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Chapter XVIII
On the small number of the elect.
The Eighteenth Day.
Consider, first, those words of Christ, "Many are called but few are chosen:" which contain a great and dreadful truth, frequently inculcated by the mouth of truth itself, to rouse unthinking mortals from their profound lethargy, into which the enemy has lulled them. This is one of those lessons which he has laid down, for a foundation of Christian morality, in his divine sermon on the mountain, where he bids us: St. Matt. 7. v. 13, 14. "Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!" Hence in the same sermon, he declares to us: "Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father, who is in heaven:" viz. by a faithful compliance with the law of God and his gospel. Without this, he assures us, that it will avail us nothing, even to have done miracles in his name. "Many will say to me in that day: (of judgment) Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity." Good God! what will become of us, if those that have even done miracles in thy name, shall nevertheless be excluded thy eternal kingdom?
Consider, secondly, how many ways this frightful truth has been declared or prefigured to us in the Old Testament. Of all the inhabitants of the earth, only eight souls: viz. Noah and his family, were preserved in the ark, from the waters of the deluge: of six hundred thousand of the children of Israel, who came out of the land of Egypt under the conduct of Moses, only two persons, Joshua and Caleb, entered Canaan, the land of promise; which figure the apostle St. Paul expressly applies to us Christians. 1 Cor. 10. To the same effect the prophet Isaias, chap. 24. v. 13, 14. likens those that shall escape the divine vengeance to that small number of olives that remain on the tree after the fruit is gathered, or to the few bunches of grapes that are found on the vines after a well-gleaned vintage. Ah! Christians, hear then and obey the voice of your Saviour, when he says to you: St. Luke 13. v. 24. "Contend, (that is, strive with all your force), to enter in at the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able:" because the generality of Christians, though they use some endeavours to enter, yet do not strive with all their force; they are not thoroughly in earnest in their seeking, and therefore shall never find entrance. Hear again with fear and trembling the great apostle St. Peter, when he tells us, that if the just will hardly be saved, where will the sinner appear? 1 Pet. 4. v. 18. Oh! my soul! let us then "take care (as the same apostle admonishes, 2 Pet. 1.) by good works to make our election sure:" and if others will go in crowds to hell, let us resolve not to go with them for company's sake.
Consider, thirdly, the sentiments of the holy fathers upon this subject, expressed in their writing, but much more in their penitential lives, and in that fear, in which they lived and died, of the judgements of God, which they knew to be very different from the judgements of men. Christians, let the sentiments of these children of light weigh more with us than the vain and groundless imaginations of deluded worldlings, who cry out, "peace and security," when sudden destruction is just lighting upon their heads. Oh! give ear, for once, to the great St. John Chrysostom, one of the chief doctors of the Church of God, who made the study of the scriptures his constant employment, and was particularly assisted by the spirit of God, for the understanding thereof; give ear, I say, to what he positively pronounces in one of his sermons to the people of Constantinople, at that time the capital city of the world, inhabited by many hundred thousand of Christians, whose lives, in all appearances, were full as regular as ours are. "How many, think you, says he, will be saved in this city? What I am going to say will terrify you: but yet I must speak it. Of so many thousands, there will hardly one hundred be saved; and I doubt even of those!" So far, the saint. And are we, my soul, in no danger of being of the greater number? Is our life such, as to afford any reasonable hope, that if so very few be saved, we shall be of that happy society?
Consider, fourthly, that though [even if] the scripture had said nothing of the small number of the elect, yet this truth must appear evident to us, if we compare the lives of the generality of Christians with the gospel of Christ and his holy commandments. "If thou wilt enter into life, (says our Lord, Mat. 19, v. 17.) keep the commandments;" There is no other way to life everlasting. And the first and greatest of all the commandments is this: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength." Mark. 12. v. 30. Now how few are they that keep this commandment? It is easy to say, with the generality of Christians, that we love God with our whole heart; but what is the practice of our whole lives? Does not self-love, vainglory, sensuality &c. on every occasion take place of God? If so, it is in vain to say, "we love him above all things." And yet there is no salvation without this love. Think well on this. Besides, the apostle St. James declares: chap. 4. v. 4. "whosoever will be a friend of this world, becomes an enemy of God." And St. John: Epist. 1, chap, 2. v. 15. "If any one love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." And Christ himself declares: that, "we cannot serve two masters." Matt, 6. v. 24. How then can we think to reconcile the conduct of the greatest part of those that call themselves Christians, (whose whole study it is to please the world, and to conform themselves to its false maxims, corrupt customs, and deluded vanities) with their expectations of the kingdom of heaven, which is not to be obtained but by using violence upon ourselves, by renouncing this sinful world, and by a life of self-denial and mortification?
Consider, fifthly, how great a corruption is generally found even among the greatest part of true believing Christians, and from thence make a judgment of their future lot. How few are proof against human respect, and the pernicious fear of what the world will say? Alas! what numbers sacrifice their eternal salvation to this cursed fear, by rather choosing to forfeit the grace of God, than the false honour and esteem of this world! How many of those, whose birth and fortune have advanced them above the level of their fellow mortals, live continually in the state of damnation, by a cursed disposition of never putting up with an affront, and of preferring their worldly honour before their conscience! Unhappy men, who by conforming themselves now to those false maxims of deluded worldlings, will be trampled under foot by insulting devils for all eternity! How few masters of families are sincerely solicitous for those under their charge, to see that instructions be not wanting, devotions be not neglected, &c. and that nothing scandalous or sinful lurks in consequence of their negligence or connivance: and yet the Apostle assures us, that if any man neglects the care of his family, he is worse than an infidel. 1 Tim. 5. v. 8. How few parents effectually take care to bring up their children from their infancy in the fear of God, and early to inspire into them a horror of sin, above all evils. Ah! what a double damnation will the greatest part bring upon themselves, by sacrificing these tender souls to the devil and the world, which they might with so much ease have consecrated to Heaven! In fine, not to run over all states of life in particular, is it not visible that injustice, impurity, pride, detraction, &c. every where reign among Christians, and that the number of those who live up to the gospel is indeed very small? Good God! have mercy on us, and give us grace to be of the number of the few, that so we may be of the number of the saved!
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