what plagues and punishments here and hereafter lashes stripes and wounds And that 1. Sometimes from God in this world they have punishments and judgments inflicted upon them by a just and righteous angry God who scourgeth them often in this life for their sin and plagueth them for their iniquity So those that are slaves unto their lusts are punished with filthy diseases in their bodies Prov. 7. 22. He goeth after her a whorish Woman straightway as an Ox goeth to the slaughter or as a fool to the correction of the stocks 23. Till a dart strike through his liver as a bird hasteth to the snare and knoweth not that it is for his life 26. She hath cast down many wounded yea many strong men have been slain by her 27. Her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death And this you may too often see and observe in the Weekly bills of Mortality that these silly filthy slaves of lust are rewarded with the loss of life So those that are slaves to their sensitive appetite and given to please their flesh in excessive eating and drinking are brought to poverty Prov. 23. 21. and to death digging their â—raves with their own teeth And if they do â—scape outward judgments on body and eâ—ate yet they are under Spiritual judgments â—n their Souls as blindness of mind hardness of heart loss of Gods favour under the reigning power of sin which are a thousand times worse than any bodily plagues though less lamented 2. Sometimes they have lashes from their own Consciences being filled with inward gripes and pangs with horror and amazement which they are not able to bear but cry out and roar that they would rather die than live to feel these inward scourgings of their own Consciences Those two slaves of Sin and captives of the Devil Cain and Judas when they had done the Devils drudgery the one in murdering of his Brother the other in selling and betraying of his Lord were so filled with inward terrors of Soul that the one cryeth out My punishment is greater than I can bear Gen. 4. 13. and would rather be slain by any that should meet him than live to feel the terrors of his Conscience the other in the anguish of his heart confessed I have sinned in betraying innocent blood and would rather hang himself and die by his own hands and be his own executioner than suffer what he felt in the accusations of his Conscience Mat. 27. 3 4 5. thus these wretched slaves of Satan and Sin are sometimes filled with Hellish sorrows before they come to Hell are noâ— these then hard wages for the works oâ— Sin 3. At the last these Captives shall certainly and eternally after death have harder wages and greater misery than any in this life from God from Devils and their own Consciences 1. God shall pour out his wrath upon them he shall support them in their beings by his ovver that they may not die under his heavy hand and shall plague and punish them by his Justice vvith one hand shall keep them from sinking into nothing and vvith the other shall inflict such vvrath upon them that they vvould rather die than live to suffer and endure 2. The Devil shall be Executioner of Gods wrath He that tempts them novv shall torment them then he that sets them novv at vvork shall hereafter pay them their vvages the very company of the Devils shall afright them and the presence of so many Devils shall be no little torment to them 3. Their own Consciences when they come to Hell shall for ever vex and gnaw upon them if now thy Conscience be asleep and mercies do not waken it and judgments do not waken it and Ministers cannot waken it but thou sinnest and Conscience is silent thou sinnest and thy Friends reprove thee and Ministers reprove thee but thy Conscience doth not reprove thee but though nothing doth awaken thy Conscience now yet the flames of Hell shall certainly awaken it the pains and torments there shall certainly awaken it then Conscience shall be at rest no longer and suffer thee to be at rest and peace no longer then this sleeping Lion shall awake and it will cry out and roar most hideously and then thou canst not go unto thy drinking bouts to bowls and sports and recreations that thou maist not hear the clamours and the out-crys of thy Conscience And shouldst thou say unto thy Conscience Peace be still and let me alone say no more unto me now than thou didst when I was upon the earth what shall Conscience say be at peace Oh I cannot I cannot though I would yet now I cannot God is angry I see his anger I feel his anger and the smarting pain of his Indignation I cannot be at peace I was blinded but now I see I was seared but now I feel I feel such heavy strokes of revenging justice that I must cry out against thee for thy folly and thy madness to be a servant to thy lusts and flesh and devil that brought thee to this place of torment God is lost and Christ is lost and Heaven is for ever lost be silent now I cannot Oh I cannot these are intolerable pains this fire burns it burns Oh it burns these flames are hot exceeding hot and thou art tumbling in a lake of brimstone and can I be silent in the midst of flames in a burning fiery furnace I cannot I must not I will not be silent do not intreat me for I cannot now be silent But that which yet still is worse than all the rest all this misery is eternal eternal wo and alas it is eternal had this fire been to burn only for a thousand thousand years and this pain to be endured only for a million of years yet I must have made my complaint against thee and accuse thee of thy madness and folly that wouldst serve these Devils and hearken to the temptations of these Devils against the counsels and commands of God himself that thou shouldst be such a very fool to buy short and fading pleasures at so dear a rate as to suffer for them such lasting pains but when I do consider these torments are not for certain years but for eternity here I am in flames in restless scorching flames and which is worse here I must for ever be there is no end there is no end wo is me there is no end if I weep my tears cannot quench these flames do not put out this fire they are but like the water which the Smith casteth on his fire that makes it burn so much the more I weep but the fire burns Oh let me call to all this damned crew to all this cursed company of damned captives weep weep weep abundantly come and try you would not weep out your sins come and let us try if we can weep out these flames Weep so we do so we have these thousand years and yet our tears do not put out
these flames Oh then there is no hope there is no hope Oh to think of this there is no hope saith Conscience makes me to cry out of thy folly and thy madness that wouldst be a servant and a slave unto the Devil and thy flesh for which now thou art tormented in these flames thou drunkest hard to come unto this place thou swearedst hard to come unto these torments Oh how didst thou labour to undo thy self How didst thou daily work in the service of the Devil and thy lusts and thou art thus rewarded for thy pains Now thou feelest what Ministers did often tell thee now thou findest what God did declare that the wages of sin is death Sin was thy work Hell is thy wages This this is the fruit of thy doings this is the place of misery which the Devil and thy Sin hath led thee captive to and while thou and I live saith Conscience I must be putting thee in remembrance that thy sin and thy own doings have brought thee to this place Thus you see what hard wages these Captives will receive for all the service as the Devils bond-slaves they do here remaining captives to him 6. Captives and bond-slaves have not the priviledges and the immunities that of right do belong to free-men Many great and precious are the priviledges of Gods redeemed people purchased by the blood of Christ but those that are yet in Spiritual bondage servants of Sin are not partakers of them if ever God give Spiritual priviledges pardon of Sin peace with God well-grounded peace of Conscience he will make you free and bring you out of the house of bondage before he put you into the possession of Canaan Free Citizens have some advantages that those that are not free have not which if they would enjoy they must buy their freedom Spiritual freedom is purchased indeed by Christ but freely bestowed upon those that are made free and then and not till then are the priviledges of redeemed persons conferred upon them 7. Captives and bond-slaves cannot satisfie the greedy desires of their cruel exactors though they work hard and toil much yet they never think they do enough but are ready to impose double tasks still upon them When the Children of Israel in Egyptian Bondage had their task much increased and complained unto Pharaoh he replied Ye are idle ye are idle go ye therefore now and work Exod. 5. 