HEAR YE HIM by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 29, 1874

HEAR YE HIM.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

BY ELD. D. M. CANRIGHT.

TEXT: “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matt. 28:19, 20.

The above words contain the great commission of our Saviour, by the authority of which, his apostles then, and his ministers ever since, were to go out and preach the gospel to all nations. But what shall they teach? The Master's instruction is plain: Teach them, says he, to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Thus, he refers their minds back to the lessons which he had given, and to the instruction which he had imparted, to them during his ministry. These they are now to remember and carry out.

It stands out as a prominent fact in the history of our Lord that, at the very beginning of his ministry, he chose his twelve apostles. See Matt. 3 and 4. These he kept constantly with him during the three years and a half of his ministry. Why did he do this? He did not need them to help him. They preached but little, or none, themselves. The reason is evident, viz., that he might prepare them by his instruction for the great work of preaching the gospel to the nations, which work they were to enter upon immediately after his ascension to Heaven.

Christ unfolded to the people his doctrines cautiously, as they were able to receive them; but to the disciples he expounded them more fully, that they might know what to teach in the future. “And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them; and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.” Mark 4:33, 34. Paul says, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” Heb. 2:3. This shows that the gospel which the apostles taught was the same as that which Christ began to unfold during his ministry. Indeed, the very object of that ministry was to introduce and inculcate the principles of the gospel which was soon to be heralded to the world. Thus Luke says, “The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” Luke 16:16.

The doctrine of Christ's kingdom, then, began to be preached from John's time; and thus Peter, when he opens the gospel to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius, says, “That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached.” Acts 10:37. Where did this word of the gospel begin? At the baptism which John preached. And so Luke says, “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” Acts 1:1. Christ, then, simply began that which his apostles afterward carried out.

When Judas had fallen and another apostle was to be chosen in his stead, Peter said, “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” Acts 1:21, 22. They must find a man who had been with them from the baptism of John, during the whole ministry of Christ. Why was this? The reason is evident, namely, that being acquainted with all the doctrine and truths which Christ had taught he might be prepared to correctly teach the gospel to others.

Let us carefully examine, then, what Christ did teach his disciples. In Matt. 5:1, we read, “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain; and when he was set, his disciples came unto him.” Here the Master retires away from the multitude, as was the custom with teachers in those days. He sat down, and his disciples came and sat at his feet. There were John, Peter, James, Jude, &c., sitting before him ready to listen to his gracious words. “And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,” Verse 2. In his last commission he tells them to go and teach all nations to observe all things which he had commanded them. Hence we shall now listen with deep interest to what he says. He begins by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Verse 3.

That these are gospel truths to be taught to every nation no one will deny. They are not things which are simply to be taught to the Jews in the two or three remaining years of the old dispensation. Thus he goes on, “Blessed are they that mourn;” “Blessed are the meek;” “Blessed are the merciful;” “Blessed are the pure in heart;” “Blessed are the peacemakers;” “Blessed are they which are persecuted;” “Ye are the salt of the earth;” “Ye are the light of the world.” And thus he continues through this whole sermon. Every sentence furnishes a good text for a gospel discourse. Indeed, this sermon on the mount contains the very heart and essence of every gospel truth. In closing that wonderful sermon he says, “Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Matt. 7:24.

When a governor or president enters upon his administration, the first thing he does is to deliver his inaugural address. This is looked for with great interest, because it is expected to set forth the principles upon which the new administration will be conducted. So Christ's sermon on the mountain may be called his great inaugural for the gospel dispensation. It was delivered at the very beginning of his ministry, delivered to those who in the future were to be the great expounders of his gospel to the nations. It is the greatest summary of truth that the world ever heard. We therefore look to it with the deepest interest to ascertain how he instructs his disciples to teach concerning the law which his Father had previously given.

Does he tell them that it is abolished, and no longer to be regarded or taught, and that they must teach a new law? or does he instruct them to obey it, and to teach others to do the same? These are important questions; and we would naturally expect that the great Teacher would not pass it by unnoticed. Now listen to his words: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.” Matt. 5:17, 18.

