soule did descend into hell And this consent in this point of doctrine to be in the olde and pure Church doth M. Caluin on the 16. Psalme himselfe confesse his woordes be these I confesse saith Caluin that the olde Interpreters both Gréek and Latin haue drawen those woordes to another meaning that the soule of Christ was brought from hell but it is better to tarry in the naturall simplicity of the wordes that we be not mocked of the Iewes For as much then as Caluin can not deny that all the olde Interpreters both Gréek and Latin haue consented in this pointe of doctrine I meruaile that M Caluin would draw it to a Iewish interpretation In the 10 of the Acts ver 43. Luke maketh this a strong argument to proue Christ to be the Sauiour of the world Because al the Prophets did witnes it in like manner because all the Prophets and Interpreters in the pure Church haue concluded this doctrine to be true I doubt not but this knot of vnity in verity was made by the God of peace and spirit of truth Farther as Sheol signifieth the soule and Sheol hell so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or sanctum signifieth the body as it may be proued out of the 1. of Luke ver 35. And that holy thing which shall be borne of thee shal be called the Sonne of God And thus doth S. Augustine on the 16. Psalme truelye vnderstand it his enterpretation is this neither shalt thou suffer my soule to be possessed in hell neither shalt thou suffer my holy hody whereby others are sanctified to sée corruption And the body of Christ is called holy for two causes the one because sinne was neuer committed in it the other because by it all others are sanctified And this is made plaine also by the woord corruption which can not haue relation but only to the body for as a learned man saith death is the seperation of the body from the soule but corruption is a resolution of the members other partes into the earth So Iob vseth this woord in his 17. Chapter ver 14. I haue saide vnto corruption thou art my Father Luther in the 2. Chapter of Genesis thus writeth For this is singuler in Christ thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell neither shalt thou suffer thy holy one to sée corruption for neither hell could holde his soule sleeping or resting neither the graue his bodye that it might corrupt as Martha said of Lazarus Lord he stincketh for he hath béen buried foure dayes The like hath S. Augustine in his 57. Epistle ad Dardanum that was spoken of his soule which came from hell so quickly this of his body which could not corrupt by reason of his spéedy resurrection Not vnlike hath Erasmus on the 2. of the Acts thus his body albeit it was laide in graue and was without life did not corrupt but God which can not lye brought his soule from hell and restored it to the body Wherfore thus I end with S. Augustine writing on the 85. Psalme wherefore this is his voice in the Psalme not by any mans coniecture but by the exposition of the Apostle thou shalt not leaue my soule in hel neither shalt thou suffer thy holy one to sée corruption In this discourse by the woord of God and the auntient Fathers I haue proued Nephesh to signifie y e soule seperate from the body Sheol to signifie hell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or sanctum to signifie the bodye and why it is so vsed Therefore they y t deny this place to proue the discending of Christ into hell must néedes fall into these absurdeties First that life or person must be in a graue or else a dead mans carkas must be accounted life or a person both which are absurd in diuinity and philosophie Secondly that the soule of man is in a graue and so buried which proueth the Soule to be mortall Thirdly that the Gréek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is translated a graue which properly signifieth hell and so occasion is giuen to the Atheists to think there is no hell For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is compounded of the particle α 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because nothing in hell can be séene and for this cause in the Euangelists Christ calieth hell vtter darknes Fourthly we strengthen the error of the Iewes by following their interpretation which was deuised to take away the comfort of this article Fiftly it maketh voide all the arguments of the Fathers against Arrius Appollinaris and all other Heretiques which denied Christ to haue a true soule Lastlye it is an introduction to the error of the Saduces which denye that there is any Angell spirite or any soule For if there be any then as Ciril noteth it was necessarye that as he was in body and soule with them that then were liuing so was it as necessary that his soule should be present among y e soules to shew that he was a true man The falsehoode of the argument of the aduersaries of this doctrine is called fallatia compositionis that is when those thinges are ioyned together which ought to be sundered For they that deny this place of the 16. Psalme to proue the descending of Christ into hell doo affirme animam sanctum soule and holy one hell and corruption to be one wheras they are diuers as in parte I haue proued already and shal by Gods grace proue more plainely out of the 2. chapter of the Acts where Peter interpreteth this place in such wise that credit must néeds be giuen vnto it of all Gods children Peters Sermon is thus Acts. 2. 29. 30. 31. Men and Brethren I may boldlye speake vnto you of the Patriarch Dauid that he is both dead and buried and his sepulcher remaineth till this day Therefore seeing he was a Prophet and knew that God had sworne by an oathe that of the fruite of his loynes he would raise vp Christ concerning the flesh set him vpon his throne hee knowing of this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soule was not left in hel neither his flesh should see corruption which words S. Augustine in his 57. epistle ad Dardanum thus expoundeth of the flesh of Christ that it was put into the Sepulchre the Gospell is manifest but that his soule went down into hell the doctrine of the Apostle proueth it For blessed Peter doth proue this out of the Psalme where he sheweth it was foretolde of him for why thou shalt not leaue my Soule in Hell neither shalt thou suffer thy holye one to sée corruption And in his 99. Epistle ad Enodium he hath these woords quae ne quisquam aliter sapere auderet in actibus Apostolorum Petrus exponit Of which woords that any man should not be so bolde to thinke otherwise Peter himself expoundeth them that is Nephesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. soule and Sheol 〈◊〉
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
the soule alone which is also common to the body Fiftly seeing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to giue life and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to receiue life this cannot be vnderstood of the soule which neuer lost life after that it had once liued with the body and therefore could neuer receiue it againe Here you tell vs that to be quickened is to be deliuered from miseries how the English word may be taken I leaue it to the wise but in the Greeke woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Latin word viâ—ificari I am sure it were strange and seldome seene to finde that sence Furthermore I am sure that if this deuise may stand that then you will ouerthrowe the antithesis betweene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dead and quickned for if quickned doth not signifie a restitution to life what antithesis can it haue with death or dead Lastlye adde to those if it please you that infallible reason of Beza taken from the scope and drifte of the Apostle to whose greater notes I referre you being not able to handle his reason so effectually as he dooth himselfe Hill Héere you play the Captaine and will beate downe bulwarkes and therefore you should haue these 4. properties in you vertue knowledge authority and felicity for the first two they are in you God graunt you vse them to his glory but what authoritye you haue to interprete the woord I know not therfore in this case I hope you shall haue no felicitie Where you say that this woord spirite doth signifie the deity and this woord flesh the humanity of Christ and that there is an antithesis betwéene the diuine and humane nature I confesse that spirite sometime dooth signifie the Godhead and flesh the humanity of Christ. But they doo not so signifie in this place as I proue by the circumstances of the text and the woords themselues For where you say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 killed or put to death dooth signifie the whole passion of Christ and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth the resurrection of Christ that cannot be for of the passion of Christ is mention made before in the same 18. verse Christ suffered for vs the iust for the vniust to bring vs to God Now after his sufferings ended as Peter saith he was both killed and made aliue Now of his resurrection is mention made in the 21. verse as of his ascention in the 22. verse Therfore séeing the suffrings of Christ are mentioned before and his resurrection is namelye set downe after whereof can these woords be vnderstoode but of the seperation of the bodye and the soule and of the state of them during their seperation for an antithesis as you know is of contrary or diuers things as in this place you sée in killed and quickned Now how both these were true at one time S. Peter doth shew for at the same time he was dead as concerning his body he was aliue in spirite that is in soule for the soule seperate from y e body is aptly called in spirite Eccle. 12. 7. And dust return to earth as it was and the spirite returne to God that gaue it So is it taken Heb. 12. 23. Act. 7. 59. and so dooth this woord signifie in this place for Christ was not killed both in body and soule but only in body and in flesh for if the soule of Christ had béene killed then had it béene mortall Therfeore Athanasius Epiphanius and all the Fathers which did confute the Heretiques called Damoerite Appolinaris which denyed Christ to haue a soule doo confute them by this place prouing that his spitite was among the spirits that his soule seperate from his body was among the soules seperate from their bodies This interpretation you sée is gathered out of Gods woord and is made more manifest by the woords following 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we translate In which spirite he went preached to the spirites in prison First you translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the which But in the 1. Pet. 16. you doo not so translate it nor in the 2. Chap. and 12. ver the same woords 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are Eph. 1. 13. 2. 22. 5. 18. and so could I cite at the least an hundreth texts in the new testament where if you translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the which or by whom you shal ouerthrow the meaning of the holy ghoste The next woord in construing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as I haue saide before so I auouche still is spoken not of the deity neuer in all the Scriptures and therefore must néedes be spoken of the soule of Christ. To confute this you alleadge Gen. 18. 21. Exod. 3. 8. First I must tell you these bookes were written in the Hebrewe toong and not in the Gréeke I craued an instance out of the new testament Secondly in those places that you haue named the interpreters do translate Iarad by the gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this I proue Ioh. 16 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For if I shal not depart the coÌ„forter wil not come vnto you but if I shall depart I will send him vnto you Here you sée when he speaketh of the descending of the deity he vseth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but when he speaketh of the humanitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in the same Chap. verse the 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I came out froÌ„ the Father came into the world againe I leaue the world go to my father And this proprietie of speach which y e holy ghost vseth ought to be obserued I confesse the scripture vseth the figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but when God is said to come downe there is vsed the verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or some one of the forenamed and when mention is made of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is alwayes spoken of the humanitie as it is to be séene Luk. 4. 30. 9. 51. 52. 56. 57. Luk. 13. 22. Ioh. 8. 1. And in this place of Peter the last verse is vsed the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He went vp into heauen Therefore if you can quote but one text in the new Testament that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is figuratiuely applied to the deitie your interpretation may séeme tolerable but if you can not as I knowe it is impossible then can you neuer proue your interpretation to be agréeable to faith because it is not agréeable to the word Out of the next word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this I note he that was killed and quickned did preach but Christ was killed and quickned ergo Christ and not the deitie preached He preached not vocally for he was killed ergo he preached really in soule for here is noted First who preached Christ. To whome to the spirits Where in hell When after his death and before his
