09. CHAP. X

Concerning the sufferings of the MESSIAH, wherein Pf. xxii. and Ifa. liii. are particularly considered: as also the several circumstances which were to attend these sufferings.

THE writers of the New Testament, as they give an account of the sufferings of Jesus, so they appeal to the books of the Old Testament, as containing prophecies which speak of the Messiah's sufferings; from whence they reasoned with the Jews "opening" and alledging, that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead; and that that Jesus whom they preached was Christ. They aver, that the divine Spirit in the prophets testified before-hand the sufferings of Christ unto them, as well as the glory that should follow; and that when they spoke of the sufferings of Jesus, they said none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come to pass; and that, in what the Jews did to Jesus, was fulfilled, what God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets. Nay, Jesus himself, in reproving some of his disciples for their dullness and unbelief, said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered those things and to enter into n Act. xvii. 2, 3. n Pet. i. 11. o Act. xxvi. 22, 23. Act. iii 18.

o Luk. xxiv. 25, 26, 27.

bis his glory; therefore beginning at Moses and all the prophets, be expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. i. e. those things which chiefly concerned his sufferings. Now, seeing there are such manifest appeals to the books of the Old Testament, as containing prophecies of a suffering Messiah, which had their fulfillment in Jesus, my business in this chapter will be First, To consider those prophecies which speak of him as such, and attempt to prove that they belong to him, and him only.

Secondly, To point out the several parts of his sufferings according to these prophecies. And,

Thirdly, Take a view of the several circumstances which were to attend those sufferings.

First, I shall consider those prophecies which speak of the Messiah as suffering, and attempt to prove that they belong to him, and him only. Now the principal prophecies which speak of this affair, and are generally understood to belong thereunto, are contained in Ps. xxii. and 1st. liii. which I shall particularly consider. 1st, The twenty second Psalm is commonly understood by christian interpreters to be a prophecy of the Messiah as suffering; and indeed it can't with any tolerable colour or pretence be applied to any other. That one single individual person is spoken of, throughout the Psalm, the whole series and connexion thereof manifestly shew, and therefore the whole body of the Jewish nation, or the congregation of Israel, cannot be intended. Besides, this person is not only distinguished from the vi† See Kimchi in loc.

lc ler fort of the people, by whom he was reproached and reviled ver. 6, 7, 8. but also from those who are called the brethren, the congregation of Israel, and those who fear the Lord ver. 22, 23. before whom he was to praise the Lord. And as a single person, so a suffering person is certainly intended, as is manifest from his being represented as one forsaken of God, despised by men, encompassed by his enemies, by whom he is cruelly racked and tortured, his bones dislocated, his hands and feet pierced, and he even brought to the dust of death.

Now this single and suffering person can be no other than the Messiah; some of the Jewish writers, indeed, would have Esther to be the subject of this prophecy, to whom not one sentence, nor single word in the whole Psalm, can with any tolerable shew of reason be applied. Others, and with much more appearance of truth, would have David intended; but yet there are some things in this Psalm, which, in their plain, obvious and literal sense, cannot be applied to him, as the shooting out of the lip, and shaking the head at him, by wicked persons, using at the same time that very form of words mentioned in ver. 8. the dislocation of his joints ver. 14. the piercing of his hands and feet ver. 16. the parting of his garments, and casting lots upon his vesture ver. 18. neither of which were true of David, but were to be accomplished in the

Messiah, and had their full and literal completion in

Jesus, as will be more particularly observed hereafter. And that the Messiah is intended in this

Psalm, may be collected from the title; upon, or concerning Ajeleth Shahar, which respects the subject thereof, and may be rendred, the kind of the morning, which well agrees with the Messiah, and is expressive of his swiftness and readiness in appear-

1. All brethren in loc.

y : 12. His 20.7.20s 454 795 2011dny2ws 795 Swfhnys yadwos tw Δf [ 160 ]

ng for the falvation of his people, and with our

Jefus, who in the very morning of his infancy, was hunted after by Herod, and his agents, to take away his life: Others render it the morning star which is one of the titles of Jefus Rev. xxii. 16.

