they might have the Credit of giving us the Apostle's true meaning that by any means they might attaiâ— to this Resurrection and 〈◊〉 of the dead in this Chapter Give me leave to present you with a Brief Account of their Several Indeavours and Different Deciâ—ions in the case with a free and Impartial Animadversion on them and then to take the boldness to offer my Own thoughts in the Controversie which I purpose to do as I ought with a strict Veneration of Antiquity and the Primitive Writers of the Church with a faithful regard to the Masters of Grammer and Criticism with a due respect to the Whole Context and to the Analogy of Christian faith I think it will not be amiss in the first place to rank the Expositors on This place after This Method They understand it of Baptism either Properly or Improperly taken 1. Properly for a Real and Outward Washing with water 2. Improperly or Metaphorically for the Baptism of Afflction and Suffering as sometimes the word is understood But the Proper Baptizing or Washing will ingage me most of all in This Discourse and That is threefold 1. Sacramental which is no other then that Holy Ordinance of Christs institution whereby children or those of riper years are admitted into the Christian Church by the action of outward Washing or Sprinkling with water 2. Funeral Washing which was practised in order to the burying of the dead bodies 3. Legal or Ceremonial washing used by the Iews as often as they were defiled by touching the dead and this was done either in their own persons or by another for them in case they died before they were Cleansed I. Begin we with the Various Interpretations of Those on the place who understand it of Sacramental Baptizing And first there are some who interpret it of Those who at their Baptism profess themselves dead to sin and to the world and by this Baptismal act they are reputed to be thus Spiritually dead A second Opinion is of those who imagine the words spoken of Baptism as it representeth the Bodily Death Others understand it of Baptism as it was accompanied with the confession of the Article of the Resurrection of the dead A fourth sort say it is spoken of the Clinicks those who lay on their sick beds and receive the Sacrament of Baptism Fifthly others understand it of Baptizing over the dead over the Tombs of the Deceased Martyrs Sixthly there are some who think it is meant of Baptizing in the place and stead of the dead Seventhly there is a Learned man who thinks it is spoken of an Annual Baptizing for the benefit of the dead Eightly Another conceveth in refers to Baptizing with the imposition of the names of the dead Lastly there is a Learned Critick who dissents from all the forenamed Opinions and is perswaded that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put here for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Plural for the Singular but how he applies it you shall hear afterwards 1. I begin with the First the Opinion of those who imagine These words are spoken of Baptized Christians who by this very Sacrament professed to the world that they were Spiritually dead So that to be baptized for the dead is as much as to be reputed as dead persons when they were baptized or at their baptism to be like dead men viz. Dead in respect of Sin and any Love to it At that Solemn Initiating themselves into the Church they openly renounced their former sins they publickly disowned their past vices they became Mortified persons and betook themselves to a Severe and Strict course of life thus Mystically and Spiritually speaking they were Dead So the words are interpreted by some Antient Fathers with whom agree a few of the Moderns amongst whom a Late Writer expresses his sense thus Baptized for the dead are they who when they are baptized declare that they are ready to Die to the world to be in it as Dead men and to live a new life and if occasion be to submit to the Cross and Die for their Religion This they do that they may have a blessed Resurrection But This Interpretation will be far from gaining our consent if we consider besides what I shall add under the next Opinion but these two things First there is no reason to interpret these baptized for the dead of those that are spiritually dead because it is generally advised by all Sober Interpreters of Scrâ—pture that we should not flie to an Improper and Metaphorical sense when the Literal and Proper one will serve our turn But I shall afterwards prove that a Plain and Literal meaning of these words is most probable and reasonable Secondly the Context it self will conâ—ute this interpretation for if the Spiritual Death be here meanâ— i. e. the being buried with Christ in baptism and being dead to sin and the world then who will think there is any Consequence in the Apostles Reasoning whil'st he argueth from a Spirituall and Mystical Death and Resurrection of which Baptism is a Sign unto that which is Bodily and External which is the