Popery Anatomized, Section 19
SECTION XIX. Concerning Christs deſcending into Hell.
Maſter Gilbert Brown.
THirteenthly, our doctrine is, that Chriſt our Savior (according to the ſoul) deſcended to the Hells, as we have in our Belief. And this was the doctrine of the Apoſtles: for S. Peter ſaith, That God hath raiſed him up, looſing the ſorrows of Hell, according as it was impoſſible that he ſhould be held of it, Acts 2.24. And this he proves by the Pſalms of David, Behold, thou wilt not leave my ſoul in hell (ſaith David) nor give thy holy One to ſee corruption, Pſal. 16.10. This ſame is the doctrine of S Paul alſo; And that he aſcended, what is it but becauſe he deſcended alſo firſt into the inferior parts of the earth. He that deſcended, the ſame is he alſo which is aſcended above all the heavens, that he might fill all things, Eph. 4.9.10. Ye ſee in theſe, and all the reſt of our doctrine, wherein they differ from us, that the touch-ſtone beares witneſs to us, and proves ours only to be the doctrine of Chriſt, and his Apoſtles, and not their denying thereof.
Maſter John Welſch his Reply.
Bellarmin grants, that we all agree that Chriſt after a certain manner deſcended into hell: but the whole controverſie is of the ſenſe and meaning of it. We ſay, that he ſuffered the pains of hell in his ſoul upon the croſs, and lay under the bondage of death, and was held captive in the grave▪ which in the Hebrew is called SCHEOL (which ſignifieth ſometime hell in the Scripture, and ſometime the grave) for the ſpace of three days: and in this ſenſe we grant he deſcended into hell, and in this ſenſe it is taken in our Belief. But your doctrine is, That he deſcended locally into hell according to his ſoul; firſt, to give to the ſouls of the Fathers eſſential bleſſedneſs, and to deliver them out of that priſon, and bring them to heaven, Bellarm. lib. 4. de Chriſto, cap. 16. And this we ſay is neither the meaning of that article of your Belief, neither yet hath it ſo much as a ſyllable in the whole Scripture to warrant it. And as for the article it ſelf, Bellarmin confeſſes that this article was not in the Creed with all Churches, as he proves there by the teſtimonies of Ireneus, Origen, Tertullian, and Auguſtin, who all exponed the Creed. And Auguſtin exponed it five times, and yet never mentions this article. And Ruffinus an ancient writer teſtifies, That this article was neither in the Creed of the Roman Church, nor of the Eaſt Churches. And alſo it is not in the Nicene Creed, which is more then 300. years after Chriſt. And Perkins, a learned man, in his expoſition of the Creed, affirms, that threeſcore Creeds of the moſt ancient Councils, and Fathers wants this clauſe. Whereby it is moſt clear that this article was not put in at that time, when the reſt of the articles were gathered together, but hath crept in ſince, and that more then 300. years after the days of the Apoſtles. For Auguſtin lived in the 400. years, and the Nicene Creed was more then 300. years after Chriſt. And yet becauſe it hath continued a long time, and hath been received by the conſent of the Churches of God, and doth alſo carry with it a fit underſtanding and ſenſe, as hath been ſpoken; therefore it is to be retained, but not in that ſenſe as ye expone it.
For firſt, if this local deſcenſion of Chriſt, according to his ſoul into hell, were true, and that it were an article of our Faith, as ye ſay, then the four Evangeliſts, which are the ſworn pen-men of the hiſtory of his death and reſurrection, and eſpecially Luke, who (as he ſaith himſelf) Luke 1 3. intended to make an exact narration of the ſame, who alſo did amply ſet down the ſame, with all the circumſtances thereof, they would not have omitted it, being a ſpecial article of our Faith, if your doctrine be true: ſeeing the end of their writing, as John ſaith, was that we might believe, and by believing have eternal life, John 10.31. But they never mention it, as your ſelves cannot deny. Therefore it cannot be that he locally deſcended into hell.
Secondly, the Scripture makes it plain that Chriſts ſoul was in Paradiſe at that time with the thief: For he ſaith unto him, This night ſhalt thou be with me in Paradiſe, Luke 23.43. For this cannot be meant of his God-head; for it is every where; neither of his body, for it was in the grave. Seeing therefore his ſoul was at that time in Paradiſe, it could not be in hell; except you will ſay that Paradiſe and hell are both one, which I ſuppoſe ye will not ſay.