The Targum expresses it by the daily morning facrifice, which was typical of the lamb of God which takeib away the sin of the world, and is very justly taken notice of here, where the sufferings of the

Messiah are so particularly set forth, which were to be a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of men.

Besides, the person treated of in this Psalm, is one in whom the happiness of God's people was much concerned; by whom the meek were to be satisfied and enjoy eternal life, as the consequence of his sufferings, and therefore are called upon to praise the Lord on that account ver. 23, 24, 25, 26. Moreover, the conversion of the Gentiles through the preaching of the gospel, which was peculiar to the days of the Messiah, was to follow upon the sufferings of this person. Nay, even some Jewish writers have been obliged to apply some parts of this

Psalm to the Messiah, which they evidently saw could not in any tolerable sense be referred to any other.

2dly, The fifty third chapter of Isaiah is another prophecy, which is generally understood by christian interpreters of the Messiah and his sufferings.

The modern Jews, indeed, nor being able to make it suit with their now generally received notions of the Messiah, have endeavoured to substitute some other person as the subject thereof.

It would be both tedious and needless to reckon up the several different persons to whom they endeavour to apply this prophecy; all disagreeing v Vid. R. Abendan. not. in Miclol. Yophi in loc. u Midraf

Tillim in hunc Psalmum R. Sol. Jarchi in ver. 26.

with each other; which shews the wretched uncertainty they are under, since they have left the true, plain, obvious, and antiently received sense thereof; some referring it to Abraham, others to Moses, others to Ezra, others to Zorobabel, others to any righteous person in general; all which senses are weak, ridiculous, and impertinent, there being no manner of foundation in the whole prophecy for an application of it to any of those persons, and therefore deserve not our consideration. The principal opinions, and which seem mostly to prevail among them, are, that this prophecy is to be understood either of the body of the people of Israel in general, or of Jofiah, or Jeremiah, in particular; tho' in each of them they go contrary to their own Targum, Talmud, and other antient writings of theirs; there are some who strenuously contend for the former, viz. that the whole body of the people of Israel, in captivity, is intended, which can never be the true sense of the prophecy, for one single individual person is spoken of from the beginning to the end thereof, who is manifestly distinguished in ver. 4, 5, 6, 8. from the people of Israel, whose sins and sorrows he was to bear, and for whose transgressions he was to be stricken and wounded. Abaronid would have king Jofiah here intended, who was slain by Pharaoh-Necho at Megiddo, and supposes that it is the report of his death which is complained of in ver. 1. as what none would believe, by reason of his celebrated piety; he farther supposes that he is said in ver. 2. to grow up as a tender plant, because of his early deIn chap. lii. 13. and in liii. 10. * Talmud Sanhed.

Vol. 98. col. 2. * Zohar in Exod. fol. 85. 2. Bereh Rab.

in Gen. xxiv. 67. Peshta in Kettoreth Haffamam in Turc.

Irat. in Numb. xxiv. 7. Tanchuma in Ila. lii. 13. Midrash Ruth

34. col. 3 * Jarchi. Kimchi, & Aben-Ezra in loc.

X votion, and the great progress he made therein; that he is said to be disposed, ver. 3. because he was killed by Necho a contemptible man; that he was a man of sorrow, because often sick and troubled with the gout *; that it appears he bore the griefs of the people, ver. 4. since the sins of the nation caused his death ver. 5. that it is a mistake that the people were much addicted to the law in his time, for he says, ver. 6. all we, like sheep, have gone astray, and that God would revenge his death upon many nations. But Abar-linel here contradicts himself, for he, at other times, with other Jews, would have the prophecy understood of the people of Israel, and therefore not of Josiah; besides, here are several things said relating to Josiah, of which some are true, others notoriously false, and destitute of all manner of proof; 'tis true indeed that he was a very pious prince, and devoted himself very early to religion, but then it is notoriously false that the people were not much addicted to the law in his time; for 'twas in his time that the book of the law was found, the covenant between God and the people renewed, a general reformation obtained, and such a passover kept as never had been since the times of the judges: 'tis also false, that the sins of the people were the occasion of Josiah's death, but rather his own rashness, vanity, and ambition, in meddling in an affair to which he did not seem to have any real call; and 'tis equally as false, that God revenged his death upon many nations; nor was Pharaoh-Necho, by whom he was slain, a contemptible person, but a very potent and considerable prince; his saying that none would believe the report of Josiah's death, wants proof, as well as his representing him as a sickly person, and subject to the gout. But to let pass these things, as * Vid. Basnage's History of the Jews, Book 4. c. 23. f. 17, 18.

