The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-03

| DAvID's PENrTENCE AND sOLoMoN's GREATNESS.
But before dismissng the OF David let us give
him the benefit OF Two historical statements. !. lie
confessed his sin when lie said. 81 nave sinnel
he was finally convinced OF the sin and evil OF poly
| gamy he discontinued the practice thereon. III Is
said OF MIN, "whcn David came TO his house III Jeru-
salem the king TOOK the ten wOmen--hs copcu.
bines-whom he had left 10 keep his house, ana put
| them In ward and fed them, but went not IN uaio
| death, living in wiaowhood.n III. Samuel, Xxx, 81
That he retained Batnsnena in his harem alter the
divne reprooI additional evidence that lie was
| fallen man. Taat solomon was loved and honored
OF the Lord Is less an approval OF poIygamy than an
expression o. Gol's infinite pity lor one born Vi such
| parents. Solomon was not 10 blame for the charac
| ter OF MS birth, ana rose 10 Instruction. as did
Wllam the Cohquefor ana some c,izstiS VI onr own
country, who came into the word under Ike cii-
| culnstances
But Mr.. Pratt draws an argument from the great
| was predicted or him before his birth. This,
however, no more justices poygamy than
comm. ssion or which Baihsheba became Davids
wife ana solomon mother The greatness OF Christ
sacre by Herod The betrayal by Judas, the cruci-
nxlon by the Jews. Christ would nave been great
HAD not these sins been committed, and solomon
would have been great mad he been BON III mono
gainous marriage. II Is also sad that ibis name
this David was mistaken for when the time 10 name
the child had come. ''Tne Lord sent by the nand
Of Aatnan nc poph ana se f Etnsr hs sa n na
change His mind oaviu nad mlsappled the origi-
nal prophecy n H. .o samuel VII, II which simply
his stead, whether the oilspring was OF BahSheba
or so.uc other OF Dayld's wives. 70 every candid
mind one fact Will be apparent-the glory OF SOLO
mon not In honor Of me adulterous, murderOus,
poygaInous manner Of his BIRTH but was placed
solely upon ms personal behavior; he snali build
Of MS Kingdom forever. will be HIS lather ana he
shall he my son. II he commit niquity will chas-
ten in with Inc rod OF men and with The stripes OF
the chill ren OF men," III. Samuel VIII, Is, 14 and
ioag Solomon was faithful 10 the Lord God aonored
him. but VIII n he followed the example Of his fatner
David Goo iorsoOk him. ana As subsequent lie is a
terrible comment upon the doctrine Of personal re-
spOnsbiliLy.
THE LORD DID NOT FAVOR POLYGAMIsTs
1t Is assumed by Elder Pratt that when the Lord
had any great work to do in Israel ne called poiyya
mlstS 10 DOT. In thus he either displays his Ign0
rance Of Biblical history or Intentionally miss ates
historical facts IL Is an undeniabe iact that when
JehJvan called the eminent men VI the Blbie TO their
great work they were not then p0ygamis1s. This
Is true OF ham, Isaac, JACOB. Joseph, Moses,
ali the prophets and al the apostles. Some OF the
above degcnerated and were punished But have
given The rule and II there were minor exceptions
they confirm the rule. And II were not dlnlcut to
prove that Inc persons constituting the exceptions
were also guilty Of otler offences yet 40 one but Mr..
Pratt viii nave the elrontery that the act
OF calling tnenl the Divine approval Of their
Offences. As an example, he extols Gldeon--Judges
W.. He is IN error when he makes the angel say.
man oil va.or" us tlue Gideon was polygainist,
anu ne was also an dolater, and was not re-
proved Oi either SIM Is TINS silence tho Divine ap-
prOvai OF his ido.atry But the most Migrant mis-
Application OF scripture Is his quotation OF Isaan
or one man, This sad event was 10 take p ace
alter the Slaughter of Gods enemies, and Is repre-
event TO o. pasei. tsee Cha On tnls yerse ' And
after ts slaughter there was 10 follow the reign OF
Jesus Christ, VINO restored marriage to its original
purity and wherever His Kingdom has been estaD-
shed he has smtten poygamy witt. ,he bosom of
destruction and commanded and exalted mono
glmy.
