# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1901_S2 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) The Lutheran Pioneer. (For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.) The Sixth Commandment. Which is the Sixth Commandment? Thou shalt not commit adultery. What does this mean? We should fear and love God, that we may lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse. In this Commandment God protects the holy estate of matrimony, or marriage. Marriage is a divine ordinance, for God Himself instituted it in the garden of Eden when He united Adam and Eve and made them husband and wife. It is, therefore, a holy estate, having the sanction and blessing of the Creator. Gen. 2, 23. 24 it is related that when Eve was brought to Adam, he said: ‘'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one jlesh.’’ From this we learn that mar- tiage is a most intimate union, making hus- band and wife one. From the very intimacy of this union it is already evident that mar- riage shall be the union of one man and one woman. Bigamy and polygamy, that is, the having of two or more wives, is plainly a viola- tion of holy wedlock, since the union between husband and wife is so close as to preclude the possibility of such union being entered upon by a man with more than one woman. The purpose of holy wedlock is stated by God Himself, Gen. 1, 28: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,’’ says the Creator to Adam and Eve. By means of the .estate of matrimony, God wishes the earth to be peopled; children are to be the blessed fruit of this union of husband and wife. Husband and wife by God’s blessing shall become father and mother; and their children shall be their crowns and jewels. It should be needless to say, that this union of husband and wife is to be for life, and yet in this adulterous age it is an everyday occur- rence to see husbands and wives separating for the most trivial reasons. Christ declares in unequivocal terms: ‘What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder” (Matt. 19, 6). When does a man and a woman become hus- band and wife before God? The Bible an- swers this question by telling us that marriage is entered into by a rightful betrothal, or en- gagement. When a man and a woman, hay- ing the consent of their parents, and of the law of God, and of the state, give their mutual and unconditional consent to be husband and wife, then they are husband and wife before God. The angel calls Mary, who was be- ‘Arothed to Joseph, Joseph's wife, and Joseph is called Mary’s husband (Matt. 1, 19.20). So ‘also in the Old ‘Testament a betrothed virgin is called a wife, and unfaithfulness to her be- othed is called adultery and was punished as i Jeut. 22, 23. 24). Such is the holy estate of matrimony which God desires to protect when He says to us in the Sixth Commandment: ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’’ Upon first sight some one might think that this commandment is only addressed to married people. But this is by no means the case, as we shall soon see upon closer investigation. When God forbids adul- tery, He also forbids every sin that may lead to it, be such a sin committed in or out of wedlock. Let us, however, first consider this Com- mandment as it applies to married people. It is to the married person, first of all, that God says, ‘‘Thou shalt not commit adul- tery.”’ David sinned against this Command- ment openly when he cohabited with Bath- sheba, the wife of Uriah (2 Sam. 11). So also Herod and Herodias committed open adul- tery; for Herod was rightfully married to an Arabian princess and Herodias’ husband, the brother of Herod, was still living (Matt. 14). Christ says: ‘‘What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.... Who- soever shall put away his wife, unless it be for fornication, and shall marry another, com- mitteth adultery” (Matt. 19, 6.9). Only when the marriage tie is broken by fornication or by wicked desertion (1 Cor. 7, 15), the inno- cent party is free. But let us not think that only the outward gross act constitutes adultery. Christ de- clares, ‘‘Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart’’ (Matt. 5,28). Hus- band and wife shall love one another, as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5, 22—33); theirs shall be a perfect, exclusive, unchangeable, holy love. Hence when a husband does not love his wife exclusively, or not unchangeably ; or when a wife seeks another, or gives her heart to another, they break their marriage vows, they commit adultery. David already com- mitted adultery with Bathsheba in his heart when he looked upon her to lust after her. That was the first step, and what followed was but a further step, a continuance in the same sin. The Mosaic law punished adulterers with death, thus inflicting upon them the severest punishment possible. St. Paul declares that adulterers, if they do not repent, cannot in- herit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6, 9. 10). ——s< oo “What Mother Taught Me.” A clergyman, who is stationed at one of our largest insane asylums, relates the following incident: One Sunday as I was leaving the hall in which I had as usual preached to a large number of these unfortunates, for whom Lalways felt a deep compassion, knowing that most of them are incapable of appreciating the words I speak, one of the men, with a friendly grin on his expressionless face, stopped me at the door and said in a whisper, ‘'I can pray too.”” The words surprised me, for this poor fellow was regarded as a perfect idiot. He had forgotten everything: his name, his home, his age—about none of these he could give the least information. So I asked somewhat doubt- fully, ‘‘What can you pray??? He answered proudly, ‘‘What mother taught me.’’ ‘And what did mother teach you?’’ I further asked. He folded his hands and devoutly began: “Lord Jesus, who dost love me, O spread Thy wings above me, And shield me from alarm!’ He recited the whole stanza without mistake. Then the vague, staring expression returned into his face, and he was again the same un- fortunate imbecile that he had always been. He had forgotten all—he could not recall a single occurrence of his whole life, only “‘what mother had taught him’’ to pray had not been erased from his poor mind. Oh, that all moth- ers would know and consider what power God has put into their words! > ee “! Fear No Evil.” There was a dreadful storm on the sea, dashing the high waves over the small ship, which seemed to be in great danger. The ship’s crew cursed, and prayed, and lamented. The captain only went about his duty and did his work without any fear, as if the storm and the high waves did not concern him. When he entered his cabin, his wife, sur- prised at his composure,’ said, ‘‘My dear, how can you be so calm; do you not see the dan- ger in which you are?”’ The captain smiled, and a moment later drew his sword and pointed it at the breast of his wife. She followed the motion of her husband with astonishment, but remained calm. ‘*How can you be so calm?”’ said the cap- tain; ‘‘do you not see the danger in which you are?’’ ‘‘Why should I fear?”’ she replied; ‘‘I see the sword in the hand of my husband whose love I know.’’ ‘‘Well,’’ said the captain, ‘‘I also see the dreadful storm and the furious waves in the hand of my God whose love I know; in His time He will command the storm and the waves to be quiet.’’ He was right. An hour later the storm had passed, and the sea became calm. How blessed is the Christian who believes and knows that his whole life is in the hand of his heavenly Father! He may say with the psalmist: ‘Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil; for Thou art with me.’’ ss ~-oabPo- o Every Year. “There come new cares and sorrows Every year. But the truer life draws nearer Every year. Earth's hold on us grows slighter, The heavy burdens lighter, The dawn immortal brighter, Every year.’’