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
THE DEFENCE OF the Article Christ descended into Hell With Arguments obiected against the truth of the same doctrine of one Alexander Humes All which reasons are confuted and the same doctrine cleerely defended By Adam Hyll D. of Diuinity Magna est veritas praeualet AT LONDON Printed for William Ponsonbie 1592. To the right reuerend Father in God Iohn by the grace of God Archbishop of Caunterburye Adam Hyll Minister of the woord of God Wisheth grace peace and life euerlasting DIuers causes most reuerēd Father haue moued me to present this tretise vnto your grace The one because your grace hath been charged to defend an error maintaining this doctrine that Christ in Soule descended into hell The other for that there is like to be as great strife about the true vnderstanding of this Article in England as there was in Germany about the true meaning of This is my body For the better preuention whereof I thought it my parte though the vnwoorthiest of all the Ministers of the Church of England to set down in this short discourse a plain demonstration of the truth and a refutation of the contrary out of Gods Booke and godly Interpreters The last reason that hath moued me to evulgate these my labors is this I see diuers Ministers whome for their learning and life I do honor very often to preach against the true interprutation of this branche of our Creed wherby the Papist reioyceth the Atheist is hardned and the common sort of people deuiding themselues as they affection The Prechers do vpon this occasion striue more bitterly one against another then either of both do against our common aduersarye and by this meanes turning our swords into our own bowels we are a pray to our enemies and a scorne to the world If therefore this controuercie be not shortly by the prouidence of almighty God and your grace his ministery decided there will grow among vs enuy strife sedition and al manner of euill workes Sith then as there is but one God so there is but one truth My humble sute vnto your grace is that if the doctrine contained in this booke be Apostolicall It may be authorized to proceede and they that preach the contrary in this respect may haue their mouths stopped for if one builde and another destroy how can our building prosper if one gather and another scatter what profit will there be in our gathering sith it is more easie to destroy and scatter then to build or gather Agathon said Euery Gouerner must learne these 3. lessons the one that they rule men the other that they must rule by the laws the 3. that they shal not rule foreuer In that vnder her most excellent Maiestie you rule men you must vse continuall care and vigilancy In that you must rule by lawes you may not for feare of superior or multitude for loue of freends for hatred of enemy nor for desire of reward leaue the lawes of your Countrie vnexecuted In that you shall not rule for euer you are put in minde that you shall appeare one day before the God of order being the Iudge of the quick and of the dead who wil seuerely punish you for the disorders which are in the Church of England vnpunished except you endeuour as much as you can to reforme thē Some preach what they please some do what they fancy some liue as they list and the most are impatient of vniformyty for some weare surpleases and they are called Time seruers some gownes and they are like Citizens some clokes and they are like trauailers some Coates and they are like fugitiues Nazianzene saith in his oration of moderation to be vsed in diuine matters Confusion hath engendred thunders in the aire tremblings in the earth shipwrackes in the Sea warres and strifes in Cities and houses sicknes in bodies and sinnes in the soule So that by this learned mans iudgemēt the air the sea the earth euery house Cittie body and soule is ouerthrown by confusion For the purest things as the aire is it infecteth the calmest things as the sea is it troubleth the strongest thinges as Citties are it weakneth the richest thinges as the house is it impouerisheth the vnitedst things as the bodye is it serueth the holyest things as the soule is it profaneth God the giuer of all good gifts giue to our Church a beautifull order that he may dwell among vs least our puritye be turned to vncleannes our stedfastnes to tottering our peace to warre our strength to weaknes our riches to pouerty our vnion to ciuill discension and our religion to Atheisme For the head of this monster Confusion is the diuell the hart is enuy the eares are euill reporte the eyes are trouble and vexation the hands are vprore and sedition the feete are woe and destruction From the which God deliuer my sweete countrey for his sonnes sake Christ Iesus To whom with the holy ghost be all honor and glory for euer and euer Amen Your graces most bounden Orator Adam Hyll Christ descended into Hell THat Christ descended into hell it is an article of our faith and is to be beléeued as the rest of the articles are for it is proued by many and manifest Scriptures as it shal hereafter appeare The first Scripture that proueth that christ went down into hell is the 16. Psal. 9. 10. 11. verses Wherfore my hart is glad my tung reioyceth and my flesh also shall rest in hope for why thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell neither suffer thy holy one to see corruption thou shalt shew me the path of life in thy presence is the fulnes of ioye and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore They that deny this place to proue the descending of Christ into hell say that the woord Nephesh or soule doth signifie the person of Christ and Sheol the graue But the place it selfe doth confute them for as in the 11. verse he sheweth the resurrection of Christ and his ascension so the 10. containeth his buriall and descending into hell from whence he did arise Some there be that deny that Nephesh the Hebrew word dothsignifie the soule seperated from the body but they are reproued in the 1. of King 17 ver 21. 22. where Elias thus praieth for his Hostesse childe O Lord my God I pray thee let this childes soule come vnto him again then the Lord heard the voice of Elias and the soule of the childe came into him againe and he reuiued wher Npehesh signifieth thesoule seperated from the body Carleil séeing this place to ouerthrow that which he goeth about busily toproue saith that this childe was not dead but in a swoune but the Sonne of Sirach saith otherwise Sir 48. 4. 5. O Elias how honourable art thou by thy wonderous deeds who may make his boast to be like vnto thee which hast raised vp the dead from death and by the woord of the most high out of the graue and
