and quietly then they were able Doth any man besides you say that Christ was impatient in his Agonie but that as he was fully able to restraine all violence and vehemence of affection in himselfe when he would so was he likewise able to shew the inward touch and motion of mercie towards that people by what signes he would and by farre greater then Moses and Paul were able and yet without all distemper or impatience as you interpret his Agonie to be s Ibid. li. 34. Also Christ knew exactly Gods counsell and purpose for their reiection which those holy men were not so particularly sure of Wherefore Christ might better stay the vehemencie and breaking out of this affection which in such a case must needes tend against the knowen will of God Moses and Paul were sure enough of that which they were sorie for though the euidence of their knowledge was not comparable to Christs in any thing And I pray you what letteth but the clearer Christs knowledge was of the horrible vengeance of God that should light on the Iewes for their wicked despising and murdering of him the greater might his sorrow be for them so long as he sorowed not that God would be righteous but that they would be both impious in the fact and incredulous in the Gospell of repentance and so prouoke the Iustice of God to that extreame reuenge Neither is that any way to impugne Gods knowen will to be sorie that men will be so mad as to heape vp vengeance on their owne heads God rather alloweth that affection in vs here on earth where we are not compassed or confirmed with glorie as our Sauiour then was not with his that as t Lament 3. he doth not punish with his hart or willingly so we should not wish or before hand reioyce at the destruction of our enemies whom we should loue and for whom we should pray euen when they persecute vs as he taught vs by his owne example in praying u Luke 22. Father forgiue them they know not what they doe and inspired Steuen with the same minde to say at the time when they stoned him x Acts. 7. Lord lay not this sinne to their charge So that your exceptions are rather preiudiciall to your owne positions then to mine which are no way weakned with these pretences but rather strengthned y Defenc pag. 95. li. 16. Christs expresse compassion towards the Iewes Luk. 19. Matth. 24. a litle before he prepared him to his passion plainly sheweth that now in the Garden and so still forward he gaue him selfe wholy to other thoughts and matters namely such as concerned his great worke in hand Out of your learning you allow Christs compassion towards the walles and buildings of the temple and the stones of the cittie for he sheweth in both places which you cite that a z Matth. 24. 2. a Luc. 19 44. stone shall not be left vppon a stone either in the z Matth. 24. 2. Temple or a Luc. 19 44. Citty which concerned the Iewes temporall state and safety but touching the reiection of that whole nation for these fifteene hundred yeares as we find to this day from Christ sorrowed that his death should be the ruine of the Iewes the knowledge and grace of God whereby their soules might be saued which Christ most clearely foresaw would befall them for their putting him to death so barbarously tumultuously and contemptuously that in the higth of your skill you count not a matter worthy Christs cogitation or compassion Such chipps you hew to helpe vp the building of your new made hell that the Sauiour of the world vpon your word must be mindfull of the walles and houses in which the Iewes dwelt and forgetfull of their Saluation of whom and for whom he was borne and to whom he was first sent if they would haue receaued him as if the sonne of God knew not how to proportion his sorow for them according to the dangers that were imminent ouer them But in all wise mens eies if he so much pittied the ruine of their citie and desolation of their Land that he wept for it what sorow and griefe shall we think he inwardly tooke to see the perpetuall destruction of so many thousands and all their posterities so many hundred yeares through their owne madnes in thirsting for his bloud and why should this be excluded from the greate worke of mans Redemption which he had then in hand when he was in his agonie since not only the future paines were foreseene by him but all things incident and consequent were plainly to him foreknowen Amongst which was the vtter abandoning of Gods former people for their infidelitie to the doctrine and for their crueltie to the person of their and our Lord and Sauiour b Defenc. pag. 95. li. 7. A litle before when he throughly intended and expressed his affection touching that matter yet thereby he fell into no such agonie but onelie wept and mourned for them Christ knew his times and places for all his affections and actions farre better then such a guest as you are could direct him His affections before men he did moderate with all sobrietie and grauitie they neuer saw in his face nor heard from his mouth an vndecent gesture or speech For his vehement and most feruent affections which yet proceeded from no kind of impatience nor distemper of mind as you imagine but from the fire and flame of his most sacred humilitie and zeale to God and loue and pietie to man he chose the time neerest his passion and the place secret not only from others but euen from his owne Disciples Had the people openly seene him in these feares praiers and sweats they would haue iudged him either c Mar. 3. v. 21. madd or d Iohn 7. possessed with a diuell as they did when no signes of a troubled mind appeared Christ therefore in his heauenly wisedome would haue no witnesses of his most feruent affections as it seemeth by the course of the Scriptures but God and his elect Angels in somuch that he willed the rest of his disciples to sitt where he appointed them and tooke Peter Iames and Iohn that had seen his glorie in the mountaine and went on-ward with them to his purposed place but left them a stones cast of when he went to his passionate praiers where for the darknesse of the night they could distinguish nothing besides their incredible heauinesse to sleepe whiles their master was in his greatest agonie which prooueth they neither heard nor saw what befell him How childishly then do you reason Christ when he spake of the destruction of the citie fell not into an agonie before the people therefore the griefe of their reiection could be no part of the sorow which he assumed in the Garden As this is most friuolous so the rest is most captious For what if his sorow for the Iewes were not the cause
man of any learning or vnderstanding thus in print and open view of the whole Realme to rage revell rush on with lying craking and facing when he speaketh not one true word for first Sir flincher is this the point heere or any where proposed by me whether Christs sufferings were only bodily did I promise or produce any Fathers to that end is it not the death of the soule and the paines of the damned which I impugned in Christs sufferings haue I not most truely performed which I euer professed that the whole Church of Christ for so many hundred yeeres neuer thought neuer heard of the death of Christs soule in the worke of our redemption but rested their faith on the death of Christs body as a most sufficient price both for the soules and bodies of the faithfull What cunning then is this first to shift your hands of that you can no way prooue though you still doe and must professe it and then to clamour at me for drawing the Fathers cleane from their intent and meaning is this the way to credit your new Creed by such deuices and stratagemes to intertaine the people of God least they should see how farre you be slid from the ancient primatiue Church of Christ take a while but the thought of a sober man and this pangue will soone be ouerpast Did you not vndertake to prooue the death of Christs soule by Scriptures which indeed I first and most required and haue you so donne looke backe to your miserable mistakings and palpable peruertings of the words of the holy Ghost and tell vs what one syllable you haue brought sounding that way are your secrets such that they be no where reuealed in the word of God must all faith come from thence and is your faith exempted that it shall haue no foundation there are men and Angels accursed that preach any other Gospell then was deliuered and written by Christs Apostles and shall you be excused for deuising a new kind of redemption by the death of Christs soule no where witnessed in the Scriptures you see how easie it were to be eloquent against you in a iust and true cause but words must not winne the field What I impugned my sermons will shew what I haue prooued I will not proclaime If I haue failed in that I endeuoured the labour is mine the liberty is the Readers to iudge Let the indifferent read it they shall find somewhat to direct them let the contentious skanne it they shall see somewhat to harle their hast and perhaps to restraine their stifnesse What euer it be I leaue it to others since the discourser hasteth towards an end and so doe I. s Defenc. pag. 146. li. 2 This is the profit that comes by ordinarie flaunting with Fathers which many do frequent in these dayes Thinke they if the Scriptures alone suffice not for things in religion that the Fathers will suffice or if the Scriptures may be wrested by subtle heads that yet the Fathers can not Is it not enough for your selfe to be a despiser of all antiquitie and sobrietie but you must insult at them that beare more regard to either than you do If to flaunt with Fathers be so great a fault which yet respecteth their iudgements that haue beene liked and allowed from age to age in the Church of Christ what is it to fliske with pride and follie grounded on nothing but on selfe-loue and singularitie It were to be wished that euen some of the best writers of our age as they thinke themselues had had more respect to the auncient Fathers then they shew we should haue wanted a number of nouelties in the Church of God which now wee are troubled withall as well in Doctrine as in discipline This course of concurring with the lights of Gods Church before our time in matters of faith though you mislike other manner of men then you are or euer will be haue allowed and followed as u August contra Iâ—…num li. 1. Augustine x Theodor. diol 2. 3. Theodorete y Leo epist. 97. 〈◊〉 Leonem Leo z Cassi. de incarnat Domini li. 7 ca. 5. Cassianus a Gelas. de duabus in Christo natâ—…ris Gelasius b Vigilius li. 5. cap. 6. Vigilius and the two c Hispalensi concilium 2. ca. 13. councels of Hispalis and others not doubting the sufficiencie of the Scriptures but shewing the correspondencie of beleeuing and interpreting the Scriptures in all ages to haue bene the same which they imbraced and vrged And in all euennesse of reason were it better to feede the people with our priuate conceits pretended out of Scripture or to let such as be of iudgement vnderstand that we frame no faith but such as in the best times hath bene collected and receiued from the grounds of holy Scripture by the wisest and greatest men in the Church of God your only example turning and winding the words of the holy Ghost to your owne conceits will shew how needfull it is not to permit euery prater to raigne ouer the Scriptures with figures and phrases at his pleasure and thence to fetch what faith he list If you so much reuerence the Scriptures as you report which were to be wished you would why deuise you doctrine not expressed in the Scriptures Why teach you that touching mans redemption which is no where written in the word of God Indeed the Scriptures are plaine in this point of all others what death Christ died for vs if you did not peruert them against the histories of the Euangelists and testimonies of the Apostles Omit the description of his death so farely witnessed by the foure Euangelists what exacter words can we haue then the Apostles that Christ d Coloss. 1. pacisied things in earth and things in heauen by the bloud of his crosse and reconciled vs which were strangers and enemies in the bodie of his flesh through death Beleeue what you reade and what you reade not in the word of God beleeue not and this matter is ended but by Synecdoches without cause you put to the Scriptures not what you read in them but what you like best and by Metaphores and Metonimies you will take bodie for substance and flesh for soule And so where the Apostle auoucheth that we were reconciled to God through death in the bodie of Christs flesh you tell vs we could not be redeemed without the death of Christs soule and the essence of the paines of the damned suffered by suddaine touches from the immediate hand of God after an extraordinarie manner If you teach no doctrine but deliuered in the Scriptures aband on these deuices not expressed in the Scriptures If you content your selfe with the all sufficient word of God in matters of faith you must relinquish the death of Christs soule and paines of the damned as no part of our redemption since there is no such thing contained in the word of God To me and
