The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-15 00:00:00

%IDS Vt/t4T, LONDON, TRIIRSDAY NV

cessors in the various great churches of Christen- '
dom have imitated them but too successfully.
The most irritating result is the affectation of
superior morality on the part of the contrivers and
defenders of fictitious crimes, and the most me-
lancholy one that priest-ridden but well-meaning
consciences are burdened, enlightened consciences
debarred of their rights, and people whose im-
pulses are stronger than their consciences forced
one way or other into actual sin.
The sin of marrying a deceased wife's sister is
one of these priest-created crimes. Neither in
nature nor in GOD'S Word has it any existence.
It has been attempted to extract it indeed from a
Jewish text, by a false gloss, shown to be false
by its repugnance to the rest of the Jewish law,
and the practice of the Jews themselves ; it is a
well-known Church invention, not a divine pro-
hibition, and, consequently, a pet with the Church
dignitaries of the land. No wonder priests and
pharisees defend such crime-making; it is a mark
of their power. " Thou shalt not steal " is a
prohibition bringing no honour to them ; but
" thou shalt nut marry a deceased wife's sister"
is the fiat of bishops, and, while Parliament will
enforce it, brands the whole community with the
badge of their rule. Hence the holy zeal of the
lawn for this prohibition. These godly legisla-
tors will rise up in their place in Parliament, and
luxuriating in incomes, some of which would have
bought up the whole stock in trade of all the twelve
Apostles, and all the money laid at their feet after
the day of Pentecost, will condemn as a libertine
the man who wishes to 'marry the woman best
adapted to take charge of his children, and who,
from long and intimate knowledge, he knows is
most likely to compensate for what lie has lost.
There were those 1800 years ago who were so re-
ligious as to shun treading a Gentile threshold
lest they should defile themselves, while they were
clamouring for the death of the innocent SAvtouß.
And there are those now who are religious enough
to invent and clamour for a law of artificial de-
filement, while they have no scruple or shame
about loading, or rather overloading, themselvcs
and their kindred with the unrighteous mammon.
We might think a little better of the bench if
they wero as pertinacious for making it a crime in
a bishop to be richer than PETER, or the sons of
ZEBEDEE ; or for him to bestow a rich living, or any
sort of ecclesiastical benefice, within the limits of
consanguinity and affinity. We strongly suspect
that were it proposed to construct a table of de-
grees of affinity and consanguinity for episcopal
presentations and for marriage on the same basis,
the table would be brief indeed.

We may be told that denouncing episcopal ir,-
terference in the matter is not argument, and it
may be true. We conceive, however, that we
and others have exhausted the argument of the
question long ago. The only argument relied on
by our opponents is th© bishops. They com-
pelled Lord LYNDHURST to prohibit all future
marriages of the kind adverted to, when he had
occasion to legitimise the past ; and they now
compel the retention of their law.

Two considerations of fundamental importance
appear to us frequently overlooked, or not perceived
with sufficient distinctness. One is, that the ques-
tion whether it is a divine prohibition is in truth
irrelevant. It is not the business of human law to
enforce Gov's law. We may not, of course,
knowingly require of men what GOD forbids ; but,
on the other hand, we may not enforce all His
prohibitions by civil penalties. The law forbids
stealing, not because GOD forbids it, but because
society and stealing could not coexist. For, ou
the other hand, the law does not forbid covetous-
ness, though (as the Bishops should recollect)
nothing is more repeatedly forbidden by GOD. It
is therefore irrelevant to plead the, GOD forbids.
We are confident He does not ; but if lbe did, it
would not follow that Parliament should forbid.
It would have to be demonstrated that the good
order of society required such a law. That, of
course, would be impossible, while so many com-
munities as orderly as ourselves have. no such
prohibition.

