shall destroy them;" their bieffings are turned to curfes; the frowns of it are entnaring and deftructive. The god of this world mixes every cup with poifon. The men of this world are ruining one another; and therefore it is faid, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation," Acts, ii. 40. There is a plague in Satan's family, and each member serves to infect another, to convey fin and death to his fellow. But Jefus proclaims liberty from this pest-house; you may be drawn out of it, Jefus will pluck you as a brand out of the fire; why stay in it, while he proclaims liberty to you from it?--Jefus proclaims,

5. Liberty from the fear, the terror of death and hell: Heb. ii. 15. "He delivers them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime fubject to bondage." Satan's captives may for a 'time be fecure, fearing nothing; but as foon as their confcience awakens, they will be filled with horror, as perceiving the approach of death and hell towards them; they can have no comfortable view of another life. Chrift proclaims liberty from this; if you will come to him, conscience shall be pacified with the sprinkling of his blood, ye shall be fet beyond the poffibility of perishing; he will be to you an Almighty Saviour. -He proclaims,

6. Liberty from the fting of death and the evil of afflictions. Though Chrift, in his gracious proclamation, does not promife that fuch as obey his will in it fhall never be afflicted; yet he promifes that afflictions fhall be fo far from doing them hurt, that they fhall do them good: Rom. viii. 28. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose:" That though they die, death fhall be to them unftinged, VOL. III.

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John,

John, viii. 51. "Verily, verily, I fay unto you, If a man keep my faying, he fhall never fee death.” So that they may meet it with that triumphant fong, 1 Cor. xv. 55. "O death! where is thy fting? O grave! where is thy victory?" It fhall not be to them what it is to Satan's captives; the ferpent's fting, with which it kills the ferpent's feed, fhall be taken away ere it comes near them. -Jefus proclaims,

7. Liberty from the power of the grave: 1 Cor. xv. 55. quoted above. Ver. 57. "Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through Jefus Christ our Lord." Satan's captives are laid up in their graves as in prifons; and when they come out of them at the refurrection, death and the power of the grave will be still hanging about them; fo that they shall but change one grave for a worse, namely, for the lake of fire. But Chrift's ranfomed ones, who come away on his proclamation of liberty, though they go to the grave, yet the power of it over them fhall be broken, death fhall have no more power over them for ever.-He proclaims,

8. Liberty from condemnation: Rom. viii. 1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jefus." All Satan's captives are condemned malefactors: John, iii. 18. "He that believeth not is condemned already." And the fentence fhall be folemnly pronounced against them at the great day; and fo they fhall be led away" into everlasting burnings, prepared for the devil and his angels,' "Matth. xxv. This is terrible; but Chrift proclaims liberty from it. So foon as thou embraceft the offered liberty, the guilt of eternal wrath fhall be done away, thou fhalt be beyond the reach of condemnation; your ftanding on the right hand is fecured, and the fen

tence

tence of folemn abfolution fhall follow. He proclaims,

9. Liberty of free access to God, with holy boldness: Rom. v. 1. 2. "Being juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jefus Christ, by whom also we have accefs by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Now, the captive exiles are banished from the prefence of God; they can have no access to him, nor communion with him. But our Lord, by his death, has opened the twoleaved gates of his Father's house, and gives free liberty, by open proclamation, to Satan's captives, leaving their mafter to come in. They have accefs by one Spirit to the Father.-Jefus proclaims,

Laftly, Liberty, that is, freedom of fpirit in the fervice of God: 2 Cor. iii. 17. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The Spirit of Chrift is called a free fpirit, because he makes free. Satan's captives may yield fome obedience to God, but it is burdenfome, because they act therein as flaves, from a flavish fear of hell and wrath. But Chrift's free men act from a nobler

principle, love: Rom. viii, 15. * For ye have not received the fpirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby ye cry, Abba, Father"-1 John, iv, 18. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love cafteth out fear; because fear hath torment: he that feareth is not made perfect in love."-We now proceed,

III. To mention fome of the circumstances attending this proclamation.--Here we observe,

1. That the law on which it is founded was the eternal agreement of the glorious Trinity for man's redemption. The eternal law of love and goodwill to poor finners, by which it was provided,

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that

that upon the Son of God's laying down his life" a ransom for an elect world, they should be delivered from the captivity of fin and Satan, and be made God's freemen; which the eternal Son engaged to do. Accordingly, in the fulness of time he did it, and thereby purchased their liberty.-We observe,

2. That the proclamation was drawn up, and is recorded in the Bible, by the Holy Spirit: Ifa. lv. 1. "Ho! every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price." And what is the whole Bible but a declaration of this liberty, with promises to those who accept of, and threatenings to those who refuse it. The truth and reality of this declaration is fealed by the blood of Christ : "This," faid he," is the New Teftament in my blood." So that there is not the leaft ground to doubt its truth.--We obferve,

3. That this proclamation is iffued out by our Lord Jefus Chrift, with the consent of his Father and the Spirit. The Father has fent him to proclaim liberty to the captives. The Spirit fays, Come. A whole Trinity invites Satan's captives to liberty. They have no will that the captive exile fhould die in the pit: Ezek. xviii. 23. "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked fhould die? faith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways, and live?"-We observe,

4. That this proclamation is directed to men, to the fons of men: Prov. viii. 4. "Unto you, O men, do I call, and my voice is to the fons of men." Not to fallen angels, they are excluded from the benefit of the purchased liberty. But the captives in the land of the living, thefe prifoners of hope, to them is the proclamation directed, without exception

ception of great, yea, even the greatest of finners: Rev. xxii. 17. "Whofoever will, may take of the water of life freely."-Ifa. i. 18. "Come now, and let us reason together, faith the Lord; though your fins be as fcarlet, they fhall be white as fnow; though they be red like crimson, they fhall be as wool." Such are invited, though they have often refused their liberty, and though they have gone back into their captivity. We observe,

5. That the first crier of this proclamation was the Son of God in his own perfon. He made this proclamation firft in paradife: Gen. iii. 15. "The feed of the woman fhall bruise the head of the ferpent." Afterwards he took on him man's nature: Then came and proclaimed it: Heb. ii. 3. "The gofpel at the firft began to be spoken unto us by the Lord." And he fealed it with his most precious blood, though there were but few who came away upon the proclamation made by him: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?" is the complaint of the prophet Isaiah.-We observe,

6. That, being afcended into heaven, he has appointed criers in his name, the minifters of the gofpel, to publifh this proclamation, and to invite finners to accept of this liberty: 2 Cor. v. 20. "Now then, we are embaffadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us: we pray you, in Chrift's ftead, be ye reconciled unto God." This is our work, to proclaim it unto you, to make you fenfible that liberty is purchased, and offered unto you. We are the voice of the great crier; Chrift cries to you by us.We obferve,

Laftly, That the place where the proclamation is ordered to be made is in this world: Mark, xvi. 5. "Go ye," faid Jefus to his difciples, "into M 3

all