17 18. Spiritual captives in their bondage take much pains in the service of Satan and Sin yet these Task-masters never think that they sin enough or that they do dishonour God enough though they sin with greediness yet the Devil would have them to be more vile still and to be more wicked still to swear more and to hate God and his people and his ways yet more It is true the Redeemed of the Lord never do so much but they ought still to do more to love God more and more and to delight in God and desire after God still more and more but the difference is great their work is good and the more the better but the works of the Devils bondmen are evil and the more the worse and this hellish Imposer will not be satisfied with all the wickedness thou dost commit but will provoke thee still and tempt thee still that thou mayest sink thee lower and be plagued more in hellish torments in the life to come 8. Captives and bondslaves are fettered and bound in chains at the pleasure of those whose captives they be When Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon took Zedekiah King of Judah he bound him in chains and put him in prison till the day of his death Jer. 52. 11. When the Philistines took Samson captive they bound him with fetters of brass Judg. 16. 21. So Simon Magus was bound with the bond of iniquity Act. 8. 23. There are the bonds and cords of love Hos 11. 4. but with these they are not drawn to God and Christ There are the bonds and cords of duty the commands of God but these they break and snap asunder with ease Psal 2. 3. as Samson did the wit hs and ropes with which he was bound But there are the cords of sin with which they are fast bound Prov. 5. 22. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins CHAP. III. Containing Ten several Chains or several links in the same chain with which the captives and bondslaves of Satan are bound OF the first 1. The captives and bond-slaves of Satan are bound with the Chain of Ignorance As the Syrians were smitten with Blindness thought they were going after their Leader to Dothan but he brought them into the midst of Samaria and then their eyes were opened they saw they were in Samaria in the midst of their enemies 2 King 6. 18 19 20. You may lead a blind man which way you will these Captives are blind and except God open their eyes they will not see their misery till they be in the midst of Hell they think they are going to Heaven while they live but after death when the eyes of their bodies are shut the eyes of their souls shall be opened and behold they see themselves in the midst of Hell among Devils and Damned Spirits When the King of Babylon took Zedekiah captive he put out his eyes Jer. 52. 11. and when the Philistines did take Samson captive they put out his eyes Judg. 16. 21. and when Satan set upon our first Parents and overcame them their eyes were put out I mean of their understanding they lost their knowledg of God and of the way to eternal Happiness and all his Children to this day are born Spiritually blind and have their understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of the heart Ephes 4. 18. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine into them 2 Cor. 4. 4. and this is one of the first Chains which God knocketh off when he comes to set a poor Captive at liberty Act. 26. 18. But this chain or cord with which they are bound is fourfold and so not easily broken no not at all but by Almighty power 1. These Captives are bound with the chain of Ignorance of sin The Devil keeps from the eyes of his bond-slaves the evil of Sin that they should not see it in its own nature in its proper deformity and evil shape for Sin is such a monster that if men did see it as it is they would abhor it for evil as evil is not desirable but Satan sets it out in the paint and dress of pleasure or profit and so Sinners are the faster held thereby this way he brought Mankind into bondage and took them captive at the first Gen. 3. 4 5 6. and by
hath paid the ransom for their deliverance When some years since I was called occasionally to preach to the Prisoners in Newgate and saw my Hearers come in Fetters and heard their Chains ratling at their heels methoughts it was an affecting spectacle to see men before me that were shortly to be called to the Bar of Men and be tried for their lives and some likely to be sentenced to death and put to execution but if we do behold our Hearers standing before us though free from such material Chains of Iron yet bound fast in their lusts and sins and consider they must be shortly tried at the Bar of God and if not delivered by Christ must receive a sentence of death banished from the presence of the blessed God cast down to Devils and damned Spirits it should move us to pray for them weep over them and preach unto them with greatest pity and compassion To stand and view so many persons amongst whom many are the Devils Captives whom he is leading Fettered to eternal perdition should raise in our hearts strong workings of affection towards them and speak unto them with that earnestness and tender love as becometh those that are speaking in the Name of God to lost sinners in order to their recovery and deliverance from Captivity 2. Let Parents that are made free pity and compassionate their Children that yet are bound If any of your Children should be laid in Irons for some Fact committed against the Laws of men and carried bound to Execution would not this like a Sword pierce your very hearts be matter of grief and trouble to you would not tears plentifully flow from your eyes and bitter lamentations from your mouth that ever you should bring forth and bring up children that should end their days in such reproach and infamy to you and them or if any of you had a Son abroad and you should hear he were taken Captive by the Turks or were in the Spanish Inquisition what shedding of tears what wringing of hands what smiting on your brest would these tidings make what dolorous complaints and grievous moans would you make saying O my Son my Son my poor afflicted and distressed Son thou art fallen into the hands of barbarous and cruel men thou art put to drudgery and slavery O my Son my Son what shall I do for thee my Son Oh that I could give or find a ransom for him if all I have would set him free he should not lie in Chains and Fetters nor continue in that sore Captivity Why you Parents would you thus lament the misery of your Childrens body and do you make nothing of the the misery of your Childrens souls would you thus take on and grieve and mourn for their outward bondage which is consistent with the good condition of their souls and will shortly have an end and yet is it nothing to you to see them in their spiritual bondage captivated by Satan and in danger of being cast into an everlasting Dungeon of black and thick darkness Oh why do you not speak to them and tell them of their misery and their remedy how they came into this condition and how they may get out of it why do you not day and night plead with them instruct them and exhort them that they may escape the torments of Hell hereafter by being brought out of their bondage now why do you not pray to God that he would make them free why do you not plead at the throne of grace and say Lord I have Children that are Satans Captives my poor Children are fast bound in Fetters of sin in the Bonds of iniquity O thou God of grace that hast shewed favour unto me shew favour to my children also Oh that they may be released Oh that thou wouldst please to pity them in their Bondage and for the ransom of thy Son let them be redeemed and by the powerful workings of thy spirit have their wills subdued and inclined to accept of the only Redeemer him thou didst send to proclaim liberty to Captives Oh that by thy grace thou wouldst cause them to come in and lay hold upon the mercy granted in the proclamation of the Gospel that they might not perish in their Bonds 3. Let Masters that are made free and set at liberty have compassion on their servants that are fettered in their Chains of sin They are not only bound to you to be so bound is in order to their good and their freedom but are also bound in the Cords of their iniquity which is their present slavery and tendeth to their eternal misery doth it not pity you to see your servants to be servants of the Devil and in bondage to their lusts doth not your hearts work within you to consider that any under your Roof should be drudges unto Satan or do you see this and have you nothing to say unto them all the week long to make them apprehensive of their danger and sensible of their misery is it enough for you to teach them the skill and art of your trade and at the expiration of seven years to make them free while you do neglect to help them as instruments under God out of the thraldom of Satan and of sin or can it satisfie