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 FULL REVIEW 
 
 AND 
 
 EXPOSURE 
 
 OP 
 
 BISHOP COLENSO'S 
 
 ERRORS AND MISCALCULATIONS 
 
 IN HIS WORK, 
 
 '' C^^ Hentiitcuxl^ itntr §aoIi of |0sljitit mticallg 
 
 BY y 
 
 THE HON. JUDGE MARSHALL, 
 
 OF NOVA SCOTIA. 
 
 LONDON: 
 WILLIAM FREEMAN, 102, FLEET STREET. 
 
 1863 
 
London: burns and cc, steam printers, edgware road, w. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Remarks on the Preface to the First Part of Bishop Colenso's 
 Book, &c. ....... 9 
 
 Examination of his " Introductory Eemarks " in Chapter I. . .26 
 
 Answers to Chapters II. and III. Concerning "The Family of 
 
 Judah" . . . .46 
 
 „ „ IV. "The Size of the Court of the Taber- 
 
 nacle Compared with the Number of 
 the Congregation " . . .59 
 
 „ „ V. "Moses and Joshua Addressing all 
 
 Israel" . . . .66 
 
 „ „ VI. "The Extent of the Camp Compared 
 
 with the Priest's Duties, &c." , 69 
 
 „ „ VII. "The Number of the People at the 
 
 First Muster Compared with the Poll- 
 Tax raised Six Months previously" . 72 
 
 „ „ VIII. "The Israelites Dwelling in Tents" . 77 
 
 , „ IX. "The Israelites Armed" . .81 
 
 „ „ X. " The Institution of the Passover " . 86 
 
 , „ XI. "The March out of Egypt" . . 95 
 
 „ „ XII. " The Sheep and Cattle of the Israel- 
 
 ites in the Desert " . ' . .102 
 
iv CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Answer to Chapter XIII. "The Numher of the Israelites Com- 
 pared with the Extent of the Land 
 of Canaan " . . . . 107 
 
 „ XIV. "The Number of Firstborns Com- 
 pared with the Number of Male 
 Adults" . . . .112 
 
 J, XV. "The Sojourning of the Israelites in 
 
 Egypt" . . . .120 
 
 „ XVI. "The Exodus in the Fourth Generation" 120 
 
 „ XVI I. " The Number of Israelites at the Time 
 
 of the Exodus" . . .124 
 
 ^, „ XVIII. "The Danites and Levites at the Time 
 
 of the Exodus" . . .135 
 
 ,, „ XIX. Also Chapter XX., "The Number of 
 
 Priests at the Exodus Compared with 
 their Duties and Provision, &c." . 147 
 
 J, XXI. "The Priests and their Duties, at the 
 
 Celebration of the Passover " . 159 
 
 „ „ XXII. "The WaronMidian" . .165 
 
 „ „ XXIII. "Concluding Remarks" . . 180 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 In this age, so especially marked by extraor- 
 dinary occurrences, the one which seems the most 
 singular and astonishing, is that of a Bishop, in an 
 Evangelical Church, publicly denying the veracity 
 of large portions of sacred Scripture, which 
 contain the primary and foundation truths of all 
 divinely revealed religion. The Bishop here 
 alluded to, is Dr. Colenso, Bishop of the African 
 Diocese of Natal, who has amazed, as well as 
 grieved, the Christian world by the book he has 
 lately pubHshed, as a criticism on "The Penta- 
 teuch and the Book of Joshua.'' In this plainly 
 profane work, he has gone even beyond the 
 authors of "Essays and Reviews,'' by a more 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 manifest and enlarged hostility to Divine revela- 
 tion generally. It is true he has not explicitly 
 avowed that extended opposition, but he has, in 
 effect, displayed it, by saying in his preface — 
 " How hollow is the ground upon which we have 
 so long been standing, with reference to the subject 
 of the Inspiration of Scripture ;" and, further, in 
 a subsequent page of his preface, where, after 
 reciting that part of the declaration required of 
 candidates for the clerical office, that they " un- 
 feignedly believe all the canonical Scriptures," he 
 remarks, "which, with the evidence now before 
 me, it is impossible wholly to believe in." 
 
 The Author of this Answer to Bishop Colenso 
 having for more than forty years past been daily 
 engaged in the prayerful examination and study 
 of the sacred records, and having been thoroughly 
 convinced of their Divine origin and character, 
 and having experienced a good measure of that 
 holy and joyous instruction they are designed 
 and adapted to impart, he felt it a Christian duty 
 to prepare and publish Answers to the various 
 
INTRODUCTION. VU 
 
 positions and objections contained in the Bishop's 
 profane and pernicious work. The Answers are 
 applied to those objections as they appear in the 
 several chapters of his book. It is hoped that 
 they will assist, in some good degree, in exposing 
 its fallacies and falsities, as well as numerous errors 
 and miscalculations as to numbers, and its many 
 mistakes and perversions as to the letter and 
 meaning of Scripture. 
 
 The Bishop, from his place of abode, in nearly 
 one end of the earth, has sent forth his pernicious 
 work ; and this Reviewer, though not a professed 
 theologian, but merely a layman, belonging to a 
 far distant region, in a nearly opposite part of 
 another continent, has ventured to come forth in 
 defence of sacred truth, against one who is so 
 traitorously denying and opposing it. 
 
 By the title of his book, the Bishop professes 
 to criticise only " the Pentateuch and the Book of 
 Joshua," but he has shown his more extended 
 hostility to the Scriptures, by selecting passages 
 
Vlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 from several succeeding Old Testament books, 
 and in his remarks thereon, has as positively 
 denied their veracity, as the historical truth 
 of those mentioned in the title of his book. 
 These additional objections ^vill also be examined 
 and answered in the proper place in this review. 
 
 LoNDo:^, 
 
 March, 1863. 
 
ANSWEES TO BISHOP COLENSO. 
 
 Eemarks on the Preface to the " First Parf of Bishop 
 Colenso's Work, entitled, " The Pentateuch^ and the 
 Booh of Joshua critically examined.'''' 
 
 TN turning attention to tlie work now to be reviewed, 
 •*■ the first question which will naturally arise is this, — 
 Why did the author take upon him the solemn and 
 most responsible office of a bishop, when, as he has 
 openly avowed, he had, while a clergyman, and at the 
 time of receiving his present appointment, " doubts and 
 misgivings" respecting the truthful character of the books 
 he has impeached? From expressions employed in 
 several passages in his book, he further seems to suspect, 
 or doubt, the inspiration of the Scriptures generally. 
 When taking upon him the episcopal office, he surely 
 must have overlooked that part of St. Paul's teaching, 
 for the instruction and guidance of his son Titus, con- 
 cerning a Bishop's qualifications, of 'Miolding fast the 
 faithful Word as he hath been taught ; that he may be 
 
 B 
 
10 REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 
 
 able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince 
 the gainsajers ;" and also to Timothy of being " apt to 
 teach," On the contrary, we find, by his own showing, 
 he had those previous "doubts and misgivings," as to 
 the veracity of that " faithful word and doctrine" which 
 he solemnly undertook to expound to others, and so as 
 to " exhort and convince." Such having been his early 
 and continued doubts concerning the primary and 
 foundation truths of revealed religion, of course he could 
 not be *' apt to teach" concerning them ; and, therefore, 
 should never have gone forth to instruct the heathen, or 
 others, regarding any part of the revelations of Scrip- 
 ture. He has declared his own consciousness of incapacity 
 for any such teaching, in the letter to a Divinity 
 Professor, which he prepared and has published, w^herein 
 he appeals to that brother to advise and relieve him in 
 his " distress," regarding those questions relating to the 
 the Creation, the Deluge, and other historical events 
 recorded in the Pentateuch, which, as he states, " created 
 him uneasiness in former days," but which he " then put 
 by," and thought he "had laid the ghosts of them, at 
 last, for ever." But it seems that he had not then "laid" 
 them, neither has he succeeded at any time since ; nor 
 could it be expected that he would by the course he has 
 pursued. They are only ghosts, however, and such as 
 have been produced by his own progressive infidelity. 
 He should not have " put by" those questions, but by 
 persevering supplications to the Father of lights, through 
 the medium of his own revelation, and by " comparing 
 spiritual things with spiritual ; " and especially, by 
 ascertaining and examining the many hundreds of 
 
REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 11 
 
 inspired attestations to the truth of the Pentateuch, 
 contained in the Old and the New Testament books 
 succeeding, should have had those spirits of evil 
 expelled for ever. Then he would have been so 
 far qualified to go forth as a missionary Bishop, and been 
 " apt to teach," not only as to the Pentateuch, and the 
 Book of Joshua, but as to sacred revelation generally. 
 Even since the ghosts have again haunted him in Natal, 
 he has not taken the best, or proper means to lai/ them, by 
 the scriptural and pious course just now indicated; and by 
 searching the valuable critical Commentaries and other 
 standard works of learned and orthodox divines of his 
 own church, and others ; but, instead of any such proper 
 procedure, by the assistance of his friend, and by other 
 means, he has got together a number of the books of 
 German writers, both for and against Revelation, the 
 perusal of which, by his own acknowledgement, have 
 only increased his former infidelity, as might well be 
 concluded ; and the ghosts have, at last, got full posses- 
 sion of him. And, now, such being his condition, what 
 plausible reason can he possibly show for continuino- in 
 his present office of a missionary for instructino- the 
 heathen, as to any part of Scripture revelation — most 
 especially, as he intimates that the inspiration of the 
 whole of it stands on " hollow ground?" If, accordino- 
 to the creed of the Deists, and others who reject the 
 whole of revelation, he means to teach the heathen only 
 what is usually termed natural religion, he, certainly, 
 needs not the office of a Christian Bishop in an Evan- 
 gelical Church. Even the polygamist Mormons could 
 scarcely admit him as a teacher, for they admit the truth 
 
12 REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 
 
 of the Pentateucli. Surely, in common propriety, and 
 to observe anything like consistency of conduct, he 
 should immediately not only resign every office, but also 
 all membership in the Christian Church ; every denomi- 
 nation whereof holds those impeached books as authentic 
 records. But it seems, from his writings, that he does 
 not mean to act in any such manner ; but, on the 
 contrary, thinks, — chiefly from the late encouraging 
 decision in the Court of Arches, — that he may still with 
 propriety and consistency retain that good thing, the 
 sacred and responsible episcopal office. Whatever may 
 be the decision of a Court of Arches on the subject, 
 there is not a Christian upon earth, having a spark of 
 genuine piety, and the most ordinary knowledge of 
 scriptural truth, but will at once say, that he ought in- 
 stantly to make the resignation suggested. He says, 
 how " dreadful would be the wrench, to be torn from 
 all one has loved and revered, by going out of the 
 Church," and that " it would be no light thing for me 
 at my time of life, to be cast adrift upon the world,'* 
 and " have to begin life again, under heavy pressure ;'* 
 and '*have my name cast out as evil." All the con- 
 siderations of a merely personal and selfish description 
 are as dust in the balance, and should never be mentioned, 
 as reasons for continuing to hold office in a Church, while 
 traitorously denying, and endeavouring to make others 
 disbelieve the most essential truths held by that Church, 
 and which he had solemnly vowed to teach and 
 maintain. By his unbelieving speculations, assisted by 
 infidel German publications, his judgment has become 
 so darkened and perverted, that he has been brought to 
 
REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 13 
 
 conclude, as appears by his publication, that notwitli- 
 standing his denial of the truth of the six first books 
 of Bible revelation, he can still consistently remain a 
 " Bishop of the English Church," and " retain the faith 
 of a Christian." He will write a long time before he 
 will find a single candid and intelligent reader of 
 Christian truth, who will agree with him in such a 
 profane and absurd conclusion. He admits, however, 
 that, with his present views, he cannot comply with 
 requests to " plead the cause of Missions." This, alone, 
 should convince him that he should no longer hold the 
 ofiice of a missionary in any Christian Church. It is 
 worse than vain and absurd, for him to draw a distinction 
 between the historical and other revelations of those six 
 books of Scripture; and to declare, as he had done, 
 that, though they are not of historical veracity, yet 
 they contain "revelations of the Divine will and 
 character." Any person, of the most ordinary degree 
 of intelligence, will at once see that if they are not true 
 as to their historical portions, they must be quite 
 unworthy of reliance, as to all the rest of their contents. 
 Indeed, it is evident, on the very face of the books, that 
 nearly the whole of the revelations they contain are of 
 a narrative or historical description. 
 At page 7 of his preface, he writes : — 
 
 " It is true there were one or two stories which pre- 
 sented great difficulties, too prominent not to be noticed, 
 which were brought every now and then before us 
 in the lessons of the Church, such e.g. as the account 
 of the Creation and the Deluge." 
 
 He does not intimate any particular whatever, 
 
 forming or contributing to such difficulties, or suggest 
 
14 REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 
 
 any precise objection. Does lie think that the account 
 of Creation should have been of such a minute and 
 explanatory description as to enable him fully to com- 
 prehend all the actings of the mind and will of the 
 Divine Creator, and His almighty and infinitely wise 
 operations, in the calling into existence the materials of 
 Creation, and forming the several vast bodies in the 
 planetary system ; and establishing their positions, de- 
 pendencies, and revolutions ; and also in forming all the 
 minutiae of structure, in the infinitely varied forms of 
 animal and vegetable life ; as well as of inanimate 
 bodies ? Such an account we surely did not need, as to 
 any part of our duty while here, or as lessons in relation 
 to eternity. It would only have served as matters for 
 infidel criticism, by such persons as Bishop Colenso and 
 other essayists of the day, who hold, and are promul- 
 gating, similar profane sentiments with himself, regarding 
 Divine revelation. He must be content to remain 
 ignorant of all such knowledge concerning those Divine 
 plans and operations ; for it has not been given to any 
 mortal to be qualified to ascertain and comprehend them. 
 He cannot even discover and explain how his own body 
 and spirit are united ; nor with all his scientific and 
 philosophical lore, can he fully comprehend the phi- 
 losophy of the actings of his own mind. Does he think 
 the time occupied in the work of Creation was too long 
 or too short, or that the command for the production of 
 light could not avail to produce it; or that it could not 
 appear before the creation of the sun ? — the old infidel 
 objection, which has so often been answered and refuted 
 by men of genuine science, even on the known principles 
 
REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 15 
 
 of natural philosophy. Or does he think it impossible 
 that the living creatures of the earth and sea could 
 appear at the word of the Creator ; or that He could 
 form the body of man from the dust of the earth, and 
 produce and convey into that body the active and in- 
 telligent spirit ? Does he deem it impossible that, by 
 the action of the same Creator, the woman could be 
 formed out of a part of the man ; or that, by the 
 same word, the vast varieties of the vegetable order 
 could be brought forth from the earth, and all inanimate 
 objects be made to appear? Here we are, however, 
 men and women, on this earthly globe, with the vaulted 
 sky and its vast and splendid constellations above us ; 
 and living creatures and inanimate substances, of almost 
 infinite variety, all around us, and in every part of the 
 earth and the sea. His reason alone, independent of any 
 of his critical science, will tell him that all these 
 creatures and objects must have had their origin, and 
 have proceeded, from some Being of Almighty power, 
 and boundless wisdom and skill, who knew how to plan 
 and execute his creative operations infinitely better than 
 any human or other finite intelligence can conceive or 
 comprehend. Moreover, will not that reason, if not 
 strangely perverted — but if conjoined with experience — 
 fully convince him that all those creatures and objects 
 are most admirably and thoroughly adapted to fulfil the 
 various purposes of their relative places in the order of 
 the natural world. Possibly, instead of this Bible account 
 of creation, he would prefer the cosmogony of an essaying 
 brother in unbelief, who has given to the world, from 
 the *' clear view" he says he attained, the marvellous 
 
16 REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 
 
 disclosure that this earth at some early period, which no 
 numbers or even imagination can reach, was a "fiery ball, 
 spinning on its own axis ;" and for a time also, "beyond 
 all calculation ;" but that, of itself^ at some immeasurably 
 distant period, it became "cooled and hardened, and 
 capable of receiving and sustaining organized exist- 
 ences ;" and that the rocks were first formed by some 
 " drossy substances," and deposited themselves in the 
 " depths and cavities of the earth." There, however, 
 his work of creation ceased ; and how other inanimate 
 substances and all living creatures came into existence, 
 he has not been able to tell us. Can the Bishop supply 
 the deficiency ? and, if so, as he is not satisfied with the 
 Mosaic account of creation, he ought to do it, as an act 
 of benevolence to the world. 
 
 At the same page of his Preface he relates that a 
 simple-minded native, in his diocese, asked him as to 
 his belief of the Scriptural account of the entry of the 
 various creatures into the ark " by pairs," and whether 
 "Noah gathered food for them all;" and he says his 
 " heart answered in the words of the prophet — ' Shall a 
 man speak lies in the name of the Lord?' I dared not 
 do it." He then says his knowledge " of some branches 
 of science — of geology in particular — had increased 
 since he left England ;" and that he now " knows, for 
 certain — on geological grounds — that a universal deluge, 
 such as the Bible manifestly speaks of, could not possibly 
 have taken place in the way described in the Book of 
 Genesis — not to mention the other difficulties which the 
 story contains," The only fact, however, which he 
 offers to show such impossibility is, that '' volcanic hills 
 
REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. IT 
 
 exist, of immense extent, in Auvergne and Languedoc, 
 which must have been formed, ages before the Noachian 
 deluge ; and which are covered with light and loose 
 substances, pumice-stone, &c., that must have been 
 swept away by a flood." Some other simple-minded 
 native in Africa, or elsewhere, might puzzle him, and 
 bring him to a stand by asking these simple questions : 
 " Have there been no volcanic eruptions, and no volcanic 
 hills formed, within the more than 4,000 years since the 
 Deluge mentioned in Scripture ? and why not in the 
 places mentioned ? and why must all those substances and 
 pumice-stones have been there before the Deluge ? and 
 why may they not have been since deposited, or formed 
 there ? Surely, there is nothing to prevent the con- 
 clusion, that there have been later formations and deposits. 
 Several other geologists, of equal or greater science, 
 have shown that all geological appearances are perfectly 
 consistent with the Scripture accounts of the Deluge. 
 Does he think that the Almighty Being, who created 
 the water, and who, as He has declared, " founded the 
 earth upon the seas, and established it upon the floods ;" 
 who " strengthened the fountains of the deep ;" that he 
 could not break up those deep fountains and rive 
 asunder the crust of the earth resting upon them, and 
 cause the waters of those vast fountains to come forth 
 over the face of the earth, and at the same time cause 
 the rain to descend from the heavens, and produce the 
 water in such quantity, as to far overtop the whole 
 surface of the earth, and destroy all animal life ? Does 
 he think that forty days were not sufficient for producing 
 the requisite quantity of water? Other unbelievers 
 
18 REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 
 
 have long ago made these contemptible objections ; 
 and they have been refuted and silenced, and their in- 
 fidelity fully exposed. Does he not know that there is 
 not a mountain of our globe actually four miles in 
 perpendicular height? But it is needless, as well as 
 presumptuous, to speculate or conjecture about it in 
 any manner whatever, for there is the decisive lecord in 
 Gen. vii., xix., xx., xxi., xxii.,— *' And all the high hills 
 that were under the whole heaven were covered ;" " and 
 the mountains were covered;" "and all flesh died that 
 moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of 
 beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon 
 the earth, and every man." In Job xxii., there is a plain 
 reference to this universal deluge ; and in Matthew xxiv. 
 and Luke xvii., we find our Lord's declaration, that, in the 
 days of Noah, *' the flood came and destroyed them all^" 
 again, in Peter ii., iii., we see recorded, that God "spared 
 not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a 
 preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon 
 the world of ungodly ;" and further, in chap, iii., that, 
 " the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of 
 the water and in the water ; whereby the world that then 
 was, being overflowed with water, perished." Here 
 then are inspired, and most confirmatory proofs, both of 
 the Deluge itself, and of its universality. Surely the 
 Bishop will not have the impiety to say that our Lord 
 advanced fabulous falsehoods as truth, to illustrate his 
 teachings; or that the inspired evangelists and the apostle 
 have made false records on the subject. Next, as 
 regards the preservation of Noah and his family, and the 
 various animals in the ark, we learn from his own state- 
 
REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 19 
 
 ment tliat the native African, " with the simplicity of a 
 child," brought him, though an episcopal theologian, 
 at once to a stand, by his question as to how the animals 
 and other creatures came, or were brought to Noah. 
 Very properly, he says, he '' would not tell a lie" on the 
 point ; but, surely, as a D.D. and a Bishop, he should 
 have been able to give the simple native some answer of 
 a generally satisfactory description. But, of course, he 
 could not do it, as his own mind was previously filled with 
 unbelief on the subject. All this shows that Dr. Colenso 
 should never have gone forth as a missionary to the 
 heathen ; and that all such sceptical and unbelieving 
 Doctors, Bishops, and others, are not only altogether 
 unsuitable and unqualified to undertake the instruction of 
 the heathen, and other ignorant persons in any part of 
 Scripture revelation, but incur much guilt by engaging 
 in such a sacred and awfully responsible employment. 
 He might, at least, have given to the poor darkened 
 African some such answer as the following explanation 
 on the point, by a learned and critical commentator, and 
 of the ecclesiastical body also, but very far more 
 orthodox than the Bishop : — 
 
 " It was physically impossible for Noah to have 
 collected such a vast number of ame and ferocious 
 animals ; nor could they have been retained in their 
 wards by mere natural means. How then were they 
 brought from various distances to the ark, and preserved 
 there ? Only by the power of God. He who first 
 miraculously brought them to Adam, that he might give 
 them their names, now brings them to Noah, that he may 
 preserve their lives. And now we may reasonably 
 suppose, that their natural enmity was so far removed, 
 or suspended, that the lion might dwell with the lamb, 
 
20 REMARKS 0^ THE PREFACE. 
 
 and the wolf lie down witli the kid, though each might 
 still require his peculiar aliment. This can be no diffi- 
 culty to the power of God, without the immediate 
 interposition of which, neither the Deluge nor the 
 concomitant circumstances could have taken place." 
 
 There could, indeed, be no difficulty with the infinitely 
 great Creator so to suspend or regulate the instincts and 
 propensities of His creatures, as to preserve them all in 
 perfect harmony. There was a similar manifestation of 
 the suspension of natural propensity in the instance of 
 the preservation of Daniel in the den of lions. But it 
 is highly probable, from the Bishop's remarks concerning 
 scriptural miracles generally, that he does not credit this 
 narrative any more than the other. Should he — as some 
 other unbelievers have previously done — allege it an 
 impossibility that the ark could contain all the various 
 creatures, he may be answered, that Bishop Wilkins, of 
 his own church, long ago wrote, that 
 
 "If we come to an exact calculation, all the animals may 
 be comprised within about 120 species; and the feathered 
 tribes, who belong to the land only, even within a less 
 number. In regard to room in the ark for holding them, 
 a portion of it, equal to the length of St. Paul's Cathedral, 
 and of the width of its inward altitude — which would 
 afford stall room for 500 horses — would be more than 
 sufficient space to contain all the pairs of those different 
 species of animals and birds." 
 
 Bishop Colenso can hardly help knowing that many 
 learned writers in different countries, and at various 
 periods, have also shown that a building of the size and 
 capacity of the Ark as described in Scripture, would be 
 amply sufficient to contain Noah and his family, and 
 all the creatures, with food for the whole. Finally, it 
 
REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 21 
 
 must be borne in mind, that those sublime and wonder- 
 ful events of the deluge, and the preservation of Noah 
 and his family and the other inmates of the Ark ; with 
 all the particulars concerning them were according to 
 the arrangements, and were the miraculous displays of 
 the purposes and operations of the Almighty and just 
 ruler of the universe. And will any prescribe limits to 
 the power of Him who has said, *' Is anything too hard 
 for me," or presume to say unto Him, " What doest 
 thou?" 
 
 At page 24, he expresses himself to the effect of its 
 being a hardship on a young man entering the ministry 
 of the Church of England that he should 
 
 " Solomnly bind himself for life to believe unfeignedly 
 all the canonical Scriptures, while he probably knows 
 enough already of geology, at all events, if not of the 
 results of critical inquiry, to feel that he cannot honestly 
 profess to believe in them implicitly." 
 
 What other standard or rule would he have ? Would 
 he have it left to each of them to fix his own proportion 
 of belief on the subject, and determine for himself how 
 many of the books of Scripture, and how much of any 
 them he would admit for forming his creed ; and further, 
 with the privilege of varying his faith and rule on those 
 points as frequently as he might feel disposed to such 
 variations ? What kind of a church or Christianity should 
 we very soon have under such a condition of things ? 
 It is very bad now, when such men as Dr. Colenso can 
 hold a bishopric and solace himself with the conclusion 
 that according to a decision of the Court of Arches, he 
 can still retain that dignified and most important office. 
 
22 REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 
 
 Neither a young man, nor any other, having any regard 
 to conscience, or sound principle, or to any good feeling, 
 should think of entering into the ministry of any 
 Christian church, without yielding his sincere and full 
 assent to the truth of the whole Bible revelations. 
 
 Neither reason nor Christianity can admit of any 
 lower or other rule, as to such admission. Unhappily, 
 however, we see that of late, not a few directly opposite 
 characters manage to find their way into that ministry ; 
 and seem determined, if possible, to hold their places 
 within it. It is both absurd and profane, for any to 
 desire and endeavour to obtain such admission, while 
 disbelieving the authenticity of any of those canonical 
 books. 
 
 He speaks of men of science not having, "leisure 
 to pursue very far for themselves such investigations as 
 these ;" and says, that " the work of examining into the 
 modern view of Scripture inspiration, as to its truth or 
 falsehood, is a work for theologians, and not for natural 
 philosophers." It is, indeed, to be much regretted, that 
 the men of science, and others in the superior classes, 
 so generally neglect to search the Scriptures diligently, 
 to ascertain for themselves the truths of revelation, and 
 the real foundations of the Christianity they profess. 
 All such pesons are highly blameable in thus sllghtino^ 
 or disregarding their spiritual interests. They might, 
 if they were willing, find sufficient portions of time 
 for exercises and duties of such primary importance ; 
 and they may be assured, that having the Scriptures 
 so readily at hand, they will not at last be permitted to 
 charge altogether to clerical teachers their ignorance 
 
REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 23 
 
 as to doctrinal belief, any more than as to practical duty. 
 Such are the characters who, perhaps, more than any 
 others, are liable to be deeply injured, and some of them 
 it may be feared, landed in permanent infidelity, as to 
 revelation generally, by this profane publication of 
 Bishop Colenso. 
 
 At page 26, he expresses his belief, that 
 
 "There are not a few among the more highly educated 
 classes of society in England, and multitudes among 
 the more intelligent operatives, who are in danger of 
 drifting into irreligion and practical athesim, under this 
 dim sense of the unsoundness of the popular view, 
 conbined with a feeling of distrust of their spiritual 
 teachers." 
 
 It is, indeed, probable that such is the condition of 
 those classes to a large extent ; but not so much, if at 
 all, from the causes he assigns, as from the fact, that so 
 many of such teachers and writers as himself are abroad 
 among them, sowing the fruitful seeds of that " irreligion 
 and infidelity." He is doing a very large share of 
 this work, of setting some adrift, and helping others 
 rapidly along the stream, towards the abyss of entire 
 infidelity, as to all Scripture revelations, or into decided 
 atheism. Yet, strange as it must seem to any Chris- 
 tian, or even rational person, he declares that he has 
 written his book specially for those persons he has 
 mentioned ; a book, which so avowedly denies the very 
 primary truths of all divinely revealed religion. 
 
 With regard to the bearing of his denial of the 
 historical truth of the Pentateuch, on the New Testa- 
 ment Scriptures, he says, 
 " Should God in his Providence call me to the work, I 
 
24 REMARKS ON THE PREFACE. 
 
 shall not shrink from the duty of examining on behalf 
 of others into the question, in what way the interpreta- 
 tion of the New Testament is affected, by the unhis- 
 torical character of the Pentateuch/' 
 
 Whatever call or suggestion he may have from any 
 any other quarter, it is certain that the unchangeable 
 God of truth, will never call him to any such work. 
 One would naturally and reasonably think that as a 
 Bishop of a Christian church he should have made that 
 examination, and settled his mind on the point before 
 even planning such a book, to say nothing of sending 
 it forth to the w^orld. He seems, indeed, to be some- 
 what alarmed already, as to the New Testament evidence 
 regarding the truth of the Pentateuch, and well he may, 
 when he cannot but know, that there are in that inspired 
 revelation, such numerous and express references to 
 the historical events and other portions of the Pentateuch 
 — nearly tivo himdred and fifty in all — as will hereafter 
 be shown, and a still larger number in the Old Testament 
 books, following those he has impeached. He seems 
 alarmed, especially as to the force of our Lord's words 
 which he has cited, referring to Moses and his writings, 
 and to several events recorded in the Pentateuch. He 
 endeavours, however, to avoid their conclusive force by 
 several profane opinions of his own, one of which is, 
 that, " our Lord merely accommodated his words to the 
 popular, but unfounded belief of the day," as to those 
 events, and another of the still more profane and revolt- 
 ing descriptioj-i-, that " He did not know of the unhis- 
 torical character of those Pentateuch books." And this 
 he has done with the New Testament facts before him. 
 
EE MARKS ON THE PREFACE. 25 
 
 that our Lord knew the thoughts in the minds of the 
 Pharisees, — knew of the death of Lazarus though absent 
 — foretold that the disciples would meet the man bear- 
 ing the pitcher of water; also the particulars of his 
 own betrayal and denial, conviction, death, and resur- 
 rection, and many other events, showing his divine 
 knowledge of all things past, as well as future. Those 
 profane opinions of the Bishop, have already, by one 
 writer been properly designated, as nothing less than 
 '* awful blasphemy." 
 
 Those who would draw from those proofs of our Lord's 
 omniscience, an argument against his (the Bishop's) 
 own profanity he charges with bringing "the sacred 
 Ark itself into the battle field." It is he who with 
 presumptuous daring has brought it into that field, and he 
 will be grievously disappointed, if he thinks that those 
 who believe in its divine origin and character, will stand 
 quietly by and suffer him, or any other, to plunder and 
 destroy its sacred contents. In closing his preface, he 
 commits the work — " into the hands of God, beseeching 
 him, mercifully to accept and bless it, as a feeble effort 
 to advance the knowledge of His truth in the world." 
 
 A deplorable instance is here afforded of the liability 
 of the naturally dark and erring human mind, as to the 
 counsels and ways of God, to fall under the most im- 
 pious and rrdnous delusions, and in the words of inspira- 
 tion, to " call evil good, and good evil ;" and *' put 
 darkness for light, and light for darkness ; " and thereby 
 become exposed to the woe of those, — " who are wise 
 in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight." 
 
Examination oj Bisliop Colenso's " Introductory Remarks 
 on The Pentateuch" 
 
 A T page 8 of Ms Eemarks, he has written as follows : — 
 
 " The Pentateuch, as a whole, cannot possibly have 
 been written by Moses, or by any one acquainted, per- 
 sonally, with the facts which it professes to describe." 
 
 This is indeed a strangely absurd remark. Of course 
 Moses could not have been personally acquainted with 
 the facts he has described, unless he had been i^^rsonally 
 present when they occurred. He does not say, or 
 pretend, that he was personally present at the Creation ; 
 or the building of the Ark ; and Noah and his family, 
 and the animals entering it ; or the succeeding deluge ; 
 or the confusion of tongues ; or the facts of the histo- 
 ries of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; or the sale of 
 Joseph ; or the going down of Jacob and his family 
 into Egypt. Although personally present in the basket 
 of bulrushes, he did not even know of that personal 
 event, until his mother, or some other person, afterwards 
 told him of it. Nobody can suppose that Moses was 
 personally acquainted with any of those facts ; there- 
 fore the Bishop's remark, by way of objection, is absurdly 
 superfluous. 
 
