round, and pointing to his fon, who was with him, told the house of David," before THIS CHILD fhall

know to refufe the evil, &c. the "land, &c. fhall be forfaken of both "her kings."

They feem, however, foon to have been aware, that fome excufe muft be found, in fome measure to palliate, fo grofs a violation of all the canons of criticifm, notwithstanding the existence of theirs, and every one's hypothefis of the two kings, depended upon it; and therefore they pleaded, not in justification indeed, for nothing can justify fo unwarrantable a liberty; but however, in mitigation B b

of

of it, that they could not fee, that the Prophet could be ordered to take his fon Shearjashub with him, for any one ufe or purpofe, if it was not for this.

But, unfortunately for thefe commentators, this defence is as unfounded, as the whole conjecture and hypothefis are groundless.

For, firft. As the name of the Prophet's fon, was a prophetic name, fignifying, "a remnant fhall be left," there were but few cafes, in which, Shearjafhub could be an unmeaning and useless attendant upon his father, when he went to deliver any prediction,

diction, cither of good or evil, which was to befal either of the kingdoms of Ifrael. For, he himself tells us, in the next chapter, that he and his children, were meant as figns and wonders to them.

But, fecondly. There was a pcculiar propriety, fignificance, and importance, in the order to the Prophet, to take his fon with him, when he went to meet Ahaz, and the houfe of David, in the midst of their confternation, at the news of the confederacy, between the kings of Syria and of Ifrael; and of their approach to befiege Jerufalem, to fubdue Judea, to root out the stock

of David, and to make Tabael, a Syrian,-king. For, though the confederate kings, were not to accomplifh their defigns, as the Prophet was directed to TELL them ;—yet, God had intended, that they should bring the kingdom very low, as they actually did, by the tens of thoufands of the men of Judah, whom they flew, and the hundreds of thoufands, they carried away captive.What, then, could more fully have declared to Ahaz, &c. (would they have believed) the EXACT STATE of the event, then to be brought to pass,-than the PRESENCE of SHEAR JASHUB, in ADDITION to

the

the VERBAL DECLARATION of the Prophet?

Thirdly. From the account I have before given, of the different occafions, upon which, and of the different times, when the two prophecies were delivered; this fuppofition is at once cut up from the roots, by this circumftance alone,-that there is not the flighteft ground for belief, that Shearjafhub DID ACCOMPANY his father, at the delivery of the LATTER prophecy. But it is on the contrary, highly probable, he did not. For, his prefence would only have perplexed the interpretation of the prophecy, as will be cafily feen,

when