God's Law in all the Earth.
By S. Myers
In the Prophetic Expositor for June 15th, may be seen the following paragraph: "The Law was for the government of the nation of Israel, and no other people were ever required to observe it." When we read the above we thought we could appreciate David's feelings when he penned the following lines, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." "It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void thy law." We think we have never seen the character of God and his dealings with the nations of the earth, so strongly impeached in so few words. That God should destroy the world for their sins, burn up the cities of the plain for their iniquities, and drive the inhabitants of Canaan out of their possessions, and destroy them, old and young, for their abomination, together with all the national judgments that have been visited upon the different nations of earth, and then to say that the law was for the nation of Israel, and no other nation was ever required to keep it, in our opinion, is to accuse God of dealing unjustly, or judging, condemning, and executing judgment, without a rule or precedent to judge them by. But that other nations were required to observe the law of God, or the ten commandments, as a rule of right, is evident from the following scriptures; at least those of other nations who expected God would bless and preserve them. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Ex. xx, 5, 6. That others besides Israel are included in these promises and threatenings, is evident from expressions used in verse 10, or fourth commandment, Thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. Deut. vii, 9. In this text the promise is to all who keep God's commandments, without respect to nationalities. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant. Ps. xxv, 11, 14. That the above text is applicable to all persons, and has been since creation, is evident from Paul's epistle to the Romans. Chap. i, 19-26. We will insert a few clauses only, "because that which may be known of God, is manifest (to them, margin,) for God hath showed it unto them." In verses 24, 26 we find why God gave them up (or the heathen up) to uncleanness and vile affections. When they knew God they glorified him not as God. Professing themselves to be wise they became fools. This last clause forcibly reminds us of some who are now teaching that faith makes void God's law or covenant. Again David says, [1 Chron. xvi, 14.] He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. Again in Ps. ciii, 17, 18. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children: to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. In Isa. lvi, the prophet admonishes the stranger, and the son of the stranger, and strictly forbids them to say, The Lord has utterly separated me from his people. Judging from the anxiety that some show at present to make it appear that the Lord has utterly separated them from his people, the prophet must certainly have had his eye on our time. How those who have once seen the light of the three messages, the Sabbath, and the Sanctuary in heaven, should turn and assist in the dissemination of such contradictory and absurd views as the no-law and no-Sabbath views, is to us incomprehensible, while they still claim to be Christians.