2. sinne 3. al the miseries of this life 4. death death is vanquished but not wholy taken away and againe death is vnarmed but not extinguished For albeit they are not felt yet they are as a Serpent without poyson and as a Bée without a sting this he manifesteth by a prittie similitude As poyson first infecteth the vaines 2 the bloud 3. the members and last of all the hart so the Diuell and all our enemies are by little and little dayly subdued but in the day of iudgement shall be vtterly conquered and cast downe for euer so that euerye Saint shall sing O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victorye the Scriptures as Musculus noteth writing on this place sometime speaketh in the preterperfect tense sometime in the present tense sometime in the future tense therfore Christ both hath abolished dooth abolish and will abolish death he hath abolished death by dying for our sinnes not that it should be no more but that it should no more destroy the faithfull he doth abolish it while he doth translate his Saints from death to life and he will abolish death for euer in the end of the worlde For then shall that saying be fulfilled Apoc. 21. 4. There shall be no more death As by all that hath béene spoken it is manifest that the death of Christ dooth not take away the iudgemēt wherin all our enemies shal be for euer and vtterly ouerthrowe so it doth not take away his descending into hell wherby he strake a terror into the diuell and all the hellish Spirites Therefore as Bude saith then shall there be no contention of death which now is and maketh vs to sigh for our defect for the mutability of thinges for the frailtye of mans flesh temptations striue with vs daily pleasures striue with vs dayly and although we consent not yet are we troubled by resisting pleasures the enemy dieth not but in the resurrection of the dead By all these reasons it is manifest the Diuell is chayned but not cast out vtterly that the gilt of sinne is taken away but the matter remaineth that as we haue many sorrowes in this life so we haue greater comfortes that death albeit he is vnarmed yet his neck is not broken and so the destroying of death dooth no more take away the descending into hell then it dooth the resurrection ascenfion and comming of Christ vnto iudgement All which must néeds be in our Sauiour to the vtter and euerlasting ouerthrow of our enemies An other Scripture which they alleadge is the saying of Christ to the théefe on the crosse Luk. 22. 43. To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Héerupon they frame this argument to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise therfore the soule of Christ and of the théefe went both that day to heauen They that so conclude are deceiued in two things the one is in that they imagine this woord me to signifie the soule of Christ which signifieth the Godhead the other in that they take this woord to daye to signifie the space of 12. or 24. houres which indéed signifieth for euer both these shal be strengthened by Gods grace with proofes First the circumstances of the place doo proue these thinges most euidentlye For what dooth the théefe aske deliuerance from the gilte of sinne from the cursse of the lawe from the wrath of God from the terrors of death from the tormentes of hell and the tirannye of of the diuell He asketh not only forgiuenes of his sinnes but that he may be a new creature that the righteousnes of God may be giuen him that he may haue the adoption and liberty of Gods children and so after his death glory honour peace and immortality that is familiarity with God he asketh to be an heire with God and a ioynt heire with Christ for euer In one woord he asketh a kingdome pure in righteousnes perfect in peace perpetual in ioy Who can forgiue sinnes but God only Mar. 2. 7. Who can giue this kingdome but God and therfore these woords with me signifie the Godhead and not the soule of Christ as some 〈◊〉 haue it And so all the Fathers that euer I read vnderstoode it and the new writers also Hierome on these words writeth thus Christ brought the théefe from the crosse into Paradise least any man should think conuersion to be too late at any time he made the punishment of homicide martyr dome the truth being accounted among the wicked he left th'one on the left hand and tooke the other on the right hand as he will doo in the day of iudgement Where I note that Christ did on the crosse as he will doo in the day of iudgmēt that is seperate the bad from the good and cast the wicked into hell which is the office of the Godhead Psalm 7. 11. God iudgeth the righteous and him that contemneth God euery day And in the 2. Tim. 4. 