“Now, suppose that the doomed criminal were a filthy, unclean harlot, imprisoned for a crime, or for having herself alone committed (if it were possible) all the wickednesses and sins ever perpetrated by the whole world, for which she were condemned to the most shameful death that could be devised; and the King should send his only, beloved son from his kingdom and glory into great poverty, imprisonment, suffering and an innocent death, in the stead of the unclean harlot, who by all manner of contempt and evil-doing had angered the King, and merited death a thousand times, but is now nevertheless, out of grace, through the death of the King’s son (on condition of her amending) reconciled to the King, made at peace with him, liberated from prison, and delivered from death, and remains alive, a partaker and heir of all the riches of the King; ought she not to accept this great love and grace, love the King, amend her ways, and be greatly afraid of vexing the King any more all her life, who cleansed her, forgave all her evil deeds, paid all her debts, espoused her as his beloved queen, exalted her into his glory, and protected her as himself from all enemies? But if she should not amend (according to her promise), should again anger the King, and do worse than before, were this not great ingratitude, worthy of sorer punishment than before? Hereby we may prove ourselves, whether we that are redeemed through the grace of God, also keep the promise of amendment. And though all this were to happen thus, a thing which was never heard of or seen, nor ever occurred; yet, since it were but temporal and of short duration, it is not an adequate comparison to that which is eternal and intransient, namely, the love of God, which has come to us through Christ his beloved Son.
“For God so loved the condemned world, his enemy, steeped as it was in sin, and lying in wickedness, that he spared not his only Son, but sent him from his glory in heaven, and delivered him up to the ignominious and cursed death of the cross, that whosoever believeth, should not perish or be condemned, but, through the love, mercy and grace made manifest through Christ, be acquitted, blessed, redeemed, cleansed from sin, protected from the wrath to come, wooed, wedded and exalted as his chosen bride, obedient wife (Hos. 2:20), and glorious queen, and his eternal and imperishable kingdom, and live with joy unspeakable; whereas we were so unclean in our sins, polluted in our blood, no one attending to us (Ezek. 16), taken captive by the devil at his will, and sentenced by God, according to his justice, to eternal death and damnation.
“Now let us well consider and advise with ourselves, according to the simile of the criminal, imprisoned harlot under the sword or at the stake. Let us well examine ourselves, whether we have risen from our sins, amended, and still daily amend, and whether we have rightly accepted, by the faith which worketh by love, this love, grace and redemption of God, made manifest through Christ, and whether we in return love God, keep his commandments, and are afraid of offending him.
“The world was by nature corrupted by sin, and judged or sentenced to condemnation, so that Christ did not come to judge or to condemn that which was already judged, but to redeem from judgment and condemnation all those who rightly, by faith, accept his grace (Tit. 2:11), that is, those who die unto and forsake their sinful life, repent and amend; in a word, those who are born again, and live after the Spirit (John 3; Rom. 8), as the Scriptures abundantly testify in many places.
“But the others, who do not rightly accept, by faith, unto the amendment of their entire life, according to the holy word of the Lord, this love, grace and redemption, abide notwithstanding, held captive by their sins, under the condemnation and wrath of God, and will on account of their unbelief, impenitence and unrighteousness not see the kingdom of God, nor inherit eternal life, because they still continue in sin, and thus cannot receive redemption and forgiveness of sins; and if they have once received it, yet, when their new sins exceed the old ones, it may go worse with them than before, because they are so ungrateful, and do not keep their promise of amendment. For Christ bore our sins in his own body on the tree of the cross (on this condition of our amendment), that we believers, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we were healed. For we were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. 1 Pet. 2:24,25. From this we may clearly perceive, that those who do not die unto their sins, nor live according to righteousness, are not yet healed or redeemed by the stripes and death of Christ; for they are not yet by faith returned unto God, from their sins, wherein they still live. Hence they in vain assure themselves, of eternal life, and of their redemption by the death of Christ, since they are still bound by their sins. Either they must turn from their sins to God, obediently to serve him all the days of their life, in all holiness and righteousness of faith which is pleasing in his sight; or they still remain captive, unbelieving and condemned, as the Scriptures declare more abundantly than I can designate; for I have never had a Bible in prison. Let each examine himself. 2 Cor. 13:5.