those pronounced by the Bishops, the Clergy, and the Laity of the Anglican Church, assembled in their Council, and speaking with the authority of those who feel themselves guided by the Power of GOD and the inspirations of the HOLY GHOST.

MARRIAGE. THE CHOICE OF AN ASSOCIATE.

Ir is an often repeated remark that marriage lies at the root of all society. It is true in more than one sense; and is so important that it cannot be too often repeated. The law of marriage may be said to be the root of social morality; but, like all other laws, it is only useful when it produces a practice in accordance with itself. There are cases in which the practice of the courts determines the value of the law; but in the matter of marriage it is the practice of the people. The idea of Christian Marriage is the indissoluble union of one man with one woman. But this involves something more. If the tie be indissoluble, there must be a provision for the decision of disputes, which may lead to a desire for its dissolution. Such a provision is made in the Divine Law, that the woman must yield. Again, such an union would be intolerable, unless sus tained by mutual affection, and the Divine Law again provides that husbands should love their wives, and that the wife see that she reverence her husband. Reverence includes love. The complete idea of a Christian Marriage is, then, that of one man and one woman joined in an indissoluble union, with reverence and obedience on the woman's part, and love on both sides,

The external part of this union, its unity and indissolubility, are capable of being controlled by human and external law. The other conditions are not. They can only be required by the Divine Law, and only enforced by the consciences of the parties. Hence the fact, already mentioned, that the utility of the law of marriage depends upon the practice of the people under it. It is to be lamented that, in this country, the human law of marriage is not in unison with the Divine Law, in the

matter of indissolubility. It is yet more to be lamented that the practice of the people is at variance with the Divine Law, or with those of its provisions, which can only be enforced by their own consciences.

Many unions take place, in every country, in which it can scarcely be hoped, that there is an intention of carrying out those ideas, which enter into the true notion of a Christian Marriage, and which cannot be enforced by human laws. It was this which led to the remark of Dr. Johnson, that the marriage service of the Church of England was only intended. for the best sort of marriages, and that there ought to be another provided for ordinary marriages. The Church in this, as in other cases, has chosen to set before her children the highest form of virtue, to which, if they cannot attain, they must labour to approach. The Office recognizes, in a very impressive manner, the nature of a Christian Marriage. In the promises made to the Church, before the minister proceeds to the marriage, there is notice taken not only of the general idea of love, but of its fruits, of honour, comfort, and fidelity on both sides, and of obedience on that of the woman. Moreover, the unity of marriage is recognized on both sides, by the promise to forsake all others and keep only to the person at the altar, and its indissolubility by the continuance of the promise so long as they both shall live. In the troth-plight, the same promises, with some variations of expression, are made by each party to the other.

Those who have been thus joined are truly said to have been joined by GOD, and men are forewarned against putting them asunder. They have assented to the conditions of a Christian marriage, and are entitled to the Divine blessing, which has been promised to the holy state; they have become "one flesh " according to the Law of GOD in both Testaments. GOD has enjoined these laws of marriage, and the Church has recognized them as the means of constituting the marriage state holy, and, therefore, happy. It would be so, were all marriages entered into in strict conformity with the laws and requirements of GOD and the Church, and did all persons, when once united as husbands and wives, live in obedience to those laws and requirements. But it is too notorious that the best sort of marriages,

as Dr. Johnson called them, are very rare, and that ordinary marriages are very common. In consequence there has arisen. a proverbial saying, that marriage is a lottery. What an idea! The provision made by GOD Himself, to secure the virtue and happiness of His creatures, is, after all, only a game of chance, in which happiness and virtue are the stakes, and are at least as likely to be lost as won. This can only be because the Divine idea is not followed out, and the union is formed in the same careless manner in which lottery tickets are purchased. Under such circumstances, it is too true, that marriage is a lottery; and one in which no prudent man or woman would be willing to take a ticket. The inference is that there must be a reform in the mode of selecting husbands and wives, or the propagation of the human race must be left to the imprudent and the vicious; the better portion of the race remaining in that condition, concerning which the Divine Wisdom pronounced that it was not good, even in Eden.

