Q. Upon what grounds is this doctrine of Purgatory founded?A. Upon these following:First, As the justice of God absolutely demands from sinners a reparation of the injury done to him by sin, by means of temporal punishments to be undergone by them after the guilty of their mortal sins, and the eternal punishment has been remitted and forgiven them; and, as this debt of temporal punishment is increased by the venial sins they commit, which also being offensive to God, must be punished by the Divine Justice; for "God will render to every man according to his works," and of every idle word we speak, an account will be demanded; hence it necessarily follows, that there must be a state of temporal punishment after death, where all those must go, who, dying in the state of grace, have not paid this debt before they die, and where they must remain in suffering till such time as they have fully paid it. This place cannot be Heaven; for in Heaven there can be no suffering. It cannot be Hell; for out of Hell there can be no redemption, and those who die in the state of grace, cannot be condemned for ever; therefore it must be a middle place distinct from both.
On these grounds our Savior describes the nature of this state as follows, making use of it as a powerful motive to engage us to live a truly penitential life here, that we may clear that debt before we die; "Be at agreement with thy adversary quickly," says he, "whilst thou art in the way with him, lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cause into prison; amen, I say to thee, thou shall not go out from thence till thou pay the last farthing," Matth. v. 25. Here we see the doctrine of Purgatory described to us in the plainest terms.
This present life is everywhere represented in the holy scriptures as a way in which we are traveling towards Eternity. our adversary is the Divine Justice to whom we owe the debt of temporal punishment. God himself is the judge. If therefore, we do not satisfy our adversary during this life, while we are in the way, when we come to die, and be presented before the Judge, we shall be condemned to purgatory, where we must remain, till by our sufferings we have fully satisfied the Divine Justice for the debt we owe, even to the last farthing.
Second, We have seen that though venial sins do not banish the grace of God from the soul, nor break our friendship with God, nor condemn us to eternal punishments, yet they greatly defile and obscure the purity of the soul, and render it less agreeable in the eyes of God; now, the word of God assures us, that "there shall not enter into Heaven any thing defiled," Rev. xxi. 27; and that none "but the clean of heart shall see God," Matth. v. 8. When, therefore, a soul leaves this world in perfect charity with God, clean and undefiled by even the smallest stains of sin, doubtless that soul will immediately be admitted into the presence and enjoyment of God. If, on the contrary, the soul leaves this world in disgrace with God, and dead to him by the guilt of mortal sin, that soul will undoubtedly be condemned to the eternal torments of hell. But when a soul leaves this world in the friendship of God, but sullied with the stains of smaller venial sins, it is plain such a soul cannot in that state go to heaven, where "nothing defiled can enter;" neither can it be condemned to hell, because it is in friendship with God, and a living member of Jesus Christ; therefore there must be some middle state, where such a soul is confined for a time, till by suffering it be cleansed and purged from all these defilements of venial sins, and rendered fit to be admitted to the presence and enjoyment of God.
In this view, our blessed Savior says, "he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come," Matth. xii. 32. In which words he plainly insinuates, that some sins shall be forgiven in the world to come, otherwise it would be superfluous and trifling to say of the sin of the Holy Ghost in particular, that it shall never be forgiven neither in this world nor in the next. To the same purpose the prophet Isaiah says, "The voice of the Lord of hosts was revealed in my ear, surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts," Is. xxii, 14; which plainly implies that, after death, it should be forgiven them.
This truth necessarily establishes a middle state, where some sins shall be forgiven; this place cannot be heaven, for no sin can enter there to be forgiven; it cannot be hell, for in hell there is no forgiveness; therefore, it must be a middle place, distinct from both. Neither can these sins which are forgiven in the next life be mortal sins; for a soul that dies in mortal sin is immediately condemned to hell, like the rich glutton in the gospel; therefore, they are only venial sins which are purged from the soul in purgatory, as here explained.
Third, From what has been said, it appears,
1. That the souls who go to Purgatory are only such as die in the state of grace, united to Jesus Christ.
2. That it is their imperfect works for which they are condemned to that place of suffering, and which must all be there consumed, and their stains purged away from them, before they can go to heaven.
3. That, however, they shall at last be saved, and received into eternal bliss, to wit, when they have paid the utmost farthing, and when all their imperfections are purged away. This is the precise doctrine of the Church concerning purgatory. This doctrine is laid down by St. Paul in the plainest terms as follows: "For other foundations no many can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus;" that is, none can be saved but such as are united to Jesus Christ by faith, that worketh by charity: "Now, if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's works, of what sort it is." The building upon this foundation, as here explained, signifies the works that a man performs while united to Jesus Christ; such works as are good and perfect, are compared to gold, silver, and precious stones; such as are imperfect and venially sinful, are compared to wood, hay, stubble.
At the day of the Lord, at the particular judgement after death, all these works shall be tried and examined by him, for then, the fire of Gods judgment shall "try every man's works of what sort it is." If any man's works abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward, and be immediately admitted into the joy of his Lord; "if any man's works burn, he shall suffer loss," these works being found of no value, he must suffer for them; yet, having built upon the right foundation, by living and dying in the state of grace, and united to Jesus Christ, though with much imperfection, "he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire," being liable to this punishment on account of his many imperfections, 1 Cor. iii. 11. On this text of scripture, St. Ambrose says as follows: "Whereas St. Paul saith yet so as by fire, he showeth indeed, that he shall be saved, but yet shall suffer the punishment of fire; that being purged by fire, he may be saved, and not tormented forever," Serv. 20., in Psal. 118.
Fourth, The belief of a Purgatory, and the practice of praying for the souls detained there, is far from being a novelty, introduced in latter ages, as the enemies of the Catholic Church pretend. It is much more ancient than Christianity itself; and we have a most decisive proof of it from scripture, among the people of God under the old law, in the time of Judas Machabeus, about two hundred years before Christ. For, upon a great victory gained by that valiant general over the enemies of their religion, after the battle, in which many of his people had been slain, Judas, making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for a sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection - and because he considered that they who had fallen asleep, with godliness, had great grace laid up for them.
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Topic: The Soul in Perfect Charity with God (Read 923 times)