from J. C. Ryle, Old Paths

Some plain facts about the number of the saved. I know well that people flatter themselves that the world is much better and wiser than it was 2000 years ago. Modern technology has brought about wonders for us. This is perfectly true. I see it, and I am thankful. But all this does not diminish the importance of the question—ARE THERE FEW OR MANY OF US LIKELY TO BE SAVED?

Where shall I go for facts? I might easily turn to the millions of heathen, who in various parts of the world are worshipping they know not what. But I shall not do so. I shall draw my facts from the area in which I live, and then ask every honest reader whether it be not strictly true that FEW ARE SAVED.

Let us take our New Testaments in our hands. Let us sift the Christianity of the inhabitants of this area, family by family, and man by man. Let us put on one side anyone who does not possess the New Testament evidence of being a true Christian. Let us deal honestly in the investigation, and not allow anyone to be a true Christian who does not come up to the New Testament standard of faith and practice. Let us count every man a saved soul in whom we see something of Christ—some evidence of true repentance—some evidence of saving faith in Jesus—some evidence of real evangelical holiness and doctrine. Let us reject every man in whom, on the most charitable construction, we cannot see these evidences, as one "weighed in the balances, and found wanting."

What does the Bible say about the number of the saved? There is only one standard of truth and error to which we ought to appeal. That standard is the Holy Scripture. Whatever is written there we must receive and believe: whatever cannot be proved by Scripture we ought to refuse.

Let us look at MAT 7:13, 14—Enter in through the small gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are going in through it. For small is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads to life, and few are those who find it. These are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are the words of Him Who was very God, and Whose words shall never pass away. They are the words of Him Who knew what was in man,—Who knew things to come, and things past,—Who knew that He would judge all men at the last day. What do those words mean? Are they words which no man can understand without a knowledge of Hebrew or Greek? No: they are not! Is it a deep mysterious saying, which no human intellect can fathom? No: it is not! The words are clear, plain and unmistakable. Ask any laboring man who can read, and he will tell you it is so. There is only one meaning which can be attached to them. Their meaning is, that many people will be lost and few will be saved.

How was it in the days of Abraham, Isaac and Lot? It is evident that in the matter of religion they stood very much alone. The family from which they were taken was a family of idolaters. The nations among whom they lived were sunk in gross darkness and sin. When Sodom and Gomorrah were burned there were not five righteous people to be found in the four cities of the plain. When Abraham and Isaac desired to find wives for their sons, there was not a woman in the land where they sojourned to whom they could wish to see them married. Were there many saved in those days? Let any honest reader of the Bible give an answer to that question. There can be no doubt what the answer must be—few were saved.

Let us point out the mistakes which are common in the world about the number of the saved. I need not go far for evidence on this subject. I will speak of things which every man may see with his own eyes, and hear with his own ears. I will try to show that there is a wide-spread delusion abroad about this matter, and that this very delusion is one of the greatest dangers to which our souls are exposed.

First, what then do men generally think about the spiritual state of others while they are alive? What do they think of the souls of their relations, friends, neighbors and acquaintances? Let us just see how that question can be answered.

They know that all around them are going to die and to be judged. They know that they have souls to be lost or saved. What, to all appearances, do they consider their end is likely to be? Do they think those around them are in danger of Hell? There is nothing whatever to show they think so. They eat and drink together; they laugh, talk, walk and work together. They seldom or never speak to one another of God and eternity—of Heaven and of Hell. Is this not so?

Will they allow that anybody is wicked or ungodly? Never, hardly, whatever may be his way of life. He may be a breaker of the Sabbath; he may neglect the Bible; he may be utterly without evidence of true religion. No matter! His friends will often tell you, that he may not make so much profession as some, but that he has a "good heart" at the bottom, and is not a wicked man. Is this not so?

What does all this prove? It proves that men flatter themselves that there is no great difficulty in getting to Heaven. It proves plainly that men are of opinion that most persons will be saved.

Second, what do men generally think about the spiritual state of others after they are dead? Men allow, if they are not infidels, that all who die have gone to a place of happiness or of misery. To which of these two places do they seem to think the greater part of persons go, when they leave this world?

