abundantly manifested by the light of Scripture Doctrine without the help of his notions and shall be yet farther manifested in the day of Christ to the shame and silencing of all that now reply against God even in those things where his Judgements are a great deep as the Apostle discourseth at large Rom. 9. and 11. Chapâ—ers The Objection that he starts about God his creating man upright c. I need not long stay upon The truth concerning this is before stated and proved and every impartial Reader may see how miserably he trifles in his endeavour to solve it He gives you his word for it that God will excuse men from all that Obedience that they have by their sin lost both power and will to perform But I hope none are so credulous as to take his Book to be Canonical Not one Text of Scripture doth he nor can he produce for the proof of his opinion but only attempts to back one falshood with another saying That since the fall God requireth not perfect obedience of men but only sincerity and that he knew that man might yield sincere Obedience â—n Faith and Love and in that hath promised both assistance and accâ—ptance in his Son c. Two things he here takes for granted but both without ground 1. That all the World are under the Covenant of Grace so as to be presently interested in the priviledges thereof and accepted in those sincere endeavours to obey God which they are capable of in that condition wherein they are by nature which is not so For all that can be said of Men in General unto whom the Gospel is preached amounts to no more then this That the Grace and Blessings of the New covenant are offered to them upon condition of Faith God declareth his good pleasure to sinners that if they or any of them do confess and forsake their sins they shall find mercy and those of them that do believe he gives the sure mercies of David unto Isa 55. 3. and they are under Grace Rom. 6. 14. But the rest of the world are under the severity of the Law still yea whosoever doth in heart depart from Christ and seek life by his own works is a Debtor to answer the most rigorous demands thereof and is fallen from Grace Christ shall profâ—t him nothing Gal. 5. 3. 4. And that passage 2 Cor. 8. 12. For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to what a man hath and not according to what he hath not is pitifully wrested by Mr. C. in that he would apply it to the case in hand for neither the thing nor persons there spoken of will at all agree thereto 1. It is not a moral sinful impetency or deficiency that the Apostle there speaks of but only a want of riches and ability in that respect to contribute so largely to the necessity of the â—oor Saints as otherwise they might and would have done 2. The persons spoken of are Saints Believers such as are accepted in Christ and interested in the Covenant of Grace whose sincere endeavours to walk with God are according to the terms of that Covenant accepted by him through the beloved though this Obedience of theirs is not their justifying righteousness nor accepted for that end But the case is otherwise with persons out of Christ Mr. C. endeavours to strengthen this notion p. 32. by proving That under Moses Law sincerity was accepted and â—hat though the Law required perfect Obedience yet this perfection consâ—sted in universality and sincerity c. But here again he pitifully confounds things that ought to be heedfully distinguished In the Mosaical oeconomy there was such a remembrance of the Covenant of works revived with the terms and sanction thereof as that hereupon it is called the ministration of condâ—mnation and did ingender unto bondage 2 Cor. 3. 7. Gal. 4. 25. But yet the promise of Salvation by the Messiah being made long before was not enervated thereby but even this was laid in a subserviency to Gospel ends and also the Gospel was preached to them Heb. 4. 2. and so the Covenant of Grace revealed though more darkly in types and shadows through which they were instracted to seek Justification unto Life by Christ promised and so deliverance from the curse of the Law by him Now amongst these some did believe others did not and so some were related to God in the New Covenant others remained under the Old The sincere Obedience of the one was accepted on Gospel gracious terms and for Gospel ends not that they obtained life thereby according to the terms of the Covenant of works Do this and live Christ being their surety to answer the utmost demands of the Law for their Justification before God The otheâ— wer 〈…〉 n their own persons responsible for the br 〈…〉 of the Lâ—w 〈…〉 nd stood 〈…〉 ty of death by the curse thereof 〈…〉 ll for wa 〈…〉 〈…〉 lu◠〈…〉 rtection as sincerity in their Obedien 〈…〉 〈…〉 e Covenant of works considered formally as such knows no câ—ange of sincerity for perfection but its commands must in every spect be obeyed and its demands answered and they are so by Christ alone who hath fulfilled the righteousness thereof for them that do believe and without Faith in him the Soul stands or falls to the unallayed and most rigorous sentence thersof The second thing Mr. C. supposeth is That every man hath ability in his fallen state to yield sincere obedience to God in Faith and Love This hath been already refuted and here is nothing offered to enforce it I shall therefore refer the Reader to that which precedes in this Chapter where also the foundation of what Mr. C. farther pleads in his two following Sections is fully removed so that