Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/410

 doctrine of purgatory has been made use of to create the most alicting views with which a human soul could be exercised. And, indee not only the public preacher, but the private priestly' adviser hu made use of this doctrine to reuse up the feelings of near relatives, by inform- ing them that their deceased friends were in this place of torment, and thus accomplished their lucrative purposes, by extorting money, through the medium of sporting with the fears of the ignorant, who ought to be vmght in the place of being duped. In the place of calling forth the truth of the gospel, which sheds light upon immortality, they have engendered fear in their minds, and then practised deception grounded on these fears. 12. This unscriptural doctrine is nothing else than a gross and grievous falsehood. The impositions and falsehoods practised by priests in reference to this would fill volumes. We must therefore re- fer our readers to those who have detailed them in form.** 13. It is pernicious to the souls of men. By praying for the m wicked men, as only in purgatory', they strongly tempt all wicked men to conclude that no members o� their church ever go to hell; and by creating so many imaginary fears about this fictitious place, the piou are kept in a state of constant fear respecting themselves or their rela- tives. Hence this invention is at once the eat terror to goad per- sons, and a groundless comfort to the bad. How applicable are the words of the prophet to these cases ? "With lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strength- ened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life," Ezekiel xiii, 22. How admirably does this picture of the prophet answer to the deceptions practised by the inventions of purgatory ! 14. Purgatory connects itself with the corrupt state of the Church of Rome, both in doctrines and practice. For the belief of the doc- trines of popery, and the practice of all its ceremonies, are perfectl F consistent with a life of wickedness. In the Church of Rome it is not necessary that a man be renewed in the spirit of his mind, nor that he should crucify the flesh, with its affections and lusts. If he has been baptized, this makes him a new creature in ecclesiastical reckon- ing. This, they say, makes him a member of Christ; and he csnno be deprived of this connection with the Saylout, unless he become a heretic, or be excommunicated. His mortal sins are all washed away, as it respects their eternal punishment, every time he confesses receives absolution from the priest. His venial or smaller sins. do not render him liable to eternal punishment. He makes conlesion, and receives absolution as often as he pleases, and can afford to par it; but he makes it evident by his whole conduct that he is not heaven; that even to the hour of his death he i8 an unholy pe-s, There remains so much knowledge in the minds of Roman Cathell az to convince them, that persons dying with the Pollutions of sin unr moved cannot enter into heaven without undergoing a purification, an. this suggests to them the reasonableness and necessity of a purgato- But true Christianity requires no such middle state, in order to purg to Popery., by Anthony Gavin, and many Roman Catholic authors. Consult eape- chilly the Breviary, in four thick volumes octavo, in Lstin. -- !
 * ,See M'G&vin*s Protestant, vol. ii, pp. 551-557, ch. !xxviii. See else Muter Key

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