not worthy of consideration, it may easily be observed, that there are many things in this prophecy, which can by no means agree with him; as that he did no violence, the contrary is evident in the case of Pharaoh-Necho; that he bore the sins of others, and died for them, and made his soul an offering for sin; that his days were prolong'd, that the pleasure of the Lord prospered in his hand; much less could it be said of him who shall declare his generation? Others would have Jeremiah intended, in which they are followed by Gretus, and this the author of the Scheme of Literal Prophecy seems to incline to: But the characters given of the person, who is the subject of this prophecy, by no means agree with Jeremiah, for this person is represented as one without guilt, entirely free from sin, and who had never gone astray, like other men; as one that was to suffer for the sins of others, which sufferings he was to bear with the utmost patience; nay, even to intercede for those transgressors who were the cause of them; and tho' he was to be cut off, or die, yet he was to live again, have a large number of disciples and followers, and be very much exalted and dignified; which can't be said of Jeremiah, who was subject to the same sinful infirmities as other men are, was not wounded nor bruised, nor did he die for the sins of his people; and as for the sufferings which he underwent for them, he was far from bearing them with patience; for he even cursed the day wherein he was born, on the account thereof; he prayed that he might see the vengeance of God upon them; that God would pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter; neither had he a large number of disciples, nor was he exalted and exa Siadiah Gaon in Aken-Ezra in loc.

c Jer. xx. 12, 14. & xii. 3.

b Pag. 211.

X 2 tolled, as this person is represented to be. But all and every part of this prophecy exactly agrees with the Messiah Jesus, whose first appearance was mean and abject, on the account of which he was despised by men, by whom he suffered many things, which he bore with inexpressible patience, and at last death itself, which was an expiatory sacrifice for the sins of all his people, which, being laid on him, he bore in his own body on the tree, and being raised from the dead, is now exalted, extolled, and made very high, at his father's right hand, where he ever lives to intercede for transgressors; and has ever since had a large number of disciples, who have embraced his doctrines, and espoused his cause; a seed which have served him, and will continue to do so, 'till time shall be no more. Secondly, Having considered those two remarkable prophecies which speak of the Messiah, as suffering; I proceed to consider the several parts of his sufferings, as they are pointed out in those prophecies, and observe their fulfillment in Jesus.

1st, He was to undergo much reproach from men, to be despised and rejected by them; nay, to be accounted a worm and no man. How much Jesus was slighted and disesteemed by the men of his generation, on the account of his mean parentage, education, outward poverty, the despicableness of his followers, &c. is notorious enough; as well as how he was shouted, jeer'd, and scoffed at, when upon the cross, by his enemies, who used the very words in Ps. xxii. 8. wagging their heads at him. 2dly, He was to be smote and buffeted; this judge of Israel was to be smote with a rod upon the clock, as Jesus was, both by the Jewish and Ro

• Lk. Hd. 2. Ps. xvii. 6

• Mic. v. 1.

man soldiers, which he very patiently endured;

and, as was prophesied of him, gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them, that plucked off the hair, and hid not his face from shame and spitting.

3dly, He was to suffer death for the sins of his people; he was not only to be wounded and bruised for their transgressions, but to be cut off out of the land of the living, his soul was to be poured out unto death, and he brought into the dust thereof;

accordingly Jesus died for our sins according to these scriptures.