 The case he has mentioned, on his next page, recorded 
 in Exodus xxi., of the servant dying, shortly after being 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 27 
 
 smitten with a rod by his master ; and which, he says, 
 he found it so difficult to explain to the satisfaction, 
 either of the native or himself, is certainly one which, 
 as a professed teacher of revealed truth, he should not 
 have hesitated to conclude, was both righteous and 
 merciful ; and should have been able to explain it as of 
 that description. But the Bishop seems, by his remarks, 
 to have done his utmost to make the case appear of 
 a directly opposite description. In considering the 
 case, it may first be noticed that the smiting is with '*a 
 rod," — a suitable instrument for correction — if of small 
 or moderate size, and not at all likely to cause death, espe- 
 cially if only a single blow be given ; and from merely 
 the word " smite " being used, it cannot fairly be in- 
 ferred that a continued striking, or beating, is meant. 
 Also, the continuance of the servant in life for the time 
 mentioned, — meaning, undoubtedly, an indefinite time, 
 more or less, — will, of itself, raise the presumption or 
 reasonable probability that the death occurred from 
 some other cause. A comparison with the preceding 
 case, of the servant dying " under the hand," that is, 
 immediately on the infliction of the blow or beating, 
 will show the great difference between the two cases, 
 and the perfect justice and equity of each of the divine 
 enactments. By the case put, of immediate death, is 
 evidently intended one in which a heavy rod or stick, 
 of a dangerous kind, is used ; and on such a part of 
 the body, and with such violence, and under such other 
 circumstances, as manifested an intention to take life. 
 Therefore, in that case of immediate death, it is declared 
 that the master shall be punished, and that punishment 
 
28 EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 was death, as for murder^ according to several divine 
 decisions previously declared, one of which is contained 
 in verse 12 of the same chapter of Exodus. Moreover, 
 it must be borne in mind, that all the laws then ordained 
 under that theocracy were absolutely and exclusively a 
 divinely authoritative code, in which scarcely anything 
 was left to human judgment or discretion, which, if 
 permitted to be exercised among such a people in any 
 important matter, especially where life was concerned 
 might err, and conflict with the Divine will and arrange- 
 ments. Therefore, under all the circumstances which 
 might relate to such a case, and that no mistake or error 
 might be committed by unjustly or improperly taking 
 a life, it would seem as though the Divine lawgiver had 
 reserved entirely to himself the ultimate decision of the 
 case ; and the punishment of death or of any other 
 kind, where, in his wisdom and justice, he should see 
 that any such punishment ought to be inflicted ; and 
 which, in his providential moral government, he could 
 at any time execute. By the expression in the text, 
 "for he is his money," is evidently meant, that by the 
 death of the servant the master had lost the value of 
 his services ; and, therefore, if not guilty of any undue 
 correction of the servant, or having had any thought or 
 intention of taking his life, and there being sufficient 
 reason to conclude or suppose that the death did not 
 take place from the smiting with the rod but from some 
 other cause, it would not be just to add to that loss of 
 service any punishment whatever. 
 
 Even according to human enactments, in all civi- 
 lized and just governments, all penal laws, especially 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 29 
 
 where life is concerned, are required to be construed 
 as favourably to the accused as possible. In such a 
 case, therefore, as the one here under notice, where the 
 servant went about as usual, even for a short time after 
 such smiting with a rod, and where any circumstances 
 should appear sufficient to raise a fair presumption or 
 reasonable or probable inference that the death did not 
 occur from the smiting but from some other cause, the 
 master, according to the usual humane rule in favour of 
 life, would not be liable to punishment for the death. 
 But whatever human opinions may be formed regarding 
 the case under notice, or whatever reasons may be con- 
 ceived or assigned respecting it, the fact that it is 
 equally as well authenticated, and consequently as 
 authoritative, as any other portion of the divinely- estab- 
 lished system of laws in which it is incorporated and 
 forms a part, is, of itself, quite sufficient to satisfy every 
 pious and truly reasonable mind that the decision con- 
 tained in the text must be and is, essentially just and 
 righteous. The Judge of all the Earth cannot but do 
 right, though to short-sighted and erring humanity the 
 reasons of his decrees and acts may, as it were, be hidden 
 in the unfathomable deep. The Bishop has not offered, 
 nor can he possibly shew, the semblance of proof, or 
 any fact or reason whatever to raise the slighest pre- 
 sumption that this decision, as to the master and ser- 
 vant, is not as genuine a portion of that Divine Code, 
 as any other part of it, and consequently as perfectly 
 righteous in its character. 
 
 At page 10 he says : — 
 
 " My reason for no longer receiving the Pentateuch 
 
30 EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 as historically true is not that I find insuperable diffi- 
 culties with regard to the miracles or supernatural reve- 
 lations of Almighty God recorded in it, but solely that 
 I cannot, as a true man, consent any longer to shut my 
 eyes to the absolute palpable self-contradictions of the 
 narrative." 
 
 Here is a broad assertion, to which he shall, in this 
 review, be all along held, and by his failure to verify it, as 
 will hereafter be shown, the falsity of his book will be 
 seen. There are no " self-contradictions," but what he 
 imagines to be such are merely the results of his 
 defective knowledge of the letter as well as meaning of 
 Scripture, and his mistakes, mis-statements, and per- 
 versions. Whatever may have been his earliest exami- 
 nations of Scripture, it is evident that his late researches 
 have not been like the sincere and honest Bereans of 
 old, "searching the Scriptures daily, whether those 
 things were so ;" but, on the contrary, he has framed 
 and carried out a most stringent and torturing inquisition 
 against them, to make it appear that "those things" 
 were not really so. It is manifest, from the whole of 
 his disclosures concerning his doubts and misgivings, and 
 from the entire contents of his book, that his late re- 
 searches have not been with the desire or view of 
 comparing Scripture with Scripture, so as to discover its 
 harmony and consistency, but, if possible, to ferret out 
 contradictions and discrepancies, and to magnify and 
 exhibit them, as being of the most formidable and irre- 
 concilable descriptions. By the title of his book, he 
 professes to criticise *'the Pentateuch and the Book of 
 Joshua;" but it would seem that, not beinoj satisfied with 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 31 
 
 what he discovered, or rather thought he had found in 
 those books, to discredit the Scriptures generally, he 
 hastens on to the Book of Judges, and selects there 
 what he thinks will answer his purpose. Still not 
 satisfied, he passes on, in the same profanely evil pursuit, 
 to first and second Samuel, and then to Chronicles, and 
 produces from them, other particulars as to numbers, and 
 on other points which he thinks will serve to support 
 his denial of the truth of Scripture history. His grossly 
 incorrect statements, and unfair and mistaken suppo- 
 sitions and inferences, regarding his citations from these 
 last- mentioned books, will hereafter be shown, in due 
 order, in this Review. There have been many Doctors 
 of Divinity, and Bishops too, as well as other eccle- 
 siastical critics and commentators, through various ages, 
 quite as learned, or more so, than Bishop Colenso, and 
 certainly with far more piety and real love of truth, who 
 for the larger portion of their lives, and with the most 
 prayerful diligence and constancy, have searched the 
 sacred records throughout, and have satisfied themselves 
 and the Christian Church at large, as to the authentic, 
 consistent, and harmonious character of the whole of the 
 Bible revelations. Bishop Colenso has the had singularitif 
 and eminence of being the first to deny its historical 
 veracity, in the manner, and to the extent, he has done it. 
 Having thus far remarked on the Bishop's introductory 
 chapter, in order to conduct in a more enlarged and 
 pointed manner, this refutation of his charge against 
 the historical veracity of the books he has criticised, it 
 will be well in the first place, to exhibit the confirmatory 
 proofs contained in the succeeding books of Scripture, 
 
32 EXAMINATION OF INTKODUCTORY EEMARKS. 
 
 as to the veritable cliaracter of those he has impeached. 
 When we take into view the multitude of inspired 
 testimonies to the truth of the whole of their contents, 
 it seems truly astonishing that any mind capable of 
 being convinced by evidence, especially a Christian 
 Bishop, should not merely form, but openly avow a 
 disbelief of their inspired character and consequent 
 truthfulness. If viewed as merely human compositions, 
 there are no other writings which have ever appeared 
 in our world, which have had the hundredth part of the 
 evidence as to veracity. 
 
 In looking through the book of Judges, the first 
 after Joshua, we find 6 express references to events 
 mentioned in the Pentateuch and in Joshua. Passing 
 on to the two books of Samuel, we see in them 10 of 
 such references, and of partial recitals of events recorded 
 in those impeached books. There are 20 of them in 
 the two books of Kings ; 15 in 1st and 2nd Chronicles ; 
 3 in Ezra ; 21 in Nehemiah. In chapters viii. and ix. 
 of Nehemiah are stated the call of Abraham out of 
 Chaldea ; the divine covenant and promise to give his 
 posterity the lands of the seven nations of Canaan ; 
 the afilictions of the Israelites in Egypt ; and the divine 
 signs and miracles performed there ; the deliverance of 
 the Israelites from their bondage ; their miraculous 
 passage over the bed of the Red Sea ; the destruction 
 of the Egyptian host in that sea ; the Divine guidance 
 of the Israelites on their journies, by the pillars of cloud 
 and of fire ; the giving of the laws and ordinances, and 
 the re-enacting of the observance of the Sabbath at Sinai, 
 by the instrumentality of Moses ; the daily manna from 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 33 
 
 heaven, and the water from the rock ; the unbelief and 
 disobedience of the people generally; the making of 
 the idolatrous calf ; their 40 years' wandering in the 
 wilderness ; their conquests of the countries of the Kings, 
 Sihon and Og; the great increase of the people as 
 divinely promised ; their conquest of Canaan ; their 
 subsequent repeated rebellions against the Divine com- 
 mands and authority ; their several captivities and 
 afflictions in consequence ; the warnings and admonitions 
 of the inspired prophets sent to reprove them ; and the 
 repeated Divine mercies and forgivenesses extended to 
 them, with various other particulars of the early history 
 of the nation. All these recited events and particulars 
 exactly correspond with the original narratives and 
 accounts of the same events, recorded respectively in 
 the Pentateuch, and in the book of Joshua. In the 
 book of Job, there are two of such references to events 
 mentioned in the Pentateuch, and in 14 of the Psalms, 
 there are not less than 127 ; chiefly in Psalms Ixxviii., 
 cv., cvi., cxxxv., cxxxvi. In some of these cited Psalms, 
 taken connectedly, there are recitals, or notices, of 
 nearly every event and particular, of any importance, 
 contained in those books ; from the account of Creation 
 to the occurrence of the Deluge ; and onward, through 
 the history of the several Patriarchs, naming them, 
 including the principal events of their lives respectively. 
 Also the bondage and sufferings of the Israelites in 
 Egypt ; the Divine miracles and judgments relating to 
 their release ; their deliverance and miracluous passage 
 across the Red Sea ; the destruction of Pharaoh and his 
 host ; together with all the other events regarding the 
 
34 EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 people of Israel, under the leadership of Moses while 
 passing through the wilderness ; and their entrance into 
 Canaan, and its conquest under Joshua, and even in a 
 more enlarged and particular manner than is given in 
 the book of Nehemiah. All of which notices and 
 recitals exactly agree with the same narratives and 
 events recorded in those books of the Pentateuch and 
 of Joshua, together with other events in the history of 
 Israel down to the time of David, and even to a sub- 
 sequent period. In Isaiah there are 16 of the like 
 recitals and references ; in the two books of Jeremiah 
 there are 26 of them ; 17 in Ezekiel ; 5 in Daniel ; 9 in 
 Hosea ; 6 in Amos ; 5 in Micah ; 1 in Zephaniah ; 2 in 
 Haggar, and 1 in Malachi. 
 
 It will thus be seen that the citations, and the 
 references to events and circumstances recorded in those 
 six earliest books of Scripture, so given in the before- 
 mentioned succeeding books of the Old Testament, 
 number upwards of 290 in all. There is scarcely a 
 single narrative, or event, or material circumstance, on 
 any subject contained in those sacred books, named as 
 the Pentateuch, and in Joshua, which is not either 
 expressly cited, or plainly referred to, in those subse- 
 quent books of Old Testament Scripture. In very many 
 of the passages in those cited books which contain those 
 references and recitals, Moses is named as the agent or 
 miedium through whom many of the Divine acts were 
 made known, and the commands were declared, and 
 laws and institutions established and written. 
 
 On examining the New Testament Scriptures, a very 
 large number are found of citations, recitals, and 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 35 
 
 references, concerning narratives, historical facts, and 
 other events recorded in tlie Pentateuch and in the Book 
 of Joshua. In Matthew there are 19 of such references ; 
 in Mark 10 of them ; in Luke 17 ; in John 12. In 
 chapters v., xlvi., xlvii. of John, is the express proof 
 that Moses was the writer of the Pentateuch, in these 
 words, by our Lord himself — "For had ye believed 
 Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me. 
 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe 
 my words ?" It is perfectly evident that these words of 
 our Lord refer to the Pentateuch, for there never were 
 any other writings except these books, which were held 
 or known either among the Jews or others, as the 
 writings of Moses. Doubtless, one of the portions of 
 those writings of the Pentateuch to which our Lord re- 
 ferred, is contained in Deuteronomy xviii. 15, in the 
 following words — "The Lord thy God will raise up 
 unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy 
 brethren, like unto me ;" and also in verse 18 — " I will 
 raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like 
 unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth ; and he 
 shall speak unto them all that I shall command them." 
 Will Bishop Colenso presume to doubt or deny the know- 
 ledge or veracity of our Lord, in that express reference 
 to those writings of Moses ? or will he charge the 
 inspired evangelist with having made a fictitious and false 
 record on the subject ? He must do one or the other, or 
 both, or else admit that Moses was really the writer of 
 those books, and that they contain inspired and truthful 
 records. In the book of Acts are no less than seventy- 
 five recitals and references as to events and other par- 
 
36 EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 ticulars, contained in tlie books of the Pentateuch ; and 
 in several of tliera Moses is named in terms either 
 plainly mentioning, or implying, that he was the writer 
 of those books. In chapter vii. is given the speech of 
 the faithful Stephen, who, it is declared, was " full of 
 faith and of the Holy Ghost ;" in which speech he 
 gives all the leading events and particulars in the history 
 of the Israelites, from Abraham down to the time of 
 Solomon. He commences with the call of God to 
 Abraham to leave his native country of Mesopotamia 
 and to remove into Canaan ; the removal of the patri- 
 arch accordingly, first to Charran for a time, until his 
 father's death, and then into Canaan ; the divine pro- 
 mise to bestow that land on his posterity, though then 
 he had no child; the divine predictions of the sojourn, 
 and bondage, and afflictions of that posterity in a strange 
 land and nation ; and of the judgments of God on that 
 nation, and of the deliverance of that posterity from 
 such bondage and afflictions. Further, the Covenant of 
 Circumcision given to Abraham ; the births of Isaac 
 and of Jacob, and of the twelve sons of the latter ; the 
 envy of Joseph's brethren, and their sale of him into 
 Egypt ; his afflictions there, and subsequent favour with 
 Pharaoh, and appointment as governor of Egypt ; the 
 famine there, and in adjoining countries; the two visits 
 of Jacob's sons to Egypt to obtain food; Joseph's 
 making himself known to them on their second visit ; 
 his invitation to his father Jacob and all his kindred to 
 come into Egypt ; their journey and settlement there, 
 numbering seventy-five souls in all ; the death of Jacob 
 there, and his burial in Sychem, in the sepulchre pur- 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 37 
 
 cliasecl by Abraham ; the rapid and great increase of 
 the Israelites in Egypt; the order of the King of 
 Egypt for destroying their young children; the birth 
 of Moses ; his being cast out and being taken up, 
 and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter; his Egyptian 
 learning and wisdom ; his visit to his afflicted brethren 
 when forty years old ; his defending one of them, 
 and killing the Egyptian assailant ; his attempt to 
 reconcile two of his brethren when engaged in strife ; 
 his flight into the land of Midian ; his begetting two 
 sons there, at the expiration of forty years' residence 
 there ; the appearance of an angel of the Lord to him 
 in the wilderness of Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush ; 
 the voice of the Lord to him, announcing himself as the 
 God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob ; the alarm 
 and agitation of Moses; the Divine command to put off 
 the shoe from his foot, because of his being on holy 
 ground ; the declaration of God of beholding the 
 affliction of his people in Egypt, and his determination 
 to deliver them; His appointment of Moses to go to 
 them in Egypt and act as a ruler and deliverer, by the 
 hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush ; 
 the Divine deliverance of the people from their bondage ; 
 and the wonders and signs shown by God in the land of 
 Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty 
 years. Stephen also recites the prediction subsequently 
 made by Moses — and which has been already literally 
 given — regarding the future raising up of a prophet 
 like unto Moses. He further proceeds in their history, 
 and mentions the giving of the lively oracles at Sinai in 
 the wilderness ; the disobedience of the people ; their 
 
38 EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 attempt to turn back into Egypt ; tlie making of the 
 idolatrous calf, and sacrificing unto it ; the tabernacle of 
 witness in the wilderness, according to the fashion made 
 bj Moses, as directed by God ; and its being brought 
 into Canaan by Jesus, or Joshua ; and the driving out of 
 the Gentile or heathen nations by the Israelites, unto 
 the days of David. All the foregoing historical recitals 
 by Stephen are in exact accordance with the origi- 
 nal records of the same facts and circumstances 
 contained in the Books of the Pentateuch, and the 
 Book of Joshua. In the Epistle to the Romans are 
 11 recitals and references to events and circumstances 
 mentioned in the Pentateuch. There are 15 of 
 them in the two Epistles to the Corinthians ; 7 in 
 Galatians ; and 1 in 2nd Timothy. In Hebrews there 
 are no less than jifty-eiglit of the like plain and 
 direct references to facts, institutions, and other par- 
 ticulars mentioned in the Pentateuch books. As part 
 of these numerous recitals and references, there are 
 given in chapters xi. and xii. in the most accurate man- 
 ner, the following historical facts and events recorded 
 in those books, namely : — the creation of the world by 
 the word of God ; the sacrificial ofi'ering by Abel more 
 excellent than that of Cain ; the translation of Enoch, 
 who previously received the testimony that he pleased 
 God ; the diving warning to Noah, and his preparation 
 of the ark in which he saved himself and family ; the 
 call and obedience of Abraham ; his sojourn, and that 
 of Isaac and Jacob, in the land of promise ; Sarah being 
 delivered of Isaac in her old age, and the numerous 
 posterity from that child ; the offering of Isaac by 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 39 
 
 Abraham ; Esau's sale of his birthright to Jacob ; the 
 blessings bestowed on Jacob and Esau by their father 
 Isaac ; the blessing of the sons of Joseph, by Jacob 
 when dying ; the intimation by Joseph, at the time of 
 his [death, as to the departure of the Israelites from 
 Egypt, and his commandment regarding the removal of 
 his body when they departed; the birth of Moses, his 
 being hid three months by his parents ; when in man- 
 hood, his flight from Egypt fearing the wrath of the 
 King; the keeping of the passover and the sprinkling 
 of blood for avoiding the death of the first-born of 
 Israel, like that which was divinely inflicted on the 
 first-born of the Egyptians ; the passage of the Israelites 
 through the bed of the Red Sea; the destruction of the 
 Egyptians in that sea ; the awful and terrifying appear- 
 ances and events at Mount Sinai, in the Avilderness ; the 
 receiving of the spies by Rahab ; the falling of the walls 
 of Jericho after being encompassed several days ; and the 
 preservation of Rahab from death on the taking of 
 Jericho. It will be seen that these recitals and refer- 
 ences in Hebrews, concerning the events and circumstan- 
 ces recorded in the Pentateuch, are even more extended 
 than those already given from the speech of Stephen, for 
 they commence with the creation of the world by God ; 
 and notice several persons and events mentioned in 
 Genesis, which are not named in that speech. In the 
 epistle by James, there are 3 direct references to 
 events in the Pentateuch. In the two Epistles of Peter 
 there are 7 of them; in 1st John 1; in Jude 6; and 
 1 in Revelation. On summing up all these recitals and 
 references in the New Testament, as to persons and 
 
40 EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTOKY REMARKS. 
 
 historical and other events and circumstances, mentioned 
 in the Pentateuch and in the book of Joshua, it will be 
 found that they amount to the astonishing number of 
 243. When we add to these the 290 of thelike recitals and 
 references, in the books of the Old Testament, following 
 the Pentateuch and Joshua, as already shown, it will be 
 seen that the whole of such testimonies, in those follow- 
 ing books of sacred Scripture, amount to the vast 
 number of five hundred and thirty -three. Now, will 
 Bishop Colenso have the bold impiety to say, that this 
 multitude of testimonies, applying as they do, to very 
 nearly the whole of the events, and other particulars 
 contained in those six first sacred books, and uttered 
 and recorded as they have been, under the most solemn 
 circumstances through thousands of years, and by such 
 a number of inspired historians, prophets, evangelists, 
 and apostles, and several of them afforded by our Lord 
 himself, have all been given in favour of fictions and 
 falsehoods ? Even by a number of writers in heathen 
 countries, and in different ages, a great variety of the 
 events recorded in these Pentateuch books, have been 
 mentioned and referred to, without any reservation, or 
 doubt, as to their authentic character. The learned 
 Stackhouse, in the chapter on the Mosaic books, in his 
 voluminous " Body of Divinity," has thus written : — 
 
 " What Moses has said of the origin of the world is 
 recorded in the old histories of the Phoenicians and 
 Egyptians. The formation of man, according to the 
 image of God, and his dominion over other creatures, 
 are described by Ovid, who had them from the Greeks. 
 That all things were created by the word of God, and 
 enlivened by his spirit ; and man in particular was made 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 41 
 
 out of the dust of tlie earth, are what Epicharmus, 
 Hesiod, Homer and (from the Greeks) Virgil have 
 related. The history of Adam and Eve, of the Tree of 
 Knowledge, and the tempting Serpent, was found 
 formerly among the Indians, as Maimonides tells us, 
 and is still among the Brachmans and the inhabitants 
 of Siam, as later voyagers report. The History of 
 the Deluge, of the Ark, and of thosej that were 
 saved therein is recorded by Berosess, by Plutarch, 
 and Lucian. Nay, Abydenus, (as he is cited by Euse- 
 bius) makes mention of the very dove which was sent 
 out to explore the waters. The building of the Tower of 
 Babel, and the giants attempting fo reach the height of 
 Heaven is the common tale of every poet. The burning 
 of Sodom is related by Diodorus Siculus, Pliny, and 
 Tacitus. The use of circumcision is confirmed by 
 Herodotus, Strabo, and Philo Biblius. The history of 
 Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (in the same 
 manner as Moses relates it) was found in several ancient 
 historians, quoted by Eusebius, and is still extant in 
 Justin from Trogus Pompeius. The actions of Moses 
 himself — how he led the people of Israel out of Egypt, 
 received the two tables of the law from the hand of 
 God, and instituted several rites and religious obser- 
 vances, are to be found in most of the same authors." 
 
 Traditions, also, regarding these Pentateuch books, and 
 many of the events they record, as to the Creation, the 
 deluge, the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, their 
 government and leadership by Moses, their conquest of 
 Canaan, and many other particulars of their history 
 contained in those books, have, from time immemorial, 
 been preserved and believed among very many ancient 
 nations and tribes in various parts of the world. 
 
 The Bishop has intimated his apprehension that his 
 denial of the historical truth of the Pentateuch and of 
 the book of Joshua, may require him to " question the 
 
 J> 
 
42 EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 veracity of portions of the New Testament Scriptures." 
 Truly, he must either be very ill-informed as to these 
 Scriptures, or the logic of his mind must be strangely 
 bewildered and darkened if he does not at once perceive 
 and conclude, that he must of necessity deny the truth, 
 not only of the whole of the New Testament proofs, 
 but also of the still greater number of those previous 
 testimonies. To maintain any semblance of consistency 
 he must of course deny the inspired and truthful char- 
 acter of the whole of those testimonies. He has mani- 
 festly shut himself up to this profane conclusion. 
 
 The books which he has so daringly impeached may 
 truly be said to contain the very foundation truths, not 
 only of the former divinely-revealed dispensation to the 
 chosen people of Israel, but also, to a great extent, of 
 our divine Christianity. Here, then, are books which 
 have been received and held as inspired and truthful 
 records through more than 3,000 years, by very many 
 of the most civilized and learned nations of the earth ; 
 which myriads of the wisest and best of men, through 
 all those ages, and in all those nations, have examined 
 and confided in as genuine, and, accordingly, have 
 venerated and admired ; which have been deeply and 
 carefully studied, and closely and critically searched, by 
 thousands of learned theologians and men of the highest 
 intellects and scholarship, and held by them all to be 
 Divine revelations ; and, lastly, their sacred and veritable 
 character, most conclusively shown by upwards of 500 
 of the inspired testimonies already so specially exhibited. 
 Yet, in the face of all these testimonies, we see a person, 
 liolding the oflB.ce of a Christian Bishop, exhibiting the 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 43 
 
 hardihood, as well as impiety, of confronting such 
 abounding and conclusive testimony ; and, in effect, de- 
 claring that he is wiser than all the inspired^ the pious, 
 and the wise, who have thus, through so many ages of 
 the world, held and venerated those sacred records, and 
 testified to their truthful character. 
 
 As a professed theologian, he surely should know, 
 and, probably, does actually know, that all the objections 
 he has advanced against the Pentateuch have, by Deists 
 and other infidels, in different ages, been arrayed 
 against its veracity ; and have as often been answered 
 and fully refuted by learned divines and others; many of 
 them belonging to the church in which he so unworthily 
 holds his ofiace. Many of the same fallacies and false- 
 hoods have also been noticed and answered by learned 
 critical commentators, who have fully shown the 
 authentic character of those sacred books. One of 
 such learned divines and commentators. Dr. Adam 
 Clarke, who spent upwards of twenty years in diligent 
 and searching examination of the whole of the Scrip- 
 tures, — commenting on nearly every verse, — has written 
 as follows : — 
 
 " Every believer in Divine revelation finds him- 
 self amply justified in taking for granted that the 
 Pentateuch is the work of Moses. For more than 3,000 
 years this has been the invariable opinion of those who 
 were best qualified to form a correct judgment on the 
 subject. The Jewish church, from its most remote 
 antiquity, has ascribed the work to no other hand ; and 
 the Christian church, from its foundation, has attributed 
 it to the Jewish lawgiver alone. The most respectable 
 heathens have concurred in this testimony ; and Jesus 
 Christ and his apostles have completed the evidence, 
 
44 EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 and have put tlie question beyond the possibility of 
 being doubted, by those who profess to believe the 
 Divine authenticity of the New Testament." 
 
 The same learned commentator, treating of the evi- 
 dence of the authentic character of the Pentateuch, if 
 considered merely as an uninspired work, has thus 
 written : — 
 
 " It was easy for Moses to be satisfied of the truth of 
 all he relates in the Book of Genesis, as the account 
 came to him through the medium of very few persons. 
 From Adam to Noah there was but one man necessary 
 to the correct transmission of the history of this period 
 of 1656 years. Now this history was, without doubt, 
 known to Methusalah, who lived to see them both. In 
 like manner, Shem connected Noah and Abraham, 
 having lived to converse with both, as Isaac did with 
 Abraham and Joseph, from whom these things might 
 easily be conveyed to Moses, by Amram, who was con- 
 temporary with Joseph. Supposing, then, all the 
 curious facts recorded in Genesis had no other authority 
 than the tradition already referred to, they would stand 
 upon a foundation of credibility superior to any that 
 the most reputable of the ancient Greek and Latin 
 historians can boast. Yet, to preclude all possibility of 
 mistake, the unerring Spirit of God directed Moses in 
 the selection of his facts, and the ascertaining of his 
 dates. Indeed, the narrative is so simple ; so much like 
 truth; so consistent every where with itself; so correct 
 in its dates ; so impartial in its biography ; so accurate 
 in its philosophical details ; so pure in its morality ; and 
 so benevolent in its design, as amply to demonstrate that 
 it never could have had an earthly origin." 
 
 With the numerous similar testimonies concerning 
 the truthful character of the Pentateuch, and also of the 
 Book of Joshua, throughout all the ages of the Jewish 
 and Christian churches, in addition to the more than 
 
EXAMINATION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 45 
 
 Jive hundred inspired attestations to their truthfulness, 
 as already shown, has this adversary the vanity to think 
 that the same stale and infidel objections which he has 
 revived will avail to change the belief of Christendom, 
 or even of any one intelligent Christian, as to the 
 veritable character of any part of those sacred records. 
 He could have no valid reason or ground, whatever, to 
 suppose that any good purpose could possibly be 
 answered by the objections he has advanced. Moreover, 
 as there could be no possible call of duty to require 
 him to give them publicity, he should, even if there 
 were no other reason — yet in deference to the judg- 
 ment of the whole religious world, both Jewish and 
 Christian — have refrained from thus publicly assailing 
 their decided convictions. 
 
Answer to Bishop Colensd's 2nd and ^rd Chapters con- 
 cerning " The Family of Judah.^^ 
 
 ^HE Bishop here begins his own fabricated and absurd 
 story regarding the Exodus. He first gives the 
 texts in Genesis xlvi. (which need not here be repeated), 
 giving the names of the sons of Judah — Er, Onan, and 
 Shelah, and Pharez and Zarah ; and also the sons of 
 Pharez — namely, Hezron and Hamul. He then gives 
 the texts in the same chapter, which state the entrance 
 of Jacob and his family into Egypt, mentioning their 
 numbers. He then takes his main position, as to the 
 age of Judah when he went into Egypt ; and endeavours 
 to support it on his own scheme, as follows : — 
 
 " Now Judah was forty-two years old, according to 
 the story, when he went down with Jacob into Egypt." 
 
 He then proceeds to mention the marriage of Judah, 
 recorded in Genesis xxxviii, after, as he states (but not 
 correctly), that Joseph was sold ; and when, as he says, 
 Judah was at least twenty. He then mentions the births 
 of Judah's three first sons, and the marriages of the two 
 eldest ; the growth of the third to maturity ; the births 
 of his own other, and twin-sons — Pharez and Zarah, by 
 Tamar ; and the births of Hezron and Hamul, sons of 
 Pharez, born before the going down into Egypt, accordv 
 
THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 47 
 
 ing to the Bishop's conclusion ; but which, according to 
 the view and calculations which will here be given, it 
 will not be needful particularly to examine or endeavour 
 to controvert. He had previously said, that 
 
 " All these events concerning Judah and his family 
 took place within the forty-two years of his life before 
 going with his father into Egypt." 
 
 He then, at page 19, advances his main objection, as 
 follows : — 
 
 " The above being certainly incredible, we are obliged 
 to conclude that one of the two accounts must be 
 untrue." 
 
 In a note at the foot of the page he further says : — 
 
 " Judah was about three years' older than Joseph, for 
 Judah was born in the fourth year of Jacob's double 
 marriage — Genesis xxix., 35 ; and Joseph, in the 
 seventh — Genesis xxx., 24 — 26 ; xxxi., 41. Hence Judah 
 was forty-two years old when Jacob went down to 
 Egypt." 
 
 As the Bishop as here put the case, or story, it would, 
 indeed, seem to be incredible. But his starting-point is 
 wrong. This assertion, as to Judah's age of 42, is 
 unfounded. At the time mentioned he must have been 
 very many years older, and, in all probability, nearly, if 
 not quite, 62, as will hereafter be shown. The Bishop 
 puts the case in such a form, as if Judah may have 
 married, and had all his several sons and his two 
 grandsons, according as the particulars are mentioned in 
 Scripture, all within the space of twenty-two years. No 
 such inference or supposition is required from the 
 Scripture facts on the subject. Both his chronology and 
 
48 THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 
 
 his arithmetical premises and inferences are merely 
 conjectural, or rather, decidedly erroneous. 
 
 In order to come at a right understanding and con- 
 clusion on the subject, it is requisite, in the first place, to 
 refer to those particulars as to the ages of some of the 
 persons belonging to the families, and on other points 
 of the subject, on which Scripture gives precise in- 
 formation; and then refer to other particulars, as to 
 supposed ages, dates, and times, concerning which, no 
 such special information is given, but which must now 
 be regarded as merely conjectural or presumptive. Of 
 the first class of particulars or premises, we have, as 
 certain, that Jacob was 130 years old when he stood 
 before Pharaoh, shortly after his entering Egypt; for he 
 made that statement to the king, as mentioned in 
 Genesis xlvii. 9. It is equally certain that Joseph was 
 17 when sold by his brethren, and was 30 when 
 appointed governor by Pharaoh ; and as the seven years 
 of plenty, and two or more of the famine, had passed 
 when he sent for his father, as mentioned in Genesis 
 xlv. 11, he must have been nearly or quite 40, when his 
 father declared his own age to the king. So far, there 
 is certainty, but Scripture gives no precise statement 
 whatever on the following points, — the age of Jacob 
 when he went to Laban at Padan Aram ; nor as to the 
 precise time he remained there ; nor as to the time of 
 Judah's birth ; nor of any other of Jacob's children ; 
 nor the time which elapsed between the births of any of 
 them. Nor is there any mention of the age of Judah 
 when he married ; nor the times of the birth of any of 
 his children ; nor the respective ages of Er, Onan, and 
 
THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 49 
 
 Shelali, his children ; nor what was his own age when 
 he begat Pharez and Zarah; nor what were their ages, 
 or his own, when they went into Egypt ; nor the age of 
 Judah at any part of his life ; nor what was the age of 
 Hezron or of Hamul when they went into Egypt, sup- 
 posing them to have been born before. Let all this be 
 boine in mind throughout the investigation. Now, to 
 come at a fair and correct conclusion as to the age of 
 Judah when he went into Egypt, and on the other 
 points in question, it will be requisite to take into con- 
 sideration the probable age of Jacob, when he left his 
 home and went to Laban at Padan Aram ; and also 
 the length of time he remained there. As already 
 mentioned, there is nothing in Scripture as to his age 
 when he commenced that journey. Some have thought 
 that he was then 77 years of age ; but it is very highly 
 probable that he was not so old by 20 years, or more. 
 His twin-brother Esau had married his two first wives 
 at 40 (Genesis xxvi. 34), not long previous to his being 
 supplanted by Jacob, as to the birthright, and for which 
 he meditated taking Jacob's life. It is not probable, 
 therefore, that Jacob would remain in Canaan, exposed 
 to the effects of his brother's resentment, for upwards 
 of 30 years, and until he was 77. Nor is it at all 
 probable that he would, at that advanced age, have 
 that ardent and rapturous affection and desire for young 
 Rachel which the narrative declares. This would be 
 probable enough at 45, 50, or even 57 — his age when 
 he went to Laban, as some have concluded — and with 
 very great probability, as will hereafter appear. 
 
