is a prophecy in words. In another part of scripture we read, that Jonah was swallowed by a great fish, and remained three days, and three nights in its belly; and afterwards came to light. This is a prophecy of our Saviour's refurrection by an action-that is by a type.

Here you

will fay the action or type is of a very wonderful nature.

Indeed it is: but you must confider, that as the refurrection of our Saviour on the third day was a wonderful event, the prophetic type of this event must be wonderful alfo, or it could not represent what it was intended to represent. In short, the power of God in this case wrought a miracle, to give us the prophetic type of a miraculous event.

But here a difficulty may arise. A written prophecy in its nature, is more plain. A virgin fhall conceive, and bear a fon, is a prophecy as appropriate to Chrift's birth as words can make it. But a type is more liable to mistake. One action may be like another in many circumftances; and yet there may be no relation between them. It is true. -It is true. I fhall endeavour

therefore to fhew you on what grounds an action may be called a prophetic type. With regard for

inftance

inftance to Jonah ; his being buried three nights, and three days in the whale, and then coming to light, bears a strong resemblance, it is certain, to our Saviour's rifing again on the third day but this refemblance alone is not a fufficient ground to adopt the story of Jonah as a type. Something elfe is required.

We expect, in the first place, that an action, in order to be confidered as a type, should be exprefsly marked, and applied at fuch by fome infpired perfon. Thus Jonah is exprefsly applied as a type by our Saviour himself. When the Pharifees afked him for a fign, he tells them he would give them no fign, but the fign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; fo fhall the fon of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

But fecondly, tho' an action may not be exprefsly applied as a type by any inspired perfon; yet ftill it may be confidered as one, if it ftand connected with a number of other actions of a like kind, which are themselves applied as types. Thus we confider the facrifices, and atoning rites of the Jewish law, as types, or typical prophecies, of our Saviour's atonement for fin; moft

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most of them being mentioned as fuch in the New Testament, particularly in the epiftle to the Hebrews. Yet there are fome, which are not mentioned. Thus for inftance, the high-prieft's confeffing the fins of the people over the scapegoat which was turned loose into the wilderness, is no where as I recollect, mentioned as a type, yet it may notwithstanding be fairly confidered as fuch, not merely becaufe of its refemblance; but because it stands connected with a number of other actions, which are expressly mentioned as types.

Having thus endeavoured to explain to you, in few words, the meaning of that kind of prophecy which is called a type, I shall now, as I propofed fecondly, dwell a little on the type of Mofes's lifting up the brazen ferpent in the wildernefs; and fhew you how exactly it was a type of the death and atonement of Christ.

The account given us of Mofes's lifting up the ferpent, is this. The children of Ifrael in paffing through the wilderness, were guilty of frequent rebellions against God. To punish one of these. rebellions, God afflicted them with poisonous ferpents, which deftroyed many of them. In their

distress,

diftrefs, they ran to Mofes, and intreated him to intercede with God in their behalf. Mofes undertook their cause; and was ordered by God to fet up a ferpent of brafs on a pole, and instruct the people when they were bitten with ferpents, to look at it, and it should immediately heal them. This was accordingly done. The brazen ferpent was fet up; and as many as were bitten, on looking at it were relieved. This, you fee, is a miraculous action, like that of Jonah: the brazen ferpent could have no natural power to relieve a malady, but as it was intended to typify the atonement of Chrift, God gave it that power by a miracle: for, as hath just been obferved if a wonderful event is represented by a type, we may expect to find that type also to be of a wonderful nature. The truth of the fact however wonderful, one fhould think, infidelity itself can hardly doubt. The ferpent was set up by Mofes before thousands of people; and recorded by Mofes himself among that very people through whofe defcendants we have the record, It was also preserved to a late period of the Jewish history, as we are informed in the 18th chapter of the second book of Kings; when Hezekiah destroyed it; having found that from

its ancient powers, it was become an object of worship*.

Let us now fee in what circumftances the lifting up of the brazen ferpent bears a relation to the death and atonement of Chrift.

In the first place, the paffage of the Ifraelites through the wilderness, very aptly represents the natural state of man, after the fall of Adam. The mifery and mischief introduced by fin are alfo as naturally represented by stinging ferpents; to which fin is often compared in fcripture. In the diftrefs of the Ifraelites, the brazen ferpent was reared; and whoever looked at it was healed. Nothing can be a more exact resemblance of the death of Chrift. He was lifted on a cross, to be a remedy for fin. As the Ifraelites looked at the ferpent, and were healed; fowe look at Chrift with the eye of faith, and are faved. The brazen ferpent had the appearance of a mischievous animal; but was itself innocent. Thus Chrift cruci

*The bible rests on its own authority, and is itself not at all folicitous about evidence. It happens therefore that a fact is fometimes founded on clear evidence, and fometimes refts on authority. But when a wonderful fact, like this of the brazen ferpent, is individually fupported by the cleareft evidence, it strengthens the credit of other wonderful facts, which reft only on the general evidence of the truth of scrip

ture.