A treatise of the sibyls so highly celebrated, as well by the antient heathens, as the holy fathers of the church : giving an accompt of the names, and number of the sibyls, of their qualities, the form and matter of their verses : as also of the books now extant under their names, and the errours crept into Christian religion, from the impostures contained therein, particularly, concerning the state of the just, and unjust after death / written originally by David Blondel ; Englished by J.D.

CHAP. XVI. The Third, and Fourth Motives of Saint Epiphanius taken into consideration.

THe third Consideration of Saint Epiphanius to confirm the custom of Praying for the Dead: viz. That the departed are (in relation to the living) as persons that Travell, seems to presuppose the first Hypothe∣sis of the pretended Sibylline Writing, which gives occasion to imagine, that those, who dy, arrive, upon the dissolution of the Body, not at the place of their sovereign Happiness; but are transferred to some unplea∣sing receptacle under the earth, where their patience is no less exercised, then that of Travellers, who have a long and tedious Journey to go through. This Hypothesis indeed (if so be it were maintained by Aërius) might justly have been objected to him, to induce him to admit Prayer for the Dead? since it is evident, that those, who are at a di∣stance from their Happiness, and languish in the expectation of it, stand in need of comfort, and the Prayers requisite to obtain grace of him, who is the author of Grace. But it cannot be of any consideration, as to what concerns the Protestants, who unanimously Impugn it, and constantly teach, that the Souls of men, at the very departure out of their Bodies, enter either into Eternal fire, whence there is no deliver∣ance, and where there is no comfort; or into the Glory of God, which for ever exempts them from all those exigencies, which they are Subject to, who are deprived thereof, while they endeavour to attain it.

The fourth Consideration of the same Father, to wit, that those, who dy, have, during the time of their Pilgrimage in this world, Sinned both voluntarily, and involuntarily, is very Just, and as Aërius never had any rea∣son to deny it, so is it not at all contradicted by any of the Protestants; who, by that which they have learnt of Saint John, that those men, who (at any assignable time of their Life) say they have no sin, deceive them∣selves, make God a Lyar, and have neither his word, nor truth in them, do very well comprehend, that it must of necessity follow, that those, who should deny they had any till the hour of Death, would deceive them∣selves no less then others, and with equal presumption charg with false∣hood the God of truth. But (omitting what Aerius might have said according to his Hypothesis, of which we have nothing certain) the Pro∣testants hold, that there is no necessity of this consequence, he hath (whe∣ther voluntarily, or involuntarily, it matters not) sinned during his life: there∣fore we must Pray for him after his death.

Secondly, that the Church of Rome grants it, inasmuch as she, ac∣knowledging that this Antecedent, he hath sinned, is and shall eternally be as undeniably true in respect of the Saints, which are, and ever shall be in the Glory of God, and the Damned, who shall never come out of Hell torments, as of the living, who aspire to felicity, and desire to escape Damnation: she, I say, neither prays, nor thinks she ought to pray, for either the Saints Glorified, nor the Sinners Condemned, but onely for the Faithfull, whom she presupposes to expect their Glorification, and that onely for a certain time.

Thirdly, that if from this antecedent, he hath sinned, it did of necessi∣ty always follow, We must Pray for him, the Church of Rome would be obliged to Pray; First, For the Apostatized Angels, who, having quit∣ted their first station, sinned no less then men do, but in such manner, that their offence condemned by an irrevocable decree is absolutely incapable of remedy. Secondly, For the Damned, who are not in a state capable of amendment. Thirdly, For those, that are Glorified, who have not any good to obtain, and that as well after, as before, the last Judgment; since that after the Pronuntiation of it, this truth, that men, and Devils have sinned, will remain evident, and irrefragable as be∣fore, though that after the retribution, which shall be for ever made to every one according to his works, it will not be any longer either necessary, or convenient, or rational to pray for him.