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I do not interrupt this prophetic narrative ; as it very clearly expofes the whole hiftory of the Meffiah's fufferings, of which his Disciples were eye-witneffes; and at the fame time it declares again and again, what was not immediately obvious to the understandings of his Disciples, the great doctrine of atonement, which our Saviour by his fufferings wrought for guilty man. On him

of Bishop Lowth; but has not invariably followed him. For instance, in this portion, he has retained the phrafe of the old Tranflation, to bruife him; be bath put him to grief, as having more of the folemn fimplicity of Isaiah than-to crush him with affliction. He has retained the term, Who fball declarè bis generation? rather than, bis manner of life who fall declare ? as the latter of thefe renderings limits the claufe to a particular fenfe, which in the old Translation as well as in the Original is left more indefinite. The Prophet's idea may have been, according to the Bishop's acceptation, "Who fhall come forward at this hour of trial to atteft the general innocence and integrity of his life and conversation?" But with equal fhew of reafon we may understand it to have been, "Who fhall atteft his divine origin? Who fhall publicly acknowledge that he is the Son of God, or that his miffion and doctrine are of God?" He has ventured however to adopt the Bishop's rendering, And with the rich man was bis Tomb, on grounds for which he must refer the Reader to the Bishop's note upon the paffage. Yet he must not omit to notice, that this rendering is controverted by Parkhurst in the last edition of his Lexicon, under the article . But whatever be the difference of opinion among Interpreters on grammatical and verbal points, the leading fenfe of the paffage is clear, and the general application of the prophecy remains unaffected.

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was laid the burden of our fins. He was the peace-offering defigned to reconcile us to God. He was the Lamb of God, that was facrificed to take away the fins of the world. And here it deferves our ferious attention, that whenever the Prophet touches on the punishment inflicted on this innocent Perfon, he reverts to the caufe for which he endured it; as if he were anxious to impress on all, who should afterwards believe his report, the doctrine of a Saviour's fuffering for the fins of men. Though innocent himself both in word and deed, yet according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God it behoved him to fuffer, "the juft for the unjust, that he might bring us to God."

Before we proceed, it may be useful to take notice of fome circumstances in this eventful prophecy, which were particularly fulfilled. When led as a lamb to the facrifice, he opened not his mouth. To all the contumelious charges of the Jews, when he ftood before the High Prieft, before the Roman Governor, and before Herod, he anfwered nothing. "When he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to

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him that judgeth righteously 5.". "He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich man was his tomb;" or according to the common rendering, which implies, though not so distinctly, the fame thing," and with the rich man in his death." Though he fuffered an ignominious death with the wicked, being crucified between two Malefactors, yet was he diftinguished by an honourable grave. For on the evening of his death there came a rich and honourable man, namely, Jofeph of Arimathea, who with the Governor's permiffion took the body down from the crofs, and refpectfully laid it in his own new tomb.

From these his fufferings the most beneficial confequences would accrue to men; and the bleffings, which he fo dearly purchased for others, would redound to the high confolation of the Sufferer himself. When his foul fhall be made an offering for fin, he shall fee a feed, that shall prolong their days; and the plea fure of the Lord fhall profper in his hand. Of the travel of his foul he shall fee, and shall be fatisfied. By knowledge of him fhall my righteous Servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

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Having rendered his life a propitiatory facrifice for fin, he fhall fee, and fhall be completely fatisfied in feeing, the fruit of his travels in that spiritual progeny, that holy nation, that peculiar people, composed of the faithful of every clime and lineage under heaven, who through him fhall be born to fpiritual life, and be rendered Sons of God by adoption, and co-heirs with him of immortal happiness. Under his miniftration the gracious purpose of the Lord, the redemption and falvation of the world, fhall be fuccefffully accomplished. For having borne their iniquities, he shall cancel all their guilt; and by the merit of his own obedience he shall render many righteous h; that is, the multitude of true Difciples, who by a vital faith confide in his merits, and acknowledge him for the Redeemer and the Lawgiver of men.

For all these meritorious fufferings he shall find an abundant recompence: Therefore will I diftribute to him a portion in the great; and in the mighty fhall be share the Spoil: Because he poured out his foul unto death, and was numbered with the tranfgreffors; and he bore the fin of many, and made interceffion for the tranfgreffors. Because he fubmitted to offer up

h Rom. v. 19.

his foul a ranfom for us, and, though innocent himself, to suffer punishment with malefactors; because he undertook those two great offices of atonement, of a Sacrifice to bear the fins of men, and of a Priest to make interceffion for a tranfgreffing world; He therefore should acquire to himself an extraordinary conqueft in those multitudes of people, who should conftitute his kingdom both militant on earth and triumphant in heaven. All which is in clofe correfpondence with the argument of the Apostle; "Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the crofs. Wherefore God alfo hath highly exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those in earth, and those under the earth; and that every tongue should confefs that Jefus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Having thus examined through its feveral clauses the defign and object of this most important and interefting prophecy, I pro

i Phil. ii. 8, &c.

ceed

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