2. Labour to have the heart possessed with That love of Jesus Christ is strong as a deep apprehension of the holiness and purity death, kills all opposite affections; and, inof God, and then of his presence and eye up-deed, it alone is worthy of the soul, the noble, on all thy actions, yea thy most secret thoughts. immortal soul. Oh! how is it abased when His eye is more piercing than that any wicked-it is drawn down to sensuality, and so made ness can be hid from him, and more pure a slave to its servant, the flesh! Major sum, than to behold it without indignation. The et ad majora genitus, (could a Roman phidarkness is as noon-day to him. I cannot losopher say,) quam ut sim mancipium mei steal a thought out of his sight, though it be corporis: I am greater, and born to greater never so sudden and short. Then think, "If things, than to be a slave to my body. How I pretend to communion and converse with unworthy is it, that being capable of the my God, he is all holiness, therefore unclean-highest good, the fruition of God, we should ness can never attain that to which I aspire. forget ourselves so far as to serve vile lust, What communion hath light with darkness, and forfeit the happiness and pleasures of or Christ with Belial? And shall I lose or eternity! Far be it from us. God hath hazard the sweetness of his presence for so called us to holiness, and not to uncleanness, base a delight? How can I offer that heart says the apostle. to him in prayer, that hath been wallowing

Fly all unlawful and forbidden delights; in the mire of unclean practice or imagina- and those that are lawful, do not engage your tion?" Resolve to drive out the assaults that hearts to them, love them not immoderately : you are incident to: "How shall I do, or and they can scarce be loved without excess, think thus? My holy God is looking on if loved at all. Shall I say, then, if you use me." This was Joseph's preservation, Shall them, yet love them not, reserve that for I do this evil, and sin against God? purer enjoyments? Says not the apostle 3. Acquaint yourselves with spiritual de- this, Let them that rejoice, be as if they lights, and this will make a happy diversion rejoiced not: and particularly, They that from those that are sensual and earthly. marry, as if they married not! And his Somewhat a man must have to delight in. It reason is weighty-For the fashion of this is the philosopher's remark, that they that world passeth away, &c. know not the true pleasure of the mind, turn to the base pleasures of the body.

Remember to what a pure and excellent condition we are called as Christians, and Some moral men seeking higher delight with what a price we are bought to be holy; of the mind, in their way have persuaded and let it be our firm purpose and study to themselves to a generous disdain of their glorify God in our souls and bodies, for they bodies. How much more powerfully may are his.

supernatural delights of the soul-righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost -wean it from those gross, sensual pleasures, that the beasts have in common with us, at least from the immoderate desire, and all un. lawful pursuit of them !-Nothing indignifies the soul more than lust. When David had sinned this way, it had so made havoc of grace within him, that he cries not only for cleansing, but for a new creation, as if all were undone; Create in me a clean heart, &c. Psal. li. 10; and found it so slavish and ignoble a sin, that he prays to be re-established by God with a free or noble spirit.

PRECEPT VIII.

Thou shalt not steal.

God is the God of order, and not of confusion: it is he that hath authorized and appointed propriety of possessions unto men, and withal that society and commerce amongst them that serves for their mutual good; and property reserved makes one man in what he possesses useful and helpful to another; and hath given this precept of his law, to regulate them in these things, to be the rule of that which we call contentation or justice, equity towards our neighbour, in matter of his goods or proper possessions.

4. Increase in the love of Christ; for as that grows, there is a decrease of the love of sin, yea, of the immoderate love of all inferior things as the sunbeams eat out the fire, this divine and heavenly love consumes the other. This, then, being the scope of the comAll our love is too scarce or poor for him, mandment, whatsoever breaks this hedge, is, when it is collected and drawn all together as comprehended under the name of theft, to run only towards him; and therefore there here forbidden. All manner of injustice and is none to spare upon the flesh, and the dusts wrong done to our neighbour in his estate, of it, nor upon any creature, but as he allows whether by violence, or by sleight of hand, and appoints. The sense of his love takes by force or fraud, yea, if it be but so much up the whole soul, and he lodging in it, is as in affection or desire: for (as we have often that true Agnus castus that makes it chaste, said) the law is spiritual, and binds not only that bundle of myrrh that hath a virtue to the hands but the heart. preserve the Christian from the corruptions of lust.

