a friend of the bridegroom, and 14. By the laws of our country, it another a friend of the bride, tarry is required that persons intending to all night in the next room. These marry, have their intentions pronext morning take and deliver the claimed on three several sabbaths, linen whereon the new-married par-that all concerned may seasonably ties had slept, to be retained by the offer their objections; and it is enbride's mother. If afterward the acted, that all such as marry in a man pretended his wife had not been clandestine manner, or are witnesses a maid at her marriage, her parents, thereof, be severely fined, or otherif they could, produce the proper wise punished; and that whosoever tokens of her virginity; and if they marries any person clandestinely, be did, the husband paid 100 shekels of imprisoned and banished by the masilver to her parents, as a fine for gistrates, never to return under pain slandering their daughter, and was of death. Is it not then surprising obliged to retain her as his wife that any persons should so much overwhile she lived; but if these were look this pernicious course? How not found, the woman was stoned to can the giving of an oath to a worthdeath as an adulteress, Deut. xxii. less fellow having no authority, per13-21. As the Jews were a cruel haps a vagabond, fail to be a horkind of people, Moses, to prevent rid profanation of God's name? Is it their direct or indirect murder of not sinful to trample on good order, their wives, permitted them, in a established by both church and state? solemn and deliberate manner, to How wicked to rush into marriage put them away, by giving them a without a deliberate thought! How bill of divorce, if they found some base to enter that state, in a method disagreeable disease on their body, calculated to rob parents of their or their temper was such as that they power over children, to cover lewdcould not live together; but they ness, and to promote treacherous, were never after allowed to return adulterous, and even incestuous, conto one another. Under the gospel, nections! no cause of divorce is allowed to be The scripture all along represents just, except adultery and wilful de-it as the right of parents to give their sertion. On account of the first, the sons and daughters in marriage, Gen. innocent party may dismiss the xxi. 21. and xxiv. 3. and xxviii. 1, guilty by the second, the guilty 6. and xxxiv. 4, 6. and xxviii. 18, dismisses himself or herself, Matt. 19. Josh. xv. 16, 17. Judg. xiv. 2, xix. 3-9. 1 Cor. vii. 11, 15.-If a 3. Exod. xxii. 16, 17. Judg. xxxiv. master betrothed his bondmaid, that 16. Deut. vii. 3. Jer. xxix. 6. 1 Cor. had been sold to him, and did not vii. 36, 38. Nowhere is the least marry her, he was to allow her to be shadow of power given to children redeemed. If he betrothed a bond- to marry without their parents' conmaid to his son, she was to be used as sent. Nor do I know of a single an ordinary wife; and if she was not instance of marriage in scripture used well, she might go off as a free contracted without regard to the conwoman, Exod. xxi. 7-11. If a sent of parents, which was not folHebrew intended to marry a captive, lowed with some visible judgment, she was first to tarry at his house a temporal or spiritual, sooner or later, whole month, that he might have Gen. vi. 2. and xxvi. 34. and xxviii. time to deliberate; and was to shave 9. and xxxviii. 2, &c. Protestant her head and pare her nails, change Divines generally hold marriage null her clothes, and for a month bewail and void, if the consent of parents be her loss of her parents, and then he disregarded. The infamous Popish might marry her; but if he did not Council of Trent, denounced a curse retain her, she was to go out free, upon them on this account. Papists and not to be sold, Deut. xxi. 10-generally hold the marriage of chil dren valid without the consent of and body, Prov. iii. 8. MARS-HILL. See AREOPAGUS. MART, a place of great trade of parents to their children's con- to the nations around, Isaiah xxiii. tempt of that authority which God 3. hath given them over them in this MARTYR, properly denotes a point, tends not a little to the mul-witness: in ecclesiastical history, one tiplication of such marriages in our who lays down his life, or suffers times, to the manifest ruin of their death, for the sake of his religion, seed in spiritual, and often also in and is thus distinguished from confestemporal things. sors, properly so called, who under The duty of married persons is ten-went great afflictions for their conderly to love one another, be faithful fession of the truth, yet without sufto one another, bear with one ano-fering death; which confession every ther's infirmities; and in their differ- Christian is bound to make, out of ent stations, study to please, profit, regard to the truth, Matt. x. 32, 33. and provide for one another, the hus- The term martyr occurs only thrice band as the head, and the wife as in the New Testament, Acts xxii. subject to him, Eph. v. Col. iii. 120. Rev. ii. 13. and xvii. 6. See Pet. iii. The relation between God WITNESS. and the church, whether Jewish or MARVEL. See WONDER. Gentile, is represented as a marriage MARY, exalted, bitterness of the wherein God is the Husband, who sea, mother of our Saviour Jesus chooses, rules, and provides for them; Christ, and a virgin at the time she and they are the spouse, who consent conceived him; daughter of Joachin to be his, accept of his ordinances and of Anna, of the tribe of Judah, and laws, and love and obey him, and espoused to Joseph, of the same because he first