Paul saith Heb. 11. 35. Their women receued their dead raised to life Both these say the childe was dead therfore it is vntrue that Carleil affirmeth in his booke fol. 144. that the childe was not dead and as the wise man saith it was a wōderous déed but it is no wonder to quicken one that is in a swoun as Nephesh in this place doth signifie the soule so dooth it in many other places Pro. 23. 14. Thou shalt smite him with the rod and shalt deliuer his soule from hel Farther y t Nephesh signifieth the Soule it is manifest by this for y e interpreters called Septuaginta haue translated it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There were in times past many Heretiques that did deny that Christ had a soule of whom Appollinaris was one against whom Athanasius thus writeth in his book of the wholsome comming of Christ neither his body was left in the graue neither his soule was left in hell for this the Prophet writeth Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption And a little after for if the Godhead had béen seperated from the body and death had shewed his force on him how could the body depriued of the immortall God shew forth incorruption or how could the woord finish his going downe to hell or arise from hell Epiphanius writing against the Heretiques called Damaeritae vseth the same proofe haer 77. Fulgentius ad Thrasymundum in his 6. Chapter thus writeth concerning this matter whose flesh neither the diuinity forsooke in death neither did it leaue the soule in hell as the Prophet saith thou shalt not leaue my soule in Hell And in his 8. Chapter alleadging the 2. of the Acts 16. Psalm he addeth these words there blessed Peter being lightned indéede by the holy Ghost and made according to the woord of the Lord the light of the world did shew by the manifest light of preaching how we should vnderstand this place least any man in Christ should so vnderstand the true flesh that he should deny the true soule In this therfore the diuinity of Christ did shew his impossibilitie because hée is present alwaies and in all places and after an vnspeakable manner and was as concerning his soule in hel without sorrowes and as concerning his bodye laye in the Sepulchre without corruption for hee neither was absent from his flesh when he did not suffer his soule to be gréeued in Hell neither did he leaue his soule in hell when he kept his flesh in the graue without corruption But most plaine of all others is Ciril who in his book of the true faith to Theodosius the Emperour thus writeth it is not lawfull to saye that the flesh coupled to the Godhead could be subiect to the corruption at any time and y t diuine soule to be holden within the gates of hell for he was not left in hell as S. Peter saith For we may not saye that that nature which cannot be subdued by death that is the deitye of the onely begotten Sonne should returne from those dennes vnder earth neither should this thing haue any miracle vnlesse the Sonne of God by the efficacy and nature of the diuinity had tarried in hell fulfilling all things marueilouslye and aboue the reach of reason and working in all things for God is aboue measure place circumscription and magnitude he himselfe is comprehended of none This also is wonderfull that his body rose againe being corruptible by nature and his soule being vnited to the Godhead by the vertue and power of the Godhead did appeare to the soules that were there In these places Ciril Fulgentius and Athanasius doo proue y t Christ had a true body and a true soule and to proue that he was a true man in respect both of body and soule they alleadge this text of the 16 Psalm out of S. Peter If then Nephosh doth not signifie the soule the reasons of those learned Fathers were of no validitye And for this cause in the interlineall glosse you shall read this interpretation animam quam haheo vt verus homo My soule which I haue as a true man And thus M. Hutchinson in his most learned woork of the Image of God vseth this Scripture against the Arrians to proue that Christ had a true soule As then Athanasius Epiphanius Fulgentius and Hutchinson with all the rest of the auntient fathers doo vnderstand Nephesh heer to be the Soule euen so doo I with them séeing no reason why I should beléeue otherwise Peter Martyr in the 1. Cor. 15. teacheth vs a doubtfull place of Scripture must be interpreted First saith he it must be conferred with the like places of Scripture Secondly we must sée what the Fathers especially of the Gréek Church which day and night did exercise this book of God in their hands and conferred it with all the books they could doo write of it So haue I doone in handling this place First I haue proued by the woord of God that Nephesh signifieth y e soule seperate from the body Secondly by the Gréeke Fathers who translated it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth the soule Mat. 10. 28. Feare ye not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the Soule but feare him that hath power to cast both bodye and soule into hell As Nephesh signifieth the soule so Sheol doth in the 16. Psalme signifie Hell this phrase of Scripture is in other Psalmes as in the 86. 13. For thy mercye is great towards me and thou hast deliuered my Soule from the nethermost hell and in the 9. Psalme verse 17. The wicked shal be turned into hell and al the people that forget God So in Deut. 32. 22. Iob. 21. 13. Psal. 30. 4. 54. 16 138. 8. Esa. 5. 14. Ose. 13. 14. Habac. 2. 5. Mat. 11. 23. In these and many other places of Scripture it can not be denyed but Sheol signifieth hell and so doth it in this place as by Gods grace I wil proue First Sheol com ming of Nephesh which is to ask signifieth such a place as ne uer is satisfied but alwaies asketh and this is most properly hel which albeit it hath receiued infinite soules yetas it is in y e 5. of Esay His mouth is alwaies open and gapeth for more Secondly it is translated by the Septuaginta 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which woord fignifieth in the Scriptures hell alwaies and neuer the graue as yon may sée Mat. 11. 23. Luke 16. 23. Apoc. 1. 18. 6. 8. 20. 13. 14. And therefore to translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a graue which signifieth a place where nothing can be séene is a forced and false translation for sith the holye Ghost doth vse it alwaies for hell I meruaile how any man dareth to translate it graue Theophilact translateth it thus Non derelinques animam meam apud orcum Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell vsing the
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 〈◊〉
reconciling the world to himselfe in Christ First desdescended into the lower partes of the earth then he led captiuity captiue and not only we are deliuered from the captiuity of Satan sinne and damnation but also Christ triumphing ouer them as tirants hath ascended aboue all heauens to fulfill all things Uery aptly likewise doth Hemingius expound this place as by his death he conflicted with his enemy on the crosse so by his glorious descending into hell resurrection and ascention he triumphed as it is Ephes. 4. leauing his crosse lift vp as a monument of his victorye This then is an other end of Christs descending into hell to triumph ouer the diuell to strike perpetuall terrors into thē and to deliuer vs from the feare of their tiranny I end therfore with this worthy saying of Fulgentius to Thrasymunde in his 8. chapter the true humanity of the sonne of God neither was wholy in the sepulchre neither wholy in hell but in the Sepulchre he lay dead according to his true flesh but in his soule he descended into hell In his soule he returned from hell to the slesh which lay in the sepulchre but in respect of his diuinity he neither is holden in place nor lymited by bond he was wholy in the graue with his flesh wholy in hell with his soule and by this meanes was fully euery where Christ because God was not seperated from the humanity which he had assumpted which was both in soule in hell that from hell his soule might return a conqueresse and was with his flesh that by reason of his spéedy resurrection it might not be corrupted Therefore the sonne of God took all man with all his infirmities without sinne for vs and the same Christ was giuen wholy for vs in respect of his flesh he was dead but in respect of his soule he descended into Hell It is not vnknowne therefore that Eusebius Fulgentius Mollerus Musculus Hemingius with many others before by me named being accompted lightes of the world in their time haue confirmed this article of our faith by this Scripture which thing when we doo likewise we are reckoned to be deceiuers But God who knoweth our harts and intent knoweth that both by praier and study we trauell to know the truth in this controuersie and we are assured by his holy and eternall woord we stand therein An other place we haue in Scripture to confirme our position in the Epistle to the Ephes. 