like the bunch of grapes which was brought from the valley of Eshcol to the Israelites in the wilderness; a view given us of that land of promise, like that which Moses had of the land of Canaan from the top of Pisgah: as the law was type and figure of the Messiah's kingdom on arth, so the gospel is of his kingdom in heaven; beth are shadows of good things to come, Heb. x. 1, like the map of a rich and large country in a sheet of paper. Our future happiness is in this sacrament, not only sealed to us, but showed to us, and we here taste something of the pleasures of that better country. In this ordinance we have a sight of Christ, he is evidently set before us and what is heaven but to see him as he is, and to be for ever beholding his glory? We are here receiving the pledges and tokens of Christ's love to us, and returning the protestations and expressions of our love to him; and what is heaven but an eternal interchanging of love between a holy God and holy souls? We are here praising and blessing the Redeemer, celebrating his honour, and giving him the glory of his achievements; and what is that but the work of heaven? It is what the inhabitants of that world are doing now, and what we hope to be doing with them to eternity. We are here in spiritual communion with all the saints, coming in faith, hope, and love to the general Assembly and "church of the first-born;" and what is heaven but that in perfection? In a word, heaven is a feast, and so is this; only his is a running banquet, that an everlasting east.

Come (my soul) and see a door here opened n heaven; look in at that door now, by which hou hopest to enter shortly. Let this ordinance lo something of the work of heaven upon thee, God having provided in it something of the pleasure of heaven for thee. Heaven will for ver part between thee and sin: let this ordidance, therefore, set thee at a greater distance from it. Heaven will fill thee with the love of God; in this ordinance, therefore, let that love De shed abroad in thy heart. In heaven thou halt enter into the joy of thy Lord; let that joy now enter into thee, and be thy strength and thy song. Heaven will be perfect holiness; et this ordinance make thee more holy and nore conformable to the image of the Holy Jesus. Heaven will be everlasting rest; here, therefore, return to God as thy rest, O my soul ! and repose thyself in him. Let every sacra. ment be to thee a heaven upon earth, and each of these days of the Son of man as one of the days of heaven.-Matthew Henry.

TALK WITH CHILDREN-THE BRAZEN SERPENT.

HENRY, Charles, and their sister Mary were readin with their mother the third chapter of the Gospel by John. When the 14th verse was read, the mother asked her children "If they knew what event the verse referred to? It is, for as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.' Do either of you," asked the mother. "recollect reading any thing about Moses lifting up a serpent in the wildernsss?" Mary said, she never had read about it. Charles said, he had read in Exodus about Moses casting his rod on the ground, and it became a serpent; but he did not think there was any thing said about its being lifted up. Henry said, he had seen a picture of a serpent twisted round a very high pole, and crowds of people Perhaps," said he, "that may be looking at it.

what is meant." "Yes," said his mother, "it is-but do you know why the serpent was placed there? and why the people crowded round to look at it ?"

"No, mamma-there was no reading to the picture that I saw."

Mother" Find the 21st chapter of Numbers, and read from the 4th verse to the 10th. That will ex

plain it to you."

Henry read, in the account of the journeyings of the people of Israel through the wilderness, that "the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people: people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for and much people of Israel died. Therefore the

we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents

from us.

the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, And Moses prayed for the people. And and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and

put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a

serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."

This," said the mother, when Henry had finished reading the beautiful story, "is an account of the suffering and danger which came upon the people because of their sin-and of the way which God in his mercy appointed for their healing and deliverance Remember sin is the cause of all the evils we suffer. If man had never sinned, sickness, pain, and death. would never have been known. When, therefore. we see or feel any of these evils, we should look upon them as reproofs for sin, and as calls to repentance. Can you tell me what was the sin of the Israelites that is mentioned in the verses you have been reading?"

Mary-"Yes, Mamma, they spoke against God and against Moses. Was not that it ?"

