Biblical Extracts Part 4

131. Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and _seventy_ of the elders of Israel. _And they saw the G.o.d of Israel_; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire-stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. Exodus xxiv. 9. 10.

132. And Jacob called the name of the place. Peniel; _for I have seen G.o.d face to face_, and my life is preserved. Genesis x.x.xii. 30.

133. _I saw the Lord_ standing upon the altar. Amos ix. 1.

134. And Jesus when he was baptised went up straightway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and _he saw the spirit of G.o.d descending like a dove_, and lighting upon him. Mat. iii. 16.

135 And the Lord _appeared_ unto him (Isaac,) and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of. Gen. xxvi. 2.

138. And the Lord _appeared_ in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud; and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. Deut.

x.x.xi. 15.

137. Seek ye the Lord while he may be _found_, call ye upon him while he is near. Isaiah lv. 6.

138. And ye shall seek me, and _find_ me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jer. xxix. 13.

139. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of G.o.d; and every one that loveth is born of G.o.d, and _knoweth_ G.o.d. 1 John iv. 7.

140. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that _G.o.d is light_, and in him is _no darkness_ at all. 1 John i. 5.

Also notes 1, 17, 34, 80, 83.

Pa.s.sAGES IMMORAL AND OBSCENE.

G.o.d.

141. And Jacob begat Joseph the _husband_ of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this _wise:_ When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was _found with child of the Holy Ghost_. Then Joseph her _husband_ being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy _wife_: for that which is conceived in her _is of the Holy Ghost_. Mat.

i. 16--20.

[Here G.o.d is represented as committing --------.]

142. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall come to pa.s.s, that when ye go ye shall not go empty: But every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment; and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. Exodus iii. 21, 22.

[Here he is represented as commanding the Israelites to rob the Egyptians, under the _pretence of borrowing of them_; thus encouraging them to steal.]

143. So Jehu _slew all that remained of the house of Ahab_ in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining. And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, _thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel_. 2 Kings x.

11--30.

[Here he is represented not only as p.r.o.nouncing the most heinous of all crimes, _murder_, to be _right,_ but actually rewarding Jehu for committing it.]

144. And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hear me he will kill me. And the Lord said, take an heifer with thee, _and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord_. 1. Samuel xvi. 1,2.

[Here he is represented as commanding Samuel to act the most _consummate hypocrite_.]

145. Wherefore 1 gave them also statutes _that were not good_, and judgments _whereby they should not live_. Ezek. xx. 25.

146. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause, _G.o.d shall send them strong delusion_, that they should _believe a lie_. 2. Thes. ii. 10. 11.

147. And the Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab, king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spake, saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner. Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said I will entice him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go out and be a _lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets_. And the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail; go out _and do even so_.

2 Chron. xviii. 19, 20, 21.

148. And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, _I the Lord G.o.d have deceived that prophet_, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. Ezek.

xiv. 9.

149. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, _till the thousand years should be fulfilled_; and after that he must be loosed a little season. And _shall go out to deceive the nations_ which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. Kevel.

xx. 1, 2, 3, 8..

150. He is a merchant, the balances of _deceit_ are in his hand _he loveth to oppress_. Hosea xii. 7.

151. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea; and the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee _a wife of wh.o.r.edoms and children of wh.o.r.edoms_; for the land hath committed great wh.o.r.edom, departing from the Lord. Hosea i. 2.

152. And I will _make drunk_ her princes, and her wise men, her captains and her rulers, and her mighty men; and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the king, whose name is the Lord of hosts.

Jer. li. 57.

153. Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the G.o.d of Israel, _Drink ye and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more_, because of the sword which I will send among you, Jeremiah xxv. 27.

MOSES.

154. And it came to pa.s.s in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, _he slew the Egyptian_, and hid him in the sand. Exodus ii. 11. 12.

155. Now therefore (says Moses) kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known man by lying with him, _keep alive for yourselves_. Numbers x.x.xi. 17, 18.

156. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, _Arm some of yourselves unto the war_, and let them go against the Midianites, and _avenge_ the Lord of Midian. And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, _with the holy instruments_, and the trumpets to blow in his hand. Num.

x.x.xi. 3--6.

DAVID.

And it came to pa.s.s in an evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a young woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman: and one said, Is not this Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam, _the wife of Uriah the Hitt.i.te_. And David sent messengers and took her; and she came in unto him _and he lay with her_, (for she was purified from her uncleanness,) and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived and sent and told David, and said, _I am with child_. And David sent to Jacob, saying. Send me Uriah the Hitt.i.te, And Joab sent Uriah to David. 2 Sam.

xi. 2 to 6.

[The story then proceeds to represent David, _the man after G.o.d's own heart_, as endeavoring to cajole the poor cuckold Uriah. But he returns to the war without visiting his wife, and David sends a letter with him to Joab, in which letter he orders Joab to place Uriah in the front of the battle, _and then leave him so that he might he killed_. Joab obeys his orders Uriah is slaughtered, and he then takes Bathsheba his wife and marries her in order that he might continue to gratify his l.u.s.t upon her!]

158. And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before them, _and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard_. 1 Sam. xxi. 12, 13.

159. Wherefore David arose, and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and _David brought their foreskins_, and they gave them in full tale to the king, _that he might be the king's son-in-law_; and Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. 1 Samuel xviii. 27.

160. Now King David was old, and stricken in years, and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king, _a young virgin, and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom_, that my lord the king may get heat. So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abis.h.a.g a Shunamite, and brought her to the king. And the damsel was very fair, _and cherished the king, and ministered to him_, but the king _knew her not_. 1 King i. 1 to 4.