3.22.2014 ARE YOU AGONIZING TO GET INTO HEAVEN? 2 - a sermon by john bunyan

CHAPTER 5 -BUT FEW WHO CLAIM HEAVEN SHALL HAVE IT

i come now to give you some OBSERVATIONS from the words
and they may be three.
1. when men have put in all the claim they can for heaven,
but few will have it for their inheritance.
'for many I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able'.

2. great therefore will be the disappointment that many will meet with at the day of judgment.
'for many will seek to enter in and shall not be able'.

3. going to heaven therefore will be no trivial business.
salvation is not got by a dream.
they that would then hve that kingdom, must now strive lawfully to enter.
'for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able'.

i shall speak chiefly, and yet but briefly, to the first of these observations, namely: THAT
WHEN MEN HAVE PUT IN ALL THE CLAIM THEY CAN TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN,
BUT FEW WILL HAVE IT FOR THEIR INHERITANCE.

the observation standeth of two parts.
1. that the time is coming  when every man will put in whatever claim he can to the kingdom of heaven.
2. there will be but few of them that put in claim thereto, that shall enjoy it for their inheritance.

...in the 25th of matthew... all they on the left hand of the Judge did put in all the claim they could
for this blessed kingdom of heaven.
if you shall take them on the left hand, as most do, for all the sinners that shall be damned,
then that completely proveth the first part of the observation;
for it is expressly said,
'then shall they (all of them jointly and every on apart) also answer him, saying,
Lord, when saw we thus and thus and did not minister unto Thee'. matt. 25.44
i could here bring you in the plea of the slothful servant and the cry of the foolish virgins.
i could also here enlarge upon that passage,
'lord, Lord, have we not eat and drank in Thy presence
and Thou hast taught in our streets'.
but these things are handled already,
in the handling of which this first part of the observation is proved.
wherefore without more words, I will God assisting by His grace,
descend to the second part thereof,
viz...few..will enjoy..

to enlarge therefore upon the truth..first, more generally; secondly, more particularly.
1. more generally, i shall prove, that in all ages but few have been saved.
2. more particularly, i shall prove, but few of them that profess have been saved.

first, in the old world when it was most populous, even in the days of noah,
we read but of eight persons that were saved out of it:
well therefore might peter call them but few. but how few? why but eight souls.
'wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water'. I pet. 3.20
he touches a second time upon this truth, saying,
'he spared not the old world, but saved noah, the eighth person,
a preacher of righteousness,
bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly'.
mark, all the rest are called the ungodly
and there was also a world of them. II pet. 2.5
these are also taken notice of in Job and go there also by the name of 'wicked men'.
'hast thou marked the old way, which wicked men have trodden?
which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood;
which said unto God, depart from us and what can the Almighty do for them? Job 22.15-7

there were therefore but eight persons that escaped the wrath of God in the day that the flood came upon the earth.
the rest were ungodly;
there was also a world of them
and they are to this day in the prison of hell. heb. 11.7; I pet. 3.19-20

nay, i must correct my pen;
there were but seven of the eight that were good;
for ham, though he escaped the judgment of the water,
yet the curse of god overtook him to his damnation.

secondly, when the world began again to be replenished
and people began to multiply therein;
how few, even in all ages, do we read of that were saved from the damnation of the world?

one abraham and his wife God called out of the land of the chaldeans.
'I called (said God) abraham ALONE'. isaiah 51.1,2

ONE Lot out of sodom and gomorrah, out of admah and zeboim;
ONE Lot out of four cities.
indeed his wife and two daughters went out of sodom with him;
but they all three proved naught, as you may see in the 19th of genesis:
wherefore peter observes that Lot only was saved.
'and turning the cities of sodom and gomorrah into ashes,
condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after
should live ungodly
and delivered just Lot,
that righteous man'. read II pet. 2. 6-8

Jude says that in this condemnation, God overthrew not only sodom and gomorrah,
but cities about them also
and yet you find none but Lot could be found that was righteous,
either in sodom or gomorrah or the cities about them,
wherefore they, all of them, suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. verse 7

come we now to the time of the Judges.
how few then were the godly;
even then when the inhabitants of the villages cease, they ceased in Israel!
'the highways (of God) were unoccupied'. Judges 5.6-7

there were but few in the days of david.
'help, Lord (says he) for the godly man ceaseth;
for the faithful fail from among the children of men'. psalm 12.1

in isaiah's time the saved were come to such a few, that he positively says,
that except there were a very small remnant let,
'God had made them like sodom and they had been like unto gomorrah'. isaiah 1.8-9

it was cried unto them in the time of jeremiah
that they should run 'to and fro through the streets of jerusalem
and see and know and seek in the broad places thereof,
if ye can find a man,
if there be any that executeth judgment,
that seeketh the truth
and I will pardon it'. jer. 5.1

