4

If.

The best method upon this, as indeed, upon every other occafion, is, to reduce the opinions of those from whom we differ, as much as poffible, to FIRST PRINCIPLES. we refute THOSE. PRINCIPLES,-to pursue them through all their windings, and to chafe and run down every confequence, deduced from them,may indeed gratify the vanity of a fpeaker, or a writer, and fwell his oration or book into a greater bulk, but, cannot poffibly produce any other effect, than to weary and dif. guft them, whofe attention we fhould invite, and whofe understandings we. fhould inform.

Thefe different modes of refutation, are indeed characteristic of two very different and oppofite claffes of men. The former, is adopted only by thofe, who are always haftening to add, by their own difcoveries, to the prefent flock of knowledge.The latter, by thofe only, who, having no difcoveries of their own to offer, are proud of difplaying their acquifitions of other men's opinions.

First, then, let it fuffice to observe, that all who maintain, that the prophecy, relative to a VIRGIN's conceiving and bringing forth a fon, had it's PRIMARY and LITERAL completion in the time of Ahaz,

and only a SECONDARY, and therefore, INDIRECT fulfilment, in relation to our Saviour, muft neceffarily interpret the word VIRGIN, in the firft inftance, in a very different manner from that, in which, the Evangelist intends it, when he applies it to Jefus; and from what, the prophet leads us to expect, by the folemnity, with which he introduces his prediction. Both the latter manifeftly mean to denote, a very uncommon, extraordinary, and miraculous event. But the former, by their explanation, convert it into a

COMMON and ORDINARY event only, which occurs every day, in the ufual courfe of nature.

For

For, they muft, in defence of their opinion, either maintain, that, by the word VIRGIN, is only meant, a YOUNG WOMAN in general, in contradiction to it's etymology, and conftant application, and to the utter confufion and deftruction of all diftinction and perfpicuity in language: -Or, they must maintain, that, by the word VIRGIN here, was meant, only ONE, who was THEN a VIRGIN, but, who fhould HEREAFTER conceive, and bear a fon, when the had CEASED to be a VIRGIN. interpretation, fo unworthy the defign of the prophet, and fo inapplicable in ANY fenfe, to our Saviour, as to require no laboured refutation. Barely

An

Barely to relate it, feems to be almoft fufficient to refute it. For, the paffage, when fo explained, can,

neither in a PRIMARY nor a sECONDARY fenfe, be a prophecy of the miraculous birth of Jefus, related by the Evangelifts; nor even can poffibly be referred to, by way of ACCOMMODATION. The former fuppofitions, I fhall more fully expofe afterwards, the latter, I fhall refute

now.

For, firft, no ferious writer ever quotes a paffage from an author, by way of ACCOMMODATION, but, either in illuftration, or confirmation of fome fact or argument, which he

has