Animadversions on a treatise entitled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…Animadversions on a treatise intituled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…

On these testimonies he tells us, that this opinion of the Soul's immortality, and its detention after death in some place citra coelum, is not any new thing freshly taught, either by our Saviour or his Apostles, as any peculiar Doctrine of his own, but taken up as granted by the tradition of the Hebrews, and supposed, and admitted by all sides as true, upon which our Lord built much of his Institutions. Gallantly ventured however! I confess, a man shall seldom meet with prettier shuffling.

On these testimonies he tells us, that this opinion of the Soul's immortality, and its detention after death in some place citra coelum, is not any new thing freshly taught, either by our Saviour or his Apostles, as any peculiar Doctrin of his own, but taken up as granted by the tradition of the Hebrews, and supposed, and admitted by all sides as true, upon which our Lord built much of his Institutions. Gallantly ventured however! I confess, a man shall seldom meet with pretier shuffling.

Purgatory, it seems, is the doctrine of the Soul's Immortality, and detention in some place citra coelum: Who would ever have once dreamed of this, had not our Author informed him? This it is to be learned in the Roman Mystery; the doctrine of Purgatory, is the doctrine of the Soul's Immortality; never was doctrine so foully mistaken as that hath been; but if it be not, yet it is of the detention of the souls in some place citra coelum: It is indeed; but yet our Author knows, that in these words, as bad, if not a worse fraud than under the other is couched. It was the opinion of many of the Ancients, that the souls of the ⟨p. 408⟩Saints that departed under the old Testament, enjoyed not the blessed presence of God, but were kept in a place of rest until the Ascension of Christ. And this our Author would have us to think, is the doctrine of Purgatory; he himself, I hope, enjoys the contentment of believing the contrary. But he tells us, that our blessed Saviour and his Apostles were not the first that taught this Doctrine, that is, of Purgatory. As though they had taught it at all, or had not taught that which is inconsistent with it, and destructive of it, which is notorious that they have! And for the Traditions of the Hebrew Church; as that was none of them, so I believe, our Author knows but little what were. But he takes a great deal of pains to prove, though very unsuccessfully, that the Jews did believe, that the souls of those that departed before the resurrection of the Messiah, did not enter heaven; as though that was any thing to his purpose in hand; but he is, as I said, marvellous unsuccessful in that attempt also. The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich man, prove only that Lazarus's soul was in Abraham's bosom; that Abraham's bosom