Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-07-12
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
ARE THE SAVED FEW?..Luke xiii %.


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lorginall
ARE THE SAVED FEW?..Luke xiii: %.
Perhaps it would be more in accordance
with the laws of the Greek language, to trans.
late this sentence as it is in the caption ofthis
article. The individual, whoever it was, that
asked the question, seems to have imbbed
the notion which generally prevailed among
the Jews, that all the seed of Abraham would
be saved in heaven. The current opinion of
the Jews was that all the Israelites would be
saved, and all the Gentiles lost. In the reply
made by the Saviour, it will be observed that
he does not say whether there will be few or
many saved He does say, however, that
many who in some way persuade themselves
that they will be saved, will be lost.
a Whatever prompted the asking Of this
question, when taken in connection with the
answer, it presents for our consideration a
subject of vital Importance. The attentive
reader of the Bible will not bel long in dis
covering that God, in providing salvation for
Adams race and in Offering salvation to
them, treats for and with them not rs de-
scendants of particular member of Adams
family, but as sinners. Jesus died. for sinners,
and salvation is offered to. men as sinners.
This being the case, we are not to expect to
find in the Bible list of those who will be
saved, and also alist of those who will be lost.
Men are designated not by calling them a
particular name; but by assigning them to
class on account of certain characteristics,
which they have or do not have. One class
of the human family will be lost and the 9TH
er class will be saved. The members of each
class are accurately described. When, there.
fore, we would inquire whether we will be
saved or lost, we are not to inquire whether
we are Jews or Gentiles, rich or poor, the de-
scendants of long line of ,illustrious ances'
tors or the offspring of humble and obscure
parents; but have We or do we not have the
characteristics that God, in his word, gives Of
a righteous man?
In several places in the Scriptures, God has
given US the characteristics Of those who will
be saved. We infer that those who want those
characteristics will be lost. In other portions
of the Scripture, we are given the character
istics of those who will be lost, and we infer
that those who do not have those characteris-
tics will be saved. s.-s,. ...s,-.
In a number of places in the Scriptures, it
is plainly stated that all that believe in Jesus
Christ will be saved 4; and that all who reject
Jesus Christ, will be lost This is plain and
easily understood, and still it is vague and in
definite. Every believer will be saved and
every unbeliever will be lost. About this de-
claration there is no sort of doubt. The diff
Guilty lies in decipheriug whether or not we
are believers. On this point we are liable'to
be deceived. In fact Jesus says, or plainly
intimates, that many are wicked and will be
lost who think they are righteous and will be
saved.
The believer in Christ Jesus possesses some
distinguishing characteristics. These charac'
teristics are stated, among other places, in the
fifteenth Psalm. The unbeliever also has his
characteristics. These characteristics we find
stated in the sixth chapter of Corinthians, at
the 9th and 10th verses. In the fifteenth
Psalm, the man who shall abide in Gods ta-
bernacle, is described as being and doing some
things, and also as not being and not doing
other things. In other words, he is good
man and does good deeds We take it that
the Holy Spirit, in the fifteenth Psalm, is de-
scribing the man who is on his way to heaven.
In the passage in Corinthians to which refer
ence has been made, the character of the man
who is on the broad road to perdtion, is de.
scribed. Suppose we take either of these
passages and try ourselves by it. Such an
experiment will be attended with profit.
In the passage in 1st Corinthians, it is said
that neither "fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
efeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunk.
ards, nor extortioners, shall inherit the king
dom of God" 1t is not said that it takes all
the things specified to keep one out Of heaven /;
but any single one of them will keep him out.
1t may be said that we are saved by grace.
This is most certainly true; but then if any
one of the characteristics mentioned are ap-
plcable to US, it is an evidence that We have
rejected the grace of God,
1t may be said we are members of the visi.
BILE church. That has nothing to do with the
case. We may be professors of religion, and
still not believers in Jesus Christ. We may
think, and those who know us may think, that
we are believers, and still We may not be be-
levers. That man who examines carefully
the fifteenth Psalm and the 9th and 10th
verses of the sixth chapter of 1st Corinth-
ians, and is not made serious, is surely very
Indifferent respecting the eternal destiny Of
his immortal soul.
Whether there will be few Of the human
family saved when compared with the multi
tude that will be lost, we cannot tell. We
have no means of knowing with certainty.
Leaving the heathen-:who have not the gos-
pel-out of consideration, it would seem that
even in Christian lands there are only few
that will be saved. Perhaps more than one
half of those in Christian lands are practical
ly rejecting the Lamb Of God that takes
away the sin of the world. Like one of old,
they care nothing for the gospel. Whilst they
may not be grossly wicked, still they are
wholly destitute of piety. They claim to be
Christians on no other ground than that they
were born and live in Christian land. As
we'll MIGHT they claim to be astronomers or