m11rkings, Rnd waving of the body Rt the word" Jesus," there is, at least in appearance, I\ taking for gmnted thllt bodily postures arc spiritual attitudes. (3) God would have man lifted up to n higher level by the worship of him. But the sorry record in history of the breaches of the second law shows us four transitions: (a) An object which at first roprcsents the Being who is worshipped, comes nt length to be worshipped.1 (b) Worship paid through tho body will sink to merely bodily worship. (c) When the lofty platform of spiritual worship is quitted, religions service will inevitably lose its meaning. Sonsc first comes as "an aid to faith," and then is put in the place of it! (d) When this is the case, the vitalizing force of religion is gone, and man, sinking in roligious vitality, sinks also in morality (see Jer. vii. for an illustration of this in the Hebrew people; sec Ilom. i. for illustrations of it in the Gentile world). 2. From the Divine administration. "Visiting the iniquities," etc. It would not have seemed won- derful to havo found this second sanction appended to such sins as murder, adultery, etc.; but how is it that it follows on so apparently slight an offence as the use of graven images? Because of the sure and inevitable quadruple transition already referred to. He who comes to lose the life of religion will, so far, be undermining the foundations of morality, not only for himself, but for those who come after him. (1) What a man is, and what his family are or may be, are regarded as bound up together by an unalterable law of God. (2) Evil follows on from generation to generation. A ghastly inheritance to band down-formalism and idolatry! (3) But if a man maintains the true spiritual worship of God in his family, that too will be handed down to those who follow him as a priceless heritage; not only to those who come in the physical line: our Lord's words in John viii. should teach us to look beyond that. (4) In the mercy of God the influence of a man's good is more lasting than the influence of his evil. Evil-to third or fourth generation. Good-to thousands [of generations]. The influence ..if Paul, e.g. at this moment, is prodigious; that of Nero is nil. Learn, in conclusion: 1. We receive an influence from the generations which preceded us; we shall transmit one to the generations that will follow. (We do not think this latter consideration is suf- ficiently pressed on tho people, either on its physiolo~cal or on its spiritual side.) 2 Whoever wishes to ensure a prolonged influence that shall blessedly affect generations to come, let him bend all his force to the upholding of the worship of God in purity, in spirit, in truth. So much depends on this. The weal of the land in which we dwell is dependent thereon. Oh! for our own sakes, for our country's sake, for our children's sakes, let us contend earnestly for the maintenance of the worship of God in simplicity and in truth I
Ver. 11.-The tMrd commandment. Reverent regard for the Divine Name. The "Name" of God is the form of speech for God himself. "To take" the Name of God means" to take it up"-to use it in any way, which may be done either by speaking to him, of him, for him, or against him. "'l'o take up this Name in vain" means to take it up falsely or ,·ainly. And inasmuch as it has been so grievously common to use the Name of God profanely in oaths, this third commandment has come to be regarded chiefly as a prohibition against swearing. It is that, but it is a great deal more. This commandment is "exceeding broaJ.." It may be wronged, not only by au undue limitation of it, but also by a too slavish adherence to the letter of it; e.g. according to the teaching of the rabbis, certain oaths were harmless if the Name of God was ~ot specifically mentioned in them (cf. Matt. xxiii. 16-22). Further, the ex- pre~,s1on "in vain" was interpreted as meaning "if you take an oath you must fulfil it; t~ke as many oaths as you please, so long as you do not break them, and thn:i turn them mto falsehood. 'l'he effect of this cold and superficial teaching of the rabbis was twofold. It created artificial distinctions which our Saviour did not recognize, and it oblitc~ated such as were of great importance in his eye. It is needful for us, t_hen._ to be gm~~d by the spirit of our Lord's teaching, if we would rightly develop ~his th!rd law. Smee our Saviour in his Sermon on the Mount removed the glosses with which tho rabbis had OVE\l"lain the Law and restored it to its p1istine clearness and purity. I. WHAT IS FORBIDDEN DY THIS THIRD COMMANDMENT? \\'e are all aware that some have regarded our Saviour's words, "Swear not at all," as prohibitive of solemn oath-
• Bee Dr. B. W. Dale's book. •The Ten Commandments,' pp. 48, 49. 02 THE BOOK OF DEU1'ERONOMY. (en. v, 1-38,