forth in the Gospel for your spiritual wants. Say, with the disciples,

Bread."

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LORD, evermore give us this

And let none despise or reject the offered blessing. What must have been the consequence of refusing the Manna, or neglecting to gather it? Must not the Israelite who acted thus, have perished of hunger? And such must be the fearful lot of every one who turns away from CHRIST, and neglects His great salvation. To such, will the awful words be applied— "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish." And think how aggravated will be the guilt and misery of those who die in unbelief, under the sound of the Gospel. This is like perishing of hunger in the midst of plenty; and that because of perverse obstinacy, which kept back the hand from freely accepting what was freely and abundantly offered. Every one sees clearly, how affronting to GOD, and how fatal to himself, must have been the conduct of any Israelite who should have shut himself up in his tent, or have gone forth in the morning to gather up the sands of the desert instead of the Manna. But such conduct would not have been half so mad, half so perilous, as that which so many among us pursue, while they shut their hearts against the invitations of CHRIST to come out to Him for righteousness and rest, and strive to satisfy their cravings after happiness, by gathering up the riches, the pleasures, and even the cares of the world; and with reference to such things,

say to their souls, like the miserable "fool" in the Gospel, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thine ease; eat, drink, and be merry." Beware, brethren, of such dreadful, such provoking guilt and folly. The Bread of Life lies round about you: it is offered to you freely and fully, "without money and without price." CHRIST is set forth plainly among you. His justifying righteousness, His allatoning blood, is offered for the life and happiness of your souls: you are invited, by His own gracious declaration, to eat and live, to believe and be saved. "This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven, "that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven: if any "man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever; and the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give "for the life of the world." (v. 50, 51.) You are

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warned by His solemn admonition, of the danger of remaining without spiritually eating of the Heavenly Manna, without heartily receiving CHRIST by faith, as your Righteousness and your Atonement. "Verily, " verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the "Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in "you." (v. 53.) Be encouraged by the promise, be alarmed by the warning; and, "to-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts."

And now the sacramental emblems of the Body and Blood of CHRIST are placed on yonder holy table;

and who will refuse to eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup? In refusing to partake of that Heavenly food, or in approaching to that sacred feast without repentance, faith, and charity, a man despises or defiles the gracious provision of his GOD. Brethren, "stand in awe, and sin not," either by neglecting or abusing so great a blessing.

But I hope many are hungering and thirsting after this spiritual nourishment. Come, my dear brethren, in humble expectation of receiving inward strength, comfort, and profit, through means of this Holy Sacrament. If, for the first time, any of you are enabled to partake of the Lord's Supper, look for the grace of God's HOLY SPIRIT, that while you eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup, you may indeed "feed upon CHRIST in your heart, by faith with thanksgiving," and in His strength go on in the way of duty and of holiness, rejoicing. Oh that such may be the blessed result of our reception of this Holy Sacrament; that so, living by the faith of the SON OF GOD now, and having that faith increased daily by all the means and ordinances of Divine appointment, we may finally be admitted to "the Marriage-supper of the LAMB" in Heaven, and there unite with all its blissful guests in ascribing "unto Him that hath loved us," glory, honour, dominion, and power, world without end!

SERMON III.

THE BRAZEN SERPENT.

JOHN iii. 14, 15.

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.

THE attentive reader of the Word of God, will mark with much interest the gradual and progressive communication of saving truth. Like the morning light "which shineth more and more unto the perfect day," the revelation of God's will commenced in the early dawn of the Patriarchal age, continued through the period of the Mosaïc economy, and shone forth in midday-splendour, when, "in the fulness of time," CHRIST appeared in our nature, and the finger of GOD wrote the last word of the Volume of Inspiration. In looking back to the first dawn of God's communications to mankind, we would avail ourselves of the guidance of that brighter light which shines upon the New-Testament pages, and, while we read the histories and institutions of the Old Testament, seek to know their full meaning from the subsequent interpretations and allusions scattered throughout the Scriptures of the New. In this way the one

part of God's Word will illustrate the other; and we shall find "all Scripture profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.” May the HOLY SPIRIT direct our meditations at this time, and give each of us an affecting and sanctifying view of the important truths which are set forth in the text! "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."

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These words refer to a very remarkable event in the history of the Israelites. They were exposed to imminent danger, and were directed to a sure and infallible remedy. Both their danger and their deliverance were intended to represent the spiritual peril of mankind, and the glorious deliverance revealed in the Gospel. Let us then consider and compare the type and the antitype. That part of Israel's history, to which our LORD refers, is thus written in the Book of Numbers: (xxi. 4-9.) " And they journeyed from "Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass "the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was "much discouraged because of the way. And the

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people spake against God, and against Moses, "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 soul loatheth this light "bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among "the people, and they bit the people; and much

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