8. From hence foorth is laide vp for me the crowne of righteousnes which the lord the righteous iudge shal giue me at that day not to me only but to all them also that loue his appearing Augustine hath y e like saying also vpon this place the crosse if you marke it was the iudgement seate the Iudge was set on the middle the one théefe which beléeued was deliuered the other which blasphemed was condemned To saue and condemne is the office of God and therefore must néeds be vnderstoode of the Godhead So saith Ambrose in his Sermon of the holy théefe he sawe him hanging on the crosse and praieth to him as though he were sitting in heauen he séeth him cōdemned and yet he praieth to him as to a king So Ferus on the 27. of Mat. Thou shalt be with me which am euery where which am all in all To be with me therfore is not spoken of the soule of Christ but of the Godhead Damascene saith to speake more expressely he was in the Sepulcre according to his body and in hell according to his soule but as God he was both in Paradise with y e théefe and in the throne with the Father aud the holy Ghost And as with me signifieth the Godhead so to day fignifieth for euer For as Aristotle noteth in his Metaphisicks in aeternis non est tempus In eternall thinges there is no time for time is the measure of those things which are subiect to motion now in hell all shall suffer in earth all must labour so in heauen all must rest Apoc. 12. 13. Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord euen so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours aud their woorks follow thē For where no mutation is there is no time and for this cause Apoc. 10. 6. it is said And he sware by him that liueth for euermore which created the heauens the things that therin are and the earth and the things that
shall effect that which many of your side haue attempted but neuer yet any could bring to passe It is written of Procustes that if any were too short for his bed he would stretch them out and make them fit for his lodging so you this place being too short to fit your waste will enlarge it with a word immediatly which is not in the place primitiue or deriuatiue expressely or by way of implication Moreouer where you say if I will aunswere this place I must proue that he that mindeth to goe to hell doth vse these words I wonder that you dare vse such blasphemous spéeches for hereby you insinuate that Christ was but a méere man and that other men haue a part in the worke of our redemption aswell as Christ. For as he is our only Sauiour so as Luther saith on Gen. 21. Chapter This was singular in Christ Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell nor suffer thy holy one to sée corruption for his soule could not be deteined in hell nor his body in the graue For as this was singuler in Christ that he did giue vp his ghost so was it singular in him to go to hell and returne againe Ambrose saith Tradidit spiritum suum quia non inuitus amisit quod enim emittitur voluntarium est quod amittitur necessarium He gaue vp the ghost because he lost not his soule against his will for that which is emitted is voluntarie but that which is amitted is necessary Theophilact saith he cryed out with a loude voice gaue vp the ghost for he had power to lay down his life take it vp again Now whē you can proue that you or any of your side haue this power in you to dye when he will and liue againe when he will then will I prooue that he that speaketh these wordes Into thy hands I commende my spirit hath an intent to goe to Hell But as Christ his birth was a singular thing in him so was his death buriall descending into hell resurrection and ascention into heauen Eccle. 8. 8. Man is not Lord ouer the spirite to retaine the spirite Aud Iohn 10. 18. Christ saith No man taketh my life from me but I lay it downe of my selfe I haue power to lay it downe and power to take it vp againe By these two places it is euident that no man can lay down his owne spirite but the only Sonne of God had that prerogatiue and therefore as the laying downe of his spirite and the taking vp of his spirite againe was wonderfull so was the state of the soule and body during the time of the seperation of the partes of the humanity singular and wonderfull Humes Sectio 6 For the other place you bring a ready answere out of Augustine of that which is God but not of that which is man how ready soeuer this construction be I am well assured it can not stand with the woords of Christ. Luk. 23. 43. This day shalt thou be with me in Paradice For what I praye you could the Godhead of Christ goe to heauen in the future time which was stil in heauen from all eternity For this day shalt thou be with me in Paradice is al one as if he had said this day shal thou I be in Paradice which no man that hath one drop of braine in his head dare auouch of Christ who was neuer thence But here you tell me that the future verbe is attributed to the theefe onely and that which is giuen to Christ with me is limited with no bound of time I told you euen now that thou shalt be with me is all one with I and thou shall be together But to let this passe what say you to the theefe then that said Luk. 23. 