curse of the law. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; as it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Those were appointed as typical sacrifices; and they were all fulfilled in Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. In them, God had no pleasure as actually atoning for the sins of men. But he declared himself well pleased in his Son, when he came in the flesh to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself; and he showed his acceptance of this great sacrifice by raising him from the dead, and by exalting him at his right hand as a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and the remission of sins through faith in his name. But there is no other way of return to God, or acceptance with him. Christ has said, "No man cometh to the Father but by me." And Peter said, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved." And therefore, it is declared, "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Can you be saved without this crucified Redeemer? Is there any other to take away your guilt-to deliver you from the wrath to come? How hopeless would be your case, without Christ and his cross: as hopeless as that of a bitten Israelite, but far more dreadful; his was the death of the body, yours would be the eternal death of the soul and body in hell.

3d. The application of this remedy. This is by faith, or looking to Christ in faith. The brazen serpent was lifted up, was suitably elevated on a standard, that the wounded might behold it and be healed. So was the Son of man lifted up on the cross, that perishing sinners may behold him by faith, and be saved from all their sins. And we may discover a striking analogy between the two methods of deliverance from death.

In both cases, the power of God is to be acknowledged. His power healed the bitten Israelite; and his power saves the perishing sinner. No means are effectual without his blessing. We should be deeply impressed with this truth, as we use the means; otherwise we shall ascribe that power to them, which belongs only to God.

The dying Israelite could take no glory to himself, that he was healed by looking to the brazen serpent. He must simply look and be healed. He must wholly renounce his own wisdom and skill, and rely entirely on God to prescribe and bless the means of his remedy. So the perishing sinner can take none of the glory of his salvation to himself. He must look in faith to the dying Lamb of God. He must glory in the cross of Christ, and in this alone. The bitten Israelite felt himself a dying man. His wound would

end in death, in spite of all his efforts.

He must totally despair of healing himself. And such is the case of the sinner. He is condemned to death. He is dead in sin, and dead in law.

He

His life, his salvation As a lost and perishing

must despair of ever giving himself life. must come wholly from another source. sinner, he must look to Christ crucified for deliverance. Here is his only hope of securing the life of his soul; as the bitten Israelite's only hope was in looking to the brazen serpent.

He thus looked, because this was God's appointment. He might not be able to tell how he would be healed, by simply looking on the elevated serpent. But he knew that this was God's remedy; and for this reason, he was bound to use it. Here was no room to hesitate or object. His duty was as plain as possible. So it is in looking to the cross of Christ for salvation. This is God's appointment. And this is his command, that you believe in his Son as crucified for your sins. How can this truth be made more plain than he has made it in his word? How often it is repeated? In how many ways is it illustrated and explained? With what sublimity is it enforced? How can you evade the conviction of duty?

The bitten Israelite would look on the brazen serpent with expectation of being healed; and because God had so directed. He was to feel that God ordained it as an effectual remedy, and would make it so, when rightly used. And so the sinner should look to Christ with believing expectation of being saved by faith in him. For this is his word concerning his Son, that there is life in him for the perishing sinner; this is his promise, that whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life; and Christ says, "He that believeth in me, hath everlasting life." With what entire confidence then you should look to a crucified Saviour for salvation? Never doubt his power to save to the uttermost every one that comes to him; nor in the least question his truth and faithfulness. never disappoints the soul that trusts in him.

He

The wounded in Israel would make no delay in seeking a cure. Who would suffer his wound to fester and rankle day after day, when he might immediately look and be healed? Who would endure the anguish and pain of such delay, or endanger his life, when the remedy was at hand? And why does the perishing sinner refuse present relief from the burden and distress of sin? The Saviour is at hand, and can as well relieve him now as at any future time. Why is there any delay in looking to a crucified Redeemer ? Have you not too long delayed? Too long indulged your sin? Too long grieved the Saviour's love? Must he wait still longer for you to be ready, and willing to be healed of your spiritual maladies? Is there no danger in your delay? Does not your state grow worse? Do you

not dishonor the heavenly Physician? Do then as a bitten Israelite would do: now look and live.

But while there is such analogy between the two cases, there is in other respects a dissimilarity. For instance, it required no change of heart in one bitten by the serpent, to look to the brazen serpent and be healed. A person of any moral character could do it. But whosoever looks to Christ crucified in saving faith, is born of God. His faith is the exercise of a new and holy principle of divine life. That which is born of the Spirit, is spirit; it is something spiritual and holy in its nature. And saving faith in Christ, is the act of this new principle in the soul. The unrenewed sinner will not come to Christ; he will not look to him and be saved. His evil heart of unbelief prevents his doing it. This is his most heinous sin; and nothing but spiritual grace will ever overcome it; and make him willing to look and live, or to believe in Christ and have eternal life.

It required no conviction of sin, and guilt in a wounded Israelite to look to the serpent of brass and live. It was enough to know that he was bitten, and in danger of death. But he that looks to a crucified Saviour, must feel that he is exceedingly sinful, and guilty, and deserves to perish. This conviction tends to prepare him to welcome Christ to his heart, and to rely on him as being such a Saviour as he needs..