there remains only a flourish of words wherewith he beats the Air in returning answer to which I shall waste no more precious time CHAP. V. Wherein some things relating to the principles already asserted are farther cleared and vindicated And also the Saints perseverance proved and Tho. C's Exceptions removed I Am now come to his 5th Chapter wherein he endeavours farther to strengthen his Opinions before laid down and is more express in his asserting Believers final falling awâ—y from Grace The most of what he saith is built on those principles that have been already discussed and therefore in my examination thereof I will only note either those things which are very gross or that wherein he seems to offer something that hath not before been urged and answered Those Texts which he endeavours to wrest in the beginning of this Chapter have been already vindicated from his corrupt glosses I do therefore here pass them over and attend to what he saith p. 31. where he propounds this question May we suppose that persons may believe or that any do believe unto life only by the objective evidence or external Ministry without the spirits work in and with the Gospel His answer is
Eph. 2. 8 9 10. 3. The meritorious cause of our Justification is the Obedience of Christ both passive and active and our actual Voet. Select Disput pars 5. p. 281. Justification is the effect or consequent of the imputation thereof unto us Justification in the formal reason thereof doth speak two things 1. A discharge from condemnation or the remission of sins which was purchased by the death and blood-shedding of Christ Gal. 3. 13. Eph. 1. 7. The benefit of which purchase râ—dounds to us because of Gods reckoning upon our account or imputing to us what our surety suffered in our stead Isa 53. 6. 11. 2. The adjudging of us to be Heirs of and so inrighting us in Life and Glory for the sake of Christs active Obedience imputed to us in like manner Rom. 3. 22. ch 4. 4 5. 5. 19. Gal. 2. 15. ch 3. 11 12. 4. True and lively Faith whereby we receive Christ and his benefits freely given of God to us and rest on him and his Righteousness is the instrument of our Justification Joh. 1. 12. Rom. 5. 17. So that Faith alone justifieth though justifying Faith is never alone but worketh by love and that Righteousness for the sake of which we are justified before God was wrought out and fulfilled only by Christ who was made sin for us although he knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him And therefore in the business of Justification Faith is opposed to all good works as exclusive of them from any influence into the obtaining of our pardon and acceptance with God Rom. 3. 20 21 22. v. 28. chap. 4. 4 5. Gal. 2. 16. ch 3. 11 12. The first mention of this Article that I meet with in Mr. Colliers Book is ch 1. p. 12. where after some boasting of his clear stating the matter in his Body of Divinity he thus writes If any persons dare to maintain that any are justified before God without Faith and Holiness as the terms thereof though not the deserving cause I must leave them to their own understanding without all Scripture grounds for my own part I fully on good grounds believe the contrary Notwithstanding Mr. Colliers swelling words of vanity and contempt of the understanding of others I must tell him even these words are not so clear and scriptural but that they give just occation to suspect his own understanding to be dark and his judgement to be unsound For although true and justifying Faith is pregnant with good works and whosoever is justified is sanctified also and that Faith considered as a Grace inherent in us belongs to our sanctification yet doth not the Scripture any where allow good works the same influence into our Justification as it doth unto Faith which is a clear evidence that it is not the act of believing â—â—r any other holy duty for which we are justified but that in this business Faith is to be considere as relative to Christ and that it is the object of Faith apprehended thereby on the account of which its said to justifie And this Mr. Collier cannot but own if he understands what is asserted by himself in his Bodâ— of Div. concerning the imputation of Christs Righteousness unto us in order to our Justification before God For if we are justified freely by Grace and are presented without spot before God in an imputed Righteousness then can our good works have no interest in the reason of our acceptance with him And indeed if this were not so we could not be justified at all forasmuch as the Lord is of purer eye then to behold iniquity and our sanctification is imperfect so that if all our Righteousnesses so far forth as ours be examined in strictness of justice they will be found but filthy raggs a Covering too narrow and a Bed too short Yea if those that plead mosâ— for the interest of good works in our Justification would seriously consider what themselves dare abide by before the tremendous tribunal of the great Judge they must all fly to Bellarmines tutissimum est and put an end to this controversie by acknowledging that they dare not venture into Gods sight nor pass out of the World to his Judgement-seat in their own Righteousness But indeed there is another principle laid down once and again by Mr. C. in those Chapters of his Book already examined which if true renders all discourses of deliverance from wrath to come by Christ needless and without ground It is this That the penalty of the