Sermon 21
Isaiah 53:4-5. Verse 4. Surely he has born our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Verse 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.
These words, and all this Chapter, look liker a piece of the history of the Gospel than a prophecy of the Old Testament; the sufferings of the Messiah being so directly pointed at in them. We show that this first part of the fourth verse holds forth the cause of his sufferings, and it is applied to our Lord (Matthew 8:17) and (1 Peter 2:24). As for the second part of the verse in these words, yet we esteemed him smitten of God, stricken and afflicted; any who are acquainted with the Gospel, cannot but know that it was fulfilled in him; and it is an aggravation of their sin who did so undervalue and despise him, that though he condescended to come so low for us, yet we slighted him, and even then when there was greatest love let out, we abused it and made it the rise of greatest malice. And for the fifth verse, it is applied by Peter (1 Peter 2:24). This whole Chapter then being so Gospel-like, and having a direct fulfilling in Christ, we may draw this general doctrine from it.
That our Lord Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, and rose again the third day; is the very same Messiah that was prophesied of in the Old Testament, and was promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom the fathers before his coming in the flesh were waiting for. And though this may be looked on as but a very common and useless doctrine, yet it is the main ground and foundation of our faith; we take many things for granted, wherein if we were well tried and put to it, we would be found uncertain, and in this among the rest. Now for confirmation of it, this same one argument will make it out; we shall not follow it at length, but in the prosecuting of it shall [reconstructed: restrict ourselves] to this Chapter. The argument runs thus: if in Christ Jesus, that which was prophesied of the Messiah, and promised to the fathers, has its fulfilling and accomplishment; then he must be the same Messiah that was prophesied of, and promised to them; for these things spoken of the one and alone Messiah, can agree to no other. But whatever was prophesied and spoken or promised of the Messiah to the fathers, to the least circumstance of it, was all fully accomplished and fulfilled in Christ; therefore the conclusion laid down in the doctrine follows, to wit, that our blessed Lord Jesus is the same Messiah that was prophesied of, promised to the fathers, and whom they before his coming were looking for. So that that question needs not now to be proposed — are you he that should come, or do we look for another? Go, says Christ (Matthew 11:4-6), and tell John, the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, and the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them, and blessed is he whoever shall not be offended in me; blessed is he, who because of my humiliation is not stumbled. Now, not to make a rehearsal of the general prophecies in Scripture, all of which have their exact fulfilling in Christ, we shall only speak to two things here for making out of the argument proposed. 1. That this Chapter speaks of the Messiah. 2. That what is spoken in it, is literally fulfilled in Christ.
1. That this Chapter speaks of the Messiah; though of old the blinded Jews granted it, yet now they say that it speaks of some other; but that it speaks of him, these things will make it evident. 1. If we look to the thirteenth verse of the former Chapter, where it is said, My servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high; there our Lord Jesus is spoken of as the Father's servant or great Lord-Deputy; and the Jews themselves grant that this is meant of the Messiah, and there is nothing more clear than that what is spoken in this Chapter relates to him who is called the Lord's servant in the former Chapter as we show at our entering to speak of it. 2. If we look to the description of his person, it can agree to no other, for it is said, There was no guile found in his mouth, he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth, etc.; he had no sin of his own, which can be said of no other, therefore this Chapter speaks of him. 3. If we consider the end and effects of his sufferings, they do also clear it; the end of his sufferings — for it is for the transgressions of his people, and as it is (Daniel 9:26), he was to be cut off but not for himself; the effects, he shall see his seed, and by his knowledge justify many: and the New Testament is full to this purpose, there being no Scripture in all the Old Testament more made use of, or more often applied to Christ than this is.
