Page:Cihm 06316.djvu/11

6

No one can suppose that the above are the only relatives whom it would be sinful for a man to marry, or whom the Divine Law evidently intended to forbid. Thus, for example, neither in Leviticus, nor elsewhere in the Bible, is a man expressly forbidden to marry his grandmother, his niece, or even his daughter: but who can imagine that in giving a law on the subject of marriage, God did not intend to forbid marriage with such relatives? Evidently there are some marriages the prohibition of which is necessarily implied, although not expressed. We must have recourse to the method of inference in the interpretation of this, as of many other prohibitory laws. Nor are we to apply this method merely to the case of relatives by blood; we are bound in fairness to extend the method to the case of relatives by marriage. There are as good grounds, as we shall see, for inferring that it is sinful to marry a wife's aunt, sister, or niece, as for inferring that it is sinful to marry one's own grandmother, niece, or daughter. The same principles which lead to the conclusion that the one class of marriages is sinful, load to the same conclusion with respect to the other class of marriages.'

This will appear from the general principle that a man may not marry any who are near of kin to him. This is the general law as laid down in Lev. xviii. 6. "None of you shall approach to any "that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness. I am the "Lord." The words translated "near of kin to him," mean, as in the marginal rendering, "remainder of flesh." They include all near relatives by blood. They include also near relatives by marriage or by affinity, as it is called. That they apply to relatives by marriage, and not to relatives by blood merely, is evident from the fact, that of the fifteen particular cases specified as "near of kin," eight are relatives by marriage, and seven relatives by blood, the first on the list being a relative by blood, the second a relative by marriage, the next six being relatives by blood, and the last seven being relatives by marriage. If "near of kin" had been intended to include merely relatives by blood, it is unaccountable that the second on the list should be a relative by marriage, and preceded and followed by relatives by blood; and that the remaining relatives by marriage should be mentioned without any note that they were not included under the general denomination "near of kin." All is plain when we assume that relatives by marriage as well as by blood are "near of kin." This view is confirmed by the fact that husband and wife