Unlawful Marriages by Joseph Bates

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 12, 1857

Unlawful Marriages.

By Joseph Bates

The following testimony respecting this matter should be carefully examined and weighed by all who may cherish any wish or desire to marry again, while they have a wife or husband living, lest they fall into a snare which may eventually prove their destruction.

"And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery." Mark x, 11, 12.

"Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery; and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband, committeth adultery." Luke xvi, 18.

The apostle Paul illustrates the above as follows:

"For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." Rom. vii, 2, 3.

Again he shows what the Lord commands:

"And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband; and let not the husband put away his wife. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." 1 Cor. vii, 10, 11, 39.

The Saviour's testimony on this subject, recorded by Mark and Luke, varies a little from the same recorded by Matthew; viz.:

"But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." Matt. v, 32.

Again, "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her that is put away doth commit adultery." Chap. xix, 9.

But the apostle Paul's illustration of the whole subject to the Romans, and what he says the Lord commands in his letter to the Corinthians, shows very plainly that he viewed the text in Matt. the same as he did those in Mark and Luke.

All who have ignorantly entered into such unlawful covenants of marriage, and have thereby violated the commandments of God, according to the foregoing scripture testimony, will find relief by observing the following rules, viz.:

"And if any of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty; or if his sin which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, . . . and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin which he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him." Lev. iv, 27, 28, and last clause of verse 35.

Under the gospel the offering is godly sorrow for sin. Says Paul, "Who was before a blasphemer, (violating the third commandment,) and a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." 1 Tim. i, 13.

JOSEPH BATES. Battle Creek, March 1st, 1857.