place of torment after this life and not one common place for all in paine and rest with nothing but a ditch betwixt them So likewise Christ promised the gates of hades should not preuaile against his Church where if you defend that the godly shall not haue their soules separated from their bodies by death and yet hell may preuaile against their soules you maintaine two as manifest lies as a man may vtter Spite of your hart therefore Hades must signifie hell in the 16. of Saint Matthewes Gospell and so it doth in all other places of the new Testament though the circumstances of ech place be not so pregnant as these are And though in the old Testament Zuinglius Mollerus obserue The gates of Sheol and Hades with the Septuagint may signifie the danger of death approching when it is referred to the godly yet Hades in the new Testament neuer signifieth the death of the body but it is a thing distinguished from it and consequent to it as Saint Iohn in plaine words doth witnesse his name that sate on the pale horse was Death and Hades followed after him or close to him The worthie Master Bucer noteth well saying Diues non simpliciter scribitur esse in hade sed in gehenna quia in torment is flammis The rich is not said to be simply in hades but also in hell because he is said to be in fierie torments Master Bucere I honor for his learning and Religion yet not so that all his words are Gospell or that I receaue him afore or against all the Fathers And by his leaue in this place his wordes are out of square He saith The Rich man is not simply written to be in Hades but if mine eyes were matches when I read Saint Lukes Gospell last it cannot be more simply written then it is there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in Hades lifting vp his eyes Now what place Hades is the Euangelist expresseth when he saith being in torments Had Hades beene vsed alone without explication men might and would haue questioned this as they doe other places where Hades is vsed alone But Luke noting afterward what manner of place Hades is euen a place of Torment he prooueth exactly that Hades alone without any addition ioyned to it is vsed for hell in the new Testament Will you conclude from this as you doe about Abyssus In the Reuelation and in Luke Abyssus is vsed to signifie Hell Therefore it signifieth Hell in the Romanes or therefore euery where properly it signifieth Hell If Abyslus be the bottomelesse pit properly and hell be so called both in the Gospell and in the Reuelation and no reason can be giuen why either the graue or the Sea should properly be called bottomelesse then since figures are not to be brought into the Scriptures but vpon necessitie you must shew vs more necessitie then hitherto you haue done why hell may not be vnderstood in that place or else we must cleaue to the naturall sense of the word and leaue your figures till you can better fasten them That Abyssus may metaphorically be applied to other things I neuer denied but in Saint Pauls words to the Romans you must shew vs a pit that properly is bottomlesse and opposite to heauen and to which Christ descended before you can exclude hell as not ment by the Apostle in that place But of this I haue spoken before whither I referre you for fuller answere death sometimes is the 2 death ergo it is so Acts 2. 24. The sorrowes of the first death end with this life and in the graue there is neither sorrow nor sense But the sorrowes of that death which Peter ment were loosed at Christs rising to life Those were therefore the sorrowes of another death which must be the second death which were loosed and scattered with Christs resurrection Againe the text hath there a double reading death or hades Then that death must be vnderstood which is in hades and not the sorrowes and paines which are in this life since hades by your owne confession is a state opposite to the world Thirdly the loosing of the sorrows of that death which Peter there intended prooueth Christ to be Lord of all But a simple rising vnto life againe prooueth no such thing That therefore was neither pertinent nor sufficient for Peters purpose Next let vs consider and thou Capernaum which art lift vp to heauen shalt be brought downe to hades to destruction I say hades heere is not hell but the destruction of Capernaum the city Christ threatneth the city it selfe with destruction and razing out from the face of the earth which he meaneth by hades The inhabitants the wicked people thereof he threatneth with damnation in hell A graue and wise construction Christ threatneth the stones and timber of the city with hades for not hearing his word and regarding his miracles In the 20 verse of this very chapter where it is said Christ began to vpbraid the cities whereof Capernaum was one because they repented not of whom spake Christ of the men or of the wals of those cities it may be you will find out repentance for stones but our Sauiour nameth the place for the persons which is as vsuall in the Scriptures as any thing may be Ierusalem Ierusalem which killest the Prophets and stonest those that be sent vnto thee Christ speaketh not there of the housen but of the Inhabitants So doth he heere for neither were the stones of this city capable of repentance nor exalted vp to heauen nor intelligent of Christs words or works nor punishable at the day of iudgement all which things Christ heere ascribeth to Capernaum Then if the stones of Capernaum were not exalted to heauen they were not threatned by Christ to be depressed downe to hades And so hades heere was not threatned to the place but to the persons Now the persons by your owne confession and by the righteous iudgement of Christ were threatned with damnation in hell Hades then in these words of Christ doth exactly signifie hell and implieth as much as followeth in the next verse It shal be easier for the land of Sodom in the day of iudgement then for thee Which is likewise spoken to the city though ment of the vnbeleeuers there Now if we make the former words interrogatiue as some Greek copies haue them and the Latin translator putteth them And thou Capernaum wilt thou be exalted to heauen You must giue will to stones as well as sense before these wordes can agree to the city it selfe The Gospell of Saint Matthew translated into the Hebrew tongue long before Saint Ieroms time if it were not written in Hebrew by the Euangelist himselfe as Ierom thinketh thus expresseth the words of our Sauiour And thou Capernaum wilt thou be exalted to heauen adh Gehinnom têredi thou shalt descend to Gehenna And if that which you haue said all this while haue
paines passe the patience of Men and Angels 450 The true paines of hell are not felt in this life 451. 462 The true paines of hell are proper to the place 454. 455 The true paines of hell are aboue and against nature 464. 465 We must not reâ—…oyce in suffering helâ—… paines 441 A broken spirit is not the paines of hell 516 Christ brought vs backe from hell 607 No place for soules vnder earth but hell 614 It is not against the faith that Christs Soul should conquere hell 622 Christ must rise conquerer of death and hell 628 The Iewes were promised their Messias should conquere hell 628 All the names of hell prooue it to be in the earth 632 Hell is in the earth yet some diuels in the aire 633 Why the heauens are compared with hell in the Scriptures 634 Our victorie against death and hell not full till the last day 637 638 Christ â—…th the keyes of death and of hell 642. 643 Nothing but persons cast into hell 645 The Defender maketh three hells in steede of one 645 Christs spoâ—…ling of hell precedent to his resurrection 673 Hereticke alwaies vrged the same places that the Defender doth 425 What the Holocaust did signifie 111. 112 What â—…ire might note in the Holocaust 116 I. IMmediate What suffering is Immediate from â—… God 27. 32 God is not the Immediate and principall inflicter of hâ—…ll paines 2â—… 29 Christs soule was not tormented with Gods Immed aâ—…e hand 34 God can punish the soule by meanes without his Immediate hand 219 God the author of all Christs afflictions but not by his Immediate hand 298. 299 God is the principall agent in all our sufferings but not with his Immediate hand 302 How 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Infers concurre in signification  What place Tertullia taketh Inferi to be 585. 586 Inferi are places and persons vnder the earth 5â—…7 Inferi are not now the place and state of good and bad deceased 588 Saint Austin taketh Inferi for hel and not for the state of the dead 198. 590 The soules of the godly are not in Inferi 602 Infernus with the latin fathers is more theÌ„ death 603 Inferi not found in the Scriptures in any good sense â—…04 Inferi no place for the godly after Christes resurrection 605 Infernus is not the place nor state of all soules deceased 606 Christ did not suffer paines truely Infinite 161 Christs Infirmitie was voluntarie 407 Christs Infirmitie was power 416 How all the kingdomes of the earth might bee shewed vnto Christ in an Instant 308. 309 Irenaeus did write in Greeke 584 Where Irenaeus thought Christs soule was after death 583. 584 The rule of Iustice suffereth the stronger to beare the burden of the weaker 292 Gods Iustice in subiecting Satans kingdome to Christs manhood 230 Gods Iustice might punish Christs bodie but not Christs soule with death 337 The Iudgement of God to which Christ submitted himselfe for our redemption 348 Gods Iudgement for our redemption concerneth Christ men and Angels 348 In this Iudgement God required of Christ satisfaction for the sinnes of men 349 K K 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what it signifieth 625 Christ hath the Keyes of death and of hell 642. 643 Kindred goeth by blood and not by the soule 509 Our naturall Knowledge commeth by sense 196 The meanes of mans Knowledge 199 Our loue and ioy doe follow our Knowledge 462 L LEo maketh Christs words on the Crosse an instruction no lamentation 432 How Christ was like vs in all things sinne excepted 86. 324 Christ not like vs in any sinfull affections 322 How Christ was like vs in his sufferings 323 Christ not like vs in any want of grace or touch of sinne 326 To what lower parts of the earth Christ descended 554 What is ment by the lower parts of the earth 555 The lower earth is all one with the lower Sheol 556 The lower Shcol signifieth hell and not the graue 557. 558 The lower earth Ezechiel vseth for hell 561 The lower parts of the earth are hell 562 M MArtyrs and Malefactors haue a stronge conflict with death though we perceaue it noâ—… 389 The glory of Martyrs were not great if their paines were not great 390. 391 Martyrs find ioy and ease after death but not in death 301 Why Christ feared more then Martyrs doe 395 Christs senses might not be ouerwhelmed as Martyrs are 396 The manner of breathing out Christs Soule was miraculous 87. 88. 89. 90 The Fathers obserue that it was miraculous 91. 92. 93 So doe the new writers 94 Moses praier for the people examined 359 The purpose of Moses praier for the people 360 How Moses in his praier is excused from sin 365 Moses face did shine when he know it not 461 Moses was not amazed in his prayer 368 N THe name of nature in the graces of God and ioyes of heauen is a vaine distinction 461 There was no necessitie in our redemption but Christs will power and libertie 283 284. 285 The Fathers disclaime all necessitie in the death of Christ. 285 No necessitie in the death of Christ 286 Christs feare and agony came not from necessitie but from his humilitie and feruencie 339 Neither necessitie nor infirmitie could oppresse Christ. 405 New wâ—…iters teach the sufferings of Christs Soule without the paines of hell 536 New writers teach Christs descent to hell 546. 547 New writers obserue Christs manner of dying to haue beene miraculous 94 O OLeuians coniectures for his sense of Christs descent to Hades are but weake 631 P. PAines of this life Christ did beare but not of hell 217. 218 Christes Paines might be vnknowen and yet not the paines of hell 161 In outward Paines men perceiue and acknowledge Gods hand vpon them 170 Paines proper to the soule are not by and by the paines of hell 214 All Christs Paines were holy 215 More required in our ransome then onely Paines 216 We cannot iudge of other mens Paines 328. Excessiâ—…e Paine bringeth death 447 How Christ was in Paradise the day of his death 549 The Parable of the strong man bound and spoyled â—…74 Christes Patience was greater then any mans whatsoeuer his paines were 394 How Christs patience exceeded all mens 395 Christs patience at the highest before he complained on the crosse 418 Saâ—…nt Paul 1. Cor. 15. keepeth the true sense of the Prophet Osee. 641 Pauls wish for the Iewes considered 360 The time was when Paul so wished Ibid. If Paul spake of the time when he wrote his words were conditionall Ibid. What Paul meant when he wished to be separated from Christ for the Iewes 361. 362 How the Grecians expound Pauls words 361 How Paul in his wish was excused from sinne 365 Paul wished if it were possible or lawfull 366 Paul was not amazed in his prayer 368 The true sense of Pauls and Moses words Rom. 10. 567 568. Positiue punishment now in hell 214 No Positiue thing common to good and bad after death 581 Christ suffered not
