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Corruption. But being a Prophet, and knowing that God had fworn with an Oath to him, That of the Fruit of his Loyns, according to the Flesh, he would raife up Chrift to fit on his Throne; He feeing this before fpake of the Refurrection of Chrift, That his Soul was not left in Hell, neither his Flefb did fee Corruption. The Apostle's Argument is very clear and convincing; fo that nothing more need be faid to prove, that the Words of the Pfalmift are to be understood of Jefus Chrift.

IN my propofe,

Difcourfe on thefe Words, I

Firft, To explain the true Meaning of them.

Secondly, To confirm the Doctrine contain❜d in them. And, on

Thirdly, To deduce from it fome Inferences, which may have a useful Infu, ence upon our Practice.

Firft, I SHALL endeavour to explain the true Meaning of the Words, which as they lie in the Original are very ambiguous, and capable of diverfe Trans lations;

lations; and do for that reafon admit of different Senfes.

FOR firft, the Word Y, which we render Soul, doés fometimes in the Tranf lation of the Seventy Interpreters fignify a dead Body; and the Word "Adns» which is here render'd Hell, frequently fignifies the Grave. So that the original Text will bear the following Tranflation; Thou wilt not leave my Corps in the Grave, neither wilt thou fuffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption. Again, the Word Yu, here render'd Soul, does both in the Translation of the Septuagint, and in the New Testament frequently fignify Life; fo that the Text might have been thus tranflated, Thou wilt not leave my Life in the Grave, neither wilt thou fuffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption. Which of these two Rendrings is to be preferr'd, is a Question of no great Importance; fince they differ in Words only, and agree in the fame Senfe. For, according to both, that Part of Chrift which was mortal and corruptible is fpoken of in both Branches of the Text;

and

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and thefe two Claufes, Thou wilt not leave my Corps, or my Life, in the Grave; and thou wilt not fuffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption, are Explanatory of each other, and do in different Words exprefs the very fame Thought. Whereas there feems to be an Antithefis in the Words; and it is moft natural by Yu, or Soul in the former part of the Verfe, to understand that Part of Chrift's human Nature which was immortal and incorruptible, and which feems to be oppos'd to that Part of him which was mortal, and might have feen Corruption, tho' it did not. Wherefore in all proba bility our Tranflators have rightly render'd the Text; Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption. For allowing the Word u to denote the Soul, it must be own'd that by "Ans is meant Hell, and not the Grave; fince the Soul defcends not into the Grave, but the Body only. Granting therefore our Tranflation to be, as it most probably is, the true one; our next Enqui

ry

ry must be what is meant by Hades or Hell. For tho' the Text affures us that the Soul of Chrift was not left in Hell and we do all of us profefs in our Creed to believe that Jefus Chrift defcended into Hell; yet to the Generality of unlearned Perfons it feems to be a very ftrange Affertion, That fo innocent and excellent a Perfon, as we believe Jefus Chrift to have been, went after he was Dead to Hell; at which we shall ceafe to wonder, when we know what we are to understand by the Word Hell.

Now the Word "Adns or 'Aïdns Hell properly fignifies an unfeen or invisible Place; and is a Term borrow'd from the Theology of the Heathens; who taught that the Souls of all Men when they departed this Life, are convey'd to an invifible Place, or to Hades; at the Entrance of which there are, fay they, two Paths, the one to the right Hand, the other to the left; that to the right Hand leads to a Place of Pleafure and Happinefs, called Elyfium, where live the Souls of pious and virtuous Men; that to the

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left

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left Hand leads to a Place called Tartarus, where, as they fuppofed, wicked Men fuffer Punishment for the Crimes which they committed while they liv'd in this World. Wherefore in the Opinion of the antient Pagans, Hades contain'd both Elyfium and Tartarus; and tho' they thought that the Souls of good and bad Men were lodged in feperate Manfions, the Good in Elyfium, and the Bad in Tartarus; yet they fuppos'd that the Souls of all Men, both good and bad, were lodged in Hades, of which Elyfum made one Part and Tartarus another. So that among them Hades did not fignify a Place of Torment only, as now a-days Hell does among us; but it had a larger and more general Signification, denoting the invisible Region, which receiv'd all departed Souls of Men and Women, and was very frequently used by them in a good Senfe, as well as in a bad one. This was the Doctrine of the Pagans. Let us now fee how far the Chriftian Divinity agrees or disagrees with it; that we may be able diftinctly to understand that Article