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But the vision forebodes that "all will not believe" this report concerning the divine destination and future greatness and exaltation of this poor, afflicted, and despised man, whom they contemplate growing up among them:

1. WHO hath believed our report,

And to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?
And in whose sight did he grow up as a sucker,
And as a shoot out of the thirsty soil?

That is to say, who contemplated, or, how few did contemplate, the Saviour in his humiliation as that shoot from the root of Jesse, the subject of so many prophecies, who was afterwards to become so great! No, he was a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to both houses of Israel."

2. He possessed no form nor majesty,

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And we looked on him, but he had no appearance that we should desire him.

3. He was despised and rejected of men, '.

A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
He was as one' from whom we hid our faces,
He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4. Notwithstanding, he took off our griefs,
And loaded himself with our pains:*
Yet we esteemed him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted:

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5. But he was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our correction'' was laid' upon him,
And by his stripes we were healed.

6. All we, like sheep, have gone astray,

We have turned aside each to his own way.

And Jehovah hath caused to light on him
The iniquity of us all.

7. He was brought forward and he was questioned,"
But he opened not his mouth:

Like a lamb that is borne to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,

So he opened not his mouth.

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8. By the authority and by the sentence of the judge' he was

taken off,

But his generation who can declare??

lift up," in order to take on or off, as a burden: so that the quotation in St. Matthew is clearly contained in the original: Αυτός τας ασθενείας ημων ελεβε, καὶ τας νόσους εβαστασεν. And this aggravated the ingratitude of the people, in despising him who visibly relieved their griefs, and who, they should have known, in his own affliction bore the burden for them.

"The chastisement that makes us perfect," according to that of the apostle, "in bringing many sons to glory, he was' made perfect through suffering."

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acted, and he was made answerable;" which Horsley approves. But we may derive from v», accepit, appropinquavit, niph. præt. "accedere factus vel jussus," " adductus,"" He was brought forth, and being required to answer," &c.-KEN NICOTT. Compare chap. xli. 1, 21. nya, "exoratus respondere."-BUXTORF. "Ad respondendum coactus est."-SIMON.

3 See Bishop Lowth. For y compare Judges, xviii. 7. "After oppression and condemna

tion, he was accepted, And who can [bear to] reflect on the men of his generation?" PARKHURST.

Bishop Lowth renders, " And his manner of life who would de

Verily, he was cut off from the land of the living;

Through the transgression of my people was he stricken;

9. And his grave was appointed with the transgressors,'
And with the wicked was he in death: '

Not for any wickedness that he had done,
Nor for any guile that was in his mouth.

10. But Jehovah accepted his grief in his affliction,
'That his soul should be made a trespass-offering.

He shall see a seed that' shall prolong their' days," And the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. 11. He shall see of the travail of his soul,

And shall be satisfied in knowing whom' he shall justify;

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Righteous is' my servant for many,

And he doth load himself with their iniquities.

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clare?" and supposes an allusion to a proclamation which was accustomed to be made concerning condemned criminals, that if any man could offer proof of their innocence, they were to appear and declare it. The meaning, however, here given to the word, manner of life," has been much questioned. I rather think we should understand it in the usual sense, for an age, or period of time or life. The meaning will then be ;-By the sentence of death he was taken off indeed, but what mortal could point out the period of his ex

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Compare Psalm cii. 28.

12. Therefore will I assign him a portion from the many,
And with the strong' ones' shall he divide a prey.'
Because that he hath poured out his soul unto death,
And was numbered with the transgressors.

And because he hath taken off the sins of many,
And hath interposed on behalf of transgressors.

This beautiful episode, so clearly stating the vicarious nature of the sacrifice of Christ, belongs not indeed to the proper subject of this work; but it was necessary that we should include it in our view, in order to show the connexion of what follows. For the next chapter cer`tainly opens with a description of what belongs to the SECOND ADVENT; and the connexion seems to be this. As the Saviour at the first advent is rejected, and none appear to believe the Gospel report, which alone can save their souls; yet He, notwithstanding, is destined to carry into execution all the purpose of his Father's will, and to conquer, and to reign: so his church, Zion, though become a disconsolate widow, no longer seeming to bear

'I somewhat suspect that these two lines should be rendered;"Therefore will I assign him many

for his portion,

Ay, numbers shall he divide as his spoil."*

Bp. Horsley renders thus :"But it was the pleasure of Jehovah; suffering overwhelmed him.

Upon condition that his soul

make a trespass-offering,

He shall see a seed, which shall

prolong its days;

And the pleasure of Jehovah

shall prosper in his hand. The record of the toil of his soul he shall see, [as seed which] shall be fed to the full with the knowledge of him ; The Just One shall justify the

slaves of mighty ones, And himself shall take the burden of their iniquities."

children to her mystic spouse, shall, in a miraculous manner, find herself at last to be still the joyful mother of a numerous family.

SECTION VI.

On the Fifty-fourth Chapter.

1. SHOUT for joy, thou barren that barest not,

Break forth with shouting and rejoice, thou that hast not travailed:

For more are the children of the desolate,

Than the children of her that hath her husband, saith Jehovah.

THE parallel passages will render it evident that Zion is here addressed in prospect of her glorious state in the last days. She had long been in the condition of a barren woman, a woman separated from her husband, a disconsolate widow, who saw no children growing up around her. Such is the situation of Zion, or the Israelitish church, at this present hour: but, as in chapter xlix. 18, the church is saluted as becoming on a sudden the joyful mother of children; and we shall find that this is a standing metaphor to represent the glories of the church at the time of Christ's appearing. There may, perhaps, be intended a contrast between the Gentile Gospel church and the church of the circumcision, in the comparison of the woman still possessing her husband and the divorced or widowed woman. But, however this may be, the oracles of God have all along declared, that in the restoration of Israel to its former relation to God, commence the glories of the Messiah's kingdom: and we remark that one of the peculiarities of the symbol is, the former disconsolate widow finds herself on a sudden surrounded with her

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