Of what law is he speaking? Evidently not some new law of his which he was about to give, but an old law with which they were all familiar, the one associated with the prophets. “I am not come to destroy the law,” he says. Manifestly the law which already existed; for it would be nonsense to say that he had not come to destroy his own law which he was then about to give. It was a law already written, and one written with jots and tittles. But jots and tittles were a part of the Hebrew language, and no other. The old law, the decalogue, was written at that time in the Hebrew language, and contained jots and tittles; but none of the teachings of Christ were written at that time; and when they were it was in the Greek language, which contains neither jots nor tittles. Hence, beyond a doubt, he is speaking of the law which existed in the old dispensation. Of this fact we have positive proof. To leave no doubt of what law he is speaking, Christ quotes the sixth and seventh commandments of the decalogue: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill.” Verse 21. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Verse 27. The law, then, under consideration is the ten commandments. As this was given from Heaven in such a solemn manner by his Father, and had occupied so important a place under the old dispensation, it was to be expected that he would particularly instruct his disciples what to teach concerning it in the gospel dispensation.

Now listen carefully: “Think not,” says he, “that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets.” Peter, James, John, do not get the idea that I design to destroy either the law or the prophets. Because I have set aside the traditions of the Pharisees and have introduced many new truths, do not, therefore, conclude that I mean to set aside the law of my Father. That this is his meaning, his words plainly show. He says: “I am not come to destroy.” To destroy is thus defined by Webster: 1. “To unbuild, to pull down. 2. To ruin, to bring to nought, to put an end to.” Christ says he has not come to destroy the law; that is, to unbuild it, to pull it down, or to put an end to it; for that is what destroy means. The Greek word here rendered to destroy, is katalusai, and is defined by Greenfield thus: “To loose, to dissolve, that is, to destroy, demolish, overthrow, throw down.” Matt. 24:2; 26:61. Met., to render vain or null, abrogate; to unloose one's girdle, &c., for the night. This gives the exact meaning of the word. It means to dissolve, to abrogate, to render null, to loose the binding force of, as one would unloose his girdle.

Now Christ says he is not come to do any of these things to the law, to break it, to render it null, or to unloose its claims. This idea is brought out more forcibly in other translations. Thus Norton translates it: “Think not that I am come to annul the law or the prophets. I am not come to annul, but to perfect.” Dickenson renders it: “Imagine not that I have appeared to subvert the law or the prophets. I am not come to subvert, but to establish.” Murdock's translation of the Syriac Testament says: “Do not suppose that I have come to subvert the law or the prophets.” The Emphatic Diaglott renders it: “Think not that I have come to subvert the law or the prophets. I have come, not to subvert, but to establish.” Dr. Geo. Campbell says, “Think not that I am come to subvert the law or the prophets. I am come, not to subvert, but to ratify.” So many other translations. No language could have more plainly expressed the idea that Christ had not come to abolish the law.

Having told the disciples what he had not come to do, he next tells them what his object was: teaching the law and the prophets. He says, I am come to fulfill them. To fulfill, Webster says, is to “accomplish, or carry into effect.” To fulfill the law, was to do what the law required. That this is the meaning of fulfill is evident from the Bible itself. Jesus said to John, “It becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” Matt. 3:15. That is, to do everything that is right. Is a thing ended when it is fulfilled? Then Christ taught John that it became them to end all righteousness. How absurd! But does not a law end when it is fulfilled? We answer, No. Read Gal. 6:2: “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Did the law of Christ end when it was fulfilled? If so, it was abolished in the days of the apostles. Rom. 2:25–27, is a good illustration of the meaning of the word fulfill: “For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law; but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.” Verse 25. Here keeping the law is contrasted with the breaking of the law. “And shall not circumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?” Verse 27. And here fulfilling the law is contrasted with transgressing the law; so that to fulfill the law is to keep that law instead of transgressing it. Now I will show that keeping a moral law cannot possibly bring it to an end. To illustrate: The law said, “Honor thy father and thy mother.” The first time Jesus honored his parents he fulfilled this law, did he not? Certainly. Well, did that law end then? Was he under no further obligations to honor his parents? Or, after he had fulfilled that law all his life in honoring them, did that terminate that law so that others are under no obligations to honor their parents? How absurd.

Now take the Sabbath commandment. It required the sacred observance of the seventh day. When Christ had kept one Sabbath he had fulfilled that law. Did the law end there and then, so that he was not bound to keep the next Sabbath? If so, the law ended, not at the cross, but many years before, the very moment that Christ had once kept it. Who believes this? Can we not see that to obey a moral precept once, twice, or a thousand times, does not lessen our obligation to continue to do so?

Fulfilling a prophecy is quite a different thing. The prophecy said that Christ should be born in Bethlehem. The moment he was born there, that prophecy was fulfilled and never had to be fulfilled again; and so of all prophecies. But not so of the moral law. Obeying it once does not end the obligation. “Thou shalt not kill.” Refraining from murder one day fulfills what the law requires. Can we then murder the next day? No; it must be fulfilled just the same the next day, and so on forever. Men do not consider what they are doing when they argue that the moral law died by limitation, because it was fulfilled by Christ.

