The Christian religion, by confining it to the
pairs, and by rendering that relation indissoluble, has by these two
things done more towards the peace, happiness, settlement, and
civilization of the world than by any other part in this whole scheme of
Divine wisdom. The direct contrary course has been taken in the
synagogue of Antichrist,--I mean in that forge and manufactory of all
evil, the sect which predominated in the Constituent Assembly of 1789.
Those monsters employed the same or greater industry to desecrate and
degrade that state, which other legislators have used to render it holy
and honorable. By a strange, uncalled-for declaration, they pronounced
that marriage was no better than a common civil contract. It was one of
their ordinary tricks, to put their sentiments into the mouths of
certain personated characters, which they theatrically exhibited at the
bar of what ought to be a serious assembly. One of these was brought out
in the figure of a prostitute, whom they called by the affected name of
"a mother without being a wife." This creature they made to call for a
repeal of the incapacities which in civilized states are put upon
bastards. The prostitutes of the Assembly gave to this their puppet the
sanction of their greater impudence. In consequence of the principles
laid down, and the manners authorized, bastards were not long after put
on the footing of the issue of lawful unions. Proceeding in the spirit
of the first authors of their Constitution, succeeding Assemblies went
the full length of the principle, and gave a license to divorce at the
mere pleasure of either party, and at a month's notice.
Pages:
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325