5. Observe, that those that profess the name of God may be much prejudiced against the entertainment of those truths and counsels that he makes known to them for their good.
6. That it is a wonder they should not believe so plain a discovery of Christ, though by the just judgment of God they did not.
7. That the first believing of Christ is a believing the report of him; but afterwards there are experiences to confirm our belief. The soul then knoweth that there is a Christ, and that there is mercy in him : 1 Peter ii. 3, ' If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious ; '
VOL. III. N
19-1 A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [ISA. LIII. 1.
John iv. 42, ' Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know indeed that he is the Christ, the Saviour of the world.'
I come now to the main points which I shall prosecute.
First, Tliat there may be a glorious report of Jesus Christ, and yet few believe it. Or —
That Jesus Christ may be clearly represented to a people, and yet but few won to believe in him.
Secondly, That the gospel is the arm and power of God, or word of righteousness. Though it is an uncredited report to the world, yet it is the arm and power of God to tliem that believe.
Thirdly, Therefore so few believe, because God's arm is not revealed to them : the power of the word is not manifested by the Spirit.
I. As to the first of these points, other truths may be delivered and not closed with, but it is a wonder that so sweet a truth as this should not be received. The wonder is so much the greater if we look upon : —
1. The persons making this report : The prophets of old time, the apostles in Christ's time, the ministers of the gospel now-a-days — men that, if you look upon them singly, did deserve some reverence and esteem — men that gave forth abundant declarations that God was with them, and spoke by them, who were as polished shafts in God's quiver. Then consider them speaking the same thing, all proclaiming the same Christ ; that is more. For I conceive there is an emphasis in this our report — not my, but our ; or, as Zachariah, John's father, said, Luke i. 70, ' As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began.' Though there were many holy prophets, yet they had but one mouth, they spake as if with one mouth : ' Who hath believed our report ? '
2. The persons to whom the report is made : A professing people, a people that were nurtured and taught this from their infancy and youth, by all the ceremonies of their religion, leading them to that Christ whom the prophets did more distinctly reveal to them. They had been tutored and taught this lesson for many hundred years by the pedagogy of the law ; for so that place is to be expounded, Gal. iii. 24, ' The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.' The ceremonial law may properly be called TracBdycoyo'i et? Xpiarov, or the dispensation of Moses. Yet * who hath believed our report ?'
3. The manner how it is reported : Distinctly, plainly, though in prophetical expressions, by Isaiah and Jeremiah, God gave some ^rce- ludia; some clear expressions were then used by all the prophets. Though they had not noonshine, they had tlie dawning of the day, light enough to see the day approaching. Had it been such a dark intima- tion as that of the seed of the woman breaking tlie serpent's head, it had been the less wonder if they had not weighed it, because they could not so distinctly have conceived it. But when all is made so clear, the wonder is the greater that they should not consider it.
I shall prove the ])oint by distinguishing the several times in which there liave been any glorious discoveiy of Jesus Christ, and show you that in all these times the company of believers have been few. Distingue iempora, et exis bonus theologies. The way to understand the reason
ISA. LIII. 1.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 195
of it, is to find out what have been the main prejudices against Christ in the several times of his revelation. I shall name four times : — (1.) The prophets' time ; (2.) John Baptist's time ; (3.) That of Christ's life ; (4.) Our time, or the time of the first promulgation of the gospel.
1. The i^rophets' time, when the number of believers was few. They had all some loose and general exjjectation of a Messiah, but few believed, at least not in such a Messiah as the prophet pro- phesied of.
[1.] Because of the grossness of their hearts, which rested in the outward ceremonies, as if they were ordained for themselves, and not to signify any other thing. They were observant of the ceremonies, but did not observe the end and purpose of them. Therefore doth God so' often protest against sacrifices. A sacrifice was not acceptable to God but according as they did eye Christ in it. Now they used no farther reach or recollection, but rested in the sacrifices ; as Isa. Ixvi. 3, ' He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man.' And there- fore did God so often tell them that ' the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to him.'