The Penn's Grove record., 1908-02-28
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
REV. DR.. H. P. -LYMAN-WHEAToN.
Subject: Christ's Views on Marriage.

Church here Sunday the rector, the
Rev. DR.. II. 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 ChTist'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 eve is a case in which the image
OF God in q nan is too much blotted
and marred 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 esti-
mate of the nature of sin. They MUIR
INJURED at Him because He had gone
TO be guest with a man who was a sir
ner and said, This man receiyeth
sinners and eatetn with them" We
may indeed safely say that II one 81
these who sat at table with Him
would leave it without feeling that
they ought to lead a 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 and a wine-bibber; yet they said
OF John the Baptist, who came
neither eating nor drinking" that he
had a devil. If these people had
iooked 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 its sleep. John the Bap-
lists shrill cry, Repent" was truly
In season, yet his manner of life could
not be taken as a pattern by those
VINO 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 that
His true religion vas not against fam
lily relationships and duties, but that
1t might be an element in them giving
them warmth and adding to their
Joys. 1t was, no doubt, to give an i'm
preston of this kind that at the be-
ginning of His public ministry He was
present at a marriage ceremony. He
regarded human nature in all its de-
partments and showed His spiritual
truth was applicable to all and a
-O~I1- 1910 - +L~ -
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
them, and though it is in their irregu-
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 u 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 LorG 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
plOICtI Tic MOL4dA ~ A1AG[AA IL
it from stoning, placing at the same
time a stigma upon her ofense, 60
and sin no 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. 1t was said, He thought,
there should never have been need
of such a proceeding as divorce, and
it was the hardness OF mems hearts
that forced upon men the promulga-
ton of the law. 1t was entirely out
of line Of the providence of God, who,
in the beginning made them male
and female, and Joined them together,
never to be put asunder. Even the
existence of such a power as divorce
takes away from the dignity of mar
riage, and so our Lord placed a mark
upon her or him who availed herself
or himself of it, Whose maTrieth her
that is put away committeth adul-
terry" When marriage was what it
ought to be, and what it was intended
to be by the Creator, a union and
perfect harmony OF the highest affec-
lions of our nature, it was the most
sacred of all institutions upon earth.
In little children, the fruits Of such
high and honorable affections, there
was the likeness of the kingdom of
God. Suffer little children to come
unto Me, for of such is the kingdom
Of Heaven" And that happy home
of brotherly and sisterly love at
Bethany was a picture OF delight,
which it soothed Him to look at, and
which, afterward, when it appeared
under a cloud, grieved Him to the
quick.
All these expressions of our Lords
sympathy with the social feelings of
human nature should be distinctly
kept in view when we examine other
words of His which seem on the sur
face to be in opposition to them. For
example, such sayings as tkis' He
That hath forsaken wife OF children
for My names sake shall receive an
hundred-fold and shall inherit ever
lasting life For the kingdom OF
Heavens sake, He said, some have
never formed these ties of wife and
children, and they shall receive in the
rich harvest of Heavenly peace and
Joy in their conscience an ample COM
~pensation. Truly we know our Lord
would have said to one who lad al
ready formed the domestic ties OF
wife and children, Show your love to
Me by being a good husband and
father. Blend your social and relig-
ious feelings together, so that the n
will elevate the other. 1t was tho
exa~ggeration of social ties and duties
beyond their proper limit which
Christ spoke so severely against. All
the best ingredients CT social af-
fections, as we so on in Christian life,
pass gradually out of our mortal into
our immortal nature, and rs the spirit
passes out of the body it leaves be-
hind it every feeling OF human ma
ture, but these of the highest and
noblest order.