Earlier text: SAINT PETER'S AND THE VATICANPAUL CROSSES TO EUROPE.
By J. O. Corliss
[See the Sunday-school lesson (p. 15), and Acts 16.] Doubtless directed by the Lord, Silas, with several others, remained in Antioch for a time with Paul and Barnabas, after delivering the message from the council at Jerusalem. Acts 15:33, 34. When several days had been spent there in further teaching the way of the Lord, Paul suggested to Barnabas that they ought to revisit those places where they had labored while on their last missionary tour. To this Barnabas agreed, but intimated his intention to take along his relative, John Mark, who, on the former journey, had suddenly abandoned them at Perga. This proposition was not agreeable to Paul, and the contention between them caused so much irritation as to separate them. Barnabas then took Mark and went to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas for his companion, and with him went on a tour to strengthen the churches in Syria and Cilicia, being recommended by the brethren for this work. Verses 38–41. He then passed through Derbe to Lystra, where he found a young disciple named Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess, but his father was a Greek. The young man being well spoken of by the brethren of Lystra, Paul had him circumcised, on account of the Jews in that neighborhood, and took him on the journey. Acts 16:1–3. At every church visited, these brethren delivered the decrees issued by the council held at Jerusalem, and this strengthened them in the faith and added to their numbers. They then passed through Phrygia and Galatia, but were forbidden by the Spirit to preach the message further in Roman Asia. Notwithstanding the restraint put on them, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but were again restrained. This was all made plain to Paul upon arriving at Troas; for one night while there he was given a vision in which a Macedonian was standing and appealing to him, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” Verses 4–9. This was evidence that God would have the message go to Europe immediately, and so the company became eager to start for that country. They therefore set sail, and landed the following day at Neapolis. From that place they made their way to Philippi, the principal city of that part of Macedonia, and a Roman colony. Several days were spent there. On the Sabbath they went outside the gate to the riverside, where they supposed was a place of prayer. There they sat down and talked to some women who had congregated at that point. Verses 10–13. Among these listeners was a woman named Lydia. Her home was in Thyatira, and she was a dealer in purple dyes. The Lord touched her heart with the message delivered, and she and her household were baptized. She then asked the messengers to become her guests, urging that if they were convinced that she really was a believer in the Lord, they ought to take up their abode in her house. This she persuaded them to do. Verses 14, 15. Without doubt this act of Lydia was dictated by the Lord. He had long before said that there would be no one who had left home and its pleasant surroundings on account of the Gospel, but would receive a hundred times as much even in this life, tho he would have persecution with it. It can not be that this promise is limited to temporal homes and human friends; for then many would be induced to give up one humble home for the hundred-fold. Without doubt, as with the brethren of Philippi, the Lord does provide shelter for His messengers in strange lands; but the abiding presence of Christ must supply the real hundred-fold of blessing, and afterward comes the everlasting home in the kingdom of God. One thing in the experience of Paul, as related in this lesson, is worthy of more than passing notice. That was his constant readiness to move at the Spirit’s suggestion. Studying his life from beginning to end, we can not see one instance in which he made definite plans, and adhered to them. He seemed always to move in the direction indicated by the Spirit, regardless of human suggestions. If he started on a certain course, he was ready to change instantly at the Spirit’s call, without asking for time to carry out some cherished plan already in process of execution. His was a grand life worthy of imitation, even as he declared that God had called him to be an example. I Tim. 1:16. “HE WON’T LET ME.”
