Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Obedience To The Law Necessary On The Part Of Every Freemason.
him by avoiding to consider or inquire into the case , is inconsistent with the principles of Freemasonry , is a shame to the Lodge in which it takes place , and is calculated to bring dishonour on the Avhole brotherhood . We have been led into these reflections in consequence of
the attempt again made , and defeated , in the present Session of Parliament , after many similar attempts and defeats during the last thirty-five years , to get an Act passed for the Legalisation of Marriage with a Deceased Wife ' s Sister . Of course , if the prohibition of such marriages were
nothing more than a human law , even although it might seem to us a wise and good one , calculated to promote the welfare of society , we should have no right to find fault with the persevering endeavours to get it repealed . But we believe it is founded upon the Divine law , and that any
connection with a deceased wife ' s sister is properly regarded by the law of the land as incest , which no form of marriage can sanctify , or in the least degree abate its odiousness . The Divine Law of prohibited decrees is be found in Leviticus xviii . 6-17 . There
are those -who tell us that this law was onl y for the Jews . But we have not learned to regard the Old Testament as no longer of any authority . Our Lord said : " Think not that I am come to destroy the law , or the prophets : I am not come to destroy , but to fulfil . For
verily I say unto you , Till heaven and earth pass , one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law , till all be fulfilled , " ( Matthew v . 17-18 ) . And how has this part of the Old Testament Law been in any way fulfilled , so that it should now be regarded as a thing of the past ?
The ceremonial law of the Jews has passed away , with all its symbols and all its rites , because it has been fulfilled to the utmost in Christ . Its very purpose has ceased , and to attempt any observance of it now would be contrary to its own purpose and nature . Moreover , the abrogation of
it is clearly declared in the New Testament . But nowhere in the New Testament do we find an abrogation of one jot or tittle of the Moral Law , delivered by God to Israel at
Mount Sinai . The statutes concerning the civil polity of tho Jews were expressly adapted to their circumstances during their abode in Canaan , and were evidently intended for them alone . But nothin g of this kind can be said of
any moral precepts . Moral precepts are equally for men of all races and conditions and times . Morality does not change , nor the necessity for moral commandments and prohibitions pass away . There is no law of Prohibited degrees in the New Testament , but the Law of the Old
Testament is recognised as binding not only on Hebrew Christians but on Gentile Converts , when the Apostle Paul says to the Corinthians : " It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you , and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles , that one should
have his father ' s wife , " ( 1 Cor . v . 1 ) , and exhorts them to put away from among themselves , " that wicked person , " ( 1 Cor . v . 13)—and that the law of Leviticus xviii . 6-17 was not for the Jews alone , but a revelation of the will of God , equally concerning all kindreds , and peoples ,
and tongues , and nations , clearly appears from what follows it , and several other special prohibitions of the grossest kinds of wickedness which were delivered to Moses along with it . " Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things : for in all these the nations are defiled
that I cast out before you : and the land is defiled : therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it , and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants , " ( Leviticus xviii . 24-25 ) . But then it is said , there are special and express prohibitions as to certain specified degrees , from
the seventh to the seventeenth verse of this chapter of Leviticus , and that of a deceased wife ' s sister is not among them . Those who depend on this argument to maintain that marriage with a deceased wife ' s sister is not prohibited by the Divine Law have failed to look to the general
prohibition of the sixth verse , with which the Law of Prohibited Degrees begins : — " None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him , to uncover their nakedness * . I am tho Lord . " This is the law , and the verses that follow are evidently intended to show the
limits of its application , not by a complete Table of Prohibited Degrees but by examples . As a dotted line marks a circle , these examples mark out the limits to which the prohibition extends ; and from the earliest ages of the
Christian Church the , law has been commonly interpreted on the principle that the mention of each special relationship proves the application of the law to all relationships of equal degree ; and this principle was adopted by the
Obedience To The Law Necessary On The Part Of Every Freemason.
Reformers of the sixteenth century . The relation of a woman to her deceased sister ' s husband is the same in degree and nature with that of a man to his deceased wife ' s sister , and tho former being specially mentioned as within the limits of the prohibition , the latter must be regarded
as within them also . But an attempt is made to set aside all arguments against marriage with a deceased wife ' s sister , on the ground that the relationshi p is one of affinity . Those who thus treat tho subject might as well at once say that they care nothing
for the authority of Scripture ; for in Leviticus xviii . relationships of affinity are specified as well as relationships of affinity as included in the prohibition , and the two classes of relationships , those of consanguinity and those of affinity are mingled together in the order in which they
are mentioned , as if to shew that God makes no difference between the one and the other . However , the advocates of the repeal now sought of what has been a law of all parts of the United Kingdom ever since the introduction of Christianity , think they can still make out a strong
case , and overbear all opposing considerations , by reference to the 18 th verse of this 18 th Chapter of Leviticus , which they always assume to bo part of the law of Prohibited Degrees , although the very difference of form gives reason for thinking that it is nothing of the kind , but a law on a
different subject . " Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister , to vex her , to uncover her nakedness , beside the other in her lifetime . " Here , they say , is an implied permission to marry your wife ' s sister after your wife ' s death . Aud on this supposed implied permission some
have been found willing to risk the provocation of the Divine Majesty by the sin of incest , of which they are aware that they must be held guilty if their confidence in the implied jiei-mission were erroneous ! And this , although
they read—or may read , if they choose to take the trouble , —in the margin of their Bible , for a wife to her sister , the words one ivife to another , a . translation which the Hebrew idiom makes extremely probable , and which makes the verse a prohibition of polygamy .
