DISCOURSE IV. ON JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ONLY, JOHN iii. 14, 15. As Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilderness; even fo muft the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. THE doctrine of Regeneration has been ftated, in which the Holy Ghoft renews the foul in all its powers and faculties, or works in it a principle of spiritual life; which contains in it, or may be confidered as the feed or root of all Christian graces, as love, hope, joy, peace, faith, &c. &c. &c. A perfon is thus capacitated to discern spiritual things; to behold his danger, as a tranfgreffor of the law of God, and liable to the penalty of difobedience; his mifery as thoroughly depraved in nature, alienated from the life of God, and actually under a fentence of condemnation; and God's free love and mercy through Jefus Chrift. Thefe These things, I fay, he is now capacitated to understand and fee in a fpiritual light; and these things he is gradually brought to understand, according to the good pleasure of him, who ordereth all things after the counfel of his own will. A view of his state by nature and practice conftrains him to cry out, woe is me! for I am undone ! what fhall I do to be faved? Wherewith fhall I bow myfelf before the Lord, and flee from the wrath to come?" To keep the foul from defpair, he who convinces of fin, convinces alfo of righteousness, fetting before the awakened finner the glorious remedy of the gospel→ Chrift crucified-the Son of man lifted up as Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilderness; that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish, but have everlafting life. We have, in the words of the text, a clear difcovery of the method which God has appointed for the falvation of mankind. -how man fhould be faved from eternal mifery, which is the punishment due to his fins-how he fhould be reconciled to his offended Maker, and made everlastingly happy. And as the doctrine of a finner's juftification in the fight of God is a matter of the utmost importance, we are not left to collect it from this type only, or one or two other H 3 other Scriptures, but have it plainly delivered in many places of divine writ. "Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us." Galat. iii. 13. " We were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." Rom. v. 10. "He hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin." II. Cor. V. 21. "Being juftified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Chrift Jefus; whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs for the remiffion of fins that are paft, through the forbearance of God." Rom. iii. 24, 25. "Thou haft flain and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." Rev. v. 9. "Who his own felf bare our fins in his own body on the tree." I. Peter ii. 24. "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as filver and gold-but with the precious blood of Christ." I. Peter i. 18, 19. "The church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Acts xx. 28. Many other plain texts might be produced, all confirming the fame truth; all agreeing in this, that there is not "falvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts iv. 12. We We read, that "the children of Ifrael fpake against God, and against Mofes. Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our foul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord fent fiery ferpents among the people; and they bit the people, and much people of Ifrael died. Therefore the people came to Mofes, and faid, we have finned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee, pray unto the Lord that he take away the ferpents from us. And Mofes prayed for the people. And the Lord faid unto Mofes, make thee a fiery ferpent, and fet it upon a pole; and it fhall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, fhall live. And Mofes made a ferpent of brass, and put it upon a pole; and it came to pafs, that if a ferpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brafs, he lived." Numb. xxi. 5-9. The brazen ferpent was a type of Christ. The bites of the fiery ferpents reprefented the mortal effects of fin; and as the bitten Ifraelite could not be cured of his wounds, but by looking on the brazen ferpent, which God had commanded Mofes to fet up, and trufting to it as the remedy of his providing; fo neither can the finner be faved from everlasting deftruction, (the juft penalty of disobedience) but by believing in the death of Jefus Chrift, as the propitiation which God has provided and fet forth for the remiffion of fin. This is evidently the meaning of our Saviour's words," As Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilderness, even fo muft the Son of man be lifted up, or crucified: why? that whofoever believeth in him, (trufts to his death as the atonement which God has provided, and promised to accept) fhould not perish, but have everlasting life." There is naturally in the heart of man that pride which makes him refuse to submit to the righteoufnefs of God. Though he may, through inftruction, have fome notion that he is a finner, a fallen creature yet ftrongly imagining that he is able to work out his own falvation whenever he pleases, he cannot find it in his heart, will not ftoop to receive eternal life as a free gift. And therefore when he thinks it necessary to endeavour to avert the difpleasure of God, he goes about to eftablifh his own righteoufnefs, to recommend himself by his works, to purchafe happinefs by doing fomething which he thinks meritorious. This, no doubt, |