Gilbert Tennent sermons 58, "De proemio Legis" (On the preamble of the law) and "De primo precepts" (On the first commandment), 1745

Gilbert Tennent sermons 58, "De proemio Legis" (On the preamble of the law) and "De primo precepts" (On the first commandment), 1745

1745/1760

PHS.TennentSermons058

Gilbert Tennent (1703-1764) was an Irish-American Presbyterian clergyman, and one of the leaders of the Great Awakening.

This manuscript contains two sermons by Tennent. The sermons are closely related; Tennent wrote the first sermon about the preamble to the ten commandments as laid out in Exodus, and the second sermon on the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

From dates noted in the manuscript, it looks like Tennent wrote these sermons in 1745, then delivered one or both again in 1748, 1756, and 1760.

Pennsylvania--Philadelphia

Second Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA

Presbyterian Historical Society

19 pages

tiff

http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

eng

Text

De proemio Legis (On the introduction to the Law) and De primo precepto (On the First Commandment) are two short sermons outlining the beginnings and codification of how people should conduct themselves. An overview and interpretation of the Ten Commandments as given on the stone tablets to Moses, those on the "first table" or left-hand tablet relating to man's relationship with God, those on the "second table" or right-hand tablet dealing with man's relationship with neighbors, in which the positive and negative commandments contain by implication their active opposite or a reinforcing unspoken command be it against the forbidden evil, or toward the greater command to obey God if for instance one's parents command something criminal. Not to work on Sunday means actively to avoid sin and spend the day in a holy way. Not to commit adultery means the avoidance of thinking about it, as the very thought is as sinful as adultery itself.

The short sermon on the First Commandment

discusses both the commandment itself, and the traps of atheism, the profane, and idolatry that threaten disobedience to it.

https://www.philageohistory.org/rdic-images/iiif.cfm/PHS.TennentSermons058/manifest