42. Remember me Maister when thou commest into thy kingdome This theefe was not sure of your minde for he did suppose that Christ to whom he spake was not yet in his kingdome and I am sure that Christ was so good a Doctor that if the poore theefe had mist his footing he would haue set him vp againe Thus you see that these two places are to strong for your ordinance if you haue no better shot then this we will spread our banner with Magnaest inuicta veritas Hyll Héere you condemne S. Augustins answere Well because S. Augustine is dead and in your margine you say that it is M. Hills answere by Gods grace and his woord M. Hill will defend it First I note a falsification of the text by you alleadged for whereas it is in the text Luke 23. 42. Remember me Lord when thou comst into thy kingdome You for Lord say Maister I tolde you in the beginning Eue did change the woords of the Scripture to her ouerthrow Therefore I pray you leaue it for otherwlse I must tell you of it if a boy in the Grammer schoole construe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Maister he is worthy to be beaten and if a schoolemaister teach so he is worthy to be controlled for this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 written by Stephanus with a capitall letter will cashire your banner of boasting and bring your glorye to shame I preached in my sermon at Chippenham that to day did signifie for euer and with me did signifie the Godhead I will not only affirme it but confirme it that to day doth signifie for euer in this place first I proue it by this philosophicall reason out of Aristotle which saith In aeternis non est tempus In eternall things there is no time For time is the measure of motion therfore if there be time then is there motion Now as in hell all men do suffer torments and in earth all labour so in Heauen all doo rest Apoc. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord so saith the spirite for they rest from their labours Therefore where there is no mutation frō day to night nor from summer to winter there is no day naturall or artificiall as you suppose And this is proued Apoc. 10. 6. And the Angell sware by him that liueth for euermore which created heauen and the things that are therein that time shalbe no more And this woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to day is vsed for euer in many Scriptures Psal. 2. 7. Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee Act. 13. 33. And we declare vnto you touching the promises made vnto the Fathers God hath fulfilled it vnto you their Children in that he hath raised vp Iesus euen as it is written in the second Psalme Thou art my Sonne to day haue I begotten thee And in y e epistle to the Hebr. 1. 5. And to which of the Angels said he Thou art my Sonne to day haue I begotten thee And againe Hebr. 5. 6. He prouing Christ to be a préest for euer thus saith Christ took not to himselfe this honor to be made an high Preest but he that said to him Thou art my Sonne to
lay the pride of them which sought his soule and a comfort to himselfe that their enmitye must needs haue an end one daye when the graue shall deuoure them The woordes following confirme this sence They shall fall on the edge of the Swoord Psal. 63. which cannot be spoken but of temporall death Hill Indéede I brought this place Ephe. 49 to proue that Christ descended into Hell And whereas you charge me with immodesty for so alleadging of it I must néeds charge you with two vntruthes in answering this allegation The one is that I called it the pit of Hell which phrase I neuer vsed The other is you haue impudently auouched that none of the modester sorte of deuines haue euer alleadged this place to proue the descending of Christ into hel For many and those both learned and modest haue alleadged this place to this purpose Athanasius interpreting this Epistle and text thus writeth Into what place did he descend Into hell truely which he calleth according to the common opinion of men the lowest partes of the earth Ambrose on this place saith thus This Christ therfore comming down from heauen into the earth was borne a man afterward he dyed descended into hell from whence rising the third day he wēt vp to heauen before all mortall men that he might shewe death to be vanquished to euery creature Chrisostome on this place saith He went to those partes of the earth then the which nothing is lower and from thence he ascended into heauen then the which nothing is higher The like hath Augustine li. de Trin. cap. 19. Ierome on this text thus noteth That Hell is vnder the earth no man doubteth for he that descended in soule into hell ascended both bodye and soule into heauen Mollerus a learned Minister of Germany on the sixtéene Psalme