Thirdly, if the ſouls of the Fathers were not in hell, then Chriſt deſcended not thither: For ye ſay, That he deſcended thither for that effect to deliver them, Bellar. lib. 4. de Christo, cap. 16. but they were not in hell, but in heaven, which our Savior calls Abrahams boſome, where Lazarus was: betwixt the which and hell, the Scripture teſtifies there is a great gulf, Luke 16.23. therefore he deſcended not locally into hell.
Fourthly, ſome of your own learned Doctors have ſeen this error of yours, and have gone from it, as Durandus by name, who affirms, in 3. diſtinct. 22. quaeſt. 3. That Chriſts ſoul deſcended not to hell in ſubſtance, but in vertue, and proves it by reaſons.
And laſt of all, you are at ſuch variance among your ſelves concerning this point, that ſome of you affirms, That Chriſts ſoul ſuffered pain in hell when it was there; as Cajetan in Acts 2. and Thomas of Aquin, 3. part. quaeſt. 52. art. 1. & 3. two great Papiſts: and yet Bonaventure in 3. diſtinct. 22. quaeſt. 4. and Bellarmin lib. 4. de Chriſto, cap. 16. affirms the contrary, That his ſoul was in the place of pain, and yet ſuffered no pain. Next, Thomas of Aquin affirms, 3. part. qu. 52. That Chriſt deſcended only into that place of hell, called Limbus Patrum: but Bellarmin ſaith, It is more probable that he went to all the parts of hell. And this is the conſent which you Papiſts have among your ſelves, not only in this point, but almoſt in all the points of your doctrine. Now as to the places of Scripture which ye quote, they ſerve nothing to this purpoſe. For the 2. of the Acts, it ſpeaks of that bondage of the grave which kept him under until he roſe again: and therefore the Greek word is foreign, which ſignifieth death, and not hell, as ye tranſlate it here: and Peter ſaith, whom God raiſed up. The Apoſtle ſpeaks then of that part of Chriſt which had fallen and was raiſed up: but it was the body only and not the ſoul which fell down, and was raiſed up: therefore he ſpeaks of the ſorrows of death, whereby his body was kept in bondage, and not of any local deſcenſion of Chriſts ſoul. As for the places of the Pſalms which ye quote here, Peter brings them not in to prove this local deſcenſion (as ye ſay) whereof he makes no mention: but to prove his reſurrection, as he ſaith in the 31. verſe moſt plainly: He knowing this before, ſpeaking of David, ſpake of the reſurrection of Chriſt, that his ſoul ſhould not remain in grave, neither his fleſh ſhould ſee corruption. So, if ye will believe the Spirit of God in the Apoſtle interpreting theſe places, they ſpeak of the reſurrection of Chriſt, and not of the delivering of the ſoul out of hell; for he was in Paradiſe, as he ſaith himſelf: and it is the body that was raiſed, and not the ſoul. And the Hebrew word is NEPHESCH, which not only ſignifieth the ſoul, but alſo the life, as Gen. 37.21. Let us ſmite his ſoul; that is, take away his life. And it ſignifieth alſo the body of the dead wherein there was life, as Levit. 21.1.11. And this word Hell, is SCHEOL in Hebrew, which moſt uſually is taken in the Scripture for the grave. So then the meaning is this, The Lord will not leave his Nepheſch; that is, the body wherein his life was in Scheol; that is, in the grave: which ſpeech is uſual in the Scripture. Now as to the other Pſalm 29.3. it is ſpoken properly of David, where he thanketh God who had ſaved his life from the hands of his enemies, which by a borrowed ſpeech frequented in the Scripture, is called the delivery of his ſoul from the grave. As for the 4. of the Epheſians, theſe lower parts of the earth, is not Hell, as ye expone it, but the earth it ſelf, which in reſpect of the world, is the loweſt part: and ſo it is taken in the Pſalm 139 15. where David ſaith, Thou haſt faſhioned me beneath in the lower parts of the earth; where here it is not taken for Hell, as you take it in that place of the Epheſians; otherwiſe ye muſt ſay that David was born in Hell, which I ſuppoſe ye will not ſay. So hereby is meant then the loweſt and baſeſt degree of his humiliation. So now to conclud this, neither in theſe points, M. Gilbert, nor in any point of doctrine wherein ye differ from us, is your doctrine agreeable to Chriſts doctrine and his Apoſtles, as hath been (I hope) proved ſufficiently. You muſt therefore provide you for better weapons and armor, and ſtronger defences for the overthrow of our doctrine, and uphold of yours, then ye have done: otherwiſe your ſhots will be but as ſhots of paper, and your bulwarks but of intempered morter, which ſuddenly will ruſh down at the light of the truth of God. The Lord open your eyes to ſee the truth, and ſuffer you not to continue any longer, to cauſe the blind go out of the way, as you have done. Amen.