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Section Titles
Mr. Canright Answers Himself
Jesus Our Example Kept The Law
Every
Command Still Binding
Christ Magnifies The Law
The Scriptures Versus Mr. Canright
Mr. Canright's chief attacks are leveled at the moral
law of God as contained in the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. From among his
many declarations on this point, we select the following as typical:
“Now, under Christ, we are delivered from
the law; that law is dead.”—Seventh-day Adventism Renounced,
p. 331.
“The letter of the law is not binding upon
Christians as a coercive code.”—Ibid., p. 330.
“We have something better than the
decalogue.”—Ibid., p. 355.
We will contrast with these bold statements the
following paragraphs chosen from a pamphlet on this subject published by D. M.
Canright while he still regarded the law of God as holy. Let the reader note
how definitely he answers himself on this subject while he was still a
Seventh-day Adventist preacher.
“The law of God is that which should be our rule of
action here, and certainly will be our rule of judgment hereafter. What is this
law? and how came we by it? We learn from the Scriptures that the living God
came down upon Mr. Sinai in the most terrible majesty; and there, in the
presence of a whole nation, spoke this sacred law with His own voice, which
then shook the earth. Deut. 4:12, 13; Heb. 12:26.
“This is the law of God—the ten commandments.
Let us examine it. 1. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
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2. Thou shalt not make an image and worship it. 3. Thou
shalt not profane the Lord's name. 4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother. 6. Thou shalt not kill. 7. Thou shalt not
commit adultery. 8. Thou shalt not steal. 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness.
10. Thou shalt not covet. How simple, and yet how comprehensive! The first four
precepts relate to our duty to God, embracing in short all that we owe to Him.
The last six relate to our duty to our fellow men, summarily covering all our
relations to one another.
“Reader, if this law were strictly observed in this
community, would it not produce an excellent state of society? There would be
no idolatry, profanity, Sabbath breaking, disobedience to parents, murder,
adultery, stealing, or lying. Who would not wish to live in such a community?
This is the law for which we plead. These principles have always existed since
God made man upon the earth. They were as binding upon the antediluvians as
upon the Jews, and they are as obligatory now as then.
“We can conceive of no nation, generation, or
individual that could violate these precepts with impunity. This law is as
eternal and unchangeable as the Creator. John says, ‘All
unrighteousness is sin.’ 1 John 5:17. ‘Sin is the transgression of
the law.’ Chap. 3:4. Paul says, ‘Where no law is, there is no
transgression’ (Rom. 4:15); and, ‘Sin is not imputed when there is no
law.’ Chap. 5:13. Hence, where we find unrighteousness and sin imputed to
men, we know that the law was binding….
“The Bible explicitly and repeatedly declares that
all these commandments shall stand forever. ‘All His commandments are
sure. They stand fast forever and ever.’ Ps. 111:7, 8. Again,
‘Concerning Thy testimonies, I have known of old that Thou hast founded
them forever.’ ‘Every one of Thy righteous judgments endureth
forever.’ Ps. 119:152, 160.”
“Instead of being abolished, changed, loosened, or
in any manner altered in the New Testament, the law of God is, on the other
hand, confirmed and established in the most
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solemn manner by Christ Himself and by all His apostles. At
the very opening of His ministry, Jesus said, ‘Think not that I am come to
destroy the law or the prophets.’ Matt. 5:17. He is anxious that they
should not have a wrong impression on this all-important subject. He had not
come to destroy the law. This was no part of His mission. The devil and wicked
men hate the law of God, and would rejoice to see it destroyed; but the mission
of Jesus was exactly the opposite of this. He says, ‘I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfill.’ To fulfill is to obey.—Webster. (See also
Gal. 6:2.) Christ came, then, not to destroy the law, but to obey it; and this
is just what He did.”
Mr. Canright continues:
“The prophet, speaking of Jesus, says, ‘He
will magnify the law, and make it honorable.’ Isa. 42:21. Then we shall
expect Jesus to keep this law, and honor it in all His ways and teachings; and
so we find He did. He says Himself, ‘I have kept My Father's commandments,
and abide in His love.’ John 15:10. The holy Son of God paid the greatest
deference to His Father's law, and devotedly obeyed every one of the ten
commandments. What gives this greater force is the fact that He did this as our
example. Hence the apostle says, ‘He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth
not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ ‘He
that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He
walked.’ 1 John 2:4, 6. This is very plain. Christians should walk as
their Master walked. He kept this law of God. If they claim to be His
followers, and do not keep the commandments of God, the apostle says they are
liars.
