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of joys unfpeakable and full of glory. And who would not ftrive to enter in at that gate, which leads to fo much felicity? Can a man poffibly take too much pains, be at too much trouble for a few days; to be happy for ever?

So often as I confider what incredible industry men ufe for the things of this life, and to get a small portion of this world, I am ready to conclude, that either men do not believe the rewards of another world, or that they do not understand them ; else they could not think much to be at the fame pains for heaven, that they can chearfully beftow for the obtaining of thefe corruptible things. Can we be fo unconscionable, as to think God unreasonable, when he offers heaven and everlafting happinefs to us upon as eafy terms, as any thing in this world is ordinarily to be had? And are not we very foolish and unwife, to put away eternal life from us, when we may have it upon terms fo infinitely below the true worth and value of it?

I have now done with the three things which I propounded to fpeak to from the first part of thefe words, which are so many arguments to enforce the exhortation here in the text; to ftrive to enter in at the ftrait gate, and to give all diligence, by the course of a holy and virtuous life, to get to heaven; and we may affure ourselves, that nothing less than this will bring us thither. So our Saviour tells us, in the latter part of the text; that many shall feek to enter in, and fhall not be able. I proceed now to the

Second part of the text; the reafon or argument whereby this exhortation is enforced; Strive to enter in at the ftrait gate; for many, I say unto you, shall feek to enter in, and shall not be able. Every feeking to enter in will not gain our admiffion into heaven; therefore there must be ftriving: For men may do many things in religion, and make feveral faint attempts to get to heaven, and yet at laft fall fhort of it, for want of earnest contention and endeavour, which is neceffary to the attaining of it. We must make religion our bufinefs, and fet about it with all our might, and perfevere and hold out in it, if

ever we hope to be admitted to heaven; for many fhall feek to enter, that shall be shut out.

Now what this feeking is, which is here oppofed to striving to enter in at the ftrait gate, our Saviour declares after the text, ver. 25. When once the mafter of the house is rifen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, faying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he Shall answer and fay unto you, I know you not whence you are; then fhail ye begin to fay, we have eaten and drunk in thy prefence, and thou haft taught in our Streets; but he fhall say, I tell you, I know you not whence you are: depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. St. Matthew mentions fome other pretences which they should make; upon which they should lay claim to heaven, Matth. vii. 21, 22, 23. Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will fay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name? and in thy name have caft out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profefs unto them, I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity. After all their feeking to enter in, and notwithstanding all these pretences, they fhall be fhut out, and be for ever banifhed from the prefence of God. This fhall be their doom, which will be much the heavier, because of the disappointment of their confident expectation and hope. So St. Luke tells us, ver. 28, 29. There shall 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 thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the fouth, and fhall fit down in the kingdom of God. To which St. Matth. adds, chap. viii. 12. But the children of the kingdom fhall be caft out into outer darkness: there fhall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And then our Saviour concludes, Luke xiii. 30. And behold there are last which shall be firft, and there are firft which shall be laft. From all which it appears,

with what confidence many men, upon these false pretences, (which our Saviour calls feeking to enter in) fhall lay claim to heaven, and how ftrangely they fhall be disappointed of their expectation and hope, when they fhall find themfelves caft out of heaven, who they thought had outdone all others in religion, and were the only members of the true church, and the children and heirs of the kingdom; and fhall fee others, whom they thought to be out of the pale of the true church, and excluded from all terms of falvation, come from all quarters, and find free admiflion into heaven; and fhall find themselves fo grofsly and widely mistaken, that thofe very persons whom they thought to be laft, and of all others fartheft from falvation, fhall be first; and they themfelves, whom they took for the children of the kingdom, and fuch as fhould be admitted into heaven in the first place, fhall be rejected and caft out.