There is unhappily a common fashion of speaking well of the condition of all who have departed this life. It matters little, apparently, how a man has behaved while he lived. He may have given no signs of repentance, or faith in Christ; he may have been ignorant of the plan of salvation set forth in the Gospel; he may have shown no evidence whatever of conversion or sanctification—he may have lived and died like a creature without a soul. Yet, as soon as this man is dead, people will dare to say that he is "probably happier than ever he was in his life." They will tell you complacently, they "hope he is gone to a better world." They will shake their heads gravely, and say they "hope he is in Heaven." They will follow him to the grave without fear and trembling, and speak of his death afterwards as "a blessed change for him." They may have disliked him, and thought him a bad man while he was alive; but the moment he is dead they turn round in their opinions and say they trust he is gone to Heaven! Is this not true?

What does this all prove? It just supplies one more awful proof that men are determined to believe it is an easy business to get to Heaven. Men will have it that most persons are saved.

After setting aside these classes which I have described, I ask any sensible thinking person to tell me how many persons in any parish in the land will there be left behind? How many, after sifting a parish thoroughly and honestly,—how many men and women will remain who are in a way to be saved? How many true penitents, how many real believers in Christ, how many truly holy people will there be found? I put it to the conscience of everyone to give an honest answer, as in the sight of God. I ask you whether, after sifting a parish with the Bible in the fashion described, you can come to any conclusion but this: that few persons—sadly few persons, are in a way to be saved?

It is a painful conclusion to arrive at, but I know not how it can be avoided. It is a fearful and tremendous thought, that there should be so many churchmen and so many dissenters, so many seat-holders, so many hearers, and so many communicants, and yet after all, so few be saved! But the only question is, Is it not true? It is vain to shut our eyes against facts. It is useless to pretend not to see what is going on around us. The statements of the Bible and the facts of the world we live in will lead us to the same conclusion: Many are lost and few are being saved!

I know well that many do not believe that few are saved, because they think there is an immense quantity of death-bed repentance. They flatter themselves that multitudes who do not live religious lives will yet die religious deaths. They take comfort in the thought that vast numbers of persons turn to God in their last illness and are saved at the eleventh hour. I will only remind such persons that all the experience of ministers is utterly against the theory. People generally die just as they have lived. True repentance is never too late: but repentance deferred to the last hours of life is seldom true. A man’s life is the surest evidence of his spiritual state, and if lives are to be witnesses, then few are likely to be saved.

Men are determined to believe it is an easy business to get to Heaven. Men will have it that most persons are saved.

What do men generally think of ministers who preach fully the doctrines of the New Testament? Send a clergyman into a parish who will "declare all the counsel of God," and "keep back nothing that is profitable." Let him be one who will clearly proclaim justification by faith, regeneration by the Spirit and holiness of life. Let him be one who shall draw the line distinctly between the converted and the unconverted, and give both to sinners and to saints their portion. Let him frequently produce out of the New Testament a plain unanswerable description of the true Christian’s character. Let him show that no man who does not possess that character can have any reasonable hope of being saved. Let him constantly press that description on the consciences of his hearers, and urge upon them repeatedly that every soul who dies without that character will be lost. Let him do this, ably and affectionately, and after all, what will the result be?

The result will be, that while some few repent and are saved, the great majority of his hearers will not receive and believe his doctrine. They may not oppose him publicly. They may even esteem him, and respect his as an earnest, sincere, kind-hearted man, who means well. But they will go no further. He may show them the express words of Christ and His Apostles; he may quote text upon text, and passage upon passage: it will be to no purpose. The great majority of his hearers will think him "too strict," and "too close," and "too particular." They will say among themselves, that the world is not so bad as the minister seems to think, and that people cannot be so good as the minister wants them to be, and that after all, they hope they will be all right at the last! Are not these things so?

What does it prove? It just makes one more proof that men generally are resolved to think that salvation is not a very hard business, and that after all most people will be saved.

Now what solid reason can men show us for these common opinions? Upon what Scripture do they build this notion, that salvation is an easy business and that most people will be saved? What revelation of God can they show us, to satisfy us that these opinions are sound and true? They have none—literally none at all. They have not a text of Scripture which supports their views. They have not a reason which will bear examination. They speak smooth things about one another’s spiritual state, just because they do not like to allow there is danger. They build up one another into an easy, self-satisfied state of soul, in order to soothe their consciences and make things pleasant. They cry "Peace, peace," over one another’s graves, because they want it to be so, and would fain persuade themselves that so it is. The plain truth is that the world’s opinion is worth nothing in matters of religion.

