Title page, Captives bound in chains made free by Thomas Doolittle (1674) | AskReformation

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THE serious consideration of the immortality of your Souls; the captivity of many amongst you to Satan and to sin; the eternity you are approaching to; the necessity of being made free from spiritual bondage; the shortness and uncertainty of your abode upon earth; your capacity of being set at liberty by Christ (whilst you are on this side the grave); th• impossibility of redemption and deliverance• […] sinful and hellish thraldom after death; moved me at first t[…]a•h these Sermons on this Subject to your […], and now to present them to your eyes; hoping that as the having of them in your hands to view what hath been said unto you, will be an help unto your memories, so also a means to continue, further, and increase that sense of the evil of Soul-captivity, that sorrow that you had been Capti•• •o Sat[…]ong▪ and those ⟨image 3⟩desires to change your Master, and have your fetters knocked off, and be brought into the liberty of the Sons of God, by Christ the Son of God; all which many of you (through the grace of God, for his work it was, and the glory thereof is due alone to him) did manifest and declare; •ot only in your earnest desires for Gods sake, and for Christs sake, that the Congregation, if they had any l••e for, o••ity to miserable enthralled Souls, would so•••nly and fervently pray to God, that the chains of sin, wherewith you▪ had been held, might now be cut, and the bonds broke; but also in your private converse with me: Which is here related (the Lord knows) not that I may be accounted any thing (for I know that I am nothing), or that I do put any great esteem upon any thing that I can do; for I do judg my self, as to gifts or grace, or both, to be the meanest […]see employed in the work of the Lord, and ••vice of immortal Souls: But that if God be pleased to work by a weak and silly man, the Glory might be ascribed unto him […].

THE serious consideration of the immortality of your Souls; the captivity of many amongst you to Satan and to sin; the eternity you are approaching to; the necessity of being made free from spiritual bondage; the shortness and uncertainty of your abode upon earth; your capacity of being set at liberty by Christ (whilst you are on this side the grave); th• impossibility of redemption and deliverance• 〈…〉 sinful and hellish ••raldom after death; moved me at first t〈…〉a•h these Sermons on this Subject to your 〈…〉, and now to present them to your eyes; hoping that as the having of them in your hands to view what hath been said unto you, will be an help unto your memories, so also a means to continue, further, and increase that sense of the evil of Soul-captivity, that sorrow that you had been Capti•• •o Sat〈…〉ong▪ and those ⟨image 3⟩desires to change your Master, and have your fetters knocked off, and be brought into the liberty of the Sons of God, by Christ the Son of God; all which many of you (through the grace of God, for his work it was, and the glory thereof is due alone to him) did manifest and declare; •ot only in your earnest desires for Gods sake, and for Christs sake, that the Congregation, if they had any l••e for, o••ity to miserable enthralled Souls, would so•••nly and fervently pray to God, that the chains of sin, wherewith you▪ had been held, might now be cut, and the bonds broke; but also in your private converse with me: Which is here related (the Lord knows) not that I may be accounted any thing (for I know that I am nothing), or that I do put any great esteem upon any thing that I can do; for I do judg my self, as to gifts or grace, or both, to be the meanest 〈…〉se employed in the work of the Lord, and ••vice of immortal Souls: But that if God be pleased to work by a weak and silly man, the Glory might be ascribed unto him 〈…〉.

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Man lying in this pitiful plight, in this forlorn, miserable, and deplorable condition, the God of grace and mercy (of his mere grace and mercy) did commiserate, seek after him, find him out, and made known a way of Redemption for him, even by the Incarnation, Passion, and Crucifixion of his own Son; which he did more and more clearly in several ages discover to the captivated children of enthralled Adam; whereas he provided no Redeemer for fallen Angels, but where they fell, there they lye, bound in chains of darkness, without hope of help, or possibility of recovery to all eternity. Behold, ye Captive Sons of men, a remedy for you, but not for Devils; for God sent not his Son to take upon him the nature of Angels, but the ⟨p. 198⟩seed of Abraham; and that when the Apostatizing Angels sinned, and were falling down to hell, Christ did not take hold on them; but on man (when by reason of sin he was tumbling and sinking into everlasting misery) he did take hold, and snatched him from the flames of eternal burnings, from the curse of the Law, and from the intolerable wrath of an angry and provoked God.

Man lying in this pitiful plight, in this forlorn, miserable, and deplorable condition, the God of grace and mercy (of his meer grace and mercy) did commiserate, seek after him, find him out, and made known a way of Redemption for him, even by the Incarnation, Passion, and Crucifixion of his own Son; which he did more and more clearly in several ages discover to the captivated children of enthralled Adam; whereas he provided no Redeemer for fallen Angels, but where they fell, there they lye, bound in chains of darkness, without hope of help, or possibility of recovery to all eternity. Behold, ye Captive Sons of men, a remedy for you, but not for Devils; for God sent not his Son to take upon him the nature of Angels, but the ⟨p. 198⟩seed of Abraham; and that when the Apostatizing Angels sinned, and were falling down to hell, Christ did not take hold on them; but on man (when by reason of sin he was tumbling and sinking into everlasting misery) he did take hold, and snatched him from the flames of eternal burnings, from the curse of the Law, and from the intolerable wrath of an angry and provoked God.