resurrection This is the order of Peter and of our Créede which can not be by man ouerthrowen The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is spirits also is not as you take it for you say it signifieth the men in Noahs time but you can not bring one scripture to proue it Therefore I say as I sayd before it signifieth soules separated from the body That my exposition is true I haue proued by thrée scriptures Eccle. 12 7. Heb. 12 23. Act. 7 59. Now as mine is true so will I proue yours to be false and impossible by Christs owne words Luk. 24 59. where our Sauiour to prooue himselfe to be no ghoste but to haue a true body after his resurrection thus reasoneth behold my hands and my feet that I am the same handle me for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as yee see me haue This was Christs argument I haue a body therefore I am not a spirit and so I reason against you and your teachers The men in Noahs time had bodies ergo they could not be called spirits Euery boy can tell you in Oxford that Substantia is deuided into corpus and spiritum and that one of these opposit species can not be affirmed of an other And therefore to be short when you can proue out of the new testament that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is mournying is spoken figuratiuely of the deity or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is spirit signifieth a man that hath a boy I will geue you the goale but if you will runne on this course vntill you haue prooued these two points which you must doo if you will haue me to recant then take héed least you run your selfe out of breath Lastly the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is prison doth signifye hell as it is to be séene Apoc. 20. 7. When a thousand yeeres shall be fulfilled Satan shall be loosed out of his prison Thus thou séest good reader how I haue proued my interpretation out of the word of God for euery word which our aduersaries can not do for their interpretation therfore thou maist safely assure thy self ours to be good and theirs to be false And that this word prison doth signify hell you may sée Epiphanius Athanasius Fulgentius centuria 1. lib. 2. cap. 14. Peter Martyr on the Créede Nowell in his Catechisine Beacon in the sick mans salue and Crowley in his answere to the reasons of Pound the Papist All these olde and new writers haue alleadged this Scripture as I haue doone with good warrant conscience Now that I haue proued this my owne interpretation I will by Gods grace proue your answere to be friuilous First you confesse that killed and quickned are Participles of one tense and yet you say they are not referred to Christ at one time this is méerlye false as I thus proue Christ was after his passion dead and aliue or neuer if he were neuer dead and aliue at one time then Peter saith not truely if he were dead and aliue at one time then you speak falsely Now you your self cōfessed that he was dead and aliue at one time a little before and proued it out of the 2. Cor. 13. 4. He was crucified concerning his infirmity yet liueth he by the power of God Héere by your owne woordes Christ was aliue when he was crucified so may I say with Peter he was aliue when he was dead and at one time Then you say the flesh signifieth the manhoode and spirite the deitye this also is vntrue for the body may be killed but the soule cannot Againe shew me any Scripture where one and the same woord in one sentence and period is taken for diuers things for in this sentence In which spirite he went and preached to the spirites that are in prison Héere y e woord spirit in the beginning of the sentence signifieth the deity in the latter ende the same woord signifieth the men that liued in Noahs time by your interpretation but by my interpretation it signifieth the soule seperat from the body in both places For as Cirill saith as Christ was with the liuing in body and soule so to shew himselfe a true man his bodye was among the dead bodies and his soule among the soules Then you auouch the preching of Noah is attributed to the whole Trinity be it so but can you proue that Christ after he was killed did preach in Noah for this preaching was after Christs death which is mentioned in the 18. verse and before his resurrection which is spoken of in the 21. verse You goe forward and tell me that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dooth not determin the Participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is disobedient but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is preached I must tell you plaine you speake neither like a Deuine nor a Gramarian For an Aduerd is sometime put to a Participle as Mathew 2. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then Herod calling priuilye the wise men Sometime to a Noune as Homo egregiè impudens Sometime to an Aduerb as Parum honestè se gerit Therfore the Aduerb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comming after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 next and immediatly and being distinguished from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a Comma cannot by any example in diuinitye or by any rule of Grammer be coupled with the Uerbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now to answere your infallible reasons First you reason against me that if my construction be true then nothing did happen to Christ which might not be verified of any man And did you not blush when you wrote these things Can any mans soule goe to hell and returne againe For his going downe to hell I proue in the 19. verse and his returne from hell in the 21. verse Seconly you say the woord spirite doth signifie that which gaue life what then as God giueth life to the body effectually so the soule giueth life to the body formally Your Geneua translation which you follow saith he was quickned in the spirite not of the spirite And this I note against your side 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 18. verse you translate In But in the next verse as though you had not doone well in the former you translate it by Now you know the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth by and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it appéereth in the 21. verse and in many places mo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by the resurrection Moreouer if you had said quickned of the spirite then had you made a probable answere but no diuine is able to proue this exposition that Christ was quickned in the spirit that is in the deity for the deity is life it selfe Your third pregnant reason is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth not only the death of the body but also the whole passion of Christ. This cannot be for the suffrings of Christ are set downe before in the same verse then in this woord 〈◊〉
the 18. 19. and 20. verses saith It is better if the will of God be so that ye suffer for well dooing then for ill dooing for as much as Christ hath once suffered for sinnes the iust for the vniust to bring vs to God and was killed as pertaining to the flesh but was quickened in the spirite in which spirit he also went and preached to the spirites that were in prison which sometime had been disobedient when the long suffering of God was once looked for in the dayes of Noah while the arke was a preparing wherein a few that is to say 8. soules were saued by the water For the better vnderstanding of this place because the woord spirite is diuerslye taken in the woord of God I will first set downe the diuerse acceptation of the woorde spirite and afterward by many vncontrollable reasons out of the text I will by Gods assistance confirme my assertion that Christ in soule descended into hell They that know not the signification of the woord spirite are often deceiued for somtimes it signifieth the wil and authority of a man as in the 1. Cor. 5 ver 3. I truly as absent in body but present in spirit c. Sometimes it is taken for doctors Prophets 1. Ioh. 4. 5. Proue the spirits whether they are of God or no Sometimes for a Ghoast Luke 24. 37. And they supposed that they had seene a Spirite Sometime for winde or breath as Ioh. 3. 8. the winde bloweth where it will Sometime for a voice or woord 1. Cor. 84. 15. I wil pray with the spirit I will pray with the vnderstanding Sometime for the life of the Lawe 2. Cor. 3. 17. Now the Lord is the life Sometimes it is taken for a kinde of deceipte whereby any pretendeth to haue a spirite of reuelation 2. Thes. 2. 2. Be ye not troubled neither by spirite neither by word nor by letter So is it taken in Micheas 2. 11. Sometimes it is taken for the animal life Psalm 104. 29. If thou take away their spirite they dye Sometime for wrath Pro. 25. and last verse A man that refraineth not his anger is like a Cittie which is broken down and without wals Somtimes for the gifts of the spirit first for ioy in the holy ghost Ephe. 5. 18. But be ye filled with the spirite Secondly for spirituall vnderstanding 1. Thes. 5. 23. I pray God that your whole spirite soule and body may be kept blameles vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. So it is vsed Ephe. 2. 22. Thirdly it is vsed for seruencye of zeale sedulity and constancy 1. Timo. 4. 12. But be thou an ensample in word in cōuersation in loue in spirit Fourthly it is taken for the true doctrine of the Gospell which worketh effectually in our harts by the spirit 2. Cor. 3. 6. which hath made vs fit Ministers of the new testament not of the letter but of the spirit Where the letter signifieth the vtter preaching which toucheth not the hart Fiftly for a spirituall life Gal. 6. 8. He that soweth in the spirit shall in the spirit reap eternall life Sixtly it is taken for prophecy 1. Thes. 5. 19. quench not the spirit Which he interpreteth in the verse following despise not prophecying It signifieth sometime a thing of nothing Esa. 26. 18. We haue conceiued we haue borne in paine as though we should haue brought forth winde Sometime for euery creature that hath breath Psal. 150. and last verse Let euery thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Sometime it signifieth the diuine or immortal essence of y e soule Eph. 4. 4. There is one spirite Acts 7. ver 59. Stephen saith Lord Iesus receiue my soul. Somtime it signifieth God Ioh. 4. 24. God is a spirit And so the woord spirit is common to the whole 3. persons Sometimè it signifieth the holy Ghoste the 3. person in Trinity wherunto is alwaies put the Gréeke article Mat. 4. 5. Mar. 1. 12. Luc. 4. 1. 1. Tim. 4. 1. Act. 8. 29. Because then the word hath so many significations we must proue by the circumstances of y e text what is héer his proper meaning They that say that by this place is meant Christs preaching in the spirit in y e time of Noah are many waies cléerely confuted First because that mortificatus and viuificatus two contrary particles of one tense are attributed to Christ so that Christ being dead was aliue and that at one time and in respect of his humanity Secondlye he sheweth how he was dead and how he was aliue by putting to mortificatus carne he was killed in the flesh and viuificatus spiritu he was quickned in the spirit or in the soule for to say the Godhead was quickned is a grosse error For as Augustine saith in his 99. Epistle it is very euident that the Lord killed as concerning the flesh went into hell Thirdly in his soule while he was yet dead in the bodye hée went downe into hell the Gréek woord is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which woord must néeds be vnderstood of the soule of Christ because it is a motion from vs to another place and not of the Godhead and therfore is vsed again in y e 22. verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he went into heauen and thus proueth he the death of Christ in the 18. verse the descending of Christ into hell in the 19. verse his resurrection in the 21. verse and his ascending into heauen in the last verse Fourthly the Scripture doth straightlye ioyne together the passion of Christ with this perfection and preaching so that Christ went immediatly after his passion to preach to the spirits Neither dooth he deuide them as though now he did suffer preach long before for the resurrection and ascension héer spoken of succéeded this passion so did this iourney and going into Hell Fiftly the Scripture doth plainely attribute the preaching of Noah properly to the holy Ghoste not to y e second person as it appeareth Gen. 6. 3. My spirit shall not alway striue with man As all the scripture doth ascribe the doctrine and ministry of preaching to the 3. person and that the 3. person receiueth it of Christ doth speak by the mouth of holy Doctors inspireth the scripture and reproueth the world or comforteth Sixtly if the woord spirit must be vnderstoode of God héere of whom Christ is quickned as some would haue it it must néedes also be vnderstood of the first person that he preached in hell for the scripture attributeth the resurrection of Christ to the Father Last of all that we heap not to manye thinges in an euident matter the participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which were disobedient doth fignifie and plainely shew this inobedience to be long before this preaching so also the woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in times past and all the annotation of time following
