THE SABBATH by L. A. Phippeny

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Feb 1, 1905

THE SABBATH

By L. A. Phippeny

BY L. A. PHIPPENY

THE COVENANT-TESTAMENT.

THE foundations of the everlasting covenant are discovered in creation; for the very fact of creation is a promise on the part of the Creator to accomplish His purposes in the creation.

It is only in creation that God is revealed to His intelligent creatures. The bringing into existence of intelligent beings in His image and in His likeness, and perpetuating them in life and its enjoyments, is the highest thought of their Creator-Father. Beautiful worlds might be spoken into existence, and embellished with infinite skill, yet if there were no intelligences, aside from the Creator, to behold and enjoy and appreciate these beauties, God could not be revealed. Their creation would be in vain. It requires intelligent creatures before there can be a revelation.

The Triumph of His Purpose Assured.

And so the word is spoken concerning our own world: "Thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it, He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited." Adam was made to have dominion, and to him was given the earth for an everlasting possession, an eternal inheritance. He and his children were to constitute a righteous family, and abide forever in their beautiful home. In creating them, God became responsible for their existence. And inasmuch as He is a holy, wise, and just Father, the very fact of their existence was the divine surety that the purpose of their creation would be fulfilled. It was the Creator's promise to do them good, to surely keep them in life, and give them its blessings forever. This was His part of a covenant. Their part was to live in harmony with His provisions.

That promise was the Lord's covenant with every intelligent being created, not alone in this dominion, but in every dominion established for the everlasting home of the family placed upon and in it. The establishment of righteousness, and the revelation of the character of the Father in His children, was the object of felicity for the whole creation, and to this end

The Creator Pledged Every Resource

of divinity,—and the final resource was Himself. This revelation of divinity was in itself the mightiest promise ever made, because it was based on Omnipotence for its fulfilment. It was the Lord's universal covenant; it was His ultimate will and testament in all places of His vast domain. And then when a danger arose, threatening to frustrate the divine purpose—no matter when or where—the process of eliminating the evil thing began and was worked out. And it took every available resource to make the testament-covenant sure. It took His life. And this was also in the eternal law of things: "Where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator." In which is the mystery of godliness.

No Surprises in the Divine Plan.

Then when Adam broke the covenant, failed to adhere to its provisions, that was sin; and sin meant death; and death passed upon the whole dominion. That was the result of the danger that threatened. But Divinity was ready. Since creation's dawn, and in eternity, Jesus, the Creator, was pledged on His life to establish everlasting righteousness. And then when the dominion was lost by Adam, the powers latent for the redemption began to be revealed. The Redeemer was promised through the flesh. The words were spoken that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head.

The Two Adams.

The Redeemer was called the second Adam.

The first Adam failed to keep the covenant, and lost the dominion. The second Adam, in establishing and making sure the divine purpose, undertook to do the work Adam failed to do. One man sinned, and his children, after the flesh, were and are born sinful. One Man lived without sin, and His children, born of the Spirit, were and are without sin. The first man Adam was the son of God by direct creation in this dominion. The second man Adam was the only-begotten Son of God through the mystery of the incarnation. One man, created

holy, sinned, and involved all in sin; one Man, born of sinful flesh, lived a holy life, so that all might have righteousness by living as He lived, if they would. The sin of the first man Adam brought death to himself, and to all the world. The sinful flesh of the second Man Adam brought death to Himself also; but He did not deserve it, and He lived again. He died because of sin—for all sin—and lived as the Head of a new creation. He opened the way through the grave, for all who have ever believed in Him, and who will believe on Him with a belief that puts sin to death. He died to redeem—and did redeem—the lost dominion.

Sealing the New Testament.

"For a testament [will] is of force after men are dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." Its provisions may be published before the death of the testator, and the beneficiaries may base their plans upon its known provisions, but it is established, made sure, only when the maker dies, not before. The everlasting covenant—the universal testament—was made everlastingly and ultimately sure for the universe when Jesus, the Maker of it, died, and not before. And His death accomplished the purpose—it established the covenant forever. For righteousness is always and forever stronger than sin.

What the Covenant Means to Man.

From the foregoing a glimpse may be had of the dimensions and meaning of God's everlasting covenant, and it becomes clear why the utmost care is exercised in the Lord's specifications regarding it. It represents God's character. It reveals Him in all His good purposes for His creatures. It meant all that to Adam and Eve before the fall; its added revelations in the operation of divine Providence for the establishment of the covenant meant that to them after the fall; and their hope of restoration and salvation was based on the fulfilment of the eternal purpose. They looked forward to the redeemed and renewed creation, and manifested their belief in the forgiving and redemptive power of their Creator, by shedding the blood of a firstling of the flock, typifying the death of the testator, who was to die for them.

It meant all of this to every faithful soul of their posterity. The glad day of redemption was held before Noah and his sons, and the good news was passed on. It meant all of that to Abraham, with a peculiar emphasis by reason of his special mission in the earth. He recognized that he was a stranger in the land of Canaan, and he looked for a heavenly country, the dominion restored. Its significance was clearly understood by Isaac and Jacob, and its terms and provisions and object were most wonderfully taught to Israel, the nation. Its deep spiritual meaning and ultimate blessings were emphasized in its summarized statement as the new covenant with spiritual Israel. To David, it meant the establishment of his throne forever by the One who should finally reign upon it forever. And in the great invitation given through Isaiah, it is based in the Gospel upon the same foundation as with David—sure mercies. It rested not upon human promises, but upon the promises of Jesus, the Testator, and upon Omnipotence.