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IESUS appli'd himself so earnestly to our Salvation, that whilst He was on earth, He let not a moment pass without labou∣ring for it: And for this effect, whilst his Body lay'd in grave, He descended into Hell.
This world Hell signify's an inferiour and low place; And therefore the holy Church makes use of it in divers occasions, to signify
divers inferiour places. By this word she most often understands the place of everlasting damnation; And so our Saviour called it in * 1.1 S. Luk. where speaking of the unfortunate rich man says, he was buried in hell.
Other times she uses this terme to signify Purgatory: where they are, who died in the grace of God, but having not fully satisfyed the divine Iustice, are further to be punished; so in the Mass of the dead she prayes. free ô Lord the souls of the faith∣full departed, from the paines of hell.
She makes use of it also to signify the place, whither the souls of holy and just persons who were not subject to purgation, or had duely satisfyd for their offences went, before the death of the Saviour of the world: expecting He should open them the gates of Heaven by his Passion.
2. He descended, not only by effect into these two last places making his power and goodness to appear by delivering the soules in them detained: But in substance He descended into them: his soul was really in those places, and He honoured the soules that were in them, and made them happy by his presence
The third day he rose again from the dead; He rose no sooner, for to testify that He was truly dead, and to fulfill the figure of * 1.2 him; As Ionas was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale so shal be the Son of man in the bowells of the earth.
He would be three days subject to the law of death, to teach us mystically that by his death and Passion, He had satisfyd the three Persons of the B. Trinity, for the sins committed in the three states of the world: in the Law of nature, in the Law of Moses, and in the Law of grace: And to shew us that his Passion was the cause of the delivery of the ancient Fathers out of hell, of the Redemption of men on earth: and of the reparation of the Angelical thrones in Heaven.
He rose again: By which words the Apostles teach us, that He * 1.3 return'd to life by his own power; He sayd also in the Gospell, I have power to lay down my life, and to take it up againe; and in another place, I will raise up my Body in three daies after death
3. I know well, that S. Peter and S. Paul teach in many places, that his Father raised Him up to life; because this mi∣racle * 1.4
is an eff••ct of the omnipotency of God, which thô com∣mon * 1.5 to all the 3. Persons of the B. Trinity, yet is attributed commonly to the Father. 'Tis true then that He rose up by his own Power; and 'tis true also, that the eternal Father raised him: to the end He might shew his goodness both ro him and us.
4. First to him: that his Body might receive the Glory which He merited by his labors, humiliations, and sufferances; For He humhled himself says the Apostle being obedient unto death: for the which thing God hath exalted him; Note exalted him: for his Re∣surrection was not a simple return from death to life: but an entrance into a glorious life; That Body which He layd down passible and mortall, He receives impassible and immortal: that which was inglorious, now is glorious: which was infirm, now is powerfull: which was a natural Body now is becom a spiritual. These are the excellent qualities which S. Paul attributes to every * 1.6 glorifyd Body; But that of Glory or clarity delights me most; for the body of every saint shal shine by it, as the sun: fulgebunt justi sicut sol; and nevertheless one shal differ from another in this Quality, as much as he exceeded him here in good works, or as S. Paul says, as one starr differs in glory from another. What glory then, what admirable splendor, what ravishing beauty was given to the adorable Body of JSUS in recompence of his merits? And what satisfaction, and felicity will it be to see it, when our eyes shal be able to behold it, as hereafter they shall be by their impassibility?
These four qualities belong to the Body of the Son of God, as a body glorifyd; But as a Body Deifyd, as subsisting in the Di∣vinity, it hath yet a farr other Glory: Jt hath a supereminent, ineffable, and incomprehensible Glory, as we may see in the next Discours.
5. Wherfore the Son of God thanks his Father for that He brought his soul out of hell, and his Body out of the sepulcher, and that He raised him up again, Exaltabo te Domine quoniam sus∣cepisti * 1.7 me. Eduxisti ab inferno animam meam. And He esteems so much this favour, that He exhorts us to thanke God, to praise and glorify him for it, Psallite Domino fancti ejus, & confitemini memoriae sanctificationis ejus. * 1.8
6. This is that which many never did, that of which many never thought. Our devotions are often but productions of self love, practises of interest, and reflections vpon our selves. If we pray God, we demand not of him but that which concerns our spiritual or temporal profit. If we thanke him, 'tis but for the good which He hath don us, or those of our family: this is to love our selves, and our salvation; this is good, but not perfect. If we are perfect Christians, and loving Disciples of IESUS: we will love him more than our own selves, be concern'd in his interests, and pray God his Father for the exaltation of his glory, and the accomplishment of his designes: We will thank Him often, that He revived his Son, and restored Him the life which our sins had taken from him, that He elevated him, and placed him at his right hand.
