1992 Issue 4 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Perpetuity of the Divine Law - Counsel of Chalcedon

8/12/2019 1992 Issue 4 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Perpetuity of the Divine Law - Counsel of Chalcedon

1/6

ring not without law

to God but under the

law

to Christ

a

Cor. 9:21

It is of the first

. mportance

in

the

interestsbothofdoctrina1andofpramcal

religion, to detennine

precisely

the

believer's relation to

the divine

law. On

the one

hand stands the

legalist,

insisting

thatwecanbesavedonlybythecloseness

of our own

personal obedience.

When

pressed

with the testimony of

Scripture,

as, for example, therefore by the deeds

of

the

law there shall no flesh be

justified

inhissight

for

bythelawisthe

knowledge

of

sin; (Romans

3:20)

or

this

testimony:

For

by grace are

ye

saved

through

faith;

and that not

of yourselves;

it

s

the gift

of God.

(Ephesians 2: 8.)

Orthistestimony:

For

Christ

is

the

end of law for

righteousness

to

every one that

be l i e v e t h

(Romans 10:4)

when pressed

with testimonies

of

this

sort, he

retreats but a single

step, affirming

th t

the

grace,

which in

the

Scriptures

stands

opposed to

works,

consists

simply

in

bringing

in

a new and

modified IaW--il

law

so

far

retrenched and

diminished

in

its demands as to

come

within the

enfeebled

abilities of

the

sinner,

and in

which

the tenns of ac

ceptance are

a

sincere

though an

impe

r

fect

obedience.

Or,

as it is sometimes expressed, faith

and repentance, viewed simply as acts of

the

creature, are accepted

by

God in lieu

of the comprehensive

obedience

which

wasoriginallyenjoinecl-a

theory

,which,

whilst it

professes

to honor

the grace

of

the Gospel,

still

retains

the

legal principle

without

abatement.

On the other side, stands the

a

ntinomian;

contending that,

as

the

Lord

Jesus Christhas

fulfill

ed

ll

righteousness,

He

has, for those

who

are inHim by

faith,

forever

abrogated the

Divine

Iaw;-that,

upon the principle

where there is

no

law

the

re

can be no

transgression, God,

looking at

the

believer, sees

in him no

defect

-that

however his acts may

be

against the letter and

against the

spirit

of

thelaw,yet,

as

done

by him,

they

are

not

ofthenatureofsin. Thesepamdoxesmay

indeed admit of explanation, '

regarding

them

only as

exaggerated

statements of

the

believer's right relation to the

Lord

Jesus

Christ; but they

are

couched in

language singularly susceptible of

misconstruction, and, in the sense

intended by the

antinomian,

they are

absolutely

fatal

to

the

holiness and,

therefore, to

the

salvation of man.

Here are the two extremes, of

antinomianism upon the

one

hand, and

oflegalismupontheother,betweenwhich

Christianity lies exposed to a

double

assault;exactly as

the

Master himself, in

thedaysofhisflesh, wascrudfiedbetween

two thieves. Multitudes, however, who

do not fallupon either

of these extremes,

yet,

in

so far

as they

are swayed

either

way,

become

careless

and loose in their

walk,

or

else

are under

bondage of soul,

notunderstandingnorappreciatingtheir

liberty in ChristJesus,

It

is,

therefore

,of

the

first

consequence tous, bothasto our

safetyandcomfon, thatweshall

perceive

precisely the relation in which as

Christians, we

stand

to

the

Divine law;

which

Iconceive to be represented in the

text,

with the most singular

felicity

of

Ianguage- being not without law

to

God, but

under the law

to

Christ.

COnsiderable

light

will

be thrown upon

this passage,

if you consider the peculiar

drcurnstancesunderwhichitwasuttered.

The Church at COrinth, like all the

churches gathered in the Apostolic

age,

embraced proselytes both from Judaism

and Paganism . Contentions, therefore,

might be expected to arise betwixt

elements so

heterogeneous.

To

compose

these strifes, Paul, in this chapter,

expounds the doctrine of Christian

charity, and

enforces

it

by

his

own

example.

He tells,

in

the immediate

context, how he

accommodated

himself to

the

prejudices and to the

frailties

of

men.

