The Law and the Gospel.
By A. S. Cowdrey
I was very forcibly impressed with the truthfulness of Bro. White’s remarks in the little tract with the above title, as I very recently sat in company with a brother and sister of like faith in a Baptist chapel listening to a sermon from one of that order, upon the parable of the “laborers in the vineyard,” dwelling mostly upon the last clause of the tenth verse—“And they likewise received every man a penny.” In contrasting the religion of the former dispensation with that of the present, he denounced it in the strongest terms, applying to it many disrespectful epithets, such as, “A great moral monster,” “Great elephant,” &c., “that the people had to carry into the temple every Sunday,” “it was all temple worship, but which the masses could not understand, and therefore, did them no good.” But he thanked God for the religion of the gospel; so easy to comprehend, so pleasant to carry with us all the while, &c., &c. I thought to myself, How true it is—“Away with the law,” “Give us the gospel.” The same spirit that crucified the Lord of glory would now, in these last days, crucify the law and such as have respect unto it. We left, after presenting him with a few tracts, without the slightest disposition to attend further services in his church. May the Lord open his eyes to see the sinfulness of his sin, in thus irreverently handling sacred and divine things. The religion of the former dispensation was the only true religion for the time. It was given to the people by Him who is “too wise to err, and too good to be unkind.” May the Lord help us, as a people, to honor both the Father and the Son; may he give us grace and strength to endure whatever of trial or persecution may be before us. And may we each labor so faithfully in his vineyard that, when the reckoning day shall come, we may each receive our allotted reward.