Chapter 21: Purgatory

Purgatory. SECT. 28.

We are at length come to Purgatory, which is the Pope's Indies; his subterranean treasure-house, on the revenues whereof he maintains a hundred thousand fighting men, so that it is not probable, he will ever be easily dispossessed of it. This is the only root of Dirge, though our Author flourishes, as though it would grow on other stocks. It is their prayer for the dead, which he so entitles, and in the excellency of their devotion in this particular he is so confident, that he deals with us as the Orator told Q. Caecilius, Hortensius would with him, in the case of Verres, bid him take his option and make his choice of what he pleased, and it should all turn to his disadvantage; Hortensius by his eloquence would make any thing that he should fixe on, turn to his own end. He bids us on the matter, chuse whether to think the souls they pray for, to be in Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory; all is one, he will prove praying for them to be good and lawful. Suppose they be in Heaven, What then? What then? May we not as well pray for them, as for sanctifying the Name of God, which will be done whether we pray or no. Suppose they are in Hell; yet we know it not, and so may shew our charity towards them; but suppose they be in Purgatory, it is the only course we can take to help them. [Of Purgatory we shall speak anon.] If there be no other receptacle for Saints departed, but Heaven and Hell, it is but a flourish of our Author, to perswade us, that prayers for them in the Roman mode, would be either useful or acceptable to God. Suppose them you pray for, to be in Hell; the best you can make of your prayers, is but a vain babling against the will and righteousness of God; an unreasonable troubling of the Judge after he has pronounced his sentence. Yes, but you do not know them to be in Hell, then neither do you suppose them to be there; which yet is the case you undertake to make good; suppose they be in Hell, yet its well done to pray for them, and to say they may not be there, is to suppose they are not in Hell, not to suppose they are; unless you will say, suppose they are not in Hell, you may pray for them, suppose they are in Hell; hereunto does this subtilty bring us. But it is not the will of God, that you should pray for any in Hell; no not for any in Heaven, unless it be the will of God, that you should oppose his will in the one, and exercise yourselves in things needless and unprofitable in the other; both which are far enough from his mind, and that Word, which I believe, at last, will be found, the only true and infallible rule of worship and devotion. When we pray for the sanctifying of God's Name, the coming of his Kingdom, the doing of his will, we still pray for the continuance of that which is as to outward manifestation, in an alterable condition; for the Name of God may be more or less sanctified in the world; and for that which is future. But, to pray for them that are in Heaven, is to pray for that for them, which they are in the unalterable enjoyment of: and besides, to do and practise that in the worship of God, which we have no precept, no precedent, no rule, no encouragement for, in the Scripture; nor the approved examples of any holy men from the foundation of the world. Whatever charity there can be in such prayers, I am sure, faith there can be none, seeing there is neither precept for them, nor promise of hearing them.

But it is Purgatory that must bear the weight of this duty. This, says our Author need not to be so condemned, being taught by Pagans and antient Rabbies, and so came down from Adam by a popular tradition through all Nations, a great many of whose names are reckoned up by him, declaring by the way, which of them came from Shem, which from Ham, which from Japhet, to whom the Hebrews are most learnedly assigned. For the Pagans, Virgil, Cicero, and Lucretius, are quoted, as giving testimony to them. This testimony is true; in the first especially lies the whole doctrine of Purgatory. Some Platonick Philosophers, whom he followed, have been the inventers of it. That some of the Pagans invented a Purgatory, and that Roman Catholics have borrowed their seat for their own turn, is granted. What our Author can prove more by this argument, I know not. The names of the old Hebrew Rabbins that had taught, or did believe it, he was pleased to spare; and I know his reason well enough, though he is not pleased to tell us. And it is only this, that there are no such old Rabbins, nor ever were in the world; nor was Purgatory ever in the creed of the Judaical Church, nor of any of the antient Rabbins. Indeed here and there one of them seemed to have dreamed, with Origen, about an end of the pains of Gehenna; and some of the latter Masters, the Cabbalists especially, have espoused the Pythagorean Metempsychosis; but for the Purgatory of the Pagans and Papists, they know nothing of it.

