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fix, (y) whence it is recorded by the Seventy in the abstract, (εv vɛoll) "the way of a man in his youth;" which sense Jerom follows, ("viam viri in adolesen"tia;") and it may thus seem to be differenced from the same word in all other places. But in reality, the

(דרך גבר בעלמה) ;meaning of the wise man is evident

"the way that a man taketh to corrupt a virgin," which is secret, full of snares and evils. And when by subtle wicked ways the seducer prevaileth against her chastity, she afterwards (as experience but too often teaches) becomes a common prostitute. And this I take to be the genuine meaning of the place; though it is not altogether improbable, that the wise man proceedeth, ver. 20, to another instance of things secret; since the particle () often signifies as much as, so also.

3. It is plainly some marvellous thing that is here spoken of. It is called, (*) a signal prodigy, and is given by God himself, as something greater and more marvellous than any thing that Ahaz could have asked, either in heaven above, or in earth beneath, had he made his choice according to the tender made unto him. "The Lord God himself shall give you a "sign." The emphasis used in giving the promise, denotes the greatness and marvellousness of the thing promised. The Jews cannot assign either virgin or son, that is here intended; whence it appeareth, that none can possibly in this promise be intended, but he whose birth was a miraculous sign, as being born of a virgin, and who being born, was God with us.

§12. The Jews object, in the second place, that the birth of the child here promised was to be a sign to Ahaz, and the house of David, of their deliverance from the two kings who then waged war against them. But we do not say, that this was given them as a pe

culiar sign of their present deliverance; for Ahaz himself had before refused such a sign. God therefore assigns a reason in general, why he would not utterly cast them off, although they wearied him, but would yet deliver them, as at other times, viz. because of that great work which he had to accomplish among them, which was to be signal, marvellous, and truly miraculous. And many instances we have of things promised for signs, which were not actually to exist until after the accomplishment of the things whereof they were a sign, as Exod. iii, 12; 1 Sam. x, 3, 4; Isa. xxxvii, 30; 1 Kings xxii, 25. Besides, this sign hath the truth and force of a promise, although it was not immediately to be put in execution. Their assurance, therefore, consisted in this; that on God's declaration, as surely as he would accomplish the great promise of bringing forth the Messiah, and that he should be born of a virgin, so certain should be their present deliverance, which they so desired.

§13. It is farther urged, that the deliverance promised was to be brought about before the child spoken of should know to refuse the evil, and choose the good; or should come to years of discretion, ver. 16, and what was this to him, that was to be born some hundreds of years after? but it doth not appear, that (a) the child mentioned ver. 16, is the same with the (1) son promised, ver 14. The prophet, by the command of God, when he went unto the king with his message, took with him Shear-jashul, his son, ver. 3. This certainly was for some special end in the message he had to deliver, the child being then but an infant, and of no use in the whole matter, unless to be made an instance of something that was to be done. It is, therefore, probable, that he was (y) the young child designed, ver. 16, before whose growing up to

discretion, those kings of Damascus and Samaria were destroyed. Or the expression may denote the time of any child being born, and coming to maturity of understanding, and consequently the promised child. In as short a space of time, as this promised child, when he shall be born, shall come to know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, shall this deliverance be wrought.

§14. (IV.) Another descriptive note of the Messiah, is, what he was to teach. This Moses describes, Deut. xxviii, 18, 19; "I will raise them up a Prophet "from among their brethren, like unto thee," &c. This is that signal testimony concerning the Messiah, which Philip urged to Nathanael, John i, 45; which Peter not only applies to him, but declares that he was solely intended in it, Acts iii, 22, 23; and Stephen seals that application with his blood, Acts vii, 37. Nor do the Jews deny that the Messiah was to be a prophet, or that he was promised in these words. It is evident from this passage, that, in the ordinary course of God's dealing with the Jewish church, there was no prophet like to Moses. Hence, Maimonides with his followers conclude, that nothing can ever be altered in their law, because no prophet was ever to arise with authority equal to him, who was their law-giver. But the words of the text are plain: the prophet here foretold, was to "be like to him," that is, he was to be a law-giver to the house of God, as our apostle shews, Heb. iii, 1-5. The words of the author of Sepher Ikkarim, Lib. iii, cap. x, are remarkable: "It cannot "be, that there should not at some time arise a Prophet "like unto Moses, or greater than he; but thus, these "words, "there arose none like him,' ought to be in"terpreted, not as if none should ever be like him, but "that none should be like him, as to some particular

"quality, or accident; or that in all the space of time, "wherein the prophets followed him, until prophecy "ceased, none should be like to Moses; but hereafter "there shall be one like him, or rather greater than he." Such a prophet was the Messiah to be, a law-giver, so as to abolish the old, and to institute new rites of worship. This rising up of the Prophet, like to Moses, declares that the whole will of God, as to his worship, and the church's obedience, was not yet revealed. Had it been so, there would have been no need of a Prophet like to Moses, to lay new foundations, as he had done. But being invested with that authority, it is declared, that whosoever refuseth to obey him, should be exterminated, and cast out from the privileges of being reckoned among the people of God.

§15. We are, then, in the next place, to consider the accomplishment of this promise, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Now, that he was a prophet, and so esteemed by the Jews themselves (until, through the envy of the Scribes and Pharisees, and their own unwillingness to admit of the purity and holiness of his doctrine, they were stirred up to oppose and persecute him, as they had done all other prophets, who, in their several generations, foretold his coming) that he was, I say, a prophet, is evident from the record of the evangelical story; See Matt. xxi, 46; Mark vi, 15; Luke vii, 16; xxiv, 19; John ix, 17; vi, 14; Acts iii, 22, 23; and their present obstinate denial of this fact is a mere contrivance to justify themselves in their rejection and murder of him. But this is not all; he was not only a prophet in general, but he was that Prophet foretold by Moses and all the prophets, who was to put the last hand to Divine revelations, by a full declaration of the whole counsel of God, the peculiar work of the Messiah. For,

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1. The nature of this Prophet's doctrine confirms our assertion. Whatever characters of Divine truth that can rationally be conceived, are eminently imprinted on the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Whatever tends to the glory of God as the first cause and last end of all things; whatever is suitable to excite and improve that which is good in man, in the notions of his mind, or inclinations of his will; whatever discovers his wants and defects, that he may not exalt himself in his own conceit above his real condition, or is needful to point out to him his end or his way, his happiness, or the method of attaining it; whatever may teach him to be useful in society, in all those relations in which he may stand; whatever is useful to deter him from evil, or even to suppress the hidden seeds of it, without the least indulgence; whatever in short, may contribute to stir up and direct him in the practice of what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, is clearly revealed by this Prophet, and in the most heavenly manner.

2. The removal of types, carnal ordinances, clouds and shades, with which the Mosaical dispensation abounded, with a clear explanation of the nature, reason, and use of all those institutions, was a work no less glorious than the very first revelation of the promise itself; and this was what was reserved for the great Prophet, the Messiah. For that God would prescribe ordinances and institutions for his church, whose full nature, use, and end should be everlastingly unknown to them, is unreasonable to imagine. But Christ un

veiled the mind of God in all these institutions; and we may assert, that there is not the meanest Christian, who is instructed in the doctrine of the gospel, but can give a better account of the nature, use, and end of the Mosaical institutions, than all the profound rabbins in

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