That Christ here teaches, not the abolition

of the law, but its perpetuity, is manifest from what follows. Thus he continues: “For verily I say unto you.” He is now to give the reason for what he had previously stated, viz., that he had not come to destroy the law. Why had he not come to destroy it? Because, verily I say unto you, that is, emphatically I tell you, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.” Notice that there are two “tills” in this verse. 1. “Till heaven and earth pass.” 2. “Till all be fulfilled.” What does this language teach? Our opponents claim that it simply means this; that no part of the law was to pass away till it was all fulfilled, which was accomplished when Christ died upon the cross, about three years after he uttered these words. But this would be an absurd and unnatural use of language. He first says, “Till heaven and earth pass.” Well, 1800 years have gone since then, and heaven and earth have not passed yet. In two comparative statements the stronger statement is always placed last. Thus I say, I will not preach here again for three weeks, no, not for three months. Now how unnatural for me to reverse this and say, I will not preach here for three months, no, not for three weeks. No speaker ever used language in that manner. But our opponents' position represents Christ as saying, For 1800 years, not a jot or tittle shall pass from the law, till three years from now! Can we suppose that our Lord talked such nonsense? No, indeed; this is not his meaning. The second “till” is stronger and reaches beyond the first till. 1. The law shall not pass away till heaven and earth pass. 2. It shall not pass till all be fulfilled. All what? Of what is he speaking? Of the law and the prophets. I have not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill. To fulfill what? Both the law and the prophets. Hence the term fulfill applies to the prophets. No part of the law shall pass till these are all fulfilled. Were the prophets all fulfilled at the death of Christ? No, indeed. Will they all be fulfilled when heaven and earth pass away? Of course not; for there are many of the prophecies which relate to the new earth, to the eternal world, and to things beyond the passing away of the heavens and the earth. See Isa. 66:22, 23; Dan. 12:2, 3, and many others.

That Christ's language does include the prophecies, none can doubt who will look a moment at the original. Christ says, nothing shall pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Does the word all refer to the law, meaning all the law? Law is a noun, and all is an adjective. If the word all qualifies law, then according to the laws of grammar, the adjective must agree with its noun in number, gender, and case. The Greek word rendered law is nomou, a noun in the singular number, masculine gender, genitive case. The Greek word for all is panta, an adjective in the plural number, neuter gender, nominative case. Hence, it will be seen that all cannot possibly refer to the law, because it agrees with it neither in number, gender, nor case. It should be translated all things, and so several translations give it.

Norton's translation renders it thus, “Not till heaven and earth pass away, shall the smallest letter or stroke pass away from the law; no, not till all things are ended.” This gives the correct idea. It shall not pass away while heaven and earth stand; no, not even till all things spoken of by the prophets have been fulfilled which will take us far into the eternal world.

On this phrase John Wesley makes the following just criticism:— “One jot or tittle shall in no wise pass, till heaven and earth pass; or as it is expressed immediately after, heos an panta genetai, till all (or rather all things) be fulfilled, till the consummation of all things. Here is, therefore, no room for that poor evasion (with which some have delighted themselves greatly) that ‘no part of the law was to pass away, till all the law was fulfilled; but it has been fulfilled by Christ; and therefore now must pass for the gospel to be established.’ Not so; the word all does not mean all the law, but all things in the universe; as neither has the term fulfilled any reference to the law, but to all things in heaven and earth.”—Wesley's Sermon on the Law. Matt. 5:17–20.

Panta, here rendered all, is translated “all things” 156 times in the New Testament. Here are two examples: “Believing all things which are in the law and in the prophets.” Acts 24:14. “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:21. These texts illustrate the meaning of Christ's language.

Not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law till heaven and earth pass away, no, not till all things written both in the law and in the prophets are fulfilled, which carries the law entire through and beyond the gospel dispensation. That this is the true meaning of Christ's language is positively proved by the following verse: “Whosoever therefore.” Now he draws a conclusion from what he had previously stated. What is his conclusion? Is it that the law need not be obeyed? No, indeed. “Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, 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.” Verse 19. As much as to say, Peter, James, and John, you are soon going out to teach men. Do not you break one of these commandments yourselves, nor do you teach others so; for if you do, you shall be least in the kingdom of Heaven; but if you will obey them yourselves, and teach others to do it, you shall be great in the kingdom of Heaven.

