on his Disciples the greatest good Things, through Troubles and Death, no body can deny, who reads those Words of Isaiah with an attentive Mind, (a) Ch. liii. Who hath believed our Report, and who hith acknowledged the Power of God? And that for this Reason, because he hath arisen in the Sight of God as a tender Plant, as Grass out of the sandy Ground; there is no Beauty or Comeliness in his Countenance, neither if you look upon him, is there any Thing delightful; he was exposed to Contempt, and was as the most despised amongst Men; he endured many Sorrows, many Griefs: All men turned away themselves from him he was so much despised as to be thought of no Value; (b) but indeed he hath endured our Diseases, he hath borne our Calamities. We esteemed him as struck from Heaven, as smutten and afflicted of God: But he was wounded for our Sins, he was bruised for our Crimes; (c) the Punishment which should procure Safety for us, was laid on him; his Stripes were a Remedy for us, for assuredly we have all wandered to and fro like Sheep; God hath inflicted on him the Punishment due to our Crimes. And yet when he was afflicted and grievously tormented, he did not lift up his Voice, but was silent as a Lamb going to be slain, and a Sheep to be shorn. After Bonds, after Judgement, he was taken from among Men; but now who can worthily declare the Continuance of his Life? He was taken out of this Place wherein we live; but this Evil befel him for the Sins of my People. He was delivered into the Hands of powerful and wicked Men,

(a) Chap. liii. &c.] Which Place is interpreted of the Messiab, by the Chaldee Paraphrast, and the Babylonish Gemara, entitled concerning the Council.

(b) But indeed he hath endured our Diseases, &c.] Abarba nel upon this Place, tells us, that by Diseases, are to be understood any Evils.

() The Punishment which should procure Safety for us, &c.] Rabboth, and Solomon Jarchi, on the Gemara, entitled concerning the Council, explain these Words concerning the Messiah.

even unto Death and Burial, when he had done no Injury to any one, nor was deceit ever found in his Speech: But although God permitted him to be thus far bruised and afflicted with Pains, (a) yet because he has made himself a Sacrifice for Sin, (b) he shall see his Posterity, he shall live a long Life; and those Things which are acceptable to God, shall happily succeed through him: Seeing himself freed from Evil, says God, (c) he shall be satisfied with Pleasure, and that principally for this Reason, because by his Doctrine my righteous Servant shall acquit many, bearing himself their Sins. I will give them a large Portion (d) when the Spoil shall be divided amongst the Warriors; because he submitted himself to Death, and was reckoned amongst the Wicked; and when he bore the Punishment of other Men's Crimes, he made himself a Petitioner for the Guilty. Which of the Kings or Prophets can be named, to whom these Things will agree? Certainly none of them. And as to what the modern Jews conceit, that the Hebrew People themselves are here spoken of, who being dispersed into all Nations, should by their Example and Discourse make Proselytes; this Sense, in the first Place, is inconsistent with many Testi

(a) Yet because he has made himself a Sacrifice, &c.] Alseck says, that Evils borne with a willing Mind are here spoken of.

(b) He shall see his Posterity, &c.] Alseck here says, that by the Word Seed in the Hebrew, is meant Disciples. Thus the. Seed of the Serpent is by the Hebrews interpreted the Canaanites; and so some understand it to mean their Children. Isaiah viii. 18. as the Jerusalem Talmud observes, under the Title concerning the Council.

(c) He shall be satisfied with Pleasure, &c.] Abarbane! refers these Words to a future Age.

(d) When the Spoil shall be divided, &c.] The Babylonish Gemara, entitled nano, tells us, that these Words are to be understood in a spiritual Sense. Alseck upon this Place says, that by Spoils are to be understood the Honours and Rewards of wise Men.

monies of the Sacred Writings, which declare, (a) that no Misfortunes should befal the Jews, which, and much greater than which, they have not deserved by their Actions. Further, the Order itself of the prophetic Discourse, will not bear such an Interpretation. For the Prophet, or which seems more agreeable to that Place, God says, This Evil hath happened to him for the Sins of my People. Now Isaiah's People, or God's People, are the Hebrew People; wherefore he who is said by Isaiah, to have endured such grievous Things, cannot be the same People. The ancient Hebrew Teachers more rightly confessed, that these Things were spoken of the Messiah; which when some of the latter saw, (b) they imagined two Messiahs; one of which they call the Son of Joseph, who endured many Evils, and a cruel Death; the other the Son of David, to whom all Things succeeded prosperously; (c) though it is much easier, and more agreeable to the Writings of the Frophets, to acknowledge one, who arrived at his Kingdom through Adversity and Death, which we believe concerning Jesus, and which the Thing itself shews us to be true.

