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Now this will just be a thumbnail 
sketch of the doctrine, touching on the particular points here 
in our confession. I recently preached through the 
doctrine of marriage, divorce, remarriage in chapter 19 of Matthew's 
Gospel. So if anyone is interested in 
more detail on any of the particular points that we cover this morning, 
I refer you to sermon audio or you can email me and I can send 
you those notes. Beginning in chapter 25 at paragraph 
1, I'll just read the four paragraphs and then we'll begin. 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. Amen. Well, I think that 
a moment's reflection upon the Scripture ought to confirm or 
affirm why the divines thought it important to include a chapter 
on marriage in the confession of faith. If you remember in 
1 Timothy chapter 4, the Apostle Paul speaks of those in the last 
days who will forbid to marry. First Timothy 4.1, now the Spirit 
expressly says that in latter times, some will depart from 
the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 
speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared 
with a hot iron. forbidding to marry and commanding 
to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving 
by those who believe and know the truth." So there have been 
those in the history of the church and in the history of the world 
that have thought that marriage is nothing more than a necessary 
evil. It's not the best design. It's 
not the the first design. It's just something that's there 
for those who are especially weak. Well, from the very beginning 
it was not so. God made man, and then he brought 
Eve to him, and he brought them together as one flesh. Marriage 
is a good thing. Marriage is a blessed thing. 
Certainly in the backdrop or background is probably Roman 
Catholicism with their odd and skewed views with reference to 
the doctrine of marriage. So it's a very important doctrine 
that should be included in a discussion of those things most surely believed 
among us. Now, there are a few differences 
between the Second London Confession of Faith, the Savoy Declaration, 
and the Westminster. In paragraph 2, notice in paragraph 
2 where it says, for the increase of mankind with a legitimate 
issue, both the Westminster and the Savoy Declaration add, and 
of the church with an holy seed. This reflects their paedobaptist 
ecclesiology. So the idea that children are 
born to parents, but as well that the church will be given 
this holy seed. So that reflects their paedobaptist 
ecclesiology. As well, in paragraph 3, the 
Westminster and the Savoy specifically add papists as those to whom 
true believers should not marry. Certainly, the London divines 
or the Baptist divines would probably say that papists are 
idolaters, and therefore that word idolaters covers that. But 
just giving you a few of the differences here. And then the 
Westminster Confession gives two helpful additional paragraphs 
in 5 and 6 concerning divorce and remarriage. I personally 
think it's unfortunate that those paragraphs are not included here 
in Chapter 25 of the Second London Confession, because it's a real-life 
topic that the Bible does address, and I think it does round out 
the biblical doctrine concerning marriage we ought to consider 
as well, divorce and remarriage. Why they didn't include that 
would have been a good question that we could have asked Dr. 
Renahan last week, but since we didn't, I'll leave that to 
some of you to work through. At any rate, those are some of 
the differences. But as we look at the chapters, 
we look at the chapter, the specific paragraphs deal with three things. In the first place, the monogamous 
nature of marriage is given to us in paragraph one. Secondly, 
the major purposes for marriage is given in paragraph two. And 
then thirdly, the lawful parties in marriage are given in paragraphs 
three and four. But note first the monogamous 
nature of marriage. Marriage is to be between one 
man and one woman. And I think it's important here 
to highlight how clear of a definition this is. I have seen some recent 
literature by those who want to revise the confession. And 
they suggest that because marriage and divorce, not marriage and 
divorce so much, but marriage in terms of homosexuality and 
bestiality and the various assaults given to the doctrine of marriage, 
the confession could be more fully developed. I disagree. I think this is as clear a statement 
concerning marriage as we could get. Marriage is to be between 
one man and one woman. That's it. That's clear. That's 
definitional, and that's what we ought to embrace and we ought 
to realize. Notice, with reference to the 
following, neither is it lawful for any man to have more than 
one wife. There is a prohibition here against 
polygamy. A man is not supposed to take 
more than one wife. Also is prohibited polyandry, 
which is when a woman takes more than one husband. Now the Bible 
condemns this. Now I certainly know and I'm 
aware of the fact that the patriarchs and the kings of Israel took 
additional wives, but that was not the original intent. God's 
intent at the very beginning was monogamy, one man, one woman 
for life. Now at the introduction of sin, 
when the fall occurs, there is further or additional legislation 
given so that when man does sin, there are things put in place 
by the law of God to protect innocent parties. That's why 
the Bible regulates polygamy. It's not to say it's okay to 
be polygamous, but it is to say that when man, in his hardness 
of heart, does take or multiply wives, there is something given 
in the law to protect those additional wives. The same way divorce, 
at the beginning it was not so. God made man upright, there was 
no sin in him. Had there been no fall, Adam 
and Eve would have been married without any problems, without 
any breach. But at the introduction of sin, 
when the fall of man occurs, there is additional legislation 
given to redress sinful situations. That's why there is a law that 
does deal with divorce and remarriage. But from the beginning it was 
not so. It's not lawful for any man to have more than one wife, 
nor for any woman to have more than one husband at the same 
time. Now, I think there's other things 
that we can at least infer or imply from this particular passage 
or from this particular paragraph. If marriage is to be between 
one man and one woman, it obviously prohibits homosexual marriage. 
