Jesus was a divinity, what occasion was there for his sacrificing himself, to try whether the father would save him? Ib. " He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days." Surely he had no seed, nor can his disciples be called his seed; for we find no where that pupils are called seed, but only the children which we bring forth. His days were likewise not increased according to the above quoted text, but to the contrary, they were decreased; for he only lived thirty-three years. Many more proofs of a

similar nature could I state to substantiate that the Holy Scripture does not mean Jesus, but alludes entirely to the people of Israel.

As a further testimony that the Scripture means Israel, we need only peruse the following text: Ib. lii. 1. "Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean," &c. How is that fulfilled? Jerusalem labours yet up to this very day under the Ishmaelites, who themselves call the Christians unclean. Ib. 2. "Shake thyself from the dust: arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion."

This evidently proves that it signifies the future time, when Israel shall return from their banishment, namely, the ten tribes. Ib. 3 and 4.

S

לא נמצא שתלמידים יקראו זרע רק בנים היוצאים מחלציו : וכן לא מצינו ימיו שהאריך כי בן לגי

שנים היה : וכן תמצא ראיות ברורות רבים שאין מספר שאין כוונות הכתוב עליו בשום פנים

וגם זה הראייה ברורה שרק על ישרא דבר הכתוב כנראה מפרק נ"ב באמרו: אי עורי לבשי עוזך בגדי תפארתך ירושלים עיר הקודש כי לא יוסיף יבא בך עוד ערל וטמא וכו' : ואיך נתקיים מאמר זה הלא ציון וירושלים עד היום הזה תחת כפות רגלי ישמעצים שאפילו הנוצרים בעצמם קוראין להם ערלים וטמאים : ב" התנערי מעפר קומי שבי ירושלים התפתחי מוסרי צוארך שביה בת ציון וכו':

אכן נראה כי על העתיד דבר הכתוב כשישובו נוני ישרא משבים וזהו עשרת השבטים כדכתיב בפסוק ג' כי כה אמר ה' חנם נמכרתם ולא בכסף תגאו : ד" כי כה אמר אדני הי מצרים ירד עמי

Consequently it is alluding to future nations. and kingdoms; for in his lifetime he was not called, despised, and rejected of men, but quite the contrary; therefore the scripture cannot mean him, but is applied to Israel: but admitting that it refers to Jesus,, how is it possible then to interpret upon him the following text: Ib. liii. 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," &c. Did he not suffer martyrdom on account of saving the souls of those who believed in him, to elevate them above all other nations? And what preference have the Christians before the other nations? The Israelites possess equal great forces and fortune. As such how can the following be applied to him:

Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted, extolled, and be very high:" how can he be then wounded and bruised? "the chastisement of our peace shall come upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." This is certainly inconsistent.

Equally less can v. 10 be interpreted as meaning Jesus, "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief," &c. For, according to what the Sophists maintain, Jesus ascended into Heaven. Ib. 8. "For he was cut off out of the land of the living :" they argue that he departed for eternal life. Ib. 10. "When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin." If

ה" והוא מחולל מפשעינו מדוכא מעונותינו

מוסר שלומנו עליו ובחבורתו נרפא לנו וכו' : ואם

:

הוא הערה למות נפשו ונתן לענוי בעד אותן שמאמינים בו כדי להושיע נפשותם ולהצליחם על כל העמים : י"ל מה ההצלה והצלחה לצו יותר על כל עם ולשון הלא נראה לכל שישמעצים הצלחתם רבה : ובפרט אם נאמר עליו עבדי ירום ונשא הלא הוא לא מדוכא ולא מנוגע

וכן לא נתקיים בו פסוק י' וה' חפץ דכאו החלי ואיך הוא מדוכא הלא לדעתם יותר מקורב הוא כדבריהם שעלה למרום : ואיך נגזר מארץ החיים אכן לדבריהם הוא הלך לחיים הנצחי : אם תשים אשם נפשו אם אהים הוא מה צרכו לשים לאשם

את נפשו אם הוא מנסה את עצמו : יראה זרע יאריך יאים הלא לא ראה זרעו מימיו ולא יוכלו לומר שתלמידיו נקראים זרעו כי

and commit unpardonable errors, such as may be discovered (if properly examined and compared with the different texts which allude to Messiah), even by those of less understanding: for instance, they say he is the Son of God. Why does GOD then call him his servant? And if we admit of his being a divinity, the appellation of servant must become inconsistent. No less absurd is their explanation of the text, Isa. liii. 3. "He is despised and rejected of men ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from him: he was despised, and we esteemed him not," &c. How can the following apply to him? Ib. 19. "As many were astonished at thee," (his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.) What comparison can be made of the following text to the above, if they both mean Jesus? Psa. xlv. 3. “Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips, therefore God hath blessed thee for ever:" although he is declared, according to the text in Isa. liii. 3. "Despised and rejected of men?" If replied that the children of Israel will say so in future, I must ask, Why does it stand in Isa. lii. 15. "So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they consider."