Works of Joseph Hall, Section 44
SECTION XLIV.
YOur next accuſation is more ingeniouſly malicious;The practiſes of the Church of England cō cerning the funerals of the Dead. our Doctrine you grant contrary to Purgatory: but you will fetch it out of our practiſe, that we may build that which we deſtroy: Let vsus therfore purge our ſelues from your Purgatory: We abſolue men dying excommunicate; a rare practiſe, and which yet I hauehave not liued to ſee: but if Law-makers contemne rare occurrents, ſurely accuſers doe not: Once is too much of an euill: Marke then; Doe we abſolue his Soule after the departure? No: what hath the body to doe with Purgatory? Yet for the body: doe we by any abſolution ſeeke to quit it from ſinne? Nothing leſſe: reaſon it ſelfe giues vsus, that it is vncapable either of ſinne or pardon; To lie vnburied, or to be buried vnſeemly, is ſo much a puniſhment, that the Heathens obiected it (though vponupon the hauocke and fury of Warre) to the Chriſtians: as an argument of Gods neglect. All that Authoritie can doe to the dead Rebell, is to put his carcaſſe to ſhame, and deny him the honour of ſeemely ſepulture: Thus doth the Church to thoſe that will die in wilfull contempt. Thoſe Grecian virgins that feared not death,Aug. de Ciu. l. 2. Athenienſes decreuerunt ne ſiquis ſe interfeciſſet ſepeliretur in agro attico, &c. were yet refrained with the feare of ſhame …ter death: it was a reall, not imaginary curſe of Iezabel; The dogs ſhall eat Iezabel. Now the abſolution (as you call it, by an vnproper; but malicious name) is nothing elſe, but a liberty giuen by the Church (vponupon repentance ſignified of the fault of the late offender) of all thoſe externall Rites of decent Funerall: Death it ſelfe is capable of inequality, and vnſeemelineſſe: Suppoſe a iuſt Excommunication: What reaſon is it, that he which in his life and death would be as a Pagan, ſhould be as a Chriſtia… in his buriall? What is any, or all this to Purgatory?
The next intimation of our Purgatory, is our Chriſtian buriall, in the place, in the manner: The place, holy ground, the Church, Churchyard, &c. The manner, Ringing Singing, Praying ouer the corps. Thus therefore you argue; We bury the body in the Church, or Churchyard, &c. therefore we hold a Purgatory of the Soule; a proofe not leſſe ſtrange than the opinion: We doe neither ſcorne the carcaſſes of our friends, as the old Troglodites: nor with the old Aegyptians reſpect them more, than when they were enformed with a liuing ſoule: but we keepe a meane courſe betwixt both, vſing them as the remainders of dead men,Sleeping-places Coemiteria. Euſeb. l. 7. c. 12. foreign. Splendidiſſimae ſepulturae tradidit. Euſ. l. 7. c. 15 Curatio funeris, conditio ſepulturae, p…npa exequiarum, magis ſunt viu…rum ſolatia quam ſubſidia mortuorum Aug. de ciuit. l. 1. c. 12. Si enim paterna veſtis & annulus tanto charaeſt poſteris, nullo modo ipſa ſpernenda ſunt corpora. Aug. de Ciu. l. 1. c. 13. Orig. cont. Celſ. l. 8. Rationalem animam honorare didicimus, &c. yet as dead Chriſtians: and as thoſe which we hope one day to ſee glorious. We hauehave learned to call no place holy in it ſelfe (ſince the Temple) but ſome more holy in their vſe, than others. The old (foreign) of the Chriſtians, wherein their bodies ſlept in peace, were not leſſe eſteemed of them, than they are ſcorned of you. Galienus thought he did them a great fauour (and ſo they tooke it) when he gaue them the liberty not only of their Churches; but of their former burying places, In the ſame booke Euſebius commends Aſtirius a noble Senator, for his care, and coſt of Marinus his buriall. Of all theſe rites of Funerall, and choice of place, we profeſſe to hold with Auguſtine, that they are onelyonly the comforts of the liuing, not helpes of the dead; yet as Origen alſo teacheth vsus, wee hauehave learned to honour a reaſonable (much more a Chriſtian,) ſoule; and to commit the inſtrument or caſe of it honourably to the graue. All this might hauehave taught our Anſwerer, that we make account of an heauen, of a reſurrection, not of a Purgatory. But we ring hallowed bells for the Soule: Doe not thoſe bells hang in hallowed Steeples too? and doe wee not ring them with hallowed ropes? what fancie is this? If Papiſts were ſo fond of old: their folly and their belles (for the moſt part) are both out of date; wee call them ſoule-belles, for that they ſignifie the departure of the ſoule, not for that they help the paſſage of the ſoule. This is meere Boyes-play. But we pray ouer or for the dead; Doe we not ſing to him alſo? Pardon me, I muſt need… tell you, here is much ſpite, and little wit. To pray for the conf… mation of the glory of all Gods elect: What is it, but Thy kingdome come? How vainly doe you ſeeke a knot in a ruſh, while you cauill at ſo holy a Petition? Goe and learne how much better it is, to call them our Brothers, which are not, in an harmeleſſe ouer-weening, and ouer-hoping of charity: than to call them no brothers, which are, in a proud & cenſorious vncharitablenes: you cannot be content to tell an vntruth, but you muſt face it out: Let any Reader iudge, how farre our practice in this diſſented from our doctrine; would to God in nothing more: Yes (ſaith this good friend) in the moſt other things; our words profeſſe, our deeds denie: at once you make vsus hypocrites, and your ſelues Phariſes. Let all the world know, that the Engliſh Church at Amſterdam profeſſeth nothing which it practiſeth not: we may not be ſo holy, or ſo happy.
Generality is a notable ſhelter of vntruth: Many mo, you ſay, Popiſh deuices, yet name none; No, you cannot. Aduanced aboue all that is called God? ſurely this is a paradoxe of ſlanders: you meant at once to ſhame vsus with falſhood, and to appoſe vsus with Riddles: we ſay to the Higheſt, Whom hauehave we in Heauen but thee? and for earth, your ſelfe hauehave granted we giuegive too much to Princes, (which are earthen Gods (& may come vnderunder Pauls (foreign.) Either name our Deitie, or craue merciemercy for your wrong certainly, though you hauehave not remorſe, yet you ſhall hauehave ſhame.
SEP.
You are far from doing to the Romiſh Idols, as was done to the Aegyptian Idols, MITH… and SERAPIS, whoſe Prieſts were expelled their Miniſterie, and Monuments expoſe… vtter ſcorne and deſolation, their Temples demoliſhed and raced to the very foundation.