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far, been unwilling to sign up as members. Al
though we stand against any union that would
be dishonoring and disloyal to Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Saviour, we are a united band
and stand for union on the basis of sincere
belief in the trustworthiness of the whole
Bible and salvation by the all-gracious death
of Qhrist in, our stead, redemption by the
blood.
Help then, O Brethren of the Southern Pres
byterian Church, in this day of crisis and of
special opportunity for our Church. Strengthen
your forces in China. Do it now. Send us the
very best, and only those who know whom
they have believed, and stand behind us with
your prayers.
Suchien, China.
THE RELATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
AND THE NEW, AND HOW THIS .
BEARS ON BAPTISM AND THE
FAMILY COVENANT.
By Rev. D. J. Woods, D. D.
Mt. V: 17-18. "Think not that I am come
to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am not
come to destroy but to fulfil. For verily I say
unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot 01
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law
till all he fulfilled."
It may be more truly said of Christ than of
His disciples, "these that have turned the
world upside down." Indeed, so great have
the changes been which His Gospel has
wrought in the world and in the Church that
the text seems a paradox. Yet, I think a very
little consideration will show the fulness and
the beauty of its significance.
All the Laws of the Mosaic Dispensation,
upon which the Psalms and the prophets rest,
may be conveniently divided into the Moral,
the Judicial and the Ceremonial.
Relation to the Moral Law.
The Moral Law is summarily comprehended
in the Ten Commandments. It is the mani
festation of God's own nature, and is, there
fore, immutable. When, by the grace of God,
these natures of ours are so transformed that
we become sons, not alone by legal adoption,
but by nature, to this Moral Law, our conduct
will perfectly conform.
As there is general agreement among Chris
tians that, here at least, Christ did not destroy
but fulfilled, I shall only indicate the nature
of this fulfillment. (1) Fulfillment by His
teachings. Never man spake like this man.
When He had completed the Sermon on the
Mount, the people were astonished; for He
spake with authority and not as the Scribes.
In Mt. 22, without the least hesitation, He not
only escapes the dilemma in which the cun
ning of His enemies seemed to have placed Him,
but He baffles them completely, and makes
the whole incident the most natural basis for
eternal principles of Church and State, yea
of Heaven and Earth.
Christ brings out in His teaching the full
meaning of the Old Testament Scriptures, and
throws heaven's search light on the way of
salvation.
(2) Fulfillment by His Life. Here even more
than in His teaching, He fulfills. He shows
Himself not only an unerring sign, but a liv
ing guide; not only the light, but the way.
(3) Fulfillment by His death. As the Rfr
ceiver of the morally and spiritually bankrupt
corporation of mankind, by His death on the
cross He satisfied all man's liabilities and re
moved his disabilities. When He poured out
His soul unto death, He was numbered with,,
transgressors; He bore the sins of many, and
arose to make intercession for transgressors.
And now made as officially perfect as He had
eternally been inherently perfect, He is to all
that believe Him the Author of eternal sal
vation.
(4) Fulfillment by His Resurrection. Hav
ing by His death purchased salvation for all
those whom the Father had given Him, and
sealed with His own blood, the Testament by
which He transmitted it to them, He arose
to administer His own "last will and testa
ment." Thus He made assurance doubly
sure. As The Great Baptizer, He lead captiv
ity captive, and gave all blessings to men,
which would be necessary to constitute the
Church and perfect the saints unto the work
of the ministry. By all these means, what the
Law could not do because of the weakness of
your flesh and mine, Christ Jesus accomplished.
He not only satisfied, but He honored the
Moral Law, and He is raising up a seed which
will fulfill all the ordinances of that law.
Relation to the Judicial Laws.
Note for examples : Exodus, chapters 21 and
22. These laws consist principally of rewards
and penalties. They are accessory to the moral
law and designed to enforce it. As the pupil
passes through the various grades from kin
dergarten and primary on through the univer
sity, the same great principles, both intellect
ual and moral, are inculcated; but the discip
linary and accessory laws vary from the purely
physical to the almost purely moral. So we
may note in the execution of a writ of the
courts in the moonshine districts and a highly
civilized community.
The early judicial laws of the Old Testa
ment period were suited to the kindergarten
period of the Church : those of the New Testa
ment are more adapted to a university regime.
Here, after all the analogy of God's natural
world, Christ's methods pass from the mere
bud to the flower. And in all this He did not
destroy, but even to the jot and tittle in all
things He fulfilled.
