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Chapter 24 of the Civil Magistrate, 
the next time we gather, for the Confession Study. So Chapter 
25 of Marriage. There are four shorter paragraphs 
here, and I'll read all four, and then we'll dive into a study. Marriage is to be between one 
man and one woman. Neither is it lawful for any 
man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more 
than one husband at the same time. Marriage was ordained for 
the mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind 
with a legitimate issue, and for preventing of uncleanness. 
It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry who are able 
with judgment to give their consent. Yet it is the duty of Christians 
to marry in the Lord. And therefore, such as profess 
the true religion should not marry with infidels or idolaters. Neither should such as are godly 
be unequally yoked by marrying with such as are wicked in their 
life or maintain damnable heresy. Marriage ought not to be within 
the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden in the 
word, nor can such incestuous marriage ever be made lawful 
by any law of man or consent of parties, so as those persons 
may live together as man and wife. So chapter 25 of marriage 
here doesn't appear haphazardly at this position in the confession 
of faith. There are three chapters here 
of the civil magistrate, of marriage, and then of the church. And we 
see those first two preceding, and maybe specifically marriage 
preceding the chapter on of the church, because With those three 
institutions in view, the chapter of marriage, in a sense, foundationally 
provides providential matters concerning the doctrine of the 
Church. And we'll look at that in a moment 
when we look at paragraph 2 of chapter 25. It makes sense that 
of marriage precedes chapter 26. because it is the institution 
of the family, and it is from the institution of the family 
that the nations of the world are populated, such that God, 
through his grace, might bring many sons to glory. And so the 
positioning of these paragraphs or these chapters are deliberate. Just by way of introduction, 
first off with regards to the doctrine of marriage, the importance 
of upholding the heritage of lawful marriage. This chapter 
is always relevant. The biblical doctrine of marriage 
is always relevant because As demonstrated in our day, the 
traditional approach to marriage, the biblical, the proper approach 
to marriage is under attack by and upon many fronts. We only 
need to turn our phones on and turn the TV on and open up the 
newspapers to see how the vile left and the media and the governments 
of the world are seeking to push out lawful marriage, and to bring 
in all manner of sexual immorality, and the destruction of the marriage 
institution, and the elevation of all things wicked and unlawful. So, it's always important to 
look at this chapter to consider what the Bible says, what God 
intended with respect to the family, the institution of family, 
and the proper approach to marriage in the world. Both for His creation, 
A, and then specifically B for the elect. Also, just by way 
of introduction, continuing, the differences between the Second 
London Confession compared to the Westminster Confession and 
the Savoy, there are sort of three larger differences, larger 
might not be the right term, but there are three differences 
between the Westminster, 1647, the Savoy, 1654, and the Second 
London Confession, 1677. The first difference is that 
the Westminster and the Savoy, being Paedo-Baptist documents, 
in paragraph two have marriage was ordained for the mutual help 
of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind with a legitimate 
issue, and of the church with an holy seed." To basically speak 
with respect to covenant children or to infants being covenant 
members of the Church of Christ. And so the Baptists removed and 
of the church with and holy seed because of our obvious credo-baptistic 
and proper covenant theology doctrines. So that statement, 
and of the church with and holy seed, is removed. But that doesn't 
remove the reality that we'll focus on from when we get to 
paragraph two on the fact that God uses marriage providentially 
for bringing forth sons and daughters throughout the nations of the 
world that in due time, based upon His foreordaining grace, 
He brings forth as He does in His redemptive plan to bring 
many sons to glory through the perfect work of Jesus Christ. 
