" many shall seek to enter into the kingdom, and not be ablep." How comes this ? They seek, with good desires ; but they do not strive with the full bent and determination of their hearts. But this is necessary, indispensably necessary, to the attainment of God's heavenly kingdom. The pursuit of it must be regarded by you as " the one thing needful V It must be entered upon with the same spirit as David manifested, when he said, " One thing have I desired of the Lord, which / ivill seek after*." You must engage in it " with all your mights:" and, instead of ever looking upon your attainments with com- placency, or feeling yourselves at liberty to relax your ardour, you must, with Paul, " forget what is behind, and reach forward to that which is before, and press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus4." There must be " no looking back, after you have once put your hand to the plough11;" "no weariness in well-doingx :" you must " endure unto the end, if ever you would be savedy :" and, like the manslayer, never rest a moment, till you enter the gates of the heavenly city z.]
P Luke xiii. 24. <i Luke x. 42. r Ps. xxvii. 4.
8 Eccl. ix. 10. ' Phil. iii. 13, 14. » Luke ix. 62.
x Gal. vi. 9. y Matt. x. 22.
z Numb. xxxv. 11, 12.
Luke xvi. 25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
THE more strongly the discourses of a minister bear upon the prevailing vices of the day, the more will they, whose besetting sin is pointed out and reprobated, pour contempt upon the preacher and his word. Our blessed Lord had spoken the parable of the unjust steward, in order to shew, that every one should consider himself as responsible to God for the use he makes of that which is entrusted to him. " The Pharisees, who were covetous, imme- diately derided hima." Our Lord, however, was not to be deterred by their derision ; on the contrary, he
a ver. 14.