The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-11-02
DUTY / TO GOD
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
An Appeal to Put Forth the Best That
is Within Us.

New York City.-Dr. II. Allen Tup-
per, pastor of the Fifteenth Street Bap-
fist Church, preached Sunday on Mar
riage and Divorce" The text was
Matthew xiX:4-6: And He answered
and said unto them: Have We not read
that He which made them at the be-
ginning made them male and female,
and said for this cause shall man
leave father and mother and snail
cleave to his wife: and they twain snail
be one flesh: What therefore God
hath Joined together, let not man put
asunder." DR.. Tupper said:
Marriage was the first institutional
gift of God to man; and the family was
the first organization formed by Goa
for the blessing Of humanity. during
all the centuries, amid the changes OF
governments, ceremonies and dispensa-
tions, the impress of divine favor rest
ed upon these heaven-born establish
ments. and when their integrity mas
been maintained they have been the
sources and centres Of light and love;
but when their integrity has Deen as
sailed untold sorrows and SuHerlhS
have come upon mankind.
Christ wrought the beginning OF his
miracles at a marriage feast, in gath
erinc Of families; and the pen or IN
spiration pictures Him as the Bride
groom and His Church as the Brlde.
The holy ordinance of. marriage was
piyen to support social order; TO IN
crease human happiness. ana 10 pro-
vide that through we'll regulated 1anl-
lies truth and righteousness might pe
transmitted from age to age. Inc Nio-
lation of its vows is the canker at the
heart of human progress and clvlllZa-
tion. In the West Indies, we are told,
there is q timber that has all the ap-
pearance of strength and Splidity, out
when the test is applied it snaps asund-
or and q fine white powder fills the air.
The cause is now apparent: q worm mas
eaten its way into the heart or the
wood and slowly but surely devoureu
its fiber until q hollow she'll only re-
mains.
The divorce evil. if not arrested, VIII
gradually undermine our proud civillza-
tion, and when the testing time comes
what appeared to be so attractive VIII
prove to be only hollow sham.
In the discussion Of marriage ana ol-
vorce will call your attention to
divine law. q social disease and fatal
danger.
First-A divine law. Centuries ago
the cunning Pharisees attempted to en-
trap the divine Teacher by asking Him
the question: "Is it lawful for n man
TO nut away his wife for every cause"
In that day there existed two opposing
schools. At the head Of one was Sham.
mai, who insisted that divorce should
be allowed only in the case of adultery;
at the head Of the other was Hlliei,
who maintained that man might put
away his wife for any cause at all. Ihe
tempters Of Christ thought that the
tran was we'll set, for IL He failed to
hold strict views on the marriage ques-
ton they would report Him to the loi-
lowers Of Shammai, and If He held the
opposite opinion they would turn upon
Him the enmity Of the followers or
Hillel. one Of whose strong adherents
WAS Herod, who had Just beheaded
John the Baptist. In the words of an
other: Brushing aside their quibbiing.
Jesus goes back to foundation princl-
piles and gives His message to the
church of all ages concerning marriage
and divorce"
1t is a fivefold message: The mar
riage Of one man and one woman Is
divine institutions; it is q divine act; II
joins husband and wife in relation
closer and more binding than the rela-
ton of parent and child: it so unihes
husband and wife that they cease TO De
two and become one flesh; and it can
be dissolved only by death. When the
point was made by the Pharisees that
Moses maintained that writing OF d.
yorcement shall be given under certain
conditions, Jesus declared that this was
a concession to the hardness of heart OF
the people.
The position of Jesus Christ on the
subject under discussion is clearly set
forth in His Sermon on the Mount: IL
has been said, 'Whosoever shall put
away his wife, let him give her writ
ling of enforcement, but I say unto You
that whosoever shall put away his
| wife saving for the cause OF fornica-
ton. causeth her to commit adultery"
And Mark records these words OF
Jesus: "Whosoever putteth away his
wife and marrieth another committeth
adultery against her. And II woman
shall put away her husband and be
married to another she committeth
adultery" And in Luke we have set
| forth the same law OF Christ. From
| His recorded words we are forced to
! the following conclusions: That Jesus
allowed divorce on one and only one
| ---o,nd oopoa1r od,,ltar-v oOd that He
seems to allow the re-marriase OF Inc
innocent party.
In Ephesians v::22-2S Paul gives the
noblest picture Of the sanctity and dig
nity of the marriage relation. for he
compares it to the mystic union be-
tween Christ and the glorious church OF
the redeemed for whom Christ died.
This is no temporary bond to be
snapped at will. Jesus is to-day the
| Head of His Church. and it is being
purified by Him and made without
spot or wrinkle Moreover. in Romans
vi;:1-6 Paul argues that the Christian
| is set free from the bondage or the
law, as the woman can have new
husband only on the death Of the
former husband. But in Corinthians
vii:12-16 Paul speaks OF the problem in
| family life presented where the huS.
band is q Christian and the wife q
heather and vice versa. He has two
| things to say about this new problem
| that had not arisen when Jesus spoke
on the subject. His first word is that
| the Christian must not force separa'
ton. If the heather husband or wife
| ia WILLING to coDTi0ue tho 1IniOD the