A New Argument for the Abolition of the Law.
By R. F. Cottrell
Eld. C. F. Sweet, of the law-abolishing fraternity, since God has begun a good work in Lockport, has recently made an effort there to overthrow the holy principles of the government of the Most High, by proving that the ten commandments are abolished. As it will doubtless be interesting to the readers of the Review to be informed of every new argument of the adversaries of truth ("All thy commandments are truth," "Thy law is the truth") I give his exposition of Isa. viii, 16, which was claimed with much assurance to prove that the ten commandments were to be abolished for the benefit of the gospel dispensation. The text reads, "Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples." He proved, by a reference to a number of passages of Scripture, that God's testimony was the ten commandments, engraved upon the two tables of stone, and deposited in the ark of the testament, and that there was "nothing in the ark" but this testimony when it was deposited in the temple of Solomon. 1 Kings viii, 9. He said that the disciples in the text were the disciples of Jesus Christ. All this I admitted in my reply. What then was his argument? you ask. It was that the terms, "bind up," and "seal," proved that this law would go "out of use" among the disciples. He commented thus: "Roll up the scroll of the law; bind it up—lay it aside." As I said, I admitted that he was right concerning the testimony, and also concerning the disciples. Moreover that the text is addressed to the disciples of the last days—those that are waiting for the coming of the Lord. Verse 17. But the text does not say, Seal the law from the disciples, but among them. I then referred to the following expressions of scripture for the sense of the term, "bind up." "Bind up the broken-hearted." Isa. lxi, 1. "Bind up that which was broken." Eze. xxxiv, 16. "He hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten and he will bind us up." Hos. vi, 1. "In the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound." Isa. xxx, 26. The testimony must be bound up, because it has been broken. The power that was to "think to change times and laws," Dan. vii, 25, and those that have followed in his wake, have broken the testimony, till a class has arisen that claim that it is utterly abolished. It is now being bound up among the disciples; and while the law is sealed (confirmed, ratified), the disciples receive the seal of the living God. But verse 19 gives us the when. "When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits," &c. Eld. S. will tell you that now is the time—that this is now being fulfilled. Well, when this is being done, the prophet bids us, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Eld. S. told us that that law was out of date, and that we had no right to appeal to it in the Christian age. Then he proceeded to Rom. vii, where Paul appeals to it and shows its work in conversion, convincing men of sin, and declares that it is spiritual, holy, just, and good. Here he claimed to prove that the ten commandments were "dead," but unfortunately entangled himself by saying that "we become dead to the law at conversion," the very thing that the apostle teaches, and hence the law did not expire at the cross, but holds its dominion over the sinner till he is converted. It would be strange indeed if the Christian was at liberty to violate the law that holds the sinner under his condemning power till he repents of its transgression, and comes to Christ for157pardon. Then the law was not crucified with Christ for the benefit of all who have lived since that time, but lives to be abolished every time a sinner is converted! And Christian liberty consists in liberty to violate that law which holds the poor sinner under its dominion till he becomes dead indeed to sin (sin is the transgression of the law) by the crucified body of Christ, and alive to God. Then the fruit he is to bring forth unto God, is to break his commandments and teach men that they are abolished! Such is the consistency of law-abolishing theory. I have said more than I intended, when taking up the pen, but one more rare idea, which is doubtless a very valuable accession to the theory under consideration. It is this: "The law," that is, the ten commandments, "only touched the acts of an individual. A man could keep the whole of it and yet be a wicked murderer. The old law could not touch him." If Eld. S. is the original discoverer of this great truth(?), his party should confer upon him some special honor. To make the law, which David said was "perfect, converting the soul," so imperfect, touching only the outward acts, and not able to condemn the murderer in heart, lays so broad a ground for modern "progression," that a spiritualist, it seems to me, would move a vote of thanks to the Elder for so important a discovery. But after claiming from Matt. v, 21, &c., that the Saviour "legislated" upon the law, and quoting the new commandment to the disciples to love one another, he said, "The law now looked at the spirit." This was a great improvement, if his former declarations were true. Had he read in the same chapter the positive testimony of the Saviour concerning what he was pleased to call the "old law," verses 17-19, it would have exposed his own folly and that of every one who should attempt to "legislate" upon this law. But this he did not do. Or had he read concerning the law of which Paul discourses to the Romans (which he rightly claimed to be the ten commandments), what is said in chap. ii, 12, 16, he might have learned that the "secrets of men" will finally be judged by that same law which he so falsely and irreverently declared could only touch the outward actions of men. Yes, the secret violator, as well as he that openly breaks it and teaches men so, will find that God's commandments are "exceeding broad." O, that they would be wise betimes, while an intercessor stands between them and that broken and insulted law!