THE COMMANDMENTS.
Say not, Too soon
I urge their tottering steps. Should I forbear,
On every side deceitful strangers stand,
And beckon them away; in flowery paths
Awhile to sport; and then to wander long
Amidst the hills of darkness and of death,
Where hungry beasts, in every thicket hid,
Wait to devour.—PEEP OF DAY.
RUPERT knew the words of the first commandment. He answered, “The first
commandment is, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’”
“Now,” said Mr. Penrose, “this commandment forbids our giving that
worship, or love, to any other which is due to God alone. If we think of
anything besides God when we profess to be thinking of him, and when we
seem to be engaged in his worship, then we are putting other gods before
him. Now tell me, Rupert, were you thinking much of God when you were in
church this morning?”
“No, not very much,” said Rupert, who, with all his faults, generally
spoke the truth.
Then Mr. Penrose tried to show Rupert that he had broken the first
commandment, by allowing something besides God to have the first place
in his mind and heart; but he did not dwell as long upon the subject as
he wished to do, because he knew that young people, from their natural
dislike to serious truths, can best be instructed by a few hints at a
time.
“You say that you did not think much of God, Rupert. Will you tell me
candidly what you _did_ think of?”
After close questioning, Rupert acknowledged that he had been thinking
more of John Strong’s beautiful gray horses than of anything else; and
that he wished that he had them.
_Mr. Penrose._ “What is the second commandment, Rupert?”
Rupert undertook to say it; but could not get quite through it, and
Alfred helped him.
_Mr. Penrose._ “It is certain that we always worship what we love best;
and I fear, Rupert, although you had no graven image to worship, your
heart was going out in idolatry after those ‘beautiful gray horses,’ as
much as the poor Papist’s after his wooden cross, or his image of the
Virgin. Do you not think so? Alfred, can you tell me of another way in
which the second commandment can be broken?”
“By thinking of our clothes instead of listening to the minister, and
trying to pray to God, when we are in church,” said Alfred, blushing
very deeply.
“Well, that is what I did not do, I am sure,” said Rupert, whose fault
was certainly not that of being too particular about his dress; for his
clothes were always pitched on any way, although he was old enough to
dress himself properly if he would.
_Mr. Penrose._ “But it is what I knew a little boy do, when he had his
new suit of plaid clothes, with brass buttons, on for the first time,
and two pockets in them besides. First he looked at himself in the
buttons; then he put his hymn-book in his pocket; then he pulled it
out.”
_Alfred._ “O, father! I know I did that; but I was sorry for it, and I
have tried not to break the second commandment since.”
_Mrs. Penrose._ “Yes, father, I think that we must not talk of what is
past any more.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “I spoke of it to show Rupert in how many different ways
we can break God’s commandments; and to let him know that I did not
consider him the only guilty one. Now, I am afraid you have broken two
of the commandments, Rupert. Shall we go on with the others?”
_Rupert._ “Yes; for I am sure I could not have broken any more by that
little sleigh-ride.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “What is the third commandment, Rupert?”
_Rupert._ “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for
the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “Your first words after the congregation was dismissed
prove that you broke the third commandment. Christ says, ‘Swear not at
all: neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: nor by the earth; for it
is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great
King: neither shalt thou swear by thy head; because thou canst not make
one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay,
nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.’ Matt. v, 34-37.
“Now, your communication was not Yea, yea, or Nay, nay, when you burst
upon us with ‘By jingo,’ before the minister had hardly finished the
benediction. That word was wicked, and certainly comes under the head of
that ‘foolish talking’ which the apostle condemns.”
_Rupert._ “Well, I know you will make me out a sabbath-breaker next. I
knew I was that myself; but I did not know that I was doing so many
other bad things by that sleigh-ride.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “Since you plead guilty to breaking the fourth
commandment, Rupert, we will pass over that, and come to the fifth.”
“I did not break that. My father and mother would not have cared for my
riding to-day,” said Rupert, who had got the Bible opened before him, at
the twentieth chapter of Exodus, that he might find out what the
commandments were.
_Mr. Penrose._ “But you are now under our care, Rupert. We are as
parents to you while you stay with us. You knew that we would not like
to have you riding about the town on a Sunday; therefore, in not
honoring us, and doing as we wish, I think you broke the fifth
commandment.”
By this time Rupert seemed to have got quite interested in the
examination of himself; for Mr. Penrose spoke kindly to him, and he knew
that it was out of love to him that he thus talked to him of his faults.
He ran over the commandments:
“‘Thou shalt not kill.’ I am sure I did not do that.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “Not if you did not get angry at the horses, or overdrive
them.”
_Rupert._ “We could not get angry at them; they are such noble fellows,
and went so free: but they _were_ all in a lather when they got to the
stable. I cannot say they are not hurt, but that was not my fault, you
know.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “If they were hurt, I am afraid you will have to bear a
little of the blame; as you were probably the cause of the extra ride.”
_Rupert._ (Looking at the Bible,) “‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’
That has nothing to do with horses. ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ We did not
steal, at any rate! ‘Thou’”——
_Mr. Penrose._ “Stop, stop! Rupert. Not so fast. Do not skip over the
eighth commandment so swiftly. Did Mr. Strong know that John had his
horses and sleigh?”
_Rupert._ “No, sir, I do not think he did. I suppose he expected John
would take them directly to the stable, when he left the family at
church.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “Then you were both using what belonged to another, in a
way that the owner would not have liked; and in doing this you broke the
eighth commandment.”
_Rupert._ “O dear, uncle! I hope that you won’t make out that I broke
any more of the commandments. I know that I did not break the ninth.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “Read the ninth commandment to me, Rupert.”
_Rupert._ “‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.’
That I did not do.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “This commandment forbids falsehood. A boy who, like John
Strong, would drive his father’s horses on Sunday, without permission,
would be likely to tell a falsehood to screen himself from blame.”
_Rupert._ “He _did_ say that he meant to tell his father he took the
horses directly home from the church.”
_Mr. Penrose._ “Then I very much fear that your company was the
temptation to John to take that ride, which ended in his telling a
falsehood to his father. When we are, in any way, knowingly the cause of
another person’s committing sin, it is the same as if we had committed
the sin ourselves. So, my dear Rupert, I fear you are not quite
guiltless upon the ninth commandment. But go on with the tenth.”
_Rupert._ “‘Thou shalt not covet.’ There! Now I know you will bring me
up with that too, uncle; because I said I wished I had John’s grays. I
do think that I broke that. But just to think that in less than an hour
I broke almost all the commandments!”
_Mr. Penrose._ “You see by this that the breaking of one commandment
leads to the breach of many. We rarely ever break one commandment alone.
As St. James says, ‘Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend
in one point, he is guilty of all.’ James ii, 10.”
_Rupert._ “Well, I do not believe any person ever kept all the
commandments, or ever could keep them either.”
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