The Sabbath

and the Lord's Day

The Covenant From Sinai Abolished

  Epistles Christ himself, and not Constantine, nor the Pope of Rome, 'took away the first' covenant, and established the second, his own perfect law. And with this change ends the Mosaic Sabbath.

  "There are two positions upon which the 'teachers of the law' usually shift, in order to dodge the Word of God; namely, one time they admit that the law, the old covenant, is abolished, but it means only the ceremonial part; and when driven from that, they change their position, and say, 'We are only delivered from the law by obeying it through grace; that is, "from the curse of the law." ' But the Word of God emphatically declares the passing away of the whole legal economy. The word 'testament' is defined as a 'complete arrangement, or dispensation.' So when Christ 'took away the first, that he might establish the second,' there was a complete dispensational change of the law, the setting up of an entirely new divine order and government. Christ is the 'Mediator of the new testament,' which has superseded the entire old economy, which was given to the Israelites on Mount Sinai.

  "And one small phrase, in the midst of this inspired treatise on the abrogation of the old covenant, and the establishing of the new by Christ, is sufficient to prove that the apostle meant by the first covenant, of which he so frequently speaks, just what it was called when first given; namely, these words: 'and the tables of the covenant (Heb. 9:4). Here the Sabbath of the Jews, and the heresy of the Ebionites must die, being thrust through with the 'Sword of the Spirit.' The old covenant, which was 'ready to vanish away' (8:13), is familiarly spoken of in connection with the tables of the covenant. Paul was well posted in the Old Testament, and knew very well that God 'wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments' (Exod. 34:28), and had given to Moses 'the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant' (Deut. 9:11). And he surely must have known that after speaking of the old covenant vanishing away, and then of 'the tables of the covenant,' in the same connection, all would naturally understand [43] him as teaching that the covenant written on stones was abolished."—The Sabbath.

  Again, the two covenants are contrasted in Heb 12: 18 29, as follows:

  1. "Ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words," etc.; namely, when God cam' down on Mount Sinai and delivered the law. "That which was commanded," "that which was spoken on earth," that which is "shaken" and "removed."

  2. "Ye are come unto Mount Zion.... The heavenly Jerusalem . . . to the general assembly and church of the first born" ( the law which came out of Zion, the New Testament), "new covenant," "which speaketh better things," which was spoken "from heaven" (see Heb. 1:1, 2), which "cannot be shaken" and "remains."

  I quote from Canright:

  "Adventists are always dwelling upon the terrible scenes at Sinai at the giving of the law, and pointing others there; but Paul says, No, do not go there; but to Mount Zion, to Jesus and the new covenant.

  "So Jeremiah predicted the rejection of the covenant in the ark, and that instead of it, men would seek to the name of the Lord at Jerusalem where the gospel went forth. 'In those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord' (Jer. 3:16, 17)."

  'Adventists are trying to revive the very thing the Lord said should be forgotten, "the ark of the covenant." Their study and worship is centered around that just as of old with the Jews. But their effort is vain. God has said it. Since the cross, Jesus, and Jerusalem (the church) are where all eyes are turned, while the ark and old covenant are forgotten.'

  "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, [44] but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to Godward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraver in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more cloth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

  "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: and not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: but their minds were blinded: for unto this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ" (2 Cor. 3:3 14). Here we have the two covenants contrasted in unmistakable language. The first is defined as "the old testament"; "the ministration of death," which "was glorious"; the letter," which "killeth"; "the ministration of condemnation"' that which "was written and engraver in stones," which is "done away" and "abolished." The second he terms "the new testament"; "the spirit," which "giveth life" (for comments, see Rom. 8:2; John 6:63); the "ministration of the Spirit"; the "ministration of righteousness"; the "glory that excelleth"; that which is "written in the fleshly tables of the heart," and "remaineth."

  "No other testament law teacher is sent of God. In the present dispensation, He only makes men 'ministers of the new testament.' It is called the 'ministration of the Spirit'; therefore no one can receive or teach it with- [45]

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