4thly, As he was to die, so he was to die the death of the cross, which might be collected from the piercing of his hands and feet, the disjointing of his bones, and the prodigious fever which was to seize him, and dry up his strength like a potsherd, and cause his tongue to cleave to his jaws, all which circumstances, usually attending the crucifixion of persons, were prophesied of in the 22d Psalm.

Now, 'tis manifest enough that Jesus was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; tho' it was very unlikely that he ever should have died in that manner, that not only being a Roman punishment, but also what was not usually inflicted on persons guilty of the crime with which he was charged, and for which he was condemned; but so it was, that these prophecies might be fulfilled, as well as his own predictions be verified.

5thly, He was to be buried and laid in the grave, which was the finishing part of his humiliation. Isaiah says of the Messiah, that he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, which words may be rendered thus, be put, or placed his grave with the wicked, but his tomb-

Isa. 1. 6 Isa. liii. 5. 8. 12. Ps. xxii. 15. 1 Cor. xv. 3.

Isa. liii. 9.

stone, כִּמְתִּי or sepulchral monument, was with the rich; which was literally fulfilled in Jesus, whose grave tho' it was put under the care and custody of the wicked soldiers, who were placed there to watch, lest the disciples should remove the body, and say he was risen from the dead, which circumstance attending his interment, might seem somewhat dishonourable, yet there being a famous tomb erected over it, at the charge of Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, rendred his burial honourable, which honour was done him, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Hereby another prophecy appears to be fulfilled, which speaks of the Messiah's burial, in Isa. xi. 10. and his rest shall be glorious, this may very well be understood of the grave, which is a place of rest, where, as Job says chap. iii. 17. The wicked cease from troubling, and the weary be at rest. The Vulgate renders the words thus, erit sepulchrum ejus gloriosum, his grave shall be glorious. I have already proved, that this prophecy belongs to the Messiah. AbarbiThe Hebrew word בְּמוֹת signifies High Places, and is frequently so rendred, see Deut. xxxiii. 29. Ps. xviii. 33. Hab. iii. 19. and here the plural number being put for the singular, it signifies an High Place, or a structure over a grave, as R. Aben-Ezra, from their Rabbis, observes; and if it should be objected that the point Camers, and not Sheva, should have been placed under the Letter ב if that is here radical; I answer, (not to say any thing of the original of mixed points) 'tis easy to suppose an irregular punctuation, of which there are a very large number of instances in the Bible; nor is this a mere supposition, for the authors of the Maiora, in their marginal note upon this word, observe that it is no where extant in the like form, Sheva being in the room of Camers, and the letter Vau wanting. The first among Christians who observed this, was Forsterus, in his Lexic. Heb. Rad. במה, which was afterwards taken notice of with approbation, by those excellent Hebricians Mercer and Schindler. nel nel * owns it, and not only so, but also acknowledges, that this clause may be expounded of the Messiah's honourable burial. The author of the Scheme of Literal Prophecy ought to take this as a full answer to his exception † out of Grotius and White, against the prophecy in Isaiah.

To conclude this head; the occasion, nature, efficacy, and intent of the Messiah's sufferings, as delivered in those prophecies, appear to be the very same as those of the sufferings of Jesus, delivered in the New Testament. The occasion of the Messiah's sufferings was not to be for any sin of his own, but the sins of others, for which his death was to be a propitiatory sacrifice, whereby sin was to be abolished and done away, peace and pardon procured, and an everlasting righteousness brought in, and this upon the account of all the people of God; for he was to bear the sins of many, and be stricken for the transgressions of his people; all which perfectly agrees with those doctrines respecting the occasion, nature, efficacy, intent, and extent of the sufferings of Jesus, which the New Testament abounds with. But I proceed, Thirdly, To consider the several circumstances which were to attend the death and sufferings of the Messiah. And I shall begin,

1st, With the hypocrisy and treachery of one of his familiar friends; that Jesus was betray'd by Judas, one of his disciples, not only the evangelists affirm, but the Jews themselves acknowledge in the account ¹ which they themselves give of the life and actions of Jesus. Now this, Jesus says, was to come to pass, ² that the scripture might be fulfilled, he that eateth bread with me hath lyt up his * Vid. Kidder's Demonstration of the Messias, part 1. p. 90.

