mention the comparative Smallness of the Number of them that are faved, as a Confequence of the peculiar Perverfeness of that People, and of that Generation; but as a Confequence of the general Circumstances of the Way to Life, and the Way to Destruction, the Broadness of the one, and the Narrowness of the other. In the Straitnefs of the Gate, &c. I fuppofe none will deny, that Chrift has Refpect to the Strictness of those Rules, which he had infifted on in the preceding Sermon, and which render the Way to Life very difficult to Mankind. But certainly these amiable Rules would not be difficult, were they not contrary to the natural Inclinations of Men's Hearts; and they would not be contrary to thofe Inclinations, were thefe not depraved. Confequently the Wideness of the Gate, and Broadness of the Way, that leads to Destruction, in Confequence of which many go in thereat, muft imply the Agreeableness of this Way to Men's natural Inclinations. The like Reason is given by Christ, why few are faved. Luke xiii. 23, 24. Then faid one unto him, Lord, are there few faved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the ftrait Gate: For many I fay unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able. That there are generally but few good Men in the World, even among them that have thofe moft diftinguishing and glorious Advantages for it, which they are favoured with that live under the Gofpel, is evident by that Saying of our Lord, from Time to Time in his Mouth, Many are called, but few are chofen. And if there are but few among thefe, how few, how very few indeed, muft Perfons of this Character be, compared with the whole World of Mankind? The exceeding Smallness of the Number of true Saints, compared with the whole World, appears by the

Repre

Reprefentations often made of them as diftinguished from the World; in which they are spoken of as called and chofen out of the World, redeemed from the Earth, redeemed from among Men; as being thofe that are of God, while the whole World lieth in Wickednefs, and the like. And if we look into the Old Teftament, we fhall find the fame Teftimony given. Prov. xx. 6. Moft Men will proclaim every Man his own Goodness: But à faithful Man who can find? By a faithful Man, as the Phrafe is used in Scripture, is intended much the fame as a fincere, upright, or truly good Man; as in Pfal. xii. 1. and xxxi. 23. and ci. 6. and other Places. Again, Eccl. vii. 25-29. I applied mine Heart to know, and to fearch, and to find out Wisdom, and the Reafen of Things, and to know the Wickedness of Folly, even of Foolishnefs and Madness: And I find more bitter than Death, the Woman whofe Heart is Snares, &c.Behold, this have I found, faith the Preacher, counting one by one, to find out the Account, which yet my Soul feeketh, but I find not: One Man among a Thoufand have I found; but a Woman among all thefe have I not found. Lo, this only have I found, that God made Man upright; but they have fought out many Inventions. Solomon here fignifies, that when he fet himself diligently to find out the Account or Proportion of true Wisdom, or thorough Uprightnefs among Men, the Refuit was, that he found it to be but as one to a Thoufand, &c. Dr. T. on this Place, p. 184. fays, "The "wife Man in the Context, is inquiring into the "Corruption and Depravity of Mankind, of the "Men and Women, THAT LIVED IN HIS "TIME." As though what he said reprefented Nothing of the State of Things in the World in general, but only in his Time. But does Dr. L. G

ог

or any Body else, fuppofe this only to be the Defign of that Book, to reprefent the Vanity and Evil of the World in that Time, and to fhew that all was Vanity and Vexation of Spirit in Solomon's Day? (Which Day truly we have Reason to think, was a Day of the greatest Smiles of Heaven on that Nation, that ever had been on any Nation from the Foundation of the World.) Not only does the Subject and Argument of the whole Book fhew it to be otherwife; but also the declared Defign of the Book in the firft Chapter; where the World is represented as very much the fame, as to the Vanity and Evil it is full of, from Age to Age, making little or no Progrefs, after all its Revolutions and reftlefs Motions, Labours and Pursuits, like the Sea, that has all the Rivers conftantly emptying themselves into it, from Age to Age, and yet is never the fuller. As to that Place, Prov. xx. 6. A faithful Man who can find? there is no more Reafon to fuppofe that the wife Man has refpect only to his Time, in thefe Words, than in thofe immediately preceding, Counsel in the Heart of a Man is like deep Waters; but a Man of Understanding will draw it out. Or in the Words next following, The juft Man walketh in his Integrity: His Children are blessed after him. Or in any other Proverb in the whole Book. And if it were fo, that Solomon in thefe Things meant only to defcribe his own Times, it would not at all weaken the Argument. For, if we obferve the Hiftory of the Old Teftament, there is Reason to think there never was any Time from Joshua to the Captivity, wherein Wickednefs was more reftrained, and Virtue and Religion more encouraged and promoted, than in David's and Solomon's Times. And if there was fo little true piety in that Nation that was the only People of God under Heaven,

even

Sect. VII.

even in their very best Times, what may we fuppole concerning the World in general, take one Time with another?

Notwithstanding what fome Authors advance concerning the Prevalence of Virtue, Honefty, good Neighbourhood, Chearfulnefs, &c. m the World; Solomon, whom we may juftly efteem as wife and just an Obferver of human Nature, and the State of the World of Mankind, as most in thefe Days (befides, Chriftians ought to remember, that he wrote by divine Infpiration) judged the World to be fo full of Wickednefs, that it was better never to be born, than to be born to live only in fuch a World. Eccl. iv. at the Beginning, So I returned and confidered all the Oppreffions that are done under the Sun; and behold, the Tears of fuch as were oppreffed, and they had no Comforter: And on the Side of their Oppreffors there was Power; but they had no Comforter. Wherefore, I praised the dead, which were already dead, more than the living, which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, WHO HATH NOT SEEN THE EVIL WORK THAT IS DONE UNDER THE SUN. Surely it will not be faid that Solomon has only Respect to his Times here too, when he speaks of the Oppreffions of them that were in Power; fince He himself, and others appointed by him, and wholly under his Controul, were the Men that were in Power in that Land, and in almost all the neighbouring Countries.

The fame infpired Writer fays, Ecclef. ix. 3. The Heart of the Sons of Men is full of Evil; and Madness is in their Heart while they live; and after that they go to the dead. If these general Expreffions are to be understood only of fome, and those

the lefs Part, when in general, Truth, Honesty, Good-Nature, &c. govern the World, why are fuch general Expreffions from Time to Time ufed? Why does not this wife and noble, and great-foul'd Prince exprefs himself in a more generous and benevolent Strain, as well as more agreeable to Truth, and fay, Wifdem is in the Hearts of the Sons of Men while they live, &c. -inftead of leaving in his Writings fo many fly, ill-natured Suggestions, which pour fuch Contempt on the human Nature, and tend fo much to excite mutual Jealousy and Malevolence, to taint the Minds of Mankind through all Generations after him?

If we confider the various fucceffive Parts and Periods of the Duration of the World, it will, if poffible, be yet more evident, that vaftly the greater Part of Mankind have in all Ages been of a wicked Character. The fhort Accounts we have of Adam and his Family are fuch as lead us to fuppofe, that far the greater Part of his Pofterity in his Life-time, yea, in the former Part of his Life, were Wicked. It appears, that his eldest Son, Cain, was a very wicked Man, who flew his righteous Brother Abel. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty Years before Seth was born: And by that Time, we may fuppofe, his Pofterity began to be confiderably numerous: When he was born, his Mother called his Name Seth; for God, faid She, bath appointed me another Seed instead of Abel. Which naturally fuggefts this to our* Thoughts; That of all her Seed then exifting, none were of any fuch Note for Religion and Virtue, as that their Parents could have any great Comfort in them, or Expectation from them on that Account. And by the brief History we have,

it