Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER HI. MUTUAL DUTIES OF HUSBAND AND WIFE. " See that ye lore one another with a pure heart fervently." St. Piter. Marriage is The Foundation or The Domestic Constitution ; this, says the apostle, "is honorable in all;" and he has condemned, as "a doctrine of devils," the opinions of those by whom it is forbidden. It is an institute of God, was established in Eden, was honored by the personal attendance of Christ, and furnished an occasion for the first of that splendid series of miracles, by which he proved himself to be the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world. But there is another mark of distinction put upon it by the Holy Ghost, where it is said, " This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." Ephes. v. 32. Many consider the term mystery as having no allusion to the nuptial tie, but as applying exclusively to the union of Christ and thechurch. If this be the case, it seems difficult to account for the introduction of this union at all, or to explain what bearing it has upon the subject in hand. Besides, the two-fold reference to the mediatorial undertaking of Christ, which is made by the apostle, when he enforces the duties of husband and wife, seems to confirm the opinion, that he represents the conjugal union as a type or symbol of the close and endearing relation in which the church stands to its divine Redeemer. Nothing can throw a higher sanctity over this connexion, nor invest it with greater honor, than such a view of it. Distinguishing, as it does, man from brutes; providing, not only for the continuance, but for the comfort of our species; containing, at once, the source of human happiness, and of all those virtuous emotions and generous sensibilities, which refine and adorn the character of man, it can never, as a gen...