The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-02

patience of the saints; here are they that keep
| the commandments OF God and the faith of
| Jesus" He said
The Jews rejected the gospel aud clung to the
| law. 1t was their destruction. To-day the ten
dencv is to reject the law and cling to the gospel
| This is just fatal. The devil does not care
which position we take. One is as damaging as
! the other. The keynote of the plan of saliva
| ton is Repentance toward God and faith to-
| ward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Aets, Xxx, 81. J
| Why repent toward Godi Because God is the
| law giver, and we have sinned, and ''sn is the
transgression of the law Why have faith to-
ward our Lord Jesus Christi Because He is our
advocate, the sinless one who .hediates for
us. The only remedy for sin is
the gospel. The antinomian would abolish
the law. But "where there is law there is
no transgresson." ''Sin is not imputed where
there is no law" 'By the law is the knowledge
of sim" Rom. iv, Is; vi, IL. Then, il you abol
ish the law you do away with sin, and If there is
no sin there is no need of the gospel. Therefore
the antinomian abolshes both law and gospel.
James speaks of the law as a mirror. The
glass reveals the defects la appearance; but it
does not cleanse the spots or arrange the toilet.
We must resort to water and soap. The law
detects our sin. The blood of Jesus Christ
cleanses. The law is the rule OF character-it
measures u.s. 1t detects the places when we Will
not fit in Gods plan; but it does not straighten.
The carpenter would be considered crazy If he
tried to straiRhten board with his rule. The
saw. the chise, the plane must do that work and
bring the board up to the standard. EccL xii,
13, says 'Fear God and keep His command
ments. for this is the whole duty of man." When
Adam was placed in Eden his duty was to obey
the law of God. He knew no sin. There was
no need of the gospel. But by and by he trans
crossed. The disease of ain took hold upon
him. The law diagnosed his case, and the death
sentence was pronounced. Adam was incapaci-
tated for doing his duty. To illustrates: man
is hired to work in certain field; but
he leaves it and goes to another.
The river rises before he returns. He cannot
swim. He cannot do his duty; but his employer
forgives his neglect and provides boat for
him. The man gets in He soon rides over and
continues his work. So it was with man. He
breaks Gods law. He cannot do his duty now
for 1.-The carnal mind is not subject to the law,
neither indeed can be-" He must have help.
Christ pays for his past transgression and fur
nishes him the gospel boat The man gets it;
two oars are there. One is faith one works.
The antinomian will, try faith alone; but he
makes no progress. He whirls in the midst Of
the tide of iniquity The Jew will try the law
Of works alone, and he is in the same condition;
but the true child of God grasps both oars and
goes safely over. Some complain of God be-
cause He will maintain His government
Law maintained is government. What
would you think of a state which would not sus
tain its laws What did our brave fathers and
friends die for in the late war? To maintain
government Three things could have been
done when man snned. The law could
have been abolished but the whole uni
verse would have been plunged into chaos, and
Gods government destroyed. The sinner could
have suffered the penalty of the law, and
man would have been eternally lost and
the race extinguished. A substitute for man
could suffer the penalty and save man.
God provides substitute in His only 5egotten-
son. What was this2 A testimony to the per-
petuity and righteous demands of the law.
Christ magnifed the law by His death. We are,
through His merits, freed from the condemna
ton of the law. but not from obligations to it.
We are under grace, unmerited favor, and are
on this account thus under more obligation to
keep its precepts. Jesus said it was 'easier for
heaven and earth to pass than for title of
the law to fail He says whoever. therefore,
shall break of these least commandments
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the
least in the kingdom of heaven, but whosoever
shall do and teach them the same shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven" The law and
the gospel 90 hand in hand. One convnces of
SIM the other provides the remedy for it. One
shows us what we must attain to, the other helps
us to reach the standard. Sin is worse than can
GER worse than the most dread leprosy. One takes
you to the grave, the other eternal ruin. Seek
the remedy, poor, sin sick sufferer. Go and be
healed and sin no more. "Keep the command
ments of God and the faith of Jesus"