him between the
Cherubim, at the right hand of the Almighty, worshipping him as
"God equal to the Father," as, "God of God, very God of every
God:" and that by far the greater part had also placed Mary his
mother on the other side of the Deity, worshipping her as "the
mother of God!"[fn31] he would in my opinion renounce and
denounce them as impious heathens, and possibly believe that
they were possessed with devils.

The next passage which Mr. Everett quotes as a prophecy of
Jesus, is the 2d verse of the 5th chapter of Micah, "and thou
Bethlehem Ephratah, it is little to be among the thousands of
Judah; out of thee shall come forth unto me, him who is to be ruler
in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old, from the days of
ancient years:" [according to the Hebrew.] This I interpreted to
signify, not that the birth of the Messiah should be in Bethlehem,
but the descent of the Messiah should be derived from Bethlehem,
i.e. from Jesse the father of David; (and that therefore a future
Messiah who should be derived from this family, would fulfill the
prophecy;) and this interpretation, I represent as being known and
acknowledged by Hebrew scholars. "But the truth is, says Mr.
Everett p. 94, that the original word, [translated by me "shall come
forth,"] is familiarly used of the birth of a man, as "Mizraim begat
Pathrusim, and Casluhim out of whom came Philistim,"" Gen. x.
13, 14. This is a very awkward quotation on the part of Mr.
Everett, as it says nothing in favour of his views, but directly
favours mine: for Philistim is a word in the plural number, and is
used in the Hebrew Bible, to express "the Philistines;" and the
word translated "come"[fn33] is also in the plural number, see
Simon's Hebrew Bible. The passage therefore in Genesis x. 13.
14. imports that the Philistines were derived or descended from
Mizraim. "Who the Hebrew scholars are, says Mr. Everett, who
acknowledge this turn of the passage [in Micah] know not," p. 94
of Mr. Everett's work. If I were writing in Europe or America, I
think that I could point them out; but if my memory does not
deceive me, Grotius interprets the passage of the derivation of the
Messiah from Bethlehem: and Mr. Everett will not deny that the
modern Christian Hebrew scholars of Germany, disallow that this
passage has any reference to Jesus, and affirm that it is quoted in
the New Testament, Matthew ii. 5., only by way of allusion or
accommodation.

I had however, in ord