the bodies euen of the elect and therefore might iustly be so called in vs and much more in Christ though the force of that curse were quenched in Christ and the coherence thereof interrupted In floting to and fro you fell to the curse of the Law and the curse of God and there as your fashion is you auouched what you listed without any proofe or witnesse besides your selfe telling vs that Paul mentioned Christs hanging on the tree as a part of the curse of the Law thereby impolying the whole to be executed on Christ. The whole curse of the Law in my conclusion I shewed to be externall corporall internall and eternall plagues and punishments and asked you which of these you affirmed of Christ. Externall and corporall curses in Christ I did grant internall and eternall curses of the Law which are want of grace and losse of blisse with perpetuall damnation of bodie and soule I said could not be ascribed to Christ without enormous and haynous blasphemie To this when you should answere you turne with a trice to your world of wordes and say your question was Whether death to the godly were a curse properly or no. But sir remember the reason was yours which if you doe not fully prooâ—…e you must wholly loose You should therefore first define what a proper curse is and then applie the parts thereof as well to Christ as to the godly and in so doing we should soone haue seene both the sense and trueth of your speach Now you hold fast to the ambiguitie and vncertainetie of the word proper as though it were enough for you to deliuer Oracles with the breath of your mouth you say the worde and then the field is wonne Our question is not what death is in it selfe but what death is to the godly You are so wedded to your owne wordes that you vnderstand no man els and scant your selfe When I reason what the death of the godly is in it selfe I speake not of the death which they do no not suffer that is not their death at all which they no way feele but since they die the death of the bodie that death which they suffer is to them one thing in his owne force which they taste and endure and the consequents after death by Gods mercie prouided for his seruants are most euidently other things and he that cannot distinguish this is no way worthy to beare the name of a Diuine For the ioyes of Gods heauenly kingdome are after death prepared for the godly Shall we therefore say the ioyes of heauen are death Besides the smart and anguish which afflicteth the soule when she is driuen from her bodie death in it selfe is the separation of the soule from the bodie with priuation of sense and life in the bodie and resolution of the same into dust The ioyning of the soule with the bodie was a most wonderfull worke of God in his creation and consequently verie good by the plaine words of Moses Then is the dissolution of the soule from the bodie repugnant to that which is verie good and of force euill as being contrarie to good The making of mans bodie from the dust of the ground was likewise verie good by the same witnesse of Moses Then the returning of the bodie to dust againe must be an euill vnto man destroying that excellent worke of God And if sense motion and action be blessings of God on mans bodie then the bereauing of these must needs be curses in their kinde Yea since life was no small fauour of God bestowed on man when he made him a liuing soule as all the rest in their degrees was verie good then death which is the priuation of life is the taking of Gods good blessing from mans bodie which cannot chuse but be a curse It is recompensed you will say with a better blessing euen with the blisse of heauen The soule is but not the bodie so long as death preuaileth on it And this blessing consquent is no way pertinent to the nature of death no not as the godly do suffer it but it is a fruit of Gods fauour reserued for the faithfull in Christ Iesus who remoueth death from their soules and will doe the like from their bodies when the time commeth Without death you thinke we can not come to Gods presence And why is that but because the corruption of sinne dwelleth in our bodies which is not meet for the kingdome of God Corruption cannot inherit incorruption And whence came this corruption but from sinne and consequently the displeasure of God against sinne both brought corruption to our bodies and for corruption keepeth our bodies vnder death excluded for the time from his heauenly kingdome Yet this is no proper curse to the bodies of the Saints Had you but once declared what you meant by proper and true curses sixe lines had long since leuelled this question but you according to the heigth of your skill that neuer troubled your selfe but with a few fond conceits and some vnsetled sentences trace to and fro sometimes with no curse in any sort sometimes with no true curse and sometimes with no curse properly and will not be drawen to steppe one foot farther And though I haue no cause to how your timber that you leaue ragged yet for their sakes that would see the trueth I am content to square your worke Of Gods curse I must say as I did of Gods wrath for the wrath and curse of God are all one in effect it noteth either Gods detestation of sinne or his commination to sinne or which is most to this case Gods indignation or pnnishment prouided for sinne or executed on sinners For as man is sayd to blesse with his minde mouth or hand when he meaneth prayeth or doth good to any so is he sayd to curse by thought word or deed when he desireth vttereth or worketh euill to any God is likewise sayd to curse in soule when he detesteth and hateth euill in voice when he pronounceth or threatneth euill in iudgement when he decreeth or inflicteth euill To shew how execrable sinne is to God the Scripture sayth these things God HATETH and his soule ABHORRETH them And so the way of the wicked is ABOMINABLE to the Lord. The threats of God against sinne and his plagues vpon sinne are euery where extant in the Law and chiefiy in the 27. and 28. of Deuteronomie where not onely the greatest sinnes are namely and all sinnes in the close generally accursed but the manifolde plagues of this life persuing the states the bodies and soules of sinners are numbred Maledictum est omne peccatum siue ipsum quodsit vt sequatur supplicium siue ipsum supplicium quod alâ—…o modo vocatur peccatum quia sit ex peccato Accursed is all sinne sayth Austen as well the deed which prouoketh punishment as the punishment it selfe which in another sense is called sinne because it commeth from sinne
it For to the impenitent no sinnes are pardoned Except yee repent saith our Sauior ye shall all perish likewise As sinne is accursed so all punishment of sinne saith Austen is accursed meaning till it be released and no longer a punishment of sinne Which he auoucheth not of the wicked onely whose punishment is perpetuall and therefore truely and properly a curse but of all the godly when they suffer for their sinnes We saith Austen came to death by sinne Christ by righteousnesse and therefore where our death is the punishment of sinne his death is the sacrifice for sinne And that the death of our bodies is hatefull to God euen as our sinne is he resolueth in these words Nisi Deus odisset peccatum mortem nostram non ad eam suscipiendam atque delendam filium suum mitteret Except God had hated sinne and also death in vs he would neuer haue sent his Sonne tâ—… vndertake and destroy our death For so much the more willingly God giueth vs immortalitie of our bodies which shal be reuealed with Christes comming how much the more mercifully he hateth our death which hung on the crosse when Christ died Here you may learne that the bodies of Martyrs are so acceptable to God that he hateth death which detaineth them in dust and that the loue which he beareth to the one is the cause why he will destroy the other as an enimie to them â—…hom he loueth and therefore iustly hated of him but in the meane time how false is this reason which you so much stand on God in his secret and euerlasting counsell loueth the soules and bodies of his Saints as being the members of Christ and temples of his holie spirite therefore he hateth neither sinne in their soules nor death in their bodies Nay rather the more he loueth the one the more he hateth the other and sent his Sonne to destroy both sinne and death in his elect as the Enimies that hinder and defer the true blisse promised to his seruants You say we must call things by those names which God first allotted them That I deny if God since euidently hath altered them My rule had more reason in it then you doe comprehend For if it be written of Adam in his innocencie that God brought all liuing creatures vnto man to see how hee could call them and how soeuer the man named the liuing creature so was the nâ—…me thereof how much more shall it be verified of Gods wisdome With whom is no change that he knew all his workes from the beginning of the world and therefore the word of the Lord abideth for euer that he may be iustified in whatsoeuer he saith but God you say hath made the alteration himselfe or else your conceite deceiueth you For God hath not reuoked the generall iudgement which he gaue vpon all men for sinne Dust thou art and to dust thou shalâ—… returne but he hath performed his promise made before he inflicted this punishment that the Seed of the woman should bruize the Serpents head And therefore there is no change made by God as you imagine but he qualified his sentence at the first pronouncing of it on all his elect euen as it standeth to this day And were there that addition since made by God which you vntruely dreame of Yet Saint Austen telleth you that altereth not the name of punishment first imposed on all but sheweth Gods goodnesse towards his owne Whatsoeuer it is in those that die which with bitter paine taketh away sense by religious and faithfull enduring it it increaseth the merâ—…te of patience Non aufert vocabulum poenae it taketh not away the name of punishment His firme resolution is Wherefore as touching the death of the body that is the separation of the soule from the bodie when such as die suffer it Nulli bona est it is good to no man And noting the vse that God maketh thereof in crowning his Saints with as ample words as you haue any he resolutely concludeth Mors ergo non ideo bonum videri debet quia in tantam vtilitatem non vi sua sed diuina opitulatione conuersa est Death theâ—… OVGHT NOT TO BE THOVGHT GOOD because by Gods mercie and not by any force of his own it is turned to so great vtilitie And this assertion you and your adherents must yeeld vnto least you rather conuince your selues then that woorthy pillour of Christes church to be in an errour For the ground that he standeth on is sure God turneth euill to a good vse and will you therefore denie euill to be euill because God vseth it well to how many good and blessed purposes doth God vse the diuell and shall the diuell by your doctrine now cease to be a diuell what excellent effectes doth God worke by the sinnes of the faithfull shall we therefore not call them nor account them sinnes you be cleane out of your byas good Sir when you come in with your changes made by God to alter the names or natures of things that be euill Afflictions and death which originally and Naturally were punishments for sinne and so are still in the wicked the same to the godly are since changed and now not punishments nor curses To wise men there is enough said to bablers who will still talke they know not what nothing is enough The Scriptures and Fathers may not be set aside to giue way to your follies Daniell confessing the sinnes of himselfe and of his people Israel plainly saith Therefore the Curse is powred vpon vs written in the Law of Moses the seruant of God because we haue sinned against him Baruc made the same confession during the Captiuitie Saint Iohn in his Reuelation of the Citie of God now brought to the presence of the Lambe saith There shall be no more Curse meaning amongst the faithfull as there was before For the wicked then shall be most deepely accursed Saint Austen learnedly and largely writing of the miseries of mans life saith Quot quantis poenis agitetur genus humanum quae non ad malitiam nequitiamque iniquorum sed ad conditionem pertinent miseriamque communem quis vllo sermone digerit quis vlla cogitatione comprehendit With how many and how great punishments mankinde is persued which pertaine not to the malice and leudnesse of the wicked but to the common condition and calamitie of man what tongue câ—…n expresse what heart can comprehend And repeating many particulars which there may be seene he concludeth Satis apparet humanum genus ad luendas miseriarum poenas esse damnatum It appeareth sufficiently that mankâ—…de is condemned to endure the punishments of miseries And lest you should flie to your shift of improper speeches as your maner is S. Austen exquisitly discusseth and resolueth this question that these miseries and afflictions come from the iust iudgement of God
