The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-08-25
RICHMOND VA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1880.

there because he had been unable to
perform the penances which towards the
end of his life he had a0iShed to perform. +"
Page 135. A Dominican priest being in
terviewed, says, My too great familiari-
ty with seculars and my useless CONVEX
sations with them were the cause of nv
long stay in Purgatory." Page 1877. A
sister OF charity had to lie on bed the
upper and lower parts of which was full
of red-hot, sharp iron points penetrating
into the flesh. She told me that she had
to endure this pain for her carelessness in
the observance of her rules" Her tongue
was eaten up by moths on account of
uncharitable words, &c" PIP. 1889.
If such tortures await such pious peo-
pie what is to become of those of us less
devout and holy? And why are they
there at all, if they are Gods people whom
Christ died to redeem? (But forgot
that the orthodox" author denies that
Christ died to redeem them) Our Saviour
said to the thief on the cross, To-day
shalt thou be with me in Paradise" Why
does He "repulse" these holy souls and
send them to Purgatory? The author
says in the passage quoted 8" to expiate
for their sins not sufficiently cancelled in
this life" Well this is strange l
thought Christ died to expiate for the
sins of his people. But Father Muller
says Christ died to establish priesthood,
and sins are to be expiated by the fires
of Purgatory. The Apostle says q John
i: y the blood of Jesus Christ, His son,
cleanseth us from all sin" But Father
Muller says (page s. that the Divine JUS
tice has not yet been fully satisfied, and
that the soul must be confined till by
suffering it is cleansed and purged from
all these deflements of venial sins and
rendered fit to be admitted to the pre-
sence and enjoyment of God" So it
seems that Christ's blood only cleanses
from some sins and not from all, as the
inspired apostle imagined True, Father
Muller tells us only the "venial sins"
remain. But if Christ's blood cleanses
from the mortal sins, do not see why
it should not from the venial too If it
atones for the great ones, why not for
the least. And these least must be aw-
full if it requires so much suffering to ex-
plate them. And if Christs blood has
not power to cleanse them, do not see
how Purgatorial fires are to do it. And
now when I read that some of these
holy souls! are doomed to suffer the
pains of Purgatory, to the day of the last
judgment" page %, and that the rest
escape only through instrumentalities set
on foot by their brethren on earth" =
chief of which are Masses, (page SOY,
which must be paid for, (page 49 and
1867. Father Wilson to the contrary
Notwithstanding, and to be paid for even
If it requires the last dollar, (page. 1867
L ask you, is not the prospect gloomy
enough especially for those who die in
poverty, and leave none to "offer the
honoraries of one or more dollars fol
the intentions of the Masses of priest
in their behalf" page 49).
And now where is the Scripture war
rant for this monstrous system which
consigns Archbishops of great sanctity
pious Abbots, canonized saints, etc., fc
these tortures which fairly make ou1
hair stand on end. The only passage
cited in its support is that in Matt. xii
81, about the sin against the Holy Ghost
which shall not be forgiven neither in
this world nor in the world to come, "
in which words" says our author, {" He
| Christi plainly iuSiraaIoteS that some
sins shall be forgiven in the world to
come'-and now upon this imagined
a'S51,uatio,a he builds his whole system
saying, Nov this truth necessarily esta5-
hsheS a middle state where some sins
shall be forgiven page 9. Was ever
so monstous hypothesis rested upon so
slender base? Purgatory upon an IN
8i1auatio1aIi and that one Of the authors
oo0n imagining, for our Lord did not
mean to ia8inuote any such thing-but
simply to give emphatic statement to
the unpardonableness of the sin against
the Holy Ghost. I would rather, like
Paul, " depart and be with Christ which
is far better" than, like the Archbishop
Of Cologne, depart and be buried under
waves Of fire, which is far aOor8e.
T. D. WITHERsPooN.