* binds him to one woman, than where he is "bound only by the tie of marriage, con"ceived in general terms.

"The cafe of mankind, fince the fall, varies 66 very much from what it was in innocence; "for then the foundness of their bodies, and

purity of their minds, did keep out of the way all the nazards of barrenness, fickness, "uncleanness, or croffness of humours, which made the former law not fo proper for mankind; yet ftill a fingle marriage was the perfecter, as being nearer the original. "Before the flood, we find Lamech a poly→ gamift; fuch were Abraham and Jacob after it; not that this was not indulged by Moses; for all that he did relating to thefe

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affairs, was only to allow a DIVORCE, which "was a provifo for the hardness of the hearts "of the Ifraelites. Every man was bound to "maintain whom he had firft married; left, "therefore, such as defigned another wife, "and could not maintain a former, might "ufe indirect ways to be rid of them, this fair one of divorce was allowed + by GoD; " and

which mankind have invented, and laid for one another's confciences-ET NOS MUTAMUR IN ILLIS. We may observe that the aforefaid vow, exacted by the priest in the marriage ceremony, is a corruption of Gen. ii. 24. -Therefore fhall a man leave his father and his mother, and hall cleave unto his wife.

*See Burnet on the Articles of the Church of England, 3d edit. fol. p. 288,

+ I just take the liberty to obferve, that it is best to keep to the expreffion of fcripture. Our BLESSED SAVIOUR doth not fay, that God allowed divorce-but-Mo

V 3

fes

"and their polygamy was practifed, without "either allowance or controul, as the natural

privilege of mankind. Neither is it any "where marked among the blemishes of the

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patriarchs; David's wives, and store of "them he had, are termed by the prophet, "GOD's gift to him: yea, polygamy was made in fome cafes a duty by Mofes's law;-when any died without iffue, his brother, or "nearest kinfman, was to marry his wife, for raifing up feed to him; and all were obliged to obey this, under the hazard of infamy, if they refufed it; neither is there any exceptions made for fuch as were mar"ried. From whence I may faithfully conclude, that what GOD made neceflary in "fome cafes to any degree, can in no cafe be finful in itself; fince GOD is holy in all His 66 ways.

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But it is now to be examined, if it is forbidden by the gofpel. It is certain, that "our LORD defigned to raise mankind to the

highest degrees of purity and chastity; and "therefore OUR LORD and St. PAUL do pre"fer a fingle life to a married state †, as that

which qualifies us for the kingdom of heaven, and was loaded with the fewest

fes allowed or permitted it;-so the Bishop expreffes himfelf a few lines higher.

+ "This was meant only with respect to particular perfons in particular circumftances, fuch as an apofile; which is the reafon why St. Paul applies it chiefly to himfelf." I Cor. vii.

"incumbrances;

"incumbrances and by this rule, a fingle

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;

marriage being next to none at all, was certainly more fuitable to the gospel," [he means the times of the gospel.] "But a "fimple and exprefs difcharge of polygamy is 66 no where to be found.

"It is true, our LORD difcharges divorces,

except in the cafe of adultery; adding, that "whofoever puts away his wife upon any other account, commits adultery: fo St. "Luke and St. Matthew in one place have it -or commits adultery against her: fo St. "Mark has it-or caufes her to commit adultery: fo St. Matthew in another place.

If it be adultery then to take another woman after an unjust divorce, it will follow that the wife has that right over the husband's body, that he muft touch no other.'-This is indeed plaufible, and it is “ all that can be brought from the New Teftament, which feems convincing; yet it will "not be found of weight.

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«

"For it is to be confidered, that if our "LORD had been to antiquate polygamy, it being fo deeply rooted in the men of that age, confirmed by fuch fashions and unqueftioned precedents, and riveted by fo long a practice, he must have done it plainly and authoritatively, and not in fuch an involved manner, as to be fought out of his words by "the fearch of logick.

"Neither are thefe dark words made more "clear by any of the apostles in their writings : "words are to be carried no farther, than

"the defign upon which they were written "will lead them to; fo that our LORD be

દ

ing, in that place, to ftrike out divorce fo

explicitly, we must not, by a confequence, "condemn polygamy; fince it feems not to "have fallen within the scope of what our "LORD does there disapprove.

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Befide, the term adultery may be taken "in general, for fuch a breach of wedlock as is equivalent to adultery; and fuch is an unjuft divorce. This may be the impor"tance of the phrase used by St. Mark, viz. "-be committeth adultery against her; or all

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may be better explained by the phrase St, "Matthew ufes about it, in one place-be causes her to commit adultery; fince he that expofeth or tempteth to fin, fhares in the guilt with the person that fuccumbs: and "from this it appears, that polygamy is not "declared adultery, neither in the place cited, other that I know of.

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nor any

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But it is true that polygamy falls fhort of the intendment of marriage, in innocency, to which state, we that are under the gospel must return as near as it is poffible.It is to be confeffed that polygamy, was much condemned by the ancients, though I think I have met with fomething "about it, that is little noticed; but of that "I can adventure to fay nothing at this distance from my books and papers.

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" But

where

How unfairly Dean Delaney reprefents this paffage in the Bishop's paper, may be feen before, p.

we

"But all that being granted, it is to be "confidered that the antients were unjust and fevere against marriage (itself), and did exceffively favour the celibate, or fingle (life); "fo that in some places, they who married a fecond time, were put to do penance for it; and, indeed, both Jew and Gentile had run into fuch excess by their free commixtures, "that it is no wonder if the holy men of "thofe ages, being provoked to a just zeal,

against fuch unjust practices, must have "been carried, through immoderate swaying "of the counterpoize, into fome extremes on the other hand.

"Therefore, to conclude this fhort answer, "wherein many things are hinted, which might have been enlarged into a volume, I fee nothing fo ftrong against polygamy, as "to balance the great and vifible imminent hazards that hang over fo many thousands,

if it be not allowed."

The author cannot help expreffing the highest fatisfaction in finding, that in what he has written on the fubject, he has had the honour of coinciding in fo many points,

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we are to fuppofe his Lordship making "the beft excuse ❝he could, for giving a rah opinion-whereas, he seems to give the circumftance of being at a distance from "his books and papers," as a reafon for not producing teftimonies from the antients "little noticed," but which, if produced, would tend to fhew, that fome of them thought as his Lordship did upon the subject.

with