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there any so unreasonable as therefore to think, that soberness is the way to heaven? It is a duty, it is that which God commands of them that are in the way; and some imagine, that what every one that is in the way to heaven does, is the way. But the way to heaven still is through Christ himself; for though all this walking is to be in the way, yet walking is not the way; we are to walk in holiness, but this is but our walking in the way of Christ; none can walk in him, but they are sanctified; and the more they are sanctified, the more they partake of him. That which is reckoned a very abominable heresy amongst the Socinians, is indeed that which is very natural amongst many that would be reckoned good Christians, that our Lord Jesus Christ came to shew the way to heaven; but they do not believe, he came to be the way to heaven; they think he came to tell us the way to heaven, and to make a way for us; but they cannot understand, that he came to be the way to heaven, that we cannot get to heaven, unless we be in him. So much for the first, That the way to heaven is through the vail of the flesh of the slain Son of God. There are many in the world that are most wofully and fatally mistaken, and we may make use of our Lord's words and arguments in this point, there are few that find this way: Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; why so? Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth" unto life, and fer there be that find it, Matth. vii. 13, 14.

The second word that I would give in application of this truth, That Christ as slain is the way to heaven, shall be in exhorting of you to take this way. Labour to be acquainted with a crucified Saviour. The apostle Paul was a better preacher than any one in England: He determined to know nothing but Christ, and him crucified, and he knew his work, he knew wherein profitable preaching lay. You must labour, I say, to be in him; see that you be in the way. This I would exhort unto, and inforce upon you in a few things, if the Lord give them force, for it is in his hand only.

1. Consider, and be serious in this matter, whether you have a mind to be in heaven or no. Sirs, ministers are de ceived wofully here; we expect when we come to preach to

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people, and study for them, and pray for them, we expect the company has a mind to go to heaven; but the matter is otherwise. A great part of our work is to persuade people to have a mind to be in heaven; but if you have a mind to be in heaven, have you ever been at that question, What shall I do to be saved? Would you pretend to be Christians, or, for God's sake, would you have any to think you Christians, that have not come this length, Oh what shall we do to be saved? Do you think, that any man will ever come to heaven, that never thought of it before he came thither? How God deals with infants, we do not know; but for persons that live under the means of grace, the salvation of folks that are mindless of salvation is impossible. God never designed it, and will never perform it. This is the first consideration. Enter into your own hearts, and think with yourselves, what an answer ye can give to so plain a question as this is, Is hell the most unholy and unhappy place of all? Is heaven the holiest and happiest place of all? Is it lovely above all other lovely things to you? Then here is the way to it: Labour to get into Christ Jesus.

2. Consider, that if you have a mind to be in heaven, you must be in that way wherein you may be safe against all that can assault you. Have you a mind in earnest to be at heaven, to be surely there? You must be in that way wherein you may be safe against all assaults from enemies; you must be found there where you shall be surely safe. This made the apostle Paul so desirous to be found in him, I fear nothing, if I be found in him, Phil, iii. 9.; found in him, there lies the business. I shall but run through, and name a few of those difficulties that you will have to encounter withal, and that you can be no way secured against, but by being in Christ as the way.

1st, You have the world to oppose you; and the world is too hard for any man that is out of Christ. The world has been too hard for a great many that thought themselves strong enough for it; its cunning, its wiles, its violence, its temptations, have overcome a great many. There is no overcoming the world but through him that has overcome it for us, John xvi. 39. We have the devil to oppose us, and we must be in

