by us the nature of man is greatly disgraced in that wee teach that men are become brutish without reason and as dead stocks and stones without sense and life because we teach that by nature they haue not liberty list nor life vnto any thing that is truly and religiously good And why doe they not bring in the same inditement against the bookes of the Canonicall Scriptures which teach that euery man is a beast in his owne knowledge and that our hearts are stony vntill Ier. 10. 14 Ezek. 36. 26. Eph. 2. 1. they be made flesh and that we are starke dead in trespasses and sinnes and therefore haue no sanctified will sense nor life vntill Christ doth quicken vs by his holy Spirit and raise vs vp to an holy life Our doctrine then herein is none other then the very doctrine of the Holy Ghost neither doe we hereby disgrace the nature of man but shew how man by his owne fault hath disgraced himselfe and into what misery he is fallen by his owne folly And this wee teach only concerning the estate of the naturall man before he be renewed by the Spirit of God Whereas the Church of Rome forbiddeth the faithfull theÌ„selues Rom. 15. 4 to search the Scriptures which yet were written for their learning and keepeth them from them vnder the locke key of an vnknown tonâ—ue and in her diuine seruice readeth them vnto them in a strange language and inioyneth them to receiue their Fatih vpon their Preachers word and credit without all examination and try all commanding them to beleeue blindfully as the Church beleeueth Yea a great Cardinall is bold to avouch that it belongeth no more to thâ— people to aske a reason of their teachers doctrine then it doth to an house to know Cusan exercit 6. pag. 547. why his Master turneth his head this way or that way Wherefore it is the Church of Rome that maketh the very Faithfull themselues like to the horse and mule in whom there is no vnderstanding contrary to the precise commandement of the Holy Prophet it is the Church of Rome by forceing the Psal 32 9 people to pray in an vnknowne tongue that causeth them to offer vp to God the lips of calues and to patter like pyes and parrets yea whereas by nature all men being degenerate and turned into lions beares wolues and tigres are not recouered out of this their wretched estate but by the sanctified knowledge of the diuine Writers of the most powerfull Gospell of Iesus Christ the Church of Rome keeping theÌ„ from the same keepeth them from that whereby they should be recouered out of this their miserable brutish condition And for the iustifying of her doing so there is alleaged by some of her followers this Commandement of Christ Giue not holy things to dogs nor cast pearles before swine Mat 7. 6 Now then let all indifferent men iudge who maketh men beasts whether the Professors of the Gospell of Christ or the followers of the Church of Rome And let all such persons labour both to vnderstand and put in practise the diuine mysteries of Faith and godlines who will not be condemned by God himselfe to be brutish and vnreasonable Creatures CHAP. III. The meanes whereby we are to come to the right vnderstanding of the Word of God is the light of true reason for the opening of the truth whereof these propositions following are explained QVAEST 1 2 3 c. 1 All Questions humane and diuine are to be determined by the rules of reason 2 The testimony of no Author humane or divine is farther to be approued then as it agreeth with the grouÌ„ds of right reason 3 The holy Scriptures doe declare the greatest mysteryes of godlinesse by arguments and reasons 4 The Law the Gospell are founded vpon most forcible reasons yea the permission by God of the fall of Adam being the occasion of the strange meanes of man's recovery which is opened in the Gospell is grounded vpon most forcible reasons 5 The Professors of euery Religion alleage reasons for the iustifying of their severall devotions 6 The soundnes substance as it were the very quintessence of all divine reason is most plentifully to be found in the Canonicall Scriptures 7 No truth in Philosophy is contrary to any truth in Divinity 8 Testimonies may bee taken out of Philosophy to giue witnes vnto truths in Divinity reasons may be produced out of the booke of Nature to cleare the doctrines of the booke of Grace 9 Where there is no reason that may perswade to faith there ordinarily is no faith 10 Where there is a clearer apprehension of the reasons that perswade to faith there is a more setled assent a more strong faith 11 The doctrines of faith and godlines are often repeated the reasons that perswade thereunto are vrged and inculcated againe and againe in the bookes of the old new testament that we may thereby vnderstand that the clearer and fuller apprehension of them doth beget a clearer and fuller faith 12 We may by supernaturall reason ascend aboue the reach of naturall reason 13 That faith is not the best and strongest that hath the lesse number of reasons and the lesse perspicuous arguments to stay it vp but rather that which hath the greater number and the more perspicuous WHereas the Word of God profiteth not vnlesse it bee Heb. 4. 