So then, not only gross robberies and thefts are here forbidden, but all oppression and

extortion in superiors, all purloining and un-need it, and may be his receivers, and have faithfulness in inferiors; too strict exaction in warrant from him to take it up in his stead? masters, and slothfulness in servants, or and be sure he will acknowledge the receipt whatsoever else may tend to their masters of it; thou hast his own word and writ for damage; all bribery and receiving of gifts, to it, a bill of exchange under his own hand, the perverting of justice; all deceit and over- that what you give to the poor be put upon reaching in commerce, or trading or bargain-his accounts. He that giveth to the poor, ing; taking advantage in buying or selling, lendeth to the Lord, and he will repay it. or any contract, upon the ignorance or sim- And again, In that you did it unto one of plicity of those we deal withal; all desire these, says our Saviour, ye did it unto me. and seeking of our neighbour's loss to our It is the surest and most lasting part of a gain; all the degrees of sacrilege and simony; man's estate that is put into their hand, if all idleness and neglect in men's particular God be solvendo, if he be a sufficient debtor. callings, by which they either impoverish It is treasure laid up in heaven. themselves, and are worse than infidels, not So then this precept requires uprightness providing for their families; or, if they have and equity in all our dealings, a desire to certain provision by their callings, in ne-right and advantage our brethren as ourselves, glecting the duties of them, they wrong those willing their gain and prosperity as our own; from whom, or for whose sakes, they are so diligence and industry in our callings, and provided; as magistrates and ministers, who have or should have honourable maintenance for the public service, the one in the common-wealth, the other in the church. As it is a great sin to curtail or detain what is due that way, so it is no less wickedness in them, if they be remiss and careless of those duties to which they are obliged for the pub-others, than cause them any. lic good. In a word, whosoever can digest any kind of undue gain to themselves, or do any prejudice to their neighbour in the least, are guilty; yea, they sin against this precept that do not with all their power further the advantage and good of their neighbour in his outward condition, that do not help and relieve those they see in want, so far as their ability reaches.

There is a kind of right that the poor have to supply; it is not merely arbitrary to you. Though they have not such a right as to take it at their own hand, or to seek it at the houses of human justice, yet they have such a right as that your hand ought not to detain it. "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due," Prov. iii. 27; which is evidently meant (and interpreters take it so) of all kind of doing good, even that of charity and beneficence to the needy, as appears by the following clause, When it is in the power of thine hand to do it; and the Septuagint, SUTTOLLY TOY SYDEN. It is due, they have a right to it; though not such as they can implead for before men's courts or judicatures, yet in the court of conscience, and in the sight of God, it is duly theirs; the word is from him that is Lord of it. It is bread for the hungry that moulds by thee, and the drink of the thirsty that sours by thee. Although thou art in possession, hast superfluity by thee, what he wants is his by right, he is Lord of it; for the Lord of all hath turned over his right to thy poor brother. The Lord himself needs it not; thy goodness cannot reach him; he hath furnished thee with such as

Esurientium panis est qui apud te mucescit, et sitientium potus qui apud te acescit. AMBROSE.

giving to all others their due. Though men are not obliged to a sottish simplicity, but ought to endeavour so to understand their affairs, that they may avoid circumvention by others' craft; yet a prudent simplicity is the right stamp of a Christian mind; to be single and ingenuous, and rather to suffer loss from In a word,

the apostle's rule is express and full, 1 Thess. iv. 16, That no man over-reach or defraud his brother in any matter; and he adds a very forcible reason, because the Lord is the avenger of all such; as we have also, (says he,) forewarned you and testified. Men are ready to find out poor shifts to deceive themselves, when they have some way deceived their brother; and to stop the mouth of their own conscience with some quibble, and some slight excuse, and force themselves at length to believe they have done no wrong: therefore the apostle, to fright them out of their shifts, sets before them an exacter judge, that cannot be deceived nor mocked, that shall one day unveil the conscience, and blow away these vain self-excuses as smoke; and that just Lord will punish all injustice: He is the avenger of all such.

At the first view, a man would think the breach of this commandment concerns but few persons, some thieves and robbers, and some professed deceivers, or if you add some cozening tradesmen and merchants; but the truth is, there is scarce any of the commandments so universally and frequently broken, and whereof the breach is so little observed, and therefore so seldom repented of by the greatest part. As the apostle James says, He is a perfect man that offends not in his words; truly he is a rare man that offends not, and that remarkably, if men would remark themselves, against this commandment, Thou shalt not steal.

To say nothing of the oppression and hard exactions of such as are superiors of lands, grinding the faces of the poor, and squeezing Quas dederis solas semper habebis opes.

