theirs who have made a covenant with hell and with death and cry a short life and a sweet who forget they have souls while they thus speak and resolve and will not believe there is a God till they wish for rocks and mountains to fall upon them to hide them from him nor believe there is a hell till they feel it O what a deep sense had the Apostle Paul of the misery and immergent ruins of his Country-men Rom. 10.1 His hearts desire unto God for them was that they might be saved he could wish himself accursed that they might escape I know no man more like-minded to him than this Servant of God who is with the Lord who delighted in nothing no work in the world like plucking brands out of the fire saving men from hell and sending men and women before him to heaven if he could I hope the impression upon my heart from the consideration of that incomparable transport of his Soul in the Preaching the last Sermon as if he had known his time was so short and that Sermon his last shall still remain fresh upon me After Sermon I told him of it and he told me His heart was carried out with zeal and pity that he could not keep to method but he could not help it All that knew him can bear him witness that he was able to write or speak for matter and form gratefully to any but he studied plainness and therefore purposely declined great Auditories to my knowledg a clear proof of his meek and self-denying spirit Gain-say it who can He sought not honour from men whilst alive and now he is dead let his own Works praise him in the gates If any should enquire why or who call'd me to interpose these few rude lines I only say It is pia fraus to steal an opportunity to testifie more publickly the great veneration I have for the name of this holy man who indeed was one of the Sons of Davids Worthies As also to signifie my longing after the Souls happiness of all that were his ordinary Hearers Whom again I beseech to read and afterwards to ponder who and what moved him to speak his heart in these last words unto them if peradventure God may give them repentance unto life by the Ministry of him who not only saved himself but shall then save also them that heard him A.P. 1 Peter III. the later part of the 18 the 19 and part of the 20 Verse Being put to death in the flesh but quickned by the Spirit By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison Which sometimes were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the Ark was a preparing IN the opening of this portion of Scripture we will First Consider its Scope and then we will consider the words themselves and give you a short Explication thereof and then we shall draw that Practical Observation from them which the Lord bless unto your Edification As for the Scope of them in the former part of the 18 Verse I have shewed you how the Apostle was acquainting us with the great benefit that sinners do receive from the death of Christ that I have already opened to you Christ hath once sufferd for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God Now in the following Verses the Apostle passeth on from the death of Christ unto the life of Christ and shews that we have not only benefit by a Christ dying but by a Christ living For Christ is our Saviour both ways We are saved by his death meritoriously we are saved by his life as he lives for to see the purchased-blessings of his death made good to us Now the Apostle in these words I have already read considereth the life of Christ two ways First With respect to the world before he came in the flesh with respect to the old World above Two thousand years before he came in the flesh Jesus Christ the Eternal Son of God was alive then yea before the World was he was alive and was God blessed for ever by him the World was made To the old World even that world that was destroyed by the Flood to that world he was a Saviour by designation and he took care of them The care of mankind from the fall hath been deposited in the hands of Christ he hath taken care of sinners from the fall of man into sin Then Secondly The Apostle does speak of the advantages that the Church hath by a living-Christ upon his Resurrection from the dead as he speaks in the 21 v. The figure whereunto even Baptism doth also now save us then there comes in a Parenthesis How does Baptism save us Why by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ When he was on earth he preached the Gospel promised pardon and salvation to the penitent believing sinner and died for him when he had done preaching and arose from the dead and is gone to Heaven to make good every word We are now upon the consideration of the benefits that the old World had from Christ above two thousand years before Christ was born in the flesh Why what was the benefit that the old World had