The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-07-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
for July 20 19O2-The Ten Conn
mandmentS; Duties to Mem.
THE LESSON TEXT.
exodus 20:13-17.)

LIE LESSON ZEAL.
EXODUS 2O:13-17.)
| 10. Thou shalt not kill.
| IA. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
| Is. Thou shalt not steal.
| 16. Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor.
| II. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours
house, thou shalt not covet thy neigh
boris wife, nor his manservant, nor his
maidservant nor his OK, nor his ass, nor
anything that is thy neighbours.
GOLDEN TEXT.-Thou shalt love thy
neis'hbOr as thyseIf.-Matt. 1919.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The two groups of five commands
each have been variously character
lied: those on the first table reli-
gious, those on the second, ethical;
the first, the laws of piety, the Sec
ond of probity; the first, duties to
God, the second, duties to men.
With every right there is CORE
spending duty to respect that right
wherever it is found. We are apt
to talk more about our rights than
our duties. The "Ten Words per-
haps recognizing this popularity of
human nature, emphasize the duty
side. Much of what was said in the
| New Testament of the inferiority of
the law to the Gospel would probably
never have been said but for the inn
mense development of ceremonial
law that came later. In the Deca-
logue is a real revelation of the ia
therhood of God and the brotherhood
of man. 6. Chou shalt not kill
Better, "Thou shalt do no murder"
The word murder sends our thought
back of the outward act to the mo-
tive that prompted it. 1t is in the
motive that the blameworthines or
praiseworthines of an act resides.
This was Christ's way of judging, and
of this very command He said: "Ye
have heard that it was said to them
of old time: Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoeyer shall kill shall be in dam
ger of the judgment; but I say unto
you, that everyone who is angry with
his brother shall be in danger of the
judgment" The command does not
say whether or not it is ever iusti-
fable to kill, but Moses, who would
be supposed to know the true inter
probation of the command believed
it was. Space forbids a discussion
of the ethics of self-defense, of war
and of capital punishment, but they
will naturally come up in the class.
Z. Thou shalt not commit adultery"
After the sacredness of human life
comes the sacredness OF the home.
No nation can be sound and strong
without that. Christ reminds us here
too that there is impurity in thought
as well as in act. ''Man looketh on
the outward appearance, but Jeho-
yah loolleth on the heart" Do we
not make a great mistake when we
treat only one sin as "unfaithful-
ness?" The traitorous heart may
show itself in many kinds of unfaith-
fulness, and it is the traitorous heart
that deals the death blow to the di-
vine institution of the home. 8.
"Thou shalt not steal" The right
of property is recognized and pro-
tected in the eighth commandment.
The command is not: "Thou shalt
not take the property of another"
That may be stealing or it may not.
The right of property is essential to
solid national life What are some
of the respectable" ways of stealing
in business and out of it? g. "Thou
shalt not bear false witness:" The
right of every man to his own repu-
tation and the duty to respect the
similar right of his neighbor is here
stated. The primary reference is to
perjury, but the principle is the same
whether the lie is told in court or
elsewhere. Truthfulness is essential
to the well-being of any community
or nation. May not truthful words
in reality "bear false Witness" and
so is not this command like the 9th
ers in that the point of it lies in the
purpose back of the words? 10.
"Thou shalt not covet," ETC.: This
may also be called a New Testament
commandment. Tt throws it's light
back over the others and makes us
see that righteousness is not an ex-
ternal thing but a matter of the
heart. Sin is forbidden, not simply
crime.
WORDS OF JESUS.
Think not that | came to destroy the
law or the prophets: 1 came not to de-
stroy, but to fulfill.
Sixth COMMUNICATIVE have heard
that it was said unto them of old time,
Thou shalt not kill; and whatsoever shall
kill shall be in danger of the judgment;
but say unto you, that everyone who
Is angry with his brother shall be in
danger of the Judgment; and whatsoever
shall say unto his brother, Raca, shall
be in danger of the council; and whose
ever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in
danger of the hell of fire.