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good things! They fhould be efteemed highly in love for their work's fake; and we fhould earnestly pray that they may be fpread over the whole world, that all the ends of the earth may fee the falvation of the Lord.

2. We fee what is neceffary to our being partakers of this falvation. We must roufe and exert ourselves, put on our ftrength, endeavour to break the chains of fin, and regain our liberty. The fame exhortation is addreffed to us that was to Ifrael, 2 Cor. vi. 17. Come out from among them, and be ye separate, faith the Lord: touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you have no communion with the unfruitful works of darkness. Let all God's people, efpecially his minifters, be holy; then fhall we enjoy the divine protection, be cleanfed from all our iniquities, and at length fee the everlasting falvation of our God.

CHAP. LIII.

This is a remarkable prophecy of Christ, the most illustrious in all the old Teftament, it defcribes his fufferings as exactly as if it was a hiftory of them.

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HO hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? The prophet, Speaking in the name of Chrift and his apoftles, laments that fo few among the jews believed the report of the gospel, or were influenced by thofe miracles which were wrought by the arm or power of God; and fuggests one reafon, viz. Chrift's 2 mean appearance. For he fhall grow up before him, under the eye and care of God, and in the fight of all the people, as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; as a fucker, or tender branch, in a thirsty foil, that is, from the house of David, which was now funk into obfcurity: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we fhall fee him, [there is] no beauty that we should defire him; he hath no extraordinary comeliness, no external pomp, nathing to fuit the carnal expectations of the jews, therefore 3 He is defpifed and rejected of men; a man of forrows and acquainted with grief; he shall have a variety of far

rows,

rows, and the griefs of his intimate acquaintance shall be quite familiar to him: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; or, as in the margin of our bibles, he hid as it were his face from us; he was defpised, and we esteemed him not; we treated him with contempt and abhorrence; we, who above all others fhould have most esteemed him. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our forrows; he hath healed our difeafes by his miracles, and borne the penalty of our fins: yet we did esteem him ftricken, fmitten of God, and afflicted; we thought him justly punished, as a blafphemer, and confidered him as a monu5 ment of divine vengeance. But he [was] wounded for our tranfgreffions, [he was] bruifed for our iniquities: the chaftifement of our peace [was] upon him: and with his ftripes we are healed; our peace was made with God, and we were healed of our Spiritual diforders, by his fufferings, whereby he made an atonement for fin, and ob6 tained the holy spirit for us. All we like theep have gone aftray; we have turned every one to his own way; have followed our fenfual and finful inclinations; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all; by the appoint7ment of God he suffered to expiate it. He was oppreffed, and he was afflicted, by the weight of his fufferings, and his deep and tender fenfe of them; tho' it may be rendered, it was exacted of him, and he answered the demand' yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the flaughter, and as a fheep before her fhearers is dumb, fo he openeth not his mouth to express any revenge or impatience, to complain of heaven, or revile his 8 perfecutors. He was taken from prison and from judgment; or, taken away by distress and judgment; he was diftreffed in judgment, that is, had not a fair trial: and who fhall declare his generation? who can deferibe the wickedness of that nation by whom he was crucified? or, who would ever have thought he had been the fon of David, who was defcribed in fcripture by fuch illuftrious characters ?1 for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the 9 tranfgreffion of my people was he ftricken. And he made

1. Bp. LowтH tranflates the paffage thus; By an oppressive judg ment he was taken off; and his manner of life who would declare?

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made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; he was buried, by permission of the Roman governor, near the place of execution; yet with a rich and honourable burial, with fine linen and spices, and in a rich man's fepulchre, Matt. xxvii. 57. because, or, altho' he had done no violence, neither [was any] deceit in his 10 mouth. Yet it pleafed the LORD to bruife him; he hath put [him] to grief; it was a wife and gracious appointment of God; and he took pleafure in his fufferings, as making an atonement for fin: when thou fhalt make his foul an offering for fin, he shall fee [his] feed, he shall prolong [his] days; he shall have many converts, or fpiritu al children, by whom his name and religion shall be kept up, and the pleasure of the LORD, that is, the falvation of fouls, which is God's pleasure, fhall profper in his hand. 11 He shall fee of the travail of his foul, [and] fhall be fatisfied; he will reflect upon the fuccefs of his labours and fufferings with joy: by his knowledge, or by the knowledge of him, fhall my righteous fervant justify many; 12 for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the fpoil with the ftrong; he shall be a fuccessful conqueror, and, like a strong man armed, divide his fpoils; or, he shall divide the fpoils of the ftrong, of fin and Satan, and lead captivity captive; because he hath poured out his foul, or blood, like a drink offering, unto death: and he was numbered with the tranfgreffors; treated like one of them in his trial and death: and he bare the fin of many, and made interceffion for the tranfgreffors; he prayed for his murderers, and ever liveth to make interceffion for tranfgreffors.