that way, wherein we can be safe against him. If you be in Christ, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you: Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world, 1 John iv. 4. You had need to be in that way, wherein you can give an answer to your consciences. How needful is it to have something that can stop the mouth of the most craving clamorous conscience, that can answer it satisfyingly. So that it shall speak no more? What can that can be? The answer of a good conscience towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus Chrest, 1 Pet. iii. 21. People will imagine now that the grand security is the answer of a good conscience towards God, as to our conversation, heart, and way: that indeed has its own use, and an inferior use; but when men come to reckon with conscience, truly there is nothing but the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus upon it, that can make it good. But here is more, I will not say worse, but more dreadful than all this; God's holy nature, God's holy law, God's spotless justice, they will appear against you in the way to heaven; unless you be in Christ the way, there is no standing before these. When a man is in Christ, he has a ready answer, I do not fear God's holy nature, for he hath provided a Saviour; I do not fear the law, Christ, in whom I am, has fulfilled it; I do not fear the justice of God, for Christ has satisfied that to the full. When death, judgment, and awful eternity stares a man in the face, he had need to be sure that he is in Christ. Death, that is the greatest terror to all natural men, to a believer is looked upon as overcome by Christ. This is the great comfort of a believer, I know I must die; but Christ has died, and has overcome him that had the power of death. And why should a believer be afraid of judgment, who is in the way, walking towards him who is the Judge? We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 2 Cor. v. 10. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Do you think a man that is in Christ, has reason to be afraid to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ? No; a believer reckons thus with himself, He that spared not his own Son, the Son that spared not his own blood, will he not give a favourable sentence in that day? And for eternity, that awful endless thing, that we can never fathom in our thoughts, . believer

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looks upon as a very amiable thing: This eternity that confounds other folks, to the believer is the great joy of his heart; for there, and through all the ages of it, will he be with the Lord, praising him, enjoying his company, and partaking of his fellowship. This is the second consideration, You should be sure, I say, to be in Christ the only way to heaven, where you may be safe against all you can encounter with. Whenever people come to have an awful prospect of these things, of God's holy nature, law, and justice; of death, judgment, and eternity; when their consciences are truly awakened, all the fig-leaf coverings that men used to cover their nakedness with, are all blown off. It is only mens trifling thoughts of heaven, and of these awful things, that make Christ so much despised.

3. Consider this, what a great sin it is, how extraordinarily damnable and damning, to neglect Christ as the way to heaven; a sin, as our Lord seems to call it the only sin: If I had not come, says he, and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin. They had been an innocent kind of people, if Christ had never come amongst them: John xv. 22, 24. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Christ came into the world, light

ening them in the way to heaven, and they will not make use of him. There are three most sacred things; and whosoever stumbles at any one of them, is broken in pieces, if they stumble finally at one or at all. The first is, The rich grace of God the Father, in providing the way to heaven by his Son. The second is, The blood of the Son of God, that made the way to heaven. The third is, The gracious strivings of the Spirit of grace in the gospel, to bring men to walk in this way. Whoever they be that live and die under the gospel, and do not make use of Christ as the only way to heaven, they are chargeable with all these; they frustrate the grace of God; they trample upon the blood of Christ; and do violence and despite to the Spirit of grace; which are the highest expressions of wickedness that are in all the Bible, though I know the highest degree of them is applied to the grand unpardonablesin.

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Lastly, Consider, that all excuses are taken off. Nothing can justify a man in refusing to betake himself to Christ as the way. The Lord has provided and framed the gospel, by which he deals with men so, that they must be rendered inexcusable, that do not embrace it, and venture on Christ of fered therein. For consider, the light of nature makes men inexcusable, the light of God's law stops mens mouths, and all the world are guilty before him. The light of the gospel is also framed so, that it much more stops all mens mouths, and provides an answer for every thing. And indeed men are very fruitful in these objections: "I am a singular sinner, "therefore I dare not venture to come into Christ as the "to heaven." What sort of an objection is this? Art thou a singular sinner? Why, Jesus Christ is a singular Saviour; let that stand against that; and his business was with sinners; he came into the world to save sinners; and all sinners that are in the world, and hear of him, should come to him for salvation, then there is a happy meeting. "I am a vile sin"ful creature." What then? We are called to come to a fountain that is opened for sin, and for uncleanness, if I may so speak. Come in filthy, and go out clean: Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool, Isa. i. 18. What reason has God to argue thus with poor sinners? That he should reason thus with unreasonable sinners? That he should freely offer his pardoning mercy to those that are altogether undeserving of it? As if God should say, I know all that you can speak must only be from your sins; I know them better than you do; come hearken to me, take my counsel, your sins shall be no hindrance, they shall be removed quickly. But, say you now, what shall a poor creature do that would be in Christ as the way to heaven? He is sensible that he must be in him, how shall he do to get into him?

First, Be willing to be taken by him. All that are saved are begun to be saved when Christ begins to lay hold of them. The first act that is upon a sinner, is of Christ's putting forth; That I may apprehend that, says the apostle, for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. I was a poor wandering crea

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