4. verse 9. 10. Now in that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lowest partes of the earth he that descended is euen the same that ascended farre aboue all heauens that he might fulfil all things For the better vnderstanding of this place you must note that in the Hebrew tung there are 7. names of Hell Scheol Auaddon Bor Schachath Bor Scheon Tit Haijáuen Thalmáueth Erets Tachtiioth Erets Tachtiioth then signifying the lowest partes of the earth sith it is an appellation for hell this place must néedes proue manifestly the descending of Christ into hell For as ascend and descend are cōtrary so are heauen and the lowest partes of the earth I will therfore procéede by Gods grace in the expounding of this place as I haue doon in the rest First I wil proue by conference of Scriptures that the lowest parts of the earth signifieth hell In the 63. Psalme and 9. verse the Prophet thus writeth Therfore they that seeke my soule to destroye it shall goe into the lowest partes of the earth And in Ezekiel 31. verse 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. the Prophet prophecying the destruction of the Assirians saith They shall goe down into hell which he calleth in y e chapter 3. times Ercts tachtiioth that is the lower partes of y e earth The like manner of spéech is in the praier of Manasses ver 12. O Lord condemn me not by reseruing euil for me neither condemne me into the lower parts of the earth And so is this place vnderstood by Ambrose writing on the same place in his exposition of the 4. chapter of the Ephesians this man therefore comming downe from heauen into the earth was borne a man afterward he died and descended into hell from whence rising the third day he ascended into heauen before all mortall men aboue all heauens that he might shew death to be vanquished to euery creature So doth Augustine interpret this place in his 15. booke of the Trinity and 19. chapter and Chrisostom on the 4. chapter of the Ephesians And Athanasius expounding this parcell of Scripture thus explaineth the Apostles meaning into what place did he descend into hell truely which he calleth according to the common opinion of men the lowest partes of the earte For as Chrisostome saith he went to the partes of the earth beyond which was nothing lower and from thence he ascended into the heauens then y e which nothing is higher And in hell as he bound the diuell with the bandes of his iustice and power that he should not herafter hurt any of his members so from heauen he giueth his Saints giftes that they may resist the diuell and tread him vnder their féet Those men of worthy memory which com posed the centuries doo auouch y e in fimae partes terrae that is the lowest partes of the earth do signifie hel and proue it out of this text Ephes. 4. And for this cause Hierome in this place thus hath concluded and so doo I with Hierome that hell is vnder the earth no man doubteth for he that descended in soule into hell ascended with body and soule into heanen For as much then as the learned and godly Rabbins the Fathers both Gréeke and Latin haue consented that these woords doo signifie hell and the circumstances of the text doo proue the same it must néeds be confessed of all godly men that this place dooth proue this article of our faith strongly and no refutation béerof can be made by any deuise of man For as ascend and descend are contrary so hell and heauen are contrary and Christ did begin his triumph in hell make shew of it in earth and now hauing all power in heauen earth and hell is set down on the right hand of God not only as a valiant conquerour that hath made his enemies his footstoole but also as a terrible iudge that hath condemned y e diuels and as a glorious King that ruleth all creatures for euer If any man will not beléeue S. Hierome that hell is beneath let him consider these 2. Scriptures the 86. Psal. ver 13. and Pro. 15. ver 24. For great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast deliuered my soule from the nethermost hell The Hebrew phrase is Scheol Tachtiioth The other place is The way of life is on high to the prudent to auoid from hell beneath Now let vs examine the place of S. Peter who in his first Epistle and 3. chapter
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
putteth in for them in the midst of the garden Farther God said they should not eate of it she added that they might not touch it God said they should surely dye Eue said least we dye héere she diminished the scriptures If then the Fathers haue added to the scriptures that the Fathers were set out of hell there I leaue them And if you change hell into graue as you doo in the 16. Psal Act. 2. I will leaue you also for I stande not vpon mens sayings but vpon the word of God But where you boldly affirme that not one of the Fathers haue déemed that which I say you shewe your selfe either to be malicious in hiding the truth or else so ignorant that you haue not read the Fathers for diuers both old and new are of my iudgement Ambrose on the fourth Chapter of the Ephesians thus writeth Christ therefore comming downe from heauen into the earth was borne a man afterward he died and descended into hell from whence rising the third day he shewed death vanquished to euery creature Augustine de tempore in his 137. sermon and in his third sermon of the resurrection thus sayth Hell did restore him as a conquerour and the Heauens did receaue him as a triumpher And in his second sermon he saith thus Behold you haue heard what our defender the God of vengeance is said to haue done fréely For after that he was exalted that is was hanged of the Iewes on the crosse that I may touch these things briefely assoone as he had giuen vp the ghost the soule vnited to the deuinitie descended into the bottome of hell and when he had touched the band of darkenesse as a fearefull and glorious spoyler the wicked and hellish Legions were afrayde and trembling began to enquire saying Who is this dreadfull and glorious man Eusebius writing of the resurrection of our Sauiour hath the lyke We must knowe that in the selfe same houre wherein our Sauiour bowing his head gaue vp the ghost his body béeing left in the graue his Soule with the Diuinitie went downe to triumph ouer Hell Fulgentius writing to King Thrasymund in his third booke and eight Chapter not dreaming but well aduised thus writeth The true humanitie of the Sonne of God neyther was wholie in the graue nor wholie in Hell but in the Sepulcher