Relation to the Ceremonial Laws.
These, like the Sacraments of the New Testa
ment, were the signs whereby Christ and the
benefits of the old covenant were represented,
sealed and applied to believers.
Let us note the development of these sym
bols:
The Visible Church began with the first visi
ble sign ordained for the inculcation of invisi
ble grace. In the bloody sacrifices offered by
Abel we have potentially the whole of salva
tion, i.e., Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, slain
from the foundation of the world. Abel and
all who sincerely offered the sacrifice confessed
that God is and that He is the rewarder of all
who diligently seek Him.
With Abraham we have the introduction of
a ceremony indicative of the Holy Spirit's
work, through whom we are ingrafted into the
body of Christ and become partakers of the
benefits of the sacrifices. Circumcision was the
first of the bloody baptisms. It symbolized, by
the excinding of the ftesh, a covenant designed
to raise up a godly seed.
Thus Abraham, who in discouragement had
resorted to an expedient to secure seed (Gen.
16) is rebuked, and taught that God's promise
shall be fulfilled through children by his own
wife (Gen. 17). After this, Abraham is to be
known as one who shall command his children
and his household after him to keep the ways
of Jehovah (Gen. 18:17-19).
At Sinai these ceremonies are multiplied into
the divi crifices and baptisms as described
in Heb. & : ' every phase of Christ's priestly
work ana * i *ly gifts is exemplified.
A carefi dy of the many symbolic and
direct, prop; descriptions of the Messiah,
when compa vith the life of Christ Himself,
will show tin <ill these things He did not
destroy but fu
A General Prim ^ie Governing the Relation of
the Old and New Testaments.
Interpretation of Mt. 5:17-19: Every Old
Testament law continues in force in the New
Testament Dispensation, except in so far as
beyond a question of doubt we can show in
the New Testament a repeal or an amendment
to said Old Testament Law.
In interpreting the laws of our state or na
tion, we do not assume that we have no laws,
except those enacted by the last legislature or
congress; but we have all the previously
enacted laws except in so far as repealed or
altered by amendments.
In fact the New Testament makes no alter
ations, unless it proves out of the Old Testa
ment that the change is a development required
by the Old Testament.
Illustrations of This Principle of Relationship.
First Illustration, The Sabbath Day: Here
the Old Testament principle required the keep
ing holy to God such set times as He had ap
pointed in His Word, expressly one whole day
in seven to be a holy Sabbath to Himself. No
order had ever been given for the maintenance
of an ordered succession of seventh days. And
no one coidd then, much less now, say which
day of the seven would coincide with the
seventh in succession from the creation. In
the New Testament Christ first removed the
incrustations of Pharisaic traditions relative to
the Sabbath days by making all meats clean
(Mk. 7 :19), and doing away with mere cere
monial uncleanness and later of ritual sacri
fices, He did away not only with the necessity
of self baptisms, but of ceremonial or Jewish
Sabbaths, see Col. 2 :16.
By His authority and that of the inspired
Apostles, we are taught that "from the be
ginning of the world to the 1 resurrection of
Christ God appointed the Seventh Day of the
week to be the weekly Sabbath and the First
Day, ever since to continue to the end of the
world, which is the Christian Sabbath.'"' For
the principle, see Heb. 4:9-10.
We are now celebrating not the completion
of creation, but the completion of salvation
when He entered into His rest. Christ al
ways set the example of careful, spiritual, pub
lic worship on the Sabbath Day. So, as to the
Fourth Commandment, we see this principle,
Christ did not destroy, but fulfilled.
Second Illustration, The Divers Sacrifices
and Baptisms: See Heb. 9:9-10. The relation
of these to the sacraments of the New Testa
ment may be indicated by the relation of each
to the one great and real sacrifice, that of
Christ, and the application thereof to us
through the one great Baptism poured out by
the one great Baptizcr.
Old Testament Ceremonies are Promissory
Notes: As mere promissory money, certifi
cates, greenbacks, cheeks, etc., are to the real
gold and silver; so are the promissory cere
monies of the Old Testament to the real pay
ment in Christ's great sacrifice, and its be
stowment upon us by His Holy Spirit. In Heb.
9:13-14, we are told that if mere promissory
offerings and cleansinsrs (baptisms) were ne
gotiable, how much more will that real pay
ment be negotiable and avail for full satisfac
tion. So in Romans 3 :25 we are told that this
payment (propitiation) of Christ's redeems all