The Holy Scriptures show a clear distinction between the law of God, and the law of Moses. Those who confound these two laws in one, cannot see and feel the force of the law of God, which is shown to be perpetually binding, and is so strikingly enforced in the New Testament. Such are in great danger of resting down on the view that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is abolished. But if it can be shown that the law of God, the ten commandments, and the law of Moses, or what the apostle Paul says is "abolished," which he calls the "enmity, even the law of commandments CONTAINED IN ORDINANCES, [Eph. ii, 15,] are two distinct covenants, then it will be clearly seen that the law of "ordinances" given to the Jewish Church could be abrogated, without affecting the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.
THE LAW OF MOSES, OR "THE LAW OF COMMANDMENTS CONTAINED IN ORDINANCES."
This law was written by the HAND of Moses, in a BOOK, which was called the BOOK of the COVENANT. To this the Apostle refers in the following words: "Blotting out the HAND-WRITING OF ORDINANCES," &c. Here we will give some texts of Scripture which speak of the book of the covenant.
"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a BOOK, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites which bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, take this BOOK of the law, and put it in the SIDE of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God." Deut. xxxi, 24—26. See verses 9—11.
"And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found a BOOK of the law of the Lord, given by the hand of Moses." (See marg.) 2 Chron. xxxiv, 14.
"And he read in their ears all the words of the BOOK of the COVENANT that was found in the house of the Lord." See 2 Chron. xxxiv, 30.
"And the king commanded all the people, saying, keep the passover unto the Lord your God, as it is written in the BOOK of this COVENANT." 2 Kings xxiii, 21.
"And they spake unto Ezra the scribe, to bring the BOOK of the LAW OF MOSES, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. See Neh. viii, 1—3.
"Then said I, lo, I come (in the volume of the BOOK it is written of me) to do thy will, O God." Heb. x, 7.
"Have ye not read in the BOOK of Moses." Mark xii, 26.
The "ordinances" of the Jewish law, contained in "the book of the covenant," shadowed forth the "good things" of the gospel. Its "carnal rites," "burnt offerings and sacrifices," and "meats and drinks and divers washings," were all blotted out, and nailed to the cross when the Lamb of God shed his most precious blood.
THE LAW OF GOD, OR TEN COMMANDMENTS.—
The law of God was written with the FINGER of God on TWO TABLES OF STONE, which were called the TABLES of the COVENANT. Here we will give some texts which speak of the tables of the covenant.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them." Ex. xxiv, 12.
"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone written with the FINGER OF GOD." Ex. xxxi, 18.
"And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables." See Ex. xxxii, 15, 16.
"And he wrote upon the tables the words of the COVENANT, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS." See Ex. xxxiv, 28, 29.
"And he declared unto you HIS COVENANT, which he commanded you to perform, EVEN TEN COMMANDMENTS; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone." Deut. iv, 13.
"And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, EVEN THE TABLES OF THE COVENANT." See Deut. ix, 9—11; v, 22.
By this class of texts we learn first, that "the tables were the work of God," second, that he wrote upon them with his own FINGER, third, that the matter written was the ten commandments, and fourth, that the ten commandments, alone, are God's covenant. They are not called a part of his covenant, but "HIS COVENANT." The Great Law-giver spake this covenant from "the Mount, out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a GREAT VOICE; and he ADDED NO MORE;" and he wrote it "in two tables of stone." See Deut. v, 22.
The ten commandments that God wrote in the TABLES of the covenant, with his FINGER, are a law of substances, bodies and not shadows like the law of ordinances written in the BOOK of the covenant by the HAND of Moses. The law of God is founded on obligations growing out of the nature of men, and their relations to God and one another; obligations binding on man before this law was written by the finger of God, and which continue to the close of time. The law of Moses, relating to outward observances which were not obligatory till they were commanded, was binding only on the Jews till the death of Christ, then it was abolished, and gave place to the "ministration of the Spirit."