Sect. 9. Of the fewness of them that shall be saved.

*In this Section, the subject of our meditation shall be the small num∣ber of them that shall be saved: Christ's flock in Scripture is called a little flock, Luke 12.32. the number of the Elect is but small, and by con∣sequent, there are but few that shall be saved: Thus much one of the Fathers collecteth out of the de∣structions mentioned in the Old Te∣Testament,* whereby they say signi∣fied the manner of the last judge∣ment, which they make types there∣of; Page  129 thus at the general Deluge com∣monly called Noah's Flood, a very few escaped, and a small number were preserved, but eight persons, Gen. 6.18. At the destruction of So∣dome there escaped fewer, but three onely, viz. Lot, and his two Daugh∣ters, Gen. 19. and at the destruction of Jericho not many preserved, but onely Rahab and her houshold, as was promised, Josh. 2. and performed Josh. 6.* An Apocriphal Writer tells us, That the most High made this world for many, but the world to come but for a few: he illustrateth the point by a plain familiar similitude, saying, As the earth yeeldeth much matter for pots, but little for gold, so there be many crea∣ted, but few that shall be saved; yea Christ himself affirmeth, That the gate is wide, and the way broad that leadeth unto life, and there be but few that finde it, Matth. 7.13, 14. and St. Paul out of the Prophet Isaiah tells us, That though the number of the chil∣dren of Israel be as the sand on the Sea, yet a remnant onely shall be sa∣ved.

A Learned man divideth the world* Page  130 into thirty parts, and he saith, bu• eleven parts only have the means of grace, the rest remain in darknesse; or that have not had the Gospel pure∣ly preached unto them: now with∣out faith there is no salvation, and without the Word preached, ordi∣narily no faith; and then how many Jews, how many Turks, Pagans, Infidels must needs perish? for as out of Noah's Ark there was no safety from the Floud, so out of the Church, no salvation, or escaping of eternall destruction, Act. 4.12. And

*1. Among those that professe themselves to be Christians, how many secret Atheists be there, who perhaps are afraid or ashamed to say it with their tongues, yet never blush to say it in their hearts, yea to pro∣claim it by their lives, that they be∣lieve there is no God; for, if they confesse his Essence, at least they de∣ny his providence, thinking that he never provideth Heaven for the god∣ly, nor Hell for the ungodly; all which persons be of the fraternity of fools.

2. How many Hypocrites be Page  131 there, who be like Nebuchadnezzar's image, Dan. 2.22, 23. whose head was of gold, the brest and arms of sil∣ver, the belly and thighs of brasse, the legs of iron, but the feet partly of iron, and partly of clay; a fit em∣blem of the retrograde courses of some seeming good Christians, whom the longer a man is acquainted with, the worse he will like them; for ma∣ny times they have holy words and hollow hearts, not caring to be good, but only to be thought so.

3. All such persons as turn piety into policy, make profession of Reli∣gion only for preferment, and other by-respects; howsoever they be in the Church, yet they be not of the Church, Joh. 2.19. Now if all these and their like be cut off from the account, we shall see that Christ's flock is but a little flock, and that there are but few that shall be sa∣ved.

But it may be said,* that our Saviour saith, Mat. 8.11. Many shall come from the East, and the West, and from the North, and from the South, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Page  132 Jacob in the kingdome of Heaven; and we read likewise, Rev. 7.4. that there were twelve thousand sealed out of each tribe of Israel, except the tribe of Dan, all which put together make an hundred forty four thousand, besides those num∣berlesse numbers that come out of other Nations in long white robes, in token of their inn•cence, and palms in their hands, the ensigns of victory over world∣ly vanities; and Christ is said to be the first-born among many brethren, Rom. 8.29. how then doth it hold, that Christ's flock is but a little flock, and there are but few that shall be saved?

*1. You are to know, that all things in the Scriptures are not spo∣ken, or to be taken simply, but sometime by way of comparison: as for example, when Iacob is brought before King Pharaoh, and questioned by him about his age, he told him, that his dayes had been but few and evil, which must be un∣derstood in comparison of his an∣cestors, for otherwise an hundred and thirty years had been a fair age, Gen. 47.9. so Christ's flock is but little in comparison of the Devil's Page  133 drove, and there are but few that shall be saved, in comparison of the multitude that shall be damned. Thus Austin expounds the words of our Saviour on Mat. 13.* Many shall be saved, yet but few; many sim∣ply, few comparatively; few in compa∣rison of those that perish; there are many in the society of Angels: the distincti∣on may be made plain by this simili∣tude; If a man should suddenly see a thousand or two thousand armed men in the field, he would surely think them a great Army, but if (but turning his head) he should see ten thousand or twenty thousand in another company, he would alter his opinion, and think the first com∣pany but small, even an handfull only in comparison of the latter: the Prophet complaineth of the num∣ber of God's elect, to be like the sum∣mer fruit, and as the grape gleanings of the vintage, Mic. 7.1.

2. They are many in relation to Christ their Head; for he is a King, and a King is not attended with a few; he is a Saviour, and his bloud was shed for many, Mat. 26.28. By Page  134 his obedience he hath justified many, Rom. 5.19. God the Father is also Master of a great Family, as the De∣vil who is the God of this world hath many vassals, so God hath many Sons and Daughters that must be brought to glory, Heb. 2.•0 they are a numberless number that are to fol∣low the Lamb wheresoever he goes, Rev. 14.1. In this respect the Elect are many; yet (as I said before) com∣pared with the multitude that shall perish, they are but a very small number.

1. Here we may meditate on the folly of the Papists, in making uni∣versality a note of their Church, the consent of the multitude, a note of true Religion; whereas Christ him∣self tells us, His flock is but a little flock: all Abab's false Prohets are a∣gainst Michajah, all Zedekiah's Courtiers against Jeremy, all Darius his Nobles against Daniel, all the Scribes and Pharisees against Christ and his Apostles; all the Arrians against Athanasius: In a word, if number and multitude might carry it, neither the Papists, nor the Pro∣testants Page  135 would have 〈◊〉 Church, but the Turks would take it from us both.

2. The meditation on the small number of them that shall be saved, will make us take heed of following the multitude, and doing as the most do, lest we go to the Devil for com∣pany; as it is reported of a King of Friezeland, that being like King A∣grippa, almost perswaded to be a Christian,* and demanding of the Bishop that was to have baptized him, what he thought was become of all his Ancestors, that dyed un∣baptized, and unconverted to the faith; who answering modestly, That it was not meet for them to dive into the secret counsel of God▪ who might save some of them ex∣traordinarily, but for any thing that was revealed in the word, he could not see but they must be damned; but that He was infinitely bound to God in reserving him till that time, ma∣king known to him the means of salvation, which was hid from them; whereupon my Author saith, he pluckt back his foot in a rage, saying▪ Page  136 That he would also follow them, and go to Hell likewise for company: The meditation on the small number that shall be saved, should make us strive to be of that small rem∣nant.

*Nazianzen speaking of his own time, saith, Where are they now that upbraid us with our poverty, and boast so much of their own wealth, who define a Church by multitude, and contemn a small sheepfold? that is not alwayes the safest way to go where many go: Esteem not of their number saith Austin,* I grant they are many, who is able to number them? few they are that go the strait way; bring me hither the scales, begin to weigh, see what a deal of chaffe is hoised up in one scale against a few balney corns in the other: And Chry∣sostome saith, What profit or advantage is it, to be rather a great deal of chaffe, than a few precious stones? Thus the Fathers: and yet saith Bellarmine* One note of the Church is multitude of beleevers.