Christ's behaviour under his sufferings.
Isai. liii. 7. He was oppressed, and he ivas afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth : he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
THE preaching of Christ crucified has in every age been the great means of converting men to God : nor is there any passage of Scripture, which may not, by
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a judicious exposition of it, be improved either for leading us to Christ, or for instructing us how to ho- nour him in the world. But it is scarcely possible for any one to read the chapter before us, without having his thoughts led to Christ in every part of it. It is rather like a history than a prophecy, since every thing relating to him is so circumstantially described, and, instead of being enveloped in obscurity, is de- clared with the utmost plainness and perspicuity. The portion of it selected for our present considera- tion was signally honoured of God to the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, who, on his return from Jerusalem, was reading it in his chariot : God sent his servant Philip to unfold to him the mysteries con- tained in it : and Philip, having at his request seated himself in the chariot with him, " began at the same Scripture and preached unto him Jesus a." May the same divine energy accompany our ministrations, while we lead your attention to that adorable Saviour, and point out to you both his sufferings, and his beha- viour under them !
I. Let us contemplate the sufferings of Jesus —
At the first view of this passage we should be led to expatiate upon the greatness of our Redeemer's sufferings : but there is a very important idea con- tained in it, which, though obscurely intimated in our translation, might with propriety be more strongly ex- pressed : the prophet informs us that Jesus was to be afflicted in an oppressive manner, as a man is, who, having become a surety for another, is dragged to prison for his debts. This sense of the words would more clearly appear, if we were to translate them thus ; " It was exacted, and he was made answerable V
Agreeably to this idea, instead of dwelling on the intenseness of his sufferings, we shall rather speak of them as vicarious.
We, by sin, had incurred a debt, which not all the men on earth or angels in heaven were able to dis- charge. In consequence of this, we must all have
a Acts viii. 27, 2S, 32, 35. >' Bishop Lowth.