Why Christ by his Spirit did send Noah a Preacher of righteousness to preach repentance to the old Word the Spirit of Christ was in Noah by which Spirit Noah Prophesied of the destruction of the world By which Spirit he was directed to build the Ark to prepare for himself and those that should repent for that time that the Floold should come upon the world Christ by his Spirit preached then to that world of sinners that were drowned then and not only drowned but their spirits damn'd which was for disobeying Christ for disobeying the Spirit of Christ in Noah Having now given you the Scope of the place we shall proceed according to that light I have to give you the understanding of the words and phrases of this Scripture for it seemeth to be a Scripture that is not without its difficulties We will begin at the First First What it is to be put to death in the flesh that we must enquire into Secondly What is it to be quickned by the Spirit What does the Apostle understand hereby Thirdly What is this preaching What are Fourthly These Spirits that are in prison And what 's the prison And so we shall take in what follows in its order Being put to death in the flesh Who put to death Christ By whom By the unbelieving wicked Jews they were his accusers Put to death in the flesh by whom By Pontius Pilate as his Judg. Put to death in the flesh by whom Why by those Executioners that were employed by Pontius Pilate to see him Crucified The Jews Pontius Pilate and the Soldiers put him to death Put to death in the flesh What 's that That is after he was made flesh he was put to death as he was man he hung
upon the Cross The loss of blood and the anguish and pain the nails in his feet and in his hands kill'd him he died there his soul separated from his body he cryed with a loud voice and gave up the Ghost so he was put to death in the Flesh that is as to his human Nature That is plain The following words have more difficulty in them But quickned by the Spirit What 's the meaning of quickned And what 's here meant by Spirit that we must enquire into because it will tend to open the difficulty that lies in the following words Quickned as the Greek hath it Vivificatus autem spiritu made alive which is of the same import with quickned he died as to his human Nature but he did not continue in a state of death but was made alive again Christ that died for sinners was made alive What was made alive That which was dead What was dead The man Christ so that that which died for our sins was made alive again that is raised from the dead that 's the meaning of it There 's nothing can be made alive but that which was dead The Apostle useth this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for to signifie the Resurrection of the body and therefore in reason it may signifie so in this place 1 Cor. 15.22 For as in Adam all died so in Christ shall all be made alive 'T is the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made alive that is they shall be raised from the Grave So here Christ died as to the flesh but he was made alive that is he was raised from the dead Raised How was he raised it follows In or by the Spirit What Spirit is here Why it is that Spirit that did efficiently raise him he was quickned in or by the Spirit Now by this Spirit say the Papists is meant the human Soul of Christ For this reason it cannot be meant of the Soul of Christ because that the Soul of Christ being a creature could never quicken could never raise the dead body of Christ For Christ was perfect God and perfect Man as he was Man he had a Soul and body his Soul and body were creatures and though the Spirit or Soul of Christ was an excellent pure holy Soul without sin yet it was not God and had not an Almighty power None but God could raise the dead therefore the soul of Christ could never raise the body of Christ What was it then It must then be the Holy Ghost it must be the Spirit of God which is God which is Almighty that can raise the dead and did raise the dead Christ For what reason do I think that by Spirit is here meant the Holy Ghost Why I will tell you Because all the Miracles that Christ or his Apostles did whether they healed the sick whether they raised the dead or cast out Devils were all attributed to the Spirit of God to the Holy Spirit of Christ And therefore no wonder if the very Resurrection of Christ be given unto the Spirit of God And if I mistake not that is the meaning or the import of the Apostle in Rom. 1.3 4 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness Holiness in the abstract that is by the Greeks commonly used for the concrete and you may read it thus According to the Holy Ghost he was declared to be the Son of God with power with the power of the Holy Ghost by the Resurrection from the dead he was