God showed His servant ezekiel how few there would be saved in his day,
by the vision of a few hairs saved out of the midst of a few hairs;
for the saved were a few saved out of a few. ezekiel 5.3

you find in the time of the prophet micah, how the godly complain,
that as to number they then were so few
that he compares them to those that are left behind when they had gathered the summer fruit. micah 7.1

when Christ was come who did he confirm this truth,
that but few of them that put in claim for heaven will have it for their inheritance!
but the common people could not bear it
and therefore upon a time when he did but a little hint at this truth,
the people, even all in the synagogue where he preached it,
were filled with wrath, rose up, thrust Him out of the city
and led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built,
that they might cast Him down headlong. luke 4.24-30

the apostle john, after Christ, saith, 'that the whole world lieth in wickedness';
that 'all the world wondered after the beast';
and that power was given to the beast 'over all kindreds, tongues and nations'.
power to do what?
why, to cause all, both great and small, rich and poor, bond and free, to receive his mark and be branded
for him. I john 5.19; rev. 13.3, 16

should we come to observation and experience,
the show of the countenance of the bulk of men doth witness against them.
' they declare their sin as sodom, they hid it not'. isaiah 3.9
where is the man that maketh the Almighty God his delight
and that designeth His glory in the world?
do not even almost all pursue this world,
their lust and pleasures?
and so consequently say unto god,
'depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways?
or
'what is the Almightly that we should serve him?
it is in vain to serve God' etc. Job 21.14-5

so that without doubt it will appear a truth in the day of God,
that but few of them that shall put in their claim to heaven will have it for their inheritance.

before i pass this head, i will show you to what the saved are compared in the scriptures.
(foot. the permanency of all the citations which follow, to the point in hand, does not clearly appear. ..)

...2....so they are compared to a lily among the thorns;
which is rare and not so commonly seen.
'as the lily among the thorns, (saith Christ)
so is My beloved among the daughters'. song 2.2
by thorns, we understand the worst and best of ungodly men,
even all that are destitute of the grace of God;
'for the best of them is as a brier and the most upright of them as a thorn hedge'.  micah 7.4; II sam. 23.6
i know that the church may be called a lily amongst thorns also,
because she meets with the pricks of persecution. ezekiel 2.5; 28.24
she may also be thus termed, to show the disparity betwixt hypocrites and the church. luke 8.14; heb. 6.8
but this is not all; the saved are compared to a lily among thorns,
to show you that they are but few in the world;
to show you that they are but few and rare;
for as Christ compares her to a lily among thorns,
so she compares him to an apple tree among the trees of the wood,
which is rare and scarce, not common.

3. they that are saved are called but one of many.
for 'though there be threescore queens and fourscore concubines and virgins without number,
but My love (saith Christ) is but one, My undefiled is but one'. song 6.8-9
so according to that of jeremiah,
'I will take you, one of a city'. jer. 3
that saying of paul is much like this,
'know you not, that they which run in a race, run all, but one receiveth the prize'. I cor. 9.24
but one; that is few of many, few of them that run;
for he is not here comparing them that run with them that sit still, but with them that run.
some run and lose;
some run and win.
they that run and win are few in comparison of them that run and lose.
'they that run in a race, run all, but one receiveth the prize'.
let there then be 'thereescore queens and fourscore concubines and virgins without number'
yet the saved are but few.

4. they that are saved, are compared to the gleaning after the vintage is in.
'woe is me (saith the church) for i am as when they have gathered the summer fruit,
as the grape gleanings of the vintage'. micah 7.1
'the gleanings!
what are the gleanings to the whole crop?
and yet you here see, to the gleanings are the saved compared.
it is the devil and sin that carry away the cart loads,
while Christ and his ministers come after agleaning;
but 'the gleaning of the grapes of ephraim is better than the vintage of abiezer'. judges 8.2
them that Chirst and His ministers glean up and bind up in the bundle of life
are better than the loads that go the other way.
you know it is often the cry of the poor in harvest, 'poor gleaning! poor gleaning!
and the ministers of the gospel also cry,
'Lord, who hath believed our report
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? isaiah 53.1
when the prophet speaks of the saved under this metaphor of gleaning, how doth he amplify the matter?
'gleaning grapes shall be left, (says he) tow or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough,
four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the Lord'.  isaiah 17.6
thus you see what gleaning is left in the vineyard after the vintage is in;
tow or three here, four or five there.
Alas! they that shall be saved when the devil and hell have had their due will be but as the gleaning;
they will be but few.
they that go to hell, go thither in clusters,
but the saved go not so to heaven. matt. 13.30; micah 7
wherefore when the prophet speaketh of the saved he saith, there is no cluster.
but when he speaketh of the damned, he saith, they are gathered by clusters. rev. 14.18-9.
O sinners!
but few will be saved.
O professors!
but few will be saved.

