AmmENNUMMIr 30g A brazen rev- pent, not gol. den : five reafons. 4'.irn eizuúlaU 144glo, i.e er. Brazen Serpent,atypeofChri/$. meanes. So God himfelfe fo loved the world that hee gavehis onely begottenSonne,&c. Ioh.3,, 6. This way ofremedy and cure could bee no devife of man nor An- gel. For, r. The Angels Rand flill admiring andama- zed at it,r.Pet. r.1 z. z. Men without a firperiour tea- cher cannot conceive it , 1. Cor. z. 14. much leffe in- vent it. Secondly, the thing appointed, a ferpent of braffe, refcmbling Chrifl in the natter and the forme. T. The matter was of' brafle, not gold, for five rea- fons. I. God ties not himfelfe to the excellency of meanes, but by weake and unlikely meanes effeas his great works : And therefore that which had no power of cure in it felfe muflcure and heale, that the worke may beknowen tobe his and not the meanes. z. The lower and baler the meanes are, thebetter may the I fra- elites be led through them, and fo beyond them. It was not the will of God that they fhould ref} in the brazen ferpent, which had no power of cure ; but through it bee led by faith vnto the Mefliah, whoonely couldcure them. 3. Though it was ofbraffe, yet it was ftrong : and fignified jefus Chrifl, how weake foever in mens eyes ; yet was hee, firil the mighty and flrong God, fe- condly powerful' and able to deliver his people, thirdly moll invincible and potent alto againfl all his enemies, he is a wall of braffe, and his flrength is as the firength of braffe, Reteel. I. 15. 4. Being of braffe as it was thong fo was it fhining and bright : fignifying Chrift in refpec`I of his divine and eternall generation, truely (Li- ning and glorious. Hee was the brightneffeof his Fa- ther, Heb. 1.3. the very brightneffe of theglory of God; excelling all the Angels in heaven, in their cleared glory and brightneffe, Revel. I. 16. 5. As that ferpent fo íhined that the Ifraelites might look upon it, and their eyes not dazled : fo this great glory was fo vailed byhis flefh and humilityas we the Ifrael ofGodmightbehold it,
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