2 mingled with Faith that is vnlesse it being rightly vnderstood procure a wise and a settled assent it standeth all in hand to seeke out the true meanes whereby they may come to the right vnderstanding thereof if that they desire to reape any benefit thereby The truth is that the Prophets Apostles and Euangelists being the Lord's Secretaries or Registers to set down in writing all diuine and heauenly doctrines necessary to saluation were instructed by the immediate revelation of the Spirit of God that so they might be freed therin from all errour But for any other person to challenge the same priuiledge were but a phantasticall and an Anabaptisticall illusion For euen the Bishop of Rome himselfe who is magnified by his followers as the only man that hath all diuine and humane Lawes locked vp in his brest and is by them accounted the only vnerring Interpreter of holy Scripture and the infallible Iudge of the right sense and meaning thereof yet is by his chiefest Vpholders restrained to the meanes without the which he must not looke to attaine to the right and true vnderstanding thereof The high Bishop saith Bellarmine must not expect revelations but vse Bellar. de concil l. 1. c. 11. Canus locor theolog l. 5. c. 5. ordinary meanes For as Canus affirmeth the holy Writers only set downe Catholick doctrines by the immediate revelation and inspiration of God and therefore needed not outward helpes thereunto Whereas it behoueth Bishops to vse the ordinary course by weighing of reasons and by imploying their diligence Yea Cameracensis
and when they had done neither good nor euill that the purpose of God might remaine according to election not by workes but by him that calleth it was said vnto her The Elder shall serue the younger as it is written I haue loued Iacob and hated Esau Whereby it is euident that our election doth not depend vpon fore seene Eph. 1. 4. workes but vpon the free mercy of Christ QVEST. XXXV A true sauing faith is not seated in that soule where Infidelity raigneth or any other sinne A true sauing faith being an infused habite a principall Arguments drawen from such things as are contrary grace and a singular fruit of Gods most holy Spirit doth neuer sort her selfe but with her princely Peeres shee neuer ioyneth hands with Infidelity or any other her associates which are the corrupt fruits of the impure flesh For What fellowship 2 Cor. 6. 14. hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse What communion hath light with darkenesse What concord hath Christ with Beliall What part hath a Beleeuer with an Infidell So much more may we say what part hath faith with Infidelity or with any other raigning sinne For these are not onely so vnequall but also so contrary each to other that they cannot be mated and matched together Yee cannot saith our Sauiour Christ serue God and Matth. 6. 24. 1 Cor. 10. 21. Mammon Yee cannot saith the Apostle be pertakers of the Table of the Lord and of the table of Diuels The true sauing faith is not an idle fancy but worketh by loue It is not fruitlesse Gal. 5. 6. and dead but fruitfull and liuing and producing the operations of a spirituall life For if all things obey humane wisedome Iam. 2. 22. if a wise man frame to himselfe his owne estate if hee domineer ouer the influences of the starres if he ouer-rule his owne vnruly affections and ouer-master his owne masterlesse lusts then surely as powerfull and actiue is the true Christian faith which rightly may be called and is indeed an heauenly wisedome Now a sauing faith or heauenly wisedome is pure Iac. 3. 17. peaceable gentle easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruit and therefore is not seated in that soule where Infidelity raigneth or any other sinnes which pollute the soule wherein they are seated and filleth it with all euill fruit QVEST. XXXVI Iustification and Saluation are not of workes neither can they be deserued by them Grace and merit fauour and desert are so contrary each to Rom. 4. 4. 11. 6. Eph. 2. 