to embrace this Saviour. On the contrary, if all the people in the universe would but look to him for the ends and purposes for which he is revealed in the gospel, they should instantly experience in their souls what the wounded Israelites experienced in their bodies when they looked to the brazen serpent in the wilderness: they should be delivered from all the fatal consequences of their sins, and be endued with spiritual and eternal life.
To mark more clearly the connexion between the means and the end attained by them, it will be pro- per to advert to,
II. The ground of our justification —
The way appointed for our restoration to the divine favour is not a mere arbitrary institution of the Deity: there is a fitness in it, and a suitableness which deserves peculiar notice. It may be asked, Whence comes it that a knowledge of Christ should be the means of a sinner's acceptance with God ? What has Christ done, that he should be authorized to justify sinners by means so inadequate to their end ? In other words, supposing these means effectual to their end, what is the ground on which they become so ? To these questions the text affords us a precise and satisfactory answer.
The vicarious sacrifice of our blessed Lord has been repeatedly insisted on in the foregoing parts of this prophecy ; and here it is again spoken of as the ground on which he justifies those who believe in him. For the elucidating of this point let two things be con- sidered ;
First, The sacrifice of Christ removes all the obstacles to our salvation. When man had fallen, there were many things which seemed to render his restoration impossible. The law, which he had broken, denounced a curse against him ; nor could the lawgiver, however desirous he might be to rescind his decree, revoke his word consistently with his own perfections : his justice demanded satisfaction for the breach of the law; his holiness rendered it necessary that he should shew his
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