A69028:2211
The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…
The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as it affordeth both milk for babes, and strong meat for such as are at full age / by ... Nicholas Bifield ; ... now published ... by his son, Adoniram Bifield.The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as it affordeth both milke for babes, and strong meat for such as are at full age / by ... Nicholas Bifield ; ... now published ... by his sonne, Adoniram Bifield.
London: printed by G.M. for Philemon Stephens and Christopher Meredith, 1626
THE CREED. › Article 4 › He descended into Hell.THE CREEDE. › Article 4 › He descended into Hell.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
4. These words, He descended into Hell, may be taken as an effectual Epitome and repetition of all his Passion described before, with a general intimation of the unexpressablenesse of the things he suffered for our sins: as if they that inserted the words into the Creed, would say, he suffered all things that might concern our Redemption, which were so many and so grievous, as the heart of man is not able to reckon them, or to find the bottom of them; for when he came to suffer for us, he descended into a very Abissus, or bottomless pit of misery, not to be sounded by any mortal heart. This sense is taken too by some Divines, as the most proper sense of the words in this place. And for mine own part, (with submission to information of better judgements) if one particular sense must be taken to, I best like this.
4. These words, He descended into Hell, may be taken as an effectuall Epitome and repetition of all his Passion described before, with a generall intimation of the vnexpressablenesse of the things he suffered for our sinnes: as if they that inserted the words into the Creed, would say, he suffered all things that might concerne our Redemption, which were so many and so grieuous, as the heart of man is not able to reckon them, or to finde the bottome of them; for when he came to suffer for vs, he desended into a very Abissus, or bottomlesse pit of misery, not to bee sounded by any mortall heart. This sense is taken too by some Diuines, as the most proper sense of the words in this place. And for mine owne part, (with submission to information of better iudgements) if one particular sense must be taken to, I best like this.
Thus of his descension in respect of the whole Man.
In respect of his body our Saviour descended into Hades, or Sheol, when he descended into the grave; and so it is the same in sense with his burial: and this interpretation is not to be slighted, for first I have quoted many places of Scripture before, where the Translators themselves render the words by the term of the grave. So Jacob descended into Hell, when he went down into the grave,