Contrasts That Do Not Exist.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
In a prominent religious journal of recent date, we find the following:— "It is at once the peculiarity and the glory of the New Testament that it enunciates principles, not arbitrary laws. No Sabbath-day's journey is here laid out, which man may not exceed; his duties are not prescribed in rigid forms or gauged by a yard-stick. Instead, two underlying principles are laid down—love to God first, love to man next. On these two hang all the law and the prophets." The meaning of the preceding paragraph, so far as it has any meaning, is that while the Old Testament binds men to the performance of special duties, the New Testament deals only in vague generalities, leaving men to draw their own conclusions as to what they may and may not do. Such a view as this would commend itself quite readily to the world, who would not find it very difficult to conform to a religion that had no fixed rules. When the development of principles is left to man, there are few things which they may not be made to include. But the references which are brought forward in proof of this assertion are very unfortunate. It is said of the New Testament that "no Sabbath-day's journey is there laid out, which men may not exceed," by which it is implied that such a thing is marked out in the Old Testament. But the fact is that instead of a "Sabbath-day's journey which men may not exceed" being laid down in the Old Testament, such a thing is not mentioned. The term does not once occur in the Old Testament. The only place in the Bible in which it is found is in the New Testament, in Acts 1:12. So much for that attempt to depreciate the Old Testament. Again, of the New Testament it is said that in it man's duties "are not prescribed in rigid forms, or gauged by a yard-stick. Instead, two underlying principles are laid down—love to God first, love to man next." What a pity it is that the one who wrote that did not read the Old Testament through at least once, before contrasting it with the New. Had he done so, he would have found in Deut. 6:5 these words: "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." There is love to God in its fullest extent. Again, in Lev. 19:18 he would read as follows: "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." How much that sounds like New Testament language. We hope that none who despise the Old Testament will reject that text when they find that it is original in that book. For our part we do not know of any more appropriate motto to be hung up for constant reference. If a copy were in a conspicuous place in every house, and read carefully every day, it would improve the manners and customs of this world wonderfully. Any attempt to find antagonism between the Old and New Testaments, will prove a failure. A house and its foundation are not more closely joined than they. In fact, that is just the relation they bear to each other. The Old Testament is the foundation; the New is the superstructure. There is not a principle laid down in the New Testament that is not found in the Old. These statements about love to God and love to man are direct quotations from the Old Testament. See Luke 10:25-28. Our Saviour and the apostles quoted continually from it. Indeed, there was nothing else from which they could quote. If all the references to, and quotations from, the Old Testament were taken out of the New, there would be but little left. The New Testament is the Old Testament explained. And now let us make a little investigation to see if it is true that simple principles alone are laid down in the New Testament; to see if it is true that the Old Testament contains only threatenings of judgment against sin, while the New has only mercy and love. In the preaching of the gospel we find a command at the very outset: "Repent and be baptized every one of you." This is as plain as anything could be. The decalogue itself is nearly all repeated, and instead of any of its provisions being made less definite, they are enlarged and made to appear more strict than ever. And then as to the idea that the New Testament contains only love and mercy. The threats against the sinner are as terrible as any in the Old Testament. In Rom. 2 we read that God will render "unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil."236Again Paul says that "the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction." Some of the strongest threatenings in the Bible come from the lips of our Lord himself. In Rev. 14:9-12, which is the revelation of Jesus Christ (chap. 1:1), we read that they who worship the beast, and receive his mark, "shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." On the other hand, we find in the Old Testament some of the most tender expressions of mercy that are to be found in the Bible. Even in the decalogue itself we learn that God shows mercy to those that keep his commandments. What expression of love could be stronger than this: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him"? Again, "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting." Ps. 103:17. "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." Ps. 103:8. Nehemiah says that he is "a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness." Neh. 9:17. And, finally, we have this broad principle laid down as the sum of all duty: "What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God." Micah 6:8. Here is as broad a principle as is found in the New Testament. We do not exalt the Old Testament above the New, but we would place them on a level. They are one; and this is why we protest against decrying the Old. Undermine the confidence of the people in that, and reverence for the Bible and Bible truth will be a thing of the past. And it would not be to the glory of the New Testament if it could be proved that specific duties are not there prescribed. We need rigid rules, that our lives may be correct. When man is left to himself, he invariably goes wrong; now if the Bible dealt in vague terms, leaving us to interpret them to suit ourselves, we would be no better off than if we had no revelation at all. If we but have the principle of love to God in our hearts, we will love all his word, so that we can say with the psalmist: "Thy word is true from the beginning; and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever." E. J. W.