the reason for Bellarmine himselfe in the verie next chapter is of a contrarie opinion vnto that which M. Doctour deriueth generally vpon the Papists What pietie then or humanitie was in this preposterous deuice The Answerer I will tell you euen with that pietie which truth it selfe did challenge of my conscience and which your humanitie I hope will easily acknowledge after that I haue informed your ignorance what among the Romanists is the most common opinion Feu-ardentius you know deliuering the Romish meaning of this Article held that Christs soule went not into the place of the damned but onely vnto the place which is called sinus Abrahae the bosome of Abraham and is commonly termed Limbus Patrum where say they the soules of Patriarcks were detained vntill Christ his ascension into heauen But Cardinall Bellarmine held thus At probabile profectò est c. That is It is probable that his soule descended through all the parts of hell both because the Scriptures do not otherwise distinguish and because S. Augustine Fulgentius Ambrose Eusebius Emissenus Nyssenus and Cyrill do signifie as much You now aske me why I did pretermit this opinion of Bellarmine and suggest the other of Feu-ardentius my reason was because the opinioÌ„ propouÌ„ded by Feu-ardentius is the more common as may appeare by Salmeron and other Iesuits saying Ad Limbum Patrum reipsa descendit ad damnatos per effectum that is Christ went downe into the Limbus Patrum in deed but onely vertually or by the effects thereof vnto the place of the damned O but Bellarmine himselfe say you is of a contrarie opinion Take heed what you say he is of a contrary opinion he was indeed but now he is not because euen Bellarmine himself hath lately retracted that his former opinion and is become contrarie vnto himselfe in these expresse words Re mâ—lius consideratâ c. that is after that I had better aduised of the matter I resolued to follow the iudgement of Thomas wherein other Schoolemen do consent Do you not perceiue how wisely your great Bellarmine had considered of so many testimonies of Fathers whence he concluded his probabile est with a profectò for his former opinion Do you not also see how he reclaimeth himselfe and accordeth vnto the common opinion whch I proposed from Feu-ardentius to be the ordinary tenet of the Romish faith Faithlesse therefore had I bene in setting downe the doctrine of your Church if I had obiected a priuate opinion in stead of a common Whereby it is euident that I haue not bene preposterous but you I forbeare to giue you your due peruerse For you confesse that the different iudgements of Bellarmine and Feu-ardentius were both by me expresly set downe so that you could not iustly interprete the word you to signifie you all Is this the man that cried Alas c. weepe not for me but weep for your selfe who if I had bene so vnconscionable as to coÌ„mit a sleight meant by this knacke to be euen with me and yet calleth his collusion a faithfull conuiction But God forgiue him this also I returne vnto that Article This being the doctrine of your Church I will make bold to inquire Whether the sence of the Article of Christs descent now commonly maintained in the Romish Church doth stand vpon any sound foundation T. H. SECONDLY that your difference is in the substantiall sence and meaning of this article but our difference is a scholasticall disceptation in a matter of greater or lesser probabilitie which being a doubt not resolued by the Church may be indifferently accepted by her children without breach of charitie or violation of faith The Answer The place which the Romanists assigne vnto the reall presence of Christ in his descension into hell is onely that Limbus Patrum which they call Abrahams bosome which place Tertullian calleth sublimiorem inferis that is higher then hell Other Fathers might be alledged but because M. Higgons dependeth principally vpon S. Augustine let vs heare him for in his time this opinion of assigning the place of Abrahams bosome vnto a part of hell had some suggestors but I confesse saith S. Augustine that I haue not found that place called hell wherein the soules of the Patriarks did rest And then he reasoneth thus We reade saith he of a great gulfe or distance set betweene the place of torment and Abrahams bosome and many obserue that when mention is there made of hell it is not applied vnto the rest of Lazarus but vnto the punishment of Diues Therefore as I haue said I haue sought and yet search and cannot find in all the Canonical Scripture that hell is takeÌ„ for any place of well-being But who will say that the place of rest wherein the Patriarks were was not good The Argument which was necessarily deduced from this doctrine of S. Augustine is this They who beleeued that Christs soule descended onely into the place of the soules of the Patriarks called AbrahaÌ„s bosome or Limbus PatruÌ„ do not beleeue the descending of Christ into the reall hell But the common and almost vniuersall doctrine of the Romish Church at this day is to beleeue that the soule of Christ went only vnto that Limbus Ergo by the iudgement of S. Augustine they hold not the reall descent of Christ into hell And can you yeelding vnto S. Augustine call your now common exposition no violation of faith The differences of opinions thus standing I adde A determination of this question concerning Christ his descending into Hell whereunto