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A18598 The strait gate and narrow way to life opened and pointed out upon Luk. 13, 23, 24 / by Edward Chetwind ... Chetwynd, Edward, 1577-1639. 1632 (1632) STC 5127.5; ESTC S287 72,897 331

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hath ever been so of old As in the old world one Noah and seven with him saved in the Arke and all besides even the world of the ungodly as Peter calleth them drowned in the flood 2 Pet. 2.5 Verse 7. So after in ●●dome one righteous Lot with onely his two daughters escaping of so many thousands from the fire So in Iericho a well-peopled Citie Heb. 11.31 onely Rahab spared with her family And what shall I tell you of that which was but a type not holding in all particulars how of sixe hundred thousand men of warre of Israel Numb 14.30 comming out of Egypt two onely to wit Caleb and Ioshua entered Canaan These may serve to shew that in temporall judgements it hath beene mercie with God when many perished onely to rescue and reserve a few marked by grace for such deliverance And right so shall it be in the world to come a few onely saved through the riches of Gods mercy and th' other left most justly to perish I will spare to open the reason of this Doctrine farther till I come in the more particular handling of the Exhortation to speake of the strait and narrow gate whereat so many sticke and for want of striving cannot enter 3. Our Saviours parable Onely to make up the confirmation of this point that but few are saved let mee referre your thoughts somewhat seriously to consider that Parable by our Saviour proposed in the Gospell Mat. 13.3 c. touching the foure severall kindes of ground receiving seed of which one only brought forth fruit fit to bee gathered into the barne Whereto if we adde that which palpable experience teacheth us that in the compasse of the earth not the twentieth no nor yet the fortieth acre of ground is arable receiving seed but heere a wood and there an heath a bare common or at best a pasture or meddow that being neither plowed nor sowne can at the most but bring forth grasse and hay food fit for cattle not for reasonable creatures hence may our own hearts tell us what we are to thinke of the harvest of the Lord viz. that howsoever the crop once gathered will be great and goodly never such an haruest never such a joy yet is the Lords crop but small in Isai 9.3 compare with that which groweth in the large and spacious surface of the world Wherein to come to a suruay it will easily appeare that of the foure grand quarters of the earth scarce one and that the least of the foure belongeth in severall as glebe and arable to the Lord. For first how hath ever the far greater part lieu wast and not at all manured but there a wildernesse of Savages or Heathen Idolaters that never scarce heard of God and Christ and here an heath of cursed Mahometās preferring their false Prophet before Christ here there scattered a barren waste like Iericho Ai or Sechem razed downe and sowed with salt Iosh 6. 8. Iud. 9 45. of unbelieving Iews to this day despising and despighting Chist Yea and farther of those that would be accounted plough-plough-ground of Iesus Christ how much is there that hath darnell and cockle sowed in steade of wheate and barley superstitious inuentions of man which cannot bring forth good fruite in stead of the good seed of grace the word of truth as in the fields of Spaine of Italy and other Popish countries And yet farther euen here and where else through the riches of his love and grace Christ Iesus as the good sower commeth with his seed alas how many that refuse to be either plowed or sowne and that while no marvell if like the sluggards field Pro. 24.30 they lie wast and overgrowne with weedes and nettles of loathsome vices some with whoredome and filthy drunkennesse some with swearing and desperate prophanenesse with pride and malice others and others with the world and wicked covetousnesse Or if so any be as pasture or meddow ground of a better mould yet whiles they receive not seede whiles they heare not Gods blessed Word what fruit can it be hoped they should bring forth better then grasse and hay at the most of civill conversation and morall honesty That lo these severall portions put apart alas where is the fortieth acre to speak in compasse that may bee accounted as tillage to the Lord so much as ordinary cōmers to heare Gods word and to have cast on them the seed of Grace And yet secondly even of those few that come to heare how many are there Ma● 13. 1. whose hard and ignorant harts give the precious seed no entrance at all which are no better then the high way ground 2. Verse 19. of those that goe farther to entertain the seed how many spring vp at first that wither streight againe in time of triall being no better then the stony groūd Thirdly Verse 20. of those that seeme so to heare understand and practise for a while that they are thought to grow a pace and promise much increase how many that are blasted as in the bud quite choaked with the world ere they grow to ripenesse speeding no better then the thorny ground That there remaineth in fine Verse 22. but a fourth and scarcely that alwaies of a fortieth part that as the good ground receive and keepe the seed and with patience and perseverance bring forth fruit good wheat ripe and full for the haruest of the Lord. Verse 23. So hath the point by consideration of this parable also beene abundantly confirmed that howsoever in themselves they be a great multitude yet in comparison with those that perish and are as tares reserved for burning but a few a farre lesse number that shall be saved and as good corne be gathered into the barne So many waies are there to miscarry and goe wide whereas their is but one gate as is shewed after and that very strait to enter aright CHAP. VI. Contrary errours refuted and the Obiections answered THe Doctrine of our Saviour thus largely confirmed affordeth to us all most profitable vse For first it maketh flatly for correction and confutation of all Atheistical unbelieving ones of which sort the world to this day is full who to flatter themseves in their owne ungodlinesse do seeke to set wide open the gate of Heaven as if all might enter Num. 16.3 Bearing themselves and others what they may in hand most madly contrary unto Christ Iesus his resolution and the truth delivered that not a few but all rather or sure the greater part at least of those that professe faith in the name of Christ be they Papists Familists Anabaptists or of what other sect howsoever living or whatsoever doing shall bee saved in fine go to heaven For countenancing of which conceit you have partly heard before what reasonings are brought by such cavilling spirits from the Mercy Power Will and Iustice of God and the infinite rich Merit of the
