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T H E "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."– Matthew 7:13, 14 By J O H N.B U N Y A N. |
But,
[DESCRIPTION OF THE ENTRANCE INTO THIS KINGDOM.]
econd. As we have here an intimation of the kingdom of heaven,
so we have a description of the entrance into it, and that by a double similitude:
I. It is called a gate; II. A strait gate– "Strive to enter in at the strait
gate."
[It is called a gate.]
I. It is set forth by the similitude of a gate. A gate, you know, is of a double
use. It is to open and shut, and so, consequently, to let in or to keep out; and
to do both these at the season; as he said, "Let not the gates of Jerusalem
be opened until the sun be hot"; and again, "I commanded that the gates
should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath."
(Neh 7:3, 13:19,20) And so you find of this gate of heaven, when the five wise virgins
came, the gate was opened; but afterwards came the other virgins, and the door was
shut. (Matt 25) So then, the entrance into heaven is called a gate, to show there
is a time when there may be entrance, and there will come a time when there shall
be none; and, indeed, this is a chief truth contained in the text–"Strive to
enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and
shall not be able." I read in the Scriptures of two gates or doors, through
which they that go to heaven must enter. [2]
1. There is the door of faith, the door which the grace of God hath opened to the
Gentiles. This door is Jesus Christ, as also himself doth testify, saying, "I
am the door," &c. (John 10:9, Acts 14:27) By this door men enter into God's
favour and mercy, and find forgiveness through faith in his blood, and live in hope
of eternal life; and therefore himself also hath said, "I am the door; by me
if any man enter in, he shall be saved"; that is, received to mercy, and inherit
eternal life. But,
2. There is another door or gate–for that which is called in the text a gate, is
twice in the next verse called a door–there is, I say, another gate, and that is
the passage into the very heaven itself; the entrance into the celestial mansion-house,
and that is the gate mentioned in the text, [3] and the door mentioned
twice in the verse that follows. And this Jacob called it, when he said, Bethel was
the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven; that is, the entrance, for he saw
the entrance into heaven. One end of Jacob's ladder stands in Bethel, God's house,
and the other end reacheth up to the gate of heaven. (Gen 28:10-17) Jacob's ladder
was the figure of Christ, which ladder was not the gate of heaven, but the way from
the church to that gate which he saw above at the top of the ladder. (Gen 28:12,
John 1:51) But again, that the gate in the text is the gate or entrance into heaven,
consider–
(1.) It is that gate that letteth men into, or shutteth men out of that place or
kingdom where Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob is, which place is that paradise where
Christ promised the thief that he should be that day, that he asked to be with him
in his kingdom; it is that place into which Paul said he was caught, when he heard
words unlawful or impossible for a man to utter. (Luke 13:28, 23:42, 2 Cor 12:1-6)
Quest. But is not Christ the gate or entrance into this heavenly place?
Answ. He is he without whom no man can get thither, because by his merits men obtain
that world, and also because he, as the Father, is the donor and disposer of that
kingdom to whom he will. Further, this place is called his house, and himself the
Master of it–"When once the Master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to
the door." (Luke 13:25) But we use to say, that the master of the house is not
the door. Men enter into heaven, then, by him, not as he is the gate, or door, or
entrance, into the celestial mansion-house, but as he is the giver and disposer of
that kingdom to them whom he shall count worthy, because he hath obtained it for
them.
(2.) That this gate is the very passage into heaven, consider the text hath special
reference to the day of judgment, when Christ will have laid aside his mediatory
office, which before he exercised for the bringing to the faith his own elect; and
will then act, not as one that justifieth the ungodly, but as one that judgeth sinners.
He will now be risen up from the throne of grace, and shut up the door against all
the impenitent, and will be set upon the throne of judgment, from thence to proceed
with ungodly sinners.
Object. But Christ bids strive: "Strive" now "to enter in at the strait
gate"; but if that gate be as you say, the gate or entrance into heaven, then
it should seem that we should not strive till the day of judgment, for we shall not
come at that gate till then.