5. they that shall be saved are compared to jewels.
'and they shall be Mine saith the Lord in the day the I make up my jewels'. mal. 3.17
jewels, you know, are rare things, things that are not found in every house.
jewels will lie in little room being few and small,
though lumber takes up much.
in almost every house you may find brass and iron and lead
and every place you may find hypocritical professors;
but the saved are not these common things;
they are God's peculiar treasure. 134.4
wherefore paul distinguisheth betwixt the lumber and the treasure in the house:
there are, saith he, in a great house not only vessels of gold and silver,
but also of wood and of earth;
and some to honor and some to dishonor. II tim. 2.20
here is a word for wooden and earthy professors:
the jewels and treasure are vessels to honor;
they of wood and earth are vessels to dishonor,
that is vessels for destruction. rom. 9.21

6. they that shall be saved are compared to a remnant.
'except the Lord had left unto us a very small remnant,
we should have been as sodom and should have been like unto gomorrah'. isaiah 1.9
a remnant, a small remnant, a very small remnant.
O! how doth the Holy Ghost word it!
and all to show you how few shall be saved.
every one knows what a remnant is,
but this is a small remnant, 'a very small remnant'!
so again, 'sing with gladness for jacob and shout among the chief of the nations.
publish ye, praise ye and say, O Lord, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel' jer. 31.7
what shall i say?
the saved are often in scripture called 'a remnant'. ezek. 14.22; isaiah 10.20-2l;11.11-6; jer.23.3;  joel 2.32
but what is a remnant to the whole piece?
what is a remnant of people to the whole kingdom?
or what is a remnant of wheat to the whole harvest?

7. the saved are compared to the tithe or tenth part.
wherefore when God sendeth the prophet
to make the hearts of the people fat, their ears dull and to shut their eyes,
the prophet asked, 'how long?'
to which God answered,
'until the cities be wasted without inhabitant
and the houses without man
and the land be utterly desolate
and the Lord have removed men far away
and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land:
but yet (as God saith in another place, 'I will not make a full end')in it shall be a tenth
-so the holy seed, of those that were to be reserved from the judgment.
and observe it, the fattening and blinding of the rest was to their everlasting destruction.
and so both Christ and paul expound it often in the new testament. matt. 13.14-5; mark 4.12; luke 7.10; john 12.40; acts 28.26; rom. 11.8
so that those that are reserved from them that perish will be very few, as it were, one in ten.
'a tenth shall return; so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof'.

i shall not add more generals at this time.
i pray God the world be not offended at these.
but without doubt, but few of them that shall put in their claim for heaven will have it for their inheritance;
which will yet farther appear in the reading of that which follows.

CHAPTER 6 - BUT FEW WHO PROFESS RELIGION WILL BE SAVED

SECOND. i come now more particularly to show you, that
BUT FEW PROFESSORS WILL BE SAVED.
i say but few professors themselves will be saved;
for that is the truth that the text doth more directly look at and defend.
give me therefore thy hand, good reader and let us soberly walk through the rest of what shall be said
and let us compare as we go each particular with the holy scripture.

1. it is said 'the daughter of Zion, is left as a cottage in a vineyard,
as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers,
as a besieged city'. isaiah 1.8
the vineyard was the church of israel. isaiah 5.1
the cottage in that vineyard was the daughter of Zion or the truly gracious amongst or in that church.
'a cottage!'
God had but a cottage there, but a little habitation in the church,
a very few that were truly gracious amongst that great multitude that professed
and had it not been for these, for this cottage, the rest had been ruined as sodom.
'except the Lord of Host had left unto us (in the church) a very small remnant,
we had been as sodom'. isaiah 1.9
wherefore among the multitude of them that shall be damned,
professors will make a considerable party.

2. 'for though Thy people israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant shall return'
-'a remnant shall be saved'. isaiah 10.22; rom. 9.27
for though Thy people israel whom Thou broughtest out of egypt,
to whom Thou hast given a church constitution,
holy laws, holy ordinances, holy prophets and holy covenants;
Thy people by separation from all people and Thy people by profession;
though this Thy people be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.
wherefore among the multitude of them that shall be damned,
professors will make a considerable party.

