“THE LAW AND THE TESTIMONY.”
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
Many read Isa. viii, without considering the proper relation of the Law and the Testimony to each other, or even the meaning of the terms. At the recent tent meeting in Oakland it was objected against the testimonies of God’s Spirit now being given to the church, as follows: “Sin is the transgression of the law; if it is a sin to reject these testimonies, show it by the law—the ten commandments.” The objector professed to have embraced the third angel’s message of Rev. xiv, but if he holds on to the spirit of the above objection, that message will be no benefit to him; and why? Because his position is on the law alone, which is a position not justified by the message. The Jew might, in like manner, say, If it is wrong to reject Christ, prove it by the law; show the commandment in the law which makes it obligatory on us to believe in Christ. Now the difficulty with the objectors in these cases is that they are sinners, and the law makes no provision for the sinner except this, that he “shall die.” The obedient may stand on the law: the transgressor is driven by the law to seek a refuge from destruction. This refuge is Christ and his gospel; this gospel is a remedial system, and among its means are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The design of the gospel, and of course of its means, including the gifts of the Spirit, is to restore fallen, sinful man to obedience to, and the favor of, God. The law drives the condemned sinner to the gospel; and the gospel leads him back, penitent, justified, and obedient, to the law. Justice and mercy then rejoice together. God’s justice is approved while he justifies the penitent believer in Jesus. Rom. iii, 23–26. We might expect then that there would be a very close relation between the means of the gospel—the gifts of the Spirit—and the law. And such we find, in the Scriptures, is the case. In Rev. xix, 10, we are informed that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Prophecy is one of the most useful and necessary gifts set in the church of Christ (see Eph. iv, 8, 11; 1 Cor. xii, 4–10, 28; xiv, 1–25.); “The spirit of prophecy” is the most gracious blessing ever conferred on a church; and this, according to Rev. xix, 10, is synonymous with “the testimony of Jesus.” Now we look for the proof of our proposition, that the law and the gifts, or spirit of prophecy, are closely united in the Scriptures of truth. Rev. xii, 17, speaks of the “remnant” of the church of Christ; the remnant must be the last part of the church—that part living immediately preceding the plagues of God’s wrath, and the second advent. Of course, this remnant are under the third angel’s message, which is given just preceding the coming of Christ. See Rev. xiv, 9, to close. In this message are “the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” The remnant, of Rev. xii, 17, are said to “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ;” which, as has been shown, is the spirit of prophecy. How any one can profess to believe the Son of Man is soon coming on the white cloud, and profess to keep the commandments of God, and yet oppose the testimony of Jesus, or the spirit of prophecy, is a marvel to me. Ungodly worldlings, and formal, unsanctified professors may love such a contradictory and unscriptural position; but I trust the Lord in mercy will preserve “the remnant” from parting asunder what God has so intimately and inseparably joined. Another proof on this point is found in Prov. xxix, 18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Let the objector try his skill on this text. How plain it is that “vision” is given to direct to, or aid in, keeping “the law.” Thank God that he is now working for “the perfecting” of “the remnant” in this gracious manner. Compare Rev. xii, 17 with Eph. iv, 11, 12. In the Lamentations of Jeremiah is given a most touching description of the deplorable condition of Israel when cast off for her sins. Chap. ii, 9 speaks as follows of Zion: “Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars; her king and her princes are among the Gentiles; the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the Lord.” Again, in Eze. vii, a prophecy of threatening is spoken against God’s people, because they will not hearken to him; verse 26 says: “Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor upon rumor; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet: but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.” When visions are denied the people perish. Why? Because the law is no more regarded, and men are left to follow their own ways. And such has always been the case when God withdraws his gifts from the people. 1 Sam. iii, 1, says: “And the word of the Lord was precious in those days: there was no open vision.” And what was the condition of the church at that time? Even the priests, who ministered before the altar, committed abomination at the very door of the sanctuary, and the offerings of the Lord’s house became contemptible in the sight of the people. By the prophet Micah—the Lord threatened the people for their sins, saying they should cry unto him and he would not hear them; he would hide his face from them. Verse 4. When this shall be fulfilled their condition is described in verse 6: “Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.” To judge by the talk of professors in these days, it is a disgrace for the church to have visions of the Lord; but they do not realize that God has fixed in his word the absence of visions and revelations of the Spirit as evidence of spiritual darkness, and that they have so forfeited his favor that he has withdrawn his Spirit and hid his face from them. To endeavor to put to shame those who have the gifts of the Spirit of God, and boast that they have them not, is surely to “glory in their shame.” Rather let the spirit of our minds be this: “And oh! may this my glory be,
That Christ is not ashamed of me.”
Coming to the New Testament, we find that, instead of separating the Law and the Testimony, the gospel is emphatically “the ministration of the Spirit.” Joel prophesied of this age as a time when God’s Spirit and its gifts should be more beautifully bestowed upon his church. The church was built up and established upon faith in, and reception of, these gifts. But a terrible apostasy—a “falling away”—has come, and it has been shown that the threatenings quoted in the past dispensation have also been fulfilled in this: when the church apostatized or fell away, the Spirit was grieved; darkness came upon them, and the gifts of the Spirit were not known. But the Lord is soon to return, and will present to himself a glorious church, without spot; in order to this the remnant must be perfected; they must keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus, or the spirit of prophecy. And may the Lord hasten the time when we shall “come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. i, 7. J. H. WAGGONER. Rochester, Mich., July 11.