† The Scheme of Literal Prophecy, &c. p. 217.

¹ Toldos Jesu. p. 15. 16. ² I. xlii. 18.

bce!

heel against me. The scripture referred to is Ps xli. 9. which Psalm, in its first, literal, and obvious sense, wholly belongs to the Messiah. In ver. 1, 2, 3. the happiness of those persons is set forth, who should consider the poor, i. e. the Messiah in his low estate, one of whose characters is lowly or poor, Zech. ix. 9. in ver. 5. his enemies are represented wishing for his death, saying, when shall he die and his name perish? which was the thing the Jews so earnestly desired, and so much longed for, with respect to Jesus, and never left plotting untill they had effected it; which hypocrisy, perfidy, treachery, and vile designs of theirs, are very aptly described in ver. 6, 7. where the true complexion and actions of the Jews, in the times of Jesus, are expressed to the life; see Matt. xxii. 15, 16, 17, 18. and xxvi. 3, 4. and this thing which they so much desired, they brought about by sub-borning false witnesses, and bringing a wrong charge, and false accusation against him, which is signified in ver. 8. an evil disease דבר בליעל a word of Belial, a wicked word, or false accusation, say they, cleaveth fast unto him, which was that of making himself a king, forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, Luke xxiii. 2. which succeeded according to their wishes, to the taking away of his life; and therefore, in an exulting and triumphing manner, they say, and now that he lieth, i. e. in the grave, as the word שכב is sometimes used, see 2 Sam. vii. 12. he shall rise up no more, i. e. from the dead, tho' that was a mistake of theirs, for he was raised from the dead, for which he prays, ver. 10. that he might requite these his enemies, as he did, by destroying their city, temple, and nation. Now all these things must needs be very afflicting to the Messiah, and he mentions them here by way of complaint; but yet what was an aggravation of them, and made them still more heavy, t i o v f x q f c th th N tu to o re ep fin heavy, was the deceitfulness and treachery of one of his disciples, who betray'd him into the hands of his enemies; and he complains of it as such in ver. 9. Yea mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lift up his heel against me: Tho' he concludes the Psalm, with joy and thankfulness for God's raising him from the dead, exalting him with his own right hand, and setting him before his face for ever, ver. 11, 12, 13. There is indeed one thing which may seem to render this Psalm inapplicable to the Messiah, and so to Jesus, and that is, this person confesses himself to be a sinner in ver. 4. I said, Lord be merciful unto me, and heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee. The words may be rendered thus, heal my soul, i. e. deliver me out of my sorrows and afflictions, כי חטאתי לך because I have made an offering for sin unto thee; the word חטא in Pibel, is frequently used to expiate, atone, or make an offering for sin; see Exod. xxix. 36. Lev. vi. 26. and ix. 15. Ps. li. 7. And in Hithpabel, to purify, or cleanse, one self from sin; see Numb. xix. 12, 13, 20. and tho' the word is not so frequently used in Kal, in the sense of making an offering for sin; yet some instances may be produced, where it seems to require such a translation; thus in Lev. v. 7. If he be not able to bring a lamb, then shall he bring את אשמו his trespass-offering, אשר חטא which he shall, or is to offer for sin, two turtle doves, &c. Again in ver. 11. If he be not able to bring two turtle doves — then shall he bring his offering אשר חטא, which he shall offer for sin, offeret pro peccato suo, Vulg. Lat. the tenth part of an ephah, &c. besides, חטאת is frequently used for a sin offering, see Exod. xxix. 14. Lev. iv. 3, 8, 21, 24, 29, 33, 34. which well agrees with the n Vid. Viccarium in loc.

