A Canvas of Limbus Patrum, Preface
THE PREFACE TO THE TREATISE FOLLOWING.
THree speciall places are alledged by Bellarmine to proue the descent of Christ into hell, where he imagineth the soules of the godly to hauehave been before his comming: for this is his position; That the soules before Christs death were not Animas ante Christi mortem non fuisse in coelo, & proinde Christum, qui ad locum animarum descendit, in infernum subterraneum descendisse. lib. 4 de Christ. anim. cap. 9.in heauen, but in hell vnderunder the earth, and therefore Christ, which descended to the place of soules, went down to hell vnderunder the earth, These places are; the first, Act. 2. 27. Thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell; the second, 1. Pet. 3. 19. 20, In the which spirit hee went and preached to the spirits in prison; the third, Ephes. 4. 9. He that ascended, is hee that descended first into the lower parts of the earth. These places by Bellarmine first vrged to prooue the locall descent of Christs soule into hell, to deliuer and set at libertie the Patriarks, hauehave been seconded of late in a certaine Pamphlet much of that argument: In the which though the author doe pretend onelyonly to reuiue the opinion of Christs souledescent into hell, which is the priuate opinion of some learned men of our Church, yet in diuers places of the booke he rubbeth vponupon Limbus Patrum: as may be euident to the reader in these three: first, pag. 9. S. Peter mentioneth sorrowes which were loosed at Christs resurrection, which could not be in the The author of … to be a ….sepulcher, where his bodie lay dead and sencelesse: Here hee denieth that these sorrowes, which Christ loosed, are to be referred to the death of his bodie: but pag. 12. he directly by his death vnderstandeth hell. Hence it followeth, that if Christ loosed the sorrowes of hell (and I thinke hee is not so absurd to thinke, that he loosed them for himselfe, who was neuer in the sorrowes of hell after his death) then it will follow that he loosed them for others, and for whom els, but for them which were there detained? The second place is, pag. 36, where he striueth mightily, that the place in S. Peter must not bee read; the spirits which are in prison, but which were: whereupon it followeth, that they were in hell, but are not, to whom Christ preached; or els he striueth about words: his opinion then seemeth to be this, that some soules were in hell at Christs comming thither, which now are not. The third place, which I note, is pag. 52, where he hath these words: In that Christ personally descended into hell, it doth more amplifie and set foorth his goodnes toward mankinde, than his only comming downe into the world: for, so much as the more vile and loathsome the dungeon is, the greater is the louelove of that Prince, who to enfranchise and set at libertie his captiues there enthralled, disdaineth not to enter into it in his owne person. Now, who els can bee imagined to bee set at libertie in hell, but the Fathers in Limbo Patrum? For out of the nethermost hell of the damned, of each side it is confessed none can be deliuered.
Perceiuing then, how cunningly the Answerer doth seeke to winde in an old Popish error, setting his face one way, and going another: and as Hierom saith out of Plautus, To hold a stone in one hand, and Juxta Plautinam sententiā, altera manu lapidem tenere, panem offerre altera. Hierom. Russin.reach bread with the other: I thought good to vncase this masking Mummer, and to pull off his vizard: not preiudicing hereby by this speedie replie, the more mature and deliberate answere of those learned men that are by him taxed.
But before I enter into any particular defence, foure things I would premonish this secret Censor of: first, that if he be a professor of the Gospell of Christ, what came in his minde to ioyne with the common aduersarie, in disgracing the defence of the Gospell by one vndertaken in his Synopsis: may I not say vntounto him with the Prophet, Wouldest thou helpe the wicked, and louelove them that hate the Lord? I may very fitly applie against him that saying of Hierom; You that professe your selfe a Qui Christianum te dicis, Gentilium arma depone, aut si tu de numero hostium es, often de te liberè aduersarium, vt Ethnicorum suscipias vulnera.[Protestant] lay aside the weapons of [Papists] or vncase your selfe, that we may know you to bee an aduersarie, that you may receiue the wounds of the [Papists].