breach of the first Covenant was only temporal death and Eternal damnation is inflicted on men only for sinning against the Gospel the Law of Faith Now if this were true Besides that in some respects it renders the condition of those that never heard of Christ more eligible then those who live under the sound of the Gospel 1. If there be no Law threatning Eternal death Ferg Differ of Moral Virtue Grace p. 107. but the Law of Faith then there is no such thing as forgiveness and remission of sin in the World For the Gospel denounceth damnation only against final impenitency and unbelief and as these are not pardoned nor pardonable so on the other hand if there be no Law threatning Eternal death besides the Gospel then is there no other sin we need forgiveness of 2. If this be true Then Christ never dyed to free any from wrath to come which yet is plentifully asserted in the Scriptures wherein we read also that his death was for the Redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Covenant Heb. 9. 15. For it is non-sense to say that he hath freed us from the curse of the Gospel yea it is a repugnancy unless you will introduce another Gospel to relieve against the terms of this nor will that serve the turn unless you likewise find another Mediator to out-merit this Thus Mr. Ferguson in answer to one of Mr. Colliers mind So then if Mr. C. will abide by this notion and the just consequences thereof his sense of our Justification must either be contradictory to himself or else very corrupt and unsound Another passage that hath a bad aspect this way you meet with Addit Word p. 50. where he gives this reason why his supposed deliverance of the damned will not extend to any degree of Glory but only a deliverance from pain and misery For they are under no promise of reward of Good works because they had none That God will graciously reward the good works of Believers is granted so that besides that joy and glory that all Saints have an immediate right to by virtue of their interest in Christ every one shall receive a superadded Crown according as his work shall be which layeth a foundation for our believing the enjoyment of different degrees of Glory among the blessed in another world But to suppose as Mr. C. here doth That the admission of persons into the Kingdom of
not contend add thereunto the close of the verse now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it From hence we may safely infer That if any man differ from another or from what he was in himself before that is to say be raised from a state of death in sins and trespasses unto newness of life delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of the Son of Gods love it is God hath made this difference to the praise of the riches of his Grace And thus much Mr. C. in answer to the objection grants It is God by Gospel Grace makes us to diffeâ— But if Mr. Colliers notion elsewhere be true that amongst men that receive every way as much Grace from God the one as the other some believe unto life others remain in their sins it will necessarily follow that those of them which choose the better part do make themselves to differ and have cause of boasting if not before God yet in comparison with other men And this is in terms denied by the Apostle And Mr. C. makes no reply thereto but what hath now been oft mentioned and answered and therefore I will not trouble the Reader with a repetition of it The Text that remains to be insisted on is Phil. 2. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his gâ—od pleasure That this Scripture is directly opposite to Mr. Collierâ— Doctrine is evident In the foregoing Verse he exhorts the Philippians to work out their own Salvation with fear and trembling By working out their Salvation he intends labouring for or bestowing their utmost industry to obtain Salvation and according to this sense is the same word rendred Joh. 6. 27. Labour not for the meat that perisheth c. Now hereunto two things are required 1. A principle enabling and disposing them to walk humbly with God in Faith and Obedience 2. The exercise thereof Dr. O' s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 496. which is referred unto the internal acts of the will and external operations in duties suitable thereunto And as we have before proved that Grace is wrought in us by the spirit of God so the Apostle here expresly affirms that both to will and to do which expressions take in the whole of its exercise is also effectually wrought in us by him of his own good pleasure which is the most prevailing argument and motive to an humble walking with God and encouragement thereto He that reads Mr. Colliers Gloss upon this Text p. 43. will find him constrained almost to embrace that notion of it that doth evert his opinion and all that he offers towards the salving of it is in these words To understand it to intend Gods working an impulsive will and that they could not or should not work without it destroys the exhortation and makes null the duty What Mr. C. intends by an impulsive will or wheâ—her there be any good sense in those terms we need 〈◊〉 inquire That God worketh in us to will or the very act of willing the Text is express And it hath been already manifested to be his great errour to conceive That nothing is required of us in a way of duty but what in our lapsed state we are able to perform without the help of Gods spirit And therefore it is fallaciously done of him to join those terms together