Page:Marriagewithade00forbgoog.djvu/18

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and resting upon their authority, yet more like the argument of a Jew with which most minds are familiar, 'It is not in the bond,' than that of teachable minds wishing to know the mind of God." Bishop Wordsworth also goes through, in his notes on this chapter of Leviticus, the list of the thirteen degrees of relationship, six by blood, and seven of persons made relations by marriage only, between whom marriage was forbidden, and also points out that, "It is clear from this list, that the death of the person, through whose marriage the nearness of kin began, does not alter that nearness". He goes on to say: "It has indeed been said that we have no right to deduce any prohibition inferentially from this code, but ought to be content with the prohibitions that are expressed. This allegation is refuted by the fact that it is nowhere expressed in the code that a man may not marry his own daughter or his own sister. Let us also observe that a man may not marry his brother's widow; or in other words, a woman is forbidden to marry her deceased husband's brother. This prohibition is repeated twice in Holy Scripture (Lev. xviii. 16; xx. 21) with a special malediction. And the reason stated for this prohibition is, that the wife of a brother is one flesh with him." "It was the deliberate judgment of the Church (Dr. Pusey, II., p. 4), and expressed by thoughtful writers, that Lev. xviii. is part of the moral law, and unchangeable, and that the words 'Thou shalt not approach any one near of kin,' &c., do furnish a general principle, including cases not actually expressed in the letter of Leviticus. One case, at least, not so expressed, must be included, since marriage with the daughter is not prohibited, while marriage with the mother is. Even the better heathen detested the incest with the mother. Yet God saw good to lay down the one and omit the other. And it is as reasonable an account as any other, of this omission, to suppose that He willed that it should be omitted, in order that we might not think that the whole range of forbidden relations was contained in those which are expressly and in the letter laid down." "It is evident," says Bishop Wordsworth, "that the Legislator did not intend to set down in explicit terms in this Levitical Code all the degrees within which marriage is unlawful. He had not even expressly