the Third Week of Advent
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Bible Dictionaries
Marriage
Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary
or The Scriptures, both of the Old Testament and the New, have in a great variety of circumstances shew in what high esteem the holy estate of marriage was considered by holy men of old. And though in the Old Testament we read of many wives being joined to one husband, yet our Lord Jesus expressly said, that it was not so from the beginning. (Matthew 19:3-9) And there is reason to believe, that in numberless instances where we read of a man having more wives than one, all but one were rather as concubines than wives. Such, for example, as Abraham's Hagar and Ke-turah. And I think it very plain, from the New Testament doctrine upon this subject, that from the very first order of things, even from the creation, the spiritual marriage and unity between Christ and his church was all along respected by the marriage-state, and uniformly intended to be shadowed forth. In confirmation of this opinion, I beg the reader to consult ‘the following Scriptures: Genesis 2:18-25; Ephesians 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4. And when the readers hath fully considered the force of these Scriptures: let him turn to John's gospel, second chapter and there read how the Lord Jesus honouered the marriage both with his presence and first miracle that he wrought; than let him turn to the fifth chapter of Mathew's Gospel, and Luke the sixteenth and eighteenth, and mark how strongly the Lord attacheth adultery to the separation of men and their wives. From the whole of which taken together, I think it is very plain, not only of the original design from the beginning, that every woman should have her own husband, and, every husband his own wife, but also that the married state was intended, in the most dear and tender manner, to set forth and display Christ's union with his church. Perhaps it may not be improper under this article, to make another observation in the allusion to the customs of the East on the celebration of their marriages, and which may serve to illustrate and explain, in some measure, that circumstance respecting the man without a wedding garment, which our Lord speaks of in the marriage-feast the king made for his son. (See Matthew 22:1-14)
We cannot need to be informed how splendid and costly the entertainments made for marriage feasts always were in the East, Their ordinary entertainments were great, and no expense was spared in them; but even the poorest of the people on bridal occasions exerted themselves to make the festivity as rich as possible. In the marriage therefore of the king's son, we may well suppose the display of magnificence must have been proportionably great. The circumstance of the wedding garment provided for the guests, was in exact conformity to the oriential custom. Certain rich vests, or caffans, were provided for every one, therefore, when the king came in to see the guests, and found a man without the wedding garment, the contempt he had shewn in refusing to put on what must have been provided for him, excited the king's displeasure, and rendered him a just object of the king's wrath. This explains the sense of the parable. But the spiritual meaning of the parable is still infinitely more important. The invitation of the gospel to the marriage of the Lord Jesus with our nature, runs in the same charter of grace. "Go ye into the highways, and as many as ye shall and bid to the marriage." So that wheresoever the sound of the gospel comes, it may be truly said, in the language of the parable, the invitation goeth forth, and there will be gathered together, all, as many as the servants find, both bad and good; and the wedding will be furnished with guests. The man therefore whom the king finds at his table without the wedding garment, is a type or repre%sentation of every one of the same description and character, who contumaciously refuses to be clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness, but comes before the king with the filthy rags of his own righteousness; and as at the sight and remonstrance of the king that man was speechless, unable to speak a word by way of softening his guilt, so at the last day, when the Lord Jesus shall come to be glorified m his saints, and admired in all that believe, all that are found without the justifying garment of Jesus's salvation will be struck dumb, and overwhelmed with guilt and shame. The soul that is Christless now, will be speechless then. Such seems to be the evident scope and tendency of this beautiful parable of our Lord.
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Hawker, Robert D.D. Entry for 'Marriage'. Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance and Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/pmd/m/marriage.html. London. 1828.