It obviously prohibits because that does not fall under the 
definition given here. Marriage is to be between one 
man and one woman, not between one man and another man. As well, 
bestiality is prohibited here. It's not marriages to be between 
one man and the animal of his choice. And I realize that this 
is an outlandish argument, but there are persons that have said 
they want to marry their pets, they want to marry their dog, 
or they want to marry their horse, and I think and I suggest that 
when you open the door on these particular things, like same-sex 
marriage, there's going to be a whole host of challenges following 
down the slippery slope. You're going to see persons more 
forthcoming to engage in marriage to animals. You're going to see 
persons wanting to marry multiple partners. There's going to be 
these same sorts of things. So when the definition is compromised, 
we see that there is an open door to all manner of wickedness. 
So the particular instance or the particular definition, one 
man, one woman, and the implication is till death do them part, and 
then we find these prohibitions implied, homosexuality, bestiality, 
and of course, polygamy and polyandry. Dale Bruner says, if God had 
supremely intended solitary life, God would have created humans 
one by one. He says, if God had intended 
polygamous life, God would have created one man and several women. 
Makes sense, doesn't it? He made Adam and then he made 
Eve. He didn't make Eve and then Linda 
and then Betty and then Sue. No, he made Adam and he made 
Eve. He goes on to say, if God had 
intended homosexual life, God would have made two men or two 
women. Now, by design and what we see 
in terms of precedence in the garden is normative for life 
outside of the garden. He goes on to say, but that God 
intended monogamous heterosexual life is shown by God's creation 
of one man and one woman. Then by immediately commanding 
the two to reproduce, God showed that He honored their sexual 
union and that this union is good. and His will. This wasn't some dirty addition 
to the creation account. This was pre-fall. God made Adam, 
God made Eve, and God brought them together in this one flesh 
union. They engaged in that sexual union, 
and again, it wasn't something icky, it wasn't something disgusting, 
it was something God ordained for good. And then paragraph 
2 answers the question of what are the major purposes for marriage? 
In other words, why in creation did God bring Adam and Eve together? Now, I realize that this isn't 
typically the way that we would speak. In other words, a young 
man does not go to a young woman and say, I want you to be my 
wife for our mutual help together. I want you to be my wife for 
the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue. And that 
young man certainly doesn't come to the young woman and say, I 
really want to take you as my wife for the preventing of uncleanness. At this point, she'd probably 
smack him and say, I don't want to hear anything you have to 
say. But what this says in a bit more technical theological ease 
is simply what God ordained at creation. Companionship, procreation, 
and sexual relations. That is precisely the design 
of God in marriage or the purposes given by God in marriage. Note in the first place the mutual 
help of husband and wife, companionship. You can turn to Genesis chapter 
2. It's good to rehearse this. It's good to shine the spotlight 
on the dignity of marriage because we live in a day and age where 
marriage is under attack, the family is under attack, homosexuality, 
fornication, this sort of idea that it really doesn't matter, 
that we don't need this paper to sort of tell us that we are 
in love or that we are in union together. There's a lot of assaults 
and a lot of attacks on the doctrine of marriage, so it's good for 
Christians to see it as the Bible sets it forth. It is a dignified 
thing. It is a blessed thing. And I 
think that parents, if indeed they seek by the grace of God 
to have a good marriage in their home, I think it bodes well on 
children. I remember some years ago I asked 
a particular young woman, Nobody here, you don't have to wonder 
who this could have possibly been. She was getting up there 
in the teenage years and I said, are you looking forward to getting 
married? And she said, oh, I never want to get married. Now, there 
could be various reasons why she might never want to get married, 
but one of those reasons might have been she didn't see a good 
marriage modeled in her home, right? If you see your parents 
fighting all the time or arguing all the time or not engaged in 
companionship and the oneness that God has designed in the 
relationship, should we be surprised that children want nothing to 
do with marriage? You know, it's the same sort 
of thing with reference to church life. If we drag ourselves out 
of bed and we complain and whine and grumble all the way to church 
on the Lord's Day, should we be surprised when our children 
don't want to go to church? Should we be shocked when they 
say, why would I want to go? All you do is complain. All you 
do is grumble. All you do is say how bad everybody 
is and what a waste of time it is and how much you'd rather 
watch, you know, NFL on Sunday. Brethren, we oftentimes lead 
by our example, so if our marriages reflect the biblical design as 
they ought to according to Ephesians 5, it will hopefully go a long 
way to instructing our children so that they will long for that 
as well. And I'm not saying everybody has to long for marriage. There 
is the biblical doctrine of continence or the biblical doctrine of singleness. And that's not bad. If you've 
got that, praise God. But for the most part, not everybody 
has that gift. So marriage is a good thing. 
