Salvation of Purgatory.
By Editor
THE Protestant believes that the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, "cleanses from all unrighteousness." And, further, that nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse from sin. On the other hand, the Romanist believes that some are saved or purified by other means. The Catechism of "the most Rev. Dr. Challoner," entitled "The Catholic Christian Instructed," says:— "They that die in lesser or venial sins will be punished somewhere for a time, till God's justice be satisfied, and this is what we call purgatory." But they can never join that company who have "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb;" Rev. 7:14; nor can they sing to him the new song, "Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood." Rev. 5:9. This doctrine of satisfying the justice of God by pains endured in purgatory, is subversive of the gospel hope of faith in Christ; it is a doctrine of "strong delusion." It is the building up of a false hope of salvation by other means than those of the gospel of pardon through Christ. It is leading blind souls to expect to enter in by some other way than by "the door." Such will be counted as "thieves and robbers" when Jesus shall count up his own. It is an awful thought that thousands upon thousands have been deceived to their ruin by that monstrous apostasy which has invented this "other gospel" to fill its coffers with filthy lucre. And yet, because it is monstrous—because it is great and strong, it receives favor from Republicans and Protestants. Such blind guides of the blind as Henry Ward Beecher laud it as a system to be esteemed,—to which we may extend the hand of Christian fellowship. It is a fearful thing thus to trifle with the eternal destiny of souls, and with the infinite justice of God. If fire and pain could purge away sin, then, verily, Christ died to little purpose.