consequence of it. Though it is not my intention to enter into
controversy on subjects of this kind, but to confine myself to show
that the Bible is spurious,--and thus, by taking away the foundation, to
overthrow at once the whole structure of superstition raised thereon,--I
will however stop a moment to expose the fallacious application of this
passage.

Whether Isaiah was playing a trick with Ahaz, king of Judah, to whom
this passage is spoken, is no business of mine; I mean only to show
the misapplication of the passage, and that it has no more reference
to Christ and his mother, than it has to me and my mother. The story is
simply this:

The king of Syria and the king of Israel (I have already mentioned that
the Jews were split into two nations, one of which was called Judah, the
capital of which was Jerusalem, and the other Israel) made war jointly
against Ahaz, king of Judah, and marched their armies towards Jerusalem.
Ahaz and his people became alarmed, and the account says (Is. vii. 2),
Their hearts were moved as the trees of the wood are moved with the
wind.

In this situation of things, Isaiah addresses himself to Ahaz, and
assures him in the name of the Lord (the cant phrase of all the
prophets) that these two kings should not succeed against him; and to
satisfy Ahaz that this should be the case, tells him to ask a sign.
This, the account says, Ahaz declined doing; giving as a reason that he
would not tempt the Lord; upon which Isaiah, who is the speaker, says,
ver. 14, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold a
virgin shall conceive and bear a son;" and the 16th verse says, "And
before this child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good,
the land which thou abhorrest or dreadest [meaning Syria and the kingdom
of Israel] shall be forsaken of both her kings." Here then was the sign,
and the time limited for the completion of the assurance or promise;
namely, before this child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the
good.

Isaiah having committed himself thus far, it became necessary to him,
in order to avoid the imputation of being a false prophet, and the
consequences thereof, to take measures to make this sign appear. It
certainly was not a difficult thing, in any time of the world, to find
a girl with child, or to make her so; and perhaps Isaiah knew of one
beforehand; for I do not suppose that the prophets of that day were any
more to be trusted than the priests of thi