Manaffeh, who was like a lion, was changed into a lamb. Therefore look to him that ye may be loofed.

WE proceed now, with the

III. General head, to fhew that Chrift offers to the prisoners in a natural state, an opening of their prifons, and to bring them out.

Here I fhall fhew what is in this offer, 1. More generally; and then, 2. More particularly.

1. More generally, it is the bringing the finner into a state of grace. There are two things in. The Lord Jefus opening the finner's prifon brings him,

it.

(1.) Out of the state of condemnation, in which he lay from his birth till that happy hour: Rom. viii. 1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jefus." The fentence of the law condemning him to eternal death is an、 nulled, is taken off, and can affect him no more. He is made a free man, delivered from the curfe by him who was made a curfe. He is brought out from under the law as a covenant of works: Rom. vi. 14. "Ye are not under the law, but under grace.". Though it continues to be a rule to him, yet he is neither left to feek life by his obedience to it, nor can he any more be doomed by it to eternal death for his difobedience; the law. being dead to him, and he to it, in, this refpect.Jefus brings him,

(2.) Out of that state of fin in which he lay all his days before, incapable of doing any thing truly good, capable of nothing but finning. But now the law of the Spirit of life in Chrift Jefus hath made him free from the law of fin and death, Rom. viii. 2. The prisoner in his natural ftate, with the rest of the world, lieth in wickednefs, I

John,

John, v. 19.; like a dead man in his grave, rotting and confuming. Chrift quickens the finners, opens their graves, and brings them out from under the reigning power of fin. In the day of converfion, Christ comes to the prifon-door as to the grave of Lazarus, and fays, as he did to him, Come forth. So the dead man lives, the prisoner comes out of the dungeon, out of a state of fin into a ftate of grace.

2. Let us confider what is in this offer more particularly. There are feveral great benefits which it proposes to us; fuch as,

(1.) The prifoner's debts are discharged, even to the laft farthing: Col. ii. 13. " And you being dead in your fins, and in the uncircumcifion of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trefpaffes." They were God's prifoners, and could never come out without payment of that debt for which they were imprisoned. But the Deliverer takes all the debt on himself; he fays to his Father, as in Philem. 18. "If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account." And fo it is accounted as if they had paid it.

(2.) The prisoner's crimes are forgiven, which otherwife would have taken away his life: Ifa. xxxiii. 24. "And the inhabitant fhall not fay, I am fick; the people that dwell therein fhall be forgiven their iniquity." The prisoner's pardon is written in the blood of his Redeemer, "This cup is the new teftament in my blood, which is fhed for you." Heb. viii. 12." For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their fins and their iniquities will I remember no more." The King's feal is appended to it, fo that neither law nor juftice can quarrel it: Eph. i. 13. " In whom also after that ye believed, ye were fealed

with

with that holy Spirit of promife." This is the white ftone given to him that overcometh, of which none knows the fweetnefs but those who have it.

(3.) The prifoner is delivered from the power of Satan, Acts. xxvi. 18. " They are turned from the power of Satan unto God." The jailor has no more power to keep the prisoner, nay, nor ever to bring him back; because he is not delivered by fraud, but in a legal way, by the fovereign authority of the King's Son, who has all power in heaven and earth. The demands which law and juftice had on the prifoner have all been fatisfied by the Deliverer, therefore he can be no longer held. As to the prifoner,

-

(4.) His prifon-garments are taken away, and he is cloathed with change of raiment. The rags of his own righteoufnefs are thrown away, and he is cloathed with the fair white raiment of Chrift's righteousness put on by the hand of faith, "I counsel thee," fays Jefus, as in Rev. iii. 18. " to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayeft be rich, and white raiment that thou mayeft be. cloathed, and that the shame of thy nakednefs do not appear." The old man with his deeds is put off, the body of fin is deftroyed, and the new man is put on. The prifoner ftands before his deliverer, like Joshua before the angel: Zech. iii. 3. 4. "Now Jofhua was cloathed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel; and he answered and fpake to them that ftood before him, Take away the filthy garments from him; and unto him he faid, Behold I have caused thine iniquity to pafs from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."

(5.) The prifoner is brought forth into the light of God's countenance, Ifa. xlix. 9. "That thou mayft fay to the prifoners, Go forth; to them,

that

that are in darkness, fhew yourselves. They fhall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places." God is in Chrift reconciled to him. He is no more his enemy, but the finner's friend, his confederate in the covenant of peace. The peace is made up through the great Peace-maker, Rom. v. 1. "Being juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Though the world henceforth may hate him, and become his enemy, he has friendship with heaven, which may support him under all their hatred.

(6.) The prifoner is restored to all his forfeited privileges: Eph. ii. 17. " Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the faints, and of the household of God." As Jofeph, being a slave, was brought out of the dungeon to Pharaoh's court, and made the ruler over Egypt; fo in that day in which the foul is brought to the ftate of grace, he is freed from his flavery, brought out of prison, and advanced in the court of heaven. Like the poor and wife child out of prison, he comes to reign, as in Ecclef. iv. 13. 14. for they are all made kings who are delivered by Christ. We shall shut up this fubject with a practical improvement of the whole. And this,

1. In an ufe of instruction.

This fubject affords fome leffons to us all; as, (1.) To be living in a ftate of fin is the moft miferable life in the world, the most miserable life out of hell. Why are all those fimilitudes ufed, of a captivity, an imprisonment, and this of the worst kind, but because no captivity, no imprifonment is fufficient to exprefs the mifery of this captivity? Therefore thefe fimilitudes are multiplied, that what is wanting in one may be made up by another. And whenever the finner's eyes

are

are opened to see his mifery, he will fee that the worft cafe of captives and prifoners on earth comes infinitely fhort of the miferable ftate he is in, fo foon as eternity fucceeds time. For,

[1. Of all perfons in the world, an unconverted perfon has the least ground to be joyful: John, iii. 36. "And he that believeth not the Son fhall not fee life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." Some think they are young and in their bloom, and therefore they may be allowed a pleafant jovial life. Some think like him who faid to his foul," Soul, thou haft goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." Every one who is not held down with worldly cares or croffes, is ready to take his ease, though a stranger to Chrift and a state of grace. But I would fay to thee as Jehu did to Joram, 2 Kings, ix. 18. "What haft thou to do with peace ?" Let them live joyfully whofe prifon-doors have been opened; they are fet free, to whom God is a friend, and who are beyond the hazard of eternal condemnation. But what reason have you to live joyfully, who are captives, prifoners, condemned criminals, and know not but this day you may be led out to the execution? If there were a drawn fword hanging over your heads wherever you went, would it not mar your mirth and jollity? The fword of God's juftice is thus fufpended over all those who are out of Christ.

[2.] It would be impoffible for one to live at eafe in an unconverted state, if they were not blind to their own hazard and mifery: Luke, xix. 41-43 Ye may as well bid a malefactor be eafy under the fentence of death and the fight of the gibbet, or a man hanging over a deep gulf by a flender twig, as to bid an awakened finner be eafy in his cafe, before he get out of it. But

many