What is spoken in this chapter is really and literally fulfilled in Christ, and we may briefly draw what is in it to these five heads; all which we will find clearly fulfilled in him. 1. To his sufferings. 2. To the ground of his sufferings. 3. To people's account and estimation of him. 4. To the promises made to him. 5. To the effects that followed on his sufferings. 1. For his sufferings it is said, that he should be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, that he should be despised and rejected of men, and not be esteemed; that he should be looked on, as stricken, smitten of God and afflicted; that he should bear our sorrows and griefs; and be wounded for our transgressions, that he should be oppressed and afflicted; and brought as a lamb to the slaughter; that he should be numbered among the transgressors; and that he should die and be buried — make his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death; all which are clearly fulfilled in him; and the clearing of his sufferings, about which we spoke before, clears this, that not only he suffered, but that he was brought so low in suffering. 2. For the ground of his sufferings, it is said to be the sins of his own elect — he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows; he was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; there was no guile found in his mouth; the greatest enemies of our Lord could impute nothing to him; Pilate was forced to say, that he found no fault in him; all which show that it was for the transgressions of his people that he suffered. 3. As for people's little esteem of him, it is also very clear, for he was despised and rejected of men; we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not; the world thought little of him, and we that are elect thought but little of him, and what is more clear in the Gospel than this? Where it is told, that he was reproached, buffeted, spat on, despised; they cried away with him, crucify him; he trusted in God, let him deliver him; but God has forsaken him. 4. As for the promises made to him, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands; he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; and by his knowledge shall many be justified, etc. What mean all these but that he shall die and rise again, and have many converts; that God's work shall thrive well in his hand, and that he shall have a glorious kingdom and many subjects? Which is called afterward, his having a portion with the great, and his dividing of the spoil with the strong: all this was accomplished in Christ, when after his resurrection many were won and brought in by the Gospel to believe on him; and though Jews and heathens concurred and conspired to cut off all Christians, yet his kingdom spread and has continued these sixteen hundred years and above. 5. As for the effects that followed on his sufferings, or the influence they have on the elect people of God; as many converts as have been and are in the world, as many witnesses are there, that he is the Messiah; every converted, pardoned, and reconciled soul seals this truth: Hence (1 John 5:7-8) it is said, There are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one; and there are three that bear witness on earth — the Spirit in his efficacy, the water in the sanctifying virtue of it, in changing and cleansing his people, and the blood in the satisfying and justifying virtue of it, and these three agree and concur in one, even this one, to wit, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; And then it follows, he that believes has the witness in himself, because he has gotten pardon through him, and therefore can set to his seal to this truth, and say, truly Christ is the Messiah.
The use is, to exhort you to acquaint yourselves with these things that serve to confirm this truth; the book of the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistle to the Hebrews, are much spent upon it, even to hold out, and to prove Christ Jesus to be the true Messiah, and Savior of his people: If this be not made sure and certain, we have an unstable ground for our faith; and though it be sure in itself, yet so long as it is not so to us, we lack the consolation of it; and there is a twofold prejudice that comes through people's lack of thorough clearness in, and assurance of this truth. 1. To the generality of hearers, there is this prejudice, that they are so careless and little solicitous to rest on him: and as it made the Jews to reject him, who to this day stumble at him on this same very ground, that they know him not to be the Messiah, the Christ of God, in whom is accomplished all that was spoken of the Messiah; to Christians not being thorough in it, they do not rest on him nor close with him as the true Messiah. 2. There is a prejudice also from it to believers, who having only a glimmering light of Christ's being the Messiah, come short of that consolation that they might have if they were thorough in the faith of it; there is this great evil among Christians, that they study not to be solidly clear and thorough in this point — [reconstructed: so that] if they were put to reason and debate with a Jew if there were not a witness within themselves of it, the truth of the faith of many would be exceedingly shaken.
2. From this, that he never speaks of Christ's sufferings, but he makes application of them — he carried our griefs, he was wounded for our transgressions, etc. Observe, that believers would look on Christ's sufferings as undergone for them, and in their rooms and place. We cleared before, 1. that Christ suffered for some peculiarly, and not for all; and 2. that believers would endeavor the clearing of their own interest in his sufferings, and that they have a right to them. Now we shortly add this third, of kin to the former, that believers, and such as are fled to Christ for refuge, would look on his sufferings as come under for them; and these same Scriptures which we cited to confirm these, will confirm this. The reason why we would have you confirmed in this is, because, 1. it is only this that will make you suitably thankful — it is this which is a notable ground of that song of praise, (Revelation 1:4): To him that has loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, etc. 2. This is a ground of true, solid, and strong consolation, even to be comforted in the applicative faith of Christ's purchase. 3. It is the Lord's allowance on his people, which they should reverently and thankfully make use of, even to look on Jesus Christ, as wounded, pierced, and lifted up on the cross for them; and by doing this according to his allowance, there is a paved way made for application of all the benefits of his purchase.