subject he here treats of through out the whole Chapter The Inference is so Foreign that I cannot see how it will ever be admitted 2. Others are of the opinion that These words are spoken of Baptism as it represents the Bodily Death And some of the Fathers who were Patâ—ons of the First Interpretation were pleased also to â—spouse this Second for they thought fit to joyn both these together viz. the Spiritual and the Bodily Death asserting that the Representation or Resemblance of both was intended here by the Apostâ—e Now let us see how they apply these words to the Death of the Body They hold that the Apostle's Argument in the Text is of this sort If there shall be no rising of the dead hereafter why is Baptism so significant a Symbol of our Dying and Rising again and also of the Death and Resurrection of Christ For those that were Proselytes to the Christian Religion were interpreted to make an open profession of These in their being plunged into the Baptismal water and in being there Overwhelmed and buried as it were in the Consecrated Element The Immersion into the water was thought to signifie the Death of Christ and their Coming out denoted his Rising again and did no less represent their Own future Resurrection On which account the Minister's putting in of the Christian Converts into the Sacred waters and his taking them out thence are stiled by S t Chrysostom the Sign and Pledge of descending into the state of the dead and of a return from thence And thus because the Washing and Plunging of the newly admitted Christians was a Visible Proof and Emblem first of Christ's and then of Their Resurrection from the grave the forementioned Fathers have been induced to believe that This passage of our Apostle which I am speaking of hath a particular respect to That and is to be Interpreted
Comments and thereby give you a perfect resolution of the Text. First then the Spirits are the same with Souls and Souls are as much as Men or Persons with bodies and souls so in the next verse eight â—souls are said to be saved i. e. eight persons who were in the Ark. This is an usual Synecdoche as Body is put for the whole man often so Soul or Spirit signifies the same Spirit is not always though most commonly applied to the Souls of the Deceased as some would perswade us Living men are call'd Spirits 1 Tim. 4. 1. 1 Iohn 4. 1 3. Seducing spirits are seducers or persons that seduce Or if you will not grant this interpretation in these places yet you must needs grant that persons may be meant by spirits as well as by souls which latter you cannot deny if you consult Rom. 13. 1. and several other places where by soul is meant a person i. e. a man consisting of body and soul or which is the same thing spirit Or if Spirits be meant of the Souls of Dead men properly then also there is reason to apply it here because they are Dead in sin and they are as it were destined to Eternal Death Those who are Spiritually dead are rightly call'd Spirits These spirits i. e. these Men are no other then the Gentile Idolaters say the above named Expositors who lived in the days of Christ and the Apostles And because it is said they were sometime disobedient Episcopius gives this account of it He reckons all the Gentiles from Noahs time as one and the same people which is a thing not unusual with the Holy Writâ—â—s and so when Christ preach'd to the Gentiles of his time and the Apostles times he may be said to preach to the Gentiles of Noahs time who were a part of the whole body of the Gentiles So that if you ask of him How could these people that lived in the Apostles times be said to be disobedient in the days of Noah his answer is that the whole race of wicked men is consfidered here as one Body and consequently what the first and chief of them did those that came after them may be said to have done These wicked Gentiles that lived in the Apostles times are justly said to have been disobedient in the days of Noah because they were a part of the whole and included in the main Body of sinners But I question whether this will be look'd upon by the Inquisitive as a Satisfactory Resolution For my part I cannot prevail with my self to think it such and therefore I shall anon offer another Interpretation Moreover I most add this why may we not understand these words who were sometime disobedient not only of the 〈◊〉 but of the Iews also The Text as I conceive speaks both of the Câ—â—version of Iews and Gentiles the Gospel being preached and Salvation offâ—red to both these I see therefore no reason why the Exposition should be confined to one only viz. to the Pâ—gan Infidels and such as were aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel Christ preached to both Iews and Heathens who were heretofore or sometime disobedient The former of these both under the Old and New Testament are noted to be such they are complain'd of as a 〈◊〉 people That forefathers even of those who we in the Apostles days