M.  Why doth God first speak somewhat of himself and of his benefit?

      S.  He had principally care that the ^eestimation of the laws ordained by him should not be shortly abated by contempt: and therefore that they might have the greater authority, he useth this, as it were, an entry, “I am the Lord thy God.”  In which words he teacheth that he is ^four Maker, Lord, and Saviour, and the Author of all good.  And so, with good right by his dignity of a law-maker, he challengeth to himself the authority of commanding, and by his goodness he procureth favour to his law, and by them both together, burdeneth us with necessity to obey it, unless we will be both ^grebels against him that is most mighty, and unthankful toward him that is most bountiful.

      M.  But whereas he speaketh of Israel by name, and maketh expressly mention of breaking the yoke of the bondage of Egypt, doth not this belong only to the people of Israel?

      S.  God, indeed, rescued the Israelites by his servant Moses from bodily ^hbondage; but he hath delivered all them that be his, by his Son Jesus Christ, from the spiritual ⁱthraldom of sin, and the tyranny of the devil, wherein else they had lain pressed and oppressed.  This kind of deliverance pertaineth indifferently to ^jall men which put their trust in God their deliverer, and do ^kto their power obey his laws; which if they do not, he doth by this rehearsal of his most great benefit pronounce that they shall be ^lguilty of most great unthankfulness.  For let every man imagine the ^mdevil, that hellish Pharaoh, ready to oppress him, and how ⁿsin is the most foul mire wherein he most filthily walloweth; let him set before the eyes of his mind, hell, ^othe most wretched Egyptian bondage, and then shall he easily perceive that this freedom, whereof I speak, is the thing that he ought principally ^pto desire, as the thing of most great importance to him, whereof yet he shall be most unworthy, unless he honour the ^qAuthor of his deliverance with all service and obedience.

      M.  Say on.

      S.  After that he hath thus stablished the authority of his law, now followeth the commandment, “Thou shalt have none other gods before me.”

      M.  Tell me what this meaneth.

      S.  This commandment condemneth and forbiddeth idolatry, ^rwhich God thoroughly hateth.