you that they have at the end of their Service to you the freedom of the City or Corporation where you and they do dwell while they are not brought into the liberty of the Sons of God or can you have peace in the neglect of your duty to think they came into your family Bond-slaves to sin and after seven years time they go out as they came in or should you not endeavour that they may be spiritually free while they continue servants unto you Oh how would they have cause to bless God for you and that ever they came within your doors and dwelt within your walls if they may say when I first became a Servant to my Master I was a servant to my lusts also but by his instructions admonitions and example I became a servant of God before I ceased to be a servant unto him if it should be otherwise let it not be through your neglect for as it will not be without sin and misery to your servants so neither will it be without guilt on you The like I might urge upon other relations acquaintance and friends husbands to have compassion on their wives wives on their husbands one Neighbour on another you that know what it is to have been in these cursed Bonds and what it is to be made free do your utmost to help and succour them that be in chains of sin and and know not the evil of it nor the good of the contray condition and therefore mourn not under the one nor desire to be brought forth into the other Third Exhortation Were you in Bonds and are they broke in Fetters and are they knocked off then walk in the whole course of your lives as becomes
this means he keeps them still in slavery and captivity 2. They are bound with the chain of Ignorance of their misery and danger by reason of sin These captivated Souls are in danger of Gods eternal wrath and curse and do not fear it because they do not see it in danger of eternal torments and do not tremble at it because it is hid from their eyes they see not the evil in sin and consider not the evil after sin but think themselves to be safe though there is but a single thread of a frail life betwixt them and the miseries of the Damned When sinners eyes are opened to discern their dangerous condition the conscience awakened they cry out as they Act. 2. 37. Men and Brethren what shall we do I see I am lost tell me Oh tell me what shall I do I am in danger of the torments of the damned if you can for Gods sake tell me if you have any love or pity to a poor perishing Soul tell me what shall I do if you know of any way or means for me to escape that Hell I have deserved tell me is there pardon for such sins as mine is there any hope for such a sinner as I have been and as yet I am my time is short my days are few and I now do see I am as near to Hell as to the Grave Oh what shall I do that I may escape so great damnation So the Jaylor Act. 16. 30 31. but while sinners are ignorant of their misery and danger Satan hath them fast bound 3. They are bound with the chain of Ignorance of the remedy to escape this misery and danger that their souls are in Christ is the only Saviour of lost Sinners Act. 4. 12. Ignorance of Christ is a strong bond to hold men in their state of bondage Some are grosly ignorant of Christ they know not who he was nor what he did nor what he did endure ignorant of his Natures and ignorant of his Offices ignorant of his Satisfaction and of his Intercession how should these get out of bondage that cannot while thus ignorant believe on him that is the only Redeemer of such captives And how should they believe on him whom they have no knowledg of others might have some notional knowledg of Christ the only Redeemer that they may be able to talk of Christ and of his sufferings and of his undertakings for Sinners that yet have not any saving knowledg of him that do not experimentally know the power of his Death and the power of his Resurrection as one might have some knowledg by hear-say of a man that they have no acquaintance with but are utter strangers to if you see your sin and if you see your misery by sin yet if you do not see the Redeemer have no knowledg of him you are captive still and fast bound in the Devils fetters 4. They are bound in the chains of Ignorance of the Covenant of Grace that was framed on purpose for the relief of captive sinners they know not the terms and conditions of the New Covenant how Christ and his benefits purchased by his Death are to be applied and conveyed over unto them Faith in Christ is a riddle to them and while they remain ignorant of the way means and conditions proposed in the Gospel how they should be partakers of Redemption purchased by Christ they will remain in a state of bondage and captivity for the breaking of this cord consider 1 the necessity of Spiritual knowledg no Salvation without it Isa 27. 11. 2 Thes 1. 7 8. 2 The excellency of it Phil. 3. 7 8. 3 The utility of it it is profitable to your avoiding of sin resisting temptation performance of duty escaping of misery obtaining of glory The means to get it 1. Read the Scripture 2. Learn some Catechism What do you make Children of us you are so being ignorant old in years but Children in point of understanding If thou wert an hundred years old if thou dost not know them it is no shame to learn them Set thy self under the constant preaching of the Word there God often opens the eyes of the blind 4. Keep company with the people of God they will be discoursing with thee of things needful to Salvation The lips of the righteous feed many 5. Pray to God to open thine eyes that thou maist see such things as yet thou never sawest Mat. 20. 30 31 32 33. CHAP. IV. The second Chain is Prejudice 2. THe Captives and Bond-slaves of Satan are bound with the chain of Prejudice against the ways of God and serious Religion they have misapprehensions of Godliness hard thoughts of God of the people of God they judg before they try and prejudice against a mans person makes men will not hearken to his counsel or have to do with him I knew that thou wast an hard austere man and therefore I hid thy talent in a napkin there is what is thine said the prejudiced slothful servant Mat. 25. 24. Prejudice against a calling a particular trade or way and manner of living keeps a person from being of that calling or entring into that way Prejudice against the way of Godliness holds sinners fast in the way of wickedness Slaves in Turkâ— have good thoughts of the condition of those that are free and at liberty in their own Country and therefore are exceeding desirous to be in their capacity but the slaves of Satan have a prejudicate opinion of the condition of Godâ— free-men and therefore care not to be of their number And there are several Links in this Chain which we will bring forth and shewâ— how they may be broken that poor sinner might not be any longer bound or detained in their slavery thereby 1. They have this prejudice against the ways of God that they are melancholy ways if they become serious in Religion they must be mourning and sorrowing and leave their pleasures and never have a merry day more This is a clear mistake a groundless prejudice for first though there must be sorrow and mourning and repenting yet this is in order to rejoycing Have you not sinned and if you have sinned must you not should you not sorrow is it not reasonable you should grieve that you have dishonoured God provoked God wronged and undone your own Souls If your Child hath rebelled against you would you have him go on in his rebellion and disobedience still because if he return unto his duty and be received into your favour he should be humbled and profess his sorrow and repentance that ever he did rebell against you do you expect this from your stubborn and disobedient Child and might not God expect this much more from you and would you look upon it as an aggravation of his disobedience to go on therein without sorrow and repentance and that it would be much better for him to sorrow and return if you would judg impartially you would determine the case to be as