raised by the Spirit of God by which all works of Miracles were wrought or done by Christ and his Apostles he was raised from the dead by this Spirit And now That which follows will be somewhat clear For if by being made alive is to be understood the Resurrection of Christs human Nature and by the Spirit that raised that human Nature is to be meant the Holy Ghost then proceeds by which or in which he went and preached He went Who went Christ went By which Spirit by which Holy Ghost he went and preached to the spirits in prison Why did Christ the Son of God preach to the old world before he came in the flesh Yes How By his Spirit What immediately No but by Noah for he was a preacher of righteousness Why all the Prophets they had their Prophetical gifts and they had them all from the Spirit of Christ 2 Pet. 2.5 And spared not the old world but saved Noah the eighth person a preacher of righteousness bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly You must know all the preachers under the Gospel have their gifts from the Spirit the Spirit is employed in sending them out the Spirit assisteth them the Spirit said Seperate me Barnabas and Saul It was the Spirit which sent all the Prophets out the Spirit of Christ sent out Noah made him his Preacher So then by this Spirit of Christ Noah preached or Christ preached in Noah To whom To the Spirits in prison that is to the souls of those wicked men that are now in prison that were in prison at the time when Peter did write When God drowned the world that was not all their bodies lay floating upon the great Sea but their souls went down into Hell Well but say you Did Christ by his Spirit preach to them after they went to Hell No. They were preached to when they were sometime disobedient in the times of Noah as in the verse following the Spirits in prison that were sometime disobedient Disobedient to whom To the Spirit When In the time of Noah for they disobeyed Noah regarded not his preaching nor the building of the Ark looked upon him as a mad-man they took not the warning and were swallowed up in the flood and are now in prison for their disobedience they were disobedient to the Spirit of Christ in Noah The Papists by the Spirits in prison they would perswade you is to be meant a Limbus Patrum as they call it a middle state between Heaven and Hell wherein the Patriarchs were held until the time that Jesus Christ died and that when Christ was dead and his body in the grave for that three days and nights that Christ in his soul did descend into this Limbus and there did preach himself unto the soul of Abraham of Isaac and Jacob and the rest of those good Spirits that were alive in former days and took them out of that state and carried them to Heaven Thus say the Papists this is their Interpretation First But this is not to be believed because the Apostle speaks of such Spirits that were disobedient not of the Spirits of the Fathers for the very Papists themselves speak of no Spirits in their Limbus but only good Spirits But the Apostle in this place speaks of none but disobedient Spirits Secondly 'T is a vain Interpretation
because if that their Limbus or middle state is only a receptacle of good Spirits Why they needed not to have preaching after their death to them because they believed while they were upon the earth and if they believed whilst upon the earth they were justified and if they were justified their sins were taken away and what then should keep them out of Heaven 'T is a very impertinent thing to think that Christ should go into their Limbus to preach faith to them that have believed already Thirdly Their Interpretation dependeth much upon the interpreting the Spirit by which he was quickned interpreting that to be meant of his soul But if that cannot be meant of his soul but of the Holy-Ghost then their notion falls to the ground for they read it thus Christ was dead in the body but kept alive in his soul by which he went and preached unto these Fathers in their Limbo Lastly The Scripture is plain that Christ did not go down into any such middle-state for he said to the Thief This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise This can't be any middle-state where Paul said He saw and heard things that were unutterable Well then this is that the Apostle meaneth that those Spirits that are now in prison were sometime alive in the body as we and they heard the preaching of the Spirit of Christ in Noah but for their disobedience they were taken off by the flood and their souls were laid up in Hell as in a prison Now the Doctrine shall be this That the Spirits or souls of wicked men when they die they shall as prisoners of Gods justice be dragged out of their bodies and by the righteous sentence of God shall be laid up in the prison of