Wesley Corpus

8). How doth God herein ‘commend His love towards ‘us in’ delivering up His own Son to die for us’ Yea, God ‘was pleased with bruising Him,’ when, clothed with our flesh and bearing our sins, He manifested to angels and men His infinite love of divine justice, till, being ‘made obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,’ He satisfied its utmost demand. It was then God ‘was pleased to bruise Him,’ when ‘He made His soul an offering for sin.’ He then appeared before the Judge of all under ‘the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,’ as the Apostle speaks; and therefore God was pleased ‘to condemn sin in the flesh’ (Rom. viii. 3), to ‘bruise Him’ who sustained the person of sinners. But this was only the prelude of a glorious victory. Therefore the Prophet adds: ‘He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand’ (Isa. liii. 10). After repeating (verse 11) the sum of all, ‘He shall bear their iniquities,’ he subjoins the cause of His reward: ‘Because He poured out His soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; for He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors’ (verse 12). The 5th verse, of which I have not yet spoken, renders this great truth still more evident: ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.’ He loved His own body less than His mystical body, the Church; and therefore gave the former for the latter, ‘to redeem and purchase it with His own blood’ by paying Himself as a ransom for it. Hereby ‘nailing the handwriting which was against us to His cross, He took it out of the way,’ and so became ‘our peace.’