regard it was a lively image of Christ who is our spiritual food, while we are in the desert of the lower world, the place of our trial, exposed to dangers. By him alone we shall be finally victorious over the enemies of our salvation. And in this also the truth is infinitely above the type that prefigured it. For manna could only preserve the natural life for a time. As our Saviour tells the Jews, “ Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” But Jesus Christ is the living bread that came down from heaven, and hath a supernatural virtue, to convey a life incomparably more noble, and answerable to the quality of his original. It is incorruptible, as heaven from whence he came. “If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever.” John 6. 61. Death is so far from extinguishing, that it advances the spiritual life to its perfection.

Secondly. The Rock. The apostle testifies that the “ Israelites drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.” 1 Cor. 10. 4. That the miracle was mysterious, is evident from the circumstances related of it. · When the Israelites were in great distress for water,

as the Lord said to Moses, Exod. 17.6. I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.” If there had been no other design but the relieving their necessity, that might have been supplied by rain from heaven; or if only to give a visible effect of the divine power, that had been discovered in causing new springs to rise from the earth, or the command of God had been sufficient to strike the rock : but he went to it, to signify the respect it had to himself. He was the Son of God that spake to Moses, and conducted the people : for this reason he is styled the angel of God's presence, not with respect to his nature, but offices.

I will briefly observe the parallel between the rock and Christ.

(1.) A rock is the ordinary title of God in scripture, to represent his unchangeable nature and infinite power, whereby he upholds the world : and in a special manner it resembles the Messiah. He is called “ the stone which the builders refused, that was made the head of the corner.” 1 Pet. 2. 7, S. 66 He is the rock upon which the church is built, and secured against the violence of hell.” Now Israel was not supplied from the clouds or the vallies, but the rock : to show that the mystical rock, the Son of God, can only refresh the spiritual Israel with living water.

(2.) The quality of the rock hath a proper signification : for although 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 discovered in him unfathomable depths of righteousness, grace and salvation; yet at the first view we had no hopes. For if we consider him as God, he is infinitely holy and just, encompassed with everlasting flames against sin, and how can we expect any cooling streams from him ? If we consider him as man, he " is resembled to a root out of a dry ground.” Isa. 53. The justice of the divine and the infirmity of the human nature did not promise any com fort to us. But what cannot infinite love, united to infinite pow- , er, perform ? Divine goodness hath changed the laws of nature in our favour, and by an admirable act opened the rock to refresh us.

(3.) The rock was struck with the rod of Moses a type of the law, before it sent forth its streams: thus our spiritual rock “ was wounded for our transgressions," Isa. 53. bruised for our iniquities, " and then opened all his treasures to us. Being consecrated by suffering, he is the author of eternal salvation.” In this respect the gospel propounds him for the object of saving faith. “I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” The sacraments, the seals of the new covenant, have a special reference to his death, the foundation of it.

(4.) The miraculous waters followed the Israelites in their journey, without which they had perished in the wilderness. This represents the indeficiency of the grace of Christ. A sovereign stream flows from him to satisfy all believers. He tells us, John 7. 37. “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.” John 4. 14.

Thirdly. The brazen serpent. The brazen serpent sensibly expressed the manner of his death, and benefits derived from it. Therefore Jesus, being the minister of the circumcision, chose this figure for the instruction of the Jews. As “Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be

lifted up: that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3. The sacred story relates, that the Israelites by their rebellious murmuring provoked God to send serpents among them, whose poison was so fiery and mortal, that it brought the most painful death. In this affliction they addressed themselves to the Father of mercies, who moved by their repentance, commanded Moses to make a serpent of brass, and erect it on a pole in the view of the whole camp, that whosoever looked on it, should be healed. By this account from scripture we may clearly understand something of greatest consequence was represented by it: for the only wise God ordains nothing without just reason. Why must a serpent of brass be elevated on a pole? Could not the divine power recover them without it? Why must they look towards it? Could not a healing virtue be conveyed to their wounds but through their eyes ? all this had a direct reference to the mystery of Christ. For the biting of the Israelites by the fiery serpents, doth naturally represent the effects of sin, that torments the conscience, and inflames the soul with the apprehensions of future judgment. And the erecting a brazen serpent upon a pole, that had the figure, not the poison of those serpents, doth in a lively manner set forth the lifting up of Jesus Christ on the cross, who only had the similitude “ of sinful flesh.” The looking towards the brazen serpent, is a fit resemblance of believing in Christ 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 sovereign efficacy of our Redeemer is conveyed. “This is the will of him that sent me, saith our Saviour, that

every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have eternal life.” in the camp of Israel, whoever looked towards the brazen serpent, whatever his wounds were, or the weakness of his sight, had a present remedy: so how numerous and grievous soever our sins be, how infirm our faith, yet if we sincerely regard the Son of God suffering, he will preserve us from death. For this end he is presented in the gospel as crucified before the eyes of all persons. Things endued with life and sense prefigured the Messiah. particularly consider the paschal lamb, an illustrious