him God did make thee a Creature but he did not make thee a Drunkard he did not make thee a Worldling nor a Lyar therefore let Gods creature be holy and God will not damn his creature but if thou be a drunkard or an hypocrite and God shall damn the drunkard or the hypocrite what will become of Gods creature God doth peremptorily answer this and I will give it thee in his own words Isa 27. 11. It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Is not this directly contrary to the reason of thy hope wilt thou then plead this no more while thou continuest in thy sin and let not Satan keep thee bound with this cord any longer if thou dost remember it hath been told thee that this is but a sandy foundation of thy hope that thou shalt have the everlasting mercy that shall be shown to Gods redeemed ones that are indeed delivered from their bondage and captivity 2. Another Link in this Chain of false hopes whereby Captives are bound is a strong though false perswasion of salvation by the death of Christ the Redeemer If you ask many carnal ignorant and ungodly persons why they perswade themselves that they shall be saved they will tell you because Christ died for sinners and I am a sinner saith one God help me as all men are yea I am the chief of sinners and therefore I hope it shall go well with me and so will a second say and a third and multitudes will give no better account without care or knowledg of applying the death of Christ unto them and the virtue and power of it for the killing of their sins and thus the very means for the redeeming of captives is abused to make their bonds the stronger and keep them faster bound in their Captivity By way of Concession it is granted 1 that the death of Christ and the satisfaction made to the justice of God thereby is the only meritorious cause of mans Redemption from his bondage and of Salvation and whosoever is saved is saved by Christs death for there is no other Saviour nor Redeemer besides him Act. 4. 12. and if Christ had not died we had certainly been for ever captives without redemption 2 It is true that this Redeemer is offred unto all where the Gospel is preached none are excluded from the offers of grace and pardon and benefits of Redemption and his death shall be sufficient and effectual for deliverance from bondage and making of them free that do obey his call and accept of him for Lord Redeemer as offered in the Gospel Act. 10. 43. Joh. 3. 16. But yet that you might not through your own mistake be the more enthralled by the means of Redemption and be the faster bound by the misunderstanding of the way of Salvation by the death of Christ Consider 1. If this were enough to prove your Redemption and Salvation because Christ died for Sinners and you acknowledg your selves to be such then the damned souls in Hell might have hope of being delivered and saved for they know that Christ died for Sinners and they are now sensible that they are Sinners and miserable the pains they feel do convince them that they are sinners I know as I have already said that there is a difference betwixt the state of Devils and damned Souls and of sinners upon earth Christ is preached to the one and not to the other freedom from bondage is possible to one but not to the other mercy doth entreat and the Spirit doth strive and patience doth wait upon the one but not upon the other mercy and patience hath done with them for ever no more asking them what will you have Christ now and will you be pardoned now which yet through mercy is not your condition but yet as to the ground of your plea for Redemption and Salvation by Christ before alledged Christ died for sinners and you are sinners what is the difference all men upon earth and the damned in hell that ever heard of Christ might say as much and is it not matter of great astonishment to sober serious men to see poor sinners bound so fast in a captive-state with this vain confidence of being set free by Christ and yet can say no more than damned Souls might say That they are sinners and Christ died for sinners 2. Consider that all shall not be saved by the death of Christ that are sinners Christ hath died yet thousands shall for ever be tormented Mat. 7. 13 14. and the damnation of many shall be the greater than it would have been if Christ had never suffered 3. Know and understand that the benefits of Redemption and the compleating of all in salvation at the last is propounded by God in the Gospel conditionally and why then should you be so confident when you have not come up unto the condition there is pardon to be had by the blood of Christ but there is a condition without which you shall never be pardoned Act. 10. 43. there is Salvation by Christ but there is a condition without which you shall never be saved Joh. 3. 16 36 Mar. 16. 16. Act. 16. 31. there is justification to be had by the blood of Christ but remember still there is a condition without which you shall never be justified Rom. 5. 1. all along in the Word of God offers and grants of pardon deliverance from Hell and the curse of the Law offers and grants of Salvation and Eternal life are made conditionally if you do believe and if you do repent and if you are converted and born again but not else Christ did not die that sinners meerly as sinners should be saved for then all sinners should be saved and that which is the reason of mens condemnation should be a qualification of mens salvation buâ— Christ did die that believing sinners might be saved and repenting and returning sinners might be saved Christ did die that unholy ones might be made holy and so be saved that unbelievers might believe and so be saved and not that unholy and impenitent and unbelieving persons living and dying so should have Salvation by his death Know therefore O vain man that if thou hadst a thousand souls they should all be damned though Christ hath died except thou dost believe repent and be converted unto God for the effusion or shedding of the blood of Christ upon the Cross saveth no mans soul without the application of it to the Conscience and Faith in Christ and Regeneration and Holiness and repairing of the Image of God in the Soul are necessary to Salvation in their place as the death of Christ is necessary in its place and for its end As when mâ—ny persons be in bondage and are taken capâ—ives that cannot give a ransome for themselves the Kings son pays it down for them but the King and his Son do propound
certain conditions to the Captives that if they will acknowledg him to be their Redeemer and will become his servants and his subjects and be obedient to his Laws they shall have the benefit of the ransome but not else now so many as shall refuse these conditions must remain and die and perish in their fetters though a sufficient ransome were given for Redemption so it is in this case which is easie to apply I beseech you therefore Sirs do not any longer flatter and deceive your selves with such groundless hopes of being delivered by the death of Christ from your slavery and bondage â—ithout faith in him and repentance for your sâ—n These things that I am now a preaching and you are hearing are of everlasting concernment to your Souls And I desire to preach as one that doth believe I must give an account to God what doctrine I deliver and that you would hear with that seriousness and diligent attention as those should do that do believe you must give an account to God at the Great day for what you hear and how you do obey it I charge you therefore in the name of the great eternal God whose Truths I do declare unto you that you do not hence-forward hope for deliverance from Hell and wrath to come though Christ hath died except you do believe â—n him become new creatures forsake your sâ—n be sanctified and made holy and love him above all and count all things but dross in comparison of the excellency of Jesus Christ that you do not continue drunkards and yet hope you shall be saved that you do not continue to love your sins and the world more than Christ or remain unholy and unconverted and yet think or hope that Christs death shall save your Souls If you do and if you will still so do let God be witness for me and let all those that fear God in the Congregation be witnesses for me and let the consciences of these Captives themselves be witnesses for me that I have plainly from the Word of God given warning to you that you do not perish by this deceit bear witness that I do declare that those thaâ— have been Drunkards Swearers Profane Lyars Hypocrites if they do repent and turn become holy and believing persons they may they shall be saved by the death of Christ but if they shall continue still in sin and live and die such a crucified Christ will not save you let beâ—ieving Parents bear me witness against their wicked and ungodly children and believing children against their ungodly parents Let believing Husbands bear me witness against their unbelieving Wives and believing Wives against their unbelieving Husbands Let believing Masters bear me witness against their unbelieving Servants and believing Servants against their unbelieving Masters that all without exception and respect of persons having not repentancâ— for sin nor faith in Christ that are not holy nor converted before they die shall be eternally damned and perish in their bonds and fetters though Christ hath died to redeem and save holy humble repenting and believing sinners Alas poor captive Sinners what will you do and whither will you go when this Redeemer shall come to judgment when all shall be raised out of their graves and stand before the bar of God to whom will