7. Secondly, God shews in this Mistery his Goodness also to us; for as his Son was incarnated for us, as He liv'd and died for us, so He is raised to life again for us; We are quickned with him, are raised-up with him, and his Resurrection is an assu∣rance and pledg of ours. If there be no resurrection of the dead, nei∣ther * 1.9 Christ is risen again, says S. Paul; But now Christ is risen again from the dead the first fruits of them that sleep; by a man death, and by a man the Resurrection of the dead; and as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shal be made alive. We shal all indeed rise again, says the same Apostle: But we shal not all be changed: to witt into a better, and more glorious state. But only such as conform them∣selves to IESUS-CHRIST, who is their Rule, mirour, and modell.
8. He contributed much to his glorious Resurrection, He merited it, and dispos'd himself to it, by his sufferances, humiliations, patience, and other most perfect and heroical acts of vertues which He practised. He by dying, taught us to dye to sin: by rising again, to rise to a new life, and by dying no more, to live, profit, and persever to the end in sanctity and holiness, as his Apostle declares and urges much in his epistle to the Romans. * 1.10
9. Let not then men deceive themselves; Let them not think to be glorifyd in Heaven, if they be not Sanctify'd on earth; Let them not think to enter into a glorious life any other way
then that of sufferances, of mortifications, and Christian vertues; This is the only way which the Son of God prescrib'd: which our Saviour beate, and which the saints have followed. Hear S. Paul and S. Bernahas By many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom * 1.11 of God; they say not, that 'tis a salutary Counsel: 'tis a more assured way: But, we must, that 'tis necessary to pass, not through two or three; but through many suffetances to com to the kingdom of God. There is nothing more clear, more firm and certain then the words of the son of God, who says, He * 1.12 that will com after me, Let him renounce himself, and carry his cross daily, and follow me. Now in good earnest, will they dare to say, that living as they do in the world: hanting almost continually balls, commedies, places of lewdeness, banquets, other pleasures and pastimes, is to renounce one self, and to carry daily the cross, and to follow Christ?
He tels his Disciples in the day of his Resurrection, what way * 1.13 He went; Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into his glory? Note ought; It was necessary that Christ should suffer, and that He should enter by this means into his glory, into the glory which was his own, to which He had so much right: and will they think without suffering any thing to tame their passions, and without mortifying themselves, to enter into the glory, to which they have no right, into the glory which they have so often demerited, and which they have renounced by so many Crimes?
We cannot have this glory but in quality of the heires of God, and coheirs of Iesus Christ: and his Apostle declares, that to obtain this favour, we must suffer with Iesus Christ. * 1.14 We shal not be more priviledged than his Parents, favourits, and beloved friends; all the Saints suffered with him: all either were Martyrized, or led an austere, humble: and penitent life; S. Iohn * 1.15 in the Apocalips seeing the assembly of them, one sayd to him, that they came out of great tribulation: they are happily arrived: they tooke then a good way: and we if wise, will follow the same, and leave the other way.
10. We see in the Church two different ways, two different lives of those that have any desire to save themselves; one is of those who
lead a holy life, mortifyd, devout, perfect, and fervent in good works; The other is of them that lead a life, not in the sight of men Criminal: but slack, negligent, and imperfect; they com∣mit not great Crimes: but they do not also much good: and withall they will that selflove be always satisfyd; they treat themselves well: they pass their time in sports, walks, superfluous visits, and other divertisments, which they terme innocent: they do no injury to any: but they concern not themselves in the ne∣cessities of their neighbours. All without exception approve and commend the first way; not one, or very few will have the bold∣ness to warrant the second way; this way then at least is uncertaine, fallible, and dangerous. And S. Augustin says, when * 1.16 the salvation of our soules is concern'd, we fail against the love we owe to our selves, if we take not the surest way. 'Tis a ma∣xime of the Law, that we must not leave the certaine for the uncertaine; and that we must use the more precaution, where there is more danger; Common sense and experience shew, that by how much a loss is greater, we apprehend the danger of it with more fear: by how much an evill is more terrible, we avoyd the peril of it with more care. Does it not seem to you a great loss to lose the kingdom of heaven, the possession and the enioyance of a God? And is it not a great evill to be burnt a live? to be always burning and not consuming? 'Tis an infinite loss, an infi∣nite evill. We must then avoyd, I will not say the danger, but the appearance of danger; for we cannot have too much assurance in a matter of so great importance. I pray our Lord to give us grace to live so holily, that we may be found worthy of this im∣mortall Resurrection, and of the happy Eternity. Amen.
1. Luke. 36.
Matt. 12. 40.
S. Iohn. 10.
S. Pater
Ast. c. 3. 26. and c. 5. 30. S. Paul in the 4. 8. and 10. to the Rom. Phil. 28. and 9.
1. cor. 15. matt. 13 43.
psal. 29.
psal. 29.
1. Cor. 15.
Rom. 6.
Acts. 14. 21.
S. Luke 9. 23.
S. Luke. C. 24.
Rom. .8 17.
Apor. 7. 14.
Lib. 1. de Bapt. C. 3.