hee instanceth in Theatre plaies and other idle and ungodly spectacles then which scarcely any thing can be found more pleasing to the corrupt mindes of the carnall multitudes Let us never imagine that we are privileged to do ought because we see others so to doe For let us remember that in the Psalme The transgressors shall be destroyed together Psal 37.38 this is all that is gotten by having company in sinning so also to bee accompanied in perishing And therefore how farre safer for us to leave reckoning what others doe wisely betaking our selves to whatsoever God prescribeth us to doe And if at any time we beginne to muse as Peter Ioh. 21.21 touching Iohn what or how such or such will doe Let us thinke streight how the checke of our Saviour unto Peter is no lesse for us verse 22. For What is that to us when wee are directly enjoyned to follow Christ And hereupon what must be our resolution but that of Ioshua that whatsoever others make choice to doe Iosh 24.15 yet we and ours will serve the Lord so as hee requireth of them that will be saved Which since the fewer sort doe in good earnest even of those that say they are Christians amongst whom many like those Iewes in Smyrna only say so and are not having at most Reu. 2.9 as Sardis a name to live when they bee dead therefore let our care be Reu. 3.1 to live as the fewer doe that with the fewer we may enter into heaven And this is our next use of the doctrine before delivered for admonition CHAP. VIII Comfort to Gods faitfull Ministers in regard of their unsuccessefull labours THe last and largest application yet remaineth to shew namely how this doctrine touching the small number to be saved which may at first sight happly seeme full of feare and is indeede I grant a point of terrour to wicked worldlings who therefore of al other points can hardliest brooke it affordeth aboundant comfort and even the riches of consolation first to Gods faithfull Ministers and secondly to all true believers For first for us who are set apart for this speciall service this great worke of winning soules if happily at any time wee finde discouragement labouring all in vaine and as for nothing without successe Isai 49.4 that after much paines taken in sowing of the fairest seed there appeareth so little greene above ground giving hope of harvest iniquity and infidelity still overflowing for all our preaching and but a few who yeeld sincere obedience being wonne by the working power of the word to the truth of faith yet for all this so we bee found faithfull 1. cor 4.2 in our service we need not faint but consider how it hath so ever fared and no better with those that were the most faithfull preachers of righteousnesse in all ages As with Noah in whom S. Peter telleth us how Christ went and preached to the old world 1. Pet. 3.19 full sixe score yeares with how little profit and with Lot who in Sodome vexed his righteous soule 2. Pet. 2.8 to winne the rest to goodnesse without successe As with Isaiah Isai 49.4 53.1 whose complaints in this behalfe are upon record Yea with our Saviour who by all his painfull travell got but as himself doth tearm them a little flocke Luc. 12.32 and they not Scribes and Pharises not Herod Pilat or such great ones but of the meaner sort for doe any of the Rulers beleeve in him Ioh. 7 48. Ioh. 19.38 39. surely except one Nicodemus or one rich Ioseph who yet are sore afraid a great while to confesse him hardly any A reason of which hard successe for comfort to us if happily we find the like or worse in this last and worst age of the world is yeelded in the doctrine before delivered because namely there are but a few of many the lesser number that shall be saved that we need not to let fall our courage if we see not wished for successe alwaies in the most or many No but rather how may this consideration serve to cheere up our spirits and make us to account it as well we may a speciall gift out of the undeserved riches of Gods grace shall God vouchsafe to deale so graciously with us who are at best but servants receiving nothing but what is given us Ioh 3.27 as to make his word put in our mouthes to become powerfull by his Spirit for any of his childrens good that any though but some few of many some one of twentie or two of an hundred or ten of a thousand sincerely embrace our Ministery and come to beleeve our report beeing brought to yeeld obedience unto Christ as heirs of life For surely if so God please to honour us howsoever his alone and onely must bee the glory who is alone the father of the spirits Heb. 12.9 able onely to give grace by whatsoever instrument yet may this comfort and encourage us to goe forward without fainting in this so weightie businesse like the painefull Husbandman in the Morning Eccl. 11.6 as Salomon counselleth in another case sowing the seede and at Evening not letting our hand to rest as not knowing which shall prosper by Gods blessing which onely can give the increase Being instant as Saint Paul so straitly chargeth Timothy 1. Cor. 3.7 2. Tim. 4.2 in season and out of season as himselfe professeth Acts 20. how he had laboured in Asia publikely Vers 20. and more privately with all of all sorts to win them unto Christ And then as it is recorded Act 17 to have befallen the same Apostle at Athens when he preached to them of the Resurrection Ve●se 32. that some mocked and others marvailed howbeit as ver 34. certaine clave unto him and beleeved amongst whom was also Denys the Iudge of Areopagus or Mars-street and a woman named Damaris and others with them so may we hope to find that howsoever at our preaching some shall mocke and others marvaile or at the most applaud and say Well done c. and there an end yet some by Gods mercy will cling and cleave beleeving and being vvon to Christ a Damaris perhaps at one Sermon and Iudge Denys at another that howsoever not all nor yet the maior part be gathered yet sooner or later the elect shall so many at one time or another as it was said of the Gentiles at Antiochia Act. 1● 48 as are ordained to eternal life Yea for howsoever as those vvho flocked to see vvonders Act. 2. they be ready in the beginning of the sermon to scoffe mock Ver. 13. or at least in their heart to contemne the Preacher but yet what know we but they may be caught upon the hooke if God shal bring them once to nibble at the bait as even those were many so pricked at the very heart by Peters powerful preaching that their cry was as you know there ver 37.