Imatges de pàgina
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hufband's torment, would then become his fecurity, at least in a great measure; for pride is a vice, which, as it tends to felf-i exaltation, maintains univerfally its own principle-not to bear the thoughts of a rival.'-The cafe referred to above may be found in the first chapter of Efther; and left any of our Read-; ers fhould not have a Bible at hand, or should be too indolent to turn to the paffage, we will give the fubftance of it in its own words. "What fhall we do unto the Queen Vashti, according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the King Ahafuerus by the Chamberlain? And Memucan (a Perfian Prince) anfwered before the King and the. Princes: Vahti, the Queen, hath not done wrong to the King only, but alfo to all the Princes, and to all the people that are: in all the provinces of King Ahafuerus. For this deed of the Queen fhall come abroad unto all women, fo that they fhall defpife their husbands in their eyes, when it fhall be reported, The King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti, the Queen, to be brought before him, but he came not. Likewife hall the La-. dies of Perfia and Media fay this day unto all the King's Princes which have heard of the deed of the Queen. Thus there fhallarife too much contempt and wrath. If it please the King, let: there go a royal commandment from him- that Vahti come no more before King Ahafuerus, and let the King give her royal estate to ANOTHER that is better than fre. And the faying pleafed the King and the Princes."-And our Author is not a little pleafed at the reprisal that was thus made on the obftinacy of a haughtyand difobedient wife. He laments the fad bondage of Englishmen, who cannot (by English law at leaft) avail themselves of this ancient privilege. How much would it make the husband. look like a MAN-the lord of his wife, the fovereign of his family, if he were permitted by the laws of the realm to fay to an undutiful Vahti-" Come no more before me :-I will give my hand, and thy jointure, to another who is better than thou!" But now (fays our Rev. Author, very pathetically) as things are with us, the poor man muft grind in molâ afinariâ during life!'

The fifth chapter is employed in establishing the doctrine of polygamy, by renewing the fanctions of the old law. His pofition is, That Chrift was not the giver of a new law :'-thatthe business of marriage, polygamy, &c. had been fettled before. his appearance in our world, by an authority which could not be revoked an authority, which it was the great cbject of our Saviour to confirm and vindicate, both in life and death.- This leads him to obviate an objection that might arife from Matth. v.. 31, 32.-xix. 9. Luke xvi. 18.-but with what fuccefs will be feen hereafter.

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The fecond volume begins with chapter fixth, on divorce." Under this article he contends ftrongly for the indiffolubility of the marriage contract, as a facred engagement founded on a divine inftitution; and will only admit of adultery as a proper plea for a divorce.

He renews his argument in defence of polygamy with fresh fpirit, and will not permit his Reader to lose fight of the object which is nearest his heart. In his view, no prior connection of the man's fide with any number of wives can be a juft bar in point of confcience (however it may be in point of prudence) to fresh engagements of the fame nature: but the woman who fhould dare to have, even but once, an intrigue with any other man but her husband (let him have as many wives as Solomon), would ipfo facto be an adulterefs, and ought, together with her gallant, to be punished with immediate death. This, he fays, is the law of God: and he is perpetually lamenting the apoftate spirit of later ages, that hath substituted the law of man in the room of it!

The feventh chapter treats of marriage in a civil view as the object of human laws.' Under this head he examines the nature and principles-the tendency and defign, of the late Marriage-Act. He reprobates it with uncommon expreffions of feverity and indignation, and boldly avers, that it is a facrilegious attempt to repeal the law of heaven.' Some of his obfervations on this fubject are very fenfible and pertinent, and well deferve the attention of the legislature.-Recurring to his hobby-horfe, he fays, that if polygamy was allowed and encouraged in Chriftian countries, the Mahometans and Chinese might be induced to embrace the truth as it is in Jefus.'