Answ. Christ, by this exhortation, Strive, &c., doth not at all admit of, or
countenance delays, or that a man should neglect his own salvation; but putteth poor
creatures upon preparing for the judgment, and counselleth them now to get those
things that will then give them entrance into glory. This exhortation is much like
these: "Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh.–And they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and
the door was shut." (Matt 24:44, 25:10)
So that when he saith, "Strive to enter in," it is as if he should say,
Blessed are they that shall be admitted another day to enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but they that shall be counted worthy of so unspeakable a favour, must be
well prepared and fitted for it beforehand. Now, the time to be fitted is not the
day of judgment, but the day of grace; not then, but now. Therefore, strive now for
those things that will then give you entrance into the heavenly kingdom. But,
[It is called a strait gate.]
II. As it is called a gate, so it is called a strait gate–"Strive to enter in
at the strait gate."
The straitness of this gate is not to be understood carnally, but mystically. You
are not to understand it, as if the entrance into heaven was some little pinching
wicket; no, the straitness of this gate is quite another thing. This gate is wide
enough for all them that are the truly gracious and sincere lovers of Jesus Christ,
but so strait, as that not one of the other can by any means enter in: "Open
to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:
this gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter." (Psa 118:19,20)
By this word, therefore, Christ Jesus hath showed unto us, that without due qualifications
there is no possibility of entering into heaven; the strait gate will keep all others
out. When Christ spake this parable, he had doubtless his eye upon some passage or
passages of the Old Testament, with which the Jews were well acquainted. I will mention
two, and so go on.
1. The place by which God turned Adam and his wife out of paradise. Possibly our
Lord might have his eye upon that; for though that was wide enough for them to come
out at, yet it was too strait for them to go in at. But what should be the reason
of that? Why, they had sinned; and therefore God "placed at the east of that
garden cherubims, and a flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of
the tree of life." (Gen 3:24) The cherubims, and the flaming sword, they made
the entrance too strait for them to enter in. Souls, there are cherubims and a flaming
sword at the gates of heaven to keep the way of the tree of life; therefore none
but them that are duly fitted for heaven can enter in at this strait gate; the flaming
sword will keep all others out. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom
of God." (1 Cor 6:9,10)
(2.) Perhaps our Lord might have his eye upon the gates of the temple when he spoke
this word unto the people; for though the gates of the temple were six cubits wide,
yet they were so strait, that none that were unclean in anything might enter in thereat
(Eze 40:48), because there were placed at these gates, porters, whose office was
to look that none but those that had right to enter might go in thither. And so it
is written, Jehoiada set "porters at the gates of the house of the Lord, that
none which was unclean in anything should enter in." (2 Chron 23:19) Souls,
God hath porters at the gates of the temple, at the gate of heaven; porters, I say,
placed there by God, to look that none that are unclean in anything may come in thither.
In at the gate of the church, none may enter now that are openly profane, and scandalous
to religion; no, though they plead they are beloved of God: "What hath my beloved
to do in mine house," saith the Lord, "seeing she hath wrought lewdness
with many?" (Jer 11:15)
I say, I am very apt to believe that our Lord Jesus Christ had his thoughts upon
these two texts, when he said the gate is strait: and that which confirms me the
more in the things is this, a little below the text he saith, "There shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and
all the prophets, in the kingdom of heaven, and you yourselves thrust out."
(Luke 13:28) Thrust out, which signifieth a violent act, resisting with striving
those that would–though unqualified–enter. The porters of the temple were, for this
very thing, to wear arms, if need were, and to be men of courage and strength, lest
the unsanctified or unprepared should by some means enter in. We read, in the book
of Revelations, of the holy city, and that it had twelve gates, and at the gates
twelve angels; but what did they do there? Why, amongst the rest of their service,
this was one thing, that there might "in no wise enter in to it any thing that
defileth, or worketh abomination, or that maketh a lie." (Rev 21:27)
[Three things that make this gate so strait.]
