Even though a person should feel himself like a prisoner under actual sentence of death, let him not despond —
[It is in hell only that men are prisoners of despair : whilst they are in this world, the worst amongst them is only a " pi-isoncr of hope ; and to such there is a special promise from God himself: " Turn you to the strong-hold, ye prisoners of hope : even to-day do I declare that I will render double unto you*^." Whatever your deserts of judgment have been, God will award to you a " double" measure in a way of mercy. God even condescends to assume tliis as his own character, whereby he may be known, even as clearly as by his works of creation, or the dispensations of his providence. " The Lord God is he who made the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is : who keepeth truth for ever : who executeth judgment for the oppressed; who giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners : the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind : the Lord raiseth up them that are bowed down : the Lord loveth the righteous'^." To them in a peculiar manner he had respect in the gift of his Son ; as our Lord himself has said : " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor : he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted ; to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind ; to set at liberty them that are bruised ; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord^." Only conceive of a poor wretch that has wasted all his substance, and sold himself for a slave, returning in an instant, at the sound of the trumpet, to the enjoyment of liberty, and of all his possessions ; and then you have a just view of God's dealings with the most abject prisoners of hope, the very instant that they call upon him. Let every one, then, take courage, however desperate his state may appear: for this is the true character of Jehovah ; and such he will approve himself to be to all who come to him in his Son's name.]
And now let me entreat you all to seek him with- out delay —
[" Now is the accepted time ; now is the day of salvation." O beloved Brethren, " seek ye the Lord, while he may be found ; call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon^."]
c Zech. ix. 12. d Ps. cxlvi. 5—8.
e Luke iv. 18, 19. f Isai. Iv. 6, 7.