SECT. XX.

And as though they were good Men who delivered

him to Death.

MANY are with-held from embracing the Doctrine of Jesus, out of a prejudiced Notion they

(a) That no Misfortunes should befal the Jews, &c.] This ap pears from those Places of the Prophets cited above, and from Daniel ix. and Nehemiah ix. To which we may add, that he of whom Isaiah speaks, was to pray to God for the Heathens, which the Jews do not do..

(b) They imagined two Messiahs, &c.] See the Talmud, entitled, Succha, R. Solomon, and R. David Kinchi.

(c) Though it is much easier, &c.] Which Abarbanel follows, not in one Place only, on this Chapter of Isaiah,

have entertained of the Virtue and Goodness of their Forefathers, and especially of the Chief Priests; who condemned Jesus, and rejected his Doctrine, without any just Reason. But what Sort of Persons their Forefathers often were, that they may not think I falsely slander them, let them hear in the very Words of the Law, and of the Prophets, by whom they are often called (a) Uncircumcised in Ears and Heart; (b) a People who honoured God with their Lips, and with costly Rites, but their Mind was far removed from him. It was their Forefathers, (c) who were very near killing their Brother Joseph, and who actually sold him into Bondage; it was their Forefathers also, (d) who made Moses their Captain and Deliverer, whom the Earth, Sea, and Air obeyed, weary of his Life by their continual Rebellions; (e) who despised the Bread sent from Heaven; (f) who complained as if they were in extreme Want, when they could scarce contain within them the Birds they had eaten. It was their Forefathers (g) who forsook the great and good King David, to follow his rebellious Son: It was their Forefathers (h) who slew Zacharias, the Son of Jehoida, in the most Holy Place, making the very Priest himself a Sacrifice of their Cruelty. () And as to the HighPriests, they were such as treacherously designed

(a) Uncircumcised in Ears and Heart, &c.] Jer. iv. 4. vi. 20. (b) A People who honoured God with their Lips, &c.] Deut. xxxii. 5, 6, 15, 28. Isaiah xxix. 13. Amos v. 21. Ezekiel xvi. 3.

(c) Who were very near killing their Brother, &c.] Gen. xxxviii. (d) Who made Moses, &c.] The Places are observed before in the Second Book.

(e) Who despised the Bread, &c.] Numb, xi. 6.

(f) Who complained as if they were in extreme Want, &c.] In the forecited xith Chapter, towards the End.

(g) Who forsook the great and good King David, &c.]2 Sam.xv. (h) Who slew Zacharias, &c.] 2 Chron. xxiv. 21.

(i) And as to the High-Priests, &c.] Jer. xxvi.

the

the Death of Jeremiah, and had effected it, if they had not been hindered by the Authority of some of the Rulers; however, they extorted thus much, (a) that he should be held a Captive till the very Moment the City was taken. If any one think that they who lived in the Time of Jesus were better, Josephus can free them from this Mistake, who describes their most horrid Crimes, and their Punishments, which were heavier than any that were ever heard of; and yet, as he himself thinks, (b) beneath what they deserved. Neither are we to think better of the Council, especially when at that Time the Members of it were not admitted, according to the ancient Custom, by the Imposition of Hands, but were wont to be chosen (c) at the Will of great Men; as the Chief Priests also were, whose Dignity was not now perpetual, (d) but yearly, and oftentimes purchased. So that we ought not to wonder that Men swelled with pride, whose Avarice and Anibition was insatiable, should be enraged at the Sight of a Man, who urged the most holy Precepts, and reproved their Lives by their Difference from his. Nor was he accused of any Thing, but what the best Men of old were: (e) Thus Micaiah, who lived in the Time of Jehosophat, was delivered to Prison, for resolutely asserting the Truth against four hundred false Prophets. (f)

Ahab

(a) That he should be held a Captive, &c.] Jer. 'xxxviii. (b) Beneath what they deserved, &c.] He says, no other City ever endured such Calamities, nor was there ever any Age so fruitful of all Kinds of Wickedness. The Jews brought greater Mischiefs upon themselves, than the Romans did, who came to expiate their Crimes.

(c) At the Will of great Men, &c.] Josephus XIV. 9. (d) But yearly and oftentimes purchased, &c.] Josephus XVIII. 3, and 6.

(e) Thus Micaiah, &c.] 2 Kings xxii.

(f) Ahab charged Elijah, &c.] 1 Kings xviii. 17. Ahab said to Elijah, Art not thou he that troubles Israel? And thus the

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