were disobedient and therefore those may be said to be sometime disobedient because they are included in their forefathers Or rather this may be meant of the 〈◊〉 Lives and Manners of those individual persons who then lived And as the Iews had lived in Superstion and Ignorance and gross Rebellion against God so the Gentiles had been brought up in Idolatry and in most lewd and prophane practises Christ after his Resurrection and Ascension pitied the miserable condition of both these sorts of 〈◊〉 Sinneâ—s They had been disobedient but now Christ by his Apostles whom he sent forth to preach the Gospel effectually reminded them of it of which more 〈…〉 which we have hitherto suggested and which was the first thing to be done is this that these Iewish â—nd Pagan peoplâ— who had heretofore 〈◊〉 so â—â—gnally disobedient are the spirits or persons here spoken of who are also said to be in prison Of the Reasonableness and Consistency of which interpretation I will give you this following account They are called the spirits in prison 1. because they were shut up in Ignorance as in a spiritual Prison They refused the knowledge of God 〈◊〉 wilfully blinded themselves and so became like the Egyptians Prisoners of darkness and lay fetter'd in the bondâ— of nightâ— 2. Because they were not only shut up in the Dark Dungâ—â—n of wilful Ignorance but were as our Church expâ—esseth it tied and bound with the chain of their other grosser sins Whence you read of the cords or chains of sin Prov. 5. 22. In this respect very bad men are said to be in the bond of iniquity and to be 〈…〉 his will 3 ly This expresses the Misery they were in They were spirits in Prison that is unspeakably Distressed and Wretched This you will find to be the Stile of Scripture and accordingly the Psalmist saith The Lord despiseth not his Prisoners i. e. those that are in Distress and Misery Psal. 69. 33. And thus That in Ps. 79. 11. may be understood Let the sighing of the Prisoners come before thee And again he prays Bring my soul out of Prison Ps. 142. 8. Soul is to be taken here for the Person and Prison 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the very word used by the Septuagint for Calamity or Misery and so this is the like manner of speech with that in the Text The spirits or souls in prison We pity those poor wretches who are in Durance who can only look through the Grates but are denied the liberty of going abroad to help themselves we reckon their condition very sad and deplorable But it is certain that these poor â—ouls who are imprison'd and Fetter'd by their Sins are in a far worse case because Sin is the greatest Bondage They like Samson grind in the prison-house they are put to excessive Drudgery and Slavery which are so much the Worse because they are not Sensible of it 4. This shews their Inability to relieve themselves They are as it were in some Strâ—ng and Close Prison whence there is no delivery without Gods help and the special assistance of Divine Grace They are shut up in their Dark Cells and know not how to free themselves they are so fast in prison that they cannot get forth 5 ly and lastly As I have before suggested Hell is call'd a Prison in the Stile of Scripture Thus in Mat. 5. 25. to be cast into prison is to be cast into Hell and accordingly the Syriack Version of the word is Sheol which is the word used sometimes for Hell God cast the Angels down to hell saith S' Peter and immediately he adds that
forced to quit our Lives that we may secure our Religion and our Consciences Blessed be God we can enjoy these here and carry them with us into another World afterwards But if ever the Divine Providence shall call us to lay down our Lives and spend our Bloud in the service of our Lord and Saviour let us not count our Lives dear unto us so that we may finish our course with joy and testifie the Gospel of the grace of God as our Apostle speaketh Let us like the Primitive Saints rejoyce that we are counted worthy to suffer shame and even Death for the Name of Christ. Let us chearfully sacrifice our Lives for the sake of him who Died for us let us drown our Affections to the world in our own Bloud thereby propagating our Holy Religion and therein following the Pattern of the Blessed Apostles and Primitive Saints who manfully and undauntedly died for the faith on whose account and by virtue of whose Example it was that Thousands of Converted persons flock'd to the Waters of Baptism and were ambitious to Assert that Cause for which they saw those Excellent Christians lay down their Lives The Death of an Eminent Saint made a great number of Disciples in those days the Bloud of a Holy Martyr baptized whole Cities This I conceive was to be baptized for the dead This I offer as the most Plain and Easie the most Natural and Genuine Meaning of the Text. The fourth TEXT Enquired into viz. 1 S t Peter III. 19 20. By which also he went and preached unto the Spirits in prison which sometime