'phet which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die; and if • thou say in thine heart, How shall we know

the word which the Lord hath not spoken ? 'When a prophet speaketh in the name of the "Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken; but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of

' him.'

Did the Sanhedrim institute an inquiry into the pretensions of Jesus upon these principles, by which they were bound to be guided, as being a part of the law of Moses? It is evident that they did not. They neither convicted Jesus of false doctrines, nor of false predictions. They could not call in question the spotless innocency of his life; nor can the modern Jews prove that the Sanhedrim did, upon this occasion, pay the smallest attention to the commands of the law. It follows, therefore, (even

upon the supposition which is most favourable to the Sanhedrim,) that they condemned Jesus without any evidence whatever of his guilt; i. e. they were (even on the supposition of his being an impostor,) guilty of a judicial murder, by condemning him as such without evidence. But O! if it be indeed true, as we Christians believe, that he was the promised Messiah, how awful is the load of guilt which this act of the Sanhedrim entailed on the Jewish nation! His

blood' (said the Jews) be on us, and our 'children' that blood does still lie upon them as a curse, and will do so, 'till they shall look

6

on him whom they have pierced, and mourn 'for him as for an only son; and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born.' (Zech. xii.)

As, therefore, we have seen that Jesus was a preacher of righteousness; that his whole ministry was a course of active beneficence to the souls and bodies of inen; and that his greatest enemies, the Jewish Sanhedrim, with all the advantages they possessed from their official situation, could

prove nothing against him; and, as we have further seen, that both his betrayer, Judas, and his judge, Pilate, pronounced him innocent; it follows that, in every respect, his character and conduct showed him to be the righteous ser'vant of God;' which is the great characteristical mark of the person described in Isaiah liii.

The next feature of character belonging to the person who is mentioned in Isaiah liii., is, as we have seen, that his sufferings are expiatory; and submitted to by him for the sins of others, and not for his own. He was wounded for our

transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the • chastisement of our peace was upon him, and ' with his stripes we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, &c.; and the Lord hath laid, or caused to meet on him, the ini'quity of us all.' And, in the concluding verse it is said, that he bare the sin of many.' Now, it deserves particular consideration, that the Hebrew word here used for he bare, is precisely the same which, in Leviticus xvi. 22, is applied to the bearing away the sins of the children of

Israel by the scape-goat. In Isaiah liii. 12, the

,22 .and in Leviticus xvi חטא רבים נשא phrase is The inference ונשא השעיר עליו את-כל-עונתם it is

is, that the bearing of sin, in both passages, has the same meaning; and it is natural also to suppose, that the scape-goat was a type of the righteous person mentioned in Isaiah liii., who was, in the proper sense of the word, to bear the sins of many.

Let us now compare the doctrines of the New Testament, with respect to the sufferings of Jesus, with the foregoing prophecy. Does Isaiah say of the righteous servant of God that

he bare the sin of many?' The New Testament testifies the same of Jesus, (John i. 29.) • The next day, John seeth Jesus coming unto

him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, 'which taketh away the sin of the world.' (Matth. xx. 28.) The Son of man came not 'to be ministered unto, but to minister; and to give his life a ransom for many.' (Rom. v. 6.) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.' (1 Pet.

ii. 21.) • Christ also suffered for us, leaving us ' an example that ye should follow his steps; ⚫ who did no sin, neither was guile found in his ' mouth.' 6 Who, his own self, bare our sins on his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness; by

whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned

' unto the shepherd and bishop of

your

souls.' Isaiah says of the righteous servant of God, (liii. 10.) It pleased the Lord to bruise him; he

hath put him to grief.' The New Testament says, (Rom. viii. 32.) He that spared not his

own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?' (1 John iv. 9.) In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the 'world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.'

Isaiah says, he bare the sin of many; and