And if you do not have the gift of abstinence, then you ought 
to prepare yourself and busy yourself in the pursuit of a 
woman or man that you can marry in the Lord. But marriage is 
a good thing. Notice in Genesis chapter 2, 
beginning in verse 18, And the Lord God said, it is not good 
that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable 
to him. Out of the ground the Lord God 
formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air and 
brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. 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. There was a hole. There was something 
missing in Adam's existence. There was something absent. Adam 
certainly enjoyed the animals, no doubt. He certainly, you know, 
if he had a ball and he threw it to the dog and the dog brought 
it back to him, I'm sure that was as pleasant as it is for 
us when we throw the ball to the dog and the dog brings it 
back to us. But there's something missing, isn't there? There's 
something that doesn't just fill that void, and that's what's 
happening here. 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." Perhaps you've heard 
R.C. Sproul on this. He says, when 
Adam saw Eve, he said, whoa, man. That's how she became a 
woman. Whoa, man. I quite like that, 
right? He saw her, and his heart started 
to speed up, and he was a happy camper. No more, I mean, he could 
still throw that ball to the dog, but he had one comparable 
to him. He had that mutual help meet. He had that one that God had 
designed to complete him because now they are one flesh. It truly is a beautiful thing 
that we have in marriage. Secondly, the increase of mankind 
or procreation. Now, if persons are unable to 
have children, that does not mean they cannot be married, 
does not mean they cannot be married. But in the general outworking 
of divine providence, man and woman marry one another for that 
mutual help and as well to have children. We see that in Genesis 
1, verses 27 and 28. So God created man in His own 
image, in the image of God He created him, male and female 
He created them. Then God blessed them and God 
said to them, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and 
subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the 
birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the 
earth. So man was to multiply the image 
of God through procreation. He was to fill the earth with 
the image of God and expand the garden temple to fill the earth. 
He was to expand vice regency through the earth by having men 
rule over the creation. This was God's original intent. that man the image bearer was 
to procreate so he would fill the earth with image bearers. 
Procreation is a good thing. Children are a blessing according 
to the Psalter. Malachi as well tells us that 
the Lord God seeks a holy seed. That's the proof text in the 
Westminster and in the Savoy with reference to this legitimate 
issue and of the church with a holy seed. It is a reality 
that this is a blessed aspect of marriage. And then in the 
third place, the prevention of uncleanness or sexual relations. We see that in the Genesis text. We see that they're joined together, 
they become one flesh. I think it's actually an implication 
we ought to assume that when they saw one another and they 
engaged in that particular activity. The Bible does not condemn relations. It does not condemn this as somehow 
inferior or subferior or somehow, you know, base or carnal. It 
is blessed by God. It is a good thing. It's an unfortunate 
hindrance in the hearts and minds of many people that somehow this 
is dirty. It's wrong, it's wicked, it's 
abominable if it's done outside of the context of covenantal 
marriage, but within covenantal marriage, God blesses. In fact, 
Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 4 is such a clear statement that 
Christians should have no hang-ups when it comes to this particular 
activity. Marriage is honorable among all, 
and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. God will judge fornicators and 
adulterers, but not those who are in a lawfully covenanted 
marriage. God says, it's good, be blessed, 
be happy, the Lord is kind, He's gracious, He's nice to His creatures, 
and we ought to realize this and receive the blessings that 
He has given to us. Proverbs chapter 5, I think in 
Proverbs 5 you have the three R's to sexual purity. The three 
R's, you've heard that before, reading, writing, arithmetic. 
Well, I think there's three R's to sexual purity in Proverbs 
chapter 5. The first one is found in verse 
8, remove. Remove your way far from her 
and do not go near the door of her house. This is the first 
R with reference to sexual purity. Remove your way far from it. Do not go down that road. Notice 
the text. It's specific. Remove your way 
far from her. Do not go near the door of her 
house. He doesn't say don't go near her bed. He says don't go 
near her door. You're not that strong. You cannot 
get close, you cannot take fire into your bosom and not get burned, 
so remove your way far from her. Verse 21 is the third R, just 
doing this for dramatic effect. The third R, verse 21, remember, 
for the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he ponders 
all his paths. You want to remember that God 
is watching everything you do. The eyes of Yahweh are in every 
place, beholding the good and the evil. So in other words, 
if you're going to engage in sexual immorality, remember that 
the Lord is witness to this. The second R is found in verse 
18. Notice, let your fountain be 
blessed Here's that R, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. 