We shall proceed no further in the discussion of the question of the legalisation of marriage with a Deceased Wife ' s Sister , nor say one word of the arguments that have been urged for and against it , on social grounds , or with reference to domestic purity and domestic happiness .
Our purpose has been only to show , as briefly as possible , the reasons we have for believing it to bo contrary to Divine Law . And , in so doing , we have also shewn our reasons for holding the same opinion as to marriage with a Deceased Brother ' s wife . Deeming any such connection ,
therefore , incestuous , we regard those who are guilty of entering into it as unworthy of being permitted to associate with men who strive to render obedience to the moral law , and therefore unworthy to be members of tho Masonic brotherhood . And even if the Divine Law did not
condemn them , as we hold that it does , they are unquestionabl y guilty of a wilful breach of the Law of the Land , and , on this ground alone , would be liable to severe Masonic censure . Their pretended marriages being illegal , they aro
liable to the charge of living in concubinage , even if it were not to be pronounced incestuous concubinage ; and Freemasons ought not to tolerate this in any of their number .
The Bill for the Legalisation of Marriage with a Deceased Wife ' s Sister , so often introduced into Parliament , —we believe 24 or 25 times—and so often lost , has been always promoted by hired agents of men who have broken the law , and desire to be freed from the bitter consequences
of their own misconduct . The whole agitation on the subject has been kept up by a few wealthy persons , who having contracted pretended marriages with sisters of their deceased wives , are ready to expend any sum that may be necessary , and in any way in which it will serve
their purpose , to get their incestuous connections recognised as legal marriages , and their illegitimate children declared legitimate . Their pretended marriages aggravate the offence of the odious connections into which they have entered . The form of marriage , in such a case , could not
be gone through in this country without fraud and imposition . No clergyman nor registrar would have anything to do with it unless imposed upon by deliberate falsehood . The man who is guilty of such things ought to be held
infamous , aud if there are any such m the Masonic Brotherhood , they cannot too soon be driven from the portals of every Lodge . [ We readil y insert the above , from the pen of a distin-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Obedience To The Law Necessary On The Part Of Every Freemason.
him by avoiding to consider or inquire into the case , is inconsistent with the principles of Freemasonry , is a shame to the Lodge in which it takes place , and is calculated to bring dishonour on the Avhole brotherhood . We have been led into these reflections in consequence of
the attempt again made , and defeated , in the present Session of Parliament , after many similar attempts and defeats during the last thirty-five years , to get an Act passed for the Legalisation of Marriage with a Deceased Wife ' s Sister . Of course , if the prohibition of such marriages were
nothing more than a human law , even although it might seem to us a wise and good one , calculated to promote the welfare of society , we should have no right to find fault with the persevering endeavours to get it repealed . But we believe it is founded upon the Divine law , and that any
connection with a deceased wife ' s sister is properly regarded by the law of the land as incest , which no form of marriage can sanctify , or in the least degree abate its odiousness . The Divine Law of prohibited decrees is be found in Leviticus xviii . 6-17 . There
are those -who tell us that this law was onl y for the Jews . But we have not learned to regard the Old Testament as no longer of any authority . Our Lord said : " Think not that I am come to destroy the law , or the prophets : I am not come to destroy , but to fulfil . For
verily I say unto you , Till heaven and earth pass , one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law , till all be fulfilled , " ( Matthew v . 17-18 ) . And how has this part of the Old Testament Law been in any way fulfilled , so that it should now be regarded as a thing of the past ?
