The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1895-06-22


reads back to the institution Of mar
aiage in the time OF mans innocence in
TIE Garden Of Eden before his fall The
author Of the Book Genesis SAYS that
after the Lord God had formed every
beast Of the field and every fowl OF the
air, and brought them unto Adam.
*there was not found an help
meet for him." aud that the Lord God
made a woman and brought her unto
the man. 1t is with reference to this
that the woman is given to the man at
marriage. God indeed made all things,
and all things are already his. But he
gave man dominion over them TO use
them in His service, and among them
was woman whom He made aud gave
to the man In recognition Of His
goodness in thus giving him all these
things man offers them again to God.
Now the church is regarded as that in
stitution through which God deals with
men in spiritual things. aud the minis
tiers OF the church are His ministers.
Moreover every act Of religion
implies devotion, dedication.
or an Offering to God of some
thing that We have from Him. In this
instance woman is dedicated 70 Him
for the sacred purpose Of becoming the
wife Of man according to Gods ordin-
alton in the beginning. She is there
fore first given to the church which
represents Hin. among men in such
matters, and the minister being the
person appointed to execute the offices
therein, her hand is placed in his. She
now belongs to the church and the
minister in the name or on behalf OF
God and his church gives her to the
man by placing her right hand 10 his.
The minister then goes within the
chancel rail, into the place called the
sanctuary, where the altar stands. and
the man. still retaining the woman's
hand, follows and leads her through the
choir to the steps Of the sanctuary.
Hence originated the phrase often used
to designate marriage-"he led her to
the altar"
The ceremony Of uniting the two is
nov performed. Taught by the minis
ter the man first pledges himself to the
woman to be faithful "until death do us
part and the woman taking the mans
hand makes the same promise to him.
And notice that since they are to be
joined as Christians they use only their
Christian names-the names they re-
ceived at baptism and not their sur
names or their nicnames.
THE RING.
AS sign or token of the agreement
now entered into ring of gold is usual
ly given and received. This custom
probably originated with the Egyptians
and was afterwards followed by the
Jews and other nations. The woman
has been given to the man, and he has
taken her for better for worse
But he is the breadwinner and must
share whatever he is or has with her.
So he gives to her something which
represents both. Mark that he gives
the ring to the woman, and not to the
minister. She gives it to the minister,
the churchs representative, as an offer
ing to God of her worldly substance.
The minister then usually asks Gods
blessing upon it and returns il to the
man who places it upon the fourth
finger of the woman's left hand,
and the left hand not because
it is nearest the heart" as some
say, but because the left hand keeps
and uses what is devoted to the service
of self. while the right hand is devoted
to the service Of God and fellow men.
Moreover the man gives the ring in the
name Of the sacred Trinity, thus ac-
knowledging the God of the Christian
faith and invoking Him to witness his
vow. But the ring has a further and
higher significance. In the transaction
just described not only was a ring
given. but in the giving OF it a circle
was described. the idea to be conveyed
being thus doubly expressed. The
significance Of the ring itself is three
fold. Being circle it signifies the end
lessness Of the life in which the two are
to become one, and the perpetuity of
that fidelity to each other in which they
have just pledged themselves, and being
Of pure gold it represents both the
purity of the life and the wealth, much