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

the irving square EGSUyCeTIdA
Church on the theme 1.-The Ten
Words the Rev Ira Wemmell Hen
derson, pastor, took as his text Exc
dus 20:1-1T. He said:
Whatever may be our personal and
private convictions as to the manner
] of Gods revelation of Himself to
| Moses; however much we may differ
as to the exact form in which the
l3w-giver of Israel received the mes
sage of Divinity; however much we
may be at variance as to the exact
ness of the Bible story in its por-
traiture Of the scene when Moses met
Jehovah on Sinai; no matter what
may be our belief concerning the
date and the authorship of the book
of the Exodus, the simple fact is
that the ten commandments are the
expression of fundamental truths
THAT God has revealed to man. Be-
hind all human law and jurispru-
dence lies the code of Moses. These
ten stern, terse negative commands
that Moses got from God are at the
basis of all legal theory and practice.
The -decalog is the codiication of
the divine will for the guidance and
fcontrol of human action. The ten
twords are the rules of the Almighty
for the regulation of mans rela-
Ftions with humanity and his Maker.
Take them, merely. if you will, as
the human recognition Of mans OBJ
Legations toward God and society and
still the commandments are of God.
Whether we reach the conclusion by
the tiresome philosophy of the Mid
die Ages, or by the simple reason
ing of the earliest minds of Israel,
Or by the scientific discriminative
processes of modern thought, the
fact is that all truth is from God.
Thus saith the Lord" is the source
Of life's veritles. It is God who in
IspireS us. God who gives w. knowl-
ledge and understanding and wis
dom; God it is who sends us onward
land upward. He it was who put
into the hearts of Moses and of Is
rael the love of His laws and the
desire to do His will. And to-day
He strives with us as really as He
| ever e~ndeavored with the generations
that are dead.
The question is not whether or no
God gave Moses tablets of stone; the
issue is not whether or no Moses
wrote the story of the scene on the
mount, as it is preserved to US; the
point to be decided is whether Or no
Moses spoke God-given truth. 1t all
hinges not on the manner of the
delivery of the commandments but
upon the nature and divinenesS Of
the matter revealed. Do Moses
words bear the marks of a heaven
born gift, are they fraught with the
power and the wisdom of Jehovah
Himself? Are they stamped with
a celestial brand and do they ex-
Dress everlasting verities? Are
they just to men and are they
- - A. TXS--0 ~ ~ry
the needs of men? IRE they in
s~pirationa1? These are the tests of
the usefulness and the worthiness of
the commandments. These are the
qualities that must inhere in them
ere they can command the respect
of humanity and evidence Gods orig
lnation.
: BY these standards the ten COM
mandmentS are divinely inspired. A
; glance at them discovers to US the
seal of the Eternal. Experience of
their value in the midst of the &C
, ~tivities of this worlds life proves
; their worth to mankind. Analysis
l of their content and their aim leads
us to declare them worthy of Je-
hovah. With all that inquiry asks
!, and criticism demands the ten words
are at one.
: Consider the commandments sepa-
rately and you will grant l speak the
. truth. The call of God for undivided
: loyalty to Himself is but the voice
: of reason. No man can serve two
masters. And it is a certainty that
least of all can he serve two masters
whose interests are Numerically op-
posed. We cannot serve righteous
t ness and sin at the same time. God
: deserves the full devotion of every
human heart. To worship an lido
is to lose the consciousness of the
spirituality of Divinity; to mistake
means for the end, material mani
festations for the unseen dynast. TIC
play fast and loose with Gods name
is an insult to the Father. The self.
respect OF God requires human self
control. Profanity is indecent anC
degrading to mind and soul. The
q need and the -preciousness of a Sab
baths rest is too apparent to war
rant comment. Common courtes,
q accords respect to our earthly par
ents, especially when they are worth,
o of respect. Strict obedience to tn,
I command thou shalt not kill
f would spoil the business of the exc
cutioners; stop war at once.
: The fruits of adultery are all to-
= distressingly visible. The jaiIs ar
4O44 IA SA4OhO0 dA0 WOu1a DO ONGI
crowded were the Mosaic code rigid
ly applied and enforced. Lying j
Q mean, humanity, d~espicable, disre
I putable, devilish. Satisfaction wit
b a fair share of this worlds good
= is better. than covetousneSs.
a The decalog meets humanity a
vital points and helps mankin
ahead. Although included in tn
!" law of love laid down by Christ
% is by nc means abrogated. The tie
/ commandments bind us as we'll 9
Moses. The words of Christ emph;
le size their demands. The laws {
10 Moses are not defeasible or defunc
10 They will always be obligating. n
statement of our Lord and no b
- of New Testament wisdom legislatt
them out CT existence or counte
u mands them. They still bind u
~ The eleventh command merely su'
ports, supplements and reinforc,
id the other ten.
~ Love God and Won won't SER