holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins," 2 Macca. xii. 43. In this passage of holy writ, we have the following particulars established: (1.) That the whole people of God, long before Christ, did hold it holy and laudable to pray for the dead. (2) That they believed this to be a means of benefiting the souls departed, by freeing them from their sins. (3.) That the word of God declares this to be holy and wholesome. If therefore the souls of the faithful departed are benefited by the prayers of those upon earth, this establishes a purgatory beyond all contradiction, since those in heaven are in need of no help, and those in hell can receive none. Now, we do not find that our Saviour ever reprehended the Jews for this practice, though upon all occasions, he censured the Pharisees for the corruptions they had brought in, some of which were even of much less consequence than this, had it not been sound doctrine.

Q. 46. Are the sufferings of the souls in purgatory very severe ?

A. They are certainly most dreadful; much more so than any thing we can conceive in this world. (1.) Because the Scripture says they shall "be saved, yet so as by fire," 2. Cor. iii. (2.) Because they are wholly in the hands of the divine justice, and the Scripture says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," Heb. x. 31. And, indeed, even in this life, where his justice is always mixed with mercy, how dreadful are his punishments upon sinners! witness the many examples in Scripture, even for sins which to us would seem but small. (3.) Some of the saints of God have not hesitated to think, that the torments of purgatory are not inferior to those of hell, only that those of hell have no end, whereas those of

purgatory are but for a time. (4.) The following passages from the prophets, though addressed directly to the Jews, are applied, in their spiritual sense, to shew the greatness of the torments of purgatory. "If the Lord shall wash away the filth of the daughters of Sion, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning," Is. iv. 4. ;" and he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver," Mal. iii. 3.

Q. 47. Are the prayers, sacrifices, and other good works of the faithful upon earth, of benefit to the souls in purgatory, when offered to God for them?

A. Most undoubtedly they are of great service to them, both by easing their sufferings and shortening the time of their being there. Thus, the Scripture expressly says, that "it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins," 2 Mac. xii. In their situation they can do nothing for themselves, but suffer till they have paid the last farthing. For as our Saviour assures us, when "the night of death cometh, no man can work," John ix. 4.; and the Holy Ghost exhorts us to be diligent in doing all the good we can at present, for the same reason, "whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it carnestly; for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge, shall be in hell, whither thou art hastening," Eccles. ix. 10.; that is, in the regions below, in the state of the dead. But, though the souls in purgatory can do nothing of themselves to ease or shorten their sufferings, yet such is the goodness of God, that in consideration of the union and charity which he so strictly requires among the ill members of his Church, the body of Christ and of that communion of saints which he himself has es

tablished among them, he is pleased to accept of the prayer, sacrifices, and good works of the faithful upon earth, when offered up by them for the souls departed; and, on that account, relieves their pains, and grants them a more speedy deliverance from them.

Q. 48. Is it then a great charity to pray for the souls in purgatory?

A. It is certainly so: whether we consider who they are, what they suffer, or how easily relieved by us, though they can do nothing for themselves.

Q. 49. Is it very profitable to ourselves to pray for the souls in purgatory?

A. It is one of the most profitable acts of mercy we can perform; for, (1.) "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall find mercy;" and, "with the same measure that we mete to others, it shall be measured to us again." This is an established rule of the divine justice, consequently the being diligent in procuring relief to those who are gone before us, and are now in a state of purgation and suffering in the next life, is the most effectual means to move Almighty God to stir up others to bring the same relief to us, if we ever be so happy as to go to the same place; on the contrary, "judgment without mercy to him that shews no mercy," Jas. ii. 13. (2.) The souls in purgatory are the beloved spouses of Jesus Christ, united to him by grace, and secure of their eternal salvation. Now, if Christ assures us that a cup of cold water given for his sake in this life, shall not want its reward, though the one to whom we give it may, perhaps, be one at enmity with Jesus Christ, or who will be lost for ever, and for ever separated from him; what reward will he give to those who, for his sake, contribute to do such a benefit to his beloved spouses in Purgatory, as to ease their dreadful torments, and procure them a more speedy admission to his divine presence?

(3.) These holy souls themselves will sooner or later be admitted to the possession of God, to the clear and full enjoyment of the divine presence; what a happiness for us, if by our prayers, alms, sacrifices, and other good works, we have been instrumental in procuring them ease while they were in their state of purgation, and a more speedy admission to eternal bliss? May we not justly expect that their grateful hearts will not forget our services? Will they not be so many steadfast friends to us in heaven, and, by their powerful prayers, obtain a blessing from God to our souls? Hence our blessed Saviour says, in the gospel, "make to yourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity, that when ye shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings," Luke xvi. 9. And in this consists the communion we have with these blessed souls in purgatory, included in that article of the Creed the communion of saints; which extends to all the members of the Church of Christ, whether they be as yet in this present life, or departed out of it to another; for we communicate to the souls in purgatory the fruits of our prayers and good works offered up for them; and, in return, we receive, through the mercy of God, these precious rewards of our charity.

Q. 50. What instructions do we learn from this doctrine of purgatory?

A. Chiefly these following: (1.) The strictness and severity of God's justice, which appears, in some respect, more formidable from purgatory, than even from hell itself; for, in hell, whom does he punish? his enemies, his rebellious creatures, obstinate, ungrateful,impenitent sinners, just objects of his aversion, wrath, and indignation; but in purgatory, he punishes his beloved friends, the chase spouses of his Son, the living members of Jesus Christ, the objects of his complacency and love. In hell how

does he punish? with torments the most dreadful, yea, more dreadful than can enter into the heart of man to conceive. In purgatory he punishes with torments much of the same nature; for the souls there shall, indeed, at last be saved, yet so as by fire; and, perhaps, little inferior in its intenseness, and differing from that of hell only in its duration. In hell for what does he punish? for mortal sin, the greatest and most atrocious outrage that can be done to his divine Majesty; in purgatory, he punishes only smaller sins, venial imperfections, human frailties. If, therefore, he punishes these venial imperfections in his own beloved friends in so severe a manner, how dreadful are his judgments! how severe his justice! how much to be dreaded and feared!

(2.) Purgatory shews us, in the strongest colours, the great evil of venial sin; for God is a God of infinite justice, and therefore can never punish any sin more than it deserves; he is also a God of infinite mercy, which inclines him to punish sin rather less than it deserves. If, therefore, a God of infinite justice punishes venial sin in so dreadful a manner in purgatory, we must, of necessity, acknowledge, that venial sin most justly deserves that punishment; and if so, how great an evil must it be! how pernicious to those who are guilty of it!

(3.) It also shews us the great advantage we may draw from the sufferings of this life, if borne in a penitential spirit; and from endeavouring, by a truly penitential life of self-denial and mortification, to discharge the debt we owe to the divine justice, and by that means make agreement with our adversary while we are in the way." One great reason why souls go to purgatory, is, because they have not satisfied the justice of God by their sufferings before they die; for this reason they must suffer in

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