UntO the Jews I

became as aJew, that

might

gain theJews;

to them thatareunder

the law

as

under the

law,

that might

gain

them

th t

re

under

the

law; to

them that are without

law, as

Without

law, that might gain them that

are without law.

To

the weak became

as

weak, that might gain the weak am

madeall

things

toallmen, that might by

aUmeans save

some. (I

Cor.

9:20-22)

n

order,

however,

that

he

may not be

misconsnuedashavingno principles

for

his

guidance,

the

Apostle

throws into a

parenthesis the words of the

text, being

not without law to God, but under the

law

to Christ. As though

He

would

say,

inallthislbynomeansforgettheeternal

and necessary

distinction be

tween

right

and wrong. am

far from

failing

to

recognize

the integrity and supremacy of

God's

law;

but, then,

as

a redeemed

April, 1992 TIlE COUNSEL ofChalcedon f 13


2/6

sinner, I obey this law

ofGod

as it is

the

law of Jesus

Christ,

given

to

Him as a

Mediator, and approprtatedasthe law of

His empire and I render ~ n e to

it,

as

the

law of

esus Christ,

with the full

consciousness

of

that gradous

libeny

which

belongs

to

the

Lord's freeman.

The text, then, embraces two

propasitions:

nat

the believer is not

withoutlaw

to

God; andyet this lawis in

some degree:ni.odified, as the

law

of

esus

Christ.

I would delight to embrace both

in a single discourse, if

at

asinglesitting,youcould'

::

indulge

me

with the

time

necessary for their

completeexp1icati6n. But

as this is not

possible,

I

shallthismonlingrestrtct

your

attermon to

the

first

of these propositions,

leaving

the

second to be

articulately

discussed

on

lawwhichhewas thence forward bound

to obey. We are not to suppose man

created

with the intellectual and moral

powers which belong

to

him, and

afterwards, by a

second

and arbitrary

exerciseoftheDivinewill,broughtunder

the

jurisdiction

of law

.

On the

contrary,

in

the

endowment

of

reason itselfhewas

constituted a

subject

of law; and in the

very exercise of thishigh prerogative, he

cannot

but

recognize his personal

obligation to obeyit. The

law created

the

~

'iill j::'::::' ,;,,'

ETERNAL AU1HORITI )

..

OF

GOD'S

LAW OVER

BEUEV)' RS AS WELL

AS

OVER

OTHERS . No change wrought in their

chatacterbythepoweroftheHolyGhost,

in the new binh---no changewroughtin

their relations,when adopted

into

God's

family and

made the children

and

the

heirs of God through Christ no

principles ofgrace

incorporated with the

moral government of

God,

modifying it

inits practicalexercise-caneverabsolve

the Cbristl;m from

its

controL At all

times, and in

all

places, whatever

be the

extension of our

privileges,

we are

compelledtosaythatweare 'notwithout

law

to

God."

L

The

law of God, as the perfect

revelation of

the

Divine character and

attributes, can

never be

withdrawn.

The

law

was the briginal

revelation of God to

the creature. Man

when created in his

Maker's image, was created under the

moral

annosphere which JruID breathed

in his primitive holiness. In

itS

requil:ewnts,itwas indispensable

to

the

very first operation

of

conscience. The

fundamental distinction

belWixt

right

and

wrong cannot bepredicated,

without

reference to the standard by which they

are

detertnined.

The law is just as

indispensable to the moral nature

of

man,

as the air which we breathe is

necessary to the lungs. If the lungs

were

made for

the air,

and the air for the lungs,

just

as

truly

was

the

law

made

for the

intellect,

the

conscience

and the

Will bf

man;SinceWithoutitthesefacultiescould

not possibly discharge their respective

functions, nor be brought into action

of

any

kind.

Itmakesnodifferencehowwe

come

at

the

knowledge

of it; whether

through

deiailed

statements,

as

upon

Mount Sinai,

when

the

law

was given in

14 I

THE COUNSEL of ChaIcedon April,

1992

WIitingtoMoses--orwhecheritbesunply

engraved

in

OUT

-

natUre

, as

upOn that

of

- . .

Adam at the

creation.

