before the judge to have their trial; and, 3. Debtors who, in consequence of adversity or prodigality, have been brought into distress and prison. There are also three kinds of prisoners in a moral or spiritual sense. 1. Those who have died impenitent, and have received sentence of eternal death. Now these are not prisoners of hope; their state is eternally fixed; they must remain for ever in the prison of hell; they are reserved in chains of darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day; and they will then be brought forth to receive the final sen tence, Depart ye cursed into, &c., Matt. xxv, 41; after which, body and soul must be consigned to everlasting punishment. They must be banished for ever from God, their faithful and merciful Creator, prevented from ever having any interest in the blood of the Saviour, and be far from the reach of the gracious influences of the Holy Ghost; they must never more enjoy the society of the angels and glorified spirits; but be cut off from every thing that is good. They must be separated from all that afforded pleasure, comfort, or sympathy in this life, doomed to perpetual torments, amongst the most disagreeable company, and without the least gleam of any amendment in their circumstances; for in hell "Hope never comes that comes to all, Thanks be to God, this is not our state! we are yet on this side the great gulph! within the reach of mercy! within the reach of gospel salvation! we are yet prisoners of hope! 2. All who are living in sin are prisoners; and there is a striking similarity between the state of a man who is shut up in prison until the assizes, when he must appear before the judge, and that of a sinner shut up in the prison of sin until death (if he do not repent) introduces him into the presence of the Judge of all the earth. Whenever we see a felon confined in his cell, we behold a man miserable enough, but who has brought that misery upon himself by his own wilful act and deed. If he had not basely broken the laws of his country he might have enjoyed his liberty, and have been ranked among good and loyal subjects. And when we see a man living in the constant habit of sinning against God, we behold one of 1 the most miserable and wretched beings on this side the bottomless pit, and who is rendered thus deplorable only by his own desperate and unaccountable conduct. He might be happy, but he chooses to be miserable, and to seek death in the error of his way! he might enjoy the liberty of God's dear children, but he had rather be in bondage and serve the devil. And what reason can he give for his conduct? Why does he sink himself deeper and deeper in misery, by thus wilfully sinning against God? Is it according to the dictates of justice and equity that he should evidence such conduct towards his Maker? Are these enormous sins the only returns that he considers proper to make for the multiplied and rich blessings of Providence? Does the love of his Redeemer, who laid down his life for him, deserve no better acknowledgments than these? O base ingratitude! O terrible injustice! O stupid insensibility! And wilt thou, O sinner, continue to sin without provocation? Tell me, O man, why dost thou thus grieve thy God, wound thy own soul, and increase thy misery? Thou canst give me no reason! thou art for once speechless! the only substitute for a reason thou canst assign is thy own perverse will; the decree, thy obstinate, wicked, unfeeling, miserable heart! When we see a prisoner, we see a man deprived of his libertyhis conduct under the control of a jailer-and himself in chains. And such is the state of a sinner; he is the bond-slave of Satan; he is fast bound with the chain of his sins, and led captive by the devil at his will. A felon is shut up in darkness, the refreshing rays of the sun cannot enter his dreary abode. And a sinner is shut up in ignorance and unbelief; his soul is full of darkness! gross darkness! a darkness that can be felt! he gropeth at noonday! he calls darkness light, and evil good; and because he loves darkness rather than light, he will not permit the Sun of Righteousness to arise in his soul! to enlighten the dreary mansion, and to bring to light those hidden things of darkness which pervade his unholy breast! A prisoner is debarred from all society, except it be that of his fellowprisoners, who are similar to himself. And so long as a man continues in sin he unfits himself for any good society. A felon, except he be uncommonly hardened, must feel, from a consciousness of his guilt; and so must a sinner. A prisoner is liable at any moment to be brought to justice; and so is a wicked man. Although he may spread himself like a green bay-tree, yet he knows not what a day may bring forth! Before his eyes again see the sun, he may be introduced into a world of disembodied spirits; but he may now turn and live! he is yet a prisoner of hope. 3. There are the debtors who often, in consequence of carelessness and prodigality, have brought themselves into sorrow and confinement. There was a time when they were happy and prosperous; but for want of care and diligence they are brought into distress and to prison. This is the case with backsliders; they once enjoyed the love of God; they were justified freely by the redemption which