More Objections, or the Cross in the Way.
By Wm. Penniman
A FIRST-DAY Adventist lately said to me that he had been almost persuaded to keep the Sabbath. He seemed friendly to our people, having formerly been connected in business with one of our brethren whom he much esteemed. He appeared to be doing a pretty good business, and perhaps thinks keeping the Sabbath will interfere with it. Said he had read the debate between Elders Grant and Cornell, and had come to the conclusion that it is right to obey the laws of the land, and to live in obedience to the “powers that be.” He then said Christ had fulfilled the law, therefore we are not under it. The law simply brought us to Christ, &c. After he had done speaking, I calmly replied to him by proving that so far as human law is founded upon, and accords with, God’s law, it is right, and should be obeyed; but when it plainly conflicts, we are under no obligation to obey it. To prove this, I quoted the language of Peter and John to the rulers, elders, scribes, and the high priest, when they commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.” Acts 4: 18, 19. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matt. 15: 9. When our government makes a law requiring us to worship the image (which is not far in the future), it is plain to a reasonable mind that we are not bound to obey it. If human law is to be obeyed in preference to the law of God, millions of martyrs have died in vain. It will not do to take the position that Christ fulfilled the law in the sense of bringing it to an end, abolishing, or destroying it. How will it do to give it this meaning in the following texts? “Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill [abolish] all righteousness.” Matt. 3: 15. “For all the law is fulfilled [abolished] in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Eph. 5: 14. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill [abolish] the law of Christ.” Gal. 6: 2. The evident meaning of fulfill in these texts is to accomplish or carry out. When Christ said he came not to destroy the law but to fulfill, Matt. 5: 17, he did not mean that since he had come there was no longer any need of a law, and that he was the end in the sense of a termination, as no-law men would have it; for the first part of the text plainly teaches the contrary. It says he came not to destroy. It is plain that our Saviour came to do his Father’s will, to establish, magnify the law and make it honorable. Isa. 42: 21. In his sermon on the mount he clearly recognized it when he taught, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments [his Father’s], and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.” Matt. 5: 19. When will men cease their quibblings and frivolous objections concerning the law of God, and their duty to keep it? Some never will, until the storms of God’s wrath overtake them, and they see their awful folly. Now is the time to seek refuge from the storm that is soon coming, by fleeing to the ark of God, keeping his commandments and the faith of Jesus.