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SERMON I.

MISTAKES CONCERNING THE NUMBER OF THE RIGHTEOUS.

ROM. xi. 2-4.

Wot ye not what the fcripture faith of Elias? How he maketh interceffion to God against Ifrael, faying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they feek my life. But what faith the answer of God unto him? I have referved to myself seven thousand men, who have not, bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

"WHO can understand his errors ?”

How numerous, how various, how oppofite to each other, are the mistakes of mankind! The lives and the language of many feem to imply a full perfuafion, that there is very little evil in fin; that the difficulties of religion are by no means great; that it is an easy thing to be a christian; that if there be a hell, few are wicked enough to be turned into it; and that the generality of our fellow creatures are in a fair way for heaven. This perfuafion is as falfe as it is fatal. "Enter ye in at the ftrait gate: for wide is the gate, "and broad is the way which leadeth to destruction,

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"and many there be which go in thereat because "ftrait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth "unto life, and few there be that find it."

It is poffible, however, to fall into another extreme, and to draw an unwarrantable conclufion refpecting the state of religion, and the number of its adherents; and even wife men, and good men, are liable to this. "Wot ye not what the fcripture faith of Elias? how "he maketh interceffion to God against Ifrael, faying, "Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged "down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they "feek my life. But what faith the anfwer of God "unto him? I have referved to myself seven thoufand "men, who have not bowed the knee to the image "of Baal."

We are going then to examine the opinion that reduces the number of the righteous. We fhall lay open the various fources from which it proceeds, and by discovering the cause, we fhall prescribe the cure.

Sometimes we draw the conclufion from THE PECULIAR STATE OF OUR OWN MINDS. By the indifpofition of the body, or the depreffion of the animał fpirits, our minds are foon affected; we become fad, gloomy, peevish, fufpicious. In this fituation our minds are unhinged, and easily receive a falling motion; we are more alive to the influence of fear than hope; the darker the intelligence, the more credible; one direction is given to every occurrence, and the invariable inference is, "all these things are against "me." And fuch feems to have been the condition of Elijah. His language betrays acrimony, petulancy, and defpair.

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