is in Jesus, and the candle of the Lord shone round about them; but they have fallen from grace, they are weary with well-doing! they have lost their first love! the glory is departed; and they are now poor and miserable, and wretched and blind, and naked; they are again entangled of the yoke of bondage, and are Christless and comfortless; they are again fast bound in misery and iron; their case is truly pitiable, but not desperate; they may escape out of the hands of the destroyer, for they too are prisoners of hope! II. We will notice the strong-hold to which these prisoners are exhorted to turn. 1. A strong hold, or fortress, strong tower, signifies literally a place of safety and defence; figuratively, it is put for the church of God, and sometimes for the Lord himself: The Lord is my fortress, and my high tower, and my place of defence." The name of the Lord is a The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble." The Lord Jesus Christ is the strong hold unto which we are to invite all sinners! he is their only city of refuge! "There is no other name given under heaven among men by which we can be saved but," &c. Acts, iv, 12. strong tower." 2. He is a place of safety and defence to his people. Those who believe in him are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses. They are shielded from the curse attached to a breach of the holy and righteous law of God; they are fully pardoned and set at liberty, and guilt and condemnation are taken away; they are delivered from the power and dominion of sin; they receive the whole armour of God, whereby they are enabled to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one; and they are saved from the fear of death and of hell. From him they obtain succour and support; they find grace to help in every time of need; and are enabled to be more than conquerors through him that hath loved them. 3. This strong hold and rock of defence is accessible by all kinds of sinners. However deep they may have sunk in the mire and clay of sin; however long they may have been in the prison; however aggravated may be their sins; as soon as ever they come to themselves, and are sensible of their situation, they may find shelter in the love of the Saviour, for he himself hath said, “ Whosoever cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." His peculiar office is to "heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised." Come, then, thou who art weary and heavy laden, and he will give thee rest, peace, and salvation. III. We are to enforce the exhortation, "Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope." 1. Confess and forsake all your sins, offer unto the Lord a humble and a contrite heart; and thus, by true repentance and saving faith, turn ye to the strong hold. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man," &c. Isai. lv, 7. Come out of the miserable and filthy dungeon of sin! Arise and depart, this is not your place! The Lord hath need of you! come and wash away your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved! 2. It is the will of God that you should thus turn from prison to liberty! from sin to holiness! It is not the will of God that any should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. O ye prisoners, hear the Word of the Lord! hearken to his compassionate invitation. "Come, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow," &c. Isa. i, 18. And hear his so 2 lemn declaration, "As I live, saith the Lord of Hosts, I have no pleasure in the death," &c. Ezek. xxxiii, 11. To make a way for your escape out of prison, he hath provided a ransom, who is able to save to the uttermost," &c. He has sent his Spirit to convince you of sin," &c., John, xvi, 8; his Word to be a light to your path; the Dispensations of his Providence to learn you wisdom and righteousness; and he has said to his servants, " Warn them from me;" he has sent them expressly" to open your eyes, to turn you from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, that you," &c. Acts, xxvi, 18. 3. To turn from your prison will be your highest interest, both in this world and in that which is to come. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God," &c. Matt. vi, 33. Godliness has the promise of the life which, &c. 1 Tim. iv, 8. You shall enjoy all spiritual blessings, and eternal life. 4. If you refuse to turn to the strong hold, you will be destroyed, and that without remedy. If you turn not, the Lord will whet his glittering sword, and he will hew you down, and cast you into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth! 5. Turn now. O prisoners, now is your time! now is the day of salvation! Up! make haste! delays are dangerous! to-morrow may be too late! then escape for thy life! A GRACIOUS PROPOSAL. MATT. xi, 28. Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Ir may, indeed, well be said, that the carnal mind is enmity against God, and that it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom. viii, 7. In temporal matters, the men of this world are, in their generation, wiser than the children of light. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Let our text serve as a criterion whereby to judge of man's inconsistency in these . respects. Here is a free and most gracious invitation |