So, and of the church with an holy seed is removed. Also, in 
paragraph 3, if you look at middle of the paragraph, therefore such 
as profess the true religion should not marry with infidels 
or papists. or idolaters, so the or papists 
has been removed. Not because the Baptists thought 
that Christians should marry papists, but I think it's kind 
of, it's summarily contained in idolaters, and it's also summarily 
contained in damnable heresy. So, you know, for whatever reason, 
the reason they removed it wasn't because they thought papists 
were brothers and sisters in Christ. It was for a reason that 
could be argued from idolaters and the maintenance of damnable 
heresy. And then chapter 25 in the Westminster 
and the Savoy have paragraphs five and six that we don't have 
here. on divorce and remarriage. And 
I'll leave it to Pastor Butler to say why they don't have it. No, not that the Credo Baptists 
didn't have a position on that. But if you want to know the proper 
biblical approach to divorce and remarriage, I refer you to 
Pastor Butler's sermons on Matthew 5 and 19. So those are the differences 
between the confessions of faith. So let's dive into the confessional 
content here, then. There are four things we want 
to look at, time-willing and moving through swiftly. The first 
is the monogamous design and nature of marriage. The second 
is the divine origin, timing, and purity of marriage. The third 
is the threefold providential purpose of marriage. And then, 
fourthly, the regulative bounds of marriage. First off, from paragraph one, 
the monogamous design and nature of marriage, notice that there's 
a positive statement made here first. Marriage is to be between 
one man and one woman. So that is the positive statement, 
the positive assertion respecting the monogamous design and nature 
of marriage. Marriage is between one man and 
one woman. Now, there are no clauses or 
articles here speaking to the issue of homosexuality. There are some who have wanted 
revisions made in our day and time so that that sort of thing 
can be included or addressed. But it's not as if, we're not 
to import 20th century, 21st century issues and maybe more 
to the point. terminological things pertaining 
to man and woman back into the 17th century documents. Obviously, 
that marriage is to be between one man and one woman precludes 
and removes from any equation the idea of man marrying man 
and woman marrying woman and whatever sort of weird marriage 
proposals people want to impose upon lawful marriage in our own 
day. Man with cat, woman with chicken, 
you know, that sort of thing. Marriages to be between one man 
and one woman, that positive statement precludes anything 
that would be in opposition to one man and one woman. Those 
terms being clear from the light of nature and from biblical revelation 
itself. So this, well actually let's 
just move to the negative prohibition next and we'll talk a little 
bit more about one man and one woman as we move along, but the 
negative prohibition is seen then in the rest of the paragraph, 
neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife 
nor for any woman to have more than one husband at the same 
time. So, in asserting positively the 
monogamous nature of marriage, the confession is eliminating, 
is jettisoning any notion of homosexuality with respect to 
marriage, well, with respect to anything, of course, any lawful 
any lawful covenant or anything of that sort or any lawful relationship, 
but also polygamy. So homosexuality and polygamy 
are here restricted, not by the confession, but by the confession 
concluding from the biblical evidence. And so homosexuality 
negatively and polygamy negatively are jettisoned from any context 
of lawfulness, and in this case, lawful marriage. The Bible is 
clear on both of these points. You know, we could turn to places 
such as Leviticus 18, Leviticus 20, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, 
to see clearly that the Bible outlaws, that the Bible abominates, 
that God abominates homosexuality. In all of those places, man with 
man, woman with woman, doing what is unnatural, what is unlawful, 
is abominated by God. And so the Bible is clear on 
this point. There have been way too many 
keyboard buttons pressed by the pro-homosexual crowd and by the 
pro-polygamy crowd to try and argue from the Bible that those 
are lawful unions between man and woman, but the Bible is clear. 
