So that, whatsoever commodious expositions our adversaries can bring for the justifying of the Roman service, the same may we make use of to show, that the ancient Church might pray for the dead, and yet in so doing have no relation at all unto Purgatory; yea, and pray for the martyrs and other saints that were in the state of bliss, without offering unto them any injury thereby.
For the clearing of the meaning of those prayers which are made for Leo and the other saints, to the two expositions brought in by Pope Innocent, Cardinal Bellarraine addeth this for the third:
"that peradventure therein the glory of the body is petitioned for, which they shall have in the day of the resurrection. For although," saith he, "they shall certainly obtain that glory, and it be due unto their merits; yet it is not absurd to desire and ask this for them."
Where, laying aside those unsavoury terms of debt and merits, whereof we shall have occasion to treat in their proper place, the answer is otherwise true in part, but not full enough to give satisfaction unto that which was objected. For the primary intention of the Church indeed, in her prayers for the dead, had reference unto the day of the resurrection; which also in divers places we find to have been expressly prayed for. As in the Egyptian Liturgy, attributed unto St. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria:
"Raise up their bodies in the day which thou hast appointed, according to thy promises, which are true and cannot lie; grant unto them, according to thy promises, that which eye hath not seen, and ear hath not heard, and which hath not ascended into the heart of man, which thou hast prepared, O Lord, for them that love thy holy name, that thy servants may not remain in death, but may get out from thence, although slotbfuhiess and negligence have followed them."
And in that which is used by the Christians of St. Thomas, as they are commonly called, in the East Indies:
"Let the Holy Ghost give resurrection to your dead at the last day, and make them worthy of the incorruptible kingdom."
Such is the prayer of St. Ambrose, for Gratian and Valentinian the emperors:
"I do beseech thee, most high God, that thou wouldst raise up again those dear young men with a speedy resurrection, that thou mayest recompense this untimely course of this present life, with a timely resurrection."
