record, and the statements of travelers, are reliable, all the labors of commentators and biblical geographers to shorten their march by marking their route, from their encampment at Hor, eastward across the mountain of Seir, is futile.

SEC. 2. The land of Edom having been encompassed by the children of Israel they came into the wilderness of Moab, and they pitched tent at Ije-abarim, a few miles south, and a little east, of the south end of the Dead Sea. According to Num. XXXII: 41-44, they pitched three several times between Hor and the wilderness of Moab, namely: at Zalmonah, at Punon, and at Obeth, all of which places lay to the east of the land of Edom and the Seir range. But the record gives no account of anything very remarkable as having transpired on this march from Hor to Ije-abarim, excepting what occurred at Zalmonah and vicinity. It is conceded by commentators that it was at Zalmonah where the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way; and where they spake against God, and against Moses, because of their utter destitution of both bread and water. And they likewise concede that it was in the region of Zalmonah where the Lord sent poisonous reptiles among those who spake against him and Moses; and where Moses made his brass serpent, and placed it upon a tall pole.

SEC. 3. "And the people spake against God and against Moses," says the text. The reader will bear it in mind that the God which "the people spake against" was Moses' God, the false God which he taught the people to revere and obey. In the foregoing pages I have repeatedly had occasion to show that the God which Moses adored and taught others to worship was one of his own manufacturing—manufactured out of the discordant forces of matter, and its life and intelligence was the creation of his own imagination; and, I have also shown, in said pages, that the God of Moses was the antipode of the God of Jesus, and of all true Christians; therefore, I need not further argue this point. But I would here say, if the people did speak against the alleged dealings, toward them, of Moses' God, or against his essential

characteristics, even, by so doing they did honor to their heavenly Father. And, if they spake against the conduct of Moses, in this case of which he complained, by so doing, they honored their manhood and did service to the God of Truth and Harmony. Their opposition to Moses, generally, was of the character of most cases of opposition to tyrants, obedience to God, the universal Father.

SEC. 4. In the case under consideration, the people did as all who complain of others should do, and as all true men who are well informed do do, namely: state the reasons why they complain. Neither in this case of censure of Moses, nor in any other, during the whole forty years that he ruled them, did the people complain wrongfully of him. In this case they justly charge him of enticing them from the conditions of plenty in Egypt, and of having led them into the wilderness to die from starvation and thirst-they justly censured him for taking them from homes of plenty to where there was no bread, neither was there water. (See Num. XXI: 5.) The people were innocent sufferers, from first to last, and, as before said, they had a just right, not only to upbraid Moses, but it was their heaven-bestowed prerogative to censure that God whom Moses taught them to adore; and by speaking against him, they did honor to their manhoodthe God-natures with which the heavenly Father endowed them.

SEC. 5. Taking the writings of Moses for authority, it was the great destitution of the people and their sufferings consequent on traveling over the sandy and flinty paths which they were compelled to travel, that caused them to speak against Moses and his God; but, as was stated in the preceding section, they committed no transgression against the law of God, their heavenly Father, by thus speaking. By the same writings it is shown that Moses' Lord inflicted arbitrary chastisement on the people because of their alleged refractory natures, and for using disrespectful language towards him and Moses-for censuring them. The manner of punishment by which he chastised them for these offences,

was by sending "fiery serpents" among them. According to the aforesaid authority, this Lord of Moses' chastised to the death, because of the aforesaid infringements of his rules of etiquette and trespass upon his dignity, "much people of Israel."

