(1) Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. (2) Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. (3) Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
I have often considered a great part of this Chapter as having a spiritual illustration. And sure I am, if we were to read it in many parts of it with an eye to Christ and his Church, as the Apostle beautifully spiritualized the same subject elsewhere, (see Ephesians 5:32) to this amount; we should find numberless passages in it, sweetly explained in this way. As for example: In the opening of it, while Paul speaks of the advantage a man would have in a single state; may we not say, what pains, and agonies of soul, the Son of God would have saved himself, had he never touched our nature, neither regarded our lost and ruined state? Precious Jesus! What unspeakable mercies doth thy Church, thy Spouse, derive from her union with thee? But who shall calculate, yea; what heart shall conceive the sorrows which arose out of thy Surety-ship, when redeeming our ruined nature, from the guilt and consequences of the fall?
I am not to be told, that the Apostle, in the greater part of this Chapter, is answering certain questions the Corinthians proposed to him on the subject of marriage. This is evident from the first verse, in which he takes notice of the Church having written to him upon this occasion. Nevertheless, as their questions had respect to the times in which they lived, and the particular customs to which they were subject, and are altogether in many cases mentioned in this Chapter, foreign to the manners of the present day; I venture to believe, that both the Writer and Reader of this Poor Man's Commentary, will find it more profitable, to have our minds exercised unto godliness, under the Holy Ghost teaching, while perusing this Chapter, if we consider the Church's union with Christ; and see whether some very sweet and precious instructions, concerning that union, may not be gathered from what is here said.
Hence, when I read, that to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and every woman her own husband; I not only see the Lord's solemn ordination, and appointment, from the very first dawn of revelation, when at the creation of our first parents, Adam and Eve, the precept went forth, that a man should leave his father and his mother, and cleave unto his wife, and they should be, one flesh; (Genesis 2:24) but I see the blessedness of union between Christ and his Church, which that marriage of Adam and Eve was designed to represent. It was Christ, concerning whom the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him, Genesis 2:18. And it was the Church, which the Lord God did form, to be an help meet for him, and an help mate to him, which as his spouse, his bride, might be a partaker with him, and from him, of all that is communicable of grace here, and glory to all eternity to Jehovah's praise, and the Church's happiness. And therefore, with an eye to this, how blessedly we read, what God the Holy Ghost by the Apostle here saith, in the opening of this Chapter: let every man have his own wife, and every woman have her own husband, Christ hath but one wife, his Church; and his Church hath but one husband, the Lord Jesus. My dove, my undefiled, (saith the Bridegroom in the Canticles), is but one, she is the only one of her mother; she is the choice one of her that bare her, Song of Solomon 6:9. And elsewhere the Lord blessedly saith: Thou shalt abide for me many days: thou shalt not play the harlot: and thou shalt not be for another man: so Will I also be for thee, Hosea 3:3. Reader! do not overlook the love of Jesus, in those sweet scriptures; that amidst all our spiritual fornications, and departures from the Lord, Jesus never departs from us. The Lord God of Israel saith, that he hateth putting away. See a beautiful scripture to this effect, Malachi 2:14, to the end. See also Hosea 2:1 throughout.
And sure I am, that no child of God, who is truly and savingly regenerated, can read in this Chapter what is said of the husband rendering unto the wife due benevolence, but must be led (if so be the Holy Ghost opens to his view the thought), to contemplate, the unceasing grace, and mercy, and loving kindness of the Lord Jesus. With what earnestness of affection doth Jesus woo every individual of the persons the Father hath given him to himself? How many, and how unceasing are his love calls, to allure us to his arms? Though in our fallen state, we have made a covenant with death, and with hell we are at agreement; yet when Jesus comes to demand his own, he saith: your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand, Isaiah 28:18; Isaiah 28:18. By the sweet and gracious influences of the Holy Ghost at regeneration, all the holds of Satan are broken down, and the world and sin lose their charms; and notwithstanding all our loathsomeness and unworthiness as we are in ourselves, our poverty, weakness, ignorance, and the innumerable provocations wherewith we have provoked him to anger, Jesus unites us to himself, makes us his spouse, cleanseth us in his blood, cloatheth us in his robe of righteousness, makes us comely from the comeliness which he putteth upon us, brings us to his ordinances here, and will bring us home to his marriage supper in heaven, when all the purposes of his holy will are fulfilled; and grace is consummated in endless glory. Reader! Is this the due benevolence Jesus renders to his wife the Church? Oh! that you and I could bear as cheerful a testimony concerning ourselves, when it is said, in the latter part of the verse : and likewise also the wife render due benevolence unto the husband. But oh! thou dear Lord! how often, as a treacherous wife departeth from her husband, hath my poor heart been wandering from thee? Lord! let me hear thy sweet voice by the Prophet: Return ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backsliding. May the Lord enable me to answer: Behold we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God, Jeremiah 3:22; Jeremiah 3:22.