A. I. I am the Lord thy God, supreme in pow'r,
For tender mercy and compassion known:
Then, on thy life, no other God adore;
For there is really none, but me alone.

II. Thou no carv'd image for thy God shalt take,
Like any being, in the heav'n on high,
Or earth beneath, or in the seas vast lake,
Or like a bird, that thro' the air does fly.

Before such vanities ne'er bend thy knee,
Nor any such vile deities adore,
Either of earth, of wood, or stone, they be,
By human labour form'd, and void of pow'r.

For I, th' Almighty, am a jealous God,
And vengeance from the children oft require,
Who tread the paths their wicked fathers, trod:
Thus the son suffers for his sinful sire!

I frequent punishment inflict on those
(Though to the third or fourth degree remov'd)
Who like their sires profess themselves my foes,
And senseless idols have, before me, lov'd:

But unto them my mercies I extend,
Who keep my statutes wholly untransgress'd,
Their long-continu'd line shall never end,
But in a thousand ages hence be bless'd.

III. Ne'er mention thou Jehovah's glorious name,
Without respect and reverential awe:
For thou shalt not be free from guilt and blame,
If thou presumest to transgress this law.

IV. Remember thou in virtuous acts to spend,
And holy exercise, the sabbath-day,
And like a Christian, to thy latter end,
Worship thy God thereon, and to him pray.

Six days the Lord vouchsaf'd to give to thee,
Whereon thy temp'ral business shou'd be done:
But, on the seventh, thou art no ways free
To mind ought else, besides God's work alone:

Upon that day thou must from labour rest,
On pain of death, thou and thy family,
Both men and maids, with ev'ry lab'ring beast,
And ev'ry sojourner, that stays with thee:

Within six days God form'd the wond'rous ball,
With ev'ry thing that in the same remains,
The sky, the earth, the ocean vast, and all
The countless tribes, that swim its liquid plains.

To work, upon the seventh-day, he ceas'd,
Though unfatigu'd he from creation came;
Wherefore to bless that day he then was pleas'd,
And hallow'd to eternity the same.

V. Unto thy parents all due honour give,
To their commands a proper def'rence show,
That thou may'st long in that blest station live,
Which God shall on each duteous son bestow.

VI. Take heed, thou dost not any person slay,
Nor any blood, without good reason, shed ;
The voice of blood is heard a mighty way :
God will pour vengeance on each murd'rer's head.

VII. Avoid adultery, that cursed thing!
And always of thy bosom-wife make much,
The waters quaff that gush from thy own spring ;
But ne'er thy neighbour's cover'd cistern touch.

VIII. Aim not the smallest trifle to possess
By stealth, which to another appertains;
Use no deceit, nor any one oppress,
Tho' thou wert forc'd to bear the fiercest pains.

IX. Of perjury, and wilful lies, beware,
Nor by thy evidence thy neighbour wrong:
But still the truth of ev'ry one declare,
And ne'er with defamation stain thy tongue.

X. Neither thy neighbour's house, nor yet his wife,
Or man or maid, horse, ass, or working beast,
Or any thing of his, desire thro' life,
But that of which thou justly art possest.

Thy mercy, Lord! unto thy servants show,
Inspire each breast with a religious awe,
Our stubborn hearts and inclinations bow,
That we may faithfully fulfil each law :

Pardon, good God! the crimes that we have done,
Remember not how often we transgress :
But all those laws, as formerly on stone,
Upon the tablets of our hearts impress!

Q. Tell me, what dost thou chiefly gather hence?
What do the laws, thou hast rehears'd, express?
Give me their plainest and their truest sense,
In as few words as thou thy thoughts canst dress.

A. Two duties I have learn'd from thence to know,
To which by love and gratitude I'm bound,
The one, I to my great Creator owe,
The other, to my neighbours all around.

Q. First, let me know, if thou the same canst say,
What is thy bounden duty to the Lord -
The duty, that compels thee to obey
His sacred laws, and to respect his word?

A. First, to believe that God exists, I'm bound,
(And this I must believe with heart sincere)
To fear him, with a dread and awe profound,
To love him, as the thing I hold most dear :

Then I must worship him, with all my pow'r,
In such a manner, as his Word makes known,
And bless and thank his goodness, ev'ry hour,
For all the kindness he to me has shown :

My trust in him I must entirely place,
And in all stations call upon the Lord,
His faith I must, on no account, disgrace,
But honour and obey his name and word -

Then in such manner I must chant his praise,
And him, the Sov'reign of the world, adore,
That I must serve him truly all my days,
In ev'ry case that comes within my pow'r.

Q. What is the duty, thou dost chiefly owe
To ev'ry man, with whom thou art concern'd?
The same to me with just precision show,
If thou hast it by heart completely learn'd.

A. The same true love, that to myself I bear,
The like I to my fellow creature owe;
It must, like that, be real and sincere,
Even altho' he were my greatest foe:

I likewise must to ev'ry person do,
Whatever I cou'd from my heart require
That he shou'd do to me, and to him show
No stricter measures, than I shou'd desire:

My parents also I am bound, to love,
To honour, and in poverty relieve,
I ne'er must do the thing, they disapprove,
But due obedience to their orders give:

The king, with loyalty I must obey,
With all his officers in their degree,
To their commands just homage I must pay,
So they are lawful, howe'er harsh they be:

To all my governors I must submit,
My masters, and my guides of ev'ry kind,
With all my pastors - (as is just and fit)
Who guide my conscience and improve my mind.

Unto my betters, whether great or small,
I must with decent deference behave,
And due submission show unto them all,
And ne'er licentiously against them rave.

I must not injure any one alive,
In word, or deed; nay, even not in thought -
Nor malice bear - nor blow unto him give,
By which his life may be to danger brought :

To keep my body temp'rate I must strive ;
Nor into riotous excesses run;
But soberly and chastely always live,
And, as the plague, all lust and lewdness shun:

My hands from pilfering I must restrain,
And must not in the paths of robbers tread,
From all deceit and wrong I must refrain,
And rather labour for my daily bread:

From slander also I must keep my tongue,
From falsehoods, and untruths of ev'ry kind,
And never talk of any to their wrong,
Like infidels, who no religion mind:

The goods of others I must not desire
With lustful eye, and avaritious heart ;
But labour - as the laws of God require -
As well, as e'er I can, to act my part.

Q. Know this, my child! - and, what I say, is right,
Thou canst not such a burden undergo,
Nor all those things, by thy own proper might,
Vile sinner as thou art - pretend to do.

Thou canst not keep God's statutes undefil'd,
Or follow them with never-erring pace,
Thou canst not serve him worthily, my child!
Unless he deigns to give thee special grace:

On which account, thou must hereafter strive,
Through prayer's aid, God's favour to implore,
That He to thee this needful grace may give,
Whereby thou may'st more justly him adore.

Let me the Prayer of our Lord then hear,
(If in thy mem'ry thou dost it retain)
Repeat it without bashfulness or fear,
Or thou must stay to con it over again.