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THE PRA · CTICAlL CIlRISTIAN.


• "


D C TOt edt 0 T , r II t h a qd R i go h , t e 0 usn e s s •


VOL. I. MENDON, MAS~.\ JULY 15, l~ O• ., Nq. 6.


SECTION 5.


CHAPTER I.


EXPOSITION orrAlTH.


sendeth his rain on the just and on the unjust.


. F or ifye love them which love you, what re­ward


have yon? Do not even the publicans


the same? ' Anrl it ye sal lite your brethren


only, what do ye more? Do not even the


publicans so P Be ye therefore perfect, even


as your Father who is in heaven is perfect."


Math. 5: 43-- 48. In this manner he verified


the declaration', made at the outset of his dis­course,


" Think not that I am come to destroy


the law or the prophets. , I am not corne to des-


. troy, Ilut to fulfil. For verily I sllYunto you, till


heaven and ea~ th puss, one jot or one tiitl~ of


the law shall in no wise puss, until , all be fulfil ­led."


He meant . tirst that in his own person ev­ery


minute requirement ofthe Levitical dispen­sation


should be fulfill ed, and secondly that un­der


his ruediutorinl reign, though grace might


put IIway past guilt, it would only do so to


create in its subjects the love liud pructice of II


perfect righteousness, It is therefore obvieus,


titat while the New Testameut releases us


from II multitude of external rites and formal­ities


required in the Old, it retains all that is


essential and eternal iu piety lind morulity,'


clarif)' ing, explaining and enforcing' the vital


reality of holiu~ ss with peculiar sublimity lind


~ " .


power. The duties enjoined in the New ' I'es-


, tnrnent are pllli"; spiritual and perfect, The '


heart, the moti ves, the nffection s, the iuteutions


the secret springs . of human action, are laid


und er the divine yoke; and all possible cases


ofobligation brought under II few simple but


most comprehensive precepts. I need not


enlarge on this point, Yet we ask once more,


is there any coutradiction involved in this dif­ference


between the doctrines and dutil'S of tlte


two Testaments. Because ollli is a dispensa­tion


ofthc letter; encumbered with muny in­cid


ental defect!', and Ille other a d ispensntion


of the spirit, the same sptrit, ' on Iy llisembodiell


and nnclogged, is tltere any radi cal repll glllln-


': cy orthe latter to tlte forme,. ~ Does tlle hitler


require less holiness, or any esseulially differ­ent


holiness? If we put on tlte moral char­ueter


l'~ quired in the New Testamelll, shall we


not be all, and Inore than all, we ar e requ ircd


to be in tlte Old? In fine, is the differencc


any other, than the difference between the


gro ss and lhe refined- hetween tllli iT1lp~ r. rect


and the pelfed : 1 J conclude not. \ V e will


e! ltleavor th~ u to remember, that wliile there


is a great , lifferenee betweeu tlte tloctrine lind


moruls of tlte two Testamenls, lIud while the


autllOrity of the New superstJlles that of ' the


Old, there is n~' rudical contl'l\ lliclion ' between


th em, but the SIlIllP. spirit and ohject of God


pervlldiug them both. ' T here is the same God,


sustllining tile su rne character, radiating the


same spirit,' and operating to th~ same benevo­lent


eml, only hya I'arious'udrniuistrntion suit­ed


to time an(~ circumstance. ' Against this


view of the snhject sOllie difficulties perhaps.


but no serions ohjections . can be urged.


. The most formidable difficulty which' eu­cumbers


this ~ u bj e~ t . arises on those portions


of the Old Testament) n which God is repre­sented


as commnnding his people to kill lind


destroy their guihy fellow men- sometimes


individually and sometimes nationally. It is


asked " ifGod once comrniullJed such things,


why are they not now rluties?" I answer;


because the same God has positively forbidden


the followers ofhis Son to do' these things.


