Wesley Corpus

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. (Isai. 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 inter cession for the transgressors.” (Verse 12.) “The fifth 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 chastise ment 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.” “(4.) From all which it appears, that Christ was not only a pattern, but, first and principally, the surety of the new cove nant, yea, a sacrifice and a victim for the sins of his people; ‘whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.’ (Rom. iii.25.) And that precious sacrifice offered on the cross is the very centre and marrow of the gospel. To that one offering whereby our great High Priest ‘hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified,’ (Heb. x. 14) all the ancient sacrifices referred, as well as numberless other types and figures. “All these, says the Apostle, “were shadows of things to come; but the body is Christ.” (Col. ii. 17.) He it was, who, ‘not by the blood of bulls and goats, but by his own blood, entered into the holiest, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Heb. ix.12.) In consequence of this we are accepted, ‘through the offering of the body of Christ once for all.’ (x.