The Rent Veil

The Rent Veil

A Sermon

(No. 2015)

Delivered on Lord's-day Morning, March 25th, 1888, by

C. H. SPURGEON,

At [3]the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to
the bottom'Matthew 27:50-51.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the
blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which be hath consecrated for
us, through the, veil, that is to say, his flesh'Hebrews 10:19-20.

THE DEATH of our Lord Jesus Christ was fitly surrounded by miracles;
yet it is itself so much greater a wonder than all besides, that it as
far exceeds them as the sun outshines the planets which surround it. It
seems natural enough that the earth should quake, that tombs should be
opened, and that the veil of the temple should be rent, when He who
only hath immortality gives up the ghost. The more you think of the
death of the Son of God, the more will you be amazed at it. As much as
a miracle excels a common fact, so doth this wonders of wonders rise
above all miracles of power. That the divine Lord, even though veiled
in mortal flesh, should condescend to be subject to the power of death,
so as to bow His head on the cross, and submit to be laid in the tomb,
is among mysteries the greatest. The death of Jesus is the marvel of
time and eternity, which, as Aaron's rod swallowed up all the rest,
takes up into itself all lesser marvels.

Yet the rending of the veil of the temple is not a miracle to be
lightly passed over. It was made of "fine twined linen, with Cherubims
of cunning work." This gives the idea of a substantial fabric, a piece
of lasting tapestry, which would have endured the severest strain. No
human hands could have torn that sacred covering; and it could not have
been divided in the midst by any accidental cause; yet, strange to say,
on the instant when the holy person of Jesus was rent by death, the
great veil which concealed the holiest of all was "rent in twain from
the top to the bottom." What did it mean? It meant much more than I can
tell you now.

It is not fanciful to regard it as a solemn act of mourning on the part
of the house of the Lord. In the East men express their sorrow by
rending their garments; and the temple, when it beheld its Master die,
seemed struck with horror, and rent its veil. Shocked at the sin of
man, indignant at the murder of its Lord, in its sympathy with Him who
is the true temple of God, the outward symbol tore its holy vestment
from the top to the bottom. Did not the miracle also mean that from
that hour the whole system of types, and shadows, and ceremonies had
come to an end? The ordinances of an earthly priesthood were rent with
that veil. In token of the death of the ceremonial law, the soul of it
quitted its sacred shrine, and left its bodily tabernacle as a dead
thing. The legal dispensation is over. The rent of the veil seemed to
say'"Henceforth God dwells no longer in the thick darkness of the Holy
of Holies, and shines forth no longer from between the cherubim. The
special enclosure is broken up, and there is no inner sanctuary for the
earthly high priest to enter: typical atonements and sacrifices are at
an end."

According to the explanation given in our second text, the rending of
the veil chiefly meant that the way into the holiest, which was not
before made manifest, was now laid open to all believers. Once in the
year the high priest solemnly lifted a corner of this veil with fear
and trembling, and with blood and holy incense he passed into the
immediate presence of Jehovah; but the tearing of the veil laid open
the secret place. The rent front top to bottom gives ample space for
all to enter who are called of God's grace, to approach the throne, and
to commune with the Eternal One. Upon that subject I shall try to speak
this morning, praying in my inmost soul that you and 1, with all other
believers, may have boldness actually to enter into that which is
within the veil at this time of our assembling for worship. Oh, that
the Spirit of God would lead us into the nearest fellowship which
mortal men can have with the Infinite Jehovah!

First, this morning, I shall ask you to consider what has been done.
The veil has been rent. Secondly, we will remember what we therefore
have: we have "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood Jesus."
Then, thirdly, we will consider how we exercise this grace: we "enter
by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh."