3. 'reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them'.  jer. 6.30
the people here under consideration are called (in verse 27) God's people by profession:
'I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among My people,
that thou mayst know and try their way'.
what follows?
'they are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders;reprobate silver;
the Lord hath rejected them'.
in chap 7 v29, they are called also the generation of His wrath:
'for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath'.
this therefore i gather out of these holy scriptures,
that with reference to profession and church constitution
a people may be called the people of God,
but with reference to the event and final conclusion that God will make with some of them,
they may be truly the generation of His wrath.

4. in the 5th of isaiah you read again of the vineyard of god
and that it was planted on a very fruitful hill,
planted with the choicest vines, had a wall, a tower, a winepress belonging to it
and all things that could put it into right good order and good government as a church,
but this vineyard of the Lord of hosts brought forth wild grapes,
fruits unbecoming her constitution and government;
wherefore the Lord takes from her his hedge and wall and lets her be trodden down.
read Christ's exposition of it in matt. 21. 23f
look to it, professors, these are the words of the text,
'for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able'.

5. 'son of man' said God top the prophet,  the house of israel is to Me become dross;
all they are brass and tin and iron and lead in the midst of the furnace;
they are even the dross of silver'. eze. 22.18
God had silver there, some silver, but it was but little;
the bulk of that people was but the dross of the church, though they were the members of it.
but what doth he mean by the dross?
why He looked upon them as no better, notwithstanding their church membership,
than the rabble of the world,
that is with respect to their latter end;
for to be called dross is to be put amongst the rest of the sinners of the world, in the judgment of God,
though at present they abide in His house.
'Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross, therefore i love Thy testimonies'. psalm 119.119

God saith of His saved ones, He hath chosen them in the furnace of affliction.
the refiner, when he putteth the silver into a furnace puts lead in also among it;
now this lead being ordered as He knows how,
works up the dross from the silver;
which dross, still as it riseth, he putteth by or taketh away with an instrument.
-and thus deals God with His church.
there is silver in His church, aye, and there is also dross.
now the dross are the hypocrites and graceless one that are got into the church
and these will god discover and afterwards put away as dross.
so that it will without doubt prove a truth of God,
that many of these professors that shall put in claim for heaven,
will not have it for their inheritance.

6. it is said of Christ, 'His fan is in His hand
and he will thoroughly purge His floor and gather His wheat into the garner,
but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire'. matt. 3.12

the floor is the church of God.
'O My threshing and the corn of My floor, said God by the prophet to His people isaiah 21.10
the wheat are those good one in his church that shall be undoubtedly saved;
therefore he saith, 'gather My wheat into My garner'.
the chaff groweth upon the same stalk and ear and so is in the same visible body with the wheat;
but there is not substance in it.
wherefore, in time they must be severed one from the other,
the wheat must be gathered into the garner, which is heaven
and the chaff, of professors that want true grace,
must be gathered into hell, that they may be burned up with unquenchable fire.
therefore let the professors look to it.

7. Christ casts away two of the tree ground that are said to receive the word. luke 13
the stony ground received it with joy and the thorny ground brought forth fruit almost to perfection.
indeed the highway ground was to show us that the carnal, whilst such, receive not the word at all;
but here is the pinch, two of the tree that received it, fell short of the kingdom of heaven;
for but one of the tree received it so as to bring forth fruit to perfection.
look to it professors!

8. the parable of the unprofitable servant,
the parable of the man without a wedding garment
and the parable of the unsavory salt,
do each of them justify this for truth. matt. 25. 24-9; 22.11-3
that of the unprofitable servant is to show us the sloth and idleness of some professors.
that of the man without a wedding garment is to show us
how some professors have the shame of their wickedness seen by God,
even when they are among the children of the bridegroom.
and that parable of the unsavory salt is to show that as the salt that hath lost its savor is fit for nothing,
no, not for the dunghill,
but to be trodden under foot of men;
so some professors (yea, and great ones too, for this parable reached one of the apostles)
will in god's day be counted fit for nothing but to be trodden down as the mire in the streets.
Oh! the slothful, the naked and unsavory professors,
how will they be rejected of God and Christ in the judgment!
look to it professors.