“ Christ our passover was sacrificed for us.” The e, as it is laid down in the 12th. of Exodus, shows an agreement between them.

(1.) A lamb in respect of its natural innocency and meekness, that suffers without resistance, was a fit emblem of our Saviour, "Whose voice was not heard in the street, who did not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before the shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." Isa. 53. 7. (2.) The lamb was to be without spot, to signify his absolute perfection. "We are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish, and without spot." 1 Pet. 1. 17, 18.

(3.) The lamb was to be separated from the flock four days; the Lord Jesus was separated from men, and consecrated to be the sacrifice for the world, after three or four years spent in his ministerial office, preparing himself for that great work.

(4.) The paschal lamb was sacrificed and substituted in the place of the first-born. The levitical priesthood not being instituted at their going forth from Egypt, every master of a family had a right to exercise it in his own house. Our Redeemer suffered in our stead, to propitiate God's justice towards us.

(5.) The blood was to be sprinkled upon the posts of the door, that death might not enter into their houses. That sacred ceremony was typical: for the sign itself had no resemblance of sparing, and certainly the angel could distinguish between the Israelites and the Egyptians without the bloody mark of God's favour: but it had a final respect to Christ. We are secured from destruction "by the blood of sprinkling." They were to eat the whole flesh of the Lamb, to signify our entire taking of Christ upon the terms of the gospel to be our Prince and Savi

our.

(6.) The effects attributed to the paschal lamb, viz. redemption from death and bondage, clearly represent the glorious benefits we enjoy by Jesus Christ. The destroying angel passed over their houses, and caused the Egyptians to restore them to full liberty. That which all the dreadful signs wrought by Moses could not do, was effected by the passover; that overcame the stubbornness of Pharaoh, and inspired the Israelites with courage to undertake their journey to the promised land. Thus we pass from death to life, and from bondage to the glorious liberty of the sons of God, by virtue of Christ's blood.

3. Reasonable persons represented our Saviour either in their offices, actions, or the memorable accidents that befel them. Joseph the beloved of his father, sent by him to visit his brethren, by them unworthily sold to strangers, and thereby raised to be their Lord and Saviour, was a lively type of him. Jonah three days and nights in the whale's belly, and miraculously restored, was a type of his lying in the grave, and resurrection. Moses in his prophetical, David in his kingly office prefigured him. The priestly office being the foundation of the other two, and that upon which our salvation principally depends, was illustrated by two glorious types, Melchizedec and Aaron. The one the highpriest in ordinary, the other the priest of God by extraordinary designation. I will briefly touch upon the resemblance between him and Christ. Although sacrifices were offered from the beginning; yet he is the first to whom that title is given, as called to that office in a special manner. The divinity of Christ's person, the eternity of his office, and the infinite value of his oblation were shadowed forth by him. Melchizedec is introduced into the sacred story, as one descending from heaven, and ascending thither, without any account of his birth or death. The silence of the scripture is mysterious: for the spirit conducted holy men in their writings. The levitical priests descended by natural generation from their predecessors, and had successors in their office, which were annexed to the race of Levi. But Melchizedec is represented "without father and mother, without beginning and end of days," whose priesthood was permanent in himself. For things and persons have a double being, real in themselves, and notional as they exist in the mind; so that no mention being made of his coming into the world, or leaving it, the silence of the scripture is equivalent to his continual duration. Now in this was an adumbration of Christ, who was the eternal Son of God, and really came from heaven to execute his office, and ascended thither. And although his oblation was finished on the earth, and his intercession shall cease in heaven; yet the effects of it shall be eternal in the people, and the glory of it in himself. The apostle observes another resemblance between the supreme quality of Melchizedec king of Salem, and Jesus Christ: he was king of righteousness and peace; he governed his subjects in righteousness, and never stained those hands with human blood that were employed in the sacred office of the priesthood.