"; the fourth, "Thou shalt not steal";
the fifth, "Thou shalt not bear false witness"; the sixth, "Thou
shalt not covet."

But, in the first place, it seems unbecoming for the precept of the
Sabbath-day observance to be put among the precepts of the decalogue,
if it nowise belonged to the decalogue. Secondly, because, since it
is written (Matt. 6:24), "No man can serve two masters," the two
statements, "I am the Lord thy God," and, "Thou shalt not have
strange gods before Me" seem to be of the same nature and to form one
precept. Hence Origen (Hom. viii in Exod.) who also distinguishes
four precepts as referring to God, unites these two under one
precept; and reckons in the second place, "Thou shalt not make . . .
any graven thing"; as third, "Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain"; and as fourth, "Remember that thou keep holy
the Sabbath-day." The other six he reckons in the same way as
Hesychius.

Since, however, the making of graven things or the likeness of
anything is not forbidden except as to the point of their being
worshipped as gods--for God commanded an image of the Seraphim
[Vulg.: Cherubim] to be made and placed in the tabernacle, as related
in Ex. 25:18--Augustine more fittingly unites these two, "Thou shalt
not have strange gods before Me," and, "Thou shalt not make . . . any
graven thing," into one precept. Likewise to covet another's wife,
for the purpose of carnal knowledge, belongs to the concupiscence of
the flesh; whereas, to covet other things, which are desired for the
purpose of possession, belongs to the concupiscence of the eyes;
wherefore Augustine reckons as distinct precepts, that which forbids
the coveting of another's goods, and that which prohibits the
coveting of another's wife. Thus he distinguishes three precepts as
referring to God, and seven as referring to our neighbor. And this is
better.

Reply Obj. 1: Worship is merely a declaration of faith: wherefore the
precepts about worship should not be reckoned as distinct from those
about faith. Nevertheless precepts should be given about worship
rather than about faith, because the precept about faith is
presupposed to the precepts of the decalogue, as is also the precept
of charity. For just as the first general principles of the natural
law are self-evident to a subject having natural reason, and need no
promulgation; so also to believe in God is a first and self-evident
principle to a subject possessed of faith