8. Audigratis tace de meritis Primas in Ep. ad Rom. cap. 3. Bern. in Cant. Ser. 17. Aug. in praefatione in Ps 31. other that whereas Iustification and Saluation proceed from free Grace and Fauour therefore the Apostle in diuers places inferreth that they cannot proceed from the merits of our owne workes So Primasius when thou hearest grace named make no mention at all of merits For as Bernard saith there is no meanes for grace to enter where merit hath taken the possession And therefore as Saint Austin admonisheth if thou wilt needs be estranged from grace then boast thou of thy merits And this inference they had learned of the Apostle who telleth the Galathians that as many as would ioyne the workes of the Law to the grace of Christ in the matter of Iustification They were abolished from Christ and fallen from Gal. 5. 4. grace Yea if we had not sinned but continued in our innocency and had kept all the Commandements of God whereunto God had bound himselfe by his promise to render the reward of eternall life yet in confidence of the merit of our workes we could not haue said rightly vnto the Lord Pay that thou Aug. in Ps 83. Aug. de verb. Apost Ser. 15. owest but performe that which thou hast promised For as the same Father saith God hath not made himselfe a debtor to vs by receiuing any thing froÌ„ vs but by promising vs that which best pleased himselfe But now since our best actions are so stayned by some sinister respect or other in the doing of them that as Gregory saith euen an holy man doth see his Greg. in Ioh. l. 9. c. 1. very vertuous workes to be vicious if they come to be scanned by a iust Iudge then they are so farre off from deseruing of any reward at Gods hands much lesse of Iustification and Saluation that rather in strict Iustice they merit condemnation For so Saint Austin is bold to pronounce of them Woe Aug. confess lib. 9. cap. 13. worth the commendable life of man if thou Iudge it without mercy In what a wofull case then are all proud Papists which will not be iustified and saued but by the merit of their owne workes seeing thereby they be abolished from Christ and are fallen from grace and from the fruit and benefit of both QVEST. XXXVII The naturall man hath no free will to that which is religiously good By nature we are all spiritually dead in trespasses and sinnes Arguments drawne from that which is opposite priuatiuely Ephes 2. 1. And therefore as a man that is bodily dead is able to performe no action that belongeth to a naturall life so cannot we performe any action that belongeth to a spirituall and supernaturall life vntill we be quickned and raised vp againe by the Spirit of Christ We are now all by nature depriued of all Rom. 5. 6. spirituall power and strength We are not sufficient of our selues to thinke any good thing as of our selues Much lesse to will or 2 Cor. 3. 5. to worke any such thing We are saith one Prophet foolish Ier. 4. 22. children and haue no vnderstanding we are wise to doe euill but to doe will we haue no knowledge We are now all by nature the Gal. 4. 25. children of the bond woman and not of the free The time was when in Adam we had all freedome of will to make choice either of good or euill but since that in him we made choice of that which was euill we are so hardned therein and in such Rom. 6. 20. bondage and slauery to our corrupt lusts that we haue no inclination at all or free motion vnto righteousnesse For as Aug. de correp grat c. 13. Austin saith our will as it is now by nature free and not made free by grace is free from righteousnesse only in bondage to sin For liberty without race as the same Father teacheth Aug. Ep. 89. is not liberty but contumacy that is a wilfull obstinacy in that onely which is euill QVEST. XXXVIII No religious worship or seruice is to be giuen to any Angell or Saint Let not saith Saint Austin the worship of the dead be Arguments drawen from such things as depend vpâ—n relation Aug. de Vera Reâ—ig c 55 Aug contra Faust Manich. lib. 23. c. 21. Synod MoguÌ„t c. 46. vnto vs a matter of Religion For
vnder the grace of Christ for the effecting of this so worthy a worke And verily as the ignorance of the powerfull truths of the Gospell breedeth folly and folly leadeth into all iniquity and Eccl. 7. 27. is the porter that openeth the doore to all impiety so the true knowledge of the mysteries of godlines breedeth wisedome 2 Tim. 3. 15. wisedome deliuereth from the euill way and from the man that speaketh froward things and from them that leaue the Prov. 2. 10. wayes of righteousnes to walke in the wayes of darknes and so is an entrance and portall to piety and to all other diuine Prov. 4. 7. vertues So then in the worke of regeneration deliuerance from the being and bondage of sinne both the saithfull teacher of 1 Cor. 3. 9. 2 Cor. 6. 1 Phil. 2. 12. the Gospell and hearer also are co-workers with God and yet hereof they are not to be proud For what hast thou that 1 Cor. 4. 