II. 1st. The doctrine of purgatory is contrary to the sense of antiquity. "It is a fond thing, vainly invented."

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The doctrine of purgatory was unknown in the Church for the first six hundred years, and has never been received by the Greeks. It is true that the fathers speak of a probatory fire, still it is evident that they conceived the souls of the faithful to be in a state of happiness. Thus, St. Augustin, in treating of this subject, speaks very doubtingly, and often contradicts himself. At one time, he seems positive for the existence of two states only, and at another he asserts an intermediate state in which the souls of good men might suffer grief for their past sins, and from which they might gradually arise to their consummation. These contests however were proposed with hesitation before the days of Gre

a

The truth of this assertion is fully proved by quotations from the early fathers, in Archbp. Usher's Answer to the Jesuit's Chall. p. 163. Alphonsus a Castro confesses there is no mention of the doctrine in the early writers. Cont. Hær. 1. 8. p. 115.

b The declaration of the Greek Church at the Council of Florence is remarkable: "As to the doctrine of a purgatory fire, neither have "we received it by tradition, nor do we know that the Church of "the East maintains it."-See Apol. Græc. de Purg. quoted by Archbishop Usher, in Ans, to Chall. p. 181.

e See De Civ. Dei, l. 21. c. 18. ad. 22. Enchèr. c. 67, 68, 69. Ad Dulcid. quæst. prim. On the testimony of this writer, see Jewel's Def. of Apol. c. 16. Div. 1.

gory the Great, in whose time the doctrine seems first to have been produced.

a

It is objected to the denial of the antiquity of this doctrine, that in the primitive Church prayers were always made for the dead. This is evident from the testimony of Tertullian and Cyprian, and from the private liturgies of Chrysostom and others. Now prayers for the dead, it is argued, necessarily infer the doctrine of purgatory. But this conclusion by no means follows. It is undeniable that prayers were offered for the dead; still the terms in which they were expressed, prove that they had no allusion to a state of purgatory. The Fathers had various opinions about the state of departed souls; they supposed that they were capable of making a progress, and of having an early resurrection. They thought that it belonged as a peculiar privilege to Jesus Christ to be above all our prayers, but that praying for departed souls was an act of Church communion, which ought to be held with the saints in heaven. Thus, in the Apostolical Constitutions, in the books of

a See Tertul. de Cor. Mil. c. 3. de Exhor. c. 13. Cypr. Ep. 34, 37.

This is evident from the fact that no oblations could be received for such as were called the αδεκτοι, and ακοινώνητοι; that is, those who had not been communicants, or who (from excommunication or some other cause) had no right to join in Church communion.-See Apostol. Con, 1, 4. c. 5. and 1. 3. c. 5. and Conc. Elib. c. 25.

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the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, and in the Liturgies ascribed to St. Chrysostom and St. Basil, they" offered unto God those prayers which "they thought their reasonable service, for those "who are at rest in the faith, their forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, "and for every spirit perfected in the faith, es"pecially for our most holy, immaculate, most “blessed Lady, the Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary." St. Austin prays for the soul of his mother Monica, at the same time intimating his belief that " God had granted all that he desired." Tertullian says, 66 we make "oblations for the dead, at their second nativity

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(natalitia) once a year." Now the word "natalitia" means the saint's day of death, which they called a second birth day, as he was then born into heaven, whence it is plain that the prayers were made for those who were in a state of happiness. Again, when Epiphanius represents Ærius asking, "why those prayers were made for the dead," instead of answering, ❝ in order to deliver them from purgatory," he merely asserts, "that it had been the practice of the Church." Lastly, the Greeks, who have never admitted purgatory, yet retain the custom of

a See Dion. de Eccl. Hier. c. 7. b. See Aug. Conf. 1. 9. c. 19. b See Epiph Hær. 75.1. 8. n. 3.

praying for the dead. From these examples, it is plain, that prayers for the dead, as used in the primitive Church, are totally irreconcileable with the doctrine of purgatory.

Here it may be objected to us, that we have departed from the practice of the primitive Church in praying for the dead. We do not deny it, and we justify this departure on the following grounds: 1. It was the practice of the early Christians to give the Eucharist to infants. This practice is now laid aside, as well by Roman Catholics as by us: yet no objection is made to us on this account. 2. God has commanded us to pray for one another while on earth, but has not commanded us to pray for those who have departed. The only Scriptural proof is taken from 2 Tim. i. 18, where St. Paul prays that "Onesimus may find mercy of the Lord in that day;" but it is not certain that Onesimus was dead when this passage was written. fathers allude to these prayers as a custom of their Church, but advance no argument for them from Scripture. Since, therefore, this practice has been so grossly abused, we have no hesitation in rejecting a groundless precedent, though existing in ages which we highly

reverence.

3. The

Lastly, we shall consider the methods proposed for redeeming sinners out of purgatory; the chief of which was the saying masses for

departed souls. In this practice, however, there was a plain departure from the original institution of the Lord's Supper. We are desired to "take, eat, and drink," (Matt. xxvi. 26, 27,) that thus 66 we may show forth the Lord's death till he 66 come." 1. Cor. xi. 26. These commands have no relation to the applying this communion to those who are departed. The practice, too, is equally opposed to the customs of the primitive Church. In the early ages the communion was celebrated on every occasion of public worship. Immediately preceding this part of the service, there was a roll read, in which the names of the eminent characters of all the Churches were registered. When the orthodoxy of any person's faith was doubted, his name was omitted, and according as that doubt was confirmed or removed, his name was inserted or expunged." This omission of the name, however, was considered merely as a blot upon the individual's memory, but not as in any degree affecting the weal of his soul. This is evident from the following circumstance: in St. Cyprian's time, a priest had, before his death, left the guardianship of his children to another priest, with whom he had lived on terms of friendship. Cyprian, considering that it was a bad precedent to im

a See Gibson's Preserv. ag. Popery, tit. vi. c. ii. p. 84.

b See Cypr. Epis. 1. Oxon. ad Pleb. furnit.