Bus he not a right to cOl11mllnd and forbid


whut he will? ': Yes; bill does it not make


him chllngeuhle, to sny he eommaudsand for "


bids the same things nt different times?" No;


it only represeuts him as ndapting . his moral


government to t~ e ever varying circumstan, cea


of a changeahle cr eation. Man changes, not


God. And because man's course is one of


change and progress, the unchangeable God


wisely ; Illjusts his ' requirements to the. present


necessitie~ of the case. , Neither the same con­duct


iu man, nor' the same trealment of man


on the part of God, would. be ali~ e suited to


1111 times and circumstances. \ V. e must not


judge of God's dealing as if man were


nnchungeable. II God governs at all, he


lIJust adapt his government to man's nature


anti condition. When man changes, God's re:


quinnentllllud dealings must be varied. Henc~ ,


tiel by faith. But after that faith is come, we


arJ no longer under a schoolm~ ster." Gut 3:


19 123- 25. Thus am I ' confirmed III my po-sitnn,


, .


Now let me ask- is the great difference


nele set forth between the sign and the reality,


thJshadow and the substance, a difference of


co~ tradiction'J Is there not perfect agree­m611


between what was foreshndowed , and


the substance at length made manifest? And


if so, does not the snpercession of the Old by


the New Testament, in this particular, give us


gr ! atcr confidence in both ' J


~ o matter how many peculiar doctrines and


duties of the Old disll enslItion hav e passel I


away, if they have fulfill~ d their design- and


especially, if they have been lost in a superior


blaze of truth and holiness under the new dis­peIl~


tion. So then, there is a great diffel'mce,


hut 110 absolute cOlltradiction, between the two


re velations,


2. The same essential doe trin es and morals


ineulcuted in the Old T estament, are recog­nieoil,


confirmed, enforced, and far 1II0re clear­ly


il lustrated in the New. This i; the case


with the important doctrines of a resurrection


from the dead, a future retribution, & c. ' Vhat


wail \: IlIght obsclI~ ely on these subj ects in the


Old Testament is set forth with gr ent explicit­ness


and certuinty in the New• . The same is


tme of the flmdamental duties of - piety nnd


morality j which our Lordsums up in the tw, o


~ reiIlt cOIIJllIundmelJls-" Tholl sh. alt love'the


Lord thy , God ' with all thy heart, nnd thy


neighhor us thyself." " All things whatsoever '


ye would that men should do unto you , do


ye'el'erl so unto them; fol' this is the law. Dnd


the prophets." Faith in God, confidence in


his prOl'idcnce, uni! pcrfect conformity to his


holy will ; trllth, jnstice, humanity, mercy,


forbearance, charily, ar e taught, illustrated and


etJti;> n, pd in th e New T elltallJent with tralis­c~


IH!~ nf cle; 1' I1es;' ek;" queu~- e and - J1ower~ . Fo;


cohfirmation of th is assertion, I reler JOu to


the sermon on the ' mouut, the parable of the


good Samaritun, and such like pussnges of the


go~ pelll alllt , epistles. Here then is the differ­ence


betw een ohscm: ity aud clearness , vugne­ness


and definiteness; weakness and strc ngth,


the twilight and noonday hrightness. Is this


a contrndictory difference? Surely not. The


spirit lind aim are one. There is Ihe less and


the greater, hilt no rallical contral'iety.


3. There is the difference oflelle; and spir­it,


between the two T estamellls. The apos­tle


sllys, l< who also hath mad! llls abl e minis­,


tel's of the New Testament, uot of th e leuer,


but of the sIJirit," & c. Our Savior and his


apostles frequently tak e up the precepts of the


Old Testament , allll following out their spirit


far beyond the IIlere leUer, exteud their appli­cation


to all sor ts of cllses in human conduct,


pressing their principles home to the inlllost


so1l1. TitUS the command agnillst mllrder­"


thou shalt not kill," is lIIade to hear agllinst


causeless anger, secret hatred, nnd injurio'us


speech. John goes so far a~ to prollollnce the


man who hntes hi~ ' brother, " a Inurderer."":'"


Cl irist mukesit . adultery to cherish ' u nclean


desires. He carries out the spirit ofthe pre­cept-"


thou shalt not forswear thyself," by


forbidlling all manner of oaths, aud enjoining


such a scrn Jlulons regard to truth, that our


simple word shall be ahsolutely invioluhle. ­So,


. in answeriug the Jewish Lawyer. \ Vhen


he nsked him ' who his neighbor WIlS, he pro­ceeded


to show that th e commanrlment, " thou


shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," binds lIIen


to jeopardize their own lives to relieve the dis .'


