Jones on Article III: Of the going down of Christ into Hell

” Not only the living, but also the dead, were they in hell, or elsewhere, they all felt the power and force of this death ; to whom lying in prison (as Peter saith) Christ preached though dead in body yet relieved in spirit.” — Ed. VI. Cat.

” I perceive not what evil can come of it in saying that our Saviour Christ did not only in soul descend into hell, but also that he suffered in hell such pains as the damned spirits did suffer there. Surely I believe verily for my part that he suffered the pains of hell proportionably as it correspondeth and answereth to the whole sin of the world. He would not suffer only bodily in the garden and upon the cross, but also in his soul when it was from the body, which was a pain due for our sin. I see no inconvenience to say that Christ suffered in soul

in hell It sets out the unspeakable hatred that God hath to

sin If ye like not that which I have spoken of his suffering

let it go, I will not strive in it ; I do but offer it you to

consider It is like his soul did somewhat the three days that

his body lay in the grave Ser. Good Friday.

” He loved us so tenderly, that he would go to hell that we might go to heaven.” — Nehemiah.

” I believe, also, that while he was upon the cross dying, and giving up his spirit unto God his Father, he descended into

D

:>,4

hell ; that is to say, he did verily taste and feel the great distress and heaviness of death, and likewise the pains and torments of hell ; that is to say, the great wrath and severe judgment of God upon him, even as if God had utterly forsaken him, yea as though God had been his extreme enemy.” — Confession.

” Suffered Christ also pains in hell ? Nothing less. For whatsoever pains were to be suffered for our sins and wicked- nesses, he suffered them all in his blessed body on the altar of the cross. He went not down into hell as a guilty person to suffer, but as a valiant prince to conquer, and as a most puissant and glorious King, to triumph over his enemies, and to make us also lords and conquerors of Satan and all his

infernal army By this means are we well assured that

Christ hath overcome the devil destroyed the gates of hell

and utterly delivered us from everlasting damnation, as

Christ himself saith by the Prophet, ’ 0 death, I will be thy death. O hell, I will be thy destruction.’ So that now with joyful hearts and triumphant voices we may well say with the Apostle, ’ Death is swallowed up in victory. Death where is thy sting ? Hell where is thy victory […] Catechism.

” “We do expound it of his descending into hell, therefore

our translation is to prove Christ’s descending into hell

You will say that by our exposition we exclude his descent after his death : we do indeed in such sort as your error teacheth altogether without the Scripture. For If there had been an history of Christ’s going into hell, and delivering the patriarchs and others the faithful from thence, all the evangelists would not have omitted so notable a matter, and that, also, an article of our belief.” — Defence of Translations of the Bible.

” Christ suffered not only a common death in the sight of men, but also was touched with the horror of eternal death :

be fought and wrestled as it were hand to hand with the whole army of hell : before the judgment-seat of God he put himself under the heavy judgment and grievous severity of God’s

punishment As Christ in his body descended into the

bowels of the earth, so, his soul severed from the body, he descended into hell ; and that therewith also the virtue and efficacy of his death so pierced through to the dead and to very hell itself, that both the souls of the unbelieving felt this most painful and just damnation for infidelity, and Satan himself, the prince of hell, felt that all the power of his tyranny and darkness was wrecked, vanquished, and fallen to ruin.”