It is not fit, however, that all should remain idle spectators of the struggle between science and Revelation. There are many whose intellectual acquirements, and whose opportunities, will permit them to gird on their armour, and to go forth to battle in the cause of truth. The rich treasures of learning and science which they have amassed cannot be better employed, than for the ornament and defence of the Church of God. Such men, if we may borrow a beautiful figure from the early Fathers, are like the Hebrews of old, who, having carried away the precious spoils of Egypt, laid them, with a profuse generosity, at the feet of Moses for the service of the Tabernacle. As for ourselves, we are sensible that, from our scanty means, we have little to offer. But, in the temple of God, each one may contribute according to the measure of his abilities. While others, therefore, bring their gold, and their silver, and their precious stones, we may humbly venture to make our simple offering at least of hair and skins.[ 11]
We do not mean to examine in detail all the views of Dr. Colenso, nor to refute all his arguments. Such a task would trespass too much on our limited space, and perhaps we may add also, on the patience of our readers. It will be more satisfactory to select a few examples, which may fairly represent the general tone of his book and the peculiar character of his reasoning. He is undoubtedly an agreeable and a plausible writer. His style is graceful and simple; his logic is homely and forcible; his manner is frank and earnest. Above all, he possesses that peculiar tact of a clever and experienced advocate,—when his cause is weak he can disguise its weakness; when it is strong he knows how to exhibit its strength with clearness and vigour. Yet we hope to satisfy our readers that his arguments cannot stand the test of rigid scrutiny. They may indeed attract and amuse that numerous class which is ever in search of what is novel and startling; they may bewilder and perplex the superficial and careless reader; they may even bring conviction to the minds of many who hold the gift of faith with an infirm grasp, and who, in the words of the Apostle, are "carried about by every wind of doctrine". But when submitted to a minute and careful analysis, they will be found to be made up, for the most part, of false assumptions and unsound reasoning.
Let us, in the first place, clearly understand what is the issue we are called upon to discuss. It must be remembered that we have the most convincing, unanswerable proofs that the Pentateuch is a trustworthy history; nay, more, that it is the Word of Eternal Truth. These proofs have for ages stood the test of critical inquiry, and have been accepted as valid by the great bulk of the civilized world. They are not impugned by Dr. Colenso; they are left unshaken, untouched. But he says the history cannot be true, for it contains "many absolute impossibilities", and "a series of manifest contradictions and inconsistencies"—(Part i. p. 11).
Now we certainly admit that if any history relate as a fact that which is absolutely impossible, or if it relate two facts which are manifestly inconsistent with each other, it is so far untrue. And if these impossibilities and contradictions are of frequent occurrence, it must forfeit the character of a truthful narrative. But it would be a great mistake to reject as impossibilities those facts which we are simply unable to explain. It often happens that we cannot tell how an event took place, though we are quite sure that it did take place. No one, for example, has ventured to explain how Franz Müller made his escape from the railway carriage on the evening that he murdered Mr. Briggs; and yet all must admit that he did escape. When a fact is established by indisputable proof, we must accept that fact, even though we may not be able to point out the means by which it was accomplished. This is a principle so simple and plain that our readers may, perhaps, wonder why we stop to enforce it so strongly. We can only say in reply, that, plain and simple though it is, this principle is often overlooked by Dr. Colenso, as the sequel of our paper will show.
Again, while we reject as false what is absolutely impossible, we must not regard as impossible what is only improbable. Every one is familiar with the common axiom, that it is very probable a great many improbable things will come to pass. History abounds with examples to confirm the truth of this saying. Take, for instance, the exploits of the first Napoleon, or the career of his nephew, the present Emperor of the French, or the vicissitudes of the ill-fated Louis Philippe. Here the history of a single country, and for a very short period, presents to us a tissue of startling improbabilities. And yet, we all accept the leading facts of that history, because the evidence by which they are established is convincing and overwhelming. Now, the evidence in support of the Pentateuch is of the same character, and of equal weight. Hence, nothing less than an "absolute impossibility", "a manifest contradiction", can at all shake our belief in the truth of the story. If Dr. Colenso prove that such impossibilities and contradictions are to be found in the Pentateuch, he has established his point; if he fail in this, he has done nothing.
The first charge against the historical accuracy of the Bible which we propose to examine, is found in chap. ix. part. i. of Dr. Colenso's work. We shall let the author speak for himself:—
"'The children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt'—(Ex., xiii. 18).
"The word
חֲמֻשִׁים, which is here rendered 'harnessed', appears to mean 'armed', or, 'in battle array', in all the other passages where it occurs. * * * It is, however, inconceivable that these down-trodden, oppressed people should have been allowed by Pharaoh to possess arms, so as to turn out at a moment's notice six hundred thousand armed men. If such a mighty host—nearly nine times as great as the whole of Wellington's army at Waterloo—had had arms in their hands, would they not have risen long ago for their liberty, or, at all events, would there have been no danger of their rising? * * Are we to suppose, then, that the Israelites acquired their arms by 'borrowing' on the night of the Exodus? Nothing whatever is said of this, and the idea itself is an extravagant one. But, if even in this, or any other way, they had come to be possessed of arms, is it conceivable that six hundred thousand armed men, in the prime of life, would have cried out in panic terror, 'sore afraid' (Ex., xiv. 10), when they saw that they were being pursued?"—(pp. 48, 49).
He afterwards proceeds to argue on other grounds that, according to the Scripture narrative, the Israelites must have been possessed of arms when they went up out of Egypt:—