refutation of this in the statements of an American writer, who has proved from the time it took General Burnside to cross the Rappahannock with an army of 60,000, encumbered as they were with horses, artillery, and baggage, that there is conclusive arithmetical evidence that two millions of men could march through the Red Sea in the time specified in Holy Writ, although unhappily a bishop is to be found to state the sacred account is a thing physically impossible.

Hugh-These are only a few instances taken at random, but it does strike me that a man, who, by the testimony of so many competent witnesses, has made such gross blunders, might perhaps be wrong altogether.

Mr Melvill-I think that it requires no argument to prove that no man, who intended to deceive others, would do so by professing that he had sent a message, or given instructions, after his death. The supposition is palpably absurd. Well, then, if Moses, or those who came after him, wished to impose upon the Jews, they certainly would have attempted it more skilfully than by such an absurd trick. Every one knows that there are thousands of books, in which every word or chapter is not written by the professed author, and yet that circumstance is not considered any evidence that the professed writer was a deceiver. So with the Bible. The Psalms are said to be written by David; and yet Asaph and others are believed to have written some of them. So with the book of Deuteronomy.

Moses is regarded as the author of the book up to the thirty-third chapter, which we are told contains his last blessing "before his death." Then in the thirty-fourth chapter, which any child would at once see was written by one who came after him, his death is recorded. The inspired writer, doubtless, did not think it needful to preface it by telling us, that a dead man did not pen the acconnt of his death.

Eustace-The most absurd of all objections seems to me the doubt which some have thought fit to throw upon the very existence of Moses. He is referred to by men who call themselves philosophers, as a "myth." It is curious to find that he is spoken of no fewer than eighty-five times in the Bible, and by at least fifteen different writers after the inspired statements made in Deut. xxxiv. 10, "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." And in every case He is spoken of as a living man, sometimes as a lawgiver, sometimes as a judge, as speaking, writing, working miracles, and pleading with God on behalf of his rebellious people. The first mention I find of him after his decease is by Jehovah Himself. God says, "Moses my servant is dead" (Josh. i. 2). Jehovah here speaks of Moses as a real man, tells us he is now dead, and promises Joshua, "As I was with Moses, I will be with thee, only do according to all the law that Moses My servant commanded" (verses 5-7). God then tells the people to remain "in the land which Moses gave

you" (verse 14). And their answer to Joshua is, "As we have hearkened unto Moses, so will we hearken unto thee."

Edith-We find Joshua, the priest, commanding the children of Israel to "do as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God," in Ezra iii. 2. Jehoiada, in the days of king Joash, quotes Moses (2 Chron. xxiv. 6), and Daniel tells the people that the curse is poured out upon them, because they did not obey the law of Moses (Dan. ix. 11).

Mr Melvill-I think we shall all agree with Dr Cumming, that a child at a Sabbath school could have triumphantly exposed such objections as those to which we have referred; and that those who make them, need afresh to go to school to learn the meaning of the simplest words. No one can carefully read his Bible without seeing that we have in it an outline of Israelitish history from the death of Moses to the close of the Old Testament canon; and that, during this period of about a thousand years, the Book of the Law was universally written of as one acknowledged by the Jews to be the Word of God.

In a little work just written by Mr Hirtz, a converted Jew, called "An Israelite's Testimony that Jesus is the Christ," we have the Jewish creed. It contains these remarkable expressions: "I believe with a perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are true. I believe that the prophecy of Moses is true. I believe that the Law which we now have in

our possession is the same which was given to Moses our teacher, and that the Creator will never give us any other law."

Edith-We have many passages confirming this view not yet quoted, as, for instance, 2 Kings x. 31; xxii. 13; 2 Chron. xvii. 9; xxxi. 4, and David's dying charge to his son Solomon, confirming what has been said of God's law. He is not content with saying, "Keep the charge of the Lord thy God," but adds, As it is written in the law of Moses."

Mr Melvill-Our time is up. To-morrow we will try and ascertain what was our Lord's own judgment upon the Old Testament Scriptures

USTACE-I have been thinking a good deal about your theory, Ashley. In reading the Bible it is certainly only honest to give to

the great facts stated in it (except where they are supernatural), the same weight which we attach to the outlines of ordinary history. Of course, human reason has a right to demand much stronger evidence in favour of the credibility of the supernatural, than of events happening in the ordinary course.

Mr Melvill-And assuredly the additional evidence which reason fairly demands in support of those statements in the Bible which may properly be called supernatural, is abundantly supplied. The class of argument which its opponents bring against it, would lead to an entire disbelief in every individual, and every fact which has not come within their own observation.