So much for them. But our other friend must not be forgotten. The place is of great importance, the testimony in it evident and clear; and we must not suffer ourselves, on any pretence, to be de- prived of the support thereof Thus, then, he proceeds in the exposi- tion of this place : —
" For unto us a child is born." " Id est, nascetur. Nam Hebrsea prgeterita sumuntur pro futuris;" — " That is, shall be bom," etc. Of this we shall have use in the very next Avords.
" Unto us a Son is given." " Dabitur. Ezechias patri Achazo mul- tum dissimilis. Sic tamen ut multo excellentius hsec ad Messiam pertinere, nou Christiani tantum agnoscant, sed et Chaldseus hoc loco;" — that is, " Shall be given. Hezekiah, most unlike his father Ahaz. Yet so that these things belong more excellently to the Messiah, not only as the Christians acknowledge, but the Chaldee in this place,"
Here begins the exposition. Hezekiah is intended. So, indeed, say some of the rabbins. But, — 1. This prophecy is evidently a con- tinuance of that which is begun chap, vii,, and was given at the time of the invasion of Judah by Rezin and Pekah ; which was after Ahaz had reigned some years, as is evident, 2 Kings xvi. 1-5. Now, he
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reigned but sixteen years in all, and when Hezekiah came to the crown, in succession to him, he was twenty-five years of age, 2 Kings xviii. 1, 2; so that he must needs be born before this pro- phecy. There is, then, already an inconsistency in these annotations, making the prophet to speak of that which was past as future and to come.
2. It is true that the Chaldee paraphrast applies this prophecy unto the Messiah, whose words are, " Dicit propheta domui David ; quoniam parvulus natus est nobis, Filius datus est nobis, et suscepit legem super se, ut servaret eam ; et vocabitur nomen ejus, a facie admirabilis consllii Deus, vir permanens in seternum ; Christuscujus pax raultiplicabitur super nos in diebus ejus." He not only refers the whole to Christ, without any intimation of Hezekiah, but says also that his name shall be " The God of counsel."
3. Neither is he alone, but the ancient rabbins generally are of the same judgment, as Petrus Galatinus and Raymundus Martinus abundantly manifest. To repeat what is or may be collected from them to that purpose is not much to mine.
4. The present difference between us and the learned annotator is, whether Hezekiah be here intended at all or no. To what hath been spoken we have that to add in opposition to him which we chiefly insist upon, namely, that none of the things ascribed to the person here spoken of can be attributed to Hezekiah, as expressing some- what more divine than can be ascribed to any mere man what- ever. Indeed, as Grotius wrests the words in his following inter- pretation, they may be ascribed to any other ; for he leaves no name of God, nor any expression of any thing divine, to him that is spoken of
Among the rabbins that interpret this place of Hezekiah, one of the chief said he was the Messiah indeed, and that they were to look for no other! This is the judgment of Rabbi Hillel in the Tal- mud. Hence, because Maimonides said somewhere that the faith of the Messiah to come is the foundation of the law, it is disputed by Rabbi Joseph Albo, Orat. i. cap. i., whether Hillel were not to be reckoned among the apostates and such as should have no portion in the world to come ; but he resolves the question on Hillel's side^ and denies that the faith of the Messiah to come is the foundation of the law. Others, who apply these words to Hezekiah, say he should have been the Messiah, but that God altered his purpose upon the account which they assign. This they prove from verse 6, where, in the word '"'?lPr, " mem clausum" is put in the middle of a word. This Grotius takes notice of, and says, " Eo stabili- tatem significari volunt Hebraii, ut per mem apertum in fine rup- turam." Perhaps sometimes they do so, but here some of them turn it to another purpose, as they may use it to what purpose
TESTIMONIES TO THE DEITY OF CHRIST VINDICATED. 31 7
they please, the observation being ludicrous. The words of Rabbi Tanchum, in libro Sanhedrim, to this purpose, are : " Dixit Rabbi Tanchum, Quomodo omne mem quod est in medio vocis apertum est, etistud '"'^IPK Esa. ix. 6, clausum est? Quassivit Deus sanctus benedictus facere Ezechiam Messiam,et SennacheribumGog et Magog. Dixit proprietasjudieii coram eo, 'Domine mundi, et quid Davidem, qui dixit faciei tuse tot cantica et laudes, non fecisti Messiam, Eze- chiam vero, cui fecisti omnia signa hsec, et non dixit canticum faciei tuse, vis facere Messiam?' Propterea clausum fuit statin), etc. Egressa est vox coelestis, 'Secretum meum mihi ;'" — " Rabbi Tanchum said, Seeing every onem that is in the middle of a word is open, how comes that in nanop to be closed ? The holy, blessed God sought to make Hezekiah to be the Messiah, and Sennacherib to be Gog and Magoo-. Propriety of judgment" (that is, the right measure of judgment), "said before him, 'Lord of the whole earth, why didst thou not make David Messiah, who spake so many songs and praises before thee ? and wilt [thou] make Hezekiah to be the Messiah, for whom thou hast wrought those great signs, and he sj)ake no song before thee?' In- stantly mem was shut, and a heavenly voice went forth, ' My secret belongs to me.'"