SECT. IV.

AND 1st, thus they Argue.

To this rope of Sand, rather than Argument, I reply; 1st, That the Supposition it goes upon, is false. 2dly, That the Conclusion it infers, is inconsequent. For the former of these; That some Sins are less than others, it is confes∣sed; but that any Sins are properly Venial, we deny. To be Venial, is to be worthy of Pardon, or not to deserve Punishment; but whatsoever do's not deserve Punishment, can be no Sin, for all Sin infers an Obligation to Punish∣ment; and therefore to be a Sin, and yet be Venial, is in proper terms no better than a flat Contradiction. Again, The Sins here spoken of, are supposed to be worthy of a temporal Punishment; but Sins that are worthy of a tempo∣ral Punishment, are not properly Venial; therefore, either the Sins here spoken of, must not deserve even a tempo∣ral Punishment, or they cannot be said to be properly Ve∣nial.

But 2dly, Be the Sins, as they desire, Venial; how do's it from hence follow, that it is necessary that these be pu∣nish'd in another Life? And why is not the Blood of Christ which cleanses the greatest Sins, a sufficient Purgatory for the least Infirmities? Venial Sins are by themselves con∣fess'd to be intirely consistent with the Grace of God; nay, so consistent as not to destroy, or but even lessen it. Now Page  32 for a Christian, who has lived so well as to be still in the Grace and Favour of God; that has received an actual Pardon of all his other Sins, through the Merits and Satisfaction of Christ, so as to be absolutely certain of a Crown of Glory for ever; to think that such a one, I say, shall be punish'd with Torments, inferior in nothing but the Dura∣tion to those of Hell-fire its self, for such slips and infirmi∣ties as the best of men are encompass'd with, and which no man can ever hope perfectly to overcome; and this, not∣withstanding all the Promises of Mercy and Forgiveness, which God has declared to us; this certainly is so far from being a Dictate of Right Reason, that it is impossible for any one that has any Reason at all, and is not exceedingly carried away with Prejudice for his Opinion, ever to be∣lieve it.

Again, 2dly, Thus they Argue:

I answer, That this too proceeds upon a false Suppositi∣on, That God when he forgives our Sins, do's not also for∣give the intire Obligation to Punishment, which by our Sins we stood engaged to; and which both Scripture and Reason contradict.

1st, That God do's sometimes afflict those Persons whose Sins he forgives, whether to prove, or to amend, or to secure them for the future, this 'tis confess'd we read in Scripture; and that this is most reasonable, cannot be deni'd upon the account of those excellent ends that are to be ser∣ved thereby, both to the benefit of the Sinner, and to warn others by his Example not to offend. But where is there Page  33 any mention of any thing of this kind either threatned or done in another Life? What end is there to be ser∣ved in this? When Men go to Purgatory, they are alrea∣dy in the Grace of God, or otherwise they could not come thither; they are already forgiven their Sins, and secure of their Salvation. The punishments therefore of that place can serve no end, either of improving him that suffers them, or of keeping others by his example from offending. Add to this, That the Justice of God is already intirely satisfied by the Merits and Sufferings of Christ: So that then these punishments can be inflicted for no other purpose than for the delight God takes in punishing. But to say that God delights in the punishment of any, much more of good men, who are his Children, who love him, and whom therefore he both loves and intends to glorify to all Eternity; this is certainly to advance a notion un∣worthy of God, and contrary to all those kind and endear∣ing Idea's which the Holy Scriptures have given us of him; and therefore ought not without evident proof, which is not so much as pretended to by them, to be ad∣mitted.

2dly, When we say that God forgives sin, we must un∣derstand by it one of these two things, viz. That he re∣mits either the Stain, or the Guilt of it. For by sin there is only these two contracted. As for the stain or pollution of sin, That is not properly forgiven, but is wash'd away by God's sanctifying Grace upon our repentance and re∣conciliation to him: And for the Guilt, that is nothing else, but that obligation to punishment, which every Man by sinning, renders himself obnoxious to; so that to remit the Guilt, is to remit the obligation to punishment. To say therefore that God forgives the Guilt of sin, and yet that our Obligation to punishment remains, is in effect to say, that God forgives the Guilt, which he do's not forgive, which must be a Contradiction.

Page  34 But may not God forgive the Guilt as to the Obligation it lays upon us to Eternal punishment, and yet retain it as to a Temporal one? No doubt he may; and had He declared that he would do so, we must have believed it. But then this would not have been properly to forgive the Guilt, but to commute it, to lessen it. And since neither has He any where declared that this is all he does when he for∣gives sins; nor does his Justice require that he should do no more; But especially, seeing wherever God speaks of the remission of sins, he does it without restriction, in the most large, comprehensive terms that can be imagined: We see no cause either to suspect his Goodness, or to lessen his Mercy by our own arbitrary and ungrounded limita∣tions.

