Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-03-16

" "H'Hr tHN 'tHSi Siahh ihNo WIFI
- were then laid down, to be of biDdin.
= force to the end of the world. ou
/ Lord said at hath been said, "Who
: soever shall put away his wife. let hin
J give her writing of divorcement. -
o But ] say unto you, that Whatsoever
!, shall put away bis wife. saving for tht
d cause of fornication, causcth her tC
j commit adultery, and whosoever shal
e marry her that is divorced committed
{ adultery" Divorce is limited TO but
j. this one cause, and the giving it fol
e other causes, is, as we see in this pas
D sage, but TO legalizo crime, for the par
3 ties thus divorced, regard themselves
as single again, and ready to contract
. other alliances, whereas God holds
them still TO be married. The Lcgis.
lature claims the right to grant di-
vorce for anything which, 10 its judg
= ment, outside of the word of God,
may seem 10 justify titus making
= its mind tho law, and ruling out the
clearly expressed mind of God. is
no. this infidclity in its boldest and
most radical formy
} And when the Legislature grants
divorce for causes contrary TO the d.
vino law of marriage, and gives the
courts power TO do the same, do they
only separate the property in the case
of the married couple, or do they also
break, or affect to break, the mar
riage itself-sunder the two persons 2
! Their divorce affects TO annnl the
marriage itself, to separate "from bond
Of matrimony" "a Uinculo mdtrimoni)
Ito break up and destroy the whole
conception of marriage. The parties
thus divorced, regard themselves as
single and free, as it no marriage had
ever been entered into. If this be so,
and II, moreover, this be the designed
effect Of the law, then il follows that,
by the term "ciS i contract" the whole
OF marriage and everything that per
taIns to il, which it claims the right
and the power 10 make and to un-
make, irrcspectively altogether of the
mind Of God and the divinity of mar
riagc itselfl
This we say, and say il modestly,
yet boldly, is the inddelity Of this
State, and several others. How can
we, in view of its comprehending so
much ara striking so fatally at the
authority Of God and at the virtue of
the people, call the State a Christian
Stateg We cannot conceive how this
is possible even in the way simply Of
mere outward compliment.
There is no uncertain sound in the
Scriptures upon this subject. The
Pharisecs came TO Christ aud tempt.
ing Him, asked-"Is il lawful for
man to put away his wife 7 And He
answerd and said unto them, What
did Moses commad your And they
said, Moses suffered TO write II bill Of
divorcemcnt, aud to put her away
And Jesus answered and said unto
them, For the hardness of your heart
he wrote you this preccpt; But from
the beginning Of the creation, God
made them male and female. For
this cause shall man leave his father
and mother, and cleave to his wife /
and they twain shall be one flesh so
then they are no more twain, but one
flesh. What therefore, God has joined"
&c. 1t is God who joins in marriage,
and God only. How can a lower au-
thority snnder what lie has Joined |
Let no man Gn which is included all
forms Of human right aud authority /
put aslndcr what he has joined, cx.
cept for the cause which He has as
signed, and then it is not man that
does il, but God Himself How can
Christian people get over or set aside
this injunction from Heaven How
can Christian people, in conscience,
rest satisfied when this is attempted |
on the part of their representatives !
And look, for moment, at the ef- |
fects which have resulted from chang
ing the Divine Institution of marriage 1
into a miserable human contract
Respect for il has been well nigh de- |
stroycd 1t il. entered into recklessly
and without any degree of sober so
lemnity in the feeling. that it can be /
changed at any moment. It's beoom-
ing the very fountain of pickering
and unhappiness, tho very opposite OF
what it was originally designed to be.
Suits for divorces are multiplying
every year, and granted, for the most
trivial canses, by the thousands. Vir-
tue lies bleeding in the dast, whilst
vice Of the most shameless character, |
has n legal premium and now the
bold and organized attempt is made /
TO uproot marriage altogether, and
suffer persons to herd together in the /
vilest form, according to the unrcstric-
ted pleasure Of their own carnal hearts
and debascd passions.
We speak of inlemperance raging
over the land, us terrible scourge
bearing before it thousands annually
to untimcly graves. SO we also talk
of gambling as species OF dcstruc.
tive wickcdnoSs which should not be
tolerated in any community. We
paint these in the most glaring colors
we can select; and after all our bold. !
~ Ni'Ns ~ anu hiN0N NtNioNhN NNfN's 7
VIC feel that VIC have not expressed
one half the whole terrible truth in
regard to these forms of vice. And
yet here is a vice which, in its com
prehcnsive character, lis radical aim.
and its withering effect. poisoning the
very fountain of being, is more crimi.
nal and ruinous u Thousand fold than
the two combined which We have men.
toned
Aud where is the voice that is rails.
cd against IT'D What pulpits are
heard TO utter clear and strong words
Of condemnation Are our skirts
clean MS Christian Church npon this
subject Can we look at this bold
and unblushing denial of Gods ordi
nance into u mans enactment, with
view Of finally getting rid Of il alto
gethcr, and not make our holiest cf
iori TO oppose the wickedncssy The
prcblbility is, that the tide will rush
on until. by sad experience, we shall