Phenix XXV.

Of the Torments of HELL: The Foundation and Pillars thereof difcover'd, fearch'd, fhaken, and remov'd. With infallible Proofs, That there is not to be a Punishment after this Life, for any to endure, that fball never end.

Printed in 1658.

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of Chrift's defcending into Hell.

OME of the learned fay, Chrift defcended into Hell, and

for proof alledg Pfal. 16. 10. Ads 2. 27. Dr. Willet fays, that those words of Chrift (defcended into Hell) are not found in the moft antient Creeds: Dr. William Whitaker fays, I could produce fifty of the moft antient Creeds that have not these words (he defcended into Hell) in his Answer to Campion, p. 215. Mr. William Perkins on the Creed faith, It seems likely that these words (he defcended into Hell) were not plac'd in the Creed at first, and that it crept in by Negligence; for above threefcore Creeds of the moft antient Councils and Fathers

want

want this Claufe (he defcended into Hell) among the reft not found in the Nicene Creed, nor found in the Romish Church, nor us'd in the Church of the Eaft.

Alfo fome of the Learned fay, Chrift defcended not into Hell, yet it is an Article of their Faith; but if you say he did not defcend into Hell, they will fay you deny the Faith, and are a Heretick and a Blafphemer, and you may be glad you can efcape fo: Themfelyes interpret Hell otherwife than for a Place of Torments never to end. Mr. Bucer faith, Chrift defcending into Hell, is to be underftood of his Burial: Mr. Calvin faith, Hell is the Sorrow of Mind Chrift was in before his Death. Why hast thou forsaken me? is God's hiding his Face when he was upon the Crofs, faith Dr. Whitaker against Campion, p. 211. For upon the Crofs he faid, It is finish'd, John 9. 30. therefore his Suffering was at an end. Some of the Papifts confefs Chrift fuffer'd not after his Death, Luke 12. 42, 45. Urfinus Catechif. p. 350. Mr. Perkins faith, Hell is the inward Sufferings of Chrift on the Crofs: Bernard makes the Grief of Chrift's Soul his Hell.

Dr. Ames, in his Marrow of Divinity, p. 65. faith, That of the Place of Hell, and Manner of Torture there, the Scripture hath not pronounc'd any thing diftinétly. If fo, then the Word of God faith not any thing at all of them; for that which the Scripture fpeaks, it fpeaks diftinctly, else it could not have been read diftinctly, Neh. 3. 8. That which is fpoken exprefly, is fpoken diftinctly: The Spirit fpeaks exprefly, 1 Time 4. 1. The Word of the Lord came exprefly, Ezek. 1. 3. That which is not fpoken diftinctly, cannot be underftood, as appears 1 Cor. 14.217.

Dr. Fulk faith plainly, That neither in the Hebrew, Greek, nor Latin, is there a Word proper for Hell (as we take Hell for the Place of Punishment of the Ungodly) Fulk's Defence Tranflation, p. 13, 87, 89. Is not this a full Teftimony against their Opinion of the Torments of Hell? For if it be not to be read in the Word of God, what have we to do with it? We are not to believe any thing in Religion, unless it be written. How readeft thou faith Chrift. Reveal'd things belong to us, Deut. 29. 29. As it is written, I believ'd, 2 Cor. 4, 13. They confefs it is not written; then fure I am it is not to be by any affirm'd nor believ'd. Meddle not with things not reveal'd; they are but groundlefs Conceits, Fables, and Traditions of Men.

That the word Hell is not in the Hebrew and Greek Bible; for the Word in the Hebrew, for which the English word Hell is put, is Sheol; the proper Signification of Sheol is the Grave, as all that be learned in the Hebrew do know. Sheol hath its

