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Protestants. But this passage proves too much, that is, more than the Roman Catholics
themselves can consistently admit, namely, the possible deliverance of soldiers from purgatory
who had died in the mortal sin of idolatry. Certain passages of Scripture are also supposed to
favor this doctrine, such as Isa. 4:4; Mic. 7:8; Zech. 9:11; Mal. 3:2,3; Matt. 12:32; I Cor. 3:13-15;
15:29. It is perfectly evident, however, that these passages can be made to support the doctrine
of purgatory only by a very forced exegesis. The doctrine finds absolutely no support in
Scripture, and moreover, rests on several false premises, such as (a) that we must add
something to the work of Christ; (b) that our good works are meritorious in the strict sense of
the word; (c) that we can perform works of supererogation, works in excess of the commands
of duty; and (d) that the Church’s power of the keys is absolute in a judicial sense. According to
it the Church can shorten, alleviate, and even terminate the sufferings of purgatory.
2. THE LIMBUS PATRUM.
The Latin word limbus (fringe) was used in the Middle Ages to denote
two places on the fringe or outskirts of hell, namely, the Limbus Patrum and the Limbus
Infantum. The former is the place where, according to the teachings of Rome, the souls of the
Old Testament saints were detained in a state of expectation until the Lord’s resurrection from
the dead. After His death on the cross Christ is supposed to have descended into the abode of
the fathers, to release them from their temporary confinement and to carry them in triumph to
heaven. This is the Roman Catholic interpretation of Christ’s descent into hades. Hades is
regarded as the dwelling place of the departed spirits, having two divisions, one for the
righteous and one for the wicked. The division inhabited by the spirits of the righteous was the
Limbus Patrum, known to the Jews as Abraham’s bosom, Luke 16:23, and paradise, Luke 23:43.
It is maintained that heaven was not open to any man until Christ had actually made
propitiation for the sin of the world.
3. THE LIMBUS INFANTUM.
This is the abode of the souls of all unbaptized children,
irrespective of their descent from heathen or from Christian parents. According to the Roman
Catholic Church unbaptized children cannot be admitted to heaven, cannot enter the Kingdom
of God, John 3:5. There was always a natural repugnance, however, to the idea that these
children should be tortured in hell, and Roman Catholic theologians sought a way of escape
from the difficulty. Some thought that such children might perhaps be saved by the faith of
their parents, and others, that God might commission the angels to baptize them. But the
prevailing opinion is that, while they are excluded from heaven, they are consigned to a place
on the outskirts of hell, where its terrible fires do not reach. They remain in this place forever
without any hope of deliverance. The Church has never defined the doctrine of the Limbus
Infantum, and the opinions of the theologians vary as to the exact condition of the children
confined in it. The prevailing opinion is, however, that they suffer no positive punishment, no