the gospel of Jesus Christ is directly opposed to both divorce and polygamy, and emancipates the woman in general from those restrictions which are inimical to her position as a free-born child of God. Here it is our duty to examine the question whether, in this respect, Islam proceeds still farther in the course marked out by the gospel, as it ought to do, if it were a still higher revelation, or whether it disappoints such expectations.

As regards polygamy, the Qur'an instead of disavowing it still more strongly than Christianity, stops short even of the indirect disapproval of it which we find in the law of Moses, and completely departs, on this point, from all the previous teaching of revealed religion, by expressly sanctioning it; for we read: 'And if ye fear lest ye should deal unfairly with orphans, then marry of other women who please you, two, or three, or four; and if ye fear lest you should act equitably, then one, or the slaves whom ye have acquired ' [Suratu'n-Nisa' (iv) 3]. While thus every Muslim, who is so disposed and has the means, may lawfully marry as many as four wives at a tune, and may, besides, cohabit with as many female slaves as he chooses, without marrying them, Muhammad was not satisfied for his own person with even so great a license, but took to himself more than ten wives, besides the slaves; and his doing so is expressly sanctioned in the Qur'an as one of the special prerogatives

of the prophet, in these words: 'O prophet, we allow thee thy wives whom thou hast dowered, and the slaves whom thy right-hand possesses out of the booty which God has granted thee, and the daughters of thy uncle and of thy paternal and maternal aunts who fled with thee (to Madina), and any believing woman who has given herself up to the prophet, if the prophet desired to wed her; a privilege far the above the rest of the faithful' [Suratu'l-Ahzab (xxxiii) 49]. Such being the teaching of the Qur'an, and the practice of the Arabian prophet, we cannot wonder that to the present day polygamy is considered as a lawful institution in all Muhammadan countries, indulged in by Muslims who do not mind the domestic inconveniences and expense it entails; and that female slavery is continued, not only for the sake of labour, but also for the gratification of the carnal lusts of masters. But such a state cannot be pleasing in the sight of a just and holy God; for it is destructive of true, divinely-appointed matrimony, and can only exist where woman is regarded not as God has intended her, namely, man's rational companion, a help meet for him, but only as an inferior minister to his carnal desires. Polygamy is incompatible with true marriage, inasmuch as it frustrates one of the chief objects for which God has instituted it, by preventing perfect union between husband and wife, and rendering healthy family-life impossible.