Both the covetous and the prodigal sin against this commandment; the covetous by unjust ways of gaining, and unjust keeping what he hath gained, keeping it up both from others and himself; and the prodigal by profuseness, making foolish wants to himself, that drive him upon unjust ways of supply.† Thus he that is prodigal must be covetous too; and though men think not so, these two vices that seem so opposite, not only may, but do often dwell together, and covetousness is prodigality's purveyor, being fire for it to feed it; for otherwise it would not subsist, but would starve within a while. Here, then, both avarice and prodigality are condemned; only true equity, and frugal and wise liberality, are obedience to it.

them till the blood come; and so putting in heavenly Father is pressed; and this is meant the same blood of the poor amongst their by Homo homini Deus. Certainly, were we estates, that many times proves a canker to acquainted with it, it is more true delight to all the rest; and the thievishness of servants, be not only just but liberal, than to possess and of the poorer sort, making no conscience much; it is not to possess, but to be posat all of whatsoever they can filch from their sessed by it, to have heaps, and no heart nor masters, or those that are richer than they, power to use them. He that is thus, doth not counting all they can snatch good booty and only defraud others but himself, steals from lawful prize to pass by likewise the particu- his own necessities to sacrifice to his god, lar deceits that are usual in several callings, his chest or bag. When a man hath such a and are incorporate with them through long sum, and though he hath use for it, dares not custom, and become a part of the mystery of break it, what is it better than if it were still those callings, and therefore men dispense under ground in the mine? It is no more with themselves in them, as the inseparable at his service; yea, so much the worse that sin of their calling, and have no remorse for he is racked betwixt plenty and want, betwixt them not to insist on these and such like, having and not having it. consider how frequently this meum et tuum, mine and thine, proves the apple of strife betwixt the nearest friends, and divides their affections, and begets debates amongst them; parents, and children, and brethren, &c. And certainly there is always some unjust desire on one side in those contentions, and sometimes on both sides. How few are there that have hearts so weaned from the world, as in all things to prefer the smallest point of equity to the greatest temptation of gain; that in their affairs, and all that concerns them, are universally careful to deal with an even hand and an even heart; and to keep close to that golden rule drawn in nature, but almost lost and smothered in the rubbish and corruption of nature, but drawn anew by our Saviour's hand, not only in his gospel, but in the hearts of his real followers-"That which thou wouldest have others do to thee, do thou unto them :" that when they have any thing to transact, wherein is their brother's interest and their own, do in their thoughts change places with him, set him in their own room, and them- 1. When a man doth not fully trust God selves in his, and deal with him after that with providing for him, and blessing him in manner; that think, "What I should be just and lawful ways, but apprehends want willing to have done to me were I he, that unless he take some liberty and elbow-room; same will I do to him! Were I in that this makes him step now and then out of the poor man's condition that begs an alms, way, to catch at undue gain by fraud and should I not rather have some relief, than a over-reaching, or some such way; but this churlish, or at least, an empty answer? Were I he that buys, should I not, and might I not justly and reasonably will to have it so, that no more be exacted of me than the right and due price? Then so will I use him." How few that walk (I say) by this rule ? And yet all that do not thus, are breakers of this commandment in the sight of God.

How few that are inviolable observers of equity, and are truly liberal and bountiful, answerably to their power; that will sometimes on purpose bate a dish from their table, or a lace from their garment, not to make their stock greater, but to bestow on the poor; that are truly desirous of the good and prosperity of others, and further it all they can!

It is to be like God; this is the particular, Matt. v. 45, wherein likeness to our

The main causes of all unjust and iliberal dealing are these two: 1. diffidence or distrust of the Divine providence and goodness; 2. and that 2a, that same amor sceleratus habendi,—the fond desire of having much.

is a most foolish course; this is to break loose out of God's fatherly hand, and so to forego all that we can look for from him, and to take ways of our own; to choose rather to go a-shifting for ourselves in the crooked and accursed ways of unrighteousness, than to be at his providing. Labour, therefore, for fixed belief of his wisdom and goodness and all-sufficiency, and then the greatest straits and wants will not drive you to any indirect ways, wherein you run from him, but will still draw you nearer to himself, and there you will stay and wait upon his hand till he supply you.

2. Desire of having much, or covetousness, whether it be to hoard up or lavish out. But this is a madness; this desire of having

• Quicquid omnibus abstulit, sibi negat. Turpiter amittens ouod turpius reparet. SENECA.

much is never cured by having much; it is it be to testify a falsehood against our brean unsatiable, dog-hunger.

