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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
quite in accord with the utterance of the prophet:
"Behold a virgin [Intellect] shall bring forth a child [wisdom] and his name shall be Immanuel [Saviour]."
Thus, the first birth of man is of flesh, in the manner of flesh, but the second is that of Christ in him; and since the birth of Christ is the result of the brooding of Spirit over Intellect, having no manner of resemblance to the process of procreation of man in this world, therefore, is called the virgin-birth as well. Jesus was born of flesh, in the manner of flesh; but Christ was conceived of the Holy Ghost. The failure to observe this distinction has caused a lot of mischief in the world. Isaiah's prophecy referred to Christ; but it bas been erroneously ascribed to Jesus. The result is that, instead of throwing light on the true doctrine of the Messiah, its attribution to Jesus has actually gone to cast the aspersion of illegitimacy on a legitimate child. In all probability Jesus was born of duly wedded parents, and has to thank his own followers for the aspersion of illegitimacy flung at him by his opponents. That the prophecy in Isaiah (VII. 14 and 15) does not refer to Jesus is perfectly clear from the contents of the chapter in which it occurs. Its opening lines are:
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, so that he may learn to refuse the evil."
So far as Jesus is concerned, the prophecy cannot be said to have been fulfilled in him, for he ate not butter and honey, but fish and bread. As he himself puts it, the Son of man (C came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners" (Matthew, XI. 19). Besides,
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