Glimpses of Christian History Presents Pastwords # ©2007

BOYS, JOHN. The Workes of John Boys Doctor in Divinitie and Deane of Canterburie. (London) Imprinted for William Ashley Anno 1622, small but thick folio. John Boys (1571-1625) Dean of Canterbury. The first edition of his works. "Racy, rich and running over. We marvel that it has not been reprinted."--Charles Haddon Spurgeon.


It contains 5 parts (each with separate title & imprint, but paged continuously) as follows: An Exposition of all the Principall Scriptures used in Our English Liturgie. An Exposition of the Dominicall Epistles and Gospels used in our English Liturgie. An Exposition of the Festival Epistles and Gospels used in our English Liturgie. An Exposition of the Proper Psalmes used in our English Liturgie. Lectures Concerning Mutuall support and supply, The Paines of Hell, Judges charge, Royall Priesthood, Salve for a sicke Soule.

PSALMS 86. Verses 12, 13. I will thanke thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will praise thee for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me, and thou hast delivered my soule from the nethermost hell.

LECTURE I.

The Prophet professeth in this Scripture, that he will praise God unfainedly with his whole heart, and uncessantly for evermore. The ground whereof is Gods exceeding great mercy, manifested in delivering his soule from the greatest of all mischiefs, which is the nethermost hell.

Here then I am to begin at the texts end; treating
1. Of hell.
2. Of our deliverance by Gods unspeakable mercy from his hell.
3. Of our thanks, and praise due to God for this deliverance.

On earth, which is twofold, a
1. Temporall hell of affliction.
2. Spirituall hell of conscience.

There is a hell under earth, which is twofold,
1. The pit of the dead, or the grave, which is upper hell.
2. The pit of the damned, which is the nethermost hell.

I finde this our text construed by Divines of all these kindes of hell. Concerning the first, Jonas, and other holy men, that were delivered from extreme perils, and deepe dangers, are said to be delivered from hell, as Psalm. 18.4. The pangs of hell came about me. Psalms 30.3. Thou hast brought my soule out of hell. Psalm 116.3. The snares of death compassed me round about, and the paines of hell got hold upon me: so here, thou hast delivered my soule, that is, my life, my person, as it were, from the nethermost hell. For when David was persecuted by Saul, there was but a step betweene David and death, I Sam. 20.3. As they which are buried seeme in the judgement of man past all hope of life, yet God notwithstanding will one day raise them up againe; so when David seemed by reason of his distresse to be past all recoverie, the Lord admirably delivered him from death.

David also was delivered from the hell of conscience, for his crying crimes of murther, and whoredome. For after Nathan had said unto him, the Lord hath put away thy sinne, after God had given him a cleane heart, and a right spirit, he was restored againe to his former peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost. He calleth his griefe for sinne the lowest hell, as being a great deale deeper than any kinde of outward danger, or death. He therefore thanked God with all his heart for delivering his soule from his hell of conscience, confounding those soule fiends and uncleane spirits, which is the murther and adulterie had risen up against him, and sought after his soule to destroy it.

Thirdly, if we take this as spoken in the person of Christ, it may be construed of the grave, for God raised Christ againe from the dead, not leaving his soule in hell, nor suffering his holy one to see corruption, Psal. 16.11, Acts 2.27.

But The Fathers expound this of hell in hell, aptly termed the nethermost hell, as being not only lower than the grave, but also deeper than any wound in the bodie, or griefe in the minde.

Troubles in this world (quoth Austin) are an upward hell, but the tortures of the damned in the next, are the lowest hell: and Hierome, sinne is a superiour hell, but the place where sinners are punished eternally, the nethermost hell.

If we will understand this as uttered by the Prophet, of Christ, he descended into the nethermost hell, non ut debitor, fed ut victor, not as a debtor to suffer any punishment, but as a conqueror to triumph over death and the devill in their owne kingdomes; or he may sing with our Prophet, thou hast delivered my soule, that is, the soule of my people, believing in my name from the nethermost hell, for it is thy will, that whosoever believe in me should not perish, but have everlasting life, John 3.16.