Again, not only restricted to, I mean, we could go to Jude as 
well, to 2 Peter, but Leviticus 18 and 20, Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 
6 are clear with respect to God's abomination of marriage, and 
positively then upholding the biblical union, which is, of 
course, asserted also by the light of nature that it is one 
man and one woman that are to be united together in the bonds 
of marriage. Let's go to our Bibles for a 
moment here, because we have wonderful language regarding 
marriage in Matthew 19, and in the context of Matthew 19, the 
Lord Jesus Christ is echoing, is arguing from Genesis chapter 
2. You know, I think we should always, 
when reflecting upon the words of our Savior in the New Testament, 
reflect upon the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is an Old Testament 
scholar. You know, obviously, uniquely, 
and more preeminently than any other ever on the face of the 
earth, or any that ever will be, because he is the incarnate 
son of God. But he is arguing from the Old 
Testament, he is asserting not only in respect to his divinity, 
the very words of himself, being one with the Father and Spirit, 
but in his assumed humanity with the knowledge of perfect man 
opening up the Word of God to his audience. And notice, he's 
arguing from Genesis 2 here in Matthew 19, beginning at, well, 
we'll start at verse 1. Now, it came to pass when Jesus 
had finished these sayings that he departed from Galilee and 
came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan, and great multitudes 
followed him, and he healed them there. The Pharisees also came 
to him testing him and saying to him, is it lawful for a man 
to divorce his wife for just any reason? And he answered and 
said to them, have you not read that he who made them at the 
beginning made them male and female and said, for this reason, 
a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his 
wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So then, they are 
no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined 
together, let not man separate." Beautiful clarity and the beautiful 
blessing of marriage there. One man and one woman coming 
together and becoming one flesh. That biblical language speaks 
to the high importance, the high blessing that God gives to his 
creation with respect to marriage. It's a oneness. It's not to be 
seen as two butting heads, though. two Wilbut heads within the context 
of marriage, but we are to respect and to see and to value the blessing 
of the oneness that Christ speaks to here from the Genesis record. It is a oneness of flesh. and 
therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." 
So, the Lord Jesus Christ, arguing from Genesis 2, both on the monogamy 
of marriage, the oneness of marriage with respect to one man and one 
woman, excluding and precluding any notions of homosexuality 
and polygamy. On polygamy, we're not going 
to spend a whole lot of time. Shaw, commenting on this particular 
portion of the Confession, says, prescriptive marital revelation 
for marriage in our lower world, but as God, post-fall, legislating 
and governing a particular situation until such time that the nations 
could see and appreciate the proper view of marriage. So moving 
on then secondly to the second paragraph here, the divine origin, 
timing, and purity of marriage, notice here that paragraph two 
begins by saying marriage was ordained. So first off, under 
the divine origin, timing, and purity of marriage, it is something 
that's been ordained by God. It isn't of social devising. A lot of the weird arguments 
by people destroying the family and the world these days is that 
marriage is a social institution forced by the white male European 
patriarchy upon modern society, destroying the grand spectrum 
of sexuality and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 
Marriage was ordained by God. It was ordained by God before 
the foundation of the world. It was providentially introduced 
to the first man and the first woman as a divine blessing to 
be imaged by their progeny for the general blessing of God to 
his creation and for the populating of the earth that in due time 
God would bring forth many sons to glory through the perfection 
of Christ. So it was ordained by God. It is not a social devising. Secondly, under this head, it 
was given before the fall into sin. And this is important in 
the history of the doctrine of marriage, even by the church 
fathers, for example, especially the first four centuries, the 
Roman Catholic Church as it developed progressively its madness. There 
has been a lowering of marriage and a lowering then, of course, 
of the conjugal relations within marriage to a point lower than 
celibacy, such that it was frowned upon and seen even as an evil 
that God sort of just legislated and managed in this lower world. 
Well, that isn't true at all. It was ordained by God, and secondly, 
it was given before the fall into sin. So it's not something 
that God, it's a holy ordinance, if we can use that language. 
