The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-29
DIR. BUDDINGT ON REPLIES.
He CONTENDS That the Bible Does Not
Speak OF Purgatory as the Roman
Catholics Believe.

Rev O. G. Buddin gton's Sunday even
ing sermon was reply to Rey. d. )
Flynn on the doctrine of purgatory and
the position of the soul after death. DR.
Buddington's subject was "A recent Cath
ulic Authority for the Doctrine of Purga
tory and Praying for the Dead Examined.
His text was | ThessalOnians 8. 2l:
is good. .-~
Among other things DR.. iBuddington
said:
A sermon was preached in this pulpit
two weeks ago from Tonight on 1.-THE
Fixed Gulf, or the Futility Of Praying for
the Maine Dead" Last Sunday evening a
certain Catholic authority gave an expla.
nation of the doctrine, and furnished proof
texts for the doctrine of "Purga fory" and
from II Maccabees 12, 1885, ut is holy
and wholesome thought to pray for the
dead that they may be loosed from their
sins" One of our Juniors who saw he
text wanted to know where in the Bible
ts4e book of Maccabees was. Very likely
others of you have asked the same question
The book is found in what is known as
the Apocrypha books-a collection of books
upon Jewish history and doctrine.
They are not regarded by Protestants as
a part of tho Bible at all, although accept
ed as helps to the history Of the Jews. They
were never Incorporated In the Hebrew
Scripture by the Jews. They are rejected
US Scripture by Josephus, the jewish his
torian. Neither Jesus Christ nor his apos.
ties ever quoted from them; and Jerome,
about 400 A. D., Catholic authority said
1.-The Church reads them for editlcatlon,
but not for authority in establishing
churoh doctrine" One Of the weakest and
most puerile of all these books Is the one
quoted from. II MaCcabees Is said by one
able author to be "A strange rambling
collection oflegendary stories.'
Listen to quotation from this doctrinal
authority. IL Msccabee5 5, 49, "And it
came to pass that through the whole city
of Jerusalem for the space of forty days,
there were seen horsemen running in tho
air in gilted faiment, and armed with
spears like bands Of soldiers and horses
set in order by ranks, running one against
another, with the shaking of Shields with
multitude of mon in helmets, with drawn
swords, and casting of darts, and glttering
of golden armor, and harness of all sorts''
All that you know was seen, this author
says, "In the air forty days" In this
same book there is mucn more Of Of this
childish twaddle. From such an author
ty is quoted the proof text for the doctrine
Of Purgatory aud praying for the dead.
Let us turn now to some Of the proof
texts for this doctrine selected from Scrip.
ture by this same Catholic authority. nhe
first ono is Matthews l2 81: "And whose.
over speaketh word against the Son Of
Man 1t shall be forgiven him, bu5 whose.
ever speakoth against the Holy Ghost, it
shall not be forgiven him, neither in this
world neither in the world to come" AS
seen by tho preceding verses it was in an
swer to the Pharisees who charged Jesus
with being the prince of devils and casting
out demons through the power of Beel.
zcbub. Thus they showed themselves to
be so hardened in heart, and so spiritually
blinded, that looking into the pure eyes,
and heavenly face Of Jesus Christ, they
to be of the devil. TO such blinded in
corriglbles ho says there is no forgiveness
in this world, and for the sake of u power
ful emphasis SAYS, neither in tho world to
come. that Is not for all eternity can there
bD forgiveness for such.
But If tho Interpretation given by Cath
olic authority were admitted, it then al
lows of only possibility Of pardon beyond
the grave; aDl.the doctrine of II Purgntory
must be tackled on and the doctrine pray
ing for the dead still more remotely tackled
on to that.
Another reference Is I Corinthians Is,
80: elise what shall they do which are
baptized for the dead, ii the dead rise not
at alp Why are they then baptized for
the deadp This is part Of an answer Of the
Apostle Paul to those mentioned in the
twelfth verse, some Of whom had said,
There Is no resurrection"
The reference appears to be the prac tice
of many friends or relatives being baptized
for friends who had died unbaptzed. This
doing of such thing by proxy Is so utter
lv foreign to tho teaching of the apostle,
or that OF the New Testament, that we be-
lieve the apostle only passed. upon it in
argument, as having force only for those
who believe 1t, but not presenting it Eas
his own doctrine. A parallel case not un-
like it is when he went to Athens, and
saw the inscription to the unknown God,
and used it for the text of his sermon, but
did not thereby advocate it us his doctrine.
But again suppose wo grant the interprcta.
tion of this Catholic authority that Paul
approved the baptizing for the dead.
Then must be derived tho doctrine of sin
pardoned beyond the grave, and the doc
trine of Purgatory as an agency for its
accomplishment, and still further the
doctrine of prayers for the dead to make
all effective; which taken altogether as
derived from these words of tho apostle,
did he know it, would suffice to cause au
unrest of his ashes after a period Of eigh-
teon hundred years.. a.' ---
Another reference in support Of the doc
trine of Purgatory and praying for tho
dead is Romans =. 3: "Who will render to
every man according to his deeds" In the
use of this passage this Catholic authority
has unsheathed sword to commit suicide
on his own doctrine Nothing isclearer than
this verse to show that final tetribution ut
the Judgment day is based upon deeds
done here each in his own body, and not
upon anything done by Others after leav.
ing this world The following verse reads:
ITO them who by continued patience in
unto them who are contentious and diso-
bedient indignation and wrath" A paral-
lei Scripture still moro clearly expresses it |
in the following, "for we must I'll appear
before the Judgment seat of Christ" that
every ono may receive the things done in
his body, according to that he hath done
whether good or bad" This shows that
final Judgment Is based on doing in the
body, aud not out of it, as when in u dis
embodied state in the other world, and by
some one praying for such while out Of the
body.
"Those who do not want purgatory can
have all tho hell they want" Tho Scrip
ture reference is First John 5, 49, "If any
see his brother sin n sin that is not unto
DEATH he shall ask, and he shall give him
lifc for him that sins noo unto death"
hio 'Ciipouio pApi'ooiJ olttVSo ptiuu iun hp-
plication Is to this mortal state and not to
the future. 1t says: If any man SEQ his
brother sin, and then when he sees him, Is
he to pray while both arc here in their
earthly activity Then tho promise of God
nvails and the prayer is heard of one for
fellow Christian in the Church. An exam
nation Of the other passages referred to by
this authority show heir relevancy to be
so remote rs to be unworthy Of considera-
ton.
Not content with his explanation Of tho
doctrine of the Catholic purgatory, this
same authority launches out with series
)f assertions concerning the position of
The Catholic CHURCH. The first of these as.
'ertions is that: If our Protestant friends
want Scripture for everything, they must
give up the observance of Sunday, the
irst day of the week. There is not hint
about 1t in the pages Of the New Testa-