curs in Scripture, who understand the Lord's words according to their spiritual sense. That such is the kind of marriage more particularly referred to in his reply to the Sadducees, is plain from the context. Before propounding their question they referred to what Moses taught respecting marriage with a deceased brother's wife—a plain matter of fact, so plain that it could not be misunderstood if its literal sense alone were the sense intended. Yet the first words in the Lord's reply, were: "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God." But they did know the Scriptures in their literal sense, and they understood the passage in Moses about marriage merely in that sense. But because the literal is not the true way of understanding the Scriptures, and because they knew nothing of the true spiritual signification of marriage, therefore the Lord says to them, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures."
Besides, at the commencement of the chapter which records this conversation, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a marriage; and all who are invited to become subjects of this kingdom, are represented as called to the marriage. And in the Revelation we read: "Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb." The Lord, too, is often called Husband and Bridegroom in the Word; and the church, composed of all who become spiritually conjoined to Him by a life of obedience to his commandments, is called his Wife and Bride. Thus in Isaiah: "Thy Maker is thy Husband; the Lord of hosts is his name." (liv. 5.) And in Matthew: "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn so long as the Bridegroom is with them?" And in the