as if they were of equal extent that they could not or should not work without it It was their indispensible duty to obey the exhortation foregoing but this they could not do without the effectual working of God in them And there is not more frequent mention of any one thing in the Gospel it being that wherein Gospel Grace doth eminently shine forth then of our receiving Grace from God to enable us to yield to him that Obedience which he requires of us Pious therefore and well grounded was the petition of that worthy opposer of the Pelagians of Old Da Domine quod jubes jube quod vis Give me O Lord what thou requirest of me and command what thou pleasest Indeed to deny that we receive any thing from god in a way of special and distinguishing Grace that is required of us in a way of duty is flatly to reject the Gospel and to deny the Grace of the New Covenant We do not then destroy the exhortation and make null the duty but instruct men which way they may expect and receive Grace to obey it in the performance of their duty which is certainly a great quickening and incouragement thereto unto all that have an humble sense of their concernment in these things I shall now return to Mr. C. p. 34. where he propounds another Question Does the spirit in the Gospel where it comes work in all alike or may we suppose that he effects a more special work in some then in others In answer hereunto he first tells us That this is a mystery known only to God and then immediately proceeds to give an account of very different operations of the holy Ghost upon the Children of men as 1. Some are convinced but not converted 2. Others are wrought so far by the same word and spirit as to believe and obey the Gospel so as if they continue therein they shall be saved Col. â— 21 22 23. 1 Tim. 2. 15. Mat. 10. 22. 3. Though the work be sufficient by which all might obtain the end yet he worketh differingly and giveth differing measures for differing ends c. 4. His work on the special Elect is certain and shall not leave them untill it bring them to Glory Here we have another instance of the mans contradiction to himself as well as unto truth But to these things I say It is indeed certain from the Scriptures that many are convinced who never are converted by the spirit of God and also that the convictions of some proceed so far as that they escape the pollutions that are in the world through Lust 2 Pet. 2. 20. pass under that work described Heb. 6. 4 5 6. and yet fail of those things that accompany salvation which are things better then all that was before mentioned Such with respect to their profession and general assent to the truth of the Gospel c. are said to believe for a time And perseverance being the great touch-stone of sincerity the interest of persons in Christ is oft referred thereto with respect to the manifestation and proof thereof So in Heb. 3. 6. and those Texts cited by Mr. C. If persons hold fast their rejoycing of hope and confidence stedfast unto the end it is evident they were sincere and that their Faith was of the right kind in that it proves victorious against all opposition made thereto But if they draw back and fall away their Hypocrisie is detected and it is made manâ—fest that they were not of us For if they had been of us no doubt
left The first are sentenced to Eternal Life and the other to Everlasting wrath and accordingly these shall go away into Everlasting punishment but the Righteous into Life Eternal Mat. 25. Mr. Collier begins to discourse of this matter in the 5th Chapter of his Book some things dropt therein have been already answered and therefore I shall only stay to mind the Reader That although the Scripture speaks of different degrees of the punishment of sinners according to the different measures of Iniquity which they have filled up yet it every where assures us that the punishment of all sinners that are found without an interest in Christ at the day of Judgement shall be Everlasting as shall more fully be evinced in my reply to his next Chapter And whereas he here speaks something of the condemnation of those that sinned against the Law and never had the Gospel tendred to them either before or since Christ came in the flesh it is very doubtful to me whether he honestly speak out his mind in this matter seeing he hath so stiffly maintained before That the penalty of the breach of the first Covenant was only temporal death and that damnation is the punishment of Gospel-disobedience only which they cannot be guilty of which never heard the Gospel If this be true I am sure such must not now come into condemnation But whatever Mr. Collier will or will not allow we are sure of the truth of the Scripture which teacheth other Doctrine as hath been already proved against him which if he will subscribe to he must of necessity recede from this corrupt notion We are now come to his 7th Chapter p. 47. where he first proposeth this enquiry Whether there may be any probability from Scripture light of any deliverance from or mitigation of the punishment of any after the sentence is past and the Judgement executed Which he thus answers Touching this I do apprehend that there are probable grounds both from Scripture and Reason that there may be a deliverance of some from the poenal part or pains inflicted though not from the sense of loss the Judgement in that respect will be Eternal Although it be exceeding sinful for a man though with the greatest pretence of modesty