were disobedient c. THIS is another Difficult Text of Scripture and in order to the Clearing of it I will give you a brief account of the Chapter It begins with the Peculiar and Proper Duties of Man and Wife which take up the first 7 verses but the rest of the Chapter treats of the Common Vertues and Graces which are required in all Christians as Meekness Patience Mercifulness and all the obliging and indearing offices of Love The Apostle chiefly exhorts to Patience that is to suffer with submission and chearfulness what ever should be inflicted on them And here he shews particularly how they ought to behave themselves towards their Persecutors They must not be Revengeful and render evil for evil v. 9. and he subjoins the Reasons of it in the following verses Again They must not be afraid neither be troubled v. 14. They must take courage maugre all their distresses and strive to banish all Fear and Cowardice all Disorder and Perplexity of mind Moreover they are obliged to sanctifie the Lord God in their hearts and to be ready to give an answer to every one that asketh them a reason of the hope which is in them and that with meekness and fear v. 15. The meaning is that they were not to disguise their perswasion but to make open profession of their Religion even before their Persecutors Further the Apostle tells them that they must not only profess Christianity but lead Holy Lives that thereby they may shame their Adversaries who falsly accuse them as evil doers v. 16. Lastly therefore he bids them be sure that they look to their Lives and Conversations that they suffer for well-doing not for evil-doing v. 17. And that they may not be unwilling to suffer thus here is set before them the Example of Christ who suffered for them For Christ also hath once suffer'd for sins the just for the unjust v. 18. This highly commends the Sufferings of the Blessed Iesus that he was himself an Innocent person and that he suffer'd for those that were Guilty whereas no Christians that suffer can altogether plead Innocency they all in some measure deserve what they suffer And now the Apostle takes occasion to expatiate on Christs suffering and the Happy effects of it to the end of this Chapter and in part of the next He shews the Design of our Saviours Passion viz. that he might bring us to God v. 18. that he might make us Holy and Righteous and indue us with the Divine and Godlike nature and that he might at last lead us to Heaven and Eternal Glory And this He was effectually enabled to do because though he suffer'd death yet he soon rose from the dead as you read in that 18. v. Being put to death in the flesh but quickned by the Spirit To pass by the Notion of those men who think they find some ground here for their Aethereal or Spiritual Vehicles understanding the words thus Put to death in his Terrestrial body but quickned or enliven'd with a Spiritual one for Christs soul and the souls of all the Saints after death say they are clothed with Subtile and Aetherial bodies To let this pass the Plain Meaning of the place is this and it is confirmed by several of the Fathers that this Iesus though he suffer'd and was put to death for us in the flesh as a Man as he had a Humane Body yet he was quickned by the Spirit that is he rose from the dead by the vertue and power of the Holy Spirit who was ever with him Or thus he was put to death in the flesh i. e. crucified in his Humane Nature but he was quickned in the spirit i. e. he was raised from the Dead by his Divine Nature A Parallel place is that in 2 Cor. 13. 4. Though he was crucified through weakness his body being but Weak and Frail and subject to death as all Humane bodies are yet he liveth by the power of God he reassumed his soul and lived again and still liveth by vertue of his Divine Power He died as Man but restored himself to life as he was God It was by Christs Divine Spirit that his separated soul and body were reunited which you find thus asserted by S t Paul Rom. ◠4. He was declared to be the son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead The humane spirit of Christ was joyned again to his body by his Eternal Spirit By Christs Divinity his Humanity was raised up and restored And now our Apostle inlarges here further upon this Quickning Power of Christs Spirit or Divinity in these words By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison which sometime were disobedient c. The Greek which is here translated By which is rendred by others wherefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ideò saith Oecumenius and so t is thought that these words bring in the Reason of what was said before But there are few that follow this Interpretation Our own Translation is more Plain and more Probable for those that are acquainted with the stile of the New Testament know that By is the frequent signification of the Praeposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is most obvious and rational to refer the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the word