Or it may be thus interpreted of David literally, thou Lord hast delivered my soule from hell in pardoning all my sinnes worthily deserving hell. For as a man is said to deliver his brother from death, not because he raised him up againe from the dead, but only for that he was a meanes to perserve him alive: so God is said to deliver us from the nethermost hell, in preventing and preserving us by his grace, from descending into the nethermost hell.

Now that we may the better amplifie the greatness of Gods mercy, let us examine the greatness of hells miserie.

The which is twofold,
1. Poena fenfui, paines of sense..
2. Poena damni, paines of losse.

For as in sinne there is an aversion from the Creator, and a conversion to the creatures, according to that of the Prophet, They have forsaken me the fountaine of living waters, and have digged themselves pits, even broken pits that can hold no water: so in the punishment of sinners (as Divines observe) there is not only paine of losse, which is answerable to their aversion from their Creator; but also paine of sense, which is answerable to their conversion unto the creatures. And therefore we reade Joh.15.6, that such unprofitable branches as beare no fruit, are not only cast out of the vine, and the whole vineyard; but also gathered together, and are made faggots and fuell of hell fire. The paines of sense to be suffered of the damned in hell, according to the Scriptures account, are principally seven,
1. Darknesse
2. Fire
3. The worme never dying.
4. Bonds.
5. Conversing with devils.
6. Weeping
7. Gnashing of teeth.

The first is darknesse, according to that of Christ, Matth. 8.12. The children of the kingdome shall be cast out into utter darkness. And Matth. 22.13 speaking of him who had not on a wedding garment, cast him into utter darknesse. And Matth. 25.30. cast that unprofitable servant into utter darknesse. So Job calleth hell the land of darknesse, and the reason thereof is plaine, because the nethermost hell is a bottomlesse pit in the heart of the earth, farre remote from the light of Sunne, and Moone, and Starres. Haply some will object, if there be fire, there is assuredly light. Answer is made by S. Basil, that hell fire hath only power to burne, but not to shine: or if it afford a little sulphureous or obscure light, it shall not before their comfort, but on the contrary, to the farther confusion of the damned, that thereby they may discerne their brethern, or children, or friends in the same punishment with them, or else that they may behold the most ugly faces of terrible fiends always tormenting them.

And the darknesse of hell is called utter darknesse, to distinguish it from that inward darknesse wherewith ungodly men are compassed about in this life. Worldlings have their corporall eyes open in seeing vanities, and in seeking pleasures of the flesh, but they be blinde concerning internall, and eternall happinesse, as St. Paul speaketh, Their heart is full of darknesse, and there cogitations obscured through ignorance that is in them. Here reprobate men have light without, and darknesse within, but hereafter they shall have utter darknesse, and inward light. I say light inwardly not to see God or any thing that is good to their refreshing, but only so much inward light as may serve to discover their errors, and to make them understand their own miserie, saying, We have erred from the way of truth, & the light of righteousnesse hath not shined unto us, and the sun of understanding rose not upon us. Now what a terrible torture this will be to such especially as have greedily followed the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, let old blinde Tobie witnesse, who when the Lords Angell saluted him on this sort (Joy to thee for evermore) replied, what joy can I have who sit here in the darke, and see not the light of heaven? How tedious is the night unto the sicke body, who cannot sleepe though he stretch himselfe upon a bed of misery, how carefully doth he tell the clocke, numbring houres and minutes of houres exactly, how eagerly doth he desire the morning light, although his griefe happily reside but in one part, as in his teeth, or head, or in one joint of a member, as the gowt in a toe, the felon in a finger. O then how fearful, and uncomfortable will that eternall darknesse be to the damned universally tormented in all the parts of their bodies, and in all the powers of their soules, and that without all hopes to see more light, and to returne againe to life! Thinke on this all ye that forget God, in whole minde the prince of darknesse worketh unprofitable workes of darknesse, hells utter darknesse. And let all such as once were darknesse, but now light in the Lord, that is, all the faithfull and godly believing that Christ died for their sinnes, and rose againe from the dead for their justification, say with the Prophet, I will thanke thee O Lord my God with all my heart, and will praise thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me, and thou hast delivered my soule from the nethermost hell.