What is meant by the term “kingdom of Heaven”? Manifestly the same that Christ meant when he said to Peter, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” Matt. 16:19. The kingdom of Heaven manifestly refers to the church of Christ in the gospel age. And so the language in our text, beyond controversy, applies this side of the cross. It is a false and foolish assumption that Christ, in this language, simply referred to how the law should be regarded in the old dispensation.

The term, “kingdom of Heaven,” is never applied to the Jewish age. Christ was not preparing his apostles for teachers under the old dispensation, but as heralds of the kingdom of Christ. Indeed, nothing could be plainer than that the language which we have been giving in Christ's sermon upon the mountain does apply in the gospel dispensation. Christ is instructing them very carefully what they shall teach when they go out to disciple all nations. What, then, does he instruct them to do and teach concerning the law? His words are unmistakable. “Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of Heaven.” Least commandments suppose that there are greater ones. Turning to Matt. 22:36–40, we read: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” There are two great commandments, 1. To love God supremely, and 2. To love our neighbor as ourselves. These were not new commandments as given by Christ; but were given in the old law by Moses. The first, in Deut. 6:5, and second, in Lev. 19:18. Says Christ, “On these two commandments hang all the law.” He does not say all the law used to hang on these two commandments, but I have now dropped it all. Nor does he say, nine-tenths of the law hangs upon them; but he says, all the law hangs upon them. Love to God includes the first four; and love to our neighbor the last six. Therefore, of these lesser ones, that is, the ten commandments, Christ speaks when he says: “Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments.” How could language be stronger than this? 1. Jesus endorses and ratifies the law as a whole, in stating that he did not come to destroy it. 2. He endorses every commandment in the ten, even to the least one of them, “Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments.” 3. He endorses every letter in the law. “Not one jot,” says he, “shall pass away.” A jot is the smallest letter in the Hebrew language. 4. He endorses even the smallest tip of a letter. Says he, “Not one tittle shall pass away.”

Thus, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, we have the law of the Father entire, brought over into the gospel dispensation, without any change. Some say that we have no authority in the New Testament for observing the seventh-day Sabbath. But we ask, Was not the Sabbath one of the commandments? Certainly it was. Then Christ's language covers this one. “Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments.” The Sabbath is one of them, and hence is included in Christ's words. But more than that; not one letter, or even a corner of a letter, was changed in the whole law. Every jot and tittle stands and reads just as it did before, and will so stand while heaven and earth stand. So says our Lord, and so we believe. Hence that law still reads, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.”

But Jesus does not leave this important subject here. He continues, “For I say unto you,” Peter, James, John, you, my disciples, “that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” Righteousness is keeping the law. Thus, Moses says: “And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.” Deut. 6:25. “Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law.” Isa. 51:7. “For all my commandments are righteousness.” Ps. 119:172.

Righteousness, then, is perfect obedience to God's law. But says one, the very thing that Christ condemned the Pharisees for was their strict obedience to the law. No, my friend, that is a sad mistake. Read Matt. 15:1–9: “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees.” Here is the very class under consideration. Now notice what he says about their keeping the commandments. “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother; and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your traditions. Ye hypocrites! well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

This is the way they kept God's law; that is, they did not keep it at all. They very religiously regarded their own traditions, but God's law they set aside. Stephen charges them with the same thing. “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye. Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.” Acts 7:51, 53. They pretended to keep God's law; but it was a hypocritical pretension. They did not do it. Hence Christ warns his disciples carefully upon this point, saying, “Except your righteousness,” that is, your obedience to this law, “shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” If they do not keep that law any better than the Pharisees did, they will be shut out of the kingdom.

Now to leave them without any doubt, he takes up two of the ten commandments and illustrates by them what he meant concerning the whole law. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment; but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment.” Verses 21, 22. The law said, Thou shalt not kill. The Pharisees had taught that a man must actually take life to break this commandment; but Jesus tells them that the commandment is broader than that, extending even to the motives of the heart. Whosoever should entertain anger in his heart against his brother was a murderer, and had broken that law. Again he says, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Verses 27, 28.

Here the same principle is brought out. It was not simply the positive act of adultery that broke this commandment, but even the desire entertained in the heart. Mark, Christ is not giving some new law touching adultery, murder, &c.; but is simply stating what is, and always had been, the meaning of the law. He showed that it extended much farther than the doctors had said it did. Thus he fulfilled what the prophet had foretold of him, “He will magnify the law, and make it honorable.” Isa. 42:21. He was not to abolish the law and give a new one; but was to magnify and make it honorable. To magnify a thing is to make it appear larger than it appeared before; to cause it to be seen more clearly. And this is just what Christ did do touching God's law.

