profession of Christianity is any thing more than a

name.

Now the passages of the New Testament which bear most directly upon this subject, and suffice to settle it, are those which occur in the three gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke : that is to say, in the 5th and the 19th chapters of St. Matthew's gospel; in the 10th chapter of St. Mark's; and in the 16th chapter of St. Luke's: and in order that the reference to them may be more easy, and the construction of them more intelligible, I here place them-both the original Greek and the authorised version-side by side, in a tabular form. Those passages which may be found in the writings of St. Paul I reserve for subsequent consideration, as explanatory and corroborative of those in the gospels.

Matt. v. 31, 32. Εῤῥέθη δὲ, ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, δότω αὐτῇ ἀποστά

σιον.

Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὑτοῦ, παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μοιχᾶσθαι· καὶ ὃς ἐὰν ἀπολελυμένην γαμήσῃ, μοιχάται.

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her

Mark x. 2-12.
Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ Φα-
ρισαῖοι ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν,
εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀνδρὶ γυναῖκα
ἀπολῦσαι; πειράζοντες αὐ-
τόν.

Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν
αὐτοῖς· Τί ὑμῖν ἐνετείλατο
Μωσῆς;

Οἱ δὲ εἶπον· Μωσης ἐπέτρεψε βιβλίον ἀποστα σίου γράψαι, καὶ ἀπολῦσαι.

Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Πρὸς τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἔγραψεν ὑμῖν τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην·

̓Απὸ δὲ ἀρχῆς κτίσεως, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεός.

Ενεκεν τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέ

Luke xvi. 18.

Πᾶς ὁ ἀπολύων τὴν γυ ναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ γαμῶν ἑτέραν, μοιχεύει· καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀπολελυμένην ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς γαμῶν, μοιχεύει.

Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marteth adultery: and whorieth another, commitsoever marrieth her that

is put away from her husband, committeth adultery.

Matt. v. 31, 32.

that is divorced committeth adultery.

Matt. xix. 3-12. Καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι, πειράζοντες αὐτ τὸν, καὶ λέγοντες αὐτῷ· Εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπολῦσαι τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν ;

Mark x. 2.12.

ρα, καὶ προσκολληθήσεται
πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ·

Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς
σάρκα μίαν· ὥστε οὐκέτι
εἰσὶ δύο, ἀλλὰ μία σάρξ.

Ο οὖν ὁ Θεὸς συνέζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω.

Καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ πάλιν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν.

Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε, ὅτι ὁ ποιήσας ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς, Καὶ εἶπεν, Ενεκεν τού του καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μη-μηθῇ ἄλλῳ, μοιχᾶται. τέρα, καὶ προσκολληθήσεται τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν ;

Καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· ὃς ἐὰν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτ τοῦ, καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην, μοιχᾶται ἐπ' αὐτήν.

Καὶ ἐὰν γυνὴ ἀπολύσῃ τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς, καὶ γα

Ωστε οὐκέτι εἰσὶ δύο, ἀλλὰ σὰρξ μία· ὃ οὖν δ Θεός συνέζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω.

Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Τί οὖν Μωσῆς ἐνετείλατο δοῦναι βιβλίον ἀποστασίου, καὶ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτήν ;

Λέγει αὐτοῖς· Οτι Μωσῆς πρὸς τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἐπέτρεψεν ὑμῖν ἀπολῦσαι τὰς γυναῖκας ὑμῶν· ἀπ ̓ ἀρχῆς δὲ οὐ γέγονεν οὕτω.

Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτ τοῦ, εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ, καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην, μοιχᾶται· καὶ ὁ ἀπολελυμένην γαμήσας, μοιχᾶται.

Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ· Εἰ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ αἰτία τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς, οὐ συμφέρει γαμῆσαι.

Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Οὐ πάντες χωροῦσι τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, ἀλλ ̓ οἷς δέδοται.

Εἰσὶ γὰρ εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός ἐγεννήθησαν οὕτω καὶ εἰσιν εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες εὐνουχίσθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καί εἰσιν εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες εὐνούχισαν

And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.

And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?

And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.

But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;

And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

What therefore God hath joined together, letnot man put asunder.

And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.

And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall

Luke xvi. 18.

Matt. xix. 3-12.

For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

Mark x. 2-12.

Luke xvi. 18.

Now the thing which seems most important, in comparing these passages, is the difference in the language of our Lord, as it is recorded by St. Matthew, and as it is found in the other two Evangelists the former containing what is alleged to be a qualification of the rule laid down, or an exception to it; the latter containing no exception, but laying down the rule without any qualification. But it is impossible not to feel, that if this is more than a mere difference of expression, if it really involves such a difference as the one suggested, it is a difference of no trifling description. A rule, which does not admit an exception, is very different from one which does. A law which binds all persons, under all circumstances, is not the same as one which binds only particular classes, or which exempts, under certain circumstances, from its operation. The difference in such cases is one, not of form, but of substance; it makes the rule or the law applicable, or inapplicable, according to particular circum

stances, and variable in its effects; and upon this

applicability or inapplicability depends the responsi

bility or immunity, moral as well as legal, of those who are within the sphere of its authority; the difference being of course more marked, as well as more important, if the consequences of any violation of the rule or law are made severely penal.

Now, whatever may be the construction put upon the passages cited from St. Matthew's gospel, no person can deny, that, as the rule stands recorded by St. Mark and St. Luke, a divorce a vinculo matrimonii is absolutely prohibited in all cases; and therefore even in those in which adultery has been committed by one of the parties. Were a statute passed in terms similar to those employed by St. Mark and St. Luke, no court could venture to construe it otherwise, than as an absolute and universal prohibition; and were St. Matthew's gospel not in existence, no man would ever have dreamed, that a divorce by reason of adultery was an excepted case. If, then, St. Matthew introduces such an exception, he makes the rule essentially different from the rule which the others give, he allows what they prohibit and the question, whether he does so or not, is one of awful moment;-for whatever the rule really is, he who violates it is declared, by all the three Evangelists, to be guilty of nothing less than adultery; he commits a deadly sin, a crime of the greatest magnitude, one which perils his eternal salvation. The result, therefore, of this difference, if such a difference there be, is, that what, according to two Evangelists, is forbidden, and a sin of the highest