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1. Honoring Parents. This involves our obligation to reverence and be subject to all God ordained authority. It is logical that the promise of long life and stability is connected with it, for nothing tends so to guarantee justice, sobriety, industry and mutual support as reverence and obedience to age and to lawful authority. And noth ing threatens our domestic and national future more than the absence of it in this age. 2. “Thou shalt do no murder." —This is to guard the health, safety and life of our neighbors. It binds to avoid whatever en dangers the security, and life of our fel lows. It covers public, corporate, commer cial and private responsibility to safeguard health, life and limb. 3. "Thou shalt not commit adultery.”— This is the law of sexual purity in our own bodies and those of others. It is to guard marital and family sanctity and blessedness. Neither murder, nor theft compares with it in importance or dire con sequences to individuals, society or pos terity. 4. “Thou shalt not steal.” —Not only bold robbery and theft are forbidden, but whatever by any means unjustly or un- duely diverts to one’s own possession or advantage the property or due of one's neighbor, whether sanctioned by trade or social custom or legal technic. 5. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against (or in respect to) thy neighbor.”— This covers perjury, slander, scandal, and all that by word or act; by inaction or si lence wilfully damages the reputation and welfare of our fellows, or turns awry the course of justice. 6. “Thou shalt not covet.” —This takes note of the thought and motive before the act. The seed of sin ; the sin of sins. II I. J esus ’ I nterpretation of the L aw . Matthew 5-7 especially deals with the spiritual sphere of law and conduct, and shows that fallen man neither can nor ever could fulfill the law.
the thousands of generations that love Him and keep His commandments. We are re minded again of the Divine Christ that He used this expression (John 14:15). That which is our chief aim and delight; that to which we devote' for its own sake our best energies; that which is our trust: these are our gods. 3. The name of God represents all that pertains to His Person. It is not mere cursing and swearing, but whatever dishon ors His name; reputation, or Person, that is taking His name in vain. A profession that is not honest; a prayer that is not sincere; a hymn that is not of the heart: the discrediting of His Word; the distor tion of His Truth; all this is against this commandment, the profane, the vain, and the inane in respect to God. 4. “Remember, the Sabbath.’’ —“Sabbath day” means “Rest day,” not Seventh day. The' Jews kept the Seventh day. The Christian’s Rest day is the first day. It is not to be kept like the Jews’ day, “>n the letter,” which it is not possible to do, but in the spirit, through the spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:2), which is given us through His resurrection on the First day, when Jesus; “entered into His rest” (Heb. 4:10), that we might rest through Him and in Him, all the days. This com mandment commends to us the blessed privilege of a weekly rest, and the Lord Jesus in His hallowed and ministering life: and the early Church in its hallowed as sembling (Acts 20:7) ; and John “in the Spirit” (Rev. 1 :10) teach us both the wav and the mood in which we should spend it. Six days out of seven we are commanded to labor (2 Thess. 3:10); and scientific research has shown that even to unregen erate society, physicajly, socially and eco nomically, a weekly rest day is of incal culable value. If such a day were kept, in the Christian spirit, I believe that di rectly and indirectly it would do.more to benefit mankind than anything else except regeneration. III. T he S econd T able .—T he M anward A spect .
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