SUM u AY" READ I N G, THE EXPLANATION OF THE TEN COMMANBMENTSi IN THREE PARTS. Sold by J. EVANS & Co. (Printers to the Cheap Repository for Moral and Religious Tractf, No. 41 and 42, Long-Lane, West-Smj^thfield, and J.HATCHARD,'No. 190, Piccadilly, London. By S. HAZARD, ■■' ! B'aTh. And by all Booksellers, Newsmen, and Hawkers, in J Town and Country. *#* Great Allowance will be made to Shopkeepers and Hawkers* PRICE THREE-PENCE. f Enteftd at Stfiiwners 'haft. 1 EXPLANATION, & c . T Eall of us are taught to say the Ten Com- mandments, but there are few of us I am afraid wKo rightly understand them, and fewer still who walk oy them and try t practice them. I ma) add that there are none who do not break, more or les>., one or other of the ten, and that therefore there is no man living- who could bear to be judged by them. We read in the 20th Chapter of Exodus, (from whence the om mand ments are taken ) that God spake ali these wo?ds saying, " I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of Bondage." God was here speaking to the Jews who were of old his favourite people. The Ten Commandments were first given to them, and through them to us. We must not wonder, therefore, if we find a few ex- pressions which suited the Jews better than they will suit us. Let us now proceed to the explanation. FIRST COMMANDMENT. *' Thou shall have no other Gods but me." This means that we must have, or chuse to our- selves, the one true and onl/ God, of the Scrip- tures. Now in order to know who this God of the Scriptures is, M is plain that we must read the&cjrip- tures, and especially the New Testament. He wai the God who appeared to Moses, at Mount Sinai, and gav^ him all these Command nents. He was the God of Abraham,Hfsaac, and Jacob, and all (he Prophets and Holy Men that lived on the earth- He afterwards was still more plainly made known as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom he sent into the world *o die for our sins and he now sends his Holy Spirit into the hearts of those who call upon him. It would take too much time to enter here fully into the character of God - let us therefore only repeat shortly a few of the many things which the Scriptures have said con- cerning him He is "the High and Lofty One who mhabiteth Eternity," "From everlasting to everlasting he .i s God." He is the « Almighty ;» His wisdom is infinite ;" <• the light and the dark- ness are oo h alike to Him." « H e searchest the hearts of all the children of men." « By him ac- tions are weighed"-yea. He « judgeth (he secrets f men's hearts." « Our God shall bringevery work v i g ^ W !! ether k be Sood or whether it be wi I i.J° r ^ hath ,/PP^nted a day in which he 2m h g . fK W01 l d ln ri S hteou sness by that man om he hath ordained;" and "then the wicked XS^"? 'rr eVerlasti "S Punishment, but the 'ghteous into hfe eternal." He is at the same time a^od of compassion and of tender mercy. What an more strongly prove it than his sending Christ odie for us and to offer Salvation to us. g «< God Not that we loved him," says the tobe a v'/ 11 ^ h , C ' l0Ved US ' and se "t his So* £J to -^f es as bein £ " the Lord, the Lord ?L?tlZP and , g, ' aCi0US ' W-ufffering. and giea .goodness, keeping mercy for thousands;" I , I*™ t,me ' He wil1 b y ao means excuse or 31 ' the ""repenting and the " guilty." More. (4 h oyer let us remark, that he is the God of nature and providence : He made the world, and He now governs it. " Not a sparrow falls to the ground without his notice." He orders the events of na- tions and of individuals. He doth all things both in Heaven above and in earth below, " according to the council of his own will," being righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works. Now, therefore, let us seriously apply this sub- ject to ourselves, and hrst as to our knowledge of God. Is it then in the God of the Scriptures that we believe, or in seme false kind of Supreme Being whose character is more suited to our inclinations, and mote indulgent to our sins? Do we believe in a God who will inflict puishment on* the disobe- dient as well as shew mercy to them that love Him and keep his commandments — who on the one hand is ready to pardon and " willeth all men to be saved," and who' on the other will surely condemn " the unbelieving," as well as " plenti- fully reward every wicked doer?" -Oh! how do men often mistake the whole character of God; some in one way, and some in another, according to their various tempers, passions, interests, pre- judices and conceits. But having learned to know God aright, do we in the next place also reverence him, and fear him, and trust him, and love him, and serve him? D° we carry about with us at all times a holy reve- rence and regard to God ? And as to our fear of God, 1 would ask, is it greater in us than our feat frfmari? When men require or expect us to do a tnmg whtch God hath commanded us not to do, whom do we obey, God or man ? that is the ques- tion. In vain do we flatter ourselves that we keep f ( 5 ) i t he first commandment if the fear of man is greater in us than of God. Do we trust him also? Do we trust him, for instance, both in our prosperity and in our adversity, and whatever befalls us do we say j tn at it is the Lord who hath done it, looking for- ward at the same t.me to his help in all the future circumstan-es of our lives; or are we trusting in ourselves and in an arm of flesh ? And here, above all> let us examine whether we love God. Do we love him ? As our Saviour in speaking of this commandment