SERMON V.

MATTHEW, Xxii. 14.

MANY ARE CALLED; BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.

THIS passage, among others, has been strangely perverted by those christians, who interpret it, as if God Almighty had decreed some men to be eternally happy, and others eternally miserable. Our own good lives have nothing to say in this matter. Our Saviour's merits have nothing to say in it. It is God's decree. We read, that many are called; but few chosen-that is, say they, out of the number of us sinners, God chuses such a particular set, by his absolute decree; and all the rest must perish.

:. I think

I think it needless to confute this mischievous

interpretation of the text. Indeed it sufficiently confutes itself. Many, we are told, are called. What is meant by being called? It is ridiculous to suppose God calls any one, who cannot answer the call.The real interpretation of the text therefore seems to be this. The christian religion is the call of repentance to many: but, alas! out of these many, very few qualify themselves by their holy lives, to accept its mercies. So that, although many are called, few are chosen but they are rejected, not through God's decree, but through their own fault.

THE text, thus explained, naturally leads us to take a view of the many who are called; that is, of the different kinds of christians-if we are to give all people that name, who live in a christian country. I shall consider them under three heads -as openly wicked men-as specious, or decent men-and as truly religious men: and I shall leave you all to judge, as I go on, among which of them you are to rank yourselves.

IN the first place, by openly wicked men, we mean all those, who are under no kind of restraint either

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either of religion, or of decency. Tell such people of a world after this-of their being accountable for their actions; and of the gospel denunciations of damnation upon all who lead such ungodly lives, without repentance; they are hardened to every thing of this kind-it has no effect upon them. They trouble themselves no more about the next world; and what is to become of their souls after death; than if they had no souls. All fear of the next world therefore being removed, we need not wonder to see them prepared for any kind of wickedness. They are generally abandoned to low pleasures; and become knaves, because their pleasures make a larger demand upon them, than they can satisfy in an honest way.

Many of you, I doubt not, have met with these men of pleasure, who, without any visible employment, live upon their wits, as it is calledthat is, upon their own knavery, and the simplicity of others.-They are found both in high life and low.I need not however lengthen my description of this race of men; as none such, I am persuaded, are among my present hearers. They are not a church-going people. Lessons of religion have no effect upon them.

Their re

straint

straint only is what the law lays upon them. The jail and the gallows are the only objects of their fear.

One thing however let me add; all these profligate people are certainly among those who are called. They are called, every day, by those opportunities of knowing their duty, which, in a christian country, they can never want. If they live within the hearing of a church-bell, they have a call to their duty.-They are called too by their own sense of right and wrong; by the admonitions of reason; the advice often of friends; and the remonstrances of conscience.They are called also to a better sense of things by the little satisfaction they feel in their ungodly gains, and ungodly pleasures; and by the distresses of various kinds, which they often bring upon themselves and lastly, before things come to this extremity, they are continually called by the bad example of others; who, by following the same wicked courses, draw upon themselves, often fatal, always mischievous consequences.And sometimes it happens, that by one or other of these gracious calls, their hardened hearts are softened they lament their past lives; they acknowledge the grace of God: they repent

from their hearts: accept with faith, and humihity, the redemption of Christ; and become new But till this happy change is produced, we must consider them as men, who are called indeed; but cannot be chosen.

men.

FROM the notoriously wicked man, let us consider the character I proposed next to describe, the specious or decent man. By the decent man, I mean him, who governs all his actions by appearances. He is satisfied with a fair outside; and seeks no further. The openly wicked man is under no restraint, but that of law: he endeavours to keep clear of mischief; but aims at nothing else. The decent man confining his actions in a narrower compass, pays the same respect to the opinions of men, which the other does to the laws of the land. Thus the decent man is often seen at church: not to pay his devotions to God, or to confess his sins, or any thing else, that comes from his heart. With all this he troubles his head very little. But he considers it as a step to obtain the character of a serious man. Who will distrust a serious man, who goes constantly to church, and appears to have a sense of religion always about him?