comes to pafs, when people, affuming the appearance of morality in their lives, indulge atheistical, wicked difpofitions in their hearts; when, through hypocrify and perversity, they arraign the difpenfations of divine providence, as inconfiftent and different from what in truth they are. In this manner, the king of Judah wearied God by his incredulity, diffimulation, and obftinate rejection of the condefcending offers made him by his fervant the prophet, which, with humility and gratitude, he ought to have accepted. From hence we learn, as from other paffages of fcripture, that the great God is pleafed to confider the indignities and injuries done to his fervants as done to himself. He that defpifeth or wearieth them, defpifeth and wearieth God: he that heareth them, heareth him that fent them: he that believeth not their teftimony, and complieth not with their counfels, is reckoned thus to act toward him with whofe meffage they are intrufted. They that lie to them, lie not to men, but to God *. Beware then of wearying God, by refufing to comply with the admonitions and offers he gives you by his fer.. vants; but now, while it is called to-day, hearken. to his voice, and obey his call,

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a fign, Behold, a virgin fhall conceive, and bear a fon, and fhall call his name Immanuel,

The prophet here declares, that the Lord would give Ahaz and his people a moft wonderful fign, by which his promises of mercy and deliverance were to be fully confirmed.The connection of what is promifed with the narration contained in the preceding verfes, is marked by the word therefore; which feems to import, that fince the king, through pretended modefty, and feigned reverence for God,

See 1 Sam. viii. 7. Luke x. 16.

had

had refused, after he was defired, to afk a fign or proof of the certain accomplishment of the foretold deliverance, and though on that account the Lord was juftly displeased, he would not deprive his people of a fign, for confirming their faith in the important truth of which he had given them affurance. Such is the fovereign mercy and grace of God, that it triumphs. over the obftinate wickednefs of men, and derives peculiar glory from the perverfe difobedience of tranf greffors. The intimation given of this fign, is introduced with the word behold, which is often ufed in fcripture, to excite and preferve attention to fomewhat wonderful, extraordinary, and interefting, that the speaker or writer was about to mention or describe. In obedience to this call, let us contemplate with admiration and gratitude this aftonishing fign, which the Lord himself was pleafed to give, for establishing the faith of his people in his promife.The miracle foretold is thus expreffed:

A virgin fhall conceive, and bear a fon. Between thefe words of Ifaiah, and the fact recorded by the apostle Matthew *, there is the most intimate correfpondence, and perfect agreement, both relating to the fame great event. The prophecy revealed the purpose and counsel of Jehovah; the accomplishment declared his fidelity and veracity: the prediction announced the certain future event; and the event, when it came to pafs, fulfilled the prediction. The infpired apostle, therefore, remarks, when recording the nativity of Jefus Chrift, Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken of the Lord by the prophet,' in the words before us; which are exprefsly applied to the Virgin Mary, and her Son Jefus Chrift. The fact, which Matthew relates, happened, that what was here predicted might be accomplished, not in a figurative fenfe, or in way of accommodation, but in the literal and proper fenfe of

Matth. i, 23.

the

the words. To no other perfons can they with juftice be referred: not to the wife of Ahaz, and his fon Hezekiah, who was born long before this prediction was delivered; nor to the wife of Isaiah, and any of his fons, none of whom was ever elevated to the throne of Judah. Nor can any event of which we have knowledge, that came to pafs about the time this fign was foretold, be confidered (without offering violence to the plain meaning of language) as the accomplishment of what is here declared. We, therefore, conclude, that the fign promised was the miraculous nativity of Jefus Chrift, to whose birth the wonderful circumftances mentioned in this verfe precifely agree. The chief difficulty which arifes from this expofition, is this, How the birth of the great Melfiah, which did not happen for ages after the deliverance was wrought for Judah, for comfirming the certainty of which it is faid to be a fign, could be a proof or evidence of its accomplishment? In anfwer to this obvious objection, I obferve, the astonishing mystery to which the prophet refers, was the fure foundation of all the glorious deliverances which God was pleased to work for his church in every age; and Ifaiah, forefeeing, by the fpirit of prophecy, this great expected event, places it full in the view of the godly among his countrymen, for the establishment of their faith and hope in God, in their prefent alarming condition. From the contemplation of this altogether new thing in the earth, greatly more wonderful than the prefervation of Ahaz and his people from the threatened deftruction by their enemies, they ought to have been encouraged to wait with patience for the fulfilment of the promised interpofition of divine providence.How admirable the condefcenfion and grace of God, who, notwithstanding the obstinate refusal of the king of Judah to ask a fign, either in the depth or in the height, was pleafed to unite thefe extremes in the fign, of which he here gives the moft explicit affurance!

