When we speak of home life with its relations and duties we are not digressing from the subject of gospel light. Nowhere does the light of Christianity shine so peaceful and beautiful as in the home. Nowhere is the power of its influence so felt as in the home circle. The public worship of Christians is an inspiring scene, but nothing apparently is so heavenly as the sacred family altar. A father and mother whose hearts are filled with holy love together with happy, obedient children bowing together at the shrine of devotion is the most imposing scene the eye and heart can witness. Marriage. The union of man and woman in marriage is the work of the Creator. God saw after he had created man that it was not good for him to be alone. Such was his constitution. So he made a helpmeet for him. God from the rib of man made woman and brought her unto him, who said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Gen. 2:22-24. In conjunction with the divine institution of marriage there is also a legal institution. While the civil contract is acceptable unto God by way of preventing promiscuous sexual intercourse, it is powerless to make both one flesh and bone. It is only the power of God that can make two hearts to beat as one. By the power of his grace he makes Christians of “one heart and one soul,” and of man and woman he makes “one flesh and bone.” The apostle to illustrate the blessed union of Christ and the church makes use of the union of man and wife. “They two shall be one flesh.” Eph. 5:31. “Man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife.” The union between husband and wife is stronger than between parent and child. The all-wise God has a design in all his works. He reveals to man in his Word his purpose in the union of man and wife. One object in the marriage union, as we have before said, is to prevent promiscuous sexual commerce. “Nevertheless to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” 1 Cor. 7:2. The union of man and woman is a holy and sacred institution, however the union of Christ and the church is still a higher and more important work of God. Therefore Paul advises all who can live a pure life in an unmarried state they can be more useful to God, for he careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.