z (i: e.) Of his wife, as the next words explain it. And asa man may not marry his aunt, ſo neither may a woman marry her uncle, theie being alrogether the ſame diſtance in kindred, 2nd the ſelt- ſame reaſon of the law. And for the examples of Abraham, Amram, Othoniel, &c. to the contrary, they were before the publication of this Law,by which it pleaſed God toreſtrain the liberty allowed for- merly when the holy ſeed was in a narrower compaſs, and fewer perſons, which altered the caſe. For in that regard there was a time when God allowed brethren and ſiſters to marry,to wit, when there were no other in the World, which was the caſe of Adams immediate children. We learn from hence, that the ſame degrees are forbidden in conſanguinity or kindred by Blood, and in afhnity or kindred by marriage. F Some infer from hence, that it is un- Jawful for Couſin-germans, or the children of brethren and ſiſters to marry. Bur there is not the ſame reaſon, nor the ſame degree of diſtance, for my uncle or aunt are nearer akin to me than their children are. Yet becauſe it ſeems doubtful to many, and may hereafrer ein occaſion of grievous perplexities of mind, eſpecial- ly to tender and ſcrupulous Conſciences, Chriſtian prudence di- res us to chuſe rhe ſafeſt way, there being ſo great a latitude of unqueſtionable perſons.
15 * Thou halt not uncover the nakedneſs of thy
danghter ia law : he is thy ſons wife, ' thou $halt nor 22.11: Uncover her nakedneſs.
*Chap.20z x6 *# Thou ſhalt not uncover the nakedneſs of thy 21. "#: brothers wife & » it is thy brothers nakedneſs.
a Neiths: in his life time, nor after his deatb, and therefore a
"Chap. 20. 12+ Ezck:
$2 oY
LEVITICUS.
woman might not tharry her hnsbands brother, nor might a man marry his wives ſiſter, either before or after his wives death, for fo all the prohibitions are to be underſtood : which will give light to ver: 18. But God, who can undoubtedly diſpenſe with his own laws, did afterwards make one exception to this rule, of which ſee Deut. 25. 5.
17 * Thou ſhalt not uncover the nakedneſs of a woe |, man and her daughter b, neither fhalt thou take her chap: 20; ſons daughter, or_her daughters daughter, to. uncover her nakedneſs : For they are her near kin{women ; it is
wickedneſs c.
b To vvit, thy ſtep-daughter, and ſo thy fep-ſons daughter,ec. c Becauſe they are very near to thy wife by conlanguinuy, as ca- ming direC&ly from her ; and therefore they are as near to thee by affinity, vvhich binds as much as conſanguinity ;*the wife, vvio is only related by affinity, being nearer to a man than any other by conſanguinity, they two being made one fleſh, and theretore the ſame diſtance 1s to be obſerved in both of them.
18 Neither ſhalt theu take || a wife to her ſiſter d, to Vex her, to uncover hernakednels beſides the other, in her life time e.
d The word ſifter is here underſtood either 1. properly, ſo ſome : whence others infer, that it is lawtul to marry ones waves ſiſter af- ter the wives death. Or 2. improperly for any other woman, as not only perſons, but things, of the tame kind are oft called, ſiſters and brethren, of which ſee plain examples, Exod:26:3: and 32:27,29: Ezek: 1: 9: and 3: 13: and 16: 45,48,49. SO the ſenſe is, thou ſhalt net take one woman to another. And this ſenſe may ſeem more probable, 7. becauſe elſe here were a tautology, the marriage of a man with his waves fifter being ſufficiently forbidden, wer. 16: where marriage with his brothers wife is forbidden, as alſo ver. 9. and 11. where he forbids the marriage of ones own ſiſter, and conſequently the marriage of ones wives ſiſter, it being manifeſt and confeiled that atfiniry and conſanguinity are of the lame conſideration and obli- gation in theſe matters. Nor can this be added f explication,for then the comment would be darker than the text, * nay it would deſtroy the text, for then what wasſimply and abſolutely and uni- verſally forbidden before,is here forbiddcn doubrfully and reitrain- edly, and might at leait ſeem to be allowed after the wives death; which 1s rejected by thoſe who own the former interpretation. 2. Becauſe the reaſon of this prohibition, which is leſt he ſhould vex her thereby, is much more proper and effe&ual againſt marrying any other woman than againſt marrying the wives tiſter,ſo near and dear a relation being moſt commonly and probably a means to in- duce them rather to love and pleaſe and ſerve, than to vex one a- nother in ſuch a relation And therefore to take hernatural ſiſter to vex her would ſeem a courſe unſuitable to his end or deſign. 3. Some add another reaſon, that Folygamy,which Chriſt condemns, Mat: 19: 5: 1s either forbidden here or no where in the law.But this may admit of great diſpute. And it is obſervable that Chriſt con- fures Polygamy and divorces, not by any of Agſes his laws (which probably he would not have omitted, -if they had been to his PUr- poſe) bur by the firſt inſtitution of marriage, Gen. 2. 23. whence al- 1o Malachi ſeems to fetch his argument, chap.2.14,15. And that law Deut. 21. 15,16. may ſeem to intimat that God did then, in conſi- deration of the hard-heartedneſs of the Jewiſh N ation,diſpenſe with that firſt and primitive law eſpecially if we conſider the prattice of divers holy men amongſt the Jews, not only before the law, as 4- braham and acob,bur alſo after it, as Elkanah, and David,who wou!d never have livedin the violation of a known law, or, if they had would have been blamed for it, whereas on the contrary God men- tions it as one of his favours vouchſafed ro David, that he gave him his maſters wives into his boſom, 2 Sam. 12,8. and affirms, that David turned not afide from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, ſave only in the matters of Uriah, '1 King. 15. 5. Peradventure therefore it may deſerve ſome conſideration which a learned man in part ſuggeſts, that this Text doth notſimply forbid the ta- king of one wife to another, bur the doing of it in ſuch a manner or for ſuchan end, that he may vex or puniſh, or revenge himſelf of the former; which probably was a common motive amongſt thar hard-hearted people todo ſo, and therefore the forbicding hereof might give a great check to the praQtice of Polygamy amongſt them. e This clauſe 1s adced to ſignifie Gods allowanceto marry one wife after another, when ſhe 1s dead, and thereby to intimat how the word Siſter is to be underſtood.