Let us remember, above all, that it never will do to think as others do, if we want to get to heaven. No doubt it is easy work to "go with the crowd" in religious matters. It will save us much trouble to swim with the stream and tide. We shall be spared much ridicule. We shall be freed from much unpleasantness. But let us remember, once for all, that the world’s mistakes about salvation are many and dangerous. Unless we are on our guard against them we shall never be saved.

I ask any honest person to weigh well the lessons of the Bible which I have brought forward. Let no one think to evade their force by saying that the Bible only tells the story of the Jews. Think not to comfort yourself by saying that "perhaps the Jews were more wicked than other nations, and many people were probably saved among other nations, though few were saved among the Jews." You forget that the Jews had light and privileges which the Gentiles had not, and with all their sins and faults, were probably the holiest and most moral nation upon Earth.

The sum of the whole matter is this: the Bible and the men of the world speak very differently about the number of the saved. According to the Bible, few will be saved: according to the men of the world, many. According to the men of the world few are going to Hell: according to the Bible few are going to Heaven. According to the men of the world salvation is an easy business: according to the Bible the way is narrow and the gate is small. According to the men of the world few will be found at last seeking admission into Heaven when too late; according to the Bible many will be in that sad condition, and will cry in vain, Lord, Lord, open to us. Yet the Bible was never wrong yet. The most unlikely and improbable prophecies about Tyre, Egypt, Babylon, and Nineveh, have all come true to the letter. And as in other matters, so it will be about the number of the saved. The Bible will prove quite right and the men of the world quite wrong. Few will be saved.

I know well that many will not believe that few are saved because they think such a doctrine very narrow-minded and exclusive. I disclaim any sympathy with those Christians who condemn everybody outside their own communion and appear to shut the door of Heaven against everybody who does not see everything with their eyes. I have no desire to shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against anyone. All I say is, that none will enter that Kingdom, except converted, believing, and holy souls; and all I take on myself to assert is that both the Bible and the facts about us combine to prove that such persons are few.

I know well that many will not believe that few are saved because they think it a gloomy, uncharitable doctrine. It is easy to make vague, general assertions of this kind. It is not so easy to show that any doctrine deserves to be called "gloomy and uncharitable" which is Scriptural and true. There is a false charity, I am afraid, which dislikes all strong statements in religion—a charity which would have no one interfered with—a charity which, without evidence, takes for granted that everybody is to be saved—a charity which never doubts that all people are going to Heaven and seems to deny the existence of such a place as Hell. But such charity is not the charity of the New Testament and does not deserve the name. Give me the charity which tries everything by the test of the Bible and believes nothing and hopes nothing that is not sanctioned by the Word. Give me the charity which Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13:1—the charity which is not blind, deaf and stupid but has eyes to see and senses to discern between him who fears God and him who fears Him not. Such charity will rejoice in nothing but "the truth" and will confess with sorrow that I tell nothing but the truth when I say that FEW ARE LIKELY TO BE SAVED.

I know well that many will not believe me because they think it presumptuous to have any opinion at all about the number of the saved. But will these people dare to tell us that the Bible has not spoken plainly about the character of saved souls? Will they dare to say that there is any standard of truth except the Bible? Surely there can be no presumption in asserting that which is agreeable to the Bible. I tell them plainly that the charge of presumption does not lie at my door. I say that he is the truly presumptuous man who, when the Bible has said a thing decidedly and unmistakably, refuses to receive it.

It may be you are now young, healthy and strong. Perhaps you never had a day's illness in your life, and scarcely know what it is to feel weakness and pain. You scheme and plan for future years, and feel as if death was far away, and out of sight. Yet, remember, death sometimes cuts off young people in the flower of their days. The strong and healthy of the family do not always live the longest. Your sun may go down before your life has reached its mid-day. Yet a little while, and you may be lying in a narrow, silent home, and daisies may be growing over your grave. Now then, consider—WILL YOU BE SAVED?

It may be you are poor and needy. You have scarcely enough to provide food and clothing for yourself and family. You are often distressed for want of comforts, which you have no power to get. Like Lazarus, you seem to have evil things only, and not good. But, nevertheless, you take comfort in the thought that there will be an end of all this. There is a world to come, where poverty and want shall be unknown. Yet, consider a moment—WILL YOU BE SAVED?

If the common opinion of the world about the number of the saved was correct, I would not trouble men with searching and hard questions.

If God had never spoken plainly in the Bible about the number of the saved, I might well be silent.