Imatges de pàgina
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God never takes away all temptations while we remain living on this earth; but if you try to be good, and ask and pray God earnestly (as earnestly as children ask their mother and father to give them some of their little pleasures), God will see you safe through the temptations which have to meet or bear.

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The Collect.

In this prayer we confess that we believe God knows our wishes as well as what we say or do, and we ask Him to send the Holy Ghost to put good thoughts in our hearts, so that there may be no room for evil or silly thoughts of our own.

After the above prayer the priest says over to us God's commandments. After each you pray, "Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law." Here you can call to mind how Peter denied Jesus, and how Jesus looked on him in sorrow; and you must understand that Jesus looks at you every time you break His commandments. He said to His disciples, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." If we break them we, like Peter, lay one of the sorrows on Him which He bore in His sufferings in the garden and on Mount Calvary for He then suffered anguish for all sin, not only what

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The Collect.

LMIGHTY God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then shall the Priest, turning to the people, rehearse distinctly all the TEN COMMANDMENTS;

and the people still kneeling shall, after every Commandment, ask God mercy for their transgression thereof for the

time past, and grace to keep the same

for the time to come, as followeth.

had been committed, but what hereafter would be committed till the end of time.

The priest turns and looks upon us as did Jesus upon Peter.

(1.) You are to worship as God, only one God, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who, though they are three Persons, yet are one God. This is a thing to be believed, because God has told it to us; we cannot understand it, because our minds are too small to contain His wonderful power and greatness; you must believe this, and not pry too curiously into it, as it is one of God's mysteries; so we pray,

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Minister.

OD spake these words, and said; I am the Lord thy God: Thou shalt have none other gods but me.

People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

in your

(2.) Now, I have told you that you cannot understand how great, and powerful, and good God is, and there are many other things you cannot understand, nor can any person, however clever; so you must not try to picture God mind in any shape so as to reduce God to your understanding. Some foolish people in olden times made images, and called the image, when made, a god. And so some foolish people now make a picture in their mind, and think God is exactly like the picture they have imagined, and then, because God's way of bringing things to pass does not agree with the actions of the god their imagination had pictured, they grow discontented, and have bad thoughts about God's goodness. This is mental idolatry, that is, image-worship of the mind, and is forbidden by this commandment, a very common sin in these days—pray against it.

(3.) This forbids swearing or speaking of God where the mention is unnecessary. In this commandment is included a warning not to speak of any holy person or thing without reverence. The altar, the church, the font, the vessels for Holy Communion, and all other things dedicated to God, ar to be spoken of and touched with. reverence. All vows made to God, or made to others in God's presence, are to be performed and kept. For grace to do thus, say,

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