should desire him.' But you will say, ]Iow then is Christ said to be
the desire of all nations, as we read, Hag. ii. 7, ' I will shake all
nations, and the desire of all nations shall come'?
I answer —
[1.] Though he is not actually desired, yet he is nevertheless
ISA. LIII. 2.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 223
worthy of esteem and affection. Pearls do not lose tlieir wortii though swine trample upon them. It is the world only that is offended at his meanness, and saith, * There is no beauty in him wherefore we should desire him.' But —
['2.] You judge by the eye and appearance. Now a carnal heart can see no excellency in Chi-ist ; and when you see him, if you trust to your sight merely, you will not desire him. Thus you have the meaning of the words. Now —
Secondly, To accommodate this prophecy to Christ, and show you how it agreeth to him, that so his love may be displayed and held forth to your meditations, that he should submit himself to such mean- ness for your sakes. Wherefore I desire that you would with me ob- serve these few things. And first from the causal particle : ' For he shall grow up as a tender plant.' He gives a reason why so few be- lieved the report.
The point therefore is this : —
Doct 1. That Christ's meanness, and want of outward pomp and splendour, is the great prejudice against the entertainment of him and the things of his kingdom.
In handling this point I shall treat of his meanness both, iu his life and doctrine.
First, As to his meanness in his manner of revealing himself to the world. Because the beginnings of his kingdom were weak, the world rejected it. I will prove this by a reason or two.
J . Because we have no light to see any excellency in other things but what are outwardly glorious. Men being inured to such things, think them the only things. Corrupt desires make a corrupt mind. Where there is flesh, there will be a knowing of things after the flesh, 2 Cor. v. 16 ; and we will think such things only to be glorious. Men's judgments are as their affections ; for as these are, so are their conceits of happiness : 1 Cor. ii. 12, * We have not received the spirit of the world.' There is a spirit of the world which raaketh men think that the greatest excellency is in the things of the world, as in outward fineness, royalty, learning, eloquence, pomp, and splendour. Christ is mean, and therefore rejected, because he cometh not with these things.
2. Because we judge altogether by likelihoods and outward appear- ances. Samuel thought sure that Eliab was the man, because he looked upon his countenance and the height of his stature, 1 Sam. xvi. 7 ; but it is added, ' Man seeth not as God seeth ; man looketh to the outward ap])earance.' We judge of things according as they are to our senses. Many would have thought that some great emperor should have been the Messiah, rather than the poor child in the man- ger at Bethlehem. Most people will have it that truth is rather on that side that is accompanied and accommodated with outward autho- rity, applause, and other advantages of learning and eminency, than among a few despicable men, such as the martyrs were.
3. Because we envy and despise any worth that is veiled under mean- ness, as if it were a disgrace to us to take anything from those beneath us. It was a great condescension in Job, chap. xxxi. 13, that he w^ould ' not despise the cause of his servants when they contended with him.' Certain it is otherwise in the world ; they consider the person
224 A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [ISA. LIII. 2.
and envy the excellency ; as you may read, Mat. xiii. 55, &c. Though they were astonished at his doctrine, yet they said, ' Is not this the car- penter's son ?' and were offended at him. His mean original hindered them from giving that due honour and respect that they should. Use 1. The use of this may be to inform us : —
1. Whence it is that Christ is differently entertained in the world, which is, because some see nothing but the outward meanness, others the inward excellency : Luke ii. 34, ' This child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel.' Because this child, therefore for the fall and rising of many. And therefore he is called a rock of offence and a stumbling-stone, Rom. ix. 33. God would not satisfy every one. There was inward power in Christ, and outward meanness, and many times he did exert and put forth his inward power : 1 Peter ii. 7, ' To them that believe he is precious ; but to others a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence.' God will satisfy those that are desirous to learn the things of his kingdom ; as for others, there is so much out- ward meanness and reproach laid upon his ways, as to harden them against them. If you will know the reason why so many are pre- judiced against the ways of Christ, it is because they see nothing in them worthy of their choice. Oh, it is a great mercy of God for any to see the beauty of religion through the clouds of meanness, affliction, self-denial, and all those troubles to which it engageth men.