worshipped; and covetousness is calle 1 idolatry in Scripture; and, alas! drink, &c., is almost worshipped.

Q. Did David seem to have chosen the one and true God?

A. Yes; "O Lord, Thou art my God."

Q. What do you mean by graven ? A. Carved or made out of wood or stone; or cast in metal.

Q. Why is an attempt to make a likeness of God forbidden?

A. Because it must bring down God to a likeness of some of His creatures. Q. Can you at all form a likeness to God, and if not, why not?

A. We cannot; He is a Spirit, and a spirit has no bodily shape.

Q. Does God give a reason why He will not have an image made an object of worship?

A. Yes; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.

Q. What do you mean by a jealous God?

A. He will not have that which belongs to Himself given to another. Q. What belongs to Him, and to none other?

A. Worship.

Q. Who was it who required some worshippers of the one true God to worship an idol which he had set up? A. Nebuchadnezzar.

Q. Did they do as he required?
A. No.

Q. Was it much of a trial to them to refuse ?

A. They were threatened with death in a fiery furnace; but that did not move them a bit; they were not careful, had no doubt about the answer they should give; they had made up their minds, and then refused.

Q. In this case a man punished those who refused to obey him; will God punish those who refuse to obey Him?

A. Yes; He will visit the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the

third and fourth generation of them that hate Him.

Q. Does this seem hard?

A. I leave this matter with God. If He punishes, so also He blesses children for their fathers' sake. He shows mercies unto thousands-whole tribes in them that love Him.

Q. Quote some suitable text to show that if a curse so a blessing runs in a family?

A. "The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked, but He blesseth the habitation of the just."

Q. What is the third Commandment?

A. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, &c.

Q. What is meant by taking His name in vain ?

A. Not having due regard to the greatness and the power and the holiness of God.

Q. Give me some instances?

A. First, and worst, is a false oath.

Q. What is an oath?

A. An appeal to God as a witness; and to appeal to Him to confirm what we know to be false is a most daring insult.

Q. Give another instance?

A. Cursing and swearing; hurling God's name and God's judgments at those with whom we are angry; or getting into the habit of using these oaths and curses without anger. Q. Any other instance?

A. Yes; using the name of God lightly in our common talk, in exclamations of admiration or surprise. Q. Such as- ?

A. Oh God! gracious God! my God! good God!

Q. These are very sad ways of taking God's name in vain, and perhaps you think them so bad that no good people need take much heed to this commandment?

A. Ah! but there is another way stiil in which the best of us may break this commandment.

Q. How ?

A. By saying our prayers, and not thinking of what we are saying, and to Whom we are speaking.

Q. Very true; so what should be our method of interpreting the commandments?

A. According to their spirit, and not according to their mere letter. Q. What do you mean by guiltless? A. Guilt-less means without guilt. Q. Does this peculiar mode of expression in our English translation seem peculiarly suitable?

A. Yes; because men think so lightly of the sin here forbidden-dare to think, if not to say, that God will not condemn man for such sins.

Q. The 4th Commandment -Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day; why remember?

A. Perhaps because men.

are so

apt to forget it; perhaps as a solemn warning, because so much depends upon keeping this commandment.