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But we view the apostle's testimony in a very different light from that in which it is generally understood. We do not suppose that the prediction had any further allusion to that civil institution which is generally called marriage, than as a significant figure. "The Spirit speaketh expressly," saith the apostle. This prediction was therefore given in the language of the Spirit. And according to the testimony of the same apostle, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are "foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they "are spiritually discerned."* How then should the natural man be able to understand what the Spirit meant by "forbidding to marry?" Yet the lovers of carnal pleasure profess to know all about it, and confidently pervert the language of the Spirit into an argument to condemn the United Society, and favor their own carnal gratifications.

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The apostle's testimony undoubtedly alluded to spiritual marriage. This appears evident from his own language on other occasions. "He that is joined to the Lord, is one spirit."+ And again; "Neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman "without the man, in the Lord. This is a great mystery," saith the apostle; "but I speak concerning Christ and the church.||— "For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." In this consists the true spiritual marriage, or marriage of the Lamb, by which souls are enabled to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit. "Wherefore, my brethren, ye "also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye "should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the "dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”** This is the marriage which the apostle invariably maintained, and is that which was forbidden by those apostates of whom he spoke; and which the lovers of carnal pleasure among all denominations, have always opposed, as being contrary to their carnal corruptions; because they are "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God." In this sense, the charge of "forbidding to marry," which the lovers of carnal pleasure are so ready to charge upon the United Society, may with strict propriety be retorted upon themselves. For, not content with the free and unlimited indulgence of their darling pleasures, they have ever been loud in their vociferations against that life of virgin purity which the apostle so strongly recommends as the only true spiritual marriage. While on the other hand, the United Society, tho they have conscientiously borne the cross of self-denial themselves, have ever been willing that all who differ from them in opinion, should freely act according to the dictates of their own consciences, without any disposition to molest † chap. vi. 17%

* 1 Cor. i'.14.

2 Cor. xi. 2.

‡ chap. xi. 11. **Rom. vii 4.

Eph. v. 32

them in their pleasures, or hinder them from marrying whenever they please.

Objection 8. Jesus Christ himself did not condemn marriage; but on the contrary, he not only honored a marriage with his presence, but gave it an extraordinary and most miraculous sanction, by turning water into wine for the guests to drink. What greater evidence could any one ask to prove his divine approbation?

Answer. His enemies adopted the same mode of reasoning to prove him "a gluttonous man, and a wine bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners ;" and doubtless they felt as much confidence in the strength of their argument as our objectors do in theirs. And why should they not? Did he not honor with his presence the assemblies of publicans and harlots? Did he not eat and drink with them, and work miracles for them? And where was the trueblooded Pharisee that would not have condemned a man for a wine-bibber, and a promoter of drunkenness, who would go and turn so much water into wine after men had well drunk? And could any man that would frequent the assemblies of such base characters, escape the scandal of being a partaker with them, or the charge of encouraging them in their wickedness?

So reasoned the Scribes and Pharisees, and so will all carnal men reason when they want to subvert the testimony of truth for the purpose of promoting their own carnal views. And indeed if

we are to consider the attendance of Jesus at the wedding, and his miracle of turning water into wine, as any evidence in favor either of marriage or drunkenness, it must unquestionably have by far the greatest appearance of favoring the latter: for there is not the least evidence that he sanctioned the former, either by word or work; but his enemies found a very plausible reason to charge him with sanctioning the latter.

But with all their reasoning and all their evidence, they could never prove that the Lord Jesus ever sanctioned the evil practices of these sinners, or authorized them to continue in sin. It is true he did not condemn this darling' practice of the world; nor did he condemn the adultress, tho she was taken in the very act; but after convicting her accusers, he bid her "go and sin no more." He was not sent into the world to condemn the world; that was not the object of his mission; "but that the world through him might be saved."* In making these visits, the Savior of the world had a nobler object in view, which was to preach the gospel to poor fallen creatures, who were thus lost in sin and wickedness, and to teach them, by precept and example, a better manner of life. was therefore necessary that he should come down to them in their fallen and lost state, and find them where they were lost, and ren

*John iii 17.

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der himself accessible to them in that state, in order to reclaim them, or they never would have been saved by him, but must still have remained under their loss.

The miracle of turning water into wine, on that particular occasion, which is the only instance we have on record, and doubtless the only one which ever took place, was for a far more important purpose than to sanction matrimony or promote intemperance. "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and "manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”* By this he showed forth the divine authority of his mission, proved his God-like power, and confirmed the faith of his followers. But this was not all: It was designed and eminently calculated to be a figurative representation of his own spiritual marriage at the period of his second coming, and of that heavenly wine, which he afterwards spoke to his disciples of drinking with them, in his Father's Kingdom.t

Objection 9. This doctrine of celibacy, if generally admitted, would overthrow the institution of matrimony; the consequences of which would be very shocking to society. Abolish this institution, and all those civil and religious ties which bind families together, would be severed at once. The legal descent of inheritance, the property of heirs, and the ties of consanguinity would be no longer known. Those social connections which unite husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, and on which depends the very foundation of human society, would be entirely destroyed, and mankind would soon be reduced to a state of anarchy and confusion.