The second punishment is hell in fire, so the text speaketh of the tarees, that is, unregenerate sinners, they shall be bound together, and cast into a furnace of fire. And every tree that brings not forth good fruit, shall be hewen downe, and cast into the fire. And Apocal. 20.15. whosoever was not found written in the booke of life, was cast into the lake of fire, the which is materiall, and not as some conceive metaphoricall only; not a false, but a furious fire; not a phantasticall, but a corporeall fire. So Gregorie the Great, so the Schoole, so S. Augustine. Yea, but you will object, if hell fire be corporeall, how commeth it to passe that it consumes not the bodies of the damned? Augustin.de Ciuit. D ei lib. 21. Cap. 10. Doth answer in one work, that this is done miiris fed veris modis, admirably yet actually, whereof if any doubt, let him remember only, that he who created it is omnipotent, and he who revealed it is truth.

Againe, there be so strange things as it even in this present world: for in naturall historie, we reade of a certaine salt in Sicilia, the which if it be put into the fire, swims as in water, and being put into water, crackles as in a fire. Among the Garamantes, a people dwelling in the middle of Libia, we read of a fountaine, the which in a cold night is so hot, that none can endure to touch it, and in the hot day so cold that a none can drinke it. And we read of a stone in Arcadia called Abeston, the which being once made hot can never be cooled. And why then I pray, quoth Augustine, may not the bodies of the damned in that unquenchable lake be like salt in Sicilia, which in the fire swims like water; or like the stone Abeston, which once being hot cannot be cooled; or like the Well in Libia, which is hot in cold weather, and cold in hot weather? Doest thou seeke a reason of Gods high and heavie judgements, saith Augustine? I for my part will feare and tremble thereat; dispute thou, but I will believe: I see the pit, but I cannot finde the depth; & seeing the Apostle saith, that the wages of God cannot be found, thinkest thou to finde them out? To search out things inservable is as impossible as to see things invisible, and to speak things ineffable.

Now (beloved) among all the merciless punishments invented by the wit of man, it is granted that burning is the most horrible. Such as are put to death by men or beasts endure lesse crueltie than they which are put to death be senselesse creatures. And among all things insensible, water and fire are most unmercifull; and of these two, fire is the most raging. And therefore the barborous Papists ever delighted in fireworkes. A Pope first enacted the law de heretico comburendo; a Friar first invented the shooting of fire: And were not I pray you Papists the parties who plotted the hellish gun-powder treason. They be reputed worthily the most exquisite torturers, and their most execrable torments by fire.

Hence some Divines imagine that the punishment of hell is termed fire metaphorically, because the most bitter paine knowne to man, is that of fire. But earthly fire though it be never so terrible for a time, yet it soone devoureth the body that is cast into it, and so the flame decreaseth as the fewell wasteth: whereas hell fire cannot be quenched, Mark. 9.43 It is an everlasting fire, Matth. 25.41. where damned wretches are ever frying, and yet never dying.

And therefore let us often in our meditations remember the words of Esay, who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burning? As if he had said to gracelesse hard hearted obstinate sinners, take not a burden upon you which is too hard for you to beare; try first if you can abide to dwell with a devouring fire before ye goe downe quicke into hell. It is reported of the godly martyr Thomas Bilney, that he did use before his burning to put his finger into the candle to feele how hot the fire was: and Tertullian writeth of Quintus Mutius Sceuola, that he did constantly burne his owne hand for striking amisse. So let the desperate sinner that imagineth lewdnesse upon his bed, and when the morning is light taketh paine to commit it, compassing land and sea to corrupt others, and to worke all uncleannesse, even with a greedinesse, burne but his hand, or his finger in the fire for a few minutes, and then consider how he shall endure to dwell in that unquenchable lake with everlasting burnings.