Hell for their disobedience unto the Spirit of Christ that preacheth in his Ministers All this is contained in the words In the opening of it there are these things I shall speak to First What are these Prisoners Spirits Secondly How are these Prisoners carried away to their Prison By death as those of the old world were by a death caused by the flood Thirdly What 's this prison Hell Fourthly What 's the cause of their commitment Disobedience disobedience to the voice of the Spirit of Christ in his Ministers Lastly Here is the justness of the Sentence implied for inasmuch as they are Gods prisoners so they are prisoners that are justly imprisoned I pray God by what you and I hear of it this day it may never be any of our lots that you and I may never prove any of these dreadful Prisoners First What are these Prisoners Spirits Souls those immortal Souls that live and abide in you while you are in this world Your bodies they are like houses that are made up of clay of earth but a house is not without its Tenant God hath made no body but he hath made it for a Tenant Every human body hath his Tenant What 's that The Soul the Spirit It is that immortal Spirit that is in you by which you live move act reason by which you see hear walk all the motions that are seen or done by any part of you come from the Spirit from the Soul And as it is with an old house or any house if it be pull'd down the Tenant goes out of doors if it be fir'd down the Tenant steps out of doors and perhaps on the other side of the street looking upon his house burning down The house is burnt but the Tenant's alive So it is with you when these bodies of clay of yours fall are they drowned with these of the old world should they be burnt should they fall by a Fever or any other way your souls like Tenants they come out That living spirit in you comes out you give up the Ghost give up the Spirit The body returns saith Solomon to the earth your Spirit returns to God to be judged This is the Prisoner But O what a sad Prisoner is the soul of a wicked man when stript of his body He is a naked Prisoner and a friendless Prisoner which are two sad circumstances of a prisoner When God sendeth the Serjeant death and seizeth upon the spirit of a wicked man knocks at the door of his body the body is fast bolted locked no getting in What does death do breaks down the Body pulls it about his ears sometime death drowns him sometime death hangs him sometime stabs him sometimes he goes to Sea and is cast away sometimes a Cart goes over him and so the poor soul of the wicked man is arrested death lays hold of him and drags him away to the Tribunal of God and there is he in a naked condition naked of the world naked of his body A poor thing When a wicked mans spirit is in the world he hath a house a body and out of his body he hath the casements of his eyes to look through and hath some kind of enjoyment in his meats and drinks But when death comes he pulls down the house about his ears and the soul 's drag'd away and there is no more the light of the Sun no more eating and drinking no more the delights of the flesh He is like the malefactor that hath committed some great crime and the Prince sends the Officers and they surround the house and break it open and drag him away in his shirt and won't give him time to put on his cloaths This is a sad sight Just so will thy wicked soul O thou wicked man be dragged away without shirt or hose or shoe out of the house of thy body And when the poor prisoner the spirit of a wicked man is sent by death to the Tribunal of God he is in a friendless condition If a man is Arrested for debt there may be some composition some good neighbours may come and say Pray have pity he is a poor man he cannot pay you he will pay you when he can I will lay down somewhat for him you have such a thing as that is here that saves the poor man from prison But alas thou poor wicked soul that wouldest take no warning but hast been disobedient to the Gospel when death comes with a Commission from God from Christ the great Judg of quick and dead he seizeth upon thee draggeth thee away and perhaps when thou art dragging away thou lookest about what can I have no friend to intercede for me O for a little more time to repent in A little more time to pay my debts in What will none lay down a ransome for me No No. Thou wicked man while thou art in the body Jesus Christ comes often in his Ministers saying to thee Thou wicked sinner thou art ten thousand Talents in debt Come sinner believe in me repent of thy sins against me and I will pay all thy debts I will discharge them all but thou poor rebel wouldest not hearken to it but thou wouldest go on and run farther and farther