As a loving dear and a graceful doe, let her breast satisfy you 
at all times, and always be enraptured with her love. In other words, 
so enjoy the marital relationship that you are not prone to go 
astray. So these things are good. These 
are the major purposes in marriage. companionship, procreation, conjugal 
relationship in marriage. Paul deals with this as well 
in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. He uses very strong language 
there that we are not to deprive one another in the marriage union. The man does not have authority 
over his own body, but his wife does. The woman does not have 
authority over her own body, but the husband does. Now that 
doesn't mean for criminal or for sinful abuse, but it does 
mean with reference to this third aspect of the major purpose in 
marriage, this idea of conjugal relations. Now notice in the 
third place, the lawful parties in marriage in paragraphs 3 and 
4. There's a general rule. Notice, it is lawful for all 
sorts of people to marry. It's not just for Christians. 
God, the Creator, gave marriage to His creatures. You see, it's 
not the case that just Christians can get married. Non-Christians 
can and should get married. It's a gift given by God to the 
creation. And so it is lawful for all sorts 
of people to marry, Christians, non-Christians. Now there's a 
proviso with reference to Christians that we're going to look at in 
just a moment, but suffice it to say all kinds of people can 
get married. Handicapped people can get married, 
old people can get married, young people, not too young, but young 
people can get married. It's given as a gift to the creation. Now, even appended here, though, 
notice it says, "...who are able with judgment to give their consent." 
I think I've shared before, it was Micah when he was eight, 
he says, what's the youngest that I can get married? And I 
said, eleven. And he's like, wow! I said, no, just put the 
brakes on, I was kidding. Not eleven. You see, an 11-year-old 
might really want to get married, or an 8-year-old might really 
want to get married, but that's not probably the best judgment. And so you see, it is lawful 
for all sorts of people to marry who are able, with judgment, 
to give their consent. You see, if somebody's out of 
their mind, or they're drunk, or they're intoxicated, or they're 
under drugs or something like that, they're not in their right 
mind. There's not a judgment there, 
and they're not able to give their consent in a lawful way. So, not everything that is lawful 
is necessarily expedient or prudent. In other words, something may 
be lawful, but it may not be the right thing for you to do 
at this particular moment. So, when somebody says, but you 
know, God gave marriage to creatures, I'm a creature, ergo, I ought 
to be able to get married. Yeah, but you live under a bridge. 
You don't make any money. Wouldn't it be wise for you to 
take a wife and add her to that under the bridge existence with 
no food or clothing? Maybe you should work on getting 
a job and learning how to prepare a home and that sort of thing. 
So you see, it's lawful for all sorts of people to marry. who 
are able with judgment to give their consent. Now, the specific 
limits directed to Christians is given to us in the following 
statement. Yet, it is the duty of Christians to marry in the 
Lord. That is absolutely crucial, that 
Christians marry in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7, Paul deals with 
the issue or the situation concerning the death or death in a marriage. 
1 Corinthians 7.39, a wife is bound 
by law as long as her husband lives, but if her husband dies, 
she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the 
Lord. This is the proviso. This is 
the specific limit. 2 Corinthians 6, the apostle 
deals with being unequally yoked. You're not to be unequally yoked. 
You're not to contract a covenant of marriage with somebody that 
you are in an unequal yoke with. Now, it does happen that unbelievers 
get married and God saves one of them. That's what Paul deals 
with in the previous section in 1 Corinthians 7. What's Paul's 
counsel to the believer? Should you divorce that person? 
No! If the unbeliever is willing 
to remain with you, then stay married to them. You see the 
difference there? If I and my partner are unconverted 
and we get married, and God saves her, and I'm willing to stay 
with her, then God's instruction to her is to stay with me. Does 
that make sense? Now, back it up a bit and say 
that I'm a Christian and I'm going to marry someone. I am duty-bound to God to marry 
a believer. I am not to marry an unbeliever 
with the intention that this will be a good missionary enterprise. You know, I'll marry this unbeliever 
and I'll be so godly and so upright and so holy that my life will 
win him or her to the gospel. You are not supposed to do that. 
The Lord God says you are to marry in the Lord. Do not be 
unequally yoked. Everybody see the difference? 
