this Life, which is our only Time of Amendment; much lefs will any fuch be inflicted on good Men in the other, when they will come too late for any valuable Purpose. Blessed, fays the Angel, are the Dead that die in the Lord, from henceforth, from the Hour of their Death, for they reft from their Labours'. But miserable, fays the Church of Rome, are many of the Dead that die in the Lord, for a long Time after, for they rest not from their Labours, but labour under moft grievous Sufferings. But indeed, even their own apocryphal Scriptures might have taught them better than this. The Souls of the Righteous are in the Hand of God, and there fhall no Torment touch them. Nor is their Plea from Antiquity better than that from Scripture. For though many had adopted strange Notions of these Things, out of Heathen Fable and Philosophy, into the Christian Religion, yet Purgatory, in the prefent Popish Sense, was not heard of for 400 Years after Chrift; nor univerfally received even in the Western Churches for 1000 Years; nor almost in any other Church than that of Rome, to this Day. But fuppofing there were fuch a Place, how do they know concerning any particular Perfon that he ever

. Rev. xiv. 13.

9

• Wifd. iii. 1.

comes

comes into it, or how long he stays in it? And if not, what is it but offering the Sacrifice of Fools, to make thousands of Prayers for one, who may be quite out of the Reach of them, either in Heaven, or perhaps in Hell? Though indeed, by praying for the very wickedeft of Men, as only in Purgatory, they ftrongly tempt other wicked Men to conclude, that none of their Communion ever go to Hell. And thus is this Invention at once fo great a Terror to good Perfons, and fo great a Comfort to bad ones, that one cannot help applying to it the Prophet's Words: With Lies ye have made the Heart of the Righteous fad, whom I have not made fad: and ftrengthened the Hands of the Wicked, that he should not return from his wicked Way, by promifing him Life". But were they to pray not for particular Perfons, as they do, but only in general for all that are there; where is the Command, where is even the Permiffion for it? Our Brethren on Earth we pray for, because the Time of their Trial is not yet over. But the State of the Dead is fixed, and they fhall receive, every Man, not according to our Prayers, but their own paft Works. Purgatory, they tell us, is that Prifon whence Men shall Ezek. xiii. 22.

Ecclef. v. 1.

not

not come out till they have paid the laft Farthing: and what room is there then for our Prayers for them there? We own indeed, fome Sort of Prayers for the Dead were used by the Church (tho' without any Warrant for them that appears) very early, within 200 Years after Chrift. But then originally these were made, not for Souls in Purgatory, for whom the Papifts pray, but for Saints in Paradife, for whom they do not pray; for all righteous Perfons deceased, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, even for the bleffed Virgin herself and hence it appears by the Way, that they did not pray to these fince they prayed for them. And the Subject-matter of their Prayers was, that God would grant them his promifed Mercy in the Day of Judgement, and speedily complete their Happiness in Body and Soul. In Procefs of Time, it must be owned, Men fell into a Variety of groundlefs Suppofitions, concerning the State of Chriftians between Death and the Refurrection; and upon thefe Suppofitions they formed their Prayers, which many Perfons went fo far as to imagine could benefit even Sinners in Hell. But as all thefe Suppofitions, for a long Time, were different from, and inconfiftent with, the Romish Notions of Purgatory, fo the Prayers, which the Ancients

ufed

ufed for the Dead, even were they of Authority, (which they are not, for nothing is so but what appears to come from God) would condemn, and not justify those Prayers which the Papists. ufe.

Another Popish Method of relieving Sinners is by Indulgences. Originally this Word meant a very right Thing, the Mitigation of the Severity or Length of Ecclefiaftical Cenfures towards fuch, as, by an exemplary Repentance, had deferved it. Nor was any other Sort of Indulgences known for at least 600 Years, perhaps much longer. But the present Notion of the Church of Rome about them, (though in their Disputes with us they would fain disguise it if they could) is this. Many of the Saints, it feems, having not only done enough to merit immediate Entrance into Heaven, but more than was neceffary for that Purpose, this Overplus of their Goodness, called usually Works of Supererogation, joined with the infinite Merits of Chrift, makes a Treasure of ineftimable Value, which the Church hath the Difpofal of, and the Pope, as Head of the Church, applies towards the Remiffion of their Sins, who either fulfil in their Life-time certain Conditions appointed by him, or whofe Friends will fulfil

them after their Deaths.

Now we, on the

contrary, have learnt from Scripture, that in many Things the best of us all offend; that, were our Obedience perfect, it were no more than our Duty; and that, to the Grace of God, not to the Merit of our Works, the Salvation of our Souls is owing. In fome Respects indeed, in useless Mortifications and Observances of no Value, we acknowledge many Saints of their Church have done much more than God requires, much more than he approves or will reward. But even had they done more really good Things than they were obliged to, this might indeed increase their own Happiness in another World: but what Pretence is there for affirming, that instead of that it shall be tranfferred away to the Benefit of others; and thole others, juft whomfoever the Pope fhall please? This fure is very hard. But after all, what is the Benefit conferred by these Indulgences? If it be only Deliverance, either wholly, or in Part, from Purgatory; there is no fuch Place to be delivered from. And that it is from Hell, they dare not fay indeed, but they do every Thing that can make the ignorant think it. Why elfe are Chrift's Merits mentioned as one Ground of Indulgences? For he hath not merited,