:14p. 198

This God and Saviour that did foresee your thraldom and bondage, did from all eternity agree and covenant betwixt themselves in this way of Redemption to afford you succour and relief; that Christ should become your Surety, and be bound for you, that were bound, and died for you that should eternally have died, and set you at liberty by paying down a valuable ransom for you; of which you should be partakers, if you turn from sin to God, from Satan to his Son, heartily consenting to take him for your Lord-Redeemer, for your Prophet, Priest, and King, to rule, instruct, sanctify and save you; resigning up your selves and all you have and are to him, preferring him before all, loving him above all, believing on him, and obeying of him sincerely, constantly, and universally, without partiality, and sinful, secret reservations; and if you like not him, and accept not of deliverance from your bonds and fetters upon these conditions, you must lye and perish in your chains of sin and guilt for ever.

This God and Saviour that did foresee your thraldom and bondage, did from all eternity agree and covenant betwixt themselves in this way of Redemption to afford you succour and relief; that Christ should become your Surety, and be bound for you, that were bound, and died for you that should eternally have died, and set you at liberty by paying down a valuable ransom for you; of which you should be partakers, if you turn from sin to God, from Satan to his Son, heartily consenting to take him for your Lord-Redeemer, for your Prophet, Priest, and King, to rule, instruct, sanctifie and save you; resigning up your selves and all you have and are to him, preferring him before all, loving him above all, believing on him, and obeying of him sincerely, constantly, and universally, without partiality, and sinful, secret reservations; and if you like not him, and accept not of deliverance from your bonds and fetters upon these conditions, you must lye and perish in your chains of sin and guilt for ever.

:15p. 199

This is that Redeemer that is preached, published and tendered unto you: This is He, and He alone that can make you free, and if he do, you shall be free indeed; accept him as he is offered, and deliverance and salvation is come unto you; refuse him, slight him, or neglect him finally, and you are Captives without ransom irrecoverably. All of you by nature were in this state of spiritual Captivity, and all of you now are Bond or Free: For as there are but two places in the other world appointed by God to be receptacles of mens Souls, namely, Heaven and Hell; so in this world there are but two sorts of men (so distinguished by their spiritual state) Captives or Free; the one continuing so, so shall be plunged into hell; the other shall be possessed of heaven. Under which of these you are comprehended, you may be helped to discern, if you will read, consider, search, and pray: If you find your selves yet Captives, to know your misery, and the Chains wherewith you are bound, and how to get them off, read the former part of this little book: If Free, to inflame your hearts with love to your Redeemer and Surety, that paid the ransom for you; and learn how you are engaged to hearty and everlasting thankfulness for his mercy towards you; and to express it by holy walking while you live, consult the latter part of this Treatise. In all which I have endeavoured to use plainness ⟨image 5⟩of speech, avoiding hard words and terms of art, as also controversies that might have been brought into this subject; concerning the Power and Will of man, concerning the Satisfaction of Christ, and such like, contenting my self with what may suit the end I aimed at in preaching of them, the awakening of the Conscience of Captive-sinners, that are fast asleep in their fetters and bonds of iniquity; and the bringing of the more ignorant to sight and sense of their necessity of deliverance by Christ; (as for the more knowing, let them read the works of men of more knowledge); for if I may by any means help the weak and ignorant, that cannot understand the elaborate works of the more judicious, I shall account it a singular mercy: For if I could, I dare not usually, when I am to speak in the Name of God to immortal Souls, soar aloft above the capacity of the meanest;

This is that Redeemer that is preached, published and tendered unto you: This is He, and He alone that can make you free, and if he do, you shall be free indeed; accept him as he is offered, and deliverance and salvation is come unto you; refuse him, slight him, or neglect him finally, and you are Captives without ransom irrecoverably. All of you by nature were in this state of spiritual Captivity, and all of you now are Bond or Free: For as there are but two places in the other world appointed by God to be receptacles of mens Souls, namely, Heaven and Hell; so in this world there are but two sorts of men (so distinguished by their spiritual state) Captives or Free; the one continuing so, so shall be plunged into hell; the other shall be possessed of heaven. Under which of these you are comprehended, you may be helped to discern, if you will read, consider, search, and pray: If you find your selves yet Captives, to know your misery, and the Chains wherewith you are bound, and how to get them off, read the former part of this little book: If Free, to inflame your hearts with love to your Redeemer and Surety, that paid the ransom for you; and learn how you are engaged to hearty and everlasting thankfulness for his mercy towards you; and to express it by holy walking while you live, consult the latter part of this Treatise. In all which I have endeavoured to use plainness ⟨image 5⟩of speech, avoiding hard words and terms of art, as also controversies that might have been brought into this subject; concerning the Power and Will of man, concerning the Satisfaction of Christ, and such like, contenting my self with what may suit the end I aimed at in preaching of them, the awakening of the Conscience of Captive-sinners, that are fast asleep in their fetters and bonds of iniquity; and the bringing of the more ignorant to sight and sense of their necessity of deliverance by Christ; (as for the more knowing, let them read the works of men of more knowledg); for if I may by any means help the weak and ignorant, that cannot understand the elaborate works of the more judicious, I shall account it a singular mercy: For if I could, I dare not usually, when I am to speak in the Name of God to immortal Souls, soar aloft above the capacity of the meanest;