That known determination of the moralist was the most true, that to be truly rich, is not to have much, but to desire little; labour then, not to desire much, or rather desire much-desire to have the Lord for your portion ;+ and if you indeed desire him, you shall have him, and if you have him, you cannot but be satisfied, for he is all: to him therefore be all praise, honour, and glory, for ever. Amen.

PRECEPT IX.

thren, both the third commandment and this ninth are violated at once; and if it be in such a thing as toucheth his life, the sixth likewise suffers with them.

This perjury of false testimony in a public judiciary way, is, we see, by the express words and letter of the command, forbidden as the highest and most heinous wrong of this kind; but under the name of this (as it is in the other commandments) all the other kinds and degrees of offence against our neighbour's good name are comprised. 1. All private ways of calumny and false imputation. 2. All ungrounded and false surmises or suspicions, all uncharitable construction of others'

Thou shalt not bear false witness against actions and carriage. 3. Strict remarking

thy neighbour.

of the faults of others, without any calling so to do, or honest intention of their good; THE apostle St. James, in that sharp but which appears, if having observed any thing most true censure of the tongue, might well that of truth is reprovable, we seek not to call it an unruly evil. There are but ten reclaim them by secret and friendly admoniprecepts or words of the law of God, and tion, but, passing by themselves, divulge it you see two of them, so far as concerns the abroad to others; for this is a foolish, selfoutward organ and vent of the sins there deceit to think, that because it is not forged, forbidden, are bestowed on it, tending, if not only, yet mainly, to keep it in order; one in the first table, and this other in the second, as being ready to fly out both against God and man, if not thus bridled.

The end of the commandment is to guard the good name of men from injury, as the former doth his goods; this possession being no less, yea, much more precious than the other; and, because the great robber and murderer of a good name, is the mischievous detracting tongue, acted by a malignant heart, it requires in the heart a charitable tenderness of the good name of our brethren, and that will certainly prove truth and charitable speech in the tongue.

but true, that thou speakest, this keeps thee free of the commandment: no, thy false intention and malice+ makes it calumny and falsehood in thee, although for the matter of it, what thou sayest be most true; all thou gainest by it is, that thou dost humble and bemire thyself in the sin of another, and makest it possibly more thine, than it is his own that committed it; for he, may be, bath some touch of remorse for it; whereas it is evident thou delightest in it; and though thou preface it with a whining, feigned regret and semblance of pitying him, and add withal some word of comniending him in somewhat else; this is but the gilding and sugaring the pill to make men swallow it Though divines here usually speak of the more easily, and thy bitter malice pass lying, in the general notion and extent of it, unperceived. They that by their calling and not amiss, being most of all exercised in ought to watch over the lives of others, must the kind here mentioned; yet there be such do it faithfully and diligently, admonishing lies as may be more fitly reputed a breach of and rebuking privately; and where that presome other commandment; and possibly, vails not, they may, yea, they ought to do the sin of lying in general, as it is a lie, a it more publicly, but all in love, seeking discrepance of the speech from the mind, and nothing but the glory of God and the salvaso a subverting of the divine ordinance set in tion of souls. 4. Easy hearing and enternature, making that which he hath made the taining of misreports and detraction when interpreter of the mind, to be the disguiser others speak them, (Exod. xxiii. 1,) this is of it, and withal, disregarding God as that which maintains and gives subsistence the searcher of the heart, and sovereign to calumny, otherwise it would starve and witness of truth, and avenger of falsehood; I die of itself, if nobody took it in and gave say, thus it may possibly be more proper to it lodging. When malice pours it out, if refer it to another commandment, particularly to the third but it imports not much to be very punctual in this; it is seldom or never that one commandment is broken alone; most sins are complicate disobedience, and in some sins, the breach of many at once is very apparent. As to instance in perjury, if Boudia, vel canina fames.

Noh est illud desiderium, «kiovığıa sed wartžia.

our ears be shut against it, and there be no vessel to receive it, it would fall like water upon the ground, and could no more be gathered up; but there is that same busy humour that men have, (it is very busy, and yet the most have of it more or less,) a kind

Ut testis falsi aut testimonium falsi non dices aut respondebis.

† AANDIDORTIS IV aya, Eph. iv. 15: We must not only speak the truth, but in love.

whence they come, thither they return again. 6. They sin against this commandment, who, although they no way wrong their neighbours' good name, yet are not careful to do their utmost to right it when it suffers, to remove aspersions from them, and to clear them all that may be.