You get married as unbelievers, God saves one of you. Stay married 
to that particular person. But on the front end, if one 
person is a believer, that person is forbidden, or prohibited rather, 
from marrying an unbeliever. This is why you need to exercise 
caution. It's easy to run ahead with the 
heart and forget to contemplate reality. It's a horrible thing 
for a person to fall in love with somebody and then to realize, 
well, you know, they're really not a believer yet, but I love 
him. or I love her, I've got this attachment. That's tough. I would say, highly encourage 
young people to be very discerning in this particular matter and 
do not let your emotions or your desire for experience or your 
desire for what is a good thing trump what God has commanded 
in Holy Scripture. It's always better to be cautious 
and to proceed with obedience and to trust in the sovereignty 
and the goodness of Almighty God. You'll never go wrong trusting 
in the sovereignty and in the goodness of Almighty God, will 
you? You can never come up short saying, well, you know, I'm just 
found here trusting in the sovereignty and goodness of God. That's the 
best place to be. Doesn't God say this in this 
altar? Be still and know that I am God. That's the best place 
a person can be, married or single. Now, notice the specific prohibitions 
in the confession. The believer is prohibited from 
marrying four categories of those not in the Lord. Notice. Yet 
it is the duty of Christians to marry in the Lord and therefore 
such as profess the true religion, Christians, should not marry 
with infidels. An infidel is an unbeliever, 
one who does not profess the true religion. Somebody that 
may be an atheist, somebody that may be an agnostic, somebody 
that may not be concerned whatsoever about religion. The second category 
is idolaters, those who claim to worship God or gods, but not 
the true and the living God. You see how important and crucial 
that is. You cannot marry an idolater, 
an old covenant Israel. You didn't bring home a Baal 
worshiper to your parents and say, look who I'm going to marry. 
You just didn't do that. You're not supposed to combine 
or seek to combine Yahweh with Baal or Yahweh with Moloch. You 
are not supposed to marry an idolater. And again, a Papist 
is, you know, included in the Savoy and in the Westminster 
Confession of Faith at this point. Obviously a Muslim. A Muslim 
professes to worship God, but not the God of Holy Scripture, 
not the Triune God, not the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, just because 
they're monotheists. does not mean that they're not 
idolaters. And in the same token, Jews are 
those who practice Judaism. Again, monotheists, but idolaters. They don't worship the triune 
God of Holy Scripture. So you cannot marry an idolater. I mean, The Bible is clear on 
this, but as well practically. Why would you want to contract 
a covenant of marriage with somebody whose desires and whose design 
is absolutely contrary to your own? It makes no sense doctrinally, 
obviously, because it's disobedience to God. But practically, it would 
be a real tough thing to live in a home with somebody who wanted 
to go to the closet, you know, and put bananas before their 
Buddha doll. That just wouldn't be a good 
way to live, brethren. And so listen to the confession. 
More importantly, listen to, not more importantly, as importantly, 
listen to the Bible. I think what the confession says 
here is simply Bible. It's giving us the theology of 
the Bible. Notice as well, thirdly, such 
as are wicked in their life. such as are wicked in their life, 
those who would profess to be Christians, those who would profess 
the true religion, those who would say that Jesus is my personal 
Savior. It's typically what they do, 
say, hey, He's my personal Savior. Well, if He's your personal Savior, 
you will serve Him. You will not serve Baal, you 
will not serve Moloch, you will not serve your own carnal flesh 
and lusts by marrying with such as are wicked in their life. 
Now, that doesn't mean, you know, you've got to marry Paul or Jesus 
because they would be as close, well, Jesus has no sin. Paul's 
probably right up there in the, you know, top few that are as 
holy as a man could be, but those who are Those who are seeking 
to be faithful, those who are seeking to maintain a conscience 
void of offense toward God and toward men, are good persons 
for you to pursue in marriage, not those who are wicked in their 
life, those who violate the law of God with impunity, those who 
don't care about the things of Christ, those who pay lip service 
to the Lord. In other words, a hypocrite, 
you're not supposed to marry such a person. And then it goes 
on to say, such as maintain damnable heresy, those who profess the 
true religion but hold to damning doctrines. Perhaps you meet a 
young man or a young woman, and everything's great, and your 
heart's drawn out, and you love him, and he says he's a Christian, 
he's a believer, and it turns out he denies the deity of Jesus. 