 The next point to be ascertained as nearly as possible 
 
50 
 
 THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 
 
 IS, the full time of Jacob's residence in Padan Aram. 
 The following are the Scripture facts which have a 
 direct bearing upon it. Having become so entirely 
 captivated by Rachel, very shoitly after his arrival he 
 makes a bargain with her father Laban, to serve him 
 for seven years, to obtain her for his wife. At the end 
 of the seven years he is deceived by the covetous Laban 
 and gets Leah for his wife, and a week after Rachel also 
 for another seven years service. The first child by Leah 
 is Reuben, born probably a year after the marriage, and 
 then follow, Simeon, Levi and Judah also by Leah, and 
 allowing a year between each, eleven years of the fourteen 
 stipulated would be gone, leaving only three years 
 remaining. All these facts are given in Gen. xxix. 
 and at the close of it is stated, the important fact in the 
 narrative that Leah then " left bearing." In the next 
 chapter, the following facts on the subject are given : — 
 Rachel not having any child gives her maid Bilhah to her 
 husband, by whom he has two children, probably within 
 two years more. Then Leah still finding that "she 
 had left bearing," gave to Jacob her maid Zilpah, by 
 whom he had two sons, probably also within the two 
 years following. Afterwards —but it does not appear 
 how long — Leah again began to bear children, and had 
 in succession two sons and a daughter. After all these 
 births, and again for a period not mentioned, and there- 
 fore quite uncertain, Joseph is born of Rachel. Here 
 then to a certainty are seven children, and Joseph the 
 eighth, born in regular succession ; and born, according 
 to the Bishop's calculations and story, within the three 
 remaining years of Jacob's service for the fourteen 
 
THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 51 
 
 years. This, indeed, is far more incredible, to use the 
 Bishop's word, than the case he has put of Judah's 
 marriage, and his descendants within twenty-three years. 
 From the plain facts of Scripture just given, it is 
 absolutely certain that there must have been about eight 
 years at least, and very probably double that number, 
 or more, between the births of Judah and Joseph, making 
 of course the former to be so much older than the latter ; 
 instead of only three years, as the Bishop has planned it. 
 According to those plain facts of Scripture, these fourteen 
 years of Jacob's service must have expired, about the time 
 Gad was born, the first child by Leah's maid. Where 
 then was Jacob, and what was he doing, all the follow- 
 ing years, during which the next Jive children, including 
 Joseph were born ? This period will be accounted for 
 from Scripture statements, before this investigation is 
 closed. It is sufficiently certain that Jacob was not 
 away from Padan Aram, during that intervening time, 
 between the expiration of the fourteen years, and his 
 subsequent agreement with Laban, after the birth of 
 Joseph, to serve him for the cattle. This last service 
 it would seem continued for six years. The opinion 
 that Jacob was only 20 years in Padan Aram, has been 
 founded on his reproachful speech to Laban, when the 
 latter overtook him, on his secret departure for Canaan, 
 as recorded in Genesis xxxi. 45, in these words : — 
 
 " Thus have I been twenty years in thy house ; I served 
 thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years 
 for thy cattle ; and thou hast changed my wages ten 
 times." 
 
 Now mark, he does not say here, that he had only 
 
52 THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 
 
 been twenty years in Padan Aram, or anything of the 
 
 kind. Not a word, or hint on that point. But on the 
 
 contrary, in the previous verse 38 he most probably, 
 
 refers to another twenty years, in these words : — 
 
 *'This twenty years have I been with thee ; thy ewes and 
 thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams 
 of thy flock have I not eaten." 
 
 Those learned writers, Mr. Skinner and Dr. Kennicott, 
 
 long ago examined this subject, with close and critical 
 
 exactness ; and the latter, after refering to difficulties 
 
 raised on the point, has written concerning it as follows : 
 
 "Upon the single principle of Mr. Skinner, that 
 Jacob went to Laban at fifty-seven (instead of seventy- 
 seven) these difficulties are solved. The common opinion 
 is formed by reckoning back from the age of Joseph, 
 when govenor of Egypt, to the time of his birth ; and 
 from the twenty years which Jacob was with Laban. 
 This number, Mr. Skinner thinks, was originally forty ; 
 and I think that the Hebrew text, as it now stands, con- 
 firms the conjecture ; and furnishes the very authority 
 which is so much wanted. 
 
 " After Jacob had served Laban fourteen years for 
 his two wives, where was Jacob to reside ? Esau was 
 still living, and Jacob might well be afraid of returning 
 to him, till more years of absence had disarmed his 
 resentment ; and, had the death of Esau happened, 
 Jacob would have been secure. But, let us also remem- 
 ber that Isaac was still alive ; and that Esau had deter- 
 mined to kill Jacob whenever their father should die. 
 It would, therefore, be no wonder, if Jacob should have 
 desired to continue longer in Haran. And to carry 
 this point more effectually, he might ofier to take care 
 of Laban's cattle, and to live in his neighbourhood, 
 upon such terms of advantage to Laban as could not 
 easily be withstood. Lastly, when the good effects to 
 Laban, from this connexion, had been experienced 
 without profit, nay, with some losses to Jacob, for twenty 
 
THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 53 
 
 years, Jacob mlglit naturally grow tired of tlius assisting 
 Laban without providing for his own growing family. 
 Accordingly, we find that Jacob covenants with Laban 
 for six years of more close attendance and service in 
 Laban's own house, for which the wages were expressly 
 settled. Agreeable to the preceding possibilities, seems 
 to have been the fact — Jacob living in Haran forty years, 
 and in this manner : — 
 
 14 years in Laban's house, a covenant servant for his 
 
 wives. 
 20 „ in Laban's neighbourhood as a friend. 
 6 „ in Laban's house, a covenant servant for 
 cattle. 
 
 40 
 
 " Now the twenty concurrent years of neighbourly 
 assistance, and the disjointed tiventy of covenant service^ 
 seem both of them distinguished in the history itself. 
 For, upon Laban's pursuit of Jacob, he mentions twenty 
 years twice ; which two sets of twenty^ if really different, 
 makes forty. Each mention of the twenty years is intro- 
 duced with the word zeh^ which word, when repeated, is 
 used by way of distinction, as when we say this and that, 
 the one or the other. Thus, Exodus xiv. 20. — ' So that 
 the one came not near the other. ^ Eccles. vi. 5 : ^This 
 hath more rest than the other. ^ And with the two words 
 at a great distance. Job xxi. 23 : one dieth ; ver. 25 : and 
 another dieth, &c. So here, in Gen. xxxi. 38, Jacob 
 says to Laban, zeh esrim shanah anochi immach, during 
 the one set of twenty years I was with thee, &c. ; meaning 
 the time in which he lived, not in Laban's house, but in 
 his neighbourhood ; not as a servant, but a friend ; after 
 he had served in Laban's house fourteen years for his 
 daughters, and before he served six years for his cattle. 
 But, then, as to the other twenty, he tells Laban, at verse 
 21, varying the phrase very remarkably, Zeh li esrim 
 shanah bebeithecha abadticha, during the other twenty 
 years (li.) For myself, (for my own benefit) in thy 
 house, I served thee fourteen years and six years, &c. And 
 
54 THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 
 
 during this last period, though only siic years, he charges 
 Laban with altering his wages ten times ; so that Jacob 
 insists upon having well earned his wages, through the 
 twenty years when he served for hire ; but he makes a 
 far greater merit of having for another twenty years 
 assisted him without wages, and even with some losses ; 
 and, therefore, with particular propriety, he reminds 
 Laban of that set of twenty years, in the first place. 
 
 "Table: — On Jacob's living at Haran (or Padan Aram) 
 forty years." 
 
 Jacob (and Esau) born 
 40 Esau marries two wives, Hit- 
 
 tites Gen. xxvi. 34 
 
 57 Jacob goes to Haran. 
 
 58 Esau goes to Ishmael, and mar- 
 ries his daughter . . . Gen. xxviii. 9 
 
 63 Ishmael dies, aged 137 . . Gen. xxv. 17 
 
 64 Jacob marries Leah and 
 Rachel . . . Gen. xxix. 20, 21, 27, 28 
 
 65 Reuben born of Leah^ 
 
 66 Simeon „ „ f Gen. xxix. 32-35 
 
 67 Levi „ „ r 
 
 68 Judah „ „ ) 
 Rachel not bearing, gives 
 
 Bilhah 
 
 69 Dan born of Bilhah . 
 71 Napthali „ „ . . 
 
 Leah not bearing, gives 
 
 Gadbomof Zilpah.' '. ^ Gen. xxx. 6-24 
 
 Asher „ „ . . 
 
 Reuben at 13 finds the 
 
 Mandrakes 
 
 Issacher born of Leah . 
 Zebulum „ 82 Dinah^ 
 Judah, at 18, marries Shuah's daughter* 
 Er born 88, Onan 89, Shelah 
 91 Joseph born of Rachel 
 6 years service for cattle 
 * Not placed in order of time, Gen. xxxviii. 
 
 5s . 
 
 
 r 72 
 
 ^ 
 
 74 
 
 ^. 
 
 78 
 
 «0 
 
 
 
 
 ?> 
 
 
 ^ 1 
 
 79 
 
 i 
 
 81 
 
 1 
 
 86 
 
 o 
 
 87 
 
 G<1 
 
 Q1 
 
THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 55 
 
 97 Jacob comes from Haian to Succoth and 
 
 Shalem 
 Dinah defiled and tKe Shecliemites destroyed 
 
 98 Benjamin is born and Eachel dies. 
 103 Beriah, fourth son of Asher born 
 105 Tamar married to Er, 106 to Onan 
 
 108 Joseph at 17, is carried into 
 
 Egypt ...... Gen. xxxvii. 2 
 
 109 Shelah, at 20, not ^iven to Tamar 
 
 110 Pharez and Zarah born of Tamar by Judah 
 
 120 Isaac dies, aged 180 . . . Gen. xxxv. 28 
 
 121 Joseph at 30, Governor of 
 
 Egypt ....... Gen. xli. 46 
 
 123 Beriah at 20, marries 
 
 125 Heber 127, Malchiel born to Beriah 
 
 128 Pharez at 18 marries 
 
 129 Hezron 130, Hamul born to Pharez 
 
 130 Benjamin at 32, has ten sons 
 
 Jacob goes to Egypt . . . Gen. xlvii. 9 
 147 and dies . Gen. xlvii. 28 and xlix 33 
 
 " The alteration here recommended is this : Chap- 
 ter xxxi. 38. During the ONE twenty years I was 
 WITH thee; thi/ ewes and thy she goats have not cast 
 their young ^ and the rams, &c., &c. 
 
 41 : " During the other twenty years, for 
 MYSELF, in thy HOUSE / served, &c. The same 
 distinction is expressed in Chapter xxx. 29 : Thou 
 know est how I have served thesy and how thy cattle was with 
 me ; that is, how I behaved during the time I was with 
 thee, as thy servant; and how thy cattle fared, during 
 the time they were with me, as thy friend." 
 
 Dr. Adam Clarke approves of this explanation of 
 the subject by Mr. Skinner and Dr. Kennicott, and 
 has adapted the chronology of his commentary in 
 accordance with it ; and concludes that, 
 
 " This explanation of the two sets of twenty years 
 happily delivers from the difficulties raised." 
 
56 THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 
 
 Should it be urged that the 14 years had only just 
 expired at the birth of Joseph, from the words of Jacob 
 to Laban, in Genesis xxx. 25, 26 — "Send me away, &c. 
 Give me my wives and children ; . . . and let me go ;" 
 it may, at once, be conclusively answered that, even if 
 the 14 years had only just then expired, he had a 
 perfect right to depart, without requiring any permission 
 from Laban; but, evidently, all along, he was afraid 
 that the covetous Laban would still detain him; for years 
 after, when Laban overtook him on his return, he gave, 
 as a reason for his secret departure (chapter xxxi., 31), 
 " I was afraid, for I said, peradventure, thou wouldst 
 take by force thy daughters from me." The objection 
 by the Bishop, of the impossibility of Judah marrying, 
 and having several sons and the two grandsons, when he 
 went down to Egypt, he founds, on the erroneous con- 
 clusion he has assumed, that Judah mariied imme- 
 diately on the sale of Joseph, from the words in Genesis 
 xxxviii. 1, — " And it came to pass at that time, that 
 Judah went down from his brethren," &c., being the time 
 when he took his wife. Now, evidently, this time was 
 not when Joseph was sold, and all the brethren were 
 together at Dotham ; for in the concluding verses of the 
 preceding chapter, which records that sale, mention is 
 made that they had returned home, and had shown 
 Joseph's coat to their father; and that he had mourned 
 for his son '■'"many days ;^ and that his children en- 
 deavoured in vain to comfort him. There is, indeed, no 
 connection or relation whatever between the two 
 narratives concerning Joseph and Judah ; and the 
 words, " at that time," will far better apply to some 
 
THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 57 
 
 previous period. This chapter (Genesis xxxviii), con- 
 cerning Judah's marriage and the births of his children, 
 is evidently out of its place, for it makes a breach in the 
 connection of the story of Joseph. That eminent com- 
 mentator, Mr. Ainsworth, says, concerning those words, 
 '* at that time," in verse 1 : — 
 
 " The time here spoken of seems to have been soon 
 after Jacob's coming to Schechem (chapter xxxiii. 18), 
 before the history of Dinah (chapter xxxiv) ; though 
 Moses, for especial cause, relates it in this place." 
 
 Dr. Adam Clarke also thinks that to have been the 
 time, and says ; — 
 
 "I should rather suppose that this chapter originally 
 stood after chapter xxxiii., and that it got by accident 
 into this place." 
 
 This might indeed very easily happen in the course 
 of transcribing, or in numbering and arranging the 
 chapters. Whether, therefore, the exposition of 
 Mr. Skinner and Dr. Kennicott is adopted; or that 
 of Mr. Ainsworth and Dr. Clarke; sufficient time 
 will be afforded for Judah's marriage, and the births 
 of all his five children, and his grand children, — the two 
 sons of Pharez — before their going down into Egypt. 
 Again, let it be remembered, that no mention is made 
 of the precise spaces of time, between the births of any 
 of Jacob's children, or those of Judah, or his grand 
 children ; or of the age of Judah at any period, or of 
 the age of any member of the whole family, at or about 
 the time of their entering Egypt, except the ages of 
 Jacob and Joseph. Nor, except in a few instances, are 
 the precise dates of events given. The Divine Spirit 
 
 K 
 
58 THE FAMILY OF JUDAH. 
 
 who inspired tlie sacred historian to record the events, 
 did not see it to be requisite to furnish any more par- 
 ticulars as to ages and dates than are given ; nor are any 
 others needed, for full information and belief concerning 
 all Scripture truths on those subjects. It may, lastly, 
 be remarked that it may certainly be as readily believed 
 that Judah was nearly, if not quite sixty years old, and 
 had grand children or even great grand children, when 
 he went with the family to Egypt, as that Asher, who 
 was several years younger had grand children, and that 
 Benjamin, who most probably, was then only about 
 thirty-two, had ten sons. Yet, the Bishop makes no 
 objection to these facts. It is true Benjamin — in our 
 version —is called a lad^ but that was not an unsuitable 
 term when men lived to be 150 and 180. No remarks 
 are needed, or will, either here or elsewhere be made, 
 regarding any of the German authorities the Bishop 
 has cited in his work. 
 
Answer to Chapter IV. concerning " TJie size of the Court 
 of the Tabernacle, compared with the number of the 
 Congregation,'^ 
 
 TN this chapter the Bishop has exercised some of his 
 arithmetical ingenuity, in his endeavour to impeach 
 the Scripture records ; but no person of ordinary sense 
 and candour, not to say pieti/, will be stumbled or puzzled 
 by any of his calculations, or contemptible criticisms as 
 to spaces and numbers. The whole of them, amount to 
 no more than objections to the mere forms of expression ; 
 a quibbling about phraseology only ; and neglecting or 
 refusing to look at the evident meaning. There is much 
 of this pitiful cavilling in his book, and it will be a trial 
 of patience, to expose and answer its profane weakness 
 and absurdity. It furnishes one proof among the many 
 others, how hard driven he has been to frame objections 
 to the sacred records. He may be asked, did he never 
 in any other records of past times, read of the whole 
 population of cities, or districts of countries, being 
 summoned to meet in open and extensive spaces ; or 
 even at public halls or buildings, to be informed of 
 public matters, in which the whole population were 
 concerned ; and yet, but a comparatively moderate, or 
 even small portion of such population was actually pre- 
 
60 THE SIZE OF THE COURT. 
 
 sent at the meeting, and personally heard the communi- 
 cation when first given ? He knows well about meetings 
 at Exeter Hall, and other public places, on various 
 subjects — religious or secular — in which all are inter- 
 ested, and all, therefore, have notice to attend, and yet 
 but a comparatively small part of the people could 
 assemble within the hall, or even get near to the door. 
 In all such cases, however, all the information needed, 
 relating to the subject matter of the meeting, is in one 
 or several modes, circulated and received throughout 
 the population concerned, however numerous. 
 
 In the instance he has first cited, in Leviticus viii. 3, 4, 
 of the summoning all the congregation to the door of 
 the Tabernacle, it may first be remarked that, for various 
 reasons, it was highly proper, that they all should have 
 notice of the approaching ceremony of the consecration 
 of Aaron and his sons for the priestly office ; and the 
 place appointed for assembling was, of course, that 
 where the ceremony was to take place. It is not said 
 in the text that the ivliole congregation attended at the 
 door of the tabernacle, or within the court ; but it is 
 merely said, "The assembly was gathered together unto 
 the door of the tabernacle of the congregation," which 
 expression — " assembly,''^ can only mean those who were 
 actually present at the place. He admits that the court 
 would contain about 5,000 persons ; moreover, there 
 was an area, or vacant place, of 2,000 cubits — about two- 
 thirds of a mile — in every direction around the outside 
 of the court of the tabernacle, into which the congre- 
 gation, or people generally, did not come, unless when 
 specially summoned. This space would also contain 
 
THE SIZE OF THE COURT. 61 
 
 a vast multitude. Further, not only as to this instance, 
 but as to all others of any similar kind, on which the 
 Bishop has framed objections, it may, once for all, be 
 remarked, that there could be no difficulty as to Moses 
 and Aaron speedily conveying notices and information 
 of every kind to the whole congregation, or body of the 
 people, for they had the hundreds of elders and subor- 
 dinate officers, and the many thousands of Levites at 
 their command, for every such purpose. The whole 
 number of the male Levites, between twenty-five and 
 fifty years — upwards of 8,000 in all — were by the Lord 
 expressly and repeatedly declared to be given to Aaron 
 and his sons, the priests, "to do the service of the children 
 of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation" (Num- 
 bers viii. 11, 15, 19, 24) ; and also for taking it down, 
 conveying and putting it up, as often as required. 
 (Numbers chapter iv.) By the agency of these mul- 
 titudes of elders, officers, and Levites, as well as others, 
 the whole requisite information as to consecrating Aaron 
 and his sons, would speedily be made known to all who 
 did not with their own eyes witness the ceremony. The 
 Bishop, of course, knows the Latin saying, ''^facit per 
 alium facit per se,' which is well understood by all, and 
 is continually being carried out in nearly all the affairs 
 of life, without any misapprehension or frivolous ob- 
 jection, such as the Bishop has so frequently advanced 
 in his work, and as will hereafter be noticed. 
 
 He next objects to these words concerning the pass- 
 over, in Exodus xii. 6 — "The whole assembly of the 
 congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening." It 
 did not suit his purpose to give the whole of the divine 
 
62 THE SIZE OF THE COURT. 
 
 commands contained in the immediately preceding 
 verses, which direct, that on the day named, '* every 
 man should take a lamb, according to the house of their 
 fathers ; a lamb for an house ; and if the household be 
 too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next 
 unto his house, take it, according to the number of the 
 souls," verse 3, 4. "And ye shall keep it up until the 
 fourteenth day of the same month : and the whole 
 assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in 
 the evening," verse 6 ; and in verse 7, they are com- 
 manded to " strike the blood on the two side posts and 
 on the upper door posts of the houses." Now, every 
 person, of the most ordinary reason or understanding, 
 will, at once see, that it is not meant that the whole body 
 of the Israelites were to come together to kill any one 
 lamb, or every one of them ; but that the whole con- 
 gregation, or people should, by their families, act in the 
 matter in the same manner, and at the same time ; that 
 no family of the whole nation should omit to do as 
 directed, and at the precise time commanded. It was 
 at the peril of their lives to disobey, or neglect the in- 
 junction. Next, he advances the same kind of cavil as 
 to the whole congregation murmuring against Moses and 
 Aaron, and saying that they had brought them " into the 
 wilderness to kill them with hunger." Surely, there is 
 nothing impossible or incredible in all this. They were 
 constantly murmuring and rebelling, not only against 
 Moses and Aaron, but against their Divine Kuler and 
 Benefactor himself. Doubtless, the Bishop must often 
 have read, or heard of the whole people of a city, or 
 province, or nation, murmuring against their rulers. It 
 
THE SIZE OF THE COURT. 63 
 
 has been of very frequent occurrence in the history of 
 our world. But, further, he is astounded at its being 
 said, that " Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all 
 the assembly of the congregation." Is his perception 
 so dull or perverted, that he does not see that this 
 merely and plainly means, that they so fell down before 
 all those of the congregation, or people, who were then 
 assembled before and around them, and who beheld their 
 prostration. His next objection is, as to assembling " all 
 the congregation," to declare their pedigrees, &c. Here 
 he has again manifestated unfairness, by omitting to 
 mention that the assembling and numbering were by 
 twelve chiefs, or " princes," named and appointed for 
 the purpose — one belonging to each tribe, exclusive of 
 Levi; so that each would number in his own tribe 
 throughout the several divisions of the encampment ; 
 and all was directed to be done, and could be done, on 
 the same day by the officers and heads of families, who 
 would assist the princes in assembling the people, and 
 performing all the other parts of the duty. Next, he 
 objects as to all the congregation stoning the blasphemer. 
 No person, except such a determined and pertinacious 
 objector as the Bishop, would, from this form of ex- 
 pression, suppose that every individual of the whole 
 people threw a stone at him ; but would merely, and of 
 course, infer that all the people were privy and con- 
 senting to his punishment. We read and hear of 
 mobs — composed of many thousands, who are said to 
 have plundered or pulled down houses ; but nobody 
 supposes that every individual of them had his hands 
 actually employed in the work. But, in the usual and a 
 
64 THE SIZE OF THE COURT. 
 
 proper form of speech, they are all said to have done it, 
 because they were all consenting and approving. The 
 next objection is, as to Korah gathering " all the con- 
 gregation against Moses and Aaron unto the door of the 
 tabernacle." In looking through this chapter (Num- 
 bers xvi.), it is sufficiently evident that the expression, 
 " all the congregation," must here be taken to apply 
 merely to the rebel party ; for it appears from verse 2, 
 that it was composed of " certain of the children of 
 Israel ;" and, again, in verse 6 are the words, " Korah 
 and all his company." These assembled unto, or in the 
 direction of the door of the tabernacle of the congre- 
 gation — the official station of Moses and Aaron, — and 
 then Moses and Aaron, by the direction of the Lord, 
 went out with the elders among the rest of the people, 
 and warned them to depart from the tents of those 
 wicked men ; and they did so, and avoided the 
 destruction which befel the others. 
 
 Kegarding the divine glory, which, doubtless, was 
 over the tabernacle, it would be visible to all who were 
 assembled, and even throughout the encampment. As 
 to Aaron, by the command of Moses, running into the 
 midst of the congregation, for the purpose of staying 
 the plague, there can be no difficulty whatever. Surely, 
 there is nothing incredible here; but the fact stated, 
 and the meaning of the words employed, are both as 
 plain and explicit as possible. The next objection, as to 
 the blowing of the trumpets, can as readily be answered. 
 When both trumpets were blown, all were to come 
 forth ; and the place towards which the assembly was to 
 convene, was the door of the tabernacle — the official 
 
THE SIZE OF THE COURT. 65 
 
 station, as already observed, of Moses and Aaron, their 
 rulers and leaders. 
 
 In the Bishop's last objection of the same kind, 
 regarding Joshua reading the commands of Moses 
 before " all the congregation," he has acted with equal 
 unfairness, as in the other two instances mentioned, by 
 not giving the previous verse 33 of that chapter fviii of 
 Joshua), which is in these words — *' And all Israel, and 
 their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this 
 side the ark, and on that side, before the priests, the 
 Levites, which bare the Ark of the Covenant of the 
 Lord, as well the stranger as he that was born among 
 them ; half of them over against Mount Gerizim, and 
 half of them over against Mount Ebal." We, therefore, 
 see that Joshua read the words before^ and in the hearing 
 of, all the heads and representatives of the whole people ; 
 which officers and representatives would make the words 
 known to all who did not personally hear them from 
 Joshua's reading. 
 
Answer to Chapter V. — On " Moses and Joshua 
 addressing all Israel." 
 
 TN this chapter the Bishop indulges in the same style 
 of objections, as urged in the one preceding. There 
 is this slight difference, however, that in the last, the 
 objections related to numbers, and space to contain them. 
 Here, it is as to speaking to multitudes. They are, all, 
 about equally frivolous and empty. The words so fre- 
 quently used— "Moses spake unto all Israel," — or, 
 " unto all the congregation," will readily be understood 
 by every unprejudiced person to mean that he commu- 
 nicated, or made known to them the several commands, 
 personally, to those around him, who could hear the 
 communication, and to the rest, by subordinate officers, 
 and priests, and Levites. Such was, in truth, the man- 
 ner of proceeding, on the occasion cited by the Bishop, 
 in Deut. i. 1, and v. 1. The Bishop seems to have been 
 in such haste to seize upon his objection and send it 
 forth to the world, that he omitted to look forward 
 toward the end of the speech, at chapter xxvii. 1. 
 There he would have found it recorded that " Moses, 
 with the elders of Israel, commanded the people ;" and, 
 at verse 9, that on the same day and occasion, and as 
 to the same commands, " Moses and the priests and 
 
MOSES AND JOSHUA ADDRESSING ALL ISRAEL. 67 
 
 Levites spake unto all Israel saying, take heed, and 
 hearken, Israel." Here we see, most explicitly, 
 that the elders, the priests, and the multitude of Le- 
 vites were employed on the occasion, as well as 
 Moses, in making known to the whole people the divine 
 commands and ordinances. 
 
 The objection as to Joshua reading all the words of 
 the law, and the blessings and cursings " before all the 
 congregation," &c., as mentioned in Joshua viii. 34, 35, 
 the Bishop produced in his preceding chapter ; and it 
 is answered in this reviewer's remarks on the contents of 
 that chapter. The Bishop had either forgotten that he 
 had there advanced it, or else repeated it here, to give it 
 additional force, and that it might not be overlooked. 
 Here, also, as before, he has not had the fairness to give 
 the previous verse 33, where it is mentioned that, at the 
 time of reading, by Joshua, " their elders and their officers 
 and their judges stood on this side the ark and on that 
 side, before the priests, the Levites which bare the Ark 
 of the Covenant of the Lord ; half of them over against 
 Mount Gerizim, and half of them over against Mount 
 Ebal." The texts do not say that every individual of the 
 whole congregation heard the words as he uttered them. 
 Their elders, officers, and others, as their representatives, 
 were present to hear ; and, as in the previous and pattern 
 instance of Moses reading the same laws and ordinances, 
 they would make all fully known to the whole people, 
 according as it is said on that previous occasion, 
 in Deuteronomy xxvii. 1, — " And Moses, with the 
 elders of Israel, commanded the people ;" and in verse 
 9, — '' and Moses and the priests and the Levites spake 
 
68 MOSES AND JOSHUA ADDRESSING ALL ISRAEL. 
 
 unto all Israel." Josliua evidently proceeded exactly 
 after the example of his great predecessor ; and accor- 
 ding to his command, which he was then fulfilling. Under 
 those circumstances, the Bishop's objection as to time 
 and numerous readings by Joshua are entirely dispelled, 
 and only the one reading by Joshua was requisite, which 
 could be accomplished in about an hour and a half, the 
 usual time, as one writer has already observed, for the 
 delivery of an ordinary lecture in the present day. 
 Did the Bishop never read or hear of a commander-in- 
 chief making an encouraging speech to his army of 
 50,000 or 100,000 when going into battle ; and giving 
 his commands as to the order of the forces ; and yet, 
 in such a case, not one in hundreds would actually hear 
 his words, but they would all hear of them by his aideB 
 and others conveying his orders. 
 
Anstver to Chapter yi. — On the extent of the Camp com,' 
 pared with the priests^ duties and the daily necessities of 
 the people.'''' 
 
 rpHE texts cited by the Bishop, in Leviticus iv. 11, 12, 
 relating to the duty of the priest, as to removal of 
 certain parts of the bullock for a sin offering, form a 
 part of the directions given by the Lord to Moses as to 
 various offerings which should be made after the taber- 
 nacle Avas completed and reared ; and all its sacred 
 appurtenances and furniture were arranged in the order 
 divinely prescribed. Those directions were also, pre- 
 vious to the numbering of the tribes, and setting apart 
 certain males of the tribe of Levi, " for the service of 
 the tabernacle," under Aaron and his sons, to whom they 
 were given by the Lord, expressly for that service. 
 This dedication of them is mentioned in the following 
 texts, among many others to the same effect: — "Bring 
 the tribe of Levi near and present them before Aaron 
 the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they 
 shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole con- 
 gregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to 
 do the service of the tabernacle," Numbers iii. 6, 7. 
 Again, " From thirty years old and upwards, even unto 
 fifty years old, everyone that came to do the service of 
 
70 THE EXTENT OF THE CAMP, ETC. 
 
 the ministry, and the service of the burden, in the 
 tabernacle of the congregation, even those that were 
 numbered of them were eight thousand, and five hun- 
 dred, and fourscore." Numbers iv. 47, 48. Here, in- 
 deed, were a goodly number of retainers under Aaron 
 to do his bidding, and all the service to which he 
 appointed them. While encamped, but a compara- 
 tively small portion of them would be daily required for 
 service in and about the tabernacle. They would be 
 taken for that service in reojular rotation. Among: other 
 services, they slew the animals, and prepared the parts 
 for the sacrifices, and conveyed them to the priests, and 
 removed all the remains and various things from about 
 the tabernacle, required to be taken without the camp, 
 or elsewhere ; and, in short, assisted in any and every 
 way, in and about the tabernacle as required by the 
 priests, according to the order and the duties prescribed. 
 But the Bishop seems not to have known, or to have 
 forgotten all about these services of the Levites, and will 
 have itf that the priest himself, Aaron, or one of his sons, 
 — carried the bullock, and the appurtenances specified, 
 three-quarters of a mile on his own shoulders. This is 
 merely the Bishop's supposition to help out his case; 
 but it is not at all a probable reality, when the priest 
 had so many thousands at his command to do all the 
 laborious work ; and doubtless, there were waggons also, 
 for all such purposes. The Bishop can be very literal 
 at times. Here, however, the maxim, — -facit per alium^ 
 facit per se, again comes fairly into use. Doubtless, he 
 has read of commanders of beseiging armies forming 
 entrenchments, and redoubts, and counterscarps ; and 
 
THE EXTENT OF THE CAMP, ETC. 71 
 
 of admirals, hearing of enemies sliips being on the 
 coast, weighing anchor, and going out with their fleets 
 to meet them ; hut nobody imagines, that all the works 
 of the military commanders were done by themselves 
 personally ; or that the admirals had weighed all the 
 anchors of the fleets with their own hands. 
 