tresses ofstrnngers ami even enemies. In ex­pounding


the ancient doctrine, he took the


husks from the ear; and lay ing aside hoth the


letter,' and the traditional glosses of mere hu­man


teachers, luid open the nal, ed kemel of


truth and duty. Says he, " Ye bave heard tha't


it hath been sairl, " Thou shall love thy neigh­bor


and hate th inc enemy. But I 8ay unto


you Jove your enemies, bless them that curse


you, do good ~ o them tl; nt hate yOI1, and pray


for tbem wl) o despitefully use you and perse­cute


you; that ye may be the children of


your Fatller who is in heaven'; for he Inaketh


his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and


• . 0


circumstance, ' and conducing to one grand


consummation. If we acknowledge the com­petency


of Almighty God to govern his crea­tures


in . the best posslble t manner, it will fol­low


that we acquiesce in his adjustment of the


numberless details of administrationneeessa­ry


to accomplish their greatest good. It do es


not become us to arraign him at our bar, and


denounce this 01' that particular measure of


his government ; unless, indeed, we can leach


him knowledge, and arrange a system of opel' ­ations


better adapted ' to the great end ! All


whi ch is nec essary to our satisfaction is, that


we sho uld see one spirit aml aim rnnning thro'


all the div ersified disp ensations of his ' govern ­ment.


This un ity of spirit and aim I will


now endeavor to demonstrate, as existing un­The


autherity of the New · T estament super- der the Old and New ' I'estameuts, It will ve-sedes


thut of the Old , on all qu estions of ry pl; tilily appear from a statement of the nc-


. doctrine anrl mOI: als. . tuul differencebetween the doctrine and mor-


" For even that which was made glorious had 110 als of the two.


{; lory ill this respect, b.' 1 reason of the glory 1. There is th e difference ? f anticipation


that excelleth" 2 Cor.: 3: 10. and reality- of type and lintitype- ofsign and


Thut dispensation of moral and ceremoniul : thing signifi ed- of shadow and substunce. c-.


law, which was instituted through the media- This is a great tliffer~ nce; but yet it is one of


{ ion of Mose s, is denominated the Old Cove- agreem ent, not con t radicti~ n . Abraham, Isaa c,


nant, or ' I'esmmenr. The disp ensation ofgrace J ncob, Moses, lind nil t he ' prophets had a . fore­and


holin ess; which has been instituted ihro' sight of Christ and his spir'ilual reign, They


the mediation of Jesus Christ. is deuomiuared had the promise of his coining, as the on e in


the N ew Covenant, 01' T estament. Hence whom ali th e families of the earth should he


that division of the Bihl e, comprising th e, writ- blessed. They looked forward with ard ent


iogs of ]\ tose s, and those who lived und er the expectations to his manifestation, Some of


first dispensation: is called the Old T estnmenr. them hal! glorious visions of what should take


And the divi sion, comprising the records of place lm~ r his dispensatlou. A ; vhole S)' S­Christ's


ministry, together with the writings of tem of types and shadows, branching out into


his apostles under th e New flispe'nslltion, is hundreds of particular external observances,


culled the New Testament. I mean, therefore, was instituted fOI' the purpose of attaching the


hy tbe Old lind JVew Testllments, not only the Isrllelites to the lI'ne God, alll! preparing the


011111111\ New Covennnts, properly so called, way tOt · the coming of the jnst One. Doc­but


also th e two granll divisions of Sacred t rines and dllti es were inculcuted IInder this


St: riptllre which treat orthose Covenlllltt! re- prepnl'lltory dispensation, adapted to its main-'


speclivcly; which contllin the revelations pecu- tennnce until the glorious renliti es, . to wh ich.


,! inr. lu_ rh" nV_ ll di spenslttions, and whi ch are evcry thl riglfii t pOlUted - Sh" OLlld tuke p inne.":'"


COlfitllOnly t! enominated the Old nnd New In dne time the'promi'se was fulfilled, the ex­Testnlllenls.