But 3dly, There is yet another Argument, and it is this:

For is not this rare Cant? To hear those who have taken away the fears of Hell, with a demure countenance ex∣claim against us as wicked, in throwing off so great an en∣gagement to Piety as, if you will believe it, they esteem Page  35 Purgatory to be? But yet since the point is brought at last to this issue, let us see the comparison.

1st. We who deny Purgatory, thus press the practise of good works upon our Auditors. That God, to whom we are engaged by all imaginable ties of Love, Duty, and Gratitude, expresly requires them of us, as the only means to retain his favour. That if we be zealous in his service now, we shall certainly receive an Eternal weight of Bliss and Glory in his Kingdom. But that if we be careless and negligent of our duty, nothing but everlasting torments shall remain for us. That, let us not deceive our selves, or flatter our souls with any new ways of Getting to Hea∣ven; Without Holiness no man shall ever see the Lord. Re∣pentance is the only thing that by Faith can reconcile us to his favour: And repentance cannot be true, except there be a true Love of God, and an utter detestation of sin, and a hearty contrition that we have ever committed it; and a stedfast resolution never to fall any more into it; and this improved in an actual, sincere endeavour, what in us lies, to abound in Good works, and fulfil that duty which he re∣quires of us. That without this, 'tis not any power or Au∣thority of the Church, Absolving us from our sins; any Par∣dons or Indulgences, either before or after our Commission of them, that can stand us in any stead, or restore us to God's favour and the hopes of Salvation. But that if we do this, then indeed we may assure our selves of his acceptance; we may raise our hopes to the blessings that he has promised; and that we may be the more encouraged to pursue them, may assure our selves that all those joys which he has pre∣pared for us, and which it does not now enter into the heart of man but to conceive any thing of as he ought to do, are not at any great distance: As soon as ever we have finish'd our course here, we shall presently be translated, if not to a perfect fruition of them, yet to such an Ante∣past, Page  36 as shall be more than a sufficient reward for all our endeavours in the pursuit of them.

This is the method of our Preaching: Let us now set Cardinal Bellarmin in the Pulpit, and see how much more effectually he will press these things upon his Congregation. And because I would not make the worst of the matter, we will not consider him in quality of a Jesuit, instructing the people by Artifice and Distinction, how to evacuate the whole morality of the Gospel, by stating precisely the point, How often a man is obliged to love God? Whether upon all Sundays and Holydays? or only once a year? or once in five years? or but any one time in a mans whole life? or finally not at all, neither living nor dying? This were, it may be, to carry matters too far; we will stop within the bounds of their more common belief.

And here first of all, as is most fitting, we must be sure to put them often in mind of the Obedience they owe to the Church: of the high opinions they ought always to retain of her, and of that intire submission wherewith they are to yield themselves up to her Conduct. That they be sure not to fail to go to Mass every Sunday and Holyday; that they eat no flesh on any of the Fasts of the Church, unless they are otherwise dispensed with to the contrary: That once at least every year they receive the Sacrament, and before they do so, that they fail not to go to Confession; That they make no doubt but by the Priests Absolution they are cer∣tainly forgiven their sins whatsoever they were; That in∣deed it were well that they were contrite for them; but if they are not, 'tis all one, Attrition with the Sacrament of Penance do's the same thing: That this therefore sets them free of all danger of Hell, so that be their lives what they will, there is no great fear of that; but yet that to secure their Piety, the Church has thought fit to discover to them another very terrible place called Purgatory, whither they Page  37 must go to satisfie for their sins before they can get to Hea∣ven. That, indeed, let them live how they will, hither they must come: But yet let them not be discouraged; there are several secret ways of avoiding it, with infinitely more security than the best Life in the world can give them. First, an Indulgence may be had, and that too before-hand, to secure the greatest sinner from ever coming thither. If this fail, yet they may enter themselves into some Holy fraternity, as for instance that of the Scapulary, and then they certainly get out of Purgatory the Saturday after they dye. At least, that let the worst that can happen, a good number of Masses when they are dead, infallibly does the business. 'Tis true, none of these things can be had with∣out Money, and therefore the poor must take heed and have as few sins as they can to answer for; but yet that if they watch their time, an Indulgence will come at an easie rate, and the Church in Charity will fall her price, rather than refuse that Money that will be so much to the benefit of her faithful Children.

This is, I think, the difference between us: Let the world now judg, who it is that give the greatest encou∣ragement to Vice, the Cardinal in these easie methods of Salvation, or We by retaining the old Scripture-way of Repentance and a Good Life. But the truth is, the Argu∣ment ought to have lain thus; The Opinion that takes away Purgatory, and leaves men that have lived well, in repose at their death, cuts off all the benefit of Masses, Prayers for the dead, and the like; not to say any thing of the dear concern of Indulgences, by which our Church and our Clergy in great measure subsist; and therefore tho' we know we have nothing to say for it, yet we are resolved we will not quit the belief of it: And this indeed is the honest Truth; but for the rest, 'tis in good earnest nothing to the purpose.