increased by continuall transgressing which defileth the sinner and cleaueth to the soule till she be washed with the bloud and renewed by the spirit of Christ. The guiltinesse of sinne is double in regard either of the sinne committed or of the punishment prepared The witnesse of our conscience priuie to our doings when our cogitations accuse vs and our harts condemne vs this is the conuiction â—…hat God doth and will vse in Iudgement himselfe as greater then our harts not onely knowing but reuealing the things hid in Darkenesse and manifesting the Counsels of ech mans hart The guiltinesse of punishment noteth the iust deseruing thereof by vs or the fast binding of vs thereto by the rule of Iustice. If I bring not backe thy Sonne vnto thee said Iudah to Iacob his Father I will sinne vnto thee euery day not meaning he would euery day offer new offences to his Father but that he would be guiltie of that sinne for euer Whosoeuer shall eate this Bread saith Paul or drinke this Cup of the Lord vnworthily shall be guiltie of the Body and bloud of the Lord that is guiltie of sinning against the Body and bloud of the Lord. Now the workeman is worthie of his reward whether it be in good or euill and therefore punishment is the wages of sinne worthily deserued or certainly reserued for sinners by the Iudgement of God When the high Priest asked the Councel touching Christ behold ye heard his blasphemy what thinke ye They answered he is guiltie of death that is worthie to die and so they condemned him as WORTHIE to die Sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is obliged and assured of punishment as he that blasphemeth against the holy Ghost shall neuer be pardoned but guiltie that is assured of euerlasting condemnation So likewise the true malediction of sinne is triple For as the true blessings of God haue three degrees First his loue which is the roote of all our happinesse then his grace which is the meane of hauing that which is fit for this life and of hoping for the rest and lastly his glorie which is the full fruition of the reward for his in the heauens so the true Curse of sinne which is the depriuation of all true blessing hath the same degrees I meane the losse of Gods loue which is his hatred and detestation of sinne the lacke of his grace to know like or imitate his goodnes in this life and lastly the repulse from his kingdome with the terrible iudgement and eternall miserie prouided for the wicked Come now to your Termes of sinfull defiled and accursed and see how well they agree to Christ. First if the holinesse of God were so great in his Person as to purge our vncleannesse much more was it able to resist our Corruption and to keepe him from being defiled with our sinnes from which he clensed vs. Againe if he were any way defiled with our sinnes he must needs offer Sacrifice first for himselfe and then for vs. But this is quite repugnant to the Apostles Doctrine who saith Christ needed not to offer vp any such Sacrifice for himselfe Thirdly if he were defiled by our sinnes his office must defile him his nature nor Actions could not That which was borne of the Virgine was HOLY his life was innocent and iust he did no sinne nor knew no sinne his office was more holy then either of these For these resisted sinne but his office clensed sinne Now to clense others from sinne required more holinesse then to keepe himselfe from sinne The one is the holinesse of the Creature the other of the Creator And how should the Priesthood defile him when the Sacrifice was holy and vndefiled Christ offered himselfe without spot to God saith the Apostle directly speaking of his Sacrifice And Peter calleth him the Lamb vnspotted and vndefiled which must be in respect of his Sacrifice For he was the Lamb of God which tooke away the sinnes of the world Else how could he be a Sacrifice of a sweete smelling sauour vnto God whose eyes are pure and can not behold wickednes if he were any way vncleane with his owne or with our sinnes and if our sinnes could then defile him or make him vnclean he is at this day sitting in the heauens defiled vncleane For we haue the very same coniunction with him now that we had then being members of his Body as then we were and he our head and he still presenteth vs to God as then he did and euen by the vertue of those sufferings which he sustained here on earth for vs. So that his mediation is now by the power of that Passion which he then endured and if his assuming Sinners into his Body or being the propitiation for our sinnes could then touch him with any vncleannesse he can not be free from it at this present But his Priesthood was holy then and vndefiled and so remaineth still both pure and perpetuall And if in the figuratiue Sacrifices of the Law neither the Pâ—…st nor the Sacrifice were defiled with the sinnes of the People but were sanctified and accepted when the one did offer the other was offered for sinne what ground of truth can it haue that the true most holy and acceptable Sacrifice for sinne which indeede purged the sinnes of the world should defile either the Person of Christ or his office or his action in that oblation Lastly since all pollution of Soule is inherent which you graunt was not in Christ how should he be defiled that had nothing in him but holinesse and righteousnesse which I trust are not defiled If Christ were not defiled with our sinnes then was he not sinfull One sinn defileth how much more then doth the fulnesse of sinne make Christ vncleane which is your deuotion to the Sonne of God I meane not inherently but by imputation You meane he was defiled and sinnefull not truely but falsely Did you speake of men who erre in their iudgements it might be borne but when you speake of God there is no imputation with him but in trueth vnlesse you will change the Apostles doctrine Let God be true and euery man a liar and say God must be a lyar afore you can speake trueth in this behalfe God doth impute righteousnesse to vs that be sinners by pardoning our offences and accepting vs for Christes sake when of our selues we are most vnwoorthie but vncleannesse he doth not impute where none is found because he giueth freely by mercy and condemneth iustly by desert The punishment of our sinnes Christ did willingly beare in his bodie the guilt of our sinnes he did not and that made his sufferings the more righteous as being without desert or guilt Did God then wrong his Sonne in afflicting him he laide the burden of our iniquities on the bodie of Christ who was willing to redeeme our danger with his owne death and
disputation that manie here vndertake whether this wish were lawfull or vnlawfull If Paul refâ—…ained thus to wish because it was neither lawfull nor possible actually to obtaine it how senselesse and truethlesse are your foure obseruations grounded vpon the possibilitie and pietie of this wish whereas all men of any iudgement or vnderstanding conclude the cleane contrarie but such is your cariage that except you may crosse the resolutions of all men you thinke your selfe no bodie Be famous therefore in your follie that bring impossibilities and impieties for the chiefe foundation of your late sprung faith your Reader I trust will require some better proofe before he giue you allowance in matters of such moment as these be m Defenc. pag. 97. li. 1. Thirdly that extraordinarily there is greater loue among meere men then only to die bodily one for another though vsually and ordinarily a greater cannot be found among men which is it that Christ meaneth but how much more then may the loue of Christ toward his elect be farre greater contrarie to your assertion pag 107. 108. Your doctrine is all extraordinarie The Defendâ—…r sayth the Scriptures â—…re ordinarily true that is sometimes false that no ordinarie rules of the Scriptures can stand with it Howbeit in this you chalenge Christ and not mee who saith n Iohn 15. No man hath greater loue then to lay downe his life for his friend That is ordinarily true you say but extraordinarily false Then extraordinarily by your supposition Christ sometimes speaketh an vntrueth though it be not ordinarie with him so to doe which honor you yeeld to the rest of the Scriptures For when you can not otherwise auoid them those you answeare are the o Defenc. pag. 96. li. 32. ordinarie and common rules of the Scripture But your doctrine consisteth of extraordinarie Rules which are no where found but in your owne braine You haue heard Chrysostome Photius and Zanchius auouch who are the chiefe commenders of the exposition which you would seeme to follow that Paul neither did nor might preferre the loue of his Countriemen before his owne saluation and communion with Christ but that his principall respect in this wish was his loue to the glorie of Christ which he more esteemed then his owne soule So that nothing did hinder Paul to preferre Gods glory before the safety of his owne soule and yet Christes rule to stand true that no man hath greater loue then to lay downe his life for his friend Neither was it the death of the Soule that Paul wished since he would by no meanes as these old and new writers obserue be seuered from the loue and fauour of Christ but from the ioy and honour that is laid vp for the saints of God Peter Martyr is of the same opinion with them p Pet. Martyr in ca. 9. epist. ad Romanos Neither doth Paul in this place say he wished to be separated from the loue of God nullo enim modo voluisset ab illo amando desistere for by no meanes would Paul haue ceased from louing God only he wisheth to be excluded from the blessednesse and fruition of God And this euerie one of vs ought to be willing vnto euen lesse to regard his owne eternall happinesse then the glorie of God Now he that still loueth god and is beloued of him by no meanes can suffer the death or curse of the soule mentioned in the Scriptures q 1. Cor. 16. if any man loue not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be Anathema maranAtha that is accursed in the highest degree then could not the same curse befall him that loued Christ dearer then his owne soule but the words of our Sauiour must needes be verified in him r Maâ—…th 10. he that looseth his soule for my sake shall find or saue it So that neither of your suppositions are true either that Paul preferred the loue of men before the safety of his owne soule or that for their sakes he was content to die the death of the soule mentioned in the Scriptures which is a separation as well from the loue and trueth of God as from the glorie and felicitie of God And your comparison for which you intend all this and wherewith you would crosse my assertion is most vntrue that Christes loue to his elect led him to die the death of the soule or to forgoe the fauour and fellowship of God for their sakes For the coniunction of Christs manhoode to his Godhead being personall was farre greater and nearer then the knitting of Paul or Moses vnto God and if that vnion were broken all the workes and sufferings of Christs manhoode were no way able to bring vs to God Christ could not be content to be separated from God for vs. Wherefore it were a thing extreamly impious in the manhood of Christ and no lesse dangerous to our saluation for him to be content to be vtterly seuered from the vnion and communion of the diuine nature with which he was personally ioined and though your imagination of Moses and Paul be false enough and altogether impossible yet to dreame the like of Christ is the higth of all impietie Neither doth that diminish his loue to vs since there was no need thereof for vs his other suffrings being sufficient in the iust and exact iudgement of God and the loue that led the second person in Trinitie to lay aside for the time the full and perfect fruition of his glorie and equalitie with God his Father and in our flesh to emptie and humble himselfe not only to the infirmities of our nature and miseries of our life but euen to the shame and paine of our death on the Crosse farre exceeded all the loues that men or Angels could shew vnto vs. For there is more distance betweene the glorie and Maiesty of God and the sense and shame of our miserie and mortality then betwixt the saluation or damnation of men or Angels Wherefore Christs loue to vs may not be diminished or made inferiour to the loue of creatures though he were not damned for our sakes since that ineuitablely and irreuocablely would haue fastned vs to a greater condemnation and no way saued vs whereas now his vnspeakable fellowship with God hath recalled vs all from the damnation due to vs to be partakers of the loue and grace that eternally and infinitely he possessed with God s Defenc. pag. 97. li. 6. Fourthly we see here these holy men without feeling any paines inflicted by Gods wrath but only through an earnest and mighty compassion of loue had their minds drawen so wholy to thinke on this speciall thing aboue their reach that during the time they turne not themselues to any other cogitation t li. 17. This you acknowledge may be in men and yet you will not scoffe at them as cast into a Traunce by it nor reproche them with infernall confusion How much lesse ought you so to deale with Christ.