3. From the scope (looking on the words as spoken to remove the scandal of the cross) observe (which may be a reason of the former) that folk will never take up Christ rightly in his sufferings, except they take him up as suffering for them, and in their room. This look of Christ leads 1. to take up much of the glory of grace, and condescending love to sinners. 2. It leads to take up Christ's faithfulness, that came to the world on sinners' errand according to the ancient transaction in the covenant of redemption, as he is brought in saying (Psalm 40): Lo I come in the volume of your book it is written of me, I delight to do your will O God. 3. It leads to a stayed look of God's holiness, justice, and goodness, in exacting satisfaction of his own Son, and in accepting of that satisfaction. 4. It gives a right view of the way of grace, and leads in to see it to be a most real thing; God the offended party accepting of the price, and Christ paying it. Thus the believer's faith gets a sight of Christ satisfying as if he saw his own debt satisfied by himself; it sees him undergoing the curse and justice inflicting it on him, that the believer may go free.
The use is, to show the necessity of studying the well-grounded application of Christ's sufferings as for us; much of the reason why Christ is not more prized lies here, that he is not looked on as paying our debt. Otherwise when challenges of the law and of justice take hold on the soul, if Christ were seen interposing, and saying, A body have you prepared for me; and if justice were seen exacting, Christ performing, and God accepting his satisfaction, and that in sign and token that justice is satisfied, he is raised from the dead, justified in the Spirit, and is entered in possession of glory as believers' forerunner in their name; it would afford precious and lovely thoughts of Jesus Christ, and humbling thoughts of ourselves. Therefore there is a necessity, if we would consider his sufferings aright, and prize and esteem him, that we endeavor to make particular application of them to ourselves on good grounds. 2. Upon the other hand, know, you who have no ground to make this application, that you cannot esteem aright of him or his sufferings, nor of the grace that shined in them, because you have no title to, nor can while such, have any clearness of interest in them. 3. For you that would fain have a high esteem of Christ, and yet are all your days casting at this foundation, never think nor expect to win rightly to esteem of him, so long as you scare to make application of his purchase; and therefore that you may love and praise him, and esteem rightly of him, labor to come up to the making of this application on solid and approved grounds.
4. More particularly from this part of the aggravation, Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted; we have a fourfold confirmation of truth, or four precious truths confirmed. 1. That our Lord Jesus in his sufferings did really suffer, and was really brought low in his sufferings, so as on-lookers thought him a most despicable man, and one that was stricken and smitten of God, and afflicted: of this we spoke on the beginning of the 4th verse. 2. We have here an evidence of the exceeding great freeness of grace, and of the love of Christ in his sufferings, in so far as he bore their sorrows, and paid their debt that counted him smitten; there was no good thing in us to deserve or procure his sufferings, but most freely he underwent these sufferings, and undertook our debt, (Romans 5:8): God commends his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us; and (verse 10): While we were yet enemies we were reconciled by the death of his Son. Can there be a greater proof of infinite and free love than appears in our Lord's sufferings? There was not only no merit on our side; but on the contrary, despising, rejecting, being ashamed of him, reproaching him, kicking against him, and rubbing of affronts on him; Paul and others having their hands hot in his blood.
Use 1. Consider here, behold and wonder at the free love of God, and rich condescending love of Christ — he stands not at the bar and prays for them that were praying him to pray for them; but as it is in the end of the chapter, it was for transgressors; it was even for some of them that were seeking to take away the life of the Prince of Life, and for other transgressors.
2. Know that in those to whom the benefit of Christ's death is applied, there is no more worth than there is in others who do not share of the benefit of it: It's the opinion not only of heretics, but some way of many ignorant professors, that those for whom Christ died were better than others; but here we see a proof of the contrary; He dies for those that accounted him smitten of God: and this he does for two reasons. 1. To show the riches and freedom of his grace, that could overcome man's evil and malice, and outreach the height of the desperate wickedness that is in man, and that that stands not (to speak so) on stepping-stones, but comes over the greatest gulfs of sin and enmity in the creature. 2. To comfort and encourage his followers when engaged to him, against and out over their grossest failings and greatest miscarriages; He that loved them when they were despising and rejecting him, and spitting in a manner in his very face — will he now give up with them when they have some love to him, for this or that corruption that stirs or breaks forth in them? Thus the Apostle reasons (Romans 5:10): If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life: We were enemies when Christ gave himself for us, but through grace we are somewhat better now; enmity and despite in us was then at a height, now it is weakened, restrained, and in some measure mortified: and if while we were at the height of enmity against him he died for us to reconcile us to God, how much more now being reconciled, may we expect peace and safety, and all the benefits of his purchase through him? Thus there is a notable consolation, from this bent of malice that was at one time in us, compared with the victory that grace has now gotten over it; and the gradation is always comfortable, to wit, that these lusts that once did reign, and were without any gracious opposition made to them, or any protestation entered against them, prevailing it may be publicly, are now opposed and protested against; and if Christ stood not on the greater, will he stand on the lesser? And our Lord allows this sort of reasoning so much the more, that he may thereby strongly engage the heart of the believer against sin, and to the admiring of grace, and withal to the serious study of holiness.
