A Letter from Prison

Francis Bourdillon, 1873

They were bad times for England, when men were put in prison for preaching the gospel. Thank God, it is not so now.

About two hundred years ago there was a faithful minister at Taunton in Somersetshire, called Joseph Alleine. For several years he preached the gospel in that place without hindrance.

It was said of him after his death by his assistant minister, that "he served God with all his might and all his strength; he was abundant in the work of the Lord; he did not go but run in the ways of His commandments; he made haste and lingered not; he ran and was not weary; he walked and was not faint; he pressed hard toward the mark until he attained it; his race was short and swift, and his end glorious. He was infinitely and insatiably greedy of the conversion of souls, wherein he had great success in the time of his ministry. And, to this end, he poured out his very heart in prayer and in preaching; he imparted not the gospel only, but his own soul. His supplications and his exhortations many times were so affectionate, so full of holy zeal, life, and vigor, that they quite overcame his hearers. He melted over them, so that he thawed and mollified and sometimes dissolved the hardest hearts. But while he melted thus—he wasted away, and at last consumed himself."

Upon the passing of the Act of Uniformity in the year 1662, this zealous minister, with many others, was forbidden to preach the gospel. But, thinking that he ought to obey God rather than man, he continued his ministry for some months, until proceedings were taken against him, and he was put into prison. Even there he found something to do for his Master. He was constantly engaged in prayer and preaching, and in religious conversation with his fellow-prisoners and with the people who came to see him; and he wrote many letters to his flock at Taunton. One of these is here printed.

In reading this letter, it must be borne in mind that it was one of many, and that the people to whom it was sent had long heard the truths of the gospel from the writer's lips. He did not think it necessary therefore here to explain everything afresh. He was now driving home the nail, enforcing old lessons, appealing to the heart and conscience. He wrote to those who knew the gospel.

Perhaps it is so with you too, reader. For years, it may be, you also have listened to some earnest and faithful preacher, and listened with pleasure. Yet for all this, you may be like some of those whom the writer had in his mind—indulging some sin, neglecting some known duty, not giving yourself wholly to the Lord, not abiding in the ways of holiness. Or you may be a prayerless soul, or even profane, or intemperate. Yes, you may be even this—and yet be a constant attendant on a faithful ministry. Or you may be halting between two opinions, or staying in the suburbs of the city of refuge—and thus in danger of perishing at the gates. If such is your case, then lay seriously to heart this letter from prison. Put yourself in the place of those who first received it, and doubtless made it wet with their tears; read it as if written to you by name. See here the power of religion. See this prisoner, instead of wasting his time in brooding over his loss of liberty, still full of trust for himself and love to God and care for souls; without a thought of giving up the cause for which he was suffering; but from his very prison urging, entreating, exhorting others to embrace it too. Ah! Be no longer a hearer only. Dwell no longer on the borders of religion, but give your heart to God in Christ. And may this prison-letter bring you on your knees before Him.

But others may read this letter, whose knowledge is less. If Joseph Alleine had been writing to you, he would not have sent off his letter without setting before you plainly the way of salvation. Let me try to do it in his stead.

We are sinners—you and I and all—by nature and by practice. Jesus Christ died to save us. He obeyed the law of God perfectly on our behalf, and with His own precious blood paid our debt. In Him therefore there is salvation for us—free salvation, without money and without price. To obtain a share in it, we must believe on Him with the heart, casting aside all hope or trust in ourselves, and simply laying hold by faith on Jesus Christ. When this is done, a great change takes place. The man becomes a new creature. He has been born again and is now a child of God—and henceforth desires to live to Him.

But this wonderful change, called conversion, can only be wrought by the Holy Spirit. No words of man, no persuasions or entreaties, no sermons or letters—can do it without the Spirit's grace. These are but instruments—the power is His alone.

Such are the doctrines which the writer of this letter held and taught, and such the foundation on which all his exhortations were based. May he, being dead—yet speak; and may his prison words be brought home by the Spirit to your hearts.

"To my dearly beloved, the inhabitants of the town of Taunton,
grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Most Dearly Beloved,
I have been, through mercy, many years with you, and would be willingly as many years a prisoner for you, so that I might eminently and effectually further your salvation. I must again—yes, again and again—thank you for your abundant and entire affection to me, which I value as a great mercy, not in order to myself (if I know my own heart), but in order to your benefit, and that I may thereby be a more likely instrument to further your good.

"Surely, so much as I do value your love—yet had I rather (if I am not unacquainted with myself) be forgotten and forsaken of you all, and buried in oblivion—so that your eyes and hearts might be hereby fixed on Christ and sincerely engaged to Him. Oh, that I might win your hearts universally to Jesus Christ! Oh that I might be instrumental to convert you to Him! I am persuaded that I would much rather choose to be hated of all, so this might be the means to have Christ honored and set up savingly in the hearts of you all.