misconster But let vs heare your proofes which want answeare as you pretend f Treat pa. 46. The members of Christ doe wrastle with the power of darknesse and endure the fierie darts of the diuell A learned reason and like the maker Doth the Apostle there speake of hell torments or of the temptations to sinne busily offered by Satan to all the godly if your conceit of hell paines be true we must wrestle not with the powers of darknesse but with God himselfe by whose immediate hand as you imagine the paines of hell are inflicted on all mens soules As wisely you quote that the members of Christ endure the fierie darts of the diuell where the Apostle willeth them to take the shield of faith wherewith they may quench all the fierie darts of the Diuell Whence if your corruption and misconstruction of the text were true may be drawen a good argument against your hell paines to be suffered in the soule of Christ. For the shield of faith as the Apostle noteth quencheth all the fierie darts of the Diuel which you presume to be the fierie paines of hell Christ then who wanted no perfection of faith endured none of these fiery darts of the Diuel since they are all quenched by faith Choose now whether by your owne reason you will charge Christ with infidelity or discharge him from enduring your fierie darts of the Diuel which you suppose to be the paines of hell except you play with this place to no purpose Howbeit in these words the fierie darts of the Diuel are not the torments of hel but either dangerous tentations which quenching our faith consume and wast our consciences as fire doth where it taketh hold or els sinnes which inflame our harts with wicked and worldly desires making them burne with vnlawfull and vngodly lusts g Treat pa. 46 li. 2. Iob crieth out The arrowes of the almighty are in me the venom whereof doth drinke vp my spirit and the terrors of God sight against me Out of these metaphors wereby Iob describeth the vehemency of that disease wherewith the Diuel strooke him h Iob. 2. from the sole of the foot vnto the crowne You shall neuer conclude any thing for the paines of hell Metaphors make no direct conclusions in doctrine but serue to resemble or amplifie the things to which they are applied Then as venemous arrowes doe not only teare and wound the flesh but the poison added doth inflame the whole body and consume the vital spirits so Iob complaineth that his disease did not only rot but burne his flesh and wast his spirits so that the paine thereof was intolerable By the terrors of God he meaneth the terrible and bitter affliction sent from God and not the paines of hell as you fondly conceaue For that these wordes are applied to the greeuousnesse of his disease appeareth both by Iobs speach and wish i Iob. 6. ver 12 Is my strength saith he the strength of stones is my flesh of brasse that it can endure the rage of this disease Wherefore he wisheth k Iob. 6 ver 9. that God would destroy him with this sicknesse and cut him of by death l vers 10. then should I yet haue comfort though I burne with sorow let him not spare m vers 11. What is mine end that I should prolong my life Iob wisheth not here destruction of body and soule that were more madnesse but he desireth an end of his life that he might haue rest and comfort Then doth he not meane the terrors of conscience which bring with them a most vncomfortable end but the terrors of his n Ibid. ver 21. fearefull plague which death would ease not augment Not that I thinke Iob wanted dangerous tentations in his greeuous afflictions but that this may be referred either to the greatnesse of his plague or to the vnquietnesse of his mind though he alwaies trusted in God and was forced with extreamity of paine to desire ease He may also meane as he after saith o Iob. 7. v. 14. Thou fearest me with dreames and astonishest me with visions but none of these three terros were the paines of hell neither did Iob desperately rage in his mind but felt violent torments in his flesh as he himselfe confesseth p Iob. 7. ver 5. My flesh is clothed with wormes and filthinesse of the dust my skinne is rent and become horrible And touching the terrour of God that word in the sacred Scripture doth not necessarily import the paines of hell nor the conflict of conscience with doubt or despaire of Gods fauor but the greatnesse of his power and righteousnesse of his iudgements which we must confesse with feare and trembling q Psal. 88. From my youth sayth the Psalmist to God I suffer thy terrours Shall we thinke that he was all his life long in the paines of hell or that he liued in perpetuall affliction which continually humbled him and made him afrayd of the mighty hand of God r Prou. 28. Blessed is the man sayth Salomon that is alwayes afrayed of God where he doth not account the paines of hell to be blessed but he meaneth as the Apostle doth that we should worke our saluation s Phil. 2. with feare and trembling And so the Saints at the sight of Gods presence are afrayd not with an hellish paine or perfidious feare but with a quaking and trembling at so great Maiestie knowing that power and t Iob. 25. terrour is with him though they trust in his mercie u Treat pa. 46. The like terrors doth Ionas seeme to feele in the fishes belly when he cryed to the Lord out of the bottome of hell You doe well to say it seemeth for indeede neither haue the words any such force neither had Ionas any such meaning The word Sheol noteth the graue as well as hell as I haue else where sufficiently prooued and in this case the Whales bellie may resemble the graue by the very direction of our Sauiour x Matth. 12. As Ionas sayth he was three dayes and three nights in the Whales belly so shall the sonne of man be three dayes and three nights in the hart of the earth Where Christ expresseth his buriall and not his discent to hell by the Whalles belly in which Ionas lay And Ionas himselfe sheweth by his prayer that he ment the present danger of death wherein he was and not the paines of hell of which he speaketh not For besides the discription of his danger when he saith y Ionas 2. The flouds compassed me about all thy surges and all thy waues passed ouer me the weeds were wrapt about mine head and I went downe to the bottome of the mountaines His praier declareth his faith in the beginning middle and ending thereof I cried in mine affliction vnto the Lord and he heard me I sayd I am cast out of thy sight not to be amongst the liuing any more
towards a trueth but this is cleane kam to that you said before Your former speach was these paines doe alwayes accompanie the wicked and now you turne the cake in the pan as if that side were not burnt and tell vs they are alwayes wicked whom those paines doe accompanie ordinarily Forsooth this is not How handsomly the defender shifteth hands that you said before and if you be ashamed of your follie and falsehood I am not against repentance But it were plaine dealing to confesse the fault and not to bring in an ape for an owle and say it is the same Creature And yet forsooth whether this position be true or not is without the compasse of your skill For first what is ordinarie with you once a weeke once a moneth or once in seuen yeeres you haue gotten a word that you may winde at your will and limite as you like best and yet without all proofe you resolue that these paines doe ordinarily accompanie the wicked experience I trust you will take none vpon you for then by your owne rule you must be alwayes wicked to sift other mens souls what paines they feele though they be wicked I win you haue no way but by report or conâ—…ecture which are both vncertaine Warrant in the word you haue none that such paines doe alwayes or ordinarily accompany the wicked the contrarie may rather be thence collected For when the wicked shall say q 1. Thess. 5. Peace and safetie then shall suddaine destruction come vpon them Peace and safetie in the paines of hell I suppose they haue nor cause nor will to say In Peace then safety not in the pains of the damned are many if not most of the wicked till destruction come vpon them which is not alwaies nor ordinary since they can be destroyed but once and vntill that time their ease and abundance make them forget God r Defenc. pag. 141. li. 18. Againe you pretend to haue much against me where I say the feeling of the sorrwes of Gods wrath due to sinne in a broken and contrite heart is indeede the onely true and perfectly accepted sacrifie to God True so I said and againe I say it What see you annsse in it Then vnhappie men are the godlâ—…e say you which are at any time free from the paines of the damned to what purpose is this I speake of Christs sacrifice Thus your triumphs before the victorie come to nothing but blasts of vanitie If I mistooke your meaning you are the more beholding to me the sense which you now expresse is worse then that I charged you with and yet I tooke your words as they lay which because they were namely applied neither to Christ nor to vs by you I pressed you with the lesser absurditie of the twaine Why your words might not be referred to the faithfull I saw no cause Dauid confessing that the s Psal. 51. v. 17. sacrifices of God he meaneth esteemed and required of God are a troubled spirit and a contrite and broken heart causeth the sacrifice of righteousnesse to be accepted I strained your words no farder then Dauids but sayd you miâ—…construed the wordes of the holy Ghost if you tooke a broken and contrite heart repenting his former sinnes for the paines of hell suffered in the soule You now say you ment this of Christ that his broken and contrite heart feeling the most vehement paines of the damned was the onely true and perfectly accepted sacrifice to God and aske me what I see amisse in this I will soone tell you Where I would haue charged you with a single error against the Godly by reason your wordes are indistinct and doubtfull you loade your selfe with a double iniurie against God and his Sonne For first the sacrifice of Christes bodie by which we are sanctified as saith the Apostle is excluded from being a true and perfectly accepted sacrifice if the paines of hell in his soule be onely the true sacrifice Secondly a false sacrifice deuised by your selfe and neuer offered by Christ is obtruded by you vnto God as the onely true sacrifice which he must perfectly accept and so where before you blazed an vntrueth you be now come to bolster it vp with impietie For where no Scripture doth witnesse that Christ suffered any such sorrowes and paines of hell as you surmise you now openly professe that all sorrowes and sacrifices besides this were neither true nor acceptable vnto God and that this your deuice surpasâ—…eth all the merits and obedience of Christ whatsoeuer t Defenc. pag. 141. li. 30. Where Austen seemeth to denie that Christes soule might die he denieth that Christ suffered any paines of damation locally in hell after his death as it seemeth some held about his time whom heere he laboureth to confute If your ignorance were not euery where patent some man perhaps would stumble at your report but you are growen to such a trade of outfacing that almost you can doe nothing else That any such opinion was held in Austens time as you talke of and that he laboured there to confute the same is a maske of your making to hide your owne blemishes Austen refelleth that as a fable in exact words when he saith Quis audeat dicere who dare say so Now if some had so held he must haue said some doe say so but who dare say so is as much as no man dareth say so If no man durst so to say then no man was so wicked or irreligious in Austens time as to dare say that Christs soule died which now is become the greatest pillar of your pater noster As for suffering in hell locally it is a fiction of yours fastened to S. Austen he hath no such words and therefore no such meaning u Defenc. pag 141. li. 37. He had no necessary cause â—…o speake of the second sense thereof how the soule may be sayd to suffer death extraordinarily for sinne imputed onely neither doth he speake against that in Christ. S. Austen a man would thinke had cause to know how we wâ—…re râ—…d by Christ and surely if he were ignorant thereof you would not iudge him worthy to be a Curate in your Conuenticles but shew that he who taught so much and wrote so much as his works declare euer spake word of your new-found redemption by the paines of hell suffered in the soule of Christ or by the second death Against it he often speaketh when he so soundly and sincerely collecteth out of the Scriptures that Christ died for vs the death of the body onely and not the death of the soule And this how could it be a true or tolerable assertion if the Scriptures did auouch or the church in his time had professed the death of Christs soule to be the chiefest part of our redemption for sinne and reconciliation to God Wherefore neuer dreame he had no necessarie cause to speake of your sense if your sense had beene a part
