The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-02-12
Religion Of the Old Egyptians.

urally from the belief in God as "our
Father which art in Heaven" We con-
stantly find Inscriptions on the tombs
such as the following: II honored my
father and my mother; Iloved my broth
ers. I taught little children. I took
care Of orphans as though they had been
my own children" In letters of excel
\ent advice addressed by an old man of
10 years of age to young friend
which form the most ancient book in the
world, dating 5000 B. Che says: "The
{bediance of docile son is blessing.
God loves obediance. Disobediance is
lated by God. The obediance of son
maketh glad the heart of his father.
If = A son teachable in Gods SER
vice will be happy in consequence of his
pbediance, he will grow to be old, he
win find favor" This is the earliest ap-
| pearance of the "irst command with
PROMISE" Eph. 1.:2O the obediance
10 God and man, which was the t'essence
of Hebraism." The moral code of the
Egyptians was exceedingly elaborate.
1t consisted of AZ commandments or
heads under which all sins might be
classed. This code was the ideal placed
before men on earth; it was the
standard of perfection according to
which they would be Judged in
heaven. Some of them are of local in
terest only, but most belong to the eter-
nal laws'of right and wrong written on the
tables of the heart. Men were taught
from childhood, as children are now
adays taught their catechism, that they
must appear in the presence of the Di-
vine Judge, and say: ~ have not privily
done evil to my neighbors. I have not
afflicted any, nor caused any to weep. I
have not told lies. I have not done any
wicked thing. have not done what is
hateful to the gods. have not calum-
mated the slave to his master. have
not been idle. I have not stolen. Ihave
not committed adultery. I have not
committed murder" And so on. But
their commandments were positive as
well as negative. On the tombs we find
the common formula: II have given
bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty,
clothes to the naked, shelter to the strang-
er." In the lamentations at funerals, the
mourners see the deceased entering the
presence of the Divine Judge, and they
chant the words: "There is no fault in
him. No accuser riseth up against him.
In the truth he liveth, with the truth he
nourisheth himself. The gods are salts
fed with all that he hath done. x
He succored the afflicted, he gave bread
to the hungry, drink to the thirsty,
clothes to the naked, he sheltered the out
cast, Ibis doors were open to the stranger, he
was a father to the fatherless." This
was the principle of Sthe final judgment
announced by the Sen of Man. to whom
tall judgment is committed" some 1900
years afterward, among the hills of Pal
estine. This tenderness for suffering
humanity is characteristic of the
nation. Gratefully does man
acknowledge in his autobiography
| $4,000 B. CO. "Wandering I wandered
and was hungry, bread was set before me
I fed from the land naked, there was
given me fine linen" 1t is glory to 8
man that "the poor shall make thei1
moan at the door of his tomb" An in
scription on tomb at Benz Hassan, writ
ten about 2,50O B. c., reads: IT have
not oppressed ;any widow. No prisoner
languished in my days. No one died O.
hunger. When there were years of fam
inc I had my fields plowed. I gave tooe
to the inhabitants, SO that there was NJ
hungry person. gave the widow eqna
portions with the married. l did no
prefer the rich to the poor" On, wal
of the Temple of Karnak there is sculp
tured the earliest known extraditionar.
treaty. It is between Rameses II. and
Khetan Prince. The last clause provide
that political fugitives are to be sen
back, with the following humane pro
vision for their personal safety: "Who
ever shall be delivered up, himself, hi
wives, his children, let him not be smit
ten to the death moreover, let him no
suffer in the eyes, in the mouth, in tn
feet; moreover, let not any crime he sc
up against him" This treaty was en-