By Alexander McLaren
Do you remember the old story about the soldier who shouted out that he had caught a prisoner, and the officer said, “Bring him along,” and the answer was, “He won’t come”? “Then come yourself,” and the answer was, “He won’t let me.” That is the kind of victory over the world that many of our successful people have got—so hampered and held in chains that early noble visions have passed away and are smiled at now, and God and His angels are a great deal farther off from the successful man than they were from the starving youth.—Alexander McLaren. At sea, each clear day at exactly noon, the navigating officer of every ship stands on its deck, sextant in hand, to take an observation of the sun, in order to determine the latitude in which he is sailing; then he goes to his cabin and works out his position on the chart. Sometimes for days the sun is hidden, and the course must be calculated by “dead reckoning,” on the basis of the speed as shown by the log, the known ocean currents, and the direction sailed. Then, when the sun shines out again, the error is corrected. Some captains are so skilful that at the end of a week or more of stormy weather the error will be inappreciable; others will be off their course in a single day; but the most skilful will not omit the daily observation if the sky permits its being taken. Christ is our Sun. The Scriptures and prayer are both sextant and chart, and in sailing on the great sea of life we need the daily observation, that we may keep steady on our course toward the heavenly harbor. We are not left to drift at the mercy of the winds and waves and currents, or to sail by guesswork past the rocks and shoals. There are no days when our Sun need to be obscured, or when the sextant and the chart may not be used. Those who are most skilful in their sailing do not presume on their knowledge or their skill, but faithfully, as the sailor on the sea, day after day, seek to verify their course, or find the error which was made, and correct it. God’s Word is for use. Christ, like the sun, is always the same, and gives us the same true direction. “How readest thou” the “observation” which, rightly read, gives your position and your course? What direction does it show you heading? To neglect to use the means provided means to be caught in the counter-currents, turned from the course of safety, and wrecked on the shoals and rocks of life. To use, means safety and salvation.—The Lutheran Observer. A Humble Ambition
By George MacDonald
If I do what I may in earnest, I need not mourn if I work no great work on the earth. To help the growth of a thought that struggles toward the light; to brush with gentle hand the earth stain from the white of one snowdrop—such be my ambition!—George MacDonald. “TO BE dissatisfied may mean only selfishness and a complaining spirit, to be unsatisfied should mean the beginning of that divine hunger and thirst which the Christ has called blessed.” “THE YOKE OF BONDAGE.”
By G.
WE are sometimes told that the law of God is a yoke of bondage; but the Word of God shows very clearly that this is not true. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, He said to them, “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Then He immediately rehearsed to them His law, which they were henceforth to observe. Now did God bring His people “out of the house of” His law, when He brought them out of Egypt?—No, He brought them out of bondage in a land where His law was rejected. Wherefore did He bring them out?—That they might serve Him. Ex. 8:1. Was it, then, a bondage to serve God? What did Moses say of the deliverance from Egypt?—“I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation.” Ch. 15:1, 2. It was salvation, liberty, to be brought out of Egypt, and to be placed where they might be free to obey the law of God. It was Christ that brought the Israelites out of Egypt, and He it is that says, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matt. 11:29, 30. And of the law He said to an inquirer, “This do, and thou shalt live.” Luke 10:28. It is endeavoring to keep the law of God in one’s own strength—making one’s own works a means of salvation—that is a yoke of bondage; it is not the law itself that is a bondage. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Ps. 19:7. When we let the Word of God into the heart by faith, then “it is God which worketh” in us “both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” When the Spirit of Christ is in the heart of an individual, he will walk in the law of his God, as Christ Himself did; and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Cor. 3:17. The typical or ceremonial service of the Levitical dispensation became a burdensome yoke when, after its purpose had been served, the people still clung to it as an essential to salvation. All that was a mere figure pointing forward to Christ and His work. To depend upon the shadow instead of the substance, was to make salvation a matter of works; and a grievous yoke indeed is the effort to save one’s self by dead works. So when some Judaizing Christians continued to urge upon Gentile converts the ceremony of circumcision, and other merely typical services, the apostles characterized it as a “yoke.” Peter said, “Why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” This yoke the Jews had placed upon themselves, when they sought salvation by works. That salvation by works was the yoke to which Peter referred, is shown in the next verse: “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved.” See Acts 15:5-11. The difference between the work of the Spirit (or work of faith) and the work of the flesh, is shown by Paul in the comparison of Sarah and Hagar. Sarah was a free woman, and her son, Isaac, was a child of promise, a child of faith, begotten of the Spirit. Hagar was a bondwoman, and her offspring could not be other than bondmen. Abraham was told that in Isaac, the son of the free woman, his seed should be called. “So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.” Gal. 4:31. Abraham’s marriage with Hagar, and the consequent birth of Ishmael, was an attempt on the part of Abraham and Sarah to obtain the promised seed by their own works—by means of their own devising. But God repudiated it all. “What saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” This act of Abraham and Sarah’s was contrary to the law of God, therefore it could only lead to bondage. The whole human race is in bondage because of disobedience. Every work of man that is not in harmony with the law of God “gendereth to bondage.” “Sin is the transgression of the law.” The continuation of the typical services after the death of Christ was sin, because it was a lack of faith in Christ. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin,” and sin is bondage. So the apostle says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ7 hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Gal. 5:1. “If ye be circumcised [in the fleshly ceremony], Christ shall profit you nothing.” Verse 2. “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.” 1 Cor. 7:19. The law of God, then, is something important as compared with dead works. There is also a circumcision that is important, and that is the circumcision of the heart, in the spirit (Rom. 2:28, 29), and every one that is thus circumcised is debtor to keep the whole law (Gal. 5:3); for Christ’s whole mediatorial work is designed to bring sinners into harmony with the law of God through faith in Him. It is designed to bring them out of the house of bondage, that they may serve God. This is not to say that they are justified by the law; for they are not so justified, and can not be. It is a perfect, unchangeable law; it is a just law, and therefore can not justify the breach of its holy precepts. But God has provided that sinners may be justified by faith in Christ; that is, they may be pardoned through faith, and made free from the condemnation of the law. Rom. 8:1-5. When they are thus set free, and accounted righteous, the law no longer condemns them; for the law justifies the righteous. Ch. 3:13. Rom. 10:4, 5. “Christ is the end [object] of the law.” His whole Gospel purpose is to help sinners break off the yoke of bondage, and become subject to the law of God—a condition to which the carnal mind can not attain. Rom. 8:7. G. “The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.” John 10:25. In this appeal of Christ to the unbelieving Jews, He called up a witness which they could not refute or gainsay. The works were there; and tho the Jews in their blindness were seeking continually to condemn Him, the works bore constant witness that He was what He professed to be, the Son of God. He Himself put them forth as His witness; for He said, “Tho ye believe not Me, believe the works.” John 10:38. And again: “Believe Me for the very works’ sake.” John 14:11. God's works are bearing witness of Him in every part of the universe. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.” Ps. 19:1-3. All the creations of God are bearing witness for Him—speaking in their own language, it is true, but speaking with a voice that can be heard by all, and in a language that all who will may understand. The stars that twinkle to us through infinite space are telling us of the wisdom and power of Him who made them and gave to each its orbit and the glory of its radiance, and set a bound for its habitation which it can never pass. The mind may think out into space beyond the faintest star that glitters on the robe of night; think out into the black depths through which the radiance of majestic suns wearies in its limitless flight, and sinks before its trembling finger-tips have touched the shore of our vision; think out, and out, and out, till thought itself, like a fledgling sparrow, flutters and falls in the endless flight; and still are those measureless depths peopled with works that are tonguing the praise of the common Maker. The great audience-chamber of the Infinite is peopled with His witnesses. In the presence of such a concourse, presumptuous indeed is the human atom that comes to the bar of eternity to present his little brief on the non-existence of Him by, and through, and in, whom all these consist. Truly, it is wisdom's voice which says, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” There is a God, and these are some of His witnesses, witnessing to His existence, to His wisdom, to His power, to His care, and to His undying love. His works are His witnesses. Are you familiar with the testimony they are bearing for your benefit? Can you say that you have never looked up into the sky, and heard their voices speaking to your heart of Him who holds your life in His hand, and who has pledged Himself to care for you as He cares for them—so that not one faileth? There is symphony and harmony in the growing things about you. If you have never attuned the ears of your understanding to the sweet, insistent pipings of these choral witnesses, then the sweetest orchestra of earth you have never heard, tho the very air was vibrant with its melody. Get in tune with the Infinite, and your soul will thrill with the music of the praise that flows from the works that are witnessing for Him. Better still, you will be able to join in, and your own life will sing that praise in everything you do. S. IT IS not to move the heart of Infinite Love to help us that we need to plead with God. It is our own hearts and lives which need to be awakened by praising God for His goodness, by recounting His mercies, by confessing and putting away our sins, by letting Christ Jesus into our lives. God does not need this to soften His heart, or move Him to pity. He is ever mindful of our needs. As a father pities his son, so God pities poor, weak, erring men. A loving mother is tenderly solicitous of her nursing child, God is even more solicitous of us. Hear Him speaking through His Son: “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?” Surely no father would so deceive, or tantalize, or endanger his child. An unregenerate father of earth who would do this would be called a degenerate, a moral monstrosity. Is God less kind? Jesus continues: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” Luke 11:11–13. What a tremendous argument it is! All the creation of God was wrought by His Spirit. In that lies the fulness of blessing and perfection, and God is willing, much more willing to bestow than we can conceive. Then why not, dear soul, take with simple faith this counsel of your Lord: “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;
