OF PRAYER FOR THE DEAD.

INTRODUCTION.

PRAYER for the dead, as it is used in the Church of Rome, doth necessarily suppose Purgatory; and therefore whatsoever hath been alleged out of the Scriptures and Fathers against the one, doth stand in full force against the other so that here we need not actum agere, and make a new work of overthrowing that which hath been sufficiently beaten down already. But on the other side, the admittal of purgatory doth not necessarily infer Prayer for the dead: nay if we shall suppose, with our adversaries, that purgatory is the prison from whence none shall come out until they have paid the utmost farthing, their own paying, and not other men's praying, must be the thing they are to trust unto, if ever they look to be delivered out of that jail. Our Romanists indeed do commonly take it for granted, that

"Purgatory and Prayer for the dead be so closely linked together, that the one doth necessarily follow the other;"

but in so doing they reckon without their host, and greatly mistake the matter. For howsoever they may deal with their own devices as they please, and link their prayers with their Purgatory as closely as they list; yet shall they never be able to show, that the Commemoration and prayers for the dead, used by the ancient Church, had any relation with their Purgatory; and therefore, whatsoever they were, Popish prayers we are sure they were not. I easily forsee, that the full opening of the judgment of the Fathers in this point will hardly stand with that brevity which I intended to use in treating of these questions; the particulars be so many, that necessarily do incur into the handling of this argument. But I suppose the reader will be content rather to dispense with me in that behalf, than be sent away unsatisfied in a matter wherein the adversary beareth himself confident beyond measure, that the whole stream of antiquity runneth clearly upon his side.

1. OF THE PERSONS FOR WHOM AFTER DEATH PRAYERS WERE

OFFERED IN THE EARLY CHURCH.

§ 2. OF THE PRIMARY INTENTION OF PRAYERS for the dead.

3. OF THE PLACE AND CONDITion of souls departed.

4. OF THE OPINION OF THE HERETIC AERIUS TOUCHING PRAYERS

FOR THE DEAD.

$5. OF THE PROFIT OF PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD TO THE PERSONS

PRAYED FOR.

§ 1. Of the Persons for whom after death Prayers were offered in the early Church.

THAT the truth, then, of things may the better appear, we are here prudently to distinguish the original institution of the Church from the private opinions of particular doctors, which waded further herein than the general intendment of the Church did give them warrant; and diligently to consider, that the memorials, oblations, and prayers made for the dead at the beginning, had reference to such as rested from their labours, and not unto any souls which were thought to be tormented in that Utopian purgatory, whereof there was no news stirring in those days. This may be gathered,

First, by the practice of the ancient Christians, laid down by the author of the Commentaries upon Job, which are wrongly ascribed unto Origen, in this manner :

"We observe the memorials of the saints, and devoutly keep the remembrance of our parents or friends which die in the faith ; as well rejoicing for their refreshing, as requesting also for ourselves a godly consummation in the faith. Thus therefore do we celebrate the death, not the day of the birth: because they which die shall live for ever. And we celebrate it, calling together religious persons with the priest, the faithful with the clergy; inviting moreover the needy and the poor, feeding the orphans and widows, that our festivity may be for a memorial of rest to the souls departed, whose remembrance we celebrate, and to us may become a sweet savour in the sight of the eternal God."

Secondly, by that which St. Cyprian writeth of Laurentius and Ignatius, whom he acknowledgeth to have received of the LORD

palms and crowns for their famous martyrdom, and yet presently addeth :

"We offer sacrifices always for them, when we celebrate the passions and days of the martyrs with an anniversary commemoration."

Thirdly, by that which we read in the author of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, set out under the name of Dionysius the Areopagite for where the party deceased is described by him to have departed out of this life,

"replenish with divine joy, as now not fearing any change to worse,"

being come unto the end of all his labours, and to have been both privately acknowledged by his friends, and publicly pronounced by the ministers of the Church, to be a happy man, and to be verily admitted into the

66 society of the saints that have been from the beginning of the world;"

yet doth he declare, that the Bishop made prayer for him, (upon what ground, we shall afterward hear,) that

"GOD would forgive him all the sins that he had committed through human infirmity, and bring him into the light and the land of the living, into the bosoms of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, into the place from whence pain and sorrow and sighing flieth."

Fourthly, by the funeral ordinances of the Church related by St. Chrysostom, which were appointed to admonish the living that the parties deceased were in a state of joy, and not of grief:

"For tell me," saith he," what do the bright lamps mean? do we not accompany them therewith as champions? What mean the hymns?" "Consider what thou dost sing at that time, Return, my soul, unto thy rest; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. And again: I will fear no evil, because thou art with me. Again: Thou art my refuge from the affliction that compasseth me. Consider what these Psalms mean."