he delivered them into Chains of darkness 2 Pet. 2. 4. and S t Iude v. 6. speaks after the same manner Hell implys Chains and that those who are in that place are Bound in the house of their prison So Satan is said to be bound with a great chain Rev. 20. 1 2. i. e. he was Confined to Hell and afterwards he was loosed out of that Prison v. 7. Now Wicked and Ungodly men are deservedly said to be in This prison even before they are actually cast into it because they are as sure to be there i. e. to be Damned as if they were actually so They are as certainly to be shut up in the Prison of Hell as if they were now in it In this sense Infidels and Unbelievers are said to be condemned already John 3. 18. All wilful sinners are clapt up in the Prison are consign'd as it were to Hell unless they hearken to the Preaching of the Gospel and Repent and be Converted and so escape the damnation of Hell From all these particulars you may be satisfied how Fit an expression this is how Appositely those Vnbelievers and Idolaters to whom the Gospel was preached are stiled spirits in Prison I will yet further observe to you how the Scripture delights in This way of expression As I have shewd you from thence how Sinners are Imprisoned persons so I have This likewise to take notice of from Scripture that the Converting of souls by Christs coming and preaching is expressly set forth to us by Freeing them from prison Which confirms This notion and the Use of this Phrase that â—inners whilst they are in their Unregenerate state whilst they are they are under the power of their sins are in prison for they cannot be taken out thence unless they had been in it To this purpose we may observe the prophet Isaiah's words ch 42. v. 7. where describing the Office of the Messias he makes this the summ of it to bring out the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house And again speaking of the blessed design of the Messias he expresseth it thus ch 49. v. 9. That thou mayest say to the prisoners Go forth And further in ch 61. v. 1. he introduceth the Messias himself declaring with his own mouth that he was sent to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Which as well as the former passages is meant of the Spiritual Loosing of men from their sins by the saving coming of Christ and preaching of the Gospel as is evident from what our Saviour said when he read these words of Isaiah This day saith he is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears Luke 4. 21. As much as if he had said This is the grand end and purpose of my appearing in the world and of all my undertakings for mankind namely to set them at liberty to save them from their sins This was long since foretold by the prophet Isaiah and now behold it is accomplished in me at this time who speak unto you and preach the Gospel of Salvation I came to seek and save that which was lost I came to bless you in turning you from your iniquities I came to rescue you from the bondage of sin and Satan This is the meaning of opening the prison to them that are bound of saying to the prisoners Go forth of bringing the prisoners out of the prison house We see then that from the stile of this Evangelical Prophet we are directed to a right understanding of S t Peters words we are informed that the spirits in prison are men in their sins Jesus by his Spirit in his Apostles went and preached to these Prisoners he proclaimed Liberty to these poor miserable Captives And these are the dead to whom the Gospel was preached 1 Pet. 4. 6. A place of Scripture which hath mightily puzzled Expositors D r Hammond and others understand by these dead the sinners of the Old World for these were dead say they when Peter wrote this Epistle though they were alive when they were preached to So that place Ruth 1. 8. is interpreted The Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead i. e. my sons and your husbands who are now dead when Naomi spoke this to her daughters in law but were alive when the kindness was shewd to them But I have observ'd before that this is a Strain'd sense and therefore where a more Natural one offers it self we ought to accept of it The most Plain and Proper meaning of the dead here is that they were dead at that very time when the Gospel was preached to them I understand it of Spiritual death which brings Eternal death with it without repentance The widow that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth 1 Tim. 5. 6. It is usual to call Sinners dead men because as the same Apostle saith they are dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. 