(A)

The Israelites, fresh from bondage, and encamped in the [unclear: wness] at the foot of Mount Sinai, were there (1) as the [unclear: org] visible "Church" (Acts vii. 38); and (2) as the representatives [unclear: of] succeeding generations, and covenanted with Jehovah for us [unclear: wh] alive here this day (Deut. i. 6; iv. 15; v. 3; xxix. 10-15; Mal.[unclear: i] Acts vii. 38. (3) The Sinai Covenant is both Law and Gospel—[unclear: La] convict of sin, and Gospel to show how sin may be removed ([unclear: Rou] 19, 20; vii. 7-14; and the Epistle to the Hebrews throughout, [unclear: wh] is an inspired commentary to show that the Sinai Law ([unclear: moral] ceremonial) is Gospel, and nothing else). (4) Our popular district between the moral and ceremonial (as if there were two [unclear: difie] Laws) is not warranted by Scripture. I maintain this because there is nothing to imply, suggest, or even hint that they are two [unclear: tinct] revelations. (See Exodus, 20th chapter and onward.) ([unclear: b)] Ceremonial (as we call it) immediately follows the moral (so-called us) as God's exposition—bringing out in detail the otherwise [unclear: hid] principles of the Decalogue : the moral being the Text and [unclear: the] monial the Sermon; and then in the Epistle to the [unclear: Hebrewa,] whole is shown to be evangelical, and is there adapted to the [unclear: ch] of to-day. And (c) New Testament speakers and writers, as [unclear: J] and Paul, never countenance our distinction: to them the whole one "Law" (not "laws"), and they pass from the moral to the [unclear: omonial] side, and from the ceremonial to the moral side, apparel without thinking, and certainly without hinting, that [unclear: they] changing the subject, or mixing up two different things. [unclear: And] the Sinai Covenant (as both Law and Gospel) continues now [unclear: in] force, and will so continue to the end of time (Matt. v. 18). [unclear: By] in Christ (our Goel, Redeemer) we are free from the Law as a [unclear: viol] Law (or avenger), only in so far as it pronounces sentence of [unclear: de] upon us and demands our condemnation (Rom. viii. 1). [unclear: Hence] meaning of those passages (Rom. vi. 14; vii. 6; Gal. iii. 25) so [unclear: d] ignorantly quoted to bolster up the popular Antinomianism of [unclear: to-d] The perpetuity of the Decalogue is shown by the following five [unclear: e] siderations :—(1) The peculiar and exceptional method of the revelation—written (not by man or pen, but) by the "Finger of [unclear: God,"] engrossed (not on parchment, but) on slate or "stone" (Exodus [unclear: m] 18; Deut ix. 10). Surely this indicates perpetuity. (2) The [unclear: La] a transcript of God's Mind, a revelation of His moral [unclear: nature,] partakes of His attributes (Rom. vii. 12-14). Can that which "holy, just, and good" be only transient, become obsolete, and [unclear: p] page 13 away? Can that which forbids polytheism, profanity, falsehood, theft, adultery, and murder become obsolete? Not until earth has become a pandemonium! (3) The thing's regulated by the Decalogue are invariable—that is, the things forbidden must be always wrong, and those enjoined always right (Exodus xx. 3-17). This both implies and demands the perpetuity of the Law. (4) The purpose, end, or design of the Law is perpetual—that purpose being to discover sin, exhibit lit in its infinite moral deformity, convict the sinner, and then bring him to Christ (Rom. iii. 20; vii. 7-13; Gal. iii. 24). So long there-fore as there is a sinner on earth must this Law be in force. And, besides, should the Law become obsolete, then man would cease at once to be responsible (Rom. iv. 15; 1 John iii. 4). And (5) Jesus Christ expressly teaches the perpetuity of the Law until its mission—namely, the bringing of sinners to the Saviour be accomplished—"till all be fulfilled" (Matt. v. 17-19).

Some people are ignorant enough to call this "Legalism." and its advocates "Legalists." But who is the "Evangelist"—whether the person who can find the Gospel in only a few isolated passages in the New Testament, or he to whom the whole Bible is one blessed Evangel? Some of our modern sects turn three-fourths of the Bible into mere Law, and then call themselves "Evangelists"! According to many of our "Evangelistic Services." the Bible is nine-tenths Law and the rest Gospel. Many "Evangelists" labour hard to prove that those who find the Gospel on every page of the Bible are cold-hearted Legalists," and that they themselves are alone entitled to be considered "evangelical"! (Job xii. 2, 3). What next?

