Year: 1874

by tue interests, perhaps, OF their own on
spring, aud by the law Of God, to first make
a hearty, honest endcavor to reconcile their
difficulties, lay aside their grievances and
bury them forever, and 10 live together in
peace, though the bond of love be not strong.
If they will try to bear and forbcar with
each other, they may be able to make the
current Of life run smoothly enough to make
it far more desirable for themselves and
others to remain together, than to separate.
But if this fails, then there is one remedy
provided by the law Of God, let them live
apart, but let them both remain unmarried.
Let them not by any means plunge into sin
and crime by entering into vile relations
with other parties. Says Paul Unto the
married | command, yet not |, but the
Lord, let not the wife depart from her hus-
band But aud If she depart, let her re-
main unmarried, or be reconciled to her
husband aud let not the husband put away
his wife" repeat, in the word Of God |
there is no such thing as a divorce con-
templated, except in the one case Of moral
in6delity. In every other, no matter what,
though the law Of the land steps in to rup-
ture the tie, and though by duo course Of
law the parties are pronounced disunited,
in the eye of the law Of God they are still
husband and wife, the same that they ever
were, and if either enter into another rela-
ton with another party, it is a foul blot
upon the character of the individual and
upon society.-Matt. XIX 40.


These remarks will lead us to sec what
is the real social and moral position Of per.
sons who again marry after they arc di.
vorced, while the husband or the wife that
is put away lives. 1t is a position below
par. The new relation is an immoral and
vile one; because the standing of the per-
sons in it cannot be vrtuous. If persons
in any good community are known to live
together as husband and wife while they
are unmarried, there is 90 virtuous person |
in it who will be at loss to know what po-
siiion to assign them but from what l have
said, divorced persons cannot, consistently
with the law of God, be married while the
other party is living, hence if one divorced
is united according to the law of the land
with a third party, it is vile relation, and
Why should the social and moral standing Of
such be thought better than that Of the uu.
married who live together?


Do you ask why Ispeak on this subject
Because believe that a higher tone of
moral sentiment needs to be entertained in
the land in regard to it. A rottenuess ex-


lists in the heart Of society, and it is grow
ing every year. The very core of the So
cial fabric is being consumed by the rotten
sentiment that marriage is only a mutual
contract, to be continued only at the will Of
the parties. We need to aim at an eleva-
ton Of the moral tone. We need to guard |
against a sentiment so false and dangerous
as that which sunders the marriage tie,
aud breaks up the family relation, when
ever the parties in it indulge in some freak
not altogether agreeable to one or the other.


We need to begin to tone up on this sub
ject, in the way Of educating aud restrain
ing the young, and not let them rush
hastily into a relation which will do more
to promote their happiness or unhappiness,
than any other relation Of life, or without
considering whether they can endure it for
life, or will want it sundered after a few
years Of trial. 1t is relation that has
more to do with the prosperity of the church
Of Christ, and the salvation of the soul,
than any other human relation. And why |
should we not cherish it, and guard it, and
maintain everywhere upon it those views
which the Bible presents.