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tells His apostles that the Holy Spirit wotild
come and teach them all things, and they
should bear witness to the truth. This holy
word of God recorded in the Old and New
Testament scriptures contains the only revalation
of redemption by Jesus Christ and is
the only unerring rule of faith.
words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the book of
life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things wliich are written in this book. He
which testifietb these things saith, surely I
come quckly. Amen. Even so, come. Lord
Jesus."
Listen to what John saw: "I saw another
angel fly in the midst of heaven having the
everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that
dwell in the earth, and to every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with
a loud voice, fear God and give glory to
Him."
Hear in closing what the godly Spurgeon
said to his great congregation: "Dear
friends, never grow tired of God's word.
Never let any book supplant the Bible. Love
every part of scripture, and take heed to every
word that God has spoken. Letit all
be a divine word to you. Never begin to
pick and choose, for that is a sure sign of
the hypocrite or the false professor. He
makes bis religion out of himself, as a spider
spins a web out of his own bowels; he is
everything to himself—his own Savior, his
own teacher, his own guide. He knows .so
so much, that if the world would only sit
at his feet it would become a wonderfully
learned world in a very short time, so great
a rabbi is he. Puffed up in his own imagination
he turns aside from the infinitely glorious
God and falls from one degradation to
another." This Rev. Charies Haddon Spurgeon
preached in London in 1883, and today
he could preach the same trutb in Newcastle
and all over the United States and do
God service.
The infinite Christ who is "the same yesterday,
today and forever," "who is the
mighty God, the everlasting father, the
prince of peace," has all power in heaven and
earth to judge tbe unbelieving professor who
rejects the infallible word of God in the
Old Testament scriptures, and will apply the
same rule r,f judgment to the unbelieving
Jews who reject the infallible word of God
in the New Testament scriptures.
It is with unspeakable delight that we present
this magnificent copy of the holy scriptures
to a congregation whose pastor is loyal
to Tesus Christ and" faithfully preaches Hi?
word.
THE CHRISTIAN NATION. Vol. 69.
^.^= Sabbath School
Lesson X. Sept. 7th, 1913.
THE
By the Rev. W. A. Aikin.
TEN COMMANDMENTS.—Part
I. Exodus 20:1-11.
This book endures forever and is sufficiently
Golden Text.—Thou shalt love the Lord
protected by its divine author in Rev-
they God with all thy heart, and with all thy
alation 22:18, 19, 20. -"For I testify unto soul, and with all thy strength, and with all
every man that heareth the words of the thy mind.—Luke 10:27.
prophecy of this book, if any man shall add
Psalms.—100:1-4. L- M-; I9-S-9- G. M.;
unto these things, Ck>d shall add unto him
119: Part 13. C. M.
the plagues that are written in this book.
And if any man shall take away from the Time.—Just after last lesson. About the
first of June, B. C. 1491.
Place.—Mount Sinai.
ANALYSIS AND COMMENT.
In the ten commandments, together with
their preface, are found the words of God's
covenant with his people. Tbey are not harsh
rules of a king to his subjects, but the terms
of a gracious covenant that "binds two parties
in mutual affection and fidelity,''in wbicb
there is the "statement of promises on the
one hand and responsibilities on the other."
They had their origin in the perfect love of
God for man, and find tbeir fulfillment in
the perfect love of man for God. The love
of God is manifest in the adaptability of these
laws for the highest possible welfare of man.
And man's love for God is manifest in the
keeping of these commandments in that by
observing of them tbe highest honor and
glory is brought to God.
I. THE AUTHOR OF THE COM­
MANDMENTS, (v. I.)
"And God spake all these words."—The
moral law was purely of Divine dictation.
The ceremonial laws written by Moses were
no less of Divine appointment than were the
ten commandments, but inasmuch as the moral
law contained in the ten commandments
is exalted above every ceremonial law and contains
the "essential, immutable principles
of all law," therefore it was given directly by
the mouth of God himself that there might
be no doubt or question as to who was its
author. The fact that these came direct from
tbe "eternal Majesty of heaven and earth''
gives to them greater solemnity and awakens
the conscience of man to an added sense
of obligation to obey them. We must hearken
to God's voice as He speaks to us through
His servants and through the works of providence
; but to the ten commandments, which
came directly from His own lips, we must
give the "more earnest heed."
II. THE OBLIGATIONS TO KEEP
THE COMMANDMENTS, (v. 2.)
"I am the Lord thy God, which, brought
thee out of the land of Egypt, of the house
of bondage." A greater task could not be
imagined than the fostering within the
hearts of that horde of slaves before Sinai
the sense of moral obligation. How was a
nation of lawless people to receive the fundamental
principles of all moral conduct witl
trembling and fear? Perhaps if some of th
modern authorities on sociology had been un
dertaking the task they would have told thi
people that they should obey this law| be
cause it would be for their highest welfar
to do so, or it would be for the highest welfar
for coming generations for them to d
so, or it would be the "concensus 0
opinion" that they do so. Would Israel no
have been cowed, and filled with a deep sens
of obligation |by such' talk? No. Thes
reasons, although true in themselves, woul,
be too flimsy and of insufficient weight to re
strain, tbe passions of carnal and selfish pec
ple and to bring them intO' subjection to sue
a course of action as the ten commandment
prescribed. Some motives must be brougl;
to bear on them that would lay bold of th,
conscience and "reach tbe deep springs 0
life." It must be a reahzation of accouni
ability to God, the Creator, their person;
(jod, who was ever with them, and who h"
His power bad wrought the wonders i
Egypt, and had opened up the Red Se;
and had caused the mountain of Sinai t,
shake with His voice. And coupled with th'
realization there must be an awakening t"
the boundless love of God, who by His mai'
velous deeds of loving kindness and tende
m.ercy had led them forth from the bondag'
of Egypt. What ^ tremendous obligatio
was brought to bear upon them. No obligr
tion could be greater save that which come
upon those who have experienced the dt\iv
erance wbicb was foreshadowed in Israel-'
deliverance from Egypt.
III. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TK
COMMANDMENTS, (v. 3-11.^ -'
As the first four commandments set fort,
our duty to God, they naturally pertain t
worship.
•
FIRST—THE OBJECT OF WORSHII
(v. 3.) "Thou shalt have no otber gods be
fore me." Israel had become contaminatein
Egypt witlh the practise of worshippin'
many g'ods. This commandment require
them to forsake all otber gods and keep t
Him alone. It was fitting that this commandment
should come first, as there is n
one thing which men are more in danger 0
than the giving of that place in their live
to • some creature or object of the worl
wbicb is due to God alone. The pron'
make a god of self. The greedy make a go
of gold. The sensual make a god of thei
belly. To devote the life to any object othe
than God is a "daring insult in His face. ,-
SECOND—THE MANNER OF WOR
SHIP. (v. 4-6.) Thou shalt not make un
to thee any graven image, etc." The direc
iteaching of tbis commandment is that Gd
is not to be worshipped through imag«i
This teaching is omitted from most of th
catechisms of the Romish and Lutherai
churches. And the demoralizing influences 0
it in the Romish church, where it is came