you appeal and from whom will you expect mercy and salvation methinks I hear these prisoners at the bar crying begging pleading Lord Jesus save us Lord Jesus open unto us Lord Jesus now glorifie us with thy self save us Oh save us now from yonder place of torment from yonder flaming fire from yonder Lake of burning brimstone I Oh send us not down to yonder dreadful place for we trusted in thy merits and hoped to be saved because thou hadst died Methinks I hear Jesus the Judg reply to the prisoners at the bar No oh no there is no room for you in Heaven there is no entrance for ungodly men into the holy place there is no mansion for any such in the Kingdom of my Father who bid you trust to me for mercy without believing on me who bid you hope for Heaven because that I was crucified without holiness and repentance Had you any warrant from me in my word so to do or did my Ministers whom I did send unto you tell you from me that you may be saved by my death though you did not repent believe nor were converted did they which is he what is his name Lo here they stand point him unto me that did preach such Doctrine to you My Ministers come forth what do you say against the prisoners at the bar Lord we told them in thy name that there was a ransome paid for captives by thy blessed self and that thou wast willing they should have the everlasting benefit thereof and we did study for them pray for them and preach unto them thy sufferings and thy death for sinners and did beg and intreat them to come unto thee and when we did not prevail one day we did prepare and preach the next and so we did continue to do as long as they lived and till thou didst call us from that work by death But did you ever tell them that they should be saved by my death though they continued in their sins though they had no faith in me though they were not sanctified nor converted Oh no our blessed Lord we never did we never did there they stand before thee they cannot say we ever did preach such Doctrine to them but on the contrary we told them from thy word which we made the rule and matter of our Sermons and turned them to the places where thou hast said without holiness they should not see thy face with comfort Heb. 12. 14. We bid them turn to Mar. 16. 16. where thou toldst them thy self that he that believed not should be damned and to many more such declarations of thy mind to sinners Lord there stands one that did use to hear me and he can not deny it and there stands another that was used to hear me and turned to the Chapter and the Verse and turned it down as if he would have observed what thou hast declared Lord there he stands he cannot deny it yea Lord here is a whole cluster of them stand together that were wont to hear me and there is not one amongst them all that can deny but they were told of what now they find and here are those that did believe on thee through our preaching of thy Word that can say and witness for us that we told them of the necessity of converting grace and faith in thee In the same Sermon that we preached that thou didst die for sinners we also told them that they must take thee for their Lord and obey thy Laws and resign their hearts and wills and love and all to thee but they would not do it but they never did it this is the evidence that we give against the prisoners
had had they much or had they little had they little would not you have much had they much would not you have more If you would be richer and greater why may you not endeavour to be wiser and to be better than they were 5. What if some of your Fore-fathers should come from the dead and tell you they were mistaken and deceived and are damned and have been in hell ever since they died would you think your selves concern'd then to be wiser and to be better than they were if your Father or your Fathers Father should come to any of you and say Oh! do not sleight Christ as we did do not you our poor posterity remain in a natural state as we did and are now suffering the wrath of God and the vengeance of eternal flames Oh! do not follow our example nor lead your lives as we did and neglect to worship God in your families or do it by the halfs carelesly and negligently as we did lest you come to the same place of torment as we are condemned into and must be in for ever take the Scripture for your rule and not our example do not follow us oh do not follow us in sin in careless neglect of God and Christ lest you follow us to hell and to damnation too If you content your selves to live and die as we did captives to the Devil and your children after you content themselves to follow and to imitate you as you do to imitate and to follow us the race that did descend from us will be damned from one generation to another Would you after such warning as this plead your Fore-fathers examples no more let not then the Devil lead you any longer captives by this bond of their example as if this were more binding than the commands of God For the breaking of the other piece of this Cord wherewith the Devil binds his Captives the examples of those that live in the same age the most live as I do will God damn such multitudes if it go ill with me God help many others Consider 1. The most are not the best The greatest number is of the bad sort of men Christs flock is but little Luke 12. 32. while the Devil hath great droves Mat. 7. 13 14. if thou wilt follow the multitude they will lead thee to a place of sorrow Exod. 23. 2. 2. At the day of judgment there will be no escaping in a croud Thou shalt not speed the better because multitudes sin as well as thou If thousands continue captives to the Devil they shall all be damned God will damn millions of men rather than falsifie his Word if Men sin in companies they shall suffer in companies 3. That Multitudes are carried Captives to Hell will not make thy Chains the lighter nor thy pains the easier when thou art in hell to lye there and look round about thee and see multitudes there besides thy self will be no mitigation of thy torments Multitudes sinning doth not lessen thy sin and multitudes being Damned will not lessen thy Damnation God hath wrath enough for thee and them though he pour out more upon millions than they can bear yet he hath enough to inflict on thee and more than thou canst endure Wouldst thou be in Turkish slavery because more are there besides thy self Seriously ponder this and let not Satan keep thee captive to bear others company 9. Another Chain wherewith these Captives are kept in their bondage-state is their purposing hereafter to repent and forsake their sins In thy Childhood thou didst purpose to repent when thou shouldst come to mans estate then when thou shouldest be old and now when thou comest to be sick and die and thus from thy Birth to thy Death thou continuest a Captive to Satan and to sin thou wast born a Captive and by these delaying purposes diest so To break this Bond Consider 1. Who was it that did assure thee that thou shalt certainly live to that time in which thou purposest to repent Did God or Man Man cannot God doth not wont to tell sinners how long they shall live How comest thou to have this knowledg above other no I have not No what and yet purpose to repent and shake off the Devils Bonds hereafter when thy body might be in thy grave and thy soul in hell before that time may come where will be thy repentance then are not as young as thou art gone down into the pit of grave and hell too go and view the burial places of the dead measure and see if there be no grave as short as thou art and many graves of Infants there Thou art here today and mightest be in eternity tomorrow Now alive tomorrow mayest be dead All flesh is compared to grass Isa 40. 6 7 8. Mat. 6. 30. to a vapour Jam. 4. 13 14 15. Was not he a fool that reckoned he had many years to live Luke 12. 19 20 When thou goest to bed how knowest thou that thou shalt rise any more when thou fallest asleep that thou shalt awake till the Trumpet sound and the call be Arise ye dead and come to judgment 2. How knowest thou that when thou shalt be sick that thou shalt have the use of thy reason and understanding if not where is thy repentance then hast thou not often seen sick persons to be deprived of their understanding not capable of asking or receiving of counsel and advice 3. Is repentance in thy own power or canst thou repent when thou list canst thou the more thou art to blame the more is thy sin and and shame that thou dost not now repent Canst thou not the more is thy folly to put it off as though thou couldst nay the longer thou continuest in thy sin the harder thy heart will be and the harder is thy heart the harder work will it be for thee to break it Jer. 13. 23. 4. Dost thou read of any more than one only man that did repent at last at a dying hour in all the Word of God Is there any spoken of for this besides the Thief upon the Cross if thou hast but this one single example why wilt thou venture thy eternal state upon this 5. Doth not thy purposing to repent and leave the service of Satan and sin hereafter imply a present resolution that yet thou wilt not repent and that yet thou art resolved to go on in sin and is it not more wickedness to resolve to be a servant to the Devil and thy lusts till thou art sick or old than goodness in thee to purpose then to be a servant of God when thou wilt have neither time nor strength to do him any service in no nor heart neither Judg if this be reasonable and if not let not Satan keep thee captive by this any longer 6. Is it fit thou shouldest give the first of thy time and strength to Satan rather than to God is it not wickedness to say I will first serve the Devil
