of the Jews was for the parents to betroth their children even in early life. Truly, “A prudent wife is from the Lord."1

The Lord said, "I will make him an help meet for him." The forsaking of this first principle of marriage, having "an help meet," has brought untold misery into the world. It promoted the great wickedness of the antediluvians; it caused the Church to disappear almost entirely from the earth, and thus brought the deluge upon it. "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose."3 The children of God, as the Lord's people are called throughout the sacred history, married with the children of the world. Instead of converting them, as many are apt to think may be the case with those in whom they may be interested, the result proved as God, when charging His people on this subject, says it will always be. His charge is, "Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly."4

There are no sinners so great as they who sin against light and knowledge. It is not strange therefore that the record goes on to say: "There were giants on the earth in those days:" monsters in iniquity. The children of the mixed marriages became "mighty men, men of renown. And God saw the wickedness of man was great.". 995 The children of God are therefore again directed, "Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers," and when ye marry, marry "only in the Lord."

Another noticeable feature in the first marriage was that the Lord gave Adam, the head of the race, only one wife. History shows that his posterity, when they forsook God,

also forsook this feature in marriage, as it was originally instituted. It also shows that God's chastisement or curse has invariably followed the alteration. Polygamy is first spoken of as occurring among the children of Cain: "And Lamech took unto him two wives." Since then, as a general rule, with the introduction of polygamy, woman has been only a toy or a slave in all places where God is not acknowledged. By a trick of Laban, Jacob was persuaded to marry two wives. The consequence, was constant hatred and jealousy, almost resulting in murder, between his children: causing trouble which came nigh bringing his gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. David added to his wives, and the result among his children was rape and incest by one, the murder of his brother by another, an attempt to seize the kingdom by a third, and a fourth causing his brother to be put to death for doing so. All this is the natural result of polygamy.

2

At the first marriage the two were pronounced "one flesh." We find afterward the marriage tie became so loose, even among God's people, that Moses made rules to regulate the severing of it. The Pharisees to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ quoted these commands of Moses. His reply is worthy of remembrance: "Have ye not read that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave (original, be cemented) to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. What therefore God had joined together, let not man put asunder." He then says that a

wife may be put away for one cause only and that without that cause, " whosoever shall put away his wife, and shall marry another, committeth adultery.

set aside this law of God.

No human law can

1

1 Gen. iv. 19.

2 Gen. ii. 24.

Matt. xix. 3-9.

Thus was celebrated the first marriage. He who made them one closed it with his blessing. "God blessed them, and God said, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it: and have dominion over every living thing upon the earth." A delightful residence had been prepared for them; and Adam received his bride arrayed with that garment of beauty, purity, and innocence, with which her Creator had adorned her. "They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."1 Happy couple! with unclouded prospects, and yet their honeymoon, oh, how short!

It is well here to bear in mind the words of our Lord : "In the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."2

1 Gen. ii. 25.

2 Matt. xxii. 30.

CHAPTER XI.

THE FIRST LANGUAGE.

T appears that as soon as Adam and Eve were created

as

they could talk. They were not only made able at once to speak, but with the power of speech they also received a language. This language was a gift direct from God: otherwise it could never have been discovered. It is now communicated from one to another; and is only acquired by imitation, and after long practice.

It is interesting to trace what this first language was, which the Great Creator gave to His children, and which He used in conversing with them: and to catch the sounds which our first parents used in their prayers and praises to their Father and their God, and to express their joys and sorrows to one another. This language was doubtless the noblest ever uttered by man: being transmitted to us through man degraded by the Fall, it comes down, having lost, perhaps, in some degree, its original purity.

The languages now in use in the world, like the traditions of the nations which have been perpetuated by language, are easily traced back to one fountain-head. Those of the Christian part of it came from the Roman and Greek; and they were derived from the Phoenician and Hebrew, their very alphabets and letters coming the same way. Chaldee, Syriac, and Samaritan were dialects of the Hebrew. The principal languages of the heathen world, the Arabic, the Persian, and the Sanscrit show a relationship to the same source. In that language the oldest book, by nearly a thousand years, was written.

The

The first difference in language in the world took place when the descendants of Noah attempted to build the tower of Babel. Then "the whole earth was of one language and of one speech." To restrain those who began to build the tower, and to keep them from following out their imagination, the Lord said: "Let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

This confusion of tongues occurred among those who had forsaken God, leaving the original language with His children with those who retained His word and his worship. They never could lose the language which contained the knowledge of all that they held most dear; the precepts and promises of their God; and even the names by which He had made himself known to them, and which they constantly used in addressing Him. There was no reason why their language should be changed as in the case of Babel. And as long as the Church of God is in the world, which will be to the end of it, the Hebrew will be cherished as the first revelation of God through His word. Through it alone He spake to man for four thousand years: in it He gave the law written with His own finger; and on the cross, our Lord used it in speaking those memorable words: "Eli, Eli, lama Sabacthani?"-My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The first names in the world, whether given to men, places, the Sabbath, or to religious rites, were associated with something connected with the object named; and in many places of the sacred history the reason is recorded why the person or thing was so named. These first names are all Hebrew; and the explanation or meaning of them is also in Hebrew, thus proving that it was the language used at the time they were so named. It was thus with the names of Adam, Eve, Cain, Seth, Noah, etc., which all have a meaning. The wonderful names by which God has con

1 Gen. xi. 6.