The list given by Nehemiah contains the number of those who, in pursuance of the decree of the king, had put down their names and numbers in Babylon, and in this list the number is greater than in the list given by Ezra. The reason is, that when the time came for them to depart, many of them who had set down their names and numbers remained in Babylon; see Josephus. But the list given by Ezra was a list of those of the same families who arrived at Jerusalem. So that taking the number of those who remained in Babylon, and the number of those who died between the going forth of the decree and the actual arrival at Jerusalem, it easily accounts for the difference between the two statements, 1271. OBJECTION. But we are told that, "There is another insurmountable objection; if 29,818 only arrived at Jerusalem, how could the number of the congregation be 42,360?" ANSWER. But it is not necessary to have recourse to any solution of this sort, as the difficulties may be removed by the following statement, which is drawn from the Scripture itself. The number here given, 29,818, was of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, ch. i. 5. and a reference to the 2nd chapter, ver. 61, 62. will clearly show that the 12,542, the number wanting to make the congregation 42,360, consists of "the children of Habaiah, of Koz, and of Barzillai, and the poor of the land who were left in Judah by Nebuchadnezzar to dress the vines," 2 Kings xxv. 12. who were not numbered in the genealogies. Also the remnant of the ten tribes, some of whom were made captive with Judah and Benjamin, and who are thus mentioned, but not numerically set down; yet returning with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, made the whole congregation 42,360. From which it will appear, that if there had been a perfect agreement between these two statements, as to the numbers of those who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, and which the DEIST positively asserts must have been so, had these books been authentic, such agree ment must then have been admitted as sufficient evidence against the authority of these books. But the very cir cumstance which the DEIST introduces to prove that Ezra and Nehemiah contradict each other, most clearly and decidedly proves the truth of the two statements; and consequently the objections advanced by the objectors to show that the books of Ezra and Nehemiah are "false and groundless," are either made in the most profound ignorance of the circumstances and things which took place at different periods of the history, or with a design to make this false representation like all the rest, instrumental in disturbing the peace of religious society, and the faith of millions without any authority. OBJECTION. "The astronomical names, Pleiades, Orion, and Arcturus, are Greek, and not Hebrew names; and as it does not appear from any thing that is to be found in the Bible, that the Jews knew any thing of astronomy, or that they studied it, they had no translation for those names into their own language, but adopted the names as they found them in the poem." ANSWER. Here is a display of ignorance with a witness; the astronomical names, PLEIADES, ORION, and ARCTURUS, are certainly Greek names, but does it follow, that because the English translators have retained the Greek names, that there are no names for those constellations in the Hebrew ? Before the objectors had ventured their opinion, they ought to have known that the book of Job was translated from the Hebrew into the Greek by the LXX. three hundred years before Christ, and that the translators have retained those names as the LXX. had translated them, in preference to the Hebrew names, because the Greek language being more generally understood, those names were known and more familiar than the Hebrew names. Deists have supposed that the book was written originally in Greek, and translated from that language into the Hebrew, and that the Jews having no names for Orion, Arcturus, and the Pleiades, in their own language, "adopted them as they . found them in the poem." Had they examined the Hebrew, they would have found that there were names for those constellations mentioned in Job, and of course not at all like the Greek names which are retained in the English translation. A more convincing proof of the consummate ignorance of these objectors need not be given, for the Septuagint render the Hebrew KEEMA, by Pleiades, KESIL, by Orion, and OSH, by Arcturus. The objection made to the scientific knowledge of the Jews is a very old one; but how is it possible for men who have read the books of Moses to conclude that, "it does not appear from any thing that is to be found in the Bible, that the Jews knew any thing of astronomy, or that they studied it?" This is a proof that those who are weak enough to make such an objection, have not examined sufficiently the writings of the venerable penman. The Egyptians in the time of Moses were the most scientific nation in the world. Pythagoras and Plato, a thousand years after the time of Moses, travelled into Egypt for instruction in the sciences: astronomy was one of the sciences in which they were most eminent; to them we are indebted for the invention of the ancient constellations. Now as Moses was skilled in all the learning of the Egyptians, the knowledge of astronomy must have been one branch of his learning. But to put the matter beyond all doubt, we need only refer to Exod. xii. 2. where he says, "This month (the month Abib) shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you:' and Deut. xvi. 1. "Thou shalt keep the month of Abib, and thou shalt celebrate the passover unto the Lord thy God." Thus it is evident that their months were to be ascertained by the revolutions of the moon, and in that case their year would fall short of the solar year, something more than eleven days; and as they were commanded to keep the feast of the passover in the month Abib, which is in the vernal equinox, if they had not understood astronomy so as to have made the necessary addition of those days, the month Abib would have commenced eleven days sooner every year; so that in thirty-three years the feast of the passover would have gone backward through all the seasons of the year. From which it is evident it does appear from the Bible, that the Jews studied, and were well acquainted with astronomy. OBJECTION. "It appears that the prophets officiated for gratuities. Naaman when he came to be cured of his leprosy, brought no less than one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five pounds sterling of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, with ten suits of clothes. 2 Kings v. 5." ANSWER. Thus do these writers give us to understand, that the prophets of God prophesied for hire to whoever would employ them; and this passage is brought to prove that the prophet Elisha accepted of all the treasure brought by the Syrian general for curing him of his leprosy. A more palpable falsehood was never attempted to be foisted on the public, nor could one have been brought forward more effectually calculated to bring the Scripture into contempt with the great mass of the people, who are frequently governed by hear-say evidence, than this attempt to libel the character of the prophet, by charging him with being guilty of the vile custom of the idolatrous priests. It is surprising that these objectors should have the hardened confidence to assert a thing of this nature, when the reverse is so easily detected in the same chapter; for if the reader will turn to the 15th and 16th verses, it will be seen, that, notwithstanding Naaman earnestly and repeatedly requested the prophet to accept of his present, he peremptorily refused, and would not accept of any thing. Naaman said, "I pray thee take a blessing of thy servant. But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none: and he urged him to take it, but he refused." If these objectors have done this through ignorance, they have not given themselves time to read the narrative; if by design, they are guilty of an enormous crime. OBJECTION. "We learn from Nehemiah, chap. vi. 12, 13. that pro phets could be hired to prophesy any thing their employers pleased; and the prophet Micah assures us, that the prophets divine for money, ch. iii. 11.” ANSWER. These writers should have said, what description of prophets these were who prophesied for money; undoubtedly they have heard that there were false prophets as well as true prophets. Such like false prophets were these men, referred to by these writers. The prophet Micah, who lived in the days of Jotham and Ahaz, ch. i. 1. 7. will show what sort of prophets those were who divined for money; they were idolatrous prophets, ver. 7. "And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burnt," &c. If the objectors had referred to the history, they would have found that in the time of Jotham and Ahaz, idolatry was professed by the kings and the government, 2 Kings xvi. xvii. Thus have these deistical writers applied the vile sensualities of the idolatrous prophets to the true prophets. This must be done either through ignorance or design; if through ignorance, it is highly improper for them to meddle with the Bible: if by design, it is worse; they may have their choice. OBJECTION. "It would seem that these inspirations of the prophets, which we have such a veneration for, were nothing more than the effect of drunken orgies and Bacchanalian revels, as the Lord expressly declares, Isaiah xxviii. 7, 8. • The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.'". ANSWER. Here again objectors attribute the vices of the idolatrous priests to the truly moral prophets of God; for the prophet Isaiah, who was directed to pronounce these things against the |