The New York herald., 1869-11-29
ELEVENTH STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Sermon by Rev. Charles B. Smyth-The Pope
VS.. the Bible ON Marriage.
The Rev. Charles b. Smyth delivered sermon at
the Eleventh street Presbyterian church on 1.-THE
Pope vs. the Bible on Marriage" After the prayer
In which he prayed that the President and Congress
might be brought to a knowledge Of Christ and the
Ecumenical Council might be brought to confusion
and the members or the Council to repentance, he
chose as his text the First Epise to the Corinthians
vii., 2-Let every man have his own wife, and let
every woman have her own husband" ana
the First Epstle to Timothy, iv., 1-"Now the
spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed
to seducing spirits and doctrines Of the DEVILS" The
SUBJECT Of marriage, he sald is one which is OF gen.
eral interest only ladies put likewise gentle
men, especially to young ladies and young gentle.
men. For the purpose Of expressing facts with
regard to certain Church he could not have en-
ployed words more appropriate Though penned
eighteen hundred years ago. these words relate to an
apostacy then future. The language Of that Church
touching marriage is that 1t is great sacrament
should be treated in holy manner; should
he entered into voluneariy should have the consent
OF the parents though that consent not necessary
should be preceded by confession and communion,
by the bans, by public celebrations IN the church;
that vagrants should be married with caution, and
clandestine marriage should be abhorred. So far
Catholics and Protestants are agreed with the
exception Of one word, and that Is sacrament"
so far as the subject OF marriage Is concerned the
text refers to a certain edict, which 1t numbers
among the doctrine OF DEVILS" and which is con-
temned by Divine decision In the Bible. The VOW
OF ceibacy is not referred to- since every
individual is at liberty 10 determine his
or her own duty on that point. The
general rule Is "LeJ every man have his own wife,"
&C., as obligatory upon mankind as any precept In
revelation Consequently to get married is the duty
OF every man and every woman. In rejecting on
this matter 1t has seemed that the Legislature OF the
State, or, perhaps. the national government should
pass law enforcing marriage, and that If man
refuse 10 marry, say at twenty-five or thirty, let him
be tned, If he can give no reasons that such law
would do away with bachelors and old maids, who
OF good to the State but rather Injurious. II
tins law were enacted there would not be that
wheimng disproportion between unmarried men
latter and 10000 OF the former there would not he
$4,000 unfortunate females; there would not be
starvation wages paid to working TIKI women, wages
her in the awful alternative of choosing between
death and cine. But such a law Will not be passed
by man until woman can raise her own'voce at the
polls. The preacher then went on to say that
rage was practised by the patrlarchs and by the
apostles In the time OF Christ and that 1t was not
until the Spanish Provincial Council OF Elvlra, a.
ID. 300, that canon was passed forbdding the
clergy to marry. The first general nterdctlon or
clerical celibacy was by Pope Syrclus addressed to
llimerus, 3S5, which was subsequently enforced
BY Hlldebrand or Gregory VII, loI4, who
summoned q Council that issued canons
separating married clergymen from their wives and
forbdding ordination OF others who would not take
VOW OF cebacy, and finally the Council OF Trent
passed an act In 1916 establishing the previous
1t was deeply to be regretted he continued, that
such an extensive community the Church of
Rome should differ from the teachings OF Christ on
the subject oil marriage. He would suppose that
the enlightenment OF the nineteenth century would
lead them TO reconsider their actions. That no man
Is 80 well qualified to sympathlze with them In the
married state, unless he himself have entered into
married relations, and that 1t was for this reason
that Paul said bishops and elders and deacouS
should be married men and men Of families.