' Indc •^coa.oiiyfii.ccTiXo; ffvXXcyiffiOf, et rfcifu.'hiiy/^a.rnicii i\$ufj!,nfia.
- KoXuTaTt Ti d'^ius TcuTous Tt, xa) roig HXXois gvfif^ii^ci; ■vaoahit'yfji.cit, ff'aptf Kara- err.traTi- — Thucyd. lib. iii. 40.
^40 VINDICI^: EVANGELIC^.
that is Isa. liii. What in particular shall be produced from thence will appear when I have given some general considerations of the chap- ter; which I shall do at large, as lookiog on that portion of Scrip- ture as the sum of what is spoken in the Old Testament concerning the satisfactory death of Jesus Christ.
1. This whole prophecy, from verse 13 of chap. Hi., which is the head of the present discourse, is evinced to belong to the Messiah, against the Jews: —
(1.) Because the Chaldee paraphrast, one of their most ancient masters, expressly names the Messiah, and interprets that whole chapter of him: "Behold," saith he, "my servant, the Messiah, shall deal prudently." And the ancient rabbins, as is abundantly joroved by others, were of the same mind : which miserably entangles their present obdurate masters, who would fix the prophecy upon any rather than on the Messiah, seeing evidently that if it be proved to belong to the Messiah in thesi, it can be applied to none other in hypothesi but Jesus of Nazareth.
(2.) Because they are not able to find out or fix on any one whatever to whom the things here spoken of may be accommodated. They speak, indeed, of Jeremiah, Josiah, a righteous man in general, the whole people of Israel, of Messiah Ben Joseph, a man of straw of their own setting up: but it is easy to manifest, were that our present work, that scarce any one expression in this prophecy, much less all, doth or can agree to any one or all of them named ; so that it must be brought home to its proper subject. Of this at large in the ensuing digression against Grotius.
2. That to us it is evident above all contradiction that the whole belongs to Jesus Christ; because not only particular testimonies are taken from hence in the New Testament, and applied to him, as Matt, viii. 17, Mark xv. 28, Luke xxii. 37, Rom. x. 16, but it is also ex- pounded of him in general for the conversion of souls, Acts viii. 26-40. The story is known of Philip and the eunuch.
3. This is such a prophecy of Christ as belongs to him not only properly but immediately; that is, it doth not in the first place point out any type of Christ, and by him shadow out Christ, as it is in sundry psalms, where David and Solomon are firstly spoken of, though the Messiah be principally intended : but here is no such thing. Christ himself is immediately spoken of Socinus says, in- deed, that he doubted not but that these things did primarily belong to another, could he be discovered who he was, and that from him was the allusion taken, and the accommodation made to Christ; " And if," saith he, " it could be found out who he was, much light might be given into many expressions in the chapter." But this is a bold figment, for which there is not the least countenance given either from Scripture or reason, which is evidently decried from the
OF THE SATISFACTION OF CHRIST. 441
former arguments, Avliereby the impudence of the Jews is con- founded, and shall be farther in the ensuing digression, where it shall be proved that it is impossible to fix on any one but Jesus Christ to whom the several expressions and matters expressed in this prophecy may be accommodated.
Now, there are three general parts of this prophecy, to consider it with reference to the business in hand, as the seat of this truth in the Old Testament: —
1. A description given of Christ in a mean, low, miserable con- dition, from verse 14 of chap. lii. to verse 4 of chap. liii. : "His visage was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men," chap. lii. 14; "he hath no form nor comeliness, no beauty," chap. liii. 2; "he is despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief," verse 3 ; looked on as " stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted," verse 4.
2. The reason is given of this representation of the Messiah, of whom it is said in the entrance of the prophecy that he should " deal prudently, and be exalted and extolled, and be very high;" to which this description of him seems most adverse and contrary. The reason, I say, hereof is given from verses 5 to 10; it was on the ac- count of his being punished and broken for us and our sins.
S. The issue of all this, from verse 10 to the end, in the justifica- tion and salvation of believers.
It is the second that I .shall insist upon, to prove the death of Christ to have in it the nature of punishment, properly and strictly so called.
Not to insist upon all the particular passages, that might be done to great advantage, and ought to be done, did I purpose the thorough and full handling of the business before me (but I am " in transitu," and pressing to somewhat farther), I shall only urge two things: — First, The expressions throughout that describe the state and con- dition of Christ as here proposed. Secondly, One or two singular assertions, comprehensive of much of the rest.