7 thou hast not receiued And if thou hast receiued it why gloriest thou as if thou hadst not receiued it Of our selues we are dead in our sinnes and altogether vnable to moue our selues to the working out of Faith and an holy life but are meerely passiue Eph 2. 1. Rom. 5. 6 in our spirituall resurrection vntill God by his Spirit put good thoughts into our mindes and holy desires into our hearts yet then we our selues beginne to thinke well and to desire that which is good albeit not of our selues but by the gracious working of God's most holy Spirit By the grace of God saith the Apostle I am that I am and his grace which is in me was not in vaine but I laboured more abundantly then 1 Cor. 15. 10. they all yet not I but the grace of God which is with me I laboured saith the Apostle more abundantly then they all in working out the worke of the saluation of many but yet not I as of my selfe or by any naturall power that was in me but by the worke of the grace of God which was with me For so he doth declare his meaning to be in the third chapter of his second Epistle where for that some among them called in question the truth of his Apostleship hee boldly auoucheth that their regeneration and conversion to God wrought by his ministery but by the power of Christ was a most euident demonstration thereof Such trust saith hee haue wee through Christ to God not that we are sufficient of our selues to thâ—nke any thing belonging to the worke of our owne saluation or to the saluation of any other as of our selues but 2 Cor. 3. 5 our sufficiency is of God The Faithfull then must haue an holy minde and an holy will before they can be the holy ones of God yet it is neither of these that they haue of themselues but of the pâ—werfull grace of God We will saith S. Austin but it is God that worketh in vs to will we worke but it is God that Aug. de gratiae libero arâ— c. 16 worketh in vs to worke and that of his owne good will Thus to beleeue and to professe is behâ—ofull and expedient for vs this is according to godlines and truth that an humble and lowly confession be made by vs and that all be giuen and ascribâ—d to God seeing our life is in greater security when we ascribe all to God and doe not commit our selues in part to our selues and in part to God So then it is a most certain truth that in our regeneration and deliuerance from the being and bondage of sinne it is God that worketh in vs euery good thought word and worke and also that herein we our selues are co-workers with God as it may appeare by this euen for that this worke proceedeth after so slow and slacke a manner Adam indeed was made perfectly holy and righteous and that in a moment euen at his first being and existing because the Lord Almighty and all-sufficient wrought himselfe and by himselfe that holinesse and righteousnesse that was in him but now the Faithfull are herein ioint-workers with God and therefore this worke goeth forward slowly because of the small measure of grace that is giuen to them the great power of the remnants of their inbred corruptions which continually striue against the worke of grace and hinder greatly the proceedings thereof The faithfull in diuers places of Scriptures are compared to starres in respect of their profitable and fruitfull vses but may they not also be likened vnto them in respect of their manifold imperfections and aberrations Their proper motions are but slow yea some of them very slow For some of them finish â—heir course in a yeare one in two yeare one in twelue yeare one in thirty yeare and all that be fixed in the fitmament in forty nine thousand yeares Neither keep they their right course always vnder the Ecliptick line but somtimes turne to one side thereof sometimes to the other neither are these their courses still direct and forward but also sometimes retrograde and backward in their cycles epcicycles towards their apogeïon and towards their perigeïon giuing sometimes a cheerefull aspect and sometimes an opposite and disastrous stowne So is it with the faithfull they are slow in the entire accomplishing of any one holy motion yet the motions of all the powers of their soules and bodies will not be made perfite vntill the glorious commâ—ng of Christ vnto iudgement Verily while they liue here in this world they follow not continually the streight course of Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse vnder the Eclipticke line of his holy Word but somettimes they turne to one side and sometimes to the other neither doe they alwayes keep a direct course and goe on forward in the way of godlines but sometimes they are retrograde and goe backward and sometimes running in a maze being doubtfull and vncertaine which way to take sometimes they are in their apogeion and sometimes in their perigeïon that is sometimes they are lifted vp with heauenly meditations and sometimes pressed downe with earthly cares and sometimes they giue a cheerefull aspect to the good proceedings of others and somtimes they become their cleane opposites and cast vpon them a disastrous frowne Wherefore it behooueth the faithfull to giue all diligence to worke out their saluation not only with hearts trembling at their owne imperfections but also by being fearefull to ascribe to themselues the glory of willing or working any thing that is good seeing as the Apostle adioyneth it is God that worketh Phil. 2. 