9. the parable of the tares also giveth countenance to this truth:
for though it be said, the field is the world,
yet it is said, the tares were sown even in the church.
'and while men slept the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. matt. 13.24-5

objection. but some may object,
'the tares might be sowed in the world among the wheat, though not in the churches'.

answer. but Christ, by expounding this parable, tells us,
the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world:
the son of man shall send forth His angels
and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity
and shall cast them into a furnace of fire;
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth'.v40-3. look to it professors.

10. the parable of the ten virgins also suiteth our purpose.
these ten are called the kingdom of heaven, matt. 25.1,
that is the church of Christ, the visible right constituted church of Christ,
for they went all out of the world, had all lamps and all went forth to meet the bridegroom.
yet behold what an overthrow the one half of them met with at the gate of heaven;
they were shut out, bid to depart and Christ told them He did not know them. v10-2.
tremble professors! pray professors!

11. the parable of the net that was cast into the sea, matt. 13.47-50, also countenanceth this truth.
the substance of that parable is to show that
souls may be gathered by the gospel, there compared to a net;
may be kept in that net;
drawn to a shore to the world's end by that net;
and yet may then prove bad fishes
and be cast away.
the parable runs thus,
'the kingdom of heaven (the gospel) is like unto a net which was cast into the sea (the world)
and gathered of every kind (good and bad)
which when it was full they drew to shore (at the end of the world)
and sat down (in judgment)
and gathered the good into vessels and cast the bad away'.
some bad fishes, nay, i doubt a great many , will be found in the net of the gospel at the day of judgment.
watch and be sober professors.

12. 'and many shall come from the east and west
and shall sit down with abraham and isaac and jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
but THE CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM SHALL BE CAST OUT.matt. 13.11-2
the children of the kingdom whose privileges were said to be these,
'to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory
and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises rom. 9.4
i take liberty to harp the more upon the first church (ie israel), because that that happened to them,
happened as types and examples intimating there is ground to think
that things of as dreadful a nature are to happen among the churches of the gentiles. I cor. 10.11-2.
neither indeed have the gentile churches security from God
that there shall not as dreadful things happen unto them.
and concerning this very thing, sufficient caution is given to us also.
I cor. 6.9-10; gal. 5.19-21; eph. 5.3-7; phil. 3.10,19; II thess. 2.11-12;II tim. 2.20-1;
heb. 6.4-9; 10.26-9; II pet 2,3; I john 5.10; rev. 2.20

13. the parable of the true vine and its branches confirms what i have said. john 15.1-6
by the vine there i understand Christ, Christ as head;
by the branches i understand His church.
some of these branches proved fruitless castaways,
were in time cast out of the church,
were gathered by men and burned.

14. lastly, i will come to particular instances.
1. the twelve had a devil among them. john 6.70
2. ananias and sapphira were in the church of jerusalem. acts 5.3
3. simon magus was among them at samaria. acts 8.4
4. among the church of corinth were them that had not the knowledge of God. I cor. 15.5
5. paul tells the galatians, false brethren crept in unawares and so does the apostle jude
and yet they were as quick sighted to see as any now a days. gal. 2; jude 4
6. the church in sardis had but a few names in her, to whom the kingdom of heaven belonged
'thou hast a few names, even in sardis, which have not defiled their garments
and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy'.
7. as for the church of the laodicians, it is called 'wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.'
rev. 3
so that put all things together and i may boldly say, as i have said already,
that among the multitude of them that shall be damned,
professors will make a considerable party
or, to speak in the words of the observation,
when men have put in all the claim they can for heaven, but few will have it for their inheritance.

CHAPTER 7 - WHY SO MANY MISS OF HEAVEN

i will now show you some reason of the point, besides those five that i showed you before.

but, first, i will show you why the poor, carnal, ignorant world miss of heaven
and then why the knowing professors miss of it also.
1. the poor, carnal, ignorant world miss of heaven even because they love their sins
and cannot part with them.
'men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds be evil'. john 3
the poor ignorant world miss of heaven,
because they are enemies in their mind to God His word and holiness.
they must be all damned who take pleasure in unrighteousness. II thess 2.10-12
the poor ignorant world miss of heaven because they stop their ears against convictions
and refuse to come when God calls.
'because I have called and ye refused;
I have stretched out My hand and no man regarded;
but ye have set at nought all my counsel
and would none of My reproof;
I also will laugh at your calamity;
i will mock when your fear cometh;
when your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer;
they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me.'. prov. 1.24-8.

