Part 33 (1/2)
THE NINTH COMMAND.
THOU SHALT NOT UTTER FALSEHOOD.
_Remark._--All those who tell lies, and indulge in devilish deceits, with every kind of coa.r.s.e and abandoned talk, offend against this command.
_The Hymn says_:--
Lying discourse and unfounded stories must all be abandoned.
Deceitful and wicked words are offences against Heaven.
Much talk will, in the end, bring evil on the speakers.
It is then much better to be cautious, and regulate one's own mind.
THE TENTH COMMAND.
THOU SHALT NOT CONCEIVE A COVETOUS DESIRE.
_Remark._--When a man looks upon the beauty of another's wife and daughters with covetous desires, or when he regards the elegance of another man's possessions with covetous desires, or when he engages in gambling, he offends against this command.
_The Hymn says_:--
In your daily conduct do not harbour covetous desires.
When involved in the sea of l.u.s.t the consequences are very serious.
The above injunctions were handed down on Mount Sinai; And to this day the celestial commands retain all their force.
”NOTE.--The expression 'corrupt spirits' in the remarks upon the second commandment, rendered by the translator 'G.o.ds,' refers probably to the numerous malevolent spirits whom all uneducated Chinese believe to have power over all things noxious to the human race. The G.o.ds of thunder, lightning, wind, &c., are the princ.i.p.al of these, but there are also hundreds of inferior spirits whom poor householders believe to be abroad at night, with power, if they so will, to spread pestilence, disaster, and fire, and who consequently receive daily and nightly offerings of prayer and incense from the timid and trembling poor, who dread the exercise of their malevolence.”--(_The Taepings in China._)
THE TRIMETRICAL CLa.s.sIC.
EACH LINE IN THE ORIGINAL CONTAINING THREE WORDS, AND EACH VERSE FOUR LINES.
The Great G.o.d Made heaven and earth, Both land and sea, And all things therein.
In six days He made the whole; Man, the lord of all, Was endowed with glory and honour.
Every seventh day wors.h.i.+p, In acknowledgment of Heaven's favour; Let all under Heaven Keep their hearts in reverence.
It is said that in former times A foreign nation was commanded To honour G.o.d; The nation's name was Israel.
Their twelve tribes Removed into Egypt; Where G.o.d favoured them, And their posterity increased.
Then a king arose Into whose heart the devil entered; He envied their prosperity, And inflicted pain and misery.
Ordering the daughters to be preserved, But not allowing the sons to live; Their bondage was severe And very difficult to bear.
The Great G.o.d Viewed them with pity, And commanded Moses To return to his family.