expressly says that we ought to do. I mean, do we love k m " with all our heart, and soul, and s f rength P" Do we I love him more than we love our weroth, our pleasure, our interests, or earthly friends, or any , worldly things whatever? " Whom have I in Heaven but thee/' said the pious Psalmist, ,f and there is none upon earth that 1 desire in com- parison of thee." Do our hearts cleave to God as our best and most desirable portion ? Is his fivor all in all with us, and do we therefore seek it ear- I nestly by prayer and by all the means through which the Scriptures teach us that it is to be ob- j tained ? And to crown all, do we obey Him and ' diligently serve Him ? " If ye love me," said Christ, " keep my commandments." When we say that we love a person, and yet refuse to do the things he desires us, it is loving him in word only, not indeed, or in truth. Nor is it one Command- j mentonly that w« must obey. If a man 44 keep- eth the Commandments of God, and yet o;t»nd- ] €th in one point, he is guilty of all;" tor the same God that saith, u thou Shalt not commit adultery," said also, u thou shalt not steal." No^ \ i ( 6: ) thing more plainly proves men to be hollow and insincere in their whole religion than their profess- ing to serve God indeed in some 'things, but re- fusing to doit in others. Such men do not truly serve God at all. Such is the first Commandment. It says, " thou shalt have none other Gods but me $" that is, thou shaft set up no God in opposition to me, neither thy lusts nor thy passions, neither the world nor the flesh, nor yet any of the false Gods whom men's own imaginations have formed to themselves, nor whom the heathen fall down and worship. SECOND*CQMMANDMENT. " Thou shalt net make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in the heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, and visit the sins of the fathers upon the children, unco the third and fourth genera- tion of them that hate me: and shew mercy unto thousands in them that love me, and keep my Com- mandments. " This Commandment was directed more particu- larly to the Jews. God had seperated them from the surrounding nations, who were idolatrous, and had made a covenant w ith them, that they should not make to themselves gods, such as their neighbours worshipped, but that He should be their God, and they should be His people. He says in this Com- mandment, that He is a jealous God, that is, jea- lous of His honour. It is said in another place, " My glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images/' He will have no rivals any respect. The declaration, that He would visit the sins of the fathers upon the children even to the third and fourth generation, is to be under- stood as a part of that national covenant which God nude with the Jews. If the fathers worshipped and served Him. then the children also would continue to have Him in like manner for their God; but if the fathers went astray, and aid as the hea- then, then also the children tor genera io . after ge- neration were to be involved in the consequences. Somevyhat in like manner indeed it oftens happens now, that children surfer through the crimes of their parents, winch should be an argument with all pa- rents, both to avoid sinning themselves, and to take care lest they draw their children into sin and misery also. Let us then abhor tins sin of idolatry. It was one into which the Jews were continually failing ; and lit it be our prayer, as well as our endeavour, that all nations of the earth who are now sunk in idolatry ray he recovered out of it: for it is a sin highly offensive to God. Let us ourselves keep at the greatest distance from this sin, and for this purpose it seems prudent not even to adorn our churches with images, lest any of the people who see them there, forgetting that God, is a spirt, should pay undue honour to the representation. j THIRD COMMANDMENT. | " Thou shalt not take the name o the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guilt- less who taketh his name in vain." A 4 To take the name of God in vain i s in ft strongest and worst sense of the words, to' call Cxod to witness a thing that is false, or i„ olu° n words, to take a false oath. In many cases men are required by law to make oath of the truth of what they say. Now what solemnity and fear of God should there be in our minds on such occa sions! The judge and the jury indeed may possiblJ not find us out, bnt "the Lord our God will not hold us guiltless if we thus dreadfully take hi* name in vain." We may here remark by the way, that it is this fear ot God therefore, which is the chief security of the lives a id properties of people in society. Now I think u mot be too strongly insisted on, th ir it is a . solemn -hi n<>- to call on God to witness any thing ir o utter, and that, therefore, all 2& jss and inco si k vion in taking oaths, ey* though the oaths should not be false, are very sinful. Tb , , . some who take custom-house oaths is a very * Ivebl} manner, and who say, "0 it is pnl a custom-jhouse oath " Others take oaihs ofoffit jusl is lightly* and I believe there are some who now and then take oaths of a grave and solemn natifre in tl r pastimes and in mere sport. But let all such weigh well those awful wordb. " The l o vilh ot h -Id him guiltless that tafceth his name in vain." The next practice we shall speak of is that of common swearing, a sin which has not the excuse .which piosl other sins have, of some present pleasure Or profit having tempted the person to it. That awful name