Y

Messiah,

Meſſiah, who was to make his ſoul an offering for ſin °, and with Jeſus, who was ° made ſin, i. e. an offering for ſin, for us, who knew no ſin, that we might be made the righteousſſ of God in him. From the whole it appears, that this Psalm is a literal prophecy of the Meſſiah, and that Judas's betraying of Jeſus, was a literal accomplishment of the paſſage referr'd to in it. I proceed, 2dly. To conſider another circumſtance which was to attend the Meſſiah as ſuffering, and that is his being ſold, by the ſame perſon that betray'd him, for thirty pieces of ſilver. That Jeſus was ſold at ſuch a price, cannot well be denied, neither is it: Judas agreed with the chief prieſts to deliver him into their hands, on this conſideration, who, having done his work, received his wages; but his conſcience afterwards accuſing him for this vile and barbarous action, he return'd them the money, acknowledging his guilt; but they not judging it lawful to put this money into the treaſury, becauſe it was the price of blood, bought the potter's field with it, to bury ſtrangers in; all which was exactly according to the prophecies of the Old Teſtament, for the evangelift, when he had given the hiſtorical narration of theſe things, obſerves, That 4 then was fulfilled, that which was ſpoken by Jeremy the prophet, ſaying, and they took the thirty pieces of ſilver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Iſrael did value: and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me. This prophecy not appearing in any of the writings which bear the name of Jeremy, but being in the prophecy of Zechariah, Chap. xi, 12, 13. creates ſome difficulty; which, in order to remove, let it be obſerved, that the ſacred writings were divided by the Jews 4 Matt. xxvii. 9. 10.

° If. liii. 10.

P 2 Cor. v. 21.

into t d t ft ti p.

into three parts; the first is called the law, which contains the five books of Moses; the second the prophets, which contain the former and the latter prophets; the former prophets began at Joshua, the latter at Jeremy; the third was called Cetubim, the Hagiographa, or holy writings, which began with the book of Psalms. Now, as this whole third and last part is called the Psalms, Luke xxiv. 44. because it began with that book, so all that part which contained the latter prophets, beginning at Jeremy, for the same reason, might be called by his name; hence a passage standing in the prophecy of Zechariah, who was one of the latter prophets, might be justly cited under the name of Jeremy. Moreover, the learned Mr. Mede has proved, by many arguments, that the four last chapters of the book of Zechary were wrote by Jeremy, and if so, the difficulty is at once removed; therefore the next thing to be enquired into, is the justness of the application of this prophecy. Now that it is a prophecy of the Messiah, which was fulfilled in Jesus, manifestly appears from the context, as well as the text itself; the person here spoken of, is, in ver. 4. called to feed the flock of slaughter, which being in a very poor condition, ver. 5, 6. the state of the Jews therefore, at the time of Christ's coming, is hereby very aptly represented; he agrees to do it ver. 7. and accordingly furnishes himself for it; but he is rejected, despised, and abhorred, by the shepherds, the principal men in church and state, because he severely inveighed against their doctrines and practices, ver. 8. whereupon he rejects them, and dissolves both their civil and church state, which can suit with no other times than the times of Jesus, ver. 9, 10, 11, 14. and least it Vid. Kimchii præsat. in Jer. p. 963, 1022, 1023.

Medes's works,

Y 2 should be thought that he used them with too much feverity, he gives one single instance of their wretched ingratitude to him, which shews how little they esteemed of him, and that is their valuing of him at no greater a price than thirty pieces of silver, ver. 12, 13. which were afterwards cast unto the potter. It may perhaps be objected to the application of this prophecy to Judas's betraying of

Jesus, that, supposing the Messiah is here intended, the money is said to be given into his hands, and not into the hands of him that was to betray him, and I said unto them, if ye think good give me my price; and if not, forbear. To which

I answer, that the words הבו שכרי should not be rendred give me my price, but give my price, i. e.

