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truth addressed to the understanding and the feelings through which alone the soul acts or perceives.

In both cases, the cure was effected by the diseased subject's becoming apprized of a thing which already existed; the diseased body, by being apprized through its senses, of the presence of the brazen serpent, and the diseased soul, by becoming apprized, through its understanding, of that sin-hating, and sin-punishing, and yet forgiving love of God, which was manifested in the serpent lifted up.

As the bodies of the bitten Israelites who looked on the serpent of brass, were healed in a supernatural way -so the souls of those distrustful murmurers who understood the truth revealed in the serpent lifted up, were also healed in a supernatural way-that is to say, neither the bodies nor the souls were healed according to the operation of those natural laws with which we are acquainted. But in the case of the bodily healing, the departure from the laws of nature, was within a sphere wherein these laws are constantly seen to operate: whereas, in the case of the soul healing, it is perhaps truer to say, that the whole matter belongs to the sphere of a higher nature, with the laws of which we are unacquainted, than to say that there was any departure from the laws of nature.

The bodies were healed by the supernatural acting of a sovereign omnipotence, such as that which created the heavens and the earth,—the souls were healed by the entrance into them of a supernatural but intelligible truth concerning the character of God, and the character of his love to sinful men-namely, that this love manifests itself in a way of healing their souls, by making them know the bitterness of sin,—and although it is a love which has forgiven them, yet that it con

demns and hates their sin, and will allow them no peace nor rest, except in unity and fellowship with God. Ever since the fall, the gospel has consisted in various developments of this great truth-and the souls into which it has entered have been healed by it, or have received the eternal life in it,-for this is life eternal, "to know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."

And it is because this healing or quickening of the soul is only effected by the knowledge of the truth concerning God's love, that the healing of the soul is always a salvation by faith.

The bodies of the bitten Israelites were not healed by faith-they were not healed by a knowledge of the true character of God, but by a sovereign omnipotence, which acted in the way of healing towards all those who looked on the brazen serpent. Those Israelites who knew the miraculous virtue of the serpent, would look to it, in the faith of being healed by the acting of that sovereign omnipotence,-but they were not healed by faith, nor by that which they believed,-they were not healed by a truth concerning God's character entering their minds, but by the sovereign omnipotence of God acting towards them, according to that promise," it shall come to pass, that every one that beholdeth the serpent of brass shall live." They believed the promise-looked-and in consequence were healed. When the discovery of a truth heals a soul, there we see an example of salvation by faith; but when the discovery of a truth, sets a man to do something which will heal him, there we see an example of salvation by works. The discovery that there was a brazen serpent which healed those who looked on it, did not heal the Israelites, but only set them to do

something, namely, to look at the serpent, in order to be healed. The knowledge of the true character of God revealed in it, healed the murmuring souls at once -it did not set them to do any thing in order to be healed.

It is the faith or belief that God rewards penances and pilgrimages with salvation, that induces Papists and Hindoos to undergo them, yet that does not bring them into the sphere of salvation by faith, for their faith does not heal them, but only sets them to do something in order to be healed. And if our faith be, that God forgives those who believe that Christ died for sinners, our faith will not heal us but just set us to do this thing in order to be healed, and, therefore, however we may delude ourselves with words, it is a salvation not by faith, but by works.

The bodily healing effected by beholding the brazen serpent, was only a material type of salvation by faith, it was not an example of it. Whereas the healing of the murmuring souls by the knowledge of God's love, was not a type, but an actual example of salvation by faith.

Herein lies the great difference between a salvation by faith, and a salvation by works. And this difference is lost sight of by mixing up together the bodyhealing and the soul-healing, in the type of the brazen serpent. And, therefore, it is, that I am so urgent in warning you against the mixing up of these two healings.

My dear reader, do you fully understand what I mean by warning you against mixing up the bodyhealing with the soul-healing in this history of the brazen serpent? You think that there can be no danger of that. But there is great danger of it-and

when you can, without detecting the fallacy of it, hear or read such a sentence as this, "You must not only know that the Son of man was lifted up on the cross, but you must also look at him; in the same way, as an Israelite had not merely to know that the serpent was lifted up, but he had also to look on it."-I say, when you can hear or read such a sentence as this, without detecting the fallacy in it, it proves that you do not understand the danger of mixing up the bodyhealing with the soul-healing. Knowing a thing as truth, is believing in it—and this is the only way in which the soul can look on any thing.

Looking in this case is just the material type of knowing or believing a thing. This particular information only being given by the nature of the type, concerning the thing believed, that it is a thing which has a direct reference to myself, and can only be known to me, by my apprehending it, in its direct reference to myself. The type is seeing: Now, I only see by the rays of light which strike on my own eye, and I only become acquainted with the general character of light, through its direct reference to myself individuallyand at the same time it is true, that I get my own special share in the light, out of the general fund, and because it is general. This is just personal assurance founded on the general forgiving love-and yet being absolutely necessary to the understanding of that general love. Tasting, hearing, eating, drinking, are all typical of the same truth. They all imply that the thing to be believed, can only be known by personal experience, like light, and sound, and taste-that is to say, they imply that the gospel of God's forgiving love in Jesus to the world, comes with a special and direct and individual reference to each person of the world'

and, therefore, is not understood nor believed except where that special reference is apprehended, just as the sun is not seen by me, except through that ray of him, which strikes on my own eye. And the reason is evident, the purpose of the gospel is to purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God, and most assuredly, no message of forgiveness can purge my conscience, except a message of forgiveness to myself. The law burdens my conscience, only in consequence of its personal reference to myself, and the gospel can only purge my conscience by a reference to myself equally personal.

Fleeing into the city of refuge is another material type of believing in Christ, which has been confounded and mixed up with its antitype. Thus, it is said, “you must not only believe in Christ, but you must also flee into him, as it was necessary for an Israelite, not only to believe that there was a city of refuge, but also to flee into it, in order to be protected."

O I know that there is a perplexity and a misery, and a self-righteous working, produced by this error, which cannot be reckoned up. Mark the simple explanation. We are in God's hand-living and moving and having our being in his hand-whilst we think him a stern Judge, or a severe task Master, his hand appears a prison to us, and in very truth it is a prison, for we are kept in it to meet the judgment to come; but as soon as we discover that this is our Father's hand, as soon as we discover the print of the nail in his hand; then that which had been a terror or a wilderness to us, that which we before had felt to be a prison, we find to be in fact a city of securest and sweetest refuge. We have not to move to get into

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