I will not any farther examine the condition of hell fire, seeing it is our dutie not to be curious in searching after it, but on the contrarie studious that we may never come to know what it is. In this life which is the day of our salvation, and acceptable time, we may through faith in Christ our blessed Saviour, who triumphed over the powers of hell, utterly quench all the fierie darts of the devill; here by true repentance we may stop these flames, and by devout teares put them out, that they never shall come near us; but hereafter it will be too late when the breath of the Lord shall as a river of brimstone kindle it, and command it to burne without either end, or ease.

The third punishment of hell is, the worme never dying, mentioned by the Prophet Esau, who speaking of the wicked in his last Chapter, at the last verse, saith expressly, Their worms shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched: the which is repeated thrice by Christ in one Chapter, namely Marke 9. Verse 44.46.48. S. Basil takes this for a materiall worme which is carnivorous and venomous, but Augustine, and others affirme that this worm never dying is the sting of conscience disquieting the damned after such an horrible manner, as if a worme full of poison should be gnawing at the heart of a man. It is verie probable that the fire never to be quenched, is to be referred to the body, and the worms never dying to the soule. So that of the Wiseman is interpreted, Ecclesiasticus 7.17. The vengeance of the wicked is fire and wormes, fire to torment his body; wormes of conscience to torture his soule. Now this Erinnys confcientia, this hellish hagge (as Melanchthon calleth it) affrights the wicked in this world so terribly, that they runne as mad men out of the field into the citie, out of the citie into their houses, out of the common roomes in their houses into their chambers, out of their chambers into their studies, out of their studies into the secret closets of their owne hearts, and there (saith Augustine) they finde themselves greatest enemies unto themselves. Examples hereof K. Ric. The 3. Francifena Spira, Cardinall Crefcentius, and many more despairing in sinne.

But this hell in this world is mitigated sometime by sleeping, sometime by reading, sometime by the meriments of idle companie, sometime by the good counsell of honest and discreet friends: whereas in the nethermost hell, there can be no sleeping unto the damned, although it be nothing else but an everlasting night; there can be no reading, but in that black booke only, which evermore presents in great characters unto their view, both their innumerable sinnes, and Christs severe sentence for the same; no commencing either with any mirthfull or faithful acquaintance, but only with the devill and his angels (miserable comforters) in the same condemnation.

The fourth punishment in hell is bonds,. Iudes writes in his Epistle, that the cursed Angels, which kept not their first estate, but left their habitations, are reserved in everlasting chaines; and Christ saith of him, who had not on a wedding garment, binde him hand and foot, and cast him into utter darknesse. This binding doth insinuate, that the damned in hell fire cannot move from place to place, which haply might afford them a little ease, but that they be tied to their torments, as a martyr, or rather as a malefactor to be burnt is bound to the stake. Now (beloved) is a man enjoying quietnesse of minde, and perfect health of bodie, should be chained upon a downe-bed a month or two, he would thinke it a great punishment; but if he should be sicke of a burning fever, and be constrained but a few houres to lie still, and not so much as to move hand or foot, he would finde it a great torture: how wretched then are the devils and damned in everlasting chaines, tormented with a worme that never dieth, and with a fire that never goeth out. He which is sicke at the sea may runne out of the ship into the boat, and out of the boat againe into the ship; and he which is sicke in his bed, may tumble from one side to the other: but the damned in the nethermost hell, are able to move no more than the dead in the uppermost hell. And in this respect hell is termed everlasting death, for as the blessed in heaven are said to have everlasting life, because they worke all that they will with all their inward and outward powers, and that without impediment: so the damned in hell are said to have eternall death, because they be perpetually tied to their torments, inforced ever to suffer that they would not, and unable to doe that they would. It was a cruell invention of the Gentiles, to binde the blessed Martyr Marcus Aretufius starke naked against the Sunne, and then anointing of wasps and bees. But the blessed man of God had undoubtedly that of Paul in his minde, our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a farre most excellent and an eternall weight of glory: whereas those miserable wretches in that unquenchable lake bound hand and foot for their sinne, cannot expect so much as ease, much lesse an end.

