…I desire thou wouldest treat concerning the Commandments of God.
The Commandments of God are ten in number, and in them are many others contained.
But are not the Precepts of the Old Law long since fulfilled?
The Precepts of the Old Testament which were concerning Ceremonies and Mysteries, and were to foreshow the Works of Christ; these all are passed away, as a Shadow at the Approach of the Body; nor are they any longer binding, or to be observed by Christians. But those Commands which enjoin the observation of Charity, and our duty towards God and our neighbor, are not only to be observed by Christians, but to be observed, also, more carefully and perfectly by them, than they were by the Israelites under the Old Law. For as God hath bestowed on us greater and more excellent Gifts than on them, and especially as we have received that most incomparable Grace of the Holy Spirit, through our Lord Jesus Christ, so ought our actions to excel those of the Jews. As is said, "unless your righteousness should exceed more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, in no wise shall ye enter into the kingdom of the heavens." [Mt. 5:20 ONT] Likewise, "Ye heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Thou shalt not murder,’ and whosoever shall murder shall be liable to the judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without just cause shall be liable to the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca’ shall be liable to the sanhedrin; but whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool,’ shall be liable to the Gehenna of the fire." [Mt. 5:21-22 ONT] In the same Place, much more is also said of the rest; wherefore all the Commandments, relating to the Love of God and of our Neighbor, are carefully to be observed, for on these two hang all the Law and the Prophets. As the Lord hath said, “‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” [Mt. 22:37-40 ONT]
Since Christ confirmed only two Commandments, I pray thee, how can there be ten?
These are the two general and principal Commandments, on which all the rest are founded; and for this reason these ten Commandments are divided into two Tables; in the first of which, those are contained which enjoin the love of God, in the last, those which teach us in what manner we are to love our Neighbor. Therefore in these two, Christ hath confirmed and established the whole ten; and concerning this Law he hath pronounced thus, “it is easier for the heaven and the earth to pass away than one tittle of the law to fall.” [Lk. 16:17 ONT]
Q. What is the Law of God?
A. The Law of God is His Commands delivered to men by the hands of Moses, and expressed in the Ten Commandments, whereby every one may know what is agreeable to the Will of God, in order to put it in practice, and to avoid what is disagreeable to the Divine Will.
Q. Which are the Ten Commandments?
A. They are as follows. [Note the following—typical—list of the Commandments is actually an abbreviated form of the complete Decalogue, for which see Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.]
I. “Thou shalt have no other gods beside me.” [Exod. 20:3 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:7]
II. “Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor likeness of anything, whatever things are in the heaven above, and whatever are in the earth beneath, and whatever are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them;” [Exod. 20:4-5 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:8-9]
III. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;” [Exod. 20:7a Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:11a]
IV. “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days thou shalt labour, and shalt perform all thy work. But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God;” [Exod. 20:8-10 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:12a, 13-14]
V. “Honour thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest live long upon the land,” [Deut. 5:16a,d Brenton's LXX; cf. Exod. 20:12a,c]
VI. “Thou shalt not commit murder.” [Deut. 5:17 Brenton's LXX; cf. Exod. 20:15]
VII. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” [Exod. 20:13 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:18]
VIII. “Thou shalt not steal.” [Exod. 20:14 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:19]
IX. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” [Exod. 20:16 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:20]
X. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, nor his field, nor his man-servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of beast of his, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” [Deut. 5:21 Brenton's LXX; cf. Exod. 20:17]
Q. Do these Commandments want any explication?
A. Yes; because of the ignorance of the common people, such explication is highly necessary; and because the precept is short, though very comprehensive.
Q. What means have we to know good works from bad?
A. The inward law of God, or the witness of our conscience, and the outward law of God, or God's Commandments.
Q. Does holy Scripture speak of the inward law of God?
A. The Apostle Paul says of the heathen: “who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts one with another accusing or also excusing,” [Rom. 2:15 ONT]
Q. If there is in man's heart an inward law, why was the outward given?
A. It was given because men obeyed not the inward law, but led carnal and sinful lives, and stifled within themselves the voice of the spiritual law, so that it was necessary to put them in mind of it outwardly through the Commandments. “Why then the law? It was added on account of transgressions,” [Gal. 3:19 ONT]
Q. When, and how, was God's outward law given to men?
A. When the Hebrew people, descended from Abraham, had been miraculously delivered from bondage in Egypt, on their way to the promised land, in the desert, on mount Sinai, God manifested His presence in fire and clouds, and gave them the law, by the hand of Moses, their leader.