On these testimonies he tells us, that this opinion of the soul's immortality, and its detention after death in some place citra coelum, is not any new thing freshly taught, either by our Savior or his Apostles, as any peculiar doctrine of his own, but taken up as granted by the tradition of the Hebrews, and supposed, and admitted by all sides as true, upon which our Lord built much of his institutions. Gallantly ventured however! I confess, a man shall seldom meet with prettier shuffling.

Purgatory, it seems, is the doctrine of the soul's immortality, and detention in some place citra coelum: who would ever have once dreamed of this, had not our Author informed him? This it is to be learned in the Roman Mysterie; the doctrine of Purgatory, is the doctrine of the soul's immortality; never was doctrine so foully mistaken as that has been; but if it be not, yet it is of the detention of the souls in some place citra coelum. It is indeed; but yet our Author knows, that in these words, as bad, if not a worse fraud than under the other is couched. It was the opinion of many of the Antients, that the souls of the Saints that departed under the old Testament, enjoyed not the blessed presence of God, but were kept in a place of rest until the Ascension of Christ. And this our Author would have us to think, is the doctrine of Purgatory; he himself, I hope, enjoyes the contentment of believing the contrary. But he tells us, that our blessed Savior and his Apostles were not the first that taught this doctrine, that is, of Purgatory. As though they had taught it at all, or had not taught that which is inconsistent with it, and destructive of it, which is notorious that they have! And for the Traditions of the Hebrew Church; as that was none of them, so I believe, our Author knows but little what were. But he takes a great deal of pains to prove, though very unsuccessfully, that the Jews did believe, that the souls of those that departed before the resurrection of the Messias, did not enter heaven; as though that was any thing to his purpose in hand; but he is, as I said, marvellous unsucessful in that attempt also. The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich man, prove only that Lazarus's soul was in Abraham's bosom; that Abraham's bosom was not in Heaven, it does not prove. Peter, in the second of the Acts, proves no more, than that the whole person of David, body and soul, was not ascended into Heaven; the not ascending of his soul alone, being nothing to his purpose. But what he cannot evince by Testimonies, we will win by dint of Arguments. The Jews, says he, could not believe what God had never promised; but heavenly bliss was none of the promises of Moses's Law nor were they ever put in hope of it, for any good work that they should do. It seems then, that which was promised them in Moses's Law, was Eternal Life in some place citra coelum, or citra culum, until the coming of the Messias; for this he would fain prove that they believed, and that rightly. This I confess, is a rare notion: and I know not whether it be do fide, or no; but this I am sure, that it is the first time that ever I heard of it, though I have been a little conversant with some of his great masters. But the truth is, our Author has very ill success for the most part, when he talks of the Jews; as most men have, when they talk of what they do not understand. Eternal life, and everlasting reward, the enjoyment of God in bliss, was promised no less truly in the old Testament, then under the new, though less clearly; and our Author grants it, by confessing that the estate of the Saints in rest extra Coelum, to be admitted there upon the entrance made into it by the Messias, was promised to them, and believed by them, though any such promise made to them, or any such belief of them, as should give us the specification of the reward they expected, he is not able to produce.