Whatever1llllybe

the modeui. WhiCh itlSreC6gnized

pY$,

justinso faris ita ievelationofGod pUs.

The attributes of justice, holinesS,

~ and

truth

are

sWnpedupon

the law

as :whole,and upon

each

individual pin They are .

nipressed

upon everypieceP,t andcoin.J:haD.dment.

and just as


3/6

of the angels

in

heaven,

just

as it stands

before

the eye of men upon

the

eanh.

Exal\

man never so J;tigh in his

privileges;

lift him

up

so that he

shall

join the

J;tier.m::hy of he skies let him

sit

upon the

verystepping-stone of theetemal throne;

let

him look with a purged eye upon the

glory of God s face; yet

must

this law of

God,

unchangeable as the

Divine

nature

itself, remain the permanent and

fundamenw .

revelation

upon which all

knowledgeofGodfofeverdepends.

This,

then, is the first point

against

the

antinomian.

II.

The law,

as

the perfect

expositionofthecreatuie srelations

and responsibilities,

can never

becancelled.

ltnotonlyreveals

God, but

it

binds the creature.

Now,

no believer ever

gets

out

of

that

category. Whatever

gt.;ce

may tllIke

of

him,

he

stillremainsacreatureofGod.

On earth, struggling with

indwelling

sin, purged

from

the last defilement

of it as he

passesup to

glOry,

occupied

with

all the

enjoyments of eternal

blessednessat God srighthand,he is

stilla

creature;

and beingacreature, this

law

must

eternally

bind him in

the

expOsition of hi duties---not

merely

unfolding

them

by didactic statement,

butauthoritatively enjoining

them

upon

his conscience. Let it

be noted

too, in

its

bearing upon this issue, that the law of

God is

one and

singular. Just

because

there is one God, thereis one law.

There

can

no more be two

laws essentially

d,istinCtinthel,lniveJ;Se, than there can be

two

Gods. God, in

the very conception

that you form of

Him, excludes the

idea

ofarival.

Hestandsaloneinthesolemnity

and Stateliness

ofHis

own

grandeur. He

Iills immensj.ty with

His presence,

the

same yesterday, today and forever. You

cannOt multiply Himby two, or multiply

Him by three, without in the

multiplication,

canoellingthenotionitself

ofaGod.

i

Now my hearers, the law flows out

from the nature of God, and isthesimple

expressionofHisattributesandcharacter;

;md thus, in

its essence, this

law

is one

andsingulatthroughoutthedomain over

which

God s empire sweeps. Itisonelaw

over angels

in

heaven, one law over

man

upon

the

eanh, one law

over

devils and

apostate

angels

in hell-{)ne

law

as

to

its

substance,

howeverinitsdetailsmodified

tosuittheci.rcumstanoesofthese different

classes. Wherever

the

creature is, thereis

the creature s obligation. The law which

states the

crearurehood of man or

of

angels or of devils-and the law

which

expounds the duties which, as creatures,

they owe to God-must

be,

in thatbroad

aspect of it, one and the same law. In its

wonderful elastidty,

it

must and

may

be

adaptedtothevatyingsituationsofeach;

itwillbenarrowerorbroaderinitsscope,

and will be modified so as to express the

peculiar duties obligatory upon each.

Well,

then,

thisone law, whichisonejust

because God

is

one, and

which springs

from His very nature, the

antinomian

teUs you is

abrogated

in regard to the

believer, whilstitremainsin

force

overall

otherbeings in the universe. Why, you

might

just as well

talk

of

partitioning

off

this air which we breathe today,

appropriating as exclusively ours that

which is the common property of the

race.

We

might justas well undertake

to

run

ilp walls of separation until

they

touch the orb of

the

sun, and

cause his

rays to slant only upon that territory

which we call our own as to talk of

breaking

the unity and

destroying the

universality

of that

law

which,

as

the

exposition of God s nature, and the

statement of he creature s obligations, is

necessarily one and

the

same.

The

antinomian

may endeavor to

parry thisby

saying that the

law, though

not absolutelyabrogared,istoa

particular

class suspended in its operation. The

gloss

is easily met by the reply

that

the Mediator, according to His

Fa

thers grant, rules over all

creatures alike.

