the father's conduct towards the INNOCENT JESUS
lsai. liii. 9, 10. He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him ; he hath put him to grief.
THE accomplishment of the prophecies is one of the strongest arguments for the truth of Christianity. The predictions which relate to the great Founder of our religion are so numerous and so minute, that they could not possibly have been dictated by any but Him, to whom all things are naked and open, and who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. The very smallest circumstances of our Lord's death, even such as were most unlikely and insignificant, were pointed out with as much accuracy as those which were most important. What could be more unlikely, than that he should be crucified, when cru- cifixion was not a Jewish but a Roman punishment ? and yet that was foretold by David hundreds of years before Rome was built. What could be more unlikely than that, if he were crucified, he should not have his legs broken, when that was the customary way of hastening the end of those who were crucified, and they who were crucified with him were actually so treated ? yet it was foretold fifteen hundred years be- fore, that " a bone of him should not be broken." What more insignificant, than that the soldiers should part his garment, but cast lots for his vesture ? yet that, with many other things equally minute, was cir- cumstantially foretold. So, in the text, his honour- able interment after his disgraceful death is predicted : " his grave," as the words may be translated, " was appointed with the wicked ; but with the rich was his tomb." Now, if we consider the treatment which Jesus was to meet with, it was necessary that such events as could not be foreseen by human wisdom, or accomplished by man's device, should be foretold ; because such a concurrence of circumstances, all hap- pening exactly according to the predictions concerning him, would fully vindicate his character, and manifest that all which he suffered was according to the deter- minate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Notwith- standing he was innocent and spotless in himself, yet he was to be treated as the vilest of malefactors : nor vol. viii. c c