An Unfortunate Marriage

“The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.’’ — Gen. 6:2.

Cain’s method of treating Abel represents one phase of the world’s treatment of the church. It was open opposition, radical, cruel, decisive. He simply killed him, and thought thus to end him and his cause. The tactics of the world, however, have changed: the descendants of Cain no longer oppose and persecute the church. “The daughters of men” accept proposals of marriage from the “sons of God,” and, as a result, the deluge.

The pagan world tried to kill the church for nearly three hundred years. Its efforts only multiplied her members and power. The blood of the martyrs has ever been the seed of the church. When, however, Constantine offered to join wealth, honor, and political power to the church, she accepted the offer, and what the second Adam refused the second Eve gladly received, and the result was a fallen church. We see in this Satan’s usual tactics. He likes to appear as an angel of light. He would help us. He offers to help Eve to knowledge and power. He would help Christ in supplying Him with food, and in giving Him earthly glory.

In proportion as the church has resisted the wiles of this charmer, she has been strong; and in proportion as she has yielded and formed alliances with the world, she has been weak. Israel alone with God could never be conquered, but when she formed alliances with Egypt, or the Canaanites, her enemies found little difficulty in making quick work of her. Hezekiah was not overcome by the bold threats of the messengers of Sennacherib. Their insolent words drove him to God, who sent His angel to strike dead his enemies; but when the messengers of Merodach-Baladan came with words of friendliness and flattery, he opened to them his treasures, and, letting them into the secret of his strength, was thus the occasion of Israel’s downfall. We should fear the Greeks, though bearing gifts. It is now time to answer two questions suggested by the text:

I. What were the causes which led to this union of the church with the world?

II. What were the results of it?

I. What led to the Union?

The increase of population had something to do with it. “When men began to multiply.” There are many advantages from the gathering together of large numbers of people. The highest type of civilization and religion is reached in great cities, but here the forces of evil are also strongest. Disease is contagious, while health is not. Wild weeds left to themselves flourish, while tender garden plants wither and die. A prominent preacher said some time ago that puritanism was forever dead in Now York City. He might have added that in many of the churches Christianity was as dead as puritanism, and I wonder what relation the death of puritanism has had to the death of Christianity. We have no fancy for the style of hat and coat which the Puritans wore. The follies of the 14 Blue Book “we do not admire, but in the Puritan character there was sturdy stuff. Theirs was no invertebrate theology jelly-fish morality, or india-rubber conviction. They were such men as you would like for your daughter to marry: as you would trust in business: as make a country great A Boston orator exclaims. “I am glad that the Puritans lived, and I am glad that they are dead.” So am I. for I believe that most of them are in heaven,, and very much octtcr off than if they were in Boston to-day. Happy for Boston if the descendants of the Puritans were as good as their fathers. And these men of heroic conviction were not blue and melancholy ascetics. Their pleasure was not of the variety-theatre type. It was not made up of froth, but flowed from beneath the throne, deep as the river of God.

Aii Unfortunate Marriage. 81

“They shook the depths of the desert gloom With their hymns of lofty cheer; Amid the storm they sang,

And the stars heard and the sea, And the sounding aisles of the dim wood rang

With the anthem of the free.”

The attractiveness of the world, however, was the force which brought about this union. The daughters of men were fair. Added to their beauty were wealth and musical culture. The poorer sons of the church could not withstand these charms. They were drawn, not by the godliness of their characters, but by the goodliness of their looks. The world to-day is very attractive. It knows how to hide its hideous deformity behind beauties of face and external accomplishments, and the daughters of men still delight to throw their charms over the sons of the church, and lead them to make fools of themselves. Nothing pleases a beautiful, worldly young woman better than to make conquest of a godly, spiritual young man, and lead him at her will into places and indulgences of which his conscience does not approve.

Note, however, that the church made the advances. The sons of God wen. courting the daughters of men; and that is often the case to-day. Some churches court the world more than the world courts them. Such a church hopes to get something out of the world by becoming worldly.