these are Captives till they dye and which is worse are Captives after death The others might say and comfort themselves therewith Well this is hard but it is not lasting this is bitter but it will have an end though it last as long as life shall last yet death will come and then we shall be released but these may say It is bad while we live and it will be worse when we dye if we are not delivered while we live death will not death cannot deliver us Therefore this is worse than any other bondage 7. A worse and more dreadful Prison is prepared for the Devils Captives than any slaves in earth can be cast into Hell is the Prison appointed and prepared for all Captives that are not made free by Christ 1 Pet. 3. 19. Several things make this Prison worse than any other 1. The Prison prepared for these Captives is a close Prison Now you are like to Prisoners that sometimes might walk abroad with their Keeper with them Now thou art a Prisoner at large that walkest up and down though in thy Chains of sin and guilt and the Devil thy Keeper doth attend and watch thee whithersoever thou goest if thou comest to a Sermon thy Keeper cometh with thee to prevent thy breaking loose and when thou goest from the Sermon to tempt thee to return to thy course of sin again But hereafter thou shalt be a close Prisoner not suffered to step out for ever and so close shalt thou be kept that none shall come at thee to visit or to comfort thee It is an alleviation of a Prisoners grief though he hath not liberty to go out and see his friends yet his friends might come and see and visit him but neither shall be allowed unto you when once you are close prisoners in hell Thy friends on earth will not be desirous of thy company or thy visits after death if thou hadst the liberty to come forth such visits of damned Souls would be a burden and disquietment and a terror to the living that would then rather wish that thou wast confined to thy prison than to be permitted to come forth to disturb them by thy visits Neither shall any be suffered to come and comfort thee if they would and indeed none would be desirous nor venture so far to come to hell to comfort thee if they might Though the rich man desired that Lazarus might come and comfort him with one drop of water it would not be granted to him for he was a close prisoner Luk. 16. 24 25. Besides there is a great gulf fixed between them and the Saints above that there is no passing from the one place to the other ver 26. 2. It is a dark prison a very dungeon a place of utter darkness a place where there is thickness and blackness of darkness for ever Mat. 25. 30. Jude v. 13. Darkness addeth to the discomfort of the condition they must be in in that prison for ever It was an amazing Judgment on the Egyptians to be under thick darkness for three days Exod. 10. 22 23. What a dreadful dungeon would this world be without the light of Sun or Moon or Stars or Candle though you were not in pain nor want of other outward enjoyments yet it would be no desirable place to continue in Oh then what will be the sadness frights and fears of these captives for ever that shall be in pain in torment and in darkness for ever If a man were to live all his days in a Palace there to have rich provisions to feed upon and beds of down to lodg upon but yet to be always in the dark would be a great affliction to him Oh then what will it be to live in pain and darkness too to lye and roul and tumble in a bed of flames in a lake of brimstone and in darkness too to be amongst Devils and this in darkness too and must not that be a place of darkness for ever where the light of Gods countenance shall not shine upon the prisoners there for ever 3. It is a filthy prison full of noisom stenches and unsavoury smells prisons are filthy places very offensive to the nostrils but the stench of the brimstone shall be more troublesome to the prisoners there than the most stinking dungeon to any upon earth 4. It is a strong prison As it is so close that none can come to them to comfort them so it is so strong that not a prisoner shall escape or break through or get out to all eternity if once these prison-doors be shut and if Christ that hath the keys of death and hell do once put thee in and turn the key upon thee there is no opening them for ever Now you are bound in chains of your own making even of your sins but hereafter you shall be bound in chains of Gods making And there are four Bars or Bolts upon the prison-gates of hell that the prisoners shall be filled with despair of ever coming forth 1. This prison-gates shall be made for ever fast and strong by the counsel and decree of God God hath ordained that the imprisonment of those Captives that dye before they are made free shall be eternal it is the unalterable will of God that they shall lye in chains for ever Gods purpose must be changed before their chains can be broken or the prisoners delivered But God is a God that doth not change he will be always in the same mind and his Will will be the same for ever therefore the prisoners must abide by it for ever 2. This prison-gates shall be made fast and strong by the Justice of God Justice shall keep the prison-door that not a prisoner shall come forth till he hath made satisfaction for his sin till he hath paid his debts to the uttermost farthing and that will never be When the prisoner hath been there a thousand years and should beg and pray Lord I have been here a thousand years it is a long time a long time O me-thinks it is a long time since the day I came into this place my time of sinning seemed short it was indeed but short but my time of suffering seemeth long it is indeed exceeding long now therefore Lord let me come forth No saith Justice yet I am not satisfied And when the other thousand years be past and the prisoner soner should again petition for his liberty the same answer will be retâ—rned No saith Justice for yet I am not satisfied and till that be done thou must abide in prison Must I Lord then there is no hope 3. This prison-gates shall be made fast upon the prisoners by the Truth of God God hath told you in his Word that this fire burns for ever and that the sinner that is not sanctified shall be cast into it to lodg there for ever The truth of God it is eternal truth and so long as the Word of God abideth true so long shall these Captives
continue in this prison 4. This prison-gates shall be made fast and strong by the Power of God There shall be no getting out by force nor by any opposition that they can make the same power that sent them thither shall keep them that they shall neither dye in this prison nor escape out of it If then the gates of this prison be fastened by the unchangeable decree of God by the Justice Truth and Power of God the prisoners might set their hearts at rest or rather shall never be at rest because they never shall come forth from prison 5. This prison is far worse than any other prison because of the company that is there and yet in many prisons there is a very wicked crew of swearing cursing and cursed company if a godly man were in some prisons amongst such company the company would be a greater affliction to him than the prison But if the company of Devils and Souls hating and blaspheming God be wicked company this shall be found in hell all bad not one good amongst the millions that are there as in heaven all good not one bad amongst the thousands that are there Here these captives sin together and they shall be in prison all together one cursing and crying out against another that ever they were on earth acquainted with them Nay then the Devil and his Slaves shall be in prison together the conquerer and the conquered both cast into a lake of brimstone Mat. 25. 41. 