THE LAW OF GOD AND OTHER LAWS NOT ABOLISHED.
By S. Everett
The ten commandments, as spoken by the voice of God and engraven on tables of stone by his hand, may be regarded as his primary law for all men in every age, and under each dispensation from the beginning to the end of the world. The faith of Jesus has been associated with them ever since man sinned. The law, or its first principle, was written on man's heart in the beginning. Even the heathen are accountable at the judgment of God on this ground, and "must perish without" [the written] "law." Rom. ii, 12-15. This law then is the basis of man's obligation to obey God, and he is a sinner by transgressing its commandments. 1 John iii, 4. We find the Sabbath and marriage institutions in the account of the creation. And there are many facts in the brief history of the antediluvian and patriarchal ages, which prove that men knew right and wrong according to God's law. Abraham must have well known the laws of God, and carefully obeyed them, and faithfully taught them to his children. See Gen. xxvi, 5; xviii, 19. In the first text God assures Isaac that he will fulfill the oath and promises to his father, "Because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." And the other text is given as a reason why God will fulfill the promises to him; "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household, after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." Gen. xv, 6, shows that Abraham was righteous by faith. Faith in the promised seed included the Messiah. The faith of Jesus and keeping the commandments of God constituted him a righteous man, and these are the two great principles by which all "the righteous" have formed their characters fitting them for the kingdom of God. Rom. iv, 11, 12; v, 1; Gal. iii, 26, 29; James i, 22-25; ii, 8-12, 14-26. The law of God comprises, the ten and all the moral precepts of both Testaments which naturally grow out of them. It implies love to God and man in the mind, as the great principle of right actions. On the other hand, "the faith of Jesus," comprehends his testimony and all those precepts which grow out of the Gospel. Christ is therefore the center and substance of all the promises of God; and the antitype of all the types and shadows of good things to come in the old covenant. See 1 Cor. i, 20; iii; Col. ii, 14-17; Eph. ii, 14, 15; Heb. vii; viii; ix; x. The ceremonial law then was abolished at the cross. The moral law is holy, just and good, and is quoted and established by the Saviour and his apostles as the unalterable law of God, standing fast forever. The judicial or national laws of the Old Testament are all those precepts by which God governed the Jews as a nation in their conduct toward each other, and toward other nations. These were partly moral and good for the government of any nation; and partly ceremonial or peculiarly Jewish, designed only for that nation. The penal law for the punishment of open transgressors of the moral law and some of the most important Jewish laws, was necessary to preserve the nation from great crimes. It will be seen by a careful reader of "the law and the prophets," that God often expressed his pleasure or his displeasure as offenders were faithfully punished, or not, according to his law. Now it seems to me scriptural and reasonable, that the penalty of the moral law is not abolished, as it applies to nations now in the treatment of notorious criminals. I see no evidence in the New Testament that Christ abolished death as a temporal penalty. It is true he abolished death in his own person by the resurrection, and he will, at his coming, destroy death as the enemy of his people; yea, he will execute the second death on the wicked at the last judgment. 2 Tim. i, 10; Matt. xxv, 31, 32; Rev. xx, 12. But the question is, did he abolish death as a temporal penalty inflicted on criminals by the rulers of nations? Let us notice the following facts in the New Testament. 1. Christ did not interfere with the rulers in his ministry, neither by doing the duties which belonged to them, nor by giving a new code of laws for them, nor did he declare death as a punishment abolished, nor did his inspired apostles. 2. Paul and Peter recognize Rulers (as Kings, Governors, &c.,) as God's servants in discharging their office. They enjoin obedience by the motive of fear as well as conscience. They describe the ruler as a "terror to evil-doers," and a "praise" to them that do well, and that he does not bear "the sword in vain." Further, Christians are required to pray for the rulers, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." 1 Tim. ii, 1-6; Rom. xiii, 1-7; 1 Pet. ii, 13-17. 3. The penal law is mentioned by Paul as a standing law against criminals. "But we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully; knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust." The glorious gospel then did not make void the penal law. 1 Tim. i, 8-11. The New Testament was not given to destroy the use of the Old as it contains a moral code for mankind. Hence we are referred to the scriptures of the Old Testament by Christ and his apostles continually, not only as instructive, but also as binding us to obedience, and in force against sinners. The New Testament contains the good news of Christ as the Son of God, the fulfillment of the prophecies in him, his history, his sufferings, and the coming glory, it explains and enforces the law and the prophets in their spirituality and purity, as the Christian's rule of life, so that he may let his light shine before the wicked. It teaches ministers and Christians the order of God's church under this dispensation. It makes known the plan of salvation by Jesus Christ. In a word, it manifests the love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. It brings "life and immortality to light." But excellent as the New Testament is for the Christian, and for all who would learn or teach a pure religion, it does not make void any single precept of the moral law, whether that precept be one of the ten, or some minor point growing out of any one of them. Christ and his apostles freely quote the precepts of the Old Testament not only as containing good instruction, but as binding precepts. The New and Old Testaments are in perfect harmony in reference to God's holy law and commandments. What was enacted in the Old, is not re-enacted (why should it be?) in the New. All the spiritual precepts of the New are of the same nature of those in the Old. To meet and confute the errors of this age in relation to God's law as well as the Sabbath, we must hold fast all the moral precepts of both Testaments, while we concede the abolition of all that is ceremonial and Jewish. The preface to the ten commandments is of itself a decisive proof to me that those moral precepts were the basis of the Sinai covenant. Indeed, this seems obvious, from other texts. Deut. v, 1-21; ix, 9-11; x, 1-5. The Sinai covenant is evidently based on the oath and promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob concerning their seed. The Abrahamic covenant is, in its everlasting promises, the basis of the New Covenant. The old covenant was a school-master unto Christ. The new then took its place. Now though the Jews are rejected, and the Sinai covenant null and void, yet in the new, God is the God of his true people in Christ, both Jews and Gentiles, and this accords with the promise in the Abrahamic covenant. But when we come to the law of God itself, I see not as we can justly concede one jot or tittle as merely ceremonial or Jewish, though the position has been assumed by an esteemed brother, (see Baker on the covenant,) I must think it wants proof. The texts quoted, see Ezekiel 18th &c., prove that God's ways are equal, that he inflicts the penalty of his law, death, only on the impenitent sinner, and that he gives life to the penitent though his father was a wicked man. The other texts prove that God is now equally the God of both Jews and Gentiles who believe. But still God is "a jealous God visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him," and still he shows "mercy to thousands of them that love him and keep his commandments." Paul quotes the fifth commandment as God's law, and still in force to encourage children to obey their parents in the Lord. He encourages obedient children with the prospect of good days and long life according to that commandment with a promise. See Eph. vi, 1-3. This corresponds with what he says of godliness. See 1 Tim. iv, 3-10. Read also 1 Pet. iii, 10-12. Ps. xxxiv, 11-15. I think these scriptures have proved true under the gospel dispensation. Obedient and pious children have generally lived long and happy lives even in this world, besides having the promise of eternal life in the next. To seek for happiness even in this life, here is a motive to seek the Lord young; and the second commandment presents a double motive to parents to avoid idolatry and to love God and keep his commandments for the sake of their children after them. S. EVERETT.
Iowa City, Iowa.