THE COMMANDMENTS.

ON THE MORNING OF COMMUNION DAY, AND AT OTHER TIMES, WHEN THE MINISTER CHOOSES, THE SERVICES MAY BE COMMENCED BY READING THE COMMANDMENTS, AS FOLLOWS:

GOD spake these words, and said, I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have none other gods but me.

Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters 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 show mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love me and keep my commandments.

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.

Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work; thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it.

Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Thou shalt do no murder.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.

JESUS said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great com

mandment.

And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love is the fulfilling of the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

BAPTISM OF INFANTS.

CHILDREN ARE USUALLY BAPTIZED IN THE CHURCH, IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRST HYMN OF THE MORNING OR AFTERNOON SERVICE. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THEY WILL BE PRESENTED FOR THIS PURPOSE BY THEIR PARENTS OR IMMEDIATE GUARDIANS.]

When the Child has been brought forward to the altar, the Minister may read as follows, from the Gospel of St. Mark:

JESUS said unto his disciples, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

He may then use the following, or some other suitable Exhortation:

My brethren, in our treatment and regard of children, we ought to partake of the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should by no means despise or neglect them; but by gentleness and watchful care, do all that we can to bring them into the fold of the good Shepherd. That God may bless our efforts in so doing, let us now pray.

Then may be offered the following Prayer:

ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, we give thanks unto thee, that by thy goodness we have been brought to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to faith in him. We bless thee for the kind and encouraging words which he spoke, and for his tender compassion towards those whom he came to save; that he did not suffer little children to be driven away from his presence, but took them in his arms and blessed them. And now that we have brought to thy altar this little one, we pray that thou wilt guide and direct us, while we consecrate him to thee and to thy service. Wilt thou grant that this Baptism of Water may be the type and the earnest of the purifying influences of thy Holy Spirit, by which alone the soul can be regenerated and saved. This we do humbly ask, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.