the books of Maccabees and divers antient doctors plainly showed, that it was a very good, charitable deed to pray for souls departed; and forasmuch as such usage had continued in the Church for many years, no man ought to be grieved with the continuance of the same. But forasmuch as the place where they were, the name thereof, and kind of pains there, were to us uncertain by Scripture, therefore this with all other things was to be remitted unto Almighty God, unto whose mercy it was meet and convenient to commend them, trusting that God accepted our prayers for them. Wherefore it was much necessary that such abuses should be clearly put away, which, under the name of purgatory, had been advanced; as to make men believe that through the Bishop of Rome's pardons men might be delivered out of purgatory and all the pains of it, or that masses said at any place or before any image might deliver them from their pain and send them straight to heaven.'[1]
We have now before us the stormy eloquence of Pole, the iconoclasm of Latimer, the superstitions of the complaining clergy—representing three principles struggling one against the other, and the voice of the pilot heard above the tempest. Each of these contained some element which the other needed; they were to fret and chafe till the dust was beaten off, and the grains of gold could meet and fuse.
The articles were debated in Convocation, and passed
- ↑ Formularies of Faith, temp. Henry VIII., Oxford edition, 1825. Articles devised by the King's Majesty to stablish Christian quietness and unity, and to avoid contentious opinions.
