atteft his miffion and illuftrate his character. Let us receive all his doctrines as the certain oracles of divine truth, and obey all his precepts as the faithful directories of our hearts and lives; continually bearing in mind that most important truth, which in his own refurrection he has demonftrated to men, of a general refurrection to another life; when all, who have been zealous in their allegiance to him through the present state of discipline, shall be received into his heavenly Kingdom, and fhall reign with him for ever and ever. SERMON II. ISAIAH liii. 5. He was wounded for our tranfgreffions; he was bruised for our iniquities. The chaftifement of our peace was upon him; and with his ftripes we are healed. AMONG the feveral prophecies of Isaiah, which represent the miffion and character of Chrift, a more particular confideration is due to that portion of which my text is a part; as it not only gives an historical description of our Saviour's fufferings, but also unfolds that great mystery of godlinefs, the expedience of those sufferings for the peace and happiness of men. This prophecy is distinguished in the writings of Isaiah, as it stands independent of all temporal and national themes. Nevertheless, to understand it with more advantage, it be of use to take a brief review of that feries of prophecy which goes before it, as far as it bears a more express relation to the gospel economy. In the latter divifion of his facred book the Prophet ap may pears pears in his most engaging character, as a Herald of bleffings to the people of God. The bleffings, that he foretels, combine both a temporal and a spiritual good. While in the letter he represents the deliverance of the Jews from the oppreffive yoke of their Babylonian Conquerors, and the restoration of the Hebrew government and law, in the spirit he conveys to the understanding of the fincere believer a far more important and valuable truth, the deliverance of all mankind from the bondage of fin and death, and the establishment of the Kingdom of God, both militant on earth and triumphant in heaven. In the name of God he publishes confolation to his people; he declares to Jerufalem, that her warfare is fulfilled, that her fins are expiated, and that bleffings double to her fufferings await her from the hand of the Lord: All which was accomplished on the fpiritual Jerufalem, the true City or Church of God, by the Captain of her falvation, when he overcame the powers of death, and opened unto men the gate of everlasting life. He announces a Herald, who fhould go before the face of the Lord in the wilderness, to prepare the way for his coming; which was accomplished in John the Baptist, who prepared pared the people for their spiritual King by the baptism of repentance for the remiffion of fins. In oppofition to the carnal covenant of the Law, which was frail and tranfient as the grafs or the flower of the field, he proclaims the spiritual covenant of the Gospel, which was to endure to all eternity. He publishes glad tidings, the appropriate name of the Gospel economy, to Sion and Jerusalem, and he calls upon the cities of Judah to behold their God. He ftates his authority both to avenge himself of his enemies and to recompense his faithful fubjects. At the fame time he represents the gracious nature of his tutelary government, under the image of a Shepherd very tenderly attentive to the welfare of his flock, fupporting the fick and weak, and affording fuftenance to alla. In a fubfequent paffage he describes the mild exercife of his authority; "He fhall not cry aloud, nor lift up his voice in the streets;" the tenderness of his government toward thofe, who would have funk under the full severity of difcipline; "The bruifed reed he shall not break, and the dimly burning flax he fhall not quench;" and his perfevering zeal in diffufing his kingdom over all a Ifa. xl. I-II. the |