our Aduersaries are compellable to accord I can truly say with M. Higgons that the difficultie of this Article did not a little perplexe me to heare of such differences of sences not onely among Protestants whom he hath noted but also among the Romanists some of our Aduersaries holding this descension of Christ to be vertuall onely and not personall and among these who defend the personall some to beleeue his presence in the reall hell and the most to fancie onely such a Limbus which hath bene proued to be no part of hell And againe concerning the Romish sence of this Article some of themselues doubting whether it be an Apostolicall Tradition and some affirming that it is not proued by Scriptures And finally not to vrge the Councell of Trent other Catechismes which haue singled out that forme of Creed as the onely foundation of faith in all Churches wherin this Article is awanting their owne most accomplished Iesuite Suarez to account it an Article of no such absolute necessitie I thought it necessarie to diue deeper into this mystery as God should enable me in some sort to compose the distractions of all parts which do arise from the fore-said differences of expositions so farre as otherwise they are consonant vnto Scriptures by conceiuing that our Aduersaries if they wil religiously acquit themselues must grant that notwithstanding all these diuersities of sences attributed vnto this
matter T. H. 2 This position with me is an impregnable bulwarke of my Religion viz. Whosoeuer doth pertinaciously reiect any point of faith accepted by publike consent of the CATHOLICKE Church he is an HERETICKE and no member of her communion For which consideration I am as tenderly affected in this article as in any other of my Creede esteeming my selfe obliged thereunto for two respects FIRST because the essentiall truth thereof is clearely reuealed vnto me by God both in his word written and by Apostolicall Tradition In his word written for what can be more perspicuous then this saying Thou wilt not leaue my soule in hel c. By Apostolicall Tradition for what can be more plaine then this Article He descended in hell 3 SECONDLY I am moued by the authoritie of the Church For who saith Augustine denieth that Christ descended into hell vnlesse he be an INFIDELL And for the sence of this Article he hath this cleare resolution Who is he that was not left in hell Christ Iesus but in his SOVLE onely Who is he that lay in the graue Christ Iesus but in his FLESH onely For the NATVRALL vnion of his bodie and soule was dissolued but not the HYPOSTATICALL vnion of either with his Person 4 This truth being so patent and perspicuous I aske you now what reason haue you for any part of your faith if you haue not assurance in this And if you fall from this what certaintie haue you in any other point Therefore it importeth your Church to shew a due conformitie in this Article of the Creed Finally you may remember that S. Athanasius in his Creed which your Church pretendeth to admit throughly c. hauing premised this denuntiation Whosoeuer keepeth not the Catholicke faith entire and inuiolate without doubt he shall perish euerlastingly doth afterward subnect this Article of Christ his descent into hell as parcell of that CATHOLICKE faith The Answer No man may iustly discommend M. Hiogons resolution if he can make good all that he professeth The heads be three the first is the equall necessitie of this Article with any other and secondly the equall euidence for the proofe hereof and lastly a generall conformitie of profession herein For the weight and necessitie he pretendeth to be as tenderly affected in this Article is in any other I would willingly beleeue him but that in my booke of Apologie in the same Chapter from whence he now maketh his obiection I propounded the iudgement of their learned Professor and Iesuite Suarez who determined this question in these words There followeth saith he a doubt whether the truth of Christ his descent into hell be not onely a matter to be beleeued but also an article of faith the reason hereof is this because it was not in the Nicene Creed nor set downe by the Apostles and because the Fathers as namely Augustine Tertullian Irenaeus Origen haue omitted it in their expositions of the Creed I answer saith he that it is not altogether certaine that the Apostles added this Article if by an Article of faith we vnderstand a truth which all faithfull men are bound explicitly to know and beleeue I thinke it not necessarie to reckon this among the Articles of faith because it is not a matter altogether so necessarie for all men and for this cause peraduenture it was omitted in the Nicene Creed the knowledge of which Creed may seeme to be sufficient for the fulfilling the precept of faith This resolution M. Higgons doubtlesse there saw wherein an ods of necessary vse of this article is professed by your eminent Iesuit Schoolemā and yet doth our yong Antagonist exact an equall necessity of this with any other Article The equall euidence of this Article is the second point wherein he doth insist requiring as good an assurance and certaintie for this as for any other point accounting it an essentiall truth clearely reuealed vnto him by God both by Apostolicall Tradition and by the word written and by custome of the Church as though he had obserued a certaintie hereof among the Romanists which he could not