saith that the descending into hel is plainely proued out of the Ephesians the fourth chapter Musculus on the 68. Psal. thus writeth This God which was in Christ reconciling the worlde vnto himselfe first descended into the lowest partes of the earth then he led captiuitie captiue and not only we are deliuered from the captiuity of Satan sinne death and damnation but also Christ triumphing ouer them as tirants hath ascended aboue all heauens to fulfill all things Hemingius on the 2. Chapter to the Colossians thus also teacheth As by his deathe he conflicted with the enemye on the crosse so by his glorious descending into hel resurrection and ascention he triumphed as it is Ephe 4. Leauing his crosse lift vp as a monument of his victory To conclude Alesius a very learned preacher of Scotland on the 19. chapter of Iohn affirmeth that the 1. Pet. 3. and Eph. 4. do manifestly proue the descending of Christ into hell if Athanasius Chrysostome Ambrose Augustine and Ierome of the olde fathers and Mollerus Musculus Hemingius and Alesius of the new writers be all immodest diuines then haue you truelye saide but if in the iudgement of the learned all these were most reuerend men then most shameles are you to accuse them of the want of modesty Moreouer where you saye no deuine dareth to dispute where hell is it is true in some sorte for no deuine can circumscribe the place of hell which is infinite nor yet of heauen only the woord of God affirmeth that heauen is aboue Gal. 4. 26. And hell is beneath Prouerbs 15. 24. Therefore the lowest partes of the earth may well be taken for hell Then you goe farther and say that Erets tachthioth doth not signifie hel Psal. 63. and for this you bring two reasons the one is that it were a presumption in the Prophet to iudge his enemies 2 that it standeth not with the affection of a godly minde to assigne hell to his enemies but to pray for them to your first reason this I answere In the Psalme 9. 18. Dauid vseth the like spéeche The wicked shall be turned to hell and all the people that forget God which text Caluin thus expoundeth the Hebrewe woord Sheolah which was doubtfull I haue not doubted to translate hell for though it doth not displease me that others turne it Sepulcher yet it is sure héere is something noted besides common death otherwise he should speak nothing of the reprobate but that which did generally happen to all beléeuers In the hnndred and ninth Psalme also Dauid thus praieth Let Satan stand at his right hand let his prayer be turned iuto sinne let the wickednes of his Father be had in remembrance in the sight of the Lord and let not the sinne of his mother be done away Do you think this to be spoken presumptuously Many such texts could I alleadge to proue that Dauid inspired with the spirite of prophecye did foretell not onely of the tragicall destruction of bodies of his enemies but also of the extreme damnation of their soules This then is my replye to your second reason these enemies were not priuate enemies but publique and did hate Dauid for his religions sake Dauid therefore by the gift of prophecye doth foretell that their soules should go to hell to be tormented and their bodies should be the portion of Foxes that is should neuer come to the graue for what néed Dauid tell vs they should dye which we know is common to all or how can that betrue which you say that they should be in graue when Dauid himselfe saith they were not in any graue but were the portion of Foxes And so M. Caluin whom I hope you will beléeue teacheth you writing vpon this Psalme and verse To be the portion of Foxes is as much as to be deuoured and torne of wicked beastes for God saith Caluin doth threaten this punishment to the reprobate that they shall be a pray to Wolues and dogges because he would depriue them of the honor of their graue Héer you sée M. Caluin saith they came not into their graue you say they did How M. Caluin and you may be reconciled I knowe not for Caluin addeth this reason It hapneth sometime that we know the same temporall punishments to be common to the good the bad but this is the difference the bones of the godly are gathered together and kept in safety that not one of them shall perish but the scattring of the bones of the reprobate is a signe of their eternall destruction Therefore how can the lower partes of the earth signifie the graue as you say since as M. Calùin truly saith they were in no graue Aunswere me this good M. Humes plainely Psal. 63 9. The lower parts of y e earth signifie not the graue but hell Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth Eph. 4. 9. Ergo Christ descended into hell Humes Sectio 9. Next you quote Ecclesiasticus 24 37. I will pearce through all the lowest parts of the earth and looke vpon them that be asleepe Also the 31. of Ezechiel the 18. vers Thou shalt be cast downe into the lower parts of
