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DISCOURSE XIX.

LUKE xiii. 23, 24.

Then faid one unto him, Lord, are there few that be faved ? And he faid unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I fay unto you, will feek to enter in, and fball not be able.

THE fate of the world at the great day is so momentous a point, and in which every man, who is conscious to himself that he is accountable for his actions, is fo nearly concerned, that it is no wonder to find men in every age inquifitive and curious to pry into this event. Hence have arisen Hence have arifen many nice fpeculations concerning God's final judgment of mankind: fometimes we are asked, whether, confiftently with the declarations of the Gofpel, any of the heathen world can be faved; and fometimes, whether, the ftrictness of the Gofpel morality confidered, and the vifible corruption of the world, it must not neceffarily come to pass that the far greater part of mankind shall perish everlaftingly.

One of these questions you fee proposed to our

Saviour in the text, Lord, are there few that be faved? You have alfo our Lord's answer in the text, and in the verfes which follow it in St. Luke: an answer applicable not only to this, but to all other queftions of the like import; and which therefore very well deserves your confideration.

For the better understanding of which answer, we muft confider, whence it is that men, not content to examine themselves by the law of God, and to learn from thence how their own cafe ftands, are for launching out into the myfteries of God's judgments, and inquiring how it shall fare with this or that nation at the general judgment, and whether many or few fhall be faved at the laft.

Whoever will examine into the bottom of men's thoughts upon this fubject, will find that the conclufion they make is commonly influenced by the confideration of their own circumftances. Every man in this case takes care of himself, and leaves the way open to his own falvation, how strongly soever he bars it against others. The great advocates of election and reprobation always reckon themfelves in the number of the elect; and, that their iniquities, of which they are often conscious, may not rife up against them, they maintain that the act of man cannot make void the purpose of God, or the fins of the elect deprive them of the benefit of God's eternal decree. Thus fecured, they defpife the virtues and moral attainments of all men, and doom them with all their virtues to deftruction; whilst they advance themselves with all their fins to a throne of glory prepared for them before the world began.

Akin to this was his conceit who afked our Saviour, the question, Are there few that fhall be faved? The Jews were God's peculiar people, and enjoyed very great privileges: unto them were committed the oracles of God; to them pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the fervice of God, and the promises. But, not content with these privileges, and being thus diftinguished by God, they will hardly allow God to have any thing to do with the reft of the world, unlefs it were by fevere judgments to afflict and to destroy them. With regard to these prejudices it is that St. Paul puts the question to his countrymen, Is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not alfo of the Gentiles? And we know full well that the Gofpel of Chrift gave greater offence to the Jews in no one particular, than in opening the door of falvation to the Gentile world; they looked upon all nations, but their own, to be unclean, and accounted it an unlawful thing for a man that was a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation: and St. Peter was fo poffeffed with this opinion, that he stood in need of a special warning from heaven, before he would baptize the honeft centurion Cornelius. Upon the foot of this prejudice the question is put to our Lord, Are there few that shall be saved? He who knew what was in man, and understood their fecret thoughts, gave an answer which went to the bottom of the inquirer's heart, and without doubt touched him to the quick; There fhall, fays he, be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall fee Abraham and Ifaac and Jacob, and all the Prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thruft out. And

they shall come from the eaft, and from the weft, and

from the north, and from the fouth, and shall fit down in the kingdom of God. And behold there are laf which fhall be firft, and there are firft which fhall be laft. This part of the answer was levelled directly against the Jewish prejudice, and is a plain declaration that the falvation of God fhould be extended to eaft and weft, north and fouth, to people of all parts of the world; and that many, who thought themselves alone entitled to God's favour in virtue of their peculiar privileges, fhould for their misconduct and misbehaviour be finally excluded from his presence.

The controverfy which has been managed among Chriftians, concerning the falvation of the heathen world, turns upon quite another point than the Jewish prejudice did. It carries not with it the fame contempt of mankind. The Jews thought none worthy to be fons of God but themfelves: Christians think all worthy, and are defirous that all fhould be made partakers of the glory of God. The Jews thought no nation but their own capable of being received into the covenant of God, and therefore doomed all to destruction without remedy: the Chriftian thinks every nation capable of being admitted into the covenant of Chrift; his only doubt is, whether any nation, not received into the covenant, is capable of the benefits of it. But then confidering the infinite numbers of men already dead, without any knowledge of the Gospel, and the great number still which probably will die in the fame circumftance; this notion entertained by fome Christians, with respect to such persons, seems to be as peremptory and relentless as the prejudice

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