finde among Protestants not vnderstanding that their foresaid Iesuite hath said concerning his first hold that it is not certaine that the Apostles added this Article And as for the Scriptures which they produce for the proofe of the Romish sence thereof the same Suarez saith some Catholicks so expound these Scriptures as destroying and denying this Article and of the Article it selfe their Iesuite Salmeron durst pronounce saying We doubt not that this article is not so euidently declared in Scriptures as the other Articles are which concerne the humanitie of Christ insomuch that Scotus and Durand thought as he saith that it could not be proued out of Scriptures and yet their nouice M. Higgons presumed that all Romanists held it as most perspicuously deliuered in Scriptures As for his ground taken from the testimonie of S. Augustine this wil proue maruellously preiudicial to the Romish sence The last point which he professeth is conformitie in this Article of the Creed whereby he would be thought to auouch their owne consent herein notwithstanding he knew that among their Romanists there hath bene broached these differences one saying that Christs descent into hell was onely vertuall and not personall the second sort of them who held a personal descent but some applying it vnto the reall hell of the damned others onely vnto a Limbus Patrum which wil be proued out of S. Augustine to be no part of hell As yet the Romanists affoord vs neither an absolute necessity of the Article nor euidēce of their sence either from Apostolicall tradition or from perspicuous places of Scriptures nor yet entertaine among themselues a conformitie of consent So that as yet we cannot perswade our selues of M. Higgons equall tendernesse of affection in this behalfe but now concerning my selfe T. H. His Accusation §. 2. D. Mortons pretence of his Churches vnity in this point is clearely refuted NOw see your Doctors syncerity who may cal God to reuenge it vpon his soule if he deceiue any man with his knowledge First he citeth the opinion of Bellarmine in these words Opinio Catholica haec est CHRISTVM VERE SECVNDVM ESSENTIAM FVISSE IN INFERNO As much as to say Christ in his soule substantially did descend into hell Then he addeth Hanc vestram sententiam NOS quoque iuxtà cum Augustana confessione libentissimè profitemur non tamen quatenus vestram sed quatenus veram We also together with the Augustane confession do most willingly professe this opinion c. It is well that he left out the Scottish French Belgian and Heluetian confessions for he knoweth that the true Caluinists are hereticks in this behalfe The Answerers Iustification I concealed not the different expositions of some other Protestants who notwithstanding are no more guiltie of heresie in this point then are the Romanists as will appeare But
Article yet both sides generally do hold that which is most necessarie to saluation and meerely fundamentall herein because whatsoeuer belongeth vnto such the foundation of faith from the time of Christ his passion vnto his resurrection consisteth in these two points the truth of his death and passion the power thereof now to explane my purpose somewhat more particularly The burial of Christ in the graue was for the auouching and ratifying of the truth of his death and resurrection Suppose we now that some Christian had not the perfect reuelation of this article of Christs burial in the graue and should notwithstanding beleeue the truth of his death and resurrection with the powerfull effect of both should he not be thought to be a fundamental Christian and though not literally yet sauingly to beleeue his buriall seeing the reason of the buriall of Christ in the graue was as I said before to verifie the certaintie of his death prouing it to haue bene true and not phantasticall Not that the Article of his buriall being now so euidently reuealed is not necessarily to be beleeued farre be it from vs thus to conceiue but onely supposing that there were no better euidences for this Article then such as our Aduersaries haue for proofe of their sence in the other which as some principall Doctors among them haue confessed is not euident by Scriptures nor yet consonantly agreed vpon in their Church Now then the power which any ascribeth vnto his descension is either Christs triumph ouer hell or his deliuerance of souls from hell For his triumph euery intelligent Christian will say that as soone as it was reuealed that Christ had consummated his glorious worke of our Redemption all the powers of hell were at their last gaspe As for the deliuerance of soules from hell euerie one doth likewise beleeue professe that there is no redemption whatsoeuer of any from hell but it is wrought by the vertue of the same Death of Christ either by subuention as the Romanists hold which is by deliuering souls from hell wherein before Christs death Patriarks and holy men were imprisoned or else as the Protestants teach by preuention that is which maketh more for the glorie of his power and grace in preuenting the soules of his faithfull that they should not come into hell euen by that power of his death he being the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world whereby he freed the same Patriarks and all his elect that they should neuer suffer the eternall paines of hell according to the beleefe of all Christians in the world This foundation