The New York herald., 1870-04-25

deror; ana the murder was COMMITTED IN defence
o, % poysSay Ss, ~, Genesis , ~, 23"And Lamccn took
unto MS wives Adah ana zil!an, hear my voice.
70 wives OF Lamscl. nearken unto my soecch:
aor 1o,ny , nave siam man man to my woundng and
the @ aIss who dared @ reverse reverse he be- orSss Mss
OF God and oehod the result Or ms transgresscns.
THIS is certainly not an auspicous beginn,ng
Aud as we proceed It viii appear that Jlrcful caiarl-
iues attended the practice la al subsequent ages.
ihis Is the only instance o. po.ygamy recorded in
the Scriptures during The first 1000 years alter the
institution OF marriage; and we ludge from ina
recOrc, tlat b0la Lanlecl and those around him
considered II crlmo. Sat
THE ADVOCATES or pOLYOkMY
adduce the case OF Abraham as iufnlgbing an unan-
sweraDe argument. Yet | do not hesitate 10 say
that Abraham Was III no seise rolygamist. Wnat
are tho factsf COO nad appeared npto Aoranasn.
and promised him nun.erOus posterly. Blk years
had passed an tie promise nad not been Ia "a led
Inen Sarah iancled tnat sac mast hep me l.ori 70
accept her handmaid. HagAr, an Egyptian ari. Bus
after tne eyil aaa been wrought saraa realized her
MY wrong ne ''u upon % tSes ~ i alhe LORD
Judge nelween me snd tbeen (GenesN
repent And ~ confirmation OF this view tie
lord ala not recoguile snmael as Abranafn's son.
MIN ..ths lad.r And Years after when esd con.
manued Aorahan 20 oher isaac Mount noriah.
Sn nS S on oTes now any sa nas e o
land OF Morlah.n (Gcnesls, xXil., 2.) And when lna
aoms,s Saolss ,a Wets mo iSnser eaaaraDe aud
Then Tor the irst tllne tue LORD spake TO Abraham
tnis matter, anG eomnanueu nim TO put hagar
away, and said unto him, wax before me and 90
thou perlecr.n Genesis XVII. l.) rms was Aoca-
hams ony offence Of me KIND, and OF whca he aud
sarah re oentcl Alter the deatu of earal Abraaa:a
lived tllrty-lye years ana lartied katufah. bT
whom ne nal six scns, al born in the honor ana
uapplness OF HOMOGENEOUS marriage. Therefore,
c0nc.uae tnag Abraham was not poy<alnst.
But now we come to jacob. And what arc sne Iacts
IN his cnsc'
Is fact. But what are the points OF yhd!cat!oaf
FIRST ne was reared amid the sanclises o. mono-
IN A Tlf FAr
IN gong 10 the home OF his uncle, LaDdp, ue lohnu
himself in country where polygamy was pfacllcea,
many young oil our own day, he yieaeu 20 t..e
power Of prevaning custom; tRlrd he was deceived
N the Bloie Claimed PI 70 5s ie iaious man iii alter
his conversion ~ the brook JaDbocA, after wncp ne
cleansed MS mouse OF Idols anu tneaceofward ityed
a sanity lite Up to this time ne was any.ning sut
saint; ana II MIS- practice OF polygamy Ii an ap-
tae anoroya 1 u wing 10 his oe uud asaer and Uf
roOblAg ms brother Esau OF his birthrght The
lntser follows the former as ogicai sequence Fntn
the dOmestic troubles wnicn ne anu his lainy sui
ferec significantly acate Gols disapproval OF saca
marriages sixth. JUDAH Lean's son. was the cnosen
prosenitor OF the Mossal ana IN tne aiiiy vaal Q!
Macpelah Lean ana not Rachel was buried WITH
Jacob. And now we c0nie 10
THE CASES OF DAVID AND SOLOMON,
Which are 30 analogous as TO permls me 10 consider
them together. Both Of them were ceeoiated
JEWISH kings and they are reckonea among lne & "a,
called them TO their hign Official POSITIONS they were
not then guilty OF the Sin OF poiysamy and tile
Tueir oIelce was an ater OF their lives wnen in
their pride and human greatness they foryOr E01
ald turned aside tron Ills law. In process vi tiai1
solomon Decanie ihonster OF ncelliousness, 40.