I. First, think of WHAT HAS BEEN DONE. In actual historical fact the
glorious veil of the temple has been rent in twain from the top to the
bottom: as a matter of spiritual fact, which is far more important to
us, the separating legal ordinance is abolished. There was under the
law this ordinance'that no man should ever go into the holiest of all,
with the one exception of the high priest, and he but once in the year,
and not without blood. If any man had attempted to enter there he must
have died, as guilty of great presumption and of profane intrusion into
the secret place of the Most High. Who could stand in the presence of
Him who is a consuming fire? This ordinance of distance runs all
through the law; for even the holy place, which was the vestibule of
the Holy of Holies, was for the priests alone. The place of the people
was one of distance. At the very first institution of the law when God
descended upon Sinai, the ordinance was, "Thou shalt set bounds unto
the people round about," There was no invitation to draw near. Not chat
they desired to do so, for the mountain was together on a smoke, and
"even Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake." "The Lord said unto
Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the
Lord to gaze, and many of them perish." If so much as a beast touch the
mountain it must be stoned, or thrust through with a dart. The spirit
of the old law was reverent distance. Moses and here and there a man
chosen by God, might come near to Jehovah; but as for the bulk of
people, the command was, "Draw not nigh hither." When the Lord revealed
His glory at the giving of the law, we read'"When the people saw it,
they removed, and stood afar off." All this is ended. The precept to
keep back is abrogated, and the invitation is, "Come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden." "Let its draw near" is now the filial
spirit of the gospel. How thankful I am for this! What a joy it is to
my soul! Some of God's people have not yet realized this gracious fact,
for still they worship afar off. Very much of prayer is to be highly
commended for its reverence; but it has in it a lack of childlike
confidence. I can admire the solemn and stately language of worship
which recognizes the greatness of God; but it will not warm my heart
nor express my soul until it has also blended therewith the joyful
nearness of that perfect love which casteth out fear, and ventures to
speak with our Father in heaven as a child speaketh with its father on
earth. My brother, no veil remains. Why dost thou stand afar off, and
tremble like a slave? Draw near with full assurance of faith. The veil
is rent: access is free. Come boldly to the throne of grace. Jesus has
made thee nigh, as nigh to God as even He Himself is. Though we speak
of the holiest of all, even the secret place of the Most High, yet it
is of this place of awe, even of this sanctuary of Jehovah, that the
veil is rent; therefore, let nothing hinder thine entrance. Assuredly
no law forbids thee; but infinite love invites thee to draw nigh to
God.

This rending of the veil signified, also, the removal of the separating
sin. Sin is, after all, the great divider between God and man. That
veil of blue and purple and fine twined linen could not really separate
man from God: for He is, as to His omnipresence, not far from any one
of us. Sin is a far more effectual wall of separation: it opens in
abyss between the sinner and his Judge. Sin shuts out prayer, and
praise, and every form of religious exercise. Sin makes God walk
contrary to us, because we walk contrary to Him. Sin, by separating the
soul from God, causes spiritual death, which is both the effect and the
penalty of transgression. How can two walk together except they be
agreed? How can a holy God have fellowship with unholy creatures? Shall
justice dwell with injustice? Shall perfect purity abide with the
abominations of evil? No, it cannot be. Our Lord Jesus Christ put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He taketh away the sin of the world,
and so the veil is rent. By the shedding of His most precious blood we
are cleansed from all sin, and that most gracious promise of the new
covenant is fulfilled'"Their sins and their iniquities will I remember
no more." When sin is gone, the barrier is broken down, the
unfathomable gulf is filled. Pardon, which removes sin, and
justification, which brings righteousness, make up a deed of clearance
so real and so complete that nothing now divides the sinner from his
reconciled God. 'The Judge is now the Father: He, who once must
necessarily have condemned, is found justly absolving and accepting. In
this double sense the veil is rent: the separating ordinance is
abrogated, and the separating sin is forgiven.

Next, be it remembered that the separating sinfulness is also taken
away through our Lord Jesus. It is not only what we have done, but what
we are that keeps us apart from God. We have sin engrained in us: even
those who have grace dwelling them have to complain, "When I would do
good, evil is present with me." How can we commune with God with our
eyes blinded, our ears stopped, our hearts hardened, and our senses
deadened by sin? Our whole nature is tainted, poisoned, perverted by
evil; how can we know the Lord? Beloved, through the death of our Lord
Jesus the covenant of grace is established with us, and its gracious
provisions are on this wise: "This is the covenant that I will make
with them after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into
their mind, and write them in their hearts." When this is the case,
when the will of God is inscribed on the heart, and the nature is
entirely changed, then is the dividing veil which hides us from God
taken away: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
Blessed are all they that love righteousness and follow after it, for
they are in a way in which the Righteous One can walk in fellowship
with them. Spirits that are like God are not divided from God.
Difference of nature hangs up a veil; but the new birth, and the
sanctification which follows upon it, through the precious death of
Jesus, remove that veil. He that hates sin, strives after holiness, and
labors to perfect it in the fear of God, is in fellowship with God. It
is a blessed thing when we love what God loves, when we seek what God
seeks, when we are in sympathy with divine aims, and are obedient to
divine commands: for with such persons will the Lord dwell. When grace
makes us partakers of the divine nature; then are we at one with the
Lord, and the veil is taken away.