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hades below was stirred to meete thee So likewise he citeth and alloweth Platoes words When death draweth neere the tales that are told 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of things in Hades how he that heere dealeth vniustly shall there be punished and were laughed at then trouble the soule least they prooue true Irâ—…us saith Heerein Christ legem mortuorum seruauit did as other doe that diâ—… and conuersed three daies vbi erant mortui sancti where the dead Saints were And this he calleth locum inuisibilem the vnseene world What meaneth thiâ—… but Hades as we take it yea a little before he expresly calleth it Paradise Neuerthelesse I grâ—…nt that he thought this vnseene world was indeed beneath in the earth Wherein his proofes doe vtterly faile him as you your selfe doe fully grant and professe in this point as well as we In time you may learne some skill to alter and counterfait the Fathers writings but as yet your cunning faileth you You doe not marke or will not see that Irenaeus in this Chapter expresly confuteth a number of your positions and subuerteth the whole frame of your meere priuatiue Sheol and not Irenaeus but your sense put to Irenaeus his words against his manifest meaning is all the hold you haue in thisplace Irenaeus condemneth two of your assertions as erroneous the one that Christes soule after death went vpward to heauen and descended not downeward to the lower parts of the earth The next that the soules of the Saints as soone as they die ascend to the highest heauens Haeretici simulatque mortui fuerâ—…t dicâ—…t se supergredicaelos Hereticks as soone as they be dead say they ascend aboue the heauens They will not vnderstand that if this were so as they say the Lord himselfe surely would not haue made his resurrection on the third day sed super crucem expirans confestim vtique abiâ—…sset sursum relinquens corpus terrae but giuing vp the ghost on the crosse would no doubt haue straightwaies gone vpward leauing his bodie to the earth But now he staied three daies where the dead were As he refelleth your imaginations so he nothing relieueth your assertions though you touch nothing of his which you turne not awrie with corrupting his sense or his sentence Christ kept the law of the dead saith Irenaeus that is say you he did but as others that die and conuersed three dâ—…es where the dead Saints were The lawe of the dead which Irenaeus heere speaketh of is to expect the resurrection of their bodies till the time prefixed by God His wordes are As then our Master non statiâ—…â—…lans abiâ—… did not straight after death ascend vp but staied the time appointed for his resurrection by the Father so we ought to endure the time of our resurrection prefixed by God and so to be assumed as many as the Lord shall count woorthy You make a new law of your owne for the dead which Irenaeus neuer thought of and the iâ—…sible place appointed for their soules vntill the resurrection if you will haue it to be the same which Irenaeus saith Christ had must be the lower parts of the earth which I trust is not Paradise If therefore saith he the Lord obserued the law of the dead and staying vntill the third day in the lower parts of the earth then rose in his flesh and so ascended to his father how should they not be confounded who say their inward man leauing the body heere in supercelestem ascendere locum ascendeth to the highest place of heauen Touching the place where Christs soule seuered from his bodie was as the transcriber or printer before you mistooke the word sanctorum in Irenaeus for sanctus so you the second time corrupt the same in saying Christ conuersed three daies where the dead Saints were in steed of Vbi erant mortui where the dead were This place is twise before alleadged by Irenaeus where the word sanctus is referred to God and not to the dead Commemoratus est dominus sanctus Israel mortuorum suorum qui dormierant in terra sepultionis The Lord the holy one of Israêl remembred his dead which slept in the earth of their buriall and descended to them So in his 4 booke and 39 chapter he repeateth it againe Recommemoratus est dominus sanctus Israel mortuorum suorum qui prâ—…dormierunt in terra defossionis The Lord the holy one of Israel remembred his dead which before his comming had slept in the earth digged to lay them in that is in their Graues Iustine Martyr citeth the Greeke words to like effect The Lord God out of Israel remembred his dead that slept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their graues This being the true tenor or translation of this sentence it is euident that the transcriber or printer of Ireneus mistooke Sanctorum for Sanctus and you more wilfully presume to put the word Sanctus to the former period of purpose to imply that Christ went no whither but where the souls of his Saints were But you vtterlie peruert Ireneus meaning for Christs going to them doth not exclude his goinge els whither and in those generall words Christ conuersed three dayes with the dead are comprised not only the graue and place of buriall where the Lords dead were but as appeareth by Ireneus proofes following the Heart and lower parts of the earth euen the nethermost Infernum hell where others were which were no Saints and the souls of the Saints were not except you mind to establish Limbus out of these words Now what hath your priuatiue Sheól and Hades to do with these words heere are places described in the earth and vnder the earth where if you set the soules of the Saints vntill the day of resurrection you empty Paradise and quite deny the Saints deceased to be in any part of heauen since heauen is aboue and not vnder the earth And though you say Ireneus proofes doe faile him for his purpose they are plaine and full as that Christ was in the heart of the earth and descended to the lower parts of the earth and that of Dauid applied by him to Christ Thou hast deliuered my soule from the nethermost hell There is therfore nothing in these words of Ireneus that fauoreth your new found hades though the souls of Christs disciples after death be granted to go to an muisible place prepared for them by God which whether it be Paradise or heauen or a place vnder earth for thither â—…aith Ireneus Christ descended but he doth not say that the souls of his Disciples shall thither goe till the resurrection as you falsly collect it cannot be your hades which is a meere priuation of this life and hath no positiue thing in it much lesâ—…e a certaine and defined place for the soules of his Saints And where you presume as your manner is that Ireneus a little before calleth this
their Creede yet retained the sense and meaning of them in that they were perswaded this was the law of humane necessitie without Christ that as mens bodies were buried so their soules descended to hell which descent Christ refused not to restore men as Hilarie and others auouch This you say was Ruffines owne meaning who going about to proue by the Scripture that Christ descended to Infernum sheweth that he meaneth his death hereby his buriall I suppose few men will trust you hauing tried you false so often Ruffine going about to prooue by the Scripture of the old Testament that euery part of Christes passion and his resurrection was fore-shewed in the law and the Prophets plainely distinguisheth his death buriall and descent to Hell For Christs death he saith spiritum post haec scribitur reddidisse after this it is written that hee gaue vp the Ghost This was fore spoken by the Prophet saying into thy handes I commend my spirit Sepultus quoque perhibetur He is then said to be buried For which he alleageth a place of Ieremie and addeth Euidentissima haec Sepulturae eius indicia propheticis vocibus designata sunt accipe tamen alia These most manifest signes of his buriall are expressed in the Prophets speeches and yet thou shalt haue other Where he alleageth three other places of Scripture how fitly to his purpose I need not pronounce Then commeth he to Christes descent to hell and saith Sed quód in Infernum descendit euidenter praenunciatur in Psalmis That also he descended to hell is evidently fore told in the Psalmes Now whether his places bee aptly cited or no is not to the question though you make that your whole aduantage For first they be as aptly cited as the rest Next they haue euery one of them somewhat more in Rusfines apprehension then of Christes buriall For hee standeth not onely on those wordes the dust and corruption of death but hee fastneth most on the words of descending and bringing downe in limum profundi to the mire of the deepe Which things though you flurt at as waighing light in your eyes it is certaine he intended thereby more then the graue as is euident by his owne wordes For citing the place of Peter thus In which spirit Christ descended to preach to the spirits inclosed in prison which were incredulous in the dayes of Noe he addeth in quo quid operis egerâ—…m in Inferno declaratur in which it is declared what Christ did in hell In the graue I trust Christ did nothing In Paradise he did not preach to those that were in prison disobedient in the dayes of Noe. Since then this end of Christs descent to hell is expressed by Ruffinus and this could not bee done either in the graue where nothing can be done or in heauen where these disobedients were not in prison It is cleere that Ruffinus had no such meaning as you make him by Christes descent to intend no more but his death and buriall He holdeth indeed that Christ went downe to Infernum that is to Limbus patrum as an opinion then common among them and worthie as he thought to be beleeued If hee ment this as you now confesse then he ment more by Christes descending to Infernum then Christes death and buriall And so by your owne mouth you are conuinced of a lie fathered on Ruffinus against both his words meaning And yet I find no such expresse mention or description of Limbus in Ruffines words as you would seeme to impose vpon him He mentioneth Christs conquest ouer hell quód Inferna sibi Regna 〈◊〉 that Christ would subiect the Infernali kingdome to himselfe qui mortis habebat Imperium disruptis Inferni claustris velut de profundo tractus he that had the rule of death was drawen as it were from the deepe the cloisters of hell being broken open He saith also Animabus de Inferni captiuit ate reuocatis the soules being reuoked from the captiuitie of hell but whom he thereby meaneth he expressed before with the Apostles words when he said qui