Men in this world are in the middle betweene heaven and hell, as novices in a probation-house; wherefore such as hate reformation and knowledge, such as have given their members as weapons of unrighteousnesse unto sinne, such as studie to be naught, and take paines to doe villanie, proceeding from evil to worse, Jer. 9.3. heaping unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath, Rom. 2.5. have good cause to tremble at this hard saying. But on the contrarie, such as seeke the kingdome of God, and hunger and thirst after the righteousness thereof, whole soules long after God, with whom is the will of life, like as the Harts desire the water brookes, Psalm. 42.1. such as in their words administer grace to the hearers, and in their workes are a light in the middest of a crooked generation, such as according to grace given are rich in good deeds, and abundant alwayes in the workes of the Lord, ought to sing with our Prophet, We will thanke thee, o Lord our God, and praise thy name for evermore; for great is thy mercy toward us, and thou hast delivered our soules from the nethermost hell.

LECTURE II.

The fifth punishment in hell is the companie of the devill and his angels, according to that of Christ, depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devill and his angels: and Apocal.20.10. the devill that deceived them was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false Prophet shall be tormented even day and night for evermore. Now what a discontentment is to converse with our mortall enemies, opposing God and godlinesse in this life, let David witnesse, Psalm.120.4. Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell with Mesach, and to have my habitation among the tents of Cedar: and Job, I was a brother to the Dragons, and a companion to the Ostridges. As in heaven it will be doubtlesse an unspeakable pleasure to enjoy the long-wished for companie, not only of some special friends and acquaintance, whom in this life we best affected, and of the Patriarkes, and Prophets, and Apostles, and Martyrs, and Confessors, whom we most honoured: but also the most happy presence of Christ himselfe, of God himselfe, of the whole sacred Trinitie, whom we desired ever to love with all our heart, with all our soule, with all our minde: So the damned in hell account it a great torment, that they must of necessitie converse with Abbadon, even the devill himselfe, the destroyer of their soules and bodies, I say, with the devill, the first author of all their mischiefes, and with impious wretches, his agents, in procuring all their miseries: and therefore to that of Christ, Matth. 25.30. Cast that unprofitable servant into utter darknesse, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; the which is often repeated in the Gospell, as the summe and epilogue of all hellish tortures, for weeping shewes the colour, and gnashing of teeth the horrour arising from all the paines of losse or sense, as uncomfortable darknesse, everlasting chaines, worme never dying, fire never quenched, companie both of the devill and his angels.

God said he would show such a judgement upon the house of Elie, that whosoever heares thereof his eares should tingle. So these judgements are so terrible, that whosoever heares of them, his heart cannot tremble. For as the Schoole teacheth, Every punishment of the damned is greater than any torment of any man on earth. And as Divines observe, the paines of losse are more grievous than all the paines of sense, and therefore the first word in Christs sentence of condemnation is depart, as if he should say, depart from me which am your God, your first beginning, and last end: depart from me which offered you pardon, but you would not accept of it; depart for ever from my friendship, from my kingdome, from my paradise, from my cleare sight, and the copious river of my pleasures: and for that whatsoever is separated from Christ, is also separated from those that follow Christ, in saying, depart from me, he saith likewise, depart from the quire of my glorious Angels, and from the communion of my blessed Saints, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, and from all the sweet companie resting upon my holy hill, I say, depart from me, from all mine, to perish in everlasting fire with the devill and his angels. In respect of the losse of this infinite good, hell is termed in the Fathers, and in the Scriptures, also, damnation. If Esau seeing his younger brother Jacob to have got the blessing, roared out with a great crie, and bitter without measure, saying unto his father, hast thou not reserved a blessing also for me? How loud will the reprobate roare, figured in Esau, when as they shall behold the Saints figure in Jacob, to have got the benediction of their heavenly Father, and that no more blessing remaineth for them! O with what unspeakable rage will they confirme their owne malediction, cursing the day wherein they were borne, and the night wherein it was said, a childe is conceived, cursing the wombe that bare them, and the paps that gave them sucke, desiring rather never to have beene, than to heare such an affrighting sentence, goe yee cursed. If King Balshazzar at the sight of an hand-writing against him, which only concerned the loosing of his earthly kingdome, was so changed in his lookes, and troubled in his thoughts, that the joints of his bones were loosed, and his knees smote one against another: how shall the reprobate be perplexed in their wits, and crossed in their wils, when as they shall heare that uncomfortable word, depart, separating them utterly from an heavenly kingdome, which is immortall and fades not away? This infinite losse, doubtless, is the very hell of hell, as Chrysostome saith, a thousand hells are nothing in comparison of it.

