MARRIAGE CEREMONY

I live in a seminary town, a Southern Baptist seminary, and where there are seminary students, there are books, and where you have graduating seminary students, you have former students selling books. There is a gold mine of a store in Raleigh that buys up good, really good books, and I have found quite a few treasures contained within its musty walls. Walls upon walls, millions of books, many of which are out of print, yet shouldn't be. There are tomes of uselessness, and heresy, and in fact, I would be happy if they remain hidden on the shelves forever. But, especially in the Baptist history section, there are countless numbers of old Baptist books. One of the books I found is a book on Church order by J M Pendleton.

I found the marriage ceremony that he wrote, and post it for your perusal.


Marriage is an institution of divine appointment, given in wisdom and kindness, to increase human happiness and to support social order. In the Bible, which should be the lamp to your path in every relation, you will find the directions needed in this.

In token of your decided choice of each other as partners for life, you __________ __________ and __________ __________ will please to unite your right hands.

(Joining of hands.)

Do you solemnly promise, before Almighty God and these witnesses, to receive each other as husband and wife, agreeing to perform the duties growing out of the relation, pledging yourselves to love each other, and to make every reasonable exertion to promote each other's happiness until the union into which you are now entering is dissolved by death?

(When a ring is employed the following can be used. In confirmation of these vows, you will please give and receive this ring, as an emblem and pledge of the pure and enduring love you have promised to cherish for each others.)

In view of the promises thus made, I do now, by virtue of the authority vested in me, as a minister of the gospel, pronounce you husband and wife, henceforth in interest and destiny, as in affection, ONE. And what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

J M Pendleton