What do you do? You say, well, you know, that's 
just a minor detail. No, Jesus said, if you don't 
believe that I am, you will die in your sins. Now, damnable heresy 
is not a difference in eschatology. If you are an amillennialist 
and you find a postmillennialist, that's not a deal breaker. You 
can get married. But if you are a true believer 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot marry someone who denies 
the deity of Jesus. You cannot marry someone who 
denies the triunity of God. You cannot marry someone who 
denies justification by faith alone. damnable heresies. You see the difference, difference 
in eschatology, difference in church government, difference 
in, you know, some other particulars with reference to the Christian 
faith that aren't deal breakers. That's why it's important for 
you to come on Sunday morning, to come to church on Sunday morning, 
Sunday evening, so that you can learn. If you're serious about 
marriage, if you're serious about wanting to find the person that 
God would have for you, you'll be serious about Bible study. 
You'll be serious about learning and growing and understanding. 
You'll be serious so that you, first and foremost, will be the 
kind of guy or gal that someone else would actually want to marry, 
but as well so that you'll know what to look for. If you don't 
have scripture in your mind and in your heart, you're going to 
run around rudderless, and you're going to run around just tossed 
to and fro, and you're going to find the first guy or girl 
that pays any attention to you. Now, I understand it's a wonderful 
thing to have somebody of the opposite sex pay attention to 
you. There's nothing more intoxicating, 
is there, than when an attractive man or an attractive woman or 
a nice man or a nice woman interested in us. That's great. There's 
something exhilarating about it. But do not turn off that 
part in your brain that has to function properly. You need to 
inform yourself what Scripture says. And I think as parents, 
we ought to, with a view to contracting or covenanting good marriages 
for our kids, we engage in arranged marriages from the womb. No, 
I'm just kidding. That would probably take a lot of the guests 
where I was just kidding. But as parents, people on internet 
land are going nuts, how dare him. But as parents, we ought 
to have a view to the future. That was one of the things that 
struck me last week with Pastor Renahan. It's generation to generation. Dispensationalism paralyzed the 
generation because they taught that at any moment Jesus could 
return. What happens when we have that 
thought? We're not going to go pursue higher education. We may 
not have children. We may not get good jobs. Because 
if Jesus is going to return this afternoon, why in the world would 
I invest in education? Why in the world would I have 
children? And why in the world would I try to get a good job? 
If Jesus is going to be here this afternoon, what difference 
does it make? Sounds like Thessalonica, doesn't 
it? Sounds like what Paul is dealing with in Thessalonica. 
The people in Thessalonica were not working because they were 
probably sitting on their roofs waiting for Jesus to return. 
Paul says, if you don't work, neither should you eat. He tells 
the church, don't feed these people. They need to go find 
jobs. They need to bring, you know, 
a dish to the potluck. They need to cough up. They need 
to put up or shut up. Don't just keep feeding them. 
They need to go and work. Now, I'm not suggesting that 
Jesus couldn't come this afternoon, but we're supposed to live in 
light of the fact that we're going to be here for a while. 
And we need to think transgenerationally. We need to seek to encourage 
our children to marry decent human beings that are in Jesus 
Christ. We need to encourage them to 
pursue education and to pursue excellence and to do those things 
that are pleasing to the Lord. I think it was Luther in this 
context. If you knew Jesus was going to return tomorrow, what 
would you do today? I'd plant a tree. Well, why would you plant 
a tree today if you knew Jesus? Because that's my duty today. 
That's what I'm supposed to do today. We're supposed to live 
in light of that reality, always to be sure, but it shouldn't 
change what we do today. I mean, I hate to think that 
if Jesus were going to return tomorrow, we'd all call in sick 
to work today. I mean, we're supposed to work, 
right? We're supposed to do what we're 
supposed to do. Or if Jesus were going to return tomorrow, would 
you skip church today? I hope not. I would love the fact that 
this was the last time we gathered as the church militant, and the 
next time we see each other we'll be the church triumphant. Be 
glorious, you see? We need to encourage our children 
to think these ways and to understand what the confession encapsulates 
from the Word of God in this particular heading. And then 
notice the natural limit, paragraph 4. Marriage ought not to be within 
the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden in the 
word. This militates against incest. Consanguinity is a relationship 
by blood. You are not to marry your sister. You are not to marry your brother. 
Now Sam Waldron in his book says anybody closer than a first cousin. you're not to marry. I'm certain, 
I have read or heard elsewhere that it's first cousin and anybody 
closer. In other words, you're not to 
marry first cousins either. Now, Leviticus 18 is the proof 
text here. I simply didn't have time to 
track down that particular line, but in my gut I would say first 
cousin is off limits. check Waldron, see where he got 
that information, and all that sort of thing. But consanguinity, 
a relationship by blood, you're not supposed to contract an incestuous 
relationship. And then affinity is relationship 
by marriage. It's by marriage, which under 
the Law of the Leveret, when the person died, it seems that 
that affinity was broken, because in the Law of the Leveret, if 
I'm married to a woman and I die, then she is to marry my brother, 
so that he has, or so that she has that seed and inheritance 
and that sort of thing. But that's what the Confession 
is talking about. Consanguinity is relationship 
by blood. Affinity is relationship by marriage, 
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." I 
think that I saw in the literature that potpourri will try and justify 
or have tried to justify some instances. Does that make sense? 