Angels

and

principalities

and

powers have

beenrnadesubjecttoHim. Holy

beings throughout the

universe

have been recapitulated into

one

spiritual body, with redeemed

sinners here upon the

earth,

of

which

Jesus Chtist s the

head.

Even the apostate

angels, and

those

of our race who are shut up n the

devil s prison house, are placed under

the mediatotial

authotity and

dominion

of

this Lord

and

Saviour

.

So

that

if

as

mediator,

He

has

all

beings

n all worlds

under His jurisdiction, it is idle to talk

aboutcancelling this law of the Mediator

in

reference to one

class

whilst

it shall

be

in

practical

and incessant operation

over

all other classes throughout His

dominion.

UI.

Idraw within narrower limits the

lines of

this

discussion,

bysayingthatthe

law

existed

as a

rule, before

it

existed as

a

covenant;

and

the

abrogation

of

t

undertheoneaspect,isfurfrominferring

its

abrogation

under

the

other.

Those

of

you

who

are well read

upon

religious

subjects, perceive

that Iam

touching,

as

with

the

point of a needle,

the

fallacy

upon which the whole Antinomian

system rests. They found their

doctrine

April, 1992 TIlE COUNSEL

of

Chalcedon 15


4/6

uportsuch passagesasthese: Weare not

. under law, but imdet grace.

Romans

6:14) Wherefore, my brethren, yealso

are become dead to the laW

by the

body

of Christ; that

ye

should

be married to

another, even to

him

who

is raised

from

the dead, h a ~

we

should

bring

fonh fruit

unto God. (Romans

7:4)

And those

difficult

verses n

the

Epistle of]

obn:

little children, let no man deceive

you;

he that doeth righteousness is

righteous,

evenas heisrighteous. Hethatconunitteh

sin is of the

devil; for the devil

sintteth

from

the beginning. For

this

destroys

myriads of our race; so does

man with a

subtle chemistry separate

truth from truth, tummg it into a lie

by

whicli

the

soul

is effectually

destroyed.

The law, as God originally ordained

it,

sustairis

a

two-fold relation

to

man

.

It

was given

to him as the

rule of his

conduct, and then it

was made the

covenant

of life.

In

its

covenant

form,

GodconstitutedAdam therepresentative

of his race,

made

his probation limited,

and gave

the promise

oflife everlasting to

him and

to

his posterity upon

the

relationas

the rule

of

conduct? The tWo

are perfectly distinct in the order of

thought, and in the order of

You

can conceive of man

existing

WithOnt

that covenant; you cannot conceive of

him iving

without a.

rule

givento himfqr

his direction, Yqu cannotseparate man

havinginrelligence,

conso;:ience,affections

and

will,

from

the

la ,under which

he

was

placed-under which he

was

not

simply

placed, but uncterwhich he was

in the beginning created. Blot out the

law,l\Ild

you

.Cl\Ilcel his moral

narure

along

with it. There

is

purpose

the

son of

o was

manifested, that He might

d e s t r o y t h e w o r ~ o f t h e

devil.

Whosoever

is

born of G04

doth not commit sin; for His

seed remaineth in him; and

he cannot sin because he is

born of

God.

(l]ohn

3:7-9)

There it is, says the

antinomian, in plainEnglish.

The believer

is

no longer

under law, but under

grace.

He

carmot sin because God's

seed remaineth in him.

We

l Just

as God brings

the various

nothing for his consdence

torecognize;

thereisnothing

for

his

hean

to

embrace;

.

here is

nothing for his

will

to achie

ve:

ih

the

p e r a t i ~

of

aU

these faculties, he

recoghlzes the law

which

brings

him ll elation

to

God

as Creator, whom he must

obey, whom he must love,

Whomhemustserve,whom

he must

constantlyworship

and adore. In the

spontaneous obedience

elements

together to compose

the food we eat, fromwhich,by

secret

distillation,

we

extr ct

the

poison th t destroys myriadsof

our race;

so

does

man

with

subtle chemistryseparate truth

from truth, turning it

into

.cannot

have

a more striking

illustration of the serious

errorsinto which

we

plWlge,

t h e m o m e n t w e i s r e g ~ t h e

correspondendes and relations of truth.