And

And fhall call his name Immanuel; which being in terpreted, fignifies, God with us, God manifeft in our flesh, tabernacling among men, deeply engaged in promoting our beft interefts. God indeed is with us, by the immenfity of his divine prefence, which fills heaven and earth, and extends to all creatures and all places, as the royal pfalmift beautifully reprefents in Pfalm cxxxix. God is alfo with us, in refpect of his providential difpenfations, whereby, according to his good pleasure, he disposes of all persons and events, fo as to advance his own glory, and the good of his people. In neither of these senses of the expreffion have we the full import of the name given to the illuftrious Person, whofe miraculous birth is here foretold. It denotes, that, in confequence of his nativity, God is with us, in the moft intimate and friendly manner, to afford us the richeft difplays of his favour and love, to fulfil all his exceeding great and precious promises, to effectuate all the benevolent purposes of his tender mercy and loving-kindnefs, to remove our guilt, to dispel our ignorance, to conquer our ene mies, to blets and fanctify, to preferve and fave us. Words cannot exprefs what is comprehended in the name Immanuel. God being with us, he employs all his perfections for promoting our fafety and felicity; he confers upon us the most important privileges; he taketh part with us against our enemies; he removes every obstruction that lies in the way to glory, honour, and immortality; he conducts us through all the mazes of this life, and is ever active in promoting our real and eternal happiness. Though the child. born of a virgin had been abfolutely perfect his obedience commenfurate to the demands of the divine law, and his fubftitution and fufferings for finners voluntary, had he been no more than man, he could not have been equal to the arduous work of redemption. If deeply convinced of our obnoxiousness to the difpleasure of the Almighty, we might fink into defpair, were we not folemnly affured in the fcrip

tures,

for us.

tures, that a divine perfon, in human nature, engaged This wonderful condefcenfion gave immenfe value to all that he did, and to all that he fuffered: by his almighty arm he can eafily vanquish all the dif ficulties that might obftruct our falvation. This alone affords a folid ground of hope to finners of mankind, awakened to a deep concern what they shall do to be faved.We may now adopt the triumphant challenge of the apostle Paul, ' If God be for us, who can be against us.' Notwithstanding the many difficulties and enemies with which we have to contend, we shall be more than conquerors through him that loved us. God is with us, to protect and affift, to direct and blefs us.

15 Butter and honey fhall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Two remarkable circumstances are here mentioned, refpecting the child whofe nativity the prophet had foretold.Butter and honey are articles of food, which are well known to denote the plenty and peace of the country in which they are enjoyed in abundance. Upon this provifion of peaceful and plentiful times, with which the land of Canaan abounded in fuch feasons, the promifed child was to be fuftained. Prior to this period, the countries belonging to the two kings who diftreffed Judah, were to be defolated; in confequence of which, that kingdom was to enjoy the bleffings of peace and plenty. That he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. The expreffion, according to this verfion, is involved in much obfcurity and difficulty, and feems to have little or no. meaning, What good fenfę do you perceive in the declaration, that a child fhall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refufe evil, and choofe good? This food, I fuppofe, does not produce thefe effects. more than any other kind of wholesome fuftenance. The obfcurity of this paffage is greatly removed, by

3 G

render