Morning journal and courier., 1880-09-27
The Preservation Of Aunts.
The Episcopal Bishop of Montreal Com demns Marrying With a Deceased Wife's Sister.

The Episcopal Bishop of Montreal Com
 demns Marrying With Deceased
 Xyife's Sister.
 IFrom the Ottawa tCanada) Free Press.l
 His Lordship, the Metropolitan Bishop of
 the Anglican Diocese of Montreal, in address
 ing the Synod on Wednesday afternoon last
 made the subjoined remarks concerning legis-
 lation to legalize marriage with a deceased
 wifes sister: ''One other important matter
 I cannot wholly pass by, as it affects both
 public morality and our whole standing as a
 Church. I allude to the proposal which will probably be renewed, to legalize the marriage of a man with his deceased wife's sister, and of woman with her deceased husbands brother. shall not take up your time with a dissertation on this subject. But, believing it to be of the most vital importance that we should stand we'll at the outset, of course morally and spiritually, in obedience to the law of God, and the undoubted testimony of the Church of God for many ages. I crave your indulgence for few moments more. First, I make broad distinction between the power of the Legislature to enact whatever law they please, morally right or wrong, and our duty as Christians and as Churchmen to hold fast to what we believe to be the teaching of the Scriptures of the Primitive Church, and the principles declared at the Reformation minds and endeavor to influence mems by giv- ing information. As regards the Legislature, we can only petition as regards, Yourselves, our duty is not to be 'partakers of other mems sins not to duplicate ourselves in any degree with what is morally wrong. I note then, the downward course of legislation on the subject. In England, the proposal, originated with few rich breakers of the law, has been only to legalize marriage with deceased wifes sister. Here it is now proposed to 1egalize marriage with deceased husbands brother The loose morality of the age has expressed itself in unmistakable terms by sanctioning divorces not only congual inficelity, but for the most trifing causes, and this list is rapidly extend ing itself in great neighboring country. I look on this bill as anothar method of loosen ing the bonds of morality, destroying the happiness of thousand homes for the sake of few, and encouraging the dangerous habit of breaking the law first and endeavor1ng to to get it altered afterward favor one trans grassion. I note also the manifest tendency of men of loose morals to obtain further re- laxations, so that, as the inspiring legislator remarks, further confusion would be in- troduced and more manifestly incestuous marriages would be allowed. I note also, that the original restraint of marriage was to restrain the Jews from following the bad ex- amples of their heathen neighbors, who were not under the Jewish law, and, therefore, the restraining tables of degrees in LevlticuS ap- plies to every nation under heaven, especially as it is a part of moral, not ceremonial, ob- servances, I note also, that the table of de- grees is not an exhaustive list; but after lay ing down the broad principle that affinity con tracted by marriage IS to be dealt with as con- sanguinity, it omits several of those cases which by parity of reasoning were forbidden, leaving men to draw the necessary conclus ion from the original principle laid down at the beginning. I note also, that the Gospel of Christ is not liberty in the sense of license to do wrong, but is, as our Lord declares, an on the law as interpreted by the Jewish Rabbis; as rectifcation of their errors, puriication of their looseness, a higher spirit and holier practice than, from mited. How can we, who are under the law to Christ" willingly concur in what (ac- cording to the testimony of 15 centuries of Christian teaching) even Moses's law dis alloMed?,,