and encourage Ahaz, in the time of his distress, he delivered him into the hands of the kings of Israel and Syria; (5) who smote him, and carried a great multitude of captives to Damascus; and two hundred thousand captives and much spoil to Samaria; (8) besides slaying one hundred and twenty thousand valiant men in one day. (6)

Here we find are two different statements given of the same transaction. Isaiah shows, that Ahaz was protected by this Bible God, and promised success: whilst in 2 Chron. xxviii. 10, we read that " the Lord brought Judah low, because of Ahaz, King of Israel, for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord." How came the holy men of God, who I suppose wrote this verse, to call Ahaz, King of Israel, when we are told, that he was the King of Judah, and defeated by the King of Israel, whose name was Pekah?

Again, what credit can be given to any of these Jewish tales, when we find it written in 2 Kings xvi. 5-20. that those two Kings, Rezin and Pekah, came against Ahaz, and besieged him, but could not overcome him; instead of which, Ahaz, with the aid of the King of Assyria, overcame the King of Syria, and went to their capital, Damascus. But in 2 Chron. xxviii, 20-27, we read that the King of Assyria came and distressed him, and strengthened him not. Moreover, that he sacrificed to the Gods of Damascus, which smote him; besides shutting up the doors of the house of the Lord, and making altars in every corner of Jerusalem, provoking the Lord to anger by his abominations. Yet the Priests would wish us to believe that this man was so much the favourite of God, as to be indulged, in preference to any other man, with a sign from the Lord himself, concerning his only begotten son, seven hundred years before it came to pass! And if condescend to men of low estate56 you will oblige me by explaining how Pekah, King of Israel, could come against Ahaz, King of Judah, when we are told that Pekah was slain in the twentieth year of Jotham, the

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father of Ahaz! Or how could Pekah be slain in the twentieth year of Jotham, when we are informed 8 that Jotham reigned only sixteen years, that Ahaz his son, succeeded him in the seventeenth year of Pekahı ?59 And why, in all these accounts, we do not find the name of Isaiah once mentioned, nor yet the virgin story, which we will now take the trouble to examine?

Isaiah says, (vii. 10.) that the Lord himself spoke to Ahaz, and bade him ask for a sign; as he seemed to doubt of Isaiah's message. But Ahaz (good man) would not tempt the Lord; (12) yet he would provoke him to anger, by burning his children in the fire, and sacrificing to other Gods!60 Then the Lord answered and said, that he, the Lord, would give him a sign; (14) for "behold," he says, "a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name IMMANUEL. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good; for before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest, shall be forsaken of both her kings."

This then we find, to be the purport of the sign; viz, that a child should be born, who was to be fed with butter and honey; for by eating that only which was good, such as butter and honey, he would have a greater aversion to that which is bad, such as those stinking elods of beef, &c. which are oftentimes given to us in these times. And that before the child should have the judgment to distinguish the one from the other, or as it is said in Chap. vii, 4, "before the child shall have knowledge to cry my father and my mother, the riches of Damascus, (in Syria) and the spoil of Samaria, (in Israel) shall be taken away, before the King of Assyria,' and the land forsaken of both those kings, namely, Rezin, the king of Syria; and Pekah king of Israel. This was to be the sign. Ahaz was the person unto whom the sign was to be given; and Isaiah was to be the instrument by which this sign was to be accomplished. For he took witnessess to prove, that

he went in unto a prophetess, and got her with child: (viii, 2, 3,) which child, with some others that he had got, he declared should be for signs and wonders in Israel, from the Lord. (18.)

Now, prithee Doctor, please to inform me, how this woman, the prophetess, can be accounted a virgin, if it means a pure and undefiled woman, according to our acceptation of the word, when Isaiah himself confessed that he took witnesses in with him to see him getting her with child? Would not such a virgin be deemed an impudent whore in the present day, who would admit witnesses in to see a man getting her with child? For we do not read that she was the wife of Isaiah. You know that it was common in those days, for holy men of God, such as priests and prophets, to keep whores and concubines; witness the Levite, Hosea, David, Solcmon, Samson, &c., &c.61 Besides, what reference can this transaction have to the birth of Jesus? Did Jesus feast upon butter and honey? Are we not told that he was called a man, gluttonous, and a wine-bibber ?6 2 Was Ahaz living, unto whom the sign was to be given? or were those two kings invading the land of Judah, when the birth of Jesus took place? If you cannot answer these questions agreeable to reason, I must consider Mr. Matthew, if he wrote this account, to be no other than an ignorant impostor, and an abominable liar; it being evident that he had some base design in view, by his only quoting a part of the sign of Isaiah, and applying it to Jesus, instead of the whole he well knowing that if he quoted the whole sentence, it would apply no more to Jesus, than it would to Pontius Pilate.

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And why all this fuss about Jesus? What benefit have men received by his coming? Matthew said, (verse 21) that he should save his people from their sins. But do we not read throughout the book, that the people were as sinful after he came, as they were before? And have they not continued so even to the present day? Even the bishops and priests who have been filled with this Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands, are not saved nor prevented from committing the most

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abominable and atrocious sins. You yourself likewise confess that you are a miserable sinner, or why pray daily for forgivness? Perhaps you will say, that it is in consequence of the depravity of human nature, and that by reason of the heart being so deceitful and desperately wicked," we are not able to do those things which we would wish to do.64 If such be the case, what good could Jesus do by preaching or even dying for us? He should have changed those deceitful hearts, as all power was given unto him.65 But instead of doing that which had been promised by the prophets ages back,66 or saving them from their sins, he gave power, to a set of ignorant and malicious wretches," to retain their sins, according to their own will and caprice! 68

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Should any God ask me to come and reason with him,69 I would ask him why he had made all their hearts so desperately wicked? it being written, that it is he that fashioneth their hearts,70 and turneth them which ever way he willeth.71 Surely it would have been more to the praise and glory of God, if he had made them with pure and holy hearts at first; as the potter, you say, has power over the clay to make the vessel as he willeth.72 He would then have prevented those rivers of blood which have flowed through the accursed 73 name of Jesus. Every man would then have been able to enjoy the fruits of his own labour; which is now taken from him to support in idleness and luxury, a swarm of useless animals, called Popes, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, and many other ambassadors, of different degrees and denominations, which this name of Jesus has sent among mankind: also Churches, Chapels, Tabernacles, and Conventicles, with all their gew-gaws, to please the fancies of those pretended ambassadors. Neither should we, if every man were impeccable, require Prisons, Bastiles, Recorders, Judges, Gaolers and Turnkeys, with all the host of vermin that infest almost every street in every city, parish, and village, and who are a reproach to every civilized nation.

Trusting that you will answer the words of truth, to them that send unto thee,75 I have addressed those two letters unto you, in order that thou mightest have perfect understanding of the first chapter "according to St. Matthew." And before the expiration of another month, I shall take into consideration, the second chapter, and lay it before you, in like manner, for your inspection.

Till then, I remain, as before,

Your humble Servant,

JOHN CLARKE.