EXERCISE III. TEN COMMANDMENTS. EXODUS XX. Teacher. And God spake all these words, say ing, Pupil, No. 1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Pupil, No. 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Pupil, No. 3. 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. Pupil, No. 4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Pupil, No. 5. Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Pupil, No. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's. All. Thou art near, O Lord, and all thy commandments are truth. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. NOTE. This Exercise will be best memorized by teacher and pupils in full concert, without variation or response: taking one commandment a day (when not too long), and combining them day by day, until the whole is thoroughly committed, every word in its place, and practised until it is spoken with distinctness and perfect concert. Then the Exercise may be easily and pleasantly varied. The teacher may give the introductory words; if the school is small, the older pupils may each in turn give a commandment; if it is large, the pupils may be grouped in rows or classes, and then "all," which signifies both teacher and pupils, may unite in the closing words, "Thou art near, O Lord." EXERCISE IV. LAW OF LOVE. Teacher. Which is the Great Commandment in the law? School. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. T. This is the first and great commandment; and the second is like unto it. S. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. T. The Golden Rule. S. All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them. T. The New Commandment. S. Christ said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another as I have loved you." T. We love him because he first loved us. S. And this new commandment have we from him, "That he who loveth God, love his brother also." T. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. S. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children; and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us. All. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. EXERCISE V. CHARITY (THAT IS, LOVE). 1 COR. XIII. Teacher. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, School. I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. T. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, S. And though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. T. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, S. And have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. T. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; T. Charity vaunteth not itself, T. Doth not behave itself unseemly, S. Seeketh not her own. T. Is not easily provoked, T. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, S. But rejoiceth in the truth; S. Endureth all things. All. Charity never faileth. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. |