CHAPTER IX.
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.
HUMAN LIFE.
Thou shall not kill.
What is meant by this Commandment?
We should so fear and love God as not to do our neighbor any bodily harm or injury, but rather assist and comfort him in danger and want.
Human life is sacred. It is man's most precious earthly possession; for without it he cannot enjoy any other. This commandment is meant to guard it. We dare not shorten another person's life, nor our own. God gives life, and He alone has the right to take it away.
This commandment forbids us to kill or injure other persons or ourselves. It commands us to assist and comfort our neighbor in danger and want.