Captives bound in chains, made free by Christ their surety

For your help herein take these few marks to try your selves by, for the resolution of this question.

1. Freemen have their spiritual eye-sight restored unto them. When Christ opens the prison-doors to let the Captives out, he doth also open their eyes, to let them see that in sin, in God, in Christ, in grace and ⟨p. 199⟩holiness, that before they never saw. That the redeemed Captive crieth out, Oh I never thought my heart had been so bad, so bad, so very bad as now I see it is: I never thought, that sin had been so vile, so very vile, and so deformed as now I plainly see it is: I never thought that Christ was so excellent, and so necessary, so absolutely necessary for me, as now I see he is; Oh methinks he is now altogether lovely, altogether desirable after I have had a view of the beauty and the excellency of Christ, methinks all the glory of the world, and all the delights in pleasure and sin is darkened, and doth vanish and disappear. Oh how was I blinded in my captivity, that I never saw the excellency of Christ, and deformity of sin till now, Isa. 42.6. Act. 26.18, 23. Col. 1.3. Rev. 3.18.

2. When Christ breaks the bonds wherewith poor Captives were held, he also breaketh their hearts that they have been kept and held thereby in the service of Satan and sin, from God and Christ so long. As the eye doth see and weep, so the heart doth consider, and bleed, and grieve at the remembrance of his former folly and sin. Oh what did I do to sin against this blessed, gracious, merciful God! Oh what did I mean so long to stop mine ears against all