It's not something that came in after the fall into sin that 
God introduced as some sort of precept or statute given to govern 
a sinful creation. Much rather, it was given as 
a divine blessing before the fall in the state of innocence 
for the mutual help of husband and wife. At that time for Adam, 
and then of course following for his progeny. And after sin 
came into the world, it continues no doubt as a blessing, but with 
some with some inherent issues because of the sinfulness of 
man. But all of that, to come back 
to this, it was given before the fall into sin, and then so, 
thirdly, under the divine origin, timing, and purity of marriage, 
it's not a degradation to humanity. And one of the reasons why we 
see that it isn't, or one of the biblical evidences to this 
fact, is that God uses the marriage relationship to speak to His 
own covenant relationship to the people of Israel. and to 
the church. God uses something that he has 
ordained and that he ordained as a good thing prior to the 
fall to speak to his own relationship to the nation of Israel and to 
the church. You'll remember, well, it's throughout 
the Old Testament, but in places like Genesis 31 and the promise 
of the new covenant. Though I was a husband to you, 
says the Lord. He speaks to the nation of Israel 
in his announcement of the new covenant. we can move to the 
new covenant and we can see in places like Ephesians 5 where 
God speaks very highly of marriage and he speaks to covenant relationship 
and he, in a sense, exalts marriage, if you will, or exonerates it 
from this charge of being a lower reality to celibacy by arguing 
based upon Christ and his church, Christ and his bride, and the 
purity with respect to Christ sanctifying and purifying the 
bride, and all of that blessed language that connects that redemptive 
reality to the marriage reality. And so all of that to say that 
it is not a degradation to humanity, it is a divine blessing given 
before the fall and it is still a divine blessing after the fall, 
though we have the effects of both reigning and remaining corruption. Thirdly, the threefold providential 
purpose of marriage. So in the same paragraph, notice 
the language here, paragraph two, the threefold providential 
purpose of marriage. Marriage was ordained for the 
mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind with 
a legitimate issue, and for preventing of uncleanness. So there's a 
threefold purpose, or we could just say three purposes, with 
regards to marriage. So first off, it is for the blessing 
of companionship. It's for the blessing of companionship. 
Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife. 
Isn't God a kind God? You know, he gives us the blessing 
of companionship within this blessed context of marriage. 
He gives us other companionship contexts as well. We have family. 
We have friends. But there is a designed uniqueness 
and an intended uniqueness to the marriage context that makes 
it this blessed blessing of this covenant of companionship between 
husband and wife. Let's turn to Genesis 2 for a 
moment. Just to see as we're touching 
upon this idea of the blessing of companionship with respect 
to marriage, we can see in Genesis 2 how we get that language of 
companionship, the blessing of companionship from this revelation. Genesis 2, beginning at verse 
18. and whatever Adam called each 
living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all 
cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found 
a helper comparable to him. And the Lord God caused a deep 
sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. And he took one of his 
ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which 
the Lord God had taken from man he made into a woman, and he 
brought her to the man. And Adam 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 a man shall leave his 
father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and they shall become 
one flesh. And they were both naked, the 
man and his wife, and were not ashamed. So, there's a lot in 
there, but first off, notice this language of God. It is not 
good that man should be alone, verse 18. I will make him a helper 
comparable to him. Now, it's not as if we're to 
read into this. We need to understand that God 
speaks. He stoops down to our lower capacity as finite creatures 
to communicate to us. We're not to assume that God, 
you know, sort of made a mistake. Oh man, you know, I forgot to 
give forgot to give Adam a help meat. I forgot to give him some 
one. Oh, man, this isn't good. So and then no, it's it's language 
bringing us about disclosing the truth of the thing, but bringing 
our minds to a particular place where we can understand the providential 
blessing that God gave to Adam via Eve. But we can see in this 
most certainly the kindness of God. It is not good that man 
should be alone. I will make a helper comparable 
to him. I think that's a wonderful thing. 
It is a wonderful thing. And then notice, as we read the 
narrative, as we read what's going on here, I don't think 
we're just to see that, isn't it cool? that God brought the 
animals to Adam so that he could all name them. You know, we're 
not supposed to conjure up minds of when we were five years old 
doing Noah's Ark coloring book stuff, and it's great that Adam 
got to name the animals. I think there's something deliberate 
going on here that the commentators bring out with respect to God 
Bringing Adam to the point where he should see that he is alone 
and that this help meat brought to him is a divine blessing God 
brings the animals to Eve and a lot of the old commentators 
see that as God helping Adam along to come to the discovery 
of the realization That he is alone to see the need of a help 
meet and to be all the more blessed by the divine gift of Eve brought 
out of his side Who is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh? 
flesh. And we see this wonderful reality 
of companionship here. God blessing his creation with 
companionship. We also want to note, secondly, 
the second purpose under the threefold purpose of marriage, 
we see that it is for the inhabitation of creation. Notice, secondly, 
for the increase of mankind, with a legitimate issue. Now 
hopefully we all know what's meant there by legitimate issue. 
