“For many are called, but few are chosen” is from the New Testament, Matthew 22:14. “Many are cold, but few are frozen” is a jocular variation or eggcorn” of the biblical saying. “Many are cold, but few are frozen” has been cited in print since at least September 1885 and was reprinted in many newspapers.
 
Minnesota—a state that has a lot of cold weather—has been associated with the saying. “MINNEAPOLIS—Many are cold, but few are frozen” was the opening line of a story in the January 1977 Los Angeles (CA) Times. The Minneapolis (MN) Tribune held a contest in 1980 for an unofficial Minnesota state slogan, and “Many are cold, but few are frozen” was one of the popular entries.
 
     
Bible Hub
Matthew 22:14
King James Bible
For many are called, but few are chosen.
   
Newspapers.com
18 September 1885, Sioux City (IA) Daily Journal, pg. 4, col. 7:
Indianapolis Herald: “Did you attend church, my daughter?”
“Yes, papa.”
“How did you like the sermon?”
“Well, the minister stuck to his text, and I must say, delivered a very cheerful though somewhat unseasonable discourse.”
“What was the text?”
“Many are cold, but few are frozen.”
 
14 January 1886, The Christian Union, “Fact and Rumor,” pg. 24, col. 1:
Mrs. Partington, attending a country church in the winter, remarked that the text was very appropriate, but somehow the parson did not refer to it in his sermon. The text, as it caught the old lady’s ears, was, “Many are cold, but few are frozen.”
 
26 February 1886, Chariton (IA) Democrat, pg. 1, col. 8:
“Did you attend church, my daughter?”
“Yes, papa.”
“How did you like the sermon.”
“Well, the minister stuck to his text; and I must say, delivered a very cheerful though somewhat seasonable sermon.”
“What was the text?”
“Many are cold but few are frozen.”
 
Chronicling America
28 May 1886, Semi-Weekly Interior Journal (Stanford, KY), pg. 3, col. 2:
A little three year-old having heard a sermon on “Many are called but few are chosen,” quoted the text as “Many are cold but few are frozen.”
 
26 January 1977, Los Angeles (CA) Times, “Winter ‘77: One for the Record Book” by David Larsen,” pg. 1, col. 1:
MINNEAPOLIS—Many are cold, but few are frozen.
 
it used to be that way during a normal winter in America. But not this year. This year nearly everybody is frozen.
 
28 December 1980, Cedar Rapids (IA) Gazette, “Around the Town,” pg. 2B, col. 1:
SOMETHING BORROWED. Some Minnesotans apparently feel about Iowa the same way some Canadians feel about residents of the United States. When the Minneapolis Tribune ran a contest recently to choose an unofficial state slogan, this was one of the entries:
(...)
“Where the elite meet the sleet.”
(...)
“Glove it or leave it.”
(...)
“Many are cold, but few are frozen.”
 
Google News Archive
16 January 1988, Fort Scott (KS) Tribune, “Minnesota has two seasons” by Dick Hedges, pg. 3, col. 1:
With apologies to Fort Scott Community College’s Laura Meeks, a transplanted Minnesotan, I would like to pass on the following article which was recently published in the Love Letter.
(...)
“Minnesota—land of many cultures (mostly throat).
“Minnesota—home of blonde hair and blue ears.
“Minnesota—theater of sneezes.
“Minnesota—where the elite meet the sleet.
“Minnesota—many are cold but few are frozen.
“Minnesota—glove it or leave it.”
 
OCLC WorldCat record
Many are cold but few are frozen: a humanist looks at cryonics.
Author: SB Harris
Edition/Format: Article Article : English
Publication: Free inquiry (Buffalo, N.Y.) 1989 Spring; 9(2): 19-24
Database: From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
 
Google Groups: rec.humor
Minnesota Slogans
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
1/13/90
Minnesota Slogans
 