 As to the Bishop's latter objection, concerning the 
 ^^daily necessities^'^ but few, if indeed any, remarks are 
 required. There was the express regulating order, as 
 to the 600,000 men; and as to all others, doubtless, 
 everything relating to the matter, would be arranged 
 and managed consistently with both cleanliness and 
 convenience. There was no greater difficulty about the 
 matter in the Israelitish camp, than in the encampments 
 of great armies, with all their retainers and attendants ; 
 or other large bodies under similar circumstances. 
 
 It may, finally, be remarked, that as the Bishop by 
 his ingenuity and fertility of supposition, has been able 
 to frame so many other exceptions to the historical 
 truths of the Pentateuch, it would have been but decorous 
 to have omitted this last objection. 
 
Answer to Chapter VII. — On " The number of the people 
 at the first muster, compared with the Poll Tax raised 
 six months previously.''"' 
 
 rPHE Bishop cites the following texts : — 
 
 " And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, when 
 thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their 
 number, then shall they give every man a ransom for 
 his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them ; that 
 there be no plague among them, when thou numberest 
 them. This they shall give, every one that passeth 
 among them that are numbered, half a shekel, after the 
 shekel of the sanctuary : an half shekel shall he the 
 offering of the Lord." Exodus xxx. 11 — 13. 
 
 The first objection which the Bishop here makes, 
 
 relates to the expression "shekel of the sanctuary'* 
 
 which he says, 
 
 *' Could hardly have been used in this way, until there 
 was a sanctuary in existence, or rather, until the sanctuary 
 had been some time in existence, &c." 
 
 Here it must be said, in plain terms, that the 
 Bishop has committed a flagrant offence by wilfully 
 omitting a most important portion of the text he 
 has cited. After the expression " shekel of the sanc- 
 tuary " are the words (" a shekel is twenty gerahs.") 
 These words, which fix the standard value of the shekel 
 of the sanctuary, he has left out, and then makes the 
 
THE NUMBER OF THE PEOPLE. 78 
 
 above objection because tbe expression was used before 
 the sanctuary was built. Such conduct could never 
 have been anticipated from such an official quarter, 
 and is quite discreditable. 
 
 The whole unmutilated text forms a part of the 
 Divine and precise directions contained in Exodus, from 
 chapters xxv. to xxx. inclusive, for the making of the 
 tabernacle and the sanctuary therein, and all their sacred 
 utensils and appurtenances. It may here be remarked, 
 that shekels and their value were well known to the 
 Israelites long before ; for we read in Genesis xxiv. of 
 Abraham giving 400 shekels for a burial-place for Sarah ; 
 and in several subsequent places shekels are mentioned. 
 
 In further remarking on the words, " shekel of the 
 sanctuary, he says : — 
 
 "In Exodus xxxviii. 24, 25, 26, we have the same 
 phrase used again, of the actual contributions of the 
 people towards the building of the sanctuary'"' 
 
 On the following page (42) of his book, this contribu- 
 tion mentioned in this same verse, 2Q of the same 
 chapter xxxviii. (citing it), he calls "the atonement 
 money." Here, as in many other places, so defective is 
 his knowledge of Scripture, that he confounds together 
 things which are separate and distinct ; and has given 
 different meanings to the contents of the same verse. 
 To make this clearly appear, we must first look back to 
 Exodus XXV., where we find the Divine directions to 
 Moses, to require of the people free-will offerings of all 
 the different materials required for making the taber- 
 nacle, and its various utensils and furniture. On this 
 being made known to them, they so abundantly offered, 
 
 P 
 
74 THE NUMBER OF THE PEOPLE. 
 
 that in chapter xxxvi. 6, 7, it is said — "So the people 
 were restrained from bringing, for the stuff they had was 
 sufficient for all the work, to make it, and too much." 
 Next, in chapter xxxviii. we find the whole of their contri- 
 butions summed up, and the respective values of the gold, 
 silver, and brass estimated and fixed ; and their employ- 
 ment for the several purposes expressly mentioned. 
 As to the appropriation of the silver, the following 
 information is given in chapter xxxviii. 26, &c, — "A 
 bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the 
 shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be 
 numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six 
 hundred thousand and three thousand and live hundred 
 and fifty men. And of the hundred talents of silver 
 were cast, the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets 
 of the vail, . . . And of the thousand seven hundred 
 seventy and five shekels, he made hooks for the pillars, 
 and overlaid their chapiters and filleted them." 
 
 From the minute subdivision of the whole of the 
 silver into a bekah (half a shekel) for each man, it would 
 seem as if the Divine Lawgiver intended that although 
 some had contributed more, and some less, yet, as in the 
 case of the manna, where an equality was directed, so 
 that " he who gathered much had nothing over, and he 
 that gathered little had no lack ;" so here, there was at 
 last to be the same equality, that no one could say that 
 he had really given more than another towards the 
 sacred work. 
 
 The " atonement money " was another and a different 
 offering, and for another prescribed purpose ; but the 
 Bishop has confounded them and made them one and 
 
THE NUMBER OF THE PEOPLE. 75 
 
 the same. This is one among the many other mistakes 
 and blunders of the Bishop, both as to the letter and 
 meaning of Scripture. The following Divine directions 
 as to the " atonement money," or " ransom," are given 
 in Exodus xxx. 12, &c. — "When thou takest the sum of 
 the children of Israel after their number, then shall 
 they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, 
 that there be no plague among them when thou num- 
 berest them. This they shall give, every one that pas- 
 seth among them, that are numbered, half a shekel, after 
 the shekel of the sanctuary ; (a shekel is twenty gerahs.) 
 This offering was to be by all, " from twenty years 
 old and above." And it is said, " the rich shall not give 
 more^ and the poor shall not give less than half a 
 shekel " . . . "to make an atonement for your souls." We 
 here see first, in verse 12, that this atonement money was 
 not to be required until after the numbering of the 
 people ; and this did not take place until about seven 
 months afterwards, as we find in Numbers i., and just 
 one month after the tabernacle had been reared. It 
 would seem, also, from verse 10 of this chapter xxx. of 
 Exodus, that this atonement money was to be given 
 annually, when the annual sin offering of atonement 
 was made. We see from verse 15 as to the equality of 
 " rich and poor," that all souls are equally precious in 
 the sight of God ; and from verse 16 that this " ransom," 
 or redemption money, which was to be used " for the 
 service of the sanctuary " was really appropriated ulti- 
 mately to the use and profit of those who gave it ; and 
 further, was given " that there should be no plague 
 among them." 
 
 The Bishop next, at page 42, expresses his surprise 
 
76 THE NUMBER OF THE PEOPLE. 
 
 in the way of objection, that " the number of adult males 
 should have been identically the same, (603,550) on the 
 first occasion, as it was half a year afterwards." 
 
 To this it may first be answered that, from the lan- 
 guage used in this chapter (Exodus xxxviii.) from verse 
 23 to the end, it would seem that the estimate or com- 
 putation of the whole amount of the gold and silver 
 and brass actually used in and about making the taber- 
 nacle, and its furniture and appurtenances, was not 
 made until after all the work was completed and the 
 tabernacle was being reared, the erection whereof 
 took place " in the first month in the second year, on 
 the first day of the month." (See Exodus xl. 17.) The 
 general and exact numbering was made, as mentioned 
 in Numbers i. 1 and 18, " on the first day of the second 
 month, in the second year, after they were come out of 
 the land of Egypt " — exactly one month after the 
 tabernacle was reared, and not half a year after the 
 Bishop's supposed time of estimating the respective 
 amounts of the gold, silver, and brass used in the work ; 
 and his supposed first census of the 603,550, according 
 to his construction of the meaning of the text in Exodus 
 xxxviii. 26, already recited. It may next be remarked 
 that it seems highly probable that there was but the one 
 census mentioned in Numbers i. actually taken, from 
 which the proportion of a bekah, or half a shekel for 
 each man was ascertained, as mentioned in Exodus 
 xxxviii. 26, and was there inserted, accordingly, in appro- 
 priate connection with the statement given in that chap- 
 ter of the respective amounts of the several metals 
 actually employed in and about the whole work of the 
 tabernacle. 
 
Ansioer to Chapter Ylll. — On ^^Tlie Israelites dwelling 
 in Tents." 
 
 TT ERE the Bishop first endeavours to raise a difiiculty 
 about the words " tents" and " booths," and urges 
 that, as used in Scripture, they are not synonymous 
 terms, or have a like meaning, but are quite different. 
 Yet, strange to say, he immediately admits, and shows, 
 that in some places of Scripture the original word 
 signifies booths^ and in several others is used as meaning 
 tents. The truth is, that the two words, though different 
 as to the letters respectively composing them, have the 
 same meaning. He very well knows that a large pro- 
 portion of words, in many, if not all languages, though 
 formed differently as to letters, have the same meaning. 
 This is a general advantage in language, by affording a 
 variety in expression. The word Succoth, which he has 
 cited, as used in Exodus xii. 37, signifies either booths or 
 tents ; and it is probable, that the place was so named 
 from its being the place of the first encampment of the 
 Israelites. 
 
 Concerning their dwelling in booths, he cites in full 
 the texts in Leviticus xxiii. 42, 43, which say — '* That 
 your generations may know that I made the children of 
 Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the 
 
78 THE ISRAELITES DWELLING IN TENTS. 
 
 land of Egypt." These are the words of the Lord 
 himself, and they form a part of the *' story," as he inde- 
 corously calls it. On the same page he writes : — 
 
 *' There is not, however, the slightest indication in the 
 story that they ever did live in booths ; nor is it con- 
 ceivable when they could have done so." 
 
 Surely, the Bishop has not here displayed his in- 
 genuity in contending against Scripture truth, for the 
 above text which he has cited, expressly contradicts his 
 assertion, that " there is no indication in the story that 
 they ever did live in booths." But, further, so far from 
 its being inconceivable that they ever did live in booths^ 
 it is every way probable that this was the mode of their 
 temporary shelter, during the time of their brief abode 
 at their several resting places. As to what he has said 
 of their being in such hurry and confusion, that they 
 had not time to cut down "boughs and bushes" at 
 Succoth for booths — it is merely a supposition of his 
 own. It would require but an hour or so to prepare 
 such places for mere temporary and partial shelter and 
 rest. They could be made something after the same 
 manner as the Indians of North America make such 
 temporary sheltering places when travelling. They 
 gather or cut down a few small sticks, or poles, from the 
 forest or thicket, and erect them in a circular form, and 
 meeting at the top, and then cover them either with 
 bushes or, at times, with the light and flexible bark 
 which they carry with them for the purpose. Such are 
 their booths or wigwams to this day, and which they 
 can very speedily erect. There could be no difficulty 
 in the Israelites as readily making some such temporary 
 
THE ISRAELITES DWELLING IN TENTS. 79 
 
 places for shelter and rest. At Succoth they baked 
 the dough they brought with them when they started, 
 as is mentioned in Exodus xii. 39. The Egyptians did 
 not pursue them until some days after their departure ; 
 and did not overtake them until after they had left 
 their second stage of Etham, and had, by Divine 
 directions, encamped before Pihahiroth. Doubtless, 
 they had accommodation in temporary booths until they 
 arrived at Sinai — ^just one month and a half after their 
 first setting out, — and where they first formed anything 
 like a permanent encampment ; and where their being in 
 tents is first mentioned. They were constantly under 
 the Divine guidance and protection ; and, therefore, 
 everything was so arranged as to secure their due 
 accommodation and welfare in every particular. It was 
 not at all needful that Scripture should give any infor- 
 mation, as to when and how they made their booths, or 
 place of temporary shelter, between Rameses, whence 
 they set out, and Sinai. 
 
 But, according to the Bishop's plan of impeaching the 
 whole narrative, he will have it, that they must have 
 carried with them, from their first setting out, all the 
 " apparatus of pole, cords," and other materials of the 
 heaviest kind, for at least 200,000 tents ; and he has 
 taxed his arithmetical skill to prove that the conveyance 
 of these materials would require, at least, 200,000 oxen. 
 And, then, he suggests the last difficulty, that the oxen 
 would not carry them " upon their backs as pack-oxen, if 
 untrained." Now, this short answer may be given to all 
 these difiiculties and objections of the Bishop — that 
 there is not a word or hint in Scripture to this effect ; or 
 
80 THE ISRAELITES DWELLING IN TENTS. 
 
 any reason whatever to suppose that the Israelites took 
 with them, at their setting out, any such heavy materials 
 for tents ; oi that any oxen were employed in any such 
 work ; or that the people erected any other places as 
 dwellings, except temporary booths, until they reached 
 Sinai. And, therefore, this whole story or scheme of 
 the Bishop is the mere " baseless fabric of a vision." It 
 is altogether formed from his own extravagant and 
 empty suppositions. 
 
Answer to Chapter IX. — On " The Israelites armed." 
 
 TN this chapter the Bishop first gives the following 
 text in Exodus xiii. 18, — " The children of Israel 
 went up harnessed, out of the land of Egypt." He then, 
 according to his usual method, proceeds to put that 
 meaning on the word, " harnessed," which he thinks 
 will best suit his purpose of raising objections. He 
 insists that it means " armed," or " in battle array ;" 
 and then goes on to express his own astonishment, and 
 unbelief ; and to endeavour by suppositions, and sug- 
 gestions, to puzzle others, as to how the Israelites 
 obtained their arms. Now, here, as in so many other 
 instances of his difficulties and objections, he is wrong 
 in his premises, at his first setting out. He mentions in 
 the course of his remarks, that several learned men 
 have given other and different meanings to the word in 
 the original, which is here translated, ''harnessed." This, 
 alone, should in modest deference, have restrained him 
 from so positively insisting, that the word used in the orig- 
 inal text, means armed, rather than any of the other mean- 
 ings which have been given to it. But it suits the Bishop's 
 purpose, to attach this meaning to it, and this one alone. 
 That laborious and accurate critic in the original language, 
 Dr. Adam Clarke, in his valuable critical commentary 
 
82 THE ISRAELITES ABMED 
 
 on the Scriptures, has commented on this word, 
 " harnessed," as follows : — 
 
 "It is truly astonishing, what a great variety of 
 opinions are entertained, relative to the meaning of this 
 word. After having maturely considered all that I have 
 met with on the subject, I think it probable, that the 
 word refers simply to that orderly or well arranged 
 manner in which the Israelites commenced their journey 
 from Egypt. For to arrange^ array^ or set in order, 
 seems to be the ideal meaning of the word chamash. 
 As it was natural to expect that in such circumstances 
 there must have been much hurry and confusion ; the 
 inspired writer particularly marks the contrary, to show 
 that God had so disposed matters, that the utmost order 
 and regularity prevailed. . . And if the note on the 
 concluding verse of the preceding chapter be considered, 
 it may serve to place this explanation in a still clearer 
 point of view." 
 
 The text here referred to is in Exodus xii. 51, and 
 is as follows: — "The Lord did bring the children of 
 Israel out of the land of Egypt, by their armies." In 
 the note of that learned commentator above referred to, 
 he explains, that these words " by their armies," in the 
 original, — which he gives, — signifies, "to assemble," 
 " meet together," in an orderly or regulated manner, as 
 troops in battle, and he says, "it is from this, that the 
 Divine Being calls himself Jehovah tsehaoth, the Lord of 
 hosts, or armies ; because the Israelites were brought 
 out of Egypt under his direction, marshalled, and ordered 
 by himself, guided by his wisdom, supported by his 
 providence, and protected by his might." 
 
 If, therefore, the original word translated, " harnessed," 
 be taken to signify, in an orderly or icell arranged manner, 
 — which meaning may well be given, — all the Bishop's 
 
THE ISRAELITES ARMED. 83 
 
 difficulties and objections about arms, will, as to the 
 word in question, be fully answered and vanish. 
 
 But he further urges that they certainly had arms, not 
 long after, when they fought with the Amalekites. Well, 
 here, for once. Pie is right. But how many of the 
 600,000 had arms we are not told, nor is it at all need- 
 ful that we should know or even conjecture about it. 
 The following is the text in Exodus xvii. 9, 13 as to 
 preparations for that battle: — "And Moses said unto 
 Joshua, choose us out men, and go out, fight with 
 Amalek ; to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill 
 with the rod of God in mine hand." " And Joshua 
 discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the 
 sword." Here we see that only a select number — 
 possibly but three or four thousand — were to act on 
 the occasion ; how many or how few we are not 
 informed; but, doubtless, all who were in the battle 
 had arms of one kind or other. But, here also, there 
 could be no need to show the kinds of armour they 
 used. We may suppose they were mostly swords, and 
 possibly some spears, or javelins, and bows and arrows. 
 It is not only possible, but highly probable, that several, 
 or even many among them, possessed some kind of 
 arms, especially swords, and bows, and arrows, while in 
 Egypt, and which they brought away with them ; and 
 that others of them, as they were going into the 
 wilderness, asked and obtained arms from the Egyp- 
 tians, who, it clearly appears, were willing to give them 
 any and every thing they wished or required, being 
 anxious and urgent to get rid of them, fearing for their 
 own lives, all their first-born having, the night before. 
 
84 THE ISRAELITES ARMED. 
 
 been taken away. Further, it is said that the Lord 
 gave them favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that 
 they gave unto them what they ashed or required^ for that 
 is the true meaning of the original, and it is said, " they 
 spoiled the Egyptians." Moreover, it may well be 
 concluded that they had some smiths among them, 
 and also articles of iron, from which could be made a 
 portion of such arms as they needed for battle, either 
 with the Amalekites or any other enemies. Several 
 learned critics and commentators conclude, and with 
 good reason, that the Israelites obtained some of their 
 arms from the bodies and spoils of the Egyptian host 
 cast on the shore of the Red Sea. 
 
 The Bishop, to make his objection about arms seem 
 the most formidable, says, 
 
 " We must suppose that the wliole lody of 600,000 
 warriors were armed when they were numbered (Num- 
 bers i. 3) under Sinai." 
 
 It is not at all requisite to suppose any such thing. 
 That number was composed of persons, from twenty 
 years upward, being persons "able to go forth to war," 
 as that chapter in Numbers declares, but nothing is said 
 or intimated to the effect that every one of them had 
 arms. By several or all of the means already mentioned, 
 it may quite satisfactorily be concluded that the Israel- 
 ites obtained all the arms which were at any time 
 needed. Surely, with any candid and unprejudiced 
 person, there will seem nothing either extravagant or 
 extraordinary in that conclusion. 
 
 The Bishop, throughout his book, is constantly making 
 suppositions and calculations to suit his own objecting 
 
THE ISRAELITES ARMED. 85 
 
 purposes as to the revelations of Scripture ; but if, in 
 every narrative, and on every subject on which he 
 remarks, every particular which he imagines should be 
 shown is not plainly mentioned, he cannot find any 
 supposition or form any opinion in support of such 
 Scriptural narratives or subjects, but immediately rejects 
 them altogther, is unhistorioal and untrue. Now this 
 is not only not pious, but it is neither fair or honesty 
 viewing him merely as a critic.'* 
 
Answer to Chapter X. — On " T7ie Institution of the 
 Passover.^'' 
 
 TN treating of tKis subject, the Bishop, as usual, has 
 either designedly, or from defect of knowledge of 
 Scripture, perverted or misapplied it, and then has 
 advanced unwarrantable suppositions, in order to support 
 his objections. To show clearly that he is liable to 
 these charges it will be well, in the first place, to set 
 forth, in an orderly manner, the passages of Scripture 
 concerning the Institution of the Passover. They are in 
 Exodus xii., which he has but partially cited on the 
 subject. In verse 2 are these words of the Lord unto 
 Mo'ses and Aaron, — " Speak ye unto all the congrega- 
 tion of Israel, saying, in the tenth day of this month 
 they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to 
 the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house," verse 
 6, — " And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day 
 of the same month, and the whole assembly of the con- 
 gregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening ;" and 
 then the Divine directions follow as to eating the lamb, 
 and sprinkling the blood on the posts of the door ; and 
 these words succeed in verse 12, " For I will pass 
 through the land of Egypt this night, and w^ill smite 
 all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and 
 
THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER. 87 
 
 beast." From verse 13 to 20 inclusive, directions are 
 given as to the future annual observance of the institu- 
 tion on the same fourteenth day of the same month. 
 These divine instructions being concluded, we find that 
 Moses made them known to the people in these words, 
 contained in verse 21, — " Then Moses called for all the 
 elders of Israel and said unto them. Draw out, and take 
 you a lamb, according to your families, and kill the 
 passover." Then he goes on to inform them as to the 
 future observance of the institution throughout their 
 generations, in accordance with the Divine instructions 
 he had recived on the subject ; and it is said in verse 
 28, " The children of Israel went away and did as the 
 Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they." 
 In the next verse are the words, — "And it came to pass, 
 that at midnight, the Lord smote all the firstborn in the 
 land of Egypt." 
 
 Now, no narrative that could be framed could be more 
 plain, and more readily understood, than the one here 
 under consideration. Although the precise day on which 
 Moses and Aaron received the Divine instruction is not 
 mentioned, it is highly probable that it was on one of 
 the first days of the month — certainly some time before 
 the tenth, for on that future day, according to the Divine 
 instructions, they were to select the lamb. The most 
 stupid fabricator of a fictitious story would never, for 
 the performance of any act, appoint a day which had 
 already passed. The next acts to be performed after 
 that selection, were, to kill the lamb on the fourteenth day 
 of the month, and to sprinkle the blood on the door- 
 posts. We may rest assured that Moses and Aaron lost 
 
88 THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER. 
 
 no time in calling together the elders, or heads of the 
 people, and making known to them those Divine 
 directions ; and these, doubtless, would likewise com- 
 municate them throughout all the families, so that they 
 would have notice in ample time for selecting and 
 putting up the lamb on the tenth day. Next, we read, 
 that when the people received the instructions, they went 
 away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. 
 And what were the things which they did ? of course, 
 they were these : — On the tenth of the month, they 
 selected and put up the lamb ; and on the fourteenth 
 killed it, and sprinkled the blood on the lintel and the 
 posts of the door, and kept within their houses that 
 night ; for these were the things commanded by the 
 Lord ; and it is said, " so did they." Then follows 
 verse 14, " And it came to pass, that at midnight (that 
 is, of the same fourteenth)^ the Lord smote all the first- 
 born in the land of Egypt." 
 
 We thus see that the scriptural narrative is perfectly 
 plain, and continuously consistent throughout, allowing 
 due time for giving among all the families the whole of 
 the requisite information, as to the conduct required 
 of them. 
 
 Now, let us see how the Bishop — either wilfully, or 
 from defect of attention and knowledge — has dealt with 
 the narrative. He entirely passes by the Divine in- 
 structions given to Moses and Aaron, in the first verses, 
 already cited, and commences with verses 21 and 28, 
 already given, containing the directions of Moses to 
 the elders, as to taking and killing the lamb, and sprink- 
 ling the blood, and keeping within their houses ; and as 
 
THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER. 89 
 
 to the obedience of the people to those directions : and 
 he also omits the directions given at the same time as to 
 the future observances of the ordinance. And then he 
 proceeds to make the following unfounded assertions : — 
 
 " That is to say, in one single day^ the whole immense 
 population of Israel — as large as that of London — was 
 instructed to keep the Passover, and actually did keep 
 it. I have said 'in one single day,' for the first notice 
 of any such feast to be kept, is given in this very 
 chapter, where we find it written, verse 12 — ' I will 
 pass through the land of Egypt this nighty and will smite 
 all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and 
 beast.' " 
 
 His first assertion in the above extract is plainly 
 untrue. They did not receive their first instructions for 
 keeping the Passover " in the one single day," that they 
 " actually did keep it ;" but many days — most probably 
 ten or twelve days previous — as is plainly evident from 
 the first verses of the chapter already cited, containing 
 the Divine directions to Moses and Aaron, as to the 
 days respectively appointed for selecting and confining, 
 and for subsequently killing the lamb, on this first 
 keeping of the ordinance ; and as to the day (the same 
 fourteenth day of the same month), for observing it in 
 all future time. All these particulars, as appear in the 
 first part of the chapter, they were to make known to 
 the people, and which, as stated in verse 21, and onward 
 to verse 28 inclusive, they did make known to them ; 
 and, doubtless, immediately after receiving their in- 
 structions, through their elders ; and it is said — " The 
 children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had 
 commanded Moses and Aaron." 
 
90 THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER. 
 
 The Bisliop says : — 
 
 " The first notice of any such feast to be kept is given 
 in this very chapter." 
 
 It is true it is in " this very chapter," but it is in the 
 first part of the chapter, which he has passed by, and 
 began his citations about the middle of it. It suited his 
 purpose to do so. 
 
 On this subject, as on others, in order to give support 
 to his objections, he cavils as to pJiraseology ; and here 
 runs an empty and absurd criticism upon the words this 
 and that. As a grammarian, he surely must know that 
 the word this is properly employed in the parts of the 
 text where it is found. The Lord had been informing 
 Moses and Aaron that he had appointed this ordinance 
 of the Passover, and that it was to be kept on the io\- 
 lowmg fourteenth day of the month, and on every suc- 
 ceeding fourteenth day of the same month as a memorial, 
 that on this fourteenth day of the month he had brought 
 them out from their bondage in Egypt. This was the 
 precisely appointed day of which he had before been 
 speaking, for so delivering them, and for their ordained 
 observance of the institution, and no other day, either 
 hafore or after, and, therefore, the words " this day'''* were 
 correctly employed as describing or fixing the precise 
 day for the first and all future observance of the ordi- 
 nance. Also, with the same propriety and correctness, 
 are the words, " this 7iight" used in verse 12, already 
 given, containing the Divine declarations as to smiting 
 the firstborn of Egypt on the night of this same 
 Si^ipomied fourteenth day of the month. 
 
 By way of further assisting his objection as to the word 
 
THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER. 91 
 
 this, he cites the verses 4 and 5 of chapter xi. preceding: — 
 " And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, about midnight 
 will I go out into the midst of Egypt, and all the first- 
 born in the land of Egypt shall die." Upon this he 
 remarks, 'Hhere can be no doubt that the 'midnight' then 
 next at hand is intended." There could indeed be very 
 great doubt about it, even if we had nothing to form an 
 opinion but the words of these texts, for they afford no 
 certainty, but may be applied either to the following or 
 any future midnight, but we do know to a certainty from 
 the contents of the following chapter, already so fully 
 cited, that those words of warning and threatening to 
 Pharaoh (if indeed they were addressed to him, which 
 seems doubtful) did not apply to, or mean the " mid- 
 night " nea;t ensuing, but the "midnight" of the ensuing 
 fourteenth of the month, divinely appointed, as the time 
 for the deliverance of the Israelites, and the death of 
 the firstborn of Egypt. 
 
 The Bishop, next, reiterates his objection, already 
 noticed and answered, as to the time of giving notice of 
 the Passover, and for keeping it, by saying : 
 
 "And how could the order to keep the Passover 
 have been conveyed, with its minutest particulars to 
 each individual household in this vast community, in one 
 day, — rather in twelve hours, since Moses received the 
 command on the very same day, on which they were 
 to kill the passover at even V Exodus xii. 6. 
 
 Here, again, it must be plainly said, that these asser- 
 tions are not founded on truth. As already seen, it 
 is perfectly apparent, from the plain statements con. 
 tained in the first verses of the chapter, in connection 
 with the verses from 21 to 28 already referred to, — 
 
92 THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER. 
 
 that instead of one day, or twelve hours, as the Bishop 
 has so incorrectly asserted ; they received notice 10 or 
 12 days before they were to kill the Passover, at the 
 even of the fourteenth. 
 
 It seems difficult to imagine, with the whole chapter 
 before him, how he could make such erroneous assertions. 
 It would seem, that like many other opponents of 
 Scripture, in his fixed desire and intention to find, or 
 frame objections against it, he overlooked, or mistook, 
 both its plain letter and meaning, as well as eviden^ 
 connection. Such an excuse — if indeed it can be called 
 one, — must, at the least, be said to be quite discreditable, 
 to a professed theologian and a Bishop. 
 
 His next objection relates to the lambs for the 
 Passover ; and here he is, in an equal degree, and most 
 absurdly incorrect and astray. He has again taxed his 
 arithmetical skill, and made his suppositions, as to the 
 requisite number of male lambs for the whole number 
 of families, and he takes the presumed number of 150,000 
 and then says : — 
 
 " If the 150,000 lambs that were killed for the Passover 
 comprised all the males of that year, there would have 
 been no rams, or wethers left of that year for the in- 
 crease of the flock." 
 
 True enough, if they were all the male lambs of that 
 year ; but that very little word z/, when 'put in or left 
 out^ will make all the difference possible in the matter. 
 Let us put the word if in another sentence, and say, if 
 a family had six or ten male lambs, and took one of 
 them for the Passover, they would, in the one case, have 
 five, and in the other, nine males remaining, for increasing 
 
THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER. 93 
 
 the flock for tKe next year. It seems, not merely more 
 than probable, but even certain, that nearly, if not all 
 the families had some such proportions of male lambs, 
 and, therefore, could very well spare the one. As to 
 the wethers, for increasing the flock, little need be said. 
 The Bishop of Natal is the first who has made the won- 
 derful discovery, or has ventured to say, that wethers 
 could increase a flock for the next or any other year. 
 He mentions information concerning sheep, which he 
 received from experienced sheep-masters in Australia 
 and Natal ; but, whatever other particulars they may 
 have given him, it may safely be concluded, that they 
 never told him about wethers increasing a flock. On 
 this point, the Bishop is as deficient in his knowledge as 
 he is reo^ardinor the facts and narratives of the Penta- 
 teuch, which he has so daringly undertaken to criticise 
 and deny. 
 
 All the remaining remarks and objections of the 
 Bishop on this subject — as to the difficulties of giving 
 notice to all the Israelitish families in Goshen and else- 
 where, for their taking and keeping up the lamb, the 
 keeping of the Passover, and preparing for their 
 journey, and obtaining articles from the Egyptians, are 
 founded on his groundless and incorrect conclusion, that 
 they had no notice on any of those points, until the very 
 day when all those things were to be done. As that 
 conclusion has already been shown to be altogether 
 incorrect, no remarks need be made regarding the 
 concluding parts of his chapter on those several points, 
 except to observe — as to preparing for their departure, 
 that, on several occasions, they had received from Moses 
 
94 THE INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER. 
 
 the most direct and ample information, that the Lord 
 was about to deliver them from their bondage, and to 
 take them to "a land flowing with milk and honey ;" 
 and, moreover, as to the Passover, were early told, " thus 
 shall ye eat it, with your loins girded, your shoes on 
 your feet, and your staff in your hand ; and ye shall 
 eat it in haste." It is therefore certain, that they were 
 constantly looking for their happy deliverance; and, 
 doubtless would, from time to time, be making all the 
 preparations in their power for their sudden departure. 
 
Answer to CJiapterXI. — On ^^Tlie March out of Egypt.'^ 
 
 TJERE tlie Bishop first gives the following texts in 
 
 ^ Exodus xii. 37, 38 :— 
 
 *' And the children of Israel journeyed from Raraeses 
 to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot, that 
 were men beside children. And a mixed multitude went 
 up also with them ; and flocks and herds, even very 
 much cattle." 
 
 After some remarks, he makes the following profane 
 
 assertion : — 
 
 " I do not hesitate to declare this statement to be 
 utterly incredible and impossible." 
 
 In other words, or in effect, this assertion must be 
 
 understood to mean, that it was impossible even for the 
 
 Almighty and infinitely wise God, who created and 
 
 upholds all beings and things — who rules " in the armies 
 
 of heaven and among the children of men," — w^ho has 
 
 said, " Is any thing too hard for me ?" and of whom our 
 
 Lord has said, " With God all things are possible" — that 
 
 it was impossible for that Almighty and Infinite Being 
 
 to bring out the Israelites from Egypt in the manner 
 
 and under the circumstances declared in those texts. If 
 
 he had said, or only meant to convey his conclusion, 
 
 that the narrative was quite contrary to the ordinary 
 
 course of events in our world, all would agree with him. 
 
