in it you cannot discover: Nor will it ever reach your heart, or be effectual to any one saving purpose, if, in your own eyes, you become not a lost, miserable, condemned sinner, and justly deserving God's wrath and eternal destruction. Fellow creatures, and fellow sinners! It is not enough to put by this matter in a cold, trifling, unfeeling, inapplicatory way: It is a bad symptom, when we are disposed to be satisfied with such general expressions as, "to be sure we are sinners: nobody is perfect:" when it offends our pride to hear the fundamental doctrine of the depravity of human nature enforced; and when we are glad to have such subjects turned to something else we can relish better. Let then every individual man and every individual woman, without a single exception, examine their own hearts closely by the holy law of God; and let not the examination cease till they are convinced of their helpless, undone state by nature; and let them pray fervently that so important a truth be brought home to their consciences; and then, and not till then, they will look aright at Jesus for salvation. Then will they understand that HE was lifted up on the cross, that, believing on him, they should not perish, but have everlasting life.-Brethren, if, with these views, you look at the Saviour, he will make you perceive, with a more exquisite sensibility than you ever perceived before, that, without him, you are in a state of alienation from God, and absolutely perishing, notwithstanding all you ever did, or all you can ever hope to do, to help yourselves: In a word, Jesus will show himself both able and willing to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him;" yet it is an indispensable condition of his

salvation, that you should understand and feel yourselves to be in a state of death, if ever you hope to enjoy his precious eternal life.

It is the want of this conviction, and I desire that the observation may be distinctly remembered, --that keeps so many back from Christ. It might make rivers of tears to run down one's cheeks to see men thus averse to their own happiness, and thus continue senseless and miserable slaves of Sin and Satan. Would it not move a generous mind,shall I say with pity, or indignation,-rather with both, at the folly of the Israelites, supposing you had seen the brazen Serpent elevated on the pole, had known its healing virtue in various cases; and yet had beheld in a certain part of the camp a number of wretched beings, poisoned in their vitals, mourning in excruciating tortures, and hastening to their dissolution, suddenly turning away their eyes from the only object that could restore their health, as if afraid to be healed, and sullenly determined not to look that way, absurdly hoping still to be cured by some fanciful ways of their own!-How much more miserable is it for a number of souls to go on perishing in sin, yet hoping still to be saved, though averse to Christ Jesus, the only remedy!

He, indeed, who looks at Christ, sees him the incarnate God, the only begotten of the Father, begotten before the foundation of the world, yet made man of the substance of the Virgin Mary, and, as man, in that substance, agonizing under the load and curse, not of his own sins, for he had no sin, -but of the sins of all mankind.

Brethren, it is in this act of looking at the Saviour,

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and in seeing and receiving him in his proper offices, that the essence of true saving Faith consists. There may be some contention respecting the terms, which shall be thought best to describe the nature of a lively Faith: It may for instance, be doubted, whether believing in Christ, coming to Christ, receiving, or relying, or depending, on Christ, most adequately expresses that wise and happy determination of a contrite sinner, by which he wholly commits himself to the Lord Jesus Christ for pardon, peace, and every spiritual good; but Scripture will not allow us to doubt, that he who does so, is to be esteemed, on his very first coming to God by this living way, a child of God and an heir of eternal glory.

What! may any man rest ASSURED that, upon a direct application to the crucified Redeemer, God will immediately pardon his sins, and receive him into favour?

Keep the Text steadily in view; and let this question be answered by asking another:

Is there any good reason to doubt, whether a sight of the brazen Serpent, would have healed the envenomed wounds of the dying Israelites?

But Types and Emblems are SELDOM to be taken strictly.

Very true; neither ought they EVER to be explained away entirely.-They seldom hold, it is acknowledged, if we descend to minute particulars; but this instructive emblem would fail in its leading and most essential circumstance, if an eager, longing, sight of the Saviour on the cross, did not perfectly heal the most inveterate spiritual malady.

Why then, it will be asked, do not these blessed

effects take place more frequently than they do, and with less wavering, and less distress of conscience, than what happens to many?

Unbelief is at the bottom of this great evil. Depraved man, even where his best interests are immediately concerned, opposes a holy God. He is commanded to believe; and he determines to doubt: The Devil powerfully supports him in his folly and his obstinacy; and the awakened sinner is often long kept in clouds and darkness. When he manfully fights with the corruptions of his nature, when he cheerfully co-operates with the good Spirit of God in subduing them, and particularly, when he industriously avails himself of all the Scripturerules and helps for the strengthening of his faith, he is much sooner made happy; that is, he is much sooner established in the truth and the comfort of the Gospel; and much sooner does the Spirit of God witness with his spirit that he is a child of God.

But I perceive that several are still disposed to ask whether there be not in this business some danger of presumption;—some danger of believing too soon?

No danger of this sort in a truly humbled sinner; no danger of this sort, where the bite of the Serpent has been keen, where the venom has penetrated the vitals, and lastly, where the man understands the mortal nature of the malady, deeply mourns over it, and would gladly be cured.-Such a man wants not only to live, but to BE IN HEALTH: He wishes for power to perform the actions of a healthy, spiritual, man. There is no danger of HIS faith being unfruitful: According to his talents, and opportunities, he will bring forth, thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold. Yet there is such a thing as presumption in the

use of the blessed Saviour; and a dreadful thing it is. This happens, when a hypocrite pretends to believe in Christ for his cure, and is not, in the least, sensible of the nature of his malady.-He feels no pain from the bite of the Serpent Sin, nor would he fear the secret effects of its poison, if he had not heard that death was likely to be the consequence: THAT circumstance alarms him; and he thinks it right to use some means of preventing mischief. But mark well; the remedy of which we speak, cures none but those who FEEL their disease.

To tell a man, however, that his salvation depends on his bringing forth good works, or that he must use diligence, and labour hard to produce good works before Christ will be willing to save him, is not the way to cure an antinomian, hypocritical disposition.-Nor must a teacher of the Gospel pervert sound and wholesome doctrine, because the doctrine may possibly be abused. Corruptions of the right Faith of the Gospel are not best withstood, by inculcating the opposite Errors, but by distinctly stating and enforcing the Truth.

So in this instance.-Show a man that he is utterly corrupt, and cannot, in his present natural state, please God by any of his works; and at the same time, show him that those, who in true humility apply to Jesus for pardon, peace, and for holy dispositions, will, in no wise, be cast out, but will receive above what they can ask or think; and it may please God, soon to open his eyes, and cause him to have joy in believing. Then he will "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing*:" Then the tree will be good, and so will its fruit.

*Col. i. 10.