Seek, and ye shall find;
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth,
And he that seeketh findeth,
And to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Then ask, seek, knock, continually, persistently, in childlike singleness of faith. God will hear; nay, He already hears. If He seems slow in answering, the fault is ours, not His. He waits that we may reach the place where His blessing may be appreciated, or that He may bestow upon us a greater blessing than we asked. GOD declares of Himself that His works are His witnesses. We know to what they bear witness. It is just as true that our works are our witnesses; but to what do they bear witness? As His works are witnesses of what He does and is, so are ours of what we do and are. The works we do are witnesses which can not be impeached. They are telling in unmistakable language the condition of the heart that prompts the hand to do them. If our hearts are in the work of God, our hands are busy with deeds that prove it so. If we are half-hearted in that work, those words are written indelibly on every piece of work that passes through our hands, and on every act that goes to make up our daily life. It is not left to the angels to write them there—the hands that do the work are doing the writing too. The professions we make count for nothing when the works we do are clamoring to be heard against us, and are contradicting our professions to the face. We must be what we seem to be, or we are hypocrites. We must be what we want men to think us to be, or we are asking them to believe a lie. It is time wasted to profess what our works do not substantiate. They are the only witnesses that are qualified to testify for us, either before men or in the court of last resort. If they witness against us, our profession is empty air. Let us be what we would have men think us, and then will our profession be in harmony with the testimony of our deeds. Let us seek to be what we would have God count us as being, and then the deeds that flow from our hands will be a constant well-spring of praise to our Creator, and God will crown our lives with the crown of victory. Our works are our witnesses, and we can not impeach them either here or hereafter. This is not teaching salvation by our own works. That is not the purpose of the argument. When Christ was asked, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” He replied, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” John 6:28, 29. That is the essential of salvation; and from the life which is actuated by that belief there will flow a constant stream of deeds testifying to men and angels of our belief in that great saving fact. We can not earn or purchase salvation by works that we may do; but our deeds can and do bear witness to our belief in and acceptance of the only way of salvation open to man. Open your heart to Him; believe on Him; and then your life and deeds will testify that you are His; that His work is your work; and the interests of His kingdom the motive of your life. And in such witnessing as that there is power for good. The world will see it, and be moved by it. Such works, such lives, are God’s most powerful evangelists. S. AN “ABSOLUTELY UNASSAILABLE” ARGUMENT.
This is what a writer, J. N. Smith by name, claims to present in the Pacific Christian of May 15, in the following:— I have reserved till the last an argument so clear, simple, and strong that it is absolutely unassailable; an argument that, in itself, completely overthrows the doctrine of the Sabbatarians, and is so plain and simple that the humblest disciple can put to rout the most artful proselyter to ancient Judaism. I refer to the argument from the covenants. It is an argument made in large part by the apostle Paul, and there is little left for me to do except to quote the scriptures. In Jer. 31: 31–34 we have the promise of a new covenant to be made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Not like the covenant made with the fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, etc. In the 8th and 9th chapters of Hebrews Paul quotes this prophecy, and discusses the merits of these covenants, showing the infinite superiority of the new covenant over the old. He calls the two covenants the first and the second, the old and the new. It is understood by all that the new covenant is that of which Jesus is the mediator; that it was ratified by His death, and that it was first announced on the day of Pentecost after His resurrection. Without stopping to consider the character of the two covenants, I pass to notice the facts concerning the first or old covenant. Note the following facts concerning it:— First: It was made with the fathers—meaning the Jewish fathers, “when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt.” Second: That covenant was not faultless. It could not make perfect those who came to it. The new covenant would be better, established upon better promises. Now carefully note the following statements:— 1. The Lord made a covenant with Israel when he led them out of Egypt. 2. He wrote the words of the covenant on two tables of stones, which were called “the tables of the covenant.” 3. The words of the covenant were the Ten Commandments. 4. Moses made an ark as he was directed to do by the Lord, and into this he put the tables of the covenant, containing the Ten Commandments, or the words of the covenant. 5. This ark was placed in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary, that is, the tabernacle by Moses. 6. This covenant, written and engraven in stones, was what Paul calls the first covenant. 7. This covenant waxed old and was regarded as out of use and passed away. (Italics ours.) The first covenant, written in stone, was made only with Israel, never with the Gentiles. There are some things involved in these statements worthy of notice, because the question of the covenants, like many other Bible questions, is little understood, and the errors above are often presented. 1. Now what covenant did God make with Israel? 2. What were the terms, or conditions, of that covenant? 3. Wherein lay the fault? 4. What is the new covenant? 5. What are its conditions? 7. Wherein lies its superior excellency? I. The Covenant with Israel.