In our common parlance, in our common vernacular, we think a 
legitimate issue is bringing up the fact that the water cooler 
isn't refilled enough in the office. You know, that's a legitimate 
issue. Legitimate issue here is used 
in its nice and ancient way is that within the context of a 
marriage, children that are brought forth issue. The babies that 
come out, the children that come out of the marriage relationship. And so one of the purposes of 
marriage is for the increase of mankind with a legitimate 
issue. For procreation, that man and 
woman within lawful bonds will bring forth boys and girls. And that throughout the nations, 
the nations would be populated. to fill the earth. That's the language of the command, 
the encouragement, the command, the instruction of God to His 
people to fill the earth. It exists before the fall. It 
exists after the flood. That same command given by God 
is given after the flood when the population is absolutely 
decimated. That same command is given by 
God to his people to fill the earth, to multiply and fill the 
earth. And we should see in that the fact that God blesses his 
creation and wants his image bearers to glory in their creator. God himself fills the heavens 
and the earth, though he is not contained by them, and he wants 
his image-bearers to fill the earth, that they might bring 
glory to the God who created them. And then, of course, this 
brings with it the reality of redemptive purpose as well. In 
Genesis 128, Genesis 9-1, we see those first and second commands 
given by God to multiply and fill the earth. So Genesis 1-8, 
prior to the fall, Genesis 9-1, after the flood. You can also 
turn with me to the book of Isaiah, in Isaiah 45, just to see to see this language of God, 
the filling of the earth with his creation in Isaiah 45 and 
verse 18. For thus says the Lord who created 
the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, 
who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed 
it to be inhabited. I am the Lord and there is no 
other. So one of the purposes of God in the creation of the 
earth was that it might be inhabited by His creation. And turn as 
well to Psalm 145.10. Psalm 145.10 for some related 
language. Psalm 145 verse 10, all your 
works shall praise you and your saints shall praise you. They 
shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and talk of your power. To make known to the sons of 
men his mighty acts and the glorious mystery of his kingdom. Your 
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and your dominion endures throughout 
all generations. Is that the verse that I intended 
to write down in my notes? Well, I mean, if it wasn't, what 
we do have in this declaration is that God's mighty axe might 
be made known to the sons of men. So getting back to the point 
of inhabiting the earth and our point that we stated the creator 
wants the image bearers of the Creator, His creatures, to make 
known His glory. The Bible speaks throughout regarding 
that. And it was a task of God's people, 
wasn't it, to the Gentile countries around Him. They were to stay. 
They were to be. not unclean like those around 
them, but to be clean, and God gave them particular ceremonial 
laws and other things that they might be a witness and be separate 
from the people around them, but they were also to, as it 
were, proselytize those and to bring them into the covenant 
blessings of the Lord God Almighty. And so, all of that to come back 
to the fact that, generally speaking, we have this reality that Marriage 
is for the increase of mankind, for the bringing forth of progeny, 
for procreation, that they might fill the earth, that they might 
multiply and fill the earth. And then connected to this more 
specially is that it is ultimately for the bringing of many sons 
to glory. If we were to look at passages, 
for example, such as Matthew 28 and Mark 16, the Great Commission 
The Great Commission Commandments of the Lord Christ, the resurrected 
Christ prior to his ascension, he says to go forth to all the 
nations to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so this 
going forth to all the nations requires that those nations have 
people in them. And one of the providential ways 
that they have people in them is through creation and through 
marriage, through the proper traditional family going out 
and bringing forth children. And so it serves a general inhabitation 
of creation to bring glory to God, and it serves a redemptive 
end in bringing many sons to glory. Turn, for example, and 
you know the passage, but it's always good to read it with our 
own eyes. Revelation 5. Revelation chapter 5, speaking 
to this reality, that marriage is for the populating of the 
earth unto the end that God would bring his elect to glory. In 
Revelation 5, we have at verse 9, picking up in the indented 
section with regards to these praising and bringing honor to 
the one who took the scroll. You are worthy to take the scroll 
and to open its seals. This is Christ. They're speaking 
of Christ. For you are slain and have redeemed 
us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people 
