〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is shewed the manner of the death that Christ suffred that is he was killed and suffred a violent death For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must néeds signifie put to death Now I hope you will not say Christ was put to death in soule and body but in body only And where you say that Christ suffered in soule aswell as in body that is true and that is gathered not of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is killed but out of these words antecedent for Christ suffered the iust for the vniust No reasonable man but he will say that the sufferings of Christ are comprised rather in the word suffered then in the word killed To your fourth reason I reply that Christ was raysed from the dead but it is specially signifyed in the word resurrection verse 21. and therefore I doo not confound those things that are distinguished but your selfe for you make suffered and killed all one and quickned and the resurrection all one and so make not only a confusion but a fantology and néedelesse repetition which neuer was read in the word of God To your fift argument where you say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to receaue life I confesse it is to be made aliue Then you vrge it can not be spoken of the soule which neuer lost life Then by the same reason more strongly it can not be spoken of the Godhead which hath doth and shall liue for euer for God can not receaue life but the soule is sayd to liue when he is out of the body not because he liued not before but because the body doth hinder the actions of the soule Iohn 11 25. Hee that beleeueth in mee though he were dead yet shall he liue Sap. 9 15. The corruptible body is heauie vnto the soule and the earthie mansion keepeth downe the minde that is full of cares 2. Cor. 4 16. Therefore wee faint not but though our outward man perish yet our inward man is dayly renewed Héere Paule sayth the weaker the body is the stronger is the soule therefore the death of the body is the life of the soule To drawe to an ende your Antithesis of the Deuinitie and humanitie is answered before For your Antithesis must be of things contrary or at the least diuers and separate but as you affirme truly the Godhead was neuer separated from the humanitie therefore this antithesis is of the body and soule which at this time were deuided and not betwéene the deity and humanitie which were alwayes vnited wherefore this bulwarke I can assure you will stand and you haue ouershot both it and your selfe in attempting to ouerthrowe it For the very scope of the Apostle is this All Christians must suffer afflictions for well doing for Christ did not only suffer both in body and soule but also was put to a shamefull death in his body and in his soule went downe to the soules in hell which were vnbeléeuers in the dayes of Noah but Christ did arise againe from hell and the graue and ascended both in body and soule to heauen therefore shall you that suffer for well doing be deliuered from death and hell by his merits and goe vp into heauen and be partakers of his glory as you haue bin partakers of his afflictions Moreouer as you referre me to reade Bezas great notes on this text so I pray you to reade Aretius handling this place whose wordes are these Generally sayth Arctius Peter repeateth thrée effects of Christs death if you marke it well The first pertaineth to the damned The second to the elect The third to the person of Christ. The first was declared in his descending into hell The second in his resurrection The third in his ascention into heauen This is the true and naturall meaning of this place which we will follow leauing the intrications of other interpretations I willinglie confesse this place is very hard for Augustine doubteth of it and Luther doubteth of it how it is to be vnderstoode but this obscuritie ariseth not of the place but of the varietie of Interpretations If thou marke the plainnesse of the place the matter will be easye but that pleaseth not all men therefore that euery one may establish his owne sence they apply the words of the Apostle Peter to their owne conceit But leauing these let vs embrace that which the words do teach vs in the which if we attaine to the truth it is well if not yet they shall be probable because they haue warrant out of the scripture and leaue to the very letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 otherwise it is certaine the knowledge of man to be vnperfect in many questions of holie scripture of the which the Apostle doth warne vs 1. Corin. 15. For now we knowe vnperfectlie I haue sayd héere is declared thrée effects of Christs death which differ in time and are set in order in the Créede The first effect is that Christ being dead denounced eternall paines to the wicked in hell The words of the Apostle are these In which spirit hee went and preached to the spirits detained in prison I take the place simply of the descence into hell for so the words doo plainely sound and I sée all the Fathers so to interprete them sée Augustine Epist. 99. and Cyprian doth manifestly interprete this place of the descending into Hell Neither doth the word prison hinder this Interpretation which in the Apocal. 20. 5. is taken for hell When a thousand yeeres shall be fulfilled Satan shall be loosed out of his prison Therefore the prison that Peter héere speaketh of is the place deputed to the damned Hyther came Christ as we confesse in the Créede he went downe into Hell Where Hell is it is a foolish and curious question to enquire sith no man comming to that place euer returned but only Christ. Furthermore what Christ did there Peter expresseth he preached to the spirits that is he declared that he shewed himselfe manifestly to the world and made that dire and mournefull sermon namely to the wicked that the merit of his death did nothing pertaine vnto them but by his presence were confirmed those punishments of the which Noah and other Prophets had forewarned them And the tyme of this Preaching I referre not to the tymes of Noah but to the tyme of hys descending into Hell Whereunto agréeth the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is spirits for hée preached to the spirits that is to dead and not to liuing men Thus farre Aretius I could héere alleage many other newe Writers whiche are of my iugement but because you yéelde them no credite therefore of purpose I will omit them Humes Sectio 13. These things being thus I pray you good M. Hill seeing you would haue vs vndoubtedly to beleeue that Christ descended into hell Tell vs vndoubtedly to what end he should descend thither I trust you will not teach vs neither Augustine neither
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
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
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
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