Mother-"Yes, they were a very rebellious, murmuring, discontented people. They wanted things which God did not see fit to give them-and they did not trust God to provide for them. This was foolish and ungrateful, as well as unbelieving-because Goo had promised that he would take care of them-and he always had done so. They had been wonderfully supplied with every thing they needed."

Henry-" Mamma, how could they say they had no bread, when they had every night manna from heaven?"

Mother "They said what was not true; and in he very next expressions of their discontent, they contradicted themselves- Our soul loatheth this light bread. So far from having no bread, they had plenty of the most delicious and wholesome bread, upon which they and their fathers had been supported in health and strength for many years. They had no just reason to complain, but every reason to be satisfied and thankful. But when the sinful feeling of pride and discontent are in the heart, nothing can satisfy. Did you never, my children, although you have always been well supplied with whatever could really contribute to your welfare and comfort, feel discontented for the want of something you did not possess ?"

The children at first said they never had, but their mother desired them to think again-and then each of them recollected an instance of indulging the feeling their mother described. Charles-but that was when he was a very little boy-he knew better nowhad cried for some red berries from the hedge, which his mamma would not allow him to have, and it was well she did not, for those berries were poison. Mary, who had a very pretty doll, dressed with remarkable neatness, and of which she used to be very fond, had lately slighted and despised it, because she had seen in the possession of her cousin a larger doll, and one of which the eyes were made to shut and open. And Henry, only the day before, had been heard to say, when invited to take a ride on his noble rocking horse, he wished he had a live pony like Archie Campbell's—a wooden horse was good for nothing.

Their mother told them that, in each of these instances, they had shown a degree of the same sinful disposition as the Israelites, which was so displeasing to God.

Mary asked her whether the great God would mind about what children felt in their play. "Yes, Mary," said her mother, "the Bible says that even a child is known by his doings."-(Prov. xx. 11.) Chiliren have not to do with great things, but in the ittle things with which they have to do, they show heir temper and disposition; and we may be sure hat God takes notice of their conduct, whether they lesire and try to cherish proper feelings, and pray tor his Holy Spirit to help them in doing so, or whether they give way to those tempers and feelings which he disapproves. Charles desired to know whether it was wrong to wish for any thing that we have not got.

"No, Charles," replied his mother, "it is not always wrong to do so. You wish to have nice flowers, nd salad, and radishes in your little garden-und the wish makes you industrious in digging the ground, and sowing the seeds, and weeding and watering. This is all quite right. But if the wish to have something that you do not possess, leads you to disobey God, or your parents whom he has set over you, or to be discontented with what is bestowed upon you, then you may be sure that the wish is wrong and sinful. This was the sin of the Israelites. God by his providence had brought them into the wilderness, where they could not have corn-fields and fruit-trees, nor rear many animals for food, as they would have done in a cultivated land, and, by constantly supplying them with manna, it was as if he had said to them, This is the food on which you are for the present to live. Take it aud be thankful, and do not desire any other. Now I think you all see how wrong it was of them to be dissatisfied with what God in his mercy bestowed upon them, and eagerly to desire what he saw fit to withhold from them-as well as to distrust his providence, and think he would not be as good as his word."

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The children said they did see the sin of Israel. Their mother proceeded to tell them of its consequences:

The murmurings of the people were very displeasing to God, and he saw fit to punish them. Many of the people died in the wilderness, but not, as they had ungratefully and distrustfully said, for want of either bread or water, but of a disease that most likely took away all appetite for food, and produced a thirst that no water could quench.

"This disease was occasioned by fiery serpents, which God sent among the people, by which many of them were bit or stung to death. There were at all times in that terrible wilderness fiery serpents and scorpions (Deut. viii. 15), but hitherto God had wonderfully preserved his people from being hurt by them; but now, when they slighted his mercies, he let them feel his wrath. These serpents, that had hitherto been restrained, were now suffered to hurt the people, and much people died."

Henry-" Mamma, are there any of these fiery serpents now?

