Captives bound in chains, made free by Christ their surety

look through the wounds made in my side, and see if thou canst not there see Love in my heart, and pity in my heart to poor returning sinners: what did I suffer for, and what did I bleed and die for, but to help and save poor sinners? come, to me, and I will be thy friend; come to me, believe on me, receive me, and God will be thy friend. So then poor captive Soul, if thou be willing ⟨p. 134⟩indeed, willing to leave thy sins, thy fetters and thy bonds to resign thy will, thy love, thy heart to Christ, make him thy end, and take him, for thy Lord Redeemer, there's no reason thou should despair of pardon and salvation; let not then Satan keep thee in this bond, from coming unto Christ, to be set at liberty.

3. Thy sins and thy wickednesses, are not greater, are not more than all the sins of all the elect of God were that are now in Heaven, and yet mercy hath pardoned them, and yet Christs merits hath purchased life and salvation for them, and they are now in possession of it: if thou hast out-sinned any one single man, yet hast thou committed more, or greater sins, then all the sins of all the millions now in glory, put them all together; and yet hath God been able and willing to pardon them, and Christ able and willing to save them? if thou wilt repent and believe, as they did thou shalt be saved as they are! if thou wilt leave thy sins and be converted, as they were, do not despair, nay, do not doubt, but thou shalt be happy as they be. Hast thou sinned more than Adam did, that at one blow did wound and kill so many souls, as never man did the like, no, nor never shall again? Hast thou sinned more than Manasseh, read and judge, 2 Chron. 33.1 to ⟨p. 135⟩14? Hast thou sinned more than Paul that was a bloody persecutor of God's people, 1 Tim. 1.13. Hast thou sinned more than Peter, that did swear and curse he know not Jesus? or more than Mary Magdalen? or if thou couldst say, thou hast sinned more than any one of these, yet hast thou sinned more than all these put together, and thousands of thousands more? thou canst not say it. Why then, what is the matter with thee, that thou sittest in thy chains lamenting of thy self, saying, there is no hope for me, there is no help, no merry for me? what! no hope for a sinner, and a Saviour by thee? no help, no deliverance for a Captive, and the Ransom paid, and the Redeemer come unto thee, waiting that thou wouldst be but willing to receive him for thy Lord and Saviour, and he is ready to receive thee. Say, O say then, what did this tempting Devil mean, one while to draw into sin, because it was no great matter he did tempt me to? and what now doth this accusing Devil mean, that when he hath wounded me, would persuade me, there is no healing for me? O my soul! once this enemy did befool thee, when he did persuade, thee, thy condition was so good that thou didst not need to fear, and now shall he befool thee, to make thee think thy condition