"Yes," saith one, "I see now how the veil is taken away in three
different fashions; but still God is God, and we are but poor puny men:
between God and man there must of necessity be a separating veil,
caused by the great disparity between the Creator and the creature. How
can the finite and the infinite commune? God is all in all, and more
than all; we are nothing, and less than nothing; how can we meet?" When
the Lord does come near to I His favored ones, they own how incapable
they are of enduring the excessive glory. Even the beloved John said,
"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead." When we have been
especially conscious of the presence and working of our Lord, we have
felt our flesh creep, and our blood chill; and then we have understood
what Jacob meant when he said, "How dreadful is this place! this is
none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." All
this is true; for the Lord saith, "Thou canst not see my face and
live." Although this is a much thinner veil than those I have already
mentioned, yet it is a veil; and it is hard for man to be at home with
God. But the Lord Jesus bridges the separating distance. Behold the
blessed Son of God has come into the world, and taken upon Himself our
nature! "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of the flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." Though He is
God as God is God, yet is He as surely man as man is man. Mark well how
in the, person of the Lord Jesus we see God and man in the closest
conceivable alliance; for they are united in one person forever. The
gulf is completely filled by the fact that Jesus has gone through with
us even to the bitter end, to death, even to the death of the cross. He
has followed out the career of manhood even to the tomb; and thus we
see that the veil, which hung between the nature of God and the nature
of man, is rent in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. We enter into
the holiest of all through His flesh, which links manhood to Godhead.

Now, you see what it is to have the veil taken away. Solemnly note that
this avails only for believers: those who refuse Jesus refuse the only
way of access to God. God is not approachable, except through the
rending of the veil by the death of Jesus. There was one typical way to
the mercy-seat of old, and that was through the turning aside of the
veil; there was no other. And there is now no other way for any of you
to come into fellowship with God, except through the rent veil, even
the death of Jesus Christ, whom God has set forth to be the
propitiation for sin. Come this way, and you may come freely. Refuse to
come this way, and there hangs between you and God an impassable veil.
Without Christ you are without God, and without hope. Jesus Himself
assures you, "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your
sins." God grant that this may not happen to any of you!

For believers the veil is not rolled up, but rent. The veil was not
unhooked, and carefully folded up, and put away, so that it might be
put in its place at some future time. Oh, no! But the divine hand took
it and rent it front top to bottom. It can never be hung up again; that
is impossible. Between those who are in Christ Jesus and the great God,
there will never be another separation. "Who shall separate us from the
love of God?" Only one veil was made, and as that is rent, the one and
only separator is destroyed. I delight to think of this. The devil
himself can never divide me from God now. He may and will attempt to
shut me out from God; but the worst he could do would be to hang up a
rent veil. What would that avail but to exhibit his impotence? God has
rent the veil, and the devil cannot mend it. There is access between a
believer and his God; and there must be such free access forever, since
the veil is not rolled up, and put on one side to be hung up again in
days to come; but it is rent, and rendered useless.

The rent is not in one corner, but in the midst, as Luke tells us. It
is not a slight rent through which we may see a little; but it is rent
from the top to the bottom. There is an entrance made for the greatest
sinners. If there had only been a small hole cut through it, the lesser
offenders might have crept through; but what an act of abounding mercy
is this, that the veil is rent in the midst, and rent from top to
bottom, so that the chief of sinners may find ample passage! This also
shows that for believers there is no hindrance to the fullest and
freest access to God. Oh, for much boldness, this morning, to come
where God has not only set open the door, but has lifted the door from
its hinges; yea, removed it, post, and bar, and all!

I want you to notice that this veil, when it was rent, was rent by God,
not by man. It was not the act of an irreverent mob; it was not the
midnight outrage of a set of profane priests: it was the act of God
alone. Nobody stood within the veil; and on the outer side of it stood
the priests only fulfilling their ordinary vocation of offering
sacrifice. It must have astounded them when they saw that holy place
laid bare in a moment. How they fled, as they saw that massive veil
divided without human hand in a second of time! Who rent it? Who but
God Himself? If another had done it, there might have been a mistake
about it, and the mistake might need to be remedied by replacing the
curtain; but if the Lord has done it, it is done rightly, it is done
finally, it is done irreversibly. It is God Himself who has laid sin on
Christ, and in Christ has put that sin away. God Himself has opened the
gate of heaven to believers, and cast up a highway along which the
souls of men may travel to Himself. God Himself has set the ladder
between earth and heaven. Come to Him now, ye humble ones. Behold, He
sets before you an open door!

