The Works of Jonathan Edwards Author:Jonathan Edwards Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SERMON VII. THE MARRIAGE OF A WIFE'S SISTER CONSIDERED. Leviticus 18: 16.—Thou aJialt not uncover the nakedness of Oiy brother's wife : it t thy brother's ... more »nakedness. Some of this respectable auditory may be surprised to hear these words read, as a foundation for a discourse, on the present occasion. For the information and relief of such, it is proper to be mentioned, that I am requested by the General Association, to deliver a discourse at this time, on the following question: " Whether it be lawful for a man to marry his former wife's sister." In a discourse on this subject, my learned auditors will expect nothing of that kind of entertainment, which might be given in a discourse on some other subject. They will see, that I am shut out from all the flowers of rhetoric, all flights of imagination and all addresses to the passions. Yet our subject is truly interesting, because it is practical, not only as any man may have occasion to consider whether it be lawful for him to marry his wife's sister; but as we may all be called to consider the case and to act upon it too, with respect to a Christian brother. If any of our Christian brethren, the members of our churches, shall marry his wife's sister, it will affect us immediately, nor shall we be at liberty to act as indifferent spectators. Either we must justify the act, and continue him in our Christian fellowship; and in this case we ought to have substantial reason for our conduct; or we must condemn it, must remonstrate against it, and as the case may be, must renounce Christian fellowship with the offender. Thus every man, every professing Christian, every church, and especially every minister of the gospel, is deeply interested in the question which is now to come under consideration. And much more so at the prese...« less