2. the poor ignorant world miss of heaven,
because the God of this world hath blinded their eyes
that they can neither see the evil and damnable state they are in at present
nor the way to get out of it.
neither do they see the beauty of Jesus Christ nor how willing he is to save poor sinners. II cor. 4.4

3.the poor ignorant world miss of heaven because they put off and defer coming to Christ
until the time of God's patience and grace is over.
some indeed are resolved never to come.
but some again say, we will come hereafter and so it comest to pass
that because God called and they did not hear;
so they shall cry and I will not hear saith the Lord. zech. 7.11-3

4. the poor ignorant world miss of heaven because they have false apprehensions of God's mercy.
they say in their hears, 'we shall have peace, though we walk in the imagination of our heart
to add drunkenness to thirst'.
but what saith the word?
'the Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord
and his jealousy shall smoke against that man
and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him
and God shall blot out his name from under heaven'. deut. 29. 19-21

5. the poor ignorant world miss of heaven because they make light of the gospel
that offereth mercy to them freely
and because they lean upon their own good meanings and thinkings and doings. 
matt. 22.1-6; rom. 9.30-1

6 the poor carnal world miss of heaven, because by unbelief, which reigns in them,
they are kept for ever from being clothed with Christ's righteousness
and from washing in His blood;
without which there is neither remission of sin nor justification.  but to pass these till anon.

i come, in the next place, to show you some reasons why most professors fall short of heaven.

first, in the general, THEY REST IN THINGS BELOW SPECIAL GRACE;
as in awakenings that are not special, in repentance that is not special, etc.
and a little to run a parallel betwixt the one and the other, that,
if God will you may see and escape.
1. HAVE THEY that shall be saved, AWAKENINGS about their state by nature?
SO HAVE THEY THAT SHALL BE DAMNED.
they that never go to heaven may see much of sin
and of the wrath of God due thereto.
this had cain and judas and yet they came short of the kingdom.  gen. 4; matt. 27.4
the saved have convictions in order to their eternal life;
but the others' convictions are not so.
the convictions of the one do drive them sincerely to Christ;
the convictions of the other drive them to the law
and the law to desperation at last.

2. there is a repentance that will not save
-a repentance to be repented of
and a repentance to salvation, not to be repented of. II cor. 7.10.
yet so great a similitude and likeness there is betwixt the one and the other,
that most times the wrong is taken for the right and through this mistake professors perish. as,
1) in saving repentance there will be an acknowledgment of sin
and one that hath the other repentance, may acknowledge his sins also. matt. 27.4
2) in saving repentance there is a crying out under sin;
but one that hath the other repentance may cry out under sin also. gen. 4.13
3) in saving repentance there will be humiliation for sin
and one that hath the other repentance may humble himself also. I kings 21.29
4) saving repentance is attended with self loathing;
but he that hath the other repentance may have loathing of sin too II pet 2.22
A LOATHING OF SIN BECAUSE IT IS SIN that he cannot have;
but  a loathing of sin, because it is offensive to him, that he may have.
the dog doth not loathe that which troubleth his stomach, because it is there,
but because it troubleth him;
when it has done troubling him, he can turn to it again
and lick it up as before it troubled him.
5) saving repentance is attended with prayers and tears;
but he that hath none but the other repentance, may have prayers and tears also. gen. 27.34-5; heb. 12.24-7
6) in saving repentance there is fear and reverence of the word and ministers that bring it,
but this may be also where there is non but the repentance that is not saving.
'for herod feared john, knowing that he was a just man and a holy and observed him;
when he heard him, he did many things and heard him gladly'. mark 6.20
7) saving repentance makes a man's heart very tender of doing any thing against the word of God.
but balaam could say, 'if balak would give me his house full of silver and gold,
i cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord. num. 24.13

behold, then, how far a man may go in repentance and yet be short of that which is called,
'repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of'.
1. he may be awakened
2. he may acknowledge his sin
3. he may cry out under the burden of sin
4. he may have humiliations for it
5. he may loathe it
6. may have prayers and tears against it
7. may delight to do many things of God
8. may be afraid of sinning against Him
and after all this may perish for want of saving repentance.

