Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/399

 Cs,. XlI.] PmtGATORV. 393 6. According to their teaching, those only go to purgatory who die in venial sins, and those whose mortal sins are pardoned, but the tempo-. ral punishment of which remains to be expiated. This is a strange matter indeed, that souls should be detained in purgatory for thousands of years, and yet that their mortal sins may be remitted by the priest. Besides, they pray for all the faitAful, which must certainly include many who are now in heaven, and of course, according to their owt doctrine, do not need the prayers of any. 7. They say that this doctrine is an article of faith, and he that does not believe it must surely go to hell. Pope Pius's creed embraces it as an article of faith, and articles of faith must be held without doubt or wavering. Now though this doctrine is held in the Church of Rome as an article of faith, it is not taught in Scripture. The Greek Church does not hold this doctrine. Many of the fathers, among whom was Augustine, doubt of this doctrine, and consequently they must be in a state of damnation according to the doctrines of the Church of Rome. 8. The doctrine and ceremonies of purgatory embrace a great num- ber of rupefstitious ceremonies. The Council of Trent seems to have been aware of this, as we gather from their decisions on this subject. And while they condemn some superstitions which they do not name, their very decision itself em- braces or countenances the worst superstitions. They say: "Let difficult and subtle questions, which tend not to edification, and from which commonly religion derives no advantage, be banished from popular discourses, particularly when addressed to the iorant multi- tude. Let such as are of doubtful character, or seem 'to border upon error, be prevented from being published and discussed. Let those which promote mere curiosity, or superstiti,o,.n, or sayour of filthy lucre, be prohibited as scandalous and offensive to Christians. Let the bishop take care that the suffrages of.the living faithful, viz., masses, prayers, alms, and other works of piety, which the faithful have been accustomed to perform for departed believers, be piously and religiously rendered, according to the institutes of the church; and whatever ser- vices are due to the dead, through the endowments of deceased per- sons, or in any other way, let them not be performed slightly, but diligently and carefully, by the priests and ministers of the church, end all others to whom the duty belong."* Here, while the council tbrbids the discussion of did and subtls questions, or such as prernote mary riva'iry or suptition, or avour o.f lty lucre; they enjoin sying of rnases and prayers for the dead, as well as those serv/ces due tough the sndowments of risceased persons. How vain is it to forbid what is antperst/t/ou and hterat/vv, while at the same time the whole machinery'and ve.ry soul of superstition and filthy lucre is provided dificationena non faciunt, et ex quibus plemnaque nuila sit pietatis acce$sio, ,i [aribu concionibus seeludantur. Incefta irene, vel qua specie laborant, ov'ulgari Pu tractan non permittent. Ea verb qua ad curiositatcna quamdam aut aupzratitio- nena spectant, vel turpe lucrum sapiunt, tamquana scandale et fideliuna offendicula prohibeant. Cureat antera episcopi, ut fidelium viverum auffragia, misarum scilicot sacrificia, orationes, eleemosynm, ahaque plataris opera, qua  fidelibus defunctis fxeri conueverunt, socundthn ecolesire institut& pii et derorS Kant; et qum pro illia ex tatemro fundationibu, vel alit rationo debentur, non perfunctori$, d i e oeclosim rainistris, at allis, qui hoe printare enentur. diligenter et accutat pmol- vanmt.Con//. Trid., stss. x, Dee. de Purg. 1
 * Apud rudem verb plebona difflcilloros ae subtiliores qamstiones, qumque ad