from a metaphore is of no force And that héere is a metaphor M. Caluin shalbe the iudge He compareth saith Caluin the mothers wombe to the lowest and inward dens of the earth and a little after for no doubt Dauid would expresse metaphorically that inestimable cunning which appeareth in the figure of mās body The mothers womb is cōpared to hel for the darknes of it for as Caluin saith that artificer which maketh a cunning péece of work in a darke place is more to be cōmended then he which doth the like in the light Dauid also is here said to be made in the nethermost partes of the earth because he was by nature the child of wrath of hell if he had not bin deliuered therehence by Iesus Christ. Bréefely where you say that he descended into the Uirgins wombe and that it is the true meaning of the place Eph. 4. 9. both you and your Maister B. are deceaued For Paul reproueth you Ephe. 4. 10. He that descended is euen the same that ascended Now the body and soule of Christ ascended into heauen therefore the body and soule of Christ descended into the virgins womb if the body did descend into the virgins womb then Christ took not flesh of the virgin Thus that you may contradict me you are not afraide ignorantly or wittinglye to deny the incarnation of our Sauiour Theophilact saith well of these woords when you read that the Sonne of man came downe from heauen you may not think that his fleshe came downe from heauen for this is the opinion of Heretiques which did teach that Christ brought his bodye from heauen and did passe through the virgin I hope you holde not this opinion but if you holde this interpretation you must néeds fall into it For he that descended is euen the same that ascended Eph. 4. 10. Humes Sectio 10. But heere to let you alone with your Hebrew these woords can no waies be taken as you beare vs in hand for hell but do purporte to vs the same that Iohn tolde vs in other woords Ioh. 16. 18. I came from my Father into the worlde againe I leaue the world and go to my father For seeing the Apostle in this place bringeth his ascension as an argument of his descension which Iohn the Euangelist did before it must needs follow by necessarie consequence that his discense was rather thither whence he ascended Now I trust you will not say he ascended into heauen from hell but rather from the earth in the sight of his desciples 2. If the place whence he descended was heauen hell could not be the place whether he descended For if he were there at all he went not thither 30. yeeres and more after he descended if you will say that he descended first into the earth and afterward into hell then that descense could not be one motion which was so many yeeres intermitted but needes must be two First from heauen into the earth and next from the earth to hell Lastly if hell were the place whither he descended it must needes be also the place from whence he ascended which cannot be for his returning thence if euer he was there was when his soule returning into his body he came again to his Disciples from whom he was seperated before by death which in the Scripture is called his resurrection and not his ascention For his resurrection as it hath beene heertofore taught is no part of his ascention If it were so as you beare vs in hand that thence his ascention beginneth then his returning againe to his Disciples was but a proceeding so farre in his way and his abode with them but a resting place which was neuer hard of to this day Hill Where you say you will let me alone with my Hebrew woords and yet deny they signifie hel I hope because I haue proued that they signifie not the graue as you haue ignorant ly or against your conscience affirmed at your next aunswering you will say they signifie hell and confesse your disagrée ment with Dauid Esay Ezechiel Now you conclude with certaine pregnant reasons as you imagine your first is this These words do purporte vnto vs that which Iohn tolde vs in other woords I came from my Father into the world aud againe I leaue the world and goe to my Father Ioh. 16. 18. This is nothing pertaining to the matter we haue in hand vnles this be your argument Christ came into the world ergo he went not into hell Héerof I thus argue Christ descended into the virgins wombe as your selfe say ergo he came not into the world Or thus Christ descended into the worlde ergo he descended not into the graue Christ was borne of the virgin and came into the world to reconcile vs to his Father by his death taking away our sinnes and triumphing in his owne person ouer death and hell therefore not only Christ came downe into the worlde but as our body for sinne lyeth in the graue so his body wēt into the graue and because our soule was mancipate vnto hell his soule went into hell that by his discending our soules might be freed from hell In your next reason you say that Christ descended thither whence he ascended Now that is méerely false as appéereth Math. 12. 