3. It serves to let you know how much you believers are engaged and obliged to grace, and what thanks you owe to it. 1. Look to what satisfies for your debt — you pay not one farthing of it, our Lord Jesus paid all. 2. Look to the moving cause, it's to be attributed to nothing in you, but altogether to free grace: some poor debtor may by his pleading prevail with an able and pitiful-hearted man to pay his debt; but there was no such externally moving cause in you to procure this of him, but he freely and willingly, and with delight paid your debt when you were in the height of malicious opposition to him, doing all that might scare him from it; and had it been possible that man's malice, despising, and despite could have scared him, he had never died for one sinner, but he triumphed openly in his grace over that and all that stood in his way. 3. We have here a confirmation of that truth that holds out man's malice and desperate wickedness, and can there be any thing that evidences man's wickedness and malice more? Than 1. To have enmity against Christ. 2. To have it at such a height as to despise him, and count him smitten and plagued of God. And 3. To be at the height of malice even then when he out of love was condescending so low as to suffer and satisfy Justice for him; you may possibly think that it was not you that had such malice at Christ; but says not the Prophet, We esteemed him smitten of God? Taking in himself and all the elect, which might give us this observation, that there is nothing more desperately wicked, and filled with more enmity against Christ in his condescending love, and against God in the manifestation of his grace, than when even elect souls for whom he has suffered, despise him, and count him smitten of God and afflicted: it's indeed very sad, yet very profitable, to walk under the deep apprehension, and soul-pressure of heart-enmity against God and Christ: are there any of you that think you have such sinful and wicked natures that dispose you to think little of Christ, to despise and reject him and his grace? God's elect have this enmity in their natures; and if such natures be in the elect, what must be in the reprobate who live and die in this enmity? If this were seriously considered and laid to heart, O but folk would be humble, nothing would affect the soul more, and sting to the very heart, than to think that Christ suffered for me, through grace an elect and a believer, and that yet notwithstanding I should have so despised and rejected him, and accounted him smitten of God and afflicted; let me exhort all of you to look back on your former walk, and to lay this enmity to heart, for the day is coming when it will be found to be a biting, and conscience-gnawing sin to many.
4. In that he aggravates their enmity from this, observe this truth which is also here confirmed, that there is nothing that gives sin a deeper dye, than that it is against grace and condescending love, that is, against Christ when suffering for us, and offered to us; O! that makes sin to be exceeding sinful, and wonderfully abominable, and thus it is aggravated (Hebrews 2), as greater than the contempt of Moses his law; and (Hebrews 6) it is accounted to be a crucifying the Son of God afresh, and a putting him to an open shame; and (Hebrews 10) it is called a treading him under foot, an accounting the blood of the Covenant to be an unholy thing, and a doing despite to the Spirit of Grace. These two last Scriptures look mainly to the sin against the Holy Ghost, yet so as there is somewhat of that which is said in them to be found in all unbelievers their despising of Christ; it is a sin some way hateful, even to the Publicans and Sinners to hate them that love us, to do ill to them that do good to us; how much more sinful and hateful is it to despise and hate him who loved us so as to give himself for us, and when he was giving himself for us? There are many sins against the law that will draw deep, but this will draw deeper than they all, even sinning against grace, and the Mediator interposing for sinners, and manifesting love to them; and the reckoning will run thus, Christ was manifested to you in this Gospel as the only remedy of sin, and set forth as crucified before your eyes, and made offer of to you in the Gospel, and yet you despised him, and esteemed him not. And let me say it to believers, that it is the greatest aggravation of their sin; it is true, in some respect that the sins of believers are not so great as the sins of others, they not being committed with such deliberation and full force of will, nor from the dominion of sin, yet in this respect they are greater than the sins of others, because committed against special grace and love actually communicated; and therefore when the believer considers that he has repaid Christ thus, it will affect him most of any thing, if there be any suitable tenderness of frame.