to suggest that which is opposite to a fundamental Doctrine of the Christian Religion and on that account Mr. Colliers pretext of proposing his notion on probable grounds will not excuse him yet besides this you shall find him to be most positive and peremptory in his assertion of what he here pretends to lay down only as a probable supposition and that in the very next Sections which is a full evidence that this pretended modesty of his serves only for a bait to the hook which is by him let down to take simple Souls which renders his design so much the worse and the more blame worthy The sufferings of the damned have by the School-men not improperly been distinguished in poenam sensus poenam damni into the punishment of sense and punishment of loss the one is signified in those Texts that speak of their being shut out from the Kingdom of God and the like the other of those that speak of their being cast into a Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone their being tormented day and night c. But that there is any part of their punishment which is not poenal and that this punishment of loss is to be distinguished from that which is so is such a contradiction as I think is peculiar to Mr. Collier who hath here furnished us with this distinction Thus we may see The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness and the end of his talk is like to prove mischievous madness Eccles 10. 13. And whereas Mr. Collier supposeth the duration of their punishment of loss who are damned shall be Eternal but not that of sense he is utterly without any probable ground in Scripture or right reason for his Opinion For although their suffering be sometimes exprest negatively and sometimes positively yet there is no intimation of the separating of the positive part from the negative so that some persons shall Eternally be punished with the loss of good but not with the feeling of Evil But both are â—n Scripture insâ—parably linked together both with respect to the subjects of them and their duration Who shall be punished with Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power 2 Thes 1. 9. which certainly speaks the punishment both of sense and loss and the duration of both to be alike And that the positive part of their punishment or as Mr. C. terms it their pain inflicted shall be Eternal the Scripture is express which saith more then once That they shall go into Hell into the Fiâ—e that never shall be quenched where their worm dyeth not and the Fire is not quenched Mar. 9. 43 44. c. For the Châ—ff Christ will burn up with unquenchable fire Mat. 3. 12. and the smoak of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever Rev. 14. 11. Let us now see what countenance Mr. C. gives to his notion His first plea is The Scripture lets us know that some shall be saved that through their own miscarriages shall loose the reward of their own work 1 Cor. 3. 14 15. They shall be saved yet so as by fire and what that fire is and how far it shall extend at and after the Judgement I must leave to him that knoweth all things to determine c. This Text is by the Papists abusively applyed to their Purgatory and it must be acknowledged their reasoning from it hath as much probability as Mr. Colliers though both they and he do miserably wrest it He confesseth that he neither knows what this fire is nor how far it shall extend He may well excuse us therefore if we refuse to take this for any proof of his notion That the fire here mentioned is not to be taken properly but metaphorically is evident from the Apostles discourse which is wholly in terms used figuratively viz. Wood Hay and Stubble to signifie such works as will not abide trial Gold Silver and precious Stones to denote those that will So by fire we are to understand such a probation of mens works as will be like fire unto the Gold Stubble c. burning up the one and manifesting the excellency of the other And seeing Mr. C. in his following lines though without giving any sufficient reason therefore doth reject the interpretation of those that refer this to any time or trial before the day of Judgement I will not contend with him thereabout but granting its respect to that time consider what must then be the true meaning of the Text which can be extended no farther then to signifie to us 1. That in the great day every mans work shall be strictly examined and proved of what sort it is 2. That those works which have not been wrought
5. which if admitted gives this interpretation of the place That although by Christ believers are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses yet in the Gospel is there no remedy provided for them that sin against the holy spirit but that transgression remains unpardonable both under the Law and under the Gospel Nay moreover if we allow Mr. C. that forgiveness in the world to come is in these words inâ—imated yet neither will this relieve him for the Apostle speaks of the blotting out of the sins of Believers at the coming of Christ and it is certain that then the sentence by which they are now absolved will be published before men and Angels and they possessed of the utmost advantages accruing to them by their pardon so then declaratively they are forgiven in another world But none have or can have an interest in this forgiveness but those that have repented and been converted in this world Act. 3. 