The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-11-01

the mouse OF Israel and with the House
Of Judah etc.
That the readers of this article may
I see how easily one may be led to
s'Wrest the Scriptures unto
4 their own destruction" III Pet. g.: 1e).
I shall be obliged To take space To
answer the writer's question why |
did not quote the preceding verses.
which that writer claims is Nat con-
tradiction" to my assertion that the
new covenant Is TO renew the "carnai
mind which is "Enmty against God:
for 1t is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be- so our heart
can be brought into perfect harmony
with the principles OF that law and
have ii written. as ] quoted in II Cor.
3. 3: Not with ink but with the Spirit
of the living: God; not In tables Of
stone. but in feshly tables of the heart"
And as that writer says 4 quoted Heb.
1910 ITO clinch it," as follows: For
this is the covenant that | will make
with the house of Israel after those
days, saith the Lord; / will put my
laws into their mind, and write them
in their hearts. and ] Will be to them
| a God and they shall be to me a peo-
pie
Had the writer OF that article signed
! A. r. c. understood the different cove
nants that writer would never become
so confused as to make the assertion
| that Paul, in quoting from Jer 81 81 =
3S, when he says In Heb. s: 6-1b that
Christ hath obtained a more excel
I lent ministry, by how much also he
Is the mediator of better covenant"
referred TO Christs covenant of COM
mand of peut. Al II, 49, whore Moses
! said: lie declared unto you his cove
nant which he commanded you to per-
form, even Ten Commandments: and he
wrote them upon two tables of stone"
Going back to Heb. 8. S, we find that
| the Lord was finding fault, not with
that royal law" that law of liberty"
that our Saviour wrote commanding
love to God and neighbor.' and in the
bosom of which still remains the COM
mand Remember the Sabbath day to
keep it holy" (Ex 20; $50. but with
the people for breaking that covenant
of command Let us read Heb. s: 7, s.
For IL the first covenant had been
faultless. then should no place have
been sought for the second"
For finding fault with them" mot
with that royal law of liberty. he
saith. Behold the days come. saith the
Lord. when l will make a new cove
nant." etc.
A covenant Is some mutual agree
ment between two or more parties by
which each party assumes certain re
| sponsfhilities in the accomplishment
of some certain object.
AS the Bible presents two laws, one
changeless and eternal tpotnting out
SIM. That sin by the commandment
might become exceeding sinful from.
IT'D: the other provisional and tenn
porary. Which stood only in meats and
drinks and . carnal ordinances i'm
posed on them until Christ being
come" tHeb. 8: 9-15)-giving the rene
dy for sin.
SO there are two covenants which we
will study for moment. The cove
nant of grace "For by grace are We
saved through faith" tEph. 2: S. - was
first made with man In Eden, when,
after the fall, there was given that
divine promise that the seed OF the NO
man should bruise the serpents head
To all men this covenant offered free
dom and the assisting grace of God
for eternal life on condition of fidelity
to Gods law. This covenant was re-
newed to Abraham in the promise:
I'm thy seed shall all the nations of
the earth be blessed because thou hast
obeyed my voice" (Gen, %, 1Sl. And
that seed was Christ, as We have
already shown. Abraham understood
this. and it was this faith in ChrisJ's
forgiveness OF sins that was accounted
unto him for righteousness. That
covenant with Abraham maintained
the authority of Gods law.
when the Lord appeared unto Abra
, ham he said: II am the Almighty God;
walk before me, and be thou perfect
, (acn. I'D. And God says of that faith
, | full servant in Gen. 20: 8 Abraham
, obeyed my voice, and kept nay
, commandments and my laws,
And the Lord declared to him: Il will
establish my covenant between me and
thee. and thy seed after thee in their
generations for an everlasting cove
nant to be a God unto thee. and TO thy
seed after thee" (Gen. II; y.
Though this covenant was made with
Adam and renewed to Abraham, it
could not be ratified or established an
. til the death of Christ, for we read in
Heb. 8; 16. IL Where a testament or
covenant is, there must also of neces-
, sity be the death of the testator For
! testament tor covenant) Is of force
! after men are dead otherwise it is OF
no strength at all while the testator
= liveth.'
{ So we see by Christs death this cove
, nant made with Adam and renewed to
Abraham was established. and is called
> the new covenant" And that royal
law of liberty was the basis of this
covenant, which was an Arrangement
! for bringing Gods children into haT-
! mony with the divine will so they
also Col. L. 2022, rs.
, Another compact called the old
covenant. was formed between God and
: Israel at Sinai and was made valid i'm
: mediately by the blood of calves and
+ goats" See Heb. 9:1S-2o.
But the everlasting covenant" tHeb
a 10: 20, 2D. made in Eden~-the Lamb
! slain from the foundation OF the world
: (Rev. 10: S; | Peter 1 1s-20)-after be-
, ing ratified by the blood of Christ, is
called the new covenant. or second
covenant. because the blood by which
: IL was sealed was shed after the blood
Of the first covenant
That this new covenant was valid
in the days OF Abraham is evident from
, the fact that it was then confirmed both
: by the promise and by the oath of
God---the two immutable things. IN
which it was impossible for God TO
lie" Heb. s: 1890.
The terms of the ''old covenant
were; Obey and live. III man do
he shall even live in them" Eek. 20:
: 11-13; Lev. IS: 81. but Cursed be he
that confrmeth not all the words OF
, this law to do them" Deut. 81! 26l
! The new covenant" was established
upon better promises the promise oil
, forgiveness of sins, and of the grace
of God to renew the heart and bring
y no nf,Nla ~