James Ussher (1581–1656) on 1 Peter 3:18–20 and Christ’s Preaching Through Noah

But touching the words of St. Peter, is the main doubt, whether they are to be referred unto Christ’s preaching by the ministry of Noah unto the world of the ungodly, or unto his own immediate preaching to the spirits in hell after his death upon the cross. For seeing that it was the spirit of Christ which spake in the prophets, as St. Peter (1 Pet 1:11) sheweth in this same epistle, and among them was “Noe (2 Pet 2:5) a preacher of righteousness,” as he declareth in the next, even as in St. Paul, Christ is said to have “come (Eph 2:17) and preached to the Ephesians,” namely, by his spirit in the mouth of his apostles; so likewise in St. Peter may he be said to have gone and preached to the old world, by (Neh 2:30; Zech 7:12; 2 Sam 23:2) his spirit in the mouth of his prophets, and of Noah in particular, when God having said that his “Spirit (Gen 6:3) should not always strive with man, because he was flesh,” did in his long suffering wait the expiration of the time which he then did set for his amendment, even an hundred and twenty years. For which exposition the Ethiopian translation maketh something, where the Spirit, by which Christ is said to have been quickened and to have preached, is by the interpreter termed መኒፋስ ፡ ቅዱስ Manephas Kodus, that is, the Holy Spirit: the addition of which epithet we may observe also to be used by St. Paul in the mention of the resurrection, and by St. Luke in the matter of the preaching of our Saviour Christ; for of the one we read (Rom 1:4), that he was “declared to be the Son of God, with power, according to the Spirit of holiness,” or, the most holy Spirit, “by the resurrection from the dead;” and of the other (Acts 1:2), that he “gave commandments to the apostles by the holy Spirit.”

James Ussher, “Of Limbus Patrum; and Christ’s Descent into Hell,” in The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, D.D., 17 vols., ed. Charles Richard Elrington (Dublin: Hodges, Smith and Co., 1864), 3:306–307.

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Nathaniel Vincent (1638–1697) on 1 Peter 3:18–20

As I search through Puritan literature for material related to the revealed will of God, I am trying to collect their opinions on this text as well, so here is Vincent's opinion that concurs with Pearse, Howe, Flavel and Burroughs:

"This place [1 Pet. 3:18-20] is wrested, and may seem difficult, but the meaning is plainly this, That Christ was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Ghost, by which Holy Ghost, accompanying the ministry of the ancient Patriarchs, he preached unto the impenitent sinners of the old world, whose spirits are now imprisoned in hell, because in their life time they were disobedient to the Spirits voice, all the while the long suffering of God did wait upon them."

Nathaniel Vincent, The Day of Grace in Which the Chief of Sinners May be Turn'd and Healed (Boston: Re-printed for Alford Butler, and sold at his Shop, the lower End of King-Street, near the Crown Coffee-House, 1728), 40.

Edward Pearse (c.1633–c.1674) on Christ’s Offers of Grace and Loving Invitations

4. A change from the offers of Grace, to the Revelations of Wrath: Shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave, or they faithfulness in destruction (saith the Psalmist) in that 88 Psal. 11. True in the 1 Pet. 3.19, 20. we read of Christ's preaching by his Spirit to the Spirits in Prison, that is, to Souls in Hell: But mark, when was it that he preach'd to them? not when in prison, but in the days of Noah, when they lived in the world. There is never an offer of grace and love made to souls in the Grave; while life lasts, the soul hears the joyful sound: And O the sweet offers, the gracious tenders, the loving invitations, that are made to him of Christ, of Grace, of Eternal Life and Love! O the wooings, the meltings, the entreatings, the allurings of Divine Love to and over the soul! but when death comes, farewell all these, farewell all the sweet offers of Christ, and all the blessed motions of the Spirit; then there's nothing but wrath revealed, and wrath shall come on the neglecting soul to the uttermost.

5. A Change from fair probabilities to utter Impossibilities of Life and Salvation; a sad change still: Now is the accepted time, now is the day of Salvation; now, and not hereafter, 2 Cor. 6. 2. Now there is a fair probability of the worst of Sinners to be saved, if they will look after Salvation, and mind their eternal Concerns; Christ is both able and willing to save: To save was the end of his coming into the World, and of all he did and suffered here, 1 Tim. 1. 15. Now they are besought and entreated to be reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5. 19, 20. but when Death comes, that changes these fair probabilities into utter Impossibilities of Life and Salvation. Therefore mark: Now (saith the Apostle) is the day of Salvation; that is, now whilst Life lasts, and while the Gospel is preached.

