that of females in the proportion I mean, compared with a state in which marriage is nearly universal); for the question is not, whether one man will have more chil

of 19 to 18, or thereabouts; but this excess provides for the greater consumption of males by war, sea

by one; but whether these five wives would not bear the same or a greater number of children to five separate husbands. And as to the care of children when produced, and the sending of them into the world in situations in which they may be likely to form and bring up families of their own,

cession of the human species in a great degree depend, this is less provided for and less practicable, where twenty or thirty children are to be supported by the attention and fortunes of one father, than if they were divided into five or six families, to each of which were assigned the industry and inheritance of two parents. Whether simultaneous polygamy was permitted by the law of Moses, seems doubtful, Deut. xvii, 16. Deut. xxi, 15; but whether permitted or not, it was certainly practised by the Jewish patriarchs both before that law and under it. The permission, if there were any, might be like that of divorce

faring and other dangerous or un-dren by five or more wives than healthy occupations. It seems also a significant indication of the Divine will, that he at first created only one woman to one man Had God intended polygamy for the species, it is probable he would have begun with it; especially as by giving to Adam more wives than one, the multiplication of the human race would have proceed-upon which the increase and suced with a quicker progress. Polygamy not only violates the constitution of nature and the apparent design of the Deity, but produces to the parties themselves, and to the public, the following bad effects: contests and jealousies amongst the wives of the same husband; distracted affections, or the loss of all affection in the husband himself; a voluptuousness in the rich which dissolves the vigour of their intellectual as well as active faculties, producing that indolence and imbecility, both of mind and body, which have long characterized the nations of the East; the abasement of one half of the human species, who, in countries where polygamy obtains," for the hardness of their heart," are degraded into instruments of physical pleasure to the other half; neglect of children; and the manifold and sometimes unnatural mischiefs which arise from a The state of manners in Judea scarcity of women. To compensate for these evils, polygamy does not offer a single advantage. In the article of population, which it has been thought to promote, the community gain nothing (nothing,

in condescension to their established indulgencies, rather than from the general rectitude or propriety of the thing itself.

had probably undergone a reformation in this respect before the time of Christ; for in the New Testament we meet with no trace or mention of any such practice being tolerated. For which rea

Mr. Henry, pities his children that || 149, 172; More's Immor. of the Soul, 1. iii, c. 12; Ray's Wis om of God, p. 51, 52; Lord Monboddo's Ancient Metaphysics; Young's Essay on the Powers and Mechanism of Nature.

are weak in knowledge, and instructs them; pities them when they are forward, and bears with them; pities them when they are sick, and comforts them, Isa. lxvi, 13; when they are fallen, and helps them up again; when they have offended, and forgives them; when they are wronged, and rights them. Thus the Lord pitieth them that fear him, Ps. ciii, 13. See COMPASSION OF GOD.

PLATONICS NEW. See NEW PLATONICS.

PLEASURE, the delight which arises in the mind from contemplation or enjoyment of something agreeable. See HAPPINESS.

PLENARY INSPIRATION. See INSPIRATION.

PLURALIST, one that holds more than one ecclesiastical benefice with cure of souls.

PNEUMATOLOGY, the doctrine of spiritual existence. See SOUL.

PLASTIC NATURE, an absurd doctrine, which some have thus described. "It is an incorporeal created substance endued with a vegetative life, but not with sensation or thought; penetrating the whole created universe, being co-extended with it; and, under POLYGAMY, the state of havGod, moving matter, so as to pro-ing more wives than one at once. duce the phænomena which cannot Though this article, like some be solved by mechanical laws: ac- others we have inserted, be not tive for ends unknown to itself, not theological, yet, as it is a subject being expressly conscious of its of importance to society, we actions, and yet having an obscure shall here consider it. The ciridea of the action to be entered cumstances of the patriarchs livupon." To this it has been an- ing in polygamy, and their not swered, that, as the idea itself is being reproved for it, has given most obscure, and, indeed, in- occasion to some modern writers consistent, so the foundation of it to suppose that it is not unlawful; is evidently weak. It is intended but it is answered that the equaby this to avoid the inconveniency lity in the number of males and of subjecting God to the trouble females born into the world intiof some changes in the created mates the intention of God that world and the meanness of others. one woman should be assigned to But it appears, that, even upon one man; for (says Mr. Paley) this hypothesis, he would still be if to one man be allowed an exthe author of them; besides, that clusive right to five or more woto Omnipotence nothing is trou- men, four or more men must be blesome, nor those things mean, deprived of the exclusive possession when considered as part of a sysof any which could never be the tem, which alone might appear to order intended. This equality, Doddridge's Lec., lec. 37; indeed, is not quite exact. The Cudworth's Intellectual Syst., p. number of male infants exceeds

