in his heart, 2 Cor. i. 12. For our rejoicing is at in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with isdom, but by the grace of God we have had sation in the world. 2. In our faithfulness ur lawful covenants and promises, and to atever trust is committed unto us, Psal. at sweareth to his own hurt, and changr. iv. 2. It is required in stewards, that . round faithful 3. In our buying and selling, ga just price for those things that we buy, and taking a reasonable rate for such things as we sell, Lev. xxv. 14. If thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another. 4. In paying every one his due, Rom. xiii. 7, 8. Render therefore unto all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom: Owe no man any thing, but to love one another, Prov. iii. 27, 28. Withhold no good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it: Say not unto thy neighbour go and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee. 3. In restoring the pledge which is left with us, or goods of others which are found by us, or any thing that is ill gotten by stealth or fraud, Rev. vi. 4. He shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he had deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered unto him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, Ezek. xviii. 16. Hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, &c. Luke xix. 8. If I have taken away any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

the

75. Q. What is forbidden in the eighth commandment?

A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth, whatsoever doth, or may unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbour's wealth, and outward estate.

Q. 1. What doth the eighth commandment forbid as an hinderence of our own wealth, and outward estate? A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth, as an hinderance of our own wealth, and outward estate, 1. Prodigality and lavish spending our own substance

in gluttony, drunkenness, lewd company, gaming, and the like, Luke xv. 33. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living, Prov. xxiii. 21. The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, Prov. xxi. 17. He that loveth pleasure, shall be a poor man : He that loveth wine and oil, shall not be richi, Prov. xxviii. 19. He that followeth after vain persons. shall have poverty enough. 2. Imprudence in venturing out all upon great uncertainties, rash engaging in suretiship, or any ways indiscreet management of our callings to our detriment, Prov. xxviii. 22. He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not, that poverty shall come upon him, Prov. xxii. 26, 27. Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or one of them that be sureties for debts: if thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? 3. Idleness and slothful neglect of the duties of our particular callings, Prov. xxiii. 21. Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags, Prov. xxvi. 30, 31, 35.

Q. 2. What doth the eighth commandment forbid in the excess, in reference unto our own wealth and outward estate?

A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth in the excess, in reference unto our own wealth and outward estate. 1. Covetousness, in getting an estate with carking cares, inordinate desires to be rich, or with immoderate labour, so as to waste the body, and to exclude time for religious duties, Heb. xiii. 5. Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have, 1 Cor. vii. 31. I would have you without carefulness, Luke xxi. 34.

Tim. vi. 9, 10. Eccles. iv. 8. 2. Covetousness, in keeping what we have gotten of the good things in the world, without a heart to make use of them, Eccl. vi. 9, 12. S. Unlawful contracts, such as simony in the sale of holy things, the gifts of the Holy Ghost, pardons of sins, dispensations unto it, church-livings, and the charge of souls, Acts viii. 20. Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 4. Bribery

in the sale of public justice, Exod. xxiii. 8. And thou shalt take no gift: For the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous, Isa. i. 23. Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves, every one loveth gifts and followeth after rewards: They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. 3. Unlawful arts, fortune-telling, figure-casting, and use of any unwarrantable ways for the getting of money, Isa. xlvii. 18, 19. Thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up and save thee, Acts xix. 9. Many also of them which used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men, ver. 24. A certain man named Demetrius, a silver-smith, which made silver-shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen.

Q. 3. What doth the eighth commandment forbid in reference unto others which are in want?

A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth in reference unto others which are in want, a withholding relief from them, and stopping the ears against their cry, Prov. xxi. 13. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. Deut. xv. 7. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.

Q. 4. What doth the eighth commandment forbid in reference unto all men?

A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth in reference unto all men, any kind of injustice and unrighteousness, in any of our dealings with them: Such as, 1. Defrauding others in our buying, when we discommend that which we know to be good, or take the advantage of others ignorance of the worth of their commodities, or their necessity of selling them, so as to give a greater under rate for them, Prov. xx. 14. It is nought, it is nought (saith the buyer) but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth, Lev. xxv. 14. If thou buyest ought of thy neighbour, ye shall not oppress. 2. Defrauding others in selling when we praise that which we sell, and against our conscience

say it is excellent good, though we know it to be stark nought: And when we take an unreasonable price for our commodities; or when we cozen them in the sale of goods by false weights and measures, 1 Thess. iv. 6. Deut. xxv. 13, 15. Prov. xi. 1. Micah vi. 10, 11. Especially the eighth commandment doth directly forbid stealing one from another. Thou shalt not steal, Lev. xix. 11. Ye shall not steal neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

Q. 5. What stealing doth the eighth commandment forbid ?

A. The eighth commandment doth forbid all stealing, either within the family, or without the family. Q. 6. What stealing within the family doth the eighth commandment forbid ?

A. The eighth commandment doth forbid within the family. Servants stealing and purloining: as also, any ways wasting and wronging their masters, in their goods or estates, Tit. ii. 9, 10. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity, Luke xvi. 1. A certain rich man which had a steward, and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2. Children stealing and robbing from their parents, Prov. xxviii. 24. Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer, Prov. ix. 26. He that wasteth his father, is a son that causeth shame.

Q. 6. What stealing without the family doth the eighth commandment forbid ?

A. The eighth commandment doth forbid without the family, all theft, both public and private.

Q. 7. What is the public theft which the eighth commandinent doth forbid ?

A. The public theft which the eighth commandment doth forbid, is: 1. Sacrilege, which is, when any do either violently or fraudulently take away, or alienate any thing that hath been dedicated to sacred uses or when sacred persons, without just cause are taken off from their employments, Rom. ii. 22. Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Prov. xx. 25. It is a snare to a man to devour that which is holy, Mas.

iii. 8, 9. Will a man rob God? yet they have robbed me: But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 2. Robbing public treasures, or any ways wronging and defrauding the commonwealth, by taking away its just liberties and privileges, or by doing a public detriment for private advantage sake, amongst such public robberies may be numbered, inclosures, ingrossings, forestallings, monopolies, and the like.

Q. 9. What is the private theft which the eighth commandment doth forbid without the family.

A. The private theft which the eighth commandment doth forbid without the family, is: 1. Man-stealing, or woman-stealing, or stealing of children, that they may be sent or sold for slaves, 1 Tim. i. 9, 10. The law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient: For murderers, for men-slayers, for whore-mongers, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, Exod. xxi. 16. He that stealeth a man and selleth him, shall surely be put to death. 2. Robbery either by land or sea, either of money, or cattle, or any goods, Judges ix. 20. And the men of Sechem set lyers in wait on the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them, John xviii. 40. Now Barrabas was a robber. Job v. 5. The robbers swallowed up their substance.

Q. 10. What is further inclusively forbidden in the eighth commandment?

A. There is further inclusively forbidden in the eighth commandment, 1. All partaking with thieves in receiving stolen goods, or otherwise, Prov. i. 14. Cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse, Prov. xxix. 24. Whoso is partner with a thief, hateth his own soul, Psal. i. 18. When thou sawest a thief then thou consentedst with him. 2. Detaining that :: which is strayed or lost, Deut. xxii. 1, 3. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: Thou shalt in any cause bring them again unto thy brother. In like manner shalt thou do with his raiment, and with all lost things of thy brother's, which thou hast found. 3. Falsehood