But more particularly, to show what it is that maketh this gate so strait. There
are three things that make it strait–1. There is sin. 2. There is the word of the
law. 3. There are the angels of God.
1. There is sin; the sin of the profane, and the sin of the professor.
(1.) The sin of the profane. But this needs not be enlarged upon, because it is concluded
upon at all hands, where there is the common belief of the being of God, and the
judgment to come, that "the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations
that forget God." (Psa 9:17)
(2.) But there is the sin of professors; or take it rather thus, there is a profession
that will stand with an unsanctified heart and life. The sin of such will overpoise
the salvation of their souls, the sin end being the heaviest end of the scale; I
say, that being the heaviest end which hath sin in it, they tilt over, and so are,
notwithstanding their glorious profession, drowned in perdition and destruction;
for none such hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God; therefore
"let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things cometh
the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience"; neither will a profession
be able to excuse them. (Eph 5:3-6) The gate will be too strait for such as these
to enter in thereat. A man may partake of salvation in part, but not of salvation
in whole. God saved the children of Israel out of Egypt, but overthrew them in the
wilderness:–"I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this,
how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed
them that believed not." (Jude 5) So we see that, notwithstanding their beginning,
"they could not enter in, because of unbelief." (Heb 3:19)
2. There is the word of the law, and that will make the gate strait also. None must
go in thereat but those that can go in by the leave of the law; for though no man
be, or can be, justified by the works of the law, yet unless the righteousness and
holiness by which they attempt to enter into this kingdom be justified by the law,
it is in vain once to think of entering in at this strait gate. Now the law justifieth
not, but upon the account of Christ's righteousness; if therefore thou be not indeed
found in that righteousness, thou wilt find the law lie just in the passage into
heaven to keep thee out. Every man's work must be tried by fire, that it may be manifest
of what sort it is. There are two errors in the world about the law; one is, when
men think to enter in at the strait gate by the righteousness of the law; the other
is, when men think they may enter into heaven without the leave of the law. Both
these, I say, are errors; for as by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified;
so without the consent of the law, no flesh shall be saved. "Heaven and earth
shall pass away, before one jot or tittle of the law shall fail, till all be fulfilled."
He therefore must be damned that cannot be saved by the consent of the law. And,
indeed, this law is the flaming sword that turneth every way; yea, that lieth to
this day in the way to heaven, for a bar to all unbelievers and unsanctified professors;
for it is taken out of the way for the truly gracious only. It will be found as a
roaring lion to devour all others. Because of the law, therefore, the gate will be
found too strait for the unsanctified to enter in. When the apostle had told the
Corinthians that "the unrighteous should not inherit the kingdom of God,"
and that such were some of them, he adds, "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified,
but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
(1 Cor 6:9-11) Closely concluding, that had they not been washed, and sanctified,
and justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, the law, for their transgressions,
would have kept them out; it would have made the gate too strait for them to enter
in.
3. There are also the angels of God, and by reason of them the gate is strait. The
Lord Jesus calleth the end of the world his harvest; and saith, moreover, that the
angels are his reapers. These angels are therefore to gather his wheat into his barn,
but to gather the ungodly into bundles to burn them. (Matt 13:39,41,49) Unless, therefore,
the man that is unsanctified can master the law, and conquer angels; unless he can,
as I may say, pull them out of the gateway of heaven, himself is not to come thither
for ever. No man goeth to heaven but by the help of the angels–I mean at the day
of judgment. For the Son of man "shall send his angels with a great sound of
a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one
end of heaven to the other." (Matt 24:31) If those that shall enter in at the
strait gate shall enter in thither by the conduct of the holy angels, pray when do
you think those men will enter in thither, concerning whom the angels are commanded
to gather them, to "bind them in bundles to burn them?" This, therefore,
is a third difficulty. The angels will make this entrance strait; yea, too strait
for the unjustified and unsanctified to enter in thither.
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