determining circumscribing the woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is which were disobedient dooth altogither seperate the time of their incredulitye from the time of this iourneye and preaching For if the meaning of the enemies of this doctrine were true Peter would haue ioyned this annotation of time which the iourney and preaching of Christ and would haue said being quickned in spirit in the which in times past when the patience of God was looked for in the daies of Noah when the arke was a preparing he went and preached to the spirites now holden in prison But Peter ioyneth the time of disobedience not with the iourney or preaching of Christ but with the first incredulitye and preaching of Noah and on the other side knitteth together the prison with this iourney and preaching which if he would haue disioyned he would haue said to the spirits which are now in prison but he simply said he went and preached to the spirits in prison that is which thē were in prison whē he went and preached vnto them This also may be added that it is to no purpose to make mention of a prison or to name them the vnbeléeuing spirits or soules of y e olde world for Noah preached not to spirits or soules only but to whole and beléeuing men the woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot be taken for men endewed with bodies for Christ prouing his resurrection vseth these woords Luke 24. 39. Behold my hands and my feet for it is I my self handle me and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me haue It was no néed also to shew where these vnbeléeuers are or be holden for this both maketh nothing to the matter and also would be vnderstood he holding his peace vnlesse it was the purpose of the Apostle to shew that y e soule of Christ went down to this prison that is to hell and so sheweth first that death parted them as in the 2. of the Acts. Secondly that the body was in the graue and the soule was in hell Thirdly that it was not in hell idle but did manifest his death to them which beléeued it to be but a fable to reproue their incredulitie and to captiue them that we should not feare them Fourthlye he did rise againe triumphing ouer them in his owne person Lastly he did ascend into heauen and there sitteth Lord of heauen and of the Angels of earth and of the inhabitantes of hell and of the very diuels For the diuels are of him imprisoned and chayned that they can doo no more then hee permitteth them Farther where as some doo affirme that there could be no preaching in hell because there is no conuersion to this I answere that this preaching was not vocal but real neither was there in this preaching edification exhortation or consolation but as it is saide before of Damascene a redargution or vpbrayding of those vnbeléeuing soules in this or the like manner beholde ye vnfaithfull and broodes of the serpent how in season and out of season my eight preacher of frée righteousues and other the Patriarkes haue often preached vnto you that there should come a blessed séed of the woman according to y e promise made vnto Adam that both should iustifie the beléeuers deliuer and saue them from the corporall and spirituall deluge and also that he should destroye the serpent with the vnbeléeuing séed for euer but to you being incredulous that promise was a fable But now beholde O ye wretches me to be exhibited of the true God and by my passion the head of Satan and his vnbeléeuing séede is broken and the worlde is ouercome and on the other side you shall be forced to know by liuely experience that the faithful are saued And to conclude you now doo beholde me the conqueronr of Satan and his members against your will and to your great sorrow in soule and shall sée me héereafter in the last iudgement both in body and soule And this manner of spéech is vsed in the Scripture that a verball preaching is put for the reall opperation of a thing so Heb. 11. 4. By faith Abel offered vnto God a better sacrifice then Cain by the which he obtained witnes that he was righteous God testifying of his gifts by which faith he being dead yet speaketh So Gen. 4. 4. God saith vnto Cain the voice of thy brothers bloud cryeth vnto me out of the earth Abels bloud is saide to cry while truely by his example of true faith and of the doctrine of saluation and of martirdome yet dayly not verbally but really and effecttually by speaking he teacheth Last of al the word prison signifieth hell as we may sée in the names of hell Cent. 1. li 2. ca. 4. Now let vs sée the iudgement of the auntient and learned Fathers on this point and especiallye of the Gréeke Fathers Athanasius woords to Epictetus Bishop of Corinth are cited by Epiphanius in the heresie of the Dimerites haer 77. The bodye of Christ was laide in the graue when he went to preach to the spirits that were in Prison as Peter saith Athanasius in his book of the incarnation of the world hath thus written In the death of Christ his body being carried into the graue his soule went into hell the places being far a sunder and a little after he saieth for death could not preuaile on his humaine soule to tye him there neither corruption by tiranny inuading his bodye could shew his force on him to putrefaction as thinges not wel séene vnto For to think so of him were a wicked thing and euen as Adam had a double punishment inflicted on him for his disobedience the one was on his body earth thou art and to earth thou shalt returne again and so by this decrée the body of the Lord departed to the earth the other on his soule thou shalt dye the death héerof it commeth to passe that man is diuided into two partes and is condemned to departe to two places and therefore it was necessarye that by the selfe same iudge which had made this decrée that he by himselfe being vnder the colour of a condemned man shewing himselfe vncondemned and sincere from sinnes should frée from that sentence all beléeuers The like hee hath in his tracte against Appollinarius of the wholesome comming of Christ and in his Sermon against all heresies You sée good Reader how Athanasius a very auntient Father in the Gréek Church shewing the cause of Christs descending into hell proueth out of Gen. that as our body was punished by death for sinne so was our soule and for this cause both partes in Christ must descend that our soule may be deliuered from hell and our body rise to glory For as Fulgentius writeth in his 3. book and 7. chapter to King Thrasimunde he did know that God the suscepter of whole man was wholy with his flesh in the graue wholy with his
was manifested in the flesh and also of Peter himselfe 1. Pet. 4. 1. Christ suffred for vs in the flesh Which antithesis of the deuine and humane nature Paule doth also expresse in the same tearmes speaking of Christ which was made of the seed of Dauid according to the flesh and declared mightely to be the Sonne of God according to the spirit Rom. 1. 3. 4. where you see he vseth the words no otherwise then he findeth them vsed in the scriptures Now that this can not be the sence of them you reason thus First you say that this participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is going doth signifye motion from some place which can not stand with the deuine Essence which can not possibly leaue any place being at all times in all places To this I aunswere that it is spoken of the same spirit or deuine essence in Gen. 18. 21. I will go downe and see whether the Sodomites do altogether according to the cry that is come vnto me And in Exod. 3. 8. I am come downe to deliuer them that is the Israelites out of the hand of the Aegiptians You can not be ignorant M. Hill that the holie ghost speaketh oftentimes of the deuine Essence by a figure called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whē God declareth his presence in one place more then in another by some notable effect which in this place was most necessary to expresse the continuall presence of Christ in his Church in those dayes of Noah and so in all ages either past or to come departing as it were from all other places which indeed he can not and sitting as it were a perpetuall moderator and ruler thereof Next you alleage the other participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is quickned that because it is passiue it can not stand with the deuine essence which can not suffer This we deny not for we attribute not this participle to the deuine essence but to the whole Christ God man for we say not Christ the spirit was quickned but Christ was quickned in spirit Thirdly you tell vs that mortified and quickned were both participles and both attributed to Christ at one time We confesse they were attributed to one Christ but we see no matter to leade vs to refer them both to one time But by the contrary me thinks that the order of the wordes haue sufficient matter in them to proue that he was first mortified and then quickned As for the distinction of time the distance was not to great as to require it To this you adde how he was dead and how he was aliue by putting to killed flesh and to quickned spirit The very text as I take it will deny you this for it saith not that the flesh was killed and the spirit quickned but that Christ was killed in the flesh and quickned in the spirit which is all one as if he had said that Christ dyed as he was man and ouercame death as he was God Which thing also Paule doth expresse in other words 2. Cor. 13 4. He was crucified concerning his infirmitie yet liueth he through the power of God Fourthly you say that the scriptures do ioyn together this going preaching close to his passion as if he had said assone as he had suffered he went preached This as if concludeth no necessary matter We expect demonstrations cannot be caried with as and if Fiftly you adde out of Gen. 6. that the preching of Noah is attributed to the 3. person and not to the second which putting on mans flesh redeemed vs. We confesse that ability to preach was giuen Noah by the holy ghoste but he was stirred vp and sent by the whole Trinity The actions whereof seeing they are common to all three he erreth not that attributeth them to any of the three Where you saye that Christ was raised from the dead by the first person and not by the second I see not how that can stand with the truth of the Scriptures which telleth me that the second person did put on man and did neuer forsake him in all his distresses Afterwards you tel me that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is disobedient and sometime doo seperate the time of their disobedience and Christs going to thē But I can not take it at your woord for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not as you seeme to take it a Verbe but a Participle greeing with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is spirits in the verse before and the Aduerb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes belongeth to the principall Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is preached so that the sence must needs be he preached sometimes to the spirites that are in prison and were disobedient in the dayes of Noah Whereas you argue this can not be spoken of the preaching of Noah because he preached to men and to spirites it is strange to me how he can preach to men and not to spirits seeing that whosoeuer doth instruct men dooth also instruct their soules Lastlye you charge this construction to doo violence to the text taking the woord spirite for the diuinity in one place and for the power thereof in another where you doo vs great wrong for Beza himselfe refuseth it and proueth it is not taken for the power of the deitye in this place at all Hitherto haue I answered all that you can saye against vs now will I proue that your sence which you make of this place can not stand with the truth of the text You take this woord flesh only for the bodye of Christ which dyed and was buried and the woord spirite for his soule which you beare vs in hand descended into hell preached to the soules which had beene rebellious in the dayes of Noah if this your construction shall goe for currant then the apostle speaketh nothing heere of Christ which may not be verified of any man For though our bodyes dye yet our soules liue aswell as his The spirite here as it appeereth by the text doth signifie that which gaue life to that which was dead that I trust was not his soule but his deity thirdly this participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 killed doth signifie not onelye the death of the bodye but also whatsoeuer Christ did suffer either in body or soule for the redemption of our bodies and soules and doth comprise his whole passion which the Spriptures doth many times terme death which if it be so as it is so indeed then the woord flesh noteth vnto vs the whole subiect of his passion that is the whole man Christ for it was expedient that he did aswell suffer in soule for our soules as in body for our bodies or else he had been but halfe a redemer Fourthly seeing his body was quickned that is restored from the graue aswell as his soule from the sorrowes of hell if you take spirite there for the humane soule then you confound those thinges which the Apostle doth distinguish attributing that to
