380 PUROA?ORY. [ Boor II. Besides, the fathers made prayers for those who, by the confession of all sides, were never ?n purgatory. They prayed for the patriarchs, aiMedes , the �irgin Mary, &c. This is a direct and perfect overthrow of the doctrine of purgatory. Cyril declares as follows: "Then we pray for the deceasel fathers and bishops, and finally for all who among tm have departed this life. Believing it to be a very great help of the souls, for which is offered the aSsecration of the holy and dreadful sa- crifice. '?* Epiphanius write8 as follows: "We make mention of the just and of sinners; for sinners, that we may implore the mercy of God for them; for the just, the fathers, the patriarchs, the evangelists and martyrs, confessors, bishops, and anchorets, that following the Lord Jestm Christ with a 8ingle honour, we separate these from the rank of other men, and give due worship to his divine 1V[ajesty.'*'? (3.) The fathers often 8peak of a .fire of purgation after this life, but at the day of judgment, and which destroys the doctrine of the inter- mediate purgatory. Origen seems to be the first who mentions this, and Basil, Hilary, Jerome, Lactantins, follow him in the op/n?on: we say opinion, for it was not an article of faith. All men, except (3hrist, according to them, and even the Virgin Mary, are to pass through this fire. (4.) Another opinion, which is fatal to purgatory, ?lso obtained among the �athers: that before the day of judgment the souls of men are kept in secret receptacles, reserved unto the sentence of the great day; and that before then uo man fully receives his reward. Now, if this opinion be true, the doctrine of purgatory is false; if it be ms true, the doctrine of purgatory, as founded on it, must also be untrue. The Roman writers are very much troubled at this doctrine of the fathers. (5.) The doctrine of purgatory was never owned by the fathers as an article of fsirA, or of apostolical tradition, as will appear from the three following considerations :-- F/,'zz. Nothing was received by them as an article of faith except what they received on the authority of Scripture. Other things that they assert may be viewed as private opinions of particular persons; but articles of faith were received as such, because God revea/sd them. And, therefore, when they speak their own opinions, and not what God hath revealed, these opinions can never be received as articles of faith. To prove, therefore, that the fathers did own purgatory as an article of faith, {t is necessary also to prove that they spoke of it as the doctrine of the church, and supported by divine revelation. Secondly. They did not receive the doctrine as an article of faith, because they deduced it from passages which they acknowledged to be obscure. And since they confess these passages to be very diffi- cult, which they adduced to support their theory of purgatory, they could not look on the doctrine contained in them as an articl? of faith. For instance, Augustine in several places?: asserts, that all things ne- cessary to be believed are clearly revealed in Scripture; and yet he Mysta. Catech. 5. Jer. Taylor, b. ii, sec. ii, Diesuss., p. 938. Hmres. 75. ldern, 938; also 939, 940, where several examples can be found from the liturgies of St..fames, Basil, the Egyptians, Chrysootom, and the Greek fathers ;. the old Latin Missal.
- t Aug. do Fide et Oper., c. 1�6.
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