The preliminary steps in the making of the covenant between God and Israel are clearly given in Exodus 19. 1. The Lord through Moses as party of the first part said:— “Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine; and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” 2. This is what Moses did:— “And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him.” 3. This is the response of the nation, the party of the second part:— “And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.” This is the outline of the covenant. But God will not ratify it till the people have opportunity to know what it involves and just what the conditions—“My voice” and “My covenant”—mean. II. The Conditions of the Old Covenant.
Three days later the great Jehovah uttered His “Voice,” spoke His “Covenant.” Verse 5. This was the Ten Commandments. Ex. 20: 1–17. “The Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 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. 4: 12, 13. The Ten Commandments are pre-eminently God’s covenant, expressing His will concerning man, and the basis and object of all covenants ever made with man. So they became the conditions of the mutual covenant between God and the nation of Israel—the voice, the covenant, which they were to obey. The ratification of the covenant is recorded in Exodus 24. God had spoken His law. It had been drawn out into numerous illustrative precepts covering various phases of life. Chapters 21–24. Israel had had the privilege of knowing just what was involved. And then twice again the people promised obedience: “All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.” “All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.” Ex. 24: 3, 7. And then the book of the covenant and the people were sprinkled with the blood of the peace-offerings, sealing the contract. We do not know how language could make it clearer that the Ten Commandments were the conditions of the covenant made between God and Israel. III. Wherein Was that Covenant at Fault?
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. The covenant was no stronger than its weakest promise. God’s promises were His everlasting-covenant promises, as strong and sure as His throne. But the promises of the people were like ropes of sand. The fault was just there, as stated in Hebrews—“for finding fault with them.” The promises of the people could not keep them nor enable them to keep the law. Wherefore then that covenant? It teaches a two-fold lesson:— 1. It taught Israel that they were sinners; that of themselves they could not obey God. It was designed of God to bring them to Christ, the Saviour. And if they had with open, longing hearts received God’s law as the law of His life, as the most precious words that could be spoken, as enabling acts to do what was commanded, they would not in fear have said to Moses, “Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not; for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.” Ex. 20: 19, 20. God came near in love to save His people. Deut. 33: 2, 3; 5: 29. They made a covenant that gendered to bondage, because of mere outward service and promise, lacking faith and love. 2. That covenant stands also for this great truth, that no nation can be saved as a nation; no individuals can be saved by “representative” men promising for them; no man can be made moral or obedient by proxy. It is an individual work, individual faith, individual life-connection with God. IV. What Is the New Covenant?
The new covenant is God’s relation with men through the Gospel for their salvation. It began when God covenanted in the beginning to put enmity between man and Satan and to destroy Satan. Gen. 3: 15. It was the covenant renewed to Noah, of which God’s bow in the cloud was a token. It was renewed to Abraham by repeated promise and oath. And finally it was confirmed by Christ Jesus upon the cross. It is God’s “everlasting covenant” (Heb. 13: 20) of the “everlasting Gospel” (Rev. 14: 6) by which every soul is saved who is saved at all. V. What Are the Conditions of This Covenant?
The one only condition, first, last, and all the time, is faith; the faith that has works for its fruit; the “faith which worketh by love,” the same faith that Jesus had; the faith which receives God’s life and power; the faith which submits to let God work in one to will and to do of His good pleasure; the faith which counts God’s precept as important and as precious as His promise. This is the only condition required of man—perfect faith. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;” and the faith which stops short of this is spurious. The whole Word tells the same story, that faith, right belief, always issues in obedience to God’s law. So the Son of God said: “I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart.” “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” “I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.” “I and My Father are one.” “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” These are but a few of the tests and proofs of faith given us by our Lord. VI. When Was It Ratified?