His eighth chapter, on fuperftition,' traces the corruptions. that have taken place in the Chriftian church with respect to religion in general, and the laws of marriage in particular. Antichrift hath been equally dexterous in taking from and in adding to the Divine law. Mr. M. gives fome curious examples of both; and thinks the Reformation hath but partially effected its great ends, while, at the time it permits the priesthood the comfort of one wife, it will not gratify the laity (whofe wants must be more preffing!) with the quiet poffeffion of two. To fupply this defect, is the chief object of the prefent attempt. LUTHER be rewarded feven fold, truly MADAN seventy and feven!"

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The ninth chapter treats of God's jealoufy over his laws;' and fhews the infinite danger of departing from them, even in the minuteft circumftances, under any plea or pretence whatHe examines the tables of the commandments, and gives inftances of God's judgments on those who have tranfgreffed

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them.

them. The inftances he produces are very frightful ones; and they are produced with fuch an air of puritanic folemnity, that we fhould not be furprised if we were informed that fome poor, timorous fouls had been abfolutely feared into polygamy, in order to fulfil the whole law of God: for he pofitively avers that it is, in some cases, a duty; in many cafes, expedient; and in all, lawful.

After having produced abundance of terrible inftances to prove God's jealoufy over his laws-amongst which is twice noted the cafe of the poor man who was ftoned to death for gathering a few sticks on the Sabbath-day'-he concludes in his own prefumptuous and decifive language, that if it could be proved that, in any one inftance, Chrift added to or diminifhed from the law of God, by ordaining any thing contrary to or inconfiftent with it, it would be making him a greater impoftor than Mahomet.' This mode of expreffion (even granting there may be in a ftrict, logical fenfe, fome truth in it) is fo fhocking and indecent, that the ear of a modeft and humble Chriftian must be wounded by it. Our veneration for Chrift, and our esteem for the facred Scriptures, are too great, to hear such language (on any fuppofition that fancy may fuggeft) without emotions of indignation and disgust.

The tenth chapter is defigned to prove the great advantage which the Jewish inftitutions and regulations had over ours, with refpect to population: and having drawn a parallel between the Divine law and human inventions, on the fubjects treated of in this work, the Author obferves in the conclufion, that his real defign was to remedy the defects of the latter on the evidence of the former, and to recommend the whole to the most serious confideration of all men, but more especially to the legiflative powers. How this hath been executed, is left to the Reader to determine.'

The Author difdains to afk favour of any one; and, by his account of himself, is fortified against the power of critics and the reproach of cavillers; and is prepared to hear with calm indifference, and filent contempt, all that may be faid against him and his book, by objectors and difputers of this world, whether they be of the fect of the Pharifees or of the Sadducees.

As we pretend not to be the judges of any man's conscience, we fhall leave this Author's intentions and private views to himself. Whether they were honeft or infincere, is not our bufinefs to determine. As to the work itself, we confider it as of the most pernicious tendency: and, in spite of all that folemnity which is thrown over it, we think it, on the whole, far better calculated to encourage the libertine, than to edify the Chriftian. We apprehend we fhall do fome fervice to the interefts of virtue and religion, by expofing the fallacioufnefs of this Writer's reasonings,

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reafonings, particularly under the articles of marriage and polygamy;-which articles indeed may be faid to comprehend the main scope of his argument, and contain the prime object of his wifhes in this publication.

We have before given our Readers the Author's idea of marriage. Its effence (fays he) lies in the union of man and woman as one body; for which plain and evident reafon, no outward forms or ceremonies of man's invention can add to or diminish from the effects of this union in the fight of God." Mr. M. indeed pretends not to call in queftion the propriety of an outward recognition of this union for the fecurity of the parties in a civil and political view; but he contends ftrongly for the invalidity of all outward forms in the fight of God. His doctrine of marriage is more ftrongly expreffed in vol. ii. p. 173, under the chapter of Superftition. To fay that a virgin who delivers herself into the poffeffion of the man of her choice with an intent to become his wife, fins in fo doing, unless an outward ceremony of man's device be first performed, is to say what the Bible hath no where said. All that God hath faid in fuch a cafe, is, that they fhall be one flesh-that the shall be the

man's wife-and that he may not put her away all his days." So that all contrivances which hinder the operation of this law, are not only fo many fnares laid for the conscience, which may enthral and bring it into fubjection to the pride and arrogance of man, but are big with every mifchief which the Divine law was enacted to prevent.'

