CHAPTER V.

ARTICLE V.-SECTION 1.

"He descended into Hell; the third day he rose

again."

THE former part was not stated in the Creed till nearly four hundred years after Christ; but as we believe that all which the Creed contains is to be found in Scripture, so, though the words "He descended into hell," are not in it, yet they are implied and may be gathered from it. The texts usually quoted are, "Now that He ascended, what is it but that He descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" "Christ was put to death, but quickened by the Spirit, by which He went and preached to the spirits in prison†;" but these two texts are ambiguous. The third is more decisive, when Peter, quoting David's prophecy, "thou wilt not leave my soul in hell," applies it to Christ, and says, "he being a prophet, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that

* Eph. iv. 9.

+1 Peter iii. 18.

His soul was not left in hell, neither did His flesh see corruption *." Hence this part of the Article may infallibly be deduced. For, if His soul was not left in hell at His resurrection, it must have been there before; but it was not before His death; therefore, it must have been there in the intermediate time, between His death and resurrection; and as His body, though in the place of corruption, did not see corruption; so His soul, though in hell, did not remain there; each by virtue of the same prophecy. We must, therefore, confess, that Christ's soul was in hell.

Now, what is meant by hell, and by his descent into it, is not easily determined; and there are many opinions on this point, as 1st., that His descent is no more than a simple efficacy of His death upon the spirits of the dead detained in hell; 2nd., that it was a real suffering of the torments of the damned; 3rd., a metaphorical suffering of them in His mind, when His soul was overwhelmed with a sense of God's wrath; 4th., that soul is taken for body, and hell means grave; 5th., that the nobler part of man, the soul, is taken for the whole man, and hell means the simple state of death, or a permansion in death. But all these appear controvertible from Scripture;

*Acts ii. 25-31.

The first, by plain inference, from "the soul of Christ not being left in hell;" implying more than a simple efficacy; the second, from Christ's being without sin, and therefore not liable to the pangs of remorse which the damned feel; the third, because the article plainly refers to something between His death and resurrection; the fourth possesses no certainty of interpretation in Scripture; besides, having professed already a belief in His burial, it would be needless to profess again His being laid in the grave; the fifth, because, if 'descending into hell,' means no more than to die, then having professed a belief already that He was dead, it was needless to add' He descended into hell.' The most probable and generally received opinion in the church, is, that the soul meant the superior part of our humanity, which Christ took; and that hell is a place distinct from heaven and from this world, whither men's souls are conveyed after death; that in this place God did not suffer the assumed soul of His son to stay, but brought it shortly from thence. This doctrine of the soul's separate existence is taught in various parts of Scripture; ex. gra. our Saviour's words are, "fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul*" He also teaches us the same

doctrine in the parable of Dives and Lazarus ; neither can we conceive that the soul is in a state of sleep or unconsciousness, being neither happy nor miserable; but that some, by the mercy of God, are in a place of rest, and peace; others, by the justice of God, in one of pain and misery. The righteous Abel was the first inhabitant of the former.

Now, as the souls are separated at death, it follows that the soul passes by a real motion from the body, and is placed in a particular state; and this is what we mean by Christ's descent into hell; that the more noble part of His humanity, viz. His reasonable soul, was carried into those parts where the souls of men before departed, were detained. But for what purpose, and to what persons, or souls, He went, is a disputed point, and there exists a variety of opinions on the subject; 1st. that He went to translate out of Hades, the common receptacle of spirits, all the souls of the faithful, from righteous Abel to Christ, to bliss; 2nd. that He went to preach to the spirits of those who were properly in hell, (i. e. in torment) and who had disbelieved in Him; and to give them an opportunity of repenting, and being saved; 3rd. that He went to contend with, and overcome the powers of Satan.

But these opinions have no warrant from ScripAs to the 1st., we are taught by the parable

ture.

of Dives and Lazarus, that the good are immediately happy after death; as to the 2nd., this life is taught to be the only state of probation; as to the 3rd., if it means any thing, it must mean that He conquered satan and led captivity captive, and therefore delivered spirits under His power; which is contradicted above.

The true idea seems to be, that Christ descended into hell in order that to complete man's redemption, He might undergo every thing to which man was subject, in life as well as death: His body was laid in the grave, His soul translated into the usual receptacle for souls; but neither was the latter left there, nor did the former see corruption. By this descent of His, we have security and freedom from fears as to those regions of darkness; as, by His ascension, we have hopes of heaven. We have confidence that satan shall exercise no power over our souls, knowing that our Captain hath led the way, and returned a conqueror over sin and death, which all faithful believers in Him will do likewise.

Recapitulation. I believe that when Christ's sufferings were finished, His soul was separated from His body; that it did not die, but went into the place appointed for the souls of all that die for their sins; but because He had no sins, and had also made full atonement for others, it was not left there; nei