13. in you the will and the deed and that of his own goodwill And yet they themselues must vnderstand desire and accomplish that which belongeth to the honour of God and to their owne and the Churches good if they will be the accepted seruants of God The Church of Rome doth lay this as an hainous offence vnto our charge that
barely and onely in the booke of the Canonicall Scriptures deliuer the seuerall doctrines of all diuine vereties giuing testimony to each of them but once by the pen of one of his vnerring Secretaries seeing when God speaketh any thing albeit it be but once we ought Chrys aduersus vituperatores monasticae vitae to receiue it with all assurance as if it had beene spoken often times For although when humane testimonies are required in the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word must be established and to him that bringeth not a sufficient number 1 Tim 6. 19. of deponents it is by strict law as if he had brought none yet for that God is true and cannot lie nor beare witnesse to any falshood or vntruth or command any thing that is vnrighteous or vniust therefore in his word which is the infallible foundation of truth if he giue testimony to any thing but once vnder the hand of one of his faithfull registers it is as sufficient as if he had testified the same by them all For if Pythagoras his he said it was enough to his scholers for that he was a most learned and wise Philosopher and the Ipse dixit Centurions come goe and doe this was sufficient to his souldiers Matth. 8. 9. and seruants for that he was a most conscionable Commander yea if the Kings witnesse my selfe be a full warrant Teste meipso to all his grants because of his supereminent power and authority then much more the he said it of the most high God ought to be sufficient to his disciples and all that be of his schoole and the come goe and doe this of the most righteous Commander and Iudge of the whole world ought to be enough to worke a most ready and speedy obedience in all his true and faithfull seruants and the witnesse my selfe of the King of kings and Lord of lords ought to be taken as a most full warrant to all his grants by all his loyall and faithfull subiects Wherefore herein we may behold the strange proceeding of our most great and glorious God remitting after a sort his owne right and submitting himselfe in his great goodnesse to our weaknesse and in his high and endlesse wisdome prouiding a gracious remedy for our infirmity For because we are blinde to conceiue and slow to beleeue and hard to learne and ready to forget the holy mysteries of piety and godlines therefore the Lord hath caused not onely doctrines and reasons and arguments to be set downe at once in the booke of the diuine Scriptures but he hath made them to be reitterated againe and againe that thereby they may become lights to our vnderstanding stayes to our faith and helps to our fraile and weake memory So that albeit we are by nature neuer so dull and blockish yet the same lessons being often repeated and opened and cleered againe and againe we shall be thereby enabled by Gods blessing sufficiently to conceiue and faithfully keepe them in good remembrance Pharaohs dreames were Gen. 41. 32. doubled vnto him that the thing opened therein might get of him the better credit so the instructions of faith and an holy life are doubled and trebled in holy Scripture that they might procure of vs a fuller faith So and so good is our gracious God vnto vs which are so and so vnworthy of the least of his mercies that as he hath stored the earth with great variety of bodily food and physicke for the preseruing and recouering of the life health of our bodies so he hath prouided in the Scriptures great abundance of spirituall food and physicke for the maintenance and restitution of the life and health of our soules One kinde of bodily food and one kinde of dressing doth not sauour alike to euery stomacke and therefore God hath prouided variety of both so one motiue to faith and repentance nor the deliuery thereof after one manner doth fit euery ones spirituall taste and stomacke therefore hath the Lord ordained great abundance of both Yea as the Lord gaue sundry signes and wonders to be done by the hands of his seruant Moses before the eies of the children of Israel that therby they Exod. 4. 