II. And now I ask you to follow me, dear friends, in the second place,
to an experimental realization of my subject. We now notice WHAT WE
HAVE: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest,"
Observe the threefold "having" in the paragraph now before us, and be
not content without the whole three. We have "boldness to enter in."
There are degrees in boldness; but this is one of the highest. When the
veil was rent it required some boldness to look within. I wonder
whether the priests at the altar did have the courage to gaze upon the
mercy-seat. I suspect that they were so struck with amazement that they
fled from the altar, fearing sudden death. It requires a measure of
boldness steadily to look upon the mystery of God: "Which things the
angels desire to look into." It is well not to look with a merely
curious eye into the deep things of God. I question whether any man is
able to pry into the mystery of the Trinity without great risk. Some,
thinking to look there with the eyes of their natural intellect, have
been blinded by the light of that sun, and have henceforth wandered in
darkness. It needs boldness to look into the splendors of redeeming and
electing love. If any did look into the holiest when the veil was rent,
they were among the boldest of men; for others must have feared lest
the fate of the men of Bethshemesh would be theirs. Beloved, the Holy
Spirit invites you to took into the holy place, and view it all with
reverent eye for it is full of teaching to you. Understand the mystery
of the mercy-seat, and of the ark of the covenant overlaid with gold,
and of the pot of manna, and of the tables of stone, and of Aaron's rod
that budded. Look, look boldly through Jesus Christ: but do not content
yourself with looking! Hear what the text says: "Having boldness to
enter in." Blessed be God if He has taught us this sweet way of no
longer looking from afar, but of entering into the inmost shrine with
confidence! "Boldness to enter in" is what we ought to have.

Let us follow the example of the high priest, and, having entered, let
us perform the functions of one who enters in. "Boldness to enter in"
suggests that we act as men who are in their proper places. To stand
within the veil filled the servant of God with an overpowering sense of
the divine presence. If ever in his life he was near to God, he was
certainly near to God then, when quite alone, shut in, and excluded
from all the world, he had no one with him, except the glorious
Jehovah. O my beloved, may we this morning enter into the holiest in
this sense! Shut out front the world, both wicked and Christian, let us
know that the Lord is here, most near and manifest. Oh that we may now
cry out with Hagar, "Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?"
Oh, how sweet to realize by personal enjoyment the presence of Jehovah!
How cheering to feel that the Lord of hosts is with us! We know our God
to be a very present help in trouble. It is one of the greatest joys
out of heaven to be able to sing'Jehovah Shammah'the Lord is here. At
first we tremble in the divine presence; but as we feel more of the
spirit of adoption we draw near with sacred delight, and feel so fully
at home with our God that we sing with Moses, "Lord, thou hast been our
dwelling place in all generations." Do not live as if God were as far
off from you as the east is from the west. Live not far below on the
earth; but live on high, as if you were in heaven. In heaven You Will
be with God; but on earth He will be with you: is there much
difference? He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Jesus hath made us nigh by His
precious blood. Try day by day to live in as great nearness to God, as
the high priest felt when he stood for awhile within the secret of
Jehovah's tabernacle.

The high priest had a sense of communion with God; he was not only
near, but he spoke with God. I cannot tell what he said, but I should
think that on the special day the high priest unburdened himself of the
load of Israel's sin and sorrow, and made known his requests unto the
Lord. Aaron, standing there alone, must have been filled with memories
of his own faultiness, and of the idolatries and backslidings of the
people. God shone upon him, and he bowed before God. He may have heard
things which it was not lawful for him to utter, and other things which
he could not have uttered if they had been lawful. Beloved, do you know
what it is to commune with God? Words are poor vehicles for this
fellowship; but what a blessed thing it is! Proofs of the existence of
God are altogether her superfluous to those of us who are in the habit
of conversing with the Eternal One. If anybody were to write an essay
to prove the existence of my wife, or my son, I certainly should not
read it, except for the amusement of the thing; and proofs of the
existence of God to the man who communes with God are much the same.
Many of you walk with God: what bliss! Fellowship with the Most High is
elevating, purifying, strengthening. Enter into it boldly. Enter into
His revealed thoughts, even as He graciously enters into yours: rise to
His plans, as He condescends to yours; ask to be uplifted to Him, even
as He deigns to dwell with you.