The ceremonial law of the Jews has passed away , with all its symbols and all its rites , because it has been fulfilled to the utmost in Christ . Its very purpose has ceased , and to attempt any observance of it now would be contrary to its own purpose and nature . Moreover , the abrogation of
it is clearly declared in the New Testament . But nowhere in the New Testament do we find an abrogation of one jot or tittle of the Moral Law , delivered by God to Israel at
Mount Sinai . The statutes concerning the civil polity of tho Jews were expressly adapted to their circumstances during their abode in Canaan , and were evidently intended for them alone . But nothin g of this kind can be said of
any moral precepts . Moral precepts are equally for men of all races and conditions and times . Morality does not change , nor the necessity for moral commandments and prohibitions pass away . There is no law of Prohibited degrees in the New Testament , but the Law of the Old
Testament is recognised as binding not only on Hebrew Christians but on Gentile Converts , when the Apostle Paul says to the Corinthians : " It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you , and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles , that one should
have his father ' s wife , " ( 1 Cor . v . 1 ) , and exhorts them to put away from among themselves , " that wicked person , " ( 1 Cor . v . 13)—and that the law of Leviticus xviii . 6-17 was not for the Jews alone , but a revelation of the will of God , equally concerning all kindreds , and peoples ,
and tongues , and nations , clearly appears from what follows it , and several other special prohibitions of the grossest kinds of wickedness which were delivered to Moses along with it . " Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things : for in all these the nations are defiled
that I cast out before you : and the land is defiled : therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it , and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants , " ( Leviticus xviii . 24-25 ) . But then it is said , there are special and express prohibitions as to certain specified degrees , from
the seventh to the seventeenth verse of this chapter of Leviticus , and that of a deceased wife ' s sister is not among them . Those who depend on this argument to maintain that marriage with a deceased wife ' s sister is not prohibited by the Divine Law have failed to look to the general
prohibition of the sixth verse , with which the Law of Prohibited Degrees begins : — " None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him , to uncover their nakedness * . I am tho Lord . " This is the law , and the verses that follow are evidently intended to show the
limits of its application , not by a complete Table of Prohibited Degrees but by examples . As a dotted line marks a circle , these examples mark out the limits to which the prohibition extends ; and from the earliest ages of the
Christian Church the , law has been commonly interpreted on the principle that the mention of each special relationship proves the application of the law to all relationships of equal degree ; and this principle was adopted by the
Obedience To The Law Necessary On The Part Of Every Freemason.
Reformers of the sixteenth century . The relation of a woman to her deceased sister ' s husband is the same in degree and nature with that of a man to his deceased wife ' s sister , and tho former being specially mentioned as within the limits of the prohibition , the latter must be regarded
as within them also . But an attempt is made to set aside all arguments against marriage with a deceased wife ' s sister , on the ground that the relationshi p is one of affinity . Those who thus treat tho subject might as well at once say that they care nothing
for the authority of Scripture ; for in Leviticus xviii . relationships of affinity are specified as well as relationships of affinity as included in the prohibition , and the two classes of relationships , those of consanguinity and those of affinity are mingled together in the order in which they
are mentioned , as if to shew that God makes no difference between the one and the other . However , the advocates of the repeal now sought of what has been a law of all parts of the United Kingdom ever since the introduction of Christianity , think they can still make out a strong
case , and overbear all opposing considerations , by reference to the 18 th verse of this 18 th Chapter of Leviticus , which they always assume to bo part of the law of Prohibited Degrees , although the very difference of form gives reason for thinking that it is nothing of the kind , but a law on a
different subject . " Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister , to vex her , to uncover her nakedness , beside the other in her lifetime . " Here , they say , is an implied permission to marry your wife ' s sister after your wife ' s death . Aud on this supposed implied permission some
have been found willing to risk the provocation of the Divine Majesty by the sin of incest , of which they are aware that they must be held guilty if their confidence in the implied jiei-mission were erroneous ! And this , although
they read—or may read , if they choose to take the trouble , —in the margin of their Bible , for a wife to her sister , the words one ivife to another , a . translation which the Hebrew idiom makes extremely probable , and which makes the verse a prohibition of polygamy .
We shall proceed no further in the discussion of the question of the legalisation of marriage with a Deceased Wife ' s Sister , nor say one word of the arguments that have been urged for and against it , on social grounds , or with reference to domestic purity and domestic happiness .
Our purpose has been only to show , as briefly as possible , the reasons we have for believing it to bo contrary to Divine Law . And , in so doing , we have also shewn our reasons for holding the same opinion as to marriage with a Deceased Brother ' s wife . Deeming any such connection ,
therefore , incestuous , we regard those who are guilty of entering into it as unworthy of being permitted to associate with men who strive to render obedience to the moral law , and therefore unworthy to be members of tho Masonic brotherhood . And even if the Divine Law did not
condemn them , as we hold that it does , they are unquestionabl y guilty of a wilful breach of the Law of the Land , and , on this ground alone , would be liable to severe Masonic censure . Their pretended marriages being illegal , they aro
liable to the charge of living in concubinage , even if it were not to be pronounced incestuous concubinage ; and Freemasons ought not to tolerate this in any of their number .
The Bill for the Legalisation of Marriage with a Deceased Wife ' s Sister , so often introduced into Parliament , —we believe 24 or 25 times—and so often lost , has been always promoted by hired agents of men who have broken the law , and desire to be freed from the bitter consequences
of their own misconduct . The whole agitation on the subject has been kept up by a few wealthy persons , who having contracted pretended marriages with sisters of their deceased wives , are ready to expend any sum that may be necessary , and in any way in which it will serve
their purpose , to get their incestuous connections recognised as legal marriages , and their illegitimate children declared legitimate . Their pretended marriages aggravate the offence of the odious connections into which they have entered . The form of marriage , in such a case , could not
be gone through in this country without fraud and imposition . No clergyman nor registrar would have anything to do with it unless imposed upon by deliberate falsehood . The man who is guilty of such things ought to be held
infamous , aud if there are any such m the Masonic Brotherhood , they cannot too soon be driven from the portals of every Lodge . [ We readil y insert the above , from the pen of a distin-