resurrection of our soules is by the humble comming of Christ of our bodies by his glorious comming And this is made manifest also in diuers other such like places of Scripture In the 6. chapter of the Romans ver 5. S. Paul thus writeth For if we be grafted with him to the similitude of his death euen so shall we be to the similitude of his resurrection Where the Apostle thus exhorteth vs that euen as y e death of Christ teacheth vs to seperate our selues both in body and soule from sinne so the resurrection of Christ doth teach vs to arise from sinne both in soule and body By these places of Scripture it is to be considered that as Christ did arise both in soule and body so must we and therfore as Christs resurrection is not a full resurrection vnlesse both partes did arise for otherwise he did but arise in body as we doo so these exhortations grounded vpon that doctrine are to no purpose vnlesse Christs soule did arise from hell aswell as his bodye from the graue and last of all there is no more miracle in the buriall of Christ then in any other godly mans which as I proued before ought to be in all the personall actions that Christ wrought for our saluation Thus much of the primitiue place in the 16. Psalme as also of the deriuatiue place in the 2. of the Acts wherby I hope I haue sufficiently proued that Christs soule descended into hell But yet for a farther proofe I thought it not vnfit to adde these that followe namelye in the 2. Chapter to the Phillippians the 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. verses Let the same minde be in you which was in Christ Iesus who being in the forme of God thought it no robberye to be equall with God but hee made himselfe of no reputation and tooke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a man hee humbled himself and became obedient vnto the death euen vnto the death of the crosse wherefore God hath also highly exalted him and giuen him a name aboue euery name that at the name of Iesus euery knee shuld bow both of things in heauen things in earth and things vnder the earth In which place this I conceiue y t Christs death was manifested in heauen in earth and in hell and that the very damned spirits did confesse to the glory of God the Father that Iesus Christ was Lord both of heauen and the Angels of earth and of them that dwell therein and of hell and the diuels But some will say how is it possible that the spirits which are damned should confesse Christ. To this I answere there is the cōfession of our faith and of our sins which is proper only to the elect there is an other confession which is called the confession of experience which is in the wicked and the damned In the 5. of Marke the legions of diuels thus cry in y e 7. ver What haue I to do with thee Iesus the sonne of the most high God Where we sée the diuel is constrained to confesse Jesus Christ and yet dooth rysist him And in the 8. of Mathew the 29. verse the diuels cry Iesus thou Sonne of God what haue we to do with thee art thou come hither to torment vs before the time By which scriptures we learne that the diuels by experience of the maiestie and authoritie of the Sonne of God doo confesse him to haue all power and as ouer these so ouer all hellish spirits therfore did manifest his death by shewing the presence of his soule in hell So Father Damascene interpreteth this place of Scripture the soule of Christ deified descended into hell so that as to thē which are in earth there arose the Sonne of righteousnes so likewise to them which were vnder earth in darkenes and in the shadowe of death a light did appeare and as in earth he preached peace remission to the captiues sight to the blinde and was the cause of saluation to thē that did beléeue and did vpbraid and reproue the vnbeléeuers of infidelitye so did he vpbraide them that are in hell that euery knée may be bowed vnto him both in heauen earth and in hel Robert Samuel Martir is of this iudgement who giuing an account of his faith in the 2. volume of the monuments of Martirs Fol. 1206. hath left this testimony the same Christ went down to the hels and truely rose again y e third day and ascended into the heauens that he might there still raigne and haue dominion ouer al creatures this then is one end of christs going down into hel that y e infernall spirits might be subiected to him and that they might confesse him to be the Sonne of God to their endles shaine and euerlasting glory of God the father The like proofe to this is in the Epistle to the Collossians 2 chapter 14. and 15. verses He hath taken away the hand writing of ordinances which was against vs which was contrary to vs he euen took it out of the way and fastened it to the crosse and hath spoyled the principalityes and the powers and he hath made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed ouer them in his own person I translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in himself so doth Hierome Erasmus Stephanus Pellicanus Pagninus Iunius Tremellius and M. Foxe with many other learned men so translate it yet I sée it otherwise translated in some Bibles now a daies which gréeueth me for it is a false translation as euery learned man knoweth For in the Gréek it is the Masculine gen der and they translate it in Latin in y e feminine gender whō Musculus a very good learned man thus reproueth there be some saith he referre it to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and turne it in Illa these are perswaded it is an incommodity if it be saide that Christ did triumph ouer the principalities and powers But if all these things be attributed to God the Father that hée did them with Christ and in Christ according to the order of all things going before we may truely read héere triumphing ouer them in his own person And for this cause many learned men doo proue the descending of Christ into hell by this place Eusebius writing of the resurrection of our Sauiour thus saith we must know that in the selfe same houre wherin our Sauiour bowing his head gaue vp the ghoste his body being left in the graue his soule with the dignitye went down to spoyle hell Mollerus a learned Minister of Germany in his commentaries on the 16. Psalm hath the like Christ would shew his victory ouer the diuels in a certaine sorte and would strike perpetuall terrors into them and take away from vs the feare of his tiranny To this agréeeth Musculus on the 68. Psalm This God which was in Christ
héere argued by some why should Peter héere dispute of the spirits or soules detayned in hell considering he exhorteth to suffer afflictions I answere that he might shew to the faithfull which then were persecuted very often to death that the soules doo not perish with the bodies as the soule of Christ did not perish when he descended into hell but as the soule of Christ did triumph ouer the diuell so shal the godly triumph ouer them that persecute them But some will say how did Christ triumph ouer the diuell by descending into hell sith it was the extreamest degrée of his humilitie To this I reply that euerye article of our faith is a misterye 1. Tim. 1. 9. Hauing the misterye of the faith in a pure conscience And therfore in all the actions of Christs humility he shewed himselfe alwaies to be a glorious God he was borne of a poore Uirgin in a small towne in an Inne yea and in a Stable he was wrapte in cloutes and layde in a cratch yet the Shepheards of y e féeld the noble men of the East the starre in the firmament and the Angels from heauen did witnes in a merueilous sorte that he was the sonne of God The birdes as our Sauiour saith haue nestes the foxes holes but the Sonne of man hath not where to lay his head he was called a glutton a drunkard a Samaritane a fréend of Publicanes sinners a man possessed with a diuell his Disciples also were very poore but yet he gaue sight to the blinde hearing to y e deafe spéech to the dumme cleansed the Leapars raysed the dead commaunded the windes the sea yea and the very diuels In like manner when he was humbled to the death of the crosse albeit he was in the state of dereliction and cryed my God my God why hast thou forsaken me yet at that time the Sunne was abashed the earth trembled the vaile of the Temple was rent the stones claue asunder the dead arose yea and vpon the crosse he forgiueth the théefe on the right hand and euen as in his natiuity in his life and death he shewed himselfe to be both God and man so in his descending into hell he proueth the same and in this lowest degrée of his humility as he proueth himselfe a true man for that his soule was among y e soules in hell so by triumphing ouer thē he sheweth himself to be a true God And for this cause it standeth well with the mistery of our faith that his going down to hell is both the lowest degrée of his humilitye to shew him to be a true man and also the beginning of his endlesse triumph to proue him a glorious God in all places and at all times ouer all persons for euer Some curius body will say what néeded he to manifest his death to those in hel it was néedful in respect of thē y t were in hel in respect of vs that liue now and in respect of thē y t haue preached in times past and in respect of Christ himself In respect of thē which were in hell because that those which would not hear the vocal preaching of Noah should sée Christ really present in soule and so confesse that the destruction of their bodies in the deluge and y e damnation of their soules in hell was iust In respect of vs which liue now because that whē we finde by Gods woord that he manifested his death in earth and hell we should not remaine incredulous but beléeue in Christ least hearing of the wondrous workes of the Sonne of God which he hath wrought for vs. and for our saluation both in earth and hell and despising the same we féele by experience with the damned olde worlde that Christ was in hell for our deliuerance from hell and denying with the reprobate Iewes this comfortable article of our faith we be cast into those insufferable torments of extreme damnation from which to deliuer vs Christ in a maruelous manner descended into hell It was néednfull in respect of them which preached in times past for sith Dauid and other prophets haue foretolde of this going downe of our Sauiour and that his soule should not be left in hell it was I say most requisite that the Scripture should be fulfilled It was néedfull also in respect of Christ himselfe for he came to subdue our enemies therefore as Dauid trampled on the face of Goliah so was it méet that Christ in soule should triumph ouer the diuell that he might haue all power not onlye in heauen ouer Angels or in earth ouer all the inhabitantes therof but also in hell ouer the diuels And for this cause as he hath saide O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victorye so shall all his members say and shall for this their wonderfull and glorious deliuerance from death bell and the diuell sing reioyce and giue thankes for euer Moreouer wheras diuers Scriptures are alleadged by Carleil Vrsinus and others that Christ descended not into hell I will answere them by Gods grace and proue that it was not the meaning of the holy Ghoste to haue them alleadged to that purpose The first Scripture is that which is written in Ioh. 19. ver 30. It is finished therfore Christ néeded not to goe down into hell this is a false kinde of reasoning á dicto secundum quid ad simpliciter for if all had béen finished then christ néeded not to haue dyed nor to haue shed his bloud for he was aliue when he spake these woords Therefore these woords It is finished are to be referred to all the prophecyes that precéeded the death of Christ that is that all the prophecies of the Iewes and Gentiles which should conspire together against him either of Iudas that should betray him or of the Souldiours that should apprehend him or of y e false witnesses which should belye him or of the place where he should dye or of the time when or of the manner how and of the Iudge vnder whome he should suffer or of the transgressors with whom he should be crucified al scriptures concerning al these things were fulfilled And therfore in the 28. verse are these woords After that Iesus did know that al things were fulfilled and that the Scripture might be fulfilled he saith I thirst It is finished also signifieth the woorke of our redemption was finished and so Paul expoundeth it by one sacrifice once offered he hath made perfect for euer those that are sanctified Therfore there néedeth no other sacrifice of the olde lawe nor no other merite of any creature in heauen or in earth therefore the Papists doo dishonour God which doo say they dayly offer a sacrifice propitiatory and doo ioyne to the merites of Christ the merits of all the Saintes Mary Peter Paul and many other and in the end of the canon of their Masse vse these woords Quorum meritis praecibusque concedas vt
