The Perpetuity of the Seventh-day Sabbath

FOURTEENTH SPEECH

Mr. Stephenson in the Negative.—The first position of my opponent was in regard to my quotation of Deuteronomy 5:16. I may have quoted it wrong, for when the affirmative quotes a great many passages or texts, it is impossible to keep up, and I sometimes cite from memory without reference to the Bible directly. I must commend him for his dispatch. Now I will read it just as it is. [Reads.] The only point is, the land thou goest over to possess. If I repeated it so, I acknowledge an error in words, but the idea is the same. This promise, then, does not offer life in the earth or in the wilderness, but in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Now, the great mass of the people would not receive the land promised to Abraham, at all, because they lived and died wicked, while they were on their way to Canaan. Now, a prolongation of the present life was in that promise, therefore, my criticism here stands good. PSDS 57.1

He also reached another criticism of mine on Ephesians 6. He concludes my criticism would not be good because it is not the first commandment in the Bible. I cannot see why, if it is the commandment in the list of commandments with promise. Paul could quote the commandment and not give the promise, or he could quote the promise and not the commandment, but he chose to say the first commandment with promise. I cannot see the force of my opponent’s criticism. While he quotes the first commandment that is given with promise, he does not quote the promise. Hence, as far as the promise recorded by Paul is concerned, it may be the prolongation of the present life or future life in the “new earth.” PSDS 58.1

Is there not a difference between all the families of the land and all the families of the earth? Does not the phrase “the earth” embrace a much larger scope than the phrase “the land?” My opponent overlooked the whole force and object of the criticism. It is his design to confine his argument to the New Testament. In his last two speeches he refers almost exclusively to the New Testament; but I shall now strike at the two law system, and in so doing I shall strike at the real issue between us. PSDS 58.2

Jeremiah 44:23. My opponent says I overlooked the point he made, and substituted another. But I have taken the premise from which his conclusions were deducted from him; consequently his conclusions are worthless. The only proof he adduced to show that Jeremiah referred to the ten commandments, was the use of the terms “voice of God,” “testimonies,” etc. But I have shown that these terms are applied to all the commandments written in the “law of Moses,” by the finger of Moses. PSDS 58.3

Nor has he adduced a single text of Scripture to prove that the transgression of the ten commandments necessitated the introduction of the ceremonial law. One assumption cannot prove another. Prove the pre-existence of the ten commandments, and it will then be time to make their fore-ordained existence the basis of an argument. Moreover, the fourth commandment was ceremonial in its nature; hence he could have only nine to transgress before the introduction of ceremonies. His criticism, therefore, is against him. My opponent labors to prove two kinds of covenants, one of law—the other of promise; both of which, I freely admit, the Bible teaches. But he certainly will not claim that the Sinaitic covenant was of both kinds. Well, he has repeatedly admitted that the ten commandments were the covenant; and he claims that they were a law; consequently, he must believe that they were a covenant of law. In reference to the covenant made with Abraham, and commanded to a thousand generations, God leaves no room for discussion. He tells us just what it was; i.e., the promised inheritance. God and my opponent cannot both be right. My Opponent has admitted that the ten commandments were the covenant, and I will now call your attention to the nature of this covenant. In my remarks, last evening, I read to you that the ten commandments were the covenant itself. He will try to prove that the covenant has ceased, by assuming that the Sinaitic covenant was given as a covenant of agreement. I wish to delay a little longer in the Old Testament, for I claim my right to answer an affirmatively proving a negative. And I have the rules and usages of the best debaters in the world. The Bible is the only evidence in the case, and I am not bound to travel as fast as he does. PSDS 58.4

“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 a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.” Deuteronomy 4:12, 13. PSDS 59.1

My opponent concludes that wherever the phrase “voice of God” is used, it means the ten commandments. But all the commandments and prophesies are called the voice of God. PSDS 59.2

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee, and with Israel.” Exodus 34:27. PSDS 59.3

Now, to make it the covenant and the condition of the covenant, is equivalent to making it the conditions of itself. PSDS 59.4

“Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.” Deuteronomy 4:23. PSDS 60.1

Now, to make a graven image or likeness of anything, was to violate the covenant. Also, PSDS 60.2

“If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God, in transgressing his covenant, and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded—”Deuteronomy 17:2, 3. PSDS 60.3

Now, to worship any other god, was a transgression of the covenant upon the principle than the covenant and the ten commandments were identical. You will see, after a little, that much will turn upon the Bible definition of the Sinaitic covenant. Joshua 7:2, had violated the first commandment; also, chap. 23:12; also, 1 Kings 8:9. Compare Hebrews 4:4, and you will find that they are called the tables of the covenant. It is not my intention to misquote a single passage of Scripture, therefore, I will turn and read it. Upon the principle that the covenant was written upon the two tables of stone, they were called the tables of the covenant. Now, there was nothing written on the tables of stone except the ten commandments; therefore, the ten commandments are the covenant. Now, if you will turn to the 24. chap. of Exodus, 1-8, you will find that after God had spoken the ten commandments, Moses was called up into the Mount, and then Moses came down from the Mount and wrote all the commandments God had given, in a book, and that book is called the book of the covenant. I wish to show you just what the Old Testament writers say, and just what they mean; so I will turn to the chapter and read. PSDS 60.4

“And he said unto Moses, come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord; but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, all the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said: Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath male with you concerning all these words.” PSDS 60.5

Now let me read to you a number of commandments which were included with the covenant, and mark, there is no limitation in regard to all the commandments of God; for said the people, “all the words which the Lord hath said will we do.” But my time is so near up I can only cite your attention to Exodus 22:2, to prove that the ten commandments were included in the “book of the covenant,” with the promise to resume this in another speech. PSDS 61.1