Chonoyterion he Sion. The refinement of Zion: or, The old orthodox Protestant doctrine justified, and defended against several exceptions of the Antinomians, methodically digested into questions, wherein many weighty and important cases of conscience are handled, concerning the nature of faith and repentance, or conversion to God: of his eternal love, and beholding of sin in his dearest children: of justification from eternity, of of [sic] preparations to the acceptance of Christ, of prayer for pardon of sin, and turning to God: of the gospel covenant, aud [sic] tenders of salvation, on the termes of faith and repentance. For the establishment of the scrupulous, conviction of the erroneous, and consolation of distressed consciences. By Anthony Warton, minister of the word at Breamore in Hampshire.

Object. 4. The Type of the brasen Serpent teacheth us, that we must feel our sins, and be pained with them, before [Object. 4] we can come to Christ.

Another of Mr. S. his Objections in this, It's right lifting up of Jesus Christ upon the Crosse, as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wildernesse, not for the healed to look upon, [Answ.] but the wounded.

But whom doth he here reason against, not the ancient and Orthodox Protestant, for the preparation which they require, to a sinners conversion, and to his Faith in Christ, is that he do feel the spiritual sicknesses, and di∣seases of his soul. Now shall we say, as he doth, that this is to be healed. I trow, as long as one feeleth himself sick, he is not healed. But I take it, his meaning is, though by his words he doth not so well express it, That the Is∣raelites that were stung with fiery Serpents, were to do nothing for the recovery of their health, but to look up unto the brasen Serpent; therefore we also are only by Faith to look up unto Christ, and to believe in him, that we may be saved, without any other preparations. Now unto this Objection of his, I do answer, First, that it is not to be expected, that any one Type should absolutely shaddow out all things, that were either to be done by Christ, or that are necessarily to be performed by those that shall be saved by him.

This Type of the brazen Serpent doth excellently pre∣figure all these things;

First, Our spiritual misery by sin, For as the Israelites [unspec 1] were wounded to death with the fiery Serpents: so were we become guilty of eternal death, through the malice of the old fiery, and infernal Serpent the Devil.

Secondly, As the brazen Serpent, exalted by Moses, [unspec 2] was the only remedy against the venome of the fiery Ser∣pents: so Jesus Christ exalted upon the Crosse, is the only remedy against the venome of sin, infused into our nature through the malicious subtilty of the old Serpent the Devil.

Thirdly, As the only means whereby the Israelites [unspec 3] were cured, that were wounded to death, was by looking up unto the brazen Serpent: so the only means whereby we are saved, is Faith in Christ, whereby we do with the spiritual eyes of our souls look up unto him, as he was ex∣alted on the Crosse, and do put the whole confidence of our salvation him.

Lastly, As the wounded Israelites that looked up unto [unspec 4] the brazen Serpent, being miraculously by this means cu∣red, did not dye but live: so whosoever looketh up un∣to Christ crucified by the eye of Faith, and believeth in him, shall not perish, but have eternal life. All these things are excellently shaddowed, and set forth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 our eyes, in this most illustrious Type of 〈…〉〈…〉: but otherwise it typifieth not the mystery of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••viours in∣carnation by the immediate power of the holy Ghost, nor the union of his two natures, nor his burial, resurrection from the grave, ascension into Heaven, sitting at the right hand of God, and coming thence to judge the world: yet all these are principal Articles of our Christian Faith, and necessarily to be believed of us, as well as our Saviours Passion upon the Crosse, whereby he payed the price of our redemption. We read not, neither is any mention made of the Israelites thankfulnesse to God, when they were cured of their deadly wounds, which the fiery ser∣pents gave t em: but on the contrary, that they after this rebelled against God: yet I presume it will not be denied by any, that we ought to be thankful to God, for our re∣demption

and salvation by Christ. But to let this passe, I say further, that this type of the brazen Serpent, teach∣eth us that we must feel our sins, and be afflicted in mind, and pained with remorse of conscience for them, before we can come to Christ, and by Faith lay hold of him to our salvation; for it was the scalding and fiery venome, which those Serpents infused into the bodies of such as were wounded by them, that hastned them unto the bra∣zen Serpent, which Moses had exalted; and that made them to look up unto it, for the obtaining of help and health. If any had been insensibly bitten by one of those Serpents, so that he had felt no smart, nor no pain at all, he would have taken himself to have been well, and would never have had any recourse to the brazen Ser∣pent at all. And even in like sort, it is the sense, and feeling of sin, and of the burden and misery of it, that driveth men unto Christ, and maketh them to rely on him for salvation; for such, as feel not their sins, do sleep se∣curely in them, without any fear, and do not perceive, that they stand in any great need of Christ▪ but do rest and rely on themselves much more then they do on him. This Type therefore here alledged, or alluded unto by Mr. S. m•••••••• for us, and against him. Such a felicity he hath to 〈…〉〈…〉 that do confute his own Opini∣ons, and 〈…〉〈…〉.