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NO
PAIN
AMONG
THE BLESSED.
rÍDISC.
IX.
The
word
of God
has
appointed but
two
states, viz.
heaven and
hell,
for
the
reception
of
all
mankind
when
they
depart
from this world
:
and
how
vain
a thing
must
it
be for men to
invent
a
third state,
and make a purga-
tory
ofit
?
This
is
a building erected
by the
church of
Rome between
heaven and
hell,
and
prepared
by
their
wild
imagination
for
souls
of imperfect
virtue,
to be
tor-
mented
there,
with pains
equal
to
those
of
hell,
but
of
shorter duration. This state of
fiery
purgation, and
ex-
treme
anguish,
is
devised
by
that
mother
of lies,
partly
under
a pretence of completing the penances and
.satis-
factions
for
the
sins
of
men
committed
in
this
life,
and
partly
also to purify and refine
their
souls from all
the
re-
maining
dregs of
sin,
and
to
fill
up their virtues to perfec-
tion,
that
they
may be fit for
the immediate presence
of
God.
But does
not
the scripture
sufficiently
inform
us,
that
the
atonement
or satisfaction
of Christ for
sin
is
full
and complete in
itself,
and
needs
none
of our addi-
tions
in
this
world
or
another
?
Does
not
the apostle
John
tell
us,
1
John
i.
7.
"
The
blood of
Jesus Christ
cleanseth
us.from,all
sin
?"
Nor
shall
the saints
after
this
life
sin
any more,
to
require
any
new
atonement;
nor
do they
carry the seeds of
sin to
heaven
with them,
but
drop
them
together
with the
flesh,
and
all
the sources
of
pain together
:
Now
since
neither Christ nor
his
apos-
tles
give us
any intimation
of
such a place
as
purgatory
for the refinement or purification
of
souls
after
this
life,
we have
no ground to hearken
to such a fable.
Argument
II.
" God
has
not
provided
any medium
to
convey pain
to
holy souls
after they have dropped
this body
of
flesh."
They are pardoned,
they
are
sanctified,
They
are
accepted
of God
for ever
;
and
since they
are
in
no
dan-
ger
of
sinning afresh
by
the
influences of
corrupt
flesh
and
blood,
therefore
they
are
in no
fear
of
suffering
any
thing thereby. And
if,
as
some divines have supposed,
there
should
be
any pure wthereal bodies or vehicles
pro-
vided
for holy
separate
spirits, when
departed
from
this
grosser
tabernacle of
flesh
and
blood,
yet
it
cannot
be
supposed
that
the
God
of,
all grace would
mix
up
any
seeds
of
pain
with
that
rethereal
matter,
which
is
to
be
the occasional habitation of
sanctified spirits
in
that
state,
nor
that
he
would make any avenues or doors
of entrance
for
pain-
into these
refined
vehicles,
when
the
state
,óf
their
sinning and
their trial
is
for ever
finished.