he lay dead according to his true fleshe but in his Soule descended into Hell In his Soule he returned to the flesh which lay in the Sepulcher but in respect of the Deuinitie which neyther is holden in place nor limited by bond he was wholie in the graue with his flesh and wholie with his Soule in Hell And by this meanes was fully euery where Christ because God was not seperated from the humanitie which he had assumpted which was both with his Soule in Hell that from Hell his Soule might returne a Conqueresse and was with his flesh that by reason of his spéedie resurrection it might not be corrupted I haue héere alleaged the olde which disprooue your assertion for all these accord with mée Now to these will I adde also the iudgements of some newe Writers Mollerus a very learned Minister of Germany on the 16. Psalme thus teacheth Christ would shewe his victorie in a certaine sort ouer the Diuells to strike perpetuall terrors into them and to take away from vs the feare of their tyrannie To this agréeth Musculus on the sixtie and eight Psalme This GOD which was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe first descended into the lowest partes of the earth then he led captiuitie captiue and not only wée are deliuered from the captiuitie of Satan sinne and damnation but also triumphing ouer them as Tyrants he hath ascended aboue all heauens to fulfill all things The same learned Father interpreting the second Chapter of the Colossians thus hath There are some that be perswaded it is an absurditie if it be sayd that Christ did triumph ouer the principalities and powers but if all these things be attributed to God the Father that he did them with Christ and in Christ we may truly reade héere triumphing ouer them in his owne person In like sort dooth Hemingius expounde this place in the second Chapter of the Colossians As by his death he conflicted with the Diuell on the Crosse so by his glorious descending into Hell Resurrection and Ascention he triumphed as it is Ephes. 4. leauing his Crosse lift vp as a monument of his victorie So doth M. Fox vnderstand this place in a booke which hée hath written entituled Christus triumphans Therefore in this behalfe you haue tolde a manifest vntruth wherefore I shall thinke you will scarce haue care to set forth the truth of God when you will presumptuously vtter such an vntruth which may be reproued by so many and honourable witnesses Farther héere you leaue out at your pleasure two other endes of Christs descending into Hell which I taught in my Sermon the one is the manifestation of his death the other is our deliuerance from Hell Playne dealing ought to be in this case and therefore I exspect it at your hands Humes Sectio 4. But if you will see how doubtfull Augustine was in this point I pray you reade his 99. Epistle to Euodius where you shall finde many his doubts and almost no other thing affyrmed for certaintie but only that hee doubteth not that Christ went to Hell building vpon the wordes of the Prophet Dauid and the Apostle Saint Peter Thou wilt not leaue my Soule in Hell nor suffer thy holie one to see corruption Where I can not choose but wonder what should moue so worthy a wit and so learned followers of him seing it is apparant that the word doth signifie aswell the sorrowes of hell as the place of hell in the scripture to passe by that significatiō of the word which the whole church of Christ cōfesseth to be true that our Sauiour did suffer vpon the Crosse whole torments of hell for our redemption and to fall vpon that signification which hath slender proofe and led them iuto such streites as Augustine himselfe cannot escape Whosoeuer doubteth that the name of hell is vsed in the Scripture for those sorrowes let him read that of 1. Samuel 2. 6. The Lord killeth and makaeth aliue he casteth downe to hell and bringeth vp againe Or that of Dauid Psal. 30. 3. Thou hast brought my soule out of Hell Or that of Ionas 2. 2. I haue called to thee out of the bowels of hell And many other places where the woord can not signifie the pit of hell whence there is no redemption but the sorrowes of hell which the Saintes of God did suffer in this life Now seeing this is so I would fain know of you good M. Hill why we may not more safely take the woord Hell in that signification which you cannot deny then you in that signification which the better parte of Christians do take to be false For that
day haue I begotten thee as he also in another place speaketh Thou a preest for euer after the order of Melchisedech Héere Dauid and the Apostle doo take this woord to day to signifie for euer And so dooth S. Augustine and M. Hill against all the gainsaiers of it in the world For the circumstances of the place doo strongly conuince it For what doth the théefe aske forgiuenes of his sinnes who can forgiue sinnes God onely He asketh for grace who is the giuer of all Grace God only he desireth glory who giueth glory and life euerlasting God only That God only forgiueth sinnes it is proued Mar. 2. 7. That he is the giuer of all grace it is manifest 1. Pet. 5. 10. That God only giueth glory and life euerlasting it is euident 2. Tim. 48. Rom. 6. and last verse Secondly where shall he receiue this glorye in Paradice For as much then as the thing that is giuen is eternall the person that giueth it is perpetuall the place where it is giuen is euerlasting it must of necessitie follow that the time also be world without end And that with me signifieth as I doo teach the Godhaad it is constantlye auouched by all the Fathers Ierome on this place noteth Christ brought the théefe from the crosse to Paradice least any man should think conuersion to be too late at any time he made the punishment of homicide Martirdome the truth being counted among the wicked he left the one in the left hand and tooke the other in the right hand as he will doo in the day of iudgement It were an absurd thing to say the soule of Christ only shall giue iudgement in the last day Augustine hath the like on this place The crosse if you mark it was the iudgement seate the Iudge was set in the middle the one théefe which beléeued was deliuered the other which blasphemed was condemned To saue and condemne is the office of the deity and therfore with me signifieth the Godhead as the other théefe no doubt was with y e Diuell Ambrose in his Sermon of the holy théefe writeth thus He saw him hanging on the crosse and praieth to him as though he were sitting in heauen he seeth him condemned and yet he prayeth vnto him as to a king To this accordeth Damascene handling this place In respect of his bodye he was in graue in respect of his soule in hell and as God he was both in Paradice with the theefe and in the throne with the Father and the holy Ghoste Therefore Ferus a writer not to be contemned interpreteth these woordes thus Mecum eris qui sum vbiqê° omnia in omnibus Thou shalt be with me which am euery where all in all In Exodus 34 6. 7. verses be set downe the 13. names of God and Lord is one of the first of them Therfore when the théefe calleth Christ Lord he acknowledgeth him to be God and desireth to dwell with the Godhead in whose presence is the fulnes of ioy Where you afke me how the Godhead can goe to heauen the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euen as God came downe froÌ„ heauen so is he said to goe vp to heauen If you wil read Augustine in his booke of the essence of the Deuinitie he wil teach you Psa. 68. 