by D r . M a r tin R . D eH aan
W hat sorrow, regret, and grief would be avoided if Christian parents and children alike would only obey the simple, clear, and helpful instruction of the Word of God. The Christian home should be the nearest thing to heaven here upon this earth, and yet the old- fashioned Christian home is fast disappearing with the resultant breakdown of morals and its increase in divorce and juvenile delinquency. Divorce is always wrong among Christians; it is never right and is never to be justified. It is always because of sin and failure to obey the clear teaching of the Word of God somewhere along the line. Divorce should never even be mentioned by true believers, let alone indulged in. It should never even come to our minds. There are no differences, no troubles, no arguments, which cannot be lovingly solved if we are only willing to obey God, instead of stubbornly insisting upon our own selfish and fleshly ways. But the seeds of divorce are planted long before the marriage, and the root of divorce lies in the failure of men and women to follow God’s simple rules laid down in the Scriptures. The great majority of broken homes are determined long before the wedding takes pjace. The causes which later have resulted in separation could only have been pre vented before the marriage union was consumated. An Ounce of Prevention We are, therefore, far more interested in the preven tion of these ills than in seeking to fix them up after they have happened. The only remedy lies in avoiding, before marriage, the things which inevitably result in disaster, after marriage. We, therefore, wish to point out some of the things to be avoided before marriage is even con templated. Hasty Marriages One of the most frequent causes of the broken home is the hasty marriage. Marriage is a most serious thing; it is a life contract before Almighty God, never to be broken, and when it is broken;- it is in absolute disobedience to the original purpose and plan of Almighty God. Jesus plainly said: “ From the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his w ife.” Mark 10:6-7 In the sight of God, marriage therefore, is for life, without any exceptions. When you were married you promised that, “ forsaking every other, you would cleave to her only so long as you both should live.” Do you remember making that promise, as you stood before the preacher? That was your promise made solemnly before Almighty God, “ To cleave to her only and alone as long as you both should live.” To fail to keep that promise, solemnly made on the day of your wedding is to break your marriage vow and become a covenant breaker in the sight of Almighty God. Oh, young people, young men and young women, avoid hasty marriages. Think, pray, con sider, look before you leap, rather than act in haste and repent at leisure. THE KING'S BUSINESS
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