EXTITLED FIAT LUX. IGl
naked out of doors, throughout the whole Scripture, as injurious to the grace of God, the mediation of Christ, the tenor of the covenant of grace, and contrary to express testimonies, — in those words of our Saviour, Matt. v. ; who, speaking of sinners dying ia an unreconciled condition, having made no peace or agi'eement with God, says that, being " delivered into prison, they should not go forth untd they had paid the utmost farthing." For as the persons whom he paraboh- cally sets forth are such as die in an absolute estate of enmity^ with God, — which kind of persons, as I take it, Roman Catholics do not beheve to go to purgatory, — so I think it is certain that those enemies of God who are or shall be cast into hell shall not depart until they have paid the uttermost farthing; and that the expression "untd" doth in Scripture always denote a limitation of time to exph'e, and the accomplishment afterward of what is denied before, I suppose, nay, I know, he will not say: so that their lying in prison until they pay the uttermost farthing of their debts (which is not God's way of dealing A^-ith them whom he washes and pardons in the blood of Christ, who are not able to pay one farthing of them) is their lying there to eternity. And so, also, of the sins of which it is said they " shall not be forgiven in this world, nor in the world to come,'' in one gospel; it is said in another that they " sliall never be forgiven," — that is, not really forgiven here, nor declared or manifested to be forgiven hereafter. Besides, methinks this should make very httle for purgatory, however the words should be interpreted ; for they are a great aggravation of the sins spoken of. as the highest and most mortal that men may contract the guilt of that can be pardoned, — if they can be pardoned. That the remission of such sins may be looked for in purgatory, as yet we are not taught ; nay, our own author teUs us that mortal sins must be remitted before a man can be admitted into purgatory : so that certainly there is not a more useless text in the Bible to his present purpose than this is, though they be aU useless enough, in all conscience.
But here a matter falls across his thoughts that doth not a little trouble him ; and it is this, that St Paul, in his epistles, never makes use of '"'purgatory, directly at least, as a topic-place, either in his exhortations to virtue or dissuasions from vice." And, I promise you, it is a shrewd objection. It cannot but seem strange that St Paul should make no use of it, and his church make use almost of nothing else. Little, surely, did St Paul think how many monasteries and abbeys this purgatory would found, how many monks and friars it would maintain, what revenue it would brinsf into the church, that he passeth it by so slightly. But St Paul's business was to pers-uade men to virtue, and dehort them from vice ; and he informs us that there is such a contemperation of heat and cold in purgatory, such
VOL. XIV. 11
162 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE
an equal balance between pains and hopes, good and evil, that it is not very meet to be made a topic for these ends and purposes; that is, that indeed it is of no use in religion. The trouble and com- fort of it are, by a due mixture, so allayed, as to their proper quali- ties, that they can have no operation upon the minds of men, to sway them one way or other. Had some of our forefathers been so far illuminated, all things had not been at the state wherein they are at this day in the Papacy; but, it may be, much more is not to be expected from it, and therefore it may now otherwise be treated than it was yerst-while, when it was made the sum and substance of religion. However, the time will come when this Platonical signet, — that hath no colour from Scripture, but is opposite to the clear testi- monies of it; repugnant to the grace, truth, and mercy of God; de- structive to the mediation of Christ; useless to the souls of men, serving [not] only to beget false fears in some few, but desperate pre- sumptions, from the thoughts of an after-reserve, and second venture after this life is ended; in the most, abused to innumerable other superstitions, utterly unknown to the first churches and the orthodox bishops of them, having by various means and degrees crept into the Roman church (which shall be laid open, if called for), — shall be utterly exterminated out of the confines and limits of the church of God. In the meantime, I heartily beg of our Romanists, that they would no more endeavour to cast men into real, scorching, consuming fire, for refusing to believe that which is only imaginary and fantas- tical.
CHAPTER XXI.
Pope.
Sect. xxix. It is not because the Pope is forgotten all this while, that he is there placed in the rear, after images, saints, and purgatory. It is plain that he hath been borne in mind all along; yea, and so much mentioned, that a man would wonder how he comes to have a special paragraph here allotted to him. The whole book seems to be all pope from the very beginning, as to the main design of it; and now to meet pope by himself again, in the end, is somewhat unex- pected. But I suppose our author thinks he can never say enough of him. Therefore, lest any thing fit to be insisted on should have escaped him in his former discourses, he hath designed this section to gather up the paraliporaena, or ornaments he had forgotten before to set him forth withal. And indeed, if the pope be the man he talks