fhould be any other, than the SAME WONDERFUL SON of the VIRGIN, -the EMMANUEL, or GOD WITH us, foretold, in the FOREGOING. As, therefore, from the former verse alone, mankind would have been induced to fuppofe, that one fo miraculously born, and poffeffed of fo divine a nature, would totally differ in every respect, from the fons of men ; it was in perfect conformity with the human nature he affumed, for the Prophet to declare, that he would appear like a man, and be nourished by the fame food that other children are, that he might have experience of the good and ill of human life. This is fo rati

onal,

onal, and at the fame time, fo VERY OLD an explanation of the common tranflation, that it is impoffible to conceive, it was unknown to the learned commentators; and equally inconceivable, how it could be rejected, as having no meaning.

But, though this common interpretation of thefe words, affords this natural, obvious, and rational explanation of their meaning, and is thus eafily defenfible against every objection, and even cavil which has been thrown out against them; yet, I must confefs, I am rather inclined to think, they ftill admit of ANOTHER INTERPRETATION, better

fuited to the figurative ftyle of the Prophet, and the nature and fublimity of the fubject.

I can

not

forbear to think, that the Prophet did not here mean to describe literally, the food of the infant, and from thence infer his acquifition of knowledge, in the common way of other children;-but, to denote his fupernatural knowledge, wisdom, and Sweetness of speech, even before his arrival at that age, in which, the common degrees of knowledge and wifdom, are ufually acquired by obfervation and experience.

Few fimilitudes, are more common, in the books of the Old Teftament,

Teftament, than the comparing wisDOM, ELOQUENCE, and SWEETNESS of SPEECH, to BUTTER and HONEY. Thus, 1 Samuel, xiv. 19. and the following verses, " Jonathan's EYES (are faid) to be ENLIGHTENED, "by tafting a little honey, when he "was faint and weary." So likewife, Proverbs, xxiv. 13. 14. "My fon, eat thou honey; for honeycomb is good, fo that thy palate

may be fweetened :-Thus fhall Ithy foul learn wifdom; for if thou "find it, thy end fhall be good, (or right) " and thy expectation

Again,

"fhall not be cut off." Proverbs, xvi. 20. to 24. "Good

"doctrines are an honey-comb, the

"fweetness

"fweetnefs and health of the foul."

Cant. iv. 11.

Thy lips, O my

fpoufe, drop as the honey-comb ; honey and milk are under thy tongue."

From thefe, then, and a variety of other paffages which might be quoted, it feems to me clear as demonftration, that when the Prophet fays, "Butter and honey fhall HE EAT, BEFORE (according to that "best authority, the Septuagint) he

KNOWS (i. e. as v often means, before he has learned by experience) either to lay hold of (( evil, or to choose good, "-he means, that this child, this EMMA