The Promise of Heaven is made clear under the New Testament, yet not so, he tell us, but that in the execution of this promise, it is sufficiently insinuated, that if any spirit issue out of his body, not absolutely purified, himself may indeed by the use of such means of grace, as our Lord instituted, be saved, yet so as by fire (1 Corinthians 3). I think, I know well enough what he aims at; but the sense of his words I do not so well understand. Suppose a spirit so to issue forth as he talks? Seeing we must not believe, that the blood of Jesus purges us from all our sins; who, or what is it then that he means by himself? Is it the spirit after it is departed? Or is it the person before its departure? If the latter, to what end is the issuing forth of the spirit mentioned? And what is here for Purgatory, seeing the person is to be saved by the means of grace appointed by Christ? If the former; as the expression is uncouth, so I desire to know, whether Purgatory be an instituted means of grace or no? And, whether it was believed so by Virgil, or is by any of the more learned Romanists? I think it my duty a little to retain my Reader in this stumbling passage. Our Author having a mind to beg some countenance for Purgatory from 1 Corinthians 3, and knowing full well, that there is not one word spoken there, about the spirits of men departed, but of their trials in this life, was forced to confound that living, and dead, means of grace, and punishment, things present, and to come, that somewhat might seem to look towards Purgatory, though he knew not what. Nor does he find any better shelter, for his poor Purgatory turned naked out of doors, throughout the whole Scripture, as injurious to the grace of God, the mediation of Christ, the tenor of the Covenant of Grace, and contrary to express testimonies; in those words of our Savior (Matthew 5), who speaking of sinners, dying in an unreconciled condition, having made no peace or agreement with God, says, that being delivered into prison, they should not go forth, until they had paid the utmost farthing. For as the persons, whom he parabolically sets forth, are such as die in an absolute estate of enmity with God; which kind of persons, as I take it, Roman-Catholics do not believe to go to Purgatory; so, I think, it is certain, that those enemies of God, who are, or shall be, cast into hell, shall not depart until they have paid the uttermost farthing; and, that the expression, until, does in Scripture always denote a limitation of time to expire, and the accomplishment afterward of what is denied before; I suppose, no, I know, he will not say. So that their lying in prison until they pay the uttermost farthing of their debts (which is not God's way of dealing with them whom he washes and pardons in the blood of Christ, who are not able to pay one farthing of them) is their lying there to eternity. And so also the sins of which it is said, they shall not be forgiven in this world, nor in the world to come, in one Gospel; it is said, in another, that they shall never be forgiven; that is, not really forgiven here, nor declared, or manifested to be forgiven hereafter. Besides, methinks this should make very little for Purgatory, however the words should be interpreted; for they are a great aggravation of the sins spoken of, as the highest and most mortal that men may contract the guilt of, that can be pardoned, if they can be pardoned. That the remission of such sins may be looked for in Purgatory, as yet we are not taught. No, our own Author tells us, that mortal sins must be remitted, before a man can be admitted into Purgatory; so that certainly there is not a more useless text in the Bible to his present purpose than this is, though they be all useless enough in all conscience.

But here a matter falls across his thoughts, that does not a little trouble him; and it is this, that Saint Paul, in his Epistles, never makes use of Purgatory, directly at least as a topic-place, either in his exhortations to virtue, or dissuasions from vice; and I promise you, it is a shrewd objection. It cannot but seem strange, that Saint Paul should make no use of it; and his Church make use almost of nothing else. Little, surely, did Saint Paul think, how many monasteries and abbeys this Purgatory would found; how many monks and friars it would maintain; what revenue it would bring into the Church, that he passes it by so slightly; but Saint Paul's business was to persuade men to virtue, and dehort them from vice. And he informs us, that there is such a contemperation of heat and cold in Purgatory, such an equal balance between pains and hopes, good and evil, that it is not very meet to be made a topic for these ends and purposes; that is that indeed that is of no use in Religion. The trouble and comfort of it, are, by a due mixture, so allayed, as to their proper qualities, that they can have no operation upon the minds of men, to sway them one way or other. Had some of our forefathers been so far illuminated, all things had not been at the state wherein they are at this day in the Papacy; but, it may be, much more is not to be expected from it, and therefore it may now otherwise be treated than it was erstwhile, when it was made the sum and substance of Religion. However, the time will come, when this Platonical signet that has no color from Scripture, but is opposite to the clear testimonies of it; repugnant to the grace, truth, and mercy of God; destructive to the mediation of Christ; useless to the souls of men, serving only to beget false fears in some few, but desperate presumptions, from the thoughts of an after-reserve, and second venture after this life is ended; in the most, abused to innumerable other superstitions, utterly unknown to the first Churches, and the orthodox Bishops of them, having by various means and degrees crept into the Roman Church, (which shall be laid open, if called for) shall be utterly exterminated out of the confines and limits of the Church of God. In the mean time, I heartily beg of our Romanists, that they would no more endeavor to cast men into real scorching consuming fire, for refusing to believe that which is only imaginary and phantastical.