24. They haue sene o God thy goings the goings of my god king which art in thy sanctuary From heauen he camo into the virgins womb from y e virgins womb after his birth he was laid in the cratch after that he had fulfilled all for the which he was sent of his father he was fastned to the crosse he was taken downe from the Crosse he was buried in respect of his flesh but in soule he descended into hell the third day by the power of the Deuinitie he raysed his flesh out of the graue and after the dayes of his resurrection the fortith day his Apostles séeing it he ascended into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of the Father that is in his glorie The théefe then prayeth to Christ that as he should sit at the right hand of his Father in glory so he might be partaker of that glory and that he might haue his perfect consummation and blisse in heauen as Christ should haue after his ascention and that his vile body which was partaker of the suffrings of Christ might also be partaker of his glory and made like to the glorious body of Christ Iesu. Twise you haue told me that thou shalt be with me is as much as I and thou but you bring neither scripture nor father to confirme it in that sense that you meane it But if you meane thus I and thou shall be together that is thou shalt be pertaker of the glory of the deitie as thou hast bin pertaker of the suffrings with the humanitie it is true For what néede had the théefe to pray for the presence of Christs soule when he had the presence both of body and soule But it is the presence and fellowship of the deuine nature that he prayeth for wherein as Dauid saith is the fulnes of ioy and pleasures for euermore Psal. 16. 11. In Luke 13. 26. The Iewes say We haue eaten and drunken in thy presence and thou taught in our streetes Christ thus aunswereth in the 27. and 28. verses I tel you I know you not depart from me all ye workers of iniquitie there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you shal see Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of God and your selues cast out of dores Therefore it is cléere they are not all blessed which were present with Christs humanitie but they of whome Saint Peter saith 2. Pet. 1. 4. Whereby most great and precious promises are giuen vnto vs that by them we should be pertakers of the nature of God For therefore did Christ take vpon him our nature that we might be pertakers of the nature of God and be one with Christ as he is one with his Father Christs prayer is to this end Ioh. 17. 21. I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeue in me through their word that they all be one as thou O Father art in me and I in thee euen that they also may be one in vs. Humes Sectio 7. But now to come to your reasons First you make much adoo about the Hebrew names of Hell against almost all the learned of this age It will cost you a great deale of eloquence to perswade the world that Tremellius and Iunius men that haue spent their age in that study did not knowe these words aswell as you For my part neither am I minded to stand with you vpon that point and I see no inconuenience to hurt vs nor vantage giuen you if I graunt you that Sheol is Hell Only I stand vpon this which I haue sayd that this word Hell doth signify the torments of the soule and must needes in these places which you
alleage be so taken for in the place of Psal. 16. 10. Thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption The very order of the words do ouerthrow your conceit for seeing in these words the hell which his soule should not be left in goeth before Christs buriall wherein that holy one should not see corruption tell you me what hell should go before Christs buriall but that of the passion wherein he payd the full raunsome of our saluation and nayled the hand writing that was against vs to the Crosse. Hill Two vntruthes are in these few words First you say I make much adoo about Sheol against almost all the learned men of this age There are on my side Luther Aepinus Felinus Pomeranus Lucas Lossius Selueccer Vrbanus Rhegius The authors of the Centuries Erasmus Chytraeus Mollerus Peter Martyr Lauaterus Prouerb 27. In England Lambert Robert Samuel Latimer Becon Hutchinson Fox and Nowell Héere are 20. most learned men of these latter times as I can shewe you in my poore Library besides that most learned and reuerend Father M. Allen and besides the aduised iudgement of the learned Conuocations of England not only in King Edwards raigne Anno Domini 1552. but also since the raigne of her Maiestie 1571. In the which Conuocations I am perswaded were as learned men as any were either in England or Europe Therefore the learned reader must either thinke you a man of little reading and that you neuer sawe these learned mens workes or else of great malice that you will disable all these for learning who left a better testimonie behinde them then euer you will vnlesse you haue more then you haue shewed in this aunswere The other vntruth is that Sheol in the 16. Psalme doth signifye the torments of hell which Christ suffred in his passion on the crosse That this is vntrue it is manifest not by conceit but by Peters Sermon Act 2 31. Hee knowing this before spake of the resurrection that his soule was not left in hell nor his flesh sawe corruption You say it is spoken of the passion Peter saith it is spoken of the resurrection and good cause hath he so to say for the words going before and comming after doo prooue it The wordes going before are these Psalm 16 9. Wherefore my hart was glad my glory reioyseth my flesh also shall rest in hope The words following in the 11. verse are these Thou shalt shewe me the path of life in thy presence is the fulnes of ioy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore Where can you finde your torments in the word glad or in the word reioiseth or in the word rest or in these words fulnesse of ioy or in these pleasures for euermore Was Christ glad of his torments Did he reioise or wéepe in them Who would deliuer this doctrine but he that wanteth either science or conscience or both To lye once is a fault but to affirme it twice is a greater fault To speake a lye is hurtfull but to write a lye aduisedly is more hurtfull To lye in a matter politicall is dangerous but to lye in deuine matters without spéedie repentance is damnable You say no vantage is geuen to me nor inconuenience to you if you graunt Sheol to be Hell Let your friends iudge what vantage you haue geuen to the truth and shame to your selfe by gainsaying Saint Peter and by affirming that in the resurrection are torments where Dauid and Peter say are fulnes of ioy and pleasures for euermore Therefore it is the saying of Peter that Christs soule was not left in hell and not my conceit and it is deceit in you to affirme the contrary Further where you say that Tremellius and Iunius are better learned in the Hebrew language then my selfe I confesse it so are the Iewes themselues then Tremellius and Iunius shall I therefore beléeue the Iewes no more will I beléeue the Translation of any other learned man if hée disagrée with Dauid and Saint Peter Finally to aunswere your curious question you aske me in what hell was Christs soule before his buriall To this I answere in that hell whither all Infidels goe for their vnbeliefe I reade but of one Hell if you knowe any more let me sée your proofe and then will I tell you into what hell Christ descended But who but you doth thinke it an vnpossible thing for a soule to descend into hell before the body be buried The soule in an instant passeth to heauen or hell but the body I am sure must haue time to be buried for bodies are in places circumscriptiuely Angels and soules definitiuely and God is in all places vniuersally And the soule came out of hell into the body before the body could come out of the graue therefore most aptly it is saide Acts 12. 31. Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell nor suffer my flesh to see corruptiou For as Augustine saith 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 and writing on the 85. Psalme he saith wherefore this is his voice in the Psalme not by any mans coniecture but by the expasition of th'apostle Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell nor suffer thy holy one to sée corruption Humes Sectio 8. Therefore to let this passe your next reason is from that place of Paule Ephe. 4. 9. Now in that he ascended what is it but that descended first into the lowermost partes of the earth Where you holde out of the Hebrew that the lowermost partes of the earth must needs signifie the pit of hell which thing if it were so sure as you beare vs in hand then were it a wonder that no diuine I speake of the modester sort did euer yet gather vpon that place hell which they dare not dispute where it were in the very center of the earth But whereas you auouch so confidently that Erets tacthioth doth signifie hel as cōmonly in the Hebrew tung as our English name Hell is vsuall for that place among vs though I meane not to stand with you for the tung giue me leaue to dissent from you in this for in some of the places which you cite in my simple vnderstanding it cannot carrye that sence You quote the 63. Psal. They which seeke my soule shall go into the lowermost partes of the earth This I think cannot be hell for first it were a presumption for the Prophet to enter so farre into Gods secrets as to iudge his enemies 2. It standeth not me thinketh with the affection of a godly minde to assigne that place to his enemies out of the horror whereof there is no redemption for the children of God do rather pray for their enemies and wish their amendment This place may wel be construed of the graue and in my simple iudgement it is an argument to
the earth and shalt sleepe in the midst of the vncircumcised These two places by your leaue can not be well meant of hell The text doth shewe plainly that heere is rest and quietnes in the place that heere is spoken of but I hope you will not say that there is any great rest or quietnes in hell In all these places Erets Tacthioth cannot signifye any thing but the graue The same word is vsed also in the 139. Psal. 14. verse My bones are not hid from thee though I was made in a secret place and fashioned beneath in the earth Heere the Prophet I beleeue doth not say of himselfe that hee was fashioned in hell which must needs be if your assertion were true that those Hebrew words doo signify hell as commōly as hell in the english doth note that place Here Beza doth well obserue that the place of the Apostle which you alleage may fitly be applyed to the sence of this place and doth note vnto vs the descension of Christ into the womb of the virgin for Erets Tachioth out of all question doth signifye his mothers womb Hill First you say the place quoted by me Syrac 24. 37. maketh not for the proofe of my assertion If you had considered what went before and what followeth you would haue bin of another minde For before in the 8. verse it is sayd I alone haue gon round about al the compasse of heauen and haue walked in the bottome of the depth Which depth Pellicanus a learned writer doth interprete abyssum mortis inferorum the depth of death and hell Yea the whole Chapter speaketh of the Sonne of God and of his wondrous works in sauing mankinde of the which this is one that he was not only aliue among the liuing but after death his body was among the dead bodies and his soule among the soules in hell which he calleth the lower partes The like scripture to this is in Iob. 38. 16 17. Hast thou entred into the bottom of the sea or hast thou walked to seke out the depth haue the gates of death bin opened vnto thee or hast thou seene the gates of the shadowe of death These words are thus opened by Martin Borrhauius in his learned Commentaries vpon Iob. I haue dwelled in the highest places and my throne is in the pillar of the cloudes I haue gone round about the compasse of heauen aboue and haue walked in the flouds of the sea I pearce through all the lower parts of the earth Haue those in hell or the dead bin searched out of thée and doost thou knowe their state and condition and what shall happen to their bodies hereafter and what doth happen to their soules now The force of death and of hell he maketh manifest by the name of gates as it is manifest in that scripture and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against thée By these words it is euident that the nethermost parts of the earth Syrac 24 37. and Zalmaueth the Hebrew word Iob. 38 17. doo signifye hell and that none but the Sonne of God aboue hath personally shewed himselfe in all these places For the place in Ezechiel that it maketh most significantly for my purpose I will proue it by Esay Ezechiel and diuers other both learned modest writers Esay handling the same matter saith 14 9. Hell beneath is moued for thee to meete thee at thy cōming And Ezechiel in the 15. and 16. verses calleth it hell plainly Sith then both the prophets call it hell how dare you to interpret it graue But that the nethermost parts of the earth do signify hell I prooue it out of the 12. ver of Ezechiel And the strangers haue destroyd him euen the terrible nations and they haue left him vpon the mountaines and in all the valleis his branches are broken Munster on this place saith that by the branches are vnderstoode the carcasses of his hoast which the beasts of the field did deuoure Lauaterus the Minister of Tigurine agréeth with him All the beasts of the field shall dwell vpon his ruine the kings carkas shall not be laid vp into the sepulcher of his elders but shal be a pray to crowes griphins and to other carniuorous birds So doth Pellican a learned Linguist interpret this place At the last there is an auersion or apostrophe to Pharao himselfe or to the Assyrian King To whom art thou likened O thou noble and high among the trées of pleasure thou hast passed all other in power and yet with other kings that were in thy company they were brought to the lowermost parts of the earth that is to hell among the abhominable heathen shalt thou sléepe and lye as a wretched and miserable man Now because you take hold of the word sléepe you must remember that these words are spoken ironically as it is noted in the contents of the 14. Chap. of Esay The derision of the king of Babilon Moreouer Lauaterus on this place of Ezekiel saith These things may be better vnderstood out of the 14. Chap. of Esay which prophecying of the destruction of the king of Babilon Baltassar describeth with what bitter scoffs he is entertained in hell To ende Lauaterus on this place proueth these foure things first that