Wine of Babylon | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 28, 1870

Wine of Babylon.

PURGATORY.

WHILE the church in virtue of her belief in the Communion of Saints honors and venerates the spirits of those who reign with Christ in glory, and prays to them to obtain through their intercession favors and blessings for her children; she, in virtue of the same faith, and from motives of true brotherly love, offers her sacrifices and prayers to God in behalf of those souls, who, on leaving this world, were not pure enough immediately to be admitted into Heaven. She prays for the souls in purgatory.

“On this head the church teaches two things, which must be believed under pain of heresy: 1. That there is a purgatory. 2. That the souls there detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar.”—Points of Controversy, p. 296, by Rev. C. F. Smarus.

The manner of offering the above Sacrifice cannot be delineated here for want of space, suffice it to say that God is besought by virtue of this sacrifice (the mass) to give rest, refreshment, and everlasting life to the dead. See Abridgment of Christian doctrine, p. 132.

Tetzel, the great “Indulgence” agent of the Roman Pontif, thus discourses: “Ye priests, ye nobles, ye tradesmen, ye wives, ye maidens, and ye young men, hearken to your departed parents and friends, who cry to you from the bottomless abyss: We are enduring horrible torment; a small alms would deliver us;—you can give it, and you will not!”

O, senseless people, and almost like to beasts, who do not comprehend the grace so richly offered! This day Heaven is on all sides open. Do you now refuse to enter? When then do you intend to come in? This day you may redeem many souls. Dull and heedless man, with ten groschen you can deliver your father from purgatory. I protest that though you should have only one coat, you ought to strip it off and sell it to purchase this grace. Our Lord God no longer deals with us as God. He has given all power to the Pope!”—D’Aubigne’s Reformation, pp. 64-5.