of faith thus standing in the beleefe of all Christan professors the Romanists notwithstanding all the forenamed different sences are chargeable to acknowledge in both sides an accordance in that which is absolutely necessarie essential in this point of Christian faith except they will plunge themselues into the gulfe of doubtfulnesse and distraction T. H. Thus I haue giuen you a little signification of those many vntruths which I haue obserued in this Doctor If it consist not with his credit or profit to yeeld yet it concerneth you to beware of his Sirenicall incantations Your benefit shall be my reward if not so yet this schedule may be a token of my loue and be you well assured that either by following my counsell TRIE BEFORE YOV TRVST you shall preuent an heauie doome or by neglecting it you shall increase your iudgement The Answer Nay but these are not all the inditements which you prosecute against me for you haue inserted in your booke another taxation * The Doctor say you is pleased to colour and cloake the exposition of Lombard with the name of Ambrose and for this purpose frameth this quotation in the margent ex Ambrosio c. If in the margent of Lombard there be not quoted Ambrosius directly ouer this place or if any one in reading that place could haue otherwise vnderstood it then will I acknowledge my selfe guiltie of all the imputations which M. Higgons hath deuolued vpon me by whose reproofe I am admonished not to beleeue their owne Lombard who was Master of the Romish Schoole in his marginall allegation of Fathers But I hold him in better regard and therefore thinke that although the testimonie alledged be not found in Ambrose vpon the 11. Chap. ad Rom yet for Lombard nameth no place that it is extant in him else-where Thus we see that M. Higgons among moe then twenty plaine calumniations and slanders whereof I conuicted Cardinall Bellarmine could instance but in one for iustification of that Doctor whereby appeareth his partialitie in swallowing of Camels and straining out Gnats Againe out of many hundreds of testimonies wherin I manifested the irkesome contradictions of our Romish Aduersaries among themselues therby the confirmation of our Religion in the chiefe controuersies he hath taken exception vnto these silly few whereby to aduance his clamorous insultation and notwithstanding bewrayeth in his proofes as hath bene shewne more will then wit and yet more wit then good conscience Of whom I may as well challenge according to his promise a satisfaction as I may not expect it I wish that he may conscionably satisfie himselfe and pray the Father of all mercie not to charge him with any wrong done against me but to illuminate his heart and fashion it vnto the obedience of the Apostolike faith Amen * 1. Cor. 1. 2. * Act. 17. 11. * Gen. 3. 1. v. 36. 37. * 1. Thess 5. 21. a See before pag. 147. b Ibid. pag. 99. c Defens Bellarm. pag. 435. a Sibrandus Lubbertus in his Replication against that cited booke of Gretzer b The same Lubbertus with his own hand Galat. 4. 12. c Dixi quidē hoc verumtamen poenitet me sic illie nominasse fortunam cū videam homines habere in pessima cōsuetudine vbi dici debet hoc Deus voluit dicere hoc voluit fortuna Augustinus Retract li. 1. ca. 1. * 2 Tim. 4. 10. * Del ' rius Iesuit lib. 4. de Magia cap. 1. q. 3. §. 5 * Apud Surium 1. Iunij NOTA. d Luke 11. 15. e Matth. 4. f Luc. 8. 28. g The Jesuit Tollet vpon that place h Author vitae S. Bernardi ◠1. cap. 12. i Alteri item Daemon apparuit imagine B. Vrsulae crucis vexillū praeferens cum multarum virginū comitatu atque ita locutus est Videt Deus amatque istud tuum tuendae pudicitiae studium c. Del'rio Tom. 2. l. 4. c. 1. q. 3. sect 5. k Animiaduers in lib. 2. cap. 21 l Scrupulo us est qui ex prophanis authoribus nihil audet mutuari cùm omnis veritas à quecumque dicatur à spiritu Sancto dicatur Salmeron Ies Comm. in Tit. 1. Pag. 626 Tom. 15. * See a little after Theodoret. hist l. 3. c. 3. m Lasciuâ formâ motu eundem Daemonem cognouit sanctus Dunstanus ignito forcipe arrepto eius
first say your mind T. H. But I beseech you do YOV that is to say your Church of England most willingly professe this Catholicke opinion Alas that your Apologist hath so iustly called God to reuenge this falshood vpon his soule let him intreate our Lord to pardon that prouocation of his iudgement The Answerer First in generall I said indeed wee but I said not we all If now that which was spoken indefinitely in these words We professe nothing the common opinion of our Church must necessarily be enforced vniuersally as M. Higgons doth to signifie all why did the Apostle without distinction condemne the Corinthians for not sorrowing at the wickednesse of the incestuous or generally reprooue the Galathiās as being bewitched reuolted from the Gospel Wil M. Higgons his diuinity cōclude that euery Christian man in Corinth and in Galathia were reprehensible If all such indefinite speeches may be thus racked then may all humane diuine writings be condemned of falshood for Both Apostles Prophets saith Cardinal Bellarmine do often reprehend all the people as though there were not one good when notwithstāding diuerse good ones are among thē I further demand doth he think the opinion of the reall descent Catholick that is vniuersal yes he wil say it is among all Romanists vniuersall and yet knoweh that their great subtle schooleman Durandus held it to