truth of this doctrine is undubitable: the only queftion is about the meaning of it. The first thought of moft, or all perfons, to be fure, will be, that the word hell, in this article, fignifies what it doth in common fpeech, the place where devils and wicked men are punished. And it hath been imagined, that Chrift went to triumph over the devil there; and fome add, to rescue part of the fouls which he held under confinement *, by preaching, as the fcripture faith he did, to the spirits that were in prilon †. But the place of torment is never determinately expreffed in fcripture by the word hades, which both the fcripture and the Creed use in this article, but by very different ones; though unhappily our tranflation hath used the fame English word for both, instead of calling the former, what it ftrictly fignifies, the invisible state or region. Befides, we do not read of our Saviour's triumphing over the devil any where, but on the cros‡. And the spirits in prifon, to whom St Peter faith Chrift by his Spirit preached, he faith alfo were thofe, which were disobedient, while the long-fuffering of God waited in the days of Noah§. And therefore Chrift's preaching to them by his Spirit probably means, his exciting by his Spirit, which firove with || them for a time, that Patriarch to be a preacher of righteousness among them, as the fame St Peter, in his other epiftle, calls him T. But not hearkening to him then, they are now in prifon, reserved for the fentence of the laft day. This opinion therefore hath no fufficient foundation. Nor would it be found, on further trial, agreeable either to reafon or fcripture. Others have thought the word, tranflated hell, to fignify in this article, as it feems to do in fome paffages of the Old Teftament, and the English word anciently did, merely a place under ground, by which they understand the grave. And they plead for it, that the first Creeds, which mentioned our Saviour's defcending into hell, ufed no other words to exprefs his being buried, and therefore defigned to express it by thefe. But allowing that, ftill our Creed, expreffing the defcent 002 Origen against Celfus, 1. 2. § 42. faith, that Chrift converted fouls to himfelf there, τας βελομένας, η άς έφ3α επιτηδειοτέρας. 1 Pet. iii. 19. Col. ii. 14, 15. § 1 Pet. iii. 20. Gen. vi. 3. ¶ 2 Pet. ii. 5. scent into hell after the burial, muft mean a different thing by it. And indeed the most common meaning, not only among heathens, but Jews and the first Christians, of the word kades, here tranflated hell, was in general that invifible world, one part or another of which, the fouls of the deceased, whether good or bad, inhabit. And this, how ftrange foever it may, feem to the unlearned, yet is by others acknowledged. Probably therefore, all that was intended to be taught by the expreffion, now before us, is, that when our Saviour died, as his body was laid in the grave, fo his Spirit went where other feparate fpirits are. And we should remember, in repeating thefe words of the Creed, that this is the whole of what we are bound to profefs by them. But in what part of space, or of what nature, that receptacle is, in which the fouls of men continue from their death till they rife again, we scarce know at all excepting that we are fure it is divided into two extremely different regions, the dwelling of the righteous, called in St Luke, Abraham's bosom, where Lazarus was; and that of the wicked, where the rich man was; between which there is a great gulph fixed t. And we have no proof, that our Saviour went on any account into the latter: but fince he told the penitent thief, that he fhould be that day with him in paradise ‡; we are certain he was in the former; where they, which die in the Lord, reft from their labours, and are bleffed §; waiting for a ftill more perfect happiness at the refurrection of the laft day. ན་ How the foul of our Saviour was employed in this abode, or for what reafons he continued there during this time, further than that he might be like unto his brethren in all things ||, we are not told, and need not guefs. But probably this article was made part of the Creed, in order to affert and prove, that he had really a human foul, which was really separated from his body. And its refidence, during the feparation, in t Luke xvi. 22, 23, 26. the * See Pearfon on this article, p. 239, 240. Luke xxiii. 45. Non ex his verbis in cœlo exiftimandus eft fe paradi fus. Neque enim ipfo die in cœlo futurus erat homo Chriftus Jefus : fed n inferno fecundus animam, in fepulchro autum fecundum carnem. A Arg. Ep. 57. ad Dardanum. Pearfon, p. 237• ¡ in § Rev. xiv. 13. Heb. ii. 17. * the fame state and place, where other spirits of just men made perfect are, furely made a vast addition to their felicity. For Abraham, who rejoiced to fee his day at a distance, muft be inexpreffibly more rejoiced to see him present there. All the good perfons, whofe going thither preceded the death of our Lord, must certainly partake in the joy. And all who came, or shall come, after, must feel much greater confolation for being in a place, where their Redeemer had been seen by fuch numbers of his faints; and to which, in fome peculiar fenfe, his prefence is yet continued: for we learn from St Paul, that the immediate confequence of a pious man's departure hence is being with Christ. But were the reasons of his defcending into hades, or of the infertion of it into our belief, ever so obscure; it may fuffice us, that the reasons of his fufferings and death are very plain, as well as very important. With these therefore I fhall con clude this lecture. 