The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1893-09-01

more pernicious and atheistical
in its tendency than the sentiment
which is tenaciously maintained
by modern Antinomians that
christians are set free from the
law of God as arule of conduct
All this strikes Mr.. d. square in
the face, for he said in the presence
of large number at the tent, that
the law of God, the ten command
ments were "a dead issue"
Further Mr.. d. says if am
christian in truth and obey the
commandments of God in Ex. 20.
"why not be circumsized and
keep the Passover
One would scarcely expect such
brilliancy of reasoning from such
source but it is hard to tell
what straights a man may be
driven into when he shuts his
eyes to the truth of God.
Truly the Lord said of such a
class. "For this peoples heart is
waxed gross, and their ears and eyes
THEY HAVE CLOSED; lest at any
time they should see with their
eyes, and hear with their ears, and
should understand with their
heart, and should be converted,
and | should heal them" Matt.
13: 10.
God spoke his eternal law with
his own voice, and wrote it on two
tables of stone, and he neither
wrote anything else, nor spoke
anything else publicly to the peo-
pie. "And 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 o voice, and he declared un'
to you his covenant which hi
commanded you to perform ever
TEN COMMANDMENTS; and he wrote
them on two tables of stone. Ou
of heaven he made thee to heal
his voice that he might instruct
thee" Deut. 4: IL, 13, 36,
"These words the Lord spakt
unto all your assembly in tn,
mount out of the midst of the fire
of the cloud, and of the thick dark
ness with a great voice, and HE
ADDED NO MORE" Deut 5: %.
In that great law there is moi
a word about circumcision, or the
Passover, or any offerings, or cere
monial rites. Those things were
some of them shadows pointing
forward to Christ, and when ht
came they were all nailed to the
cross and ceased; but all the pro.
phets and apostles testify to the
perpeutity and everlasting obliga
tions of the ten commandments
"That law which said thou shall
not kill" Christ came to honor
obey and MAGNIFY the law instead
of to abolish it. Isa. AZ: 81.
So it is neither logic, reason
nor Scripture which asks that mer
observe all the ceremonies AM
rites of the Theocracy of Israel
The penalty for the violation o
; the law of God is not enjoined il
the law; only the Word says
"The wages of sin is DEATH" Rom
6: %. Nothing is said in the Sab
bath commandment about offering
sacrifices, gathering sticks, o.
building a fire. ~
All those ceremonial and civil
rites ceased when the great antici
pated Lamb-Christ-was crucifieC
when type met antitype, wher
shadow met substance, wher
Christ said "It is finished" ant
"the vail of the temple was rem
in twain from the top to the bot
, tom," and the whole of the sanct
uary service-offerings, rites, ant
ceremonies-was ended; and th
law concerning them abolished il
his flesh;" Christ mailing it t,
his cross" Hence we find tha
Circumcision is nothing but tn
keeping of the commandments o
. God" is somethingl Cor. Z: 10.
Christ did not pretend to civ,
any "new law" but plainly sale
he came to fulfill" or OBEY. HI
kept the ten commandments, anC
says, "Whosoever therefore, shall
break one of these least command
ments, and shall teach men so, h
shall be called the least in tn
kingdom of heaven; but whosoeve
shall DO and TEACH them, the sam,
shall be called great in the king
dom of heaven" Matt. 5; 70.
TO keep the commandments viii
insure eternal life; but as no on'
can keep them unless Chris
dwells within him, there is moth
ing can equal the ten command
ments" because they are the onl,
ones which show sin and make
us need Christ. So the Lord says
. "Let us hear the conclusion of th
whole matter; fear God and keeI
| his commandments, for this is tn
Q WHOLE DUTY of man. Eccl. Il
t 13.
Christ says, BLESSED are the
that DO his commandments thG
they may have right to the tree {
. life, and may enter i'll through tn
i gates into the city" Rev. %: l.
How if the opposition does ne
t bring up either argument or ScriI
| - j a i. 80,