the few. For rich men could provide
Masses for their dead friends and for themselves after death, which it
was quite out of the power of the poor to provide. {88}

4. But a word also must be said about "Indulgences." An Indulgence was
an abatement or remission granted by the Church's authority of some part
of the temporal penance imposed by that authority upon an evil doer. If
the guilty person should show sincere proofs of penitence, or by liberal
giving of alms made satisfactory recompense for wrongs done, his penance
might be eased, or the term of his excommunication shortened, and his
Church privileges partly or wholly restored. It may well be understood
how all this might be very wisely and fitly done. The authority which
inflicted the penance may rightly have been entrusted with the power also
of mitigating or removing it. But gradually this remission of the
temporal punishment for sins done in the past became applicable, not
seldom, to future sin also: and it soon was no uncommon thing to grant
Indulgences for 500, or 10,000, and even for 50,000 years. And, since
these long periods of years would, of course, extend beyond any man's
term of life on earth, it was obvious that they were intended to secure
the remission, not indeed of the guilt of the sin, but of the temporal
punishment of sin during all these years in Purgatory. Thus it was
supposed that the best possible provision was made whereby the duration
of the long years of torments due for sin in Purgatory might be
curtailed. But worse remained. The Papal Court needed treasure. And in
an evil moment permission was given that these Indulgences might be sold
for money. Thus grew up an unholy traffic, which, as we all know, first
roused in Germany the storm of the Reformation. Subsequently, the Papal
authorities so far yielded as to forbid all taking of money for these
Indulgences. But the system itself had meantime taken deep root. It
continued, and continues to this day. It was, however, at its worst when
the Twenty-second Article was drawn up. Can we be surprised that it
sternly condemned it? It is all a pitiful history. But it was necessary
to refer to it in order both to show how the growth of the Romish
Doctrine of Purgatory gradually gathered round it mischievous accretions,
and also to prove how little the belief, that in the Intermediate State
there is a progressive advance of the soul in holiness towards
perfection, is like the Rom