XI. Strive to enter in at the ftrait gate; for many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. -Luke xiii. 24. THIS seems, at first fight, to be among the hard fayings of the gospel. That any should Seek to enter into the kingdom of heaven, and not be able, has fomething of a predestination caft about it. And fo this text hath fometimes been interpreted. But if we examine it with the context, we shall find it totally innocent of any fuch meaning. In the first place, the verse itself points out the sense. In the former part of the verse we are ordered to frive. But they who shall not be able to enter, are those only who seek that is, who are much more careless about the matter, than the others *. In * Whoever looks into the original, will find the oppofition between the words frive, and seek, much stronger than our tranflation expresses it, In the fecond place it plainly appears, that thefe careless perfons depended on a death-bed repentance. The door was fhut before they-began to knock, and cry, Lord, Lord, open to us. Thirdly; it appears, that these persons had no evidence to produce in their favour, except that they had eaten and drunk in Chrift's prefence, and that he had taught in their streets: that is, they had only an outward connection with Chrift; but knew nothing of him in their hearts. Laftly, it is very plain from their fentence, that their own wickednefs, not God's decree, was the caufe of their rejection: I know you not, whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. XII. Cleanfe thou me from my fecret faults. MORE or less every man has two characters. In public he is defirous to appear with his best face and hangs out often the fign of virtues, which are not found within. Within too he often harbours vices, which never appear abroad. These fecret fins are of various kinds. Often they confift of bad thoughts. When these wicked. intruders are immediately driven out by an effort of reason, and religion, it is well: no harm enfues. But when they are encouraged, and make their abode, the mind is turned into a receptacle of avarice, impurity, malice, selfishnefs, or any other darling vice, to which its propenfity leads. Against all this corruption of the heart, to which the Almighty only is privy, the pfalmift prays. Sometimes, these bad thoughts are matured into deeper fins, by being digefted into wicked defigns, though ftill in fecret. Some fcheme of malice is laid-fome plan of revenge-or fome train of corruption. Sometimes Sometimes they are pushed ftill farther into actions—fuch as, petty frauds-commodious lies-indulgences of paffions, and appetites, and many other modes of tranfgreffion, which may be dexterously concealed from the eye of the world. All these may be ranked among our fecret fins. There is ftill another kind of fin, which may be called fecret. When an action is plausible, and the motive base, the action is finful: but it is finful only in the secret receffes of the heart. The eye of God alone fees it. Under this head we may reckon all acts of hypocrify. : The laft kind of secret fins, I shall mention, are fuch fins, as are fecrets even to ourselves. And this perhaps was David's principal idea, when he speaks of fecret fins. Who can tell (fays he, in the words preceding the text) how oft he offendeth cleanfe thou me from my fecret fins. And thus we pray in our litany, that God would pardon our ignorances.-That we may commit a finful action, without knowing it to be fuch, is certain. A furious zealot may think he does God fervice by perfecuting one of a different fect. St. Paul thought fo: but he confeffes he acted finfully, notwithstanding he acted ignorantly. He should have informed himfelf himself better; which, if his prejudice had not intervened, he might have done. Thus again, with regard to-(an instance, which has lately made great noise in the world) -the flave-trade; it may be hoped, that many who defend it, are well-meaning people, and think they are right; but at the fame time if they could get rid of certain prejudices, which an attachment to party, or a love of gain, throws before their eyes, they might perhaps fee they were acting in direct contradiction to the fcripture-rule of doing to others as they would have others do to them: unlefs indeed they fuppofe, that a man's being of a different complexion difqualifies him from being an object of gofpel-precept.- Many other cafes might be mentioned; in all which we fin, if we act contrary to fuch information as God hath given us the means, and ability to obtain. I fhall conclude the fubject with obferving. that we should strive against that temptation, which fecrecy holds out, to commit fin. We should always recollect, we are continually under the inspection of that great Being, with whom darkness and light are both alike. |