Mr. Madan produces the decifions of the Lollards on this head, in order to give fome credit to his own principles. P. 149, The Lollards (fays he) laid it down for found doctrine, that, "if a man and woman come together with an intention to live

in wedlock, this intention is fufficient without paffing through the ત forms of the church." This certainly (fays our Author) is found doctrine, because agreeable to the word of God, where no ceremony appears to have intervened to constitute a lawful marriage in the fight of God.'

This licentious pofition (for we cannot give it a milder epithet, confidering the prefent established cuftoms of the Chriftian church) is an object of fo much confequence in our Author's view, that he refumes the argument in feveral parts of his treatife, and frequently goes over the fame ground of proof, till he becomes fo very tedious, that the Reader is ready to find disgust take the place of conviction.

Mr. M. lays the chief ftrefs of his argument on the Hebrew words made ufe of in Gen. ii. 24. to exprefs the primitive inftitution of marriage, viz ta pa rendered by the LXX. ΠΡΟΣΚΟΛΛΗΘΗΣΕΤΑΙ προς την γυναίκα αυτ8 ; which tranfJation is adopted by the evangelift (Matt. xix. 5.) with the

omiffion

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omiffion only of the fuperfluous prepofition (pos) after the verb. Our Author approves of Montanus's verfion as most expreffive of the literal meaning, viz. Adherentes IN uxore. Our tranflation (fays he, vol. ii. 144. compared with vol. i. 20.)fhall cleave TO his wife-doth not convey the idea of the Hebrew, which is literally-fhall be joined or cemented IN his woman, and they shall become (i. e. by this union) one flesh. The more (continues he) I have fearched the Scriptures and examined this point, the more fully am I convinced, even to demonstration itself, that God never appointed any thing, as to the matter of that union by which the man and woman become one flesh, but the 8 pa, or, as our canon law phrafes it, carnal knowledge the very ESSENCE of which is expreffed in the Hebrew; though perhaps our tranflators thought it more decent to render it as they have done, without giving the [or IN] its literal and ufual import. The posxoλannola of the LXX. and of: St. Matthew, taken in connection with the xoλλwuevos of St. Paul, 1 Cor. vi. 16. amount to the fame meaning, and carry the fame idea, if compared and interpreted with the Hebrew original.'

In all this parade of biblical learning, there is fcarcely one grain of folidity. Both the Hebrew and Greek terms mean fimply and literally attachment or adherence; and are evidently made ufe of in the facred writings to exprefs the whole scope of conjugal fidelity and duty, though this Author would reftrain. them to the groffer part of it.

- If our learned Readers will confult Deut. iv. 4. and Jofhua' xxiii. 8. (and we could, if neceffary, point out many other paffages of the fame import) in the original, they will find the fame verb, and what is ftill more, the very fame prepofition on which Mr. M. lays fuch fingular ftrefs, made use of to ex

ביהוה הדבקים ,prefs fidelity and adherence to the Lord

is rendered by Montanus (on whofe literal exacthefs of tranflation Mr. M. places much confidence) adhærentes IN Domino.

His Greek will avail him as little as his Hebrew, as our Readers may be convinced by turning to A&ts v. 36. where the very word, which our Author would fo interpret as to apply it folely to the conjugal act, is ufed in its general and more obvious acceptation, and imply means adherence. (viz. Theudas, the Jewith impoftor) ΠΡΟΣΚΟΛΛΗΘΗ αριθμός ανδρων - rendered very properly in our tranflation to whom a number of men JOINED themselves.

We will not difpute with Mr. M. about the outward forms of marriage. They may vary with the various inftitutions of civil government. But from the earliest ages of the world, and among people too, whofe modes of civilization have not ac-' quired much refinement, fomething more than the bare act of cohabitation,

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