way. St Chryſoſtom, with many other of the Greek Writers, and ſome of the Latin, expound them of the ſolemn Baptiſm of the Faithful; which is ſaid to be for the dead, becauſe they are all Baptized into the belief of the Reſurrection of the dead. This is a plain and natural Interpretation: Whereas this man's ſenſe of the word Baptized, is violently forc'd and ſtrain'd. For to be Baptized, no where ſignifies to afflict ones ſelf, or to do penance. Our Saviour indeed ſaith he had a baptiſm to be baptized withal: But he doth not call any ſort of afflictions by this name, much leſs ſpeaks of afflicting himſelf, but of his ſuffering death. And if we thus underſtand the word Baptize in this place of the Apoſtle; Guillandus, a Doctor of his own Church (to name none of ours) hath given this probable Interpretation of thoſe who were Baptized for the dead; that they were ſuch, as did not ſtick to ſuffer Martyrdom, for the defence of their belief of the Reſurrection of the dead.
There are very few Scholars in the Roman Church, who adventure to alledge XVI. Luke 9. for a proof of Purgatory. XVI. Luk. 9.For it is manifeſt, ſaith Maldonate, That the Poor, are the friends, who are to receive us into everlaſting habitations. That is, we ſhall be received thither, for our Charity to them. And in this he ſays, all Authors conſent, except St. Ambroſe, whoſe ſingular opinion it is, that they are the Holy Angels, which is deſervedly rejected by all: And yet this poor Creature follows that rejected opinion; (elſe why doth he quote St. Ambroſe)? though it makes nothing for his purpoſe; Which is to prove, not what Angels, but what we on earth can do for the help of the dead. After the like ſenſeleſs manner he alledgeth St. Auſtin, who ſaith not a word of Purgatory in the place he names: But mentioning a double order of thoſe that ſhall be ſaved, he ſaith, ſome have lived in ſuch ſanctity, that they may help their friends to be received into everlaſting habitations; and others lived not ſo well, as to have been ſufficient to attain ſo great a bleſſedneſs, unleſs they had obtained mercy by the Merits, that is, the Prayers (as Bellarmine acknowledges) of their Friends. Now what is this to Purgatory? Unleſs it can be proved that there is no way to receive Mercy from God, but by paſſing through that fire, of which he ſaith nothing. How the word fail in this Text, inforceth, as he fancies, receiving ſuccor after death, I cannot conceive. For it ſignifies our dying, as Menochius himſelf expounds it; departing this life, as Theophylact, who knew of no other ſenſe, unleſs it be underſtood, ſaith he, of Puſillanimity being condemn'd.
Nor doth St. Auſtin in the next place, XXIII. Luke 44. ſay that Souls may be holpen in Purgatory: But expreſly declares, if no ſin were to be remitted in the laſt judgment, our Lord would not have ſaid of a cert…in ſin, it ſhall not be remitted in this world, nor in the world to come. Which the Thief hoped for, when he Prayed, Lord remember me when thou comeſt into thy kingdom. And if the Theif had any ſuch erroneous Notion in his head (which we do not believe) of going to Purgatory, when he died; our Lord preſently freed him from that falſe conceit, by that gracious promiſe, This day ſhalt thou be with me in Paradice.
It is a lamentable Cauſe which muſt be ſupported by ſuch an Author as Jaſon of Cyrene, whoſe Book is of no credit. But if it were, the place he cites, 2 Maccab. XII. 44, 45. proves nothing but Prayer for the dead, which doth not infer a Purgatory. For the Greeks uſe Prayer for the dead, who believe nothing of Purgatory. And indeed the Text it ſelf tells us, their Prayers had reſpect, not to the deliverance of thoſe Prayed for out of the flames of Purgatory, but to their Reſurrectien: And if they had believed Purgatory, they could not, according to the Popiſh opinion, have prayed for theſe men who died in mortal Sin; being defiled by things belonging to Idols, which were found under their Garments. Now the Romiſh Church doth not admit ſuch people as die in mortal Sin, into Purgatory. See how weak all their proofs are, of this great Article of their Faith. For there is no greater ſtrength to be found in the reſt of his Texts, which he hath jumbled together, after a very ſtrange faſhion, as if a long row of Chapters and Verſes would do his buſineſs. Nor did the Fathers in the Six firſt Ages, know any thing of this Doctrine. Gregory indeed, called the Great, began to talk of it, and laid the foundation of it: But his Authority is not great, being much addicted to Fables, and relying upon pretended Revelations, Viſions, and Apparitions. And as for Origen's Purgatory, St. Auſtin ſaith,*De haereſ. …. 43. What Catholick Chriſtian is there, whether learn'd or unlearn'd, who doth not vehemently abhor it? And yet this man is not aſhamed to alledge his Teſtimony; by which the Reader may make a judgment of the reſt.