40. For as Ionas was in the whales belly 3 dayes and 3. nights so shal the Sonne of man be 3. daies and 3. nights in the hart of the earth Now Christ ascended from the superficies of the earth but he descended into the hart of the earth Therefore as this is no good argument Christ ascended from the mount ergo he ascended not from the graue so this is also a weake argument Christ ascended from the world ergo he went not into hell M. Humes lyeth in his bed and early ariseth afterwards many séeing him he rideth towards Bromham ergo M. Humes came from Bath and not from his bed Then you adde this reason if Christ descended into hell then it was 30. yéeres after his birth and so it was not one motion you charge me with cloudes of sophistry but héere is a thick mist of sophisications what you mean by this motion I know not but all the actions of our Sauiour are aptly deuided into humility and glory of his humilitye there are 4. degrées First he came into the virgins womb secondly into the world thirdly to the graue fourthly to hell Of his glory and exaltation likewise there are foure degrées First he came out of hell and the graue secondly he conuersed in the earth thirdly he was carried in the aire in a cloud and then entred the heauens with glory Also where you say that if hel were the place whether he descended it must néeds be the place from whence he ascended This as I haue said before is vtterly false if you mean the immediate place from whēce he ascended for it is known to all beléeuers that Christ did descend into the graue
but he did not ascend immediatlye from the graue therefore your reason is against Scripture where you make a distinction betwéen the resurrection and the ascention you may vnderstand if it please you y t Eph. 4. 9. The woord ascend containeth in it all the degrées of Christs exaltation and therfore the resurrection also as the woord descend doth comprehend all the degrées of Christs humilitye Humes Sectio 11. Your next argument is taken from the wordes of our Sauiour to Mary Magdalen Ioh. 20. 17. Touch me not for I haue not yet ascended to my Father Wherupon you ga ther that seing the whole man is said to be there where the soule is that Christs soule was not yet with his Father seeing he doth say that he was not there himselfe Here truely it is strange that a man of your learning and iudgement seeth not so apparant a fallacy an argumēt you know negatiue a toto ad partes deuisas was neuer good among the learned as for example the whole race of Mankinde is not in England ergo there is no man in England Or Edmund Campions whole body is not ouer Newgate therfore no parte thereof hangeth there That these words are ment of the whole it is manifest by the text for that which had not beene with the Father was the same that Mary was forbidden to touch That I trowe you will not say was his soule but his soule and his body ioyned together that is to say the whole man Christ wherefore it was the whole man that he saith here was not with his Father and not his soule alone Hill My next place was not this but a text out of Syrac 17. 21. At the last shall he arise and reward them and shall repay their reward vpon their heads and shall turne them into the lower parts of the earth In the margin is noted Math. 25. 35. So that this place sheweth that after iudgement the wicked shalbe turned into the lower partes of the earth that is hell This place because you nor your Sinod can answere you haue passed it ouer and said nothing to it but are now come to your scholepoints the which whē I vse you call sophistry and so it were indéede if I did vse them as you doo You say an argument drawen negatiuely from the whole to the parts doth not hold True it is if by parts you meane integrall parts but not essentiall parts My instance was this Math. 8 11. Many shall come from the East and the West and shall rest with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen Out of this place I proue that where the soule of man is after death there is the man sayd to be as we vsually say that these Patriarkes and all the saints are in heauen though their bodies be in the earth and are dust and ashes If then the soule of Christ were in heauen vntill his resurrection then could not these words of Christ be true Iohn 20. 