The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-09-29

". brougntCn spoke y Sterd9y from
the text,
II am Jehovah thy God. Thou
shalt have no other gods before me-"
-Ex., 20: =, 3.
The pastor said:
Going back some thirty-three cen.
turies we find ourselves standing w'h
ancient Israel at the foot of Mt. Sinai,
a rugged, picturesque mountain II
is from this point that the divine
code is ushered forth. which we are
to begin to study tonight. We shall
study it, not so much in the light OF
ancient Israel, as in the light of the
present day,
These commandments have never
been abrogated. The grace of the
New Testament incorporates the law,
and holds 1t before US with as much
force as it was intended for Israel.
They are wonderful setting forth of
Divine requirements, and so compre-
hensive that their scope has never
been fully determined.
THE COMMANDMENTS ANALYzED.
Rev. G.. Campbell Morgan, in
speaking of these commandments,
divides them as follows:
"Of the ten words Of Sinai the first
foupdeal with mans relation to God.
OF these the first brings us face to
face with the object Of worship:
Thou shalt have none other gods be-
fore Me- The second reveals the
true mode of worship: 'Thon shalt
nor the likeness Of any form that is
t. I, ok o.lz -
worship is to be spiritual, not ma
terial. The third states that this re-
lation Of man to God-that of wor-
ships to be perpetual one, gov
erning all his life: Thou shalt not
take the name Of the Lord thy God in
vain for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless that taketh His name in
vain The fourth provides that
specific seventh Of mans time is to
be set apart for the express and sole
purpose of worshipping God: Re-
member the Sabbath day to keep it
holy
Having laid the basis Of life and
character the Decalogue proceeds to
deal with the relations of man to his
fellows. First comes the family re-
lation: Honor thy father and thy
mother; second, Thou shalt not
kill; third, Thou shalt not commit
adultery fourth, Thou shalt not
steall' and fifth, Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbour
The remaining one Is also Of moral
nature, but shows that the heart Of
men is to be jealousy guarded against
wrong desire: Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbor's house., and so forth"
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.
"Thou shalt have no other gods be-
fore me-" You will observe that
this commandment is introduced by
the celebration: Il am Jehovah thy
God" 1t is we'll to study for
moment this declaration. The word
Jehovah" is made up Of three He
brew words, which, when put to-
gether forming the one word, means,
"He that will be, He that is, He
that was"-a trinity of existence
So that IL the mind stretches itself
out into the uDseeable and unthink-
able future. He is there. If the
mind dwells upon the present with
it's marvellous manifestations. He
is there. And II the mind is carried
back even berore the beginning, He
is there. "He that will be, He that
is, and He that was" This is Jeho-
yah.
The word "God" used here is also
Of deep interest. 1t is the Hebrew
word "Elchim," meaning 'the su-
preme object Of worship" Let us
now look afresh at the introduction
fN a n T.
yah thy God"-"I am He that will
be, He that is, and He that was; the
supreme object of worship" "Thou
shalt have no other gods before Me-"
ANCIENT IDoLATRY.
The idols of ancient Israel were of
three kinds-Moloch, Baal and Nam
mon. "The worship Of Moloch was
the descent of man into the realm of
awful cruelty, that Of Baal took men
through the depths of bestiality and
impurity, and that of Mammon de-
based its devotees to the lust which
dreams that power turks in posses
sion."
These gods are still worshipped in
all lands and among all peoples. They
may 60 by other names, but they are
the same in force. Indeed, l doubt
not but that their power is more
marked today than ever before in the
history of the world. The iron hand
of Moloch is felt in every great center
of population. Cruelty! Who is it
that does not respond to the cry of
the suffering and the needy? 1t is
the devotee of Moloch.
The God Of Baall Who does not |
see his Shiny hand as the thousands |
and millions of fallen characters |
parade the streets and inhabit the |
alleys Of darkness in the great cities
of the world2 Who keeps them going? |