DECENCY. 109 granted,) that a doubt might be cherished whether a sister in law be a relation, within the prohibited degrees; must it not still be acknowledged, that to marry such a relative is a rash and dangerous act ? Is it not perilous to advance as near as possi- ble to the brink of a precipice ? Is it safe, is it prudent, is it consistent with the Christian charac- ter, to approach deliberately to the very verge of an abominable and accursed crime, under the infatuat- ed and fluctuating hope that perhaps it may possibly be an exemption ? But it is not only rash and dangerous to the in* dividuals ; it is also injurious to the community. Such marriages trespass upon the rules of decency ; they are inimical to that purity, and chastity of families, which insure the repose and happiness of society ; they are hostile to that virtue and delicacy, which the religion of nature, and revealed religion inculcate. In the confidence of protection from a man, who by his marriage has been brought into the family, and become a brother, the younger sisters are always in the habit of associating familiarly and frequently