1. The first is, that he might be an example to his followFor fo he became the nobleft and most engaging pattern imaginable of that great and hard duty, patient fubmission to the will of God: fince being of a rank infinitely fuperior to the afflictions of this world, and having done nothing to deferve the leaft of them, he most willingly chofe, and cheerful, ly bore the most grievous that were poffible. Well then may we, mortals and finners, take whatever befalls us, in life or in death, meckly and contentedly; "because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we fhould follow his steps who did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who yet, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he fuffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously §. The example also of kindness and love to men he fhowed yet more fully by his crucifixion, than by his incarnation: foreseeing, as he plainly did, all the pains and torments he should undergo, in executing his great defign. of reforming and faving mankind; yet deterred by nothing from undertaking it, and perfevering in it. "If therefore he fo loved us, we ought alfo," as St John argues, to love one another and "because he laid down his life for us, we ought," if a proper occafion require it, even "to lay down our lives for the brethren *" 2. A fecond reafon of his dying was, that he might thus confirm the truth of his Doctrine: to which it must needs add a very powerful confirmation, that, though the Jews expected a warlike and victorious Meffiah, and therefore his taking upon himself a meek and fuffering character muft grievoufly prejudice them against him; yet he declared from the very firft, what you read in St John, that as Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilderness, fo fhould the Son of Man be lifted up †; fignifying, as the fame Evangelift elsewhere affures us, what death he should diet. And he all along perfifted in this declaration; rejected every opportunity of worldly power; fearlessly taught the most provoking truths, and voluntarily met what he foretold he fhould fuffer. Stronger evidences of fincerity, than these, a man cannot give; and therefore St John thus reckons up the teftimonies to Chrift's miffion: There are three that bear witness on earth; the Spirit, the Water and the Blood §. And St Paul obferves, that before Pontius Pilate he witneffed a good confelion; on account of which he is called in the book of Revelation, the faithful Witness, or martyr ¶. 3. The third, and principal reason of our Saviour's death was, to put away fin by the facrifice of himself, that being juflified by his blood, we may be faved from wrath, and reconciled to God 4 But as I cannot now enlarge on this doctrine fuitably to its importance; and the article of the forgiveness of fins will be a proper place to treat of it; I fhall only add at present, that God hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin, that we might be made the righteoufness of God in him ‡‡. For if one died for all, then were all dead: and he died for all, that they which live, should not henceforth live unto themfelves, but unto him, which died for them, and rofe again §§. This we should do with great dutifulness; for we are not our own, we are bought with a price |||| : and with great thankfulness; for he hath delivered us from the bondage bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God*. Unto him therefore, that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, unto him be glory and dominion, for ever and Ament. ever. Article V. The third day he rose again from the HAVING dead. AVING carried on the hiftory of our Saviour to the lowest act of his humiliation, our Creed sets forth, in the next place, how God was pleased to exalt him for undergoing it. And the firft part of this brighter view of things, was his refurrection: that is, the reftoring of his body to a condition of performing the several functions of life, as before; and the reunion of his foul to it. In difcourfing of which, I shall speak, first, Concerning the reality of his rifing again Secondly, The circumftances: Thirdly, The uses of it. I. The reality; which depends on two things; that he was really dead, and that he was really alive afterwards. As for the former: the whole of the history shows it fully, nor did any of his oppofers ever call it in queftion. His crucifixion was public, at noon-day, before a great multitude. The Jews who procured it, the Romans who executed it, would both take care, that it was done effectually. And the piercing |