of public juftice, as one taken from prifon and judgement. A particular description is given of his maltreatment before his death: That "his vi"fage fhould be fo marred more than any man,

and his form more than the fons of men, that "many would be astonished at him," If. lii. 14.; "that this judge of Ifrael fhould be fmitten with a

rod on the cheek," Micah v. 1.; "that he "would give his back to the fmiters, and his "cheeks to them who plucked off the hair; and "would not hide his face from fhame and spitting," I. 1. 6.; fhewing that he would meet with extraordinary marks of rage, from which perfons tried for their life are ufually fecured by the common bowels of humanity: and in If. liii. mention is made, not only of his death, but of a variety of other sufferings previous to it, under the names of wounds, bruifes, and ftripes. As to the manner of his death, when Pfal. xxii. as was observed a little above, fortells that he would be pierced in hands and feet, it is obfervable, that crucifixion can scarcely be defcribed in plainer terms. That fame pfalm gives a very particular defcription of his maltreatment at the time of his death, fhewing, that he who fhould be pierced hands and feet, fhould alfo be compaffed about by cruel enemies, y 16.; that the affembly of the wicked fhould inclofe him; which affembly is reprefented gazing at him as a public fpectacle, infulting him, giving him vinegar to drink, and upbraiding him with his profeffed confidence in God and the expreffions, y 18. about parting his garments, would be less remarkable, if it were not added, that they would caft lots upon his vefture; the minutenefs of which circumstances in themfelves, makes the evidence of foreknowledge in the prediction the more ftriking, and its conformity with the hiftory the more fpecial and circumftantial. That the inhabitants of Jerufalem would be the more immediate inftruments of the Meffiah's

fufferings,

fufferings, is implied in the above-cited prediction in Zech. xii. 10. which fpeaks of the inhabitants of that city as looking to him whom they had pierced : for though the name of Jerufalem is fometimes taken in another, and more large fenfe, for the church of God; this is chiefly (if not always) in speaking of the privileges, and not of the crimes of Jerufalem and though it fhould be fuppofed that that name denotes all the Meffiah's people, for whose fins he was to be pierced; yet feeing there are fa many other names by which the Meffiah's people might be denominated, it is at least a very probable reafon for giving them the name of the inhabitants of Ferufalem, that the people to whom that name literally and originally belonged, would be the more immediate inftruments of the fufferings in view. That befides the Meffiah's fufferings from the hands of men, he would fuffer more immediately from the hand of God himfelf; and that all his fufferings would be by virtue of a divine fentence transferring our guilt upon him, and that by his own free and cordial confent, is partly evident from the paffages cited a little above from If. liii. 10. and Zech. xiii. 7. where it is faid, that "it pleafed the "Lord to bruife him, and that his fword fhould a"wake against him ;" and partly from If. liii. 6. & 12. where it is faid, "that the Lord laid on him "the iniquity of us all;" and "his pouring out "his foul unto death," is mentioned as a voluntary act, for which he should be highly honoured and rewarded. His behaviour under his fufferings, as made up of refignation to God, together with meeknefs and forgiveness towards men, is plainly enough defcribed in If. liii. 7. "He was oppreffed and af"flicted, yet he opened not his mouth," &c. and the 9th and 12th verfes of the fame chapter fhew, that though he should be numbered with tranfgreffors, or joined with malefactors, in his death, he fhould be feparated from them in his burying; and

that

that his interment fhould be in the grave of a ricli and honourable perfon.