17. Touch me not for I haue not yet ascended vnto my father for it is the preterperfectense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore as this is vntrue to say that Abraham is not in heauen because his body is not in heauen so this is false to say Christ was not in heauen because his body was not in heauen Our body is gouerned by the soule and man taketh his appellation of a reasonable creature not of y e body but of y e soule and therfore if Christs soule went vp into heauen as you say this can not be true I haue not yet ascended to my father Besides if Christs soule went first to heauen afterward his soule body together then were there 2. ascensions proue this and I will geue you the goale You dally also with my argument in this manner The whole race of mankinde is not in England ergo there are no men in England Do you thinke there is no more vnion betwixt Christ and his soule then betwéene all the men of the world then by this reason the body and soule of Christ were neuer vnited together Your next resemblance is this Edmund Campions whole body is not ouer Newgate Ergo no part of him Héere is a foule error to thinke Christs soule to be an integrall or diuisible part which is an essentiall or indiuisible for by your reason Christs soule is mortall and may perish as the integrall partes of Campion doth You vtter also in an other error in these words the whole man Christ for the whole man doth not make Christ but God and man as you may sée in Athanasius Créede As the reasonable soule and flesh is one man so God and man is one Christ. I will ende therefore with this saying of Irynaeus who liued vnder Marcus Antonius in the yeare of our Lord God 125. which thus proueth the descending of Christ into hell For he writing against Heretiques that sayd hell was in this world as many doo now adayes thus reproueth them in his fift booke and last Chapter As Ionas taried in the whales belly thrée dayes and thrée nights so shall the Sonne of man be in the hart of the earth And the Apostle saith what is it that he ascended but that he first descended into the lowest partes of the earth and Dauid prophecying of this sayd Thou hast deliuered my soule from the nethermost hell and rising againe the third day he sayd to Mary which he sawe first and worshipped him Touch me not for I haue not yet ascended to my Father but go to my Desciples and tell them I will go to my Father and to your Father If then the Lord kept the law of the dead that he might be the first begotten of the dead how are they ashamed that saye hell is in this world Thus you sée it is no strange thing to sée this scripture alleaged to prooue that Christs soule was not in heauen vntill his visible and glorious ascention Irinaeus a man of more learning and iudgement then I am of alleaged it to the same ende aboue 1300. yeares agoe and then it was accompted a currant argument among the learned Humes Sectio 12. Now let vs come to the great bulwarke of your defence you choose to be your foundation and text Peter sayth that Christ was put to death in the flesh and quickned in the spirit by the which he went and preached to the spirits that are in prison which were in times past disobedient c. Here following the Geneua translatiō I leaue some vantage that the Greeke doth offer me but I hope to finde heere matter enough to defende the truth Beza heere whome we also follow because he groweth neerest to the meaning of the Apostle by this word spirit doth giue vs to vnderstand the deity of Christ following Iohn that calleth God a spirit Iohn 4. 24. and by this word flesh his manhood conteining both his body and soule as he findeth the word vsed both of Paule 1. Tim. 3. 16. God
into Heauen and therefore our praiers are hard when we pray vnto him and he giueth vs gifts for our ministery and so he shal come to iudgement at the last day to giue vs perfect blessednes You confesse that Christ was borne in déed liued and fulfilled the law in the likenes of our flesh sinne excepted he dyed in déede he was buried indéed he arose and ascended indéede and yet you will not confesse that he personallye descended How can all these articles going before and comming after be vnderstoode of the person of Christ and of his humanity and not this Therefore you denying this personall descending of Christ into hell take away the great comfort of our deliuerance from hell You say we are deliuered from hell by Christs death so are we too by his birth For if Christ had not bene borne he had not dyed so if there had not béene a seperation of the bodye and soule of Christ he could neuer haue conquered death or hell for by descending into y e graue and that personally he conquered death and hath deliuered vs from death and by going downe into hell personallye he hath conquered hell And for this cause the Scripture applieth it to the death of Christ because death was as Paule saith Phil. 3. A dissolution of body and soule and these 2. partes being dissolued Christ came from the graue and from hell and so Christ did conquere both and triumph ouer them in him selfe as it is Col. 2. 15. These Iewes doo aske a signe from heauen Math. 22 38. Luke 11. 