Book IV. WICKED MEN coMPARED TO CAPTIVES. 763 C A P T I V E. P A R A L L E L. and make an efcape. It is called a Pit, yea, an horrible Pit, or Pit of Noife, Pfal. xl. 2 . Some underfl:and, David means the Depth of AflhEtwns; others, the hornble State of Unregeneracy, or deep Alienation from the Life of God, wherein is heard t)O– thing but the fearful and hideous Noife of an accufing Confcience, and Wrath of an angr"y God. It is a Pit wherein is .no Water, viz. no_Soul Comfort nor Refrelliment, &c. beina under the Power and 1 yranny of Satan, Zech. tx. 1 I. Vll. S~me Pcrfons, when they VII. Wicked Men are not only Captives, and are taken captive, and put into put into a bottomlefs Prifon, but they are alfn Prifon, and allo bound with Iron boLmd. I perceive thou art in the Gall of Bitternefs, Chains, or Fetters of Brals, their and in the Bond of Iniquity, ./1{/s viii. 23. Hence Eyes allo have been put out. Thus the Prophet fpeaking of Chrif1:, faith, He bath rhe Kina of Bab)'lon ferved Zedefent me to bind up the Broken-hearted, to proclaim kiah Kit~g ofJudab, when JerufaLiberty to the Captives, and the opening of the Pri– lem was raken : And they fle-w the fon to them that are bound, !fa. In I. Every un– Sons of Zedcktah before his E)'Cs, godly Man, whillt he remains in Satan's Kingdom, and put ot<t the Eyes of Zedekiah, is bound with (lrong Bonds: Firf1:, the Bond of a and boundbun with Fetters of Brafs, hard Heart; fecondly, the Bond of Ignorance; and carriedhimto!3abylon, 2 Kings thirdly, the Bond of Unbelief: "Which they are xxv. 7· no way able to break afunder, or get our of, Jer. v. 3· ..rffis 26. 18. And by this Means they are fir for any Drudgery the Devil hath for them to Jo, the Eyes of their Underfl:anding being darkened, or put out. Ye that were fometimes in Darknefs, &c. Eph. v. 8. VHI Some Perlons that have Vlll. Wicked Men, who are the Captives of been !n Capti vity have been almof1: Sin and Satan, are kept at hard Commons; they fiarvect to Death, having had little never yet had the lcaf1: Tafl:e of that which is really more than Bread and Water affordgood, but they jpend their Jl;foney for that which is ed them, nay, have been forced to not Bread, and their L abor for that which fatisfieth eat fuch Things as were not fit for not. And therefore faith God, Hearken diligently Food. unto me, and eat tbat which is good, and let )'Our ' Soul delight itfelj in r(Jtnefs, !fa. lv. I, 2. Pray obferve what the Holy Ghof1: compares the Food of ungodly Sinners to: Firf1:, They are f.1id to feed on the Wind; fecondly, To feed on Allies; thirdly, On Gravel; and fourthly, On 1-:lufks. The P rodigal would fain have filled his Belly with the Hufl< whtch the Swine did ear. Should a poor Captive have nothing allowed him to eat, but Hufks, Gravel, or Allies, all would conclude his Condition to be very mi– ferahle : So miferable are all ungodly Smners, !fa. xliv. 20. Hof xit. I. Prov. xx. 17· Ala~ ! all the Pleafures, R iches and Honors of this World, or whatfoever it is that they feed upon, or let their Hearts run out after, are in Comparifon of Chrif1: the Bread of Life, and thofe other good Things which Believers daily feed and fea!t upon, but as feeding on Hu(ks and Gravel. If Men naturally have no Food to eat, they will pine away, and loon die : So were it not for thofe earthly Comforts, that the Un,odly have to feed upon, and fupport their Spirits with, though you fee what the Natu~·e of thel)l is, they would foon pine away. Do but difpo!fefs them of any of thefe earthly Enjoymenrs, and their Beans, like the Heart of !"abal, would prefenrly die in them; for they never ratted how good the Lord JS, how lweet Promifes are, what it is to have the Love and Favor of God; never tafl:ed of the Feaf1: of a good Confcience, nor of the Comforts o( the Holy Ghof1:, Pfal. xxxiv. 8. IX . Some Perlon' that have IX. The Wicked are not only Captives of the been taken captive, have been Devil, fl:ript of all their .firf1: Righteoufnefs, in grievoufiv wounded; they have not Prifon, in iron Chains, almo1l: fiarved ro Dea[h only been fJ:ripr, put into Prifon, fpirirually; .but alia they are wounded from the and almoft ttarved ro death, but Sole of the Foot to the Head, there is no Soundnefs alia have lain there in a fad, bloody, in it, but V?ounds, and Bruifes, andputrif;ing Sores, and man~led Condition, and their Ifa. i. 6. Some conclude, that the Prophet fpeaks Wounds let alone to fetter, fl:ink, of the Body Politic, or National Church of the and be very loathfome. Jews, which was under great Afll:Etion, and fo was that way forely wounded. But doubrlefs the Wounds and Sicknefs fpoken of here, were thofe Sins and abominable Evils that Peo– ple were guilry of; which appears from what is la.d by the Lord in the firf1: Verfe, 2 Wry
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