XXII. ART. by that example, from the like fin; and he made a collection of a fum of money, and fent it to Jerufalem to offer a fin-offering before the Lord. So far the matter agrees well enough with the Jewith difpenfation. It had appeared in Joshua vii. the days of Joshua, how much guilt the fin of Achan, though but one perfon, had brought upon the whole congregation; and their law had upon another occafion prefcribed a fin-offering for the whole congregation, to expiate blood that was fhed, when the murderer could not be discovered: that fo the judgments of God might not come upon them, by reafon of the cry of that blood. And by a parity of reafon, Judas might have offered fuch an offering to free himfelf and his men from the guilt which the idolatry of a few might have brought upon greater numbers; fuch a facrifice as this might, according to the nature of that law, have been offered: but to offer a fin-offering for the dead, was a new thing without ground, or any intimation of any thing like it in their law. So there is no reafon to doubt, but that, if the ftory is true, Judas offered this fin-offering for the living, and not for the dead. If they had been alive then, by their law no fin-offering could have been made for them; for idolatry was to be punished by cutting off, and not to be expiated by facrifice: what then could not have been done for them if alive, could much lefs be done for them after their death. So we have reason to conclude that Judas offered this facrifice only for the living: and we are not much concerned in the opinion which fo flight a writer, as the author of that book, had concerning it. But whatever might be his opinion, it was far from that of the Roman Church. By this inftance of the Maccabees, men who died in a ftate of mortal fin, and that of the higheft nature, had facrifices offered for them: whereas, according to the doctrine of the Church of Rome, Hell, and not Purgatory, is to be the portion of all fuch: fo this will prove too much, if any thing at all, that facrifices are to be offered for the damned. The defign of Judas's fending to make an offering for them, as that writer ftates it, was, that their fins might be forgiven, and that they might have a happy refurrection. Here is nothing of redeeming them out of mifery, or of fhortening or alleviating their torments: fo that the author of that book feems to have been poffeffed with that opinion, received commonly among the Jews, that no Jew could finally perish; as we find St. Jerome expreffing himself with the like partiality for all Chriftians. But whatever the author's opinion was, as that book is of no authority, it is highly probable probable that Judas's defign in that oblation was mifun- ART. derstood by the hiftorian; and we are fure that even his XXII. fense of it differs totally from that of the Church of Rome. 10. to 16. A paffage in the New Teftament is brought as a full 1 Cor. iii. proof of the fire of Purgatory. When St. Paul in his from ver. Epiftle to the Corinthians is reflecting on the divifions that were among them, and on that diverfity of teachers that formed men into different principles and parties, he compares them to different builders. Some raised upon a rock an edifice like the temple at Jerufalem, of gold and filver, and noble ftones, called precious ftones; whereas others upon the fame rock raised a mean hovel of wood, bay, and flubble; of both, he fays, every man's work fhall be made manifeft. For the day fhall reveal it; because it fhall be revealed by fire; for the fire fhall try every man's work of what fort it is. And he adds, If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, be shall receive a reward; and if any man's work fhall be burnt, he fball fuffer lofs; but he himself fhall be faved, yet fo as by fire. From the firft view of these words it will not be thought ftrange if fome of the ancients, who were too apt to expound places of Scripture according to their firft appearance, might fancy, that at the laft day all were to pafs through a great fire; and to fuffer more or lefs in it: but it is visible that that opinion is far enough from the doctrine of Purgatory. These words relate to a fire that was foon to appear, and that was to try every man's work. It was to be revealed, and in it every man's work was to be made manifeft. So this can have no relation to a fecret Purgatory fire. The meaning of it can be no other, but that whereas fome with the Apoftles were building up the Church, not only upon the foundation of Jefus Christ, and the belief of his doctrine, but were teaching men doctrines and rules that were virtuous, good, and great others at the fame time were daubing with a profane mixture, both of Judaifin and Gentilifm, joining thefe with fome of the precepts of Chriftianity; a day would foon appear, which probably is meant of the deftruction of Jerufalem, and of the Jewish nation; or it may be applied to the perfecution that was foon to break out; in that day thofe who had true notions, generous principles, and fuitable practices, would weather that ftorm whereas others that were entangled with weak and fuperftitious conceits, would then run a great risk, though their firm believing that Jefus was the Meffias would preferve them: yet the weakness and folly of thofe teachers XXII. ART. teachers would appear, their opinions would involve them in fuch danger, that their efcaping would be difficult; like one that gets out of a houfe that is all on fire round about him. So that these words cannot poffibly belong to Purgatory; but must be meant of fome fignal difcrimination that was to be made, in fome very dreadful appearances which would diftinguish between the true and the falfe Apostles; and that could be no other but either in the deftruction of Jerufalem, or in the perfecution that was to come on the Church; though the first is the more probable. Aug. de Civit. Dei, 1. 