beyond our terrestrial existence. Besides this, their own history elucidates the truth of the saying uttered by the psalmist (Psalm cx), "A thousand years are in Thine eyes, only like yesterday which is past." The world had existed more than two thousand years before the Almighty revealed Himself, and chose "a nation from the midst of a nation, with trials, and signs, and miracles, and warfare, and a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and awfully great doings."

Finally, we would remind those who taunt us with an everlasting abandonment, because of the restoration not having as yet been granted to us, that the salvation through Jesus, which forms their religious boasting, and which, according to their doctrines, saved the souls of the pious patriarchs from the dominion of Satan, did not come to pass till about four thousand years after the creation of man, why should they then object to our waiting for the time of favour when the appointed period of our restoration shall arrive?

CHAPTER VIII.

WE were once questioned by a Christian, how we could expect to be reinstated in the inheritance of our several tribes, seeing that we are totally unaware of which tribe we are descended, and being so completely mixed up with each other as not to possess any means of tracing our pedigree?

To this we replied:

The tribes led into captivity by Salmonassar, king of Assyria, were not destroyed, but merely transported from one country to another. Judah, the principal tribe, and Benjamin, remained alone in Palestine. Many of the exiles of the ten tribes who returned

settled among the tribe of Judah, who, continuing in the land of their fathers, gave the name of Judah (in Latin Judæus hence the curtailed name Jew, formerly spelt Jue) to the whole remnant of Israel.

Thus we find in the book of Esther, that Mordecai, though descended from Benjamin, was called, like all the other exiles of Persia, a Jehudi (i. e., a Judæan, or Jew). The descendants of the priests and the Levites have to this day retained the knowledge of their origin. Those who are ignorant of their origin will, at the time of our restoration, be endowed by Divine aid, with the necessary knowledge of their descent. For the prophet Elijah will come before "the great and awful day," and he will turn the heart of the children to their fathers'!

WE SHALL NOW PROCEED TO THE EXPLANATION OF SUCH BIBLICAL PASSAGES AS ARE ASSUMED BY CHRISTIANS TO BEAR REFERENCE TO CERTAIN POINTS OF THEIR FAITH.

CHAPTER IX.

GENESIS i. 1, “In the beginning Elohim [God] created the heaven and the earth." Elohim, ending in a plural form as though it meant Gods, has been interpreted by Christians as an evidence of the plurality in the Deity, consisting of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who are denominated Trinity. Our view of the term Elohim is as follows:

Those who are conversant with the Hebrew language are aware that Elohim relates not merely to the Supreme Being, but also to angels and human authorities. Manoah, the father of Samson (mentioned in Judges xiii. 22), after he found that he had perceived "an angel of the Lord," said, "We shall surely die, for

we have seen Elohim." In reference to human authorities, we read in Exodus xii. 9, "Before the Elohim [judges] the cause of the two men shall be brought, and he, whom the Elohim [judges] shall declare guilty, shall pay twofold unto his neighbour." Having thus shewn that the word Elohim bears various interpretations, it is perfectly out of question to refer it in the first verse of Genesis, to a plurality of persons in the Deity, of which assumption no corroboration whatever is given in our Revelation.

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We should like to understand how the name of Elohim, given by God to Moses, Exodus vii. 1, in the words, 'Behold I have made thee an Elohim to Pharaoh," can be allowed by Christian expounders to allude to a plurality of persons, and represent in a mortal creature a visible Trinity?

Suppose, for argument's sake, Elohim does allude to a plurality of persons, how could the occurrence of Eloha (the singular form of Elohim) be justified? Thus we find in Deut. xxxii. 15, " And he forsook the Eloha [God] who made him," and Psalm 1. 22, " Ye who forget Eloha [God]." Again, how can the advocates of the existence of a Trinity account for the alternate employment of Elohim and Eloha? See Isaiah xliv. 6, "And besides me there is no Elohim"; and, in ver. 8, we read, "Is there an Eloha besides me?" If the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity depend on the term "Elohim," the word "Eloha" most decidedly disproves it, since it renders the allusion to a plurality perfectly unnecessary.

The real object in the plural form in Elohim is to represent authority and power. The genius of the Hebrew language admits this particularity not merely in Elohim, but in words of profane signification. Thus is used Adonim (lords) instead of Adon (lord). For instance, Isaiah xix. 4, "In the hand of a hard Adonim

[lord, literally lords];" Genesis xxxix. 20, "And the Adonai [lords instead of Adon, Lord] took him, viz., Joseph," etc.; Exodus xxi., "If " [Baiolov, his

master] is with him," etc.

The plural form is used instead of the singular in many modern languages (for instance you instead of thou).

CHAPTER X.

GENESIS i. 26, "And God said, We will make man in our image according to our likeness, and they shall rule over the fish of the sea," etc.

From the words, "We will make man," the Christian expounders of this verse infer, that an allusion to a plurality of divine persons is made.

Refutation:-If the verb Naasseh, we will make, related to a divine plurality, why do we find immediately afterwards the singular form, "And God created man in His image?" or why not, "And they created man?" The same explanation which we have given in the preceding chapter on the employment of the plural form, holds also good in regard to the present passage.

To bring to mind the manifold powers of the Almighty employed in the creation of the noblest of His creatures, the plural is employed by way of high distinction. We will point out some other passages which contain the verb in the plural for the sake of emphasis, although they indicate a strict unity of person. Genesis xi. 7, "Go to, let us go down and let us confound their speech," instead of "let me," etc. Job xviii. 2, “Ye shall understand, and then we will speak" (instead of I will speak), The words of the Almighty, "We will make man in our image," may have been addressed to the Angels,

for "He maketh known his will to his servants. Thus we find in Genesis xviii. 17, "Should I conceal from Abraham what I am doing?" In the same chapter occurs a parallel expression to the above-mentioned passage in Genesis xi. 7; but there the singular number is used, "I will go down and see." If a doctrine of plurality of personages were to be enforced by the grammatical form of words, the very alterations which occur between the singular and the plural would frustrate such a doctrine, and suggest doubt and uncertainty instead of confidence and conviction. Our Holy Scriptures contradict in the most direct terms every opinion which departs from the belief in an immutable unity, or ascribes corporeity to him in whose spiritual likeness the soul of man is created with the object of acknowledging, obeying, and adoring the eternal one God.

It is remarkable, that Christians are desirous to make us believe in the doctrine of the trinity, which is so totally unauthorised by our Holy Bible, and even by their own New Testament.

Our Divine Law tells us expressly in Deut. vi. 4, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord."

Ibid. iv. 35, "Thou hast been shewn these things, in order to know that the Lord is God, and there is none besides Him."

And again, ib. (ver. 39) "Thou shalt know to-day and take it to heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath, and there is none besides."

Isaiah xliii. 2, says, "I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no saviour besides me."

Ibid. xliv. 6, "Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel and his Redeemer, I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there is no God."

Ibid. lv. 5, “I am the Lord, and there is none else besides me.