But the Most High has, through another of his prophets, declared concerning himself "I am God, and change not.' Anger is not in me." And we do not find that Jesus Christ ever represented him as a vindictive or changeable character, as Moses has done.

Thus, we find the reason why Jesus rejected or superseded a part of the Jewish law, as not consistent with the original law or covenant which God made with man in the beginning, proofs of which I shall now produce.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, thou shall not foreswear thyself, but shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths. But I say unto you, swear not at all-neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is his footstool," &c. Again, Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; but I say unto you that ye resist not evil," &c. Again, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, love your enemies," &c.; and he assigns a reason therefor―"That you may be the children of your Father, who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

I apprehend the above is sufficient testimony to show, that Jesus Christ did not admit, that all the Jewish ordinances were founded upon the eternal attributes, or the immutable truths of God, but I design, advancing further testimony on this point, and will endeavor to give a scriptural reason, why God allowed or tolerated such laws to the house of Israel.

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It hath been said whosoever will put away his wife let him give her a writing of divorcement; but, I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the

cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery, and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." Thus you may see in this case, Jesus Christ taught contrary to the laws given by Moses, and we have good reason to believe it was because they were not in agreement with the nature of God, or the original covenant, which he made with man in the beginning; and therefore as it was the object of his mission to bring man back again under the government of that law, on this ground he rejected them, as I shall now show.

The Pharisees came to him tempting him, and saying unto him, "is it not lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause;" and he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he who made them at the beginning, made them male and female, and said for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the twain shall be one flesh; what, therefore, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. They say unto him, why did Moses then command to give her a writing of divorcement, and put her away? He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives; but from the beginning, it was not so. (Matt. 19th ch.)

Thus the reason is obvious, why Moses suffered them to put away their wives, and why he allowed them a plurality of wives; and again, why they were permitted to hold their brethren in bondage; and again, why he suffered them to go to war, and shed their brother's blood; it was through the hardness of their hearts, and the alienation of their minds from the source and fountain of all purity and holiness; and hence all those sanguinary laws given to the house of Israel, through the agency of Moses, were adapted to man in his fallen, degraded state,

But according to the testimony of Jesus to those Pharisees, "from the beginning it was not so ;" and hence it is evident that the law which was given to man in the beginning, did not allow him to turn away his wife for every cause, nor yet for him to have a plurality of wives; much less to hold his brethren in bondage, or go to war and shed his brother's blood; but all these things were permitted or suffered to be so because of the hardness of their hearts, but in the original covenant "it was not so.”

The conclusion to be drawn from these remarks, is, that the doctrine which Jesus Christ taught was the same that was given to man in the beginning, that it is the same at all times, and in all places, that it is as immutable, unchangeable and eternal, as God himself; therefore, one of the Prophets under the law in the vision of divine light, saw that the nature and design of the Gospel dispensation, was to bring man back to that original law or covenant, that God made with man in the beginning, when he prophesied, saying: "Behold! the days come saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel." Mark! with the house of Israel only, and not with the whole human family, for this reason, because the covenant that he had made with man in the beginning, remained in force among all the Gentile nations, and still remains, and will remain throughout all ages of the world. It was therefore unnecessary to embrace any other nation or people except the seed of Abraham.

For we read that God made a covenant with Abraham and his seed, and the law was given to them by Moses, and it was designed for no other people; therefore, it is compared by one of the Apostles to an old garment, and Jesus Christ, referring to it in his Sermon on the Mount, says: "Ye have heard it said by them of old time," and thus it is

portrayed by nearly all of the New Testament writers, as something old or nearly worn out. But the Gospel is called a new covenant in contradistinction to the old one given them by Moses; and why so? because it was founded on the eternal attributes of God, who is unchangeable and therefore always new.

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I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and they shall no more say, every man to his neighbour and every man to his brother, know ye the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquities, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah, 31st ch.) And the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews recognizes this covenant as the dispensation of the Gospel. (Heb. 8th ch.)

In the fullness of time, Christ Jesus came to do his Heavenly Father's will, and near the close of his public ministry he informs his disciples, that it is expedient for them that he go away, "for if," (says he,) "I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you, and when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." (John, 16th ch.) There is another translation of the last verse quoted, which I prefer to it: "And, when he is come, he will convince the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment."

This is bringing the subject to a point at once; but the query is, What world is this comforter or Holy Spirit to convince of sin; is it the elementary or physical world? Surely not; but the world of rational beings. Now this principle which Jesus represents as judging the world cannot be confined to a book, neither is it confined to any particular place, but it is universally everywhere, and in this respect corresponds with the law of the first covenant; and

again, Jesus represents this divine principle as a teacher, that shall teach us all things, and bring all things to our remembrance; and this corresponds with the testimony of one of the Apostles, where he represents the same thing under another name, when he says: "But the anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John, 2d ch.)

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Another Apostle represents it under the title of grace, when he says: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men;" (and farther he informs us that it assumes the character of a teacher) teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." (Titus, 2d ch.)

It is compared by another Apostle, "to the ingrafted word that is able to save the soul," and is also termed "the royal law of liberty," and it is also represented as "the word nigh in the mouth and in the heart," and again it is denominated: "the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which can make us free from the law of sin and death."

It is also compared to light, to blood, and to fire, with a variety of other scriptural and metaphorical names, designating one and the same thing, all of which go to sustain my position, and confirm the language of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, where he says: "that which may be known of God, is made manifest in them."

I am,
&c.

WM. M'GIRR.