Mother-"We do not know exactly what sort of serpents they were. There are still known in Eastern countries small flying scorpions, whose bite is very venomous, and occasions violent inflammation and sudden death. We cannot be sure that these are the same kind of creatures that afflicted the Israelites; but it seems to me much more likely that they were something of this sort, than such as are usually represented in pictures many feet long."

Henry-"Oh yes! mamma, the one I saw was as large as a boa-constrictor-and it had a very large forked tongue, tipped with fire. Do you think there ever was such a creature"

Mother" No, Henry, I do not, and it is very foolish to represent in pictures such creatures as never really existed-because it gives children false ideas. When they are called fiery serpents, we are not to imagine any thing like blazing flame or burning coal. Some venomous creatures are of a fiery red colour. Perhaps these were so; but the name is most likely given as descriptive of their violent rage, and of the burning heat and excessive thirst produced by their venom. How dreadful it must have been for these destructive creatures to fly by hundreds through the camp, fixing their deadly sting on every person whom they came near. And then for the poor wounded dying men and women to see their dear friends in the same miserable condition, instead of being able to do any thing to comfort and relieve them!"

The children looked sad, and almost terrified at the thought of this melancholy scene. "And yet," continued their mother, "good came out of this great evil. The distress of the people was the means of leading them to repentance and prayer. The poor stung Israelites confessed their sin, and begged Moses to pray unto the Lord for them, that he would take away the serpents from them. Afflictions often change men's sentiments with respect to good people, and teach them to value the prayers of those whom they had before scorned. Moses did as they requested; for religion teaches men to render good for evil, and to pray for those that had despitefully used them. (Matt v. 44.) It is to be hoped the people themselves prayed that God would bless them by turning them away from their iniquities (Acts iii. 26), as well as that the affliction might be taken away from them; for it is a very bad sign when persons in trouble are only desirous of being freed from their sufferings, but are not willing to part from their sins."

Mary-" "When Moses prayed for the people, were they cured, mamma?"

Mother" Yes, iny dear. The Lord was graciously

pleased to appoint a way for their relief. Now I wish you to attend very particularly to this part of the story. The Lord commanded Moses to make a resemblance of the venomous creature which caused their suffering, and to place it upon a pole, in sight of all the camp-promising that every sufferer, when he looked upon it, should live; that is, not only that they should not die, but that they should be cured from their pain."

Henry-"But, mamma, how was it possible for that to cure them ?"

Mother" With God all things are possible-and he can give his blessing either by means or without means, or in the use of means which, in themselves, are quite opposite to the end proposed. Do you understand me?"

Charles "No mamma, not quite."

Mother-"I dare say you recollect, when you were ill, taking some bitter rhubarb."

Charles "Yes, mamma, I recollect it very well. When you brought it to me, I did not like the smell, nd you said, My dear boy, I wish you to take this. I ope, by the blessing of God, it will relieve your pain. -And so it did, mamma; I soon got well after I had ken it."

Mother-"But suppose that, instead of giving you nedicine, I had given you two or three crumbs of read or a few drops of milk or of water, do you think chat would have cured you?"

Charles-" No, mamma, I do not think that would have done any good. You know I did have bread and milk for my breakfast, and drank water when I was thirsty, but I was still in pain."

Mother" But if I had given you some of those red berries from the hedge-what then ?"

Charles -"Oh mamma! you would not have given me them; you know they would poison me."

Mother" True, Charles; and you trust the wisdom and kindness of your parents not to give you what would injure you, or to withhold what would do you good. But now, Charles, can you tell me how it was that the rhubarb was effectual in relieving your pain?" Charles "You told me yourself, mamma, it was if Hod pleased to give his blessing to it."