Why, my hearers, truth is one one as

the light is one, one

as

the air is

one, one

as]ehovah, the author ofit, is one: and it

is only because

we, in

our finiteness

as

creatures,

are

unable to

see

truth in that

perfect

circle

whichit

fills,

that we

fail to

seeitinitsunity. Itisbecause

we

see

only

a small segment of this drcle

that

we are

thrown into

cot}fusion, taking

up

one

pan oftruth and hrowing it

against

another pan of truth, running

off

with a

little portion of it here and a little

there,

andconveningit,

by

its

separation from

the

rest into

fulsehood

and

making

it

the

poison of he soul. JustasGodbringsthe

various elements together to compose

the food we eat, from which, by

secret

distillation, we extract

the poison

that

lie by which the

soul

is

e f f e c t u ~ / l y dl $troyed."

condition of

perfect

obedience

to its

requirements: We know that Adam

failed in

this

. rust In consequence of

this, the

lawin'its

covenant fonn ismade

void,

it

prorni.>es

are vaCated, and

aU

the

descendant$.,of

Adam

by ordinary

g e n e r t i o ~

lie imder

the penalty

ofdeath

threatertedagainst

the transgressor. In

thismenadngsituation,

Godwaspleased,

in infinite rnrcy, to introduce another

co

venant,

which

we

call the covenant of

redemption OF

the

covenant of

grace,

of

which

the Lord Jesus is the head. He

r e n d e r s a n o ~ e n c e i n t h e i t s t e a d which

isreckonedtothem

fortheirjustification;

embradng which by

faith,

they

stand

complet

ein

their

acceptance beforeGod.

But

;does

the abrogation

of

he

law, in

its

covenant

fonn, cancel the

law in

its

16 THE COUNSEL

of

Chalcedon

;.

April, 1992

which floWs from him with

all

the

regularity of hought,

and

in

the solemn wotship

which

tOils

up

as

incense

acceptable

unto

God

he

is

recognizing

the neceSsaiy, eternal relation in

which

he

stands, as

a

moral

and inteUigem

being

,underthe

law

ofhis

Creator. But

Godcouldhave

createdAdam

withthese

faculties and uhder these obligations,

making

no

promise

'If eternal life

as the

gradousrewardofobedience,norlimiting

the

period during

which this

probation

.shouldcontinue . ItwasanaCtofsovereign

goodness

to reduce this

law

from

its

first

form as a

simple

rule

oflife,

and

to

make

itthepOSitivecovenantuponwhichman

's

eternal

happiness should

tum.

The fact,

therefore, that

these

two

exist apan in

ourthought;

he fact that

theyexistapan

n he

order

of

time;

the fact

that we

are

able to conceive of

the

one without

the

existence

01

the other;

and above

aU, the


5/6

remains

of that

law still

engraved upon

our nature

after the full,

show that

these

two are entirely sepaiate,

the

one from

the other. When, therefore, the

antinomian arrays

the passages which

affirm

the

abrogation

of

the

law as

a

covenam,

it

isgmssiUogicai reasoning to

inferitsabrogationalsoasarule.

Thelaw

existed

as

a

rule, before

it

existed

as

a

covenam. Thus,

you

perceive ,

the whole

ground upon which the antinomian

srandsisstruck

from beneathhis

feet

The

law

existed

as

a

rule, before

it

existed as

covenant; and the

abrogation of

the one is

by

no means equivalent to

the

destruction of

the other.

N

The law

is always

necessary

as

the guide

of

our nature.

We take

a

very

partial

and, I think,

low

view

of the

law,

when

we

look upon it

simply as

a

scheduleof

duties, directing

how

we

shall

act

in this and

that and

the

otherparticuJar

oflife. It is

aU

this,

and

it s

inuneasurably

more

. It was

the standard of

character,

beforeit becamethe

director

ofconduct;andthis

function

will

be required just

as

much in

heaven

hereafter,

as

now

onearth. That

perfect

law

which flows

from

the nature

of

God,

which

is the

revelation

of

his attributes,

. and the delineation of

the

creature's

obligations, after

it

has

been

fulfilled

by

our

Lord Jesus Christ

in

His glorious

obedience,ishungupforeveragainstthe

walls

of

heaven as

the etemalstandal'dto

which all moral and religious character

is to be referred ,ofallcJassesofintelligent

creatures throughout the

eternity that is

to

come.