what thou hast and besides it shall be blessed to thee that thou wilt say it is far better to thee than abundance Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added to you Do but set thy self to pray mightily to God that whatever he does he would save thy soul and then for thy care thou mightest cast thy care upon him your care distracts you it is Gods setting in with you that makes your care succesful O poor sinners if you were but acquainted with God and Christ you would have a God to cast your care upon You Masters of Families begin your day with God bring your Families to God make it your great business to serve God and then trust God for his blessing upon your endeavours There is another Reason What is the reason that you do not believe That you believe not God that speaks by his Son and by his Prophets Why truly I dare not believe For to speak plainly I am so in love with my sins that I cannot think to part wirh them and I do profess if I must be damn'd for them I must run the hazard Such desperate slaves are Satan's slaves though they see Hell before them and in they must if they repent not saith Christ Light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light Why because their deeds are evil They love their evil deeds and love darkness and hate the light of the Gospel they hate my word because my word threatens their deeds of darkness with Hell they can't endure to see what is at the end of sinning I have kept you a long while and so God kept them above a hundred years I have spent one hour perhaps half an hour more but if it were possible that I could Preach an hundred years to an unbelieving heart it would never work upon him without Gods Grace O therefore resist not Crace When I have done all 't is God that singles out one at one time and another at another time and then another and sometimes many at once and opens their eyes and hearts and makes such a Sermon bear upon them and commandeth their hearts to strike in with the word And if the Lord does but bless the word to take hold of some poor youth whether man or maid it is worth all my labour that I have spent in Preaching If the Lord would but bring some poor soul to believe that the word of God is true and that it is as certain that they will be damn'd if they repent not as is was certain that the old world was drown'd This might be the beginning of a new life O 't is an hour well spent and thou wilt bless God for it if he will come in with light upon thee and make thee believe the Gospel that Christ is willing to save every penitent sinner that is brought thus to believe in him O that God would be pleased to convince you that he is in good earnest to damn the wicked and impenitent sinner but to bless and crown with eternal life every obedient soul I am forced to cut off many things that I have to say But the Lord in heaven bless this word unto you FINIS Books Printed for and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside SERMONS on the whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians by Mr. J. Daille Translated into English by F.S. with Dr. Tho. Goodwin's and Dr. J. Owens Epistles Recommendatory An Exposition of Christs Temptation on Mat. 4. and Peters Sermon to Cornelius and circumspect walking by Dr. Tho. Taylor A practical Exposition on the 3 d Chap. of the 1 st Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the Godly mans Choice on Psal 4.6 7 8. by Anthony Burgess Dr. Donns 4to Sermons being his 3 Vol. Pareus Exposition on the Revelations Choice and practical Expositions on 4 select Psalms viz. The Fourth Psalm in eight Sermons The Forty second Psalm in ten Sermons The Fifty first Psalm in twenty Sermons The Sixty third Psalm in seven Sermons Books 4 to The Door of Salvation opened by the Key of Regeneration by George Swinnock M.A. An Exposition on the Five first Chapters of Ezekiel with useful Observations thereupon by William Greenhil The Gospel Covenant opened by Peter Bulkley Gods Holy-mind touching matters moral which he uttered in Ten Commandments Also an Exposition on the Lords-Prayer by Edward Eston B.D. The Fiery Jesuit or an Historical-Collection of the rise encrease doctrines and deeds of the Jesuits Horologiographia optica Dyaling universal and particular speculative and practical together with a description of the Court of Arts by a new Method by Sylvanus Morgan A seasonable Apology for Religion by Matthew Pool The practical Divinity of the Papists discovered to be destructive to true Religion and Mens souls by J. Clarkson The Creatures goodness as they came out of Gods hand and the good-mans mercy to the bruit-creatures in two Sermons by Tho. Hodges B.D. Certain considerations tending to promote Peace and Unity amongst Protestants The Saints triumph over the last enemy in a Sermon at the Funeral of Mr. James Janeway by Nath. Vincent The Morning-Lecture against