that God gave for the formation of a woman. said, 'It is not good for man to be alone." ་ He Olympas. And certainly in so saying he intimated very clearly that it is bad to be alone: for what is not good must of necessity be bad. Every son of Adam should then find for himself the lost rib in the person of some suitable daughter of Eve. And how, think you, Edward, is polygamy prohibited in this affair? Edward. It must be tacitly: for nothing is intimated concerning marriage with one or more persons. Is it not inferred to be unreasonable and evil, from the fact that God made it impossible for Adam to have but one wife? Wherefore did he create but one woman, if he intended a plurality of wives? 66 Olympas. True with him, as Malachi has observed, was at that time the residue of the Spirit. And wherefore did he only make one?" The answer is as divine as the question, for the Prophet adds, "That he might seek a godly seed." Polygamy has corrupted the offspring of man, while celibacy prevented it. They are both contrary to the revealed will of God at the beginning. Moses, indeed, tolerated divorces because he feared the cruelty of wicked husbands, "because of the hardness of your hearts," he permitted a bill of divorce: but from the beginning it was not so. Is there any Christian law on this subject, Thomas? Thomas. Paul, you told us, alluded to this when he said, "Let every man have his own wife," (not wives,) "and every woman her own husband." Olympas. This command prohibits these two great errors from the ancient order of thingscelibacy and polygamy. They are alike contrary to reason, nature, and providence. Thomas. How are they contrary to providence? Olympas. Because God has most remarkably preserved such an equality between the sexes in point of numbers, as to evince his opposition both to celibacy and polygamy-as to make it possible for every man to have his own wife, and for every woman to have her own husband, and robbery to have more than one. Mrs. Olympas. Do you not thus condemn Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, Paul, and many others? Olympas. Abraham did wrong in conforming to a wicked custom, and brought upon himself severe afflictions, as did Jacob, David, and Solomon. What wise or good man could possibly envy their lot? There appears a million of times more temporal, more rational, more refined bliss in one equally yoked and loving and beloved wedded pair, than any of those renouned characters enjoyed. Domestic bliss was not often a guest with them. Paul, indeed, was justified for his celibacy, because of the existing distress and the great work upon his shoulders. And in some rare in stances, of a similar character, an individual may be allowed to prefer celibacy to a gift from the Lord. Still, I opine, these occasions in our day are rare indeed; and therefore it is not good for Adam to be without Eve. Mrs. Olympas. The Pope, however, says it is better for himself and his ecclesiastics to be alone than to have every one his own wife. 66 Olympas. Indeed, the Pope, willing to make his power known, seems often to delight in opposing God and Christ, and the Holy Apostles and Prophets; and hence when God says, "It is not good for man to be alone," or without a wife, the Pope says, It is good for man to be alone, because he can serve the Lord better alone than with a wife." And, strange to tell, this is the man that pretends to be the successor, not of Paul, who made himself an eunuch for the kingdom of heaven's sake, but of Peter the Vicar of Christ," who had a wife and family!! But how far are we got off from the fourth chapter of Genesis! Tell me, Susan, where did our last lesson end? 66 Susan. At Lamech, the son of Methusael, who took to him two wives. Olympas. And what were their names? Olympas. It is a singular fact that only five names of women that lived in the first two thousand years of the world have reached our time. Can any of you tell the names of these five women? Eliza. They are Eve, Adah, Zillah, Naamah, and Sarah the wife of Abraham. Olympas. Strange oblivion of female excellence and renown! Of these five, only two are favourably known to us. Other two of them were the wives of the first polygamist. It is worthy of note that polygamy and war commenced in the Cain branch of Adam's family. Olympas. How, Thomas, ought the twentythird verse of this chapter to be pointed? Thomas. You read it thus:- "Hear my voice, F you wives of Lamech! Have I slain a man that should be hurt? If the killing of Cain should be avenged seven-fold, surely he that kills Lamech would be punished with seventy-and-seven fold vengeance!" Olympas. Such is the punctuation most accordant with the most rational scope of this dark passage. It supposes some fears for the life of Lamech on the part of his wives. They had not very peaceful consciences, and were fearful of the life of their husband. Polygamy seems to have been a curse from its beginning. CONVERSATION V. THE fifth chapter of Genesis being read, on Wednesday morning, all the household being present, Olympas continued his instructions in the following manner: Olympas. Here, in the compass of a few periods, we have the book or record of the generations or descendants of Adam for one thousand six hundred and fifty-six years-from the creation down to the birth of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now although this appears to us rather a barren subject, being a mere record of births and deaths and the interval between them, when properly considered, it becomes a very useful and edifying section of sacred scripture, and a fruitful source of many religious sentiments and emotions. Let us, therefore, examine it with care. Tell me, Susan, which branch of Adam's family is written in this chapter? Susan. Abel's: for we had Cain's yesterday. Olympas. Was not Abel killed by his brother; and having no account of his marriage or his offspring, how can we regard this chapter as containing an account of this branch of Adam's family? Susan. Seth was born to fill Abel's place. Olympas. Yes, I taught you to consider the name and reputation of the protomartyr as preserved in Seth's person and family, inasmuch |