19 20 Indeed if we allow Mr. C. this notion That sinners shall be forgiven after they are damned we must grant him more then what he yet openly pleads for viz. That they shall not only be delivered from the positive part of their punishment but the negative also For he whose sins are forgiven is a blessed man and certainly interested in the favour of God But it is in vain to expect that notions so opposite to truth as Mr. Colliers are should be brought to any consistency In p. 48. Mr. Collier forms and answers this Objection This Scripture only supposeth that on repentance all such sins may be forgiven not that they shall be forgiven without repentance In his answer hereunto he grants That we may not suppose the forgiveness of sin first or last to be without repentance It seems then that the forgiveness in another work which Mr. Collier dreams of is attainable on the same terms on which it is offered in this and no other which is not only repentance but also faith in the Lord Jesus So that according to his principles after the Judgement is past sinners are still upon the same terms with God as they are now in the day of his patience Then which supposition nothing can be more false and repugnanâ— to the Scripture Now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation And if poor sinners do not seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near Isa 55. 6. it will be too late in another world for then although they call upon him he will not answer they may seek him early but cannot find him See Prov. 1. 24-31 When death hath once turned us off the stage of this world our day is past and the night is come wherein no man can work Joh. 9. 4. Eccl. 9. 10. There will be no more repentance unto life then or possibility of changing our state but every man must Eternally reap the fruit of what he hath sown in this life And as there is no promise for the damned to hope in or Gospel to be preached to them so neither shall they have any more a call to repentance or tender of mercy for ever He adds And that there may be forgiveness and acceptance after death seems farther to appear else what means 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. with chap. 4. 6. In chap. 3. 19 20. it s said By which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison which sometimes were disobedient c. Thus far Mr. C. repeats the words but omits the rest which are when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the Ark was a preparing wherein few that is eight Souls were saved by Water Mr. C. is here quite started from the thing in Question viz. Whether the damned may be released from their torment after the day of Judgement and instead of proving that talks of forgiveness after death before that day come which is short of the task undertaken by him though as contrary to the whole tenour of Scripture The meaning of the words wrested by him so far as concerns the business in hand is That Christ by his spirit in Noah for thereby were the Prophets of old acted 1 Pet. 1. 11. who was a preacher of Righteousness 2 Pet. 2. 5. went and preached to the old world whose spirits for their disobedience were now in prison reserved to the Judgement of the great day But against this two things are objected by Mr. C. 1. It is said he went i. e. Christ not his spirit only by Noah The Text saith indeed He went but fully explains also the manner how he went viz. by his spirit as God is frequently said to speak to those unto whom he sent his Prophets so is Christ here said to preach to the old world by his spirit in Noah 2. He does not say he went by Noah to the people of the old world but he went and preached to the spirits not persons in prison Noahs preaching was to persons living this to the spirits in prison The former part of this Objection is answered already and the scope of the Text doth inforce the sense I have given of it and whereas Mr. C. saith this preaching was to the spirits not persons in prison c. it is a meer quibble for the Apostle speaks of them according to their present condition when he wrote this He doth not say they were spirits in prison when preached to but that the spirits of thâ—se persons were now in prison unto whom Noah preached while they lived in the world And therefore that suggestion of Mr. Colliers is utterly groundless That it s greatly doubtful whether this be it which is here intended But however if it were only doubtful to him it leaveâ— him inexcusable in his bold adventure to pervert it as he doth Certainly if the time of the preparation of the Ark was tâ—e time of Gods long-suffering towards them unto whom Noah preached by the spirit of Christ there was no pardon to be expected for them or offered to them after that time Neither can any reason be given why this should be restrained to those that were disobedient in the days of Noah if ever the pardon of sinners after death had come into the Apostles mind for we may not suppose that these were priviledged above all others that dyed in their sins And although Mr. C. saith a little after That this doth â—ot justifie the descending of Christs Soul into Hell as some hold yet it must necessarily infâ—r That Christ in person descended into Hell which is as absurd if not more 3. And especially compare this with ch 4. 6. which seems to be the same with this For for this cause also was the Gospel preached to them that are dead that they might be judged according to men in the flesh but live according to God in the spirit Where the Apostle states these things 1. That the Gospel was preached to