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DISCOURSE X.

THE STRAIT GATE AND BROAD WAY.

Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.-MATH. vii. 13, 14.

The opinions, which are most agreeable to the feelings of the unrenewed heart, and which are most popular with worldly men, are such as are most at variance with the plain declaration of scripture. Not a few have risen up of late years, who boldly and without a blush contradict our divine Lord, and virtually charge him with falsehood. They maintain that the gate by which men enter heaven is not strait -that the way which leadeth to destruction is not broad-that the way which leadeth to life is not narrow-that many are not lost, and that it is not true that few only are saved.

Now, whom shall we believe. Shall we receive the testimony of him, who came down from heaven to save sinners, and who gave the most abundant. evidence of his divine mission; or shall we believe

those, who have no knowledge of what takes place in heaven, and who are approved and applauded by the most irreligious? The Son of God could not be deceived, and could have no motive to deceive those, for whom he was willing to give his life. He certainly knew how many had believed in him and how many of the human family had entered heaven. The same love, which brought him from heaven and sustained him on the cross, must have influenced him to declare nothing but the truth. One object of his divine mission was to make known to men their condition, their need of a Savior; and another object was to save all, disposed to receive [him. His object in declaring the most painful truths was to persuade sinners in season,'to make sure of salvation. Few, he assures us, have found the way of life-and few have entered the strait gate, by which there is access to the enjoyments of heaven; but many have entered the wide gate and pursued the broad way, which leadeth to destruction. These are declarations, which all may understand. Those opinions, which differ from them are false, and ruinous to the souls of men. They are not from Him, who is full of grace and truth; but from the father of lies, and the great enemy of God and men.

The benevolence and wisdom of our divine Lord are discoverable in the text. So important are the truths, it contains, that they are expressed in different forms, that they may be understood, and that there may be no possibility of a mistake. Because the way of life is difficult, and the way to destruction easy; few are saved and many lost.

But why, you may inquire, or in what sense is the

way of life difficult, and in what sense is the way, which leadeth to destruction easy? These inquiries are so intimately connected that they need not be separately considered.

1. The way of life is difficult, because it requires those, who walk in it to deny themselves. The way which leadeth to destruction is easy, because it allows men to act agreeably to their natural feelings. To deny ourselves in the most important sense is a painful duty. But we must submit to this, or we cannot be saved. If any man come to me, said our divine Lord, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. We are not so to understand this passage, that in a literal sense we are to hate any that sustain a near relation to us; but our love of Christ must be so great that in comparison with it our love of our dearest connexions must be as hatred. This is reasonable. We must love Christ infinitely more than any mere creature. The love our friends exercise toward us, compared with that he has manifested, is but hatred. How much more has he done than they have done for us!

Christianity, the only true religion, is more opposed to the unsanctified feelings of the human heart than any other religion ever known in the world. The reasons are obvious, if we admit the scripture doctrine of human depravity. God has given us a much clearer view of his holiness, his justice, his hatred of sin, and his determination to punish it in the crucifixion of his Son, than in his law, or the events of his providence. Here we discover the height and depth, the length and breadth of sin-the object it aims to

destroy, and the misery, to which it exposes the impenitent. The tendency of sin is to subvert the throne of God, and to ruin the souls of men. As God is able and determined to defend his throne, the impenitent only destroy themselves by perseverance in impeni

tence.

Self-denial to be of any value must commence in our hearts. It is extremely difficult to persuade any one to cease to depend on himself-on his works and on his power to work, and to look to Christ alone for justification and salvation. There is in all men, who regard any kind of religion, a self-righteous spirit. They are willing to work, if they can receive full credit for what they do. Pagans, Mahometans, and Papists are very exact in observing rites, to which great merit is attached. We know that as soon as any one is awakened, his self-righteous spirit is excited, and he hopes by external reformation to obtain peace. The struggle is sometimes long and severe before he is convinced that there is no help in himself and that his heart is entirely depraved. Self-loathing always accompanies unreserved submission to Christ the Lord our righteousness. Many, there is reason to fear, have indulged hopes of salvation, without having experienced any true self-denial. It would be wonderful should all, or a very great proportion of professing Christians be found to be the real friends of God. Guilty men love darkness rather than light. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. The unrenewed are opposed to those precepts of the divine law, which condemn them. They contend against the truths peculiar to Christianity, till a saving

change is wrought in their hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christianity is a system, not discoverable by the light of nature or of reason. It accomplishes by faith without works great objects. But the light of reason teaches us that the accomplishment of great objects demands corresponding works. The con

science, when properly enlightened, approves the precepts of the divine law, and condemns every transgressor. This law is written in the hearts of all

men.

But Christianity is not written in the hearts of any, who have not been renewed by the Holy Spirit. It is then one thing to respect the precepts of the moral law, which the conscience of the unrenewed approves, and another thing to be a Christian. No man, however, who does not respect the moral law can be a Christian.

Some public teachers, it must be confessed, to avoid giving offence to their hearers, never expose the depths of human depravity. They encourage men to hope for future happiness, who have never experienced any radical change. The anxious sinner watches every sentence and every word of the preacher, and if he can be encouraged to hope for salvation without receiving truths, which occasion pain and distress; he will reject them, and rest on a false foundation. The whole truth must be received without any reserve, or we cannot be saved. What can be more painful and mortifying to the sinner than to be forced to admit that he deserves death, even everlasting death? What efforts are made by the man guilty of a capital offence to counteract the testimony brought against him? To have such a view of our guilt as to be convinced and to feel that we deserve everlasting

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