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Moderns can pretend to) have fo render'd in this place; and not to infift on the Tradition, which prevailed among the Jews, not long before our Saviour's appearing, viz. that the Meffias fhould come into the World in fuch an extraordinary manner, & that no Man fhould know whence he was, or (as the Talmud expreffes it) h that his Birth fhould be like the Dew from the Lord, as Drops from the Grafs, expecting not the Labour (or Action) of Men: Not to infift on these Things, I fay, (though they make very much for Chrift's Title to the Prophefy,) how can we imagine, that, af ter fo pompous an Introduction, and fo important a Name, the Prophet should mean no more at last by a Virgin's conceiving, than that a young Woman fhould be with Child. What, does Ifaiah offer Ahaz a Miracle, either in the Depth, or in the Height above, and, when he feems to tell the Houfe of David, that God, of his own accord, would perform a greater Work than they could ask; does he fink to a Sign, that Nature produces every Day? Is that to be called a Wonder (which implies an uncommon, furprizing, and fupernatural Event) which happens conftantly by

the

John vii. 27. Vid. Bishop Chandler's Defence of Christianity,

the ordinary Laws of Generation? How little does fuch a Birth answer the folemn Apparatus which the Prophet ufes, to raise their Expectation of fome great Matter? Hear je, O Houfe of David-Behold the Lord himself will give you a Sign worthy of himself, and what is it? Why a young married Woman fhall be with Child. How ridiculous must such a Discovery make the Prophet, and how highly muft it enrage the Audience, to hear a Man, at fuch a Juncture as this, begin an idle and impertinent Tale, which feems to banter and infult their Misery, rather than administer any Confolation under it.

"But of what Ufe or Confolation "could the future Birth of the Meffias "be to the Houfe of David at that "time? Or where is the Sense of the "Prophet's faying, that before the "Child (to be born feven hundred Years hence) fhall be able to diftinguish between Good and Evil, the Land fhall "be forfaken of both her Kings?" Now in Answer to this, it may be observed, that, in the beginning of this Paffage, when God commanded Ifaiah to go and meet Ahaz, he order'd him to take with him his Son Searjahal, who was then

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then but a Child. Why the Child was to accompany his Father, we can hardly fuppofe any other Reafon, but that he was to be of use, fome way or other, to enforce the Prophefy. 'Tis but fuppofing then, that the Prophet, when he uttered the foregoing Words, pointed at his own Child (for there is no need to refer them, to Immanuel) who might then either ftand by him, or be held in his Arms, and all the difficulty is folved: But then the Comfort, which accrued to the Houfe of David from this feasonable Prophefy, was very confiderable. For m it affured them of the Truth and Veracity of God's Promise, in that he would not fuffer them to be deftroyed, nor the Sceptre to depart from Judah, until the Meffiah came. It affured them of his Almighty Power, in that he could create a new thing in the Earth, by making a Virgin conceive, and thereby fhew himfelf able to deliver them out of the Hands of their most potent Enemies; and it affured them likewife of his peculiar Favour, in that he had decreed the Meffiah fhould defcend from their Family; fo that the People, to whom he had vouchsafed fo high a Dignation, might depend on his

H

Vid. Kidder's Demonft. Part 2.

Pro

St. Luke's

Protection, and, under the Shadow of his
Wings, think themselves fecure.

We allow indeed that " some learned

Quotati Men have referred that Paffage in Deu

on of

Deut.

teronomy, where God promises a Proxviii. 15. phet like unto Mofes (and which St. Luke applies to the Perfon of Jesus) fometimes to Joshua, and fometimes to a Succeffion of Prophets in the Jewish Church: But the Authority of great Names is of no avail with us, when, upon Examination, it appears, that they are fo palpably mistaken. For let us confider the occafion of the Paffage : Upon the terrible Appearance, which the Prefence of God made on Mount Horeb, at the Delivery of the Law, the People's Requeft to Mofes was, ° Let me not hear again the Voice of the Lord my God, neither let me fee this great Fire any more, that I die not; at which Behaviour God being well pleased, bids Mofes return them this Promife, I will raife them up a Prophet, from among their Brethren, like unto thee, and will put my Words in his Mouth, and he shall Speak unto them all that I command him; and, it fhall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my Words, which he fball Speak in my Name, I will re

quire

• Grotius and Stilling fleet in particular. Deut. xviii. 16, &c.

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quire it of him. Now in order to discoyer wherein the Similitude between Mofes and this Prophet was to confift, we muft enquire into the Particulars, that diftinguished Mofes from the reft of the Prophets; and, accordingly, we find God himself, P upon a small Sedition, that Aaron and Mirjam were engaging in against him, making this Declaration in his Favour; If there be a Prophet among you, Ithe Lord will make my felf known unto bim in a Vifion, and will speak unto bim in a Dream; my Servant Mofes is not fo, who is faithful in all mine Houfe: With him will I speak Mouth to Mouth, even apparently, and not in dark Speeches. And what he means by speaking apparently, we find explained, when we are told, That the Lord fpake to Mofes Face to Face, as a Man Speaketh to his Friend. This was the distinguishing Character of Mofes, and in this particular, neither Joshua, nor any of the fucceeding Prophets could pretend to be like unto him. They never faw God's Glorious Prefence, nor heard him speak distinctly. He did not converfe familiarly with them; but whatever he had to communicate, he did it by way of H 2

Vifions,

Exod. xxxiii. 11.

› Numb. xii. Ver. 6, &c. Sykes's Effay upon the Truth of the Chriftian Re ligion.

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