there is an hell secondly that hell in this chapter is called by thrée names that is 1. Sheol 2. Erets Tacthioth 3. and Bor. Hell the lowest parts of the earth and a pit thirdly that this hell is beneath vs and lastly that the tyrants and wicked of the world doo descend into it and this he proueth out of Numb the 16 33. Psal 55 15. And addeth also that Tertullian and Ierome doo prooue hell to be beneath in the earth The conclusion then is thus forasmuch then as the Assyrians dyed with the sword were deuoured of the beasts birds of the field I pray tell me how that can be true that you affirme that the lowest partes of the earth doth signifye the graue for how were they in the graue that were neuer buried therefore they were in hell as both Esay and Ezechiel doo affirme and as Pellican Munster and Lauater thrée notable learned men in the holy toong doo interpret it I thinke your owne friends when they reade this will confesse you either to be ignorant of the word of God or else to wrest it cōtrary to the meaning of the holie ghost Moreouer where you mislike with me because I said that Erets Tacthioth that is the lowermost parts of the earth doth signifye hell generally in the Hebrew toong and you bring an instance out of the 139. Psal. and 14. verse where you prooue that the lower parts of y e earth doth signifie the mothers womb and therefore it doth not signifie hell alwaies this is a childish reason In a metaphoricall signification it signifieth the mothers womb therefore in his proper signification it can not signifie hell Argumentum a metaphora ductum non valet an argument drawen
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
not yet giuen vp the ghoste which was the ende of his woorke but I trust you will graunt vs this that the meaning was this woorke there should be at ende when he had breathed his last breath for you know it is a common manner to speake that in the time past which is meant presentlye to come So Christ himselfe speaketh in another place Beholde the time commeth and it is already come that you shall be scattered You brought vs here a distinction of Consummatum re and Consummatum spe out of the Dunces I pray you to send it againe to those thicke skummes whence you had it It wil not serue our turn for it seemeth no otherwise in our eares then that our Sauiour should tell vs that he had done and had not doone And tell those Harpyae quae tactu suo optimas dapes foedarunt that a thing may be consummatum spe which a man meaneth not to begin twentye yeeres hence and perhaps neuer finish Such ware will yeeld but little money and lesse thankes in these daies heere we wonder what you meant by denying that he had finished al things on the crosse would you send him to hell to suffer there too then his woork was so farre from any end it was scarse begun He that will holde that must needs condemne truth it self for an vntruth for if he had but onely passed the death of the body they which feele hell and we also should know that he had scarsely yet beene fleabitten in respect of that which is to come This truely M. Hill was ware not worthy your wit Hyll Héere you haue spoken much and proued nothing for of those reasons which I haue laide down in my Sermon concerning this point not one is answered Onely as you tolde me before I was immodest so now you tell me I am a mad man and the wonder of the worlde I must answere you with Dauid I am become as a monster vnto many but my trust is in thy law But what will men iudge of you that in one and the same matter affirme and deny You confesse in the beginning that there remained somewhat to doo and in the end you wonder at me because I sayd all things were not finished in the crosse Your next words are these when our Sauior cryed it is finished he had not geuen vp the ghost which was the end of his worke It is true that after the speaking of Consummatum est it is finished he gaue vp the ghost but that was not the finishing of his worke for he must also shead his bloud Heb. 9. 22. Without sheading of blood there is no forgeuenes of sins 1. Pet. 1. 19. Iohn 1. 7. Apoc. 1. 5. In all which scriptures it is set downe that we are redéemed with the precious bloud of Christ. The bloud of Christ doth purge vs from all sinne he hath loued vs and washt away our sinnes in his bloud Therefore the geuing vp of the ghost was not the end of his worke Héere is a fault committed by you but I will not woonder at you nor say you are runn besides your selfe but you runn against your selfe and resist also the holy ghost Then you scornefully reiect my destinition of Consummatum re and Consummatum spe that is finished in hope and finished in déede I will defende it for it commeth not out of the Dunces but out of Gods sacred word Rom. 8. 24. it is sayd We are saued by hope Gal. 5. 5. for we through the spirit wait for the hope of righteousnes through faith Luc. 21. 24. Lift vp your heads sayth Christ to his Disciples for your redemption draweth nigh Rom. 8. 23. And not only the creature but we also which haue the first fruites of the spirit do sigh euen we do sigh in our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodyes Musculus on the fourth Chapter of the Ephesians thus writeth the places are these That we are called in hope not in déede and that the hope of future blessings is the stay of our faith as long as we are in this flesh for we are saued nondum in re sed in spe not yet in déede but in hope By all these scriptures it is manifest that our consummation is in hope and not in déede as Musculus noteth neither shall be actually perfited vntill the day of iudgement Therefore I did with this distinction refute the argument which is made of those that are on your side who thus conclude Christ sayd on the crosse It is finished Ergo he went not downe to hell By the same reason I thus argue Christ said on the crosse It is finished Ergo he did not shead his bloud nor was buried nor rose againe nor ascended into heauen to fulfill all things Ephes. 4. 10. for if all things were then fulfilled on the crosse what néede he to ascende to fulfill all things Therefore I did proue that this argument of yours did make no more against the descending into hell then against the sheading of his bloud buriall resurrection ascention or iudgement all which are necessary to our weale and perfect consummation Farther to proue my distinction to be true I did then quote that as Christ is sayd to be the Lamb slaine from the beginning of the world so the death of Christ did reach to the first beléeuers and shall doo to the last Which consummation by hope is so enioyed as if we possessed it already for all the promises of Christ are yee yee and amen 2. Cor. 1. 20. Therefore I told you this argument It is finished ergo Christ went not downe to hell was a fallary a dicto secundum quid ad simpliciter Also I noted how these words were to be vnderstood First that all the scriptures and prophecies were fulfilled for so the text noteth Secondly it is finished doth signifye there is no other sacrifice for sinne for by one sacrifice once offred he hath made perfect all that shall be sanctified Hebr. 10 14. And therefore the Papists ioyning the merits of Saints with the merits of Christ doo erre most shamefully Thirdly it was finished as concerning all his labors and sorrowes Fourthly all his suffrings both of body and soule were ended which he finished on the crosse Briefely his obedience to his Father was ended for he yéelded a pure perfect and perpetuall obedience to his Father and therefore had all power giuen him in heauen earth and hell Moreouer I did proue this interpretation by this text 1. Cor. 15. 54. Then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victory and did alleage Beda Peter Martyr and Musculus vpon this place all which were of my iudgement and therefore you had no more cause to wonder at me then at these learned men whome all the reformed Churches of England do reuerence Last of all you séeme to charge me as though I had said that Christ went