Signification of Shaal, to crave or require; therefore it is one of the four that is never fatisfy'd, Prov. 30. 15. We learn the Propriety of the Hebrew word from the learned Rabbies, faith Dr. Fulk, Def. Tranf. Bib. p. 90. The Hebrew Doctors and Jewish Rabbies are for fignification of Words faithful Interpreters ; they fay, Sheol is the Grave. Rabbi Levi, according to the Opinion of the Learned, expounds Sheol to be the lowest Region of the World oppolite to Heaven: If I defcend into Sheol, thou art prefent. So R. Abraham on Jonah 2. And David Chimchi, and R. Solomon read Pfal. 19. 16, 17. Let the Wicked be turn'd into Sheol; that is, Death's Eftate or deadly Bed. Jonah calls the Belly of the Whale Sheol, Jon. 2. 2, 3. Rabbi Solomon Jarchi on Gen. 37. 35. faith, that the true and proper Interpretation of Sheol is Keber, which is the Grave. The boar Head is faid to go down to Sheol, Gen.42.38. In Numb.16. it is faid, They, their Subftance, and Cattel, went alive to Sheolah; that is, the Pit or Grave. Our Bones are scatter'd at the very brink or mouth of Sheol, Pfal. 141.7. Jacob faid, I will go down to my Son Jofeph to Sheol, Gen. 37.35. The Proteftant Writers fay Sheol properly figni fies the Grave: Dr. Fulk's Answer to the Preface Remist. p. 22. fo alfo in his Defence, p. 91. Mr. Beza faith, that Sheol properly fignifies nothing but the Grave or Pit. Fulk faith, the beft of the Hebrews that either interpreted Scripture or made Dictionaries, Jews or Chriftians, fay Sheol properly fignifies the Grave, p. 89. and that Deliverance from the loweft Hell, is Deliverance from the greatest danger of Death; fo Fulk's Anfw. Remift. p. 13, 39, 135. and fo the late Annotation of the Bible interprets it. And Auguftine on Pfal. 16. 13. for loweft Hell reads loweft Grave, and fo Dr. Willet, Synop. p.1049.

The Chaldee Paraphraft retaineth the word Sheol, and tranf lates it the Houfe of the Grave, p. 11, 15. They interpret Sheol, Keburata, the Grave: Job 21.5, 13, 14. Beith Keburata, the Houfe of the Grave, p. 17, 12. Rabbi Abraham Perififol joins Sheol and Keber together, both fignifying the Grave; and fo doth Dr. Fulk in his Defence, p. 91. And fo Mr. Cartwright on Ads 2.27. Mr. Cradock faith, Hell is not mention'd in the Old Teftament, but as it is taken for the Grave; in his Good News, P.43.

Sheol enforces not any Place of Punishment, because it fignifies not any Place of Punishment; fo fays Dr. Willet, Synopf. p. 1055. Alfo he faith the word Sheol cannot be tranflated, but for the Grave. There are four words in the Pfalms expreffing the fame thing in effect that Sheol doth, yet none of them applicable to fignify any Place of Torment: the first is Shacath, Fovea, the Pit, Pfal. 36. 9. the fecond is Bhor, the Lake: the third is Cheber, the Grave; both these words ufed

for

for the fame thing, Pfal. 88. 3. The word is Sheol, ver. 45. the other word used as expreffing the former: and all these three do contain a Description of Death and the Grave. The fourth is Tehemoth, Abyffus Terra; Thou wilt take me from the Depth of the Earth, Pfal.71. 20. In all which there is no mention of a Place of Torment, Willet Synopf. p. 1050.

The Greek tranflates Sheol into Haden or Hades of Adam, because Adam tafted Death and went to the Grave, Gen. 3. 19. The Gates of Sheol is Death; Sheol and Hades are faid to have Gates, Ifa. 38. 10. Pfal. 9. 14. Mat. 16. 8.

The Septuagint exprefs a Place generally to receive the Dead; the Word used in the Greek instead of the Hebrew word Sheol, fignifies a dark place, fuch as the Grave or Pit in which the Dead are laid. Dr. Fulk faith, fome take the Greek word for Hell, but it fignifies the Grave: Hell it cannot fignify in their speech that believe no Hell. The Greeks fay plainly, that their Souls fhall vanish like light Smoke or light Air; Fulk Def. p. 92. Alfo he faith, if the Greek and Latin Interpreters had before us tranflated amifs, which gave occafion to divers Errors, muft we (knowing the true Signification of the word) follow them?