Again, it should be remembered that all de-
manded is to permit people to obey their own
consciences instead of being forced to obey another
man's. Clerics and their counsel in the Commons
frequently argue almost as if men were to be com-
pelled to marry their wives' sisters, while judging
it to be wrong. By all means let those who think
it wrong remain unmarried, or take a survey of
all the other unmarried ladies in the land if they
please. What we resent is that these gentlemen
should force their self-constituted virtues upon
those who deem it a profane interference where
GOD has not spoken, and where, if He had, He
does not ask their aid. We are glad to see Lord
PA LMERSTON himself again on this question. His
apposite remark, that laws in oppositio)i to the
moral sentiments of people are useless, practically
settles the question. If Scotchmen are a verse to
such marriages, they need no law ; if Englishmen
are not, the law is a grievance, and will b e evaded
while it remains in force. The wealthier will
continue, as they now do, to marry abrc'ad; the
poorer will cohabit without marriage. r_ro leave
all to their liberty is the only alternatiye, and to
this the Legislature must inevitably come.

REMOVAL OF THE COURT TO 0313ORNE.—The CtloTeen,
Prince Albert, and the Court this day left Buckin g ham
Palace for Osborne. Her Majesty, it is expected, wild pay
a visit to Hadar Hospital to see the wounded there, :and
will also witness the departure from Spithead of .the
flying squadron for the Baltic.
ORDER IN COUNCIL.—By an order in Column, da
March 10, it is ordered, that any person may be enlisted
to serve as a soldier in her Majesty's forces, or in t.
forces of the East India Couly..y, sk.
years, to bo reckoned as is directed and provided in and'
by the act of the tenth and eleventh years of the reign
of her Majesty, c. 37, for limiting the term of service
in the army, and for such further term not exceeding one
year, as her Majesty may by Order in Council direct.

. -
REPRESENTATION- OF LIVERPOOL.—The Conservative
candidate, Sir S. George Bonham, Bart., K.C.8., issued
his address to the electors of Liverpool yesterday, and
was expected to address the electors the same afternoon.
He had not, however, arrived up to 5 p.n. The Liberal
party have mot yet announced their candidate.
Ponrsuotirn ELECTION.—The official declaration of
the poll was made yesterday by the Mayor, the numbers
being the sumo as we reported on Tuesday ; namely, for
Lord Monck, 1,478 ; Mr. Serjeant Gaselee, 473. Lord
Monck returned thanks to the electors for the honour
conferred. upon Lim ; and Mr. Gaselee expressed his
thanks to-those who had voted for hit, as also to those
who had been his opponents, for the courtesy they had
displayed towards him during the contest. A vote of
thanks to the Mayor concluded the business.
Orders I save been transmitted to India for the follow-
ing reginst .nts of infantry to be held in readiness to pro-
ceed to the seat of war—viz., 10th Foot, from Bombay ;
29th ditto, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Sir G.
Congreve, ,C.B. ; the Ist battalion of the 60th Royal
Rifle Corps,, from Bombay ; and the Nth Foot, from
Bengal.
RUMOUR ED ENCAMPMENT.—We understand that Mr.
Taylor, farii ter, Newington, has been desired by the
"jovernment to remove his flocks from the crown lands
held by hint at Shorncliffe as speedily as possible. A
survey took. place last week to discover the wells and
dr.einy used during the war period of 1303-4-5-6-7. It
is ium,)ur4 • that 5,000 of a Foreign Legion (Swiss) are
to be e.s.icans ped here during the summer, and that
wooden huts will be erected for their winter quarters.—
Soutlt i aste,ll. , Gazette.
Tura FAT', DAY SERMON BEFORE THE HOUSE OF
COIIIIOII3. —lt was ordered on Tuesday night by the
House of commr, ns that the Rev. Henry Melvill,
Principal of the -1 %a,t, India College, Haileybury, Lec-
turer of St. ret's, Lothbury, and Chaplain of the
t •
Tower, be de sire d to preach before the house at St.
Margaret's, 1,4-estiu;uster, on Wednesday next, the 21st
inst., being se day
Appointed by her Majesty for a
general fast, a. Lid that "Viscount Palmerston and Sir G.
Grey do a eclu, e nt the rev. gentleman therewith.
The Nile, .Ea, tt Indiaman, one of the fleet of merchant
in
irtsys belongia, gto Mr. Green, of Blackwall, has arrived
-1)",18, a dter a quick passage of 86 days from
illadras and thee Cape.