of Christ? Yea, through the mercy of the most high God, how many at this moment are called all the nation over? And to come still closer to ourselves, all that read this have I doubt not been often called heretofore, and now are called again. For in the name of the most high God, and of his Son Christ, I pray and beseech you all as strangers and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 1 Peter ii.11. to repent of your sins, and believe the Gospel. I call and invite you also to accept the offers of grace and pardon which are made you in Jesus Christ, to sit down with him at his own table, and feed by faith upon his body and blood, that so you may partake of the merits of his death and passion, and so live with him for evermore. Thus you are all called, but I fear there are but few chosen.

Having thus explained and proved the first part of this proposition, that many are called, we must now consider the meaning, truth, and reasons of the other part of it, but few are chosen. Πολλοί γάρ εἰσι κλητοὶ, ὀλίγοι δὲ ExλEXTO. For many are called, but few chosen; that is, there are but few which are so approved of by God, as to be elected and chosen from the other part of the world, to inherit eternal life. That this is the main drift and scope of our blessed Saviour in these words, is plain from the foregoing parable, which gave him occasion to pronounce them. For there all that were first called refused to come to the marriage feast which they were invited to; and of them which came, some had not on their wedding garment; that is, although they came in to the outward profession of the Gospel, yet did not walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they were called, and therefore they likewise were excluded; upon which our Saviour adds these words, For many are called, but few chosen. From whence it is easy to observe his meaning in general to be only this, that although many are called to partake of the privileges and graces of his Gospel, yet seeing of those who were

called, many would not come at all; and of those who come, many do not come so as the Gospel requires of them, with their wedding garment on; hence of the many who are called, there are but few chosen to partake of the marriage feast, that is, of the glorious promises made in the Gospel, to those that come aright unto it. Few, not absolutely in themselves considered, but few comparatively in respect of the many which are not chosen; or rather few in comparison of the many which are called. For if we consider them absolutely in themselves, they are certainly very many; our Saviour himself saith, many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, &c. Matt. viii. 11. And in the Revelations you read of many thousands that were sealed of every tribe, yea, there was a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white, and palms in their hands, Rev, vii. 9. Insomuch that for all the numberless number of fallen or apostatized angels, St. Austin was of opinion, that there will be as many men saved, as there are angels damned, or rather more. For, saith he, upon the fall of the angels and men, God determined to gather together by his infinite grace so many out of the mortal progeny, ut inde suppleat et instauret partem quæ lapsa est angelorum, that he might from thence make up and restore that part of angels which was fallen; ac sic illa dilecta et superna civitas non fraudetur suorum numero civium, quinetiam fortassis et uberiore lætetur. And so that beloved city which is above may not be deprived of the number of its citizens, but perhaps rejoice in having more. Aug. de Civ. Dei, lib. xxii. c. 1. which notion he grounds upon those words of our Saviour in this chapter, for in the resurrection they neitheir marry nor are nor are given in marriage, but are loáyys201 as the angels of God in heaven, Matt. xxii. 30. or, as the words may be interpreted, they are equal to the

angels, and equal in number to the fallen, as well as in quality to the elect angels, as that learned and pious father expounds it. But howsoever that be, this is certain, that the number of men chosen and saved, will be very great, considered absolutely in themselves; and yet notwithstanding, if they be compared with the many more which are called, they are but very few, Christ's flock is, as himself styles it, xgòv oluviov, a very little, little flock, Luke xii. 32. that is, in comparison of the vast multitudes of souls that flock after the world and sin. As in a garden there are but few choice flowers, in comparison of the weeds that grow in it; there are but very few diamonds and precious stones, in comparison of pebbles and gravel upon the sea-shore; in the richest mines there is far more dross than gold and silver: so is it in the church of Christ; there is but little wheat, in comparison of the tares that come up with it; Christ hath a great many hangers on, but few faithful and obedient servants; there are many that speak him very fair, and make a plausible profession of the faith and religion which he taught, but where shall we find one that practiseth it? If there be here one and there another, two or three in a parish, or perhaps in a whole city, what is this to the innumerable company of such as are called by him, and baptized into his name, and yet leave him to follow after the world and vanity: oh what just ground had our Saviour to say, many are called, but few chosen?

But to demonstrate the truth of this proposition still more fully, and as clearly as possibly I can, I must first lay down one principle as a postulatum, which I suppose all will acknowledge to be true, and that is this, that whatsoever profession a man makes of the Christian religion, it will avail him nothing without the practice of it; or if you will take it in our Saviour's own words, Not every one, saith he, that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven,

Matt. vii. 21. Or, as the apostle expresseth it, For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified, Rom. ii. 13. That is, it is not our hearing and knowing our duty that will stand us in any stead before God, but our doing of it; it is not our believing that we may be saved by believing in Christ, whereby we can be saved, without actual believing in him, without such a faith whereby we depend upon him, for the pardon and salvation of our immortal souls, and consequently for the assistance of his grace and Spirit, whereby we may be enabled to obey his Gospel, and to perform all such things as himself hath told us are necessary in order to our everlasting happiness and whatsoever faith we pretend to, unless it comes to this, that it put us upon universal obedience to all the commands of God, we may conclude it will do us no good, for it is not such a faith as Christ requires, which always works by love, conquers the world, subdues sin, purifies the heart, and sanctifies the whole soul wheresoever it comes. It is such a faith as this which is the wedding garment, without which no man is chosen nor admitted to partake of those celestial banquets, which Christ our Saviour hath provided for us. And therefore no man can have any ground at all to believe or hope himself to be elected or chosen to eternal salvation, that is not holy in all manner of conversation; God himself having told us expressly, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord, Heb. xii. 14. So that having God's own word for it, we may positively and confidently assert, that no man in the world can upon just grounds be reputed as chosen by God, that doth not in all things, to the utmost of his power, conform himself, and adjust his actions to the laws and commands of God. So that how many soever are called, how many soever come in to the outward profession of the Christian religion, yet none of them can be said to be chosen, but such as are real and true saints. And how few those are, is a matter which we have more cause to

bewail than to prove. Howsoever, that we may see that we have but too much reason to believe this assertion of our blessed Saviour, that many are called, but few chosen, I desire we may but consider the estate of Christendom in general, and weigh the lives and actions of all such as profess to believe in Christ, view them well, and examine them by the Gospel rules, and then we shall soon conclude that there are but few chosen; or to bring it home more closely to ourselves, who are all called, and take out from amongst us all such persons as come not up to the terms of the Gospel, and we shall find that there are but few behind, but few indeed who can be discerned and judged by the light either of reason or Scripture to be chosen by God to eternal life. For take out from amongst us,

1. All atheistical persons, who though they are baptized into the name of Christ, and so are called to the faith of Christ, yet neither believe in Christ nor God, such fools as say in their heart, there is no God, Psal. xiv. 1. For all will grant, that they are not chosen by God, who do not so much as believe that there is any God to choose them. Neither can it be imagined that the all-wise God should choose such fools as these to be with him, who will not so much as acknowledge him to be. And yet how many such fools have we amongst us, whose practices have so depraved their principles, that they will not believe there is any God, because they wish there was none? And when these are taken from amongst the called, I fear the number of the chosen amongst them will be much lessened.

2. Take out from amongst us all ignorant persons, that understand not the common principles of religion, nor the fundamental articles of that faith which they are called to: for that these are not chosen, is plain, in that though they be called by Christ, yet they know not what he would have them do, nor yet who it is that calls them. And therefore as God would have all men to be saved, so for that end he would have them come to the