[97] E.g., Deut. 3. 23-26; 1. 37; 4. 21; 31. 2.
[98] Exod. 5. 23.
And his authorship is further confirmed by the fact that so little is said in his praise. His faults are indeed narrated quite candidly, but nothing is said in admiration of the great leader's courage, and ability, till the closing chapter of Deuteronomy. This was evidently written by someone else, and shows what we might have expected had the earlier part been the work of anyone but Moses himself. Nor is there anything surprising in his writing in the third person, as numbers of other men—Cæsar, for instance—have done the same.
But now comes the important point. Fortunately it can be stated in a few words. If the Pentateuch is a contemporary document, probably written by Moses, can we reject the miracles which it records? Can we imagine, for instance, a contemporary writer describing the Ten Plagues, or the Passage of the Red Sea, if nothing of the kind had occurred? The events, if true, must have been well known at the time; and if untrue, no contemporary would have thought of inventing them. We therefore conclude, on reviewing the whole chapter, that the origin of the Jewish religion was confirmed by miracles.
CHAPTER X.
THAT ITS HISTORY WAS CONFIRMED BY MIRACLES.
(A.) The Later Old Testament Books.
(1.) Undesigned agreements; the rebellion of Korah.
(2.) Alleged mistakes; unimportant.