IX. As to the Meffiah's exaltation, and particularly his refurrection, though it were not exprefsly foretold in the prophecies, yet once fuppofing his death, which is foretold fo frequently, his rifing from the dead, and that not only to live for a time, which was the cafe as to fome others, but to live for ever, is neceffarily connected with the other prophetic characters of the fingular glory and continuance of his perfon and offices. But it is of importance to fhew, that this great event is not only connected with the other characters of the Meffiah, but particularly foretold in various predictions concerning him. The 16th Pfalm fpeaks of an eminent person who is fuppofed to be for fome time in hades, or the state of the dead: but seeing it is foretold, that he fhould not continue in that ftate fo long time as naturally brings dead bodies to corruption or putrefaction, this implies, not only that he fhould rife again, but that he fhould rife within a very few days after his death; and the fequel of the prediction fhews, that God would fhew him the path of life, even of life eternal, bringing him to fullness of joy at the right hand of God, and to eternal pleasures, in the place of the special refidence of God; which, according to the prophets, is the highest heaven. To fhew how good ground there is for applying this prediction to the Meffiah, it must be observed, that, as it is not at all applicable to David himself, fo when David is foretelling extraordinary things, not of himself, but of an eminent perfon whom he reprefents, and to whom he afcribes characters of fingular dignity, bleffednefs, and holiness, it is always the Meffiah that is meant, as will appear more clearly afterwards. And feeing the only title by which the eminent perfon here mentioned is diftinguished, is the Holy One of God, this must imply, that the title fhould belong to him

in a fingular manner and degree; which evidently makes it one of the fingular characters of the Meffiah. And befides all this, as refurrection to eternal life and glory, in a fhort fpace of time after death, is neceffarily connected with the other primary characters of the Meffiah; fo going to the right hand of God, which is mentioned in this prediction, is appropriated to the Meffiah in Pf. cx. I.; of which afterwards.

The things mentioned in the three laft verfes of If. liii. as happening to the Meffiah, are reprefented as happening after his death; and plainly fuppofe his living after death; for it is after his being cut off out of the land of the living, and after making his foul a facrifice for fin, that it is faid he should fee his feed, and prolong his days, and that the pleasure of the Lord fhould profper in his hand; and it is after his pouring out his foul unto death, and upon account of his doing fo, that it is faid,

12. that God would divide him a portion with the great, &c.: fo that whereas others are faid to be rewarded for the good actions done in their life, the Meffiah is reprefented as rewarded on account of his death. The 21ft pfalm fpeaks of a king of incomparable honour, majefty, glory, and bleff dnefs; of whom it is faid, that he thould receive life and length of days for ever and ever. Which words, about length of days, as well as the prolonging of days, mentioned If. liii. import fomething different from the common privilege of the future existence of fouls in a feparate ftate, or the refurrection at the end of the world; and muft imply, that if the perfon fpoken of was to die, he was to rife again foon, and to prolong his life eternally; the expreffions "for ever and ever," ftrongly afferting perpetual duration, in the higheft and ftricteft fenfe. And the fame arguments which were applied to Pf. xvi. to fhew, that it is meant of the Meffiah, are evidently applicable alfo to this pfalm.

Once

Once fuppofing the Meffiah's death, his refurrection is neceffarily implied in the predictions, which fpeak of the perpetual continuance of his mediatorial administration as to his various offices; as when it is faid, that his throne is for ever and ever, Pf. xlv.; that abundance of peace fhould be maintained by him fo long as the moon endureth; Pf. lxxii. 7. (fee alfo y 5. 15. 17. & Dan. vii.); that he fhould be a prieft for ever after the order of Melchizedek. And as to his prophetic office, it is, after faying that he fhould be pierced hands and feet, and brought to the duft of death, that he is reprefented in Pf. xxii. 25. as inftructing the great congregation; after which it is added, y. 27. that all the ends of the world shall turn to the Lord, and worship him. All the prophecies which fhew, that the Meffiah was to act in a low ftation, and in a ftate of great humiliation, during his life, prove, that the general prophecies concerning his exaltation muft relate to his ftate after death, and fo muft fuppofe his refurrection; as particularly If. lii. where his humiliation is mentioned as aftonishing, yet it is foretold, at the fame time, that "he fhould be exalted and "extolled, and be very high." And befides fuch more general predictions of exaltation, refurrection is neceffarily fuppofed in the predictions of the various particular fubfequent fteps of the Meffiah's exaltation; fuch as, his afcenfion, his fitting at the right hand of God, and his glorious appearance on earth, at the end of the world *.

As to the Meffiah's afcenfion to heaven, it was proved before, that it is foretold in the 7th of Daniel; where the ruler of the everlasting kingdom of the faints of the Moft High, is called The Son of Man; which fuppofes, that his first refidence thould be on earth, the original habitation of every fon of

See the prophecies concerning the refurrection of the dead in general formerly explained, particularly If, xxvi.