1.  I came, I thawed, I transferred….
2.  Survive Minnesota and the rest of the World is easy.
3.  If you love Minnesota, raise your right ski.
4.  Minnesota - where visitors turn blue with envy.
5.  Save a Minnesotan - eat a mosquito.
6.  One day it’s warm, the rest of the year it’s cold.
7.  Minnesota - home of the blonde hair and blue ears.
8.  Minnesota - mosquito supplier to the free world.
9.  Minnesota - come fall in love with a loon.
10.  Land of many cultures - mostly throat.
11.  Where the elite meet sleet.
12.  Minnesota: CLOSED FOR GLACIER REPAIRS
13.  Land of 2 seasons: Winter is coming, Winter is here.
14.  Minnesota - glove it or leave it.
15.  Minnesota - have you jump started your kid today?
16.  There are only 3 things you can grow in Minnesota: Colder, Older, & Fatter.
17.  Many are cold, but few are frozen.
18.  Why Minnesota? To protect Ontario from Iowa!
19.  WARNING: You are entering Minnesota, Please use an alternate route!
20.  Minnesota: theater of sneezes.
21.  Jack Frost must like Minnesota he spends half his life there.
22.  Land of 10,000 Petersons.
23.  Land of the ski and home of the crazed.
24.  Minnesota - home of the Mispi-Mispp-Missispp (Where the damn river starts!)
25.  10,000 lakes and no sharks!
 
28 March 1990, Star Tribune (Minneapolis, M), “British get taste of Pillsbury; Grand Met tells British entourage that it’ll meet or exceed profit goals” by Josephine Marcotty, pg. 1D:
(Ian—ed.) Martin started the presentation with a joke about Minnesota winters, which might seem stale to many Minnesotans but which elicited a chuckle from the mostly British analysts.
 
“Many are cold,” he said, “but few are frozen.”
 
Google Groups: rec.sport.football.pro
Welcome to Minnesota!
Shari Nelson
1/15/92
To all you Super Bowl fans coming to the great white north for the BIG game, I thought you might enjoy this:
 
                          Hail
            Minnesota. I came, I thawed, I
            transferred.  There are only 3 things you can grow in
            Minnesota—older, colder, fatter. Survive Minnesota and the
              rest is easy.  Jack Frost must like Minnesota—he
              spent 1/2 his life here.  You are entering Minnesota—
              use alternate route.  Land of 2 seasons—winter is
              coming and winter is here. 1 day is warm—the
              rest of the year it is cold.  Land of many
                cultures—mostly throat.  Why Minnesota?
                To protect Ontario from Iowa.  If you love
                  Minnesota raise your right ski.  Land
                  of the ski and home of the crazed.
                  Minnesota, have you jump-started
                  your kid?  Land of 10,000
                  Petersons. Minnesota—Home of
                blonde hair & blue ears.  Minnesota—
                come fall in love with a loon.
                  Minnesota—glove it or leave it.
                  Minnesota—closed for glacier repairs
                  Minnesota—theatre of sneezes.
                  Minnesota—mosquito supplier of the world.
                  Where the elite meet the sleet. Many are cold,
                  but few are frozen.  Save a Minnesota—eat a
                  mosquito.  Land of 10,000 lakes & no sharks!  In
                  Minnesota ducks don’t fly south—people do! ***
     
Google Books
20,000 Quips & Quotes
By Evan Esar
New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Books
1995, ©1968
Pg. 150:
Many are cold, but few are frozen.
 
OCLC WorldCat record
Many are cold and a few are frozen : A.J. Raitt takes a sideways look at the Christian life
Author: A J Raitt
Publisher: Grantham : Autumn House, 2003.
Edition/Format:   Print book : English
 
Google Books
Pat Tillman:
He Graduated Life with Honors and No Regrets
By Rich Wolfe
St. Louis, MO: Lone Wolfe Press
2004
Pg. 107:
ISN’T MINNESOTA MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE…“MANY ARE COLD BUT FEW ARE FROZEN?”
 
September 2006, Minnesota Monthly, “Q&A with “Church Sign Guy” Reverend Steve Molin” by Tim Gihring, pg. 24:
What about the Bible-finding any humor there?
 
An actual verse reads, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” I put up a sign [in winter] that read, “For many are cold, but few are frozen.”
     
OCLC WorldCat record
Many Are Cold but Few Are Frozen: Cryonics Today
Author: R Hoffman
Publisher: Buffalo, N.Y. : Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, c1980-
Edition/Format: Article Article : English
Publication: Free inquiry. 27, no. 6, (2007): 50-51
Database: ArticleFirst
 
Google Books
The Official Rules:
5,427 Laws, Principles, and Axioms to Help You Cope with Crises, Deadlines, Bad Luck, Rude Behavior, Red Tape, and Attacks on Inanimate Objects
By Paul Dickson
Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.
2013
Pg. 278:
Peary’s Preachment. Many are cold, but few are frozen. (Attributed to the Arctic explorer by Col. William C. Hunter in his Brass Tacks, Reilly & Britton, 1910.)
 
YouTube
Many Are Cold, but Few Are Frozen - Drew Danburry
Drew Danburry
Published on Aug 6, 2013
Buy this song here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/drewdanburry14