secondly, have they that shall be saved FAITH?
why, they that shall not be saved may have faith also;
yea, a faith in many things so like the faith that saveth,
that they can hardly be distinguished, (though they differ both in root and branch.)
to come to particulars:
1. saving faith hath Christ for its object
and so may the faith that is not saving.
those very jews of whom it is said they believed on Christ,
Christ tells, and that after their believing,
'ye are of your father the devil and the lusts of your father ye will do'. john 8.30-44
2. saving faith is wrought by the word of God
and so may the faith that is not saving. luke 13.13.
3. saving faith looks for justification without works
ans so may a faith do that is not saving. james 2.18
4. saving faith will sanctify and purify the heart.
and the faith that is not saving, may work a man off from the pollutions of the world,
as it did judas, demas and others. see II pet. 2
5. saving faith will give a man tastes of the world to come and also joy by these tastes
and so will the faith do that is not saving. heb 6.4-5; luke 8.13.
6. saving faith will help a man, if called thereto,
to give his body to be burned for his religion
ans so will the faith do that is not saving. I cor. 13.1-5
7. saving faith will help a man to look for an inheritance in the world to come
and that may the faith do that is not saving.
'all those virgins took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom'. matt. 25.1
8. saving faith will not only make a man look but prepare to meet the bridegroom
and so may the faith do that is not saving.
'then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps'.  matt. 25.7
9. saving faith will make a man look for an interest in the kingdom of heaven with confidence
and the faith that is not saving will even demand entrance of the Lord:
'Lord, Lord, open unto us'. matt. 25.11
10. saving faith will have good works follow it into heaven
and the faith that is not saving may have great works follow it as far as to heaven gates.
'Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name and in Thy name cast out devils,
and in Thy name done many wonderful works? matt. 7.22

now then, if the faith that is not saving, may have Christ for its object,
be wrought by the word,
look for justification without works,
work men off from the pollutions of the world and
give men tastes of and joy in the things of another world:
i say again, if it will help a man to burn at the stake for his judgment
and to look for an inheritance in another world;
yea if it will help a man to prepare for it, claim interest in it and
if it can carry great works, many great and glorious works as far as heaven gates,
then no marvel if abundance of people take this faith for the saving faith
and so fall short of heaven thereby.
alas friends! there are but few that can produce such fruits
for repentance and such faith as yet you see,
i have proved even reprobates have had in several ages of the church. but,

thirdly, they that go to heaven are a praying people,
but a man may pray that shall not be saved.
pray! he may pray and pray daily, yea, he may ask of God the ordinances of justice
and may take delight in approaching to God;
nay, further, such souls may, as it were cover the altar of the Lord with tears,
with weeping and crying out. mal. 2.13

fourthly, do God people keep holy fasts?
they that are not His people may keep His fasts also;
may keep fasts often, even twice a week.
'the pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself,

god, i thank Thee that i am not as other men are,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers or even as this publican.
i fast twice in the week, i give tithes of all that i possess'. luke 18.11-2

i might enlarge upon thins, but i intend but a little book.
i do not question but many balaamites will appear before the judgment seat to condemnation:
men that have had visions of God
and that knew the knowledge of the Most High;
men that have had the Spirit of God come upon them
and that have by that been made other men;
yet these shall go to the generations of their fathers,
they shall never see light. num. 24.2.4.16; I sam. 10, 6.10; psalm 49.19

i read of some men whose excellency in religion mounts up to the heavens and their head reaches unto the clouds,
who yet shall perish forever like their own dung
and he that in this world hath seen them shall say at the judgment, 'where are they?' Job 20.5-7
there will be many that were gallant professors in this world,
wanting among the saved in the day of Christ's coming;
yea, many whose damnation was never dreamed of
which of the twelve ever thought that judas would have proved a devil?
nay, when Christ suggested that one among them was naught
they each were more afraid of themselves than of him. matt. 26.21-3
who questioned the salvation of the foolish virgins?
the wise ones did not. they gave them the privilege of communion with themselves. matt. 25
the discerning of the heart and the infallible proof of the truth of saving grace
is reserved in the judgment of Jesus Christ at His coming.
the church and best of saints sometimes hit and sometimes miss in their judgments about this matter.
and the cause of our missing in our judgment, is
1. partly, because we cannot infallibly, at all times, distinguish grace that saveth,
from that which doth not appear to do so.
2. partly, also, because some men have the art to give right names to wrong things.
3. and partly because we being commanded to receive him that is weak,
are afraid to exclude the least christian.
by hidden means hypocites creep into the churches.
but what saith the scripture?
'I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins'.
and again, ' all the churches shall know that i am He which searcheh the reins and hearts:
and I will give to every one of you according to your works;. jer. 11.20; 17.10; rev 2.23.
to the Searcher of hears is the time of infallible discerning reserved
and then you shall see how far grace that is not saving hath gone
and also how few will be saved indeed.
the Lord awaken poor sinners by my little book.

