Q110
What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it?
The reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it, contained in these words, 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; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments;554 are, besides God’s sovereignty over us, and propriety in us,555 his fervent zeal for his own worship,556 and his revengeful indignation against all false worship, as being a spiritual whoredom;557 accounting the breakers of this commandment such as hate him, and threatening to punish them unto divers generations;558 and esteeming the observers of it such as love him and keep his commandments, and promising mercy to them unto many generations.559