therin are and the Sea and the thinges which therein are that time should be no more Therefore to day signifieth not a naturall or artificiall day for if there be dayes in heauen there be wéekes moneths yéeres and all manner of changes which is absurd but to day signifieth for euer as I will proue by many Scriptures First in the 2. Psal. 7. verse Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee euen so Act. 13. 32. 33. verses And we declare vnto you that touching the promise made vnto the Fathers God hath fulfilled it in vs their children in that he raised vp Iesus euen as it is written in the 2. Psalme thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee Héere the Apostle prouing Christ to be euerlasting alleadgeth these woordes thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thée And in the epistle to the Heb. 1. 5. prouing Christ to be higher then the Angels and from euerlasting he saith For to which of the Angels said he thou art my sonne this day begat I thee And most plainly Heb. 5. 6. Prouing that Christ liued for euer but the Priests of the Leuiticall order dyed he proueth the eternity of Christ thus So likewise Christ tooke not to himselfe this honour to be made a high priest but he that saide vnto him thou art my sonne this day begat I thee gaue it him He also in another place speaketh Thou art an high Preest for euer after the order of Melchisedec Héere the Apostle prouing Christ to be an euerlasting Préest and to giue eternall redemption vseth this woord to day which signifieth for euer as it is manifest in the 6. ver By these reasons therfore it is proued that with me signifieth with the Godhead 1. By the petition of the théefe for he asked the kingdome of heauen 2. By that which was forgiuen him his sinnes 3. By that which was giuen him that was glory 4. By the place where it was giuen him that was paradise 5. By the time for how long it was giuen him that is for euer Lastlye by the person that giueth it that is Christ who being euerlasting as I proued before forgiueth infinite sinnes giueth grace alwaies in his euerlasting kingdome and in all eternity for euer And of this iudgement is S. Augustine who answering the like obiection of the aduersaryes of this doctrine in his time this hath left in writing there is an other meaning also much more frée from all ambiguities if it be taken to be spoken not in respect that he is man but in respect that he is God to day thou shalt be with me in paradise for the man Christ was in respect of his flesh in the graue that day in respect of his soule in hell and the same Christ was God euery where and at all times The last place that is alleadged by y e gainsayers of this doctrine is the last spéech which Christ vsed vpon the crosse Luc. 23. 46. Into thy hands O Father I commend my spirite Out of which place they thus conclude that the soule of Christ was committed to his Father in heauen therfore it went not to hell which is a false consequence For they imagine héer that the hands of God signifieth heauen which cānot be proued out of this place For this scripture being a deriuatiue place out of the 31 Psalme and 5. verse teacheth vs this that as the soule of Dauid being the figure of Christ did not immediatly after this prayer goe to heauen but was guided by the hand and gouernment of the Lord in all maner of perils so it dooth not follow that the soule of Christ being committed into the hands of the father for these woords are spoken in respect of the manhoode of Christ should passe immediatly into heauen but should so be guided by the Godhead that it should passe through death and hell mightily without resistance naturally with out assistance spéedily without tarying and happily without any returning But for the better vnderstanding of this place you must note how many waies this woord the hand of the Lord is taken in the holy book of God that when we sée the diuers acceptation of the woord we may take that sence which most fitteth this Scripture First the hand of God signifieth the Sonne of God Psal. 144. 7. Send thy hand from aboue 2. For his power Psal. 136. 6. In a mighty hand out stretched arme 3. The bountifulnes of God Psal. 145. 16. Thou openest thy hand and fillest with thy blessing euery liuing creature 4. It signifieth consolation Ezek. 3. 22. The hand of the Lord was with me comforting me Sometime it signifieth grace Psal. 118. 16. The right hand of the Lord hath doone valiantly Sometime it signifieth the gifte of prophecye Ezek. 8. 1. The hand of the Lord fel there vpon me Sometimes it signifieth mercy Psal. 37. 24 Though he fall he shal not be cast off for the Lord putteth vnder his hand Sometime it signifieth the protection of the Lord. Psal 31. 15. my times are in thy hand Sometime it sigifieth the aide of the Lord Nehe. 2. 8. And the king gaue me according to the good hand of my God vpon me And in y e 74. Psal. ver 11. Why withdrawest thou thy hand Somtime it signifieth y e punishment of the Lord. Iob. 19. 21. Haue pittie on me haue pittie on me aye my freends for the hand of God hath touched me It signifieth also the creation Psal. 102. 25. The heauens are the workes of thy hands Last of all it signifieth his gouernment Psal. 95. 4. In his hands are al y e corners of the earth Christ therfore commending his soule into the hands of the Father teacheth vs when we are dying or in any affliction which is gréeuous we must cōmit our soules to the power consolation mercy protection ayde and gouerment of the Lord. For this being a deriuatiue place is taken out of the 31. Psal. and 5. ver Therfore as the soule of Dauid did not immediatly after goe to heauen so did not the soule of Christ. For if he went vp immediatly then Christ did ascend before he did descend which is contrary to the Scriptures in many places In the Ephe. 4. 9. Now in that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lowest partes of the earth But if the soule of Christ went into heauen before he was buryed or descended into hell as the gainsayers of the doctrine stoutly affirme then he ascended before he descended which is contrary to this Scripture therefore good Reader marke these circumstances 1. Who must descend that is Christ. 2. Whether into the lowest partes of the earth which I haue proued before to be hell for as ascend and descend are contrary so is heauen and hell 3. When must he descend first before he ascend And thus as many learned men before
named haue vnderstoode this place so dooth Erasmus writing on the fourth Chapter of the Ephe. certainlye this is the thing that the Palsmists by the inspiration of the holy ghost spake of so long agoe for Christ hauing already conquered the hell is ascended aliue againe into the high kingdome of his Father And a little after he addeth after most low humbling followeth most high aduauncing from the most high heauens then the which nothing is higher he deiected himselfe euen into the hell the which nothing is lower When Mare Magdalene came to Christ Ioh. 20. 17. Christ saith to her Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father but to goe to my brethren and say vnto them Iascend vnto my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God Héer the truth it selfe saith he had not yet ascended into heauen whosoeuer therefore affirmeth the contrary affirmeth an vntruth They wil answere Christ was not ascended in respect of his body but I reply if Christs soule being the principall parte of the humanitye had béene in heauen as they imagine then this speach is vntrue marke my reason for in death when both partes are sundered a man is saide to be where his soule is and not where his body is for the man taketh his name of the principall parte In this forte Christ saith Mat. 8. 11. Many shall come from the East and West and shall sit with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen Héere you sée because the soules of those Patriarkes are in heauen they themselues are saide to be in heauen Euen so if Christs soule were in heauen Christ was in heauen and then this saying can not be verefied I haue not yet ascended to my Father for Christ ascended visibly and for this cause willeth Mary to goe tell his brethren whome he calleth to this action as witnesses For as the time of his ascending is noted to be forty dayes after his resurrection and the place to be Bethaniel and that on a mountaine that it might the more esily be séen and y e maner of his going to be meruelous for he was carried vp in a clowde so his faithfull Disciples and glorious Angels were witnesses of his triumphant ascension into heauen Out of these Scriptures this I conclude as Christ was borne but once dyed but once was buried but once so he did but once descend into hell once arise from the dead and once ascended into heauen and but once shall come into iudgement But if the soule of Christ went presently into heauen thē not only this absurditie followeth that he ascended before he descended but also that there are two ascendings of Christ into heauen the one inuisible of his soule the other visible of his body Ignatius who died in the yéere of our Lord 112. For he was cast to beastes to be deuoured this Father lyuing in the time of Policarpus who was Scholler to Iohn Euangelist in his Epistle to the Church of Trallis thus writeth Christ descended into hell alone but he ascended with a multitude Athanasius in his Créed saith who suffered for our saluation and descended into hell and interpreting the 2. Cor. 6. he saith Satan was enuyous against our Sauiour for he killed him not knowing it would be against himselfe for Christ after his crosse going downe into hell hath vanquished death and because he knew no sinne he could not be holden of death so saith Ambrose in his exposition on the 3 Chap. of the Galathians for when they thought y t he should be slaine that he might not teach they profited nothing for his doctryne encreased and he euacuated death in his passion for descending into hell he deliuered mankinde for that cause he suffered himselfe to be murdered knowing that he was for vs against the Diuell And the same Father writing on the 1. Tim. 2. chap. thus confirmeth this doctrine because man now reconciled to God was subiect to infernall death that he could not ascend to God to whom he was reconciled our Sauiour to bring his will to effect suffered himselfe to dye against lawe that descending into hell he might condemne death for the impiety it wrought on him taking away from death those which he hid holde that from hencefoorth whatsoeuer had the signe thereof shovld not be detayned therewith of which thing he shewed a testimony when he arose Therefore to ende these woords into thy hands I commend my spirite doo not shew vs the state of Christs soule but sheweth vs how we must pray in all our tribulations and in the houre of death For the soule of Christ no doubt was in hell but this consider that spirite héere signifieth the soule which in S. Peter they will in no wise confesse Farther where it is obiected that Cyprian saith it is left out of the Créed of the Romane and orientall Church I answere that is not Cyprians woorke for in that treatise is mention made of the Arryans who began their error vnder Constantine the great in the yéere 320. But Cyprian was put to death vnder Valerian in the yéere of our Lord God 249. Therfore Ciprian being dead almost an hundred yéers before that heresie sprāg vp could not write of Arrians for Cyprian is of my opinion as it shal appeare by this y t followeth For in his sermon of the ascending of Christ into heauen he vttereth his iudgement thus Christ did once descend into hel and goeth down into hell no more they shall not sée God no more on the crosse nor those that are damned in hell And in other places he proueth the descension of Christ into hell by the 16. Psalme and by the text of the 1. Pet. 3. Chapter before by me alleadged which héer I omit for breuities sake It is farther obiected that this article is left out of the Nicene créed true it is so Athanasius créed lacketh the buriall Hieroms ad Damas. lacketh it also Tertullian leaueth out in his Créede the catholique Church the resurrection of the flesh and life euerlasting Cirill maketh mention only of the trynity and leaueth out all the rest of the articles therfore this is the answere ab authoritate humana negatiué non valet argumentum It is no good reasoning from the authority of man negatiuely Séeing then that this article is proued by many and manifest Scriptures and by the generall consent of the pure and primitiue Church to beléeue it is safety to deny it peruersely is infidelity Last of all because it hath béen confidently auouched that all the reformed Churches beyond the Seas allowe not this doctrine I will therefore héere reproue that allegation as most false and vntrue First as before I haue proued that Aepnius Luther and the authors of the Centuries confirme this doctrine so héer I will adde to them Pomeranus who trauailed much in the reformation of the Churches of Germany who thus in his exposition of the