norred OF men aud condemned bi Goa. TO hS
many wives the prophets ascr.be his downfall, az
recorded Ia First hinSs, Al, l-l5, and IN Neleniai
XIII. rs. Dut what snail we say oil Ina wrHiagst
Simply this-That what Is ascrlOe1 10 him he wrote.
ard wat he wrote truth lhe gift OF supernatural
wisdom was given nam N tue pdrty OF h.s youth.
aud was not wsndraWn. Aud IL Is no inslgnlIcaIt
Il q
thy youth" lFroverDs W. 10 Lave Joyilily.
with the vile WHOM thou lowest an the days
OF the life OF tny vanity" (Ecc.esiastes, TX, ~
None Of sacred writer's nave gveu more perieCs
portraiture OF tue true wife; none have gwen sucn
the strange w0lnau.' His Writings, being Ii ac-
cord vita the tenor OF the divine law anl In har
proof thai waat he wrote was risat, bdt wnat 40
dl0 was wrong. intellectually SOLOMON was 2reas
success; morally he Was siupsndols iailute
said. He was great soldier, wise king. noble
poet But as man ne was mixed onaracSer. ln
historical characters DO sucn virtues and sucn
vices coexist. Nc Is a slant and slaner, an angel
and devil. AS a monarch, and always true to the
Jewish tneocracy, he was "a man afier Gods own
neart;" but IN his character man he was both
good and bad Wnen called 10 the monarchy ne was
God punished him FOR MS 0lences. Whatever g0od
IL displayed IN hls character we are to approve ana
as the prO2enltor OF the Messiah he was Simply
physical instrument. aud GOO nowhere Claims moral
WRITER OF PSALMS
he was but on intellectual agen, expressing the
sentiments OF dlvno religion. aad, az timea pour
ing out his thoughts aud ieeitlgs. Albert
Earnes has justly said, ''There Is ana must be .
palpab,e dillerence between Dealg inspired ana
nature, secures truthful record, 1t does not
necessarily secure absolute sauctdcation; in.
oeed, Inspiration has no necessary connec.
don with sanctiication; as lE Is conceivable,
certainly, in accordance with the common
belief tnat Balaam uttered true propncses respects
ng the Messiah, yet no one, IRON that TACT, locie
bound 10 maintain tnat ne was Otherwise than bad
man.D Barnes on the Psalms, volume /. lntroduc-
ton page 35J Christ is the only perfect character
whose biography IL recorded In tne Bible. Abraham,
Isaac, jacob. David, Hezekah, Moses, Aaron, James,
PeLer and John good, put imperfect, men. And
II the polygamy pract,sed by David and solomon ~
therefore right. 30 also IL adultery, murder ana
| But II jacob and David and Solomon were poly
gamists violation OF Gods law what shall we say
were Tree from the great transgressionf Let us cai
the roll OF n0nor-Adam, Enoca, Noah, Abraham.
Isaac Josep Moses Aaron all Inc ss great G
nous age, yet they condemned tle vile customs OF
their age BY their spotless and godly example.
this roll OF honor are to be placed the eminent
scholars and great religious teachers OF the Carsan
church. The united voice OF tho Churcn IN oil ages
has condemned the practce. II there u disagree
ment among eminent commentators on the scrip.
lures whether Moses attempted TO regulate the eva
where IN the Scriptures whether In the Old Iesta-
ment orr the New Testament, is poiygamy sane:
tenor OF the sacred writings. On these two points
Patrick and Scott and Clark agreo with Paley and
| Edwards and C0Okson end Dwight and Langc ana
others.
AN ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE
to prove that In OF Philip the Landgrave OF
| hesse Luther ana idelanchton favored poiygamy.
Buy the attempt Is q SANDER on those great re-
formers. On one occasion the LandQrave said 10
Luther, From what l hear Of you Doctor, You
| teach that q woman may leave her husband aud
take another when the IOrmer Is become too old -
your H1gbness not TO talk thus" (D'Aublgne vol.
q page 276) And In Kurtzs Church History, vol. 2,
pages 81 and eS this whole subject Is discussed at
| length, and With the same result. man who loved
his wife, us Luther loved his beautiful Catharne Won
Bora, was incapable OF loving another wife at tla
| wives.
Ana thus nature ana revelation, the dictates OF
reason ana the voice OF the Church. unite In con-
| demning q practice which Is runous to domestic
purity aud happiness, c0rrupung OF the puotio
| morals and suDyersive OF the Church OF God. Both
the spirt and letter OF the divine raw cond emu
/ nalYn1mY and lha sucial aud national eYl Z