American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-06-07
KIRWAN'S LETTERS.
TO THE RIGHT REV. JOHN HUGHES, BIsHol
OF NEW YORK.
LETTER TX,


My DEAR SIR,-I will proceed with the
statement of the reasons which prevent
me from returning to the pale of your
church. | have reached my fifth reason;
your teaching for doctrines of divine author
ity the commandments of men. | entered
upon the illustration of the way in which
you do this in my last, and without ending
my illustrations ended my letter. Permit
me to state few more, for your candid
consideration.
The doctrine of Purgatory is one of the
peculiar doctrines Of your church. You
teach that nearly all Christians when they
die are "ncither so perfectly pure and clean
as to exempt them fromp the least spot or
stain; nor yet SO unhappy as TO die under
the guilt OF unrepented deadly SIM" It's
for these middltng Christians that you
make purgatory, where they remain un-
til they make full satisfaction for sin; and
then they go to heaven. And the "Pro-
fession Of Faith" of Plus " tells us
chat the souls therein detained are helped
by the suffrages of the faithful; that is by
the prayers and the aims offered for them,
and principally by the holy sacrifice Of the
Mass" And the doctrine of yonr church
is so expounded upon this matter that but
few, if any, die, however good, without
needing purgatorial publication; and that
but few are SO bad but that they may be
there fitted for heaven. Thisyou will ad
nit is fair statement The more you
get into purgatory, the more you will re.
ceive of the "suffrages Of the faithful,
that is, of their money.
have already told you my estimate o.
this doctrine. 1t is that by which youl
church traffics in the souls of men; and an
amazingly profitable traffic it makes of it
1t has placed in your possession riches fal
exceeding in value the mines of Pe'u.-
And because Of the 0dlue of this doctrine
you seek in all possible ways to sustain it
With me the authority of your popes ant
councils is not worth penny. | woulc
rather have one text of Scripture bearing
upon the point than the teachings of as
many such as you could string between
here and Jupiter. Let us then look at the
chief texts adduced to sustain purgatory
One of these texts is Matt. IL: 80
"Whosoever speaketh against the Holy
Ghost it shall not be forgiven him, neither
in this world, neither in the world t.
come" Matt. 5: 26 is another: "Verily
| say unto thee, thou shalt by no means
come out thence til thou hast paid the ut
termost farthing." Both these, you say
refer TO purgatory.. From the one yol
conclude that sins may be forgiven in th'
next world-from the other, that none cal
get out Of purgatory till the last farthing il
paid. Now, dear sir, let me ask you, how
YOU put these texts together? If sins arr
forgiven, how or WHY'S payment also re
quired to the last farthing? Can l forgiv,
a debt and yet require its payment? Lool
at the first text again; you find purgator!
in it, but how?l La this way; becaus
there is sin which will not be forgiven il
this world nor in the world to come, there
fore there is sin that will be forgiven il
the world to come Such is the logic o
fallible Romel Because acertain sin is no
to be forgiven here or hereafter, therefor
many sins will be forgiven hereafter!-
And because "this world'' and "the worl'
to come" is inclusive of all time and place
Popery builds up place which belong
neither to this world nor the world to come
and fills it with fire, and calls it Purgato
nv! Like Mahomet's coffin, it floats some
where between heaven and hell. Into thi
world Of FIRE you drive the souls of men a
they leave the body, and let them out onl
on the reception of "the suffrages of th
faithful" is, their money! Now,sil
what do you say to all this?
But, you ask, are there not other text