Secondly, it had bin much more commendable, if the Answerer had bent his force against the common aduersarie. There are lately diuers Popish bookes come ouer, which might hauehave set him on work: what profit can it bee to him, the field being pitched against the Papists, to pick quarrels with his fellow souldiers? He might hauehave thought of Abrahams reason; Let there be no strife betweene thee and mee, for wee are brethren. But this is no straunge thing, for a man euen among his brethren & companions often to find an aduersarie: as Origen well noteth vponupon these words of our Sauiour, Mat. 26. 23. He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish shall betray mee: This is the vse of many, that they lie Haec est consuetudo hominum multorum, vt post salem & panem insidientur hominibus: etiam cum quibus ad eandem mēsam corporis Christi, & ad e…ndem potum sanguinis simal fuerunt. Tract. 35 in Matth.in waite for those, with whom they hauehave eaten bread and salt; yea with whom they hauehave bin together at the same table of the bodie and blood of Christ.
Thirdly, it is against the rule of charitie, to bring mens priuate acts into publike view, and to proclame openly what is written secretly. Our blessed Sauiours rule is, If thy brother trespasse against thee, goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone, Matth. 18. 15. In my iudgement then the Replier had small cause to confute in print, a priuate letter written to a Gentleman: It had bin a better course priuately to hauehave conferred with him, than publikely to hauehave censured him. Ecclesiasticus saith; If thou foreignhast heard a word let it die with thee, for it will not burst thee. Hieroms counsel here had bin good; Other matters which you desire to Quae de caetero velis, praesens percontator praesentem, vt si quid forte nescimus. sine teste, sine iudice, in fida aure moriatur. De vest. Sacerd.know, let vsus conferre of together in presence, that if we be ignorant of any thing, where is neither witnesse, nor iudge, it may die in a faithfull eare.
Fourthly, Christian policie would hauehave required, that seeing we all hold the foundation, The article of Christs descension, we should not raise any contention, or mooue questions about the manner, nor breake the peace of the Church, seeing there are most reuerend learned men of both opinions. But the Apostles resolution should stay vsus: Let vsus as many as be perfect be thus minded, and if yee be otherwise minded, God shall reueale it vntounto you, Philip. 2. 15. They which hold not the locall descent of Christs soule to hell, should not condemne the other as Popish or superstitious men, that are so perswaded: They which affirme it, ought not account them as enemies or aduersaries of the truth that dissent from them therein; they both holding the foundation. What intemperate dealing then is this, for the Answerer in his Preface so vncharitablie to charge his brethren; irreligiously and vnchristianly to call the maine Preface to the Christian reader.grounds and principles of our faith into question? saying further, to plant by writing, or water by speaking, the cursed roots therof; to prepare a way to heathenish Paganisme; terming them further, prophane Anaxagorists, Masters of error, aduersaries of the truth? This is an hard course thus to censure men of the same profession, because they concurre not with him in the interpretation of some places of Scripture. With how much greater moderation did the Reuerend Fathers of this Church, set down this article of Christs descension, in their Synode held anno 1562. that whereas the article was thus framed before, in the Synode held anno 1552 in King Edwards raigne: As Christ died for vsus and was buried, so it is to be beleeued that he descended into hell: for his bodie lay in the graue vntill the Resurrection: his spirit being sent forth from him, was with the spirits which were detained in prison, or in hell, and preached vntounto them, as testifieth that place of Peter. The Reuerend Fathers qualified it thus: As Christ died for vsus and was buried, so also it is to be beleeued that he wēt down to hel. Thinking it sufficiēt that we agreed in the substance of the article of Christs descension, though all consented not in the manner. And I could wish that wee might there hold vsus, and that men content themselues with their priuate opinions, and seeke not one to grieue another with their mutuall inuectiues either in speaking or writing. Augustine saith well to Hierome: I am N… …m stulius sum vt diuersitate explanationum in arum, melaedi putem, quia nec tu laederis, si contraria nus senserimus.not so vnwise to think my selfe hurt by your explanations, because neither are you preiudiced if wee hold or expound otherwise.
As for my part I will not deale of purpose with this question, as it is controuersed among our selues, nor reuiue any domesticall strife, but onelyonly iustifie those places, which are vrged by some of our writers against the Popish opinion of Christs descending to Limbus Patrum, and are now by the Answerer either by name, or by way of consequence excepted against. Neither will I take vponupon mee to defend others, whom hee personally toucheth, they are sufficient to speake for themselues: And I wish that from hencefoorth these home-bred quarrels may cease: and that one bond of faith, in the diuersitie of some priuate opinions, may containe and keepe vsus in peace: that same, vnum fidei lintheum, quod vidit Petrus, quatuor Euangelijs alligatum: That sheet of faith, which Peter saw, tied with the foure Gospels in the corners: as Origen applieth it, Hom. 2. in Genes. Now I come to the particular examination of the places.