40. Lastly, The event confirms the application of this character unto the Lord Jesus. Whosoever would not receive the word of this prophet, God threatens to “ require it of him ;” that is, as themselves confess, to exterminate him from among the number of his people, or to reject him from being so. Now, this was done by the body of the Jewish nation. They received him not, they obeyed not his voice, And what was the end of this their disobedience? They who, for their despising, persecuting, killing the former prophets, were only corrected, chastened, afflicted, and again quickly recovered out of the worst and greatest of their troubles, upon their rejection of him and disobedience unto his voice, are cut off, destroyed, exter- minated from the place of their solemn worship, and utterly rejected from being the people of God. Whatever may be conceived to be contained in the commination against those who disobey the voice of that prophet promised, is all of it, to the full and in its whole ex- tent, come upon the Jews, upon and for their disobedience unto the doctrine of Jesus of Nazareth: which, added unto the foregoing con- siderations, undeniably prove him to have been that prophet.
41. There is yet another character given of the Messiah in the Old Testament,—namely, in what he was to suffer in the world in the discharge of his work and office. This being that wherein the main foundation of the whole was to consist, and that which God knew would be most contrary to the apprehension and expectation of that carnal people, is, of all other notes of him, most clearly and fully asserted. The nature and effects of the sufferings of the Messiah, and how they were to be satisfactory to the justice of God (without which apprehension of them little or nothing of the pro- mise or of Mosaical institutions can rightly be understood), because we must treat of them in our explication of the Epistle itself, shall not here be insisted on. It is sufficient unto our present intention that we prove that the Messiah was to suffer, and that, as many other miseries, so death itself. And this his suffering is foretold as a character to know and discern him by. That Jesus of Nazareth, by so many other demonstrations and evident tokens proved to be the Messiah, did also suffer the utmost that could be inflicted on a man, and in particular the things and evils which the Messiah was to undergo, we shall not need to prove. The Jews confess it, and even glory that their forefathers were the instrumental cause of his sufferings. Neither doth it at present concern us to declare what
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he suffered from God himself, what from man, what from Satan, in his life and death, in his soul and body, and all his concernments; it being abundantly sufficient unto our present purpose that he suf- fered all manner of miseries, and lastly death itself, and that not for himself but for the sins of others.
42. The first evident testimony given hereunto is in Ps. xxi., from the beginning to the 22d verse. That sufferings, and those very great and inexpressible, are treated of in this psalm the Jews them- selves confess, and the matter is too evident to be denied. That dereliction of God, tortures and pains in body and soul, revilings, mockings, with cruel death, are sufferings, is certain; and they are all here foretold. Again, it is evident that some individwal person is designed as the subject of those sufferings. Most of the Jews would interpret this psalm of the body of the people, to whom not one line in it can be properly applied; for besides that the person intended is spoken of singularly throughout the whole prophecy, he is also plainly distinguished from all the people, of what sort soever;—from the evil amongst them, who reviled and persecuted him, verses 7, 8; and from the residue, whom he calls his “ brethren” and the “congregation” of Israel, verse 22. It cannot, then, be the congregation of Israel that is spoken of; for how can the congrega- tion of Israel be said to declare the praises of God before the con- gregation of Israel? which is the sum of Kimchi’s exposition. Some of them, from the title of the psalm, 18 N?'N-7Y, “For the hind of the morning,” would have it to be a prophecy of Esther, who appeared as beautiful as the morning in the deliverance of Israel. But as the title is of another importance, respecting the nature of the psalm, not the person treated of in it, so they are not able to apply one verse or word in it unto her. Others of them plead that it is David himself who is intended; and this is not without some shadow of truth, for David might in some things propose his own afflictions and suffermgs as types of the sufferings of the Messiah. But there are many things in this psalm that cannot be applied unto him. absolutely. When did any open their lips and shake their heads at him, using the words mentioned, verse 8? When was he, or his blood, poured forth like water, and all his bones disjointed, verse 14? When were his hands and feet pierced, verse 162 When did any part his garments, and cast lots on his vesture, verse 18? When was he brought to the dust of death, before his last and final disso- lution, verse 15? And yet all these things were to be accomplished in the person of him who is principally treated of in this psalm.