The word Hell is not in the Greek; the Greek word for which they put the English word Hell, is Gehenna; Ge in Greek is the Earth or Ground, and Henna is borrow'd from the Hebrew, from the Valley of Hinnom. Dr. Lightfoot in his Epiftle to his Harmony, faith, It is well known the Judgment of Gehinna is taken from the Valley of Gehinna; Tophet, or Gehinnom, are Names of the Places of Idolatry; there was the Idol Moloch.

of Hell-fire, Mat. 5. 22. and the chable Fire, Mat. 25. 41, 46. caft into Hell, Luke 12. 5. 23.33.

everlafting Fire, and unquenFear him that hath Power to The Damnation of Hell, Mat.

Mat. 5.22. The Fire of Gehinna, and the everlafting Fire, c. How the Jews understood them, it is evidently to be seen in their Writings, that they underftood them of the Fire of the Valley of Hinnom; fo faith Dr. Lightfoot to the Reader in his Harmony, Because of the Law thou art deliver'd from the Judgment of Gehenna and Baal-tur, Gen. 1. 1.

The Proteftant Writers confefs that Mat. 5. 22. Mat. 25.41, 46. Luke 12. 5. are to be underftood of the Fire of the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is Tophet; fo Mr. Cartwright, Dr. Fulk, and Mr. Trap, and the late Annotations of the Bible, and others, in danger of Hell-fire, &c. read, in danger to burn in the Valley of Hinnom or Tophet: the Damnation of

Hell,

Hell, of Hell Gehinnah, they interpret these Places of the Valley of Hinnom or Tophet, which Place was near to Jerufalem, where they offer'd their Children to Moloch, Josh. 15.8. King Jofiah defil'd Tophet, the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no Man might make his Son or Daughter to pass thro the Fire to Moloch, 2 Kings 23. 10. Jofiah commanded all the Carrion of the City of Jerufalem to be carried into that Valley and burnt there, that the Carrion might not annoy the City: thither, faith David Chimchi, were carry'd all the Filth and unburied Carcases to be burned. The Sanhedrim of the Jews for fome Offences fentenc'd the Bodies of the Offenders to lie unburied in that Valley to burn with the Carrion caft there, which among the Jews was counted a great Difgrace and for Offences moft criminal, they burn'd alive in that Valley. They fet the Malefactor in a dunghil up to the knees, and put a Towel about his neck, and one pull'd it one way and one another way, till ftrangling him, forc'd him to open his mouth; then they pour'd fcalding Lead into his mouth, which went down into his Body, and fo burnt his Bowels; Talmud in Sanhedr. Per. 7. Mr. Cartwright faith, the Jews fent thither their Guilty to be burnt in that Valley, and those they burnt there, they dealt with as guilty, 2 Chron. 29.3. It is confefs'd by all, that Chrift fpeaks and alludes to the Jewish Practice in their Judicature, therefore the Places aboyefaid concern them. Secondly, the Speech of Chrift was to the Jews by Birth and Education; they wrote the New Teftament, and tho it be pen'd in Greek, it speaks the Phrase of the Jewish Nation. The Apoftle preaching to the Jews, us'd the word Gehennah, Jam. 3. 6. Chrift and his Disciples us'd known Terms, that they might the better be understood. Thirdly, Because the Jews had not power to fend them to the Hell they speak of. Fourthly, Because the laft of the three Sins is faid to be judg'd to the Fire of Gehennah, which if it were to be underftood as fome would have it, it will follow, that fome Sins deferve not Hell, and fhall not be punish'd there, which is contrary to themselves who teach the leaft Sin deferves Hell. Fifthly, Mat. 5. 22. fhews the Ignorance and Severity of the Jews and Pharifees that anger without a caufe; and Racha a word of Difgrace, which fignifies an empty Fellow, or wicked Wretch, as great faults as to fay Fool, if not greater, yet punish'd lefs; rafh Anger in danger of the Judgment, Racha in danger of the Counfel; if fay Fool, in danger of Hell-fire, to burn in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom.

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