Montgomery County sentinel., 1891-05-01
The Ten Commandments.

After the people of Israel were delivered
from the dominion of King Pharaoh, and
from bondage in Egypt, 1t pleased Almighty
| God to formulate rules for their guidance
in their religious and moral welfare, and He
| brought Moses up into Mount Sinai and
there, amidst the thunder and lightning and
stormy darkness, "He gave unto Moses, when
He had made an end of communing with
him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testi-
mony, tables of stone, written with the fin
ger of God" But while Moses was absent
with God in Sinai the people, under his
brother Aaron wearied of waiting for his
return, and persuaded Aaron to make them
God whom they might worship and have
visible communion with. And Aaron col
lected from the people large quantities of
gold jewelry, such as earrings and other
trinkets, and melting them up together
moulded them into the form of q calf, which
he skillfully engraved and embelished, and
raised upon an altar, proclaiming it to be
the God that ad led them from the house
of bondage. But God saw them and sent
Moses back to give them His command.
ments, and when Moses came and found
them worshiping the golden calf he was 80
enraged at them that he threw the tables
containing the commandments down upon
the ground and they were broken to pieces,
and he abused the people terribly for their
sacrilege and impatience. But after he had
collected himself and become composed he
pitied the people and sought for them the
forgiveness Of God, and asked Him to pre-
pare other tablets and give them the COM
mandments again. And God told Moses to
hew two tables of stone like the first
and "write thou these words" And he
wrote upon the tables the covenant, the ten
commandments. And these commandments
have been the guiding rule and standard for
religion and morality for most all the civil
lied races of the earth from that time.
To repeat them here would be unneces-
sary for they are familiar to every one. But
though known to and having been commit
ted to memory by so many they may not,
by all persons, have been the subject of the
reflection and consideration to which they
are entitled. One of their greatest beauties
is the perfectly simple and plain language
in which they are xpressed-language
which enables the young child or illiterate
adult to fully comprehend their force and
grandeur as conspicuously as beautiful
mountain scenery is presented TO the eye
There is not word In them that any one
has ever been able to improve, or an idea
that can be regarded as less than perfect
1t is the best law that the world has ever
known, and so far reaching is it in its COM
pass that the greater part of our agones and
and sorrows, both physical and moral, are
in no little degree connected with the breach
and disregard OF this plain divine law. By
studying the commandments and endeav-
oring with earnest prayer to make their
precepts part of our lives, to guide US in
our Intercourse with each other, and in our
communion with God, we could not posi-
bly, avoid the happy influence that would
be reflected upon our lives and in our hearts.
They solemnly warn us against vicious ac
nd hahi 10 hu hat nj lnf
all appeals, our jealous regard for our pos
terity, our children We are warned that
if we conduct our lives in conflict with the
spirit of these commandment that disobed-
ience shall be visited upon our children by
Inheritance II We disregard the law and
lead sinful lives our children, too, will be
weak to resist vice and prone to fall into
the wickedness of their parents. But if we
conform TO the law and walk in our lives by
the bright light of the commandments we
shall impart strength and virtue TO our pos
terity and leave the world better from our
advent in it, besides deriving so much more
happiness from life than can possibly be OBJ
tained from the opposite course. Taken
aside from the formular profession of any
denomination OF religious faith, and even
had it emanated from Moses and not from
God, the decalogue would have commend
ed itselfto our intelligence and experience
as perfect set of rules for the promotion of
friendly intercourse and the highest degree
of happiness on earth. 1t brings to our at
tention all things that are needful for us to
do, and at the same time warns us against
those evils to which we seem so naturally
inclined. We cannot read and study this
divine law enough TO become tired of the
pursuit, for, like the paintings of the old
artists and the music of the old composers,
they awaken in our hearts and minds the
impression of greater beauty and sublimity
the more we study them. The command
ments light US in our duty to God, and the
"golden rule" reveals to us the happiest and
best spirit in our intercourse with each
other w.