River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-08-13


polygamist, was q
descendant of Cain, who founded a
civilization of city-building, music and
mechanical arts without any recogni-
ton of God, whose authority he had
repudiated, and polygamy, which, like
other sins, God endured but never ap-
proved, was in direct opposition to his
law.
2. The marriage of one man and
one woman is not only a divine In
stitution, but a DIVINE ACT, WHAT
GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER"
Matt. 1850 The fact that marriages
turn out badly is not proof that God
did not have part in the ceremony.
The first marriage did not turn out
very we'll. The husband was enticed
by the wife into sin, and both hus-
band and wife learned to know what
broken heart means when they
stood over the corpse of their son,
slain by the murderous hand of his
brother.
8. The marriage of one man and one
woman by this divine institution and
divine act JOINS HUSBAND AND
WIFE IN A RELATION CLOSER AND
MORE BINDING THAN THE RELA-
TION BETWEEN PARENT AND
| CHILD. We read in Genesis 2:24:
Therefore shall a man leave his IA
Their and mother and cleave unto his
WIFE" Jesus quotes these words with
approval. Matt. 1850
4. The marriage of one man and one
woman by divine institution and di-
vine act, joining them in relation
closer and more binding than the re-
lation between parent and child, so
UNIFIES HUSBAND AND WIFE
THAT THEY CEASE TO BE TWO,
AND BECOME ONE FLESH. Jesus
declares that they are no more two,
but one flesh. (Matt. 1860 | do
not know all that this means, but it
plainly teaches the duality of husband
and wife, and makes this duality the
unit Of home life, treating husband
and wife never as individuals, but as
one. The duality of husband and wife
makes living organism, of which
Paul says the husband is the head
and the wife is the body. To unmarry
them is to destroy this living organ
| ism; and that is murder. The word
"asunder' is very suggestive Some
early Christians were "sawn asun-
| der" and that is the kind of work the
divorce courts are doing. They are
saving asunder those who in Gods
sight are organically one and are thus
numbering the home life of our land.
5. The marriage of one man and one
woman by divine institution and
divine act, joining them in relation
closer and more binding than the rela-
ton between parent and child and SO
unifying them as to make them no
longer two but one flesh, CAN BE
| DISSOLVED ONLY BY DEATH.
When under the orange blossoms you
pledge before God and man to take
each other "for better or worse till
death do you part you echo the
teaching of Christ.
Jesus says: ut hath been said,
whosoever shall put away his wife, let
him give her writing of divorce
ment. But l say unto you that who
soever shall put away his wife, saw
ing for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery"
Matt. 31:32) The word ''fornica-
ton means uncleanness between
those who are unmarried, and adul-
terry means uncleanness between per-
sons one of whom at least is married.
Turn to the law of Moses in Deut
24:1 and you will see that the hus
band was permitted to put away his
wife, if she found no favor in his eyes,
because he had found some unclean
ness in her, which evidently referred
to sin committed before marriage. II
he discovers that he has married bad
woman he may put her away. But
the words of Jesus give no permission
to remarry, for the phrase, cher that
is divorced" is only one word in the
Greek, and means "a divorced wom-
an" So that Jesus really says who
soever shall put away his wife and
marry a divorced woman" commit,
teth adultery. In the light Of this law
of Moses it is clear that Christ uses
the word 'fornication" in it's usual
sense of uncleanness before marriage,
and distinguishes it from adultery, as
is done in Matt. 1919, Mark 1921, and
Galatians 5:19.