When the children of Israel were tenting and wandering in the wilderness God called Moses their leader up into the heights of Mount Sinai. He wished to speak to him alone, and so Joshua, who had gone up with him, was left in the lower parts of the mountain to await his return, while Moses went up to the cloud-crowned top of the mountain to be alone, all alone with God. This conference with God continued forty days and nights, and when it was concluded Moses came down from the smoking top bearing two tables of stone, upon which were chiseled the ten laws or, as we say today, the Ten Commandments. In few and short words they were as follows: 1. Thou shalt have no other God before me. 2. Thou shalt not make graven images. 3. Thou shalt not take in vain the holy name of God. 4. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. 5. Honor thy parents. 6, Commit no murder. 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. Thou shalt not steal. 9. Tell no falsehoods. 10. Do not covet thy neighbor's things. These ten commandments instruct us in all the duties of life. Yet we may keep all these laws and not be a Christian. Once when Jesus was here among men a rich young ruler came to him asking what he must do to be saved, Jesus asked him about the Ten Commandments. He replied that he had kept them from his youth up, but when Jesus asked him to sell all and follow him, he then saw that the commandments had not gone through to his heart, for there he had the gold idol which he would not give up even to follow Jesus. He had not kept the first commandment. So we can all learn by this story that he was not a Christian although perhaps he had kept all the commandments, as he thought. They cannot change the heart. The law can never do that. These Ten Commandments are like ten shining cords which may hold us back from evil-doing, but which can never change our heart and make us Christians.