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النشر الإلكتروني

Persons-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; to worship and to serve Him, to love Him above all things, to fear Him before all, to glorify Him in all our actions, to look for His promises, and to have faith in Him, to cast all our care upon Him, to submit to His Providence; entirely to believe in Him only, without giving any share of His honour to angels or saints, or to any other creature.

They sin against these precepts: Who deny or doubt that there is a God; who worship false gods, or any creature; who do not worship the true God and seek His glory; who do not believe in and reverence His holy Word; who love anything more than Him; who use witchcrafts and sorceries, and superstitious observances; telling of fortunes, invocation of spirits, and other wicked inventions of the devil.

"O LORD, I confess myself guilty of innumerable transgressions of this holy commandment; pardon me, I beseech Thee, for

Jesus Christ's sake; and let the grace of the Holy Spirit so prevent and follow me for the time to come, that I may never more be guilty of the like offences, but may henceforth strive to avoid every sin forbidden, and to practise every duty enjoined by this most righteous law."

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT.

"Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, and visit the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, and shew mercy unto thousands in them that love Me, and keep My commandments."

THE duties enjoined are: To believe that God is a spiritual Being without bodily form or shape, and that He is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth; that He is to be honoured and worshipped with the lowly reverence of our bodies also; and not only with outward and visible service, but with the inward service of the heart and affections.

They sin against these precepts: Who make any image or picture of the Godhead; who make or use images or pictures of any other being; designing or addressing religious worship to them; who are more careful of the outward and ceremonial forms of worship than of the inward and spiritual part; who pray without thought, seriousness, and attention; who are irreverent in their devotions, and careless about their demeanour.

"O LORD, I confess myself guilty of innumerable transgressions of this holy commandment; pardon me, I beseech Thee, for Jesus Christ's sake; and let the grace of the

Holy Spirit so prevent and follow me for the time to come, that I may never more be guilty of the like offences, but may henceforth strive to avoid every sin forbidden, and to practise every duty enjoined by this most righteous law."

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT.

"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."

THE duties enjoined are: To honour and reverence God's most Holy Name and attributes; to speak of it with religious awe and fear, and not to despise or neglect the warnings and aids of His Holy Spirit. To treat all that belongs to Him with deep regard,

especially His house, His word, His ordinances, and His ministers.

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They sin against these precepts: Who speak of God without reverence, or light occasions, and who make no more account of His great Name than of any common thing. Who use vain and profane swearing; who make rash oaths and sudden inconsiderate vows; who break their holy, solemn, and deliberate vows; who despise God's people and profane His house, and slight His Sacraments, and regard not His services, and who treat with irreverence anything with which His name and honour are concerned.

"O LORD, I confess myself guilty of innumerable transgressions of this holy commandment. Pardon me, I beseech Thee, for Jesus Christ's sake; and let the grace of the Holy Spirit so prevent and follow me for the time to come, that I may never more be guilty of the like offences; but may

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