“In stronger language the Saviour continues:
‘For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.’ Matt.
5:18. How could language be stronger? Heaven and earth have not passed yet. But
till they do, not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law—not one. Every
precept shall stand. Not even a letter, or the corner of a letter, shall be
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changed till heaven and earth shall pass away, yea, longer,
till all (all things) are fulfilled. Christ is speaking of the law and the
prophets, and He says till these are all fulfilled, the whole law shall stand.
But all the prophets will not be fulfilled, even when heaven and earth pass
away. No, not till the eternal kingdom is reached. Thus in the strongest
language, Jesus teaches that every precept in the law will be in force until we
shall reach the eternal world. He confirms this position with the following
solemn words: ‘Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of heaven.’ Verse 19. How sacred was every one of these
commandments in the eyes of the divine Son of God! Not the least one of them
can be disregarded. Reader, if you are breaking one of these commandments and
teaching others to do the same, how will you meet these words of the Master in
the judgment?”
Canright as an Adventist further says:
“James teaches the same simple truth, that every
one of the ten commandments is binding upon Christians. He says, ‘For
whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty
of all.’ James 2:10. Of what law is he speaking? The ten commandments, as
he proceeds to show in the very next verse: ‘For He that said [marginal
reading, that law which said], Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.
Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a
transgressor of the law.’ James is speaking of that law which says, Do not
kill, Do not commit adultery. We all know that this law is the decalogue, for
it is the only law which contains this language. Wherever these words are
quoted in the New Testament, they are quoted directly from the decalogue as
contained in the Old Testament. Now James says positively that whoever shall
keep the whole of that law, that is, nine of the ten commandments, and break
any one of them, he is guilty of all.
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He has broken the law. He is a transgressor, and God will
hold him guilty. How could the sacredness and perpetuity of that law be taught
in stronger language? People who can explain this away, can explain away
anything.
“These commandments are constantly appealed to, not
only in the Old Testament, but just as frequently in the New Testament, as the
standard of right and wrong, of moral character; as that which shows who is
righteous and who is wicked. When the young man asked Christ what he should do
to inherit eternal life, the Saviour's answer was, ‘If thou wilt enter
into life, keep the commandments.’ Matt. 19:17. Thus the Lord held up
before him the commandments of God as the condition of eternal life. That He
here referred to the ten commandments is evident, for He immediately proceeded
to quote several of them to show what law He meant.
“When Jesus would prove the Pharisees to be
hypocrites and wicked men, He brought the same test to bear upon them.
‘Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For
God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother.’ Matt. 15:3, 4. Here
the decalogue is plainly referred to. The Saviour then says, ‘In vain they
do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ Verse 9.
It is vain for us, then, to profess to worship God, and yet disregard any
precept of His holy law….
“Throughout the New Testament this law is spoken of
in the highest terms. Paul, referring to the decalogue (Rom. 7:7), says,
‘Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and
good.’ ‘For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold
under sin.’ ‘For I delight in the law of God.’ Rom. 7:12, 14,
22. This was the character of that law at the time Paul wrote, which was 60 A.
D. He does not say it used to be holy and good; but it ‘is
holy,’ ‘is spiritual,’ etc. The holy apostle says,
‘I delight in the law of God.’ Should we not do the same? The apostle
adds: ‘The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be.’ Rom. 8:7.
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“Reader, God's law is just right: the trouble is
with the carnal heart. It does not love to obey that law. How is it with
yourself? Do you love to meditate upon that law? Do you observe its precepts?
Or are you breaking some of these commandments? Remember that one of them
plainly requires you to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. We beseech you not to
regard this matter lightly, nor condemn us for teaching and keeping the law of
God just as the Bible presents it. We solemnly believe that the time has come
for a reformation concerning the commandments of God, as predicted in the last
message (Rev. 14:12) : ‘Here are they that keep the commandments of God,
and the faith of Jesus.’ Just before Jesus comes, a people is to be raised
up who will keep all the commandments of God, while they also have faith in
Jesus. This is just what we see fulfilled in the work of Seventh-day
Adventists.”—D. M. Canright, The Law of God.
The following paragraphs also were written by Mr.