(B)

(1.) Beth-el, Kuriakon, Circ, Kirche. kirke. Kirk or Church (the Lord's dwelling), consists in fellowship between God and a human soul (Gen. xxviii. 16-19; 1 Chron. xxii. 1; Rom. xvi. 5; 1 Cor. xvi. 19; Col. iv. 15; Philemon 2); and therefore the "Church" began with Adam in Eden, and has been all along the ages one and the same "Olive Tree" (Rom. xi. 16-21). Each human being brought out of sin to commune with God, is a kletos, ckkletos, ekklesia (ek and kaleo, called out), and forms a part of the true Catholic Church Ekklesia) of Jesus Christ (Rom. i. 6). Believers (whether officials or not) constitute the Church, and the "bishop" is only an "elder," and the "elder" is "bishop"—elder (presbuteros) being the Jewish, (and bishop (episcopos) the Gentile term for one and the same official in the Scriptural Constitution of the Church (Acts xx. 17, 28).

(2.) Evidence of the Conversion of Adam and Eve :—(1.) God's continued love (Gen. iii. 9); (2) they are chastised, not cursed (v. 14); (3) the tempter is cursed, not chastised (v. 14); (4) the woman's, conversion assured (v. 15); (5) the name Adam gave to his wife—"Eve," life; not "Mooth," death—"mother of believers," as Abraham is the father (v. 20); (6) God's literal and symbolical provision (v. 21); (7) they know good and evil as God does (v. 22);. page 14 (8) removed from worse temptation (v. 22); (9) place of [unclear: wo] provided (v. 24); (10) the language of piety (iv. 1); (11) the [unclear: n] of her first-born implies faith (iv. 1); and (12) they taught [unclear: th] children to worship Jehovah (vs. 3 and 4).

(3.) The Church became a visible Organisation with [unclear: Abraha] No organisation, constitution, or charter is to be found either [unclear: ear] or later. At Pentecost the Church was an old institution (Gen. [unclear: x] Matt, xviii. 17; Acts ii. 41, 47; vii. 38). The children of believed were members of the Church then: have they been excluded [unclear: sin] If they have, by whom and when excluded, and where is the exclusive recorded? (Gen. vii. 1; xvii. 12, 13; Numbers iii. 15, 22, 28, 34 40, 43; Deut. xxxi. 11-13; 1 Sam. ii. 11-18; Joel ii. 15-17; [unclear: E] vi. 1; Colos. iii. 20). In the ritual of the Church there was no [unclear: sa] "mode" as total submersion; and yet this ritual of [unclear: pouring] sprinkling is called "different baptisms" in the Greek of Heb. ix, [unclear: xvi] How can this Fact be reconciled with the assertion that total [unclear: submer] is the only meaning of the word "baptism," and absolutely [unclear: necesa] to constitute the ordinance? Was "the Church in the wilderness baptised by total submersion? (Neh. ix. 11; 1 Cor. x. 1, 2). [unclear: I] asking for Scriptural information. After the death of [unclear: Jesus,] the shedding of blood, as a religious act, became incongruous, [unclear: a] therefore circumcision gave place to the cleansing water, just [unclear: as] killing of the lamb was put aside for the bread and wine: the [unclear: cleaness] of the old rite being perpetuated in the new, as the "[unclear: blood] the grape" is in the Supper without shedding animal blood. [unclear: Th] the typical gives place to the anti-typical, without repeal, [unclear: just] naturally as ripe fruit falls off at the right season. But there [unclear: is] a single Old Testament Law repealed in the New. This will [unclear: sta] many. Repeal implies imperfection. But with God, [unclear: whether] Nature or Scripture, there is no such process as repeal, because [unclear: "] Law of Jehovah is perfect"—each enactment continuing in full [unclear: fo] until it has answered its end. The proper education of the boy [unclear: is] repealed (but sunk in and continued) by the further studies [unclear: of] man. The New Testament is to the Old what the fruit is to the [unclear: t]

(4.) David and his kingdom were the first groat typical [unclear: repres] tation of Messiah's Kingship and Kingdom (2 Sam. vii. [unclear: 16-2] 1 Chron. xvii. 7-27; Psalm lxxxix. 3,4-20-27; Luke i. 31-33; [unclear: A] ii. 29-31).

