Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-03-11
THE MAN IN PRISON.
He Is the One Whom Christ Came to
Set at Liberty.
Sin Rears HideOus Walls Around tn 10
Soul which Only Jesus Can Break
Down-Se by "HIghway
and Byvny" Preacher.
Copyright. 1903. by A n. Kellogg News
paper Col

doors and grated windows rise be
fore us as we speak of prison, and
behind these strong walls and barred
windows in the dingy, bare cell, with
it's low. hard bunk and its single
wooden chair, we find the despond-
ent, desperate, hopeless man. The
Man in Prison, all, what a sad sad
sight. Dead to the world, shut into
a living tomb, the narrow confines OF
the prison walls his world, the
crampcd, dark cell his home; oh
what miserable, distressing condi-
ton. This is the picture You draw
as we speak to you of the Man in
Prison, and it is the picture Of Il
condition which the eye of man may
behold in any state or large city of
this land. But all prisons are not
built of wood, stone and iron by the
hand of man, and all prisoners arc
not found locked i'm narrow cells Let
the eye of the soul look in the direc-
ton which God points. and it Will be
hold prison walls rising which are
more awful than any which state or
nation can rear, and behind which
there are more hopclcssness. and
despair, more blackneSs and suffering
than were ever able to crowd into a
man made prison. Sin has buildcd
walls over which the soul cannot
climb, il has rooted over those walls
so that Heaven is shut out, il has
holtcd the great iron gates and given
Satan the key. The Man in Prison
whom we wish to talk about is the
man whose soul is shut within the
prlSonhousc of sin. and whom only
Jesus Christ can set free.
Our text is Christ's own words. lie
had Just been in conversation with
the Jews. who had been boastimg
that they were Abraham's seed. and
had never been i'm bondage to any
man. His reply was: "Nerily. verify.
j say unto you, Whosoever commit
teth sin is the servant (bond slaye)
of sin And then He went on 80
declare that, "if the Son shall make
you free, We shall he free indeed"
Isaiah. the prophet, IN foretclling the
coming of Christ, plainly said that
the Lord was TO anOint Him at His
coming 'to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the
prison TO them that are bound" And
this word of Isaiah Jesus used as His
text when he formally began His
ministry, and He said: This day is
this Scripture fulfilled in your ears"
And then he set to work breaking
down prison walls and setting cap
tives free. Wherever He went prison
doors yielded instantly to His touch.
and the prisoners were set at liberty
The devil-poss essed were unfcttered
from their cruel bondage. Eyes shut
in the dark dungeon Of blindness
were brought out to rejoice in tho
light. Limbs and bodies shackled by
deformity and disease were dcliv.
cred from the distress and Iimita-
tions which bound them. Dead bod
les heard the authoritative summons
which split the prisonhouse of death.
and they came forth to new life and
liberty. Dead souls buried under tie
awful we ght Of sin which was crush
ing them into hell heard the words.
Thy sins are forgiven thee" and the
mountain load Of iniquity was swcTt
away forever And then they felt the
throb Of eternal life surging through
the soul. as the same voice badc
them go in His strength and s.n ne
more. And this same Jesus is with
MS to-day, mighty TO deliver the soul
from the pri> onhousc Of sin
We wish TO use our text 10 throw
light upon prison scene at Philipri.
as described i'm the sixteenth chapter
Of Acts. And i'm turn we wish to a.
illuminate our text by the wonderful
events which made IL memorable
nj Il