loved them. With tribe: of the royal house of David, as deliberation this relation is consti- was also her husband. Mary was tuted; and how solemn his promises akin to the race of Aaron, since Elito bless them, and their engagements sabeth the wife of Zacharias was her to obey him how fearfully the Jews cousin, Luke i. 36. and many Christian churches, have The Virgin Mary being then bebeen punished for their adulterous trothed to Joseph, the angel Gabriel apostacy from him! Jer. iii. Ezek. appeared to her, to inform her that xvi. Hos. ii. she should become the mother of MARROW, a soft fat, and very the Messiah, Luke i. 26, 27, &c. nourishing substance, contained in Mary asked him how this could be, the hollow of some animal bones, since she knew no man ? Το which strengthens them, and greatly which the angel replied, that the promotes the healing of them when Holy Ghost should come upon her, broken. To marrow are likened, and the power of the Highest should (1.) The most secret dispositions, overshadow her, so that she should thoughts, designs, and desires, of conceive without the concurrence of our soul, Heb. iv. 12. (2.) Christ any man. And to confirm what he and his fulness of grace and glo- had said to her, and to show that nory, and all the fulness of God in thing is impossible to God, he added, him, which are the delightful nou- that her cousin Elisabeth, who was old rishment and strength of churches, and had been barren, was then in the saints, and their holy dispositions, sixth month of her pregnancy. Mary Psal. Ixiii. 5. Isa. xxv. 6. (3.) The answered him," Behold the handmaid fear of the Lord, and departing from of the Lord, be it unto me accordevil, which constantly promote the ing to thy word." And presently health and true welfare of both soul she conceived, by the miraculous operation of the Holy Ghost, the Son sent her son in the temple, and to of God, the true Emmanuel, that is to offer the sacrifice appointed by the say, God with us. A little while af-law for the purification of women after, she set out for Hebron, a city in ter childbirth. There was then at the mountains of Judah, to visit her Jerusalem an old man named Simeon, cousin Elisabeth. As soon as Elisa-who was full of the Holy Ghost, and beth had heard the voice of Mary who had received a secret assurance saluting her, her child, young John that he should not die before he had the Baptist, leaped in her womb. seen Christ the Lord, He came then Mary continued with Elisabeth about into the temple by the influence of three months, and then returned to the Spirit of God, and taking the her own house. When she was rea-child Jesus into his arms, he blessdy to lie in, an edict was published ed the Lord; and afterwards addressby Cesar Augustus, which decreed, ing himself to Mary, he told her, that all the subjects of the empire that this child should be for the risshould go to their own cities, there ing and falling of many in Israel, and to have their names registered ac- for a sign which should be spoken cording to their families, Thus Jo-against; even so far as that her own seph and Mary, who were both of soul should be pierced as with a the lineage of David, betook them-sword, that the secret thoughts in selves to the city of Bethlehem, the hearts of many might be discowhence was the original of their fa-vered. mily, But while they were in this At the time of our Lord's cruciplace, the time being fulfilled in fixion, Joseph, it seems, being dead, which Mary was to be delivered, our Saviour affectionately observing she brought forth her first-born son. her from his cross, recommended She wrapped him in swaddling her to the care of the apostle John, clothes, and laid him in the manger who provided for her till her death, of the stable whither they had retir-John xix. 25-27. After our Saed; for they could find no place in viour's resurrection, she no doubt the public inn, because of the great saw him. After his ascension, she concourse of people that were then attended the religious meetings of at Bethlehem on the same occasion. the disciples, Acts i. 14. The disAt the same time, the angels made pute among the Papists, whether it known to the shepherds, who were she was tainted with original sin, in the fields near Bethlehem, and hath occasioned plenty of pretended who came in the night to see Mary miracles, and a prodigious number and Joseph, and the child lying in of useless volumes. the manger, and to pay him their 2. MARY, the wife of Cleophas, tribute of adoration. Mary took no- and mother of James, Jude, Joses, tice of all these things, and laid them Simeon, and Salome their sister, is up in her heart, Luke ii. 19. Matt. ii.supposed to have been the sister of 8-11, &c, A few days after, the the Virgin, and hence her children are Magi, or wise men, came from the represented as the brothers of our east, and brought to Jesus large and Lord, John xix. 25. Matt. xxvii. 56." princely presents of gold, frankin- Mark xv. 41. Luke xxiv. 10. Mark cense, and myrrh; after which, being vi. 5. Matt, xiii. 55, She early bewarned by an angel that appeared to lieved on our Saviou, attended his them in a dream, they returned into preaching, and ministered to him for their own country by a way different his support. At a distance, she with from that by which they came. But grief witnessed his crucifixion, Mark the time of Mary's purification being xv. 40, 41. She was prezent at his come, that is, forty days after the burial, and prepared spices for embirth of Jesus Christ, Mary went to balming his dead body, Luke xxiii. Jerusalem, Luke ii. 21. there to pre- 156. |