Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-11-09
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SUNDAY SERMON
Y y y T
A Scholarly Discourse By
Dr.. H. Allen Tupper.

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New York City.-Dr. 81. Allen Tup-
Der, pastor Of the Fifteenth Street Bap-
tist Church, prea ched 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 a 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 God
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 sunerlng
have come upon mankind.
Christ wrought the beginning of His
miracles at a marriage feast, in gath
ering of families; and the pen of III
spirat.ean pictures Him as the Bride
groom and His Church as the Bride.
The holy ordinance of marriage was
choia1 nr1nr. fn in
crease human happiness, and to pro-
vide that through well regulated fami-
lies truth and righteousness might be
transmitted from age to age. The Vlo-
lation of its vows is the canker at the
heart of human progress and civlliza-
ton. In the West Indies, we are told,
there is timber that has all the ap-
pearance of strength and solidlty, but
when the test is applied it snaps asund-
er and fine white powder fills the air.
The cause is now apparent; worm mas
eaten It's way into the heart Of the
wood and slowly but surely devoured
it's 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
dhnger.
First-A divine law. Centuries ago
the cunning Pharisees attempted to en-
trap the divine Teacher by asking Him
the question: us 1t lawful for Il man
to 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
be allowed only in the case Of adultery;
at the head of the other was Hiliel,
who maintained that man might put
away his wife for any cause at all. The
temptcrs of Christ thought that the
trap was we'll set. for if He failed to
hold strict views on the marriage queS-
ton they would report Him to the fol
lowers Of Shammai, and If He held the
opposite opinion they would turn upon
Him the enmity Of the followers of
Hillcl. one of whose strong adhercntS
was Herod, who had just beheaded
John the Baptist. In the words of an
other: brushing aside their quibbling,
Jesus goes back to foundation prlnci-
pies and gives His message to the
church of all ages concerning marriage
and divorce"
1t is a tiyefold message: The mar
riagc Of one man and one woman is II
divine institutions; it is divine act; it
ioins husband and wife in relation
closer and more binding than the rela-
ton of parent and child; it so unitieS
husband and wife that they cease to be
two and become one tiesh and 1t can
be dissolved only by death When the
point was made by the Pharlsees that
Moses maintained that a writing of di-
vorcement 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: 1T
has been said, 'Whosoever shall put
away his wife. let him give her writ
ing of enforcement. but | 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 If 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
ground, namely, adultery, and that He
seems to allow the re-marriage of The
innocent party.
In Ephesians v:22-2S Paul gives the
noblest picture Of the sanctity and dig
nifty of the marriage relation. fQY 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 10 be
snapped at will. Jesus is to-day the
Head Of His Church, and 1t is being
purified by Him and made without
spot or wrinkle. Moreover, in Romans
vii:1-6 Paul argues that the Christian
is set free from the bondage Of the
law. as the woman can have new
husband only on the death or the
former husband. But in | Corinthians
vii:1216 Paul speaks of the problem in
family life presented where the hus-
band is Christian and the wife n
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 a separa-
ton. If the heather husband or wife
is willing to continue the union, the
Christian must be willing to do so.
The marriage is legitimate and the
children are legitimate. But the other
word is this: Suppose tho heather
husgand or wife is not willing to keep
up the marriage relation and insists on
separation, then what? Well, let the
unbelieving husband or wife go, says