_Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote to me: It is good for a
man not to touch a woman._
MARRIAGE
I. Is not necessary for all (1 Corinthiens 7:1).
1. Instituted by God, sanctified by Christ, it is pure and holy.
2. Yet circumstances, such as times of calamity, personal duty, &c.,
may rende... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_I speak this by permission, and not of commandment._
REVELATION
I. By permission.
1. Is still Divine and therefore authoritative.
2. Respects matters of expediency and private application.
II. By commandment.
1. Is absolute.
2. Of immeasurable importance.
3. Universally binding. (_J. Lyth,... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the
wife depart from her husband._
THE MARRIAGE UNION: HOW DISTURBANCES OF IT ARE TO BE ALLEVIATED
I. If both parties are believers--according to our Lord’s command.
1. Not by divorce.
2. But by mutual conciliation.
II. If one pa... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife._
THE SANCTIFICATION OF AN UNBELIEVING PARTNER
The Christian wife lays her heathen husband upon the altar of God; and
in all her intercourse with him acts as God’s servant, striving ever
to accomplish His purposes. Therefore, whatever the husb... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called
every one, so let him walk._
EVERY CHRISTIAN AT HIS POST
1. God appoints every man his station and condition in life.
2. Has called him in it.
3. Requires him faithfully to fulfil its duties.
4. Allows of no exception unless whe... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_Brethren, let every man wherein he is called, therein abide with
God._
THE CHRISTIAN CALLING
1. The word “calling” in a Christian sense is a condensed
confession of faith. It means that our life is governed by a will
above it, and is capable of receiving influences of attraction from
the Spirit o... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord._
CONCERNING VIRGINS AND WIDOWS
The apostle advises--
I. The unmarried of both sexes. As he has argued against the
disruption of the ties between slave and master, Christian and
heathen, so Paul now advises the unmarried to remain as they... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth that both
they that have wives be as though they had none._
THE TIME IS SHORT
I. For the domestic connections of the world (1 Corinthiens 7:29).
1. Man is the creature of the family. He is nursed and trained under
its influence. When call... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_And they that use this world, as not abusing it._
USING THIS WORLD
(Election sermon):--
1. It is the duty of a Christian, so long as he is a citizen of this
world, to take a part in its concerns. “I pray not that Thou
shouldst take them out of the world,” &c. (1 Corinthiens 5:10). How
can salt s... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_But I would have you without carefulness._
“WITHOUT CAREFULNESS”
I. By avoiding those states which involve carefulness. Take, _e.g._
1. The question of marriage. Paul bids Christians, in the first place,
not to marry.
(1) But that was a time of persecution. The Christian man who had no
family c... [ Continuer la lecture ]
_She is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord._
ON MARRIAGE
Let me--
I. Explain and justify the rule laid down in the text.
1. To be in the Lord is to be a believer in Christ, to be united to
Him by a living faith, and to be interested by reason of that, in all
the blessing... [ Continuer la lecture ]