the blood of so many lambs ? and is of a Siamese character. 
Perhaps the blood of many was collected into a common 
reservoir, and a basin of this being then dipped, the sprinkling 
of this was reckoned the sprinkling of the whole. Perhaps 
in other ways the case was met; but our ignorance how must 
not surely overthrow the distinct testimony. Even if the 
“how?” were absolutely inconceivable, the difficulty would 
not be greater than the carrying a verbal message from London 
to Bombay in five minutes would have been to our grand- 
fathers. 
68. One of Dr. Colenso’s earliest “ impossibilities is, that 
the congregation could not be (< gathered unto the door of 
the tabernacle ” (as commanded by Jehovah, Lev. viii. 3); 
because, he says, the words “at the door ” require that “ they 
must have come within the court ” (§ 35). Now only nine 
men could have stood “at the door/* if the words are to be 
pressed with a literality which would be indeed absurd ; and 
if not, where can we put a limit ? If one part of the crowd 
touched the door, are not the terms met ? Then the court 
itself was merely an inclosure of linen hangings. What if 
these curtains, of some eight feet high, were unhung for the 
occasion ? There would then be opened an area, before the 
camp-tents were reached, of 2,000 cubits every way ; the 
tabernacle standing in an open square of 4,000 cubits 
(7,200 feet) the side. A man could stand in a square cubit 
well. Now, if we suppose- the assembly to have been limited 
to the east half of the area, facing the tabernacle door, we 
shall have 8,000,000 square cubits that is, standing space 
for eight millions of men. Whereas, the actual men, 600,000 
in number, could be contained in a space of 360 yards wide 
by 600 yards long. It is highly probable, however, that in 
this, and many other instances, the “ whole congregation 
was gathered representatively, by their chief men or heads of 
families, not individually. For when (Exod. xii. 3) Jehovah 
commanded Moses and Aaron to a speak to all the congrega- 
tion of Israel ” about the ordinance of the Passover, we are 
informed that Moses (v. 21) obeyed this command by calling 
for all the elders of Israel.” And so this difficulty melts to 
nothing. . 
69. The example of Numb, xvi., on which Dr. Colenso rests 
to disprove this latter hypothesis, is not conclusive ; for the 
assembly might consist of chief men, from whom the elders 
might be officially distinct. But here, the congregation, 
though “ gathered unto the door of the tabernacle ” (v. 19), 
were also (in part at least) about the tents of Dathan and 
Abiram (vv. 24 — 27), which were not less than 3,600 feet 
