August 28

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up.—John 3:14.

HERE Jesus directs us for a typical illustration of his saving powers, to an event connected with the Israelites in the wilderness. In consequence of their murmuring against God, he sent fiery serpents among them, the bite of which, was productive of an awfully dreadful and fatal disease. On the confession of the people, and through the intercession of Moses, God graciously provided a remedy. He ordered a serpent of brass to be elevated upon a pole in the midst of the dying camp, and whosoever looked at the brazen serpent were immediately healed. Now human nature has been rendered diseased, and miserable, and dying, by the baneful influence of that old serpent, the devil. Through his deadly wiles, our first parents became corrupted, and all their posterity are affected with the disease. Like that of the stung Israelites, this moral malady is connected with pain and anguish, and is also rapid in its direful progress, and fatal in its termination. For this dreadful moral malady no human remedy has ever been discovered. Philosophy has exhausted all her resources, legislation has exerted all its power, and education has given her invaluable aid, but all in vain. And the experience of near six thousand years has clearly proved, that there is no help in this matter, from the wisdom or power of man. The world by wisdom knew not God, much less could it ever discover his mind concerning the present and eternal destinies of his sinful and erring creatures. Our condition is clearly developed in his blessed word: there our sinfulness, and helpless state is made fully manifest. How necessary that we should clearly know our real condition before God. A knowledge of our disease is indispensably necessary, and must precede our deliverance from it.