28. Further; there are other considerations offering themselves from the context undeniably proving that it is the conception of a virgin which is here intended and foretold; for, first, it is plainly some marvellous thing, above and contrary unto the ordinary course and operation of nature, that is here spoken of. It is called nix, a signal “prodigy ;” and is given by God himself in the room of, and as something greater and more marvellous than, any thing that Ahaz could have asked, either in heaven above or in the earth beneath,
092 JESUS OF NAZARETH [EXERC. XVIL
had he made his choice, according unto the tender made unto him. “The Lord-himself shall give you a sign.” The emphasis used in giving the promise denotes the marvellousness of the thing promised. Now, certainly it was no such great matter that the wife of Ahaz, which had before born him a son, who was now eight years of age, or the wife of the prophet, who was the mother of Shear-jashub, then present with his father, or any virgin then pre- sent immediately to be married, should bear a son, so as to have it called a “prodigy,” an eminent sign of God’s giving a thing that he should take upon his own power to perform, when within the same space of time hundreds of sons were born to other women in the same country. And it is ridiculous what the Jews pretend, namely, that it was great in this, that the prophet should foretell that con- ception, as also that it should be a son that should be born, and not a daughter; for the work and sign intimated doth not consist at all in the truth of the prophet’s prediction, but in the greatness of the thing itself that was foretold.
29. The Jews cannot assign either virgin or son that is here in- tended. Some of them affirm that Alma was the wife of Ahaz, and the son promised was Hezekiah; but this is rejected by Kimchi himself, he acknowledging that Hezekiah was now eight years old, being born four years before his father came to the kingdom, in the fourth year of whose reign this promise was given unto him. Others would have the Alma to be the wife of the prophet, and the son promised to be Maher-shalal-hash-baz, whose birth is mentioned in the next chapter. But neither hath this any more colour of reason ; for besides that his wife is constantly called 8°22, “the pro-— phetess,” and could on no account be termed 2/Y, “a virgin,” having a son some years old, at that time accompanying his father, that son of hers in the eighth chapter is promised as a sign quite to another purpose, nor could for any reason be called ?83Y, “ Im- manuel,” whose the land should be, which is said to belong unto this promised child. And for what they, lastly, add concerning some virgin then standing by, who was shortly after to be married, it isas fond as any other of their imaginations; for besides that the prophet says not, N8i0 myn, « This virgin,” as he would have done had he directed his speech unto any one personally present, it is a mere arbitrary invention, no way countenanced from the text or context, such as if men may be allowed im, it is easy for them to pervert the sense of holy writ at their pleasure. On all which con- siderations, it appeareth that none can possibly be intended in this promise but he whose birth was nix, a miraculous “sign,” as being born of ?¥, “a virgin;’ and who, being born, was -SYaY, “God with us,” both in respect of his person, uniting the natures of God and man in one, and of his office, reconciling God and man, that
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God might dwell with us in a way of favour and grace; he whose the land should be in an everlasting kingdom.
30. I have insisted the longer on this particular, because it com- priseth all that the prophecy is cited for by the evangelist, and all that we are concerned in in it. This being proved and confirmed un- deniably, that it is the Messiah whose birth is here foretold, as also that he was to be born of a virgin, all other passages, whatever difficulty we may meet withal in them, must be interpreted in answer thereunto. And we have showed before, that, by reason of the typical state and condition of that people, many of the pro- mises of the Messiah were so mixed with things of their then pre- sent temporal concernment, that it is often a matter of some diffi- culty to distinguish between them. It is enough for us that we prove, unquestionably, that those passages which are applied unto him in the New Testament were spoken of him intentionally in the Old; which we have done in this place,—and what belonged unto the then present state of the Jews we are not particularly concerned in. However, we shall manifest, in answer to the remaining exceptions of the Jews, that there is nothing mentioned, in the whole prophecy, that hath any inconsistency with what we have declared, as to the sense of the principal point of it, nay, that the whole of it is excel- lently suited unto the principal scope, already vindicated.