Canright before he renounced the moral law. In these he clearly shows that
Christ did not abolish the Ten Commandments, but greatly magnified and
confirmed them. Thus again speaking as an Adventist he answers himself:
“We will now briefly examine what is said of the
law of God. The psalmist says, ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting
the soul.’ Ps. 19:7. Since it came from a perfect being, we should
naturally expect it to be perfect. Of the extent of this law we read: ‘Let
us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His
commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.’ Eccl. 12:13. The
requirements of God's law extend to every moral duty of man. The decalogue is,
of course, but a brief epitome of these duties, while all the moral precepts of
the Old Testament, and of the New also, are but the further explanation of it,
and continue in force with it. Of this law the Lord says, ‘I gave them My
statutes, and showed them My judgments,
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which, if a man do, he shall even live in them.’ Eze.
20:11.
“Speaking of the effect of Christ's mission upon
the law, the prophet says, ‘He will magnify the law, and make it
honorable.’ Isa. 42:21. Did He magnify the law by abolishing it? Did He
make it honorable by doing it away? No, indeed. Listen to His own words as He
shows how His coming was to affect the law (Matt. 5:17-28): ‘Think not
that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets.’ He is careful at the
very opening of His ministry to disclaim any intention of destroying the law.
‘I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.’ To fulfill is to keep.
Gal. 6:2. ‘Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of
Christ.’ Is a law ended when it is fulfilled? Then the law of Christ was
abolished in the apostles' time. No; to fulfill a law is to keep it. (See also
Rom. 2:25-27; James 2:8-12.) So Jesus came to obey the law, not to break or
abolish it.
“That it is the ten commandments of which He is
speaking, He shows by quoting two of them to illustrate what He means (verses
21, 27): ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ and ‘Thou shalt not commit
adultery.’ Where are these words to be found? Nowhere in all the Old
Testament except in the decalogue. Hence it is certain that this is the law of
which He is speaking….
“Jesus then takes two of those commandments, and
comments on them to show how broad is their application: ‘Ye have heard
that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say
unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart.’ Does He abolish that commandment?
He does that which is just the opposite: He shows that it extends farther than
to the outward act. He simply states what had always been true of it, though
not explained so clearly before. Thus He magnified the law, and made it
honorable. How different this language is from that which we have found used
when the ceremonial law was spoken of! So we shall find it all the way
through….
“Every time the decalogue, or any one of the ten
commandments, is mentioned in the New Testament, it is honored,
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exalted, and enforced; while on the other hand, the law of
ordinances is always spoken of as being of no further importance. Notice a few
examples. When the Pharisees asked Jesus why He transgressed the tradition of
the elders in not washing His hands before eating, He said unto them, ‘Why
do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God
commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother; and, He that curseth father or
mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or
his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, and
honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the
commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites! well did
Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their
mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in
vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’
Matt. 15:1-9.
“Jesus quoted the fifth commandment, and then
severely reproved the Pharisees for making this void. He says that all their
other worship is in vain as long as they disregard one of these
commandments….
“Finally, Paul concludes his argument on the
decalogue thus: ‘Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid;
yea, we establish the law.’ Rom. 3:31.
“Here we take our stand. The apostle's statement is
positive, clear, and decisive. The law is not abolished….
“In Romans 7, Paul again refers to the ten
commandments (verse 7): ‘I had not known lust, except the law had said,
Thou shalt not covet.’ This is a quotation from the tenth commandment,
showing what law he means. Of this law he says (verse 12), ‘Wherefore the
law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.’ How could he
exalt that law in higher terms than this? Nor does he say that it used to be
holy, but he says, ‘the law is holy.’ It was still holy, just,
and good, when he was writing, thirty years after the resurrection. Again he
says of it (verse 14), ‘For we know that the law is spiritual.’ Again
(verse 22), ‘For
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I delight in the law of God after the inward man.’
Could Paul have said all this of an old abolished law, which at the best was a
yoke of bondage, which was against us, and contrary to us? No,
indeed….
