The Fountain of Life Opened

First, Because Christ must bear the curse in his death,¹ and a curse by Law affixed to no other kind of death, as it was to this. The Learned Masius upon Joshua 2.29. Commenting upon the death of the King of Ai, who was hanged on the Tree, until evening, tells us that the principal reason of the malediction and execrableness of this death was, because the death of Christ was prefigured in that mystery. Christ came to take away the curse from us, by this death; and so must be made a curse. On him must all the curses of the Moral Law lie, which were due to us. And that nothing might be wanting to make it a full curse; the very death he died, must also have a Ceremonial curse upon it.

First, Because Christ must bear the curse in his death,¹ and a curse by Law affixed to no other kind of death, as it was to this. The Learned Masius upon Iosuah 2.29. Commenting upon the death of the King of Ai, who was hanged on the Tree, until evening, tells us that the principal reason of the malediction and execrableness of this death was, because the death of Christ was prefigured in that mysterie. Christ came to take away the curse from us, by this death; and so must be made a curse. On him must all the curses of the Moral Law lie, which were due to us. And that nothing might be wanting to make it a full curse; the very death he died, must also have a Ceremonial curse upon it.

1. 1Potissima causa mal dictionis hujus est quia Christus i• mysterio praesignabatur. Masius.

Secondly, Christ died this, rather than any other kind of death; to fulfil the Types, and prefigurations that of old were made with respect to it. All the Sacrifices were lifted up from the earth, upon the Altar. But especially the brazen Serpent prefigured this death,