simul consuscitauit nos simulque sedere fecit in caelestibus Christ raised vs vp together with himselfe and made vs sit in heauenly places with him So that if you and your friends when you prate so much against all or the most of the auncient fathers as vpholding Limbus would bethinke your selues that most of them speake indifferently as well of the liuing and yet vnborne as of the dead before Christes time when they say that soules were deliuered out of the bondage and captiuitie of hell and Satan you should doe them lesse wrong and lesse deceaue your selues then now you doe And for those fathers that indeede were of this opinion that before Christes resurrection Abrahams bosome was vnder the earth you shall doe well to thinke and speake more reuerently of them considering what master Bullingere a learned and graue Diuine resolued euen of that point Sinus Abrahae aliud non est quam portus salutis vbi autem fuerat quondaÌ„ hic locus an apud superos an apud inferos nolo pronunciare imo malo ignorare quam temere definire quodliteris sacris expressum non habeo In his vt curiosus esse nolo ita nihil desinio cum nemine super hac re contendere volo Satis mihi est intelligere fateri veteres sanctos in refrigerio loco vtique certo non in tormentis ante ascensionem Domini fuisse vt maximé ignorem vbi ille locus fuerit The bosome of Abraham is nothing els but an entrance or port of saluation Where this place formerly was whether aboue in some part of the heauens or below vnder the earth I will not pronounce Yea I had rather be ignorant thereof then roshly to define that which I find not expressed in the Scriptures In these things as I will not be curious so doe I determine nothing neither will I contend with any man about this matter It shall suffice me to vnderstand and confesse that the godly of the old Testament were in a certaine place of rest not in terments before the oscension of Christ though I know not where that place was That it was no part nor member of hell we haue S. Austins firme resolution grounding himselfe on the words which our Sauiour in the Gospell ascribeth to Abraham Betweene you and vs there is a great gulfe setlâ—…d But whether it were vnder the earth till Christs resurrection of that some fathers doubted wherein we may not be reprochfull to them though we dissent from them since the Scriptures as this great Diuine thinketh expresly decide not the question Ignatius you thinke is cleerely yours likewise one Thaddeus by Eusebius report one of the 70. disciples which the Euangelist Luke speakes of Also Athanasius Creed Ignatiâ—… saying Christ desâ—…ended to hades alone but rose againe with many meaneth euidently
your skilles to bring Articles of the Creede to be phrases as if the Apostles and their followers which were the first planters of Churches had ment to teach the simple people not principles of faith but certaine Greeke or Hebrew phrases He that will suffer you to turne his faith into a phrase let him take heed that insteed of heauen he light not on hel which is one of your chiefe phrases But you neuer said that Hades signified heauen You may saue this from a lie if you be not he that wrote this part of your booke as by the crossing and changing of your owne assertions it is euident to euery wise man you did not but otherwise if the quoting of other mens authoritie to prooue Hades to be heauen may conuince you to be of that mind with them whom you cite for that purpose you haue most plainely auouched hades to import and containe heauen Whose words are these I pray you in your Treatise This most singular place sheweth that Hades with them is not properly for hell but for the world of the dead and SOMETIMES AS NAMELY HEERE EVEN FOR HEAVEN So in the next page Againe he saith of heauen that it is an vnseene estate EVEN HADES AS IT IS COMMONLY CALLED Wherefore it is plaine by Plato Hades sometime may bee vnderstood for heauen yea and with the Grecians it was a common phrase And Stephan â—…iteth Plutarch concerning the godly departing being in hades that is in heauen he meant I thinke and not in hell Infinite places might be brought to like purpose but these may suffice which whether they you by them auouch hades to be taken for heauen or no I leaue to the iudgement of the Reader as also whether this be not impudent facing and worthy of other wordes at which you take so much offence Yea this very Article Christ dâ—…scended to Hades you expound by pretence of Bullingers wordes he did goe to Abrahams â—…osome that is into heauen That you auouch Philip. 2. for it is more strange where we haue not one word of his locall being in hell And that the Coloss. 2. should prooue it passeth all the rest Where though we graunt you your reading yet the expresse text referreth that triumph to Christes crosse which you openly deny You doe well to make an Apologie for your impudency and facing the next sentence before but if you reclaime those tâ—…ades of yours you renounce the most part of your obiections and probations in this your defence For doe I cite either of these places in the Pages which you quote to prooue Christes descent after death to the place of hell When you in your proud and scorneâ—…ull humour mocked at Christes actuall conquest and tâ—…iumph ouer hell in generall and called it a woorthie priuiledge surely and very honâ—…rable 〈◊〉 to â—…iumph and insult vpon the â—…ice miserable wofull wretches in their preâ—…t vnâ—…eakable damnation adding All the world knoweth it is the most in glorious and vilest debasing to represse this disdainfull and proud conceit of yours I told you The Apostle made it a part of Christes high exaltation that euerie knec as well of things vnder earth as of things in heanen should bow vnto him and did you thinke it a matter to be mocked and derided and of the place to the Colossians I said What lâ—…iteth then since these wordes were not verified on the crosse but they did take place in his resurrection and therein as by the effects it was most euident and apparant to the eies of all men he did spoile powers and Principalities and made a shew of them openly and triumphed ouer them in his owne person When I speake of things euident and apparent to all mens eies I speake not of things done in hell where no man liuing was present but prooued against you as well by your own wordes as by the Apostles that this triumph was not perfourmed and executed on the crosse though there deserued and purchased For you your selfe debase Christs triumph on the crosse with woorse wordes then I doe you say it was a miserable triumph yea a piteous triumph it was indeede where himselfe remained in such woefull torment where appeared no shew of conquest I say not so but that on the crosse Christ humbled himselfe euen vnto death and thereby merited to be exalted aboue all names and sorts of creatures which God after death most gloriously perfourmed vnto him when euerie knee of those in heauen on earth and vnder earth bowed vnto him and confessed him to be their Lord. This was all I said in those places which you traduce and yet if I had said more and applied them to the actuall triumph of Christes soule after death I wanted not better authoritie so to haue done then you haue any for so many cart-loades of concâ—…its as you haue brought vs. But of both these places I haue spoken before what may suâ—…ce and he that will see more thereof may read what Zanchius hath learnedly and soberly written of those places Ephes. 4. vers 9. and Coloss. 2. vers 15. Where he likewise affirmeth Patres serè sic explicant ex nostris non pauci neque vulgares The Fathers for the most part doe so expound it and of our writers not a few nor the meanest That of the Councels how Christ rose againe hauing spoiled hell I easily yeeld seeing that prooueth not his locall being there Then first you yeeld that Hades with all these generall Councels signifieth hell Next you yeeld that hell was spoyled by Christ before he rose for he rose hauing spoyled hell Thirdly you yeeld that this was done by Christes manhood since his Godhead can be said in no wise to rise from the dead and consequently by his soule since he spoiled hell before he rose when yet his bodie was dead in the graue There remaineth no more but this question whether the soule of Christdid this absent from the place or present in the place which was spoiled And since the scriptures auouch that Christs soule was in Hades which was spoiled as these three generall Councels assirme it is without question that Christes soule present in hell spoiled hell before his resurrection and so returned to his bodie which is the very point you all this while denied and with so much lost labour impugned And least this cause should depend on your slipper turnes and returnes we must vnderstand that not only the generall Councell of Ephesus confirmed and allowed these wordes in the Synodall Epistle of Cyrill to Nestorius but the Councell of Chalcedon and the second Councell of Constantinople ratified the same So that what sense Cyrill had in these wordes the same did the Councell of Ephesus follow Cyrill himselfe there sitting and declaring his owne meaning Yea the Treatises of Cyrill expounding these wordes are inserted into the Acts of the Councell of
to the enemie The diuell therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thinking to kill one lost all and hoping to carie one to Hades hell was himselfe cast out of hades hell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hades hell is abrogated death no more preuailing but all being raised to life neither can the diuell stand vp any more against vs but is fallen and indeed creepeth on his brest and bellie And therefore of the Saints he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in fine they saw Hades hell spoiled Epiphanius in sundrie places expresseth the parts and purpose of Christs descending to hell or hades He was crucified buried 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee descended to the places vnder earth in his diuinitie and in his soule he tooke captiuitie captiue and rose againe the third day What here he calleth places vnder the earth whither Christes soule went after his death that elswhere he calleth Hades The Godhead of Christ would performe all things that perteined to the mysterie of his passion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and would descend together with his soule to the infernall places to worke the saluation there of such as were before dead I meane the holy Patriarcks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that he might performe the things he would against hades in the forme of a man euen in hades that the chiefe Ruler HADES and death thinking to lay hands on a man and not knowing his Deitie vnited to his sacred soule Hades himselfe might rather be surprised and death dissolued and that fulfilled which was spoken Thou wilt not leaue my soule in Hades Basil Death is not altogether euill except you speake of the death of a sinner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because their departure hence is the beginning of their punishments in hades againe the euâ—…s that are in hades haue not God for their cause but our selues the head and root of sinne is in vs and in our willes And againe Dathan and Abiram were swallowed vp of earth the gulfes and clefts thereof opening vnder them Heere were not they the better for this kinde of punishment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for how should they be so that went to hades to hell but they made the rest the wiser by their example And writing on the 48 Psalme Because man turned himselfe from the word of God and became a beast the enemie caught him as a sheepe without a shepheard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and