of crimes. Verse 37, "And the
Lord's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen;
and the beeves were thirty and six thousand, of which the Lord's tribute
was threescore and twelve; and the asses were thirty thousand, of which
the Lord's tribute was threescore and one; and the persons were sixteen
thousand, of which the Lord's tribute was thirty and two." In short, the
matters contained in this chapter, as well as in many other parts of the
Bible, are too horrid for humanity to read, or for decency to hear;
for it appears, from the 35th verse of this chapter, that the number
of women-children consigned to debauchery by the order of Moses was
thirty-two thousand.

People in general know not what wickedness there is in this pretended
word of God. Brought up in habits of superstition, they take it for
granted that the Bible is true, and that it is good; they permit
themselves not to doubt of it, and they carry the ideas they form of the
benevolence of the Almighty to the book which they have been taught to
believe was written by his authority. Good heavens! it is quite another
thing, it is a book of lies, wickedness, and blasphemy; for what can be
greater blasphemy, than to ascribe the wickedness of man to the orders
of the Almighty!

But to return to my subject, that of showing that Moses is not the
author of the books ascribed to him, and that the Bible is spurious.
The two instances I have already given would be sufficient, without any
additional evidence, to invalidate the authenticity of any book that
pretended to be four or five hundred years more ancient than the matters
it speaks of, refers to, them as facts; for in the case of pursuing them
unto Dan, and of the kings that reigned over the children of Israel; not
even the flimsy pretence of prophecy can be pleaded. The expressions are
in the preter tense, and it would be downright idiotism to say that a
man could prophecy in the preter tense.

But there are many other passages scattered throughout those books that
unite in the same point of evidence. It is said in Exodus, (another of
the books ascribed to Moses,) xvi. 35: "And the children of Israel did
eat manna until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna until
they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan."

Whether the children of Israel ate manna or not, or what manna was, or
whether it was anything more than a kind of fungus or small mushroom, or
other vegetable substance