(5.) Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses with all Israel, and [unclear: Da] were the original "Covenanters."

(6.) Under the Davidic Covenant, Jehovah became fully [unclear: revea] as Prophet, Priest, and King—the Trinity of the Trinity.

(7.) Hitherto the language of the Church is only [unclear: prophetie] priestly, but henceforth it is prophetic, priestly, and kingly— full of King, His throne, crown, sceptre, palace, and government. (8.) The Old Testament closes and the New opens (and [unclear: abo] to the end) with the Kingship of Christ (Matt. ii. 2; Luke [unclear: i] Rev. xv. 3; xvii. 14; xxii. 16).

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(9.) There is progress (evolution, development) in the Bible from Gen iii. 15 to Rev. xxii. 16.

(10.) Jehovah-Jesus revels and redeems that He may rule: He savingly teaches and redeems only those who accept Him as Ruler—Christ is not divided (1 Cor. i. 13).

(11.) To ignore any one of Christ's three R's (Revealer, Redeemer, and Ruler) is to ignore one-third of the Gospel, and that is subversive of all the rest (Gal. v. 4).

(12.) The Ruling Function is the last and crowning manifestation of Messiah: He is neither the Prophet nor the Priest "eternal," but He is the "King Eternal" (1 Timothy i. 17); and therefore to disparage the Decalogue (King Messiah's "Royal Law," James ii. 8) is to disparage this last and crowning manifestation!

(13.) Jesus Christ (in the flesh) enacted no Law—John xiii. 34 is only a re-affirmation of His own Decalogue (Lev. xix. 18). He came to vindicate, expound, fulfil, and show both the purpose and the perpetuity of the Law He had already enacted for all time (Matt. v. 17, 18).

(14.) Each development of the Plan of Redemption was a New Testament and the Gospel in the form best suited for that age: the Gospel was preached to Adam, and Eve, and Abraham (Gen. iii. 15; Gal. iii. 8; II. Peter ii. 5; Jude 14, 15).

(15.) We understand the future only by the present, and hence those who looked forward to Messiah's first coming were taught by Symbolism founded on the present, just as we are taught the second coming by the Similitudes of His own Parables and the visions of John.

(16.) Each successive development of God's purpose of mercy, while including all that went before it, added much that was new, widened the people's mental horizon, extended their language, clarified their views, enlarged their hopes, increased their religious knowledge, and enriched the theology of the Church, until Jehovah Himself in our nature appeared on earth as Revealer, Redeemer, and Ruler.

(17) To ignore Church organisation, or "Government" of a more or less Scriptural character, is to ignore the Royal appointment and Kingship of Jesus Christ (John xv. 16; Acts xiv. 23; xv. 2; xvi. 4; ii. 17-28; Eph. iv. 11-16).

And (18) the Bible is neither a divine nor a human Solo, but the Divine-human Dialogue of ages—man speaking on earth and God responding from Heaven. Hence the Bible is the most human, and also the most Divine Book in the world.

"The Jehovah of the Old Testament is our Lord." "This Jehovah, who led His people under the Old Testament economy, is the Son of God." "Christ is the manifested Jehovah of the Old Testament"

Charles Hodge, D.D., Systematic Theology.

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"In short, there and then (in Eden) began the Church of God [unclear: on] earth." "The entire Gospel of God was in that germinal promise' (Gen. iii. 15). "The Gospel according to Moses differs neither in creed nor practical religion from the Gospel according to Jesus." [unclear: "] Moses and the prophets are not divine utterances, then neither [unclear: ca] Jesus and the Apostles be, who claim to be simply the full development of Moses and the prophets, and fully endorse them." "It is the Gospel according to Moses, just as truly as it is the Gospel according to Matthew." "Nothing that Moses ever enacted has been repealed any more than the things enacted by Jesus or Paul."

Stuart Robinson, D.D., Discourses of Redemption