Some things especially perfect a good feast, : Good companie, good cheere, good place, good time. But all those good things are wanting at the black banquet of the devill in the nethermost hell. As for good companie, damnation is a perpetuall banishment from heaven, and a deprivation of God and all good companie for ever. At other feasts (as it is the proverbe) the more the merrier, but at this sorry supper the more people the greater miserie, fathers howling for their children, husbands for their wives, masters for their servants, every friend and fellow lamenting each other.

As for cheere, the first dish is weeping, and the second is gnashing of teeth, and can there be, quoth Father Latymer , any mirth, where these two courses last all the feast.

As for the place, nethermost hell is not a lightsome, or in any respect a delightsome roome, but on the contrarie, a land of darknesse, and that which is more fearfull, a pit of utter darknesse.

Now for the time, feasts appointed at unreasonable houres, and continued longer than an ordinarie time, seeme tedious to the guests, and therefore the lazy Frier sweating at his fat commons and large dinner, cried out, alas how much doe we suffer which are Friers! O then I beseech you consider, what the damned suffer at the devills supper, where time without end is the very sauce of every dish at the table: for their darknesse, is an everlasting night; their bonds, everlasting chaines; their fire, everlasting burning; their worme, never dying; their woe, never ending; their paines diversitie is great, their paines universitie greater, but their paines greatest of all. It is as it were the gall and vinegar that bittereth every thing at the blacke banquet: as Augustine said, Mors semper uiuet, & finis semper incipiet, & defectus deficere nefciet: and Prosper to the same purpose, Poene gehennales torquent, non extorquent, puniunt non finiunt. If at the naming of these things we tremble, what shall they doe that one day shall feele them and suffer them, and ever shall suffer them without end?

David wished that his enemies might goe downe quicke into hell: in an other sense, we may make the same prayer, and that in charitie, for ourselves, and our friends. For it is an holy thing, to descend into hell often by contemplation while we live, that we may never goe thither by condemnation when as we are dead. Once every yeare the Jewes did use to unfit their holy Temple, from foure yeares to foure the Greeks did feast at their Olympiads, from ten yeares to ten the Romanes sent presents unto the Oracle of Apollo: but a Christian ought every month, every weeke, every day, yea every moment in his soule to goe downe the hell, that of the perpetuall miserie there may be a perpetuall memorie. Yea, but you will object, my sinnes are so great in their number, and so grievous in their nature, that it would prove a kinde of hell once to thinke of the nethermost hell. O beloved in the Lord, harden not your heart, but even now while it is called to day, suffer the words of doctrine and exhortation, heare what the Lord saith in the first of Esau for your comfort, calling his owne chosen Israel, a sinfull nation, a people laden with iniquitie, whose head is sicke, and heart is heavie, having nothing whole from the sole of the foot to the crowne of the head, but wounds and swelling, and sores full of corruption: and terming them in the 10. Verse, Princes of Sodom, and people of Gomorrah, as having committed so soule sinnes, as the men of Sodom, and Gomorrah. Now though he turned the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, and overthrew them, and made them an example to those that after should live ungodly; yet he said that he would spare his Israel, if they would repent and obey his voice. Wash you, make you cleane, cease to doe evill, learne to doe well, seeke judgement, deliver the oppressed, judge the fatherlesse, defend the widow, and then albeit you sinnes were as crimson, they shall be made white as snow: though they were red as scarlet, they shall be as wooll. Hast thou sinned against Almighty God? O then acknowledge thy fault, and repent: hast thou sinned a thousand times? A thousand times repent: hast thou repented a thousand times? As yet repent more; great repentance brings peace to thy soule, little repentance little peace, no repentance no peace.

