SERM. and few there be that find it. That is, few XV. in Comparison with those who shall mifs of it; who enter in at the wide Gate of Sin, and take the broad Way that leads to Destruction. And therefore we are advised in the Words of the Text, to ftrive to enter in at the ftrait Gate: For many, I fay unto you, will feek to enter in, and fhall not be able. From which Words I shall make it Business to fhew,

my

I. THAT the Obtaining the Favour of God here, and the comfortable Hopes of being happy hereafter, is a Work of Difficulty that requires our utmost Pains and Industry: We must ftrive to enter in at this ftraight Gate.

II. I SHALL fhew wherein the great Difficulty doth confift.

III. THAT all thofe Difficulties may be
conquered by any one, who will but
make Use of those Means which God has
appointed.

IV. ISHALL enquire into the Reason why
fo many Perfons mifcarry; and why
their Endeavours prove ineffectual.
And,
V. I SHALL lay down fome Inferences
naturally arifing from the Confideration
of the Premises.

1. THE Obtaining the Favour of God SERM. in this World, and eternal Happiness in XV. the next, is a Work of Difficulty, that requires our utmost Pains and Industry. We must strive to enter in at this ftrait Gate. The Word in the Original, which is here rendered strive, is dywví(erde, which denotes that, to effect this difficult Task, there is required the greatest Intention of Mind and Application of ourselves to it imaginable; that we must fo ftrive as those Combatants did, who contended in the Olympic Games for the Prize, either by Running, or Fighting, or Wrestling; this is fignified likewise to us by those Commands of Working out our Salvation with Fear and Phil. ii. Trembling of Taking Heaven by Force Words which imply the great Care, Diligence, and Difficulty which is to be paffed through in the Performance of this Work. Now fince thofe Things, which are required of a Christian, may be reduced to these three Heads:

;

First, To understand the Principles of Religion, to know what thofe Truths are which our Saviour has revealed to us in his Holy Gospel;

Secondly, To yield our full Affent to them;

Z 2

And

12, Matth. xi.

12,

SERM. And thirdly, To govern our Lives and XV. Conversations according to thofe Rules which he has laid down, and those Laws which he has enacted; it is evident that the Difficulty doth not lie in the first and fecond of these, but only in the third. For,

1. IT is no difficult Matter to underftand the fundamental Articles of the Christian Religion, I mean these which are abfolutely neceffary to Salvation, because fome of them are evident by the Light of Nature, most of them may be deduced from natural Principles by the Ufe of our Reason, and all of them are laid down in the Holy Writ as plainly as Words can exprefs them, and are fo clearly revealed to us, that they leave every one without Excufe and hence the Gofpel of Chrift is called Light, becaufe it made fuch clear Discoveries of God's Will to Mankind, it was first preached and propagated by Mechanics and poor Fishermen; it is true they were in an extraordinary Manner infpired by the Gifts of the Holy Ghost; but this was chiefly in order to the Working Miracles, for the Confirmation of their Doctrine ; and even the Gift of Tongues feems to be limited to particular Seafons, when they were to speak to Men

;

of

of different Nations and Languages; and it SE RM. was conferred on them to this End, that XV. they might preach more intelligibly to their Auditors, who did chiefly confift of ignorant and illiterate People.

Do but confider the Sermons of our Saviour Chrift, and his Way of Teaching the People, and you will find them to be eafy and natural, plain and familiar, and fuitable to the meaneft Capacity. It is true he fometimes taught in Parables, but then we ought to confider that this was the ordinary Way of Teaching in the Eastern Countries, and the most familiar Way of conveying his Doctrine into their Minds and Confciences; and that, when there was any Difficulty in the Parable, he explained the Meaning of it to his Hearers, or at least to his Difciples. So that though the Gospel wasa Mystery, when wrapped up in the myfterious Types and Ceremonies of the Law, yet it is no longer fo now when it is revealed; the Manner of feveral of these Truths, which are the Articles of our Faith, will continue fo mysterious that even the Angels defire to pry into them, but the plain Matter of Fact (which is all we are required to believe) is delivered down to us in the plaineft and clearest Expreffions; fo that, if our 2 Cor. iv, Gofpel be bid, it is hid to those who are loft, whofe

Z 3

3.

SERM. whofe Eyes are blinded by the God of this XV. World, and whofe Underftandings are byaffed by fome foul Luft and unmortified

Affection: We have now no Need to fay, Rom. x. Who fhall afcend into Heaven, i. e. to bring 9. 7, 8. Chrift down from above; or who fhall defcend into the deep, i. e. to bring Chrift up again from the Dead, for the Word is nigh thee, even in thy Mouth, and in thy Heart. And, as the Chriftian Religion is not difficult to be understood, fo neither,

2. Is it hard to be believed; it is our reasonable Service, and requires our Affent to Nothing which is contrary to our Reafon, or contradictory to the Verdict of our Senfes; fome Truths indeed are fo fublime, that our Reason cannot comprehend them (and thus it is in Things natural as well as divine) but then we have plain Reason to believe the Revelation, which is as much as we can expect in Matters of fo fublime a Nature. But the greatest Part of the Articles of our Faith are plain, and eafy, and familiar to the Understandings of Mankind; and what is easy to be apprehended will command our Affent, and, like the Sun, will be feen by its own Light.

IT is true there are fome who are fo fond of Senfe and Reafon, that they call in Queftion all Revelation, and will admit of