THE DECALOGUE.

[42ND SUNDAY.

THE ten commandments are now solemnly read before the people, and this arrangement seems to teach the believer the duty of self-examination before venturing to approach the table of the Lord.

God is the same; He changes not. The voice that spoke the moral law of the ten commandments from Mount Sinai, is the same that in the form of man, told the young enquirer that he must keep the commandments if he would enter into life, and the lawyer that the two great commandments of love to God and love to man comprehended the whole of the law. This decalogue is the transcript of the mind and will of God, and by it the Christian must examine himself. By this law is the knowledge of sin, for only by examining ourselves can we arrive at the

knowledge of the exceeding distance there is between us and that holy law of God.

The first commandment then is "I am the Almighty God; thou shalt have none other gods but me."

How wonderfully does this command adapt itself to every creature on the face of this fallen world. The poor heathen hears it for the first time, and by the power of the Holy Spirit turns from his idols with abhorrence. The Romanist hears it, and by the same power flees from his creature worship. The nominal Christian hears it, and by its light sees how many are the idols he has set up in the place of Jesus; ever since he can remember, one idol has succeeded another in his heart, displacing the God of his salvation to whom he was dedicated in his baptism. The very gifts of God have been turned into idols, rivalling His loveliness and goodness in his estimation. And even when we have been brought to surrender our hearts to their rightful

Lord, other Lords beside Him strive to regain their power and tempt us to put them in His place. Oh what cause have each of us to cry out "Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law."

"Thou hidden love of God, whose height,
Whose depth, unfathom'd, no man knows;
I see from far Thy beauteous light,
Inly I sigh for Thy repose:

My heart is pain'd, nor can it be
At rest till it finds rest in Thee.

"Is there a thing beneath the sun

That strives with Thee my heart to share;
Ah, tear it thence, and reign alone,
The Lord of every motion there;
Then shall my heart from earth be free,
When it has found repose in Thee."

[43RD SUNDAY.

"Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image," &c.

As the first commandment teaches us that we should give the first place in our affections to God, so the second teaches us how we are to worship God; namely, in spirit and in truth. We are not to make a graven image of this God, and fall down and worship it, but we are to worship the Trinity in Unity revealed to us in the Bible, with a pure and spiritual worship. Let us, then, examine whether we do this or not. Is our worship heart worship? do the breathings of our heart ascend with every petition offered in the house of God? does the Searcher of hearts know that our desires are towards Him? are our desires and petitions in accordance with each other? and even if the petition should be languidly offered up, are the

desires still after God? Can we say, "Lord, all my desire is before Thee, and my groaning is not hid from Thee?" If this be not the case, we might as well be bowing down to a graven image.

Not only does this commandment forbid the worship of images and saints; but the spirit of that worship; the resting in the posture of the body, the moving of the lip, the repetition of many heartless prayers; and the setting up of a form of worship of our own devising. Happy is it for the worshipper in the Church of England that he has so pure and spiritual a form of prayer in which he can offer up the desires of his heart, and worship the God of his fathers in spirit and in truth.

Let us remember our God is a jealous God, that is, He will not let His glory be given to another; He will not suffer us to make and worship images of our own fancy, but requires heart worship of the God who has revealed Himself in His word. To those who offer this, He pro