The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1916, Page 66

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66

divine name uselessly, much less for the express
purpose of committing a shameful sin, or in order
to adorn a sin with God’s Word or name. It is
a misuse of God’s name to use it thoughtlessly, or
in cursing, or in forbidden oaths, or in connection
with sorcery, or as a beautiful cloak which should
serve to make false doctrine or hypocritical, un-
godly life appear as something praiseworthy and
excellent. The right use of God’s name consists
in daily heartfelt prayer and praise.

The Third Commandment enjoins the sancti-
fying of .the holy-day. ‘The seventh day of the
week, as well as other divinely appointed festivals
of the Old Testament, were but shadows, or types,
of Christ, which vanished when He appeared. In
the New Testament we should “let no man judge
us in respect of an holy-day, or of the new moon,
or of the Sabbath days.” (Col. 2, 16. 17.) But
while God left it to the Christians’ liberty to choose
their holy-days, we should by no means neglect the
observance of Sunday, the weekly anniversary of
Christ’s resurrection, as well as other church-
festivals. God here demands of us that we regu-
larly and devoutly hear His Word at public wor-
ship, and diligently use the Sacraments. (John
8, 47; Luke 10, 16.) This commandment also
includes our duty of daily searching the Scriptures
at home.

The first three commandments form the First
Table, the sum of which is the love to our God.
(Matt. 22, 37.) The remaining seven command-
ments form the Second Table, which enjoins on
us that we should lové our neighbor as ourselves.
(Matt. 22, 39.)

According to the Fourth Commandment we
should not only honor and obey our natural parents,
but also our “masters,” as Luther expresses him-

self, meaning all those that according to God’s will
and ordinance are to govern, guard, and thus richly
benefit us in various respects. ‘These persons are
His representatives in home, State, school, and
Church. A special promise of well-being and long
life on earth is affixed to this commandment.

The Fifth Commandment does not only forbid
gross manslaughter, but “whosoever /ateth . his
brother is a murderer” in God’ssight. (1 John
8,15.) “Whosoever is angry with his brother

without cause shall be in danger of the Judg-
ment; . but whosoever shall say, Thou fool,
shall be in danger of hell-fire.” (Matt. 5, 21. 22.)
Hence anger and hatred in thought, word, ane deed
' is here prohibited.

The Lutheran Pioneer.

———

Likewise in the Sixth Commandment not only
the outward breach of promise and act of fornica-
tion are condemned, but “whosoever looketh on
a woman to Just after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart.” (Matt. 5, 28.) Of
course, also unclean words and gestures are strictly
to be avoided, just as we would keep away from
leprosy and other contagious diseases. .

By the Seventh Commandment God protects our
neighbor’s property, which we should not obtain by
any kind of dishonesty. Also envy and covetous-
ness are flagrant sins in God’s judgment, as also
the Ninth and Tenth Commandments show.

If we finally apply Christ’s explanation of the
Law to the Eighth Commandment, we must here,
too, say that not only bearing false witness in court,
slandering, defaming, and lying about our neighbor
in order to harm him are damnable sins, but even
the thinking of evil against him. “Let none of
you imagine evil in your hearts against his neigh-
bor.” (Zech. 8, 17.)

The Law, then, requires that we be good, and
do that which is good, but also avoid, yea, hate
sin of any description, whether coarse or fine. An
old French author says: “Pure water has neither
color nor form, but always takes the form and
color of the vessel containing it. Let this be your~
case with God.” . All our desires, thoughts, and
deeds, yea, our entire being and life should be con-
tinually molded according to God’s will and show
forth His glorious image. How sad’ that such is
not the case!

The divine Decalog cannot have been given to
the world of sinners to save them. “By the deeds
of the Law there shall no flesh be justified.” (Rom.
8, 20.) While the Ten Commandments restrain
the ungodly in the enactment of coarse sin, and
also furnish a rule for the godly that would per-
form good works, their principal use is that they
show us our sin (Rom. 3, 20) and the utter help-
lessness of our condition by nature, pointing out
to us the divine curse that is upon all offenders:
(See the close of the Commandments and Deut.
27, 26.) _ In this way the Law prepares us for the
delightful message of the Gospel. If we would
not again and again be humiliated and terrified by
the Law, we would never appreciate the priceless
value of the holy Gospel, which tells us about
Christ and His work. H. Ostrrnvs.

THE more religion we export, the more we have
at home.