SEC. 6. This Pentateuchal story about the Lord's fiery serpents and Moses' brass image, and their effects upon the children of Israel, is so bald of every probability of truth, and is so obviously so too, that I will not waste paper and ink in criticising the fabulous narration. The whole thing is one of those Jewish legendary tales with which the so called writings of Moses abound; and I will drop the fabri cation by saying, the gist of the story is a nice theme for theologians to harp on, before credulous listeners. And, under the influence of moral dishonesty, or blunted reasoning faculties, with great stretch of a lively imagination, in making Moses' brass image, on a pole, typical of the body of Jesus of Nazareth, suspended to a malefactor's crossbeam, by a mob headed by the church officials of the popular religion of his day, theologians can fascinatingly set forth that long-taught, and, by the masses of Christendom, firmly believed, falsehood of a vicarious atonement, in the person of Jesus, for man's moral delinquencies and transgressions. SEC. 7. As I have been compelled, in the examination in the preceding sections, to take notice of one of the many fabulous narrations recorded in Moses' auto-biography; and, as another lies stretched across my path of investigation, I will call attention to this latter relation, couple it with the former, then, if possible for them to do so, let them together pass into oblivion. The statement alluded to was made by Moses near the close of his life, in recounting to the children of Israel the historical events which occurred to them while he led them. The words are recorded first in Deut. vIII: 4, then in Deut. XXIX: 5, where they read thus:

"And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot."

SEC. 8. In order to show that this incredible story, about clothes and shoes, has been accepted as truth by leading minds in the religious world, as well as by the masses in Jewry and Christendom, I will copy an extract, or two, from Bishop Patrick's commentary. Alluding to the shoes which the Israelites wore at the passover in Egypt, (see Ex. XII: 11,) he says:

"And these very shoes which they put on at that festival, when they were ready to march, God suffered not to decay in alí their travels for forty years following."

Then, in speaking of their shoes and raiment in connection, Bishop Patrick says:

"These were two wonderful benefits, which, if well considered, could not but incline them to be obedient to him, who multiplied miracles to nourish and strengthen their faith and hope in him. The Jews to increase the miracle, say, their clothes enlarged as they grew bigger, from children to men: but there was no need of this; for the clothes and shoes of those men that died might serve their children when they grew up to their stature. And it was sufficiently amazing, without such additions, that their clothes should not so much as decay, nor their feet, by so long traveling in hot or stony places, have the least swelling in them, or, as some translate it, grow callous. There are those who refer this last clause not to their feet, but to their shoes; according to what we read, Ex. xxix: 5.'

If it was possible to be so, the foregoing interpretation looks worse than the text itself, for the text is an out-and-out misstatement of fact, and the exposition is a futile attempt to make the fabrication appear plausible, thence acceptable. And with any one who can believe this statement of Moses, or the interpretations commonly given to it by popular theologians, all argument to convince such of the incredibility, and utter rational impossibility of there being truth in either, would be useless. I have now called attention to the foregoing question, as promised when I took it up, and as I then stated, I will now drop it and let it and the snake story together pass into the shades of forgetfulness, if it is possible for them to so pass and the cause and ends of truth be subserved thereby.

THE ISRAELITES DEPART FROM THE WILDERNESS OF MOAB AND PITCH NEAR MOUNT NEBO-THE WAR WITH SIHON, KING OF THE AMORITES.

"And they departed from Iim, (Ije-abarim, in the wilderness of Moab,) and pitched in Dibon-gad. And they removed from Dibon-gad, and encamped in Almon-diblathaim. And they removed from Almon-diblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo."

[Num. XXXIII: 45, 46, 47.

SECTION 1. Although the texts quoted above do not mention but two intermediate encampings of the Israelites between Ije-abarim, in the wilderness before Moab, and their encampment in the mountain of Abarim, near the foot of Nebo, yet, in Num. XXI: 12-20, other places are named where they touched, at least, in their march from point to point. These last quoted texts say: "They removed from Ije-abarim, and pitched in the valley of Zered." (It is generally supposed that Dibon-gad, mentioned above, lay in the valley of Zered.) From Zered, otherwise, Dibon-gad, they removed, and pitched, on the other side of Arnon. Pitched "on the other side" of Arnon, is the more common rendering of the original of the text, but the better Hebraists say it is just as correct, and more reasonable, to render it"they pitched on this side"-before going over the Arnon. Then, it is but reasonable to locate Almon-diblathaim on the south side of the Arnon. Then, again, it is but reasonable to say that Almon-diblathaim, near the south bank of that river, was the place from whence "Israel sent messengers unto Sihon, king of the Amorites,” asking permission of him to pass through his country.