"Truth about Ellen White Writings"

Parallels from J. W. Nevin

The Ceremonial and the Moral Laws:

1. Two – fold system of law

Ellen White (1827-1915): “…God’s people, whom he calls his peculiar treasure, were privileged with a twofold system of law; the moral and the ceremonial. The one, pointing back to creation to keep in remembrance the living God who made the world…Each is clear and distinct from the other. From the creation the moral law was an essential part of God’s divine plan, and was as unchangeable as himself” (RH, May 6, 1875).

J. W. Nevin (1803-1886): “As a church, the Jews were placed under a two – fold system of law. They had the Moral Law, which rests upon all men, in every age; and they had a Ceremonial Law, peculiar to their dispensation, and designed to pass away with it…They were distinguished nevertheless, from each other by a wide and clear difference…The one had its origin with the beginning of creation… and being essential to, and inseparable from, its constitution, as long as that constitution shall last” (A Summary of Biblical Antiquities: Compiled for the use of Sunday school teachers, Vol. 2, pp. 16, 17, 18, 1830).

2. The Ceremonial Law

Ellen White (1827-1915): “…  The statutes concerning marriage, inheritance, and strict justice in deal with one another, were peculiar and contrary to the customs and manners of other nations, and were designed of God to keep his people separate from other nations” (RH, May 6, 1875).

J. W. Nevin (1803-1886): “The laws which god gave the Jewish republic, in its civil character, were of the first class; such as were the statutes that were made concerning magistrates, marriages, inheritances, punishments, &c…The Jewish Church was the special object regarded, in the separation of the Israelites from the rest of the world to be the peculiar people of the Most High” (A Summary of Biblical Antiquities: Compiled for the use of Sunday school teachers, Vol. 2, pp. 16, 17, 1830).

3. The Ceremonial Law serves as hedge to the Moral Law

Ellen White (1827-1915): ““A special system of rites and ceremonies was established, which would secure the remembrance of God among his people, and thereby serve as a hedge to guard and protect the ten commandments from violation” (RH, May 6, 1875).

J. W. Nevin (1803-1886): “There he formed a solemn covenant with the whole nation, and gave them a written law… A great system of rites and ceremonies was established, which while it served like a hedge to secure proper form and continuance of the Church…” (A Summary of Biblical Antiquities: Compiled for the use of Sunday school teachers, Vol. 2, p. 15, 1830).

4. The ceremonial law enforced by the Moral law

Ellen White (1827-1915): “Christ gave to Moses religious precepts which were to govern the everyday life. These statutes were explicitly given to guard the ten commandments. They were not shadowy types to pass away with the death of Christ. They were to be binding upon man in every age as long as time should last. These commands were enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly and definitely explained that law” (RH, May 6, 1875).

J. W. Nevin (1803-1886): “The Moral Law… It carries its authority into all duties: even such as were ceremonial in their nature were enforced by its power…This law, we have said, never loses its force. Every human soul is at all times under its authority. Nor will it in any case give up the smallest part of its claim” (A Summary of Biblical Antiquities: Compiled for the use of Sunday school teachers, Vol. 2 p. 18, 19, 1830).

5. Purpose of the Ceremonial Law – 1

Ellen White (1827-1915): “The ceremonial law was to answer a particular purpose of Christ plan for the salvation of the race. The typical system of sacrifices and offerings was established that through these services the sinner might discern the great offering, Christ…The law of types reached forward to Christ. All hope and faith centered in Christ until type reached its antitype in his death” (RH, May 6, 1875).

J. W. Nevin (1803-1886): The Ceremonial Law “…was made to answer some particular end in general system of God’s grace; and having accomplished the design, had no longer any authority whatsoever… It was framed to shadow forth figurative representation the most important spiritual truth; and so that by its serious observance, believers who lived before the time of Christ might continually grow in the knowledge and grace; …It pointed the great provision, which God intended, to reveal in its proper time, for the taking away of sin, and directed the eye of faith and hope to the perfect salvation that was to come” (A Summary of Biblical Antiquities: Compiled for the use of Sunday school teachers, Vol. 2, pp. 18, 21, 1830).

6. The purpose of the Ceremonial laws – 2

Ellen White (1827-1915): “The ceremonial law was to answer a particular purpose of Christ’s plan for the salvation of the race… defining and simplifying the principles of the moral law, for the purpose of increasing religious knowledge, and of preserving God’s chosen people distinct and separate from idolatrous nations…” (RH, May 6, 1875).

J. W. Nevin (1803-1886): “One use of the Ceremonial law was to keep the Israelitish nation separate and distinct from the rest of the world, and to guard them from idolatry” (A Summary of Biblical Antiquities: Compiled for the use of Sunday school Teachers, Vol. 2, p. 20, 1830).

7. Two great principles of the Moral law

Ellen White (1827-1915): “The law of Jehovah, dating back to creation, was comprised in the two great principles, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” These two great principles embrace the first four commandments, showing the duty of man to God, and the last six, showing the duty of man to his fellow man” (RH, May 6, 1875).

J. W. Nevin (1803-1886): “The one had its origin with the beginning of creation… Our saviour teaches us that the sum of all the Moral Law is expressed in two great precepts. (Matt 22: 37-40.) Love to God will secure natural obedience to all his will, and, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour”” (A Summary of Biblical Antiquities: Compiled for the use of Sunday school teachers, Vol. 2, p. 18, 1830).

8. Ceremonial system would be meaningless without the death of Christ

Ellen White (1827-1915):  “…The death of Jesus Christ for the redemption of man, lifts the veil and reflects a flood of light back hundreds of years, upon the whole institution of the Jewish system of religion. Without the death of Christ all this system was meaningless” (RH, May 6, 1875).

J. W. Nevin (1803-1886): “As we look backward many hundred years, and find hope of the church in a redemption long since wrought… It ought to be remembered, that the sum and substance of the entire bible is Jesus Christ crucified to save the lost world; and without this object in view as its grand End, the whole system of religion can have no meaning” (A Summary of Biblical Antiquities: Compiled for the use of Sunday school teachers, Vol. 2, p. 22, 1830).