As

the chronometer at

Greenwich, or

at

Washington,

is the

measure of time upon

all the degrees

of

longitude east or

west,

and to

which

must

be referred

all

instruments

that

measure

time over

the

earth; so God's

law is

the

only

unelTing standard of

obligation and

of right the

moral

chronometerwhichmeasuresthebeatof condescension, He p sses through all

the

human

conscience

and

of

the

human the

grades of

imellectual

being,

down to

hean

by

the

will

of

the Supreme Ruler,

man

at

the bottom ofthe

scale,

that they

and

times the obligations of the

creature all might be recapitulated in Him their

by the

claims

of the

Creator. There

this

blessed

Head forever . Therefore the

law

remains upon

the walls of

heaven, significance of the declaration, that

He

through the ages

which in

their

ceaseless

must render an obedience which is umo

flow swell

imo

eternity,

the

standard of death. I

wish

that I could take the time

right,

the

guide

of

character,

the test

of

to

show the completeness of this

what the creature's nature

ought to be.

obedience of our blessed

Head how it

Under this aspect, it is simply swept overthe

whole

areaofthe law and

inconceivable

that

the la

wofGod should gathered up imo itself every command

ever be cancelled.

and every precept-how tfathomed the

.. ". uttennost depths of this law

......

ofHis Father, and rendered

J

an obedience notonly

to

the

. precepts, but also

to

the

).; penalty and

obedience

Y:

which,

offered to all

pans of

:)'. the law

alike

, exhausted its

coments.

Ah my hearers, here

is

. an argumem which crowns

the discussion; that

i

Jesus

..

... Christ must

obey

the law to

the

l st

iota

of

it if he must

obey

the

law, feeling

the

pressure of its curse;

i

he

..

.... must

exclaim,

in the hour of

. .

..

' ... His anguish, "My God, my

God,

whyhast thou forsaken

V.

The crowning proof of the

me;"

and

die at

l st

of a hean broken

perpetual

obligation

ofthe

Divine law is

under the desertion of His Father;

this

found

in the exact obedience

which was

shuts out the hope that any creature, in

required of Jesus Christ, in

achieving all

the universe ofGod, shallever

escape

human redemption.

"He

was

made

of a

from the

jurisdiction of

the

Jaw. If there

woman, made

under

the

law, to

redeem was

an

instance in which that lawmight

them

that

were

under the

law, that we have

been ahated, and

in

which the

might

receive

the adoption ofsons." Oh sufferer might have been spared the

that

we

shouldbecome so familialized to inflictionofthe curse,

it

was when God's

this stupendous

fact as

to

cease to be own

Sonundenook

for

our redemption

moved by

its

grandeur God's

only

toobeyHisFather'swill. ButHeexclaims

begotten, who had

always

been the upon the threshold of his

great

agony:

Father's

delight, "the

brightness

of

that "Nowismysoultroubled,andwhatshall

Father's

glory,

and the

express image

of I

say?

but

for

this

cause

came

I unto this

his

person,"

rejoicing

with

Him in the hour." Press the fact upon your

intimate and blessed

fellowship

of

the

understanding until its impon is

fully

threewithinthepavilionoflight-amidst felt, that Christ

is the

only being of our

the silence

of

angels He

responds to

th t race

who

was

born expressly to

die;

that

Father'sappeal, "who shall go forus, and

He

alone, in that death, experienced all

whom shall I

send."

In

the

sweep of His

the pangsofDivine justice; that

He

alone

April, 1992

t

' HE COUNSEL of Chalcedon

t

17


6/6

took the cup from His

Father's

band,

drinking it to itsdregs, and

exclaimingin

the sorrow that broke

His hean,

"It is

finished." f

his

was demapded of Him

who .was Himself "holy, harmless;

undelUed and

separate

from

sinners."

howmuchmoreofus? Ifthis"obedience

unto death was indispensable in order

that

the law

should

be satisfied

as a

covenant,

is

not.persOnal obedience as

much required ofus norder that the law

may

be fulfilled

as a

rule?