The bitten Israelite needed only to have the venomous bite healed, that the life of the body might be preserved. But the perishing sinner needs far more done for him. He must have the remission of his sins by the shedding of the Saviour's blood; and he must be cleansed from the pollution of sin, by the sprinkling of his blood. We read of both in the gospel. We are not only guilty or deserving of endless punishment; but we are also vile, unclean, abominable in the sight of God, by the defiling nature of sin. Our guilt is taken away by the blood of Christ, as shed to atone for our sins; and our vileness is removed by the same blood, as sprinkled upon us for our spiritual cleansing. The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin. It is a fountain set open for sin and uncleanness, to wash them away. In coming to Christ, we come to the blood of sprinkling. This purges the conscience from dead works, to serve the living God. It purifies us from the defilement of sin. So that we are to look to Christ crucified, not only for pardon, but also for sanctification. Of his fulness, we are to receive even grace for grace. He is our life, even the eternal life of our souls. He is to live in us, and we are to live a life of faith on him for complete salvation-he being made of God, unto us wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption. He delights to bestow salvation freely, and abundantly on the poor and needy, the lost and wandering, the helpless and wretched.

If the dying Israelites in the case before us, could see no fitness in the brazen serpent to heal their wounds, they could see the goodness and power of God in providing this remedy, and making it effectual. But the Spirit reveals and faith discerns a fitness in the gospel remedy. Here is the Son of God manifested in the flesh, in the likeness of men, and in the form of a servant, to atone for our sins, by dying on the cross to satisfy the justice of God. By his crucifixion, he makes infinite satisfaction to divine justice. He most highly honors every divine attribute. He fulfils and magnifies the divine law. He does the highest possible honor both to the precept and the penalty. He dies in our stead, that we may have forgiveness through his blood; and by his obedience, we are made righteous. What admirable fitness there is in this remedy? With what entire satisfaction, we may look to it; and consider how suited it is to our case? We are condemned to death; but Christ dies in our room. We have no righteousness in which we can appear with acceptance before God; but by faith, we are made the righteousness of God in Christ. O, what a Saviour is Christ crucified! What boundless sufficiency there is in him for a world perishing in their sins? What manifold wisdom is here seen? Here, also, we see that God is love. For here is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and gave his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Here you see also his immutable, impartial justice; for he spared not his own Son, but bruised him, put him to grief, and made his soul an offering for sin. Here you see God's infinite hatred of sin, by so severely condemning it in the sufferings of his dearly beloved Son. And how does he delight in mercy, when he spared not his own Son, that he might spare you, for his sake, and make you an everlasting monument of his grace. And what affecting views you have here of your ill-desert, your vileness, which rendered such a sacrifice necessary for your salvation. Can you look on him, whom you have pierced by your sins, and not be affected? Behold the Lamb of God, and receive everlasting life from his bleeding wounds.

4th. Its efficacy never fails.--This remedy never loses its power. The typical remedy was effectual, whenever it was used. This was God's promise: "Every one that is bitten, when he looketh on the serpent of brass, he shall live." The promise was fulfiled. "For it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." There was no failure in that remedy. And there is none in the far greater remedy of the gospel. Who has ever looked to the cross of Christ by living faith, and come short of heaven? Where has faith in Christ proved ineffectual? Where has the promise failed? "He that believeth on the Son, as lifted up on the cross, shall not perish, but have eternal life." Is not this remedy always the same? The same yesteday, to-day, and for

ever? How can you doubt its efficacy? How great is the sin, to distrust its power, to save your soul. Beware of the horrid crime of not believing in this crucified Saviour. How excedingly will it aggravate your final condemnation.

In view of this subject, we learn,

O look to the Lamb of God.

The No excep

Any one who was bitten, had full

1st. The free offer of salvation to every perishing sinner. remedy in Israel was free to every one who needed it. tion, no limitation was made. warrant to look and be healed. And so is the gospel remedy free to any one perishing in sin. Whosoever believeth in Christ, shall not perish. Whosoever will, may freely make Christ his Saviour. His salvation is suited to the case of every sinner. The promise of eternal life is sure to every one, who receives and rests upon Christ alone for salvation, as he is freely offered in the gospel. And this free offer of Christ to every one is to be made by every minister of the word. Every one is to be directed to look unto Christ and be saved. To every one the Apostolic exhortation is to be addressedBelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Let me then say to each and every one of you, you are not excluded from the free offer of the Saviour, except you exclude yourself by refusing to look to him for life. If you perish, it is because you persist in rejecting a crucified Saviour.

2d. It is through dislike of the remedy that it is refused. Could a bitten, dying Israelite refuse the remedy freely provided for him, if he were pleased with it? Would he not rather immediately use it? And will not the perishing sinner as readily use the gospel remedy for his salvation, if in heart he is really pleased with it? How then can he refuse? It is exactly suited to his condition-he infinitely needs it—it is freely offered-he can have it on barely accepting it, without money and without price. Say not in thine heart, "Who shall ascend into heaven-or descend into the deep?" The word is nigh thee. Christ is at the door. He stands and knocks for a willing reception. His heart is full of tenderness-his hands full of blessings. Do you open the door? Do you make him welcome? Do you look to him to give you eternal life? to give you repentance and the remission of sins-to give you his Spirit to be in you as the fountain of life? Or do you turn away, and show that you are not pleased with this method of salvation? Can you state any other reason why you refuse this remedy? Who has ever refused it, except through dislike? Why did the Jews reject Christ? They saw no comeliness in him that they should disire him. They desired a very different Saviour. He was to them a rock of offence. And is not every unbeliever offended in him? "Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." If you refuse Christ, is it not because you take offence at his person, as the true God manifest in