Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-02-07
Is Maria Ge Il Failure?

My people have committed two evils
They have forsaken me, the fountain
of living water, aud hewed them out
cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold
no water.-Jer. 2; 13.
"Puor race of man, said the pitying spirit.
"Dearly We rue your primal fail;
Some flowers of Eden you inherit,
But the trail of the serpent is oyer them all. D
MOORE.
In the former article the general sub
ject was outlined and il is proposed
now to 90 somewhat into the details OF
the question. But in doing this we
shall cling to the bible as a clew to
guide us through the la byrinth.
We shall do this because the bible
alone explains the origin of the ordi'
nance Of marriage and defines with
authority all the duties arising out oi
the relation. AS the word of God ii
alone liveth and abideth forever, and
by it we shall all be eventually judged
and whatever judgment of Inen are
contrary to, or beside, it will be revers-
ed and no cases remanded.
1t is true that in the bible there are
in connection with the Legislation in
respect to marriage and in the history
of the ordinance, many things had to be
understood, which they that are un-
learned and unstable wrest as they al
so do the other scriptures to their own
condemnation. But far on this side of
all those dark places there is enough
that is clear as sunlight in regard to
the nature of the relation and the duties
growing out of it, that the wayfaring
man, though fool, need not err there
in. And it is with these plain things
that we will concern ourselves.
We find that marriage is an ordi-
nance of God for the promotion Of
mans happiness, and yet we find in
the marriage relation fearful amount
of sin and misery the most acute, in
short everything that is utterly incon-
sistent with happiness. Why is this?
We answer that marriage like any
other ordinance of God, works both
ways az cording to the use that is made
of it. No ordinance of God leaves men
as it found them. They are either the
better or the worse of it. How then do
men turn this blessing into a curse?
We answer that our so-called Chris
tianity is for the most part new pa
gunism. The great fact is that for the
most part God is not in all the thoughts
of men. Suppose when a couple pre-
sent themselves for marriage they We're
asked by whom, when and where was
marriage ins tituted, how many could
tell correctly. Suppose they were ask
ed what doss Gol require in the mar
riage relation, and what are its reIa-
tions to the world, or what are Gods
promises to those that are faithful in
the relation, and what does He say He
will do to those that are unfaithful;
how many could answer? And yet
knowing no more than animals in re-
gard to the relation into which they
are entering, they are turned lose on
society, as Samson turned the foxes
lose into the standing wheat of the
Phllistines. What can be expected as
the end of such beginning but a
curse.
Another great cause of human fail
ures in connexion with marriage is that
especially young people are taught to
regard marriage as the highest and
greatest good, instead of being merely
a stepping stone or aid to vastly
higher and nobler objective. Any
party will fail in marriage who leaves
out of the calculation the retributions
of eternity.
Scarcely any other portion of scrip
ture has been more wrested than the
declaration OF the son of man to the
Sadducees: in the resurrection they
neither marry nor are given in mar
riage. A glance wilhshow that He
does not say that marriage formed here
will not hold over there in the higher
and spiritual phases of the ordinance.
1t is an interesting subject of study to