96 THE MARCH OUT OF EGYPT. 
 
 But, evidently, this is not his meaning ; for he has said, 
 it is not only incredible, but utterly impossible. It is 
 clear that, throughout his remarks on the subject, he 
 entirely excludes the idea of any divine or supernatural 
 power or influence being employed to effect the deliver- 
 ance, and for the subsequent guidance and support of 
 the Israelites ; whereas, on the contrary, the whole was 
 a direct and signal display of the miraculous and won- 
 der-working wisdom, and power, and goodness of the 
 Almighty Creator and Ruler of the universe. It is also 
 suflSciently apparent, from the w^iole tenor and style of 
 the Bishop's book, that he does not really believe in the 
 inspired and truthful character of the other portions of 
 Scripture following the Pentateuch ; for if he did. he 
 would be obliged to assent to the truth of every thing 
 contained in those texts, as to the departure of the 
 Israelites from Egypt ; for there are no events of any 
 description recorded in Scripture more frequently and 
 highly authenticated, not only than those in the texts 
 cited, but, also, concerning the whole of the facts and 
 circumstances recorded in the Pentateuch respecting the 
 Israelites, during the whole of their journeyings from 
 Egypt to the land of Canaan, and as to their establish- 
 ment there. Indeed, there is no one event mentioned in 
 Scripture which is more frequently referred to than 
 this — of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, 
 and in the manner and under the circumstances described 
 in the original narrative ; so that, by that positive denial 
 by the Bishop of the historical truth of the departure of 
 the Israelites, as described in the Pentateuch, he will be 
 obliged, and, of course, must be understood, to deny the 
 
THE MARCH OUT OF EGYPT. 97 
 
 trutli of all tlie inspired references and testimonies to 
 that exodus contained both in the Old and the New 
 Testament Scriptures ; and also, as to the whole of 
 its events and particulars as narrated in the Pentateuch. 
 Throughout that original narrative, or history, we find 
 repeated and express declarations and recognitions, that 
 the whole of the arrangements and particulars regarding 
 and connected with that deliverance of the Israelites, 
 and their guidance and support through the wilderness, 
 and their establishment in the promised land, were by 
 the direct exercise of the wisdom^ and poioe7\ and mercy 
 of Jehovah himself. On his first appearance to Moses 
 at Horeb, he said to him, "I have surely seen the 
 affliction of my people which are in Egypt ; and I am 
 come down to deliver them out of ^ the hand of the 
 Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land into a 
 good land," &c. Exodus iii. 7, 8. We next find the 
 performance of this promise of deliverance in Exodus 
 xii. 51 — "And it came to pass the self same day that 
 the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the 
 land of Egypt, by their armies :" and in Deuteronomy 
 xxxii. 10, 12, it is said, — of the Lord's dealings with 
 Israel in his deliverance from Egypt, and, subsequently, 
 " He found him in a desert land, and in the waste 
 howling wilderness ; He led him about ; He instructed 
 him ; He kept him as the apple of his eye. So the 
 Lord alone did lead him." In reference and attestation 
 to these records of the direct Divine arrangements, and 
 superintending providence and care during this portion 
 of the history of the Israelites, we see in Nehemiah 
 chapter ix. a recital of nearly every event contained in 
 
98 THE MARCH OUT OF EGYPT. 
 
 the Pentateucli relating to tliat deliverance, and tlieir 
 subsequent history, even long after their establishment 
 in Canaan ; and all exactly corresponding with those 
 original records in the Pentateuch, and in Joshua. In 
 very many of the Psalms, especially as already shown 
 in Psalms Ixxvii., cv., cvi., and cxxxvi. are more nume- 
 rous, and similar recitals of the various events connected 
 with their deliverance from Egypt, and the Divine 
 dealings with them subsequently, until, and after their 
 establishment in Canaan ; and all agreeing with the same 
 original records. In Psalms cv. 37, it is said, "He 
 brought them forth with silver and gold, and there Avas 
 not one feeble person among their tribes." This 
 testimony will serve as an answer to the Bishop's 
 objection, as to the sick and infirm persons, and the 
 women he has mentioned. But, of course, as he denies 
 the historical truth of the whole of the orio^inal narra- 
 
 o 
 
 live, he must also deny the truth of this testimony 
 concerning it. 
 
 In the answer to the Bishop's " introductory remarks 
 on the Pentateuch," in chapter i. of his book, have been 
 given, rather at large, the many hundreds of testimonies in 
 the Old and the New Testament Scriptures, concerning 
 nearly every event recorded in the Pentateuch, and in 
 Joshua, as to the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, 
 and their divine guidance and support through the wil- 
 derness ; their establishment in Canaan, and in many sub- 
 sequent portions of their history. Most especially, as 
 has been shown in that answer, are those testimonies and 
 the records of those events given at large in Nehemiah ix., 
 and by the fully inspired Stephen in his speech, con- 
 
THE MARCH OUT OF EGYPT. 99 
 
 tained in Acts vii. Also very many of them in Hebrews 
 xi. and xii. All the references and testimonies to that 
 deliverance, and the facts and circumstances attending 
 it, and the other recited events of the Israelitish history, 
 as given in the Old and New Testament books, exactly 
 agree with the original records of those facts and events 
 contained in the Pentateuch, and in Joshua. As the 
 Bishop denies the truth of these originals, he must of 
 course deny the inspired and authentic character of the 
 whole of those references and testimonies concerning 
 them, our Lord's included. And thus, consequently, 
 he must really be as much an unbeliever in the inspiration 
 and truth of the other books of the Old Testament, and 
 also of those New Testament Scriptures, as of the books 
 he has so directly and profanely impeached. 
 
 In the course of his remarks in this chapter, he 
 repeats his unfounded assertion, already answered and 
 refuted, that the first notice to the Israelites, to commence 
 their journey, was " given to every family at midnight 
 of the same day on which they set out/' It has been 
 already shown from Scripture that several days, most 
 probably 10 or 12, previously, they were notified that 
 the Lord was about to deliver them, and carry them out 
 of Egypt ; and were then sufficiently informed that their 
 departure would commence on that fourteenth day of the 
 month ; for they were told, as to the Passover they were 
 commanded to keep on that day,—" Ye shall eat it with 
 your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your 
 staff in your hand, and ye shall eat it in haste." As to 
 the Bishop's objections and difficulties, about their order 
 
100 THE MARCH OUT OF EGYPT. 
 
 of marcli, and the space they occupied in their progress ; 
 and also as to the food for their cattle, it may briefly and 
 sufficiently be answered, that the Almighty and wise 
 Being who made all the arrangements for their deliver- 
 ance and journeyings ; and under whose guidance and 
 protection they were constantly abiding, could and did 
 so dispose and direct all events and circumstances, that 
 both the people and the animals could go onward in 
 due order and in safety ; and as to food, be sufficiently 
 supported. Will the Bishop say, that " the God manifest 
 in the flesh," who on several occasions fed many thou- 
 sands with a few loaves and fishes, could not in any 
 manner, or by any means so providentially arrange that 
 the hosts of his creatures, then under his special guidance 
 and care, should be supplied with all things needful 
 for their sustenance ? It was hot at all requisite that the 
 narrative should affiDrd special information concerning 
 the precise order of march, or as to food for the beasts 
 by the way, or as to many other particulars. He who 
 believes the narrative to be a divine, and consequently 
 truthful revelation, and believes the numerous inspired 
 testimonies already mentioned, as to its authentic character 
 will be fully satisfied, that the same Almighty and infinite 
 Being, who, after so many miracles and wonderful 
 exhibitions, and with such an irresistible hand, delivered 
 them from their bondage, could, and did, make every 
 needful arrangement and provision concerning them; 
 although such believer does not find such arrangements 
 and particulars specially mentioned in the narrative. 
 On the other hand, those, who like the Bishop, deny 
 
THE MARCH OUT OF EGYPT. 101 
 
 altogether the truth of the account, can and will, of course, 
 find and suggest objections and difficulties at every step ; 
 and must, as a consequence of that denial, also repudiate 
 and deny all the numerous inspired testimonies, both 
 in the Old and New Testament Scriptures, as to tlie 
 authenticity of the original records on the subject. 
 
Ansiver to Chapter XII. — On " Tlie Sheep and Cattle of 
 the Israelites in the Desert^ 
 
 AN this subject as, indeed, on every other in his book, 
 ^ the Bishop will have it to be taken for granted, that 
 every event and circumstance were, or must have been, 
 according to the most ordinary state of things, and of 
 natural causes and effects in modern times. On the 
 contrary of this, however, the whole history of the 
 departure of the Israelites from Egypt ; their wandering 
 journies through the wilderness ; their guidance and 
 sustenance therein ; and their ultimate establishment in 
 Canaan, are all, in the numerous records of scripture on 
 the whole subject, shown to have been the results of the 
 continued special and often most miraculous arrange- 
 ments, and providential operations of the infinitely wise 
 and Almighty God, the creator and upholder of all 
 beings and things. The history plainly declares how 
 the people themselves were miraculously maintained 
 in the wilderness, and as to their cattle and flocks — about 
 whose sustenance the Bishop finds such insuperable 
 difiiculties — no genuine believer in the inspired and 
 truthful character of the Scriptures, will doubt but that 
 the same gracious and Almighty Being, who " provideth 
 for the raven his food," and for " the young lions when 
 
THE SHEEP AND CATTLE OF THE ISRAELITES. 103 
 
 they roar after their prey, and seek their meat from 
 God ;" " who openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desire 
 of every living thing," and giveth to all " their meat in 
 due season ;" that he, by his providential arrangements, 
 as amply provided food for the cattle and flocks, as he 
 did for their owners. It is true we are not particularly 
 informed of the circumstances regarding the support of 
 the animals. Such information was not at all requisite 
 for any believer in the inspired character of the narra- 
 tive; and as for those who, like the Bishop, disbelieve 
 it altogether, if the mode and means for that support of 
 the animals had been ever so precisely declared, it 
 would not, of course, have sufficed to alter their minds. 
 Probably they would not be persuaded of its truth, even 
 if one arose from the dead to tell them of it. 
 
 It is true also that the regions through which the 
 Israelites and their flocks were conveyed, are scripturally 
 described as "a vast howling wilderness," and a 
 *' desert ;" and these descriptions, with many other 
 particulars of the narrative, have, doubtless, been 
 recorded to show in a marked and striking manner, as 
 already observed, that all the events and circumstances 
 involved in it, or which it discloses, were of a miraculous 
 or specially providential description, and that without 
 such special divine interference and arrangements, 
 and constant provisional mercies, the great work of 
 their deliverance and their support in the wilderness, 
 could not have been accomplished. In other words, 
 that under ordinary or any different circumstances, the 
 people and their animals could not have left Egypt, or 
 if they had, and entered the wilderness, they must all 
 
104 THE SHEEP AND CATTLE OF THE ISRAELITES. 
 
 have perished there. But, as declared in Psalms Ixxviii., 
 " He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them 
 drink as out of the great depths," and " caused waters 
 to run down like rivers," and guided them in the 
 wilderness as a flock," "by the skilfulness of his hands." 
 We read also of wells of water in several places in 
 that wilderness, and we may well conclude that he who 
 maketh the rain and causeth it to " fall on the dry and 
 thirsty land," also in that way supplied them all with 
 water from time to time. As there was water for the 
 people, of course there was also for the animals the 
 needed supply. Although the regions through which 
 they passed were generally, as described, a wilderness 
 and a desert, yet there were then^ and still are, some 
 oases in certain parts where there would be natural 
 pasture for the animals, and especially around and not far 
 from Sinai, where they were encamped for more than a 
 year. Dr. Shaw, within the last generation, travelled 
 over the same ground which the Israelites passed over, 
 and, in person, carefully noted every spot to which 
 reference is made in the scripture account of the journies 
 of the Israelites, and he has given the following par- 
 ticulars among many others on the subject: — 
 
 "There is nothing further remarkable till we see the 
 Israelites encamped at Elim (Exodus xv. 27, Numbers 
 xxxiii. 9), upon the northern skirts of the desert of Lin, 
 two leagues from Tor, and nearly thirty from Corondel. 
 I saw no more than nine of the twelve ivells that are 
 mentioned by Moses, the other three being filled up by 
 those drifts of sand which are so common in Arabia. Yet 
 this loss is amply made up by the great increase of the 
 palm trees, the seventy having propagated themselves 
 into more than two thousand." 
 
THE SHEEP AND CATTLE OF THE ISRAELITES. 105 
 
 Now, there tnust be strong and good soil to produce 
 and nourish such trees ; and the same soil would produce 
 plentiful herbage for grazing animals. Describing the 
 deserts near Sinai, he says : — 
 
 " They consist of a beautiful plain, more than a league 
 in breadth, and nearly three in length, lying open 
 towards the north-east, where we enter it ; but is closed 
 up to the southward by some of the eminences of Mount 
 Sinai. In this direction, likewise, the higher parts of 
 this mountain make such encroachments upon the plain, 
 that they divide it into two — each of them capacious 
 enough to receive the whole encampment of the 
 Israelites." 
 
 Concerning the plain of Rephidim, Exodus xvii. 1, 
 
 he writes: — • 
 
 " We here see that extraordinary antiquity, the rock 
 of Mirahah (chapter xvii. 6), which has continued down 
 to this day, without the least injury from time or 
 accidents. This is rightly called (Deuteronomy viii. 15), 
 from its hardness, a rock of Jiint It is about six yards 
 square, lying, tottering as it were, and loose, near the 
 middle of the valley, and seems to have been formerly 
 a part or cliff of Mount Sinai, which hangs in a variety 
 of precipices all over this plain. The waters which 
 ' gushed out,' and the streams which ' overflowed' withal, 
 (Psalms Ixxviii, 20), have hollowed across one corner of 
 this rock a channel about tioo inches deep, and twenty 
 wide, all over incrusted like the inside of a tea-kettle 
 that has been long used. Besides several mossy pro- 
 ductions that are still preserved by the dew, we see all 
 over this channel a great number of holes; some of them 
 four or five inches deep, and one or two in diameter — 
 the lively and demonstrative tokens of their having been 
 formerly so many fountains. Neither could art or 
 chance be concerned in the contrivance, inasmuch, as 
 every circumstance points out to us a miracle^ 
 
 In further reference to the provision for the flocks 
 
106 THE SHEEP AND CATTLE OF THE ISRAELITES. 
 
 and herds of the Israelites, surely, it may well be con- 
 cluded, that he, who miraculously furnished the food and 
 the water from the rock for the people, and of whom it 
 is declared in Psalm cvii. that " He turneth the wilder- 
 ness into a standing water, and dry ground into water 
 springs ; and there maketh the hungry to dwell and sow 
 the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits 
 of increase," and who was then continually guiding the 
 people with their flocks and herds, — that he then caused 
 that "beautiful plain" of their encampment, and suffi- 
 cient spaces around to be covered with a vegetation 
 adequate to the support of those flocks and herds ; and 
 not only around Sinai, but in all the other places of their 
 temporary abode or encampment. It plainly appears, 
 from Exodus xxxi. 3, that there Avas food for the flocks 
 and herds before that Mount Sinai. The Bishop may, 
 indeed, assert as to the support of the animals — as he 
 has already asserted — regarding the departure of the 
 multitudes of the people from Egypt, with all their 
 property and stuff; that such support of the animals 
 was an impossibility. But he must, indeed, be a bold 
 and absurd unbeliever who will say, that the infinitely 
 wise and great Creator and Euler had not the same 
 wisdom and power to arrange and provide for the 
 nourishment and support of the flocks and herds as for 
 the people themselves ? 
 
Answer to Chapter XIII. — On *' The number of the 
 Israelites, compared with the extent of the Land of 
 Canaan^ 
 
 TN treating of this subject, tlie Bishop has acted in his 
 usual disingenuous and unfair manner. He has 
 given the texts in Exodus xxiii. from verse 27 to 
 30 inclusive; but stops there, and omits to give verse 31 
 which describes the boundaries and extent of the lands 
 promised, in these words : — " And I will set thy 
 boundaries from the Red Sea even unto the Sea of the 
 Philistines, and from the desert unto the river; for I 
 will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, 
 and thou shalt drive them out before thee." 
 
 The amount of the Bishop's objection on this subject 
 is, that from the limited extent of the lands actually 
 divided by Joshua among the several tribes, and the 
 number of the people, — two millions, — to occupy those 
 territories, in addition to the native heathen inhabitants, 
 — there could be no danger of wild beasts multiplying, 
 so as to endanger or annoy them. In order to give 
 colour and support to this weak and feeble objection, he 
 first says : — 
 
 *' The whole land which was divided among the tribes 
 in the time of Joshua, including the countries beyond 
 
108 THE NUMBER OF THE ISRAELITES. 
 
 the Jordan, was in extent about 11,000 square miles, 
 or 7,000,000 acres." 
 
 He then makes, what may well be termed a ridiculous 
 comparison between those lands partitioned by Joshua, 
 and the three counties of England, Norfolk, Suffolk, and 
 Essex, ^giving not the square miles of these counties, 
 but the number of acres, and the population ; each of 
 these as he states being about one-half of what it was 
 in the case of the Israelites. And then he proceeds 
 most absurdly to infer, that because the inhabitants 
 of those long inhabited, and civilized, and highly im- 
 proved counties ; ~ from which wild beasts have been 
 destroyed for many hundreds of years — are now in no 
 dangerof their lands lying desolate, or wild beasts multi- 
 plying upon them, therefore, neither of those evils could 
 possibly have befallen the Israelites in the lands allotted 
 to them. It seems probable, that partly perceiving the 
 imsuitableness or extravagance of this comparison, he 
 hastens away to Natal where he resides, and makes another 
 comparison between that territory, and those allotted 
 lands of the Israelites, giving his computation of the 
 number of square miles in Natal, and also the amount of 
 the population ; and then endeavours to draw a some- 
 what similar conclusion, as in the comparison of the 
 English counties, by saying of Natal that, " the human 
 inhabitants," which he states at about 150,000, ^' are 
 well able to maintain their ground ao^ainst the beasts of 
 the field." He admits, however, that " leopards, wild 
 boars, hyenas, and jackalls, are killed occasionally in the 
 bush." This comparison, in effect will serve his pur- 
 pose very little, if at all better than the other for on 
 
THE NUMBER OF THE ISRAELITES. 109 
 
 tills subject, as on so many others, his premises, or start- 
 linor points, are wide of the facts, and greatly incorrect. It 
 has already been shown that in verse 31 of Exodus xxiii. 
 are given the boundaries of the whole of the territories 
 granted by the Lord to Israel. Those boundaries 
 comprehended the whole of the countries, from the Red 
 Sea on the south, to Mount Libanus on the north ; and 
 from the Mediterranean Sea on the west, to the 
 Euphrates on the east ; the whole of which territories, 
 from south to north, were about 330 miles in length, and 
 the average breadth, probably, between 80 and 100 
 miles. This promise of entire possession was not liter- 
 ally fulfilled until the time of David and Solomon. 
 Even if his objection is merely applied to the lands or 
 territories actually divided by Joshua among the tribes, 
 they extended from Dan to Beersheba — about 220 miles 
 in length, and 80 or 90 miles in average width. This 
 extent of territory would have sufficed, as it afterwards 
 did, for a population more than four times the number 
 of the Israelites who first entered Canaan. Now, if all 
 the original inhabitants, within either of those described 
 territories, divinely conveyed to the Israelites, had been 
 exterminated or driven out in one year, the two millions 
 of Israel, it is sufficiently evident, would not have been 
 able to settle themselves in the whole of the lands 
 within such a short time, and so to occupy it as to pre- 
 vent the wild beasts multiplying, and becoming dangerous 
 to themselves and their animals. If there had been 
 such immediate destruction of the whole of the original 
 inhabitants, large portions of those territories, in different 
 
110 THE NUMBER OF THE ISRAELITES. 
 
 sections would soon have become in a forest or deserted 
 state ; where the wild beasts would, in a short time, 
 have greatly increased. Therefore, the Divine mercy 
 and goodness arranged on the subject, as mentioned in 
 the texts cited. 
 
 Although those idolatrous nations had some walled 
 towns, yet it would seem, that none of them were very 
 populous, for we read in Scripture that in Ai, one of 
 the principal cities, there were only 12,000 men and 
 women, and it is probable that many of these were 
 persons who, from the country around, had taken refuge 
 in the city. There must, indeed, have been very con- 
 siderable portions of those countries in a forest and 
 uninhabited or uncultivated state, in wdiich the wild 
 animals of various kinds were numerous. We see, in 
 Scripture, that, in the time of Sampson, more than 
 300 years after, when, doubtless the population had more 
 than doubled, there were lions roaming about ; and in 
 the time of David, 300 years still further on, when there 
 must have been a population of eight or nine millions? 
 there were large forests in the lands ; and lions and 
 bears which preyed on the flocks ; and also the like, 
 still later, in the time of Elisha ; and, indeed, throughout 
 the whole history of the Israelites in Canaan, as appears 
 from Scripture, there were wild and dangerous animals 
 in certain parts of the land. The Divine arrangement, 
 therefore, recorded in Exodus xxiii. 29, 30, for not 
 driving out the original inhabitants " in one year," but 
 "by little and little, that the land might not become 
 desolate, and the beasts might not multiply against them," 
 
THE NUMBER OF THE ISRAELITES. Ill 
 
 was founded in wisdom and mercy. The Bisliop's 
 failure to perceive the whole subject in its true light, 
 as such a needful and merciful arrangement, may be 
 attributed to his determined opposition to revealed truth, 
 having so greatly engrossed his mind, and perverted his 
 judgment. 
 
Ansicers to Chapter XIV. — On ^^the Number of the 
 Firstborns, compared ivith the Number of Male 
 Adults" 
 
 T?ROM the Bishop's manner of examining this subject, 
 
 he seems to consider it as affording him one of the 
 
 strongest batteries in support of his attack on the veracity 
 
 of the Pentateuch. The whole style of his remarks is 
 
 to that effect, and at the close he seems to exult in the 
 
 assurance of having obtained a victory by saying, — 
 
 *' By this time, surely, great doubt must have arisen in 
 the mind of most readers as to the historical veracity of 
 sundry portions of the Pentateuch. That doubt I believe 
 will be confirmed into a certain conviction by its appear- 
 ing plainly from the data in the Pentateuch itself, that 
 there could not have been any such population as this 
 to come out of Egypt; in other words, that the children 
 of Israel, at the time of the Exodus, could not, if only 
 we attend carefully to the distinct statements of the 
 narrative, have amounted to two millions ; that in fact 
 the whole body of warriors could not have been two 
 thousand." 
 
 Let us now examine the grounds of his presumed 
 success, or rather, be it said, expose his groundless 
 assumptions, his mis-statements, and fallacies. He first 
 gives this text in Numbers iii. 43, — " All the firstborn 
 males by the number of names, from a month old and 
 
THE NUMBER OF THE FIRSTBORNS. 113 
 
 upward, of those that were numbered of them were 
 twenty and two thousand two hundred and three score 
 and thirteen." And he then goes on to say,— 
 
 *' So that according to the story in the Pentateuch, 
 every mother of Israel must have had on the average 
 forty -two sons." 
 
 In other words, he means by this extravagant and 
 absurd conclusion, that there were only 22,273 mothers 
 in Israel, who gave birth to the 900,000— the whole 
 
 supposed number of males above the age of one month 
 
 exclusive of the Levites. There is nothing in Scripture 
 or in any of the circumstances relating to the subject, 
 to give rise, or afford any colour, to any such incredi- 
 able supposition. It is really no better than a flight of 
 imagination, and simply absurd. No mortal on earth can 
 tell how many were the mothers who bore that estimated 
 number of male Israelites. It may, however, be 
 reasonably supposed, as will presently be shown, that 
 they were more than seven times the number which the 
 Bishop has assumed, and if this were the case, the 
 Bishop's conclusion as to the 42 sons for each mother, 
 will at once be disposed of, as having nothing to 
 support it. 
 
 There is a previous assertion in his remarks, which 
 must here be noticed and answered. In remarkino- on 
 the arguments of one German writer, in support of the 
 veracity of the Pentateuch on this subject, and who 
 
 maintained that the Israelitish women bore laro-e 
 
 o 
 
 numbers of children, the Bishop, in answering on this 
 point, makes the following assertion, — 
 
 "This again is assumed without proof, or rather 
 
114 THE NUMBER OF THE FIRSTBORNS. 
 
 directly in the face of all tlie facts whicn are given us, 
 by which to judge of the size of the Hebrew families. 
 We have no reason whatever to suppose, from the data 
 which we find in the Pentateuch, that the mothers of 
 Israel were prolific in any unusual degree." 
 
 The data in the Pentateuch, to which he refers, ex- 
 pressly contradicts these assertions. The Divine promise 
 was repeatedly given to Abraham, that his posterity 
 should be extremely fruitful and numerous, even, it 
 is said, as " the stars of heaven," or " the dust of the 
 earth;" and similar promises were given to Isaac and 
 Jacob. It is true these promises were not literally ful- 
 filled until many years after they were given. But this, 
 in the Divine wisdom, has been the mode of procedure 
 in very many instances. The first and most gracious 
 and universal promise, that " the seed of the woman 
 shall bruise the serpent's head," did not commence its 
 literal fulfilment until about 4,000 years after it was 
 D-iven, when, "in the fulness of the time," the Saviour 
 appeared on the earth. The promise to Abraham that 
 Sarah should bear a son, was not fulfilled until many 
 years after ; and the further promise, given to him, that 
 his posterity should be delivered from the oppression 
 which it was foretold they should suffer, was not ful- 
 filled until more than 200 years after the most severe 
 portion of that period of affiiction had been endured. 
 It would seem as if in these and similar instances, the 
 Divine Being designed to test the patient faith and 
 fidelity of his professed servants. But, in this instance, 
 here under consideration, as in all others, the Divine 
 promise could not fail ; but to those to whom it related 
 
THE NUMBER OF THE FIRSTBORNS. 115 
 
 the exliortation would apply, "thougli it tarry, wait for 
 it ; for it will surely come, it will not tarry." Its fulfil- 
 ment did come at the time Divine wisdom saw to be the 
 best ; for we read in Exodus i. 7, that after the death of 
 Joseph and his brethren, " the children of Israel were 
 fruitfid and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and 
 waxed exceeding mighty ; and the land was filled 
 with them ;" and, even after their affliction by the 
 Egyptians, it is said, in verse 12, " the more they afflicted 
 them the more they multiplied and grew ;" and again, 
 in verse 20, "the people multiplied, and waxed very 
 mighty." Yet, in the face of these repeated and express 
 assertions of their great fruitfulness and increase, and 
 which of course must have been known to the Bishop, 
 he has had the temerity to say, *' we have no reason 
 whatever to suppose, from the data which we find in the 
 Pentateuch, that the mothers of Israel were prolific in 
 any unusual degree." Observe, it is to the Pentateuch 
 itself the Bishop appeals, for the truth of his assertion. 
 Surely, he must himself admit that they never could 
 have " increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed 
 exceeding mighty, so that the land was filled with them," 
 unless the mothers had been '"^prolific" in an "unusual 
 degree." Thus, the authority to which he appeals, 
 plainly condemns him. 
 
 Let us now turn attention to the supposed strong 
 redoubt which the Bishop has thrown up, and here 
 directed its fire at the point, of "the smallness of the 
 numbers of the firstborn, compared with the whole esti- 
 mated number of the rest of the males." His tower for 
 attack, however, is only of clay^ and may readily be 
 
116 THE NUMBER OF THE FIRSTBORNS. 
 
 demolished. In the first place, he must, it seems, be re- 
 minded of the fact — which he cannot but allow — that 
 the one great Creator gives life to all beings ; and in 
 such equalities or inequalities as He, in His wisdom, and 
 for his own purposes, determines. We all know that the 
 inequalities, as regards the propagation of the human 
 race, are infinitely varied. In some families there are 
 ten, fifteen, or even, occasionally, twenty children ; while 
 in others, there are none. In some there are seven, or 
 ten sons, and only one daughter ; and in others, six or 
 eight daughters, and only one son ; in some, sons only ; 
 and in others, only daughters ; and so throughout all 
 families there are infinite varieties, both as to numbers 
 and sex. 
 
 The Bishop has given the explanations of jive learned 
 persons regarding the subject, each of whom has 
 afforded a more or less satisfactory solution of the 
 suggested difficulty, and of the objection here treated of. 
 Their opinions alone should have restrained him from 
 urging his own, so positively, in the way of objection. 
 He must, however, of course, have come to the conclu- 
 sion that he is more learned and acute than any, or all 
 of them ; as well as the many others who, doubtless, in 
 different ages, have examined the point, and have been 
 satisfied of the truth of the Scripture statements con- 
 cerning it. Another answer to the objection will now be 
 added. In the first place, let it here be admitted, that 
 the actual time of the abode of the Israelites in Egypt, 
 and until the numbering at Sinai, was about 216 years; 
 and, further, let that period be divided into four equal 
 parts of 54 years. Again, let it be presumed that, 
 
THE NUMBER OF THE FIRSTBORNS. 117 
 
 at the commencement of the last division of 54 years, 
 and after the long-continued fruit fulness of the Israel- 
 ites, there were 150,000 child-bearing women — which 
 is a reasonable and well-grounded presumption, instead 
 of the absurd suppositions of the Bishop — that there 
 were only 22,273 of such women ; and that each of 
 them had 42 sons, thus making up the whole of the 
 supposed number of 900,000 males of all ages. In 
 the case above supposed, and now to be carried out, 
 in explanation, there could have been in all of both 
 sexes, only 150,000 firstborn children. Suppose, 
 further, that there was an equal number of each sex, 
 there would thus be only 75,000 firstborn males, during 
 the whole 54 years. Now, let it be further assumed, 
 which would be quite probable, that of the 75,000, 
 about one eighth, or 9,000 died in infancy, and that 
 10,000 were killed by the Egyptians under the royal 
 order for the destruction of the males, and that durino- 
 the 54 years, 28,000 more died through severe and 
 oppressive treatment by the Egyptians, and from 
 diseases, accidents, and other ordinary causes, and 
 lastly, that there were, at the time of the general 
 numbering, about 5,727 infants under the age of one 
 month, to whom the order for enumeration, in 
 Numbers iii. 4, did not apply. If these several numbers 
 for deduction be added together, and the whole 
 subtracted from the 75,000, it will be seen that the 
 remaining number of firstborn males will be, as in the 
 text cited, exactly 22,273. Now, although these 
 calculations, or any other calculations, or suppositions, 
 which may be made, cannot, in the several details, 
 
118 THE NUMBER OF THE FIRSTBORNS. 
 
 conduct, to any thing like certainty, from the nature of 
 the subject, and from the silence of Scripture as to any 
 such particulars, yet it may confidently be said that 
 there is nothing impossible, or even improhahle^ in 
 such calculations, and such a method of fully answering 
 and removing the Bishop's objection. No more, indeed, 
 can be reasonably required, on the point, than to show 
 that the limited number of jfirstborn males, mentioned in 
 the text, was not an improbable result. In regard to the 
 omission in the foregoing calculations of any firstborn 
 males belonging to the previous peiiod of 54 years, it 
 may be remarked, that the number of such firstborn, 
 remaining at the time of that census, must have been 
 so very small, that it could not be at all material to give 
 any supposed number of them a place in those calcu- 
 lations. Should it be suggested that the deductions, 
 which have been made from the number of the firstborn, 
 males, by death and the other causes, would also apply 
 to all the other males, so as to reduce the whole number 
 below the estimated number in all, at the time of the 
 census, the objection may be answered by remarking 
 that, by reason of the greater age of the first, their 
 diminution would naturally be much greater than among 
 the following male children ; more especially, if between 
 these and those firstborn males, there had been several 
 daughters, which, doubtless, would be the case in many 
 families. 
 
 Moreover, with humble diffidence, it may be presumed 
 that He, who " sees the end from the beginning" and 
 " worketh all things after the counsel of His own will," 
 and who, in His wisdom, may have judged that He 
 
THE NUMBER OF THE FIRSTBORNS. 119 
 
 would require no more than the 22,000 of the male 
 Levites for the service of the sanctuary, may, therefore, 
 have kept that number of their males thus limited, in 
 proportion to the other tribes ; and also have so arranged, 
 as to firstborn daughters, and as to births and deaths of 
 the firstborn males, among the other tribes, as to 
 keep these also so limited, that they vs^ould but little 
 exceed that whole number of the male Levites. Surely, 
 some, or indeed, all of the estimates and suppositions 
 which have here been submitted — besides, being in 
 harmony with scriptural truth — are, at least, very far 
 more rational and credible than the Bishop's extravagant 
 and inci'edihle supposition, of forty-two sons for each 
 mother ; which is merely invented and put forth, with 
 the profane view of impeaching and denying that sacred 
 truth. 
 
