THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
That is,
We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
That is,
We should fear and love God, and not curse, swear, conjure, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon His name in every time of need, and worship Him with prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
That is,
We should fear and love God, and not despise or neglect His Word, but deem it holy and gladly hear and learn it.
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.
Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
That is,
We should fear and love God, and not despise or give offense to our parents or superiors; but honor, serve, obey, love, and esteem them.
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not kill.
That is,
We should fear and love God, and not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in all bodily distress.
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
That is,
We should fear and love God, and live a chaste and pure life, in words and deeds, husband and wife loving and honoring each other.
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not steal.
That is,
We should fear and love God, and not take our neighbor's money or property, nor get it by unfair dealing or other dishonesty, but help him to improve and protect his property and living.
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
That is,
We should fear and love God, and not tell lies about our neighbor, nor betray, slander, or defame him; but excuse him, speak well of him, and look upon all his acts as well-meant.
THE NINTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.
That is,
We should fear and love God, and not by deceit or craft seek to gain our neighbor's inheritance or home, nor try to get it though we seem to have some right thereto, but help him to keep his own.
THE TENTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his.
That is,
We should fear and love God, and not estrange, force, or entice away from our neighbor, his wife, servants, or cattle, but urge them to stay and do their duty.
What does God say of all his commandments?
I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
That is,
God threatens to punish all who transgress these commandments; we should therefore fear His wrath, and do nothing against them.
On the other hand He promises grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments; we should therefore love Him and trust in Him, and gladly do according to His commandments.