By distin~ uishing questions of pected l\ Iessillh made his appearance, his


dOdrine nnd illorals from others, I m'eall to spiritllal'religion was estahlished , the anticipa­IIl1mv


thllt on all oth er questions the two Tes- tion gave place to the reality, the type to Ihe


tam ente lire of eqnal allthority. The proposi- untitype, the sign to the thing signified, the


tion th en alllo ' unts to this, that the doctrines shadow to the snhstn~ ce. Consequently all


lind moruls inculca( ed in the New Testnment , doc trines and duties peculiar to the typi cal


have sllp erseded those ~ fthe Oill- thnt ' they disp ensation expired with it. The} VhiJle sys­lire


to be received, acknowledged, alll! insisted tein was instituted for a f'ertnin time, to 11l1SWel'


on, in preference to nil sllch in th e Old as dif- an nppropriate purpose. When thut tiJII~ an, d


fer from them in any respect whatsoever. purpose hal! been fulfilled the systCln became


Tt; ut the nllthority of the New T estam'ent obsol ete. To adhere to it, nnd keepup . itsob­really


tloes snpersede · thnt of the Old, on all servanees after th e develop~ rn( Jnt of the gr eat


l! ncstions of doctrilie and morals, ' is evillent flpiritnlll realities in which it vllnished away,


fr'om fonrg'l'eut facts; wltieh lire these : 1. The would he to snhvert the divine economy. It


rlwelmions contained in thc New Testlllllent woult! he to rejeet the s'uhstance for the llhad ­are


more recent thlln those of the Old ; ~, they ow, and to retain the shadow for its own sake.


. lire 1II0re il- nportant, e1ear, eXlens j,' e and per- . Thill this is the view given of the sllhject ill


fect thun those ftf lite Old; 3, they are predict-, . the New Testument, I will sho,! by citir ~ g a


, ed and { oreshallowed throughout the Old, as , few pnssuges . fi'olll the apostle · P unl. " Be­Ilestined


to he more excellent und glorious hold, I Paul suy unto you, that it ye he cir­thau


its own; anti 4, they e1l1im to be those cumcisell Christ shull profit you nothing.-


' lIIore exc ellent nnd glorious displays of, trnth Christ is become of no effect unto you, whoso­811rl


holiuess thns foreshadowed in the Old.':- ever of you ure justified hy the law; ye are


Howevel' glorions' tbe divine conlltlunil'ations fallen from grace." Gal. 5: 2- 4. " FOI' he is


ofthe Oltl ' T estament, and however sacred its , not . u Jew which it! one , outward ly, neither is


a" lI\ hol'ity, for the time beirig, t'le revelations that circumcision wbi~ h is outward in the


of the New are more gkJriou8, and , its allthori- flesh. But he is a Jew who is one in wurdly,


ty is paramonl1l. " For," to lise the language nnd circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit,


of the ' apostle, " that which was mnde glorious not in the letter; whose praise is.. not of men


had no glory in thie respect. hy reason of the but of God.'" Rom. 2:' 28, 29. ' " If.. perfection


glory that excelleth." As the light of the sun were by the Levitical priestho<: Jd, what further


is to tltat of the moon and stars, 80 nre the doc- need WRS there thllt another pl'iest should rise


trines . and morals of ' the New Testamcnt to aft er the order of l\ felchisidee, und not be call­those


of the Old. ed after the order of Auron." Heb. i: n.-


BIIt is th ere such a great Iliffel'llnCe hetween " For the law perfected nothing, hut was the


the Old and New Testaments? . There is un- imperinduction ofa bette I' hope, by the which


deniably a difference. In wltat does it con- we might draw nigh lI, nto Gllld." " For the


sist? to whnt does it relate? what is its na- law, having - a shadow of good things to come,


tnre? This is a vel'y impol · tant inquiry. It not the very image of the things, can never


is very necessary to understllnd, whether this with those sacrifices which they offered, year


be u difference ofcontradiction, or a difference by yellr continually, make tlie comers thereun. ­of


agreement. If the spirit and object of t\} e , to perfect." Ib, 10: 1. " Wherefore then serv­New


Testament revelation are absolutely con- eth the law? It wa ~ udued because of trans­trary


to those ofthe Old, the two opposites in o gression till the seed should come to whom thtl


validate each other, and thus impliente God promise was made." " Before faith came we


hiniselfas changeahle and inconsistent. , But were kept under the law, shut . upunto the


if the spirit and object of both revelations ~ re faith which should afterwards be revealed. ­the


same, all other diffel'ences are but c1iffer- \ Vherefore the law IVasour school master to


enccs of administration, suited to timc and bring us uhto Ch~ ist, that we might be justl-


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Page 21 from Volume 1 of The Practical Christian 1840-1841

Ballou, Adin

1840