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

viii feel convinced that he was much OF saint
| after he had wrestled win me angel than after ne
had seen the ladder But 1t Is said mat God did not
remonstrate with Jacob against the plurality OF
wives. Neither dill He demonstrate against his lying
to his old blind father. Shall We therefore, conclude
that deception is rights Upon TIL ground all moral
| distinctions would be confounded. me sacrea
c 5sSora history we are as to Judge by
| great principles elsewhere laid down. T NOT
WIZ It do at this point 10 say 'nn nscans e
those who practsed 1t were guilty some sdat tts
Offences for we have other and exp.ic PROPS Oh i.s
| laWfulness, and In wise dependent upon the
| example OF few se.eced individuals Tor iis vlnul
| Gallon. Mr. Pratt inquiries ''Was the monogamy OF
| Lot q crime because OF his incest with ms
| daughters T" 1t might be SO regard mad we ony
| practice 60 support monogamy: But nave given .
tuition Of monogamic marriages. whereas Elder
Pratt has not adduced solitary passage oil SCRIP
ture either from the Old Iesam mt or the new COLI
| meading and approving OF poygany.
PoLYGAMY AND MIRACULOUS BIRTHS.
Mr. Pratt conceiyes tnaI Ne na, ionna an IMAM
lous births recorded in the Bibe Ne re ers TO Leah
and Rachel as examples anu states tllt Coz W.ousht
miracle that those women might bear children, ana
concludes that the miracle was the Divine approval
| OF their polygamic marriages. But his argument
| proves too mucl God performed miracle 10
rescue Sarah from the hands OF Abllieech, King OF
Gerar, when she fell into MS nand1 through Aora
vie; but the miracle was not ia jus iication OF
Abraham's prevaricatlon, buJ rather t0 accomplish
great Interior end. Christ turned wafer into Nine
but the miracle was not an approval or intenipe-
rance but for great moral purpose Grant that
miracle was wrought on Lean anu htcHci ~ WuS
| the approval OF their poy2amic marriages, %AcQ1
had been called DC the ancestor Of great natlOn
| from which the Messiah was to come, anu God nav
! ing called min He would not change HIS great
purpose the means Tor its attaininent, though
| JACOB should do wrong. The Lord would have given
| Jacob twelve sons by Leah had she been his only
| VIE and He indicated His preference ny choosing
| her son judah to be in the Messlnnc Inc.
| Twelve sons by one man ana oae woman are not
| an uncommon number IN own day. JACOB Tell
INTO The SIN OF polygainy which Drought sorrow 10
nls household, yet tne LORD would no. chaage his
4 nnrn I'M. Al ra Qpt IA tn ma N
elder IN the Mormon church, yet Mr.. FRAT. will not
deny that he Is guilty Of some moral irregularities,
| once Notwithstanding his sns. Were Col 10 de-
maud perfection OF His people, and employ only the
perfect to do His WILL He would ever We Changing
| hands,
But IN his haste to prove miracle Mr.. Pratt has
overlooked the story OF the "inantraxes,' whose
meAlclnal properties highly esteemed by the
ancient iadles who were anec.ed VAIN sterility.
Tue miracle was rather in the use Of the 'nan-
draAeS' tnan in an extra eXertlon OK Divine pow er.
1t that Leah and Rachel used piOus express
when tnsy triumphed 0 er eIcn otief IN clili-
bearing, and these expressions are recorded by the
sacred historian as the current traditions VI the
| times. No one else claims that miracle was
| wrought. Neither Moses Paul, any other
OF the sacred writers, alude TO the facts
lOus. The expressions oi those women just such
| expressi ms as would be employed 10y iaay slnli-
| larry Affected own day. Indeed these
| press.ons prove 100 Inlcn. All Will remember how
JACOB outwiuted his father n-law Laoan III The bar
| goats ana sheep; that whensoever The stronger
Cattle did conceive tnat Jacob lad the rods beore
|
conceive among the RODS. But when Tie cattle wee
feeble he put pnem not lii; 80 the ieeuler were La
| Jacob sad unto MS wives Lean aud ka
| chel, 'sThus God hath taken away the cattle
OF your father and gwen them 10 me-"
| 1t was certainly very pious expression,
but is not sufficiently pious 10 justify Tie means
employed. 1t was way tney had III those days OF
gard to Sae means ADOPTED to tnat end. As a rule,
| when miraculous niItn was To take place, either
| the Lord OF HIS angel appeared to announce the
event. il was 80 in Inc case OF Isaac, OF samson,
the Baptist and o. ChlsS. Bat III The case OF
| Leah and Rachel nelLner God himself nor His angel
| appeared to the parents 10 announce Inc event.
