ave to his wife: and they twain shall be
one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What
therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."[990] God
had provided for honorable marriage, and had made the relation between
husband and wife paramount even to that of children to parents; the
severing of such a union was an invention of man, not a command of God.
The Pharisees had a ready rejoinder: "Why did Moses then command to give
a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?" Be it remembered that
Moses had not commanded divorce, but had required that in case a man
should separate from his wife he give her a bill of divorcement.[991]
Jesus made this fact plain, saying: "Moses because of the hardness of
your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning
it was not so."

The higher requirement of the gospel followed: "And I say unto you,
Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and
shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which
is put away doth commit adultery."[992] The Mosaic provision had been
but permissive, and was justified only because of existing
unrighteousness. Strict compliance with the doctrine enunciated by Jesus
Christ is the only means by which a perfect social order can be
maintained. It is important to note, however, that in His reply to the
casuistical Pharisees, Jesus announced no specific or binding rule as to
legal divorces; the putting away of a wife, as contemplated under the
Mosaic custom, involved no judicial investigation or action by an
established court. In our Lord's day the prevailing laxity in the matter
of marital obligation had produced a state of appalling corruption in
Israel; and woman, who by the law of God had been made a companion and
partner with man, had become his slave. The world's greatest champion of
woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ.[993]

The Pharisees retired foiled in purpose and convicted in conscience. The
Lord's strict construction of the marriage bond was startling even to
some of the disciples; these came to Him privately, saying that if a man
was so bound it would be better not to marry at all. Such a broad
generalization the Lord disapproved except so far as it might apply in
special cases. True, there were some who were physically incapacitated
for marriage; others voluntarily devoted themselves to a celibate life,
and some few adopted celibacy "for the kingdom of