perish, and that it is good for them to draw nigh to him. But these persons have oftentimes such an awful view of the glorious and dreadful majesty of God, as an infinitely holy and just Being, and of the distance that sin has occasioned, that they know not how to approach him. The prophet Micah thus expresses the anxious desires of such an one, chap. vi. 6. "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul!" Blessed be the Lord, "he hath showed us what is good." He hath given us a full answer to these inquiries in our text. Jesus is the way. It is not by costly offerings of blood or oil, nor at the dreadful expense of sacrificing a darling child; but Jesus is the way. He not only came to show us the way, but to be the way. He did not come to tell us how we may make our peace with God, as some express themselves, but to be our peace; for "he made peace through the blood of his cross." It is by the death of Jesus that we draw near to God: so St. Peter tells us, "He suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." We were far from him; we had neither the will nor the power to return; and sin, if not atoned for, must have made an everlasting separation between a holy God and vile sinners; but Jesus, who was perfectly just and righteous, endured the most shameful and painful sufferings on the cross for us; that is, in our room and stead, that he might reconcile us to God, and bring us to a holy conformity to him, and happy communion with him here, and to the eternal enjoy

ment of him hereafter.

In this way, that is, in Jesus, we have free access

to the glorious majesty of heaven; we may, by prayer in his name, 66 come with boldness to the throne of

us."

grace," there to "obtain mercy and find grace to help Hear what St. Paul says of this matter, Heb. x. 19, &c. "Having, therefore, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh-let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith." What a glorious privilege is this! We may approach the great God, as our reconciled God and Father; we may use holy freedom with him in our prayers: we have this liberty of access by the merit of Christ's blood, and by the application of it to our consciences through faith therein. This is the way prepared for our use, even Jesus, who is "the way, the truth, and the life;" he is the truth and substance of all the ordinances of the Old Testament; with particular reference to the rending of that veil which separated the holy of holies in the temple from the holy place; and which rending took place at the moment of our Saviour's death; which signified that now the way to God and heaven is laid open for all believers; and that is the second thing proposed.

2. Jesus Christ is the way to heaven. This indeed follows the other; for if we come to God by Jesus as our reconciled Father; if sin be pardoned, and we are admitted to a holy life of communion with him here, it is certain that we shall also have " an abundant entrance into his heavenly kingdom and glory." Jesus died to "redeem us to God," to his favour and image here, and to his glory hereafter. He died to "bring many sons to glory" that they might be satisfied with the goodness of his house, even of his holy temple; that they may be "pillars in that temple, never more to go out;" that they may approach him in a more sublime way of worship than at present,

without the help of means and ordinances; that they may "see him face to face," without a cloud to hide his glory from them, and without the clog of sinful flesh and blood. Now Jesus is the only way to heaven. This is the record of the gospel," God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." There it is, and no where else; and whoever thinks to get to heaven another way misses the true road, and will be eternally disappointed. There are many ways to hell, but only one to heaven, and if Jesus be not our way, we shall never get thither. As sinners we have forfeited heaven, and deserved hell; but Jesus Christ has not only redeemed his people from the curse, that they may not go to hell; but by his perfect obedience or righteousness, he has procured for them a title to heaven. The righteousness of Christ is "to and upon all who believe in him;" it is transferred to them, and imputed to them, or reckoned to their account, as if they had themselves performed it; and on this ground it is that they are admitted into the realms of light and glory; "therefore are they before the throne, because they have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb;" and not on account of any goodness, virtue, or good works of their own.

Besides this, there is a fitness for heaven, a meetness of disposition, and capacity of enjoyment, for that holy state, without which no man can see the Lord: for it is plain that a wicked man, a carnal mind, could not enjoy heaven, were he admitted into it; there must, therefore, be a change of heart, a love of God and holiness, as well as a title to glory. This also we have from Jesus Christ. We are not pardoned by his blood, and then sanctified by our own endeavours (though these also are to be used), but "Christ is made unto us sanctification." It is by the Spirit of Christ, dwelling and working in us, that we are

renewed in the spirit of our minds; the love and power of sin mortified; the world, with all its vanities, crucified to us; and we led into a spiritual life of communion with God here, as the preparation and pledge of our eternal happiness in heaven. Thus is Jesus, in every point of view, the way to heaven.

Having briefly shown that Christ is the way to God and heaven, let us stop a moment, and ask ourselves whether we have desire that he any may be our way in these respects? Are there not some who are so far from wishing to draw nigh to God, that their hearts and lives plainly say, "Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways?" You dare not say so in words; but your actions say so. God and sin cannot reign in the same heart; and when you choose sin and indulge it, you do, in effect, say-"God, begone e! I hate your company : I love your enemy; I love sin, and will submit to the devil's rule. I will have nothing to do with you. I hate prayer. I hate the Bible. I hate the saints.'' This is horrid language, and you dislike the sound of the words; but is not this the fair language of your profane cursing and swearing, of your lust and lewdness, fornication and uncleanness? Is not this the language of your Sabbath-breaking, and contempt of religious ordinances and means of grace ? When you get drunk, and swear, and lie, or steal, or commit any bad action, do you not say, Depart from me, and let sin and Satan have me Oh, my friends, consider what will be the end of these things. You must die, and then appear before God; a holy, a just, and offended God: and should you not inquire, How may I come before him acceptably? Remember, then, that Jesus is the way; and oh that you may be made “willing in the day of his power,' to come to him for pardon and life! for "he is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by him."

?

The same may be said of Christ as the way to heaven. Oh! how many care nothing about heaven! And can it be supposed that any man will ever come to heaven, who never thought of it before he came thither? No, indeed. It is "the prize set before us, and the Christian must " so run as to obtain it," and there is no way to run in but Jesus Christ. Most men hope to go to heaven when they die; and yet few consider whether they are in the right way. As Christ only is the way, let any person inquire, when any thing is proposed to him as the way, Is it Christ? If men say, Good works are the way; ask, Are good works Christ? If they say, Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the way; ask again, Are these Christ? Is repentance Christ? Are alms Christ? This is a very easy method of coming to the truth. Christ is the way; and therefore whatever is not Christ, is not the way. He, then, only, being the way, let us,

II. Show what sort of a way Christ is.

1. Christ is a new way; so he is called, Heb. x. 22. Not that the way of salvation by Christ is a new invention, for he is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Adam, Abel, and Abraham, went to heaven in this way; but it is called new because there was one before it. The first way, in which it was proposed for man to be happy, was by his own innocence and perfect obedience and if Adam had not sinned, this would have been his way to heaven: but as soon as he sinned, and fell, and we in him, this way was shut up for ever, so that there never was one soul that got to heaven in the way of works, nor ever will. This way, by grace, came after the other, and instead of it, and is therefore called a new way.

It is called new because it was newly made, when the New Testament was written. Jesus Christ had