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2. Spiritual joy. Te ball go out with joy--the mountains and the hills fhall break forth before you into finging, and all the trees of the field fhall clap their hands. There was great joy at the deliverance of the people of God out of their Babylonian captivity. Pfal. cxxvi. 1, 2. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with finging. And in our text the mountains, and hills, and trees of the field, are reprefented as rejoicing, in their joy and deliverance. Which myftically means, the great rejoicing there is, at the bring ing finners out of their fpiritual captivity. This is matter of greatest joy.

3. Spiritual peace. Te fhall be led forth with peace. As the people of God were led along from Babylon to Judea quietly and peaceably; fo fhall true penitents enjoy peace and quietnefs in their paffage from fin, to grace, and glory. Their repentance fhall be followed with abundance of peace.....Hence note,

DocT. Repenting finners fhall be brought out of their Spiritual captivity with joy and peace.Here feveral Propofitions.

PROP. I. Sinners in the ftate of nature, are under Spiritual captivity. Their ftate, is a state of bondage. All natural men, are fpiritual captives. Particularly,

1. They are captives to the justice of God, Sinners are traytors and rebels againft, God: And hence the juftice of God holds them as its prifoners. They are bound under the condemning power of the law of God. And therefore they are faid to be by nature children of wrath (Epb. ii. 3.) that is, fuch to whom wrath is due, and against whom wrath is denounced, by the righteous fentence of the law. They ftand bound to fuffer eternal punishment for their fins. Hence we are faid to be bought, out of the hands of divine juftice, by the payment of a price for our re demption. 1 Cor. vi. 20. For ye are bought with d

price. So 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. Ye were redeemed--with the precious blood of Chrift. Jefus Chrift, by fhedding his precious blood for us, made full fatisfaction to the infinite juftice of God, and fo freed us from our bondage to divine wrath.

2. Sinners are captives to Satan. The Devil, when he firft affaulted man with his temptations, gained a victory over him. And now men naturally are captives to him, as being conquered by him; and by the juft judgment of God, are left under his power. And therefore finners are faid to be led captive by him at his will. 2 Tim. ii. 26. He tyrannifes over them, and works in them. Eph. ii. 2. He continually tempts them, and drives them on to all manner of evil. Great is the power, which Satan has over natural men. They obey him as their father. Joh. viii. 44. Te are of your father the Devil; and the lufts of your father ye will do. They ferve him as their god. And therefore he is

called the god of this world. 2 Cor. iv. 4. They do practically own him for their god, by yielding fubjec tion to him, rather than to God, the true and living God.

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3. Sinners are captives to fin. Indwelling fin bearsrule in them. That's the principle, which governs them. They are under the dominion of fin, fo as to Be the fervants of fin, and obey it in the lufts thereof, Rom. vi. 12, 17. and Tit. iii. 3. We our felves were fome times foolifb, ferving divers lufts and pleafures. Sin is the law in them, which gives commands to them; and they are obedient thereunto. Natural men's lufts, are their lords, which hold them under their power. And bence wicked men are faid to be bolden with the cords of their fins, (Prov. v. 22.) which partly means, that they are held faft by the ftrength of their lufts, kept under the full power and dominion thereof.Thus for the first Propofition.

PROP. 2. Repenting finners fhall be brought out of this fpiritual captivity. This will be the bleffed privilege of all true penitents.Particularly,

1. They

1. They fhall be delivered from their captivity to the justice of God. This binds finners over to fuffer the punishment due to their fins but now upon their repentance, juftice will let thefe prifoners go free. Their chains of guilt fhall be knocked off, and their obliga. tion to punishment fhall be taken away. For God will grant a full pardon to all repenting finners. Acts iii. 19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your fins may be blotted out. Upon finners repentance, God, for Chrift's fake, will be merciful to their unrighteoufnefs, and their fins and iniquities he will remember no more at all. On the account of the price, which Chrift has paid to the juftice of God for their ranfom, they fhall be fer at liberty from the condemning power of the law of God.

2. They fhall be delivered from their captivity to Satan. When a finner is brought to repentance, he is then turned from the power of Satan unto God. Act. xxvi. 18. He no longer abides in willing fubjection to the temptations of Satan. He is then delivered from the power of darkness, and tranflated into the kingdom of the dear Son of God, Col. i. 13. He is delivered from his flavery to the devil, and made a willing fubject of Jefus Chrift.