QUESTION OF BAsrARDY.
Impressed with the glory oil solomon and OF the
greatness OF others, born Of poly amic mohers Mr.
"oranded with inIamy to tie lenh generation" all
children born out OF wealock But Il Is PLAIN that
as con AIMED In deuteronomy xxli, 2. II Is evI-
dent irom history that the term has not always
born out OF wedlock-that is, homogeneous
matrlmony. At Athens, in the days OF PERI
all were declared bastarls by law who were
not children OF native Athenians. Among The
Ssw IN ns 5e Moses es s r was one
word signifies 10 separate from or to cut or taken
IN broad sense; hence an alien, foreigner,
| st anger. The prohibition would then lie against
| one born OF parents within the forbidden degrees
| Of kinsnip, or born OF q woman In whose plOmis-
| cuOus connection with Other men the paternity
would be unknown, or born Of connections formed
with strange and dolatrOus nations. marriage with
| whom God had plainly forbidden. But though one
might be the child OF prostitute and have no fam
| NY inheritance, yet, II his father known he
was eligible to the highest ONCE OF the Stat and
ercsed all his prerogative3 therein Jephthai is
Illustration OF this expo tion-"Now Jephtnah the
Gu adite was migaty man Of valor, ana he was
Ia
brethren, the sons OF Glelds wife, thrust him out.
saying, ''ihou shalt not inherit to our fathers
war against israel the elders OF Gileaa went and
fetched Jepnthan out OF the land OF TOb."
And they said unto Jephhah, Come, ana be captain
And Jephisaa sad unto the elder: Of saa pia not
h sp me out ef w are IN and why
And the of dilead said Jcphthah Therefore
sht Against the children of Ammon, and e our head over
Ana jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead ye bring
me home 70 fight against the children of A,ron and
And Inc Of glead said Jephihah, The Lord
lien Jephlhah went with the elders Of ssd, and tse peo.
s hs sead sea e e oi sae and
"And Jephthah Judged Israel six years. Judges,
XII, Kill Hence many who were born out or mo no
gany were not bastards IN ntemJlation OF the
Jewish law although they We're not at the same
tine The Issue OF lawful wedock This exposition
win amply suffice to relieve Solomon, and all o
liar blrh III raoao,, times from the prohibition IN
this law was 10 preserve the jewish nation from con-
tact with foreigners until the coming OF the Mes
slai. A Just God would NOT exclude an unfortunately
born Jewish enid from the Congregation Till Tue
tenth generatSn for Tat ior wne It was IN no
Bible" page PA; Adam Clark on Joshua, IL. l, and
GODS PuRposE AS REGARDS THE SAVIOUR.
But IL IL said 1--WE must admit the legitimacy or
sucn men as Judah and Nathan and Solomon, other
wise can trace no lawful descent OF the Messiah
and We must, therefore, look for another Christ VINO
Is to come" The answer to which Is, that Gods
promise OF DIVINE saviour does not embrace egiti
laacv in hereditary descent. 1t could not from the
fact OF HIS own miraculous conception and incar-
nation. All that Is pledged is that Ills human ma
ture well as His reputed geneGlogy should descend
through Abraham and his posterlty which pledge
was strictly fulfilled Such resort as this shows
how sorey pressed mus be the advQ cates Of poly
gamy to bolster up their cause
Mr. Pratt thinks that the prohibition, 'Nelther
shall the king multiply wives unto himself" Is
fairly met BY The other command, THE king shall
not multiply horses unto himself" His answer
would be available were there no law In the case.
But the creation OF one woman for one man In the
beginning fixes the limit 20 one wife. III this Is not
the law OF Limitation then who shall decide as to the
number Of wives Solomon had thousand. Would
Elder Pratt be satisfied with two thousand? The
law of limitation Is as truly law Of the universe
the law of gravitation, and Is as applicable to
morals as 1t Is to physics. What shall be the num-
Der, Mr.. Pratt? God says one, and all good men are
content And this content is Increased by the equal
.4ias .zl4 Al. L. .saI.- -