flictions, yet, he will give us Grace and Strength to bear them, and, after that, reward us for them, by encreafing our Glory in the next World, in Proportion to the Difficulty we had to ftruggle with, in his Service, in this.

And this is all I have to fay upon this Argument.

SERMON

SERMON VI.

LUKE XIII. 23.

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

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N Purfuance of the Argument I have been lately difcourfing of in another Place, and which I told you I would go on with as I had Opportunity; I mean to treat now of two other Things (different from those I then fpoke to) and which are often the Occafion of great Difturbances to the Minds of fome melancholy People among us; and for that Purpose, I have now pitched upon the Words I have read unto you.

As for those that out of Curiofity defire to be fatisfied about the Point here propofed to our Saviour, concerning the Fewness of the Saved (which feems to have been the Temper of those that asked this Question in my Text) they ought to have no other Anfwer, VOL. III.

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than what our Saviour here gives: Which indeed is not a direct Answer to the Question, but good Advice to the Propofer of it. When one faid unto him, Lord, are there few that fhall be faved? Jefus anfwered, Strive to enter in at the frait Gate, for many shall feek to enter in, and shall not be able. By which Words he doth not declare whether few or many fhall enter into Life; but he feriously addreffeth himself to him that made the Question, and the reft of the Company, that they fhould take care to be found in the Number of those that should; for this did infinitely concern them: But it did not at all concern them to know how few, or how many fhould be faved.

This, undoubtedly, is the Defign of our Saviour's Reply; but yet, it is often interpreted to other Purposes.

Our Saviour, as fome are apt to think, doth not fo much intend by these Words to reprefent the great Neceffity there is that we should all take Pains, and strive, and labour to approve our felves his chearful Difciples, and by that means to fave our own Souls (which is that I have now faid to be his Defign) as to declare to his Hearers the Fewness of thofe that, after all their Pains, and Labour, and Sollicitude about their everlafting Salvation, fhall attain to it; and they gather from thefe Words of his, thefe two Doctrines.

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Firft, That the Number of those that shall be faved, is exceeding small.

Secondly, That a great many may strive, and take Pains to go to Heaven, and yet fhall fail of their Ends at laft; not fo much for the want of Sincerity, as because they are not in the Number of thofe that God has decreed to be faved.

Such Conclufions as thefe, very wellmeaning People are apt to draw from this Text, and fome others: And in truth, the Use they make of them is no way to their own Advantage; for they make fuch Appli cation of them to themselves, as renders their Lives very uncomfortable; by filling them with Frights and difinal Apprehenfions concerning their own Condition, tho' otherwife, they be never fo defirous and ftudious to recommend themfelves to God, by an innocent and devout Life.

The Truth is, among all the troublesome Reflections that are apt to fall into the Minds of devout People (efpecially if they have any Dose of Melancholy in their Conftitutions) there is nothing that more disturbs them, nothing that more hinders them from the Enjoyment of themselves, or more discou rages them from a vigorous and chearful Profecution of a holy Life, than these two Thoughts: Firft, The extream Fewnefs of those that shall be faved. Secondly, The Uncertainty they are in, whether they be in the Number of thofe that are elected to Salvation. I think

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I think therefore, it may do fome Service to difcourfe a little upon these two Points, and to open this Text, and two or three more which relate to this Bufiness, being confident that if they be put into their true Light, they will not caufe frightful Ideas to melancholy Perfons among us, as they fometimes do.

But in attempting this, I would not have any of you think that I am going to confute thefe two Doctrines, upon which these melancholy Fancies are grounded. I would not have you think, that I am going to prove, that among the Mafs of Mankind, there is a greater Number that fhall be faved, than fhall be damned, or that fome People may be faved, tho' they be not elected of God to Salvation from Eternity. No, these are Things that never entred into my Head, and I fhould be loth to give fuch a bad Example to others, as I muft needs do, if I fhould pretend to meddle with fuch Points as these, in the Pulpit.

My Business is only this, To offer such Confiderations, to tender and afflicted Spirits, about these two Points, that may convince them, that they have no Reason to draw from hence fuch melancholy Inferences as they are wont to do: That these Points do not in truth much concern them; but they may, and ought to live chearfully and comfortably, and to go on vigorously in the Ways of Vertue, not doubting of God's Fa

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