Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-11-09
DUTY TO GOD
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
An Appeal to Put Forth the Best That
is Within Us.

New York City-Dr. III. 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 shall
cleave to his wife; and they twain shall
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 Gcd
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 has
been maintained they have been the
sources and centres Of light and love;
but when their integrity has been as
sailed untold sorrows and suffering
have come upon mankind.
Christ wrought the beginning Of His
miracles at q marriage feast, in gath
ering Of families; and the pen Of in.
spiration pictures Him as the Bride
groom and Els Church as the Bride.
The holy ordinance Of marriage was
given to support social order; to in
crease human happiness, and to pro-
vide that through we'll regulated fami-
lies truth and righteousness might be
transmitted from age to age. The vio-
Ia Nf i+e,x Sc or,Iyn fl,
heart of human progress and civiliza-
ton. In the West Indies, we are told,
there is a timber that has all the ap-
pearance Of strength and solidity, but
when the test is applied it snaps asund.
er and fine white powder fills the air.
Ihe cause is now apparent; worm has
eaten its way into the heart Of the
wood and slowly but surely devoured
Its fiber until hollow shell only re-
mains.
The divorce evil, If not arrested, will
gradually undermine our proud civiliZa-
ton, and when the testing time comes
what appeared to be SO attractive will
prove to be only hollow sham.
In the discussion of marriage and d.
vorce will call your attention to a
divine law, 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: Hs' Is it lawful for a man
70 put 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
De allowed only in the case of adultery
at the head Of the other was Hiliel,
VINO maintained that a man might put
away his wife for any cause at all. The
tempters Of Christ thought that the
trap was well set, for if He failed tc
noid strict views on the marriage ques.
1lon they would report Him to the fol
lowers Of Shammai, and if He held the
opposite opinion they would turn upon
Tim the enmity of the followers OF
h'ilel. one OF whose strong adherents
was Herod. who had just beheadeo
Jonn the Baptist. In the words of an
other: Brushing aside their quibbling
Jesus goes back to foundation princi
pies and gives His message to The
caurch OF all ages con ncerning marriage
and DIVORCE
II is tivefold message: The mar
rage OF one man and one woman is q
ulslhe institution; it is divine act; il
JOINS husband and wife in a relation
closer and more binding than the rela
.ion or parent and child; it so unifie.
husband and wife that they cease to b.
Two and become one flesh; and it cal
oe dissolved only by death. When th,
punt was made by the Pharisees tha
noses maintained that writing of di
sorcement shall be given under certain
conditions, Jesus declared that this wa
!, concession to the hardness Of heart O
the people.
Ine position Of Jesus Christ on th
subject under discussion is clearly sc
.orth in His Sermon on the Mount: IT
mas been said, whatsoever shall pu
away his wife. let him give her writ
sns Of enforcement. but I say unto 70,