Fifthly, by the forms of prayers that are found in the ancient liturgies. As in that of the Churches of Assyria, attributed unto St. Basil:

"Be mindful, O LORD, of them which are dead, and are departed out of this life," and of the orthodox Bishops, which from Peter and James the Apostles until this day, have clearly professed the right word of faith; and namely, of Ignatius, Dionysius, Julius, and the rest of the saints of worthy memory. “Be mindful, O LORD, of them also which have stood unto blood for religion, and by righteousness and holiness have fed thy holy flock."

And in the Liturgy fathered upon the Apostles:

"We offer unto thee, for all the saints which have pleased thee from the beginning of the world, patriarchs, prophets, just men, apostles, martyrs, confessors, bishops, priests, deacons," &c.

And in the Liturgies of the Churches of Egypt, which carry the title of St. Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and Cyril of Alexandria:

"Be mindful, O LORD, of thy saints; vouchsafe to remember all thy saints which have pleased thee from the beginning, our holy fathers, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, preachers, evangelists, and all the souls of the just which have died in the faith; and especially the holy, glorious, the evermore Virgin Mary, the Mother of GOD; and St. John the forerunner, the Baptist and Martyr; St. Stephen, the first deacon and martyr; St. Mark the apostle, evangelist and martyr," &c.

And in the Liturgy of the Church of Constantinople, ascribed to St. Chrysostom:

"We offer unto thee this reasonable service for those who are at rest in the faith, our forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, religious persons, and every spirit perfected in the faith, but especially for our most holy, immaculate, most blessed Lady, the Mother of GOD, and aye Virgin Mary."

Which kind of oblation for the saints, sounding somewhat harshly in the ears of the Latins, Leo Thuscus, in his translation, thought best to express it to their better liking, after this

manner:

"We offer unto thee this reasonable service for the faithfully deceased, for our fathers, and forefathers, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, and all the Saints interceding" for them.

As if the phrase of "offering for the martyrs," were not to be found in St. Chrysostom's own works; and more universally

"for the just, both the fathers, and the patriarchs, the prophets, and apostles, and evangelists, and martyrs, and confessors, the bishops, and such as led a solitary life, and the whole order,"

in the suffrages of the Church rehearsed by Epiphanius. Yea, and in the Western Church itself:

"for the spirits of those that are at rest, Hilary, Athanasius, Martin, Ambrose, Augustine, Fulgentius, Leander, Isidorus," &c.

as may be seen in the Muzarabical Office, used in Spain.

Sixthly, this may be confirmed out of the funeral orations of

St. Ambrose; in one whereof, touching the Emperor Valentinian, and his brother Gratian, thus he speaketh :

"Let us believe that Valentinian is ascended from the desert, that is to say, from this dry and unmanured (inculto) place, unto those flowery delights, where being conjoined with his brother, he enjoyeth the pleasure of everlasting life. Blessed are you both, if my orisons shall prevail anything, no day shall overslip you in silence; no oration (oratio) of mine shall pass you ever unhonoured; no night shall run by, wherein I will not bestow upon you some portion of my prayers. With all oblations will I frequent you."

In another, he prayeth thus unto GoD:

"Give rest to thy perfect servant Theodosius, that rest which thou hast prepared for thy saints."

And yet he had said before of him:

"Theodosius, of honourable memory, being freed from doubtful fight, doth now enjoy everlasting light, and continual tranquillity; and for the things which he did in this body, he rejoiceth in the fruits of GOD's reward; because he loved the LORD his GOD, he hath obtained the society of the saints." And afterward also,

"Theodosius remaineth in light, and glorieth in the company of the saints." In a third, he prayeth thus, for his brother Satyrus:

"ALMIGHTY GOD, I now commend unto thee his harmless soul; to thee do 1 make my oblation; accept mercifully, and graciously, the office of a brother, the sacrifice of a priest:"

although he had directly pronounced of him before, that

"he had entered into the kingdom of heaven, because he had believed the word of God,"

and excelled in many notable virtues.

Lastly, in one of his epistles, he comforteth Faustinus, for the death of his sister, after this manner :

"Do not the carcases of so many half-ruined cities, and the funerals of so much land exposed under one view, adinonish thee that the departure of one woman, although a holy and admirable one, should be borne with great consolation? especially, seeing they are cast down and overthrown for ever; but she being taken from us but for a time, doth pass a better life there. I, therefore, think that she is not so much to be lamented as to be followed with prayers, and am of the mind, that she is not to be made sad with thy tears, but rather that her soul should be commended with oblations unto the LORD."

Thus far St. Ambrose, unto whom we may adjoin Gregory Nazianzen also; who, in the funeral oration that he made upon his brother Cæsarius, having acknowledged that he had