192 Againfi Principalities. ,ac -began to live in thee, the father of the Prodigal dated his foes life from his returne ; This my fon was dead,and is alive. It is thy marriage-day ; I have marriedyou to one husband, even faidPaul to the Corinthians. Perhaps thou hail en. joyed this thy husbands fweet company many a day, and had a numerous off-fpringof joyes and comforts by thy fellowfhip with him, the thought of which cannot but endeare him to thee, and ,make the day of thy efpoufals delightful to thy memory ; iris thy rnanumiffion, thenwere the Indentures cancell'd, wherein thouwe bound to fin and Satan ; when the Sonne made thee -free, thou becameft free indeed : Thou canal not fay thou waft borne free, for thy father was a flave, nor that thou boughteft thy freedome with a fumme ; By graceye are laved. Heaven is fetled on thee in the promife, and thou not at charge fo much as for the writings drawing. All is done at Chrift his coil, with whomGod indented, and to whom he gave the pronefe ofeter- nal life before the world began, as a free eftate to fettle upon eve- ry believing foul in the day they fhould come to Chrift, and re ceive him for their Prince and Saviour ; fo that from the houre thou diclit comeunder Chrifts shadow, all the fweet fruit that grows on this treeof life is thine ; with Chill all that both worlds have falls to thee: All is yours, becaufeyou are Civil's. 0Chriftian, look upon thy felf now, and bleffe thy God to fee what a change there is made in thy state, fince that black and dif- ,mal time, when thou wert flave to thePrince ofdarknefre ; how couldeft thou like thy old Scullions work again ? or think of returning to thy houle of bondage ? now thou knoweft the pri- viledges of Chi ills Kingdomes. Great Princes, who frombak- neffe and beggery have afcended to Kingdomes and Empires , (to adde to the joy of their prefent honour) have delighted to 'peak often of their bale birth ; to go and fee the mean cottages where theywere &ft entertained, and had their birth and breed- ing, and the like. And 'tis not unufeful for the Chrittian to look in at the grate, to fee the fmokie hole where once he lay,to view thechainswherewith he was laden, and fo to compare Chrifts Court,& the dtvils prifon;the felicity of the one, and the horror of the other together. But when we do our heft to affe6t our hearts with this mercy by all the inhancing aggravations we can find out.Alas,howlitde a portion of it ibalwe knowhereithis is a nirnitens
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