LETTER XLIV.

CHARLESTON, S. C., Oct. 29, 1827.

To the Roman Catholics of the United States of America.

My Friends,—My first object in this letter is to show you that the doctrine of Purgatory is older than Christianity, and therefore, when the Rev. Joseph Blanco White asserted that "on the cessation of penitential discipline, tradition having about the same time brought purgatory to light, offered an ample scope to the power of the Roman keys,” if he meant that it was then a new doctrine, his assertion was grossly erroneous; next, I desire to show that this was the doctrine of the true believers previous to the coming of the Redeemer, and therefore, if it was then true, it must continue still to be a sound doctrine, except there exists some sufficient evidence of its having been changed by an alteration in the mode of God's proceedings towards those who are placed in judgment before him. This evidence ought to be produced by those who would make the assertion, for, until then, it is fairly supposed not to exist.

The Jewish people at present use the following, amongst other prayers, at the interment of their deceased friends:

1. "Omnipotent God of life! we pray thee have mercy over him, thou King of the universe; for with thee is the centre of life: O may he continually be led in the land of the living: And may his soul receive rest in the bundle of life.

2. "O may the Gracious, in his many mercies, forgive his sins: and may his good works be present in his sight, and may be placed in his view, together with all his faithful ones, and may he be led in his presence in the land of the living.

3. "O may he have a good memorial before his rock, that he may inherit of the riches of him who formed him, that he may approach to his light, to remain in his vision, and in the vision of his word: since my covenant of life and peace with him, therefore let his soul receive rest in the bundle of life.

4. "O mayest thou find the gates of heaven open, and mayest thou behold the city of Peace, and the dwelling place of the trusty, and may the angels of peace approach thee joyful, and the High Priest standing ready to receive thee; and mayest thou go to thy end and receive thy firm stand and rest.

5. "May thy soul go to the cave of Machpela, and thence to the cherubim where God will guide it; and there Pinkas will receive thee into the Garden of Eden, its desired path, and there wilt thou behold the pillar drawn from above, and wilt thou be highly exalted and not remain without: and mayest thou go to thy end, and receive thy firm stand and rest.

6. "Michael shall open the gates of the sanctuary and offer thy soul as an offering before God; and there will be joined with thee the redeeming angel, until the gates of the pleasant place where Israel is. In this pleasant place mayest thou merit to stand, and mayest thou go to thy end and receive thy firm stand and rest.

7. "O may thy soul be bound in the bundle of life, together with the heads of the colleges and captivity, with the Israelites, Priests and Levites, and with the seven companions of the just and perfected, and in the garden of Eden mayest thou receive thy firm stand and delight, and thou go to thy end, and wilt receive thy firm stand and rest.”

In this part of the service, we find that God is besought to have mercy on the soul of a person who has been already judged; and the object of the prayer is to obtain for that soul rest in the bundle of life, that is amongst the congregated saints in the rest of life, amongst those who are not afflicted by any thing which could disturb their repose. Next God is besought to forgive sins which might be as yet against this judged man and obstacles to his entering into the land of the living amongst the faithful, or in the bundle of life: next, the petition is for his being brought to an approach to light, which presupposes existence in darkness: the petition is also to have this person go to the end, and not be stayed in the passage, and that he may receive a firm stand, and not an unstable and transitory habitation; the special places mentioned in the next passage shew the belief of such an intermediate place through which persons pass before they arrive at this firm stand and rest.

For an eminent person there is a special prayer, in which the same principle is found, as may be seen by the following extract:

"An established repose, in the celestial abode, under the wings of the divine presence, according to the degree of the holy and pure, who shine as the refulgent splendor of the firmament: a renewal of strength; expiation of trespasses; removal of transgression; and approach of sal

vation, compassion and favor, from the presence of him who dwelleth on high: may it be granted, that in the goodly part of the future state, there may be the portion and tranquil abode of the soul of the good person named, A. B. May the spirit of God lead him into Paradise, being now departed from this world according to the will of God, the Eternal Self-Existent of heaven and earth. May the supreme King of kings, through his infinite mercy, have mercy on him, pity and compassionate him. May the supreme King of kings, through his infinite mercy hide him under the shadow of his wings, and in the sacred place of his tabernacle; to behold the beauty of the Eternal Self-Existent, and to inquire in his temple: may he raise him at the end of days: and cause him to drink of the brook of his dainties. May he cause his soul to be bound up in the bundle of life; and his rest to be glorious. May the Eternal Self-Existent be his inheritance; and grant him peace: and may his repose be in peace: as it is written, he shall come in peace: they shall rest in their beds: every one walking in his uprightness. May he, and all his people of Israel, who lay in the dust, be included in mercy and forgiveness. And may it thus be acceptable, and let us say, Amen."

