Captives bound in chains, made free by Christ their surety

Thus are graceless sinners like a company of poor unarmed prisoners in the midst of many malicious, powerful, and politic and unwearied enemies; that do design nothing less than the damnation of thy soul, the loss, the eternal loss of the blessed, glorious and eternal God, that design nothing less than to bring thee to a place of torment, to a fiery furnace, to a lake of brimstone, to a place of utter darkness, where there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, woe and lamentation, shriekings and howlings, and bitter cries for ever and ever. Oh how should it pity us, to see these poor naked unarmed sinners surrounded by such mighty enemies, carrying them captives to a place of eternal separation from God, and Christ, and Angels, and all the Saints of God; to see them going to ⟨p. 20⟩the slaughter-house of Hell, and to the place of dreadful execution.

Thus are graceless sinners like a company of poor unarmed prisoners in the midst of many malicious, powerful, and politick and unwearied enemies; that do design nothing less than the damnation of thy soul, the loss, the eternal loss of the blessed, glorious and eternal God, that design nothing less than to bring thee to a place of torment, to a fiery furnace, to a lake of brimstone, to a place of utter darkness, where there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, wo and lamentation, shriekings and howlings, and bitter cries for ever and ever. Oh how should it pity us, to see these poor naked unarmed sinners surrounded by such mighty enemies, carrying them captives to a place of eternal separation from God, and Christ, and Angels, and all the Saints of God; to see them going to ⟨p. 20⟩the slaughter-house of Hell, and to the place of dreadful execution.

Poor captivated souls! are you thus in the hands of your enemies, and not one piece of spiritual armour to safe-guard your selves? Captives lye at the mercy of those whose slaves they be; but Satan hath no such thing as mercy or pity to the souls of men; malice enough, but no mercy; cruelty enough, but no favour. If God should have no mercy for you, the Devil will have none. Except the God of Mercy, and pity, and patience had restrained the enemies of your souls, they would have dragged you down to the bottomless pit long before this day. There is no armour of proof against those that have taken you captive, but the armour of God: but this is your misery, you have not one piece thereof, either the girdle of truth, nor the breast plate of righteousness, nor the helmet of salvation; and though you may have the Sword of the Spirit, the word of God in your hands, yet you know not how to use it against the assaults of your spiritual adversaries. Think then of this, Captives are naked and unarmed men.