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Thou shalt not commit Adulterp.

AFTER life, (if after that, for this command in the Greek tranflation of Exodus, (though not in Deuteronomy,) in fome places of the New Testament, and in fundry ancient writers, is placed before that against murder,) nothing commonly is more dear to men, than the comforts of their conjugal eftate; the enjoyment of that special affection and friendship, together with those inftances of benevolence, which by divine inftitution and mutual contract, ratified by moft facred and folemn promises of fidelity, are reserved peculiar to that ftate: which enclofures therefore of his neighbour whoever fhall invade or trespass upon, who fhall anywife loose or flacken those holy bands, who shall attempt the affection or chastity of his neighbour's wife, doth most grievously offend God, and committeth (as Jofeph, when he was tempted thereto, did call it) a great evil against God, against his neighbour, against himself, against the common society of

VII. Com

mandment.

He violateth an inftitution, to which God hath affixed especial marks of respect and fanctity; he wounds his neighbour's honour and intereft in the most tender part, wherein the content of his mind and comfort of his life are most deeply concerned. He as much (or rather more) difhonoureth and abufeth himself, not only by committing a fact of so high injustice, but by making himself acceffory to the basest perfidiousness that can be. [Whofo committeth adultery lacketh understanding: he Prov. vi. 32, that doeth it defroyeth his own foul. A wound and dif- 33, 34. honour shall he get; and his reproach fhall not be wiped away. For jealoufy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he reft content, though thou giveft many gifts.] He also offendeth against the public quiet and welfare, breeding inextricable confufions and implacable diffenfions in families; fo that hardly from any other caufe fuch tragical events have iffued as from this: in fine, this crime is, as Philo calls it, σTuynTov, xai Deoμí

ontov ádíxnua, a loathfome unrighteoufnefs, moft odious to Job xxxi. God; and a fire, as Job representeth it, that confumeth to deftruction.

12.

But we must farther alfo confider, that acts of this kind contain alfo in them another evil; that perfons committing them do not only fo highly wrong their neighbour, but defile themselves alfo by the fouleft turpitude; in which refpect the prohibition of all unlawful and irregular fatisfactions to luftful appetite; all compliance with that great enemy of our fouls, the flesh; all kinds of impurity and lasciviousness, not in act only, but in thought, in Matt. v. 14. fpeech, in gesture, may be reduced to this law: our Lord himself doth fo interpret it, as to make it include a forbidding of all unchafte defires; and Christianity doth in a most strict and special manner oblige us to all kinds of fobriety and modefty, of chastity and purity in body and 1 Pet. ii. 11. fpirit; enjoining us to alfiain from all fleshly lufts, as 1 Theff. iv. enemies to our fouls; to mortify our fleshly members; to poffefs our veffels (or bodies) in fanctity and honour; not Eph. v. 3. Eph. iv. 29. to have any impurity, or filthiness, so much as named among 17., us; nor to fuffer a foul word to proceed out of our mouth; not to defile our bodies, confecrated unto God, and made temples of the Holy Spirit; excluding perfons guilty of fuch things from any title or capacity of entering into Eph. v. 4, God's kingdom: in fine, representing all such practices as most dishonourable to us, moft difpleafing to God, most grievous to God's Holy Spirit, (the fountain of all virtue and goodness,) most contrary to the nature and design of our religion, and most deftructive of our fouls.

Col. iii. 5.

4.

1 Cor. iii.

19.

&c.

vi. 18,

VIII. Commandment,

Thou shalt not feal.

THAT every man should quietly enjoy thofe fupports and those conveniences of life, which in any honeft manner (by God's bounty immediately dispensing it, or by God's bleffing upon his industry) he hath acquired the poffeffion of, or right unto, as all reafon and equity do require, fo it must be acknowledged abfolutely neceffary for the preservation of common peace, and the main

6.

tenance of civil fociety among men to fecure which purposes, and to encourage honeft induftry, this law prohibiteth all invafion or ufurpation by any means whatever (either by open violence and extortion, or by clandestine fraud and furreption) of our neighbour's proper goods and rights: he that in any way, against his neighbour's knowledge or will, getteth into his power, or detaineth therein, what doth in equity belong to his neighbour, and which he can reftore to him, doth tranfgrefs against the intent of this law; as we fee it interpreted in Leviticus, where it is thus expreffed; Thou shalt not de- Lev.xix.13, fraud thy neighbour, nor rob him: defrauding by cunning practice is no lefs forbidden, than robbing by violent force. Anywife anоσTEрev, (that is, to deprive our neigh- 1 Cor. vi. 8. bour of his due ;) vorpigav, to purloin, or (by subtle and Tit. ii. 10. fly conveyance) to separate any part of our neighbour's substance from him; TλOVEXTETV, to exact, or extort any 1 Theff. iv. thing more than one's due; ὑπερβαίνειν ἐν τῷ πράγματι, το go beyond, or overreach our neighbour in dealing, to delude and cozen him by falfe fpeeches or fallacious pretences, are acts, in St. Paul's expreffion, to be referred hither, as fo many special acts of theft. I cannot stand to reckon up all the forts of unrighteoufnefs included here, or reducible to this matter, (fuch as, befide downright rapine and cheating, are, foul dealing in bargains Prov. xxii. and contracts; ufing false weights and measures; with- 18. xx. 14. holding the pledge; detaining the labourer's wages from Ezek. xxii. him; the exercifing vexatious, biting, and devouring ufu- 12. xviii. 7, ries; removing bounds of poffeffion; oppreffing by undue Hof. v. 10. or rigorous exaction; corrupting juftice for reward or fa- Am vour; raising gain by unlawful and fhameful arts or prac- Deut. xxv. tices; confenting or sharing with, advifing or inftigating Lev.xix.13. to these, and the like acts; these I fhall not particularly infift upon,) but shall only say, that God expreffeth great Pal. xv. 4. indignation against, and threateneth most severely to pu- Jam. v. 4. nish, all acts of this kind; For all, faith he, that do fuch Deut. xv. things, (fuch as ufe deceitful measures in trade,) and all 16. that do unrighteousness, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God: exdixos ó Оeds πepì návтWY TOÚTY, God (faith St. 1 Theff. iv.