11 She welcomes the world to her festal halls

With attractions varied and new, And thus easily done with frolic and fun,

She gives to the Lord His due.
Fair and festival, frolic untold,

Are held in the place of prayer, And the maidens, bewitching as sirens of old,

With worldly graces rare,
Invent the very cunningest tricks,

Untrammelled by gospel or laws, To beguile and amuse, and win from the world

Some help for the righteous cause.”

The church thus loses her personality, blends into the world, becomes a part of it. Now do not misunderstand me. I believe in laughter. The smile is better than the frown, and I yield to none in the claim that true Christianity gives the highest type of pleasure. But we can never win the world simply by courting it and laughing with it. There is a shrub in Arabia called the laughing plant; ground to powder, and administered, it produces fits of laughter. The person under its influence is unconscious of everything about him, as he roars in hysterical laughter. But Christianity is no laughing plant. It tells the truth about sin and its punishment, and reveals to men the deformity of their own characters; such faithfulness should bring tears rather than laughter. We may laugh when there is a time to laugh, but it is poor policy to seek to win the world by merely joining in its frolics.

These sons of God were evidently prayerless and wilful. “They took wives of all which they chose.” They didn’t consult God about it. They were led simply by their own taste. Before you stand under the orange-blossoms, it is well for you to get upon your knees and ask God for guidance. Be charmed as you will by the beautiful face, fine culture, and all external graces, but there may be a serpent in a basket of flowers. Back of all that beauty and outward grace is there a grace of character which will last after the face is withered and the eye grown dim? But above all it is needful for the Christian, when tempted to form alliances with the world, to get upon his knees and ask God’s opinion of it. Are you fond of dancing? Get on your knees and ask God whether or not by such alliances as that amusement forms you can promote His glory. If so, you may dance your feet off. I would, if I were convinced that I could thus win the world to Christ. Are you fond of the theatre? Get upon your knees and ask God whether an alliance with such an institution will help His cause. If you are convinced that it will, by all means attend, and support the theatre. Do you like card - playing? Upon your knees ask God whether by an alliance with that institution you can have more influence for Christ with a godless world. If so, spend your evenings in shuffling cards. Make light of them as we will, these are solemn questions; for, listen! “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of this world is enmity with God. Whosoever, therefore, would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.” Polygamy we despise. Spiritual polygamy God hates. It is unfaithfulness to Him, of the blackest dye. Let us shun it, as we would the leprosy.

II. What were the Results of this
Union upon the Church?

There was evidently a loss of power. The world had gained the church, but the church had not gained the world. The daughters of men played havoc with spirituality. One godless, worldly woman, with great beauty and refinement of manners, can do more harm in a church than five men. She makes the home, and, when the home is against the church, the pulpit has little power. Sad the day when the principles and spirit which govern the home cannot live in the atmosphere of the church. A Brahmin said to a missionary in India: “We are beginning to find you Christians out. You are not as good as your Book; if you were, the world would soon be converted.” Worldly men despise the Christianity that apes their ways and is, therefore, no better than themselves,

In the town of Banbridge, County Down, Ireland, in 1859, a travelling circus spread its tent and was rewarded by the attendance of only three persons. The astonished manager inquired the reason, and found that a revival of religion was in progress of such power that the people took no interest in his circus. That was one way of converting Banbridge. Another method would have been to send a committee of church people to meet the circus men and inform them that they would like to add a religious service to their performances. The church wanted to go to the circus, but could not do it conscientiously, unless there was something pious about it. The agreement is made, and, while the clowns stand by and the riders are ready, a prayer is offered, a hymn is sung, a short exhortation is given by the principal pastor of the town, in which he denounces puritanical notions and lauds the jollities of the circus ring. What is the result? A conglomeration of heterogeneous worldliness and religion, which disgusts men and is sickening to God — the sort of thing which made Him say to one of the churches in Asia that He would spew them out of His mouth, and which made the world so bad that He had to wash its filthy surface with a deluge and begin anew with one family that remained true to Him.