8. might vnderstand that he was called sent of God to be their deliuerer out of the bondage of Aegypt that to this very end and purpose that if they would not beleeue nor obey the voice of the first signe yet they might be induced thereto either by the second or the third So doth the Lord furnish the Preachers of the Gospell whom he hath appointed to bee ministers of his mercy for the deliuerance of his people out of the spirituall captiuity of sinne and Satan with great variety of forcible and powerfull motiues and perswasions to repentance and faith that if some of the same will not worke and preuaile with them yet other may For the which purpose also he hath caused the mysteries of godlinesse to be set downe not onely in common and vsuall phrases but also in Metaphores and Allegories and hath lightned them with similitudes and resemblances apparent and manifest to the most simple So the Apostle teacheth that the 1 Cor 15 36. dead shall rise to life and glory by the resemblance of seed that after a sort rotteth and death in the ground before it springeth vp and groweth to maturity and ripenesse So elsewhere he prooueth the vnprofitablenesse of speaking in an vnknowne 1 Cor. 14. 1. tongue by the trumpet which if it giue an vncertaine sound none shall be prepared to the warre and by some oâ—her the like things So he likewise proueth that the faithfull ought not to seeke for life and saluation by the works of the Law seeing Gal. 3. 15. God hath couenanted to giue it to them in Christ Iesus seeing to a mans couenant or testament when it is once made nothing ought to be added or detracted from the same much lesse to the Couenant of God So our Sauiour teacheth that they are Matth. 13. 23. the holy doctrines of his good and gratious Word that causeth our hearts to be good and gracious euen as it is pure and good feed that maketh the ground bring forth pure and good fruit And verily our blessed Sauiour did illustrate with parables all Matth. 13. 34 his diuine instructions which he gaue vnto the people as being the best meanes to bring them to the knowledge of the truth and to their euerlasting saluation which is procured thereby For as our Sauiour himselfe speaking thereof saith if I teach Iohn 3. you earthly things that is heauenly doctrines by earthly similitudes and ye beleeue not how should ye beleeue if I tell you of heauenly things that is after an high and heauenly manner It is impossible saith Saint Denis that the diuine beame Dioâ— de coeles hierar l. 1. cap. 1. should shine vnto vs but vnder the variety of sacred couerings
Apostle The Law saith he saith sinne not at all and thou needest not at all feare not the graue but hell the prison appointed for the punishment of sinne and fulfill all righteousnesse and thou needest not to doubt of thy comming to heauen where righteousnesse dwelleth and raigneth for euer But the righteousnes performed for vs by Christ obtained by faith saith No more doubt of thine ascension into heauen then of Christs ascension nor of thy deliuerance from hell then of Christs deliuerance seeing whatsoeuer Christ hath done he hath done it for them that are vnited vnto him by a true faith and thereby haue full interest both in his sufferings and in his righteousnesse which he hath endured and performed for them Now then let me demand of any faithfull man what greater assurance he can haue of his ascension into heauen then the ascension of Christ who ascended thither there to prepare a place for all his as he himselfe plainely testifieth Ioh 14. 2. So vpon the like consequence may it also be demaunded what greater assurance can a faithfull man haue for his deliuerance from hell then this that Christ being in hell before the grand executioner of the Lords vengeance for sinne in the prison that was ordayned for those debtors that were no way able to make satisfaction that Christ I say that was made sinne for vs and our surety and a debter in our roome was deliuered from thence what stronger assurance I say can there possibly be to all the faithfull for the cleare discharge of all their debts and the full satisfaction for all their sinnes and their most certaine deliuerance both from the place and also from all the torments of hell Verily that reuerend man Mr. Perkins is of this iudgement as he hath deliuered in the exposition of the Creed that there cannot be any stronger euidence giuen vnto the faithfull to assure them of their deliuerance from hell then this that Iesus the Sonne