Ti-Ping Tien-Kwoh Part 33

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.

He commanded Aaron To go and meet Moses; When both addressed the king, And wrought divers miracles.

The king hardened his heart And would not let them go; Wherefore G.o.d was angry And sent lice and locusts.

He also sent flies, Together with frogs, Which entered their palaces And crept into their ovens.

When the king still refused, The river was turned into blood!

And the water became bitter Throughout all Egypt.

G.o.d sent boils and blains, With pestilence and murrain; He also sent hail, Which was very grievous.

The king still refusing, He slew their first-born; When the King of Egypt Had no resource,

But let them go Out of his land; The Great G.o.d Upheld and sustained them.

By day in a cloud, By night in a pillar of fire; The Great G.o.d Himself saved them.

The king hardened his heart, And led his armies in pursuit; But G.o.d was angry And displayed his majesty.

Arrived at the Red Sea, The waters were spread abroad; The people of Israel Were very much afraid.

The pursuers overtook them, But G.o.d stayed their course; He himself fought for them, And the people had no trouble.

He caused the Red Sea With its waters to divide; To stand up as a wall, That they might pa.s.s between.

The people of Israel Marched with a steady step As though on dry ground, And thus saved their lives.

The pursuers attempting to cross, Their wheels were taken off, When the waters closed upon them, And they were all drowned.

The Great G.o.d Displayed his power, And the people of Israel Were all preserved.

When they came to the desert They had nothing to eat; But the Great G.o.d Bade them not be afraid.

He sent down manna, For each man a pint; It was as sweet as honey, And satisfied their appet.i.tes.

The people l.u.s.ted much, And wished to eat flesh, When quails were sent By the millions of bushels.

At the Mount Sinai Miracles were displayed, And Moses was commanded To make tables of stone.

The Great G.o.d Gave his celestial commands, Amounting to ten precepts, The breach of which would not be forgiven.

He himself wrote them, And gave them to Moses; The celestial law Cannot be altered.

In after ages It was sometimes disobeyed, Through the devil's temptations When men fell into misery.

But the Great G.o.d, Out of pity to mankind, Sent his first-born Son To come down into the world.

His name is Jesus, The Lord and Saviour of men, Who redeems them from sin By the endurance of extreme misery.