| The story OF Aelmeech is also recalled. But
Is cieal ~ Stated that he had but Wife. He al
| tempted to become polygamist, put God appeared
| to hun in a dream and sail:-"Benoid tnou art i
| sne is a mans vie. l also withheld
Ince nom SHINING against Me, therefore suffered
thee not to touch ner.n Because Oi his attempt to
| do otherwise Coo mad sIntten Ablincecn his wife
| and his maid-servants with lncapacTy; but IN con-
slderai0n Of his giving Sarah IN her purity, GOd
| healed ADimelec6, his whe and his mald-servants
| and they bear children" Gen. Xxx. He mad but one
| wife; his mald-servants were the women OF his
| realm.
The case OF Samuel Is also adduced. 1t is true his
| father was blgalnst. This does not, however,
| conclude against the mother, VINO, Tor anything
which appears IN the record. was the nrst and only
lawfully welded wiie 1t Was not ner aui!, tnen
living together unawfuly. She mad right, The. e.
| fore, ask Goa Tor blessing on her III mother
| hood and God gave her THAT Messing; and IL were
! day. the m1delity OF q husband does not impair
the virtue o. a wlis. On the other hand, ESanan
welded vie, for long time without en- ildren, at
| length taxes to himself another woman who
again. Hannah, the lawful wIie, Is desplsed By the
| interlDper. She now carries ner troubles to God,
| who hears and honors her. Are we III Jis case to
charge The ault OF Digamy ON HANNAH and her son ?
| Must we not rather lay it upon Eikanah and his
second wifeY
Mr. Pratt says:-"It doubtless was expected thar SO
| great tneOlogan as the Rev. DR.. Newman would In
ms profound researches be able 1T least to ind some
| divine law-some item from the divine Uraces--to
prove plurality OF wives crime, but ne has utterly
| ialedn In the part Of the elders letter where he
deplores tine sad Condition OF unmarried women he
| grows eloquent on their belalf ana draws an Illus
tratIon nom the recent emancipation o. our Slaves
| exclaimlng, ave have stretched out our arms ald
rescued the grooming slave from tue wnp and lash
o. the cruel TASK m4ster." Can Mr. PiatT ind some
| "dlvlne law to prove slavery crime? He can only
prove II such by inference b. the spirit and enor Of
the divine law. is slavery therefore Iights 1t IS &C.
cordng TO his logic, but not according 10 his rhet0.
rlc. But to inference, to the spirit aud tenor OF the
law to The practice OF nearly all the ennelG inca OF
that lie which made them at the oegnning maze
| them male aud female" and said, "for this cause
shall man leave father and mOtAer and shall cieave
f! TO his vile, and the twain shall pc one fesn.'
(!atthew XIX, A. 81 THOU shalt not commit adul.
eTyv SqS Xxx ~ aI Brt sSa sinai pa;
comnite.h adultery" (Mattuew XIX, ~ ."rne King
shall not multiply wives unto hmself:n tDenieron.
the Subject. 'sThe bishop then must be s ane ne
less, the husband OF one WIFE," Il. TIM, ill., ~ Like
! priest, like people, 'Let every man nave his own
| wife, and let every woman have her own husband.''
q. Cor, H. ~ While, on the other hand, not solitary
Scripture passage has been, or can De, adduced COM
handing or approving, directly or indirectly, posi-
lively tacitly, plurality of wives un6roken,
profound, significant silence holds reign from Adam
To Noses from Moses to Christ from Christ to John,
who concluded the holy voumc, and ia so doing
wrote:-"f any man shall add unto these things God
shall add unto him the plaques that are written LII
| this book"
| And this is remarkable Some Of the sacred writer's
| were poygamIsts rs David and Solomon, yet not a
line be quotcd from them approving their prac-
tice. 1t not in the Psalms 1t Is not in Proverbs Is
not in Ecclcsastes; T. Is not In the Cantclcs Solo
mon oVe a av Rlae g, wru uo une wona
gainy is prominently brought forward by them In
the pictures Of domestic bliss portrayed IN Their
DaaiL ain clAn