402 
fit for war. Of those men fit for war, of twenty years of age and upwards, 
each man pays half a shekel for the building of the sanctuary. Now com- 
pare the amount of the precious metals used in the erection of the sanctuary 
and you have a quantity which tallies with half a shekel from each of 
603,550 men. Then the people were numbered again at the close of the 
stay in the desert, and there were 601,730 men, the tribe of Levi in both 
cases being excluded. You have not only the census given to you en masse, 
but the details of the various tribes are given, and the sums, when compared 
together, tally in every respect. Then after the people come out of Egypt 
they meet Amalek, who was a very powerful foe, and defeat him. They 
discomfited him with the edge of the sword in a pitched battle, he wishing 
to obstruct their way in the direction of Mount Sinai. By-and-by they van- 
quish Midian, and take a vast amount of spoil. Balak, king of Moab, 
becomes afraid of their numbers and sends to Balaam at the Euphrates to 
come and curse them ; but when he comes, he comes directed by the Lord to 
bless. In all this you have perfect harmony. Take the language used in 
reference to the basket of first-fruits which the Israelite is to offer as a 
thank-offering for the deliverance out of Egypt. He is directed to say, 
“ A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt 
and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, 
and populous.” Look at the accumulation of epithets. Can any one sup- 
pose that that refers to 600 or 6,000, or any such number ? When it is 
looked narrowly into, the thing will not stand criticism for one moment. I 
come now to the conflicts with Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king 
of Bashan. The latter possessed sixty strong cities fenced with walls, 
gates, and bars, and these cities,. with the territories of both kings, were 
taken and distributed among two tribes and a half. Out of these, 40,000 men 
crossed the Jordan under Joshua, and went up with the main body to J ericho, 
which they took. They afterwards took Ai, 12,000 being sent to take it and 
30,000 to lie in ambush. Then the Hivites, who had four great cities, were 
frightened, and made a league with Israel, and all the men of the south 
made war againts the Hivites ; and then you have the marvellous battle of 
Beth-Horon, when the sun and moon stood still, and God sent down a 
terrible hail and destroyed the enemies of Israel. All the south of the land 
was taken, and Joshua, leading his men northward up to the waters of Merom 
thirty-one kings were destroyed and their territories were taken and pos- 
sessed on the west of the Jordan, and two great territories were taken on the 
east. Now how can any one say that the numbers of the Israelites at the 
exodus were so small, considering what the men were? They were slaves 
escaping from bondage, and not trained to arms, nevertheless they occupied 
these countries and destroyed these kings and peoples, who, there can be no 
question, were most warlike. I look in the New Testament, and I find in the 
10th chapter of the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, that in the matter of 
Baal-peor 23,000 fell by the judgment of God. But how out of 600 or 6,000 
could they fall in a day ? The question arises, is that a genuine text in the 
New Testament ? Yes, it is admitted to be genuine by all the critical 