It is feared, that in practice marriages are not contracted upon Christian principles, or so as to entitle them to the Divine blessing. The service is gone through as a form required by law and public opinion; but no hearty assent is given to its promises, and no reverent attention to its lessons. It is undoubtedly true, that marriages entered into without due deliberation and a proper knowledge of the character of the party with whom they are about to be contracted, are not likely to be happy. They are almost certain to draw the blanks in the lottery. It is also true, that the requisite knowl edge of the character of the other party is not of easy acquisition. But this only renders the obligation more stringent, to take great care to obtain the information.

The American Church declares in the address, with which her Office opens, that marriage is "honourable among all men, and therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of GOD." The mother Church of England, whose service was set forth in a less fastidious age, than that which saw our revision, is yet more explicit. She says, that marriage "is commended of St. Paul to be honourable among all men ; and therefore is not by any to be enterprised or taken in hand

unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appetites, like brute beasts which have no understanding; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of GOD; duly considering the causes for which matrimony was ordained." Such is the Church's doctrine of Holy Matrimony. It has been said, not unhappily, that nature has her damnatory clauses as well as the Athanasian Creed. By this remark it was meant, that whoever violates the physical laws of nature, whether wilfully or through ignorance, will be met by certain penal consequences, from which he will scarcely be able to escape. Whoever habitually exceeds the laws of temperance in eating or drinking, will, when his excesses have been numerous enough and long enough continued, be met by dyspepsia or delirium tremens. The moral law, even when it does not so directly connect itself with the physical laws of nature, has its own damnatory clauses; which are as sure to be enforced against the violators of that law, as dyspepsia is to punish the glutton, or delirium tremens the drunkard.

But this is a benevolent age, and one in which men are wiser than their CREATOR. The damnatory clauses, whether in faith, morals, or physics, are unpopular. It is thought very hard that people should suffer on any account. It is forgotten, that those damnatory clauses are made and promulgated by Divine Wisdom and Goodness, and that they are designed as guards and cautions, to prevent men from violating His laws. The intention of the ALMIGHTY is, that men should be, by those penalties, induced to avoid doing those things against which they are denounced. But in this age, it is thought that they ought to stand "like forfeits in a barber's shop, as much in mock as mark." It must be an understood thing that the penalties shall not be enforced. Every thing which is wrong is an imprudence, and every body must be, so far as it is possible, relieved from the consequences of imprudence. There must always be a locus penitentiæ, even after the evil action has been fully committed. The evils of imprudence are to be met and obviated, not by caution, the only mode recognized by the GovERNOR of the world, but by taking away the natural conse quences of imprudence.

Thus GOD has decreed that marriage shall be indissoluble.

His Church has taken care to call the attention of every person, who enters into the state, to this law, and, moreover, cautions them, that they should not enter into their new condition unadvisedly. But many persons reject her cautions, disregard her warnings, turn her solemn Office into an occasion of jest ing, and then find themselves unhappy. It is held to be a great pity that they should suffer for their folly. So Modern Philanthropy undertakes to reverse the Law of GOD, by what are falsely called human laws, but which are, in truth, nothing more than abuses of human power. Marriage is thus pronounced, but not made, a dissoluble contract, and human tribu. nals undertake to dissolve the ill-assorted union, which GOD has not blessed, because His blessing has not been truly sought. Nevertheless, the Divine Law is, that "a man shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh." And again: "They twain shall be one flesh, so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What, therefore, GoD hath joined let not man put asunder." [Mark x. 8-9.]

But the Laws of heaven are not so easily evaded. The separation, so far as human laws are concerned, puts an end to the union; yet its consequences remain. The parties have been man and wife; and that fact influences the rest of their lives, in a way not conducive to their happiness. This alone would seem to import a necessity for more caution than is usu ally exercised in contracting marriages. We fear, however, that it is true, that by much the larger portion of the marriages, which take place in this country, are entered into with very little care or deliberation. One continually sees, in the newspapers, accounts of marriages concluded, or narrowly escaped, by young women, with men who already have one or more wives. The women are undoubtedly objects of commisseration; they would be more so had they given evidence of more Christian and lady-like principles and feelings. But it generally appears, that the engagement, and perhaps the marriage, has been contracted, after an acquaintance of a very few weeks, with a man of whom neither the woman nor any of her friends or relations knew any thing. No doubt many other matches take place under similar circumstances, in which no prior wife appears, or, perhaps, exists. But the marriages may