Q. Which are the chief and general Commandments of this law?
A. The following ten; which were written on two tables of stone [note this is a slightly different abbreviated form—in Commandments 1 and 5—than given by Archbishop Feofan]:
1. I am the Lord thy God, “Thou shalt have no other gods beside me.” [Exod. 20:2a,3 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:6a,7]
2. “Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor likeness of anything, whatever things are in the heaven above, and whatever are in the earth beneath, and whatever are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them;” [Exod. 20:4-5 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:8-9]
3. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;” [Exod. 20:7a Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:11a]
4. “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days thou shalt labour, and shalt perform all thy work. But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God;” [Exod. 20:8-10 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:12a,13-14]
5. “Honour thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long upon the land,” [Deut. 5:16a,c,d Brenton's LXX; cf. Exod. 20:12a,b,c]
6. “Thou shalt not commit murder.” [Deut. 5:17 Brenton's LXX; cf. Exod. 20:15]
7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” [Exod. 20:13 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:18]
8. “Thou shalt not steal.” [Exod. 20:14 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:19]
9. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” [Exod. 20:16 Brenton's LXX; cf. Deut. 5:20]
10. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, nor his field, nor his man-servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of beast of his, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” [Deut. 5:21 Brenton's LXX; cf. Exod. 20:17]
Q. You said that these Commandments were given to the people of Israel: must we then also walk by them?
A. We must: for they are in substance the same law, which, in the words of St. Paul, has been written in the hearts of all men, that all should walk by it.
Q. Did Jesus Christ teach men to walk by the Ten Commandments?
A. He bade men, if they would attain to everlasting life, to keep the Commandments; and taught us to understand and fulfill them more perfectly, than had been done before He came. [Reference is then given to these two Scriptures: “Do not begin to think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets; I came not to abolish, but to fulfill. For verily I say to you, until the heaven and the earth shall have passed away, one iota or one tittle in no wise shall pass away from the law, until all shall have taken place. Whosoever then shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall do and teach them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness should exceed more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, in no wise shall ye enter into the kingdom of the heavens. Ye heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Thou shalt not murder,’ and whosoever shall murder shall be liable to the judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without just cause shall be liable to the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca’ shall be liable to the sanhedrin; but whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool,’ shall be liable to the Gehenna of the fire.” [Mt. 5:17-22 ONT] “And behold, one approached and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘Why callest thou Me good? No one is good, except One: God. But if thou art willing to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He saith to Him, ‘Which?’ And Jesus said, ‘Thou shalt not murder; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness; be honoring thy father and thy mother’; and, ‘thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ The young man saith to Him, ‘All these I kept for myself from my youth; what lack I yet?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If thou art willing to be perfect, go and sell thy possessions, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and keep on following Me.’” [Mt. 19:16-21 ONT]
Q. What means the division of the Ten Commandments into two tables?
A. This; that they contain two kinds of love, love to God, and love to our neighbor; and prescribe two corresponding kinds of duties.
Q. Has not Jesus Christ said something of this?
A. When asked, “‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ ... Jesus said to him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’” [Mt. 22:36-40 ONT]
Q. Are all men our neighbors?
A. Yes, all, because all are the creation of one God, and have come from one man; but our neighbors in faith are doubly neighbors to us, as being children of one heavenly Father by faith in Jesus Christ.
Q. But why is there no Commandment of love to ourselves?
A. Because we love ourselves naturally, and without any Commandment. “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it,” [Eph. 5:29a ONT]
Q. What relative order should there be in our love to God, our neighbor, and ourselves?
A. We should love ourselves not for our own but for God's sake, and partly also for the sake of our neighbors; we should love our neighbor for the sake of God; but we should love God for Himself, and above all. Love of self should be sacrificed to the love of our neighbor; but both should be sacrificed to the love of God. “Greater love hath no one than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends.” [Jn. 15:13 ONT] “The one who loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. [Mt. 10:37 ONT]
Q. If the whole law is contained in two Commandments, why are they divided into ten?
A. In order the more clearly to set forth our duties towards God, and towards our neighbor.
Q. In which of the Ten Commandments are we taught our duties towards God?
A. In the first four.
Q. What are these duties?
A. In the first Commandment we are taught to know and worship the True God. In the second, to abstain from false worship. In the third, not to sin against God's worship even by word. In the fourth, to keep a certain order in the time and acts of God's worship.
Q. In which of the Ten Commandments are we taught our duties towards Our neighbor?
A. In the last six.
Q. What are these duties ?
A. In the fifth Commandment we are taught to love and honor those of our neighbors who are nearest to us, beginning from our parents. In the sixth, not to hurt the life of our neighbor. In the seventh, not to hurt the purity of his morals. In the eighth, not to hurt his property. In the ninth, not to hurt him by word. In the tenth, not to wish to hurt him.
Q. Do not the Ten Commandments include also our duties towards ourselves?
A. Yes; these duties are implied in the Commandments of the second table relating to our neighbors; for our duty is to love our neighbor as ourselves.