Popery condemned by scripture and the fathers - End Time Deception

326 POPERY CONDEP.INED BY
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but changed his kingdom ; being taken by the
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right hand of his piety into the tabernacles of
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Christ, into the heavenly Jerusalem ;*' And
also, " Theodosius, therefore, remains in the
" light, and glories in the company of the
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saints."
But nothing more plainly militates against the
Popish view of prayers for the dead, than the
account which Epiphanius has given of what he
calls the error of Aerius,
This person had opposed
a recital of the names of the dead in prayer,
asking, for what purpose it was done "
: He who
" is alive," says he, " prayeth, or offereth the
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sacrifice ; Vvhat shall this profit the dead ' But
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if the dead be actually profited by them, then
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let no man henceforth trouble himself to live
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well ; but let him oblige his friends, or give
" money to persons to pray for him, that none
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of these inexpiable sins, which he has com-
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mitted, may be required of him.'' In reply
to this objection, Epiphanius does not give the
most remote hint of the existence of a purgatory;
which he could not have avoided, had it then
been known. "When he assigns the reasons for
this practice, he says, it was to declare their f^iith
and hope concerning the dead ; and to shew the
infuiite prerogative of Christ above the best of
feaims, by praying for them, but giving thanks
only for him : And that, though these prayers
were not availing to remove all sins, yet they
were