6. The remembrance of the facts for which these captives shall be cast into this prison will make it worse than any other To remember here we are for obeying the Devil rather than God for hearkening to the temptations of the Devil when we stopped our ears against all the cries and calls and counsels of God had we but hearkened to the voice of mercy to the entreaties of Christ or to the exhortations of his Ministers we had now beenfree from this torment and this pain Had we served God as diligently daily and faithfully as we served the Devil we had been now in a better place and we should now have had a better reward Oh What are we damned for our pleasing of our flesh to the displeasing of God! Do we suffer eternal pains for our folly in preferring the short pleasures and profits of the world before God the greatest and the chiefest good for my pleasing of my palate This is the fruit of my drinking bouts The wine in the glass was not so sweet as the wrath of God in this cup is bitter which I have been a thousand years a drinking off but cannot drink it off but cannot drink it down but cannot drink it up Oh better I had had so much scalding lead poured down my throat than those pleasant cups for which I am now in greatest pain The thoughts of what they shall be in prison for will make the prison the more unpleasant 7. The remembrance of a price and ransom that was given for captives and the benefit thereof often tendered unto them will make this prison still the more intolerable There and then to remember the Son of God came down from heaven and did give himself his blood his Soul to redeem sinners out of bondage and this was tendered unto me saith one and to me saith another but I like a cursed and unthankful wretch did slight it and refuse it saith one and I like a miserable Caitiff did prefer my sins and lusts before the Redeemer saith another we were often warned of this place and often asked and intreated to accept of Christ and deliverance by him time was that Ministers in the Name of God did come unto us Sabbath after Sabbath and in his name did offer liberty unto us how often did they ask us to be willing to leave our bonds how earnestly did they beg that we would be but willing to have our fetters knocked off and if we had been but willing it should have been done but that time is past those seasons are gone and here we lye bound in fetters for ever O time time whither art thou fled Can it not be recalled can it not be recalled O no no it cannot be recalled and those offers never shall be repeated but to our greater aggravation by the gnawing worm CHAP. XI Shewing what freedom Captives set free by Christ enjoy and hope for Doct. 2. THe second general Head containing the glad tydings to these miserable Captives is that there is Liberty to be had by Christ or that it is by Christ and Christ alone that poor captive sinners are delivered and set at liberty Had it not been for Christ we must have perished in our Bonds and remained in perpetual slavery while we had lived and been for ever bound in chains of darkness when we die Isa 59. 20. applied to Christ Rom. 11. 26. Acts 4 12. John 8. 36. Man might be considered in a four-sold State 1. In his first condition as created by God then man was a free-man bondage came in by sin when man sinned he lost his freedom And in this estate there was a three fold Liberty that man had 1. Man was free from sin not the least spot or stain by creation in this pure nature of man he was then free from pride and free from the inordinate love of the world and from every thing offensive and displeasing to God Eccles 7. 29. God made man upright The uprightness of a man renewed by sanctifying grace denotes the sincerity of his heart though there be sin inherent in him So Job was an upright man Job 1. 1. But the uprightness of man at first created by God denoteth the perfect Image of God in the presence of that which was good and absence of all sin Gen. 1. 26 27. 2. Man had a freedom or liberty of will to will and to do what God did require from him 3. A freedom from all misery calamity and punishment Man had then a freedom from sickness from sorrow and from affliction and death for all these are the fruits of sin Man had never been in bondage to these if he had not become a bond slave to Satan and to sin And in this state man had no need of a Redeemer because he was not then a captive 2. Man might be considered in a state of Corruption and so his condition is quite contrary to what it was in his first estate as before he was free so now he is a slave before at liberty but now in bondage and this bondage is opposite to the former three-fold Liberty 1. In man there is now a bondage to sin in slavery to his own lusts and to his own vile affections that there is no part in him free from sin his understanding is not free from ignorance darkness and errour his will is not free from obstinacy and rebellion his affections are not free from disorder and confusion hating what he should love and loving what he should hate
freedom from sufferings in their bondage than sufferings with spiritual freedom 6. Christ doth not give us freedom from temptations of the Devil that we should be no more buffeted by that wicked one Christ himself was not free from temptations from Satan nor from persecutions from men Resist the Devil watch and pray against his temptations for you are not like to be freed from them till you get nto Heaven 7. Christ doth not free us from the stroke of death the Lords Free-men must be bound with deaths bonds as well as others Our souls and bodies are not free from dissolution your bodies not free from putrefaction but yet we are freed from the sting of death and death is not the same to the Lords Free-men as it is to the Devils Bond-men Q. 2. What is the liberty that we have by Christ This shall be managed in speaking to these two particulars First As this liberty and freedom is privative Secondly As it is positive or what we are freed from and what it is that we are freed to 1. What it is that believers are freed from by Christ and these are great and sore evils and such as would have made us unspeakably and eternally miserable if Christ had not freed us from them 1. Christ hath delivered us and set us free from the power of Satan that he hath no more rule in us as formerly he had he did rule in our hearts Ephes 2. 2 and we did yeild voluntary subjection and obedience to him but Christ hath bound this strong man and spoiled him of his goods and hath dispossessed him and turned him out of our hearts from dwelling reigning ruling there as in a Throne this Christ came to do Heb. 2. 14 15 he hath delivered us from the Justice of God by price and purchase from Satan by power and by a mighty hand 2. Christ hath set us free from sin not for the present or in this life from the in-dwelling of sin as you heard before but in these two respects 1. By Christ believers have a freedom from the guilt of sin We are free from the obligation that lay upon us to eternal torments so that now we shall never come into condemnation for our sins our many sins are all pardoned our great and heinous sins are all forgiven Rom. 8. 1 33 34. Many might accuse the Devil might accuse and Men might accuse and Conscience might accuse and the Law might accuse us but Christ hath so freed us that none can condemn Oh what a blessed piece of our freedom lieth in this What wouldst thou have done to have answered for thy sins What wouldst thou have done to bear the punishment of thy sins Indeed thou couldst neither answer for thy self nor yet have born the wrath of God due to thee for thy sin Oh then see the everlasting obligation laid upon thee to love this blessed Christ to prize and value and esteem this once crucified and now glorious Christ that hath taken off this obligation from thee he hath freed thee from one obligation and thereby laid upon thee another he hath freed thee from an obligation to eternal condemnation and hath laid upon thee a strong and lasting obligation to love him and to praise and admire his love and grace to thee for ever 2. Christ hath set us free from the dominion of sin The Sinner was the Captive and Sin the Lord and Conqueror but he that is made free by Christ is become the Conqueror and Sin the Captive the Victory indeed is not yet compleated yet sin is dethroned the sinner when a captive was in chains but now made free sin is become bound Sin was delighted in but now it is abhorred sin was voluntarily yeilded unto but now resisted and opposed sin was welcomly entertained but now lamented and bewailed it was looked upon with pleasure and content but now it is beheld with a sorrowful heart and with a weeping eye it is become the burden and the grief that before had the love and complacency of the sinners heart it is now prayed against and watched against and endeavoured against that before was indulged and allowed and provided for and willingly submitted to Now saith the Redeemed sinner my hard heart is a burden to me my proud and unbelieving heart is a burden and a grief unto me my vain and worldly heart is a burden and a trouble and a sorrow to me he is freed from the reigning power of sin Rom. 6. 