Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-07-10
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
international Lesson Comments For
July Is.
Subject: The Ten Commandments, Duties to
God, Ex XXX, l.lI-Golden Text. Luke x"
27-Memory Verses, 3.ll-Commen.
tary on The Days Lesson.

l. "And God spal1e." After the glorious
ence of God on Mount Sinai had solemn,
lied the minds of the people and excited
their awful expectations, it may be sup
posed that the sound of the trumpet
ceased, and Jehovah Himself Immediately
/ spake in voice loud enough to be distinct
iy heard by the immense assembled multi
tude. Afterward God wrote the law with
His own finger on two tables of stone, and
to-day He writes it on the "heshly tables
of our hearts," "Thcse words" The words
spoken are generally called the ten com
mandments; although sometimes they are
called the moral law, because they lay
down rules for the conduct of men They
are also called the decalogue. In the Old
Testament they are called covenant
Deut. 4: l3) or testimony. They are the
simple words of Gods loving covenant to
His people, and not arbitrary command
ments to His subjects. They bind God and
, His people in mutual affection.
2. II am the Lord thy Cod Jeho-
yah, self-cxistent independent, eternal, the
| fountain of all being and power. lie thai
| gives being may give law, therefore lie IS
| able to reward obedience and punish dis
obedience Though all the people are here
/ for them Individually, that each might feel
that he was hound for himself to hear and
| obey all these words" (Which have
! brought thee" Therefore they were bound
in gratitude to obey Him. They had been
| eyewitness of the great things God had
| done for their dciverancc. They were now
| enjoying the fruits of their dehverancc and
| in expectation of speedy settlement in
| Canaan. BY redecmng them lie acquired
further right to rule them. They owed
their service to Him to whom they owed
| their freedom and whose they were by puf-
chase.
The First Commandment 3. "Thou."
| In the singular, and personal, because each
! individual must obey for himself. Shalt
have" The commandments are given with
authority. They are definite aud positive,
mo other gods before Me- alone must
| be your God. I must have the who'c heart.
This is reasonable. J. Because here is 70
other true God .. lie is oar Creator. 8.
| We are entirely dependent on Him. 4. lie
| is holy being, and His nature * worthy
| of our supreme affection. 8. by loving
! Him we receive the greatest good aud the
highest happiness that can possibly come
! to us in this world. 6. To love Him is the
| foundation of all true religion. I. RcrHWc
| apart from Him there is no true happiness.
| 1t is not necessary to actually bow down
| before dumb dos to be spiritual idn'atorS.
| Whatever We hold first III our affections is
our God 1t may he ourselves. or our pos
sessions. or the houors aud delights Of this
world, or it may be our Heavenly Father.
The Second Commandment. vs. as. !.
"Any craven image" Nothing shall he
| made to represent God. or as means ct
worshiping God. We have Included here
| every species of idoiatry known to have
| been practiccd among the Egyptians. Nd.
vocatcs of idol worship declare that the
| material images are mcrclv to call ~ the
mental idea Of God, but TINS is positively
forbidden by this commandment. Those
| who worship Jehovah "mr,st not have any
| image before thcm to direct, excite or ~.
sist their devotion. Though tn worship
was designed to terminate in God, it Won,d
not please Him if it came to Him through
| an image. THAT is in heaven The ibis,
storll, crane and hawk were objects OF
Egyptian idolatry. In the earth beneath
The OK, heifer crocodile, serpent and bee
tie were also objects of Egyptian idoiatry.
"ln the water" All fish were considered
| sacred among the Egyptians:
| s. a jealous Cod God is not willing
that any other should occupy the first place
in the affections of His people VISITING
the iniqmty," etc. While this is not in.
tended to teach that the punishment of the
personal sins of the parents will be IN,
ilcted on the children (Ezck Is: 20), aud
while it is true that we will not be con.
demncd by divine justice for crimes OF
hercdity * such that even remote de-
sccndants inherit the consequences Of their
! fathers sins IN disease, poverty and captlv-
| ity, with all the influences of bad example
and evil communications, but such suffer.
ing must always be free from the sting of
conscience
9. Shelving mercy Mercy is Gods
delight lie shows His favor and kindness
to thousands of generations, while His
judgments reach only to the third or
fourth. keep My commandments" by
keeping His commandments we will show
our love and put ourselves in position to
receive His mercy.
The Third Commandment. Z THE
name" BY the name of God we art to I'M
derstand His titles by which lie makScth
Himself known to MS in valn.' Either
by false oaths. common swearing, or light
and irrtverent mention of God. Guilt
less The Lord will not treat him as ill.,
nocent and allow him to go unpublished.
The Fourth Commandment. VS.. S-ll. s.
Remember" This was not enactng a
new law, but rcvvns an old one. 1t may
have been forgotten by the Hebrews, or
possibly denied to them while in Egypt.
THE Sabbath day." Sabbath means rest,
and this day was to be 4 rest day. TO
keep it holy The Sabbath must be kept,
~ As Il day of rest from worldly business
(2) As a day to be spent in holy exercise.
God. 10y blessing it. had made it holy and
they. by solemnly blessing Him. must keep
it holy 1t was not merely to be a day OF
rest from labor, but it was to be day set
apart for divine worship.
o. "Shalt thou labor" Labor is a duty
as well as a necessity" 'llere is a positive
commandment, as explicit as that which
cnjoins the Sabbath of rest"
10. The seventh day" Every seventh
day. One seventh of our tire should be
given to God "Not do any work" From
this it is evident that the commandment
was understood as forbidding all sorts of
ordinary work, and was to be applied to
the cattle that is, to the beasts of burden
IL was also applied to the stranger, or for
egner, who settled in any of the cities Of
! Israel
II. "For in SIX days. etc Gods rest
at the close of the creative week Is made 4
reason for the sanctty of the seysath day
in the new dispensaton we have VIE Chris
tian Sabbath which is observed on the first
day of the week, called the Lords day, be-
cause on that day Christ rose from the
tomb bringing new hope and life to the
world The God who had the authority to
institute the Sabbath in honor of the work
of creation, had authority to change the
Sabbath in honor of still greater work,
the work of human redemption. The Chris
tian church has always observed the first
day of the week as the Christian Sabbath