and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God, 
and we shall reign on the earth." So God uses the blessing of marriage, 
which is a blessing in and of itself, to the ones married, 
But it's also a blessing, or it's also purposed unto the end, 
that out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, Christ 
would have members that are of his bride, members of the church, 
that he would bring forth these kings, these priests, that he 
would bring forth saints unto God. The threefold providential 
purpose of marriage includes the blessing of companionship, 
the inhabitation of creation for the ultimate end of bringing 
forth many sons to glory, and then also, thirdly and lastly 
under this head, for a hedging against sexual immorality. But 
actually, before we get there, just one note. As I mentioned 
at the outset of the study this morning, chapter 25 is positioned 
well before chapter 26, not only numerically, but for the purpose 
of setting the marital and familial, the family foundation for the 
doctrine of the church. So look at chapter 26 at paragraph 
one for a moment. The Catholic or universal church, 
which, with respect to the internal work of the Spirit and truth 
of grace, may be called invisible, consists of the whole number 
of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into 
one under Christ, the head thereof, and is the spouse, the body, 
the fullness of him that filleth all in all." Hopefully you see 
the connection here between the doctrine of the church, what 
we just spoke about, bringing many sons to glory, because those 
who are in the church, properly speaking, are those many sons 
being brought to glory. We see the connection between 
that and the doctrine of the church. The number of the elect 
are gathered into one from every tribe and tongue and people and 
nation. And notice chapter 26 at paragraph 2 as well, all persons 
throughout the world professing the faith of the gospel. So, 
we see here that the doctrine of marriage has a purpose connected 
to the doctrine of the church. Not in a paedo-baptistic reality, 
but in the proper biblical credo-baptist and covenant theology reality, 
where The churches are populated and many sons are brought to 
glory from the families of the earth. So lastly, under the threefold 
providential purpose of marriage notice for, it is, marriage is 
for the hedging against sexual immorality. The last clause is, 
and for, marriage is, for preventing of uncleanness. Now, we noted before that the 
marriage was a blessing given before the fall. But now we're 
saying that marriage, one of the purposes is for the preventing 
of uncleanness. Obviously in a state of innocency 
prior to the fall, there was no sexual immorality on the part 
of Adam and Eve. You know, we could obviously 
then say that post-fall, one of the purposes of marriage is 
for this particular reality. We should understand, though, 
that within the context of the pre-fall reality, God still gave 
to Adam and to Eve, the blessing of conjugal relations within 
that marital context. So we ought not to completely 
separate a post-fall reality to the blessing of the one fleshness 
as it pertains to conjugal relations between one and man. We ought 
not to separate that, but we ought to understand that post-fall, 
we do have marriage given for this purpose of the preventing 
of uncleanness. And 1 Corinthians 7 and Hebrews 
13, 4 speak to this reality, that marriage is given by God, 
and it's given as a help to prevent the falling into sexual immorality 
and following after and seeking seeking lustful relationship 
rather than seeking the blessing of the conjugal relationships 
between man and woman where a legitimate intimacy, a legitimate relationship 
of intimacy exists between one man and one woman. And so 1 Corinthians 
7, Hebrews 13, the marriage bed is undefiled, speak to this reality 
that the The giving of marriage is for the preventing of uncleanness. 
And that particular clause in and of itself isn't the most 
romantic clause that's ever been given. But the point is that 
it's not really for romantic purposes. I don't even know why 
I would use the word romantic in the context of a study. study 
on the Bible and the confession, but hopefully you know what I 
mean. The joy and the enjoyment of the intimate relationship 
that God has blessed man and woman with within the confines 
of marriage. And it's very important to emphasize 
that with respect to marriage. The Bible isn't silent on the 
need for the man and the woman to reciprocate the responsibility 
of having joyful intimacy one with the other. And Paul makes 
that perfectly clear. The man has a responsibility 
to the woman. The woman has a responsibility 
to the man. in the marital relationship to 
maintain and to uphold the blessing of intimacy. And that's something 
that has been a reality that was, you know, essentially destroyed 
in the early church. For all the good the early church 
did with the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of Christ, 
they really failed with respect to marriage at a lot of points. 