CHAPTER 8 - APPLICATION TO THE UNCONVERTED.

i come now to make some brief use and application of the whole
and my first word shall be to THE OPENLY PROFANE...
my second word is to THEM THAT ARE UPON THE POTTER'S WHEEL
concerning whom yet, whether their convictions and awakenings will end in conversion or no.
several things i shall say to you, both to further your convictions and to caution you from staying
anywhere below or short of saving grace.
1. remember that but few shall be saved.
and if God should count thee worthy to be one of that few, what a mercy would that be?
2. be thankful therefore for convictions/.
conversion begins at conviction, though all conviction doth not end in conversion.
it is a great mercy to be convinced that we are sinners and that we need a saviour.
count it therefore a mercy.

and that thy convictions may end in conversion, do thou,
1. take heed of stifling of them....
2. be willing to see the worst of thy condition. it is better to see it here than in hell..
3. beware of little sins. they will make way for great ones
and they again will make way for bigger...
4. take heed of bad company...for that will corrupt good manners...
5. beware of such a thought as bids thee delay repentance; for that is damnable. prov. 1.24; zech 7.12-3
6. beware of taking example by some poor carnal professor, whose religion lies in the tip of his tongue....
Job 34.30;prov.13.20
7. give thyself much to the word and prayer and good conference.
8. labor to see the sin that cleaveth to the best of thy performances
and know that all is nothing if thou beest not found in Jesus Christ.
9. keep in remembrance that god's eye is upon thy heart and upon all thy ways.
'can any hide himself in secret places, that i shall not see him? saith the Lord...jer. 23.24
10. be often meditating upon death and judgment. eccl. 11.9; 12.14
11. be often thinking what a dreadful end sinners that have rejected Christ will make at that day...heb 10.31
12. put thy self often, in thy thoughts, before Christ's judgment seat in thy sins
and consider with thyself, were i now before by Judge, how should i look?
how should i shake and tremble?
13. be often thinking of them that are now in hell past all mercy.
1)they were once in the world, as i now am.
2)they once took delight in sin as i have done.
3) they once neglected repentance, as satan would have me do.
4) but now they are gone, now they are in hell, now the pit hath shut her mouth upon them!
....

CHAPTER 9 - APPLICATION TO PROFESSORS OF RELIGION

my third word is to PROFESSORS....
1. i begin with you whose religion lieth only in your tongues...
2. covetous professor! thou that makest a gain of religion...
3. wanton professors!...you that can tell how to misplead scripture to maintain
your pride, your banqueting and abominable idolatry..
4...the opinionist..him whose religion lieth in some circumstantials of religion...
these think all out of the way that are not of their mode,
when themselves may be out of the way in the midst of their zeal for their opinions...
5. ..the formalist...is a man that hath lost all but the shell of religion.
he is hot indeed for his form...but his form being without ..power..godliness..
6. legalist..him that hath no life but what he makes out of his duties.
this man hath chosen to stand and fall by moses who is the condemner of the world.
'there is one that accuseth you, even moses, in whom ye trust'. john 5.45
7...the libertine..he..pretendeth to be against forms and duties as things that gender to bondage
neglecting the order of God.
this man pretends to pray always, but under that pretence prays not at all
he pretends to keep every day a sabbath, but this pretence
serves him only to cast off all set times for the worship of God.
8....the temporizing latitudinarian.
he is a man that hath no God but his belly, nor any religion but that by which his belly is worshipped.
his religion is always like the times, turning this way and that way, like the cock upon the steeple;
neither hath he any conscience but a benumbed and seared on
and is next door to a downright atheist.....
9....the wilfully ignorant professor..is afraid to know more for fear of the cross.
he is for picking and choosing of truth
and loveth not to hazard his all for that worthy name by which he would be called.
when he is at any time overset by arguments or awakenings of conscience, he uses to heal all by saying,
'i was not brought up in this faith'..
as if it were unlawful for christians to know more than hath been taught them at first conversion....
10...the professor that would prove himself a christian by comparing himself with others
instead of comparing himself with the word of God.
this man comforts himself because he is as holy as such and such;
he also knows as much as that old professor and then concludes he shall go to heaven,
as if he certainly knew that those with whom he compareth himself would be undoubtedly saved.
but how if he should be mistaken?
nay, may not both fall short? II cor. 10.12
11...another professor...if for God and for baal too.
he can be any thing for any company; he can throw stones with both hands
his religion alters as fast as his company...
nothing that is disorderly comes amiss to him;
he will hold with the hare and run with the hound;
he carries fire in one hand and water in the other
he is very anything but what he should be....
12.  there is also that free willer who denies to the Holy Ghost the sole work in conversion
and that socinian who denieth to Christ that He hath made to God satisfaction for sin
and that Quaker who takes from Christ the two natures in his person
...and i might add as many more touching whose damnation the scripture is plain...