16. Psalme hath left to eternall memorye Christ not only dyed but he would also for a litle season that is vntill the third day descend into the darknes of hell where is the image of death and as Iob saith euerlasting horror without any order and a little after for this cause did Christ dye and goe down into hell that thou shouldest not goe thether so that as they shall returne from death so he would redéeme them from hell that he might abolish al thy death by his death and that thou maiest rest in the hope of the glorious resurrection as all the Fathers in the séede of Abraham that is Christ. In which faith whosoeuer dyed are said to be receiued into the bosome of Abraham For in the faith of Abraham and of the blessing which should come by Christ they did rest and they doo rest to arise with vs. All others did dye in desperation and doo dye dayly being holden in horrible death vntill the euerlasting fire shall come vpon them by the last sentence Aretius a professor of diuinity in Berna approueth this doctrine in his Problemes the 2. part and setteth down it was necessary that Christ should descend into hell for 3. causes 1. For the reprobates sake that it might be known to them that he was come already whom they had heard should come so often but they had despised it greatlye to these therefore it was necessarye that Christ should be knowne by vertue of spirite 2. It was méete also he should be manifested vnto Satan that he might know the same Christ whom he had tempted in the desarte and whom by the fraud of the Iewes he had put to death the same was the Messias and the séede of the woman promised This I say was expedient to be made knowne to the verye diuels in the bottome of hell 3. It was expedient in respecte of the elect that Sathan might know that he should haue no power ouer the bodyes of the Sayntes whom he will raise to life euerlasting héerafter Hyperius a man endewed with most excellent giftes of learning in his 3. book of his methode of diuinitye writing de Ecclesia thus saith as Christ when he was dead and buried and descended into hell then he did chéefely conquere death and hell so the Church dooth most encrease and multiply when it séemeth to be destroyed extinguished Peter Martyr who trauailed in this our realme in the most famous vniuersitie of Oxford in planting the Gospelll in his exposition on the articles of the faith thus hath lefte his iudgment the soule of Christe after it departed from the bodye remained not idle but descended into hell For Denmark we haue Hemingius for Scotland Alesius for Berna Aretius for Mapurge Hipperius for Argentorat Peter Martir for Hambrough Aepnius and for other partes of Germany Luther Siluerer Pomeranus Lucas Lossius Vrbanus Rhegius Musculus and the authors of the Centuries whose woorkes be worthy both of eternall memory and credite And for our Realme of England we haue the Catechisme of M. Nowell a man whom those that know not his face doo loue and honour for his great trauailes he hath bestowed in the Church of God but especially for the setting foorth of that Catechisme for the vnity of doctrine which is the band of perfection In which Catechisme he hath deliuered these woords as Christ in his body descended into the bowels of the earth so his soule being seuered from his body he descended into hell And as this was the iudgement of that reuerend Father so was it no doubt the iudgment of the Synode of learned men assembled together in the conuocation house at that time which was Anno Domini 1571. who by an iuiunction there made tooke this order that no other Catechisme in this Realme should be taught Which iniunction if it had béene kept we should not haue so many sectes in our Church as we now haue to the great dishonour of God the ioye of our endlesse aduersaries the Papists and the bitter gréefe of all the good Ministers of this Land The articles also of the Synode of London in y e time of King Edward the 6. in y e yéer of our Lord God 1552 published by the Kings authority approue this doctrine amongst which articles it is thus written as Christ is dead and buried for vs so is it also to be beléeued that he descended into hell for his body lay in the graue vntill his resurrection and his soule seperated from his bodye was with the spirites which were detained in prison or hell and preached to thē as witnesseth the place of Peter which I haue before alleadged But because now the iudgement of boyes is more estéemed then of reuerend Fathers and euery singuler schismatique is more estéemed then a whole Synode of chosen and expert men in diuinitye Héereof it commeth to passe that whatsoeuer hath béene most gladlye and learnedly proued by M. Nowell and approued by our couuocations is accounted error and whatsoeuer euery fantasticall spirite dooth vtter without study rashlye and without feare of God presumptuously is accounted truth as though it had béene méerely reueiled vnto them from heauen For what a rashnes and presumption is this to say all reformed Churches are of their opinion whereas the contrarye dooth appeare by their own writings to y e great glory of God and to the no lesse great shame of them which in the Pulpits affirme most impudently that all reformed Churches beyond the seas are of their iudgement But to lye is an vsual thing to all Martinists as their books in other things can witnes against them aswell as in this behalfe To conclude not only most of the reformed Churches beyond the Seas approue this doctrine but euen the very Infidels haue acknowledged it For Sybilla thus prophecied of Christ as Augustine witnesseth in his 18. booke of the Cytie of God the 23. chapter he shall come into the handes of Infidels and they shall strike him with their filthy handes and with their vncleane mouth shall cast on him their poysoned spittles he shall giue simply his holy back to strips and receiuing buffets shal hold his peace for his meate they gaue him gall for his thirste vinegar shewing this table of inhospitality for thou being a foolish nation didst not vnderstand thy God delighting in mens soules but didst crowne him with thornes and didst giue him bitter gall But the vaile of the Temple shall be rent and at noone it shall be darke for 3. houres and he dying for thrée dayes shall sléepe and then returning from hell shall come into the cléere light being the firste that shewed the beginning of the resurrection The same verses of Sibilla are repeated by the same Augustine in a sermon which he writeth to those that are catechised against the Iewes Pagans and Arrians in the 16. Chapter and in the 17. Chapter of the same booke where he thus reasoneth albeit O
that pertained vnto God who was in stéed of the voice Moreouer in the holy places who might enter but one and that not euer but once a yéer Heb. 9. Who might carry the arke but the Leuytes 1. Leuit. 15. And they as they were appointed for some were of a high office some of a lower as euery one was worthye and because that ought to be kept it was appointed also who should kéepe it euerie way for some should kéep one side some an other side neither should any thing remaine indistincted or disordered in their smallest matters Marke good Reader what is y e conclusion of this swéet discourse for it toucheth most néerelye our disordered Martinists but we if we haue gotten a little glory and excellency of name and haue learned two or thrée woords of Scripture not often but by chaunce and these vnskilfully and ill couched together by and by we furiously rebell against Moses and followe the importune contumelye and impiety of Dathan and Abiram whose contumelye I becéech you let vs flée and let vs flée their madnes least we be ouerthrowne with the same punishments Nazianzene affirmeth that order is beautifull in naturall thinges in sensible and in reasonable but more beautifull in houses Citties and common weales but most beautifull in the house and Church of God For God is not the God of confusion but of order 1. Cor. 14. 33. And for this cause all thinges in the Church must be doone in order 1 Cor. 14. 40. Take away order from naturall things all thinges would come to annihilation take away order from men and we become brutish but take away order from Christian men and they become very diuels In these last and dangerous times like beastes voide of reason we despise gouerment and like diuels that haue come out of the horrible pit of shameles confusion we ouerthrowe all the orders which are established in the Church of England Obedience by the woord of God is a sacrifice but we holde it to be a superstitious yoke S. Paul sayeth we should obey not for feare of wrath but for conscience but now a daies they are accounted the holyest men which haue no conscience and doo stubbornlye resist all the orders of the Church and desperately continue in their confused disobedience euery man will be a head no man a foote euery man a tung no man a eare S. Iames saith we should be slow to speak and swift to heare but we haue peruerted his woords in our déeds and are slowe to heare and swifte to speake against Prince and Ministers And euen as the Donatists wrote against Augustine in his time and the Catharoi against Ciprian in his time aud as the Pharasies withstoode our Sauiour and his Apostles in their time so are the Martinistes now bent against the Church of God and Ministers in our time For as their hart is full of enuy so their tung is as kéene as a rasour as sharpe as a Swoord as hotte as coles asvenymous as vipers and as they are swift to speak without number waight or measure of their woords so are they slowe to heare for they will not heare the voice of the charmer charme he neuer of wiselye Of these men Gregory Nazianzene in the place before quoted saith very well it is a shame truelye when thou doost embrace not magnificence but basenes in thy apparrell and dyet and to pretend humilitye in the hardnes of thy knées in thy fastings and watchings and in the asperitye of thy bed being laide in the ground and in thy labours and in al manner of pyning and subduing thy body and to challenge to thy selfe a principalitye and tirannye in diuine disputations neither to yéeld to any man but to aduance your self aboue the Preachers of the Law where humility hath not only glory but also securitye What then will some of them which are of a hotte spirite obiect doost thou by this Oration forbid to talke of God what shall we talke off or how thinke you of this place his praise shall euer be in his mouth Psal. 33. I will blesse the Lord alwaies Psal. 29. My throate shal meditate on his truth and beholde I haue not forbid my lippes and so will bring many testimonies meditated and quoted to that purpose To whome I answere gentlye and without bitternes of minde that héereby we may teach also the moderation of the minde I doo not exhorte a wise man to silence but I studye to feare thée from stubborne contention neither doo I bid thée to suppresse or hide the truth but I forbid thée that thou teach not besides Lawe For I my selfe doo professe my selfe to be a chéefe man among them which praise wisedome and learning and either doo spend or desire to spend their times in holy Sermons and sacred studies and God graunt that I neuer be turned aways from this busines least of wisedome it selfe I be pronounced a wretch and an vnhappy man because I haue despised learning and wisedome In the mean season I auoide the excesse and doo bridle the vnsatiable desire of man and am so minded that if I could not auoide both faults and kéep a mediocrity I had leyffer be too slowe then a busie body or too fearful rather then too bolde or rash He addeth shortly after holde fast those woords in the which thou hast béene instructed in thy infancy commit the care of reasoning and disputation to the learned it is inough for thée to holde fast the foundation let a wise maister builder build vpon it it is sufficient for thée to strengthen thy hart with bread leaue dainty dishes to the rich and wealthye No sober or wise man will accuse thée if thou furnish not thy supper with liberall and bountiful fare But if thou wilt not set bread or giue a cup of water to the Disciple of Christ. Mat. 10. Or to any other when thou art able then art thon iustly and worthily condemned also Be not swift in thy woords saith the wise man Eccle. 5. And being poore compare not thy selfe with the rich affect not to be wiser thē the wise It is a poynt of wisedom to know thy self and not to be immoderately proud and so to be affected as the voices who whē they are strained too high by reson of the immoderatiō they do altogither faint Thus this auntiēt father perswaded the people of God to a moderation in his time that knowledge might not make them proud for pride is the cause of singularitye singularitye bréedeth schismes schismes disorder disorder confusion God saith in the 4. Ephe that he hath made vs Pastors and Doctors héereby it is manifest that we are not the ordering or appointment of man nor of angel but of God himself How dare euery man then being scarse skilfull in his owne mistery take vpon him our office being in dignety the highest in labours the painefullest in disposing the wisest and in abusing the most daungerous function of
