Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-02-21
A Love Story.
observations of Philosophical Friend
Of Ours)

observations of a Philosophical Friend
Of Ours)
The Bible history of man, though full OF
tragedy, is a grand and beautiful love
story; myriads of ages are said to have
passed while the world was preparing
for the bride and groom. Then, in the
image of God, created He man-male
and female created He them. Love
came at first sight. A marriage by God
himself celebrated in the Garden Of
Eden, wound up the work of creation.
And He gave them His blessing. all the
Sons of God shouting Tor JOY, made the
Epithalanium. This is the event that
begins the tale of humanity.
In the midst Of the Scriptures Is the
Divine love song, the song of songs
even the Song of Solomon. the greatest
and wisest of kings, consecrating the
marriage relation, and figuring Christ
and redeemed humanity. The last book
the evelations-announces the marriage
Of the Lamb; and the invitation Is: 1.-THE
Spirit and the Bride say come"-to the
great marriage feast. The New Jerusa-
lem descends as a bride adorned for her
husband. The glory Of Christianity is the
exaltation of woman and the restoration
Of the holy estate of matrimony. What
ever controversalsts have to say on the
one side or the other, whether marriage
be a sacrament or not, one thing Is ceT-
tain: The desecration and vulgarizing
Of marriage, and the weakening of its
holy bonds. means the degradation and
fusion and misery. And on the other
hand, the most beautiful promise held out
to the true servant Of God is: Thy
wife shall be as the fruitful vine by the
walls Of thy house: the children like
olive branches around about thy table
Yea, thou shalt see thy children's chill
dren, and peace upon Israel" The
highest happiness of earth is In hallowed
married love, the accepted type Of the
coming kingdom. The consummation Of
shame and woe the reverse.
The author Of Our faith restored the
sacredness Of marriage as the first great
fact Of our creation; the primal law OF
universal order and beauty. Inideity
throughout the Scriptures is identified
with sin and degradation. A dreadful
word.
1t Is must be taken as n great funda-
mental fact OF humanity that man and
woman were made to be married. and
that the purifying, Frightening, and per-
fecting of the family Is the greatest and
most honorable business of life. When
the thoughts and desires and labors Of
father. mother, and children look TO this.
they help the highest purposes of re-
ligion they understand and are in SYM
patty with their Lords prayer, and fol-
low the keynote OF universal peacefully
kingdom come" When wantonness takes
the place Of mutual DEVOTION when per-
sonal ambition and pleasure scatter the
members, and the world and the flesh
scandalize the home, then pandemonium
begins, and the devil is TO pay; then life
is a wretched failure, and all its business
vanity and vexation of spirit. The poet
has 1t:
''But, when the planets,
In evil mixture to disorder wander,
What plaques and what portens! what
mutinyI
What raging Of the sea, shaking. OF
earth
Commotion In the winds rights, changes,
horrors.
Divert and crack rend and 6eracinate,
The unity and married calm of States,
Quite from their fxure."
which stands for domestic strife. dis
order hate, and wretchedness. God is
love. The Christian religion Is the worlds
marriage garment. The ideal of happy
and Heaven-blest marriage is the first and
all-pervading and all-absorbing thought
and craving of manhood and womanhood.
Pure. holy, and enlightened. ii is the
earnest Of Heaven. Perverted and
dishonored, it is the gloomy warn
ing of unutterable misery and hopeless
woe.
The following homely lines have an air
Of honesty about them, and are said TO
be true history. They may interest:
In the fulness OF my manhood
My sweetheart came out OF the air.
And ravished my heart with her love-
Illness.
For she was wondrous fair.
Her beauty and grace possessed me.
The 10y and light of my life;
How the loving Father blessed me.
When she became my wife!
I clave to her with my whole SOUL
I shared my heart with no other,
And. o, how great was my gloryi
when she became q mother!
The lovely matron grew older.
There stole DER her silver sheen,
Light CLEANS from approaching Heaven.
The divinest ever seen.
Her children's children are with her,
She clasps them to her breast,
And father and children together,
Arise to call ber blest.
o mater beatissirnai
Divinest, sweetest. bestl
s.~-su.@.s<x4