I submit the case

now

to your

judgment. 1constimte

you the

panel

beforewhomthecauseshallbettied,and

who

;shall render a true verdict. Is it

possiblethatGod-remainingtheperfed:

being that

He

is, and man possessing,

througP.,

God

's gift, those

faculties

by

which

he

can

recognize, admire

and

adore his Creator is it possible

that

there .can be an aboli ion of that first .

revelation,

through, .,vhich the

creamre

apprehends the Creator and

renders

obedience and worship to

his blessed

.

name? Onthecontrary,letuslaydeepin

our hearts the conviction that this

law

can never

e

cancelled; arid let it

be

a

comfort as

well

as a

conviqtion

with us;

that its $Upremacy ever abides. Iwould

not reProsluce,lestthe uttell\llGe should

seem

trit.e

to

you,

those

splendid

words

o'praise w:hich Richard ,Hooker

pronounced upon law;dwhen he

represented.

1t as

. reSj.c'jing in. the very

boSom of

the Deity, and as pejpg the

h;irqlonyo( the llniverse, spreading its

broadshield,

n d e ~ w h o s e p r o t e c t i o n

all

beings

in

all .worlds live n

sec;:u e

depenckpce uponhim h o ~ r s

it.

w o u l d b ~ a s s a d t o

bewithoutaGod,

;lS \Vithout a Iaw:,and fearfully it.may

thunderits anathemas

agajpst

the

guilty,

when the

conscience

ispadfied through

thesprin 9.iiigofChrist'spredOusblood,

we can rejoice

ev:ifI

in its terrors. ~ is

love,

thoughGod

be

dreadful--dreadful

inHis attnbutes, dreadful in

His

power,

dreadful jp His solemn

rule

OVer all

b e i n ~ a n d in wOI:

lds;

y e ~ is He none

l h e l e s s ~ o b j e c t o f d e l g h t a n d o f a f f e c t i o n

- , , .

;

to

the

believer.

Recondled

to Him

exactions at the day

of

udgment. Isayit

through

the atoning sacrifice

of

His

Son

, for God's redeemed, in all the ages upon

adopted into His

famlly

as

His

sons .and this guiltyearth, that if here bea cause of

His

daughters,

we

can look

even

into the

congramlation to

them it

is

the coming

terrors of His

holiness,

and rejoice in

judgment

;

when

the throne shall be place

Himwho is our

salvation

and our desire .

upon

the

clouds

and the books shall be

"Oouds and darkness may

be

round

opened,

andall the

deeds

which haveever

about Him," yet we know that beendoneshallbearraignedfortrial.

The

"

righteousness

and

judgrnern

are

the oppressedandbruisedupontheearthcan

habitation

of His

throne,"

and "meocy .maketheirappea\tothathourandtothat

and truthshall go

before

His

face.

In

all throne:

and

no man is weak, who

is

able

the darkness of that

cloud

inwhich

God to

place hirnself against the solemn and

hides Hismajesty,

westilliove

and adore cenainjusticewhichshall

be

administered

Him. Inallthedarknessofthatprovidenoe inthatday. Let us

uphold

this perfect and

.with which

He

shrouds our earthly blessed

law of

the

great Goc\ and.comfort

histoty, ~ d o f t e n t i m e s bunhen.s the ourheartswiththeassurancethat,through

affecrions ofoUr heart;we still love and His

infinite

grace,

we

do not

quaU

before

adore

Him.

Inlikemannerareweableto its terrors, but rejoice in

its

protection

rejotcein

the

tertorsofthe

law,

evenin its both

here

and hereafter.Q

byJoe Morecraft.

Husbands ives

Free with your

35

gift toThe

Counsel

of

Chalcedon. Please

mention this ad

with

your

gift.

The

Counsel

0 Chllicedon

P,O. Box 888 22

Dunwoody

Gil 30356

404-396-0965

6

nrn COUNSEL of Chalced

o

1 April,

992

Documents

1992 Issue 4 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Perpetuity of the Divine Law - Counsel of Chalcedon