"And indeed there is nothing great, but in order to God; nothing is much material or considerable, as it is terminated in us. It matters not whether we are in riches or poverty, in sickness or health, in honor or disgrace—just so that Christ may be magnified by us in the condition we are in. Welcome prison and poverty; welcome scorn and envy; welcome pains or contempt—if by these God's glory may be most promoted!

"What are we for, but for God? What does the creature signify, separated from his God? Why, just so much as the cipher separated from the figure; we are nothing, and worth nothing, but in reference to God and His ends. Better were it that we had never been born, than that we should not be devoted to Him! Better that we had not lived, than we should not live unto Him! Better that we had no understanding, than that we should not know Him! Better that we were blocks or brutes, than that we should not use our reason for Him.

"What are our interests, unless as they may be subservient to His interest? What are our esteem or reputation, unless we may hereby glorify Him? Do you love me? I know you do. But who is there that will leave his sins for me—I mean at my request? With whom shall I prevail to give up himself in strictness and self-denial to the Lord? Who will be entreated by me to set upon neglected duties, or reform accustomed sins? Oh, how may you rejoice me? In this, in this, my brethren, in this you shall befriend me—if you obey the voice of God by me, if you be prevailed with to give yourself up thoroughly to the Lord. Would you lighten my burden? Would you loosen my bonds? Would you make glad my heart? Let me hear of your owning the ways of the Lord in adversity, of your coming in, of your abiding and patient continuing in the ways of holiness.

"Oh that I could but hear that the prayerless souls, the prayerless families among you, were now given to prayer! That the profane sinner would be awakened and be induced by the preaching of these bonds, which heretofore would not be prevailed with to leave their drunkenness, their loose company, their lying and deceit and wantonness, by all the threatenings of God that could be pronounced against them, nor all the beseechings, wooings, and entreaties that I was able to use with them!

"Will you not be made pure? When shall it once be? How long shall the patience of God wait for you? How long shall the Lord Jesus stretch out His hands toward you? O sinners, cast yourselves into His arms! Why should you die? Why will you forsake your own mercy? Will you perish, when mercy woos you? Confess and forsake your sins, and you shall find mercy. Will you part with Christ and sell your souls to perdition, for a little ease and delight to your flesh or a little of the gain of unrighteousness or a little ale or vain mirth or loose company? Why, these are the things that part sinners and Christ eternally.

"I know many are spun with a finer thread, and are not so far from the kingdom of God as the prayerless, ignorant, intemperate sort are. But I must once again warn you of staying in the suburbs of the city of refuge. Oh, what pity is it that any should perish at the gates! That any should escape the pollutions of the world, and do many things, yes, and suffer, it may be too—and yet should fall short of the glory of God, for lack of a thorough work of grace!

"O you halting Christians, who halt between Christ and the world—who are as Ephraim, like a cake not turned, who have lamps without oil, that cry 'Lord, Lord!' but do not obey the will of our Father who is in heaven—I tell you, godliness is a heart-work; it goes deep, and spreads far. Unless the frame of your hearts and the drifts of your lives be changed—unless you be universally conscientious and unreservedly delivered up to the Lord, for all times and conditions, whatever be the cost—you are none of Christ's, however far you go in common workings and external performances.

"Hear then, O people, and let not profaneness swallow you up. Let not an almost Christianity deceive you, or ignorance carry you blindfold to perdition. Oh, the thousands and ten thousands that have been undone by one of these! Ah, how often have you been warned against them, lest you should split against these dangerous rocks! 'O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,' said Christ, and 'O Taunton, Taunton,' may I say from Him, 'how often, (who can tell how often?) would God's servants have gathered you, and you would not!'

Many of you would not. But will you now? Will you yet come in? I cannot forbear once more, even out of the prison, to call after poor sinners, and make one more offer of mercy. Oh, come to the waters of life; wash yourself, make yourself clean. Read with diligent observation the melting passages, Proverbs 1:22 to the end; Isaiah 1:16-21, 55:6-10. Oh, you are obdurate sinners—if none of these things move you!

"But for you whose very hearts are set against every sin, and are deliberately resolved for God and holiness before all the world's delight—you who have experience of a thorough change and are brought to have respect to all God's commandments, who will have none but God for your happiness, none but Christ for your treasure, who must and will have Him, come what will come—blessed are you of the Lord! O happy souls, rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice! Let your souls magnify the Lord and your spirits rejoice in God your Savior. Live a life of praise. You are highly favored of the Lord. Your lines have fallen in a pleasant place. Only stick fast to your choice; beware lest any man beguile you of your reward; watch and keep your garments about you, lest you walk naked and men see your shame. Many will be trying to pluck you out of Christ's hands; but the harder they pluck, the harder do you cling and cleave to Him, and the better hold-fast do you take of Him. Blessed is he who overcomes.

"And now, may the God of Heaven fill you all with Himself, and make all grace to abound in you and toward you, and that He may be a Sun to comfort you and a Shield of protection to you, and shine with His happy beams of grace and glory in you all. Farewell in the Lord. I am yours in the bonds of the gospel,
Joseph Alleine, August 28, 1663