This is what the rent of the veil brings us when we have boldness to
enter in; but, mark you, the rent veil brings us nothing until we have
boldness to enter in. Why stand we without? Jesus brings us near, and
truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Let us not be slow to take up our freedom, and come boldly to the
throne. The high priest entered within the veil of blue, and purple,
and scarlet, and fine twined linen, with blood, and with incense, that
he might pray for Israel; and there he stood before the Most High,
pleading with Him to bless the people. O beloved, prayer is ai divine
institution, and it belongs to us. But there are many sorts of prayers.
There is the prayer of one who seems shut out from God's holy temple;
there is the prayer of another who stands in the court of the Gentiles
afar off, looking towards the temple; there is the prayer of one who
gets where Israel stands and pleads with the God of the chosen; there
is the prayer in the court of the priests, when the sanctified man of
God makes intercession; but the best prayer of all is offered in the
holiest of all. There is no fear about prayer being heard when it is
offered in the holiest. The very position of the man proves that he is
accepted with God. He is standing on the surest ground of acceptance,
and he is so near to God that his every desire is heard. There the man
is seen through and through; for he is very near to God. His thoughts
are read, his tears are seen, his sighs are heard; for he has boldness
to enter in. He may ask what he will, and it shall be done unto him. As
the altar sanctifieth the gift, so the most holy place, entered by the
blood of Jesus, secures a certain answer to the prayer that is offered
therein. God give us such power in prayer! It is a wonderful thing that
the Lord should hearken to the voice of a man; yet are there such men.
Luther came out of his closet, and cried, Vici"I have conquered." He
had not yet met his adversaries; but as he had prevailed with God for
men, he felt that he should prevail with men for God.

But the high priest, if you recollect, after he had communed and prayed
with God, came out and blessed the people. He put on his garments of
glory and beauty, which he had laid aside when be went into the holy
place, for there he stood in simple white, and nothing else; and now he
came out wearing the breast-plate and all his precious ornaments, and
he blessed the people. That is what you will do if you have the
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus: you will
bless the people that surround you. The Lord has blessed you, and He
will make you a blessing. Your ordinary conduct and conversation will
be a blessed example; the words you speak for Jesus will be like a dew
from the Lord: the sick will be comforted by your words; the despondent
will he encouraged by your faith; the lukewarm will be recovered by
your love. You will be, practically, saying to each one who knows you,
"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face shine upon
thee, and give thee peace." You will become a channel of blessing: "Out
of your belly shall flow rivers of living water." May we each one have
boldness to enter in, that we may come forth laden with benedictions!

If you will kindly look at the text, you will notice, what I shall
merely hint at, that this boldness is well grounded. I always like to
see the apostle using a "therefore": "Having therefore boldness." Paul
is often a true poet, but he is always a correct logician; he is as
logical as if he were dealing with mathematics rather than theology.
Here he writes one of his therefores.

Why is it that we have boldness? Is it not because of our relationship
to Christ which makes us "brethren?" "Having therefore, brethren,
boldness." The feeblest believer has as much right to enter into the
holy places as Paul had; because he is one of the brotherhood. I
remember a rhyme by John Ryland, in which he says of heaven'

"They shall all be there, the great and the small;

Poor I shall shake hands with the blessed St. Paul."

I have no doubt we shall have such a position, and such fellowship.
Meanwhile, we do shake hands with I Him this morning as he calls us
brethren. We are brethren to one another, because we are brethren to
Jesus. Where we see the apostle go, we will go; yea, rather, where we
see the Great Apostle and High Priest of our profession enter, we will
follow. "Having therefore, boldness."

Beloved, we have now no fear of death in the most holy place. The high
priest, whoever he might be, must always have dreaded that solemn day
of atonement, when he had to pass into the silent and secluded place. I
cannot tell whether it is true, but I have read that there is at
tradition among the Jews, that a rope was fastened to the high priest's
foot that they might draw out his corpse in case he died before the
Lord. I should not wonder if their superstition devised such a thing,
for it is an awful position for a man to enter into the secret dwelling
of Jehovah. But we cannot die in the holy place now, since Jesus has
died for us. The death of Jesus is the guarantee of the eternal life of
all for whom He died. We have boldness to enter, for we shall not
perish.