put him in hades hell but when he sayth God will redeeme my soule from the power of hades he doth plainly prophesie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the descent of the Lord to hades who would redeeme the Prophets soule with others not to abide there Nazianzene in his second Oration against Iulian the Renâ—…gate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stop thou thy secrets and wayes that leade to hell hades I will declare the plaine wayes which leade to heauen And of Christ he sayth Christ died but he restored to life and with his death abolished death He was buried but he rose againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He descended to hell hades but he brought backe soules and ascended to heauen Macarius When thou hearest that Christ deliuered soules 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of hell hades and darkeneâ—…se and that the Lord descended to hades and did an admirable worke thinke not these thinâ—… to be farre from thine owne soule And thus he maketh Christ to speake to death and to the diuell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. I command thee hades and darkenesse and death restore the soules inclosed And so the wickâ—… powers trembling refund man that was inclosed Cyrill of Alexandria In olde times before Christ the soules of men departing from their bodies were sent to fill the receptacles of death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in dennes vnder the earth But after Christ commended his oâ—…ne soule to his Father he renewed the same way for vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And now we goe not to bades from any place but we follow him rather in this and committing our soules to a faithfull Creatour we rest in excellent hope Yet of Christ he aâ—…firmeth The soule which was coupled and vnited to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 descended into hades and vsing the power and force of the Godhead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewed it selâ—…e to the spirits or soules there For we must not say that the Godhead of the onely begotten which is a nature vncapable of death and no waâ—… conquerable by it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was brought backe from the dâ—…es vnder the earth Cyrill of Ierusalem like wise in his Catechismes vpon those words of the Psalme If ascend to heauen thou art there if I goe downe to hades tâ—…u art preâ—…ent sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. If tâ—…ere â—…e â—…ing higher than the heauens and hades be lower than the earth he that compreâ—…â—…eth the â—…owest doth also touch the earth And to those that were baptized he sayth When thou renouncest Satan thou hast vtterly abrogated the couenant had with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. euen the olde couenant â—…ith hades hell and the Paradise of God is opened to thee In the Homilies which Leo the Emperour made for the exercise of his stâ—…le and confession of his faith it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ is risen bringing Hades prisoner with him and proclaiming lilibertie to the capitues He that held others bound is now in bonds himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ is come from hades with the ensigne of his triumph the sowre and heauie lookes of those that are vtterly ouerthrowen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as of Hades death and the hatefull diuels Damascene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The soule deisied descended to Hades that as to those on earth the Sonne of righteousnesse was risen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so to those that sate vnder the earth in darkenesse and in the shadow light might shine The brazen gates were torne the iron barres were broken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the keeper of Hades hell did shake for feare and the foundations of the world were laid open Cydonius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That there is in hades hell vengeance for all sinnes heere committed not onely the consent of all wise men but also the equalitie of the Diuine iustice confirmeth and strengthmeth this opinion Aeneas Gazeus He that in a priuate life committeth small sinnes and lamenteth them escapeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the punishments that are in Hades hell Gregentius Christ tooke a rodde out of the earth which was his pretious crosse stretching his right hand strake all his enemies conquered them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Hades death sin and that wilâ—…e serpent Theophylact. The rich man dying is not caried by the angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but
is thrâ—…wen downe to Hades For he that minded neuer any high or heauenly thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was woorthy of the lowest place In saying then he was buried the Lord secretly signifieth that his soule had the place that was lowest and darke And though hee there shew the opinion of some that thought hades to be rather the condition of the soule after death then a place yet he himselfe resolueth the coÌ„trary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is hades Some say it is a place of darkenesse vnder the earth others say Hades is the change of the soule from sensible to obscure and vnseene And though the wordes of our Sauiour determine that doubt who maketh the rich man call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this place of torment yet Theophylact himselfe reasoning there against Origen out of Abrahams wordes saith As it is then vnpossible for any of the iust to passe to the place of sinners so Abraham teacheth vs it is impossible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to passe from the place of punishment to the place of the righteous And since their names doe not appeare that were of this opinion and being latter in age deserue not the same credite for their iudgements that the auncient and learned Fathers doe I omit these petite masters whom no man knoweth as fansing somewhat if they could prooue it and will goe forward with the maine consent as of all Greeke diuines that are extant so of the best and eldest commentators and expounders of Greeke words to shew that Hades is a place of darkenesse vnder earth for soules where now none but wicked are contained and there punished Eustathius Archbishop of Thessalonica a man of no meane skill in the Greeke tongue as appeareth by his commenting vpon Homere saith Haïdes which is Hades is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a darke place vnder earth vnseene and appointed for soules Phauorinus Bishop of Nuceria in his commentaries of the Greeke tongue saith likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hades is a place vnder the earth secret and hidde which hee also calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a place without light and filled with eternall darkenesse The great Etymologist of the Greeke tongue concurreth with them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hades is a place void of light and full of euerlasting darkenesse and mists I shall not neede with many wordes to vrge the properties and conditions of the place which these Greeke Fathers call Hades It is apparent to any who will pâ—…ruse them that they auouch it to be a place of darkenesse opposed to heauen and Paradise and vnder the earth where Diuels are keepers and tormentors of soules and where the wicked after this life are kept prisoners and suffer punishments according to their deserts which Christ destroyed and spoiled by his descent thither deliuering thence that is from the feare power and danger thereof all such as before or after did or should beleeue in him And though some of these writers did happily thinke the soules of the godly deceased before Christes death were kept in a part thereof in hope of their deliuerance thence yet with one consent they witnesse it to be nothing lesse then heauen or Paradise or the state of the dead common to good and bad after Christs resurrection as likewise they teach that Christ deliuered thence not onely such of his elect as were dead before that time but all the faithfull aswell then liuing as yet vnborne And therefore a deliuerance thence doth not exactly conclude a locall detention and inclusion there but a quiting and disloluing of all the right interest and challenge that hell or Satan had for sinne vnto the seruants and members of Christ whensoeuer they liued or died Onely Tertullian is opposite to them all who dreampt that the soules of all the faithfull saue Martyrs were kept in places vnder the earth which he calleth inferi till the generall resurrection wherein as in many other points deliuered in his booke de Anima he goeth a priuate way by himselfe without and against the maine resolution of the rest of the Fathers He doth not montanize in this as you obiect but consenteth with Irenaeus before and with others after him as shall appeare who were no Montanists Your mistaking Irenaeus here as you did before little helpeth your market and others when you bring them shall haue an answere fitting them In the meane while where you be so zealous to saue Tertullian from Montanisme he must haue a better proctor then you are to vphold his cause or els it will soone fall to the ground That none but Martyrs are in Paradise and all other the faithfull departing this life are in prisons and places vnder the earth till the day of iudgement this is not onely repugnant to the Scriptures and the rest of the Fathers but a plaine branch of Montanus heresie which Tertullian deriueth from no grounds of holy Scripture whence all trueth must be fet but from certaine Reuelations Prophesies different from the Scriptures which Montanus and others published as made by the holy Ghost after the writing of the Scriptures and which Tertullian in his writings coloureth with the name and pretence of the Paraâ—…te calling the true Christians that refused his new found doctrine Psychicos naturall men and not ledde by the latter direction of the spirit as Montanus and others were whom in exacting chastitie abstinence and Martyrdome more strictly then the Church of Christ did he followed And therefore not onely his doctrine in this place allowing Paradise to none besides martyrs but his alleaging Montanus verie words and pretending the Paraclete for his conceit no where written in the Scriptures declare him expresly in this to be a Montanist For plainer proofe whereof first Tertullian speaking of himselfe when he forsooke the rest of the Christians to cleaue to the reuelations of Montanus and his adherents saith Et nos quidem postea agnitio Paracleti atque defensio disiunxit a Psychicis The agnising of the Paraclet in the prophesies of Montanus and defending thereof did afterward disioine vs from the carnall men So he termed the Church of Christ for refusing the new prophesies of Montanus as appeareth euidently by his booke De ieiunio aduersus psycâ—…cos of fasting against the carâ—…all men which Saint Ierom saith was written specialiter aduersum ecclesiam particularly against the Church Where he likewise taxeth the Christians for resisting the Paraclet or new prophesies of Montanus couering them vnder the name of the Paraclet and interpreting the one by the other Hiparaeleto controuer siam faciunt propter hoc nouae prophetiae recusantur non quod alium Deum praedicent Montanus Priscilla Maximilla sed quod plane doceant saepius ieiunare quaÌ„ nubere These â—…arnall men quarrell with the Paraclet and therefore are the new prophesies refused not that Montanus Priscilla Maximilla preach another God but that they plainly teach oftner