The Newtown bee., 1903-05-15
SOCIAL TOPICS, NO. l3.
SCRIPTURE EXAMPLE.-BY o. o.
 WRIGHT.

WRIGHT.
 The Church prays for those wLo take upon themselves the VOWS of Holy That as Isaac and Rebec ca lived faithfully together, so these persons may surely perfom and keep the VOW and covenant betwixt them made, and may remain in perfect love and peace together through Jesus Christ our Lord.''
 The story of the courtship of Isaac and Rebecca is poetic and beautiful and has always been found full of spir- itual suggestion to all of deep relig- iOuS nature.
 It is matter of the highest signif- icance that in the Bible We, lock is treated as being so vital and sacred that it is used to express the nearest spiritual relations of tine SaviOnr to the souls of the redeemed. The Church is the Bride, the Lambs wife Marriage is set forth as matter of divine providence and not of mere convenience and pleasure. It is not a
 
 rangement. It is in fact a serious and important part of the Creators plan for the moral and spiritual ;prepara- tion of the children of earth for the life eternal. As it nvolves..everything in this life it must also concern us with reference to our future state, in the great hereafter. It is for life' and as matter of fact it either makes or unmakes the most of people, for this world at least.
 Read the 24th chapter of Genesis. Abraham was old. Sarah, his wife had died, and Isaac, their son by di- vine promise was about 40 years of age, and unmarried. People lived longer in those early ages and were not in so great haste as they are in these mod ern times.
 Abraham called his ''eldest servant of his house," a faithful and trusted steward, Eliezer was his name, and put him under oath not to take wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites among whom they were dwelling: but that he would go back and find bride for him among his kindred in the land of Mesopotamia, about l25 miles away.
 The Canaanites were heather and their religion was false and corrupting. Besides the land where they dwelt had been promised to Abraham and bis seed forever. Isaac was the only heir of the promise of the covenant and it was all important that, ''This chapter evidently presents picture for all time, of sacred bride-wooing.'
 The first consideration in the choice of true yoke-tellow for life should be that of religion. The Church Ideal is the true one. Those who come to the Altar with their wedding ring are supposed to have been bap- tized in infancy, brought up in the nuture of the Ford, confirmed in the faith, and living in communion with Christi How truly then may the priest say as he joins the hands of true lovers: "Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.'
 How different is this divine idea from that of the hasty, ill-assorted ungodly, runaway matches so shame fully common in this day! Younl men and young women ought to learr to look upon each other as immorta beings, bearing the image of thu Eternal One, and their courtship ant marriage should be conducted as fo the kingdom of heaven. The relig ious part of our beings and character and'was meant to control all our con duct in life. There can be nothing more powerful than the will of GO' ruling in our hearts and minds Hence, to be wed in the Lord, in tn same Church, would seem to fulfil thu highest standard, and warrant tn most perfect harmony of life. And S Paul's exhortation is: "Be ye not un equally yoked together with unbe
 lievers."
 The Patriarchal idea was doubles
 the divine one:-the union of Spiritua
 kindred and equality, by birth ant education.