Our boldness arises from the perfection of His sacrifice. Read the
fourteenth verse: "He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified."
We rely upon the sacrifice of Christ, believing that He was such a
perfect Substitute for us, that it is not possible for us to die after
our Substitute has died; and we must be accepted, because He is
accepted. We believe that the precious blood has so effectually and
eternally put away sin from us, that we are no longer obnoxious to the
wrath of God. We may safely stand where sin must be smitten, if there
be any sin upon us; for we are so washed, so cleaned, and so fully
justified that we are accepted in the Beloved. Sin is so completely
lifted from us by the vicarious sacrifice of Christ, that we have
boldness to enter where Jehovah Himself dwells.

Moreover, we have his for certain, that as a priest had a right to
dwell near to God, we have that privilege; for Jesus hath made us kings
and priests unto God, and all the privileges of the office come to us
with the office itself We have a mission within the holy place; we are
called to enter there upon holy business, and so we have no fear of
being intruders. A burglar may enter a house, but he does not enter
with boldness; he is always afraid lest he should be surprised. You
might enter a stranger's house, without an invitation, but You Would
feel no boldness there. We do not enter the holiest as housebreakers,
nor as strangers; we come in obedience to a call, to fulfill our
office. When once we accept the sacrifice of Christ, we are at home
with God. Where should a child be bold but in his father's house? Where
should a priest stand but in the temple of his God, for whose service
he is set apart? Where should a blood-washed sinner live but with his
God, to whom he is reconciled?

It is a heavenly joy to feel this boldness! We have now such a love for
God, and such a delight in Him, that it never crosses our minds that we
are trespassers when we draw near to Him. We never say, "God, my
dread," but "God, my exceeding joy." His name is the music to which our
lives are set: though God be a consuming fire we love Him as such, for
He will only consume our dross, and that we desire to lose. Under no
aspect is God now distasteful to its. We delight in Him, be He what He
may. So you see, beloved, we have good grounds for boldness when we
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.

I cannot leave this point until I have reminded you that we may have
this boldness of entering in at all times, because the veil is always
rent, and is never restored to its old place. "The Lord said until
Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into
the holy Place within the veil before the mercy-seat, which is upon the
ark; that he die not"; but the Lord saith not so to us. Dear child of
God, you may at all times have "boldness to enter in." The veil is rent
both day and night. Yea, let me say it, even when thine eye of faith is
dim, still enter in; when evidences are dark, still have "boldness to
enter in"; and even if thou hast unhappily sinned, remember that access
is open to thy penitent prayer. Come still through the rent veil,
sinner as thou art. What though thou hast backslidden, what though thou
art grieved with the sense of thy wanderings, come even now! "Today, if
ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart," but enter at once; for
the veil is not there to exclude thee, though doubt and unbelief may
make you think it is so. The veil cannot be there, for it was rent in
twain from the top to the bottom.

III. My time has fled, and I shall not have space to speak as I meant
to do upon the last point'HOW WE EXERCISE THIS GRACE. Let me give you
the notes of what I would have said.

Let us at this hour enter into the holiest. Behold the way! We come by
the way of atonement: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." I have been made to feel
really ill through the fierce and blasphemous words that have been used
of late by gentlemen of the modern school concerning the precious
blood. I will not defile my lips by a repetition of the thrice-accursed
things which they have dared to utter while trampling on the blood of
Jesus. Everywhere throughout this divine Book you meet with the
precious blood. How can he call himself a Christian who speaks in
flippant and profane language of the blood of atonement? My brothers,
there is no way into the holiest, even though the veil be rent, without
blood. You might suppose that the high priest of old brought the blood
because the veil was there; but you have to bring it with you though
the veil is gone. The way is open, and you have boldness to enter; but
not without the blood of Jesus. It would be an unholy boldness which
would think of drawing near to God without the blood of the great
Sacrifice. We have always to plead the atonement. As without shedding
of blood there is no remission of sin, so without that blood there is
no access to God.

Next, the way by which we come is an unfailing way. Please notice that
word'"by a new way"; this means by a way which is always fresh. The
original Greek suggests the idea of "newly slain." Jesus died long ago,
but His death is the same now as at the moment of its occurrence. We
come to God, dear friends, by a way which is always effectual with God.
It never, never loses one whit of its power freshness.

Dear dying lamb, thy precious blood

Shall never lose its power.