give what you think fit to value me at, into the hand of him that is to betray me, and accordingly they did so; so they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver; which is the very sum the chief priests covenanted with Judas for, and which he received, according to Matth. xxvi. 15. Again, if it should be objected to the citation of St. Matthew, that it is considerably different from the words of the prophet: for whereas 'tis said in the prophet, I took the thirty pieces and cast them, &c. the evangelist says, they took the thirty pieces, &c. and they gave, &c. It may be replied, that Ἐλᾶσον in St. Matthew * may be very well rendred I took, as Ἐλᾶσον may very reasonably be supposed to be put for Ἐλᾶσον; and so the Syriac seems to have read it, seeing it renders the word by יהבת

I gave; but all this can't be better expressed than in the words of the learned † Mede, " Ἐλᾶσον

" here in St. Matthew (says he) is the first person

" singular, and not the third plural, as we are

" wont to translate it, for it answers to וְאֶקְחָה

* Vid. Bezam. in loc. † Mede's works, p. 963.

" in the Hebrew. The fame perfon and number

" muft also ḥḏuḏu be, whether the v be para-

" gogical, or an antient flip of the scribe; for

" the Syriac tranflates it dedi, and in the Hebrew

" it anfwers to אִשְׁלִיךְ, all this to be fo, the words

" following evince; viz. אִשְׁלִיךְ הִרְדִּים בְּנֵי חֹזֶר אִשְׁלִיךְ.

" how will it cohere elfe? they gave, &c. as the

" Lord commanded me; muft it not needs be, I

" gave, &c? " But if it fhould be ftill objected that the Meffiah, and not the betrayer, is faid to caft this money to the potter, And I took the thirty pieces of filver, and caft them to the potter, in the houfe of the Lord; it may be replied, that Jefus may be faid to do that which Judas and the chief priefts did, becaufe, by his almighty power and providence, he over-ruled thofe'things for good, which in themfelves were evil. Judas thought to have converted the money to his own ufe, and the priefts would have been glad to have taken it again to themfelves, but Chrift oblig'd Judas to carry back the money to the priefts, and caft it into the temple; and worked upon the minds of the priefts not to put it into the treafury, but to buy the potter's field therewith, whereby the prophecy, in its literal fenfe, was fully accomplish'd.

3dly, Another circumftance which was to attend the Meffiah's fufferings, is, his being forfaken by the reft of his difciples. That the difciples of

Jefus forfook him and fled, when he was apprehended by his enemies, not only the evangelift, but the Jews v themfelves affirm. Now this was foretold by Jefus, who declares that fo it fhould be, becaufe v it is written, I will fmite the fhepherd, and the fheep of the flock fhall be fcattered abroad.

The place referr'd to, where thefe words are written, is Zech. xiii. 7. Awake, O fword, againft my fhepherd, and againft the man that is my fellow, faith v Toldos Jefu, p. 17.

w Matth. xxvi. 31, 56.

the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; which prophecy, is a manifest prophecy of the Messiah, as appears not only from the character of a shepherd, which is frequently given to the Messiah in the Old Testament, and is what Jesus bears in the New; but also from his being God's fellow, which cannot be said of any other, and is justly applicable to him, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with him. Many Jewish writers refer those words of Zechariah to the days of the Messiah, even to Messiah the son of Joseph. 4thly, The Messiah was not only to be forsaken by his disciples, but also by his God; this dereliction is prophesied of in Psalm xxii. which Psalm has been before proved to belong to the Messiah. Accordingly Jesus, while he was suffering on the cross, was deserted by his father, and in his agony used the very words with which the Psalm begins, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 5thly, The Messiah was to be numbred with the transgressors, accordingly, with Jesus, the Jews crucified two thieves, the one on his right hand, and the other on his left; and the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, and he was numbred with the transgressors. Nothing could more effectually do it, than their placing him between them, and his dying with them, which was a manifest indication that he was reckoned as a malefactor, and so was numbred with them. 6thly, His garments were to be parted, and lots cast upon his vesture, according to Ps. xxii. 18. which was literally fulfilled in Jesus, Matth. xxvii. 35.

