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prifoners. These are many: I mention the following.There is,

1. A fituation truly uncomfortable and piteous. They are fitting in darkness, and in the region and fhadow of death, Matth. iv. 16. What a melancholy cafe were the Egyptians in during the three days darkness, while the Ifraelites had light in all their dwellings! It was among the laft and worst of their plagues. Surely light is fweet; and the more excellent the light is, it must be the fadder to be deprived of it. The light of God's grace and favour is the most excellent light, and therefore heaven is called light, and hell is darkness, utter darkness; no gleam of comfort in hell. A natural ftate is the fuburbs of hell, and no real comfort in this condition, but a poffibility of help. Therefore the faints pity them, as in a most piteous condition. Jerufalem's cafe drew tears from our Saviour's eyes, Luke, xix. 41. 42.- -There is,

2. Unacquaintedness with their own ftate of finfulness and mifery, Rev. iii. 17.-Their mifery; they are blind, they fee not the hazard they are in of dropping every moment into the pit. The meflengers of death are approaching them, the fword of justice is hanging over their heads, figns of approaching ruin are on them and about them; others fee it, but not themselves: Hof. vii. 9. "Strangers have devoured his ftrength, and he knoweth it not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth it not." The prodigal never faw his ftarving condition, till he came to himself, Luke, xv. 17.-Their finfulness also; of this they are ignorant: Rom. vii. 9. « For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, fin revived, and I died." As in a house, the motes flying thick there are not perceived till the fun-beams enlighten it; fo, till

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the Lord open the eyes of the blinded finner, he fees not those swarms-of living lufts which are preying on his dead foul, the innumerable evils which compass him about, those multiplied pieces of guilt which are binding him over to deftruction. 3. They are eafily enfnared and deceived in matters of the grateft concern. Our Lord Jefus pronounces a woe to the world because of offences, Matth. xviii. 7. because stumbling-blocks laid bebefore the blind cannot but have moft pernicious effects. The world is full of inares laid by Satan and his inftruments; and the blindness of the mind exposes men to the utmost hazard by them. How eafily are they cheated out of their greatest interests for another world, and made to hug a fhadow inftead of the fubftance, and embrace a fcorpion inftead of a fish, and ftones instead of bread; because, though they be eagle-eyed in the things of time, they are like bats and owls as to the light of life. Like Efau, for one morfel of meat they fell this birth-right, Heb. xii. 16.

4. They get no good of the light of the gospel, but stumble at noon-day, as in the dark. They receive this grace in vain. The night and day are alike to the blind, winter and fpring to the dead tree. And hence men live under the gofpel as loosely, profanely, and carelessly, as if they were living in the dark corners of the earth. The sight of the gofpel, like a fhining fun, has arifen, teaching us, that, "denying ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously, and godlily, in this present world," Titus, ii. 12. But inftead of going like men to their proper work, they like wild beafts go to their dens, and lie at eafe, neither working out their own falvation, nor doing any good to others. The light is fet up to VOL. III.

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them, but their works are works of darkness, and fo they hate the light.

5. They are precipitating themselves into the utmost hazard to their fouls, without fear: Pfal. xxxvi. 1. "The tranfgreffion of the wicked faith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes." How fearlessly do men venture themselves into the forbidden ground, rush in the way of fin on the fword-point of justice: Jerem. viii. 6. "I hearkened, and heard, but they fpake not aright; no man repented him of his wickednefs, faying, What have I done? every one turned to his courfe, as the horfe rusheth into the battle." They drink up iniquity as the ox the water, being in that cafe as blind men drinking up a cup of poifon, which they know not to be fuch. There is,

6. Deep fecurity in the most dangerous condition, as not feeing what is before them. They go on in their courses, as the finners did before the flood, Matth. xxiv. 38. They are expofed every day to the utmoft hazard, yet they are feeure. They ftand before God's bent bow, as a mark to his arrows, yet they are at ease. Wrath is pursuing them, yet they are not concerned to free from the wrath to come. They are jovial while about the pit's mouth, and even though they are in hazard every moment of falling into it.

Lafly, To fum up all in a word, this blindness fills the whole man in heart and life with darkness and confusion: Matth. vi. 23. "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body fhall be full of darkness; if, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darknefs!" A perfon can do nothing which is good in this cafe, he lies open to all evil both of fin and mifery. And this darkness, unremoved, will make way for eternal darkness.

Having,

Having, as we proceeded, made fome practical improvement, in conclufion, we fhall only exhort

you,

1. To be convinced of this your natural darkness; believe it from the Lord's word, and believe your hazard from it, though otherwise ye do not fee it.

2. See your need of Chrift to open your eyes. Pray for the Spirit; fay, with the blind man, "Lord, that mine eyes may be opened."

Laftly, From what has been faid on the feveral parts of Christ's commiffion with respect to natural men, unconverted firiners may get a broad view of their mifery. Ye are Satan's captives, yea, prifoners, God's prifoners, the devil's prifoners, prisoners in bands, and blinded prifoners. Be deeply affected with your condition, and be perfuaded, as prifoners of hope, to turn to your ftrong-holds, while you have access to them. While it is called to-day, harden not your hearts, but hearken to his voice, proclaiming that he is anointed to open the prifon to them that are bound."

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THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED.

SERMON LV.

ISA. Ixi. 1.-And the opening of the prison to them that are bound.

HAVING attended to the first doctrinal point

on this fubject, we now go on to

DOCT. II. That, by open proclamation in the gofpel, Jefus offers to prifoners in a natural ftate, an opening of their eyes, a loofing of their bands, and a bringing them out of their prifons.

WE fhall illuftrate the different parts of this doctrine, under the following heads.

I. We fhall fhew, that Chrift offers to fuch an opening of their eyes, the recovery of their fpiritual fight, and to bring them from darkness unto light.

II. We fhall fhew how Christ takes off the devil's bands from these prisoners.

III. We

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