Jefus ofNazareth theonly True and mromifedMefiah. z;t here take place ? (2. ) How could they fay ; Who bath believed our report, or the Do- thine that we had heard, and taught, concerning thisperfon, or there perföns? Had the Kingsand Nations fo preached the mifery and happinels enfuing of thepeople of the Jews, that they are forced to complainof the increduE?yof men,that they would not believe them ? and who would notbelieve them ? The Jews, they believe it . well enough; the Nations and their Kings, they are fuppofed to be the men com- plaining thattheyarenot believed ; fo that the fondnefs of thisimagination is beyond expreffion. ( 3. ) How do they fay, For the iniquity of my people he was ftricken, v. g. Who are they when the people 'themfelves are fuppofed to fpeak ? In brief, let all the Jews in the world, findout one expreffion in the whole Prophecy tolerably fuit- ed unto this Hypotbefio of theirs; and I (hall be contented that the wholeofit begrant- ed unto them, and be ufed according to their defires. Secondly, They add, thàtthefubjell of this Prophecy is fpoken of in the plural men- ß 52, ber, and fo cannotintend any one fingular perlon. This they indeavour to 'prove from thoí:-wards ofthe Lord, v.8: 'ezri 933 tev Vtne which they render, à bumf: grefonepopuli meiplaga ills. Lamo, is of the plural number, and fo cannot raped any tingle perfon, but muff denote the whole people., Anfw. But what perverfenefs is this, whoeverbe intended in this Prophecy, he is fpoken of twenty rims as a finagle perlon; andfuch things fpoken of him, as can by no artifices be tìtited unto any colledlive body of people; and than oneexpreffnon in the pluralnumber out-weigh all there,. and bemade anEngine to pervert the whole context, and to render it un- inteIligible ? ( z.) Suppofe yet the word todenote many, apeople, and not one tingle perlon, will it not unavoidably follow, that here is amention interferted occalionally of tome other perlons, betides him who is the principal fubj'edt of the Prophecy ; and fo the fenle can beno other, but that the people of the Prophet,, that is, the Jews, Gould affurediy be punned for the rejedtion of him, wholeperlon and work heprophefied about. (3. ) The truth is, the word hath not neceffarily, a plural fignifi- ration, 1042 lamo, is molt frequently put for t'7, by the inferting. of Lt, Whereof we have fundry vm inflancesin the Scriptures, Gen. 6.2o, 2 . Bleed be theLord Godof Shem; , 9t7 i jyTs= and Canaan fad) be his Servant r Lamo, for Lo, Job 20. a;. God Pall caff the fury of his wrath upon him, iBtt `11 1ii)4y' jteB'1 and fball rain it upon him whilli be it eating Icily for trt7y. So again, the fame word is ufed, chap. 22.0. 2. Pfal. 11. y.7. The Righteous Lord loveth Righteoufuefi, 10139 trrn 7tv+ his countenance doth beholdthe upright ; 10+39 for V.V. And in this Prophet, chap. 44. V. 15. He maketh it a gravenImage, terin'l and he fadéth down to it. Lamo for .Lo. And this is fo known, that there is fcarce any Grammarian of their own, who hath not taken notice of it; fo that this Exception alto is evidently itnperti- nest. Theyyet urge further tholewords, v.1 o. He¡hall fie bis fled, he (hall prolong hie 4. 53, dales:, This, fay they, is not agreeableunto any, but thofi who have children of. their bodies be- gotten, in whom their dales are prolonged. Anfw, s. It were well if they would confider the words foregoing ; of his making his foul an offering for fin, that, is, dying for it; and then tell us, how he that doth fo, can fee his carnal feed after- wards, and in them prolong his dales. z. He thatis here fpoken of; is dired}lydi- ftinguifhed from the feed, that is the people of God, fo that they cannot be the rub, jed} of the.Prophecy. 3. It isnot faid that he (hall prolong his (lairs in his feed, but he himfelf Gall prolong dales afterhis death, that is, upon his Rcfurrcd} ion he Gall liveeternally, whichis called length of daies. 4. The feed here, are the Iced fpoken of, Pfal. 22. 30. Afeed that (hallJìrve theLord, and be all accounted tint; himfor a Gene- ration. That is a fpiritual feed, as the Gentiles arecalled the Children ofSion brought forth upon ber traveling, Ifa. 66.8. Betides, how the Melliah Gall obtain thisfeed, is exprelTed in the next verte ; By his knowledge ¡ball my righteous Servant jmiifie many ; they are fuch as are converted to God by his Dodtrine, and juftified by Faith in him. And that Difeiples Gould be called thefeed, the offfpring, the children of their Mafters, and Ipftrudtors, is fo common amongtheJews, and familiarunto them, as no phrafcs or exprelfions are more in ute. Thus fpeaks exprefly this Prophet alto, chap. 8. 18. Behold, I and the Children whom the Lord bath given me ; and who were their Chil- dren, he declares, v. 16. bind up the Tefiimony, featthe Law among any Difciples : Thefe were the Children whom the Lord had given him. And this is the furnm of all that which any appearance of Reafon is objefked againft our application of this place unto the Mefliab; which how weak and trivial it is, is obvious untoevery ordi- nary undemanding. We
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