DIGGERS' LETTER BOX.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 33, 29 October 1920, Page 8

DIGGERS' LETTER BOX.

GAVIN BRIGHTON.

GAVIN BRIGHTON.

Our review of the activities of the Electric Power Board at Monowai will appear next week. m (To the Editor. ) Sir, — Let us pray ! Yes, let us pray for the writer of "Kings and Princes I have met." According to his version — if true — he must have had a terrible time of it listening *to me for "six or eight hours," and we are having the evidence of the effects, as witness the "Digger" of 22nd inst. Dreams come of the multitude of business. He must have had a very bad one and instead of getting up and letting go bilge water, he has let go a lot of matter as coming from a "natural." We may have to get him examined, as this may be the after-affeets of shell shock or gas. There is no accounting how they may develop. There must be a screw loose somewhere, either in him or myself, when he wrote re "I would give mm a fiver if he could prove there was a heaven." I am not an idiot. Let him read in Gen. ls£ from 6tli. to 9th, and he will find where heaven is. There is another passage in the Bible that declares that Heaven is God's throne and the earth is his footstool. Therefore, while praying for his recovery, I remain, etc..

Nightcaps, October 27, 1920.

THE MARRIAGE ACT.

(To the Editor.) Sir, This subject has been exercising the minds of a good few, especially the church and her daughters. In* quoting the following resolution, no exception is to be taken beeause it was passed by the Roman Catholic congregation at Hawera, but is to extend to the Church of Rome and her daughters (daughters is to , include all church es, from Church of England down t'O Salvation / rmy, Presbyterians inclu.ded). Resolution: "That wliereas no power has authbrity to break the bond of christian marriage duly contracted and truly consummated, and a repudiation of this hond is an outrage against nature, a crime against society, and a sin against G°d. Aud whereas the civil law has given new facilities and , therefore new encouragements for ihe violation of the marriage bond, and whereas the Legisla tive Assembly made immoral and iniquitous amendments to the marriage law intended to compel Christians to approve of immoral conduet, it is resolved that the Catholics of Hawera request the Government to remember that marriage is an ordinance of God against which the State is powerless, and that the GovernIment be advised to keep within their own sphere and be content with regulating the

civil effects of marriage, and not degrade the Dominion by accepting the amendments of the Upper Chamber, .which are without precedent. " As this resolution is the embodiment of all the churches who would like to usurp the authority of all the people by claiming that marriage is a sacrament, from whence do tliey derive this authority for such au attitude ? Not from the Bible. It has always been a ]ega.l binding or contract entered into by a man and a woman before witnesses and the fact registered, the woman being given to the man by those whose right it was to give her to the man, and were known as husband aird wife as long a.s tliey lived, under the Mosaic law. A writing of divorcement was obtainable for several reasons. But our Lord only allowed the man to put away his wife for formcation only and hotli were debarred from marrying again during the time botli were living. The marriage vow, like all other vows, was always to be considered sacre.d, iro matter how and before whom they were made. And when the priest, clergy, or parson took upon themselves to sav that it was by tliem the marriage vow was made sacred therefore it became a sacrament, they did whai they had no authority for doing. But now that the power by whieh they have held the people in slavery is being taken away, they are disturbing the peace and threatening rebellion by playing on the ignorance of the people or, as the Bible says, making merchandise of

them. Where does Bishop Bichards obtain his authority for saying, as he is reported to have said in St. Paul's Cathedral on Sunday, 19th September : — "In such circumstances our Lord Himself would be irnprisoned for giving his teaching on marriage and divorce ?" Several of the Canons of the Church of England declare it to be no less than prostituting one's daughter to give her in marriage without the blessing of the priest — (see Concil Winton A.D. 1076; Constitut. Richardi Episc. Sar. 1217 Spelm, Tom. 11). Truly verse 3, of 2nd Peter, Chap. 2 has come to pass and is very active now at this time. So "through philosophy and vain deceit" have the churches taken upon themselves the right to perform the marriage ceremony, but from the beginning it was not so. The Bible from which the churches are supposed to take their authority is silent as giving them that authority. * Marriage has always been a legal contract. We have a very good instance in the marriage of Boaz and Ruth — (see Ruth 4th, read the whole chapter, especially from the Ofh to. the 14th verse). It was only when a man was troubled by jealousy that he had to appeal unto the priest, there being no witnesses against her (see Num. 5th from 14th to end of chapter), were there any witnesses, the law was swift and sure. The New Testament is silent as to the marriage ceremony as a sacrament. In Soutliland Times, dated 30th September, Dean Burke rnakes the statement in his letter to the editor under the name of W. Burke, correcting the Rev. II. Sharp, who had stated that "But the Roman Catholic Church claim that he (the priest) is necessary for all marria-ges." He, as W. Burke, denied that statement, and says "The Catholic teachings is that not the priest but the contracting parties are the ministers of the sacrament of matrimonv. The priest is only the church 's witness at the ceremony and may be done without." He says this as W. Burke, but as Dean Burke in doing his duty he would have to say at what a cost the priest can be dohe without. The Roman Catholic Church is well organised, for under eertain cicumstances the several sacraments can be administered by one who is not a priest but belonging to the church. It is owing to these several provisions that they hold the people in slavery as it Were and her daughters are walking in her footsteps. Whereas our salvation is founded on the believing of the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. This enables the believer to enter into His Father's House in which there are many abiding places. Some enter in and abide in the vestibule instead of pressing on into the guest chamber where they will be treated as guests, for our Lord has said, "He will come in and sup with him and he with me. God has said in his word. "Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant, • that walketh in darkness and hatli no light. Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God." Dean Burke may be the servant of the Lord and walking in darkness having no light, yet those of his flock who obey him fearing the Lord it is wed with them. The fault is not theirs, but that of their teacher. Had they been taught right, they would have done right just as they have done wrohg, which they had believed was the right. I mean no offence to Dean Burke in using his name. I have done so just to illustrate the Scripture.: — I am, etc.,

Nightcaps, October 27, 1920.