The whole tenor of this prayer manifests the doctrine of "expiation of trespasses," "removal of transgression," and "approach to salvation," and prayer offered by the living to obtain those blessings, together with the repose, in peace, and life for the persons who are dead.

The following, which contains the same principle, is said for women: "O most merciful! to whom mercy appertaineth; and by whose fiat the worlds were created: both this and the future one; in which are deposited the souls of the righteous and pious women, who performed his will. May he, by his word, glory and power, command the ascension of the memorial of the worthy, modest, and virtuous woman, A. B., into his presence; may the spirit of God lead her into paradise, being now departed from this world, according to the will of God, the Lord of heaven and earth. May the Supreme King of kings, through his infinite mercy, pity and compassionate her, and grant her peace; and may her repose be in peace; as it is written, he shall come in peace: they shall rest in their beds: every one walking in his uprightness. May she and all the daughters of Israel, who sleep in the dust with her, be included in mercy and forgiveness. And may it thus be acceptable, and let us say, Amen.”

Whoever reads those prayers attentively must see that they are not only for the comfort of the survivors, but for the benefit of the deceased.

I shall now add a few observations, to make it more manifest, if

possible, that the doctrine upon which those prayers and other Jewish observances is founded, is similar to ours.

During the seven days subsequent to the death of any member, a number of the nation, at least ten, assemble morning and evening, with the mourning family, to pray; and on each occasion of prayer, the prayer for the dead is repeated, beseeching of God to grant repose and peace to the departed soul.

After the seven days of retirement and affliction are passed away, the days are counted to the number of thirty from the decease, which are days also of mourning, and of devotion for the family, though the regular prayer has ceased at the end of the seventh.

The son of the deceased, or one substituted for him by adoption, attends the synagogue with more than usual punctuality until the anniversary, and there is a special prayer, which he says, more indeed of acknowledgement of God's justice, than to beseech mercy for the de

ceased.

I shall therefore say, that the Jewish nation did not take up the custom of praying for the repose of the souls of their deceased friends from the Christians, but that they received it, together with their other customs, from their ancestors; that those ancestors had the custom long before the Christian era; and that the doctrine of the utility of such prayer, existed in the ancient Jewish Church, which was the true Church of God; and not being a portion of the ritual or political code, but a doctrine of permanent truth, revealed by heaven, was always to be retained; and thus the Christian finding it not condemned or revealed by the Saviour, but alluded to and recognised by him, as I have shown in a former letter, caused no interruption to the practice, and not only observed the day of the interment, but, the third, the seventh, the thirtieth, and the anniversary days, and therefore those are not papistical observances, but some of the most ancient and venerable and consoling and beneficial practices of true Jewish religion.

I now come to two other practices of the modern Jews, which have also been derived from their progenitors, viz. prayers made for the repose of their deceased friends in the synagogue on the day of atonement, at the request of the persons who make offerings for that purpose. On this occasion, the person who makes the offering, has it made to obtain from God a blessing on his living friends, and repose for those who are deceased, and the suffrages are made for persons who have been dead during many years, as well as for those who have died within the preceding year. Surely neither Bishop Kemp nor Blanco White, will say that it was in compliment to the Roman Catholic Church, nor

in imitation of it, the Jew introduced this custom; especially when the whole Israelitic nation will testify that it is as ancient as is any other part of their observances.

The other is a similar custom, but upon a less solemn occasion. It is usual to call upon different members of the synagogue to attend the reader during the several portions of the Pentateuch being read weekly, and on those occasions the member so called upon, frequently makes an offering, to have part of the service specially applied to the benefit of his intention and the aid of his friends whether living or dead; and very often such special application is made for persons who have been a long time deceased: the alms thus given are believed to be useful, and the service thus applied is believed to do them a benefit. This custom the nation testifies to be much older than the Christian era, and to have been derived from the best days of their pure and true Church: consequently no introduction of Popery. No person would make himself so ridiculous as to assert that it was received by the Jews from our Church.

Having thus seen the practice of the modern Jews, I shall look to that of their ancestors before the Christian era. The fact which I shall here place before you, occurred about 250 years before the birth of the Redeemer. Of course we consider the books of the Machabees to be canonical Scripture, and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, but let us for the present suppose them to be only what our opponents will admit, viz. a true history of facts. I shall quote from them the following statement:-II Machab. xii.

"So Judas having gathered together his army, came into the city Odollam and when the seventh day came, they purified themselves according to the custom, and kept the Sabbath in the same place. And the day following Judas came with his company to take away the bodies. of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen, in the sepulchres of their fathers. And they found under the coats of the slain some of the donaries of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbiddeth to the Jews: so that all plainly saw, that for this cause they were slain. Then they all blessed the just judgment of the Lord, who had discovered the things that were hidden.

"And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought him, that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten. But the most valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forasmuch as they saw before their eyes what had happened, because of the sins of those that were slain. And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for