The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-02-07
Ghe9ntelEiastreer
The sabbath Question.
[SUMBER VIII

PtiP ,bO law bv which man will be Judged
I'd also the law that was fulfilled by
christ, our surety in mans behalf, pro
nose nose now to consider the relation that the
{clicver sustains to this law. By the
form believer, / mean the man who &C.
osn,. Christ as the end OF the law tor
r;rbteousness, as to himself. OF course
.ueh A one renounccs NIL hope OF accept,
snce with God on account OF the merit Of
any obedience which he canrender to HIS
law, r0
He realizes, that with his best efforts,
prompted, aided and sustained BY tue
grace Of God, he can render but an 'hPeF'
iect obedience TO the law. .L.a;
But an imperfect obedience y no oDe s,
ence at all; hence he relies on thaI Peti .at
obedience rendered to it by Christ, as the
soIc ground Of his hope in the matter OF
i"s,;ScOtion nj fhe bar Of God. at is
true that in the plan Of salvation, proyi-
s;oo !. Wade for Gods acceptance Of the
s"rv;cs" Of Iii. children, although as
Gaming from them, they are imperfect,
and 40 fall short Of the divine require.
mer, But how arc they accepted? It
i. moi because God lowers the demands Of
HI. law, but as the high priest OF Israel
made atonementfor the unClcanneSs OF the
neopIe 80 the services OF believers are
Presented to God by their great high
priest, through whose atonement and
In,crcession the sin that clings 10 them
i, entirely removed. (See Haldanc on
the Specification OF the Sabbath.".)
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.
The righteousness by which the sinner
/. justified is called from. iii. 2l,) the
righteousness Of God without the law. In
MANY other places in the Scriptures It is
called the righteousness OF God. 1t is SO
called, because it is that righteous fulfill.
men, Of the law which God will accept,
and which He himself has provided in
His Son for the justification OF the sinner.
IL |, that which He himselfhas appointed
and ut the same time provided and is there
fore called the Righteousness Of God. It
is also, in reference to the sinners justiti-
cation, called the righteousness Of God,
which Is by faith Of Jesus Christ, unto
all, and upon all them that believe"
Rom, iii. -. In the 2lst verse, same
chapter, We read: "But now, the right
eousness Of God without the law is mani
tested, being witnessed by the law and the
propaets." That is, the righteousness OF
God, which is independent Of mans obe-
dience to the law, and which was fore.
shadowed by tho sacrifcial offerings OF
the Jewish law, and also foretold by the
prophets. The believer, then, puts on
this righteousness by faith, and "being
justified by faith, he has peace with God,
through our Lord Jesus Christ" His
faith rests on the assurance OF Gods word,
that this righteousness in which he trusts
is Of Coda appointing and Of Gods pro.
viding, and, therefore, cannot but be ac-
cepted OF Him, as being complete salts.
faction 10 all the demands OF HiSlaw and
His justice.
THE BELIEVER UNDER THE LAW TO CHRIST
But whilst the believer is thus deliver
ed from the law rs coveHaHt Of EOrks, and
no longer trusts to the merit ofh2 obedience
to il. for his acceptance with God; he is
not delivered from its obligations; but is
under the law TO Christ, as the rule Of
life. lie will strive TO obey it now, not
that he hopes to merit life by so doing,
but out OF a holy and reyercntial regard
for tho rightMess Of that law, and for it's
Guihor; and from u principle OF love and
gratitude to that God who thus provided
sufficient Righteousness to justify him
from his sins. There is no inIimation
anywhere in the New Testament that God
does not require Of the believer obedience
10 his law. On the contrary, it is every.
where enforced
The apostle Paul, after setting forth
in the Clearest manner the doctrine OF jus.
tifcation by faith without the deeds OF
the law, in the first part Of his epistle to
the Romans, asks, chapter vi. what shall
we say then? Shall We continue in sin
that grace may abound? and expresses in
his answer to this question the utmost
adherence Of such doctrine, in the en-
phstic language, God forbid.
And in the LII chapter, 2lst, verse he
asks, "Do we make void the law through
faith? His answer is, God forbid; yea,
We establish the law.
Again chapter VI. 10. What then?
Shall we sin because we arc not under the
law but under grace2 God forbid. " 10.
Know We not, 10 whom ye yield yoursel.
yes servants 10 obey, his servants yc are
to whom ye obey; whether Of sin unto
death, or Of obedience unto Righteousness.
The Apostle Peter, chapter II. 0. says,
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, peculiar people; that yc
should show forth tho praises Of him who
hath called you out OF natures darkness
into his marvellous light.
How show forth his praises? certainly
not by trampling his law under our
feet.
The apostle John, 1st chapter Of Eips-
tie, II. s., says And hereby do we know
that VIC know Him, If We keep his Com.
mandments. Matthew, V. TO-, Let your
light SO shine before men, that they may
see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in Heaven" What
works are good works. such, and such
only, as are required by Gods law. The
apostle James says, chapter l. %, But
be 70 doors OF the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves" By doors oil
the Word he means those who keep the
Commandments OF God. We read in tic
EpistIe to the Ephesians chapter II. V.
TO-, For we are His workmanship, Great
ed in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained, that We
should walk in them"
The good works that God had before
ordained, are works done in obedience to
his holy law, Rom. VI, e. But now being
made free from sin, and become the'ser-
wants OF God, We have your fruit unto ho-
illness, and the end everlasting life.
Being made free from sin, expresses the
state Of justification; and II We arc justi.
lied persons, We shall have our fruit unto
holiness. That is, We shall obey the law
Of God. And 30 we might go on; but let
the above suffice. We find that as 1t
would be Nbhorrent to reason, that Christ
should fulfill the law for man, to pur-
chase for him the privilege Of conforming
II, SO it il contrary to the Scriptures.
Christ did not die to redeem man, in or:
der that he might have the privilege OF
plunging into Righteousness, but to raise
hlntrom state Of sin, to state OF holi-
ness,
There are some however who, whilst
they acknowledge the obligation Of be-
heVers to keep all the other command
mehis, Mold that by Christ's death, the 9TH