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The Fifth Commandment says,
"Honor thy father and thy mother." Parents take great care
of their children when they are little. Children then must love
these kind parents, and obey them in all things. They should do what
their fathers or mothers tell them to do; and must be very kind and
affectionate to them. And when the parents grow sick or old, the
children must nurse and take care of them, and do all they can to comfort
and make them happy. The
Sixth Commandment is, "Thou shalt do no murder." Cain was
the first murderer; he killed his brother, because his own works were
evil, and his brother's righteous. God commands all murderers to be
put to death. They are brought before the judge, and condemned, and
executed; and their souls go before God to be judged at His throne.
But St. John says, "He that hateth his brother is a
murderer." 1 John 3:15. Anger, and hatred, and
passion, are like murder; people begin by being angry and passionate, and
then, perhaps, they may strike and hill. We must pray God to take
away our wicked passions, and to make us gentle, and kind, and forgiving. The
Seventh Commandment says, "Thou shalt not commit
adultery." This speaks to husbands and wives, and tells them to
love one another, and to live together in peace. Wives must obey
their husbands, and try to do all they wish, and never to make them angry
or unhappy. And husbands must love their wives, and take care of
them, and be very kind and gentle to them. Husbands and wives must
love, and fear, and worship God together, and teach their families to do
so too. The Eighth
Commandment is, "Thou shalt not steal." We read in the
Bible about many people who stole; and we hear now, very often, of wicked
thieves and robbers. But God's eye is upon thieves and liars.
He sees men, and women, and little children too, when they steal; if they
do it slily, or in the dark, He can see them; and if their wickedness is
not known now, it will all be known in the day of judgment, when the book
of remembrance will be opened and read. It will be very dreadful
then to be punished by God, and sent away far from Him and Heaven for
ever. We should pray God to help us always to remember, that His eye
is upon us; and ask Him to keep us from taking anything not our own.
Many children have begun by taking little things, and grown up to be
thieves. It is better to die of hunger than to steal. The
Ninth Commandment is, "Thou shalt not bear false witness."
This teaches us not to tell lies, nor deceive, nor say what is not
true. God says, that all liars shall be sent to hell. He knows
the truth, and we cannot deceive Him. And this commandment, too,
teaches us not to accuse others falsely, nor to tell tales of them which
are not true. The Tenth
Commandment is, "Thou shalt not covet." It is wrong to
wish for what belongs to other people. God has given us what is best
for us, and we must not desire more. He gives riches to some people,
and not to others. Why? We cannot tell; but we know that God
is wise, and does all rightly; and we should remember, that it is He who
gives us everything we have. If others have more, we must not envy
them, nor wish for their money, nor for anything that belongs to
them. Coveting is often the beginning of stealing. People see
a thing, then they desire it, and perhaps, if God's grace does not keep
them from sin, they at last steal it. We must pray God to give us
contentment, that we may not displease Him by sinful wishes; for he knows
all our thoughts, as well as our actions; He sees our hearts; and our
secret sins we cannot hide from Him.
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