of the Virgin Mary that went downe into the place of the damned returned after this death from thence to liue in all heauenly happinesse for euer Obiect 1. But saith he I cannot be of that opinion that Christ locally in soule descended into hell seeing the Euangelists who set downe the whole history of his sufferings and actions make no mention of any such thing Solut. I might answere that whereas an history is a relation of things visible and seene therefore as Moses in the history of the creation made no mention of the creation of Angels being a thing not to be seene so the Euangelists in the history of the redemption might make no mention of the locall descending of the soule of Christ into hell and yet both these are most certaine truths But we may rather resolue that both our Sauiour Christ being well witting to the weaknesse of the faith of his dearest seruants would not omit the performance of that action that he knew to be most auaileable to the confirmation thereof nor the Prophets Apostles and Euangelists the relation of the same in their Canonicall writings For doth not the Prophet Dauid making mention of Christs resurrection auouch that his soule was not left in hell the receptacle of soules as well as that his body was not left in the graue being the place appointed for bodies subiect to corruption And doth not the Apostle Saint Peter teaching the same truth alleadge the same place of the Psalmist for the confirmation thereof Psal 16. 10. Act. 2. 27. For albeit it belongeth to the body properly to arise yet that there may be a resurrection of any dead person from death to life the soule departed must also be brought from the place whither it was before conueyed and placed againe in the body or else there can be no resurrection thereof to life Wherefore the Apostle to proue the truth of our Sauiours resurrection sheweth out of the Prophet that as his body was raised out of the place of corruption so his soule was not left in hell but brought backe againe from thence that his resurrection might be wrought thereby For Nephesh properly and principally signifying the soule why should it not be so taken in this place where there Analogum per se positum flat pro famosiori significatione is nothing to restraine it to a signification that is lesse proper And specially seeing the Apostle Saint Peter who well knew the meaning of the Prophet and was to expound him in a plaine manner for all the New Testament is but a plainer explication of the doctrines that were before deliuered more darkly in the Old interpreteth Nephesh not by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not by person body or dead body but by soule Act. 2. 27. Obiect 2. But it is auouched that Christs soule was presently vpon his death carried vp into heauen and therefore could not descend into hell because Christ saith to the penitent theife To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Luc. 23. 43. Solut. I answere that our Creed teacheth vs that Christ dyed and then when he was dead and his soule was departed out of his Body what became of them both viz. that his Body was buried and that his soule descended into hell And now must this plaine Article be inuerted both in words and in sense and we willed to belieue that at that very time he ascended into heauen when our Creed saith that he descended into hell But some will say doth not our Sauiour say to the thiefe To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise With me therefore with my soule How followeth that The inference rather should be this With me therefore with my Diuine Nature Seeing the principall Denominatio sequitur principalem partem part giueth the name and not the lesse principall And especially whereas concerning the humane nature of Christ he himselfe after this time wherein these words were spoken testifyeth saying I haue not as yet ascended to my Father Ioh. 20. 17. Moreouer how should our blessed Sauiour haue so fitly parallel'd his type Ionah who was both in body and soule in the belly of the Whale if he had not beene after the same manner as well in soule as in body in the belly of hell and in the bowels of the earth Matth. 12. 40. Obiect 3. Now if it be further obiected that our Sauiour needed not in soule to descend into hell seeing all things belonging to mans saluation were finished by him when he hanged on the Crosse Solut. the answere is that when our blessed Sauiour spake these words all things are finished all his very sufferings were not then ended For he was not then dead nor buried nor had continued three dayes and three nights in the bowels of the earth in the state of a dead man Besides the circumstance of the place doth plainly conuince that