Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-03-05
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON 6Y
REV. Or. II. p. EXPERIMENTATION.
Subject: Christ's Views OF Marriage.

C0E1SC'0 Jews On 0AAkXASS0s
R~idgeheld, N. in st. James
Church here Sunday the rector, the
Rev. DR.. H. p. ~Lyman-Wheaton.
preached on "Christ's Views on Mar
riage and Social Subjects" The text
was from Mark 1926:
For when they shall rise from The
dead. they neither marry, nor are
given in marriage" Among other
things he said:
There is one distinct doctrine
which the manner Of Christ's ministry
has laid firmly down. that there Is, in
the descent Of persons into sin, no
depth so low that they may not be
rescued from it, and that there scarce
ly aver is a case in which the image
of God in a man is too much blotted
and married to be made bright again.
Yet look how this, our Lords way.
of dealing with sinners was misunder-
stood. His compassion of them was
spoken of as indicating a light esd-
mate of the nature of sin. They muir
INJURED at Him because He had gone
to be guest with a man who was a sim
ner and said, "This man receiveth
sinners and eateth with them" We
may indeed safely say that not n OF
these who sat at table with Him
would leave it without feeling that
they ought to lead q better life, and
with a quiet resolve to do so. They
who had a bitter spirit against Him
which would not see anything but evil
in all He did, called Him a %gluttonous
man aid a wine-bibber;Nyet they said
Of John the Baptist. .whQ-scaHs.
neither eating nor drinking" that he
had a devil. If these people had
looked into their own hearts they
would have found that it was neither
the eating, drinking nor fasting that
brought forth their hard words and
names, but an accusing conscience
stirred from it's sleep. John the Bap-
lists shrill cry, "Repent," was truly
in season;yet his manne of life could
not be taken as "a pattern by those
who had already formed social ties
and habits. However much a man
might be willing and wish to live
in the retirement of the wilderness
upon wild food, he would hear the
voice of wife and children crying be-
hind him in a form which would
| plainly tell him he must be religious
and show his religion in another way.
So here the example of our Lords
sociability. stepped in to teach thai
His trua religion was not against fam
lily relationships and duties, but that
it might be an element in them giving
them warmth and adding to their
joys. It was, no. doubt, to give an i'm
| preston of this kind hat at h be-
| ginning of His public ministry He was
present at a marriage ceremony. He
regarded human nature in all it's de-
partments and showed His spiritual
truth was applicable to all and a
| goodly leaven in the affections both
of the mind and heart. No religion
could widely prevail which did not
recognize the social nature and in
stincts of man. Why should they not
be recognized, since God had given
larities and extravaganza that we
see chiefly traces of the great original
fall of man, the Office of religion is
not to crush the life out Of the root
but to put new life into it. The great
est of all the sins proceeding out of
social life had, by the Jewish law,
placed upon it the penalty of death;
yet it is evident our Lord thought
there might be a better mode of deal
ing with it. To His perfectly pure
mind the sin of adultery must have
appeared horrible, yet He sought to
protect the woman who was taken in
it from stoning, placing at the same
time a stigma upon her offense, go
and sin NJ more"
We may see from our Lords words
on the subject of divorce how sacred
and lasting He held the ties of mar
riage to be. It al said, He thought,
there should never have been need
of such a proceeding a divorce, and
it was the hardness of mems hearts
that forced upon men the promulga-
ton of the aw. 1t vas entirely out
of line of the providence OF God, who,
in the beginning, made them male
and female, and joined them together
neve to be put asunder. Even th<
existence of such a power as divorce
takes away from the dignity OF mar
rage, and so our Lord placed a mari
upon her or him who availed hersel
or himself of it, "Whoso marrieth he:
that is put away committeth adul
terry" When marriage was what i
ought to be, and what it was intende'
to be by the Creator, a union an,
perfect harmony Of the highest affec
tions OF our nature, it was the mos
sacred of all institutions upon earth
In little children, the fruits of sue
high and honorable affections, Their
was the likeness of the kingdom Q
: God. "Suffer little children to com
unto Me, for CT such is the kingdo1
Of Heaven" And that happy HON
: Of brotherly and sisterly love
Bethany was a picture Of deligh
which it soothed Him to look at, an
! which, afterward, when it appeare
under a cloud, grieyed Him to tt
quick.
: All these expressions of our Lord
sympathy with the social feelings
human nature should be distinct
= kept in view when we examine 9th
- words of His which seem on the su
} face to be in opposition TO them. F.
example, such sayings as this: II
l that hath forsaken wife or cnildrt
20 for My names sake shall receive
y hundred-fold and shall inherit eve
lasting life" For the kingdom
u Heavens sake, He said, some ha
never formed these ties Of wife al
:. children, and they shall receive in t
- rich harvest of Heavenly neaca a.