ON SCRIPTURAL PRINCIPLES.
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be absurd to suppose that every individual of our numerous Association pledges himself on the one hand to an unconditional acceptance of every argument advanced in the publications which it authorizes, or on the other hand accepts Dr. Pusey's interpretation of Scripture contained in a publication not circulated by the Association, any more than that of Dr. M'Caul, as infallible.
Let me briefly re-state the arguments which I offered on the occasion referred to by Dr. M'Caul, with reference to the religious aspect of the question. My propositions are the following:—
- I. The code of prohibited unions contained in the 18th chapter of Leviticus is binding on all men, and is not limited in its application to the Hebrew people.
- II. The general guiding rule is laid down in verse 6 of that chapter, which prohibits approaching to any one that is "near of kin[1]"
- III. "Nearness of kin" is there immediately explained by several examples, none of which go beyond the third degree, and such examples include relationship by affinity and by consanguinity without distinction. It will be shown also, that some one example, at least, is given of relationship within each of the three degrees, except (for obvious reasons)
- ↑ I am indebted to a very able MS paper of the Rev. Canon Woolcombe, of Exter, for the form in which I now state my third and fourth propositions.