The way is not worn away by long traffic: it is always new. If Jesus
Christ had died yesterday, would you not feel that you could plead His
merit today? Very well, you can plead that merit after these 19'
centuries with as much confidence as at the first hour. The way to God
is always newly laid. In effect, the wounds of Jesus incessantly bleed
our expiation. The cross is as glorious as though He were still upon
it. So far as the freshness, vigor, and force of the atoning death is
concerned, we come by a new way. Let it be always new to our hearts.
Let the doctrine of atonement never grow stale, but let it have dew
upon your souls.

Then the apostle adds, it is a "living way." A wonderful word! The way
by which the high priest went into the holy place was of course a
material way, and so a dead way. We come by a spiritual way, suitable
to our spirits. The way could not help the high priest, but our way
helps us abundantly. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the
life." When we come to God by this way, the way itself leads, guides,
bears, brings us near. This way gives its life with which to come.

It is a dedicated way. "which he hath consecrated for us." When a new
road is opened, it is set apart and dedicated for the public use.
Sometimes a public building is opened by a king or a prince, and so is
dedicated to its purpose. Beloved, the way to God through Jesus Christ
is dedicated by Christ, and ordained by Christ for the use of poor
believing sinners, such as we are. He has consecrated the way towards
God, and dedicated it for us, that we may freely use it. Surely, if
there is a road set apart for me, I may use it without fear; and the
way to God and heaven through Jesus Christ is dedicated by the Saviour
for sinners; it is the King's highway for wayfaring men, who are bound
for the City of God; therefore, let us use it. "Consecrated for us!"
Blessed word!

Lastly, it is a Christly way; for when we come to God, we still come
through His flesh. There is no coming to Jehovah, except by the
incarnate God. God in human flesh is our way to God; the
substitutionary death of the Word made flesh is also the way to the
Father. There is no coming to God, except by representation. Jesus
represents us before God, and we come to God through Him who is our
covenant head, our representative and forerunner before the throne of
the Most High. Let us never try to pray without Christ; never try to
sing without Christ; never try to preach without Christ. Let us perform
no holy function, nor attempt to have fellowship with God in any shape
or way, except through that rent which He has made in the veil by His
flesh, sanctified for us, and offered upon the cross on our behalf.

Beloved, I have done when I have just remarked upon the next two
verses, which are necessary to complete the sense, but which I was
obliged to omit this morning, since there would be no time to handle
them. We are called to take holy freedoms with God. "Let us draw near,"
at once, "with a true heart in full assurance of faith." Let us do so
boldly, for we have a great high priest. The twenty-first verse reminds
us of this. Jesus is the great Priest, and we are the sub-priests under
Him, and since He bids us come near to God, and Himself leads the way,
let follow Him into the inner sanctuary. Because He lives, we shall
live also. We shall nor die in the holy place, unless He dies. God will
not smite us unless He smites Him. So, "having a high priest over the
house of God, let its draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith."

And then the apostle tells its that we may not only come with boldness,
because our high priest leads the way, but because we ourselves are
prepared for entrance. Two things the high priest had to do before he
might enter: one was, to be sprinkled with blood, and this we have; for
"our hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience."

The other requisite for the priests was to have their "bodies washed
with pure water." This we have received in symbol in our baptism, and
in reality in the spiritual cleansing of regeneration. To us has been
fulfilled the prayer'

"Let the water and the blood,

From thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

We have known the washing of water by the Word, and we have been
sanctified by the Spirit of His grace; therefore let us enter into the
holiest. Why should we stay away? Hearts sprinkled with blood, bodies
washed with pure water'these are the ordained preparations for
acceptable entrance. Come near, beloved! May the Holy Spirit be the
spirit of access to you now. Come to your God, and then abide with Him!
He is your Father, your all in all. Sit down and rejoice in Him; take
your fill of love; and let not your communion be broken between here
and heaven. Why should it be? Why not begin today that sweet enjoyment
of perfect reconciliation and delight in God which shall go on
increasing in intensity until you behold the Lord in open vision, and
go no more out? Heaven will bring a great change in condition, but not
in our standing, if even now we stand within the veil. It will be only
such a change as there is between the perfect day and the daybreak; for
we have the same sun, and the same light from the sun, and the same
privilege of walking in the light. "Until the day break, and the
shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young
hart upon the mountains of Division." Amen, and Amen.

PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON'HEBREWS 10.

HYMNS FROM "OUR OWN HYMN BOOK"'318, 296, 395.