I.

REFLECTION S.

Lly defcribed the fufferings of Chrift, and the glory

ET us adore the fpirit of prophecy, that fo plain

that fhould follow. How abfurd is it to apply this to Jeremiah, or any other fufferer but Chrift! It is remarkably plain and ftrong; it has converted many jews, and fome learned Rabbies, when they compared the prophecy

and

and the correfpondent events; and alfo a celebrated infidel of our own country. Let it therefore confirm our faith in the gofpel, and our steady adherence to Jefus Chrift, the Meffiah that should come.

2. Let us admire the love of Christ in bearing all these fufferings for finful men. In what a variety of awful language are his fufferings defcribed, and how juft is the defcription! How frequently are we informed, that he died for our fins, and not for his own. Who, that carefully reads this chapter, can deny the doctrine of Chrift's facrifice, and proper expiation? Let us therefore cherish a lively gratitude to him, who fuffered for our fins, the just for the unjust.

3. Let us be careful that we do not reject this Saviour, It was ftrange that the Jews fhould do it, when they had this prophecy in their hands, which fo plainly foretold his fufferings. But they did it; and their obftinacy and unbelief confirms our faith; for here that alfo is plainly foretold. We hear the report of the gospel, and have not the fame prejudices against it as they had. Let us believe it; and never hide our faces from Chrift; but receive him as the Meffiah, the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world; and rather fuffer any thing, than give up faith in him and a good confcience.

4. Let us rejoice in the extent of the redeemer's kingdom, and earneftly pray for its increafe. This part of the prophecy has likewife been fulfilled: Christ has a numerous feed; his caufe has profpered amidst a thousand difficulties; and fhall ftill profper, for it is God's pleasure. Let us pray that he may yet fee of the travail of his foul, and justify multitudes more, even to the ends of the earth, and till the end of time: and may every one of us be the Redeemer's willing captives now, and his eternal glory and joy!

CHAP.

!

CHA P. LIV.

The prophet, having foretold the fufferings of Chrift, proceeds to defcribe the glory and increase of the church.

ING, O barren, thou [that] didft not bear

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break forth into finging, and cry aloud, thou [that] didft not travail with child: for more [are] the children of the defolate than the children of the married wife, faith the LORD. This is applied by Paul to the calling in of the gentiles; they shall be more numerous than ever the jews were, tho' before they had not stood in a covenans 2 relation to God. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and leɛ them ftretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: fpare not, lengthen thy cords, and ftrengthen thy ftakes; an allufion to God's people as formerly dwelling in tents, which they are called upon to enlarge and strengthen 3 for their numerous children; For thou, my church, fhalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, far beyond thy prefent bounds: and thy feed fhall inherit the gentiles, and make the defolate cities to be inhabited 1; those who know not God, and are therefore defolate, fhall 4 become wife and holy. Fear not; for thou shalt not be afhamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to fhame: for thou fhalt forget the fhame of thy youth, thy fmall beginnings, when in a perfecuted State, and fhalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more; when thou hadst no covenant re5 lation with God. For thy Maker [is] thine husband; The LORD of hosts [is] his name, he will manifeft his affection to thee, tho' he might feem to have cast thee off; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Ifrael; The God of the whole earth fhall he be called; that is, the God 6 of the whole gentile church, as well as of the jews. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forfaken and grieved in fpirit, and a wife of youth, when thou waft refused, faith thy God, as a wife put away from her husband for unfaithfulness, who remembering the tenderness of her youthful days, and seeing marks of repentance, receives her again. For a fmall moment have I forfaken

thee;

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