sixth verse? They all refer to incestuous intercourse between persons nearly related by consanguinity or affinity. We repeat it, these prohibitions all rest upon the same common basis; they form one law of incest; or, if you prefer it, one section of the general law. Their basis, their object, their penalty, are one and the same.
This law is rightly denominated a natural law; for it is founded in nature. By this we mean, it is founded on the natural relation which subsists between us, dependent creatures, and God, our creator and preserver; and the relations which He has constituted between us and some of our fellow-creatures, as social beings. It may in part be discovered by the deductions of right reason, unaided by a written revelation; but it can be fully known only by the light of that written revelation which God has given to His Church.
The Puritan speaks of "the voice of nature,"—"the book of nature,"—"the law of nature,"—and of being "abhorrent to nature." But he has not explained his meaning. He has not told us how the voice of nature speaks to us, nor
