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A27340
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The belief of praying for the dead
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Belhaven, John Hamilton, Baron, 1656-1708.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing B1787; ESTC R16794
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35,862
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72
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some of the Discoursers Companions should tell him that he had a Law-suit in hand and that he was certain never to win it neither at the Kings-Bench nor Court of Chancery I am perswaded the Discourser or any man of sense would infer from this Person 's talk that Law-suits were pleaded both at the Kings-Bench and in Chancery And why will he not infer from these Words of our Saviours Some sins shall never be pardon'd neither in this World nor in that to come that there are some sins both pardonable in this World and in that to come And if there be some sins there to be forgiven I suppose he will allow of some Pain there to be suffered for all sin deserves some Punishment And 't is upon this account the Roman Church prays for the Dead that their pain may be eased and sins forgiven S. Paul 1 Cor. c. 15. v. 29. Makes use of two Arguments to verify the Resurrection of Man Devotion perform'd for the Dead and the exposing of his own Life which was in danger preaching this ineffable Mystery which is the Foundation of Christian Religion Otherwise says the Text what shall they do that are baptised for the Dead if the Dead rise not at all Why also are they baptised for them Why also are we in danger every hour I expect here the Discourser will exclaim against the hardness of this passage I am somewhat of his opinion 't is so difficult that if I were a Reformer I could make no sence of it Mark 10. Orat. in S. Lumina This Word Baptism as hard as 't is S. Mark interprets to be pain or austerity And S. Gregory Nazianzen calls Purgatory Fire the last Baptism But let the word Baptism signify whatever affliction the Discourser shall please to assign Penance or Prayer it will still Literally be true that it is performed to benefit the Dead For if the Dead are not hereby helped why does S. Paul urge again so earnestly Why also to what end are they baptised or afflicted for them If this Devotion profit not the Dead might not we answer the Apostle and say to no end at all And so void and silence his pressing Forwardness Far be it from me Divine APOSTLE to contend against thy Testimony S. John The beloved Disciple of Christ speaks of Two states of Sinners after Death He speaks of those who we know depart in mortal or deadly sin For these he forbids us to pray They are without Redemption abandon'd by God. S. John speaks of an other sort of Sinners whom we know by outward signs of Repentance die not in deadly sin For these he does encourage us if he do not command us with confidence to pray And this is says the Scripture Ep. Catho 1. Chap. 5. v. 14. the Confidence which we have towards him that whatsoever we shall ask according to His Will He heareth us He that knoweth his Brother to sin a Sin not to Death let him him ask and Life shall be given him sinning not to Death Here is Encouragement for us to pray for those who die with Repentance And Two strong Motives excite us hereunto First We are encourag'd thus to pray because we ask What is according to GOD's Will And Secondly God will hear us pardon the Delinquent and give him Life everlasting The Text continues There is a sin to Death for that I say not that any man ask Here is an Inhibition to pray for any of whom we have no signs no Hopes of Repentance at their Death I do not expect here that the Discourser will deny S. John speaks of Praying for the Dead The Text is too plain against him And what is convincing neither the Church nor any Man is disswaded here from praying for any Sinner yet living nor for the Remission of any Sin in this Life I know the Montanist Hereticks held some sins not pardonable But the Church of Christ before the Death of any Sinner prays and is often heard for the sins of Hereticks Jews Turks Apostates or what other Infidels or ill-Livers soever in the World so long as Life is all have hopes of Pardon But S. John speaks here of a Sinner now placed in such a state that Prayer for him will not be available therefore he speaks of praying for the sins of the Departed Of these some die without repentance These we are not to pray for Others duly repent for these we are encouraged to pray and God will hear us and give them Life everlasting CHAP. IX Of Purgatory IF the Word Purgatory be not found in Scripture no pious Reader ought upon this sole account to scruple at it the sense of it is delivered in Holy Writ Do we read any where in the Bible of the Word Trinity We all of us believe in the blessed Trinity one GOD and three divine Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost The Word Catholick is not written in Scriptures We all of us profess in the Creed I believe one Catholick Church By the Word Purgatory we not improperly signify a middle state after Death where Souls departed endure some Pain for smaller Offences not forgiven in this World. That there is such a state of Souls I have already from Fathers and Scripture demonstrated for if both these teach us to pray as I have shewn that God will be pleased to deal with some Souls departed more mildly than their sins deserve to forgive them and to seat them in the Kingdom of Heaven who can justly refuse the being of Purgatory This is all we mean by it This is our Belief and of this I will add one more Proof very plain and easy There are two sorts of sin Mortal and Venial I call a Mortal sin that Crime which breaks Charity between God and the Delinquent and for which hee 's to suffer eternal pain I mean by Venial sin that Fault which lessens Friendship between God and the Just for which he must undergoe some Penalty because he has transgres'd yet not that of eternal Damnation I know that God might have punished all sins and this too with Justice eternally But the Divine Goodness considering the weakness of human frailty which failes almost at every step it makes will'd all Offences should not be Mortal or lyable to everlasting Torments This he has revealed to us in S. Matthew where we read Math. 5.23 Whosoever is angry with his Brother shall be in danger of Judgment whosoever shall say to his Brother Raca shall be in danger of Council whosoever shall say to his Brother thou Fool shall be guilty of Hell Fire Is not here an uncontroul'd difference of two sorts of sin Some are guilty of Hell Fire these I call Mortal Others are not guilty of Hell Fire but in danger of Judgment these I name Venial faults And they are these quotidian slips which the Prophet attributes to the Just who fails seven times a day If he be just hee 's GOD's Favourite and not guilty
