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

The Proposition. Christ went downe into Hell.

The proofe from Gods word.

SVndrie be the texts of Scripture for Christ his descension into Hell.

Mine heart was glad (saith Dauid ¹, a figure of Christ) & my glorie reioyced, my flesh also shall rest in hope. For why? Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell.

O Lord my God, I cried vnto thee, and thou hast healed mee. Thou Lord hast brought my soule out of Hell ².

I will thanke thee, ô Lord my God, with all my heart; & will praise thy name for euermore. For great is thy mercie towards mee; & thou hast deliuered my soule frō the nethermost hell ³.

In that he ascended, what is it but that he had also descended first into the lowest parts of the earth? He that descended is euen the same that ascended, farre aboue all heauens, that he might fill all things ⁴.

O death, where is thy sting? O hell, where is this victorie ⁵?

Also that Christ went downe into Hell, all sound Christians both in former daies ⁶, and now liuing ⁷, doe acknowledge: howbeit in the interpretation of the article, there is not that consent as were to be wished, some holding that Christ descended into Hel.

1. As God onely, and not man; as they doe which say, how Christ descended powerfully, and effectually, but not personally into hell; and that the deitie exhibited it selfe, as it were present in the infernall parts, to the terror of the deuill, and other damned spirits.

2. As the man onely; and that as some thinke, in body onely, as when death as it were preuailed ouer him lying in the graue; as others deeme, in Soule onely, when he went vnto the place of the reprobate, to the increasing of their torments.

3. As God and man in one person; as they do which affirme that Christ in bodie, and soule, went, some thinke, as it were into Hell, when vpon the Crosse, and els where he suffered the terrors and torments prophecied of Esay. 53. v. 6.10. Psal. 116. v. 2. and mentioned, Matth. 26. v. 38. or 27. v. 46. Luk. 22. v. 42. some say euen into Hell (the verie place destinied for the Reprobate) which he entred into the very moment of his Resurrection, at which time hee shewed and declared himselfe a most glorious conqueror both of death, and Hell, the most powerfull enemies.

Errors, & adversaries vnto this truth.

But till wee know the natiue, and vndoubted sense of this article, and mysterie of religion, persist wee adversaries vnto thē which say:

That Christ descended not into hell at all, calling this article, an error, and a fable, as Carlile doth ⁸.

That Christ beeing dead, descended into the place of euerlasting torments, where in soule he indured for a time the very paines which the damned spirits, without intermission, doe abide. Bannisters error ⁹.

That Christ aliue vpon the crosse, humbled himselfe, Vsque ad inferni tremenda tormenta, euen vnto the dreadfull torments of hell ¹⁰: endured for a time those torments, quales reprobi in aeternū sensuri sunt, which the reprobates shall euerlastingly suffer in hell ¹¹: euen despaired of Gods mercie, finding God at this time, Non Patrem, sed Tyrennum, no a Father but a Tyran; and ouercame Despaire by despaire, death by death; hell by hell; & and Satan by Satan ¹²: suffered actually All the torments of hell for our redemption; and descended into the heauiest torments that Hell could yeeld ¹³: suffered the torments of hell, The second death. Abiection from God ¹⁴: and was made a cursse, that is, had the bitter anguish of Gods wrath in his soule, and body, which is the fire that shall neuer be quenched ¹⁵.

That Christ personally in Soule went downe into Lake Lymbo, to fetch from thence as Canisius; to loose from thēce, as Vaux he saith ¹⁶, the soules of our forefathers,¹⁷ which afore his death (as the Papists dreame) were shut vp in the close prison of Hell ¹⁸.

That Christ by his descension hath quite turned Hell into Paradise: Costerus, the Iesuits error ¹⁹.

Footnotes

1. Psal. 16.10.11. Act. 2.26, 2[?]. ↩

2. Psal. 30.1, 2. ↩

3. Psal. 86.12.13. ↩

4. Eph. 4.9, 10. ↩

5. 1. Cor. 15.53.
   ↩

6. He descended into hell. Symbol. Apost. Athan. ↩

7. Confess. Helv. 2. c. 11. Basil. ar. 2. August. ar. 3. Suevica. ar. 2. ↩

8. Cor[?]ile against D. Smith. p. 28.77. ↩

9. Treat. of Bannisters errors. ↩

10. Pagets Catec. Latia. ↩

11. Pis[?]. in Luc. 12.10. ↩

12. Ferus in Matth. 27. ↩

13. Humes rei[?]i [?]d. p. 38.138.152. ↩

14. Ho. se[?]old catech. ↩

15. Giffords catech. ↩

16. Vaux catech. ↩

17. Ca[?]is. catech. ↩

18. Test. Rh[?]m. an. Luk. 16 26. ↩

19. [?]oster. ins[?]it. l. 5. ↩