And the Roman Catholic Church dropped the ball even further 
and continues to do so with their approach to marriage. And their 
approach to marriage as setting it underneath celibacy as sort 
of a second-rate reality for God's creation, but also then 
going further and denigrating or reducing sexual intimacy, 
and I guess let's take out the word intimacy, reducing sexual 
interaction to the point of only being for the end of procreation 
and not for the enjoyment of the man and the woman. And so 
the Roman Catholic Church, that's not the most abominable thing 
that it does, but it still is abominable. To cast off the blessing 
of God's gift to husband and wife, reducing marriage, A, but 
B, sexual intimacy to the point of a lower condition. And so, 
again, marriage is given for a hedge against sexual immorality, 
but with that as a blessing for the sexual intimacy between one 
man and one woman. Lastly, then, the regulative 
bounds of marriage. In paragraph 4, notice the regulative 
bounds of marriage. First off, the general scope, 
the general lawful scope of marriage. It is lawful for all sorts of 
people to marry who are able with judgment to give their consent. So the first thing we would want 
to note here is that marriage is for God's creation. It's, 
if we can use the language, it's a creational ordinance. God gave 
it for his creation, as we've already noticed, prior to the 
fall. It's not exclusively a gift to the church. You know, to have 
it as a sacrament, properly speaking, in the Roman Catholic Church 
is to steal away the biblical reality, the reality that God 
has given it to his creation to be a blessing. It is lawful 
for all sorts of people to marry. Did I say paragraph four? We're 
on paragraphs 3 and 4, excuse me. So this is paragraphs 3 and 
4. So paragraph 3, it is lawful for all sorts of people to marry 
who are able with judgment to give their consent. So marriage 
is for God's creation. It is for all, and in the context 
of the 17th century, it's for all classes of men, including 
ecclesiastical officers. The Roman Catholic Church, excludes the clergy from getting 
married. So a religious exclusion for 
marriage is included in the doctrine of demons language that Paul 
gives in the New Testament. the Roman Catholic Church to 
preclude the clergy from getting married, to ban the clergy from 
getting married, is an abomination to God, and it is a doctrine 
of demons. And it's really a It's a Gnostic approach to Christianity. At the time of the Apostolic 
Church, there were Gnostic influences that denigrated the body or that 
opposed the physical reality, especially the body and all of 
its actions and implements, as being wicked. And it was holy 
and upright, even amongst those in the early church who advocated 
ascetic monkery. It was a holy thing to put off 
the body, to elevate the spiritual and to put off the body and all 
its lusts. It is good to put off all the 
lusts of the body, but the body in and of itself is not inherently 
wicked. God has given us a body and we 
bear it as image bearers. God himself does not have one, 
but it is an instrument given by us that we bear forth the 
image of God. Now, all our faculties are affected 
by sin, but physical things in the body inherently is not itself 
wicked. And so it's important to cast 
off and to jettison any notion, any touchings of Gnosticism upon 
our Christianity. Marriage is for God's creation. Marriage is for all classes of 
men, including ecclesiastical officers, in opposition to the 
Roman Catholic Church and its position. Secondly, the specific 
Christian permissions, so the remainder of paragraph three. 