Mother-"True; and God can give his blessing to what he pleases. If I had received a clear command from Him to give you only a little of your common food, or even to give you what I thought hurtful, and to expect a cure, I ought to have done so, and I hope I should. Now, Moses had a plain command to make a resemblance of the serpent and set it in view of the people, and a positive promise that whoever looked upon it should live. Therefore, neither he nor the people had any thing to do with inquiring how this could cure the wounded people. God had said it should cure them, and that was enough. The sight of the serpent would have done them no good if God had not appointed it; but as He did, thus looking to that in obedience to his command, and in reliance on his promise, was a token of their submitting themselves to the hand of God in afflicting them, and looking up to him as the Lord who healed them. If there was an Israelite so foolish, perverse, and stubborn, as to despise the appointed means because he could not understand it, and to refuse to look at the serpent because he did not know how such a look could effect his cure,-what do you suppose would have happened?"

Henry "Why, mamma, he must die; and it would be all his own fault if he would not believe and obey, that he might be cured. But do you really think any of them would be so very foolish and wicked?"

Mother-"I should think not. The real feeling they had of pain and danger would make them willing and eager to embrace the proposed method of relief."

6

Mary-"When they looked, do you think, mamma, that they felt quite sure that it would cure them?” Mother-"I do not know, Mary. They might have felt so, because God, who cannot lie, had said it should; but I think it very likely many might have their doubts and misgivings as to the sufficiency of the remedy, or might think their own case so particu- | larly bad as to be altogether hopeless. But their seeing many of their neighbours cured by it, and feeling in their own increasing agonies that they must die without it, they were encouraged to raise, if it was but a weak and languid eye, and say, I can but look-and if I perish, I perish; and we may be well assured that as many as looked were made perfectly whole. Now let us turn back to the chapter we were reading at first, and you will see how this interesting story applies to us. Henry, read the fourteenth and fifteenth verses." Henry read-" And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.""I think, my children all know of whom Jesus said this-who it is that is called the Son of Man?"

Charles "Yes, mamma. You taught us a long time ago that Jesus himself is called the Son of Man, because he came to this world, and lived and died among men that he might be their Saviour."

Mother-"This is what Jesus was teaching Nicodemus when he compared himself to the brazen serpent in the wilderness. Can you tell me how the Son of Man was lifted up?"

Henry-" I think I can, mamma. The last Sabbath that I was at church, the minister preached from John xii. 32. He said being lifted up' meant the manner of Christ's death-his being nailed to the cross and then raised up with it;-and also what we are taught about it in the Bible. He said the whole Bible was a living picture of Christ crucified; and that preaching the gospel was calling men to look at him and be saved."

Mother" I am glad, my dear boy, to find that you attended to what you heard. May you never lose sight of so important a sentiment! Perhaps what you then heard may help you to answer another question-What resemblance is there between Christ lifted up on the cross and exhibited (or shown) in the gospel, and the serpent being lifted up by Moses in the wilderness? What is meant by its being said, that Christ was lifted up as the serpent was lifted up?"

Henry thought a moment, and then said, "No, mamma, I do not know how they are alike. The minister did mention about Moses and the brazen serpent; but I did not quite understand what he said, and I do not remember it."

Mother-Well I will try to explain it to you. 1. Both were seasonable. Suppose that at the present moment a physician should offer you a valuable medicine, and say that he was sure it would cure you, you might justly thank him for his kindness; but say you are quite well and do not need medicine,

his offer would not be seasonable. But this was not the case with the people of Israel. They were visited with a dreadful and dangerous calamity. Many, perhaps most of them, were actually suffering; many had already died, and all were in immediate danger. They would do nothing to help or save themselves or their friends. When they were in this hopeless extremity, God in mercy appeared for them, and told Moses to set up the brazen serpent for their relief and cure. How very seasonable! Now, what was the occasion for which the Lord Jesus Christ was lifted up? All the people in the world are under the dreadful and dangerous disease of sin. Sin is the disease of the soul, and it is as much worse than

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give you rest.'-Mat. x1. 28. Jesus is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him.'Heb. vii. 25. And him that cometh he will in no wise cast out.-John vi. 37.