woord orcus which can not be aptlye applyed to the graue Draconites thus Non tu derelinques animam meam apud tartarum Thou shalt not leaue my Soule in hell vsing the woord tartarus which is a proper woord for hell and not for the graue Pomeranus Westmerus Lucas Lossius on the 16. Psalme and Vrbanus Rhegius in his catechisme all which were singuler learned Ministers in the Churches of Germany are of this iudgement also and therefore it is vntrue that all the reformed Churches doo deny the presentiall descending of Christ into hell as appeareth by these testimonies and shall more largely and euidently appear by that which followeth Aepinus superintendent of Hambrough being called generally for his incomparable knowledge in holy write the Father of diuinity writing on the 16. Psalme thus reproueth them that translate Sheol to be the graue that the wicked Iewes the enemies of Christ and his religion might ouerthrowe the article of our faith concerning the resurrection of Christ and his descending into hell and that they might take away the comfort which the church hath by Christs resurrection and his descending into hell the Rabbins doo turn for soule life and for hel the graue Here we learne who first deuised this translation that is the Rabbins the speciall enemies of Christ and christian religion why did they it to take away the comfort which cōmeth to vs by Christs descending into hell Felinus a learned man in the tungs writing on the 16. Psalme vseth these woords our faith hath that Christ went into hell indéed and that he dyed and was buried but neither his soule was left in hell neither his body was so detained in the graue that it could corrupt To confirme this truth when this place of this present Psalme is brought as Peter and Paul brought it to proue the resurrection the Iewes mocke vs and say that héer Dauid prayeth that he might be kept of the Lord whom he had set before him to be worshipped and in whom only he hoped that he might not goe downe into the sepulchre By this learned mans iudgement also it appeareth that the Iewes translate Sheol to be a graue for the ouerthrowe of Christs resurrection But because the Iewes doo mock vs for this translation of Sheol into hell we ought not to leaue it but rather to cleaue more stedfastly vnto it And for this cause the aforenamed Aepinus thus writeth on the 16. Psalme some Diuines there are louing ouermuch Iewish fables doo embrace this translation of Sheol into a graue and by their own foolishnes confirme the dreames of the Iewes encrease their error and doo make the article of descending into hell suspected to the vnskilfull and weaker sort of people This then is the opinion of this reuerend man that whosoeuer vseth this translation as he discourageth the ignorant and weak from beléeuing so he encreseth the old errour of the hardned Iew. Further as the same Author noteth it is more safe to translate hell for Sheol then graue First because a soule can not be laide in a graue but a body secondly because Peter and Paul haue so translated it whose authoritye we ough t to reckon to be holy and inuiolable and therfore we ought not easily to shrink away from it thirdly because two great errors doo follow it the one that the soule may be buried the other that we maintain the interpretation of the Rabbins the enemies of the truth Those learned men worthy of eternall memory which compiled the Centuries proue that Peter and Paul did so translate Sheol Cent. 1. li. 2. cap. 4. De doctrina de inferno seu loco damnatorum inferni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellationem Petrus alij Apostoli vsurpant allegantes dictum psalmi non derelinques animam meam in inferno postea non derelicta est in inferno Peter and other y e Apostles doo translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hell alleadging the 16. Psalme Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell and afterwards he was not left in hell Becon in the Sick mans salue Fol. 250. vseth these spéeches Christ after the death of the body went down in his soule to hell as it cléerely appéereth by the Scriptures quoting the 16. Psalme and other places Fulgentius in his 8. Chapter to Thrasimund thus witnesseth farther it remained for the full effecting of our redemption that man assumpted to God should descend thither whither man being seperate from God by the desert of sinne had fallen that is to hell where the soule of the sinner was wont to be punished and to the graue where the flesh of the sinner was wonte to be corrupted and that so notwithstanding as neither his flesh could corrupt in the graue neither his Soule could be tormented in the sorrowes of hell for his soule being free from sinne was not to be subiected to punishment and his flesh being without sinne corruption ought not to destroye it Mark the reason of this learned Father for because man sinning had deserued to be deuided because he was willing by the gilt of transgression to be deuided from God which can not be denyed therfore it came to passe that the death of the sinner did produce sinfull flesh to be corrupted in y e graue and did mancipate the soule to be tormented in hell but that the sinner might be fréed by a frée gift it came to passe that the sonne of God did suffer vniustlye of sinners the death of the body which man being a sinner had suffered iustly of the iust God and that his flesh should go downe so farre as slesh wrapt in sinne should come and that the Soule of the Sauiour should descend into hell where the soule of the sinner was to be tormented Thus the holye Martirs in times past thought of this matter and if they had liued in these daies to sée so great multitudes which professe the faith to deny it after a sorte no doubt they would haue writen more earnestly against them But sith their woorkes be extant I hope they that deny this manner of descending wil answere their reasons which in my iudgemēt were framed and penned by the holye Ghost Wherefore sith Athanasius Epiphanius Ciril Aepinus Pomeranus Vrbanus Rhegius Lucas Lossius Beecon Hutchinson and many others some Gréek some Latin some olde some new writers but especiallye Peter and Paul themselues the pillers of the Church haue thus translated Sheol to be hell my resolution in this point is with Aepinus let him that will hold this opinion that Sheol signifieth the graue I like not of it it is grounded vpon weak doubtfull vncertain wrested proofes and coniectures they that subscribe vnto it doo without iust and necessary proofes rashly disagrée from the translation of our Psalter from the plain woordes of the Apostles Créede and from the consent of the olde Church which alwaies beléeued that the bodye of Christ did thrée daies rest in the graue and his