The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-04-16

a plurality of wives. When God first
launched the human race, he gave Adam
one wife. At the second lauoching Of
the human race he spares for Noah one
wife, for Ham one wife, for Shem one
wife, for Jabhet one wife. Does that |
look as though God favored polygamy ? |
In Leviticus xviii. l8, God thunders his |
prohibition Of n orc than one wife.
God permitted polygamy. Yes; Just
as he permits to-day murder and theft
and arson and all kind of crime. He
permits these things as you we'll know,
but he docs not sanction them. Who
would dare to say he sanctions them
Because the presidents Of the United
States have permitted polygamyin in Utah,
you are not, therefore. to conclude thai
they patronized it, that they approved it
when, Oh the contrary, they denounced
| it. All of Gods ancient Israel knew
that the God Of the Bible was against
| polygamy, for in the four hundred and
thirty years of their stay in Egypt there
is only one case ofpolygamy recorded
| only one. All the mighty men of the
Bible stood aloof, from rolYgamy, cx-
cept those who, falling into the cri ne,
were chastised within an inch of their
lives, Adam, Aaron, Noah, Joseph,
Joshua, Samuel, monogamists. But
you say: "Didn't David and Solomon
favor polygamy?" Yes, and did they not
get we'll punished for it? Read the lives
Of those two men, and you will come to
the conclusion that I'll the attributes of
Gods nature were against their be-
havior. David suffered for his crimes
in the caverns of Adullam and Massada,
in the wilderness Of Mahanaim, in the
bereavcmeuts Of Ziklag. The Bedouins
after him, sickness after him, Absalom
after him, Ahithopcl after him, Adon-
iiah after him, the Edomitcs after him,
the Syrians after him, the Moabltes after
him, death after him, the Lord God AL
mighty after him. The poorest peasant
| III Ill the empire married TO the plalnest
Jcwcss was happier than the king in his
marital misbchavlor. How did Solomon
get along with polygamy? Read his
warnings, in Proverbs, read his selt-ds-
gust in Ecclesiastcs. He throws up his
hands III loathing, and cries out: CYAN
| lty of vanities, all is vanity" His seven
hundred wives nearly pestered the life
out Of HIM. Solomon got well paid for
his crimcs-wcll pad. l repeat that all
the mighty men Of the Scriptures were
alOof from polygamy, save as they were
| pounded and failed, and cut to pieces
for their insult to holy marriage. If the
Bible is the friend Of polygamy why is it
that in all the lands where the Bible
prcdOmlnates, polygamy is forbidden
and in the lands where there is no Bible,
| it is favored? Polygamy all over China,
! Persia, all over hcathendom, save as
| Tho mic ali houn dana thoir
while polygamy does not exist in Eng
land and the United States. except in
defiance Oflaw. The Bible abroad, God
honorcd monogamy. The Bible not
abroad, God abhorred polygamy.
Another false charge which infdclity
hos made against the Bible is that it is
antagOnistic to woman, that it enjoins
Lcr degradation and belttlcs her mis-
sion. Under this impression many wo-
men have been overcome of this plague
of inlidelIty. Is the Bible the enemy Of
woman? Come into the picture gallery,
the Louvre, the Luxembourg of the BIZ
ple, and sec which pictures are the more
honOrcd. Here is Eve, a perfect woman,
as perfect woman as could be made by
| a perfect God. Here IS Deborah, with
her womanly arm hurling host into the
battle. Here is Miriam, leading the
lsraclitish orchestra Oh the banks Of the
Red Sea. Here is mothcrly Hannah,
with her own loving hand rcplcnshing
the wardrobe of her son Samuel, the
prophet. Here is Abigail, kneeling at
the foot of the mountain until the four
hundred wrathful men, at the sight Of
her beauty and prowcss halt, halt-a
hurricane stopped at the sight Of the
water lily, dcwdrop dashing back Mag
ara. Here is Ruth, putting to shame all
modern slang about mothcrs-in-law as
she turns her back on her home and her
country, and faces wild beasts and exile
and death, that she may be with Naomi.
her husbands mother. Ruth, the queen
Of the harvest fields. Ruth, the grand
mother Of David. Ruth. the ancestrcss
Of Jesus Christ. The story Of her vir-
| tues and her life sacrifice the most beau
titul pastoral ever written. Here is
Nashti: dcfying the bacchanal ola thous-
and drunken lords, and Esther willing to
throw her lite away that she may deliver
her people. And here is Dorcas, the
sunlight of eternal fame gliding her phil
anthropic needle, and the woman with
| perfume in a box, made from the hills of
Alabastron, pouring the holy chrism on
the head Of Christ, the aroma lingering
all down the corridor Of the centuries.
Here is Lydia, the merchantess ofTyrian
purple, immortalizcd for her Christian
behavior. Here is the widow with two
mites, more famous than the Peabodvs
and the Lenoxes ofall ages, while here
comes in SLOW of gait and with careful
attendants and with especial honor and
high favor, leaning on tie arm of inspir-
! alton, one who is the JOY and pride Of
any home so rarely fortunate as to have
| onc-an old Christian grandmother.
| Grandmother Lois. Who has more
worshlppers to-day than ary being that
ever lived on earth, except Jcs Is Christ?
| Mary. For what purpose did Christ per-
| form His first miracle upon earth? TO
relieve the embarrassment of a woman
ly housekeeper at the falling short of a
beverage. Why did Christ break up the
silence of the tomb, and tear of the
Shroud and rip up the rocks? 1t was to
stop the bereavement Of the two Beth
any sisters. For whose comfort was
Christ most ANXIOUS in the hour 0fdyiny