“The testimony of James in favor of the ten
commandments is plain and strong. Chap. 2:8-12. ‘If ye fulfill the royal
law [royal, kingly, the law of the great King] according to the scripture, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.’ It requires love to
fulfill the law, hence in keeping it we must remember this principle. ‘But
if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as
transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of all.’ Now he will show of what law he is speaking:
‘For He that said [margin, “that law which said”], Do not commit
adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now, if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou
kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.’ Here James quotes the
sixth and seventh of the ten commandments, the only law which says what he here
quotes. Thus he directly enforces that law, and all of it, too, for he says
that whoever keeps the whole of that law and yet offends in one point is guilty
of all. Then the whole ten are binding and must be kept. Hence he adds:
‘So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of
liberty.’ Then men will be judged by this law in the judgment. It
is properly called the ‘law of liberty,’ because those who keep it
are not condemned, but are free from sin. Thus David says, ‘I will walk at
liberty: for I seek Thy precepts.’ Ps. 119:45.
“John also says, ‘This is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments.’ 1 John 5:3. Describing the saints who live
at the second advent, the Lord says, ‘Here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.’ Rev. 14:12. The faith of
Jesus embraces the gospel, the teachings of Christ. The commandments are those
of God the Father—His moral law, the ten commandments. And, finally, in
the very last revelation we have from Jesus, which we find in Revelation 22:14,
He especially mentions His Father's commandments, and pronounces a blessing
upon
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those who keep them. ‘Blessed are they that do His
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city.’
“Thus we see that whenever the ten commandments are
mentioned, or any one of them, either by Jesus or His apostles, they are always
praised, exalted, and enforced. That law is held up as the standard of life,
the test of character, and the rule of judgment.”—D. M. Canright,
The Two Laws (1886), pp. 87-97.
Can any candid mind turn lightly from the truth thus
clearly stated by Mr. Canright, buttressed as it is in its every detail by a
“Thus saith the Lord,” and in its stead accept his later teaching,
that “the law is not binding upon Christians”; that it “is
dead”; and that “we have something better than the decalogue”?
We think not.
Let us briefly compare some of Mr. Canright's later
statements concerning the law with what is said of it in the Scriptures.
Canright, the Baptist, after renouncing the law of God,
said:
“That law is dead.”—Seventh-day
Adventism Renounced, p. 331.
“The letter of the law is not binding upon
Christians as a coercive code.”—Ibid., p. 330.
“We have something better than the
decalogue.”—Ibid., p. 355.
But God, by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, says:
“O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments!
then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the
sea.” Isaiah 48:18.
David also speaks of it thus:
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“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the
soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes
of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is
pure, enlightening the eyes.” Psalms 19:7, 8.
“It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have
made void Thy law.” Psalms 119:126.
Solomon adds this testimony:
“The commandment is a lamp; and the law is light;
and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” Proverbs 6:23.
Jesus declares:
“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than
one tittle of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17.
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law….
Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from
the law.” Matthew 5:17, 18.
“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments.” Matthew 19:17.
Paul testifies:
“I had not known sin, but by the law.” Romans
7:7.
“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment
holy, and just, and good.” Romans 7:12.
“Do we then make void the law through faith? God
for-bid; yea, we establish the law.” Romans 3:31.
James tells us:
“Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend
in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, Do not commit adultery,
said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou
art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that
shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10-12.
John the Beloved adds this:
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that
they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates
into the city.” Revelation 22:14.
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Surely these patriarchs, prophets, and disciples of our
Lord did not in any wise agree with Mr. Canright's renunciation of the moral
law as a guide for God's children. Nor do his teachings agree with those of
Jesus.
Mr. Canright, the Baptist, declares, “The law is
dead.”
Jesus replies, “I came not to destroy the
law”; and it will endure as long as heaven and earth remain. Paul declares
that faith has not made it void.
Mr. Canright says, “We have something better than
the decalogue.”
David replies, “The law of the Lord is
perfect.” And Paul adds, “The law is holy.” If a thing is
perfect and holy, then nothing else can be better. A thing cannot excel
perfection, for perfection cannot be improved upon. A thing cannot advance from
holiness to greater purity. Therefore there is a very wide divergence here
between the teachings of Mr. Canright after he renounced the divine law, and
the words of David, Jesus, and Paul. Mr. Canright takes the position that the
Ten Commandments have been improved upon, that we have something better. But
note again that David and Paul declare the Decalogue to be perfect and holy,
and therefore not capable of improvement. It is therefore not merely with
Seventh-day Adventism that Mr. Canright's argument is in conflict but with the
writers of both the Old and New Testaments, and with the Lord Himself. Surely
he must have joined the class of which Jesus said, “Howbeit in vain do
they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying
aside the commandments of God, ye hold the tradition of men.” Mark 7:7,
8.