The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-21
REV. Mr.. ScULLY ON DIVORCE.
DIVORCE NOT AUTHORIZED by THE
CHURCH, HE HOLDS.

The Canon of the Church on the sub
Jet Not Properly Wordcd and Not
in Conformity with the Prnyer-
booL-NSnrriage Is for Life and No
Divorce Can he Granted ny Either
civil or Ecclesiastical Court, He
HOIds-It Is a sacred UniOn, Not 81
civil COntrnct-COurts May Separ-
ate, but the Natural Tie between
Man and Wife Remains.
ST. Paurs Episcopal Church was wen
filed last night to hear Rev. j. L. seuliy
preach upon the subject OF marriage and
divorce. Rev Mr.. seuny explained the
position already taken by him and elab-
grated his views.
AS has already been stated, Mr. Scully
opposes total divorce upon any ground and
refuses to remarry any divorced person,
no matter what the grounds for the di-
voree were. He holds in brief that mar
rage is a sacred contract, sanctided by
the church. and that no civil court is
competent to sever these bonds. Conse-
quently, he holds that it is improper for
any clergyman to solemnize the marriage
of any divorced person to another Such
marriage he regards as sacriigious and
contrary to the scriptures.
In beginning his sermon, Mr. ScuIly ex-
planned that the position taken by him
was not necessarily a high church posi-
ton, as this view was held by clergymen
representing all degrees of thought, the
low and the broad. as well as the high.
Mr.. Scully read the canon referring 10
divorce which has been under disputes in
the church He disapproved of the word
ing of the canon as containing unnecessary
and irrelevant matter and held that it
differed from the prayerbook which Is
superior authority. The canon says that
such disputed points shall be referred to
the bishop. He held that such reference
| was compulsory aud not optional with the
clergy, the bishop being the supreme au-
thority in the diocese.
Mr.. Scully read from Bishop Nelson S
address in 1897 in which the bishop de
| clared the canon relating to marriage and
| divorce unsatisfactory. He said that there
| was no law TO compel a priest of the
| church to marry divorced persons and he
| could not be punished for refusing TO do
| so. There are two views of marriage he
| said. one, arising out of Martin Luther
| teachings, which he characterized as the
! low view. This view, he said is held by
many Protestant elergymen. 1t regards
marriage a civil contract only, a partner
ship entered into between a man and a
| woman for a time or for life. AS an in
stance of this view he told of a Presby-
| terrain minister in Memphis, who in per-
forming the marriage ceremony to which
| his daughter was party, pronounced the
/ couple man and wife until death do you
! part or the proper authority"
The view of the Catholic Church, Ro-
man, Greek and English. Mr.. Scully said,
is that marriage is a sacramento rite.
| The Roman church says that there can be
no divorce, but nullifes this by saying
that the power to grant divorces rests in
the Pope of Rome. The Greek Church al
lows several grounds for divorce. The
| English Church holds that there is nc
| ground at ALL ~iit~ @"t =" - "Hg'~
Mr.. sculiy held that the portion OF
scripture where Christ is commonly cred
tied with allowing divorce for a certain
cause is not properly interpreted The
word used by Christ in the original Greek
does not mean adultery. he said, but pre-
nuptial unchastity. This he held TO be a
positive bar to marriage. There can be nc
real marriage, he said where either party
| is unchaste, unless there had been con
| fession on the part of the guilty party
| He held that there Is no power on earth
| either civil or ecclesiastical which can sci
| aside a marriage solemnized by the
| church. The minister does not marry the
parties. They marry themselves and come
to the church to have the union solemniz-
ed. The priest calls upon God to witness
their act and invokes upon them the sane
ton and blessing of the church.
The true meaning of marriage, Mr.. Soul
| ly said, is the solemnization of matrimony
The origin of the word matrimony Is from
the Latin mater-mother-an its rea
meaning is motherhood or maternity
| Hence a marriage is solemnization o
maternity This being the case the unioI
is sacred and inviolate. The marriage Ger
emory, he said, unites the pair, not unit
they are tired of each other, but so Ions
as they both live. There is nothing sale
about incompatibility of temper. They ar
not united simply until they are tired o
| each other.
The preacher also dwelt upon the words
| of the Savior, ''They twain shah be on,
flesh" and said that such union as thi
| is nseparabie He spoke of the demoraliz
| ing influence of divorce. 1t is common
| knowledge, he said, that collision an,
fraud are often resorted to by the partie
to divorce suits in order to attain the
ends. He held IN conclusion that there 4
no court in the world that can grant alb
solute divorce. A natural and moral CLAIM
remains, which cannot be broken or sew
cred by civil or ecclesiastical law. The wo
man who has once been the wife Of a MAJ
can go to him at any time and deman,
money for the support of herself and he
children by reason of this natural claim
| In support of this assertion the decision o
Chief Justice Ryan in which the latter up
holds this view, that the relation between
man and wife is of too sacred a nature
for any statute or court decision to affec
it. The legal bond may be severed, but th'
natural tie between husband and wife re
mains. 1t Is beyond the jurisdiction of I'll,
law and will remain so long as life lasts.
|
A A liz.