to try
his character, and to give him an opportunity of showing whether his
generosity was merely a momentary emotion, or had become a settled
feature in his character." He also dismisses the idea that they wished
to remain in the streets in order to study "the moral state of the
Sodomites," as they required no such knowledge, for "they were not only
the angels of God, but God himself acted in them." But Kalisch should
bear in mind that God told Abraham he was going on purpose to "see
whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it"; and that,
as the angels could not know more than God, it was after all necessary
that they should make inquiries. Lot, however, "pressed upon them
greatly," and at last they entered his house. He then "made them a
_feast_" which seems to have consisted of nothing but unleavened bread.
Perhaps the angels, who had dined heavily with Abraham on veal, butter,
and milk, were afraid of bad dreams, and only wanted a light supper
before going to roost.

They were not, however, destined to enjoy a good night's sleep. Before
they "lay down," the men of Sodom "compassed the house round, both old
and young, all the people from every quarter." And they called unto
Lot, and said unto him, "Where are the men which came in unto thee this
night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them."

We are reluctant to criticise this dirty story, but duty compels us.
God's Word is full of disgusting narratives, and if we scrupled to
examine them we should have to leave the book alone. We have no love
of filth, and if the Bible were not held up as a divine work we should
never condescend to notice its beastly tales of fornication, adultery,
sodomy, and incest.

Why did _all_ the men of Sodom, both old and young, flock to Lot's
house? Is it likely that _every_ male in the city, past the age of
puberty, should burn with unnatural lust at one and the same time? Did
they suppose that _all_ of them could abuse the two strangers? The story
is as silly as it is nasty.

For a parallel to Lot's answer to the demand of his neighbors we must
go to the nineteenth chapter of _Judges_, where the men of Gibeah clamor
for the Levite as the men of Sodom clamor for the two angels, and where
his host offers them instead his own daughter as well as the Levite's
concubine. A woman's honor was a very trivial thing to God's chosen
people. In itself it counted as next to nothing. The man's right of
possession gave it al