* Phil. ii. 6. v Vid. Aben Ezra. & Miclol Yophi in loc.

= Mark xv. 15, 27, 28.

7thly,

7tbly, It was prophesied of him, that gall would be given him for his Meat, and vinegar for him to drink, and accordingly these were given to Jesus, when upon the cross; and therefore, in order to bring it about, and that this scripture might be fulfilled, he said, I thirst; which was not fulfill'd by a mere accommodation of such a phrase found in the Psalms, for this does not suppose that there was a prophecy of him, that he should say, I thirst, but his saying so, was an evidence of that thirst being upon him, prophesied of in Ps. xxii. 15. which was the occasion of fulfilling the prophecy, concerning the gall and vinegar, which were to be given him in this distress, Ps. lxix. 21. 8tbly, A bone of him was not to be broken. Now it is very remarkable, that whereas it was a custom to break the legs of the crucified, and accordingly the legs of the thieves, which were crucified with Jesus, were broken; but when they came to him, finding him dead, notwithstanding all their rage and malice against him, they brake not his legs; and the evangelist observes, that these things were done that the scripture should be fulfilled, a bone of him shall not be broken. The scripture referr'd to, is Ps. xxxiv. 20. he keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Which, if understood of the righteous in general, had a very particular and remarkable completion in Jesus, tho' it seems rather to regard some particular person, and who can be so well supposed to be understood as the Messiah? To understand it of the righteous in general, will not hold good, for such a calamity sometimes befalls them as well a So Mr. Sykes, in his essay, p. 266. which way of interpretation, the author of the Scheme of Literal Prophecy, p. 347, 348. justly finds fault with. b John xix. 36.

as the wicked; and when under such a distrefs of body, they would be liable to a greater distrefs of mind; for from hence they would be apt to conclude, that they were not righteous perfons, nor under the fpecial care and protection of God, otherwife this promife would be made good to them, he keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 9thly, The Meffiah was to be pierced, at the time of his fuffering, and accordingly Jefus was; for one of the foldiers, with a fpear, pierced his fide; whereby, as the evangelift obferves, that fcripture was fulfilled, they fhall look upon him whom they have pierced: the fcripture is Zech. xii. 10. Which prophecy, by many d Jewifh writers, is underftood of the Meffiah, and of the piercing of him. The author of the fcheme of literal prophecy, e fays, that the words manifeftly appear not to concern Jefus; his reafons are, becaufe there was to be a war in Judæa, and a flege of Yerufalem; and then a deliverance of the Jews, by the deftruction of all the nations that fhould come up at that time againft Yerufalem. And Mr. Sykes f asks, Did any one circumftance of all this happen to the Jews about the time of the death of Jefus? or rather, was not every thing the reverfe of what Zachariah fays; and inftead of all nations being deftroy'd that came about Yerufalem, Yerufalem it felf was deftroy'd; inftead of a fpirit of grace and fupplications, the Jews have had their hearts hardned againft the Chrift; inftead of mourning for him whom they pierced, they curfe him and his followers even c John xix. 37. d Talmud Succah. fol. 52. 1. Vid. Jarch. Kimch. & Aben Ezr. in loc. & Berefhith Rabba, in Pearfon on the Creed, art. 4. e Pag. 147. f Effay, p. 268.

' to this day.' To both which I reply, that these things instanced in, were not, according to this prophecy, to come to pass at the time of the piercing of the Messiah, but at the time of the Jews looking to him, and mourning for him, on the account thereof, when brought under a conviction of their evil in so doing; now, whereas the piercing of the Messiah has been literally fulfilled in Jesus, and tho' the Jews, even to this very day, are hardened against him; yet there is no reason to conclude, but that that part of the prophecy, which concerns their looking to him, and a mourning for him, on the account of his being pierced by them, will also, in God's own time, be fulfilled; when we may reasonably expect all these circumstances, attending it, will have their full accomplishment. 

Z

CHAP.

CHAP. XI.