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of the wild Arabs. But, these circumftances, by no

means warrant

any one to infer, that this was likewife the cafe in Judea. For, on the contrary, the diffimilarity in the condition, and poffeffions of the inhabitants of the two countries, authorifes us to draw, a diametrically oppofite conclufion. Indeed, from the paffages he cites, it may not only be doubted, but denied, that they are articles of delicacy, or luxury, even amongst the Arabs. For, though they might form the most elegant breakfast, yet that might be by no means, the moft coftly and luxurious meal amongst them, any more than amongst us. And, how

furprised

furprised fhould we be, to fee a foreigner conclude, from what we fhould fet before even a princely gueft at that meal,-that butter, bread, &c. were the greatest delicacies, either our country produced, or our riches would enable us to import. His conclufion, likewife, that these articles of food, were not appropriated to children, (if he has not deceived himself by an equivoque)

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because they were ufed alfo by people of riper years, can claim no better fupport. For, what is more probable, from the experience of all countries, than that fome fpecies of diet, fhould be the common and fle food of children, which formed

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a part only of the diet of men? And what could be fo naturally thus appropriated, as milk and honey, in a country, which is characteriftically defcribed, as flowing with them?

The new tranflation then, which is propofed, of exchanging "THAT," for << WHEN," is far from being authorised, by any proof, that butter and honey, were NOT the ufual food of children;-or, that they were a food of fuch delicacy, that there was any ftate of the country, in which, Judea could not furnifh them. Much lefs, therefore, would it follow, that there is any INCONSEQUENCE

attends

attends the declaration, that the child was to eat butter and honey, because, at the time of the delivery of the prophecy, fuch was the ftate of the country, that it would not afford thofe articles of food. For, it was not the ftate of the country, at the time of the DELIVERY of the prophecy, but at the time of it's ACCOMPLISHMENT; which, if it had even at all, could poffibly have any relation to it. And to fuppofe, that the prophecy was delivered and completed, in the SAME ftate of the country, is, to fuppose the most manifeft contradiction, viz. that the child here fpoken of, was NOT the EMMANUEL.

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2

Not lefs evident is it, that the INCONSEQUENCE alledged to follow, from the child's eating butter and honey, THAT he may know to refufe the evil, and choose the good, does by no means apply.

For, whatever may be fuppofed, to be the operation of these species of food, in refpect to common infants, it is certainly capable, not only of a meaning, but of a very great and important meaning too, when applied to THE CHILD, of whom it is HERE fpoken. For, as I have just now observed, it is aħ UTTER IMPOSSIBILITY, that the child, fpoken of in THIS VERSE,

fhould

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