So marriage is for creation, but specifically for Christians, 
what are the permissions? And notice the confession reads, 
yet it is the duty of Christians to marry in the Lord, and therefore 
such as profess the true religion should not marry with infidels 
or idolaters. Neither should such as are godly 
be unequally yoked by marrying with such as are wicked in their 
life or maintain damnable heresy." Now, this isn't some confessional 
restriction that the 17th century divines just thought would be 
prudent for marriage. They're pulling this from the 
Bible, both the Old and the New Testament. They're concluding, 
or they're making a theological and doctrinal conclusion based 
upon the exegesis of Scripture here. And the Bible speaks with 
regards to this, and you can see some of the proof texts there 
at the bottom. 1 Corinthians 7, 3, 39, Nehemiah 
13, 25, and 27. So we have the obligation, both 
commanded by God through his prophets and through the apostles, 
that Christian marriage is to be between those who are equally 
yoked. It is to be Christian, it is 
to be the fact that a Christian is to marry a Christian. And 
there are a number of reasons that we don't have time to dive 
into why this is a good thing, but we can just simply think 
about the peace of the home and the rearing of children. Peace 
in the home is a big thing. We just talked about one of the 
many blessings that come within the context of the marriage relationship, 
that being conjugal relations, and the Bible in its kindness, 
in divine kindness through the Apostle Paul, for one example, 
gives the responsibility of man and woman towards each other 
for that blessed and joyful context. We could think about what we 
talked about earlier at the point of companionship. Companionship 
between the regenerate is a blessed thing. Companionship between 
a Christian and a non-Christian can't obtain as well as it could, 
we're both redeemed. Now we do have exceptions to 
that rule because there are some with common grace within the 
marriage context who can be gems of individuals and there are 
those who are, you know, Christians or professingly so that can be 
just outright devils. But suffice it to say, within 
the context, generally speaking, and as is the rule, companionship, 
conjugal relations, the rearing of children, the bringing up 
of children, obtain in God's designed intention within the 
context of a Christian husband and a Christian wife. And then 
lastly speaking, we have the limiting lawful scope related 
to family. So notice paragraph four, the 
limiting lawful scope related to family. Marriage ought not 
to be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity. Consanguinity means 
blood relation. Affinity means legal relation 
based upon blood relation. So marriage ought not to be within 
the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden in the 
word, nor can such incestuous marriage ever be made lawful 
by any law of man or consent of parties, so as those persons 
may live together as man and wife. So again, that marriage 
relationship, or those incestuous relationships, are forbidden 
by the Word, Old Testament and New Testament. And it also works, 
those sorts of things work against the companionship that A proper 
biblical marriage can be brought about by a lot of the commentators 
touching upon, that is, commentators on the Confession of Faith, though 
I haven't read it, but they probably say the same thing, those commentators 
on the Bible. with incestuous relationships, 
we don't have the providential benefit of expanding our companion 
group by those who are unrelated to us. A lot of the commentators, 
the 17th, 18th, and 19th century guys speaking about this particular 
paragraph observed that our Our aloneness that can obtain as 
creatures is expanded by the friend groups that we have, the 
family groups that we have, and the church groups that we have. 
Well, if our church is completely populated by our brothers and 
sisters and cousins, then we haven't really expanded our companion 
group. or to have a friend group that 
is expanded because of lawful marriage, it is to steal away 
from that to engage in anything related to the relations of consanguinity 
or affinity. But of course, it's abominated 
by the word, and that's sort of only a an ancillary benefit 
that we have with respect to it, it is precluded, it is excluded. By the Word of God, the only 
exceptions obviously being made are those with respect to proximity 
to creation, Adam and Eve and their children. There was a way, 
a transient way, of course, where we have this rule not enacted 
until such time as there are generations such that the rule 
makes proper sense. One important thing note with regards to, just as 
we have, well actually no, we'll close there. I was just going 
to say the language that we have in paragraph three with regards 
to those who such as profess the true religion. Perhaps you've 
maybe, I don't know, maybe shied away from that language, maybe 
not, because the Church of Rome uses that, but that's a good 
phrase for us to use, the true religion. Christianity is the 
true religion. Those who are against it are 
not engaged in true religion, even the Papists themselves, 
but much rather are in opposition to the true religion. God has 
given us religion, proper religion, the Church of the Lord Jesus 
Christ and the blessings of His Word and truth, that we might 
avail of it, that we might rejoice in it, and that we might praise 
Him evermore. Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank 
you for this time together.