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ordinances, for to make in himself, of twain, one new man, se making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, Eph. ii. 14, 15, 16. When Christ died, the vail of the temple was rent from top to bottom, Matth. xxvii. 51. Here now our Lord Jesus' flesh was the vail that we must go to heaven by.— When Christ the true vail was rent and died, immediately the typical vail was rent also; as if God had said, Now let all men know, upon the death of my Son, that all the partitions betwixt Jew and Gentile are removed. But this was a great mystery for a good while in the church, and Paul reckons upon his knowledge in this mystery of Christ, Eph. iii. 4, 5. Whereby when ye read ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ, by the gospel. So much for this first thing, Christ as slain, is called a living way, for there were great works of life even in his death.

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Secondly, He is the living way, because all the life of man is lodged in him. Whatsoever extent life is drawn to, whatever sense we put upon this word life, as to all blessings for this and the other world, they are all contained together in Christ Jesus; so contained in him, as to be found no where else. He is that living bread that came down from heaven, that gave his flesh for the life of the world, John vi. 51. The brazen serpent was a type of this. As the life of the stung Israelites stood in that ordinance of God, so the life of poor sinners stands in this grand ordinance of God, his slain son. The first man Adam, says the apostle, was made a living soul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit, 1 Cor. xv. 45. Surely all the natural life that is in the world, of sense, and reason, and understanding, is derived from the first Adam: he hath made of one blood all nations upon the face of the earth. Adam appears to have been a very fruitful root; the world now for almost six thousand years, has been filled with his offspring, for of two there sprung all mankind that are upon the face of the earth; but there is no quickening here, for all this. The second Adam, says the apostle, was a quickening

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spirit; he alone gives the quickening spirit to this mighty offspring of the first Adam.

Thirdly, Christ is a living way, because all that are in him, as soon as they are in him live. That is one of the meanings of this word. There is no dead man can be in this way. Do not ask the question, for it is a very idle one, Whether is a man. quickened before he is in Christ, or whether he is in Christ before he is quickened? Neither the one or other, but both together; his life comes by being in Christ. How can men conceive of quickening now? Quickening is a work of God. Can it be said, that he quickens before we have life, or that we have life before he quickens? We can easily perceive, that we act life by his quickening, but the Lord quickens not a moment before we are alive. How did the Lord raise Lazarus? There went life-giving power along with the word, by which life was received, and the voice was heard, as our Lord calls it; the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and live; they must live before they hear; for hearing is an act of life, and they receive life by the powerful word of Christ. Fourthly, He is a living way, because he lives for ever to be the way. There is continual virtue in Christ's death, which perpetually issues forth, in order to the salvation of all his people. You would think it strange, if one should ask, What is heaven? What is eternal life? Why, it is Jesus Christ, that is eternal life; it is one of Christ's names: And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an un-. derstanding, that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life, 1 John v. 20. This way lives for ever, to preserve all his people; he lives for ever to make intercession for them, Heb. vii. 25. Nay, if I may so speak, even in heaven, this way is not forgotten, I mean in the songs of the glorified; the song of the Lamb is perpetual: they sang the song of Moses and of the Lamb. What is in the song of the Lamb, think ye? Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing, Rev. v. 12. Christ's blood in heaven, in the virtue and life of it, raises the notes of perpetual praises most highly. I know the book of the Revelation is a myste

rious one, and every word of it is to be narrowly canvassed :—— And in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, Rev. v. 6. so that though there be no appearance, nor will be, of any infirmity that attended the low estate of the Son of God, when he dwelt in mortal flesh, yet there will be a perpetual remembrance of the dearest acts of his love, and richest acts of his grace towards us, in loving us, and giving himself for us.