1. Yea it were easie to shew that this way of speaking was not unusual with the Gentile Moralists So the dead here to whom the Gospel was preached were such as were Spiritually dead Otherwise you can't make sense of the Reason or End of the Gospels being preached to them viz. that they might be judged according to men in the flesh but live according to God in the spirit Castalio after his modest way in the like cases professes that he knows not what to make of these words Some tell us that they speak of Penitent sinners involved in a Common Ruine that though they were judg'd in the flesh i. e. in respect of their Bodies as far as Men can see yet in their Spirit or Soul they rest and live with God But it cannot be proved that the Apostle here refers to any such Common Calamity and therefore this Exposition is not to be admitted Others alter it a little thus These words say they are added to remove the scandal laid in the way of Religion by Infidels and Pagans who as you read v. 4. thought it strange that the Christians ran not with them to the same excess of riot and spake evil of them on that account They censured defamed and even condemned them because they were not like themselves But though they were condemned as to their flesh their outward man yet their spirits their in ward man obtain'd favour and even eternal life with God But how this is brought in as a Reason as it is here For for this cause c. no man can discover and therefoâ—e we cannot satisfie ourselves with this interpretation of the place Others would understand it thus That they might be judged according to men in the flesh i. e. that those who lived carnally and wickedly might be damned and live according to God in the spirit i. e. that those who lived godlily and righteously might be saved But this is a manifest perverting of the words turning the but into and
do here and thereby render the meaning of the words full and entire However take the words which way you will and if you pitch upon any Particular Sense I hope I have suggested that which will give light to it I here adjoyn something concerning the Custom of Covering and Uncovering the head among the different People and Nations of the world The summ of what I say is that the Eastern people went â—lways with their heads covered and the Greeks were always â—â—covered but the Romans took a middle way for they thought they were bound as to this matter to distnguish between the times of Worship and of Common Conversation and that the behaviour which was used in the one ought to be different from that of the other Accordingly they always covered their heads in the time of Worshipping from whence as well as from what is recorded of them we may gather that their practice was contrary when they were about their ordinary business that is that they were Uncovered But from the Jews covering their heads when they worship'd we cannot infer that they did not do so at other times and the reason is because they made no distinction at all between one time and the other as to this behaviour Only I desire the Reader that he may not misinterpret me to distinguish between the Ancient Romans and those that came after them for as to this usage as well as to some others these two exceedingly differed from one another uea the Latter Romans were strangely enclined to shift their customs and differ'd from Themselves as well as the Old Romans as I have shew'd This I thought fit to mention here lest any man should mistake me and the Truth it self I have added something likewise concerning the custom of the Other Sex and there you 'l find that there is no Variation at all the Women of all Nations generally cover'd their heads when they were abroad and the Apostle is not willing they should lay aside so Landable and Catholick an usage In my Third Vndertaking which is an interpretation of those so much controverted words What shall they do that are baptized for the dead I recite the various opinions of Authors concerning the meaning of this place not that I delight to muster up whole Armies of Writers some Antient and some Modern some at home others abroad but because the present affair requires it There being several Expositions of these words it was necessary to acquaint you with them before I offer'd that which I conceive to be the true and genuine sense of the Apostle Accordingly after I have rejected the interpretations of Others on the place and have all along given you the Reasons why I do so I at last expose my own sentiments in a plain and easie interpretation such as every one may see is the genuine import of the words viz. that to be baptized for the dead is no other then to be baptized because of the dead or for the sake of the dead i. e. of those Holy Martyrs who lay'd down their lives for Christ and his Blessed Cause The courage and bravery which these shew'd at their death did effectually invite great numbers of Infidels who took notice of their Christian behaviour to lay aside their false and idolatrous religion and to imbrace the Faith of Christ and to desire to be admitted members of the Church by Baptism By reason of the admirable carriage of those dying Martyrs there were Converts daily gained to Christianity many Iews and Pagans