THE TEN COMMANDMENTS—THE LAW OF GOD.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 March 1919, Page 7

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS—THE LAW OF GOD.

To the Editor. (Published by arrangement). Sir. —I notice in yours of the sth an article headed, "The Ten Commandments," stating that in nearly every part of the broad British Empire provision is being made in the official syllabus issued by the various educational departments for the children to learn in school hours the Ten Commandments, and also stating that many of the State school authorities encouraged the displaying of the Law on the walls 'of the schoolrooms, and also that a circular from Wellington, sent out by the decalogue committee, urging "that the Laws of that State be made conformable with those of other parts of the Empire and provision be made for the repetition or memorising of these in the schools. They urge that a knowledge of this Law is in the interests of char-acter-building and good citizenship, and .is also an aid to good government. I agree with that. It also Bays: "As the children of New Zealand State schools are not taught the Ten Commandments, which are the foundation of our British laws, and should be always." The writer of this article begs to suggest that parents and school committees at once petition their own members of Parliament, also candidates for same, to urge that the Government printer be instructed to print aau supply free to all State school committees sufficient copies of the Ten .Commandments, the Law of God, for each of the class rooms, with a recommendation that they be learned by the scholars. This is all right, and what should be, but it is one thing teaching them and another keeping or doing them as God gave them. If tVy were taught and kept as they wcr o written on those tables of stone perfect, there Would be a good lot of people in the world, no wars, no stealing, no falsehood about each other, no adultery, nor taking God's name in vain, which is very common with some. There is always something no good about any one that says "by God" or "my God" in common conversation. It is thoughtlessness with some, but is more serious than they think taking God's name in vain. Now, I will try to show that oven the great moral code, the Ten Commandments, has not escaped the sectarian dissecting knife. Some have cut away the whole code. Others only a part. Some have expunged the second commandment that forbids the making of images from the catechism, yet it is in their Bible, and divided the tenth to make good the number ten. Some observe the seventh day of the week (Saturday) according to the fourth commandment, while others claim that Sunday, the first day of the week, should be kept as the Sabbath. So before they could be printed to suit the majority of the times, the fourth commandment should be printed to read thus: "Re.member the Sunday to keep it holy. On the first day of the week we shall rest, then work on the other six, etc." This is what people are doing—just the opposite to what they teach. The Church of England ministers say the Ten Commandments every Sunday and when they come to the fourth they say "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six .days slialt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, etc." All the people answer and say, "Oh Lord, help us to keep thy law," yet they are doing the very opposite. Prophesy tells us time and laws would be thought to ba. altered by one (Dan. 7, 2;!), so they are. As for time, God made the first day and counted it from evening (Genesis 1, 5). Now it is counted from midnight. It sounds strange a day beginning in the middle of the niplit. It begins with darkness at midnight and ends with darkness the following midnight, hence our day has darkness at both ends, or a day with a part of two nights in it. God's way is perfect from sunset till sunset, darkness or night, then comes in its proper place. This sounds simple, but there is a right and a wrong way in everything. Our duty is to find the right way and do it as best we can. If we don't wars will come, pestilences and many other troubles. We expect obedience from our children. Whether we get it or not God expects the same from us (Ecel. 12, 13; ■lst John, 4, 3). The Bible is the religion I follow; no other.—l am, etc., ANOTHER NEW ZEALANDER.