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tries, there are fome traces of this ancient cuftom of giving the denomination of father or uncle to a perfon who is not either the one or the other, but by a fiction of law. Hence, in the province of Britany, in France, by their municipal law, a relation, in a remoter degree, inherits as an uncle; and has the title of "Oncle a la mode de Bretagne," an uncle, according to the custom of Britany.

If, of two hiftorians, in writing the life of one of their nobles, one faid, that he was nephew to one, and the other, that he was nephew to another, could we impeach either with ignorance, when both could be reconciled by examining Sinto the cultoms of the country in which they wrote? And, if the rule ftands good with regard to authors of credit and repute, how much more fo, with regard to inspired writers?

Let us now examine your difficulty relative to this famous prophecy of Ifaiah, applied to Jefus Chrift by St. Matthew †," A virgin fhall "conceive, and bring forth a Son: and they "hall call his name Immanuel: that is to fay, God is with us.'

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You affert, that "St. Matthew did not well underftand the prophet's meaning:" and that this prophecy concerns one Maher-shalal

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hashbas,

Chap. vii. verfe 14.

+ Chap. i.

"hashbas, born of a prophetess, and given as "a fign to Ahaz, king of Judah." An easy way to elude a text of scripture! Mistakes and ignorance attributed to infpired writers!

We are to state the fact that gave occafion to this prophecy, before we attempt to unfold its mysterious sense, and to fhew how the co-incidence of circumftances makes it applicable to Jefus Chrift, and to him alone,

The kings of Ifrael and Syria laid siege to Jerufalem, with a defign to cut off the house of David, and place a ftranger on the throne. Ahaz, who could not be ignorant of Jacob's prophecy, who had foretold, "that the fceptre "should not depart from the houfe of Judah, "until Shiloh, or the Meffiah, was come,"* apprehended, not only the reduction of the city, but moreover the total excifion of the Jewish polity, which was to happen when the fceptre was to depart from the houfe of David: as it afterwards came to pafs, about the time of the birth of Chrift, when the Jews were obliged to receive fuch kings as the Romans chose to appoint.

To difpel the fears of the defponding king, the prophet gives him two figns, confirming, firft, that the fceptre fhould not depart from

* Genefis, chap. xxix.

⚫ the

the house of David, until a child is born of a virgin, in a miraculous manner, who would be God himself, Immanuel: and, as there was not fuch a miraculous child in his kingdom, he might reft fecure, that the fceptre should not depart fo foon from the royal line. Thus, his alarms, concerning the houfe of David, are quieted, in hearing the prophecy foretelling a miraculous birth, which was to happen at a diftant period. There ftill remained another doubt, viz. whether the confederate kings would take Jerufalem, befieged by fuch powerful forces? and this the prophet removed, by telling him, that his own child * fhould not be of age to difcern good from evil, before the two kings would be cut off. 1

Between Immanuel and Maher-fhalal-hafhbas there is not the leaft connexion. The first fignifies, in Hebrew," God with us:" the second fignifies, "haften to take the spoils: make haste "to take the prey." The one is conceived by a virgin the other is the fruit of connubial ties: and the prophet exprefly declares itt. Upon this occafion, we do not read, that he married a fecond wife neither was polygamy familiar to auftere perfons of the prophetic profeffion: and the third verfe, of the feventh chapter, abfolutely precludes

* Mentioned, chap. viii. verse 4.
In chap. viii. verfe 3.

precludes a state of virginity, whereas the prophet is commanded to go with his fon to meet the king: and this fon must be older than Maher-fhalal-hashbas.

The prophecy, then, relates to two different perfons,-Immanuel and Maher-shalal-hashbas; two different objects,-the excifion of the royal line of David, and the reduction of Jerufalem; two different events and signs,—the raising of the fiege, and the defeat of the two confederate kings, which was to be accomplished speedily, before the prophet's child could cry to his father and mother and the other, I mean the total extinction of the Jewish regal authority, when the fceptre was to be wrefted from David's defcendants, and lodged in the hands of the Effenian kings, under the protection of the Romans, about the time of Immanuel's birth, "who is "God above all, and bleffed for ever."

Should any doubt still remain, concerning this famous prophecy, faith is the firm anchor that ought to fix the doubts of a fluctuating mind : and humility should be fo far prevalent, as to induce us to prefer the opinion of an inspired writer before our own. We must renounce the fcriptures, or acknowledge that an evangelift is at more competent judge of a prophet's meaning than we can pretend to be.

After

After wading through thofe difficulties, I fhall not fwell my page with all the paffages quoted in your book, to prove Chrift's humanity: I allow them all. But what are we to do with all the texts that prove his Divinity? "The Alpha "and Omega." "The beginning and end." "My Father and I are one." "The first and "the laft." "A God manifefted in flesh: a "God mortified in flefh." "God was the "Word." Supreme worfhip due to God alone: "Let all the angels of God adore him." Eternal generation: "This day I have begotten "thee." The exprefs appellation of a God, and his fovereign dominion: "Unto the Son he faith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and દ ever," &c. &c. &c.

..

To elude the texts that affert his Divinity, you take refuge in a vain diftinction of two characters in which Chrift appeared,-the one private, the other public: a man, in his private character; an ambaffador or meffenger of God, in his public miniftry, by fhewing his credentials, and affuming the title of God, in quality of an ambaffador. I appeal to the judgment of the public, if this be not fporting with words, and perverting the ufe of language.

In the moft folemn negociations between monarchs, do their ambaffadors or envoys arrogate

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