be so.

that of females in the proportion I mean, compared with a state in of 19 to 18, or thereabouts; but which marriage is nearly univerthis excess provides for the greater sal); for the question is not, wheconsumption of males by war, sea- ther one man will have more chilfaring and other dangerous or un-dren by five or more wives than healthy occupations. It seems by one; but whether these five also a significant indication of the wives would not bear the same or Divine will, that he at first creat- a greater number of children to ed only one woman to one man five separate husbands. And as Had God intended polygamy for to the care of children when prothe species, it is probable he would duced, and the sending of them have begun with it; especially as into the world in situations in by giving to Adam more wives which they may be likely to form than one, the multiplication of the and bring up families of their own, human race would have proceed-upon which the increase and suced with a quicker progress. Po- cession of the human species in a lygamy not only violates the con- great degree depend, this is less stitution of nature and the appa- provided for and less practicable, rent design of the Deity, but pro- where twenty or thirty children duces to the parties themselves, are to be supported by the attenand to the public, the following tion and fortunes of one father, bad effects: contests and jealousies than if they were divided into five amongst the wives of the same hus- or six families, to each of which band; distracted affections, or were assigned the industry and inthe loss of all affection in the hus-heritance of two parents. Wheband himself; a voluptuousness in ther simultaneous polygamy was the rich which dissolves the vigour of their intellectual as well as active faculties, producing that indolence and imbecility, both of mind and body, which have long characterized the nations of the East; the abasement of one half of the human species, who, in countries where polygamy obtains," for the hardness of their heart," are degraded into instruments of in condescension to their establishphysical pleasure to the other half; ed indulgencies, rather than from neglect of children; and the ma- the general rectitude or propriety nifold and sometimes unnatural of the thing itself. mischiefs which arise from a The state of manners in Judea scarcity of women. To compen- had probably undergone a resate for these evils, polygamy does formation in this respect before not offer a single advantage. In the time of Christ; for in the New the article of population, which it Testament we meet with no trace. has been thought to promote, the or mention of any such practice. community gain nothing (nothing, being tolerated. For which rea

permitted by the law of Moses, seems doubtful, Deut. xvii, 16. Deut. xxi, 15; but whether permitted or not, it was certainly practised by the Jewish patriarchs both before that law and under it. The permission, if there were any, might be like that of divorce

