, 1867-09-13

legislation to decide transactions the itnportanoe
Of which 70 them and their defendants, millions
of money carnet cover.
The idea of little girls, IA or Is years Of ace.
wholly undeveloped in mind or character in
taste or Judgment, selecting a compapion f,r
life, is simply absurd. Why, no iudicioas ps
rent would trust them TO select for thtSselyes
doll TO play with for the next twelve months.
without seeing that their foolish fancy did not rua
away with what little judgment they have even
respecting this the only fitting companion for
them as yet. Neither has tie man who selects
such companion,ev even though he is CID enough,
any reliable basis on which TO rest his judgment.
lhe child as yet has no clearly Developed set
tied char~stst, and hence no one can tell what
she viii be when matured. Such marriages ean
be nothing more than the most reckless lottery
In lie, IN which of course the great majority OF
| those who take chances must loose and no nro
vidential interference will prevent it. And
among those that are older the principles govern
ing their conduct in these solemn and weirbty
transactions of life are little better The truth
is, that through the neglect of parents, of tea,
ehers, OF morAlists and of ministers 10 properly
instruct the young on these most important sub
Jectsi most Of their principles and impulses have
been drawn from the wretchedly, trashy. perni.
ciously corrupt romances that are afoat every,
where in papers and books, in which all these
matters are represented in a way more really
|
crazlest mood. In which the heroes and hero
ines are made to appear such just in proportion
as they make fools Of themselves generally. 1t
| Is fTom such sources as these taat too many of
our young people draw all ther controlling les.
sons upon the subject OF matrimony. And Lay-
ing learned them here, it must be confessed
they act them out only too well. Reason, judg-
ment common sense, the advice of judicious
| friends, the word of God, are all laid aside for
| fnn fb,41f
They build their airy castles of domestic felicity
and then cast themselves headlong from their
lofty pinacles, and of course are badly bruised
often killed in the inevitable fall. And nothing
can prevent it, for once in such sacred relation
the same folly still rules, all the dictates of
sound reason as to the best method Of making
such relation happy-all the teachings of the
woEd Of God Gs TO the relative positions and
respective duties of husband and wife, which if
needed might make even such ill-assorted ALI
ances tolerable, are disregarded, and in the very
nature of things the results, as We see them,
are inevitable. Domestic disappointment in
congenial companionship, alienation, discord,
unhappiness, rupture, divorce, shame and too
often moral ruin. To expect any thing materially
different while the present method OF forming
such relations continues is tempting God.
LASTLY, WE TEMPT GOD IN OUR RELIGIOUS IN.
TEREsTs.
In religious affairs there are, as elsewhere,
great settled conditions, unvarying laws, if we
may SO call them, of religious safety aud sues
cess. To disregard these, and presumptuoUsly
rely npon the Divine goodness, upon the ptomi-
ses OF God made to his obedient children, to
ward Il the legitimate results, is tempting God,
1t Is GlstOrting his character, peryerting his
promises, and forieting his favor and protec-
tion. Christians tempt God by neglecting, or
but poorly using many of the established means |
- l.sT
and then wonder, perhaps complain, that they |
make SO little spiritual progress, and have so |
little spiritual joy, that God seems SO strangely |
to have iorsaken them. They heedlessly !
IutO temptation aud woriliness, surround them /
selves with various Gisspating influences, and |
then wonder that it is so hard for them to walk |
iu the light of Gods countenauce and maintain /
spiritual, heavenly frame Of mind. They ill |
their hands with des,racling care and theirheads |
with destractng schemes, and then wonder that |
God does uot give them that peace which pass. |
eth all understanding. 1t is surely tempting God, |
Churches tempt God by neglecting or viola
ting the plain conditions of church prosperity f; |
diligence, harmony, persevering prayertulness,
loyalty to truth, non-conformity to the world,
dependence upon God, and then dare to pray
and expect God to interfere with the established
laws of church life and growth, and to prevent
the legitimate results Of their settled course.
DuL most OIten, anu UOst BlarluRi1 CT all, 40
the mpenitent tempt God when they neglect all
the means OF grace, all the conditions of saliva
tion aad yet expect that some how Gods prom
ises will include them and Gods goodness save
them. Such conduct is in every feature precisely
like what the devil was trying to lead the Son
of God to do in the transaction from which our
text is taken. 1t is strange that impenItent per-
sons cannot see it ! cannot see that the devil is
in every such case trying to lead them to the
a He trtz tn fer af,f
our Saviour to cast himself down from the pina>
Gle of the temple under the presumptve delusion
that Gods great goodness would lead him to
prevent the legitimate result of such reckless
ness. So, now, the devil is seeking to lead you
alas too successfully-to cast yourself bold
ly from time into eternity, all unprepareG, reck.
less of all the fearful consequences, on the
groundess presumption that Gods goodness
will some how avert all the legitimate results of
your desperate leap.
The simple aud plain truth is, that all such
conduct-in your well as in that propo-
sed TO the Saviour in the texts clearly outside
Of the sphere of divine goodness, or grace, or
pardon, and under the dominion OF fixed law
and immutable divine justice. Gods mercy has
nothing to do with it, cannot reach it, and it is
presumption to expect God to interfere with the
result The conditions of pardon and salvation,
under the gospel, are just as fixed as the laws Of
gravitation The teachings of Gods word are
as unchapging any settled law of nature.
Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish"
Without holiness of heart no man see the
Lord" Except man be born again he cannot
see the kingdom of God" 'He that believeth
not shall be damned" The wicked shall be
turned into hell" For any sinner to disregard
all these explicit teachings of tha word of God
and led ou by sin and Satan, make the fearful
leap of death, presumptuously hoping that some
how Gods goodness will save him, involves the
same principle, is just as sheer recklessness, aad
will Just as surely prove fatal as would that of
our Saviour had be listened to the devils temp
tation and cast himself down from the pinacle
of the temple. | repeat, Gods goodness does
not reach such cases. They are completely out
side of the broadest sphere of divine compass
sion. They come exclusively within the sphere
of fixed laws and divine justice both in the king
dom of nature and in the kingdom of grace.
And for men to act on any other principle is
reckless presumption and inevitable ruin. For
any person, therefore, brought up amid all ihe
light of the Gospel, with Gods inspired word 10
bis hand from which be has read or beard again t
and again the unehaDging conditions OF saliva t
tion-repeated in every possible form-iatn''
submission ,repe ntance, regeneration, eonirition,