The First Commandment by H. S. Boyd

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 3, 1857

The First Commandment.

By H. S. Boyd

THOU shalt have no other gods before me. Ex. xx. 3. These are the words uttered on mount Sinai by Him who saith, I am the Lord thy God. When these words were spoken the whole mount quaked greatly: God himself had descended upon it to give his statutes to man.

His first command is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. It is not my purpose in this article to enumerate all the gods that we can have beside the true one; for there are lords many and gods many, but I would call the attention of the remnant to some that may take possession of our hearts almost unawares.

Perchance Bro. A. has a fine farm. It is pleasantly situated, and really a good one. He thinks much of it and says it is his own. But brother, thou art mistaken. The earth is the Lord's.

Bro. B. has a few thousands, or hundreds, at least, in cash or other property. This says he, is mine. I got it by my honest toil and savings of many years. But you too are God's steward. To him you must give an account; for not only is the earth the Lord's, but the fullness thereof.

Bro. C. has a good house. It is not only good, but fine, fashionable, even stylish. We fail to find in the finish and furnish of this dwelling evidence that the builder expected that in a few days all these things were to be tried by fire. But dear brother, if the Bible taught you thus to build, thus to furnish and finish in these last days; if in all this your eye was single to the glory of God; if in it the lust of the eyes and the pride of life had no share; in short, if you have ever had the approving of God's Spirit, let others think or say what they will, go on in this painful duty, (for it must be a painful one to the true Adventist,) I say go on, be sure you are making a right use of your Lord's money, and with the good steward you will receive your reward. On the contrary, if you feel that it is God's Spirit that approves of what his word disapproves, remember that the many spirits which have gone out into the world are to be tried and tested by that word.

Bro. D. has a great gift. He can exhort and pray better than his brethren. He is aware of all this. There is danger of his being exalted. But who maketh thee to differ from another? What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it why glory as if thou didst not receive it? 1 Cor. iv, 7.

Some brother or sister may be tenacious with regard to some point of belief; for instance, have great faith. Do not be too sure you are right unless you are fully sustained by God's word, (and then you cannot be,) and should any one dare to differ from you then is a good time to shew forth the sweet Spirit of Jesus by your forbearance, patience, love and charity; by your willingness to have your life and doctrine tested by God's word. Charity will lead to all this, and without it St. Paul, though he were on earth speaking with the tongue of angels and with faith to remove mountains, would be nothing.

I might go on to illustrate hundreds of ways that our hearts may be drawn from the true God, but a word to the wise is sufficient. O may it never be forgotten that just so far as our hearts are placed upon the perishable things of this world, (beyond what they should be,) whether it be property, honor, our own notions, goodness or gifts, just so far we have other gods besides the one we should worship. These are our gods in the same sense that covetousness is idolatry. And while we are consistently keeping the fourth commandment, let us not fail to also keep the first and last. I mean the new one that Jesus gave; [John xiii. 34;] and in all that we do have an eye single to the glory of God, and ever strive to imitate the dear Saviour, our true Pattern.

H. S. BOYD.

Lyme, N. H., July 27th, 1857.