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Answer. This objection, if applied to mankind in a natural state, would indeed appear formidable; but when applied to the followers of Christ, it is more specious than solid. As an objec tion against the doctrine of christian celibacy maintained by the United Society, it is without foundation. That practical celibacy and christian continence, which we consider as the great privilege of the true followers of Christ, in this day of his second appearing, very far from interfering with any useful institution of civil society. The children of this world and the followers of Christ are two distinct orders of people. "The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage;" and have a natural right to all the eivil institutions of the country to which they belong, so long as they are subject to its laws and ordinances. "But they who shall "be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection “from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage."‡`The followers of Christ are governed by the law of Christ, which is a law of justice and holiness; and so long as they do not interfere with the civil institutions of men, they cannot be chargeable with severing the bonds of civil society.

* Joha ii. 11,

† See Matt. xxvi. 29. & Rev-iŝa. 7, 9.

Luke xx. 34, 3

We consider matrimony to be a civil institution, and as such, it is both useful and necessary for mankind in their natural state; but it does not belong to the true followers of Christ; and for that reason they have nothing to do with it. As members of a christian institution, established by the law of Christ, and wholly unconnected with the civil, political and religious institutions of the world, it is inconsistent with our christian faith to interfere with any of their concerns. But at the same time, we are perfectly willing that every such institution, which produces any beneficial influence on its members, should be freely supported by those to whom it belongs, and whose concern it is to support it; and it is right and just that all people should act their own faith in this, as well as in all other matters.

The apostle Paul taught the Corinthians that it was "better to marry than to burn ;" and we have ever acknowledged it better to marry than to do worse. We readily admit that the institution of marriage is useful in its place; because it has a tendency to prevent many evils in society which could not otherwise be avoided. And for mankind, in their present state, it is absolutely necessary; because without it, the excesses of lawless lust would destroy every vestige of good order in society, and produce confusion and ruin among the human race. We will even admit that marriage is honorable in a state of nature, where the parties enter into it from honorable and conscientious motives, and are honestly and sincerely united in their endeavors to make an honorable use of it. But its frequent, fraudulent and shameful abuses are disgraceful to the parties, and cast a shameful blot upon the institution itself.

But tho we acknowledge the marriage institution to be both useful and necessary for the world in its present state; yet for the followers of Christ, who are called to forsake the course of the world, and to crucify the flesh with all its affections and lusts, it is neither necessary nor useful, but the contrary; it therefore forms no part of their duty, and can have no place among them. Their union is spiritual, and needs no fleshly support; their parentage is spiritual, and produces no fleshly offspring; their relation as brethren and sisters is spiritual, and can have no dependence on fleshly relation; their inheritance is spiritual, and cannot be controlled by human laws and institutions. Their temporal property, which is necessary for the support of the body while in this life, is regulated by a sacred compact, being, by mutual agreement, consecrated to religious uses, for the benefit of the whole body; and as such, it descends to their spiritual heirs in the same united capacity. So that all those difficulties concerning temporal property, so common among natural heirs, are prevented by the very nature of the institution, and, unless its rights are infringed upon by lawless usurpers from without, the descent of inheritance occasions no uneasiness to the Society.

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This spiritual relation in the church of Christ, is produced by "the law of the Spirit of life." It is the relation claimed by Jesus Christ, and he acknowledged no other. "Whosoever shall do "the will of my Father which is in Heaven, the same is my broth❝er and sister and mother."* This relation is governed by the law of Christ, which is a law of righteousness and peace; and this law which governs the church of Christ, supersedes the necessity of human laws and human institutions to regulate its own internal concerns. And we have found by experience, that this law is a superior remedy against all those scenes of confusion and disorder, which are so common in the domestic circle, under a state of matrimony; and that it is more eminently calculated to promote the true spirit of union and harmony in society, than all the laws and institutions of matrimony, or any other law or institution ever devised by man.

CHAPTER IV.

The figurative import of Circumcision and other ceremonies under the law.

As Circumcision was an important institution given to Abraham, as the typical father of the faithful, and was continued to his posterity, as a primary and abiding institution, through all the law and the prophets, until the coming of Jesus Christ, it will be necessary to make some remarks upon this subject.

It is generally acknowledged that the ceremonies under the law were typical of gospel ordinances; that they were figures or shadows of something to be fulfilled in substance under the gospel; and that these "carnal ordinances," as the apostle calls them, plainly pointed to the spiritual work of Christ in his first or second appearance, or both. But among all the types of the law, none could be more important than that of circumcision, not only because it was the first, and the foundation of all the rest; but also because it was the very seal of the covenant of promise given to Abraham, and typified a most important institution to be given to the faithful children of God in the latter day, and which was to be a peculiar mark of distinction between them and the rest of mankind.

A figure, to constitute a real type, must have a proper resemblance to the substance which it is designed to prefigure; otherwise it is not a type. It was therefore necessary that the institution of circumcision should bear a real analogy to that gospel institution which it was intended to point out. It is a prevailing opinion among many who consider water baptism as a gospel institution, that it was designed to supply the place of circumcision under the

* Matt mi. 59.

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