The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-07-05
TIE IMPRESSIVE MODE OF MAKING TIE
COVENANT.

Amid thundcrs. and lightnings. and
thick clouds upon the mountains. which
/ quakcd and smoked like furnace, with
1.-THE voice of "A trumpet exceeding loud.
the words of this covenant were ut.
tered by God Tvs. /, 22l. Afterwards
they were written by the finger of God
on two tables Of stone The size OF
these tables may be judged from two
alabastcr slabs. each nine by thirteen
I inches written on both sides and con-
tanning five hundred and seventy signs,
about the same number as in the Ten
commandments. which have been
found in an ark at iialewat east of
Mosul. Prof. Green.
The object was to give all the i'm
pressive solcnnity possible to the cove
nan'. 10 show It's utmost Importance.
the avial danger in disregarding it;
and TO make il permanent in the ma
tion a. il was eternal in its nature.
THE code from Sinai was rcvcla-
tion from Heaven. Its completeness
and purity are rs much above the aver
age inSi- ht Of 500 II. {. as Of 1900 II G."
GODS FART OF THE COVENANT.
vs.. /. a.-"God spakc all these words. :"
ia three ways: "a hy the voice; CD BY
writing them on the tablets OF stone;
and 3 Tie has written them on the very
nature Of man. Still. il is necessary
thatthey should be- definitely expressed,
because IL would have taken ages for
man to discover them. il he ever did.
and they needed the Divine authority
L..14f :
II am the Lord" Jehovah. the ever
lasting self-existent. eternal. am thy
God. This everlasting. omnipotcnt God
il their God. who has chosen them. cre-
atcd them. and will care for them. This
is Gods covenant promise 10 Israel. ITO
be their loving, guarding. guiding God
for all time 10 come" lie shows this
by what lie has already done. Which
have brought thee out Of the land Of
Egypt An they possessed and all
they could hope for were from God.
MANS PART or TIE COVENANT
There follow the covenant agree.
mcnts Of Gods people as the party Of
the second part in this loving com
pact. -Trumbull. The promises on
Gods part cannot be performed except
on certain necessary conditions on their
part. The ten words express those con
ditions.
Characteristics - % They express
great principles of true living. They
are not Jewish but Divine. enact.
mcnts. l2) They must he distinguished
from the civil enactmcnts. which are
the application Of the principles to
varied circumstances as far as il was
possible to carry them out in civil law
The principles and the ideal must be
perfect. t3i A. principles. they are
adapted TO the training Of free men in
obedience and love. Civil cnactlncnts
restrain from Urjuring others and guide
by definite laws ill righteousness be-
comes habit and an inward law.
~ They are eternal. They can never
bc outgrown. Saints and angels live
in accordance with them in Heaven.
They can never be repealed unless the
very nature Of God and Of creation
should change.
Their Pcnalty.-No definite penalty
Is attached; but disobedicnce to them.
since they are a part of the covenant. is
20 forfeit the fultillmcnt Of Gods part.
and that Is the worst possible penalty.
Their sum, as given by Christ in
Matthew 22.31-io. quoted from Dcntcr-
onomy 60; 1912; Lcviticus l9:iS, is
love to God with all the heart. and love
Of our ncighbor as ourselves. These
prccepts are not only the sum, but the
fountain whence obedience TO all com
mandmcnts flows