[Letter from Bro. Edson.]
By HIRAM EDSON
DEAR BRO. WHITE:—Please send me a few more copies of No. 5, containing the article on “the perpetuity of the law of God,” by Bro. J. N. Andrews. I have long wanted to see something on this most glorious theme. I fully believe that the two great principles on which ALL the law and the prophets HANG, viz., love to God and our neighbor, have existed parallel with the existence of created intelligences, and have been the great ruling principle of God’s government over all his created intelligent beings. Angels have ever been governed by this great principle. Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, most certainly violated this great principle of God’s government. Cain violated the law of love to his brother, or neighbor. See 1 John iii, 11, 12. Had not the precept, “Thou shalt not kill,” existed, how could Cain have been convicted of evil or sin? “Sin is the transgression of the law,” and “where no law is, there is no transgression.” God said of Abraham, that he obeyed his voice, and kept his charge, his COMMANDMENTS, his statutes, and his LAWS. (in the broad sense.) And thirty days before the law was spoken from Mount Sinai, the Lord said unto Moses, that he would prove the children of Israel whether they would keep his law or no. And he proved them by sending them manna; but some obeyed not, and the Lord said unto Moses, “How long refuse ye to keep my COMMANDMENTS and my laws, (in the broad sense,) for see that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath.” Mark this: COMMANDMENTS and LAWS are synonymous terms. O how false the assertion of our opponents, that the law of God never existed until given from Sinai! It has existed parallel with God himself; and has been, and will be the ruling principle of his government as long as God and his created intelligences exist.—The holy perfect law of God is the principle of his own being, the principle of his right to rule his own creation. The law of God is the only principle by which he claims superiority over his created intelligent beings, and demands of them love and adoration. To abolish and disannul the law of God would abolish and make void the government of God over all worlds. Talk of abolishing and disannulling and improving the law of God which was already perfect, holy, just and good!! As well talk of abolishing, or improving God’s own existence, and the principle of his own being. For the holy, perfect law of God is but the second edition of himself. John has said, “In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD. The same was in the beginning with God.” Again, [1 John ii, 7,] “The OLD COMMANDMENT (or LAW, for they are synonymous terms) is the WORD which ye have heard from the BEGINNING.” Word, commandment, and law are synonymous terms in these texts. This is clear from the face of the text, viz., “The old commandment is the word, which ye have heard from the beginning.” See also Ch. iii, 11, 12, “For this is the message (margin commandment) that ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, &c.” Here we have it in clear terms. The message or commandment, or law of love to one another, was from the BEGINNING. And who will say that the law of love to God did not exist from the beginning? Well then, on these two HANG ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS. Enoch, Jacob, Joseph and many others were prophets before the law was delivered from Mount Sinai. How could they have hung on the law of love to God, and their neighbor, if no such law existed in their day? In Jer. xxxi, 31—33, we learn that a new covenant was to be made with the house of Israel, but not according to the covenant made with them in Horeb, when they were led out of Egypt. But the one law is the basis, or foundation of both covenants. This is understood by the text, “I will write MY LAW in their hearts,” &c. No idea of making a new law is intimated, and nothing like annulling any portion of it, nor of improving, re-enacting, or making new his law. But the language is, “I will write MY LAW,” in broad terms. And we learn [ii Cor. iii, 3] that the law which was the basis of the covenant made in Horeb, and was written in tables of stone, is the same that is written in fleshly tables of the heart, and the one law is the basis of both these covenants. From this fact also we learn that the one perfect law of God, which is holy, just and good, is the basis of a plurality of covenants. How foolish the assertion then of our opponents, that the law of God did not exist until given from Mount Sinai, because it is said in Deut. v, 3, “The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us who are all of us here alive this day.” Oh how clear that all this warfare against the law of God is from the “carnal mind, which is enmity against God and is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be.” “So then they that are in the flesh (or carnally minded) cannot please God. And to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Paul said, “The law is spiritual,” and he delighted in, and served the law of God. And David said, “O how love I thy law,” and “great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them.” Amen. Port Gilson, (N. Y.) Feb. 22, 1851.