Secondly, Another Argument is this, It was impossible Christ should be holden of Death, because of God's Veracity, and the Truth of those Predictions which were before made concerning Christ, in those many Types and Prophesies of the Old Testament; all which God's Faithfulness stood engaged to fulfil. I shall only mention that famous Prediction which St. Peter here subjoins, as a Proof of the Subject I am now treating upon: It was not possible, 1says he, that Christ should be holden of Death; for God, saith the Apostle, as David saith concerning him; Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, nor suffer thine Holy One to see ⟨p. 107⟩Corruption. And this Prophecy the Apostle quotes out of the Psalmist; 2which, that it did not belong to David, nor did he speak it concerning himself, when he indicted that Psalm, the Apostle proves, 3Ver. 29, 30. of this Chapter; where he proves that David was dead and buried, and underwent the common Lot that all other dead Bodies did, putrefying and mouldering away in the Earth; and therefore he was not that Holy One that should never see Corruption, because that Prophecy must belong to such an one who must so taste of Death; and this is clearly implied in the former Expression, Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, that is, in the State of the Dead, for so is Hell to be understood there, as I shall show more at large: Neither could it belong to any of those who, before Christ, were raised miraculously ⟨p. 108⟩from the Dead, and brought back out of the State of Death; yet was it not in such a manner, that they were not to return again to it: So that if they did not in the first, yet in their second Dying they saw Corruption. This then could belong to none of them, and therefore must of necessity belong to Christ. And since the Apostle lays so much stress on this Argument, give me leave a little to consider the meaning of it, and how it is applicable to him. And here I shall not trouble you with the various Opinions of those that have attempted to interpret these Words, Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell; that by this Hell, into which Christ descended, is meant the place of the Damned, where he preached the Gospel to them, freeing those that would believe from their Pains.
Secondly, Another Argument is this, It was impossible Christ should be holden of Death, because of God's Veracity, and the Truth of those Predictions which were before made concerning Christ, in those many Types and Prophesies of the Old Testament; all which God's Faithfulness stood engaged to fulfil. I shall only mention that famous Prediction which St. Peter here subjoins, as a Proof of the Subject I am now treating upon: It was not possible, 1says he, that Christ should be holden of Death; for God, saith the Apostle, as David saith concerning him; Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, nor suffer thine Holy One to see ⟨p. 107⟩Corruption. And this Prophesie the Apostle quotes out of the Psalmist; 2which, that it did not belong to David, nor did he speak it concerning himself, when he indicted that Psalm, the Apostle proves, 3Ver. 29, 30. of this Chapter; where he proves that David was dead and buried, and underwent the common Lot that all other dead Bodies did, putrefying and mouldering away in the Earth; and therefore he was not that Holy One that should never see Corruption, because that Prophecy must belong to such an one who must so taste of Death; and this is clearly implied in the former Expression, Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, that is, in the State of the Dead, for so is Hell to be understood there, as I shall shew more at large: Neither could it belong to any of those who, before Christ, were raised miraculously ⟨p. 108⟩from the Dead, and brought back out of the State of Death; yet was it not in such a manner, that they were not to return again to it: So that if they did not in the first, yet in their second Dying they saw Corruption. This then could belong to none of them, and therefore must of necessity belong to Christ. And since the Apostle lays so much stress on this Argument, give me leave a little to consider the meaning of it, and how it is applicable to him. And here I shall not trouble you with the various Opinions of those that have attempted to interpret these Words, Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell; that by this Hell, into which Christ descended, is meant the place of the Damned, where he preached the Gospel to them, freeing those that would beleive from their Pains.
- 1Act. 2 25, 27.
- 2Psal. 16.10
- 3Act. 2.29, 30.