Let us agree with our adversary quickly while we are in the way, Mat. 5.25. God which is our friend and father is made by sin our adversary. Let us then and that speedily while we are strangers and pilgrims in this earthly tabernacle, make our peace, lest he delivers us to the Judge, and the Judge deliver us to the Jaylour, and the Jaylour cast us into prison, even the nethermost hell, and so we shall everlasting perish, and never rest upon his holy mountaine. Yea, but you will object that unto me, which Eli did to his sonnes, If one man sinne against another, the Judge shall judge it, but if a man sinne against God, who shall intreat him? Answer is made by S. John in his first epistle, cap.2. vcrs 2. If any man sinnes, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the reconciliation for our sinnes, and not for ours only but also for the sinnes of the whole world. Answer is made by Saint Paul, Ephes. 2.14. Christ is our peace reconciling God and us. Answer is made by the glorious Angell in the first of S. Matthew, verse 21.23. Jesus is he that shall save his people form their sinnes. Emmanuel is his name, that is, God with us, not God against us. If we will have pure gold, we must goe to Ophir; if good balme, to Gilead: if glad tidings, to the booke of God, which is written for our instruction, that we might have comfort, the centre whereof is this, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. It is our best and most convenient course therefore, to behold our ugly sinnes, not in the glasse of the Law, but in the glasse of the Gospell, even in Christ our blessed Saviour, who died for our sinnes, and is risen againe for our justification, and so we may sing in triumph as Paul, O death where is thy sting, O hell where is thy victorie, the sting of death is sinne, and the strength of sinne is the Law, but thanks be to God which hath given us victorie through our Lord Jesus Christ. If there were no law, there would be no sinne, for sinnes is aroncla, the transgression of the Law: but Christ was made under the law, that he might redeeme those that were under the Law; he put out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, and fastned it upon his Crosse, Col.2.14. The sting of death is sinne, but Christ is the Lambe of God, that taketh away the sinnes of the world: the prison of death is hell uppermost and nethermost, but Christ in descending into hell, and ascending into the heaven of heavens (as the Scripture speaketh) led captivitie captive, triumphing over the devill and death in their own dungeons: Bernard pithily; his life was our lives instruction, his death our deaths destruction. For as it is in our text, his soule coming downe into hell delivered our soule from hell. The wicked audaciously scorning all the threatenings and plagues of God, are said to have made a covenant with death, and with hell an agreement. On the contrary, the godly knowing that there can be no communion betweene light and darknesse, and no concord betweene Christ and Belial, have not any compact with hell and the grave, but a plaine conquest over both, as the blessed Apostle sweetly, The God of peace tread Satan under our feet. If the prince then of darknesse have no part in us, or power over us, assuredly the pit of darknesse shall never overwhelm us. There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, which walke not after the flesh, but after the spirit; for we have not the spirit of bondage to feare any more, but the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father, and the same spirit certifieth our spirit that we are sonnes of God, and if sonnes then heires, even heires annexed with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be glorified also together with him.

So then if in thinking of hell, we thinke of our sinnes: and in thinking of our sinnes, we thinke of Christ: and in thinking of Christ, we think of his merits: and in thinking of his merits, we thinke of our deliverance; we shall have cause to take up here David's note, We will thanke thee, O Lord our God, with all our heart, and will praise thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward us, and thou hast delivered our soules from the nethermost hell.