And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. And they burned all their huts wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire. And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. And Moses was [wroth] with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. And Moses said unto them, _Have ye saved all the women alive?_ behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. _Now therefore 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 a man by lying with him_, KEEP ALIVE FOR YOURSELVES.--_Numbers_ xxxi., 7-18. And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon, king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city.--_Deut._ iii., 6. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.--_Joshua._ So Joshua fought against Debir, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded.--_Joshua_, chap. x. And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and took it. And he brought forth the people therein, and _put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and made them pass through the brick kiln; this did he also unto all the children of Ammon._--_II. Sam._ xii., 29. [26] Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote to me; it is good for a man not to touch a woman. I say, therefore, to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry; it is better to marry than burn.--_I. Cor._ chap. vii. [27] _See_ Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall,” vol. ii., p. 210. [28] Ibid. Vol. ii., p. 269. [29] See Paley’s Evidences. Vol. i. chap. 1. [30] See the Controversy of Bishop Watson and Thomas Paine.--Paine’s Criticism on the xixth chapter of Isaiah.