The times-news., 1937-08-14


from the towering, abrupt height
of Sinai with cloudy cap then WV
id with lightning and reverberant
with thunder. First he revealed
himself as their God who had led
them out of Egypt. Then ne pro-
claimed the fundamentals OF his
law.
FOUR COMMANDMENTS
EXODUS 20:3-lD
The First Table of :he Law
dealing with duties to God con-
tains four Commandments in
which respectively God permits
no rival, no formality, no sacri-
lepe. and no desecration. Stating
it positively:
The First Commandment re-
ouires submission to the sover-
eighty of God. There is no room
for two thrones in any life, and
God must be supreme. Polytheism,
or the doctrine of many gods, is
here given death blow. And with
it goes atheism, or the doctrine
of no god, and pantheism or the
doctrine that God is everything;
and even deism which, while rec
oenizing the existence of God, de-
nies revelation and rejects Chris
tianity. This First Commandment
is the mudSill of religion.
The Second Commandment re-
quires sincerity in the worship
of God. There is the temptation
to use some representation Of him
or some intermediary between us
and him. But there is no room in
our religion for the carved image
or the sacred picture or sanity
relic. Remember that God is jeal-
Gus, and that he visits the iniquity
of the fathers upon their chill
dren to the third and fourth gen
erations-the trail and trace of
sin running down the channel Of
heredity. And the same is true in
a good sense Of those that love
God and keep his commandments,
for his mercy will reappear in
their line even to the thousandth
generation. Worship must be sim
cere, and without Intermediary.
The Third Commandment re-
quires consistency in the service
of God. 1t 'is not enough to rec
ognize God as sovereign and to
bow down before him in reverent
worship; we must also engage ac-
lively in his service. Of course
profanity is forbidden and so is
perjury, irreverent jesting, and
the like. But this Third Word in
cludes our entire profession as
worshiperS of Jehovah and our
representation of him before the
world. We take and wear and
bear his name in vain when by
wickedness we bring that Name
in disrepute before men.
The Fourth Commandment re-
quires conformity to the law OF
God. 1t is most beneficent law
with it's demand for obedience
and it's promise of blessing. How
simple yet how sublime is this
command; for if we keep it holy
we shall indeed remember the
sabbath day; and if we thus re-
member it, untold blessing VIII
come to us individually and ~ a
nation. But we cannot remember
the sabbath and keep it holy with
out properly employing the other
days of the week. And thus every
week, by six days work and one
day for rest and worship and
beneficence, we may heed this
wholesome Word from Sinai.
DUTIES TO MAN
SIX COMMANDMENTS
Exodus 20:l2-l7)
The Second Table of the Law
dealing with duties to man con-
tains six Commandments, one
positive and five negatives, widen
ing the circle of duties from the
rights of parenthood which lay
claim upon us first in point of
time and of Importance, to the
rights of brotherhood which pro-
tect us on the highroad of life
from the grasp of greed or even
the glance of envy.
The Fifth Commandment rec
ognizes the right of parenthood,
enjoins the duty of parental re-
spect, and implies the obligation
to be dutiful. "Thy father and thy
mother; we can honor them by
the word of love, by obeying their
commands, by adding to our usual
tasks the extras of kindness and
thoughtfulness toward them, by
seeking their counsel and imitat-
ing them, and best of all, by
bringing our lives if we can up
to the standard of their ideals
and hopes for us. Of course, there
is the great reward of long days
and much happiness in such a
course of conduct.
The Sixth Commandment recog-
nizes the right of life, forbids
murder, and implies the duty to
be unhating, even-tempered, and
forglving. Murder is more than
the cold-blOoded striking down of
a fellow man to death. 1t is that
indeed and clearly; but it may be
expanded even to the shortening
OF llfe by various means-care-
iessness of common carriers, for
example, or the slaughter of en-
,ployes in fre-trap factory or
the massacre of innocents by
grinding and emaciating child la