The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-15
FAST DAY.
It's opservances in the Churches.

| Fast day the weather was pleasant but
strong wind blew the dust in binding clouds
making walking very disagreeable. Nearly oil
the stores were closed during the entire day
| and in the afternoon all business was suspend
| ed.
| At Free street church union service OF the
| Congregational and Baptist churc hes was held
in the forenoon. The house was we'll filed,
nearly every seat being occupied. The Free
street choir sang with their usual excellence.
| Rev. Mr.. McWhinnie preached the Fast day
sermon from the text, Matthew xix, 4-6:
| "Have We not read that He which made
man from the beginning made then, maze ana
| leave his father and his mother and shall cleave
| unto his wife and the twain shall be one hesh9
So thst they are no more twain put one nesh.
What therefore God hath Joined together let
not man put asunder."
| The theme of the sermon was the scriptural
| law of marriage and divorce, the permanenoy
| of the one and the true ground OF the other.
| Inasmuch as a right understanding OF the
marriage relation and its strict maintenance Is
essential to the welfare of onr social and civil
| life, inasmuch as it is divine institution SUBJ
| iect to Gods laws, the violation OF which en-
tails only evil upon the individual and the
state, it follows that to pass the subject BY FOR
| any reason is sin against ourselves and
against the nation. The teaching OF Christ on
| the subject was ELECTED by practical ques-
ton asked to ensnare him by his enemies.
| Divorce was rife among the people and 1usti-
| fed by the rabbits To denounce it would en-
| sure the displeasure Of the people. and the
| wrath of their teachers. Jesus replies Dy re-
| ferring them to the original fundamental law
| of God, and explains and enforces 1t by his
| own authority.
/. The Law OF Marriage. 1t is an ordinance
| OF God 1t has the place OF honor as bis first
institution and gift to man. It came into ex-
| istence before society and the State. 1t was
complete institution before civil contract was
| possible. 1t was not an afterthought, sup
Elementary bylaw for the remedy of unfor-
seen evils, but sacred gift, as life Is sacred,
| and because of the place OF honor given 1t by
the Creator from the beginning. 1t sspersedes
all other relations, not abolishing them, but
subordinating them. Neither parent, nor State,
nor church, has claims above the obligations OF
husband and wife. Marriage forms new
physical and moral basis of life, new life CEN
ire. 1t is the union of one man and one wom-
an, in new unity which is not to be sundered.
tai, constituting our conjugal body. 1t follows
that the only true marriage is monogamic In its
nature. Polygamy is estopped and utterly ex-
cluded. The marriage bond IS not to be Drok-
en- by man. 1t is Gods ordinance, and man
must not dissolve it, The State must regulate
it since it has become civil institution with
which the social order and the rights of prop
erty are involved 1t may impose civil penal
ties for the infraction of its marriage laws, but
it cannot forbid marriage. where God has not
forbidden it. 1t cannot dissolve it where God
has not dissolved it.
II The sole scriptural ground of divorce is
fornication or adultery This cause is allowed
not because of its enormity alone, but because 1T
violates and rends asunder what God has made
sacred the very basis of the new life. What
the red hand of the murderer does to the sane
tity Of humane life that the adulterer or adul-
teress does to the sanctity Of tho married life.
No restriction is placed upon the remarriage OF
the innocent party after divorce for this cause,
but the guilty may not remarry. As the muir
derer forfeits his own life by violating another
the adulterer by violating the sacred unity OF
married life forfets all right to its enjoy
ment.
Ill Scripture1 exceptions lalleged against
the strict enforcement of Christs laws The
laws of Moses permitted divorce in certain
cases. But Moses only suffered the evil OF the
time. The Hebrews were rude people, a ma
ton of slaves. They brought with them the
vices of their masters. As a wise civil law
giver Moses saw the original law OF marriage
would be disobeyed and condemned lie there
fore for time partly accommodated his law to
their low moral state He for bids the freedom
of divorce, puts it under restraint, compels the
making out of bill, requiring time, witness
es and the interpesition OF the priesthood. He
puts an embargo on the practice, surrounds it
with such delays and precepts as make it,
through an imperfect law, a help towards the
higher which it never superseded. He acted
on the principle that an imperfect law is bet
ter than perfect one which is only dead let
ter.
1t is said that the worthless of the Old Testa-
ment were polygamistS. In reply 1t may be
said, that Gods original law excludes polyg-
amy; that polygamy was born among the wick
ed pOsterity of Cain, not among the piOuS race
<Nf 10Th hat ryoo I'M
Hebrews and was always sporadic, exceptional;
that the dominant idea of all parts of the
Bible is the monogamic idea; that 1t was never
approved, but only suffered in silence, and that
the Bible testifes that it was accompanied with
such sorrow, bitterness and uDspeakable wrong
as forever denies the accusation that it was
favored of Jehovah. It Is also affirmed hy
come Protestant writers that the apostle Paul
permitted wilful desertion as ground OF full
divorce, but a candid examination of the pass
age quoted shows that Paul did not teach in
even apparent contradiction with his master
He allows the separation nle1aSd Ell torofrom
bed and board, if necessary, but the parties
must not marry others during the life OF either
unless the one violating act be committed.
The sermon closed by a reference to the great
laxity of our divorce laws, and to the fact that
in Maine more divorces are granted, according
to the population, than in any other State in
the world. In the year 1878, Maine granted
478 divorces; New Hampshire, 241; Vermont,
3ikoocoShAoVetot 0cAACesAS>Nt
Rhode Island, 1856; total, 2,113. Maine grant
ed in 1880. 3d. and Rhode Island 246. The ra-
ito of divorces to population is largest in
Msine 1t is now to 9 marriages in Rhode
Island, and in twenty years has risen in Massa-
chusetts from one in 81 10 in 81.
Christians generally were urged to initiate
the Catholics on the one hand and the Episco-
palians on the other, in their noble mainte-
nance of the sanctity of the family, the corner
stone of the nation.
At the First Parish church union service
OF the Unitarian churches was held. Rev. Mr.
Alger preached from Proverbs, x, "a
"Righteousness exalteth nation, but sin is a
reproach to any people" The choir rendered
some fine music.
At Chestnut street church there was very
interesting Sunday School concert in the even
ing.
Services of prayer were held at several of
the churches, and service held by Dr. Hol'
brock at the West End, in the evening.
Opera Under Difficulties.
The audience at Portland Theatre, Thursday
A.