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Moses complied with their entreaty, and the Lord heard his prayer: he did not indeed remove the serpents: but he appointed an infallible remedy for those who were bitten; and the remedy itself, as well as the manner of making use of it, must have convinced the Israelites, that it was only the same all-powerful Being who had pointed it out to them that could render it effectual for their cure.

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Let us now, my brethren, compare this shadow of good things to come, with the substance which it represented: "for as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so was the Son of Man lifted up. When our blessed Saviour was crucified, he was literally lifted up in the sight of the Israelites, and perhaps many of them were healed of their sinfulness, by beholding him: for some signs of repentance appeared among them. We are told, that *"when the Centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, certainly this was a righteous man, and that all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts.". And we know to a certainty; that at least one sinner was saved by beholding him on the cross: one whose case would have

*Luke, xxiii. 47, 48.

been hopeless, if the mercy of God was not infinite. While he hung beside our Saviour, in the agonies of crucifixion, he addressed him in one short and simple prayer. * "Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." And our merciful Redeemer answered him without an upbraiding word: "Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with with me in Paradise." But as the death of our Lord Jesus Christ has purchased the salvation of all his believing people, of every age, and every clime, there must be a way of lifting him up, and a way of beholding him, suitable to all times, and all nations, +" for the knowledge of his glory shall yet cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea."And indeed merely beholding him hanging on the cross, with our bodily eyes, would be as useless to us, as looking at a painted likeness of his death: for many of the Jews who thus beheld him died in their sins. But the true method of lifting up our Saviour, is by preaching his Gospel, which exalts the cross of Christ, as the sinner's only refuge. And the true method of beholding him is by faith, as he himself teaches us when he tells us "that he must be lifted up, that whosoever belie

*Luke, xxiii. 42, 43. + Isaiah, xi. 9.

veth in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

This is the remedy for the guilt and sinfulness of man, which the Creator of man has appointed: it is an unfailing remedy; "whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." Many other remedies have been tried; men have sought out many inventions, but they have all failed; no sinner was ever delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God, unless by faith in the atoning blood, and justifying righteousness of our merciful Redeemer.

It is only those "who glory in nothing save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that can have the world crucified unto them, and they unto the world." It is only such believers ‡ "that can cease to do evil, and learn to do well," it is only such that can escape the misery of hell, and inherit the kingdom of heaven. This was the faith once delivered to the saints: -this was the Gospel preached by the Apostle, as we find St. Paul declaring in his epistle to the Corinthians, §"We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling

* Romans, x. 11.
Isaiah, i. 16, 17..

† Galatians, vi. 14. §1 Cor. i. 23, 24.

block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God;" and again he tells them "I determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

No earthly power could cure the bite of the fiery serpents that afflicted the Israelites;" much people of Israel died of it.”. But when Moses had erected the brazen serpent, as he was commanded, those who were bitten experienced the fulfilment of the Lord's promise, and the unfailing power of the remedy he had appointed. "It came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived."

My brethren, the state of the children of Israel bears a strong resemblance to our own state; perhaps some of us may be ready to deny this fact we may say that we are in sound health, and not likely to be bitten by serpents, as there are no venemous animals in our land. This may be all true with regard to our bodily health: but our souls are naturally under the power of that fiery serpent who tempted our first parents they are afflicted with a deadly

* 1 Corinthians, ii. 2.

disease, and must perish eternally, unless we apply that remedy which the mercy of God has provided for us in the great salvation revealed to us in the Gospel of Christ, *" 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.”

There is, however, one unmeasurable difference between the salvation of the Israelites, by looking on the brazen serpent, and the salvation of true Christians by beholding "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!" The one was a temporal salvation, but the other is eternal; the promise made to the children of Israel was, that when they looked upon the brazen serpent, they should live: that is, (they should recover from the serpent's bite, and continue to live on earth). But the promise made to believers in the Gospel is: "that whosoever believeth in the Son of Man shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

The Israelites who were healed by looking on the serpent of brass, afterwards died in the wilderness: for only two individuals among them entered the promised land. But our Saviour declares, * “ that

* John, iii. 16. † Ibid, i. 29. ‡ Ibid, xi. 26.

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