firft volume of Thelyphthora, confidered as the most dangerous and delufive in its principles and tendency; yet it may contain matter that may difprove fome leading pofitions in the others: But if, upon mature confideration, that appears not to be the cafe, and if there should be a real neceffity, which I do not fuppofe that there will, I may make another attack, having collected all my forces, and make them surrender at difcretion.

If in any part of the above Remarks, my language has been warm and indignant, the public, I doubt not, will attribute it not to ill-natured malevolence, but to its true cause an honest abhorrence of a scheme which I cannot in confcience approve or adopt.

APPENDIX

ΤΟ

PART the FIRST.

CHA P. I.

S I am equally unwilling to mislead

As others, as to be misled myself, (for

I am ready to embrace TRUTH, and to inculcate it, on which fide foever it may be found) I fhall attend to fome particulars relative to Exod. ch. xxii. 16, 17. and Deut. ch. xxii. 28, 29. which, upon examination of my papers, I find are either partially, or not at all, attended to.

THAT those texts of Scripture lay an obligation of marriage on perfons of all descriptions, cannot be admitted; because, in the first place, this militates against the harmony and consistency of the Scriptures; and, in the next place, although ' may,

moft

most frequently, be confidered as an indefinite word, and therefore may properly enough be tranflated unufquifque-every one; as it is often, or rather most commonly, in the Bible, defcriptive of the whole fpecies; yet it has a limited fignification, and may be rendered unus*—fome one ;—quidam—a certain man ; therefore, as I am not inclined to interpret the Scriptures by the found instead of the fenfe, but am willing to preserve their analogy, I do not think that here they make Polygamy a duty, by compelling the married man to wed publicly the woman he seduces; though we may, confiftently enough with the Bible, where the father's refufal does not oppose, lay all others under that neceffity, and suppose them included in the command→ endowing, he shall endow ber—nwxs 1— fibi in uxorem-for a wife to himself. But it may be asked, if what I fay be true, what would become of these laws in feveral inftances?-laws which are calculated for the fecurity of the female fex, and for the prevention of whoredom. To which I anfwer, just the same that would be the confequence * Calafio's Hebrew Concord. + Buxtorf's Heb. Lex.

But that these laws

of the father's refufal. are obfolete or antiquated, as to their moral intendment, I am as averfe to afferting as the author of Thelyphthora; but whether I have a right view of that matter-I mean the moral intention-I leave to the determination of the learned.

IT

Ir may tend, probably, to the better understanding of the Scripture-paffages mentioned above, if we can determine whether the payment of the was, among the antient Jews, ipfum matrimonium. From an united view of the Scriptures, it clearly appears, that the confent of the parties, including that of the father, was the effence of marriage-hence the defilement of a betrothed woman was punished by death, the being confidered, in the fight of God, a man's wife*. But we do not find, among the Jews, in early times, any ceremony fides making a marriage feaft; though in later days they invented many. The pay ment of the dower, not only among thofe people, but also among the Heathen, was

• Deut. xxii. 23, 24.

be

very common;-it had its origin with the latter, and fometimes preceded marriage. However, among the people of God, this heathen rite-I mean originally-was not neceffarily ceremonial to a treaty of marriage, or effential to its completion. Yet, though undoubtedly not univerfal, it was a custom, and as fuch might, or might not, be complied with; and so it continues to this day among feveral of the eastern nations, and among the Algerines in particular; among whom, the only ceremony used in marriage is drinking out of each others hands-the cuftom of plighting their troth. contract is previously made between the parents, (as among the Jews) in which mention is made of the faddoc, (as they call the dowry) and alfo of fuch habits and ornaments as were given to the bride in the days of Abraham;-upon forfeiture of the saddoc, the husband is released from all obligations to his real or intended wife. See Shaw's Travels, 2d edit. quarto, page 239. But if it was a ceremony of marriage, and payable only as an acknowledgment of the contract, what will become of the father's authority,

The