3. Thev fhall be delivered from their captivity to fin. No fooner do finners repent, but the cords of their iniquities, with which they were faft bound, are broken afunder. The holy Spirit of God mortifies their lufts, and frees them from the dominion of fin. Rom. vi. 22. But now being made free from fin, and become the fervants of God. They are fet at liberty from the commanding power of their lufts, and yield up themfelves fervants to God. Though their lufts remain and ftir in them, yet they do not reign over them. Though they strive to recover their dominion over them, yet they shall never be able to accomplish it. For God has affured them, that fin fhall no more have dominion over them. Rom. vi. 14. It fhall never have an abfolute, uncontrouled power over them, as it formerly had. Though it may, through

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through its violent workings, carry them away fometimes to particular acts of fin, yet it fhall not hold them under its power; but they fhall rife again by faith and repentance, and fhall be more fet against fin for the time to come. Thus for the fecond Propofition.---

PROP. 3. The deliverance of penitent finners from their spiritual captivity, fhall be with joy. When fin ners are brought to repentance, and refcued from their fpiritual thraldom, it is a matter and occafion of exceeding joy. Particularly here,

1. It is a matter of joy to Jefus Chrift. This is reprefented to us in that parable of the man who rejoiced, in that he had found his sheep that was loft. Luk. xv. 6. Jefus Chrift is the great thepherd, and perifhing finners are his loft fheep. Now when thefe are reduced from their wanderings, and brought home to Jefus Chrift by faith and repentance, it is a ground of rejoicing to him. And the converfion of finners must needs be a matter of joy to him: for thereby Satan's kingdom is leffened, and his own kingdom is enlarged. The Devil has fewer fubjects, and he has more. This affords him a ground for triumph over that implacable enemy to his interest.

2. It is matter of joy to God the Fatbet. This is reprefented to us in the parable of the father's rejoicing at the return of his prodigal fon. Luk. xv. 23, 24. Let us eat and be merry, for this my Jon was dead, and he is alive again, he was loft, and is found. And they began to be merry. And this muft needs be a ground of rejoicing to God, inafmuch as hereby his glory is advanced. For when finners are converted to God, they cease to live to his difhonour, and do now devote themselves to his fervice and glory. They become active inftruments of his praife; making his glory the chief fcope of their lives.

3. It is matter of joy to the holy angels. Evil angels indeed are filled with vexation and trouble at the converfion of finners, but good angels do therein exceed

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ingly rejoice. Luk. xv. 10. There is joy in the prefence of the angels of God, over one finner that repenteth. They rejoice in that glory which redounds to God by the finner's repenting : and they rejoice in the welfare and falvation of the finner in this way of repentance. And hence they do with chearfulness minifter to all true converts, taking fpecial care and charge of them, as thofe

that are dear to Christ.

4. It is matter of joy to the faints of God. The man that found his loft fheep, called together his friends and neighbours to rejoice with him. Luk. xv. 6. And the father in the parable calls upon his fervants to rejoice with him in the return of bis prodigal fon, 22, 23. This gives us to understand, that the friends of Chrift, and the fervants of God, do rejoice in the converfion of finners. They have no greater joy, than to fee finners turn from fin, and walk with God in newness of life. 3 Ep. Job. 3, 4. I have no greater joy, than to hear that my children walk in the truth. Thus Barnabas, a good man, was glad, when he faw the grace of God in the converfion of the Gentiles. Acts xi. 23. Good men do exceedingly rejoice to fee others become good, and joining with them in ferving and glorifying God, here and forever.

5. It is matter of joy to repenting finners themselves. When the people of Ifrael were brought out of their Babylonian captivity, their mouth was filled with laughter, and their tongue with finging. Pfal. cxxvi. 2. There was fuch an overflowing fulnefs of joy and gladness in their hearts, as difcovered itself in their countenance and voice. So fhall it be with all true penitents, who are brought out of their much more doleful fpiritual captivity. Many finners, upon their fincere repentance and first converfion to God, have the oyl of gladnefs plentifully poured out upon them. Thus it was ufually with the converts recorded in the holy fcriptures. They partook of the comforts of the Holy Ghost, at the fame time that they were made partakers of his graces. We frequently read of the holy, refreshing

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joys