And now to show beyond a possibility of a mistake that the instructions of Christ in this sermon do apply this side of the cross, in the gospel dispensation, notice what he says of the law of Moses, that is, the ceremonial law. After having finished his instructions concerning the moral law, teaching its perpetuity in the strongest terms, he now takes up the law of Moses, and sets it all aside, and directs his apostles to teach others not to regard it. Thus he says: “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.” Matt. 5:31. This language may be found in Deut. 24:1, in the ceremonial law of Moses. It allowed a man to divorce his wife for a very slight cause. Now what does the Master say? “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” Verse 32. Thus he sets aside the law.

“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.” Verse 33. Here is another quotation from that law, which may be found in Numbers 30:2. What does he say about this? “But I say unto you, Swear not at all.” Verse 34. Thus he moves this right down.

Again, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” This is found, not in the ten commandments, but in Exodus 21:24. Now hear how the Lord abolishes this. “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Verses 38, 39. This is just the opposite of what Moses had said.

Take another illustration: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.” Verse 43. This may be found, not in the decalogue, but in Deut. 23:6. Now listen to Christ: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Verse 44. Thus he goes right through the law of Moses, and in the most summary manner sets it all aside. This clearly shows that Christ recognized the difference between the moral law and ceremonial law in the old dispensation.

But even the ceremonial law was obligatory until the cross. Christ himself carefully observed all its requirements and taught others to until it expired upon the cross. Hence, what he here privately taught his disciples did not apply till after the cross. Hence, when he says of the moral law, “Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments,” &c., he means, whosoever in the gospel dispensation shall do it.

Now to prove that our position is correct, and that we have rightly interpreted the instruction of Christ to his apostles, let us follow them as they go out in after years to preach the gospel and see how they understood his teachings concerning the decalogue.

James was one of the apostles who sat at Jesus' feet and listened to this sermon. Thirty years afterward he writes his general epistle to the brethren scattered abroad. In this chapter (2:8–12) he says, “If ye fulfill the royal law,” &c. Thus he introduces the subject of the law in almost the very words that Christ did, who said, I am come to fulfill the law. So James says: “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scriptures, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well; but if ye have respect

to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors; for whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:8–10. How exactly James repeats the lesson of his Master! Christ said whoever should break one of the least of the commandments should be least in the kingdom of Heaven. James says, Whoever shall offend in one point is guilty of all. Then Jesus illustrated what he meant by quoting the sixth and seventh commandments. Now notice how carefully James uses the same illustration. “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” Verse 11. Thus we see that this apostle, away down in the gospel dispensation thirty years, repeats and enforces the very lesson that his Master had taught him concerning the decalogue. Then he adds, “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” Verse 12.

By this very law, then, Christians are to be judged. Can there be any question what law this is? Certainly not. It is the law that says, “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” &c. It is the law that was written in the old Scriptures; for James says, they are to fulfill it according to the Scriptures. Such a law we do find in Exodus 20. This is the one, and the only one, in all the Bible that contains this language. Of it the apostle says, “Whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Thus he teaches in the clearest possible language that every one of the ten commandments are still to be obeyed by Christians. Not one of them must be left out.

Reader, we appeal to you, Is not the Sabbath a part of this law, and one of these commandments? You know that it is. Does not this language require us to keep that commandment as well as the rest? If you keep the other nine and violate the fourth, are you not doing just what James says will make you a transgressor? Decide this as you will wish you had in the Judgment, for we are to be judged by that law. John was another apostle who sat at Jesus' feet. Listen to him. “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.” 1 John 3:15. This is almost the exact language of Jesus, who said, “Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause,” violates the sixth commandment. Again, John says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:2, 3. And even in stronger language he says: “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:3, 4. This apostle brands every man who says he loves God and keeps not his commandments, as a liar.

Thus we might continue to quote the same doctrine all through the New Testament. Take a few examples in conclusion. Does Paul teach children to obey their parents? He goes right back to the ten commandments for his authority. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise;) that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” Eph. 6:1–3. To the Romans he says: “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law.” Rom. 3:31. “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” “For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin.” “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.” Rom. 7:12, 14, 22. Finally, Jesus in his last revelation to John on the isle of Patmos, A.D. 96, referring to his Father's commandments, says, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22:14.

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