14. 7. Christ hath set believers free from the curse of the Law The Law hath its use under the Gospel by it we come to the knowledg of sin Rom. 3. 20 and 5. 20 by it we are convinced of our misery that by sin we have deserved death and damnation Rom. 7. 10. that we might see the necessity of Christ and hasten the more to him Gal. 3. 24. It serveth for a rule to direct us in our walking and for a glass in which we see the imperfection of our duty and obedience that we might not rest in them nor trust unto them for life and salvation But from the condemning-sentence and curse of the Law Christ hath made believers free by being made himself a curse for them Gal. 3. 10 13. 4. Christ hath set believers free from the hurt of death The Lords Free-men must dye as well as the Devils Bond-men but Death will be another thing to a Free-man than it is unto a Captive so that which is formidable to a sinner is desirable to a Saint Christ hath taken away the sting of Death 1 Cor. 15. 55 of an Enemy is become a Friend and Death that is one of the plagues that befall the Devils Captives is become part of the Charter of the Lords Free-men 1 Cor. 3. 22. 1. De 〈…〉 h to Free-men of the Lord is the utter abolition of their sin it shall free them from the very being and in-dwelling of sin when the soul shall be separated from the body all sin and all corruption shall be separated from the soul whereas the Devils bond-men dye in their sin and after death do still retain their hatred unto God their enmity to Christ and are more confirmed and hardned in it than before 2. Death to the Lords Freemen puts an end to all their sorrow and affliction to all their troubles and their sufferings It is Gods Handkerchief whereby he wipes away all tears from the eyes of his redeemed people Rev. 14. 13. but at death the sorrow of the Devils Captives doth begin or is encreased if they were at ease while they lived they shall be in pain when they dye if they did roar and sing while they lived they shall roar and lament after death Death takes them from their riches from their friends and from their pleasure and whatsoever was dear unto them in this worlds enjoyments and puts them into a place of pain and torment a place of utter darkness where they shall for ever weep and
howl and fruitlesly lament their woful state and their irrecoverably-lost-happiness 3. Death to the Lords Free-men is the gate to glory and their passage and entrance into eternal life It is the opening of the door to let them into their Fathers house a Messenger sent by God to fetch them into the presence of their God and Redeemer to live and reign and dwell with him for ever that their freedom here begun might be consummated and perfected in heaven In that very day they dye they are admitted as free Citizens of the glorious Kingdom of God Luk. 16. 22. 4. Death to the Lords Free-men shall come in the best time All men dye in Gods time whenever he appointeth but the redeemed by Christ shall dye in the best time when their work is done and when God seeth it is better for them to dye than to live God takes the best time and fittest season for the removing of his by death out of the world But the wicked slaves of sin and Satan are cut off in a bad time when-ever they dye it is a bad time to them because whenever it is they go that day to hell and to eternal torments the day of their dissolution is the day of their damnation and will not that be the saddest day they ever had they dye before their work is done before they have believed and before they have repented and that must be a sad day when-ever it comes Men cut down Weeds at any time but the Corn in the best time in the fittest season when it is ripe to be carried into the barn 5. Death to the Lords freemen hath lost its terribleness And though all Gods redeemed are not actually and totally freed from the fears of death but sometimes kept in bondage through the fears of death yet they have grounds and reasons why they might not fear it But the Devils Captives have always cause and reason to be terribly afraid of death and if they be not it ariseth from the blindness of their minds and the hardness of their hearts It is a wonder that men should be as near to hell as to the grave and yet not be afraid to dye It is a wonder that men should be as near to an endless miserable life as they are to the end of this short uncertain life and yet their fears should not prevent their sleeping in the night and their jovial merriments in the day-time The Devil hath blinded them as well as bound them and that is one reason of it But these cannot upon any solid rational and religious grounds be freed from the fears of death But so may the Lords freemen and this they have from and through Jesus Christ Heb. 2. 14 15. 5. Christ will set believers free from the grave by a joyful resurrection that though they come under the stroke and power of death and are lodged in the grave for a while yet it shall be but for a while Death and the grave shall not always have dominion over their body Death doth bind them but Christ will loose these bonds and will set them free as Christ did break the bonds of death for death was not able to hold him in his grave Act. 2. 24. So he will knock off the fetters of death from all his and bring them forth and make them happy and this as surely as he himself is risen 1 Cor. 15. 13 c. And not only free them out of the grave but also from those evils and imperfections that in this life their bodies are subject to that though they shall have the same bodies for substance that now they have yet they shall be better bodies as to the qualities that they then shall have 1. Then Christ will free them from that mortality that now they are subject to now liable to death every day and hour but then they shall dye no more for ever 2. Then Christ shall free them from all pain and sickness from cold and hunger and thirst they are now often sensible of their head shall never ake their hearts shall never be sick no part in the least pained to all eternity 3. Then Christ shall free them from a necessity of food to sustain them and of nourishment from the use of creatures by which they are repaired and supported daily on this side the grave but on the other side of the grave they shall need this no more than the Angels do in heaven 4. Then Christ shall free them from that weariness that now our bodies often feel and do groan under for he will make them strong and powerful bodies Now-a-days work in the service of God doth weary our bodies but hereafter though they shall be imployed through an endless eternity in praising and glorifying of God they shall neither be weary of it through wickedness nor weary in it through weakness for as much as Christ will free them from both 1 Cor. 15. 42 43. 5. Christ will then so free them from all imperfections that they shall be made like to Christs glorious body And can we desire greater freedom for our bodies than to be made like to Christs glorious body Phil. 3. 21. 6. Christ doth free all his from the damnation of hell that when the Devil 's Captives shall be pained and tormented by exquisite and unspeakable punishment rowling and tumbling shrieking and howling and with bitter cries lamenting themselves the redeemed of Christ shall never be touched with the flames of that fire the second death shall have no power over them Rev. 20. 6. Christ will take care that those that love him above all and chuse him before all shall never come into condemnation Joh. 3. 16 18. Oh what mercy is this to be freed from hell Oh what grace and kindness is this to those that once were Captives and had deserved it and were in danger of it that by Christ they should be freed and delivered from it Oh what mercy would the damned that have felt the pains and punishment of hell think say and confess it to be if they may be let out and freed from it But they are in it and shall never be delivered from it but the Lords free-men are out of it and shall never be cast into it so great is the liberty we have by Christ the Redeemer of Captives in respect of what we are freed from What are the positive blessings that by Christ we are made free unto For Christ did come to poor sinners to redeem them when Captives not only that they should not be miserable but that they should also be happy These things are many and great and glorious let me give you a taste in these few 1. By Christ believers have freedom and liberty to come to the throne of Grace A burden to wicked graceless hearts it is to come and pray to God are backward to it weary of it as if it were a part of their slavery and bondage to come and beg for mercy for