in COntriving Man's Redemption. 1. A Rock is the ordinary Title of God in Scripture, to reprefent his unchangeable Na- ~ ture and infinite Power, whereby He upholds the World : And in a fpecial manner it re- Chap.. 23: fembles the Meffiah. He is called The Stone which the Builderr refujid, that ;,.,. made the V"V"'U head of the Corner, I Pet. 2. 7, 8. He is the Roc4_upon which the Church " .built, and fimred againjl the Violence of HeU. Now Jfrael was not fupplied from the Clouds or the Vallies, but the Rock: to fhew that the n~yjlical &.ock, the Son of God, can only refrefh the Spiritual Jfrae/ with living Water. , 2. The quality of the Rock hath a proper Signification: For altho' it had in its Veins a rich abundance of Waters, yet to appearance nothing was more dry and hard. In this it was a Figure of the Spiritual Rock: The effects have difcovered in him unfathomable depths of R.ighteoufnefs, Grace and Salvation ; yet at the fir!l view we had no hopes: For if 'We confider him as God, He is infinitely Holy and Ju!l, encompa!l with everla!l~ rng Flames again Cl Sin, and how can we expell: any cooling !lreams from him? If we confider him as Man, he is refen~blcd to arootoutofa dry ground, Ifa.s;. The Ju!liceof the Divine and the Infirmity of the Humane Nature did not promife any comfort to us. But what cannot infinite Love, united to infinite Power, perform? Divine Goodnefs bath changed the Laws of Nature in our favour, and by an admirable All: opened the Rock to refrefh us. 3· The Rock was !lruck with the Rod of Mefer a Type of the Law, before it fent forth its !lreams: Thus our Spiritual Rock was founded for 011r Tranfgrejfionr, Ifa. 53. bruifed for our Iniquities, ttttd then opened nUhi:r Treafitre.J to 1u. Being confecrttted byS1tf ~~~;z; J0:~t~ f.~:~; 1l~~,.,1J.~;~::,:;;d ,}~n!~i~~~~~~~~~~~g~~~PZ!,I?J,f.~~%r~, ~~~ him crucified. The Sacraments, the Seals of the New Covenant, have a fpecial reference to his Death, the Foundation of it. 4· The Miraculous Waters followed t he ffraeliter in their Journey, without whicli they had perifh'd in the Wildernefs. This reprefents the Indeficiency of the Grace of Chri!l. A Sovereign Stream flows from him to fatisfy all Believers. He tells us, ( '}dh. 7· 37·) Whofoever drinl;_eth of the Water that lfoaU give him, fhaU never thirjl; b11t the Water that I foaU give him, foaU be in him a WeU of Water fpringing up unto Everlafling Life, Job, 4· 14. 3· The Brazen Serpent fenfibly expre!l the manner of his Death, and Benefits derived from it. Therefore }for; being the Mini!ler of the Circumcifion, chafe this figure for the Inftrutl:ion of the Jewr. As Mofer lifted 11p the Serpent in the Wildemefr, even fo mujl the Son of Mau be lifted up: that whofoever believer in him ftJould not pel"ifo, but lhwe Eterrzal Life, Joh. 3· The Sacred Story relates, that the Jfraelites by their rebellious murmuring provoked God to fend Serpents among them, whofe Poifon was fa fiery and mortal, that it brought the moft painful Death. In this Allliction they addre!l themfelves to the Father of Mercies, who moved by their Repentance, commanded Mofer to make a Serpent of Brafs, and erell: it on a Pole in the view of the whole Camp, that whofoever look'd on it, fhould be healed . By this account from Scripture we may clearly under!land fomething of greate!l confequence was reprefented by it: For the only wife God ordains nothin(; without ju!l reafon, Why mull a Serpent ofBrafs be elevated on a Pole? Could not the Divine Power recover them without it? Why mull they look towards it? Could not ~ healing Virtue be conveyed to their Wounds but througli their Eyes? all this had a direct reference to the My!lery of Chri!l . For the biting of the lfraelitu by the fiery Serpents, cloth naturally reprefent the effects of Sin, that torments the Confcience, and inflames the Soul with the apprehenfions of Future Judgment.. And the erecting a Brazen Serpent upon a Pole, that had the Figure, not the Poifon <:>f thofe Serpents, doth in a lively manner fer forth the lifting up of Jefus Chri!l on the Crdfs, who only had the fimilitude offinfHI Flejb. The looking towards the Brazen Serpent, is a fit refemblance of believing in Chri!l crucified for Salvation. The Sight of the Eye was the only means to derive Virtue from it, and the Faith of the Heart is the means by which the Soveraign efficacy o.f our Redeemer is conveyed. Thi1 is the wiU of hint that font me, faith our Savi- ?ur, that every Olte rvhich [ccth the Son, and believeth on hint, 1Jiay havs Eternal Lift. As Ill the Camp of Jfrael, whoever look'd towards the Brazen Serpent, whatever his Wound$ were, or the weaknefs of his Sight, had a prefent Remedy: fo how numerous and grievous foever our .Sins be, how infirm our Faith, yet if we fincerely regard the Son of God fuffenng, he WJI! preferve us from Death. For this end he is prefented in the Gofpel as crucified before the Eyes of all Perfons. 2. Things .endued with Life and Senfe prefigured the Meffiah. . . . I fhall parucularly conGder the Pafchal Lamb, and illu!lrious Type of hull. Chrifl dHr· Paj{over wtnfacrificed for"'· The whole fcene as it is laid down in the 11th. ofExodlli, fhews an admirable agre~ment between them- , M m a, ~
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