"2. In both cases, the remedy was of God's appointment and providing. It would never have entered the mind of Moses to contrive such a method of cure; as if he had, of his own invention, set up the brazen serpent, and told the people to look at it, it might have amused them for a moment, but could not have given them relief. They would look and die-not look and live. But the Lord had pity upon the suffering sinful people, and told Moses to make the serpent, and set it upon a pole, and bid the people look at it; and He who commanded the sign had power to give the healing. Now read the 16th verse of your chapter, and that will show you that the only remedy for sinful man is entirely of God's appointment and providing too. Mary, read verse 16." For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "Never forget, my children, that for all the blessings of salvation we are indebted to the wonderful love and mercy of God. Men have ruined themselves by sin; but they could never have found out a way to save themselves. God alone had a right to say whether sinners should be saved at all, and in what way they should be saved; and God alone could provide the remedy he had resolved upon. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.'-1 John iv. 9.

"3. In both cases it was the will of God that his plan of mercy should be publicly announced and made known to all sorts of people. Moses was not told to keep it a secret to himself, or to impart it only to the elders of Israel, or only to the priests, or physicians, or other learned men. No, he was to set up the serpent on a pole so high as that all the people might see it, even from the very uttermost part of the camp. And the command of Jesus is, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.'-Mark xvi. 15. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.-Isa. xlv. 22.

"4. In both cases, the benefit was freely offered. The poor Israelites were not required to pay a costly price, or to perform any laborious service. They had only to look and live; and the blessings of salvation by Jesus Christ are offered just as freely. Poor sinners who feel themselves ready to perish, and quite unable to help themselves, are invited to come to Christ for salvation, without money and without price.-Isa. lv. 1. Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.'-Rev. xxii. 17. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will

6. There was a resemblance between the application and the success of the remedy in both cases. The Israelites were to look at the serpent; and sinners are to believe on Christ Jesus. The serpent being placed on the pole, would not cure any who did not look to it. No matter whether they were so little sensible of their pain and peril as to pay no attention to it; or whether they were poring upon their wound so as to look at nothing else; or whether they had too little confidence in the word of Moses and in the power of God to believe that a sight of the brazen serpent would cure them; or whether they were so intent on trying natural remedies of their own as to neglect the only remedy of God's appointing. If they looked not, they died; but if they looked at the healing sign, though at the point of death, though at the very extremity of the camp, and though their eyes were dim and haggard with pain and disease, the Word of God assured them that they should live. The same is true concerning salvation by Christ Jesus. We must believe the record of God concerning his Son. In order to do this, we must be sensible of our wound by sin, and of our danger in consequence of it. Then it will be delightful indeed to know, that this is the record' (1 John v. 11). We must rely upon the assurance, that whosoever believeth on Him shall be saved that though they be young, ignorant, weak, feeble, guilty, Christ will in no wise cast any out that come unto him. They shall not perish, but have everlasting life. But if we are thoughtless and unconcerned about our souls and our sins, or if we despise Christ's righteousness, and vainly hope for salvation by any merits of our own, it is as if an Israelite had refused to look to the brazen serpent. We refuse to believe on the Saviour, and we shall die in our sins.-John iii. 36.

"7. There is a resemblance in the two instances, in that in each the remedy was completely effectual to the end proposed. Not one Israelite who looked perished, but all were restore to health. Not one who believes on Christ was ever disappointed-ever perished-ever failed--shall ever perish-shall ever fail of everlasting life ;-to all who believe on him Christ gives eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of his hand.

"Now, my dear children, I have one more word to say to you. Do not suppose that you are too young to be interested in these things. The youngest child in the camp of Israel might be stung by the serpents, and the youngest that was stung might look to the brazen serpent and be healed. Each one of you shares the sad disease of sin. Young as you are, your conscience tells you that you have already given many proofs of it. Therefore you are not too young