Edward Pearse, The Great Concern, or A Serious Warning to a Timely and Thorough Preparation for Death (London: Printed for J. Robinson, at the Golden Lyon in St. Paul's Church-Yard; and B. Aylmer at the three Pigeons in Cornhill, 1674), 73–75.

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Jeremiah Burroughs (c.1600–1646) on 1 Peter 3:18-20

That is vainly made use of by some, to prove that Christ's soul did descend into Hell, to go and preach to the damned in Hell, but certainly that is a vain conceit, if you observe the text, you shall find that this is the meaning of it, observe the 20th verse, It was to those spirits which sometimes were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God, waited in the days of Noah. Those spirits that did live in the days of Noah, and Noah's preaching unto them; Now (the text says) they are in prison, Jesus Christ went and preached to the spirits that were disobedient in the times of Noah, that now are in prison. How did he go but by his Spirit? By his servant Noah, [by Noah]. The preaching of Noah was the preaching of Christ.

Jeremiah Burroughs, Gospel Reconciliation, Or, Christ's Trumpet of Peace to the World (London: Printed by Peter Cole, 1657), 285–286. I have updated some of the English.

Burroughs, Flavel and Howe are all in agreement on this text.

John Howe (1630–1705) on 1 Peter 3:18–20

When it was said concerning the old world before the flood, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man," it is implied, it had been constantly and generally striving, until then; but that it was now time, by the holy, wise, and righteous judgment of Heaven, to surcease, and give them over to the destruction which ensued. Which text, 'tis true, some interpret otherwise; but if we will allow that of the 1 Pet. iii. 18, 19, 20, to mean that, while Noah, that preacher of righteousness, did it externally, Christ was, by his Spirit, inwardly preaching to that generation, who were now since in the infernal prison; not while they were so, (which the text says not,) but in their former days of disobedience on earth; this place will then much agree with the sense, wherein we (with the generality of our interpreters) take the other.

John Howe, "The Living Temple," in The Works of the Rev. John Howe (New York: John P. Haven, 1838), 1:105.

One can see that John Howe agrees with John Flavel on this passage. He's saying that while Noah was preaching externally to disobedient sinners, Christ was, by His Spirit, preaching through him to that generation. As a result of their disobedience, they are now shut in prison and awaiting final judgment, especially for sinning against such patient "strivings" of the Spirit. The text is not saying that Christ in his intermediate state (between the time of his death on the cross and his resurrection) went and preached to spirits in prison.

John Flavel (1630–1691) on 1 Peter 3:19–20

If you look into 1 Peter, 3:19, 20, you there find that Christ "went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah." The meaning of which is, that in the days before the flood, Christ by his Spirit strove with the disobedient and rebellious sinners in the ministry of Noah, who then were living men and women as we are, but now are "spirits in prison," that is, damned souls in hell, for their disobedience...

John Flavel, Christ Knocking at the Door of Sinners' Hearts; or, A Solemn Entreaty to Receive the Saviour and His Gospel in This the Day of Mercy (New York: American Tract Society, 1850), 97.

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Flavel's interpretation is right. The text is speaking about Christ in his pre-incarnate state in the days of Noah, and not of his intermediate state between his death and resurrection. I am weary of all the bizarre theories [one might even say 'myths'] that surround this text.

Flavel himself, however, may need some clarification. The "spirits in prison" are technically not in their final abode, i.e., "hell" in that sense, but they are in a place of torment among the unregenerate dead in their disembodied intermediate state, and awaiting their final judgment, i.e., "hell" in that sense. Flavel is not wrong in what he says, but the reader may be left confused because of the equivocations that can occur in the use of the term "hell."

For good exegetical studies on this, see the following commentaries:

Curtis Vaughn and Thomas D. Lea, 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), 94–99. This is in the Bible Study Commentary series. I would highly recommend all the volumes by Dr. Curtis Vaughn in the New Testament portion of this series.

Wayne Grudem, 1 Peter (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 157–162; 203–239. This is in the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries series.

Paige Patterson, A Pilgrim Priesthood: An Exposition of First Peter (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 134–146.