O F SE R PEN TS. 191 



CHAPTER HI. 



Contents. 



I'he flying and fiery Serpents. Ungrateful IJrael wounded by them, 

 and healed by the Figure of a Serpc?it. God hears the Interceffion 

 o/'Mofes, when deaf to the Cries of that rebellious People. Con- 

 jeSiures why healed by a Machine in the Form of a Serpent. Sin 

 in all its Appearances^ the Venom of the old Serpents The brazen 

 Serpent a Keprefentation of the Meffiah. The Cures wrought by 

 both were by 'very unlikely Means. The Wonders of Salvation,. 

 Why Ifrael was healed by a Serpeitt made of Brafs 5 Opi- 

 72iom about it. The brazen Serpe?it was no Talijhian^ or a ma- 

 gical Image, The fatal Cataftrophe of the brazen Serpent. De- 

 fir oyed^ when abufed to Idolatry. The Serpent fljewed in St. 

 Ambrofe'i Church at Milan, for that of Mofes, a Cheat. Mar- 

 tyrs from the Catacombs of St. Seballian. Divine Inflitution ne- 

 ceffary to acceptable Worfjip. May the Dejtru^ion of the brazen 

 Serpent , when abufed to Idolatry^ warrant us to guefs at the 

 Fate of a CroJ's abifed to Idolatry / 



SECTION I. 



AMONG Serpents, we find fome that are farni (lied with 

 Wings. Herodotus who faw thofe Serpents,fays they had great 

 Relcmblance to thofe which the Greeks and Latins call'd Hydra; 

 their Wings are not compos'd of Feathers hke the Wings of Birds, 

 but rather like to thofe of Batts ; they love fweet fmells, and 

 frequent fuch Trees as bear Spices. Thefe were the fiery Ser- 

 pents that made fo great a Deilrudion in the Camp oi Ifrael. 



I N their Extremity, the People addrefi; their Mediator, Pro- 

 phet, and General, Mofes, faying, O pray to the Lord that he 

 take away the Serpents from us / The meek Prophet did foj the 

 mediatorial Voice reach'd Heaven, and mov'd the Almighty who 

 directs Mofes to make a Serpent of Brafs, (which was a Figure of 

 the Serpents that plagued the People) and fix it upon the Top of 

 a Pole, confpicuous to all the AfTembly, promifing that all thofe 

 who were bit by Serpents, and (liould look upon this brazen. 



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