were stirred up to own the same Holy Religion which they saw them defend so undauntedly This made them eager of being baptized This I take to be the plain meaning of their being baptized for the dead i. e. they were baptized and became Christians for the sake and on the account of those deceased Saints who they saw attested the truth of Christianity with their bloud How probable this Interpretation is yea how preferable to all others I hope I have convinced the Reader in the Discourse it self to which I remit him In my Last Effort where I undertake to shew who are the spirits in prison to whom Christ preached I do as before enumerate the several Glosses which have been made upon the words Some have fetsh'd the sense of them from Heaven others from Hell and some from a Middle place as they fancy between both and many others have presented us with their Conjectures on this Text. But when I have discovered the invalidity of them I proceed to let you see what Other more true account may be given of the words And that is this Christ by his Spirit in his Apostles and Ministers preached the Gospel to Sinners and to whom else should be preach it to Vnconverted and Vnregenerate persons whether Iews or Gentiles and hereby many of them were converted to the faith and were saved This is the plain sense of this Text which hath been so differently handled by Protestants and Papists and this interpretation as I think I have made it evident but the Reader is to judg is conformable to the scope of the Context suitable to the Phrase and Language both of the Old and New Testament and most agreeable to the Thing it self which is here represented by the Apostle For there could not be a more Easie and yet a more Significant expression to set forth the state of men in their fins then This of the spirits in prison Those persons are in a Religious and Spiritual way of speaking which is the constant stile of the Holy Ghost in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles Prisoners and Bondmen shut up in a miserable Durance they sit in darkness and in the shadow of death being bound in affliction and iron as the Psalmist describes Poor Captives Psal. 107. 10. This is a plain and obvious Metaphor and at the very first propounding of it we are able to apprehend its meaning Poor distressed souls that are under the bondage of sin and vice are spirits in prison but the Blessed Iesus cometh and preacheth to them by the Ministry of his Apostles and servants and thereby brings them out of darkness and the shadow of death and breaks their bonds in Sunder as the same Divine Poet speaks in that place Certainly then Sâ— Peter who had been a Prisoner and bound with and knew the hardships and misery of this sort of men could not have made choice of any Similitude could not have used any Expression whereby it was possible to give us a more Compendious Character a more Lively and Natural Idea of the Deplorable Condition of Vnconverted Sinners then this here doth Which makes it somewhat strange that such multitudes of Expositors and Comment ators have not taken notice of it but have rather chosen to give us some farfetched and strained interpretations of these words This is the short Account which I thought good to premise before the following Exercitations In the whole I hope I have faithfully
the dead three times which shews he means it in the true proper sense For it were tolerable to put the Plural for the Singular once but to â—epeat it is unusual much more to speak after the same manner a third time is not to be allowed Where you meet with the Change of Numbers in Scripture it is by the by and not frequent but this Reiterating of it is no where to be found which is an Argument that the dead here is no such kind of speech but that it is a way of speaking after the ordinary rate and consequently that one Number is not put for another 2. All along in this Chapter Christ is spoken of and represented as Risen how comes it to pass that the Character is here altered and that now by the Dead thrice named we must understand Christ 3. When we can satisfie ourselves very well with the Propriety of speech we have no reason to fancy Improprieties and then to flie to that meaning which is contain'd in them This is our present case the Apostle here speaks in the Plural and we can very well understand him Why must we imagine that he intends the Singular when he expresses himself Plurally Why must we make him speak Improperly when we can apprehend him as well nay better in his Proper way of speaking Thus we have no good ground to think that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is another Interpretation yet remaining even of those who take Baptizing here in the Sacramental sense But That being the Interpretation which I shall fix upon as the most Probable and Accountable I will therefore reserve it for the Close of all Thus far we have examined those Expositions of the Text which make it to be understood of Sacramental Washing signally stiled Baptism II. There are a Second sort of Expositors who will have the words meant of the Washing of the dead bodies in order to Burial and of this opinion Beza is the chief Patron in his Annotations on the place and he is followed by Paraeus It was indeed an ordinary practice to wash the corps before their Interment and what S t Luke tells us of Tabitha in Acts 9. 