"When we reflect," says he,

son, and because it was likewise || branding for the first offence, and forbidden amongst the Greeks and to capital punishment for the seRomans, we cannot expect to find cond. And whatever may be said any express law upon the subject in behalf of polygamy, when it is in the Christian code. The words authorized by the law of the land, of Christ, Matt. xix, 9. may be the marriage of a second wife, durconstrued by an easy implication ing the lifetime of the first, in to prohibit polygamy; for if "who- countries where such a second ever putteth away his wife, and marriage is void, must be ranked marrieth another, committeth adul- with the most dangerous and cruel tery;" he who marrieth another of those frauds, by which a woman without putting away the first is is cheated out of her fortune, her no less guilty of adultery; because" person, and her happiness. Thus the adultery does not consist in the far Mr. Paley. We shall close this repudiation of the first wife (for article with the words of an excelhowever unjust or cruel that may lent writer on the same side of be, it is not adultery), but in en- "the subject. tering into a second marriage during the legal existence and obliga-" that the primitive institution of tion of the first. The several pas- marriage limited it to one man sages in St. Paul's writings which and one woman; that this instituspeak of marriage, always suppose tion was adhered to by Noah and it to signify the union of one man his sons, amidst the degeneracy of with one woman, Rom. vii, 2, 3. the age in which they lived, and in 1st Cor. vii, 12, 14, 16. The man- spite of the examples of polygamy ners of different countries have va- which the accursed race of Cain ried in nothing more than in their had introduced; when we condomestic constitutions. Less po- sider how very few (comparatively lished and more luxurious nations speaking) the examples of this have either not perceived the bad practice were among the faithful; effects of polygamy, or, if they did how much it brought its own puperceive them, they who in such nishment with it; and how dubicountries possessed the power of ous and equivocal those passages reforming the laws have been un-are in which it appears to have willing to resign their own gratifi- the sanction of the Divine approcations. Polygamy is retained at bation; when to these reflections this day among the Turks, and we add another, respecting the lithroughout every part of Asia in mited views, and temporary nawhich Christianity is not professed.ture of the more ancient disIn Christian countries it is univer-pensations and institutions of relisally prohibited. In Sweden it is gion-how often the imperfections punished with death. In England, and even vices of the patriarchs beside the nullity of the second and people of God in old time marriage, it subjects the offender to are recorded without any express transportation or imprisonment and notification of their criminality

how much is said to be commanded, ||racters, with six different Greek which our reverence for the holi-versions. Elias Hutter, a Gerness of God and his law will only suffer us to suppose were for wise ends permitted; how frequently the messengers of God adapted themselves to the genius of the people to whom they were sent, and the circumstances of the times in which they lived; above all, when we consider the purity, equity, and benevolence of the Christian law, the explicit declarations of our Lord and his apostle Paul respecting the institution of marriage, its design and limitation; when we reflect, too, on the testimony of the most ancient fathers, who could not possibly be ignorant of the general and common practice of the apostolic church; and, finally, when to these considerations we add those which are founded on justice to the female sex, and all the regulations of domestic economy and national policy, we must wholly condemn the revival of polygamy." Paley's Mor. Phil., vol. i, p. 319 to 325; Madan's Thelyphthora; Towers's, Wills's, Penn's, R. Hill's, Palmer's, and Huweis's Answers to Madan, vol. Ixiii, of Mon. Rev., p. 338, and also vol. Ixix. Beattie's El. of Mor. Science, vol. ii, p.

man, about the end of the sixteenth century, published the New Testament in twelve languages, viz. Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Bohemian, English, Danish, Polish; and the whole Bible in Hebrew, Chaldaic, Greek, Latin, German, and a varied version. But the most esteemed collections are those in which the originals and ancient translations are conjoined; such as the Complutensian Bible, by cardinal Ximenes, a Spaniard; the king of Spain's Bible, directed by Montanus, &c.; the Paris Bible of Michael Jay, a French gentleman, in ten huge volumes, folio, copies of which were published in Holland under the name of pope Alexander the Seventh; and that of Brian Walton, afterward bishop of Chester. The last is the most regular and valuable. It contains the Hebrew and Greek originals, with Montanus's interlineary version; the Chaldee paraphrases, the Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Syrian and Arabic Bibles, the Persian Pentateuch and Gospels, the Ethiopic Psalms, Song of Solomon, and New Testament, with their respective LaPOLYGLOT (woλyos), hatin translations; together with the ving many languages. For the more commodious comparison of different versions of the scriptures, they have been sometimes joined together, and called Polyglot Bibles. Origen arranged in different columns a Hebrew copy, both in Hebrew and Greek chaVOL. II. Nn

127-129.

Latin Vulgate, and a large volume of various readings, to which is or dinarily joined Castel's Heptaglot Lexicon. See BIBLE, No. 29, 30.

POLYTHEISM, the doctrine of a plurality of gods, or invisible powers superior to man.

"That there exist beings, one