Popery or the principal errors of the Church of Rome detected and confuted in a Morning-Lecture preached by several Ministers of the Gospel in or near London Four useful discourses by Jeremiah Burroughs A new Copy-Book of all sorts of useful hands The Saints priviledg by dying by Mr. Scot. The Vertuous Daughter a Funeral-Sermon by Mr. Brian The Miracle of Miracles or Christ in our Nature by Dr. Rich. Sibbs The unity and essence of the Cartholick Church-visible by Mr. Hudson The intercourse of Divine Love between Christ and the Church or the particular Believing soul in several Lectures on the whole second Chap. of Cant. by John Collins D.D. Large 8 vo The sure mercies of David or a second part of Heart-treasure Heaven or hell here in a Good or Bad Conscience by Nath. Vincent Closet-prayere a Christians duty by O. Heyword A practial discourse of Prayer wherein is handled the nature and duty of Prayer by Tho. Cobbet Of quenching the Spirit the evil of it by Theophilus Polwheile The sure way to Salvation or a Treatise of the Saints mystical Union with Christ by Richard Stedman M.A. Sober Singularity by the same Author Heaven taken by Storm The mischeif of sin both by Tho. Watson The Childs Delight together with an English-Grammar Reading and Spelling made easie both by Tho. Lye Asop's Fables with morals thereupon in English-Verse The Young-mans Instructor and the Old-mans Remembrancer Captives bourd in Chains made free by Christ their Surety both by Tho. Doolittle Eighteen Sermons preached upon several Texts of Scripture by William Whitaker The Saints care for Church-Communion declared in sundry Sermons preached at St. James Dukes-place by Zach. Crofton The life and death of Edmund Stanton D.D. To which is added a Treatise of Christian conference and a Dâ—alogue between a Minister and a Stranger Sin the Plague of plagues or sinful sin the worst of Evils by Ralph Venning M.A. Cases of Conscience practically resolved by J. Norman The immortality of the Soul explained and proved by Scripture and Reason to which is added Faiths-triumph over the fears of death by Tho. Wadsworth A Treatise of the incomparableness of God in his Being Attributes Works and Word by George Swinnock M.A. The generation of Seekers or the right manner of the Saints addresses to the throne of Grace with an Exposition on the Lords-Prayer An Essay to facilitate the Education of Youth by bringing down the rudiments of Grammar to the sense of seeing which ought to be improved by Syncresis by M. Lewis of Totenham An Artificial Vestibulum wherein the sense of Janua Linguarum is contained compiled into plain and short sentences in English for the great ease of Masters and Expeditious progress of Scholars by M. Lewis Baptism no bar to Communion by Jo. Bunnian The Dutch-dispensatory shewing the vertues qualities and properties of Simples the vertue and use of Compounds whereto is added the Compleat Herbalist Small Octavo A defence against the fear of Death by Zach. Crofton Gods Soveraignty displayed by William Gearing The godly mans Ark or a City of Refuge in the day of his distress in five Sermons with Mrs. Moors Evidences for Heaven by Edmund Calamy The Almost-Christian discovered or the false Professor tried and cast by M. Mead. A Plea for the godly or the Righteous mans Excellency The holy Eucharist or the Sacrament of the Lords Supper A Treatise of Self-denial All three by Tho. Watson The life and death of Tho. Wilson of Maidstone in Kent The life and death of Doctor Sam. Winter Worthy-walking press'd upon all that have heard the Call of the Gospel The Spirit of Prayer by Nath. Vincent The inseparable Union between Christ and a Believer by Tho. Peck A discourse of Excuses setting forth the variety and vanity of them the sin and misery brought in by them by John Sheffield Invisible realities demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of Mr. J. Janeway The Saints encouragement to diligence in Christs service by Mr. James Janeway Convivium caeleste a plain and familiar discourse concerning the Lords Supper by R. Kidder The Saints perseverance asserted in its Positive-ground against Mr. Ives A Wedding-ring fit for the Finger by Will. Secker An Explanation of the shorter Catechism of the Assembly of Divines by Tho. Lye The Childs Delight with Pictures by Tho Lye The life and death of Tho. Hall The flat opposition of Popery to Scripture by J.N. Chaplain to a Person of Honour The Weavers Pocket-book or Weaving spiritualiz'd by J.C.D.D. Two disputations of Original sin by Richard Baxter The ready way to prevent sin by William Bagshaw The Little-peace-maker discovering foolish Pride the Make-bate Philadelphia or a Treatise of Brotherly-love by Mr. Gearing Reformation or Ruine being certain Sermons on Levit. 26.23 24. by Tho. Hotchkis FINIS