Okay, I thought that's what Hodge was alluding to. But the idea 
here is that the civil authority or ecclesiastical authority cannot 
be made lawful by any law of man or consent of parties, so 
as those persons may live together as man and wife. And it is intriguing 
here. The proof text, number eight, 
notice, the reader is referred to the 18th chapter of Leviticus. The reader is referred to the 
18th chapter of Leviticus. What we find in our confession 
is the application of chapter 19. Chapter 19 speaks about the 
threefold division of the law, moral, judicial, ceremonial, 
right? Well, Leviticus chapter 18 is 
appealed to by the divines. Obviously, there's a general 
equity in Leviticus 18 that is binding upon the Christian church 
today. And it is equally intriguing 
and probably more so 1 Corinthians chapter 5. When Paul comes to 
deal with the incestuous relationship in the church at Corinth, what's 
informing Paul's ethic? It's the book of Leviticus. Jesus 
didn't say you can't marry your sister. Jesus didn't say you 
can't marry your brother. Jesus didn't speak to all those 
particulars in his earthly ministry. It's the Old Testament law, with 
its abiding authority, that informs the mind of the apostle, such 
that when he comes to 1 Corinthians chapter 5, and he condemns an 
instance of pornea, or sexual immorality, vis-a-vis a man having 
his father's wife, Paul says, that is not righteous. What is 
informing the Apostle in terms of what new covenant porneia 
is, is old covenant law given to us by God through His servant 
Moses. So Leviticus 18 speaks to this 
whole issue of incest and its condemnation by God in His law 
concerning marriage. Well, in conclusion, we ought 
to appreciate in the first place the dignity of marriage. See, 
I think at times it is simply just folly and viciousness to 
sort of say, you know, those Puritans, they were fuddy-duddies 
and they were, you know, these kill joys and, you know, everything 
had to be miserable in their lives. That's simply not the 
case. Protestants and Puritans have a very healthy and a very 
happy and a very receptive Thanksgiving to God for His good gifts. Marriage is a blessing. Marriage 
ought to be viewed as a blessing, and perhaps if in the church 
we communicated how much a blessing it is, we might have some impact 
on a society that sees it as a curse, that sees it as a bad 
thing. So the dignity of marriage is 
not only scriptural, it is confessional, and it ought to be held in high 
esteem by all of God's people. Now again, if you're not married, 
if you're called to a single life, that's a blessing too. 
I don't ever want to say, oh, you're a second-class citizen. 
No, God has married, God has unmarried. Unmarried is as dignified. It is as good. It's not a lesser 
state. It's not a state of inferiority. It is a blessing. And again, 
we tried to deal with that in Matthew 19. We not only dealt 
with marriage and divorce and remarriage, but we also dealt 
with those who are, by God, called to be single. Being called to 
be single is not bad. I'm just reacting against, say, 
Bill Gothard. He was a man that had this sort 
of an empire built on marriage and family, and he often taught, 
or he did have in his teaching, that marriage was not as good 
as being single. Marriage was good, but it wasn't 
as good as being single. Now, Gothard himself was a single 
man. Now, I don't know if that's what drove him to propagate that. And you say, well, you know, 
that doesn't really affect people. It does. We had a young man here. 
When I first started talking with him, he's not here anymore. 
He just thought that getting married was a lesser state. It 
was an inferior state. And I just said, no, it's not. 
It's a blessing. It's good. It was given by God. 
Don't listen to that dreck. I mean, if you're called to be 
single, if you're called to be solo, That's fine. Paul was. Jesus was. That's a 
good thing. It's not bad. But don't look 
at the rest of us married slobs like we're somehow, you know, 
weak and terrible and, you know, settling for second best. That's 
not good either. So we need to make sure that 
we understand the dignity of marriage. Secondly, the responsibility 
involved in marriage. This is J.C. Ryle on Matthew 
19. He says, it is clear from the 
whole tenor of the passage that the relation of marriage ought 
to be highly reverenced and honored among Christians. It is a relation 
which was instituted in paradise in the time of man's innocency 
and is a chosen figure of the mystical union between Christ 
and His church. Ephesians 5, isn't that what 
we're supposed to be thinking when we covenant in marriage? 
