reader, and to their entire satisfaction, before I bring to a close the investigation to which the following pages are appropriated. Then, I would say, that in all discussions where all asseverations are rejected when unsupported by corroborative testimony, the denial of the truth of the asseverations of a party, by the opposite party, is a just and full balance to the declarations made. And according to this universal rule of discussion my denial of the truth of Moses' statements, made in his Auto-biography, the Pentateuch, is a just and full balance to his averments unsupported by corroborative testimony. Therefore, the evidence of the truth or the untruthfulness of either of my averments, or those of the Pentateuch, must be sought in testimony outside of the statements, else in the contradictory character of the declarations themselves.

SEC. 3. In assuming to refute some of the statements of the Mosaic record, I am well aware of the sandy basis of the texts to be refuted. As the record stands so it is, and in that form it must be met and replied to. It is a matter of historical notoriety that the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, so called, cannot be historically traced back to his day by a very many years. Then, history says that Ezra, one of the privileged characters of bible notoriety, likewise of Jewish history, entertained the idea that Moses' writings were not as they should be, so he corrected them to suit his own notion of things; then he set the corrected record down as the Word of God. Then, again history informs us that one Hillel Hanassi, a Jewish Rabbi, about the year three hundred and forty-four of the christian era, patched and fixed up a "Jewish chronology by the verbal literalness of the Hebrew text." These patched up Mosaic records were claimed to be divinely inspired; and, to this day, are gulped down as such by Jews, and likewise by the masses of those of christendom who have been put through a thorough course of priestly drill.

SEC. 4. As confirmatory, to some extent, of the facts stated above, that Ezra, or some other person or persons,

changed the Auto-biography of Moses, else, wrote his history from popular Jewish traditions, I will cite not only the account of Moses' death and burial, which is found in the last chapter of Deuteronomy, but I would call the attention of the reader to the following phraseology, often repeated in the five books of Moses. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying," etc. The bare citation of this fact is sufficient to direct the mind to the proper investigation; therefore, I shall not enlarge on this point here, but will leave it by saying that if Moses wrote the record as it stands, and as it is here quoted, he must have been devoid not only of good taste, but of the elements of good sensewhich he was not.

SEC. 5. In the above heading it is said that the Mosaic record is the book of moral and spiritual death of man, in Jewry and in Christendom. This is so because it is canonical with them. Spiritual life is the fruit of the fructifying influences of the spirit of Truth. Spiritual life is distinct from the natural life, or life of man's material nature. The spiritual birth, or unfoldment of the spiritual nature of man, in whomsoever it occurs, is never effected, only through the power of the spirit of truth brought to bear directly upon the Intellectual and Spiritual nature of the man, and this, when effected at all, takes place long after the man's material birth. Then, again, no man, or woman, by their material or first birth, ever was born into harmony; and, what is more, no man or woman of our earth ever will be born perfectly harmonious-born in unison, in their whole nature, with the harmonious reign of God; nor will they ever become so, except through the spiritual and second birth, or development of the inner-life, by the spirit of truth, after the opening of the intellectual nature of the individual. Falsehood, and error of any kind, entertained by any individual, checks, or, to the extent of the power of the falsity embraced, prevents the unfoldment of the spiritual man; and that which prevents spiritual growth after birth, prevents it in the ante-natal state-that which is spiritual death in either

of the said conditions, is spiritual death in both conditions of the spiritual man.

SEC. 6. Moses' teachings give form to the religious element, both in Jewry and Christendom. If his teachings are truth, they give life; if they are false or erroneous, they bring death to the spiritual natures of those who embrace his teachings. As before, I have said, and which I shall verify in the analysis of them, the statements of the Pentateuch, many of them are false; consequently, Moses' record is the book of death, to the extent of its influence, to all those who read and believe it. The teachings of Moses were materialistic; he never taught a spiritual religion, but a religion of carnalty. He never directed the attention of man to the wants of his inner-life, and to the true Source of supply for his spiritual necessities; the gratification of sensual nature, under submission to authority, was the highest heaven which he pointed out to man.

SEC. 7. By the term moral and spiritual death to man, I would be understood to mean, that is moral and spiritual death in adult man, when the material forces of his nature predominate over his spiritual-when the forces of the material organism hold in complete vassalage the spiritual nature, the indweller of that organism, and makes its moral or spiritual faculties minister to the cravings of the material. SEC. 8. Finally, as preliminary on this question: So long as it remains a part of the religious faith of any portion of mankind, that the Pentateuch is divine inspiration, and is a "rule of faith and conduct" to man, just so long that portion of mankind which so believes, cannot be brought into harmony in the order of the universal Father. Man never stands upon a plane above that of the religious faith which he embraces; he cannot be above that of which he is made. If his religious faith is of a low and groveling character-impure and discordant-so will be his spirit and his conduct in life. As was said above, the God of Moses was a Materialistic God; his religion was carnalty, and the highest moral and religious obligation of the people was

obedience to self-constituted rulers. All this is a false delineation of the character of the God of harmony, and a false averment as to the duty of man. Hence, Jewry and Christendom, both, need a new God in exchange for the God of Moses, and a new Bible in exchange for the Pentateuch, the teachings of Moses. Without making such change, neither Jewry or Christendom will ever enter the harmonial reign of God on earth, and to them the millennial age will be the deepest hell.

CHAPTER II.

A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF MOSES, AND A GLANCE AT HIS RELIGION.

SECTION 1. It will be neither out of time or place, nor will it be wholly without profit, to give here a short biographical sketch of Moses; my principal data being his own records— his Auto-biography. But I will here premise a little. I said that my principal data would be Moses' Biography written by himself. This must be taken with some degree of allowance, else Moses may have to bear sins that were not his. The facts stated in the preceding chapter, concerning the authenticity of the Pentateuch, should be constantly borne in mind whenever any part of those five books are read, or are being critically examined-giving to Moses the benefit of each reasonable doubt, as to his being the author of a system so demoralizing, and of approving a record so vicious and untruthful as are the books which pass currently in his

name.

SEC. 2. Both in Jewry, and in Christendom, millions of the human family now, as in times that are past, confer on Moses well nigh divine honors; and they read his record, and they listen to the recitals of his deeds with that silent awe which is but little less than that felt by the children of Israel when gazing at the appalling operations of the thunder-storms about the tops of Horeb and Sinai. Then, who was this Moses, at the recital of whose performances, and at the mention of whose name, awe is stricken into the inmost nature of millions of mankind? whence his origin, and what were his leading characteristics?

SEC. 3. According to the Pentateuch, Moses was a descendant of Jacob, by Leah, the wife to whom he was