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Of PURGATORY.

N ftating this Article of the Popish Faith concerning Purgatory, N. C. is very cautious, because he is fenfible that 'tis burthen'd with fuch Difficulties, that no Fair Account can be given of it; either from Scripture, or Reafon, or the Fractice of the First Ages of the Church. And herein he follows the Steps of the Council of Trent; which declares only, That the Souls there detain'd, are help'd by the Prayers of the Faithful, but especially by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Maßs: But doth not determine what fort of Place Purgatory is, or what manner of Pain Souls endure in it; or whether they are purg'd by Material Fire, or by other Terrors and Anguishes of Mind: Thefe were Difficulties too knotty to be loos'd, and therefore both the Council and N. C. wifely pafs them by; but tells us, That this Do&trine in General is founded in Scripture, and in the Antient Practice of the Church : And that Praying for the Dead, which was Practis'd in the Primitive Church, is 'an unanswerable Argument to prove, that they believed Purgatory too.

This he affirms indeed, with an Air of Affurance peculiar to himself; but however we have no Reason to take his Word for it, because he has fo often broke it already. And therefore I fhall confider what His Grace has faid on this Subject; and in doing fo, I shall return a fufficient Anfwer to N. C.'s unanswerable Argument.

And, Firft, His Grace affirms, That the Doctrine of Purgatory is not founded in Scripture, nor can be prov'd from it; and that fome of their own eminent Men do acknowledge that it cannot.

To which N. C. anfwers, That he has produc'd two Paffages from the Holy Scripture, and can produce many more which plainly prove it; and therefore he thinks he may fafely tell the Doctor, he is miftaken. And becaufe the Archbishop has not quoted any of their Learned Men, who fay, That Purgatory cannot be prov'd from Scripture, therefore he takes it for granted, that he knew of none who do fay fo.

The two Texts of Scripture which he quotes, are, firft, Matth. 5. 25, 26. Agree with thy Adverfary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him: left at any time the Adverfary deliver thee to the Judge, and the Judge deliver thee to the Officer, and they be cast into Prifon. Verily, I fay unto thee, N 3 Thou

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Thou shalt not come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermoft farthing.

Thefe Words are spoke by our Saviour, to fhew of what ill Confequence 'tis to harbour and indulge a malicious and an uncharitable Temper; as will appear to any one who reads the former part of the Chapter; and therefore he exhorts his Hearers to agree with their Adverfary quickly, whilst they are in the way with him, i. e. to be reconcil'd to thofe with whom they have any difference; efpecially those they have wrong'd, whilft they are tra velling on in this World,left the Adverfary commence his Suit against them, and they be caft, and then the Judge will deliver them to the Officer, i. e. the Devil, who is the Executioner of God's Vengeance, and they be caft into Hell, from whence there is no Redemption, they hall never depart till they have paid the uttermoft farthing. And that by the uttermoft farthing is meant Hell, and not Purgatory, is plain; because the Papifts themfelves grant, that thofe who are guilty of damnable and mortal Sins, do not go to Purgatory, but to Hell: Now this uncharitable Temper, again which our Saviour forewarns his Difciples, is confefs'd on all hands to to be a damnable Sin without Repentance; and the Parable fuppofes, that the Man did not repent of it, because he did not

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agree with his Adverfary whilft he was in the way, i. e. in this Life. Nor do thefe words, That he shall not come out till he has paid the uttermost farthing, denote, that he may pay the Debt which he owes, or that there will be a time when he thall be releas'd from his Torments, as is evident from a parallel Place, Matth. 18. 34. where our Saviour fays, That the Lord of that Man who had not compaffion for his fellow Servant, delivered him to the Tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him; now that he could never pay this Debt is plain, because we are told, ver. 25. that he had not to pay.

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The other Text which N. C. quotes, is 1 Cor.3.10,11,&c. According to the Grace of God which is given me, as a wife Mafterbuilder, I have laid the Foundation, and another buildeth thereon; but let every Man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other Foundation can no Man lay, than that which is laid, Jefus Chrift. Now if any Man build upon this Foundation, Gold, Silver, precious Stones, Wood, Flay, Stubble, every Man's Work fhall be made manifeft; for the Day fhall declare it, because it shall be reveal'd by Fire, and the Fire ball try every Man's Work of what fort it is. If any Man's Work abide, which be bath built thereupon, he shall receive a Reward. If any Man's Work fhall be burnt, he shall N 4

Suffer

Suffer lofs, yet he himself fhall be fav'd, yet fo as by Fire.

The meaning of which place, His Grace gives us in these words; The Apoftle here fpeaks of a fort of Perfons, who held indeed the Foundation of Chriftianity, but built upon it fuch Doctrines or Practices as would not bear the trial; which he expreffes to us by Wood, Hay, and Stubble, which are not Proof against the Fire. Such a Perfon, the Apofle tells us, hath brought himself into a very dangerous State, tho' he would not abfolutely deny the poffibility of his Salvation; He himself shall be fav'd, yet so as by Fire.

'Tis evident, That by Fire here, is not meant the Fire of Purgatory, as fome pretend, because the Particle of Similitude, (s) plainly fhews, that the Apostle did not intend an Escape out of the Fire literally, but fuch an Escape as Men make out of an House, or Town, that is on fire efpecially, fince very Learned Perfons of the Church of Rome do acknowledge, that Purgatory cannot be concluded from this Text; nay, all that Eftius contends for from this place, is, that it cannot be concluded from hence that there is no Purgatory; which we never pretended, but only that this Text doth not prove it.

It is very well known that this is a Proverbial Phrafe, ufed not only in Scripture,

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