"'Because he poured out his soul unto death;' that is, he ex- posed himself to the danger of death by following truth, which be- gets hatred. See Jer. xxvi. 13. Tid'imi ■^•j^yjv is spoken for exposing a man's life to danger of death, John x. 11.
" ' He bare the sin of many,' or was evilly treated by the wicked- ness of the many.
" ' And made intercession for the transgressors.' He prayed for the people," etc.
To run briefly over this exposition, —
1. "I will divide him a portion with the great." That is, " The Chaldees shall save many for his sake." How is this proved? Jer. xxxix. 17, 18, where God says he will save Ebedmelech, because he put his trust in him ! Such is the issue commonly when men Avill wrest the Scripture to their own imagination, — such are their proofs of what they affirm.
2. " He shall divide the spoil with the strong." That is, '• The city being taken, tlie captain of the guard gave him victuals and a re- ward, and set him at liberty, as we read, Jer. xl. 5."
3. " Because he poured out his soul unto death." That is, " He ven- tured his life by preaching the truth, although he did not die." For, —
4. " He bare the sin of many," that is, " By the wickedness of many he was wronged;" though this expression in the verse foregoing be interpreted, " He shall take away their sins," and that when a word of a more restrained signification is used to express " bearing" than that here used. At this rate a man may make application of what he will to whom he will.
Upon the sense of the words, and their accomplishment in and upon the Lord Jesus Christ, I shall not insist. That they do not respect Jeremiah at all is easily evinced from the consideration of the intolerable wresting of the words and their sense by the learned annotator to make the least allusion appear betwixt what befell him and what is expressed.
To close these animadversions, I shall desire the reader to ob- serve,—
1 . That there is not any application of these words made to the prophet Jeremiah, that suits him in any measure, but what may also be made to any prophet or preacher of the word of God that met with affliction and persecution in the discharge of his duty, and was delivered by the presence of God with him; so that there is no
OF THE SATISFACTION OF CHRIST. 485
reason to persuade us that Jeremiah was peculiarly intended in this prophecy.
2. That the learned annotator, though he professes that Jesus Christ was intended in the letter of this scripture, yet hath interpreted the whole not only without the least mention of Jesus Christ or appli- cation of it unto him, but also hath so opened the several words and expressions of it as to leave no place or room for the main doctrine of his satisfaction, here principally intended. And how much the church of God is beholding to him for his pains and travail herein the reader may judge.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Of the matter of the pvmishment that Christ underwent, or what he suffered.
Having despatched this digression, I return again to the consider- ation of the death of Christ as it was a punishment, which shall now be pursued unto its issue.
The THIRD thing proposed to consideration on this account, was the matter of this punishment that Christ underwent, which is com- monly expressed by the naine of his " death."
Death is a name comprehensive of all evil, of what nature or of what kind soever, — all that was threatened, all that was ever in- flicted on man. Though much of it falls within the compass of this life, and short of death, yet it is evil purely on the account of its rela- tion to death and its tendency thereunto ; which when it is taken away, it is no more generally and absolutely evil, but in some regard only.
The death of Christ, as comprehending his punishment, may be considered two ways: 1. In itself; 2. In reference to the laiu.
On the first head I shall only consider the general evident con- coinitants of it as they lie in the story, which are all set down as aggravations of the punishment he underwent; on the latter I shall give an account of the whole in reference to the law : —
1. Of death natural, which in its whole nature is penal (as hath been elsewhere evinced), there are four aggravations, Avhereunto all others may be referred: as, — (1.) Tliat it be violent or bloody; (2.) That it be ignominious or shameful; (o.) That it be lingering and painful; (4.) That it be legal and accursed. And all these to the heiglit met in the death of Christ.
(1.) It was violent and bloody : hence he is said to be, — [1.] Slain, Acts ii. 23, 'Avs/Xsrs, " Ye have slain;" [2.] Killed, Acts iii. 15, ' A'ziyf.niva.Ts, " Ye have killed;" [3.] Put to death, John xviii. 31, 32; [4. J Cut off, Dan. ix. 26.
The death of Christ and the blood of Christ are on this account