pains of the damned, but the consequents, and follow the sense of God's wrath in a sinful creature that is overcome by it. But Christ had no sin of his own, neither was he overcome of wrath, and there- fore he always held fast his integrity and innocency, Rev. xvi. 9, 11. Despair is an unavoidable companion, attending the pains of the second death, as all reprobates do experience. Desperation is an utter hope- lessness of any good, and a certain expectation and waiting on the worst that can befall ; and this is the lot and portion of the damned in hell. The wretched sinner in hell, seeing the sentence passed against him, God's purpose fulfilled, never to be reversed, the gates of hell made fast upon him, and a great gulf fixed betwixt hell and heaven, which renders his escape impossible; he now gives up all, and reckons on nothing but uttermost misery, Luke xvi. 26. Now mark, this despair is not an essential part of the second death, but only a consequent, or, at the most, an effect occasioned by the sinner's view of his irremediless, woeful condition. But this neither did nor could possibly befall the Lord Jesus. He was able, by the power of his Godhead, both to suffer and to satisfy and to overcome ; therefore he expected a good issue, and knew that the end should be happy, and that he should not be ashamed, Isa. 1. 6, 7, &c. ; Ps. xvi. 9, 10 ; Acts ii. 26, 28, 31. Though a very shallow stream would easily drown a little child, there being no hope of escape for it unless one or another should step in seasonably to prevent it, yet a man that is grown up may groundedly hope to escape out of a far more deep and dangerous place, because by reason of his stature, strength, and skill he could wade or swim out. Surely the wrath of the Almighty, manifested in hell, is like the vast ocean, or some broad, deep river ; and therefore when the sinful sons and daughters of Adam, which are without strength, Rom. v. 6, are hurled into the midst of it, they must needs lie down in their confusion, as altogether hopeless of deliverance or escaping. But this despair could not seize upon Jesus Christ, because, although his Father took him and cast him into the sea of his wrath, so that all the billows of it went over him, Isa. Ixiii. 1-3, seq., yet being the mighty God, with whom nothing is impossible, he was very able to pass through that sea of wrath and sorrow, which would have drowned all the world, and come safe to shore.
Object. 4. But when did Christ suffer hellish torments ? They are inflicted after death, not usually before it ; but Christ's soul went straight after death into paradise. How else could he say to the penitent thief, * This day shalt thou be with me in paradise' ? Now, to this objection I shall give these following answers :
Ans. 1. First, That Christ's soul, after Ms passion upon the cross, did not really and locally descend into the place of the damned, may he thus made evident :
[1.] First, All the evangelists, and so Luke among the rest, intend- ing to make an exact narrative of the life and death of Christ, hath set down at large his passion, death, burial, resurrection, and ascen- sion ; and besides, they make rehearsal of very small circumstances ; therefore we may safely conclude, that they would never have omitted Christ's local descent into the place of the damned, if there had been any such thing. Besides, the great end why they penned this history
THOUGH NOT AFTER A HELLISH MANNER. 109
was, that we might believe that * Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and that thus believing we might have life everlasting,' John xx. 31. Now there could not have been a greater matter for the confirmation of our faith than this, that Jesus, the son of Mary, who went down to the place of the damned, returned thence to live in all happiness and blessedness for ever. But,
[2.] Secondly, If Christ did go into the place of the damned, then he went either in soul, or in body, or in his Godhead. Not in his Godhead, for that could not descend, because it is everywhere, and his body was in the grave ; and as for his soul, it went not to hell, but immediately after his death it went to paradise — that is, the third heaven, a place of joy and happiness : ' This day shalt thou be with me in paradise,' Luke xxiii. 43 ; which words of Christ must be under- stood of his manhood or soul, and not of his Godhead ; for they are an answer to a demand, and therefore unto it they must be suitable. The thief makes his request, ' Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom/ ver. 42 ; to which Christ answers^ ' Verily I say unto thee. To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' ' I shall,' saith Christ, ' this day enter into paradise, and there shalt thou be with me.' Now, there is no entrance but in regard of his soul or man- hood, for the Godhead, which is at all times in all places, cannot be properly said to enter into a place, Ps. cxxxix. 7, 13; Jer. xxiii. 23, 24. But,
[3.] Thirdly, When Christ saith, ' To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise,' he doth intimate, as some observe, a resemblance which is between the first and second Adam. The first Adam quickly sinned against God, and was as quickly cast out of paradise by God. Christ, the second Adam^ having made a perfect and complete satisfaction to the justice of God, and the law of God, for man's sin, must imme- diately enter into paradise, Heb. ix. 26, 28, and x. 14. Now to say that Christ, in soul, descended locally into hell, is to abolish this analogy between the first and second Adam. Butj
Atis. 2. Secondly, It is not impossible that the pains of the second death should he suffered in this life. Time and place are but circum- stances. The main substance of the second death is the bearing of God's fierce wrath and indignation. Divine favour shining upon a man in hell, would turn hell into a heaven. All sober, seeing, serious Christians will grant, that the true, though not the full joys of heaven may be felt and experienced in this life : 1 Pet. i. 8, ' Whom having not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory,' or glorious ; either because this their rejoicing was a taste of their future glory, or because it made them glorious in the eyes of men. The original word, SeBo- ^a/jLevrj, is glorified already ; a piece of God's kingdom and heaven's happiness aforehand. Ah, how many precious saints, both living and dying, have cried out, Oh the joy ! the joy ! the inexpressible joy that I find in my soul ! Eph. ii* 6, ' He hath made us sit together in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.' What is this else, but even while we live, by faith to possess the very joys of heaven on this side heaven ! Now look, as the true joys of heaven may be felt on this side heaven, so the true, though not the full pains of hell, may be felt on this side
110 THAT JESUS CHRIST DID SUFFER TORMENT,