GOD be upon us: prosper Thou the work of our hands upon us, O prosper Thou our handywork."

THE BRAZEN SERPENT.

"My people are bent to backsliding from Me," the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD said through one of His prophets. And indeed, as we read their history, it does seem as if their want of faith and their mistrustful complaints would never be overcome by any number of miracles or judgments. Let us, while we read and wonder at their unbelief, take heed, lest we who are brought into a still closer, more sacred covenant with GOD, in the Blood of His Son our SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, fall short of His promises through an evil heart of unbelief.

Soon after Aaron's death, as the people journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, towards Edom, they began to lose heart, and be very greatly discouraged. Then instead of seeking help and comfort in the right way, by calling upon that Guide Who had led them so unfailingly hitherto, they "did 1 Hosea xi. 7.

not believe in Him, and put not their trust in His help," but spake against Him, and against Moses, and said, "Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness ?"

Then in His displeasure, GOD sent fiery serpents and scorpions, whose bite was death; and many of the people died. Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD that He take away the serpents from us." Truly Moses seemed to know beforehand our Blessed LORD's rule of forgiving a brother, not seven times only, but seventy times seven; for however often this wayward flock he was intrusted with, failed and sinned against Him, he was ever ready to come to their help, and plead with the LORD for them. So now again he prayed that they might be delivered from this scourge. And the LORD said unto Moses, "Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."

Then Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it on a pole, and it came to pass, that whoever was bitten by the serpents about had but to look upon the serpent of brass, and his life

was saved. Perhaps many of the people did not understand that the brazen serpent was, as "a sign of salvation. . . .

king Solomon says, for he that turned' himself toward it was not saved by the thing that he saw, but by Thee, That art the SAVIOUR of all. For they were pricked that they should remember Thy words, and were quickly saved, that lest falling into deep forgetfulness, they might be continually mindful of Thy goodness. For it was neither herb, nor mollifying plaster that restored them to health but Thy Word, O LORD, which healeth all things." But they would not all see this. Most likely some of the people disbelieved in the wonderful cure, and thought it impossible that by so slight a thing as a mere glance, such a deadly poison could be prevented from killing them; and if there were such who refused to try the healing means set before them, they must have perished miserably. We may perhaps wonder very much at their hardness and dulness; but let us take heed, that in so doing, we condemn not ourselves. For we are surrounded by dangers even as they were: we have all been bitten by the serpent sin. Temptations and faults of all kinds are, like serpents and scorpions, putting our soul's life

in danger on every side. We have all need to be healed; and we too have a certain healing remedy unto which we must look. The HOLY SPIRIT of GOD has told us by the Apostle S. John, that "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." And that there might be no doubt as to the meaning of that "lifting up," CHRIST Himself having said, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me," His beloved disciple explains His words, adding, "This He said, signifying what death He should die." Let us then never cease in all time of our sorrow or sin, as well as in joy and gladness, to "look up " with the look of faith, stedfastly unto the Cross, the sign of our redemption, the Tree of Life, the blessed wood of healing, certain of the gift of life, and remembering Who has said, "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out;" and that it is in that Cross, that uplifted Tree, that S. Paul says what is that look of faith?

he gloried. And It is the look of And it will as we

the heart in trust and love. gaze, draw us from ourselves to CHRIST, and then it will draw down His power and grace to

us. There goes virtue out of Him to heal us all through; and by that look, as it grows more and more fixed and searching, we shall more deeply learn to find the atonement of our guilt in the Passion which took place upon that Cross uplifted; and our freedom from the power of sin, by its outward application to our souls, through GOD's own appointed channels.

BALAAM.

IF the LORD be with them that fight, who shall withstand? The LORD was Israel's leader and so they conquered Sihon, king of the Amorites, who refused to let the people pass through his country. Then Og, the king of Bashan, went out to give them battle, and he too, and his army, were defeated by the LORD's people.

Then the Israelites came into the land of Moab, and the king of that country and his people were very much frightened, expecting that they too should be conquered and overthrown. They said, "Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the

grass

of the field."