5. From considering that it is the Prophet that expresses this aggravation, we may observe, that the believer that is most tender, and has best right to Jesus Christ and his satisfaction, and may upon best ground apply it, will be most sensible of his enmity, and of the abominable guilt that is in despising and wronging of Jesus Christ; therefore the Prophet brings in himself as one of those that by Christ's stripes were healed, taking with his guilt, we despised and rejected him, we esteemed him not, we judged him smitten of God. The reason is, because interest in Jesus Christ makes the heart tender, and any wrong that is done to him to affect the sooner and the more deeply, the crust that sometime was on the heart being in a measure taken away; and interest in Christ awakens and raises an esteem of him, and produces a holy sympathy with him in all the concerns of his glory, even as the members of the body have a fellow-feeling with the head. Make a supposition, that a man in his madness should smite and wound his head, or wrong his Wife, his Father, or his Brother; when that fit of madness is over, he is more affected with that wrong than if it had been done to any other member of his body, or to other persons not at all, or not so nearly related to him. There is something of this pointed at (Zechariah 12:10), they shall look to him whom they have pierced, and mourn for him as a man does for his only Son; as if he had said, the strokes they have given the head, shall then be very heavy and grievous to be borne, and will be made to their feeling to bleed afresh; they thought not much of these woundings and piercings of him before, but so soon as their interest in him is clear, or they come cordially to believe in him, they are kindly affected with the wrongs done to him.
The use is, that it is a mark, to try if there be indeed an interest in Christ, and if it be clear; the man whose interest is clearest: 1. His wrongs done to Christ will prick him most, if the wrongs be done by others they affect him; if by himself they some way faint him; wholeness of heart under wronging of Christ, is too great an evidence that there is little or no ground for application of his satisfaction, but it is kindly like, when wrongs done to Christ affect most. 2. When not only challenges for sin against the law, but for sins against Christ and grace offered in the Gospel, do become a burden, and the greatest burden. 3. When the man is made to mind secret enmity at Christ, and is disposed to muster up aggravations of his sinfulness on that account, and cannot get himself made vile enough; when he has a holy indignation at himself, and with Paul counts himself the chief of sinners; even though the evil was done in ignorance, much more if it has been against knowledge; it is no evil token when souls are made to heap up aggravations of their guilt for wrongs done to Christ, and when they cannot get suitable expressions sufficiently to hold it out, as it is an evil token to be soon satisfied in this. There are many that will take with no challenge for their wronging Christ, but behold here how the Prophet insists, both in the words before, in these, and in the following words, and he can no more win off the thoughts of it, than he can win off the thoughts of Christ's sufferings.
6. While the Prophet says, when Christ was suffering for his own, and for the rest of his people's sins, we esteemed him not, but judged him smitten of God; observe briefly, because we hasten to a close, that Jesus Christ is often exceedingly mistaken by men in his most glorious and gracious works, can there be a greater mistake than this? Christ suffering for our sins, and yet judged smitten and plagued of God by us; or more home, even Christ Jesus is often shamefully mistaken in the work of his grace, and in the venting of his love towards them whose good he is procuring, and whose iniquities he is bearing.
The Use of it serves 1. To teach us when we are ready to pass censure on Christ's work, to stand still, to animadvert on, and to correct ourselves, lest we unsuitably construct of him: He gets much wrong as to his public work, as if he were cruel, when indeed he is merciful, as if he had forgotten us, when indeed he remembers us still: And as to his private work in particular persons, as if he did fail in his promise when he is most faithful, and bringing it about in his own way. And 2. (which is of affinity to the former) it's a warning to us not to take up hard constructions of Christ, nor to misconstruct his work, which when misconstructed, himself is mistaken and misconstructed: How many think that he is breaking when he is binding up, that he is wounding when he is healing, that he is destroying when he is humbling? Therefore we would suspend passing censure till he come to the end and close of his work, and not judge of it by halves, and then we shall see there was no such ground for misconstruing of him, who is every day holding on in his own way, and steadily pursuing the same end that he did from the beginning; And let him be doing so: To him be praise for ever.
