Secondly. It is the delivery of one in captivity. All men, consi- dered in the state of sin and alienation from God, are in captivity. Hence they are said to be "captives," and to be "bound in prison," Isa. Ixi. 1. And the work of Christ is to "bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness" (that is, in the dungeon) " out of the prison-house," Isa. xlii. 7. He says "to the prisoners. Go forth ; to them that are in darkness. Show yourselves," chap. xlix. 9 : as it is eminently expressed, Zech. ix. 11, "As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water." Here are prisoners, prisoners belonging to the daughter of Zion; for unto her, the church, he speaks, verse 9, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion." Those other sheep of the fold of Christ, not yet gathered when this promise was given, are spoken of; and they are " in the pit wherein is no water ;" — a pit for security to detain them, that they may not escape; and without Avater, that they may in it find no refreshment. How are these prisoners de- livered? By the blood of his covenant of whom he speaks: see verse 9, " Behold, thy King cometh unto thee : he is just, and having salvation ; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." It is a description of Christ when he rode to Jerusalem, to
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514 VINDICIiE EVANGELICiE.
seal and confirm the covenant for the deUverance of the prisoners with his own blood ; which is therefore called " The blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified/' Heb. x. 29. Hence in the next verse, "Prisoners of hope" is a description of the elect, Zech. ix. 12,
So also are they called captives expressly: Isa. xlix. 25, "Thus saith the LoED, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered," Those who were in their captivity a prey to Satan, that mighty and cruel one, shall be de- livered. And who shall do this? " The Lord thy Saviour and thy Kedeemer, the mighty One of Jacob," verse 26. He proclaims "liberty to the captives," Isa. Ixi. 1, Luke iv. 18, And this is given in as the great fruit of the death of Christ, that upon his conquest of it he " led captivity captive," Ps. Ixviii. 18, Eph. iv. 8, — that is, either captivity actively, Satan who held and detained his in cap- tivity, or passively, those who were in captivity to him.
Thus being both prisoners and captives, they are said to be in bondage. Christ gives us liberty from that yoke of bondage, Gal. V. 1 ; and men are in bondage by reason of death all their days, Heb. ii. 15. There is, indeed, nothing that the Scripture more abounds in than this, that men in the state of sin are in prison, captivity, and bondage, — are prisoners, captives, and slaves.
Concerning this two things are considerable: — 1. The cause of men's bondage and captivity, deserving or procuring it. 2. The effi- cient, principal cause of it, to whom they are in captivity,
1, As for the first, as it is known, it is sin. To all this bondage and captivity men are sold by sin. In this business sin is considered two ways: —
(1.) As a debt, whereof God is the creditor. Our Saviour hath taught us to pray for the forgiveness of our sins under that notion, Matt. vi. 12, "Apes hl-'^'iv '"« (XpuXrajjara rj/m^uv, — " Remit to US our debts." And in the parable of the lord and his servants, Matt, xviii. 28-35, he calls it ri ddvsiov, verse 27, and to o(psiX6[/,ivov, verse SO, " due debt;" all which he expounds by -TrapairTUfj.aTo,, verse 35, — " offences" or " transgressions." Debt makes men liable to prison for non-pay- ment; and so doth sin (without satisfaction made) to the prison of hell. So our Saviour expresses it, Matt, v, 25, 26, "Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him ; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee. Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." On this account are men prisoners for sin : They are bound in the prison-house because they have wasted the goods of their Master, and contracted a debt that they are no way able to pay ; and if it be not paid for them, there they must lie to eternity. All mankind were cast into prison for that great debt
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tliey contracted in Adam, in their trustee. Being there, instead of making any earnings to pay the debt already upon them by the kiw, they contract more, and increase thousands of talents. But this use of the words " debt" and "prison," applied to sin and punishment, is metaphorical.
(2.) As a crime, rebellion, transgression against God, the great governor and judge of all the world. The criminalness, rebellion, transgression, the disobedience that is in sin, is more or less expressed by all the words in the original whereby any sins are signified and called. Now, for sin considered as rebellion are men cast into prison, captivity, and bondage, by way of judicial process and punishment.