272 A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [IsA. LIII. 5.
Pythias, Pambo, Sec. But none risetli so high as this, to wit, the leaving of infinite glory to snffer infinite wrath for us — that was a hard oxcliange. Oh, then, work it npon your thoughts, that you may live to that God that gave himself for you. The main argument that faith urgeth upon the soul is drawn from Ciu-ist's suffering for ns : Gal. ii. 20, ' The life which I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, wlio loved me, and gave himself for me.' I should have been given, but he gave himself in my stead.
Use 2. Is information to the children of God to show the happiness of those that have an interest in Christ's death. Tiiere is no wratli against them: Isa. xxvii. 4, 'Fury is not in me.' There may be aometimcs fiJii sub ira ; they may have some apprehensions of God's wrath through their own sins, when they have offended God. They must get a new act of pardon assured to them and to their con- sciences. There may be displeasure, though not wrath. There may be afflictions, and that in pursuance of divine vengeance ; though for the matter they may be the same as light upon wicked men, yet their habitude and use is changed unto God's children. They are of ex- ceeding great use to them, to quicken them to duties, to humble them for sin, to keep lusts low, to prevent vanity and pride of heart, aad to bring us nearer to God. So much for this verse.
THE FIFTH VERSE.
He luas luounded for our transgressions, he ivas bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement of our "peace was upon him ; and by his stripes we are healed.
The prophet having in the former verse briefly touched upon the sufferings of Christ, and the cause of them, by way of confutation of the Jews, he now amplifieth the argument, and enlargeth himself by setting it out in other expressions. All words and all thoughts are little enough for so great a mystery. It should not be tedious, though a man do always dwell upon it. St Paul's eKpiva justifieth a minister, if he should preach no other thing to you : 1 Cor. ii. 2, ' For I deter- mined not to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ and him crucified.' Christ's sufferings are like the widow of Sarepta's cruse ; though we spend much of the oil of it, it will not fail, it will afford more consolation still ; and therefore it should not be grievous to you, if we hold your meditation to it. The projjhet here, now he is fallen upon the subject, will not give it over. Though he had told you that surely he bore our sorrows and carried our griefs, yet he will not (jUTt it so till he hath more fully expressed it to you, as he doth in the text : ' He w-is wounded for our transgressions, lie was bruised for our iniquities,' &c. Vou may here in this verse observe three things : —
1. The history of Christ's sufferings.
2. The cause of them.
3. The fruit and benefit of them. These three things are scattered in divers expressions throughout the verse.
ISA. LIII. 5.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 27'd
1. The history of Christ's sufferings, set out by toounds, bruises, chastisements, stripes ; which expressions are multiplied to fosten the thought of it the more upon our minds. And the words do not only imply those wounds in Christ's body by the nails, the spear, the scourge, but the whole bitterness of his bloody death ; and some of the expressions will bear it. ' He was wounded.' It is the manner of the scripture to use wounding for killing. ' He was bruised,' or broken, as it were crushed to pieces by the hand of God. ' The chastisement of our peace.' Chastisement, the word is applied to learning ; and because lazy and slow learners must be whipped, it is applied to signify punishment. Some think the prophet alludeth to those that were whipped by the sentence of the law, and by way of punishment. And then ' stripes,' /naiXco-m avTov, — the word signifieth sometim.es gore, blood, or scars. And I conceive these things are the rather mentioned, wounds, stripes, scars, because Christ after his resur- rection, for a testimony of the reality of his sufferings, retained these wounds and scars. So much for the first thing, the history.
2. The cause of it : for our transgressions, for our iniquities. The first word noteth more properly the doing of evil, the latter swerving from good ; sins of omission and commission : Christ suffered for them all : the least neglect of duty, and the least obliquity in duties needed Christ to satisfy for them. It was for our iniquities as well as our transgressions, our defections from the right way.
3. The fruits and benefits : they are two — peace and healing.
[1.] Peace: the chastisement of our 'peace was upon him. Some understand by peace whatsoever is good and precious ; it being usual with the Hebrews to express it by the word peace. And because the Septuagint sometimes turn shelomim, the plural word for peace, into retributions, some read it thus, ' The chastisement of retributions was upon him ;' that is, God payed him what should have been payed us, namely, punishment and wrath. But I conceive it noteth here that peace and reconciliation that is between God and a sinner. Christ was chastised to procure it for us. Sin made us odious, and enemies to God. Here is the first privilege : Christ bore the chastisement of our peace.