SERMON XIII,

GOD'S PLEASURE IN THE SACRIFICE OF

CHRIST.

ISAIAH, Chap. liii. Ver. 10.

Yet it pleafed the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his foul an offering for fin, be fhall fee bis feed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord fhall profper in his hand.

HIS chapter might well bear this title, The Tree

TH

of Life; for in it everlafting life is fet before us, and discovered unto us, as flowing forth towards, and upon the finners of mankind, through the rich, free, and fovereign grace of God, made known and manifefted in the fufferings and death of our Lord Jefus Chrift. In it we have the greatest subject treated of in all the book of God; we are herein prefented with a view of Chrift, and he is fet before us as evidently crucified. Here we may by faith behold the Lamb of God bearing our fins, fuftaining our griefs, and offering himself, his foul and body, in union with his divine perfon, as a facrifice for his people. In

this portion of facred Scripture we have Chrift in his perfon and offices, in his love and grace, most gloriously revealed. The principal things treated of in it are, first, concerning the perfon of our adorable Immanuel, who is God and man in one Chrift; who, as coequal and coeternal in the Godhead with the Father and the Spirit, is the everlasting delight of his Father, confidered as his coequal Son; and, confidered as Mediator, the object of faith, the foundation upon which his church is built ;--the fubject of prophecy, of whom all the prophets have with one voice teftified, that there is redemption in his blood, even the forgiveness of fins. Secondly, here is an account of his undertakings with his Divine Father in the everlasting covenant, on the behalf, upon the account, and for the fake of his dear people. Thirdly, he, as the furety of his people, is here described and fet forth, in his fufferings, forrows, and death. And, fourthly, his triumphant victory and victorious conquefts over all his and his church's enemies are spoken of as the fruit and effect of his wonderful death. These are the general heads contained in the part of the facred word now before us. The fufferings and death of the adorable Meffiah, are a fubje&t which the Holy Ghoft peculiarly delights to fet forth, and therefore he does in this chapter dwell largely and particularly upon them, and proceeds very gradually in opening and explaining this mystery of our most holy faith. This chapter fhould begin with these words: Behold, my fervant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. It is the

word of God the Father, who is here fpeaking of his coequal and coeternal Son, as the messenger of the covenant of grace, who, in his office-character and capacity of Mediator, became, as the furety of his people, the Father's fervant; and in wondrous grace and boundless love, condefcended to humble himself and become man, that thereby he might be capable of performing this fervice,-of obeying the law, and sustaining its penalties; whereby the law would be magnified, and divine justice everlastingly glorified. And the Father here calls upon us to behold Christ in his mediatorial work and office. Behold, my fervant fball deal prudently, or, as fome- render it, fhall profper, and be successful in the great and glorious work of falvation he shall be exalted, in confequence of his finishing it, in his life and by his death, to fit at God's right hand, where all the angels of God, and all the company of heaven, fhall continually praife, adore, and worship him. He shall be extolled by his people, and be very high in their hearts, affections, and esteem. As many were astonished at thee; his visage was fo marred more than any man, and his form more than the fons of men. Here it fhould be obferved, that Chrift is fpoken of as under fuffering circumftances; for otherwife, Chrift in his human nature was the perfection of beauty. The human nature of Chrift was by the immediate power of God produced and formed; and it being

defen without all fpot of fin, was not the subject of

defects and deformity; and as affumed by, and united unto the perfon of the Son of God, and being filled with all the fulness of habitual grace, he was fairer than

So

the children of men. But, when he came to fuffer for fin, then indeed his vifage was fo marred more than any man, and his form more than the fons of men: yet his humiliation makes way for his exaltation. He fhall, notwithstanding, be profperous and fuccefsful. fhall be Sprinkle many nations with his heavenly doctrine, by the preaching of his apoftles: the kings fhall shut their mouths at him, and shall own and acknowledge him to be King of kings and Lord of lords, and yield themselves up unto him to be his willing and obedient fubje&s: for that which had not been told them shall they fee; and that which they had not heard, shall they confider. In which words the prophet, as God's herald, having proclaimed and foretold what fuccefs the preaching of the gospel would be attended with amongst the Gentiles, and foreseeing how the people of the Jews, unto whom Chrift was promifed, and to whom he was fent, would, inftead of moft heartily embracing him as their glory, flight and reject him, cries out with amazement at it, Who hath believed our report? concerning Jefus the self-exiftent Saviour, in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth; who is falvation itself; whose love is truly wonderful, and paffeth knowledge; and, to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Then he enters upon a particular description of the person and suffering of the bleffed Jefus: For he foll grow up before him as a tender plant, under the immediate eye and care of JEHOVAH, the Father, who beheld his coequal Son in our nature with the highest delight and complacency, born of a woman--born into our world and made under the law, that he might

take away the fins of his people by the offering of himfelf. And as a root out of a dry ground, as he came from Jeffe's withered stock. He hath no form nor comeliness: though the beloved of his Father, and worshipped as God-man by all the angels of heaven, yet to the eye of carnal fense and reason, he appeared without form or comelinefs; and when we fball fee him, there is no beauty that we should defire him: This is given as the unbelieving Jews' neglect and contempt of him. Thus, ignorance of the perfon and work of Chrift, as fignified and foretold in the writings of the prophets, produced this damning fin in them of unbelief; so that they treated the true Meffiah, the very and eternal Son of God, with the utmost contempt. He is defpifed and rejected of men, a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief; and we bid as it were our faces from him; he was defpifed, and we efteemed him not. Now, though the Jews were fo far loft to the true knowledge of their promised Saviour and Deliverer, as to defpife and difefteem the true and only Meffiah, because of his deep humiliations, forrows, and fufferings, which were very clearly marked out in prophecy; yet one of their ancient writers, who appears to have had some prospect and view of the covenant of grace, faith," God treated with the "Meffiah. Righteous Meffiah, those who are hid "with thee, are fuch whofe fins in time fhall bring "thee to grief; thy ears fhall hear reproaches; thy 66 tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth: thou fhalt

be wearied with forrow. The Meffiah anfwered, "Lord of the world, I joyfully take them upon me,