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CLASS I.

CHAPTER THE NINTH.

The Prophetic Defcription of the Birth, Character, Miffion, Sufferings, Death, Refurrection, and Afcenfion, of the Meffiah, compared with his Hiftory written by the Evangelifts after his Afcenfion into Heaven.

So clear and fo full are the declarations of Ifaiah relative to the coming of the Meffiah, the nature of his kingdom, and the benefits refulting to mankind from its establishment, that he has with very great propriety been called the Evangelical Prophet. One of his predictions in particular can never be too frequently brought forward, as an inftance of a revelation of the Divine will directed to one uniform courfe of circumstances and events. The regularity of its plan is unbroken, it is complete in its various parts, and it stands detached from other fubjects. It is a striking

picture,

(

picture, of which the outlines are strongly marked, and the colours are natural and lively. The form of expreffion is remarkable, for the Prophet fpeaks of things to come, as if they were either prefent or past. Fully occupied by the importance of his fubject, and carried forward to distant times, he flies over the interval between the prediction and its fulfilment, and writes in the manner of an exact and faithful hiftorian.

He is defpifed and rejected of men; a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was defpifed, and we esteemed him not. Surely be bath borne our griefs, and carried our forrows: yet we did efleem him ftricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our tranfgreffions, he was bruifed for our iniquities: the chafifement of our peace was upon him; and with his fripes we are healed. He was oppreffed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the flaughter, and as a sheep before her fhcarers is dumb, fo he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who fhall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the trans

grefian

greffion of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleafed the Lord to bruife him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his foul an offering for fin, he shall fee his feed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord fhall profper in his hand. He fhall fee of the travail of his foul, and fhall be fatisfied: by his knowledge fhall my righteous fervant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he fhall divide the Spoil with the frong; because he hath poured out his foul unto death and he was numbered with the tranfgreffors: and he bare the fin of many, and made intercef fion for the tranfgreffors.

;

This Prophecy is an exact anticipation of fome of the most remarkable circumstances relating to the life and death of Christ, and the great benefits of his paffion. And to prove that it was literally accomplished in our Saviour, we need only bring together the

a Ifaiah liii. 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

parallel

parallel paffages in the prophetic and in the hiftoric writings b.

He was defpifed and rejected of men, for, as he himself declared, "the fon of man had not where to lay his head; and though he had done fo many miracles, yet the greater part of the Jews believed not on him."-He was a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief; for he wept at the tomb of Lazarus, mourned the approaching deftruction of Jerufalem, and expreffed continual forrow for the fins and diftreffes of mankind." έσ And his foul was exceeding forrowful even unto death; and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."-Surely he hath borne our griefs, for he was delivered for our offences, and

John xii. 37. Matt. viii. 16. Rom. iv. 25. Gal. i. 4. Pet. ii. 24. 1 Tim. ii. 6. Matt. xxvi. 63. xxvii. 38. i Pet. ii. 22. 2 Cor. v. 21. Rom. v. 18. Matt. xxvii. 57, 58. Col. ii. 15. Mark xv. 27. Heb. vii. 25.

I refer the Reader for fome excellent remarks on this Prophecy; to Paley's Evidences, vol. ii. p. 1. It is much to be wifhed; that this very able Divine had applied the acuteness of his penetration, and the peculiar vigour of his understanding, to a full elucidation of this important part of his fubject.

Matt. xxvi. 38.

VOL: I.

Luke xxii. 44.

N

was

66

be

was raised again for our juftification.”—He was wounded for our tranfgreffions, and bruised for our iniquities, for "he gave himself for our fins, that he might deliver us from this prefent evil world."-The chaftifement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, for his own felf bare our fins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to fin, should live unto righteousness.The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all, for "he gave himself a ransom for all.”— He was oppreffed and he was afflicted, yet opened not his mouth. When brought before the High priest, Jefus held his peace."— He was cut off out of the land of the living, for "he was crucified in the flower of his age." He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, for "when the evening, after his crucifixion, was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Jofeph, and begged the body of Jefus, and laid it in his own new tomb."-He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth, for "he did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth."-His foul was made an offering for fin, for "God made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin."-By his knowledge did the righteous fervant (or fon) justify many, for "by the righteousness of one, the free gift

came

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