It was ratified or confirmed by the death of Christ upon the cross. This is admitted. “And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new testament [covenant], that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a testament is there must of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” Heb. 9: 15–17. Note what is involved in this fact, so clear as to admit of no contradiction. 1. All the teachings, requirements, conditions, and promises of that covenant were set forth prior to its ratification. God had been revealing them all through the ages; and Jesus Christ was but setting them forth again in clearer light and the perfect life of righteousness. All His teaching showed that He had taught His disciples all the principles of the kingdom. He Himself said to the Father, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do;” “I have given them Thy word;” “I have declared unto them Thy name.” They were fitted for service with but one exception, namely, the endowment of the Spirit. But this had been provided. All the Christian ordinances had been given. All was complete, when our Lord expired on the cross. 2. The covenant was then complete. It was confirmed; and “tho it be but a man’s covenant, yet when it hath been confirmed, no one maketh it void, or addeth thereto.” Gal. 3: 15, R.V. The will was made. The testator died on the cross. The will became of force. 3. Now this was not confirmed or fixed so as to prevent God from giving to His people anything new, or from making any change. He is ever the same, from everlasting to everlasting. There is not even “the shadow of turning” with Him. “I am the Lord; I change not.” He can not deny Himself. And all that He does since the covenant was confirmed by the cross He did before it was so confirmed. Not for the perfect, unchangeable God was8 it given, but for the sake of His changeable children, who are prone to think that God is such an one as themselves,—partial in His law. See Ps. 50: 16–22. He knew that men would arise and declare that God’s law was abolished; that God had changed His plan at the cross; that the Sabbath, which is the very memorial and sign of God’s creative power to originate and redeem had passed away; that the Son taught a different Gospel than the Father;—God knew all this, and so to forestall it He sealed, or confirmed, the covenant by the death of Christ. 4. “No man addeth thereto.” There was no other sabbath previous to the cross; there is none since. Whatsoever came in, if but one day, one hour, after the cry, “It is finished,” it is no part of the new covenant; it is of man, not of God. But the entire law of God, perfect, complete in every particular as when uttered from Sinai, including the Fourth Commandment, was confirmed with the covenant. VII. Wherein Is the New Covenant Superior?
1. In brief, it was “established upon better promises,” even the promises of God, the oath of God, the surety of the offering and work of Jesus Christ. Heb. 8: 6. 2. It made acceptance depend not on one’s own works, but upon faith in Christ’s finished work. It brought forgiveness of sins through grace. 3. It dealt with the same law. In the old covenant the people proposed to keep God’s law when they were not in harmony with it. But the new covenant proposed to make the keeping of that law the fruit of a changed, regenerated heart and life. It writes the law within the life, upon the heart and mind. It thus becomes a very part of the man. Under the old covenant it condemned, and still condemns; man is under its claims. But it is the same blessed law, upbuilding now instead of condemning as when we endeavored in human strength to do what God required. 4. It is made with the same parties, the house of Israel. There is no hope to the Gentile, no promise to the Gentile only as he becomes one of the Israel of God. See Eph. 2: 11–20. The acceptance of the Gospel makes the soul a son of Israel, and brings him unto covenant relation with God. “Salvation is of the Jews.” 5. It is made with individuals only, so that every one of God’s Israel, of the “righteous nation,” is truly a child of God, having a direct life-connection with Him. Faith is an individual matter. 6. And thus God is known, not as one to fear, not as one we will wish far away; but known as a kind loving Father, a glorious Redeemer, an everlasting Friend. This is the everlasting covenant, in which all the redeemed of all generations are saved. Now as to the texts cited above by Mr. Smith. If the reader will keep in mind these primary truths and everlasting principles which we have set forth, he will have no trouble with these scriptures. Ex. 34: 27 refers to what God told Moses to write. The third pronoun “He” in verse 28 refers to the Lord; for Moses did not write the Ten Commandments on the tables, but the Lord did. In proof of this see Deut. 10: 1, 2, 4. “The Lord said unto me, I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables.” “And He wrote on the tables according to the first writing.” See also Deut. 9: 10. These were the tables of the covenant, because they were the conditions of the covenant. But the agreement between God and Israel was not written on the tables. What Moses wrote, as directed in Ex. 34: 27, was the things the Lord had already told him. There is a great break between Verses 27 and 28. Deut. 10: 1–5 is needed to explain verse 28. The “unassailable” argument is self-devouring. Now all this explanation would be utterly unnecessary if men only believed God, only saw God as He is, the unchangeable, holy One, whose ways are perfect. How men pervert His ways to get rid of unpopular truth! And how utterly inconsistent they make Him appear to be! They would put Him under the necessity of changing an eternally perfect law, observed by Him who is set for an eternally perfect example! O, how can they so traduce our blessed Lord! “The word of the Lord endureth forever.”