therefore, must most probably have been, before the king of Affyria's conqueft of Damafcus, and flaughter of the king, though he took the form of an altar from Damafcus afterwards. He faid, because the Gods of the kings of Syria help THEM, therefore will I facrifice to THEM, that THEY may help ME. Affrightened and confounded therefore, as Ahaz, and the house of David had been, at the attempt of the united kings, to make themfelves mafters of Jerufalem, to extinguish the royal houfe of David, and to place one of their own creatures on the throne; yet, no fooner was the prediction of the prophet accomplifhed, in the failure of this enterprife, than, because the men of Judah were overcome in a battle, in which they had refolved to engage, without any acknowledgement of the mercy of their God for their paft deliverance, or any truft in his power, for their future fuccefs, they became ftill more obftinate in their rejection of the true God, and more warmly attached themselves than before, to the idols of Ifrael, and of Syria. It was then probably, juft after this moft fignal defcat, in which Ahaz loft fo many of his people by the the fword, and by captivity, when he was more earnestly renewing his worship of falfe Gods, and reviling the majefty of heaven, that the Lord fent the prophet again to speak to him, as the prophet relates, according to our English translation, in the following words: 10. Moreover, the Lord fpake again unto Ahaz: faying, 11. Afk thee a fign of the Lord thy God, ask it, either in the depth, or in the height above. 12. But Ahaz faid, I will not afk, neither will I tempt the Lord. E 2 13. And 13. And he said, hear ye now, O houfe of David; Is it a fmall thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God alfo? 14. Therefore, the Lord himself . fhall give you a SIGN-Behold! a Virgin fhall conceive, and bear a fon, and fhall call his name EMA NUEL. 15. Butter and honey fhall he cat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16. For, before the child fhall know to refuse the evil, and choose the the good, the land that thou abhorreft, fhall be forfaken of both her kings. I do not, in this place, offer any alteration in the tranflation of this prophecy, becaufe, when I fhall afterwards enter upon my own interpretation of it, I fhall critically examine every verse. This is the great and important prophecy, of which, the opinion of fome commentators, is, that it was really fulfilled many hundred years before the time of our Saviour, and is merely referred to, by the Evangelift St. Matthew, in the fame manner, |