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Thosa too larga to ba ant. a" '"""' ■"""' '''"' "' ■"" *»' P-""^. >« "-gl-rinto Representing the tens or hundreds nf th^,,. j • • • , *e la^ge n.j„ri„ „, ,he p„p.aation Zt d ^ Tt'Tr 7f ''' "'^ *"= ^^"'"« '-' "^ per^vering exertion to obtain for all ,1„ ^^"^ ' ■' ''''^*' """""''=' '° "»»"'>* "-' with the „nani.„o„, eon^nt of ft IZTI "" " *"*' -"''' "^''' *"' ™''^'^ "'■'«'■. ...• B«.ufort with a nioee of the 1 d1 f wT 7 ^'T '" "" "'"""^ °' ""^ ""« "* hrated before the 31,t of A„g,„t, 1835 '^°"' """ '" "" °"'"»- »"'- °«'™«« -1- Information respecting the law reliti-nc f^ fi, ..< obtained, on appliLion « ^ o^^X aTthTr"^' nw "" '"'^'^ "'™'™ ™^ !»■ had n„n,eK,„. publieations AowL. ,7 "'° ^««Mon, where may also ..™„r of the repTal of tlJe^X^: ^J," °' -'-' ^ "' '«^-, and otheL, in .el:::!:,?::.:" rr rrt--™ ""■ •"- -■-- -- - — "ught to be ren.ov«l, hev t„,!t ' 1 1^ T °" °" "°"™*' """ " ''^'"^ '^'"'^ -'" .0 promote that objeet ' '""""^ """'>■ ""^''"'' -'-»" "' -"« yonr inflneoee JOSEPH STANSBUBY, M.A., Hon. Sec. ^^ /"-or/- v-h ?'\ J J?"*':? ^'l?-? "J?^-? "^^2"? '^'^^'^ ^^^ ^"^ "{:'"«■''»? "***? "Neither shalt thou take a ^vife to her sister, to vex her— beside the other, in her lifetime."— Lev. xviii. IH. T , FACTS. Fact. 1. Marriage with a deceased wife's sister is nowhere prohibited, whether expressly or impliedly, either in the Old or New Testament. Fact 2. Twenty-three spiritual peers, including two xirchbishops, have declared it to be their opinion that there is no Scriptural prohibition of this marriage. Fact 3. This marriage was never prohibited by the laws of any country iu tiie world before the fourth century of the Christian era. Fact 4. This marriage nuiy be lawfully eelebrat "d in every country iu the w.uld, except our owi\. Fact 0. Neither in this, nor iu any other counlry, has it been shown that the iK-rmission of this marriage has been attended with injurious consecjuences. Fact (5. Thousands of such nuirviages have been contracted; they are iomid iu every town and neighbourhood iu the Idngdom. Fact :. Petitions, ha^•ing l,17O,70G sigmitures, have been presentinl for the repeal of the present restriction. OPINIONS. " It seems to be established and admitted that the moral feeling of the conmmnity at large is not with this law— that the law, iu fact, is not ol)eyed, and that a great number of pcrst.us, u..t con- sidering themselves to coumiit any moral offence, do contract n.arriagcs which ihe law prohibits. This is not a state of things which ought 1o exist ; and not being of opinion that there is any nu.ral objection to the contracting of these marriages, and believing that the law as it stands is the cause nf a great deal of misery and social evil esiH^cially among thi- middle and lower classes of the c.m- munity, I shall with great pleasure give my vote for the motion."— Speech of Lord ralmerston. '• 1 nuist say that 1 have satisHed myself that there is not any religious prohibition of these r ■'Ttj<;. no. i-essly or 3 be tlioir before the •Id, exeept L.vinission of •V town and pnd of tbe y at lav">^ \ is tbe cunsc of tbe I'oni- Imerston. It ion of tbese nmrriages. T f Imik where persons foel that thoy can without scruple contract them, they should be allowed to do so."— Speech of Earl Russell. " T cannot bring myself to believe that the Divine law prohibits a man from marriage with u deceased wif(>'s sister."— Dr. :Musgruve, late Archbishop of York. " Yon are at liberty to refer to me as approWng of the abolition of the restriction on marriage to which you allude."— Archbj). AVhately. " Whether the (luestion is considered in a religious, moral, or social point of view, such marriages arc. unobjeeti(m«ble, while in many instances they contribute to the happiness of the parties, and"t,> the welfare of motherless (hildren, and among the poor have a tendency to prevent immorality."- Petition signed by the Bishop of London (Dr. Tait), 181fl. " Believing, as he did, that Scripture, so far from prohibiting, sanctioned those marria<.es it was a grievance of which the people might justly complain, that the law of the land was out ofh-u- mony with the revealed will of God."— Speech of the Bishop of Rip(,n. " These marriages are not contrary to Divine command. The Scriptural argument against tliem seems to me to break down at every step."— Speech of the Bishop of Killaloe. " Such marriages, I apprehend, are nearly as frequent as the circumstances which usually gixc- rise to them. I have not known any social disadvantages attending them."— Bishop M'Ilvain(>, Ohio, United States. " In verso IS the prohibition is only against marrying the wife's sister during the lifetime of the first wife, which of itself implies the liberty to many the sister after her death."— Rev. Dr. riialmers. " Is the marriage of a widower with his late wife's sister within the ' prohibited degrees ? ' In all frankness and honesty, I am obliged to answer-No. It is interdicted neither by express veto, n<.r yet by impHcation."-Rev. Dr. Eadie, Professor of Biblical Literature to the United Presby ' terian Church, Scotland. I "Without pursuing the subject further, I shall give it as my opinion that the naarriage in ■ question is not against either nature or the law of God."— Re \-. T. Biimc\'. 1 " That the enactments of the Lcvitical law are entirely misinterpreted when applied in eon- memnation of marriage with a deceased wife's sister, was the decided judgment of Mr. Wesley, the fcimder of our societies ; and T believe that similar views have since been entertained by many of lose among us who have been led by circum.stances carefully to examine the matter, and whose •*mpetency to judge of such a question has given great weight to their conclusion."— Rev. Dr. hint in jj. i TT " Tho i)hiin and obvious meaning of the 18th verse (of Lev. xviii.), allows the mnrriugo with a wife's sister after the death of the wife." — " It only remains for us to express the satisfaction witli which we have learned that Friends in many of our meetings have concluded to jHitition the legis- lature for the repeal of what we cannot but consider an unauthorized restriction of tho law of marriage."— The Friend, July, 18(i0. " Is such a marriage held by your church as prohibited in Scripture ? Certainly not. It is considered a matter of ecclesiastical legislation." — Cardinal Wiseman. " It is not only not considered as prohibited, but it is distinctly understood to be permitte