upon this passage of the Proverbs The Wicked Man dead all Hope is ended ah Misery Origen over-look'd this sentence who believ'd that Life would be given after the last and universal Judgment to all the Wicked and Sinners What follows is the Belief of the Church which S. Hierome stamps with a Notandum But take Notice sayes he although there be no Hope of Pardon after Death for the Wicked yet there are some who may be absolv'd after Death from lesser Faults with which they dyed ingag'd viz. expiated either by Pains or Prayers of their Friends or Alms-deeds or saying of Masses but these things for whomsoever they are perform'd are done before the Last Judgment and that too for lesser Offences If you ask what anciently were the Devotions for the Dead you have here Prayers and Alms-deeds and saying of Masses prescrib'd a word which is so disagreeable to the fondlings of New Religions If you would know why the Dead are detain'd in a middle State S. Jerome tells you because when they dyed they were involved in lesser Faults If you urge on and say they do not suffer there this Father replyes their Faults are expiated by suffering Pains Had the Discourser seen this evident Testimony sure he would not have triumph'd that in S. Jerome there was no mention of those Pag. 23. 24. who depart this Life in a state of Charity to be punish'd in Purgatory or a middle state of Souls sure he would not have vaunted that if he did not with Rufinus accuse him of being involv'd in the Error of Origen yet Bellarmin himself cannot deny him to have been charg'd with an Opinion not very much differing from it viz. that All Catholick Christians shall in the end be saved after they have been tryed and purifyed in the Fire of the last Judgment Rather than he will have a Father without Error he will be twice injurious to him When I find any passage of a Father dubious or hard to be understood I straightway compare it with clearer and easier about the same matter and so gather its meaning Thus if I should read in S. Jerome that all Catholicks shall in the end be saved after they are purifyed or that Christians if they be overtaken in their sins shall be saved after Punishment I straightway suppose if these sins be mortal they have repented of them and that all Catholicks whom God has order'd to be tryed and purifyed shall after be saved Now these cannot be all Catholick Christians generally speaking but only those who depart this Life in Charity which is compatible with lesser or venial Faults And these are to be purg'd not at the day of Judgment but before this dreadful day This is not my Opinion 't is S. Jerom's own interpretation in the end of the foregoing Testimony but by whomsoever Pains are undergone or Prayers offer'd they are done before Judgment and that too for lesser Offences S. Epiphanius Charges Aerius with the same Error which we have read S. Austin imputed to him that he opposed mentioning the Names of the Dead asking to what purpose they did it He that is alive prayeth or offereth the Sacrifice What shall this advantage the Dead But if the Dead are indeed profited thereby then let no man from henceforth trouble himself to live well only let him oblige his Friends or give Money to persons to pray for him that none of the inexpiable sins he hath commited may be required of him This is the Case of Aerius in the Discourser Disc p. 53. Can any Reformer Argue better against the Church of Rome than this Heretick does against S. Epiphanius Aerius asks to what purpose they pray for the Dead S. Epiphanius answers to benefit them Aerius presses forwards if Prayers profit the Dead let no man endeavour to live well only let him give Money to be Pray'd for That none of those inexpiable Sins he hath Committed may be required of him S. Epiphanius replyes that these Prayers do not extinguish all sort of Faults They only purify the stains of smaller Offences which this Father calls Slips of the Perfect But for the most part says he they therefore profit us because when we enjoy'd this World we wilfully S. Epiph. haec 75. pag. 911. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. yet with reluctancy fail'd an evident sign of a more perfect Condition We do therefore make Commemoration of the Just and of sinners of whose Salvation we have some hope For sinners we implore Gods Mercy For the Just we honour our Saviour Christ Here are Prayers manifestly offer'd for Expiation of Sin not for notorious Crimes for these no expiation can be made in the World to come They were offer'd for smaller Faults with which the Sinner laden departed and for which he suffers in a middle State and therefore Gods Mercy was implor'd for him Lastly S. Epiphanius assures us the Answer he gave was that of the Church unalterable and therefore not to be call'd in question by a private Reformer And I say pursues this Father Ibidem Num. ult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Church necessarily performs this Christian Duty who receiv'd it deliver'd to Her from Her Ancestors But can any one break the Order of his Mother or Law of his Father In Salomon 't is written Hear O Son the Words of thy Father and do not despise the Law of thy Mother declaring That the Father who is God His only begotten Son and the Holy Ghost have taught us by the written and unwritten Word and that our Mother the Church has some Laws in her own Hand which neither can be dissolv'd nor broken From these Laws establish'd in the Church which are laudable ones and full of administration this Impostor is convinc'd Language which I heartily wish the Pretended Reformers would learn to speak S. Chrysostom Is very copious in his exhorting Christians to pray for the Dead I'lle content my self with one single passage Hom. 3. in Ep. Phillip Edit Etonae P. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but so plain a one that none but a Roman Catholick could have spoken it Not in vain sayes he is it Enacted by the Apostles that in the dreadful Mysteries Commemoration be made of the Dead They the Apostles knew very well how much profit from hence and benefit accrews to their Souls For when all people stand at their Devotions before the Altar with lifted up Hands and the Quire of Priests and the dreadful Sacrifice exciting Veneration how shall we fail to appease GOD in praying for them And this truly is to be understood of those who departed in the Faith. S. Chrysostom says the Dead are help'd by the Prayers of the Living much profit from hence accrews to them And the Reformers deny it St. Chrysostom says the Pain hereby which the Dead suffer is alleviated how shall we fail to appease God in praying for them And is not his Anger attended with Punishment And the Reformers