Remarks on Chapter XV. — On " 77ie sojourning of the 
 Israelites in Egyjpt.^^ Also on Chapter XVI. — On 
 " Tlie Exodus in the Fourth Generation^ 
 
 rpHE chief object of the Bishop in these two chapters 
 is, to prove that the true time of the sojourn of the 
 Israelites in Egypt, was only about 215 years. In order 
 to show this, he contends that the 430 years of their 
 sojourning, mentioned in Exodus xii.40 (which he cites), 
 comprehends the whole time, from the divine promise 
 made to Abraham when in Canaan, to give his posterity 
 that land, down to the time of the giving of the law at 
 Sinai, about a year after the departure of the Israelites 
 from Egypt. It seems most probable, that here he is 
 right But his ulterior object still is, as throughout his 
 book, to endeavour to invalidate the authenticity of the 
 Pentateuch, by contending as he does in his succeeding 
 chapter xvii. that the 215 years were very much too 
 short for the increase of Jacob's family, to such an 
 extent as to produce 600,000 warriors as he calls them, 
 at the time of the census mentioned in Numbers i. He 
 remarks at the commencement of chapter xv. that, 
 ''There is evidently something unusual and awkward, 
 in the manner in which the phrase, — * who dwelt in 
 Egypt,' is found in that passage," in Exodus xii. 40, 
 
THE ISRAELITES IN EGYPT.— THE EXODUS. 121 
 
 which mentions the whole time of the sojourning of the 
 Israelites having been 430 years. Doubtless, as an 
 assistance to his grand design of impeaching the historical 
 truth of the Pentateuch, he would have preferred that 
 instead of that " awkward phrase," as he calls it, the text 
 had stated that the Israelites had actually dwelt in Egypt 
 the whole 430 years. But here Divine truth has dis- 
 appointed him as it ever will do, while engaged in any 
 such profane attempt, as the one contained in his book. 
 The entire correspondence of the phraseology of the 
 text, with the inspired declaration of the apostle Paul, 
 on the subject, contained in Galatians iii. 17, should 
 have afforded him one of the many other proofs of the 
 veritable character of the Pentateuch, and have led him 
 to desist from his profane attack on its veracity. 
 
 He might, indeed, have saved himself the labour of 
 all his calculations and arguments in these two chapters, 
 for it is held by nearly all the most learned critical 
 commentators, and others who have investigated the 
 subject, that the 430 years of sojourning mentioned in 
 that text in Exodus xii, must be understood to mean the 
 whole time from Abraham's entry into Canaan, until the 
 giving of the law ; and that, as already mentioned, the 
 actual residence in Egypt was only 215 years. The 
 previous 215 years of sojourning will be accounted for, 
 and appear from the following scriptural facts. From 
 Abraham's entry into Canaan, to the birth of Isaac, 
 was 25 years. Genises xii. 4 ; xvii. 1-21. Isaac was 60 
 years old at the birth of Jacob ; Genesis xxv. 26 ; and 
 Jacob was 130 at his going down into Egypt; Genesis ix. ; 
 which three sums make 215 years. And, then, Jacob 
 
 I 
 
122 THE ISEAELITES IN EGYPT.— THE EXODUS. 
 
 and his children having continued in Egypt 215 
 years more, the whole sum of 430 years is regularly 
 completed. 
 
 In chapter xvi., on the Exodus in the fourth genera- 
 tion, the Bishop mentions some discrepancies and erro- 
 neous statements as he supposes, in 1 Chronicles vii., 
 regarding the genealogy of Joshua, but he gives also 
 the opinion of a learned German writer, whom he admits 
 to be a most able and impartial critic, and who contends 
 for the correctness of that genealogy as there given. 
 The point is not material as regards the question, either 
 of the actual time of the sojourn in Egypt, or as to the 
 most important point, of the 215 years of that sojourn 
 being sufficient for producing such an increase of Jacob's 
 family at the time of the Exodus, as to furnish the 
 600,000 males, fit for war, from twenty years and upward. 
 Therefore, no remarks are here needed, or will be 
 offered on that genealogy in Chronicles. 
 
 In the latter part of this chapter the Bishop, after 
 making several remarks, and giving several citations 
 from the writings of certain authors, regarding the 
 Exodus of the Israelites in the fourth generation, 
 concludes with the following assertion : — 
 
 *' From this it can be shown, beyond a doubt, that it 
 is quite impossible that there should have been such a 
 number of the people of Israel in Egypt at the time of 
 the Exodus, as to have furnished 600,000 warriors, in the 
 prime of life, representing, at least, two millions of 
 persons, of all ages and sexes, — that is to say, it is im- 
 possible, if we will take the data to he derived from the 
 Pentateuch itself^ 
 
 It will be seen that he carries forward this position to 
 the next chapter, and there strenuously endeavours to 
 
THE ISRAELITES IN EGYPT.— THE EXODUS. 123 
 
 show its validity. On this a direct issue will be taken 
 with him; and in the answer to that chapter, that 
 position will be shown to be altogether untenable ; and 
 that, in accordance with the Divine promises, and the 
 facts contained in the Pentateuch, regarding the great 
 fruitfulness and increase of the Israelites in Egypt, the 
 215 years of their residence there were quite sufficient 
 to produce the 600,000 males, from 20 years and 
 upward. 
 
Answer to Chapter XVII. — On ''the Number of the 
 Israelites at the Time of the Exodus.'''' 
 
 A T the commencement of this chapter, the Bishop has 
 
 written as follows — 
 
 "In the first place it must be observed, as already 
 noted, that we nowhere read of any very large families 
 among the children of Jacob, or their descendants, to 
 the time of the Exodus. We may suppose, in order that 
 we may have the population as large as possible, that very 
 few died prematurely, and that those who were born, 
 almost all lived and multiplied ; but we have no reason, 
 whatever, from the data furnished by the sacred books 
 themselves, to assume that they had families materially 
 larger than those of the present day." 
 
 Next, after mentioning the number of the grandsons 
 
 of Jacob by his twelve sons, he remarks as to there 
 
 being only two females in the family, and says — 
 
 " Though the fact itself, of this wonderful preponde- 
 rance of males, may seem very strange, and would be 
 so, indeed, in actual history ; it is only, however, another 
 indication of the unhistorical character of the whole 
 account. For the present, however, we may admit it as 
 possible in the nature of things, that there should have 
 been at first, at all events, such a preponderance of 
 males, and even probable, if the house of Israel was to 
 increase with extraordinary rapidity." 
 
 His admission here as to probability may be applied 
 against him, so as to make void his profane remark of 
 
NUMBER OF ISRAELITES AT THE EXODUS. 125 
 
 /'the unhistorical character of the whole account," 
 because it was divinely and repeatedly promised that 
 the house of Jacob should increase with extraordinary 
 rapidity^ and they did actually so increase, as shown by 
 the citations already given from Exodus i. where it is 
 , said, " the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased 
 abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding 
 mighty ; and the land was filled with them ;" and that 
 " the more the Egyptians afflicted them, the more they 
 grew.'* No words that could be used, could more 
 pointedly and fully express their increase with extra- 
 ordinary rapidity. Yet the Bishop, either ignorantly 
 as to the many scriptural passages declaring that rapid 
 increase, or else knowing them, has wilfully, and with a 
 reckless disregard of the fact on the point, made the 
 assertion in the extract given, that '* we nowhere read 
 of any very large families among the children of Jacob, 
 or their descendants, to the time of the Exodus ; or 
 that they had families materially larger than those of 
 the present day." And strange to say, he refers to the 
 sacred books themselves, as "not furnishing any data" 
 that they had any such "large families." How they 
 could be so fruitful^ and multiply^ and Jill the land^ 
 without having any very large families among them, is 
 more than the Bishop, with all his arithmetical, geological 
 and other science, or any other mortal, can possibly 
 explain. They certainly had such very large families, 
 in accordance with the repeated Divine promises to that 
 effect, as already shown, given first to Abraham, repeated 
 to Isaac, and then to Jacob, and which at the time divine 
 wisdom saw to be best, were amply fulfilled. 
 
126 NUMBER OF ISKAELITES AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 The Bishop, next, goes on to exhibit his own story, 
 and makes his calculations, as to the four succeeding 
 generations of the descendants of Jacob, and carries it 
 through on the false assumption, that in each and all of 
 the generations there were only the same proportionate 
 number of sons, as there were among the twelve families 
 of Jacob's sons at the time they took up their residence 
 in Egypt ; and, by this erroneous mode of computation, 
 he concludes, that in the fourth generation, which he 
 calls that of Joshua and Eleazar, " instead of 600,000 
 warriors in the prime of life, there could not have been 
 5,000." Possibly, this would have been true, according 
 to the Bishop's story, and his rule of calculation ; and 
 it is not worth while to stop to examine whether such 
 would be the result, for, as in so many other instances, 
 his premises are unfounded and false, and therefore 
 his conclusion is of the same character. In another 
 calculation, on the same erroneous scale, even taking 
 in the males of the fifth generation, he makes out 
 that " the sum total of males of all generations, could 
 not, accordiQg to these data, have exceeded 28,465, 
 instead of being 1,000,000." 
 
 He then makes the following remarks :— 
 
 " But in the above, we have tacitly assumed that each 
 man had daughters as well as sons. There must have 
 been females born in the family of Jacob as well as 
 males, and the females must have been as numerous as 
 the males, if we are to suppose that all the males had 
 families as above." 
 
 There can be no doubt but there were females in each 
 
 and all of those generations, and probably quite as many 
 
 as the males. If there had not been a large proportion 
 
NUMBER OF ISRAELITES AT THE EXODUS. 127 
 
 of them, and they had not been very fruitful too, the 
 Israelites could not have increased so " abundantly, and 
 multiplied, and filled the land." The Bishop may be 
 thanked for this supposition, as to the females, for it may 
 be applied so as to ruin his foregoing scale of generation 
 and increase, which he has only applied to the males. 
 It will at once be seen, that this calculation of the 
 Bishop, as to each male of Jacob's descendants, through 
 the four generations, having the very limited number of 
 sons which he has assigned to them, is entirely contrary 
 to the plain and repeated Scripture declarations already 
 cited, and let it also be borne in mind, that he has re- 
 ferred to Scripture data, as agreeing with his calculations 
 and conclusions. 
 
 It would seepa as if he was scarcely satisfied, even 
 with his foregoing low calculations as to the number of 
 males in the fourth generation ; and, therefore, wished 
 to reduce it still more. Accordingly, he has proceeded 
 to make another calculation, as to those four generations, 
 by which, as the result, he has brought out a very much 
 more reduced number of males in the last generation 
 : — less, indeed, than one-third of what he made them by 
 that first calculation. It is worthy of special notice, 
 that, in both of these calculations, the Bishop, with 
 marked unfairness, and, as it would seem, in order 
 to suit his diminishing purpose as to numbers, has 
 selected the tribe of Levi, and confined his calculations 
 altogether to that tribe. 
 
 Now it will be seen, by reference to the statements of 
 the census given in Numbers, chapters i., ii., and iii., that 
 the males in that tribe were only 22,000 ; not very 
 
128 NUMBER OF ISRAELITES AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 much over one-fourth of tliose of Judah; something 
 more than one-third of the number in two of the other 
 tribes ; less than one-half in five of the others ; and 
 about 10,000 less than the lowest number in the least 
 numerous of the other tribes. The unfairness of the 
 Bishop on the point, will thus at once be seen. As to 
 the tribe of Levi — with due humility and reverential 
 deference — it may be permitted to observe, that the 
 families of Moses and Aaron, who were of the tribe of 
 Levi, may, in the Divine wisdom, have been kept small 
 in numbers ; so that, having been divinely chosen as the 
 first leaders of the people, they might have less of the 
 care and trouble of a family; and, therefore, be the 
 more entirely devoted to the fulfilment of the great and 
 most responsible duties which they were so constantly 
 required to perform. Somewhat similar reasons would 
 apply as to reduced numbers in the families of the rest 
 of the males in the Levitical tribe. 
 
 Having concluded his last most unfair and erroneous 
 calculation, the Bishop proceeds as follows : — 
 
 " In fact, in order that the 51 males of Kohath's gene- 
 ration might produce 600,000 fighting men in Joshua's, 
 we must suppose that each man had 46 children, 23 of 
 each (sex), and each of these 23 sons had 46 children, and 
 so on, of which prolific increase, it need hardly be said, 
 there is not the slightest indication in the Bible, except, 
 indeed, in the statement of the number of the firstborn, 
 which has been already considered." 
 
 Here the Bishop has made another of his extravagant 
 and absurd calculations ; and then has reiterated, in 
 another form of words, his denial of there being any 
 scriptural authority for beheving that there was in the 
 
NUMBER OF ISRAELITES AT THE EXODUS. 129 
 
 families of tlie Israelites, during those four generations, 
 any uncommon increase of numbers of their children. 
 It is true, that it is nowhere mentioned or indicated in 
 the Bible, that there was such a prolific increase among 
 them, as that " each man had 46 children (23 of each 
 sex), and so on," throughout all the generations, as he 
 has calculated and framed his story. The Bible does 
 not set forth, or give colour to, any such extravagant 
 calculations and statements. 
 
 As the Bishop is so given to calculations — having, 
 probably, been more employed about them in the course 
 of his life than in candidly studying the Scriptures, to 
 ascertain their truth and harmony — he may be asked, if 
 he ever made a calculation to discover how many 
 descendants there might possibly be in 54 years — only 
 the fourth part of 216 years — from one pair ? If he has 
 never made any such calculations, and this Review 
 should come in his way, the following statements on such 
 a case may help to increase his arithmetical knowledge, 
 and will afford him a useful variety, after having been so 
 much and so inventively engaged in making diminishing 
 calculations. 
 
 Let it then be supposed, that the pair alluded to, 
 married at the commencement of the 54 years ; and 
 that in the course of the first 12 years they had not 46 
 children, but the moderate number of 12 — six of each 
 sex. Suppose, further, — also very reasonable, — that 
 each and all of these 12 children, on attaining the age 
 of 18, married, and like their parents, had on an 
 average 12 children ; and also let it be supposed — still 
 not at all unreasonable — that each of this second gene- 
 
130 NUMBER OF ISRAELITES AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 ration of 12 children — being the grandchildren of the 
 first pair — married on reaching the same age of 18 years, 
 and so on of great grandchildren, at the same rate of 
 increase, until the expiration of the 54 years ; the Bishop 
 or any other person, who will make the calculation, will 
 find that, including the first pair and their 12 children, 
 and the children of each of these, and the great grand- 
 children, the whole number, after deducting one-fourtli 
 for supposed deaths, will be 135, as the descendants of 
 that one family at the end of 50 years. Next, by 
 supposing the 52 of Jacob's grandchildren to have inter- 
 married with each other, there would be 26 pairs; and 
 multiplying the 135 — the produce or stock of the one 
 family — by this number of 26, there will remain at the 
 end of 50 years 3,510 persons, as the descendants of 
 those 26 families. By the foregoing calculation, it is 
 presumed that these 26 families commenced their 
 increase the year after the commencement of the 54 
 years ; but, as some of those 52 grandchildren of Jacob 
 were not at that commencement, of age to marry, the 
 period of four years, to make up the 54 years, may be 
 allowed as an average time for the commencement of 
 that increase, so as to justify the supposition, that the 
 whole of the families were formed, and commenced their 
 increase at the commencement of those 50 years, at the 
 conclusion of which their numbers would be as above 
 estimated ; and those four years being added to the 50, 
 will make up the whole 54 years. Let 12 years now be 
 added to the 54 years, as an average time for the 
 coming of age, and marrying and commencing to have 
 children, of those 3,510 persons; and, again, suppose 
 
NUMBER OF ISRAELITES AT THE EXODUS. 131 
 
 they marry among themselves, there will be 1,755 pairs 
 of man and wife at the end of 66 years — the amount of 
 the 54 and the 12 years. Next, suppose each of these 
 1,755 pairs to have 12 children, and the several families 
 to increase at the same rate as those preceding, during 
 the 54 years succeeding, and deducting one-fourth, as 
 before, for deaths, there will be found to be at the end 
 of these second 54 years, the large number of 177,693 
 persons. Then, as an average time, as before, let 12 
 years be added to these last 54, making another 66 
 years ; and with the other Q6 added, 132 years in all. 
 Suppose, also, that the 177,693 persons marry among 
 each other, as before, there will have been at the com- 
 mencement of the last 66 years 88,847 pairs of man and 
 wife. As to these, if the same calculations are made as 
 to increase, and as to deductions throughout, for the 
 next 54 years, it will be found, that the result will give 
 more than three millions of persons. There will now 
 have expired but 186 years of the 216. If another 12 
 years of average time, as before, is added to the 186 
 years, and the same suppositions as to marriage, and the 
 same calculations and deductions are made as in the 
 other instances, it will, of course appear, that there will 
 be a very great increase of those three millions at the 
 end of the 216 years, — so great, indeed, as to give even 
 very many more than the 600,000 warriors and 900,000 
 male adults in all; and very far more than three 
 millions of persons in the whole. Now, surely, even 
 the Bishop must admit that 12 children (instead of 46) 
 in each family — six of each sex — is not at all an un- 
 reasonable number. But, even if calculations, such as 
 
132 NUMBER OF ISRAELITES AT THE EXODUS, 
 
 the foregoing, be made, on the supposition of there 
 being only 8 children in each family throughout, it 
 will be found that there will be many more than the 
 respective numbers of the 600,000, the 900,000 male 
 adults, and the two millions of persons in all of the two 
 last generations, at the end of the 216 years — supposing 
 all the two preceding generations to be then dead. It 
 will be observed, that in all the foregoing calculations 
 it is taken for granted, that all the Israelites married 
 among their own people ; which concedes to the Bishop 
 the supposition which he urges, that they did not marry 
 ** mere heathens." 
 
 Among the various calculations which, at various 
 periods, have been made by different persons, to show 
 such an increase of Jacob's family during the four 
 generations, after his going into Egypt, as to give at the 
 end of 216 years, when the first census was made — as 
 recorded in Numbers i. — the 600,000 men above 20 
 years, there is one by the learned Scheuchzer. He has 
 made such calculations, as to every one of the 12 tribes, 
 beginning in each case with the number of children of 
 each of the 12 sons of Jacob. It may be admitted, that 
 some of his calculations, as to numbers of children, are 
 rather extreme. The two of these calculations which 
 relate to the tribes of Gad and Benjamin, will here be 
 given to show that, by his mode of computation, during 
 the four generations, the several numbers in the twelve 
 cases will come out the same as they appear by that 
 census. The following are specimens of his mode of 
 computation, supposing, as it would seem, 54 years 
 for each generation, which, in the four generations, 
 
NUMBER OF ISRAELITES AT THE EXODUS. 133 
 
 would make up the 216 years to tlie time of that 
 census: — 
 Gad, 45,650 
 
 He had seven sons. 
 
 1 Generation : multiply 3 by 9, and 
 
 4 by 10, there will be ... . 67 
 
 2 Ditto : multiply 61 by 7, and 6 by 8 475 
 
 3 Ditto : multiply 471 by 8, and 4 by 9 3,804 
 
 4 Ditto: multiply 3,802 by 11, and 
 
 2 by 12 41^846 
 
 Amount of generations 3 and 4 45,650 
 This is the exact number of males of 20 years and 
 upward of this tribe, according to that first census. 
 Benjamin, 35,400. 
 
 He had ten sons ; two of whom multiplied by 9, 
 and the other 8 by 10, will give for the— 
 
 1 Generation 98 
 
 2 Ditto : multiply 95 by 9, and 3 by 10 885 
 
 3 Ditto: multiply by 5 4,425 
 
 4 Ditto: multiply by 7 30,975 
 
 Amount of generations 3 and 4 35,400 
 
 This is the number of this tribe at the first census 
 (see Numbers i.) 
 
 By either of the modes of calculation which have 
 here been given, it will quite sufiiciently appear that the 
 216 years, comprising the four generations, would afibrd 
 ample time for the increase of the Israelites to the 
 
134 NUMBER OF ISRAELITES AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 several numbers, wMcli appeared by that first general 
 census. Other modes of computation might also be 
 oriven, in consistency with Scripture and reason, which 
 would be perfectly available to demolish the supposed 
 strono" battery which the Bishop has so laboriously 
 constructed against this quarter of the impregnable 
 citadel of the Pentateuch. 
 
Answer to Chapter XVIII. — On " The Danites and 
 Levites at the time of the Exodus^ 
 
 TT would seem as if the Bishop was still not satisfied 
 with his minimum calculations in his preceding 
 chapter, for he here returns to the same work — 
 apparently, so pleasing in his eyes, because favouring 
 one of his chief attacks on the Pentateuch. He would 
 act the part of a skilful general, and either retreat or 
 advance^ as he thinks will best suit his plan of the 
 campaign. He is a professed arithmetician, and there- 
 fore can readily, as here, diminish as to numbers ; and 
 also, as we shall see by and bye, can as easily exag- 
 gerate them, as either will serve the end in view. In 
 the instance now to be examined, he has either wilfully 
 ignored all probabilities or possibilities adverse to his 
 desired conclusion, or else in his ardent desire to falsify 
 the Pentateuch, his judgment must have become so 
 greatly mystified and bewildered, as to have prevented 
 his seeing anything but the one minimum, or diminishing 
 scale of calculation. He has here selected poor Dan 
 as the first object of his attack, and because he had only 
 one son (Hushim), he insists upon it that, at the end of 
 i\iQ four succeeding generations, or 216 years, instead of 
 there being the 62,400 warriors mentioned in the first 
 
136 THE DANITES AND LEYITES. 
 
 census given in Numbers i., there could not possibly 
 have been more than 27 of them. Hear him on the 
 point : — 
 
 " Thus Dan, in the first generation, has one son 
 Hushim (Genesis xlvi. 23), and that he had no more born 
 to him in the land of Egypt ; and, therefore, had only 
 one son appears from Numbers xxvi. 42, where the sons 
 of Dan consist of only one family. Hence we may 
 reckon, that in the fourth generation he would have 
 27 warriors descended from him, instead of 62,400, as 
 they are numbered in Numbers ii. 26 ; increased to 
 64,400 in Numbers xxvi. 43. 
 
 " In order to have had this number born to him, we 
 must suppose that Dan's one son, and each of his sons 
 and grandsons, must have had about 80 children of 
 both sexes." 
 
 The Bishop certainly gives us some variety in his 
 calculations. Sometimes they are all in one direction, and 
 then all in the other. But in neither case does he look far 
 enough ahead before rushing to his conclusion. He has 
 not told us his rule, or mode of computation, by which 
 has made out only the 27 warriors for Dan. Why a 
 single Hushim^ in the fourth generation, might have 
 produced nearly, if not quite as many. The Bishop 
 is so reckless in some of his suppositions and calcu- 
 lations to impeach scriptural truth, that he lays himself 
 open to the refutation of persons possessing even a very 
 low degree of discernment and knowledge of familiar 
 events. Such is the case here, for it would be obvious 
 to a simple ploughman or artizan, that there would 
 surely be very many instances of barrenness, instead of 
 the fruitfulness which Scripture has assigned to the 
 Israelites, in order that Dan should have had no more 
 
THE DANITES AND LEVITES. 137 
 
 than 27 male able-bodied representatives in 216 
 years . 
 
 Let another kind of calculation now be made similar 
 to one of those made in the last chapter — and it need 
 not be very laboured or diffuse — to expose and nullify 
 the Bishop's absurd conclusions of the 27 warriors and 
 the 80 children for Hushim, and each of his male 
 descendants. 
 
 To begin, then, with the solitary Hushim. Suppose 
 he married at or about the time of his entrance into 
 Egypt, which would be not at all improbable, as his 
 father was the fifth child of the twelve; and, further — 
 as also not at all extravagant, even if there had been no 
 such Divine promise of great fruitfulness — let it be sup- 
 posed that he would have ten sons — as many as his 
 uncle Benjamin — and, further, let it be allowed, as not 
 at all unreasonable or unnatural, that all these married 
 at the age of 18 ; and that on the average, there would 
 be eight sons for each of them, born in yearly succes- 
 sion. There would thus be 10 sons in probably 18 
 years ; and 80 grandsons of Hushim, and great grand- 
 sons of Dan in 16 years more, allowing there were as 
 many female as male children ; and let this be presumed 
 throughout this calculation. Let one-fourth of these 80 
 be deducted for deaths, and then, with the remaining 
 60, let the same rate of increase, and calculation, and 
 reduction be carried forward ; and, in like manner, 
 with the next two sets of sons and grandsons, and it 
 will be seen that in even less than 100 years, there will 
 be not merely 62,400 Danite warriors above 20, but 
 hundreds of thousands of them. Suppose, further, that 
 
 K 
 
138 THE DANITES AND LEVITES. 
 
 all these, and the other males under 20, should propa- 
 gate at the same rate, and should, according to the 
 course of nature, all pass away before the end of the 
 remaining part of the 216 years, there would yet be 
 found as their posterity, at the end of that period, a still 
 greater number in excess of that census of Danite 
 warriors. In making such calculations, the difScuhy, 
 indeed, is to keep the numbers sufficiently low. It is 
 something like the question, or rather proposal, of 
 allowing a halfpenny for the first nail in a set of shoes 
 for a horse ; and, doubling it throughout the 32 nails, 
 which will, as the result, give a sum amounting to an 
 enormous fortune, such as few, if they had never heard 
 of it, would at first imagine or believe. 
 
 In the case under examination, if the solitary Hushim 
 were only to be allowed 4 sons, instead of the not 
 immoderate 8, the number of his warrior descendants, at 
 the end of the 216 years, at the lowest rate of propaga- 
 tion, after making all reasonable deductions for deaths 
 by natural causes, and murders by the Egyptians, would 
 amount to more than the 62,400 mentioned in the census. 
 
 If the Bishop should ever become converted to the 
 true Bible faith, — which is fervently to be hoped— and 
 should be induced again to exercise his arithmetical 
 genius, and make other and fair calculations on this 
 subject, he will surely find such results as have here 
 been made ; and will then, doubtless, look back with 
 amazement at the delusions and deceptions by which he 
 was ensnared and held, while making the absurd calcu- 
 lations and conclusions he has put forth here, and in so 
 many other parts of his book. 
 
THE DANITES AND LEVITES. 139 
 
 The Bishop seems to lay great stress on the facts, 
 that " Dan had only one son," and that, as appears from 
 Numbers xxvi. 42, " the sons of Dan consist of only one 
 family." According to Scripture language, there is 
 nothing extraordinar}? in the fact of the whole of the 
 posterity of Dan being designated as one family. There 
 have been myriads of myriads of Jews who have passed 
 away by death, and there are millions of the race and 
 name now in the world, and yet they all have been, and 
 are, the descendants of the one man, Judah ; and have 
 ever borne their name from him, as members of his 
 family. So it was with the descendants of Hushim, 
 or Shuham, of the family of Dan, and called Shuham- 
 ites, in that text in Numbers. The name siofnifies 
 nothing, as to the number of the people, at any time. 
 The Jews called Abraham their father in the time of 
 our Lord ; and, as to natural descent, he sanctioned the 
 appellation, and said, " I know that Abraham is your 
 father." Myriads of Jews had before then passed into 
 eternity ; and many millions were then upon the earth ; 
 and yet the one man, Abraham, was properly called the 
 father of them all. 
 
 The Bishop makes his next attack upon Gershon, 
 Kohath, and Merari, the sons of Levi ; and, by similar 
 erroneous suppositions and calculations, as in the case of 
 Dan, insists that notwithstanding Levi had three sons, 
 and Dan only one, yet there could not have been, as 
 the descendants of Le^d, at the end of the 216 years — 
 the time of the census — 22,000, a little more than one- 
 third of the number of the Danites. He finds, in 
 Exodus vi., which he cites, that Kohath had four sons, 
 
140 THE DANITES AND LEVITES. 
 
 and Gershon two, and Merari two ; and then further 
 notices the facts, that the four sons of Kohath had only- 
 eight sons in all Well, so it is, but what of it? Can 
 he, or any other mortal, tell how rapidly these eight 
 grandsons of Kohath propagated and increased their 
 family in all the long succeeding time, until the end 
 of the 216 years, the time of the first census. None of 
 us can tell anything on the point except so far as Scrip- 
 ture informs us. According to a fair calculation, similar 
 to those which have been made regarding the whole 
 number of the 600,000 above 20 ; and also as to the 
 number of the Danites, there was ample time, during 
 the remaining part of the 216 years, for the Kohathites 
 to have increased to the amount of 8,600, the number 
 found at the time of the census, recorded in Numbers 
 iii. 28. It is here worthy of remark, that in the prece- 
 ding verse of this chapter, they are mentioned as of the 
 family of the Amramites ; and the family of the Ize- 
 harites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the 
 family of the Uzzielites. These families bore these names, 
 respectively, as the descendants of those four sons of 
 Kohath. It must also be noticed, as important, that 
 the names mentioned in Exodus vi., as the descendants 
 of Levi, are stated in verse 25 as merely " the heads of 
 the fathers of the Levites, according to their families." 
 
 The Bishop, not having been able to find anything in 
 Scripture, as to the rate of increase of the two sons of 
 Gershon, and the two of Merari, has at once assumed, 
 that they increased exactly in the same proportion as 
 the Kohathites. Now, he know^s nothing, and has no 
 ground to assume anything about it. They might have 
 
IHE DANITES AND LEVITES. 141 
 
 increased fourfold beyond the Kohathites, or fallen as far 
 below them, for anything we should have known, inde- 
 pendent of information from Scripture. TJiere we are 
 told, in that same chapter iii. 22, of Numbers, that the 
 Gershonites amounted to 7,500; and in verse 34, that 
 there were 6,200 of the Merarites. The same reason- 
 able calculations, and the same remarks which have been 
 made, as to the time for the increase of the Kohathites, 
 will also apply as to such an increase in the two other 
 families as to produce the numbers already mentioned, 
 found in them respectively at the time of the census. 
 
 But the Bishop, when it suits him, can be very 
 versatile in his arithmetical conjectures and calculations. 
 In the foregoing suppositions, as to the number of 
 the Kohathites and the other sons of Levi, he was all on 
 the minimum scale ; but when he passes on to the 
 second census— about 38 years after the first — he is all 
 for the maximum rate; and insists, that the 22,000 
 Levites must have increased so greatly, as to have pro- 
 duced at that second census 48,471, instead of only the 
 23,000 — the scriptural number, at that last census. 
 
 Now, it might be a sufficient answer, to remind him 
 of what he and all others know, that it is impossible for 
 any of us mortals to ascertain why or how it is, that in 
 any given number of families, as well as throughout 
 society, there are such great varieties as to the number 
 of children; and why some have none, while others 
 have ten or a dozen, or more. No one can really give 
 any other or better answer than, that it is according to 
 the will of Him who gives or withholds life, and pre- 
 serves or takes it away. We all know that some 
 
142 THE DANITES ANE LEVITES. 
 
 families seem, without any apparent cause, to remain in 
 a low condition, as to numbers, or die out ; while others, 
 from small beginnings, increase rapidly. Benjamin had 
 10 sons ; but at the time of the first census his 
 descendants were only 35,400 ; while those of Judah, 
 who had only 3 sons, were found at that time to be 
 more than double that number ; and Dan, who had only 
 one son, had then increased to 62,000. Joseph's 2 
 increased to 72,700; while the 3 of Levi only 
 produced 22,000. Similar inequalities, on a smaller 
 scale, are constantly taking place in every land. 
 
 But, even if it be admitted that the doom, as to the 
 murmuring and rebellious, not entering Canaan, did not 
 include the Levites (which seems rather doubtful), yet, 
 we find that, on one occasion — as recorded in Numbers 
 xvi., — a large company of them, with Korah at their head, 
 rose in rebellion against Moses and Aaron, and were 
 swallowed down in the earth, which opened to receive 
 them ; and it is probable that many more of them, who 
 did not then perish, were cut off in the wilderness ; and 
 that, in this way, and from other causes, according to 
 the Divine will and arrangements, their numbers were 
 kept so low, as to be only about a thousand more at the 
 second census than it was at the first. 
 
 It is truly wearisome, and a trial of patience, to follow 
 the Bishop, and make calculations, to^answer and refute 
 his futile and absurd suppositions, calculations, and 
 conclusions, as to all these families or tribes of Israel. 
 It may be trusted that enough has already been advanced 
 to show that all his objections, as to numbers, are 
 merely founded on his own fabrications and groundless 
 
THE DANITES AND LEVITES. 143 
 
 assumptions. Having taken such a stand against 
 scriptural truth, he has manifested a determination to 
 bring forward any and every kind of weapon, and means 
 to carry out and support his profane undertaking. 
 