I'm supposed to give a good example as a husband because my neighbors 
are watching. And if I'm a jerk to my wife, 
they may be inclined to conclude that Jesus is a jerk to his wife. And if my wife is insubordinate 
and doesn't honor me like Paul says, those are words that make 
people flip out, but this is Paul's language in Ephesians 
5. I think there's a sense where 
we try to qualify so much, we miss the point of what Paul is 
actually saying. If our wives are not doing what 
Paul says in Ephesians 5, the next-door neighbor is going to 
say, wow, the church really doesn't have to regard her Lord because 
look at the way she conducts herself. That mystical union 
is typified or imaged by the married couples in the church. That right there shines dignity 
upon it. Next time you, you know, act 
like an idiot in your marriage, consider the fact that you are 
either representing the church or you're representing the Lord 
Jesus. He goes on to say, it is a relation which is sure to 
have the greatest influence on those whom it brings together, 
for happiness or for misery, for good or for evil. You see, we only ever consider 
that this is just going to be a blessing. We need to stop and 
consider the fact that, you know what, if this isn't the right 
person, it's not going to be a blessing. I've long been convinced 
that just because a man is a Christian and a woman is a Christian, doesn't 
necessarily mean that man and that woman should be married 
together. Are there factors involved, brethren? Well, he's a Christian, 
or she's a Christian. Yeah, but you guys don't get 
along on anything. That's surely going to cause 
some friction and some tension. You've got to back down. You've 
got to think through it. You've got to ponder these things. He says, such a relation ought 
never to be taken in hand unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, but soberly, 
discreetly, and with due consideration. It is only too true that inconsiderate 
marriages are one of the most fertile causes of unhappiness, 
and too often it may be feared of sin. What's Solomon say about 
being married to a contentious woman? Oh, it's just a blessing. You're going to enjoy it. Life's 
going to be great. No, it's better to live in the 
wilderness. It's better to live in the wilderness than with a 
contentious woman. Now, I'm certain Solomon would 
agree that it's better to live in the wilderness than with a 
meathead of a husband. You see, we've got to think soberly 
on these things. Before we get to that point where 
there's stars in our eyes and there's rainbows around that 
person, we've got to take into consideration these things. As 
far as single people who want to be married, I've said it earlier, 
I'll say it again, prepare yourself You know, the scriptures are 
very clear that you're not going to live on love and fresh air. 
Another maxim I got from Steve Lawson's father. We don't live 
on love and fresh air. If you're going to be a man that 
a woman wants to marry, you can't live under a bridge. You can't 
eat dog food. You have to have some sort of 
goal and some sort of place for her to hang her hat. Women like 
nesting, and that's a good thing. Provide a nest for that. The 
same thing if you're a woman. You want to be, I hate to use 
the word marketable, but wow, I mean, what other word is there, 
you know? Be the godly sort of person that 
a man is going to want to marry. Prepare yourself. As well, engage 
in the discrimination of others. And that word discrimination, 
we think of blacks, we think of whites, we think of natives. 
Discrimination is a good word. We ought to be discriminated. 
Not because the fellow or the lady is black, but because they're 
ungodly. or they're an idolater, they 
maintain damnable heresy, or they profess the true religion, 
and they engage in wicked works. Discriminate! If that person 
isn't upright and godly, if that person could not be welcomed 
into a church, baptized and added to that church, there's a good 
reason for that. Perhaps that church and her elders 
sees there's something there that gives them cause. and as 
well praying always to the Lord. If you want a husband or you 
want a wife, pray to the Lord God Most High who gives husbands 
and who gives wives, right? Those who receive a wife according 
to the Proverbs, it's a good thing from the Lord. You men 
who have wives, those Those are good things from the Lord. Don't 
say, well, thing objectifies her. That's Solomon's language. 
That's what God says. She's a good thing from the Lord. 
And conversely, I'd like to think that us men are good things from 
the Lord for our dear wives. Well, let's close in prayer. 
Our Father, we thank You for the Scripture. We thank You for 
our confession. We thank You, God, for this compendium 
of truth and how it articulates what the Bible so clearly sets 
forth. I do pray for the young people in our midst. I pray for 
the children in our midst, that You would cause them to to know 
the Lord Jesus in their youth and cause them to walk according 
to Scripture. As we live in a culture, as we 
live in a society, as we live in a generation that is increasingly 
more hostile toward God and His Word, may it be the case that 
in this place and in these families we would seek to inoculate them 
with the truth of Holy Scripture. We thank you, God, for giving 
this good gift to your creatures. We thank you that you have not 
left man alone, but you have indeed blessed and given us those 
things which we desperately need. Go with us into this next hour. 
Help us to worship you in spirit and truth. And we pray through 
Christ the Lord. Amen.