The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1901, Page 2

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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.’’