21. c. 18. ad 22. Enchir. c. 67, 68, 69. Ad Dulcid. quaft. prima. It were eafy to purfue this argument further, and to fhew, that the doctrine of Purgatory, as it is now in the Roman Church, was not known in the Church of God for the first fix hundred years; that then, it began to be doubtfully received. But in an ignorant age, vifions, legends, and bold ftories prevailed much; yet the Greek Church never received it. Some of the Fathers fpeak indeed of the last probatory fire; but though they did not think the faints were in a state of confummate blessedness, enjoying the vifion of God, yet they thought they were in a ftate of eafe and quiet, and that in heaven. St. Auftin fpeaks in this whole matter very doubtfully; he varies often from himfelf; he feems fometimes very pofitive only for two states; at other times as he afferts the laft probatory fire, fo he seems to think that good fouls might fuffer fome grief in that fequeftered ftate before the last day, upon the account of fome of their past fins, and that by degrees they might arife up to their confummation. All these contefts were propofed very doubtfully before Gregory the Great's days; and even then fome doubts feem to have been made but the legends were fo copiously played upon all thofe doubts, that this remnant of paganif got at laft into the Western Church. It was no wonder, that the opinions formerly mentioned, which began to appear in the fecond age, had produced in the third the practice of praying for the dead; of which we find Tertul. de fuch full evidence in Tertullian and St. Cyprian's writCor. Mil. c.ings, that the matter of fact is not to be denied. This c. 13. Cypr. appears alfo in all the ancient Liturgies: and Epiphanius Ep. 34, 37. charges Aerius with this of rejecting all prayers for the dead, afking, why were they prayed for? The opinions that they fell into concerning the state of departed fouls, in the interval between their death and the day of judgment, gave occafion enough for prayer; they thought they were capable of making a progrefs, and of having an early refurrection. They alfo had this notion among 3. de Exhor. Epiph. Hær. 75. 1. 3. n. 3. them; XXII. cap. 7. 1. 9. c. 19. them; that it was the peculiar privilege of Jefus Chrift to ART. be above all our prayers; but that no men, not excepting the Apoftles, nor the bleffed Virgin, were above the prayers of the Church. They thought this was an act of church-communion, that we were to hold even with the faints in heaven, to pray for them. Thus in the apoftolical conftitutions, in the books of the ecclefiaftical hierarchy, and in the Liturgies that are ascribed to St. Bafil and Dion. de St. Chryfoftom, they offer unto God thefe prayers, which Eccl. Hier. they thought their reasonable fervice, for thofe who were at reft in the faith, their forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, and apoftles, preachers, evangelifts, martyrs, confeffors, religious perfons, and for every spirit perfected in the faith; especially for our most holy, immaculate, most bleffed Lady, the mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary. Particular inftances might alfo be given of this, out of St. Cyprian, St. Ambrofe, Nazianzen, and St. Austin; who Aug. Conf. in that famous and much cited paffage concerning his mother, Monica, as he speaks nothing of any temporal pains that the fuffered, fo he plainly intimates his belief that God had done all that he defired. Thus it will appear to thofe, who have examined all the paffages which are brought out of the Fathers, concerning their prayers for the dead, that they believed they were then in heaven, and at reft; and by confequence, though thefe prayers for the dead did very probably give the chief rife to the doctrine of Purgatory; yet, as they then made them, they were utterly inconfiftent with that opinion. Tertullian, Supra. who is the firft that is cited for them, fays, we make oblations for the dead, and we do it for that fecond nativity of theirs (Natalitia) once a year. The fignification of the word Natalitia, as they used it, was the Saint's day of death, in which they reckoned he was born again to heaven: fo, though they judged them there, yet they offered up prayers for them: and when Epiphanius brings in Aerius afking, why thofe prayers were made for the dead? though it had been very natural, and indeed unavoidable, if he had believed Purgatory, to have answered, that it was to deliver them from thence: yet he makes no fuch anfwer, but only afferts, that it had been the practice of the Church fo to do. The Greek Church retains that cuftom, though fhe has never admitted of Purgatory. Here then an objection may be made to our conftitution, that in this of praying for the dead, we have departed from the practice of the ancients: we do not deny it, both the Church of Rome and we in another practice, of equal antiquity, of giving the Eucharift to in fants, XXII. ART. fants, have made changes, and let that cuftom fall. The curiofities in the fecond century feem to have given rife to those prayers in the third; and they gave the rife to many other diforders in the following centuries. Since, therefore, God has commanded us, while we are on earth, to pray for one another, and has made that a main act of our charity and church-communion, but has no where directed us to pray for those that have finished their courfe; and fince the only pretence that is brought from Scripture, of St. Paul's praying, that Onefphorus might find mercy in the day of the Lord, cannot be wrought up. into an argument, for it cannot be proved that he was then dead; and fince the Fathers reckon this of praying for the dead only as one of their customs, for which they vouch no other warrant but practice; fince, alfo, this has been grofsly abufed, and has been applied to support a doctrine totally different from theirs; we think that we have as good a plea for not following them in this, as we have for not giving infants the facrament, and therefore we think it no imputation on our Church, that we do not in this follow a groundlefs and a much abufed precedent, though fet us in ages which we highly reverence. The greateft corruption of this whole matter comes in the laft place to be confidered; which is, the methods propofed for redeeming fouls out of Purgatory. If this doctrine had refted in a fpeculation, we muft ftill have confidered it as derogatory to the death of Chrift, and the truth of the Gospel but it raises our zeal a little more, when we confider the use that was made of it; and that fears and terrors being by this means infufed into men's minds, new methods were propofed to free them from thefe. The chief of which was the faying of masses for departed fouls. It was pretended, that this being the highest act of the communion of Chriftians, and the moft fublime piece of worship, therefore God was fo well pleafed with the frequent repetition of it, with the prayers that accompanied it, and with thofe that made provifions for men, who fhould be conftantly employed in it, that this was a moft acceptable facrifice to God. Upon this followed all thofe vaft endowments for faying males for departed fouls; though in the inftitution of that facrament, and in all that is fpoken of it in the Scripture, there is not an hint given of this. Sacraments are pofitive precepts, which are to be measured only by the inftitution, in which there is not room left for us to carry them further. We are to take, eat and drink, and thereby Shew forth the Lord's death till his fecond coming: all which has |