[ix] Pray to him that he would show himself Lord and King, that he might rule among his enemies. Christ hath taught us to say, Thy kingdom come : desire that he would powerfully and with his own arm work salvation. Christ's conquest is founded on his prayers and intercessions, therefore help on his kingdom. You know where and to whom to go, when you see the church small, worldly powers enraged, Satan busy. Oh, complain to him, the strong get all the spoils. Urge the promises, especially in the latter days, when the kingdoms of the world are to become the kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ.
2. Here is terror to the adversaries of Christ. His reign is your ruin : Ps. xciii., ' The Lord reigneth ; ' that is as bad a word as David could speak to the enemies. Be wise, you that act contrary designs to the glory, reign, cause, and servants of Christ. The Red Sea, that yielded a passage to the Israelites, proved a grave to the Egyptians. Consider seriously whether it be not against Christ. When your ways are challenged as opposite to God, look more thoroughly into the nature of them.
I come now to the second part of the text : ' Because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and was numbered with transgressors ; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.' Which is called the conflict of Christ explained, and is set out in four things : —
1. His death.
2. The ignominy of it.
3. The cause of it.
4. The noted circumstance in it : ' He made intercession for the transgressors.'
I shall begin with the first of these : ' He hath poured out his soul unto death.' It doth not only imply the bare death of Christ, simply that he died ; but he died Avil'lingly and freely, gave up his whole self to death. So David speaks in the person of Christ, Ps. xxii. 14, ' I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.' There is nothing left in the vessel, neither sap nor savour ; he freely and willingly poured out every drop of his soul, as if he made no account
474 A TRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [ISA. LIII. 12.
of it, SO man nii<]jlit enjoy benefit by it. It notetb both the freene.ss and fuhiess of tlie sacrifice; it was unto death, and it was ponred out.
Ob.'^erve, That the Lord Jesus did freely and willingly yield up himself to die for our sakes. I liandled such a like point on verse the 7tli, therefore shall be the more sparing and wary in this. For the proof, I shall rather evidence that it was so, than Avhy he desired it : Luke xii. 50, ' I have a baptism to be baptized with ; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished ! ' He thought the time would never come ; he hindered it not : he did not discontinue resorting to the garden, the place of his usual abode and retirement. Judas knew that he often resorted thither with his disciples : Mat. xxvi. 53. ' Thinkcst thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently send me more than twelve legions of angels ? ' The violence of man did not take his life from him : John x. 17, 18, ' Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life : no man taketh it from me. I lay it down of myself.' It was not an enforced obedience to the Avill of God, for God did not only give Christ, but he gave himself : Gal. i. 4, ' Who gave himself for our sins \' and Eph. v. 2, ' He loved us, and gave himself for us ; ' which appeared by the cheerful resignation of his soul into the hands of the Father in his agonies : Luke xxiii. 46, ' Father, into thy hands I commend ray Spirit.' It is said, ' He cried with a loud voice,' which noteth his con- fidence and willingness.
Use 1. It serveth to commend the love of Christ, in that he gave himself: ' He poured out his soul,' and that 'to the death.' There are three tilings to be noted ; —
1. The gift.
2. The manner of giving.
3. The intent.
1. The gift. We read of great gifts in the scripture: Zaccheus, when salvation was come to his house, Luke xix. 8, says, ' Half my goods I give to the poor.' And Herod proffered lialf his kingdom to his niece when she pleased him, Mark vi. 23. God in the creation gave all the creatures to man ; and the devil says to Christ, Mat. iv. 9, ' All these will I give thee.' Ay ! but here Christ giveth himself, poureth out his own soul, and with himself everything that maketli for the deligliting and contenting of the spirit. Oh, it is better than a thousand worlds ! At our creation God gave us but the creatures, but here God giveth himself.
'1. The manner ; ' lie poured out his soul ; ' which noteth a copious and bounteous effusion of his blood for the creatures' good. Nihil in hoc Cliristo est nisi pro/usa liheralitas misericorxlice, et remissionis peccatorum, said Luther — I see nothing in this Christ but a prodigality of love ; if guilty of anything, it was of too much freeness: ' He poured out his soul.' Oh, when you are at the Lord's Supper, and see the wine poured out, remember the death of Christ set out by this notion, ' He poured out his soul unto death ; ' see how freely Christ emj)tied his veins. In the garden he did sweat drops of blood ; every pore in his body became an eye, and it wept blood for your sakes.