The New York herald., 1845-01-29

Autnor anu JOnn C0Ivln ana other Ora.
cles OF the Reformation made to Eat their
own Words, ana Wash them Down by a
Draught from the Early Fathers.
LEcruRE DELIVERED IN Sr. PErsRs CHuRcH ON SUN
DAY EVENING, JANUARY Goth, ls45, Br THE REVEREND
DIR. PsE.
Therefore, 10 good and tvholesome thought TO praU
the dead that they may Be loosed from their sins-se.
cond Book Of the Maccabees
Those who have followed me in the course of
my two preceding lectures on purgatory must see
manfestly, from all the proofs I addpced en- the
subject that the dogma of purgatory reaches up to
the apostolic times; that the custom of praying for
the dead has prevailed throughout the whole Chris
tian Church, as well in the East as in the West;
that this custom was not merely venerable or
melancholy commemoration of departed friends.
but custom of recommending the souls of the
departed to the mercy of God, in order that thew
might obtain, in the language of the fathers. rest.
refuge. relief, and consolation. What now re-
mains, after having brought down this chain of evil
dsnce from the days of Christ himself to the 18th
century What now remains to be accomplished?
may be told that, having arrived at this memora-
BILE epoch, 1t becomes me to question those extraor.
binary men who were raised up, it is said, by
Divine Providence for the purpose Of purifying the
Church, and that | should have recourse to those
Well, in order to satisfy all parties and do ample
justice to the theme of my DISCOURSE the dogma of
purgatory, shall briefly, before entering upon the
serlpqra arguments IN rs favor this evening. cues
hnd, alter questioning them, that their testimony
will avail them nothing, their testimony will pass
tor nothing; and every sensible man will agree
with me in saying, that where there are contrAdic
tory testimonies on the subject, they must be
considered null and void and, therefore, that if
these great oracles Of the sixteenth century direct
am vindicating, it will no longer be required Of
me, by men OF reason to stop the career Of nv ar
gument in order to question those men who wish
70 change that great Church which has existed
consult? Any of them am ready to question. /
will consult the great oracle of Germany, Martin
Luther then I will consult the great oracle Of
undone, will consult the Church Of England al
the period of the reformation. IT. them in consult
ing Luther, find that in his testimony he contra
diets himself ne is no authority for or any sen.
sible man II ! find, likewise, the testimony, Of
John Calvin contradictory in itself, it must ike
wise be put aslde-it can have no weight with any
sincere inquirer after truth. And the same I as
forth in the earliest days Of the reformation-if
find them contradictory on This, as well as al
most every other subject connected with the
history Of christianity, then | put it aside, as
BILE man.. have only to show they are contra
dictory-that Martin Luther contradicts himself
that, John Calvin contradiets hlmself-and likewise
tradict themselves on the doctrine ofpurgatoryTin
order to put aside, and that forever the testimony
OF these Wanted, reputed and wondrous oracles OF
the sixteenth century First then. let the oracle OF
Geneva rise before me-. Shall consult Luther
Luther, what was thy opinion regarding purgatory
after thou dldst abandon the ancient Church1 i
ask not thy testimony before thou ddst forsake that
krxfo IL, A.
fold. He answers me, in the first instance, in Ke
following language:-"A As for me, who believes
strongly, might even say, who knows that pur-
ga!ory exists, ! can readily be persuaded that it
exists In the sacred Scriptures All know is that
souls are there in state Of suffering, and may be
relieved by our works and prayers" This is the
first testimony Of Luther-testimony quite in con-
formity with all brought forward from the ancient
fathers; and if he broke asunder the bonds Of his
union with that ancient church, still, as the doci
rlne OF purgatory was found in scripture so mani
testify by him, he could not but believe it, But
then, again, very short time after, in writing to
another OF the reformers, he says:-"I l applaud
you; because when you condemn purgatory, you
condemn all these. coisters, monasterles, &c"
first asserting that he believed in purgatory, and
again saying, as clearly, that those who denied
purgatory were right. Now, l appeal to any
sensible sens man #, on any subject connected
Imony Of an individual who palpably and
directly contradicts himself, as Luther has
done. Therefore, he must be put aside, and
all he ever asserted on the subject must 60 for no.
thing; for where there is contradiction in the tes-
imony every tyro in equity knowsi it is not worth
straw. So much for Martin Luther. Let us now
have recourse to the testimony of John Calvin,
and see whether ne was more consistent with him
se than the flrst reformer was on this subject
Calvin, as in one OF my former lectures observed
to you.asserted that the fourth century, the age
Of st. Augustine, of the Council of Nice and of
Chalcydon--thas this was "the golden age Of
Christianity" This is one of his declarations
Calvin declares again, in his Sd book of Institutes,
chapter the 9Th, that for over 1900 years the doc
trine OF purgatory had been believed and preached
IN the Christian Church'-that is to say, 1900 years
before his day. Now Calvin uttered this in the
10Th century. Go back 1900 years before the 10Th
century, and you 60 into what ne styled the golden
even to hun, purgatory was taught in the days he
styles " the golden age" cali the ancienls," he
says, "were led into error on this subject" Here
is his contradiction-the fathers who lived in the
4th century, in "the golden age"-must have
taught the truth, otherwise it could not be the
golden age but he asserts 1t was the golden Pc
Rod, and yet that in that golden period purgatory
was believed, thus contradicting himself. At the
same time he leaves the reluctant testimony that,
tor 1900 years before his day, purgatory was be-
lieved and taught by all the Christian world
subject no better-no more valuabe-no more cen-
sstent, than OF the arch reformer to whom first
referred. But perhaps there is more consistency in
the homilies OF the Church Of England. / attack
nv CIccu. HcuI Hot W uttcI SH6lc ScHtlHItnl
that would give the slightest offence to any ndvi
dual. But it becomes my duty to show, firmly,
when we are misrepresented, the grounds on which
We establish the truth of this doctrine and if it is
done openly and frankly, it is not meant certainly
unkindly or uncharitably Take then the second
homily Of the Church of England, entitled the
peril of destruction" and listen attentively to what
4 says" The laity and clergy, learned and un-
learned, all ages and sexes and degrees of men,
women and children, of all Chrstendom have been
at once turned into abominabe and damnable ido-
latry for the space of 800 years and more" Thus
they declare that for 800 years before the promul-
CATION of the rubrc, not one OF their ancestors.
however learned, however,pious however sincere,
there was not one but was victim of an abomi-
men who fourshed-all the Bedes-the Ansems-
al The venerable and nstrious names that spar
kle on the rolls of ancient England, were plunged
in damnable idolatry without one single, solitary