 In the conclusion of this chapter he makes a condensed 
 summary and reiteration of some of his previous objec- 
 tions — already answered — as to the Exodus, and the 
 marching and encamping of the Israelites, and regarding 
 their fighting with Amalek and Midian. He then writes 
 about 44 of the Levites slaying 3,000 of the other tribes 
 — mentioned in Ex. xxxii. 28. The time this took 
 place was less than a year before the first census was 
 made, which shows the Levites then to have been 
 22,000, and they could have been but a few less at the 
 time of their performing that commanded duty, and it 
 is said, " they all gathered together unto Moses." The 
 Bishop's number of only 44 of them is a mere invention 
 of his own. As to the dying of the 14,700 of the 
 Israelites at one time, and 24,000 at another, by the 
 pestilence, surely there is nothing marvellous or 
 incredible. Did he never read, or hear, of very many 
 thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, being carried 
 ofi" by cholera, or other forms of pestilence, in many 
 countries and at various periods, in ancient as well as in 
 modern times ? The same Almighty Being still either 
 sends or withholds such scourges. And had he not 
 both the right and the power to remove in that way 
 those profane and rebellious Israelites ? 
 
 As to his implied objection about the 600,000 fighting 
 men — found at the first census — falling in the wilderness 
 during their 39 years wanderings there, neither is there 
 
144 THE DANITES AND LEVITES. 
 
 anything marvellous or diiScult to be accounted for, in 
 that sweeping away of those constantly murmuring and 
 rebellious persons. It was a divine and just judgment 
 and infliction upon them, and if the Bishop cannot 
 either believe in that infliction, or the justice of it, it is 
 merely owing to his own perverted or prejudiced views 
 and conclusions as to scriptural truth, and the dealings 
 of the Most High with the perverse and rebellious 
 children of men. 
 
 The Bishop next seems puzzled about the small 
 number of the Levites, and the numerous and laborious 
 duties they had to perform ; while, at the same time, he 
 seems amazed at the vast possessions which were ceded 
 to them ; and accordingly he asks : — 
 
 " How were the 20 Kohathites, the 12 Gershonites, 
 and the 12 Merarites to discharge the offices assigned 
 to them in Num. iii. 4 — in carrying the tabernacle and 
 its vessels, — to do, in short, the work of 8,580 men? 
 Num. iv. 48. What were these 44 people, with the 
 two priests and their families to do with the 48 cities 
 assigned to them? Num. xxxv. 7. How could the 
 Tabernacle itself have been erected, when the silver 
 spent upon it was contributed, as we are expressly told, 
 by a poll-tax of half a shekel, Ex. xxxviii. 26, levied 
 upon the whole body of 603,550 warriors, who did not 
 exist ?" * 
 
 If the story were really such as he has here made it, 
 the diflficulties and amazement would be great indeed ; 
 but, as in so many other instances, he is altogether 
 wrong at the outset, he has first fabricated a fictitious 
 story of his own, and then, as though in amazement, 
 goes on to show its incredibility and absurdity. The 
 scriptural story declares, and fair arithmetical calculations 
 
THE DANITES AND LEVITES. 145 
 
 show, that there were 8,580 of those Levites to perform 
 those services ; and the whole 22,000 numbered of that 
 tribe, with all the rest of the individuals belonorinor to 
 
 ' CD O 
 
 its several families, were to occupy and enjoy all those 
 cities and the other possessions assigned to them, as the 
 Scripture so plainly declares. Thus all these formidable 
 difficulties and the consequent amazement, are foimd to 
 be merely the natural results of defective knowledge and 
 erroneous assumptions. 
 
 His last objection, as to the " building of the 
 Tabernacle, by a poll-tax, on warriors who did not exist," 
 can as readily be disposed of. The Bishop here, as on 
 so many other occasions, has been in too great haste 
 with his objection. Surely, he never could have read 
 the first seven verses of Ex. xxii., containing the Divine 
 directions to Moses, to " take of the children of Israel 
 an offering of every man that giveth it willingly with his 
 heart," gold, silver, and brass, and the various articles 
 there specified, for the building of the Tabernacle, and 
 for its rich furniture and various utensils ; and for other 
 purposes relating to the whole subject. Neither could 
 he have read Ex. xxxvi. 5, where it is said " the people 
 brought more than enough for the service of the work 
 which the Lord commanded to make," and therefore 
 proclamation was made to " prevent them to make any 
 more work for the offering ; " for there " was sufficient 
 for all the work to make it, and too much." Where 
 now is the Bishop's story about '' a poll-tax for the 
 purpose on warriors, who did not exist ?" There was no 
 poll-tax, or any other tax in the case. All were to be 
 free- will offerings ; and, as we see, they were most 
 
146 THE DANITES AND LEVITES. 
 
 readily and overjlowingly made. The truth is, as to the 
 Bishop's objection, that he has here repeated the blunder 
 of which, in another part of this review, he has already- 
 been convicted, of confounding these free-will offerings^ 
 for making the Tabernacle, with the atonement or ransom 
 money ; and considering them to be one and the same. 
 
 But even if his objection be applied to the atonement 
 money, it is equally groundless and void ; for if he had 
 read Ex. xxx. 12, 13, he would have seen that by the 
 Divine command this money was to be taken when the 
 numbering took place, which was only some months after 
 tlie command was given, and doubtless it was taken at 
 the time so appointed. All the warriors were then alive. 
 
 And now it may finally be remarked that a Bishop, or 
 any other man, who could exhibit such a defective 
 acquaintance, even with the letter of Scripture, and 
 could fall into such blunderings as are here exposed, is 
 altogether unworthy of reliance on any scriptural subject 
 of which he may treat. 
 
Answer to Chapter XX. — On " The Number of Priests 
 at the Exodusy compared with their Duties and with 
 the Provision made for them." 
 
 TN the preceding Chapter (XIX.) the Bishop was 
 employed in commenting on, and answering the 
 statements and arguments of several writers, whom he 
 has named, in support of the veracity of the Pentateuch, 
 as to the numbers respectively treated of in the two 
 previous chapters of his book. The works of those 
 writers were answers to the same objections to those 
 numbers, which had been advanced by other un- 
 believers, as to the veracity of the Pentateuch. We, 
 therefore, see that the Bishop is not an original, as to 
 those objections, but possibly a mere copier or rather 
 plagiarist. ' They have often been advanced by open 
 and thorough infidels, but never before by a Bishop in 
 an Evangelical Church. Some, if not all, of the 
 answers above alluded to, are sufficiently satisfactory 
 as to those numbers, to show the erroneous character of 
 the Bishop's assertions and conclusions concerning 
 them. As he merely reiterated in that Chapter, XIX., 
 the same numerical objections, advanced in the two 
 preceding Chapters, and which have already been 
 reviewed and answered, it is, of course, unnecessary to 
 answer them again. 
 
148 NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 In tliis Chapter, XX., the Bishop again indulges in 
 his figuring propensity, but with as little success as 
 before. He first gives, in full detail, the several scrip- 
 tural commands for the various offerings, as declared 
 in several chapters of the books of Leviticus and 
 Numbers, and then he writes as follows : — 
 
 " And now let us ask, for all these multifarious 
 duties, during the forty years' sojourn in the Wilder- 
 ness, — for all the burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, peace- 
 offerings, sin-offerings, trespass-offerings, thank-offer- 
 ings, &c., of a population like that of the City of 
 London, besides the daily and extraordinary sacrifices, 
 — how many priests were there ? 
 
 " The answer is very simple — there were only tliree^ 
 Aaron (till his death), and his two sons, Eleazar and 
 Ithamar. Yet how was it possible that these two or 
 three men should have discharged all these duties for 
 such a vast multitude ?" 
 
 When the whole subject is rightly understood, it 
 will be seen, that even the three priests could very well 
 discharge them all. Ihe Bishop's failure to perceive 
 it, like as in so many other instances, is chiefly, if not 
 entirely, owing to his not marking and rightly under- 
 standing, the letter and meaning of Scripture on the 
 several subjects. In the first place, the daily offerings 
 for the whole people, were only two — a single lamb, or 
 kid, morning and evening, the prescribed parts of which 
 were prepared by the Levites and brought to the priest 
 to be offered on the altar. This would not be very 
 burdensome for three priests, or require much of their 
 time. There were no individual daily offerings com- 
 manded. The burnt offerings, by individuals, were to 
 be *' one animal of the herd or the flock ;" or if of fowls, 
 
NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 149 
 
 either one turtle dove, or one young pigeon; (see 
 Lev. i.,) and in verse 3 it is said, " he shall offer it at 
 his own voluntary will, at the door of the tabernacle 
 of the congregation, before the Lord." We here see 
 that it was entirely optional for an individual to make 
 any such offering or not. This, also, appears from 
 verse 2, where it is said, " if any man of you brino- an 
 offering." It was not compulsory, but to be voluntary. 
 The Lord does not compel any person to confess his 
 sin ; he only exhorts all to do so. 
 
 Further, as plainly appears in that chapter, the 
 animal, or bird, was to be killed and prepared for 
 sacrifice by the individual who brought it ; or it mio-ht 
 be done by the Levites. The duty of the priest was, 
 merely when the prepared parts were brought to him, 
 to place them on the altar to be burnt ; and to " sprinkle 
 the blood round about upon the altar." Moreover, in 
 cases of inability to bring any of the animals, or the 
 bird instead thereof (see Levit. v. 11), an offerino- of a 
 small portion of fine flour would be accepted; the 
 offering of which would, of course, require less service 
 from all concerned. Now, how many of these voluntary 
 offerings there were, daily, or whether there was even 
 one each day, neither the Bishop, or any other mortal, 
 can tell, or even conjecture. But suppose there were 
 5, 10, 20, or even the improbable number of 40, or 
 more of them, on an average, daily, the three priests 
 could very well get through with their prescribed and 
 very limited part of the duty, as to even the larcrer 
 number, in a couple of hours at most. It is highly 
 probable, from the character and conduct of the people 
 
150 NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 generally, that such voluntary offerings were not very 
 numerous daily^ and therefore would not be very bur- 
 densome to the priests. The Bishop himself has partly 
 answered his objection as to this description of offering, 
 by giving the text in Amos v. 25, which says, " Have 
 ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilder- 
 ness forty years, house of Israel ?" From this inspired 
 reproof it is plain that these wilderness sojourners had been 
 very negligent and parsimonious as to their offerings. 
 
 As to examinations and offerings concerning leprosy, 
 we know nothing from Scripture as to any instance of 
 the kind, except the solitary case of Miriam, who was 
 merely shut out of the camp for a week, and was then 
 healed and brought in; and most probably presented 
 an offering for her hasty offence. Neither does Scrip- 
 ture inform us of any particular cases of ceremonial 
 uncleanness, or of Nazaritish vows while in the wilder- 
 ness, which required any priestly ser^dces in making 
 offerings. We have, therefore, no ground, or right, to 
 make any conjectures as to there having been any such 
 cases, or whether there were few or many of them. It 
 is not at all probable that Nazarite cases were either of 
 daily or frequent occurrence ; nor even those of the 
 ceremonial description. Thus far, and down the greater 
 part of the Bishop's detailed list of the duties to be 
 performed by the three priests in making the offerings, 
 it will be seen that they could daily, as to time, very 
 well get on in the discharge of those duties. Other 
 particulars in the Bishop's catalogue of offerings, and 
 priestly duties, are — the special or occasional offerings 
 on the sabbath, the new moon, the feast of unleavened 
 
NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 151 
 
 bread, and of first-fruits, and at the end of the harvest- 
 ing. Now, not one of these were required to be made 
 in the wilderness, but were to be observed only after 
 their entrance into Canaan, as will be seen in Numbers 
 xxviii. and xxix. The directions contained in these 
 chapters as to these additional and special offerings, 
 were given after the second census of the people, and 
 after the appointment of Joshua to be their leader; just 
 at the close of the 40 years wandering, when they were 
 in the land of Moab, on the very eve of entering 
 Canaan. Even the double ofiering on the sabbath, had 
 not been previously ordained. The Bishop, however, 
 most unfairly and untruly, has, in his catalogue, classed 
 them all with the other offerings already treated of, as 
 though all those additional offerings were to be made in 
 the wilderness; and thus, the duties of the priests might 
 appear to be the more extensive and laborious. He seems 
 to have had some suspicion that he would be detected 
 in this impropriety, for as a support to his statements on 
 the point, he has referred to Leviticus iv. 12, 21 ; vi. 11 ; 
 xiii. 46; and xiv. 3, 8, none of which texts give the least 
 countenance to his addition of those special offerings to 
 the other offerings by the priests while in the wilder- 
 ness, but evidently relate onl}^ to those special or 
 occasional offerings, after the establishment of the people 
 in the land of Canaan. 
 
 The next particular on which the Bishop has founded 
 his objections, and on which he seems to place the 
 greatest reliance, and deems the most unanswerable, is 
 that of the offerings for women after childbirth, con- 
 cerning which, he has written as follows : — 
 
152 NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 " The births among two millions of people, may be 
 reckoned as at least 250 a day, for which, consequently, 
 500 sacrifices (250 burnt-offerings and 250 sin-offerings), 
 would have had to be offered daily. Looking at the 
 directions in Leviticus i. 4., we can scarcely allow less 
 than five minutes for each sacrifice, so that these sacri- 
 fices alone, if offered separately, would have taken 
 2,500 minutes, or nearly 42 hours; and could not have 
 been offered in a single day of twelve hours, though 
 each of the three priests had been employed in the 
 one, sole, incessant labour of offering them, without a 
 moment's rest or intermission." 
 
 Kegarding this point, if the Bishop were to be taken 
 accordino- to the scale of his assumption in another 
 place, — that the 22,300 mothers must have given birth 
 to the 600,000 warriors,— there would not have been in 
 the wilderness at the time here treated of more than 
 about 60 of such female offerings, daily, instead of 250. 
 But should it even be admitted that there Avere 250 
 births daily,— though not at all probable, — yet it is quite 
 possible that many of these mothers were as neglectful 
 of bringing the offerings, as were the males, of whom 
 mention has been made ; and, therefore, it is highly 
 probable that the daily number of such female offerings, 
 fell very far short of the 250, perhaps by a third or a 
 half The reproof in the text in Amos, already given, 
 applied to the women as much as to the men. But 
 even allowing to the utmost extent of the Bishop's 
 extravagant number of 250, it would be quite possible 
 for the three priests to get through every part of their 
 duties on the occasion, in about a couple of hours, 
 instead of 42, as the Bishop has so extravagantly 
 supposed. It is every way probable, that nearly, if 
 
NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 153 
 
 not, indeed, all of such offerings, were either of birds 
 or of fine flour ; this last, as we have seen, being per- 
 mitted by Leviticus v. 11. Either the female who 
 brought the offering, or the Levites, fully prepared it, 
 as in the other cases of voluntary offerings, and then 
 brought it to the priest, who had only to lay the pre- 
 pared meat or the flour on the altar ; and if a bird or 
 other meat was offered, to sprinkle the blood on and 
 around the altar. There was no command or reason to 
 prevent any number of these offerings being laid on the 
 altar at the same time, and so on in succession, until all 
 the offerings were completed. Especially would such a 
 course be allowable, and even appropriate, as all of these 
 offerings were of precisely the same character, and for 
 the same merciful deliverance and preservation in life. 
 
 The Bishop's next cause of stumbling or difficulty, is 
 concerning the possibility of procuring the birds for the 
 female offerings, and accordingly, he says : — 
 
 " Where could they have obtained these 250 turtle 
 doves, or young pigeons, daily, that is, 90,000 annually, 
 in the wilderness ? . . . Did the people then, carry with 
 them turtle doves and young pigeons out of Egypt, when 
 they fled in such haste, and so heavily laden; and as 
 yet knew nothing of any such law? Or, how could 
 they have had them at all, under Sinai ?" 
 
 On this point, as on a previous one, the Bishop has 
 partly answered and disposed of his own objection, for 
 he presently adds, — 
 
 "It may be said, indeed, that the ' young pigeons' were 
 birds of the wilderness. Thus, Ave read in Psalm Iv. 6, 
 7, ' And I said. Oh that I had wings like a dove ! for 
 then would I fly away and be at rest.' Lo, then would 
 I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. So 
 
 L 
 
154 NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 JeremiaK xlviii. 28, * O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the 
 cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that 
 maketh her nest in the sides of the holes mouth. And 
 Ezekiel vii. 1 6, ' they that escape of them shall escape, 
 and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, 
 all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity I'^ Yet 
 the psalmist in Psalm Iv. 6, 7, was hardly thinking of 
 the ' great and dreadful ' desert of Sinai." 
 
 Perhaps, indeed, the psalmist was not thinking of the 
 desert of Sinai, yet it is highly probable that there were 
 multitudes of pigeons and doves, from time to time, or 
 even constantly, around that mountain, and in parts 
 adjacent, and in otlier places of the sojourning of the 
 Israelites. If the Bishop does not know it, there are 
 many who do, that wilderness places where there is a 
 wild vegetation, and especially where there any wild 
 berries, are the very places where pigeons commonly 
 resort, and in the greatest numbers. But further, if, as 
 the Bishop has shown from the text in Jeremiah, doves 
 made their nests in the rocks of Moab, why not in those 
 at and around Sinai, and in other places where the 
 Israelites encamped? 
 
 The modern traveller. Dr. Shaw, found 2,000 palm- 
 trees at Elim, and mentions the " beautiful plain, more 
 than a league in breadth, and nearly three in length, 
 near Sinai." He mentions also, the " plants of divers 
 palm-grounds upon the deserts of Tzin and Paran." So 
 that although in Scripture, the regions through which 
 the Israelites passed, were generally described as "a 
 great and terrible wilderness," yet there were then, and 
 still are, many places where wild pigeons and doves 
 could find suitable sustenance. 
 
NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 155 
 
 Here, once for all, it may be remarked, that the 
 Bishop has often cited passages in the Pentateuch in 
 support of his objections, and he may, therefore, rightly 
 be told, that if such passages of the Pentateuch are of 
 validity, even if it were not of an inspired character, it 
 would be but fair and reasonable to conclude that all the 
 other parts of it are equally true. It is a rule in all 
 courts of justice, and agreeable to reason and equity, as 
 regards testimony, that if any part of a narrative is ad- 
 mitted as evidence, the whole of it must be taken as 
 equally entitled to belief Lastly, as to this bird objec- 
 tion by the Bishop ; if there were none of the preceding 
 satisfactory modes of answering it, it would be quite 
 sufficient to say, that the same Almighty Being who 
 delivered the Israelites out of their bondage ; and so 
 suddenly brought to them the myriads of quails for 
 their use ; and who was constantly guiding and sus- 
 taining them in the wilderness, could and would supply 
 the means for making the offerings He required. 
 
 The Bishop's next objection, relates to the number of 
 cities and other possessions assigned to the priesthood 
 and their families, and to "the enormous provision," as 
 he calls it, of food and other things for the priests. He 
 cites the texts in Numbers xviii. 14, 18, and in Leviticus 
 vii. 7 — 10, which direct, that portions of the meat- 
 offerings, the sin-offerings, and the trespass- offerings, 
 shall be given to Aaron and his sons, and that he, and 
 every male of his family " shall eat thereof in the holy 
 place ;" and also as to the wave-breasts and heave- 
 shoulders, it is thereby directed, that they shall be 
 reserved to Aaron and his sons, and his daughters, and 
 
156 NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 the families of all the priests, by a statute for ever, as 
 mentioned in Numbers xviii. 11; and it is added, "every 
 one that is clean in the house, shall eat of it." The 
 priests were also to have the flesh of the firstlings of 
 the herd and the flock which were offered ; but there is 
 nothing said as to the eating of this flesh by them or 
 their families. — See Numbers xviii. 18. The priests 
 were also to have the skins of the burnt-offerings. — 
 Numbers vii. 8. 
 
 There were indeed, very liberal allowances of cities 
 and other possessions for the priesthood and their 
 families ; but it is to be noted and borne in mind, that 
 they were not made merely for Aaron and his two sons, 
 and their families, but the ordinances were for all suc- 
 ceeding generations of the whole of the numerous 
 priesthood and their families. The Bishop's objection, 
 as to the " enormous provision " for Aaron and his sons, 
 and their families, is, certainly, one of a very singular 
 and unprecedented character. Perhaps, it has never 
 before been objected by a Bishop or any other clerical 
 dignitary, that the provision made for his temporal 
 support and comfort was enormous or extravagant, and 
 quite unsuitable and improper. It may be thought to be 
 within the bounds of possibility, that if a similar liberal 
 provision of worldly possessions and privileges were 
 made for the Bishop himself, either in Natal or other 
 region of his choice, he would not be greatly offended, 
 and reject it because of its extravagant or enormous 
 amount. Should he ever be tempted in that way, and 
 reject the offer, it will be an instance deserving of per- 
 petual remembrance, because of its absolute singularity. 
 
NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 157 
 
 But as to the eating part of the objection, the Bishop 
 puts his case very strongly, and seems to insist, that 
 Aaron and his sons were required to eat the whole of 
 those parts of the several offerings which were reserved 
 and given to them ; and he thinks this quite impossible. 
 He insists that each priest would have had " to eat 
 daily 88 pigeons " for his own portion of the offerings, 
 "for the births of children," in addition to his share of 
 all the other offerings. Well, it must be admitted, this 
 would, indeed, have been a duty of very difficult, or 
 rather, of impossible performance. But this, like many 
 otheis of the Bishop's stories and suppositions, is merely 
 fictitious. Let us look at the matter in the light of fact 
 and Scripture truth. The following directions are given 
 to Aaron, in Numbers xviii. 9, ''This shall be thine, 
 of the most holy things, reserved from the fire ; every 
 oblation of theirs ; every meat-offering of theirs ; and 
 every sin-offering of theirs ; and every trespass- offering 
 of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most 
 holy for thee and for thy sons." And as to the wave- 
 offerings and the heave-offerings, the direction is in 
 verse 11 — "Every one that is clean in thine house shall 
 eat of it :" further, as to the remainder of the meat- 
 offerings reserved from the fire, it is said, in Leviticus 
 vi. 18, " All the males among the children of Aaron shall 
 eat of it; it shall be a statute for ever in your generations 
 concerning the offerings of the Lord, made by fire." 
 And, again, as to the sin-offerings, in verse 28, 29 — " All 
 the males among the priests shall eat thereof ; it is most 
 holy : and no sin-offering, whereof any of the blood is 
 brought into the tabernacle of the congregation, to 
 
158 NUMBER OF PRIESTS AT THE EXODUS. 
 
 reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten ; it 
 shall be burnt with fire." Now, it will be seen, by the 
 first of these cited texts, that only what was reserved 
 from the fire was to be eaten ; and, doubtless, the priest 
 would only reserve so much as he would require for 
 consumption; and as to the next recited offerings, they 
 were for the whole of the several families of the priests ; 
 and they were to " eat of them," and " eat thereof^'' 
 which expressions show that they were not required to 
 eat the whole of them, whether wanted or not, as the 
 Bishop has so absurdly written. As to the last-men- 
 tioned, — the sin-ofi'ering — it is most probable, according 
 to several of the Divine directions, that the blood of 
 most of those offerings was brought into the holy 
 place, and sprinkled on the altar ; and as to the meat 
 of these, it is said, it was not to be eaften, but to be 
 " burnt with fire." It will thus be seen, that the 
 Bishop's objection as to the enormous amount of food 
 required to be eaten by the priests, is without any 
 scriptural or reasonable foundation. It has arisen from 
 his own misunderstanding of Scripture-, or his perverted 
 construction of it, to suit his purpose. As to his sup- 
 position, of each priest being required to " eat daily 88 
 pigeons," the foregoing texts will have shown that it is 
 equally groundless and absurd with the rest of this class 
 of objections. The Lord never can require from the 
 ministers of his sanctuary, or any others, any degree of 
 gluttony or excess, but enjoins temperance or mode- 
 ration in all lawful things, and entire abstinence from all 
 that are pernicious. 
 
Answer to Chapter XXI. — On " Tlie Priests and their 
 Duties, at the Celebration of the Passover.''^ 
 
 THE objections put forth by tbe Bishop in this chapter, 
 are such as will require but little time to answer, 
 and to show how utterly destitute they are of any real 
 foundation. It is, indeed, matter of amazement, that 
 any man possessing the most ordinary acquaintance 
 with Scripture, and undertaking to write upon it — 
 especially, a dignitary of the Church, should either so 
 misapprehend even the letter of it, or so wilfully pervert 
 and misapply it, as thd Bishop has done in this chapter. 
 Here, as in many other instances, he has first assumed 
 certain premises, or positions, as true, which are really 
 false ; and then, has remarked upon them, to show their 
 consequences to be absurd and incredible. He begins 
 his chapter with the following passages : — 
 
 " Again, how did these three priests manage at the 
 celebration of the Passover ?" 
 
 '* We are told 2nd Chronicles xxx. 16; xxxv. 11, that the 
 people killed the Passover, ' but the priests sprinkled the 
 blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.' 
 Hence, when they kept the second Passover, under Sinai 
 (Numbers ix. 5), where we must suppose that 150,000 
 lambs (70) were killed at one time 'between the two 
 evenings' (Exodus xii. 16), for the two millions of 
 people, each priest must have had to sprinkle the blood 
 
1 60 THE PRIESTS AT THE PASSOVER. 
 
 of 50,00 lambs in about two hours — that is, at the rate 
 of about four hundred lamhs every minute for two hours 
 together^ 
 
 In treating of killing the animals in the court of the 
 
 tabernacle, he has written as follows : — 
 
 How, in fact, could the priests have sprinkled the 
 blood at all if this were not the case, that the animals 
 were killed in the court of the tabernacle? But the 
 area of that court contained, as we haA'^e seen (38.), 
 only 1,692 square yards, and could only have held, when 
 thronged, about 5,000 people. How, then, are we to 
 conceive of 150,000 lambs being killed within it, by at 
 least 150,000 people, in the space of two hours, — that 
 is, at the rate of 1,250 lambs a-minuteV 
 
 Now, the short and plain answer to all these proposed 
 difficulties and objections is this, that at the keeping of 
 that second Passover at Sinai, and at any and every 
 other observance of it in the wilderness, there was 
 no killing, either of 150,000 lambs, or of a single lamb 
 within the court of the tabernacle ; nor any sprinkling 
 of their blood on the altar ky the priests. Neither of 
 these things were either divinely commanded or done 
 while they were in the wilderness — as will presently be 
 clearly shown. The Bishop, not having seen anything 
 in the Pentateuch to require those observances at 
 keeping the Passover in the wilderness at Sinai, first, as 
 authority for them, goes away to the texts he has cited 
 in 2nd Chronicles, and also refers to Deuteronomy 
 xvi. 2 ; V. 6. That text in Chronicles relates to the 
 manner of keeping it at the temple at Jerusalem, long 
 after its erection, and which was according to the 
 direction by Moses, in Deuteronomy xvi., for the obser- 
 vance of the Passover, after they were established in 
 
THE PRIESTS AT THE PASSOVER. 161 
 
 Canaan, and which was to be kept " at the place" in that 
 land, " which the Lord should choose to place his name 
 there." It will presently be shown that this command 
 of the Lord, through Moses, was upwards of 38 years 
 after the keeping of the second Passover at Sinai ; and 
 after the other passovers had been kept in the wilderness; 
 and when Moses was giving the last laws and instruc- 
 tions to the people only a few days before his death; and 
 when they were just about to enter Canaan. Those 
 directions are contained in Deuteronomy xvi. 2, 5, 6, 
 which the Bishop has cited ; but he has omitted to give 
 the following commencement of these directions, of 
 Moses, in chapter xii. 10, 11 — " But when ye go over 
 Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God 
 giveth you to inherit; and when he giveth you rest 
 from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell 
 in safety ; then there shall be a place which the Lord 
 your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there ; 
 thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your 
 burnt-offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the 
 heave-offering of your hand, and all your choice vows, 
 which ye vow unto the Lord." 
 
 The Bishop also cites the text in Exodus xxiii. 17. 
 This, also, as will be seen by referring to it, relates to 
 the three feasts to be kept by them in Canaan, when 
 established there — namely, the seven days' "feast of 
 unleavened bread ; the feast of harvest, the first fruits ;" 
 and the *' feast of ingathering in the end of the year," 
 when they had " gathered in their labours out of the 
 field." There is not a word in this text he has cited, or 
 in any part of the chapter, as to the manner of keeping 
 
162 THE PRIESTS AT THE PASSOVER. 
 
 the Passover in the wilderness or elsewhere. Neither 
 the word Passover^ or any reference to it, is contained in 
 the text or chapter. The text, as is seen, merely relates 
 to the three principal feasts they were to observe when 
 settled in the land of Canaan. The Bishop must, indeed, 
 have been greatly bewildered on the subject, or very 
 hard driven for authority, when he cited these texts in 
 Chronicles and Exodus, as relating to the keeping of the 
 Passover at Sinai, or at any other time in the wilderness. 
 But he cites other texts in Leviticus chapters i., iii., iv. 
 and xvii. to support his objections about killing the 
 150,000 lambs at the door of the tabernacle, and the 
 priests sprinkling their blood. 
 
 Now, it is a perfectly sufficient answer to say, that all 
 the burnt-offerings, sin-offerings, trespass-offerings, and 
 peace-offerings mentioned in these texts, are voluntary 
 offerings by individuals, regarding their individual sins 
 and offences ; and had no reference or relation what- 
 ever, or even likeness^ to the ordinance of the Passover. 
 This was a special institution, of a memorial character, 
 to be kept by every family ; and at the precise time, 
 and in the particular manner divinely prescribed, to keep 
 in remembrance, the deliverance from Egyptian bondage, 
 and the preservation of the lives of the firstborn of 
 Israel, when all the firstborn of Egypt were slain. 
 
 But a reference to the texts in Numbers ix. from 
 verse 1 to 5 inclusive, will at once destroy these 
 objections by the Bishop, about the 150,000 lambs to be 
 killed at the door of the tabernacle, and as to the 
 sprinkling the blood on the altar by the priests. Those 
 texts are in these words : — "And the Lord spake unto 
 
THE PRIESTS AT THE PASSOVER. 163 
 
 Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of 
 the second year after they were come out of the land of 
 Egypt, saying, let the children of Israel also keep the 
 Passover at his appointed season. In the fourteenth 
 day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his 
 appointed season, according to all the rites of it, and 
 according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 
 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they 
 should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover 
 on the fourteenth day of the first month, at even, in the 
 wilderness of Sinai, according to all that the Lord com- 
 manded Moses ; so did the children of Israel." 
 
 Here, then, we see, that by the precise command of 
 the Lord himself, they were to keep it at this time, 
 " accordinof to all the rites of it, and according to all 
 the ceremonies thereof." Not a word here, or any 
 where else, about killing the lambs at the door of the 
 tabernacle, or of sprinkling the blood on the altar. 
 What those rites and ceremonies were, we see in 
 Exodus xii., where it is divinely directed, that " on the 
 tenth day" of the first month, *' every man should take 
 a lamb for his house ;" or if the household was *' too 
 little for the lamb," his next neighbour, and him 
 might "take it according to the number of the souls, 
 every man according to his eating, shall make your 
 count for the lamb." Then follow the directions to keep 
 it up until the fourteenth day, and then to " kill it in the 
 evening" and to "take of the blood, and strike it on 
 the two side-posts and on the upper door posts of the 
 houses w-herein ye shall eat it ;" and they were to " eat 
 the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened 
 
164 THE PRIESTS AT THE PASSOVER. 
 
 bread;" and nothing of it was to remain until the 
 morning ; or if any part did " remain until the morn- 
 ing," it was to be burnt " with fire." And, further, it 
 is directed — "Thus shall ye eat it, with your loins 
 girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your 
 hand, and ye shall eat it in haste." Now, all these 
 things could be done in the wilderness as easily as they 
 were done in Egypt. And, as we have seen, it is said in 
 verse 5 of that chapter, 9th of Numbers — "they kept 
 the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, 
 at even, in the wilderness of Sinai, according to all that 
 the Lord commanded Moses ; so did the children of 
 Israel." They kept it, therefore, on this occasion, as 
 commanded in this chapter, according to all the fore- 
 going rites and ceremonies of it, prescribed in Exodus 
 xii., and as it was then first kept in Egypt. 
 
 The wise and gracious God can never give any 
 command which is unreasonable, or impossible of per- 
 formance. But such persons as the Bishop may, and 
 do, fabricate absurd theories and suppositions which are 
 indeed incredible, and impossible to be carried out to any 
 practical fulfilment. 
 
Answer to Chapter XXII. — " The War on Midian." 
 