which Angels reverence and adore, and which aJJ good men cannot hear without a peculiar emotion, is trifled with, and in that sense, I taken in vain by a great part of our fellow-creatures almost every hoar of the day. Some add cursing to this, profane mention of th<* name of God, and often of the n horrid, Kind, and, perhaps; when they curse arid vear do not know that they are doing it, Which they think is at be attended to on the Sunday; but this is to be done, by the preparation of Satur- day, Our food must be got ready ; but this may ( H ) be managed with very little trouble even in the largest families, if there is but a disposition to spare all kinds of labor on the Sabbath-Day. There are many houses, I grant, which must not be left quite empty during Divine Service ; hue it is in general enough if one person is left at home, whAmay take turns with others, so that the same individual need not always be hindered from attending Public Wor- ship. There should be an universal agreement among masleas and servants, and ameng servants also with one another, each not only to observe the Sabbath himsdf; but to promote the observation of it among those around him. But now. to speak of what is still more material, It is of i i' tie use to abstain from bodily work, if the frame of mind is quite inconsistent with a due at- tention to the Sabbath. This would be a formal and Jewish Sabbath indeed. To comply with the form, but to neglect the spirit, is no true keeping of the Christian Sabbath. It should even be remembered that if Jewish forms are in some respect left -'off* it beoomes us to be more careful to attend to the substance; for we are now placed under a dispen- sation, in which all is expected to be Spirit and Life." • * m >H < ■ ;. The Sabbath, as we observed before, was made for man. It was made for his good, and more es- pecially for his spiritual good. Whatever therefore ends to our spiritual benefit is fit employment for he Sabbath. Public worship has been appointed on this principle, in all Christian countries.. But it is necessary that we should not only be seen at- tending in our places, but that our minds also should be engaged in the service. In prayer we should fell our need of the mercies we implore* ( n ) in the confession of sin, we should be affected with a sense of our jinworthiness, and in ofTer.ng up our thanksgivings to God we should poi#out our whole hearts before him. And when we hear the Scrip- tures read, and he Gosple of Jesus Christ preached to us we shoiud listen With an attentive ear, and re- ceive the truth into an honest and good heart, When we are returning from the service we should not discourse as many are apt to do, about light and trifling things; but we should call up the subject which we may have been hearing of at church.. We should betake ourselves ilso at home to the instruction of our children, to the reading of the Scriptures, to family prayers, and to conversation that may have something useful in it, or if we take our walk abroad, it should be in order to indulge in meditation on Divine Things, and in order also to call perhaps on our more pious friends and kindred, whose conversation is. likely to turn on topics suit* able to the day, or visit the sick, to comfort one that is afflicted, to do an act of kindness and chari- ty, or to persue some 'plan of usefulness proper for the Sabbath, and in which we may be then re-, gularly employed. Such are the occupations which become a Chris- tain 011 the Sunday, and uniting, as they naturally do with the exercise of the special aitectjons," thev inay iprthatls a poor 1 motley inconsistent Sab^tl? .in- deed of which one little part' only is spent at church, " in building ourselves usi in our mo- holy faith/' while the rest is given up to such employment as tend to pull down what we have been building up, and to promote forgetful ness of all that we have been hearing. It is the prayer before we go t# worship, and the reflection after: it is the weekl self-examination which we at this time practise- rt is the secret desires of the heart after the favour of God : it is the humble and holy contemplation f the life, death, and resurrection, and ascension of our Saviour; it is, in short, the heavenly mind ex- ercising itself on spiritual objects, and shutting out those things that are worldly, which constitutes the true keeping of the Sabbath. It is thus that we ac- quire a " hope full of immortality. " — " Ail sorrows mitigated, all cares suspended, all fears repressed every angry emotion softened, every envious, re- vengeful, o! malignant passion expelled;" vre be- come on that day partakers, in some measure, of the heavenly happiness, and learn to look forward to tnat never ending Sabbath to that season of eter- nal " rest which remainetb for the people of God." And now w hat a privilege is the baobath ! It is often so spoken of in the Old Testament. " I gave you my Sabbaths," says God to the Israelites, and then He proceeds to found a claim upon that nation for peculiar gratitude and obedience. Let us be grateful to God that heM.th by his good Providence, preserved to us this blessed day, wh.ic, in many countries in Europe, it has been grievously pro- faned, and in some entirely ovei thrown. Let us rejoice that in Great Britain the la, of the. land still in some ; measure mail .... ins it,, though rninyoi 7 the people 'are Tearing n c6i/'ivxA it more^nd fcpre with the other days oV i.e wce : <, and ar<£ thus im- piously casting off ali concern tor this command xr;ent.