Christ descended into the pit of the damned it hath no other warrant out of the woord but such as is builded vpon a woord of a double signification which standeth at the curtesie of the reader to take it as to him shall seeme probable Hill Héere you confesse that Augustine doubteth and yet you say that in the matter in controuersie betwéene you and me he doubteth not but proueth it by the Apostolicall and propheticall testimonies for he willeth vs to hold it firmissima fide with a most firme faith and saith that none but an Infidell will dony it He doubteth whether the Fathers were in hell or whether they were conuerted in hell by Christs preaching as some did affirme vntruly and many such like thinges little or nothing appertaining to the question we haue in hand But ad Dardanū he doubteth not Fo. 3. col 272. Fo. 10. col 1410. Fo. 3. col 213. 702. Fo. 6. 788. Fo. 10. 899. 989. In all these places and in many other he telleth without doubting that he descended into hell and the end why To strike a terror into the diuels and to triumph ouer them It pleaseth you to make your selfe merry with S. Augustines infirmity I pray God you will with Saint Augustine acknowledge your owne which by and by shal be laide before you You wonder at S. Augustine but we wonder at your teachers and you for you confesse S. Augustine to builde vpon Dauid and Peter and yet you labour to ouerthrow this building how deceitfullye it shall now appeare You say that hell signifieth the sorrowes of hell sometime I graunt it dooth Héereupon you make this argument sometime it signifieth the sorrowes of hell therfore it dooth so in the 16. Psalme I deny your argumēt and that you haue spoken an vntruth the holy Ghoste by Peters mouth shalbe a witnes against you For you say it is spoken of the sorrowes which Christ suffered vpon the crosse Peter saith it is spoken of the resurrection and in the resurrection I am sure Christ suffred no tormentes or sorrowes Peters interpretation is thus Act. 2. 32. He knowing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soule should not be left in hell neither his flesh to see corruption Now then héere is an answere to your demaund these woords are spoken of the resurrection a matter of ioy and not of torments for Dauid saith in the person of Christ Therefore did my hart reioyce and my tung was glad And moreouer also my flesh shal rest in hope If Christ at this time did reioyce how was he sorrowfull if he were glad how was he tormented if he did rest in hope how was it true also that he was afflicted with torments And héere you vtter another vntruth that Christ did svffer his whole torments on the crosse which is most vntrue for he suffered some in the Garden when he said Math. 26. 38. My soule is heauye vnto death And some in Caiphas house aud some vnder Pilat but all his torments and sorrowes were ended on the crosse which I think you would haue said Last of all the woords of the text that commeth after aswell as the woords going before do proue that it cannot be spoken of Christs sorrowes for they are these Thou shalt shew me the path of life in thy presence is the fulnes of ioy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore Sith then Dauid both before and after maketh mention of ioy and pleasures for euermore and as Peter saith these woordes proue the resurrection of Christ I maruaile how you dare to contradict the meaning of the holy Ghoste You speake not now contrary to Augustine or Ambrose or Hill but contrary to Dauid and Peter themselues you boast your selues to be the best Christians but I shal hardly beléeue you are better Christians then Dauid and Peter In the conclusion you vtter blasphemy for Sheol being taken sometime for the sorrowes of hell and sometime for the place of hell you say it standeth at the curtesie of the reader to take it as to him shall séeme probable Are Gods woords to be interpreted after our pleasure Hillary was of a better minde he saide as God was the author of the Scriptures so God must be the Interpreter he opened the wittes of the Desciples going to Emaus so let vs pray that he may open our wittes that we may perfectlye vnderstand the Scriptures Humes Sectio 5. That he neuer was there what better proofe would a man aske then Christs own woords Luc. 23. 46. Father into thy hands I commend my spirite And in another place Luk. 23. 43. This day shalt thou be with me in Paradice Where it is a world to see how men of your side do trouble themselues to put out this candle First you say that the place Into thy hands I commend my spirite was borrowed of Dauid and must be spoken of Christ in that sence as Dauid did vse it before him This we confesse and gather hereupon that Christs soule did no more descend into hel then Dauids did but say you his soule did not straite way ascend into heauen for he liued many yeeres after That maketh not to the question when his soule went to heauen but whether his soule which was still in the hands of God euer went to hell proue this and we will giue you the goale As for Dauid he hauing deuoured heauen in hope did not doubt to speake that in the present time which he was sure would come to passe shortly Furthermore seeing Dauid was a figure of Christ and spake many thinges of himselfe in Christs person which were more agreeable with the thing figured then with the figure you must think that these wordes were spoken of Christ who was straite way to cōmend his soule with these words vnto his Father Wherfore if you will answere this place you must bring proof out of the Scriptures that he which meanes to go to hell doth vse to commend his soule into the handes of God or els you shal neuer be able to darken the light of this Sonne without any cloud of Sophistry Hill Indéede if these woords were spoken in the present time some shew of truth were in your woords but in the Gréeke they are in y e future tence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Father into thy hands I wil cōmit my spirite Now your argument is thus Christ commended his soule vnto his Father ergo immediatlye he went not downe to hell Héere is more in your conclusion then is in your premises You may conclude his soule went to heauen But not immedlatly for it went to hell as I haue proued before for hell in the 16. Psalme doth not signifie the sorrowes of hel but the place as I haue confirmed already Therefore it is better to translate I will commend then I doo commend as Stepanus on this place noteth Paule sayth Eph. 4. and 10. verse Now in that he ascended what is it but that he
first descended into the lowest parts of the earth He that descended is euen the same that ascended farre aboue all heauens to fulfill all things Now if the same Christ did first descend which did ascend then he descended in soule and body as he ascended in soule and body For both these must be effected in a wonderfull maner for they are reconed by Salomon amongst the most stupendious works of the Sonne of God Prou. 30. 4. Who hath ascended vp to heauen descended who hath gathered the winde together in his fyst who hath established all the ends of the world By this scripture I inferre that to ascend and descend are as miraculous works as to create gouern the world But if the soule of Christ did go to heauen immediatly as you affirme contrary to this text then the descending of Christ had not bin so maruelous as his ascending Besides as you after alleage there is but one ascending but if Christs soule first went to heauen and then his body then were there two ascensions But euen as Christ was but once borne and once dyed and was once buried and once rose from the dead and but once commeth into iudgement so as Cyprian saith in his Sermon of the ascending of Christ Christ did once descend into hell they shall sée God no more on the crosse nor they that are damned in hell Wherefore may it please you to accept the iudgement of Athanasius a Gréeke Father and a man persecuted for the truths sake by the Arrians he in his Créede saith thus who suffred for our saluation and descended into hell And interpreting the third Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians he writeth Satan was enuious against our Sauiour for he killed him not knowing that it would make against himself for Christ after his crosse going downe into hell hath vāquished death because he knew not sinne he could not be holden of death Thus you sée that not only Hill Augustine Ierome doo say that Christ after he had vtterd these words into thy hands I will commend my spirit but Athanasius a gréeke father who better then you vnderstood the meaning of these words Therfore it is a wonder to sée how those of your side labour to extinguish this euerlasting light of Gods truth and set vp a consuming candle of your owne making Where you teach that Christs Soule did no more descend into hell then Dauids did therein you are deceaued for Christ was to deliuer vs from hell and Dauid also wherefore if Christs soule had not gone to hell Dauids must and mine and yours And for this cause as you say they are true in Christ figured but not in Dauid the figure And héerevpon Peter thus reasoneth that they could not be true in Dauid For Christs soule was in hell and yet not tormented and his body in the graue but not corrupted Whereas Dauids body saw corruptiō and if his soule had gone to hell it had found no redemption Therefore to be in graue and returne without corruption and to be in hell and returne with conquest of the diuell were two peculiar things to the Sonne of God and not to any other of the sonnes of men And héere you vtter an other blasphemy that Christs soule had no other prerogatiue then Dauids soule for by y e same reason you may argue that Christs body had no greater prerogatiue then Dauids body for as this is false so is the other For as Athanasius saith in his booke of the incarnation of the word Death could not preuaile on the humane soule of Christ to tye him there neither corruption inuading his body by tiranny could shew her force on him to putrefaction as things not well séene vnto for to thinke so of him so were a wicked thing for euen as Adam had a double punishment inflicted on him for his disobedience the one was on his body earth thou art and to earth thou shalt returne and so by this decrée the body of the Lord departed vnto the earth but to the soule he said Thou shalt dye the death Hereof it cōmeth to passe that man is deuided into 2. parts and is condemned to depart to 2. places and therfore it was necessary that the selfesame Iudge which had made this decrée that he by himselfe being vnder the colour of a condemned man should frée from that sentence all beléeuers Héere you sée by this learned Father that Christs soule went to hell to deliuer our soules from hell and his body to the graue to deliuer vs from death and by this meanes both body and soule personally and not potentially as you teach working our deliuerance from death hell haue those prerogatiues which Dauids soule and body had not And for this consideration though the one was in the graue the other in hell yet both were in the hands of the Lord. Héere then we must learne what the hands of the Lord do signifie Sometime the hand of God doth signifie the Sonne of God Psal. 144. 7. Send thy hand from aboue Sometime it signifieth the power of God Psalm 136. 12. With a mighty hand and outstretched arme Thirdly the bountifulnes of God Psal. 145. Thou openest thy hand and fillest euery liuing thing with thy blessing Fourthly it signifieth consolation Ezec. 3. 22. The hand of the Lord was with me comforting me Fiftly grace Psalm 118. 16. The right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly Sixtly it signifieth the gift of prophecie Ezec. 8. 1. The hand of the Lord fell there vpon me Seuenthly mercy Psal. 37. 24. Though he fall he shal not be cast off for the Lord putteth vnder his hand Eightly the protection of the Lord Psal. 31. 15. My times are in thy hand Ninthly the aide of the Lord Psal. 74. 11. Why withdrawest thou thy hand Tenthly the punishment of the Lord Iob. 19. 21. Haue pity on me o yee my friends for the hand of the Lord hath touched me Lastly it signifieth the gouernment of the Lord Psal. 95. 4. In his hand are all the corners of the earth This place therefore must néedes haue this construction into thy consolation mercy protection and gouernment I will commende my soule I hope you your selfe commende your soule into the hands of God euery day but yet you minde not to goe to heauen immediatly So said Dauid Psal. 30. 5. Into thine hands I commende my spirit but he went not to heauen in many yeares after neither did Christ ascend into heauen in many dayes after but went downe to hell where it was in the protection and gouernment of the Godhead which as you confesse descended into hell For as we being in the damned world are in the protection and hand of the highest so Christ being in the place of the damned after a wonderfull manner was also in the Lords aide and protection by meanes whereof he hath wrought our deliuerance from hell Therefore proue you that Christ went straitway to heauen and you