ix. 24.

16.

Amos viii.

5.

13.

Deut. xxiv.

14.

Ifa. i. 23.

6.

Paul, fpeaking against the circumventing and defrauding our neighbour) is an avenger for all these kinds of things: nor indeed is the Gospel more fevere in denunciation of 1 Cor. vi. 9. punishment against any crime than this; Know ye not, that unjust perfons (faith St. Paul, meaning this fort of unjust persons, so most properly and strictly called) shall not inherit the kingdom of God; and κλέπται, πλεονέκται, apnayes, thieves, exactors, (or cheaters,) and rapacious perfons, make a good party in the catalogue of those who fhall be excluded from eternal blifs.

I should add the pofitive duties here to be understood, and referred to this matter, the which are commended to us in Scripture: fuch are, diligence and industry in our calling, whereby, with God's bleffing, we may fsupport ourselves, preventing the need, and escaping the temptation of encroachment upon our neighbour's property; Eph. iv. 28. (whereby we may, as St. Paul speaketh, have need of no1 Theff. iv. thing, may eat our own bread, may even have wherewith 2 Theff.viii. to impart to the needs of others ;) contentment in that Phil. iv. 11. eftate wherein God hath placed us, how mean foever; Tim. vi. 8. trufting in God, and relying upon his providence; cafting our burden and care upon him, who hath promised to 1 Pet. v. 7. fuftain us, who hath faid, that he will never leave or forHeb. xiii. 5. fuke us; lastly, charitable relief of our neighbour in his

12.

12.

1

Prov. xxx.

8.

Pf. lv. 23.

need; for in fuch a case our neighbour hath a title to the goods we poffefs, derived from the appointment and donation of God, who is the abfolute proprietor of all we have, we being only his ftewards and dispensers thereof, according to the rules he hath declared; so that if we do not, according to his order, fupply our poor neighbour, we are in just estimation, we fhall in God's judgment appear to be, thieves, both in respect to God himself and to our neighbour; for that we thereby detain from God what by original right is his, and bereave our neighbour of what God hath bestowed on him.

Thou shalt not bear false witness agains thy

Neighbour.

IX. Commandment.

ρεύση δόλῳ.

IT is in the Hebrew, Thou shalt not answer (to wit, being examined or adjured in judgment) against thy neighbour as a false witness; so that primarily, it seems, bearing falfe teftimony against our neighbour (especially in matters of capital or of high concernment to him) is prohibited: : yet that not only this great crime, but that all injurious (even extrajudicial) prejudicing our neighbour's reputation, and confequently his fafety or his welfare in any fort, is forbidden, we may collect from that explication of this law, or that parallel law, which we have in Leviticus; Thou shalt not, it is there faid, go up Levit. xix. and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt 16. thou ftand against the blood of thy neighbour as a talebearer,; that is, a merchant, or trader in ill reports LXX. où o and stories concerning our neighbour, to his prejudice; defaming him, or detracting from him, or breeding in the minds of men an ill opinion of him; which vile and mischievous practice is otherwhere under several names condemned and reproved: fuch are muttering; (The words Prov. xviii. of a mutterer, faith the Wise Man, are as wounds, going into the innermoft parts of the belly :) whispering, Dugio Sirac. v.14. mòs, we have often in the Son of Sirach and in St. Paul xxi. 30. mentioned with a bad character, or with prohibition and 2 Cor. xii. reproof: fupplanting; (fo in the good man's description, Rom. i. 30. Pfal. xv. it is faid, He fupplants not with his tongue; fo Pfal. xv. 3. the word fignifies:) detraction, or backbiting, xaraλañía, 2 Cor. xii. which is so often in the apoftolical writings forbidden 20. and reprehended: flander, or calumny, and fycophantry; 11 that is, oppreffing, abufing, or any way harming men by Rom. i. 30. falfe tales, fuggeftions, or pretences: which fort of prac- Luke iii. 14. tices, how base they are in themselves, (nothing being xix. 8. more unworthy of an honeft and ingenuous mind, nothing 11. more ugly to the judgment of them who have any fenfe Pf. lxxii. 4. of goodness,) how contrary they are to juftice, which doth not permit us to wrong our neighbour, as well in

8.

רגן

xxviii. 13.

20.

רגל

2

James iv.

1 Pet. ii. 1.

Levit. xix.

cxix. 134.

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