"folution to be had, except they did disburle as much as "their Ability wou'd afford, and according to their "Means." And therefore as for the Poor, fad and forlorn was their Cafe: For fo the "Tax of the Apoftolical "Chamber (a Treatife compos'd by the Pope's Authority, fixing the Rates of all Kind of Sins, and the precife Sums for which you may have them pardon'd refpectively, not many Years ago publish'd in English) roundly lays down for Law; (a) "You are to obferve, "or note diligen:ly, that fuch Graces or Favours, (ipeaking of Indulgences, &c.) are not granted to the Poor, "because they have not wherewithal, and therefore can"not be comforted." "Tis but fit and reasonable that

they who partake of fo great a Benefit, fhou'd extend an helping Hand, (as their crafty Doctors phrafe it) for one good Turn deferves another; and a little Ease to the Soul, is worth a great Sum of Money.

Now, for thofe People that were confcious to themfelves of the Guilt of many Sins, and perfuaded they fhou'd lye frying in Purgatory many Thoufands of Years, to purge and fit themselves for Heaven; wou'd they not prefently unftring their Purfes, and give almost all they were worth in the World for fuch Advantages? Efpecially, when if they came up to the Price, they might get not only all their own Sins pardoned, and everlafting Life into the Bargain, but likewife were made capable of delivering the Souls of others out of Torments. But there was no great Regard had, in employing the Money raised by these Indulgences, to the End for which they were pretended to be given; for frequently the fame by Way of Anticipation, was affigned to other Purposes; as to carry on the Pope's Revenge, pay his Debts, grati. fy a Friend, enrich a Nephew, marry a Niece, wage War to fubdue an Antipope, or the like; as is teftify'd by the," Centum Gravamina Germania, as also, by moft Hiftories of thofe Times.

(a) Taxa. Cam. Apost. Impress. Paris..

But

But as thefe Indulgences were often deliver❜d and fent abroad by Wholefale, fo there were fome wary People, that fancy'd it a fafer Way, to purchase them, as it were, by Retail, fingly, and by Name appropriated to themfelves: Nay, fome thought they were not fure enough, without they had them under Hand and Seal, and the Pope's general Warrantee to them. Of this Sort we have feveral yet remaining in antient Families in England.

Great Sums undoubtedly were railed by these Indulgences; for one of the Pope's themselves took an Op. portunity thus profanely and devilishly to boift; " What

a World of Money have we got by this Fable of Christ:" So that, well might Cardinal Cufanus grumble in his Time, as he did, at the unequal Traffick between Rome, and the Reft of the World, fince Men, as he fays, brought thither Gold and Silver in Abundance, and carry'd away nothing but Parchment and Lead in "Return." And what other Advantage cou'd those fallacious Trinkets yield to the defrauded Chapmen, except, as Albertus Magnus, faid to one newly return'd from Rome, with many Bulls and Difpenfations, and vapouring very much of his Merchandize, "Thou

mighteft, Friend, have gone to Hell before without "Licence, but now you will go thither with Dispen"fation and Authority."

With thefe lying Fables, and a Belief of fuch heavenly Advantages, People of all Qualities were continually drawn and enticed to Rome, at their great Charge and Expence. And further, to fhew the Pope's Charity and Liberality in thefe gracious Indulgences, we must know, they were granted to many Churches and Altars, within the Kingdom of England, where, oppofite to the Altar, it was wrote upon the Wall, (a) " It any shall 66 procure a Mafs to be faid at this Altar, he fhall have a general Pardon of his Sins, or if it be for a Soul "departed, the fame shall be immediately releafed out "of Purgatory."

(a) Weaver's Funer. Monu. 121.

But

But thefe domeftick Indulgences were never efteemed fo ftrong and efficacious, as those which were immediately from Rome, and the Profit accruing thereby to his Holiness, is esteemed one of the main Supports of the Revenues of that See: And for improving of it, his Holinefs had certain itinerant Publicans, or Commiffioners, to difpence with thofe in remote Countries for Money, who cou'd not conveniently travel to Rome. And particularly Pope Leo the Tenth, gave the Indulgences of Saxony to his Sister Magdalene, the Wife of Francifchetto Cibo, Baftard Son of Pope Innocent the 8th, where the Officers to whom that Affair was deputed, were fo rapacious and fcandalous, that Martin Luther firft became offended on that Account, and meeting with Oppofition from thence, fell to examine others of their antichriftian Doctrines and Practices: So that God who bringeth Light out of Darknefs, and Good out of Evil, was graciously pleafed to make the Romish Infolence in this Matter of Indulgences, an accidental Occafion of reviving the Gofpel amongst us.

CHAP.

Hthe near Alliance that there is between them and AVING difpatched the Bufinefs of Indulgences,

the Fable of Purgatory, requires that this fhou'd in the next Place be treated of; concerning which, we shall confider these three Things.

Firft, How and in what Senfe the fame is mainrained, and imposed to be believed to this Day in the Roman Church.

Secondly, The Original thereof.

Lastly, That the fame is utterly fabulous, and contrary to the Doctrine of the holy Scriptures.

1. As to the Firft, the Belief of Purgatory is of late eftablish'd to be receiv'd as an Article of Faith, on pain of Damnation, by all the Members of the papal Church. For fo we find Pope Pius the 4th. in a Bull dated in Nov. 1564, prefcribing what was to be received upon Oath, as the true Catholick Faith, amongst other Things, lays down this Article to be worn to, viz. " I do conftantly hold, that there is a Purgatory, and that the "Souls there detained, are holpen by the Suffrages of "the Faithful.

For,

For the clearer understanding this Matter, we may obferve, that this Word Purgatory, is derived from the Latin Verb purgo, fignifying to cleante, purge, refine, or feparate the Filth, Drofs, or Impurities from any Thing.

Now, the Papifts use this Word, to fignify a Place of Temporary Punishments, c. after this Life. So Bellarmine defines it, (a) "Purgatory is a certain Place, " in which, as in a Prifon, after this Life, thofe Souls

are purged, which in this Life were not fully cleanted, "that fo, being at length purify'd, they may be able to enter into Heaven, into which no unclean Thing can "come:" Thus this mighty popish Champion in his firft Treatife of Purgatory.

As to the Place where they imagine this Goal to be, there is no Agreement amongst themselves, and the fame Bellarmine acknowledges, the (b) Church hath not yet defin'd that Point. However he musters up no less than eight different Opinions about it, that is to fay. 1. Some affirm, Souls fhall be purged where they have finned. 2. Others fay, that it is no corporeal Place. 3. Others fancy the Place to be the Body it felf, wherein, as in a Prison, the Soul fhall be punished. 4. Some fay it is an accufing, and a tormenting Confcience. 5. Some judge it is in the Valley of Jehofaphat. 6. Others conclude it to be a dark State of the Soul without the Body; because, unless she be admitted to Blifs, she cannot out of the Body fee any Thing. 7. Others humbly conceive it to be fome gloomy difmal Region of the Air, where the Devils are converfant. Laftly, Moft good Catholicks think, that Purgatory is within the Bowels of the Earth; and of this laft Opinion, the learned Cardinal declares himself to be: And then gravely proceeds to tell us from a Number of Schoolmen, as wife as himself, that in the Earth there are four Cells or Dungeons, or at leaft, one huge great one, divided into four Apartments; the firft and lowest

(a) Cap. 1. (b) Lib. 2. Cap. 6.

is