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Fifthly, It is a living way, for no man can die in this way. That way may be called a living way indeed, if there were such a one that led to a good place that no traveller in it could die, and would be a great temptation for people to undertake it. There are some places in the world where riches and honours are, that people run towards, and run through a great many dangers for; but they may die in that way, but never a man dies in this way, they sleep in Jesus, but they die not. am the resurrection, and the life, says he he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die. Believest thou this? John xi. 25, 26. O how sweet a question is that, Believest thou this, that a believer in Christ can never die? Wherefore now, since our Lord died, death hath got a more sweet name. It is called sleeping, and sleeping in the Lord. Thus it is said of Stephen, that he was stoned, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.-And when he had said this, he fell asleep, Acts vii. 59, 60. It is called sleeping in Jesus, 1 Thess. iv. 14, 15. Do not you see, say you, that believers die like other men? Yes; but then they die in Christ Jesus; they only fall asleep in the way. And the Lord, the way, will awake in a little while, and raise them up again, and bring them their new apparel, their house from heaven, 2 Cor. v. 1, 2, 3.

Lastly, It is a living way, because the traveller must live upon this way. Here is a marvellous living way; the traveller must live upon this way; he lives as soon as he is in it, and he lives as long as he is in it, for he cannot die in it, and he lives upon it while he is in it. My meaning is, that all the fare that believers must cherish their new life with, is Christ himself. Therefore our Lord speaks of it so frequent

dy: Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed, John vi. 53, 55. Blessed are they that can eat and drink plentifully of it. When the faint and weary traveller walks in Christ as the way to heaven, and has any thing that overtakes him, any faintness, any distemper that seizes upon him, nothing is he to do, but only to fall upon Christ by faith, and to live upon him, and to eat and drink this blessed way. This was Paul's life: The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me, Gal. ii. 20. as if the apostle had said, The stay of my life, the comfort my life, the security and continuance of my life, depends upon this; whenever I can get but a look, whenever I can get but hold of this love of Christ, that loved me, and gave himself for me, life, and strength, and vigour return upon me. So much for this second property of the way, that it is a living way. There was life in his death; all our life is lodged in it, as soon as we are in him, we live. Whenever a poor sinner is drawn to Christ as the way to heaven, he comes and lives, and lives and comes, and comes by life, and lives by coming. Turn it which way you will, the truth lies equally sure on all hands. This way is living, because Christ as the way lives for ever; because no man that walks in it, can die; and because a believer can live upon this way, as long as he is in this world. Never bid better fare to a child of God than more of Christ, more of the sap and virtue of a crucified Saviour. If there were more of that among us, our souls would be more fat and flourishing.

A word or two only, at this time, of Application, before I proceed to the third property.

1. Is Christ a living way to heaven? Is a slain Christ for us, the living way in which we must walk to heaven? Then surely it should be very pleasant to the people of God to go to heaven. What is there to make it irksome to a believer? What is going to heaven? It is nothing but walking in Christ towards Christ, to be ever with Christ; that is going to heaven; our way is walking in him, our way is walking towards him, our hope is to be ever with him. I know that there

are a great many impediments and hindrances in the way, and yet these Christ has disarmed and removed by his death; they may make an appearance that may be frightful to such weak people as we be; weak believers take the shadow for an armed man, and are afraid many times unreasonably; but how pleasant will it be, I say, for a believer to find himself guarded from all attempts against him in his way to heaven? As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, sa walk ye in him; rooted and built up in him, Col. ii. 6, 7. Fix your root in him, and draw your fruit from him.

2. Is Christ a living way to heaven? Then what a sorry pitiful case are they in, that walk in the ways of death, that despise this way of life? It is very common, and it does not cease to be the more sad, because it is common, but is so much the more grievous, that persons love death rather than life. The matter now is balanced thus: every sinner is by nature dead in sin; if he continues in that state, he dies in his sin, and dying in his sin, he dies for ever, for his sin; this miserable case now is to be balanced with what our Lord proffers, that he will give the light of life, that he offers to lead men to heaven; that if they will but set foot in him, set their hearts on him, lodge their faith on him, and put all their trust in him, he will guide them safe thither. You should reckon it a mercy, that you have sinners to preach to you; if it were not, that we have the experience of that rebellion of the natural heart in ourselves, ministers would be mighty impatient in dealing with ungodly persons. What ails men, that they refuse Christ Jesus? What madness possesses the hearts of men, that they will rather go to hell, with the devil, than to heaven with Christ Jesus? Do not they well deserve to be in hell for ever, that make such an abominable choice? Yet every natural man does so, every natural man prefers the way of death to the way of life, and prefers Satan's driving to hell, unto Christ's gracious and blessed leading to heaven.

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