29. to whom Christ said A wicked aduoulterous Generation doth aske a signe but no signe shalbe giuen thē but the signe of Ionas the Prophet for as Ionas was in the whales belly three dayes and three nights so shall the sonne of man be in the hart of the earth three daies and three nights Which woords Basilius Magnus interpreteth very well These woords a signe is a matter made manifest conteyning the declaration of some thing that was hidden as the signe of Ionas representeth the descending of Christ into hel and the resurrection of Christ and as Bede saith and Rhabanus also he gaue them a signe but not from heauen because they were vnworthy to see it but from the deapth of hell Therfore M. Humes this is a most comfortable doctrine that Christ doth deliuer vs from hell which albeit you agnise aswell as we yet because you deny the meane whereby it was purchased you deny a most comfortable doctrine for not only the body of Christ was in the hart of the earth but the Sonne of man which signifieth the whole humanity that is the soule and the body Ionas was in the whales belly aliue and yet came forth Christ was in the graue dead in flesh and aliue in hell and yet came forth Therefore to take away this maner of descending taketh away from the Church a singuler comfort and openeth a gapp to many errors confuted already by the Fathers For if Christ did conquere hell by the power of the Godhead only and not as he is man what néed had he to take vpon him our nature but because as man he might be Lord not of heauen and the Angells but of the earth and the inhabitants therofand of hell and the diuells You say the worlde is sory for me In the worlde saith Christ you shall haue affliction And he telleth me the world will hate me I way not these thinges for I am no man-pleaser nor louer of the worlde But if in my Sermon I had disagréed with Dauid Ezechiel Esay Peter Paule and Christ himselfe as you haue done in your answere I hope I should be both sory and ashamed Touching M. Chalfoult whom you terme a man without iudgment and that he spake impudently and enuiously I neuer saw him before that time and but ouce since but by that spéech and conference which I had with him I finde him to be learned and voide of gall Such of his neighbours as I haue talked with did giue him the deserued praise of a learned and honest man And forasmuch as he hath preached sound doctrine in preaching the affirmatiue and that doctrin which is allowed by the learned conuocation of this land it doth not become you to libell against him for in speaking against him you traduce all those reuerend and learued men which made an Iniunction for kéeping of vnitie that no other Catechisme should be taught of any Schoolemaister then M. Nowels Therefore because you are a strauger you ought not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and speake euill of those Ministers which vpholde the doctrine established and because you are a Schoolemaister you ought to teach and not to gainsaye it Qui pergit dicere ea que vult audiet ea que non vult As you reuile at M. Chalfoult so doo you and your freends priuily against me calling me a Bishoppling and a timeseruer Indéed I was brought vp vnder Bishop Iewell who catechised me in this faith therfore I will not easily or rashly departe from it I confesse my selfe also to be a timeseruer for it is the day time of saluation accepted Let them murmure with Martin that list I praye God my dayes may end with this time and my time may continue no longer then these daies of the state of our Church that now is do continue I haue séene the beginning I haue séene the propagation of the Gospell I haue séene God hath defended our Church mercifully and miraculously from heauen God graunt that I and all my Auditors may walk worthy of our calling Godly iustly and soberly Therefore I end with this saying of S. Paule 1. Cor. 4. 3. As touching me I passe very little to be iudged of you or of mans iudgment And in the 5. verse Therefore iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who shall lighten things that are hidden in darkenes and make the counsels of the hart manifest and then shall euery man haue praise of God The conclusion to M. Humes M. Humes in the latter end of your answere you request me to recant if your answere did please me as it doth you I would be as willing to recant as you and your fréendes would be glad to heare it But I will plainely set down my reasons why I do not recant The first is I alleadged Act. 2. and proued out of Peters sermon my assertion and to the reasons I drew out of that place you haue answered nothing Secondly I alleadged Syrach 17. 21. To proue that this phrase the nethermost partes of the earth doth signifie hell to this you haue in like manner saide nothing Thirdly in all your answeres to my allegations you haue disagréeed with the word of God In answering of the 16. Psalme you say my allegation is to be vnderstoode of the passion of Christ And Peter Act. 2. saith it is spoken of y e resurrection whether is to be beléeued of Peter or you