be but a vertuall descent T. H. And in the meane time I will demonstrate his falshood by foure euidences FIRST if YOV be of this opinion as he pretendeth why are your Bibles infected with this absurd Translation Thou wilt not leaue my soule in graue Is this to submit your sense vnto the Scripture or it is not rather to draw it vnto your preiudicate opiniō This is to measure the yard by the cloth and thus while you should be faithfull Translators you become corrupt Interpreters of the Scripture SECONDLY why was your Church so distracted in this matter vpon the Sermon and Treatise of D. Bilson How came it to passe that D. Reinolds his Caluinian resolution in this matter was confuted by M. Perks and why did M. Willet the Synopticall Theologue as he is phrased by D. Barlow oppose himself against M. Perks his answer Why do your Ministers publickly in Sermons and in print impugne this true and Catholicke opinion THIRDLY why is no Minister punished for his repugnancie vnto this truth which is of greater consequence then crosse cap surplice or any ceremonious thing or whatsoeuer institution of your Church for which many haue suffered depriuation of their liuings FOVRTHLY the testimonie of M. Rogers whose booke hath a speciall approbation as you may see before will conuince D. Morton of notorious falshood For though his purpose was to deliuer the Catholicke doctrine of YOVR Church yet when he cometh vnto this Article he saith that in the interpretation of it there is not that consent which were to be wished some holding one opinion thereof and some another Wherefore yeelding no certaine doctrine but leauing men vnto their choise he addeth TILL we know the natiue and vndoubted sence of this Article c. The Answer Here are many questions which may be answered by questioning First in our Church-Bible it is read Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell why then did M. Higgons insist onely in the Geneua translation Notwithstanding if this one place were in all Bibles translated hell yet it is but a fond peece of Sophistrie to conclude a generall from a particular and that also negatiuely which is all one as if he should haue said Not long before my publike reuolt I writ a booke against the Romish doctrine of veniall sin Ergo before that time I held not any point of popery Again let him ingenuously satisfie vs if their Church hold the Article by force of the word Hell in Scriptures then why were some of their Romanists suffered to say as their Iesuit Valentia affirmeth that the word Infernus that is Hell in Scriptures is nothing else but the graue Why durst their Iesuite Pineda confesse that the word Sheol which many Romanists appropriate vnto hell is sometimes in Scripture vsed for the graue Or why might Pineda expound the vulgar Translatiō Hell Iob. 17. 13. to signifie Graue contrarie vnto their expositors who as he saith did interprete it to betoken the paines of hell Thirdly why doth M. Higgons charge me with the fore-knowledge of M. Willets opposition against M. Perks or the testimonie of M. Rogers whose bookes were published after my Apologie and he might well thinke that I was no Prophet to foresee what would afterwards be written by other men Fourthly if such kind of coniectures may be called demonstrations let him answer for their Councell of Trent which prescribed as it selfe saith A Creed vsed by the Church of Rome as the principle wherein all the professors of Christ do consent holding it as the onely firme foundation against which the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile in so many words as it is read in all Churches I beleeue in God c. why it did chuse that forme wherin this Article of descent into hell is not expresly mentioned which forme two of your Iesuits did follow euen then when they sought to catechize people in the rudiments of faith The most of these their owne aboue-mentioned differences M. Higgons did no doubt perceiue in my booke of Apologie whence he tooke his obiections and yet hath aduentured to make this his assault being twise conuicted in himselfe both by the friuolousnesse of his reasons and also by the regest of their owne like contradictions But of this article more remaineth to be deliuered after that I haue answered vnto my last taxation T. H. If this be not a sensible conuiction of M. Doctors singular vntruth I must confesse that I haue done him iniurie and will be readie to make any satisfaction that he can reasonably demaund Meanewhile he must giue me leaue to detect another of his excellent sleights and ther I will referre him vnto his best thoughts As it was a notable vanitie in him to affirme that YOV do willingly embrace the Catholicke opinion in this Article so that is a delicate collusion which ensneth within the compasse of three lines à VOBIS c WE in England differ from YOV Papists concerning the place vnto which Christ descended For WE say that he descended vnto the hell of the damned hut YOV say that he descended onely ad Limbum Patrum the region of the Fathers The Author cited by him is Feu-ardentius whose opinion he imputeth here as generally vnto the Papists as he applied the other vnto your English Church But forasmuch as M. Doctor doth continually deale with BELLARMINE and in the words immediatly precedent alledged him particularly also in this matter as you see why did he now pretermit him and select another I will shew you