 T^HE above is the title of that chapter, but the Bishop, 
 instead of commencing it with his proposed subject, 
 fills the two first pages with disparaging remarks on 
 two publications, in answer to works of the like profane 
 character as his own, — though not, indeed, quite so 
 openly and thoroughly infidel, namely, " Essays and 
 Eeviews." He then goes ofi" to the Books of Judges, — 
 1st and 2nd Samuel, and 1st and 2nd Chronicles ; and 
 selects and sets forth passages in those books, as to his 
 favourite subject of numbers. But, here, instead, as 
 previously, treating of an increase by births, he is engaged 
 with deaths ; and he fills two pages more, in remarks on 
 the numbers slain in the battles recorded in those books; 
 and he contends that those numbers are extravao-ant 
 and incredible, and therefore, not historically true. By 
 thus travelling into other portions of Scripture, — not at 
 all contemplated or implied in the title of his book, — 
 the Bishop plainly manifests his unbelief as to the 
 veracity of the Scriptures generally, and his bold deter- 
 mination to employ his utmost exertions to impeach its 
 truth, and its claims to veneration and belief. As to 
 such a course of conduct being consistent with the 
 position and character of a Christian Bishop, or other- 
 
166 THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 
 
 wise, there certainly can be but one opinion with all 
 who believe the Scriptures to be a Divine revelation. 
 
 A separate examination will now be made of these 
 instances of numbers of deaths, by war, to which the 
 Bishop has objected. In asserting extravagant state- 
 ments by " Hebrew writers," he says : — 
 
 " Such as that in Judges xii. 6, where we are told, 
 that the Gileadites, under Jephthah, slew of their breth- 
 ren, the Ephraimites, 42,000 men." 
 
 Well, is there anything incredible in that ? Did the 
 Bishop never read or hear of a war of invasion, in 
 which as many as that number were slain on one side ? 
 That Avar, was one of invasion by the Ephraimites, and 
 for anything we know from Scripture, may have con- 
 tinued for weeks, or even a month or more. Looking 
 at the scriptural account of it, we find the following- 
 particulars : — The Ephraimites dwelt in Mount Ephraim, 
 on the western side of the Jordan, and the Gileadites 
 on the eastern side, and far to the north. The Ephraim- 
 ites had become offended, because Jephthah had not 
 called them to assist him in a war with the Ammonites ; 
 and as the first verse of the chapter says, — " they 
 gathered themselves together and w^ent northward ;" 
 and, — after an unsatisfactory conference between the 
 parties, — it is said, — "Jephthah gathered together all 
 the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim, and smote 
 them ;" that is, they beat them. How many battles 
 there were, we are not told, nor how long the invasion 
 continued. We find, next, that the Ephraimites fled 
 towards the Jordan to get back to their own country, 
 but the Gileadites were beforehand with them ; and 
 
THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 167 
 
 it IS said, ''took the passages of Jordan before the 
 Ephraimites ;" and when the fugitives could not pro- 
 nounce aright, a certain word, given as a test regarding 
 their country, the Gileadites slew them " at the passages 
 of Jordan." 
 
 Marh herCy the word passages in the plural. There 
 may have been six or ten of such passages. The army 
 of the Ephraimites being defeated, would flee in several 
 portions for the passages, — ^hundreds to some, and 
 thousands to others. The narrative concludes in these 
 -^ords ; — "and there fell at that time, of the Ephraimites, 
 forty and two thousand." Now, surely there is nothing 
 incredible, or even extraordinary, in any part of this 
 account It does not say how many, or how few were 
 slain, either at the passages, or in the engagements 
 previous; but the words are, — "at that time," that is, — 
 during that invasion. Moreover, from the expression, 
 — "there fell of Ephraim at that time," it is not certain 
 that all of them were actually killed, many of them 
 may have been only wounded, more or less severely. 
 Doubtless, the Bishop has read of vastly numerous 
 armies of ancient and modern nations, — Persians and 
 Romans, Goths and Yandals, Lombards and others, 
 who have invaded and desolated countries, and destroyed 
 myriads of those opposed to them. He must have read 
 of those scourges of humanity, — Timour the Tartar, 
 and Alaric, Genseric, and Attila, in whose invasions, and 
 in a short time, far more were slain on each side than 
 that number of the Ephraimites. He certainly knows 
 about the invasion of Russia by the first Napoleon, with 
 nearly half a million of soldiers, who, during that 
 
168 THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 
 
 invasion, and cliiefly during the few weeks of the retreat, 
 lost more than three-fourths of them, or more than 
 300,000. In one authentic account of that retreat, it is 
 stated, that in the spring following, 36,000 dead bodies 
 were taken out of the bed of the river Beresina, who 
 had been destroyed at the one passage of that river. 
 During the present dreadful war in the American States, 
 in the raid^ as it has been called, made a short time ago, 
 in the state of Maryland, and the battles then fought, 
 nearly, if not quite 40,000 have fallen, either as dead 
 or wounded ; and in the two attempts against Richmond, 
 in one of those American States, probably, in all, a very 
 much greater number. 
 
 It is probable, the Bishop will believe all these 
 accounts — ancient and modern; while he disbelieves 
 this one concerning the Ephraimites. Is this, because 
 it is found in the Scriptures, which he is so earnestly 
 endeavouring to discredit? 
 
 The Bishop's next objections as to numbers killed in 
 war, is in these words : — 
 
 " Or that in Judges xx. where first the Benjamites 
 slay of the Israelites 40,000 men, v. 2—25 ; and then 
 the Israelites kill of the Benjamites 43,100, v. 35 — 44 ; 
 all these being ' men of valour that ' drew the sword.' " 
 
 Now, here, the Bishop has done even far worse than 
 in the preceding case, for he has stated, as to one par- 
 ticular, what, on the very face of the narrative, is 
 palpably untrue. But, first, as to the defeats of the 
 Israelites, there were two batiles, in which the 40,000 of 
 them fell, and it is not at all probable that they were all 
 actually killed. By the expression, " destroyed down to 
 
THE WAR ON MIDI AN. 169 
 
 the ground," may most properly be understood, that part 
 of them were killed, and the rest so wounded, as not to 
 be able to fight any longer — put ' liors de combat,^ to use 
 a French phrase. But, even if all were killed, in the 
 two days' battles, there is nothing incredible about it. 
 Next, as to the slain of the Benjamites, he says they 
 were 43,100. There were only 25,100 in all; and 
 never was any narrative, or statement as to numbers, 
 more explicit. In verse 35, in the first part of the 
 account of the defeat of the Benjamites, are these 
 ^ords : — "And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel; 
 and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites 
 that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred 
 men." Then the following particulars are given as to 
 the manner in which the victory was obtained : — that an 
 ambush was set against Gibeah, the Benjamite city 
 besieged, and that those in ambush rose up and set the 
 city on fire ; and that then the other division of the 
 army of Israel tamed upon the Benjamites, who thus 
 became enclosed between the two hosts, and fled toward 
 the wilderness ; and then in verses 43 to 46 inclusive, 
 are these statements : — "Thus they enclosed the Benja- 
 mites round about, and chased them, and trode them 
 down with ease over against Gibeah, towards the sun- 
 rising. And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand 
 men ; all these were men of valour. And they turned 
 and fled toward the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon ; 
 and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand 
 men, and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew 
 two thousand men of them. So that all which fell 
 that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand 
 
 M 
 
1 70 THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 
 
 men that drew the sword." Thus, we see that it is 
 stated first in the early part of the narrative, that the 
 whole number of the Benjamites slain was only 25,100 ; 
 and then repeated in verse 46 — " So that all which fell 
 that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand 
 men that drew the sword." The account is so plain, 
 that a child of 8 or 10 years, would clearly understand 
 it, as showing, that only the 25,100 were slain in the one 
 battle, on the one day. It will be seen, that the 18,000, 
 the 5,000 and the 2,000 killed at the different places in 
 the pursuit, make up the exact and true number of 
 25,000 in all. But the Bishop has swelled this number 
 to 43,000, by adding the 18,000 to the 25,000, While 
 he was about it, he might as well have added the 5,000 
 and the 2,000, and have made his whole number 50,000. 
 It would have looked larger^ and it would not have hurt 
 his story any more than the 18,000 he has with such 
 gross impropriety or negligence added. It seems, 
 indeed, rather difficult to suppose that the improper 
 addition was not made designedly — the true number 
 being so plainly and repeatedly given. But, if it be 
 admitted to have occurred through misapprehension, or 
 negligence, it shows — to say the least — that a theological 
 writer, or any other, who could commit such a gross 
 error, is deserving of but little, if any credit, as to 
 statements he may make concerning the sacred records. 
 The Bishop's next objections relate to three other 
 battles, and he merely alludes to them in the following 
 words : — 
 
 " Or that in 1st Samuel iv. 10, where the Philistines 
 slew of Israel 30,000 footmen ; or in 1st Samuel xiii. 5, 
 
THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 171 
 
 where the Philistines had 30,000 war chariots ; or in 
 2nd Samuel x. 18, where David slew of the Syrians 
 40,000 horsemen." 
 
 As to the first of these numbers — the 30,000 footmen 
 of Israel — there is nothing incredible. The army on 
 each side was very numerous — as the texts indicate — 
 most probably, nearly the whole military force of each 
 nation, as each was striving to subject the other to its 
 absolute and severe rule. The text says, "There fell of 
 Israel thirty thousand footmen." They may not all 
 have been killed, but probably a large proportion 
 wounded more or less severely. 
 
 Here it may, once for all, be remarked, that, although 
 in modern times numerous instruments of destruc- 
 tion in war have been invented, and are in use, which 
 were unknown in ancient warfare, yet it is certain, from 
 many historical records, that in early ages, and before 
 those later instruments were brought into use, battles 
 were more destructive of life than now, by reason that 
 all of the contending hosts came at once into close hand- 
 to-hand contest ; and with their usual weapons — swords, 
 spears, and javelins — destroyed greater numbers com- 
 paratively in the same time. This has often been 
 remarked as true ; and seems highly probable, especially 
 on occasions such as the one between the Israelites and 
 the Philistines, where each was contending, in reference 
 to the result, either of dominion or of degrading and 
 severe subjection. 
 
 As to the instance of the 30,000 war chariots, it is 
 most probable that this is an incorrect reading — through 
 error in transcribing — for 3,000 ; and this is the number 
 
172 THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 
 
 in the Syriac and Arabic versions. It is probable the 
 Bishop knows this, and therefore might have refrained 
 from mentioning the instance. 
 
 He further objects to several other large numbers, 
 stated in the books of Chronicles, as composing the whole 
 military force of the kingdom of Judah ; and he makes 
 a most incorrect comparison as to extent of territory 
 between that kingdom and three English counties which 
 he names ; and states the former to be of less extent 
 than those counties, w^hen the fact is greatly otherwise; 
 for he unfairly omits to take into account the tribe of 
 Benjamin, and its division of the land, which was united 
 with Judah, and made one kingdom and territory — 
 very far larger in all than those English counties. More- 
 over, during a considerable period in those days, parts 
 of Edom were possessed by Judah ; and the Edomites 
 were under subjection and tribute to the kingdom of 
 Judah. And, further, that kingdom had been established 
 for many centuries, and had become extremely populous ; 
 and as not only that kingdom, but all the kingdoms and 
 countries around were almost constantly engaged in 
 warfare ; nearly every man that could bear arms was 
 enrolled, or held, for military service. Thus the whole 
 of such males would be, what the Bishop calls, '•'"warriors;^ 
 and, therefore, it is not extraordinary, but would cer- 
 tainly be the fact, that the military forces of Judah— 
 and. Indeed, of all those other countries — would be 
 extremely large, in proportion to the rest of the popu- 
 lation. Nearly every man, except the priests and 
 Levites, was more or less a soldier, or warrior ; and, 
 consequently, when wars occurred — which was very 
 
THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 173 
 
 frequently — immense numbers went forth to battle. 
 These circumstances will, to a great extent, if not 
 altogether, serve to answer and remove the several 
 objections the Bishop has made in this chapter to other 
 instances of the vast numbers in armies and military 
 forces generally, and the great multitudes slain in battle. 
 Having finished with his objections as to certain num- 
 bers mentioned in Judges, Samuel, and the two books 
 of Chronicles, he goes back to the Book of Numbers, 
 and commences with the subject in the title of his 
 chapter, — "The War on Midian, " — and writes as 
 follows : — 
 
 *' But how thankful we must be that we are no longer 
 obliged to believe as a matter-of-fact, of vital conse- 
 quence to our eternal hope, the story related in Num- 
 bers xxxi., where we are told, that a force of 12,000 
 Israelites slew all the males of the Midianites, took 
 captive all the females and children, seized all their 
 cattle and flocks, (72,000 oxen, 61,000 asses, 675,000 
 sheep,) and a^/ their goods ; and burnt all their cities, 
 and all their goodly castles,' without the loss of a single 
 man; — and then, by command of Moses, butchered in 
 cold blood, all the women and children, except all the 
 women-children who have not known a man by lying 
 with him. " 
 
 Who are meant to be included in the little word "i^g," 
 in the commencement of the foregoing extract, he does 
 not intimate. Perhaps, he only means himself^ like the 
 newspaper editor, or, possibly, the few of his infidel, 
 classical brethren, in this land and elsewhere. It is 
 certain it will not include any believer in Divine revel- 
 ation, either Jew or Christian. He does not here 
 object as to any extravagant number of warriors, but 
 
174 THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 
 
 points his objection, first, to what he seems to consider 
 the injustice, or rather, cruelty of the transaction, and 
 most profanely compares it to the tragedy at Cawnpore. 
 On these points, he must be referred to the Almighty 
 and just Ruler and Judge over alL It may, however, 
 be as well, to offer some words as an answer to his 
 profane remarks and objections. 
 
 The Israelites were a people chosen by God to 
 preserve the true religion in the earth ; and, therefore, 
 they were strictly prohibited from intermixing them- 
 selves with heathen nations, and were divinely designed 
 and appointed to exterminate the seven nations of 
 Canaan, and to conquer and destroy all other idolatrous 
 and heathen nations who should oppose them. The 
 Midianites, by the instrumentality of their women, were 
 endeavouring to corrupt them, and thus draw them into 
 idolatry and other sins. The women had yielded 
 themselves as such base instruments, and the Israelites, 
 by their profligate intercourse with them, had brought 
 upon themselves the marked chastisement of the Lord, 
 who, by a plague, swept away many thousands of them ; 
 and but for the pious and zealous conduct of Phineas, 
 the priest, many more of them would have been 
 destroyed. The Lord himself shortly after gave the 
 command, which we see in Numbers xxxi. 2, to " avenge 
 the children of Israel of the Midianites ;" and, accord- 
 ingly, by the direction of Moses, a thousand men from 
 each tribe were selected for the purpose, and they went 
 forth with the priest and " the holy instruments," and 
 effected the Divine decree, destroying the adult males, 
 but saved the women. At this, Moses was justly dis- 
 
THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 175 
 
 pleased, because most of them had been the most 
 profligate and wicked of the criminal parties. It was 
 by his command that all of them, except the virgins, 
 were slain, and also the male children. From the whole 
 narrative it evidently appears, that all this was done 
 with the Divine sanction and approbation. The women 
 were adulterous and base criminals; and by their 
 flagitious conduct, had justly forfeited their lives, which 
 should have been taken in the first instance. As to 
 the children, the same Being who gave them life, had 
 certainly the right to take it away at any time, and in 
 any manner, he thought proper. Regarding the eternal 
 condition of these little ones, there can be no just doubt, 
 but it would be a safe one. 
 
 With no greater presumption might the Bishop 
 arraign and condemn the Divine dispensations of the 
 earthquakes which, in different ages, have occurred, and 
 whereby vast numbers of every age, and of every sex, 
 have been suddenly destroyed, — the one at Lisbon as an 
 instance, — or similar destruction of life at Herculaneum, 
 Pompeii, and other places, by volcanic eruptions ; or the 
 myriads at different periods by the various forms of 
 pestilence ; or the thousands every year, in our own 
 times, swallowed up in the great deep, by the tempests 
 sent forth by Him who causeth the raging winds to 
 blow, and the mountainous waves to arise. Surely the 
 Bishop has read the awful and sublime declaration, — "If 
 the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of 
 the innocent." In his chastening dispensations. He often 
 takes away even the righteous with the wicked ; but it 
 is to entirely different everlasting allotments. 
 
176 THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 
 
 The virgins of Midian, who had not sinned like their 
 mothers and sisters, were preserved in life, as was just 
 and equitable ; and they would be far better off than 
 with their idolatrous and profligate people. 
 
 The Bishop, in a way to suit his own purpose of dis- 
 crediting the narrative, proceeds to make his suppositions 
 and estimates, as to the numbers of women and children 
 killed on the occasion. The short answer to this is, that 
 neither he, nor any other mortal, knows how many or 
 how few they were, for Scripture is silent on the point. 
 He expresses his amazement and unbelief at the state- 
 ment, that not an individual of the Israelites was killed 
 on the occasion. He has overlooked, or disbelieves, 
 that the whole matter was by the command, and under 
 the direction, of the Lord of hosts, the God of battles ; 
 against whose purposes, no wisdom, or might, or device 
 of man can offer the least impediment. He does not 
 seem to credit the inspired declaration, that "the horse 
 is prepared against the day of battle ; but safety is of 
 the Lord ;" and, probably thinks that David was 
 fanatical and presumptuous in saying, "Thou hast 
 covered my head in the day of battle." 
 
 The Bishop also thinks it impossible that the 
 Israelitish army of 12,000 could have secured and 
 carried off so many cattle and other spoils. He fails 
 to remember that in all the encampments and move- 
 ments of armies, there are very many attendants as 
 sutlers, and in other employments ; and, although he is 
 fruitful in suppositions to support his own stories, 
 he has here failed to suppose, what was every way 
 probable, that the thousands of women prisoners, who 
 
THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 177 
 
 were accustomed from childhood to tending cattle and 
 sheep, would be justly made to assist in driving them, 
 and these, with the other attendants of the army, would 
 be quite numerous enough for the purpose, even without 
 a single warrior being employed in the work. 
 
 Next, he seems to be shocked at the idea of the doom 
 to slavery of the thirty-two of the prisoners apportioned 
 as the Lord's tribute, and he calls it "Jehovah's tribute 
 of slaves, thirty-two persons." Now, this is an 
 altogether unwarrantable as well as indecorous asser- 
 tion. There is not a word, or the slightest intimation 
 about slaves or slavery in any part of the narrative. 
 These persons, as Scripture declares, were committed 
 unto Eleazar, the priest, and "the Levites, who kept 
 the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord 
 commanded Moses." Being thus the servants of a God 
 of mercy and employed in His sacred service, we may 
 be assured they would be treated with humanity and 
 benevolence, and would most probably become converts 
 to the true religion. 
 
 In the concluding part of the chapter, the Bishop 
 still follows on in the indulgence of his favourite 
 calculating propensity, and after mentioning the death 
 of Aaron, in the fifth month of the last year of the 
 wilderness sojourn, he notices the several events which, 
 as Scripture records, took place before entering Canaan, 
 and makes his conjecturing calculations, as to the time 
 required for the occurrence or performance of each, and 
 contends that all of them could not have been accom- 
 plished within the remaining seven months of the year. 
 He refers to the events of conquering the territories of 
 
1 78 THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 
 
 Arad, the Canaanite ; the destruction of the many 
 Israelites hy serpents; the erection of the brazen serpent; 
 the several marchings and encamplngs ; the conquest and 
 possession of the territories of the Kings Slhon and 
 Og ; and lastly, the two visits of Balaam to Balak, and 
 their conferences, with which transactions, however, the 
 Israelites had no connection, and, therefore, they could 
 not impede or delay their own operations. 
 
 Now, this one short answer may suffice, as to all the 
 Bishop's merely unfounded suppositions, concerning the 
 time required for the occurrence of those several events 
 that Scripture is silent on the points ; and that neither 
 he, nor anyone else, can make any calculations, having 
 even the semblance of a true or even probable conclusion, 
 as to the time which elapsed during their occurrence. 
 But, we may well conjecture, that as the Israelites were 
 now only a comparatively short distance from the Jordan, 
 their several journies would be but limited. Further, 
 it would not require a long time for the Divine chastise- 
 ment of the people, by the means of the serpents. We 
 may also feel assured, that Moses, after receiving the 
 Divine directions, would not delay making and erecting 
 the brazen serpent, for their healing. And here it is 
 proper to mention, that this event of the erection of the 
 brazen serpent, is directly authenticated by our Lord 
 himself, who said, " As Moses lifted up the serpent in 
 the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted 
 up." (John ill. 14.) This reference alone, is perfectly 
 sufficient, to show the truth of the narrative of the 
 deliverance from Egypt ; and the whole of the recorded 
 events, during the 40 years' wanderings and sojournings 
 
THE WAR ON MIDIAN. 179 
 
 of the Israelites in the wilderness. The Bishop will 
 
 hardly have the presumptuous profanity to sa}*', that the 
 
 Divine, Omniscient Lord, did not know whether that 
 
 event declared in the Pentateuch, was true or merely 
 
 fictitious. A slight digression may here be allowed, for 
 
 the purpose of mentioning, that our Lord has, also, 
 
 most pointedly recognised and shown, the authentic 
 
 character of the Pentateuch, by giving to the satanic 
 
 temptations in the wilderness, the following passao-es of 
 
 its sacred records, in all these, his answers : — 
 
 " It is written, ' Man shall not live by bread alone, 
 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of 
 God.' " " It is written, again :— ' Thou shalt not tempt 
 the Lord thy God.'" "It is written, 'Thou shalt 
 worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 
 serve.' " Deuteronomy viii. 3, 6, 13, 16 ; Exodus xxxiv. 
 14 ; Matthew iv. 4, 7, 10. 
 
 As to the Bishop's suppositions, concerning the 
 requisite time, for the conquests of the several territories 
 mentioned in the texts he has cited, he may be told that 
 the 600,000 warriors, as he has called them, and who 
 were now of this second generation, real warriors^ would 
 make very quick work of it ; especially, if, as we may 
 well suppose, they were divided into 10 or .12 armies, 
 of 40,000 or 50,000 each, all operating at one time. In 
 short, to close remarks on this story of calculations as to 
 time, which the Bishop has so elaborately framed, from 
 his own chimerical and ridiculous suppositions, it may 
 fairly be said, that the whole of those enumerated events 
 might very well have been accomplished, in a much 
 less period, than those remaining 7 months which 
 terminated the 40 years. 
 
Comments on Chapter XXIII. — Containing ^'■Concluding 
 Remarks.'''' 
 
 TN the commencement of this chapter the Bishop 
 expresses his apprehension, that some who have 
 perused his book, and assented to its disclosures, will be 
 desiring " something to supply the loss," and " fill up the 
 aching void" which they have experienced, by abandon- 
 ing their previous belief in so large a portion of the 
 Scriptures, as he takes for granted he has now shown to 
 be unhistorical and untrue. He thinks such persons 
 have a just claim upon him of that kind, to give repose 
 to their disquieted minds. In merciful consideration, 
 therefore, of the distresses of all such persons, he has 
 partly promised to afford them, at some future time, in 
 place of those discarded Scriptures, a revelation of his 
 own, which will fully afford them the desired relief, and 
 re-model and establish their religious faith. He inti- 
 mates, however, that he cannot at present furnish that 
 composing and satisfying revelation, because of his being 
 engaged in further endeavours to impeach the veracity 
 of the Pentateuch; and to show, as he says, the ground- 
 lessness of the general notion of Scripture inspiration. 
 Now all this, on the part of any layman, could only be 
 considered as frantically absurd, as well as presump- 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 181 
 
 tuously wicked. But iu a person holding the office of a 
 Bishop in a Christian church, it is, indeed, without any- 
 parallel, for proud and bold profanity. 
 
 As a temporary supply to that supposed "aching void," 
 and for the relief of those " troubled minds under 
 present circumstances," the Bishop prescribes an appli- 
 cation to his lately published commentary on the epistle 
 to the Romans. Now, to use a common saying, the 
 remedy here prescribed is worse than the disease ; or to 
 use another simile^ a resort there for obtaining any real 
 or truthful repose, would be very much like going from 
 had to worse. In that commentary the Bishop has gone 
 as far in distorting and defacing New Testament truth, 
 on some most important points, as he has transgressed 
 by his profane denial of the veracity of the Pentateuch. 
 He has here repeated the same unscriptural scheme, or 
 plan, set forth in that commentary, namely, that of 
 obtaining the Divine mercy and forgiveness, altogether 
 independent of the sacrificial and atoning death of our 
 Lord ; and without any reliance thereon for our pardon 
 and justification. This gracious and consoling doctrine 
 — so plainly revealed in such numerous passages of New 
 Testament Scripture — the Bishop altogether omits to 
 notice, in the plan he has invented, and here laid down, 
 for obtaining salvation. According to this plan of the 
 Bishop — which appears of a Socinian character — those 
 numerous Scripture passages, declaring that precious 
 doctrine, would be without any spiritual application or 
 meaning. That plan, indeed, if not direct!]/, yet by plain 
 implication, denies the truth of those Scripture texts 
 which declare that the Saviour " gave himself a ransom 
 
182 CONCLUDING REiMARKS. 
 
 for all," — *' for the life of the world," — " tasted death for 
 every man," — "bare our sms in his own body on the tree," 
 and "shed his blood for the remission of sins;" and that 
 only by faith in that atoning sacrifice can any be justified' 
 and have peace with God. 
 
 On the Bishop's plan of salvation, as he has revealed 
 it in his commentary on the Komans, and here, in this 
 book on the Pentateuch, there would have been no need 
 whatever for the Saviour's advent or death. Others, 
 and mere men, as divine messengers, could have taught 
 all the doctrines and precepts needful for obtaining 
 salvation. On the contrary of this, the whole tenor and 
 strain of the Scriptures plainly teach, that forgiveness 
 and salvation, are only to be obtained, through faith in 
 our Lord's having given his life, as an atoning sacrifice 
 on our behalf. 
 
 In an early part of the Bishop's book, he speaks of 
 ** the clear shining of the light of truth," which has led 
 him to " the painful conviction," which he has repeatedly 
 asserted, that the Scripture books he has impeached, are 
 not " historically true." He has given no information, as 
 to the source or quarter from whence that light shone 
 into his mind. He does not in any way intimate, that 
 he derived it from any part of Divine revelation ; and 
 that alone, would lead every Christian to conclude, that 
 his supposed light did not come from any genuine or 
 reliable quarter. As he has in his book, so often 
 referred to geological discoveries, as controverting 
 Scripture, it is possible that he has drawn that supposed 
 light, from some speculations or discoveries In the gloomy 
 and shadowy bowels of the earth. Whether such 
 
CONCLUDING REVIARKS. 183 
 
 speculations are of more value and authority than the 
 revelations of the Bible all Christians, as well as rational 
 persons, will readily judge. The Christian w4io hears 
 of this new lights of which the Bishop of Natal as become 
 possessed, will doubtless, call to mind the words of the 
 prophet, "If they speak not according to this word, it 
 is because there is no light in them ;" and his further 
 declarations concerning those, " who put darkness for 
 light ;" and also the sayings of our Lord, *' I am the 
 light of the world ; while ye have the light, believe in 
 the light." " But if the light that is in thee be darkness, 
 how great is that darkness." 
 
 The Bishop holding the unscriptural opinions he has 
 put forth, in that commentary on the Komans, and 
 repeated in this book on the Pentateuch, regarding that 
 most important doctrine of justification alone, by faith 
 in the atoning death of our Lord, — ought, in common 
 fairness for that reason, as w^ell as for his denial of the 
 truth of the Pentateuch, at once to relinquish his office 
 of Bishop, in a church which holds justification, only 
 through faith in that atonement, as one of its cardinal 
 and most essential doctrines. In treating of giving 
 religious instruction to our children from the Bible, he 
 
 *' In order to avert the shock which our children's 
 faith must otherwise experience when they find, as they 
 certainly will before long, that the Bible can no longer 
 be regarded as infallibly true in matters of common 
 history — as we value their reverence and love for the 
 sacred book — let us teach them at once to know that 
 they are not to look for the inspiration of the Holy One, 
 which breathes through its pages, in respect of any such 
 
184 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 matters as these, which the writers wrote as men, with 
 the same liability to error from any cause as other men, 
 and where they must be judged as men, as all other 
 writers would be, by the just laws of criticism." 
 
 What an idea the Bishop must have of the infinitely 
 wise and benevolent God, in supposing that he had so 
 little power or regard as to his own revealed truth — given 
 as a ground for the hope and salvation of his rational and 
 responsible creatures — as to suffer that truth to be so 
 mixed up with falsities, and fabulous, and legendary tales, 
 that they must either receive them both as veritable, or 
 else would be under constant embarrassment and difficulty 
 in regard to rightly separating them, or distinguishing 
 the true from the fabulous and false. Suppose his advice 
 respecting children's religious instruction, were, at once, 
 to commence in accordance with the mythical and 
 false character he assigns to the Pentateuch, and be 
 universally carried out in families, and Sunday schools, 
 and from the pulpit, and in other religious ministrations ; 
 how long does he suppose any other part of the Bible 
 would continue to be regarded by the children as a 
 Divine revelation? They would naturally, and con- 
 sistently become infidels as to the whole of the book, 
 and the true religion, humanly speaking, would soon 
 vanish from the earth. Indeed, all the parents and 
 other instructors of the children, the Sunday school 
 teachers, the ministers, including the Bishops, must, 
 themselves, have previouly become such infidels. 
 
 Suppose the superintendent of a Sunday school, in 
 concurrence with all the teachers, were to address the 
 assembled school in such terms as these : — " Dear 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 185 
 
 children, — It has lately been discovered that the first 
 six hooh of the Bible are not to be depended on as 
 altogether true, but contain many fabulous and false 
 stories : the accounts you read there, as to the Creation 
 and the Deluge ; concerning Noah's ark, and the pre- 
 servation therein of himself and family, and the beasts 
 and birds; and the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah; the 
 histories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the beautiful 
 story of Joseph and his brethren ; the account of Jacob 
 and his family going into Egypt ; and the bondage of 
 the Israelites there ; and Pharoah's daughter finding 
 Moses in the basket of bulrushes, and adopting him as 
 her son ; the departure of the Israelites from Egypt ; 
 their passage across the dry channel of the Red Sea 
 while the water overflowed and destroyed the Egyptian 
 army ; the pillar of cloud and of fire from God, guiding 
 the Israelites through the wilderness; and His daily 
 sending them manna from heaven, and supplying them 
 with water from the rock ; and giving them good laws 
 for their government ; parting the river Jordan for their 
 passage ; and giving them possession of the land He 
 had promised— all these accounts and histories, after 
 having been believed for more than three thousand years, 
 and by very many nations of the world, have lately been 
 found to be, to a great extent, fictitious and false ; and, 
 therefore, you must no longer consider them to be 
 altogether true; but in many particulars, like mere 
 romancing stories." The children, on hearing such an 
 address, and finding it confirmed by their parents, and 
 hearing the same from the ministers, would inevitably 
 begin to think, and very soon conclude, that as such a 
 
 N 
 
186 CONCLUDING KEMARKS. 
 
 great discovery had tlien been made, most likely, in a year 
 or two more, it would be found out that the greater 
 part, or all of the rest of the Bible, was equally uncertain 
 and fabulous. Under such instructions and circum- 
 stances, that generation, and the others succeeding, 
 would, inevitably, become altogether infidel as to the 
 whole of revelation — both as to faith and practice. Such 
 would be the certain effects of this Bishop's recom- 
 mended method of religious instruction for the rising 
 generation. 
 
 And now, in bringing this Review to a close, the hope 
 and just expectation may be expressed, that the national 
 church, in which he officiates in such a high, responsible, 
 and influential position, will at once take the most 
 effectual means to relieve itself of such an open enemy, 
 not only of its own faith, but of all revealed truth. In 
 every other denomination, calling itself Christian, an 
 instance of such openly avowed and enlarged apostasy, 
 from the very foundation and fundamental principles 
 of al] forms of Christianity, would instantly be dealt 
 with ; and the profane offender be promptly excluded 
 from every church office and fellowship. Neither a 
 Jewish or Christian church, or society, could consistently 
 retain such a person within its communion. 
 
 If there is not now any supreme authority within the 
 national church, which can at once deal with such a 
 case of open apostasy not only from its own articles of 
 faith, but from the primary principles of aU revealed 
 religion, and expel the corrupting offender, surely some 
 such authority ought to be immediately provided, as 
 will promptly reach the case, and effect the urgently 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 187 
 
 needed remedy. Should this grossly offending dignitary 
 be suffered to remain in his present or any other clerical 
 office, not only will the poison of his profane publications 
 continue to corrupt and destroy, through the church to 
 which he professedly belongs, but elsewhere in Christian 
 society, and the church retaining him in its office and 
 communion, will expose itself to the censure and reproach 
 of the rest of the Christian world. It may, therefore, 
 well be concluded, that the English National Church, 
 will take the most prompt and effective means, of 
 avoiding the imputation of suffering such an apostasy 
 within its pale; and by the prompt expulsion of the 
 offender, manifest its continued reverence and love for 
 the oracles of Sacred Truth. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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