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
I referre it to the indifferent Reader Then I proued that Erets tacthioth that is the nethermost partes of the earth did signifie hell out of 63. Psalme and 9. verse In answering of this you dissent from Dauid and M. Caluin Now whether it be more safe to foliow Dauid or you let my enemies iudge I alleadged Ezechiel to proue that point also 31. Chapter 5. 16 17 18 19. In answering to that place you haue gainsaide Ezechiel Esay in his 14. chapter Lauaterus Munster and Pellicane Now whether it be more fit for me to beléeue you or Esay or Ezechiel let your owne fauourites iudge Then I alleadged the knowne place of Peter you trauailed much about this place yet in your interpretation of this woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is spirites which you interprete the soules of the men that liued in Noahs time you contradict the woords of our Sauiour Luk. 24. 39. For Christ saith a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me haue And yet you and your Masters say that this word spirit may signifie a man liuing Now whether it be more expedient for me to beléeue you or Christ I referre it to your owne iudgement You said my Sermon at Chippenham did confirme you and your fréends but I hope your owne answeres will not confute me but your selfe and cause your selfe and them both to recant You say you séeke to know the truth so do I as knoweth the knower of al harts wherfore whether you or I haue taught the truth let not Humes nor Hill iudge but the learned of the vniuersities For as Paule saith 1. Cor 14. 32. Yhe spirits of the Prophets are subiect to the Prophets That is the labours of learned men are to be iudged of the learned The God of patience and consolation giue vs grace that we may be like minded one towards another according to Christ Iesus that we may with one minde with one mouth glorifie God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. Rom. 15. 5. 6. To whome be all honor and glory world without end Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iamque opus exegi quod nec Iouis ira nec ignis Nec poterit ferrum nec edax abolere vetustas Psal. 16. 9. 10. 11. 1. King 17. 21. 22. Heb. 11. 35 Pro. 23. 14. Athanas. de aduentu Christi Epiphaâ—con contra Damaer haer 77. Fulgent ad Thrasym lib. 3. Cap. 6 Ciril de vera fide ad Theodosium Imper. cap. 13. To descend into hell is a miraculous thing Petrus Mar tir in 1. Cor 15. Mat. 10. 24. Psal. 86. 13. Psal. 9. 17. Theophilact in act â— Draconit in ps 16. Aepinus in psal 16. Felinus in Psal. 16. Fulgent ad Thrasy li. 3. cap. 8. Cal. in 16. Psalme Act. 10. 43. Luk. 1. 35. August in 16. Psalme Christs body is called holy one for 2. causes Iob. 17. 14. Luther in Gen. ca. 21. August in epist. 57. ad Dardan Erasm. in 2 Act. August in 85. Psalme Absurdities following the deniing of the descendiug of Christ into hell Ciril de vera fide ad Theodosin Imperatorem ca. 12. Act. 2. 29. 30. 31. August in Epist 75. ad Dardan August in epist. 99. ad Enodi Rabbi Lebaurish Ciril de vera fide ad Theod. August de essentia diuinitatis Act. 13. 17. Col. 3. 1. Hugo Cardinalis in col 3. Rom. 6. 5. Phil. 2. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 13. 1â— Ob. Sol. Mark 5-7 Mat. 8. 29. Damas. Rob. Samu el Martir Col. 2. 14. 15. Muscul. Euseb. de re sur Christi Mollet in psal 16. Musc. in psal 68. Heming Fulg. ad Thrasim. li. 3. cap. 8. Eph. 4. 9. 10 Psal. 53. 9. Ezek 31. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Orat Manas ver 12. Ambro in epist. ad Ephe cap. 4. August in lib. 5. de trinitate cap. 19. Chrisost. in cap. 4. ad Ephe. Athanasi ibidem Cent. ia li 2. ca. 4. Hiero in ca. 4. ad Ephe. Psal. â—6 13. Pro. iâ— 24. 1. Pet. 3. 18. 19 20. 1. Cor. 5. 3. 1. Ioh. 4. 5. Luk 24. 37. Ioh. 3. 8. 1 Cor. 14. 1â— 2 Cor. 3. 17 2 Thes. 2. â— Miche 2. 11 Psal. 104. 29 Pro. 25. 2â— 1 Thes. 5. 23 Ephe. 2. 22. 1 Tim. 4. 12 2. Cor. 36. Gal. 6. 8. 1. The. 5. 19 Esa 26. 18. Psal. 150. 6. Ephe. 4. 4. Act. 7 59. Ioh 4. 24. Matth. 4. 5. Mark 1. 12. Luke 4. 1. 1. Tim. 4. 1. Act. 8. 29. Aug. epist. 99. Gen. 6. 3. Luk. 24. 39. Act. 2. Heb. 11. 4. Gen. 4. 4. Cent. 1. li. 2 ca 4. Athanasius ad Epictet Episcop corinth Athanas. de incarnat verbi Fulgent ad Thrasim li. 3. ca. 7. Ciril de vera fidead TheodosiuÌ„ Occumenius Viglius li. 2 ca. 3. Alesius in Euang. Ioh. The coÌ„sent of scripture which proue the descending into hell Act. 2. Ephe. 4. Phillip 2. Ob. Sol. Ob. 1. Tim. 19. Sol. Ob. Sol. Ose. 15 14. 1. Cor. 15. 55. Luk. 4. 18. Act. 10. 38 Heb 9. 22. 1. Ioh. 1. 7 Ferus in psal Mat. 1. 22. Ephe. 4. 10. Ioh. 17. 4. Heb. 3. 39. Apoc. 12. 12. Inde 6 Rom. 16. 20 Ephe. 2. 2. 2 Tim. 2. 26 2. Cor. 2 4 1. Pet. 5. 6. Apoc. 12. â— 10. Orig. 1 Cor. 15. 1â— Petrus Mar ibidem Muscuius Apoc. 21. 4. Luc. 22. 43. Mar. 2. 7. Hierome in Luc. 22. 43. Psal. 7. 11. 2. Tim. 4. 8. Aug. in Luc 22. 24. Ambro. Ferus in Mat. 27. Damasc Apoc. 12. 13. Apoc. 10. 6. Psal. 2. 7. Act. 13. 32. 33. Heb. 15. Heb. 5. 6. Aug. Luk. 23. 46. Psal. 144. 7. Psal. 136. 6. Psal. 145. 16 Ezek. 3. 22. Psa. 118. 16 Ezek. 8. 1. Psal. 37. 24. Psal. 31. 15. Nehe. 2. 8. Psal. 74. 12. Iob. 19. 21. Psa. 102. 25 Psal. 95. 4. Ephe. 4. 9. Eras. in 4. ad Ephe. Ioh. 20. 17. Mat. 8. 11. Ignat. epist. ad eccles Trallis Athanas. in Symbolo Ambro. in Gal. 3. Ob. Sol. Cypria de ascensu Chr. This is Car leils argument Pomera in Psal. 16. Areti in probemat parte 2. Hiperi li. 3. de method diuinitat Pet. Mar in artic 〈◊〉 Nowel in catechis Artyc Syn. Lond. tempore Eduardi 6. Aug. de ciuitate dei li. 18. ca. 23. August li. contra Iud. Pap. Arri ca. 16. 17 Phil. 2. 10. 1â— Ios. 24. 15. Aug. ad Euodium Epist. 99. Hierome ad August Epist. 9. Clemens Alexand. stromatum li. 7. Chrisost. in Act hom â— Chrys. in Gal. 3. Cypria Epist 4. Hiler li. ad ConstantiuÌ„ Augustum Hierom ad Paulinum cap. 6. Nazians orat de moderatione in reb diui 1. Cor. 14. 33. 1. Cor 14. 40. Ob. Sol. Athana de in carnat verbi Greg. Rom. 14. 10 Luk. 6. 37. Caluin defide ca. 7. The scripture is corrupted by 3. means M. Hils answere to the place This day shalt thou be with me in paradice M. Humes disagreeth with Saint Peter Humes disa greeth with Dauid and Caluin Humes disagreeth with Esay Ezechiel Munster Lauater and Pellican M. Humes disagreeth with Mathew If this be true then Christ was not dead as Peter saith Humes disagreeth with the words of our Sauior Luk. 24 39 M. Humes disagreeth with Peter Paule and himselfe Fortissimum argumeÌ„tum He ioyneth it himselfe a litle after with triumph A litle before hee saith hee neuer read hell with triumph Humes is contrarye to himself Humes disagreeth with Peter and Paule 1. Pet. 3. 22. Phil. 2. 9. 10 Eph. 1. 20. 21. 22.
soule in hell wholy in the world wholy in heauen wholy in the vnity of the nature in the Father of whom he came and wholy by the omnipotency of his diuinity in all y e creatures which he made The Apostle kéeping this vnitye of person doth thus confirme the Church of Corinth in the faith of the truth For first of all I haue deliuered you that which I haue receiued that Christ died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures and that he was buried and rose againe the third day according to the Scriptures He saith not that the body of Christ was dead but Christ that he might kéep the vnity of the person of God and man and that he might shew the substantial propriety of the deity and humanity In another place he sayth for although he was crucified of infirmie yet he liueth by the power of God Héer we are taught that the whole humanity was assumpted into the Godhead and that death albeit it did sunder the body and the soule yet it it did not sunder the Godhead from either parte and for this cause the Godhead being with the flesh in the graue it conld not corrupt and the same Godhead vnited to the soule the soule could not he left in hell but euen as his body was in graue to shew him to be true man and it rose againe without corruption to shew him very God so his soule was iu hel to shew himself a true man it came from hel to shew himself a true God and a most glorious conquerour of al his enemies both in earth and in hell The like hath Ciril in his treatise of the right faith to Theodosius the soule of Christ being coupled to his Godhead descended into hel vsing the power of God did appeare to the soules that were there And writing on Iohn in his 12. book and 36. chapter and when the time was come that he should preach to the soules that were in hell for he came to be Lord of the liuing and of the dead he dyed for vs and this proper passion of our nature he willingly took on him as concerning this flesh albeit as God he is life naturally that hell being spoyled he might be the first fruites of them that fléepe and being made the first begotten of the dead as the Scripture calleth him he might giue to our nature a returne to life And of this iudgement is Oecumenius interpreting the Scripture Christ dyed for the vniust not only for them which were after him but also for them that were before him and therefore went down into hell As the death of Christ was auaileable vnto thē that dyed before him so the descension of Christ into hell was profitable to them that liued before Christ as well as to those that liued after him Vigilius also in his 2. book and 3. chapter thus saith the flesh of Christ was not in Paradice nor in hell but lay in the graue without life the soule for y t 3. dayes was in hell and not in the graue and yet we say well that out Lord Iesus Christ lay in the sepulchre but in his onlye fleshe and that our Lord Iesus Christ was not lefte in hell but in his only soule and albeit Christ is in all these and euerye one of these yet it is but one Christ whereof one parte of his humanity was so in the graue and another in hell that he notwithstanding is one wholy euery where albeit he hath seuerally deuided himselfe by places and therfore we say the Lord lay in the graue but in only flesh and the Lord went down to hell but in only soule Alesius one of the first reformed Ministers of Scotland in his learned treatise vpon the Gospell of S Iohn thus writeth concerning this controuersie but this encourageth me that I haue a manifest place and text in Peter that Christ preached in hell to them which in the dayes of Noah were vnbeléeuers that is condemned in the nethermost hell then he alleageth the place of Ephe. 4. before by me alleadged and therupon thus concludeth I expound therefore this article simply and againe I meruaile what men meane that they deny that Christ descended into hell Alesius did wonder that any man would deny this article because it hath so many confirmations and in euery confirmation in such order as they are set in the Créed are proued the death descending into hell resurrection and ascension of Christ together For in the 16 Psalme he beginneth with the death of Christ in the 10. verse but in the last verse he speaketh of his resurrection and of his exaltation at the right hand of God So in the Act. 2. chap. First he speaketh of the death of Christ in the 29. verse Secondly of his buriall in y t same verse of his descending into hell in the 13. verse of his resurrection in the 32. verse and of his ascending and exaltation to glory and his giuing of the holy Ghost in the 33. verse so in the 4. chapter of the Ephe there is not onlye mention made of Christ descending into the lowest partes of y e earth but also it is saide in the 10. verse that he ascended far aboue all heauens And also in the 3. chap. of the Philippians not only the Apostle declareth the humility of Christs death but also setteth downe his presence in hell and that euerye knée did bow vnto him and euery tung did confesse him to be the Lord and thus he sheweth first who was highly exalted he that hath made himselfe of no reputation from whence he was exalted from those that were vnder earth where he was exalted that is farre aboue al heauens and lastly who exalted him that is God his Father So in this place Peter proueth in the 18. verse the death of Christ in the 19. verse the descending of Christ into hell in the 20. verse the end of his descending that is to reproue them of ther disobedience to the preaching of Noah in the 21. ver he speaketh of the resurrection of Christ in the 22. verse he endeth the ascending vp into heauen vnto the right hand of God that all Angels powers and might might be subiect vnto him In all these Scriptures the order of our Créed being kept and all these thinges plainlye proued very great cause of maruell is giuen to Alesius and many learned men why this article should be denyed which is confirmed by the scriptures that the death buriall resurrection and ascension of Christ are confirmed and therefore those that deny these Scriptures to proue the descending of Christ into hell may aswell deny the resurrection of Christ for the resurrction being the ioyning of both partes of the manhood of Christ together cannot cléerely be proued vnlesse it be shewed from whence both partes seuered came which is proued before to be thus the soule of Christ from hell and the body from the graue Further where it is