For this is here required to desire and delight in, and further the good name of others, even as our own; to look most willingly on the fairest side of their actions, and take them in the best sense, and be as inventive of favourable constructions (yet without favouring vice) as malice is witty to mis. interpret to the worst; to observe the commendable virtues of our brethren, and pass by their failings; as many, like scurvy flies, skip over what is sound in men, and love to sit upon their sores.

It is lamentable to consider how much this evil of mutual detraction, and supplanting the good name one of another, is rooted in man's corrupt nature, and how it spreads and grows in their converse, as the apostle St. Paul cites it out of the Psalmist, as the description of our nature, Their throat is an open sepulchre; they have deceitful tongues, and the poison of asps is under their lips, Rom. iii. 13.

of delight or contentment to hear evil of others, unless it be of such as they affect; to hear others slighted and disesteemed, that they readily drink in, not without some pleasure, The ear whatsoever is spoken of this kind. trieth the words, (as he says in Job,) as the mouth tasteth meats; but certainly the most ears are perverse and distempered in their taste, as some kind of palates are; can find sweetness in sour calumny. But, because men understand one another's diet in this, that the most are so; this is the very thing that keeps up the trade, makes backbiting and detractions abound so in the world, and verifies that observation in the most, that the slanderer wounds three at once, himself, him he speaks of, and him that hears; for this third, truly it is in his option to be none of the number; if he will, he may shift his part of the blow, by not believing the slander; yea, may beat it back again with ease upon the slanderer himself by a check or frown, and add that stroke of a repulse to the wound of guiltiness he gives himself. 5. They offend that seek in any kind, at the expense of the good name and esteem of others, to increase their own; out of others' ruins to make up themselves; and therefore pull down as Their throat is an open semuch as they can, and are glad to have others to help them to detract from the repute pulchre, full of the bones as it were of others' of their brethren, particularly any that are in good names that they have devoured; and, likelihood to surpass and obscure them; and Rom. i. 30, amongst other their endowments, for this reason, incline always rather to hear they are whisperers, backbiters, despiteful. and speak of the imperfections and dispraise Bnt it is strange that Christians should reof others than to their advantage, and would tain so much of these evils, that profess them. willingly (Ottoman-like) kill the good name selves renewed, and sanctified, and guided of their brethren that theirs may reign alone.+ by the Spirit of God. This is a vile disease, and such as cannot be visits and discourses, if something of this incident to any mind that is truly virtuous kind doth not entertain you often, and lavish and gracious; no, such need not this base, away that time you might spend in mutual dishonest way to raise themselves, but are edifications, abusing it to descant upon the glad to see virtue, and whatsoever is praise- actions and life of others, in such a way as worthy, to flourish in whomsoever; these neither concerns nor profits us, taking an imare lovers of God indeed, and his glory, and pertinent, foolish delight in inquiring and not their own; and therefore, as all he be- knowing how this party lives, and the other. stows on themselves, they venture back the This is a very common disease, as Nazianzen honour of it to him, so they are glad to see observes; and thus men are most strangers many enriched with his best gifts; for see-at home; have not leisure to study and know ing all good that all have belongs to God, as the sovereign owner and dispenser, this contents and rejoices his children when they see many partake of his bounty, for the more is his glory; and as in love to their brethren, they are always willing to take notice of what is commendable in them, and to commend it, so they do this the more willingly, because they know that all praise of goodness at last terminates and ends in God, as Solomon says of the rivers, Unto the place from • Ex alieni nominis jactura gradum sibi faciunt ad gloriam. SALLUST.

The Rabbins frequently condemn this. Hammith Cabbed, &c. Qui honorat se ex ignominia socii sui, Beres. Rab. non habet partem in seculo venturo. Item, qui per contemptum aliorum laudem suam quærit, miserrimus est omnium. Quis est honore dignus? Qui honorat alios homines both. C. iv.

Consider in your

and censure themselves, they are so busied about others. It may be there is not always a height of malice in their discourses, but yet, by much babbling to no purpose, they slide into idle detraction and censure of others beside their intention; for, in multitude of words there wants not sin.

And the greatest part are so accustomed to this way, that if they be put out of it, they must sit dumb and say nothing. There is, I confess, a prudent observation of the actions of others, a reading of men, as they call it, and it may be by a Christian done with Christian prudence and benefit; and

Curiosum genus ad cognoscendam vitam alienam, desidiosum ad corrigendam suam. Aug. Conf. L. x. C. ill. OUDLY OUTONS YOU TOIS arbeNTOIS is to λuktív va αλλότρια. Orat. 1,