The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-02-07
subiect-The Ten Words.

VI A1CIC ely ACSdL1NC 1OICCs GAPllClLSS
I presume, that is SO. On the face
of things the element of prohibition
enters, largest. into the commands.
But everS explicit prohibition and
~negation fmpliedly asserts a cor
responding and correlated afirma-
ton and positive admonition. Thou
shalt not" says the law; explicitly.
Thou shalt" says the same law inn
plicitly. The law against murder
implies the right of life. The dis
countenancing of falsehood puts a
premium on truth. 70 smash our
idols is the first step toward whole
spirited service of the alone. true
God. The command to stop work
and shut up shop implies that a days
rest is necessary and that God e.
ceive specific recognition from His
children once a week at least. These
and the rest OF the commands in
dictate to the man with the open
mind that the ten words are some
thing more than a series of "don,ts."
Talk about avoiding prohibitions
is not we'll balanced. 1t is impos-
sible for the thinking man to escape
them. The positive commands of
Jesus suggests innumerable prohi-
billions. The mere thou shalt" in
Inmates that there is something we
must not do Men tell us thatcp pro-
hibitionS cause men to desire to do
wrong, that commands not to do
evil impel men to sin just because
of humanity's sheer perverseness.
But sin comes from the wilfulness
of the sinner and not because of
any law, negative or positive. Jesus
promulgated the most extensive as
well as the most statesmanlike posi-
tive law that the world has ever
known; but we know that ven many
of His followers fail to obey it, as
well as the multitude of those who
defiantly deny Him. Despite Christ's
positive example and His positive
declarations and demands men still
continue to run after sin. The shrine
of ! Mammon is damned with vo-
taries. The streets resound with
curses. The harlots and the men
of unclean life still strike unholy
bargains. Homes are shattered and
lives are blighted by the lying tongue.
The cells in "~murderers' row" are
ever full. The nations maintain
armed camps. Legislators spend
their time trying to devise ways and
mean to de-Christianize our Sab
bath. I had almost said. legislators
waste their time: for he'll plans
will never be crowned with success
except America as Ephraim lis a
cake not turned" Everywhere n
every moment men are SHINING, n
that in the face of the positive com
mand of Christ that they should de-
sire and strive for the best. But no
one is foolish enough to say that
the affirmative demand of Jesus that
humanity do and be good impels
mankind to disobedience. likewise
it ought to be patent that men sin
against negative laws not because or
the laws but in spite of them. The
ten commandments are no more re-
| sponsible for sin than is the eleventh.
And the man who says that law ex-
cited him to sin invents a lame and
a thin excuse to say the most for 1t.
A due and proper regard for the
ten commandments not only VIII
lead men to cease from doing the
interdicted sins but also will inspire
them to do good. The implicit thou
shalt is just as mandatory as the
explicit chou shalt not" Thou
shalt not covet," for you will have
enough to do and will secure sufi-
Gent of this worlds stores If you
will attend strictly to your own al
fairs. Thou shalt not bear false
witness" for your w reputation
for veracity is lost with the lie. And
no matter how we'll you may lie or
how smooth and slick you may be
the odds are against you, for the
truth must win and it will win,
Thou shalt not commit adultery
because the ~perpetuity of the race
is dependent on its purity. THOU
shalt not kill" because God has given
the other man the inalienable right
to life. Honor thy father and thy
mother and let them precipitate
any troubles If any there are to be
not YOU. Remember the SabbatE
day. and make it a true rest-day
Chou shalt not take the name o.
the Lord thy God in vain," and We
l have heard many a man take more
liberties with the name of God thai
you would allow any man to TAX
with yours. Thou shalt not bow
down to images or serve other gods
for the Lord is a spirit and a unity.
an idol is a delusion and a snare.
Let us put aside all Quibbling ar
splitting of hairs and admit tn
right Of the ten words to rule a
the laws of our lives. Let us &C
knowledge their divine inspiration
dnQ LlG1r WOTL11nSSS. ASL 10 HO
} seek to escape either their command
, or their duplicates. If we canno
live under the laws of God with peac
and quietude of mind then let U
) change not the laws but our mod
5 of living. The fault is not with God
! regulations but with our society an
its forms. God giveth and possessed
wisdom. Humanity hae a monopol
of fho wispacreS
The statement that the ten CON
? mandments are of no use to-day an
that we have outgrown them is
d bit of fiction. No man is old enoug
to outgrow essential truth, nor
!. any people wise enough and stron
| enough to get along without the tie
commandments. So long as me
Q have minds they must recognize tt
I force of thou shalt not as tt
5 decalog presents it. The new cor
mandment may sum up all the wi
dom OF the old ones, but the trut
, that swayed our fathers fathe
> must still command allegiance al
roSnQct