So that by feeking to enter, we may understand all thofe things which men may do in religion, upon which they fhall pretend to lay claim to heaven, nay, and confidently hope to obtain it; and yet fhall be fhamefully disappointed, and fall fhort of it. Whatever men think, and believe, and do in religion, what privileges foever men pretend, what ways and means foever men endeavour to appease the Deity, and to recommend themselves to the divine favour and acceptance, all this is but feeking to enter in, and is not that striving which our Saviour requires. If men do not do the will of God, but are workers of iniquity, it will all fignify nothing to the obtaining of eternal happiness.

Our Saviour here inftanceth in mens profeffion of his religion, calling him Lord, Lord; in their perfonal familiarity and converfation with him, by eating and drinking in his prefence and company; in their having heard him preach the doctrine of life and falvation, thou hast taught in our streets; in their having prophefied and wrought great miracles in his name and by his power, Have not we prophefied in thy name? and in thy name caft out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? These were

great

great and glorious things which they boasted of; and yet nothing of all this will do, it men do not the. will of God; notwithstanding all this, he will fay unto them, I know you not whence you are; depart from me ye workers of iniquity.

And by a plain parity of reafon, whatever elfe men do in religion, what attempts foever men may make to get to heaven, upon what privileges or pretences foever they may lay claim to eternal life, they will certainly fall fhort of it, if they do not the will of God, but are workers of iniquity. My bufiness therefore at this time fhall be, to discover the feveral falfe claims and pretences which men may make to heaven, and yet fhall never enter into it. And to this purpose I fhall inftance in feveral particulars, by one or more of which men commonly delude themfelves, and are apt to entertain vain and ill-grounded hopes of eternal falvation.

ft, Some trust to the external profession of the true religion.

2dly, Others have attained to a good degree of knowledge in religion, and they rely much upon

that.

3dly, There are others that find themselves much affected with the word of God, and the doctrines contained in it.

4thly, Others are very ftrict and devout in the external worfhip of God.

5thly, Others confide much in their being members of the only true church, in which alone falvation is to be had, and in the manifold privileges and advantages which therein they have above others of getting to heaven.

6thly, Others think their great zeal for God and his true religion will certainly fave them.

7thly, Others go a great way in the real practice of religion.

8thly, Others rely much upon the fincerity of their repentance and converfion, whereby they are put into a ftate of grace, and become the children of God, and heirs of everlasting life; and being once truly

fo,

fo, they can never fall from that state, so as finally to mifcarry.

Laftly, Others venture all upon a death-bed repentance, and their importunity with God to receive them to mercy at the laft.

I fhall briefly go over thefe particulars, which are the feveral ways whereby men feek to enter into heaven, and hope to get thither at laft; and fhall fhew the infufficiency of them; and that there is fomething beyond all this neceffary to be done for the attainment of everlasting falvation.

:

ift, Some trust to the mere external profeffion of the true religion, and think it enough to call Christ, Lord, Lord; to be baptized in his name, and thereby to be admitted members of the Chriftian church. What the Apoftle fays of the profeffion of the Jewifh religion, and the outward badge of it, circumcifion, may be applied to the profeffion of Christianity made in baptifm, Rom. ii. 17, 25, 28, 29 Behold thou art called a Few, and refteft in the law, and makeft thy boast of God. Circumcifion verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcifion is made uncircumcifion: For he is not a few that is one outwardly, neither is that circumcifion which is outward in the flesh but he is a Few which is one inwardly; and circumcifion is that of the heart, in the fpirit, and not in the letter. The cafe is the fame of thofe who make only an outward profeffion of Chriftianity. Baptifm verily profiteth, if we perform the condition of that covenant which we entered into by baptifm; but if we do not, our baptifm is no baptifm: For he is not a Chriftian which is one outwardly, nor is that baptifm which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Chriftian which is one inwardly, and baptifm is of the heart, in the fpirit, and not in water only. So St. Peter tells us, 1 Pet. iii. 21. that baptifm is not only the washing of the body with water, and the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good confcience towards God.

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