Serm.Í,XXL Chriftian. Life confiderd. it, reprefenting it in fo horrid and frightful a Shape, encumber'd with'fuch Diffi- culties, and attended with fuchTroubles and Sufferings, as are infuperable, -and intolerable to Human Nature ; whereby he perfwades Men, that they had better, never attempt it, finte they may defpair to go through with it. On the other hand, thofe who are fanguine and full of hopes, hepoffeffes with a quite contraryApprehenfion ; that the bufinefs of Religion is fo íhort and eaftc a Work, that it may be done at any time, and if need be, at the lad Moment of our Lives, tho' it is not fo well to put it upon the laft hazard ; and by this means, a great part of Mankind are lull'd in fecurity, and adjourn the bufinefs of Religion from tune to time ; and becaufe it is foeaue, and fo much in their Power, they fatisfie themfelves with an indeterminate Refolution to Pet about that bufinefs fome time or other before they die, and fo to repent, and make their Peace with God once for all. Thefe Pretences contradiét one another, and therefore cannot be both true, but they may both be falfe, as indeed they are, and truth lies between them; Reh- gion being neither fo flight and gaffe a Work as fome would have it, nor fo ex- ireamly difficult and intolerable, as others would reprefent it. To confute the falfe apprehenfions which force have of the eafinéfs of it, our Saviour tells us, there muft be forne!hiving; and to fatisfie us, that the difficulties of Religion are not fo great and infuperable, as forne would make them, our Saviour tells us, that thofe who firive fhall fucceed and enter in ; but thofe who only feek, that is, do not vigoroufly fet about the bufinefs of Religion, but only make force faint Attempts to get to Heaven, fhall not be able to enter in. Strive to enter in at the firait Gate ; for many, I fayonto you, will feek to enter in, but fhall not be able. The occafion of which words of our Bleffed Saviour, was aQueftion, that was put to him, by one of his Difciples, concerning the number of thofe, that fhould be Saved, v. z;. One Paid unto him, Lord, are there few that be Saved. To which curious Quenon, our Saviour (according to his manner, when fuch kind of Querions were put to him) does not give a direct Anfwer, becaufe it was neither Necelfary, nor Ufeful for his Hearers to be Refolved in, it did not concern them, to know what Number of Perfons Mould be Saved, but what courfe they lhould take that they might be of that Number ; and therefore, in Read of fatisfying their Curiofities, he puts them upon their Duty ; admonilhing them, inftead of concerning themfelves what fhould become of others, to take care of themfelves. And he fail unto them, Strive to enter in at the firait Gate ; formany, I fay unto you, fhall Jeek to enter in, and !hall not be able. He doesnot fay, that but few !hall be Paved ; (as fome have prefumptuoufly ventur'd to deter- mine) but only few in comparifon of thofe many, that flail feek to enter in, and fhall not be able. In thefe Words we may confider thefe Two Things. Firfi, The Duty enjoined, Strive to enter in at the flrait gate. Secondly, TheReafon or Argument to enforce it, for many flail feek to enter in, and /hall not be able. Firft, The Duty enjoined, Strive to enter in at the firait gate. Which Words being Metaphorical, I !hall trip them of the Metaphor, that fo we may fee the plain meaning of them. Now by this Metaphor, or rather Allegory, thefe. Three Things are plainly intended. 1.11. The Courfe of a Holy and Chririan Life, in order to the obtainingof Eternal Happinefs, is here reprefented tous by a Way, which every Man, that would come to Heaven, mutt walk in. For fo St. Matth. (who expreffeth this more fully) makes mention of a Way ; as well as a Gate, by which we mutt en- ter into it ; Strait is the Gate, andnarrow is the Way, that leadeth toLife. And this, tho' it be not exprefs'd by St. Luke, is neceffarily underftood, Strive to en- ter in by the (trait Gate, that is, into the Way that leads to Life. ally. The fern Difficulties of aHoly and Religious Courfe of Life, are here reprefented tous by a firait Gate. For the Gate at which we enter, and the Way in which we walk, can figgnifie nothing elfe, butthe beginning and progrefs of a Holy and Religious Coati. ri Xxx dliy. Our
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