The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…

Thirdly, in respect of his soul, our Saviour may be said to descend into Hell in two senses: First, in that he abased himself so far, as to let his soul to be in that condition which our souls are in between the time of our death and ⟨p. 449⟩our resurrection, which was a great abasement, though the soul suffered no pain: for his very soul herein endures the common condition of all mens souls in death, though the soul die not in respect of the substance, yet in a general sense every change from that being we have for the present, is a kind of death, because it makes a not being of that which was before, or makes something not to be, which had a being before: What is mutability but a kind of death, which while it changeth any thing into another fashion, that ceaseth to be what it was, and beginneth to be what it was not. Thus in the soul of Christ, there was not only a change, but a privation of what he had before: for first the Body was taken from the soul, and a divorce made between that couple that had lived so lovingly together: See 2 Cor. 5. 2. Secondly, the […] part of the soul was abolished, seeing, hearing, brea•••ng, speaking, and the like, all ceased in Christ, all the vessels or instruments of the senses being taken away from the soul. Thirdly, all outward operations did cease, in which the soul was wont to work, and now could work no longer: This is to be understood of doing work in the visible and corporeal world. Fourthly, there is in the souls even of the godly, and so in Christ, a most earnest longing (yet without pain or sorrow) for the consummation of felicity to be enjoyed with the body resumed. The soul departed is joined to the body still, though not in life and sense, yet in natural affection, so as it enjoys no happiness which it doth not wish to the body. The souls of the righteous cry under the Altar; for though they rest, saith one, à labour, yet they do not rest à clamour: and though they have nothing that molest them, yet they have not yet what would more delight them, viz. their bodies.

Thirdly, in respect of his soule, our Sauiour may be said to descend into Hell in two senses: First, in that hee abased himselfe so farre, as to let his soule to be in that condition which our soules are in betweene the time of our death and ⟨p. 449⟩