This prohibition, therefore, must be interpreted according to the subject-matter of it, which is _divine worship_. It is not unlawful to represent to the eye any visible thing by an artificial image of it, but when God says, _Thou shalt not make, and thou shalt not worship_, the meaning is, thou shalt not make any thing with an intention of worship, and thou shalt not worship any thing which thou or others have made. As negative commands enjoin the performance of the opposite positive duties, so this command enjoins whatever appertains to the external and visible worship of God, as the first command, by prohibiting the owning or cleaving to false gods, enjoins the acknowledging, and cleaving to, and spiritually worshiping the true God. 1. THE USE OF IMAGES FORBIDDEN. EX. XX, 4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. EX. XXXIV, 17. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. LEV. XIX, 4. Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God. DEUT. IV, 16. Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17. The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, 18. The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: 19. And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. PSALM XCVII, 7. Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. ISAIAH XLII, 8. I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. REV. XIV, 9. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. 2. IMAGES ARE NO REPRESENTATION OF GOD. DEUT. IV, 12. And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.