The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-11-07

,Ittt8StW lQVBE ulhkeSf - tGCIQIuGuUTAtlUu
ot all the faithful departed. This day
the Catholics throughout the Uniyer-
sal church devote especially to re-
nenibering the dead. Hence, today, it
~ not Knapp ropriate to speak on the
doctrine Of purgatory and the reasons
1 for our belief In such doctrine. In
doing 30 II Is not our object to invite
6ontroversy, as we have never be-
keveds i'm this. Very little good comes
ptit Of controversy. as the only object
q those engagedTin discussion is not;
10 sincere and honest desire for truth,
but an endeavor to defeat the adyer-
! sary And, as a rule, not the great
est l0gician will apparently be VIC
t9rious, but the one who can WELD the
pen Of sarcasm the keenest, or, in
plain words, the one who can throw
mud the strongest. While we believe
In purgatory, and the other contro-
4 Verified teachings OF our church, yet
we have the kindliest feelings towards
those who do not agree with u.s. We
q have even love for those who attribute
: 70 us low and sordid motives for be-
+ Slieving in SUCH a doctrine, for ours Is
mot the gospel Of hate, but the gospel
70 flove. 3
To return to our subject. We be-
slieve that there is a lpurgatory and
that the souls there retained are
helped by the prayers of the faithful.
The eyes OF God are too pure to be-
s hold evil (Habacuc, 1:13.) Whether
Z this evil be the guilt Of venial sin or
! the liability to punishment that may,
remain when the guilt Of sin is for
I; given. The belief in temporal punish
inent should belong to different
Istreatise than the present one. How
ever, Just to touch on this subject, We
will mention that in proof Of the doc
I trine that the whole punishment Of
sin Is not always RENTED along with
its guilt, IT is enough to refer to some
well known histories which We read
in Holy Scripture. Adam sinned and
+ was forgiven in view Of the merits OF
the coming Redeemer, but he was.
warned that a life Of trial was before
him. Genesis, 3:17.) This life was
to be closed by that great act Of PEN
I ance, death. Genesis, 5:5.) 1t is in
punishment of the forgiven sin that
Moses was not allowed to pass the
Jordan. (Deut. 3:26-27; 34:4.) And
the same is true of Aaron. plumbers,
2 10:26.) The case Of David, as re-
corded in the second book Of Kings.
chapter 10, is familiar to us all. The
prophet told David that his sin was
z forgiven, yet in punishment the child
must die. That, the Christian church
held this doctrine of temporal punisn-
ment in the earliest days is evidenced
from the history of the controversy
concerning the treatment Of that class
which we're called the Lapsed, who,
under the strain OF prosecution, fell
into idolatry.
The first reason why we believe in
the dpctrine of purgatory is because
the Catholic church teaches it, which
isY the pillar and ground of truth.
Timothy, 3:15.) And our Lord
promises that the gates Of hell shall,
hot prevail against His church. (St.
Matthew, 16:1S.) We believe 1t be-
cause the infallible church teaches
this doctrine. Our Lord said, Gle that
sheareth you heareth me, and he that
despiseth you despiseth me-" (St.
Luke, 10:16.)
Even those that do not believe in
the doctrine in question, admit that II
(. was taught in the church as early as.
the third century. without giving us
the name OF the founder nor the fate
of its punishment. Now. if it was be-
i1ieved in the church from the third to
h the sixteenth century, during that per-
Tod OF thirteen hundred years Chris
Z tianity was teaching falsehood, for the
gates Of hell did prevail against the
church which Christ founded on the
rock. At least, there was time when,
4 It did prevail. she conclusion would
be that Christ made promise which
he did not keep. If this doctrine is
false. therefore, during those thirteen.
hundred years the church OF Christ
was not the pillar and ground Of
truth. 1t overthrows the promise OF
Christ that the Paraclete would abide
with the church forever, according to
st. John, chapter IA, verge 16.
There are several passages OF scrip
ture which are readily seen to refer
to the doctrine Of purgatory. They,
however, have not the force of obiec-
tive evidence. Sacred scripture Of it.
self is not explicit and plain. (Pe-
80. lI715