37. is a Confirmation of it 'T is likely say these Authors that this was done in belief and expectation of the Rising again of those bodies and therefore it is probable the Apostle argues from the received rite and custom of Washing the bodies of the dead before they layd them in the grave for this Cleansing and Anointing too for that also was usual was a visible profession of the belief of a future Resurrection What shall they do that make use of this Sepulcral Washing to what purpose do they observe this rite if the flesh be never to rise again T 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what doth this action of theirs signifie to what end is it why are all nations sollicitous about the liveless carcass to what tends all this care of theirs if the body shall not experience the happiness of a Restauration The Reply to this is casie 1. The notion of baptizing according to this interpretation is forced and distorted for though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may and doth signifie Washing in the more General sense and is applied to Common Washings in Mark 7. 4. Heb. 9. 10. yet there is no reason to relinquish the more Noted Acception of it in the stile of the New Testament and here to restrain it to the custom of Funeral Washing is very odd and unaccountable 2. Though the Christians used this sort of Sepulcral Washing yet how doth it appear that This was a Proof of the Resurrection of the dead Durandus in his Rationale tells you that the Christians washed the dead to shew that their Souls were cleansed from sin by Confession and Pennance 3. This Funeral Washing was in use among the Iews as well as those that professed Christianity Now 't is known that the Sadducets acknowledged no such thing as a Resurrection and therefore their Washing the dead could have no respect to the Rising again of the dead Again 4 lyâ— the Ablutio 〈◊〉 as Plautus calls it was used by the Pagans as well as Christians and it is not to be thought that These did it with regard to the Resurrection You may learn why they washed the dead bodies from Servius viz. that if the vital spirits in those that seem'd to be dead were only benum'd they might be revived and rouzed by the warm water and rubbing it on the body But it is more probable in my opinion that they Washed the dead bodies in order to Anointing them for the Romans and Grecians and other Nations used both these and one made way for the other for they first clear'd the Skin of its pollution and then made use of their Perfumed Ointments Virgil giving account of Misenus's Funeral Obsequies takes notice of this practice Post calidos latices ahena undantia flammis Expediunt corpusque lavant frigentis ungunt And Ennius doth the like speaking of deceased Tarquin Tarquinii corpus bona faemina lavit unxit And Homer describes Patroclus's funerals after the same manner And by the by I might insert that it is probable they Washed our Saviours body seeing we read that Mary Magdalen and other women Anointed it after his death as did also Ioseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus S t Chrysostom is Positive that Christs body was Washed after he was taken down from the Cross. Thus Iews as well as Other people used this Funeral Ceremony of Washing the dead body it being in order to Anointing for it was proper first to wash off the filth of the body before they laid on their sweet Ointments Or what think you of another Reason of the Custom which I have framed to my self from what I meet with in the Pagan Antiquities There I find that Washing the Infants that were newly born was a constant practice not only Plautus but several Others take notice of it and the very Sacred Records expressly mention it Ezek. 16. 4. and thereby confirm the Antiquity of this custom Perhaps therefore Washing after death was an imitation of the Washing at the birth Their Entring into the world and their Leaving it had the like Names and they would have them resemble one another in the like Actions It is probable they agreed upon it to End as they Began at Coming into and Going out of the world to use the same Custom But if This Conjecture be not admitted then we must have recourse to the former Accounts given of This Usage or we may yet further add that the generality of the people who used the Lustral Washing did it either out of some Superstitious humour or barely to comply with Custom Take it in any of these Aspects it doth not look like an Argument that the Apostle would make use of for the proof of the Resurrection 5. To