PAule,* in disputing of the knowledge, which we haue of sinne, among all others precepts, bringeth this onelie one precept, Thou shalt not lust; which vndoubtedlie the apostle did (as all other things) most prudentlie: séeing he ment speciallie to speake of that kind of naughtinesse, which is most hidden from the iudgement of men, and is not set forth in other lawes. For the naturall lust and corruption, which driueth vs into all e∣uils, is in this place touched and discouered, as the fountaine and head of all euils. * Wherefore it is verie well said of Augustine, that there is no sinne committed without lust. For this cause Paule would not speake of the grosser outward sinnes, bicause he sawe, that they perteined vn∣to discipline; and are not onelie set foorth by the ciuill lawes, but haue also their punishment pro∣uided for them. Neither would he speake of wic∣ked affections, and perturbations; bicause he perceiued them to be condemned by the philoso∣phers, in their morall discipline, and that they gaue precepts for bringing of them to a medio∣critie. He went rather vnto the roote of all sins, and sheweth, that the same being vnknowne and hidden, is manifested and brought to light by the lawe of God. And to expresse this more plainlie, we must consider, that all the comman∣dements of God, doo either command or forbid something. * And they not onelie command that a thing be doone lightlie; but also that it be doone with all the heart, with all the soule, and with all the strength, and most exactlie: so that there be nothing in vs, which should not be obedient to the will of God. And what they forbid, they not onelie forbid that it selfe should not be in vs, but also that there should be left in vs no desire or inclination therevnto.
And therefore God gaue his commande∣ment; Thou shalt not lust:* that we should both in mind, will, and wholie in all the parts, both of the soule and of the bodie, abhor those things which God hath forbidden. And on this wise, these two cōmandements are one answerable to another; Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God Page 552 with all thy hart, with all thy mind, and with all thy soule, &c. (which is to be repeated in all the precepts that doo command anie thing to be doone) and this last precept, Thou shalt not lust: which againe must be vnderstood, in all things that be forbidden. And so in these two com∣mandements is vnderstood the pith, and (if I may so speake) the verie soule of the lawe, as without which the rest of the commandements of God cannot be full and perfect. * And all mor∣tall men, be they neuer so holie, yet are they ac∣cused, conuinced, and condemned for the breach of either of these two precepts. For, vnlesse the grace of GOD, through Christ, should suc∣cour vs; we haue nothing before our eies, but certeine destruction. Bicause, how frée we are from lust so long as we liue here, Augustine most plainelie declareth in manie places, and especiallie in his 200. epistle to Asellicus the bishop. For thus he saith; that In mind he may doo that which he loueth, and not consent vnto the flesh, which dooth that which he hateth; that is, Not that he should not lust at all, but that he should not followe after his lusts. And strait∣waie, he saith; We shall one daie come to the end thereof, when the lust of sinne shall not be restrained or brideled, but shall not be at all. For this hath the lawe set foorth, saieng; Thou shalt not lust. Not that we are héere able to performe this, but that we may profit in inde∣uoring our selues towards the same. And a∣gainst Iulian, in his sixt booke and fift chapter; And who doubteth, but that lust in this life may be diminished, though not taken awaie.
2 But there be some, which thinke, that this commandement (Thou shalt not lust) forbid∣deth not the naughtinesse and vice of nature, or the first motions, whereby we are affected to∣wards those things which God hath forbidden: but by that commandement (saie they) is onlie prohibited the consent of the will, and of the mind. And then at the length they confesse, that we sinne, when we giue place vnto those first motions, and suffer sin to reigne in vs. How∣beit, those things, which followe euen in that same chapter, doo most manifestlie reprooue them. For Paule sheweth, that he intreateth of that lust, which is burdensome vnto the mind that serueth the lawe of God. * And he addeth, that by it, he dooth that euill which he hateth. But these things haue no place, where the con∣sent of the mind is ioined withall. And of this kind of lust he crieth out; Vnhappie man that I am, who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death! And he addeth, that he is thereby drawne captiue, though he be vnwilling, and doo striue against the same. Wherefore, séeing this lust is of this nature; there is no cause why it should be wrested vnto the consent of the mind. But herein our aduersaries are excée∣dinglie deceiued: for that they thinke this pre∣cept is giuen in vaine; if it prohibit that, which cannot be auoided in this life. And it is a ridi∣culous thing (saie they) to command any thing vnto the brute and foolish flesh, and vnto those parts of the mind, which be void of reason, and vnderstand no such thing, and are of necessitie mooued to doo that, wherevnto they be ordeined.
Notwithstanding, * these men ought to haue remembred, that this precept was giuen vnto man indued with reason; and that not in vaine, or without purpose. For GOD hath created man to his owne image, and likenesse: where∣fore it was requisit, that he should haue nothing in him, which should not agrée with the will of God. Neither are the commandements, which cannot be performed in this life, giuen in vain, as these man faine. For the lawe of God hath a far other end, than that it should be absolutelie perfourmed of vs; or that we should, by the ob∣seruation of it, obteine righteousnes. Wherfore lust is of two sorts. * The one is a manifest con∣sent of the mind, which perteineth to euerie one of the commandements of God. For anger and hatred perteine to this commandement; Thou shalt not kill. Lust and filthie desire perteine vnto this commandement; Thou shalt not commit adulterie. The other is a generall lust, which is a pronesse or inclination against the will of God, and is with all the motions thereof expressed in the last precept; Thou shalt not lust. But there is yet a doubt remaining: * for Mo∣ses setteth not foorth that precept so nakedlie as Paule dooth: but (saith he) Thou shalt not lust after thy neighbours house, his field, his ser∣uant, his maid, his oxe, his wife. The cause of this diuersitie is, for that, when as Moses should giue the lawe vnto men being rude, he would more openlie and more plainelie describe lust, by the obiects wherevnto it is carried; that ther∣by they might the more easilie vnderstand it. But Paule, which sawe that he had to doo with them that knew the lawe, thought it enough preciselie to saie; Thou shalt not lust: supposing that it should néed no further explication.
3 Neither also did Moses himselfe reckon vp all things, wherevnto we are led by lust. * He thought it sufficient, to reckon a certeine few things, which straitwaie, for their homelinesse and plainesse, should be readie for euerie man to vnderstand. And so we sée, that God in like maner vseth the figure Synecdoche well-néere in all the rest of the commandements. And this hath Christ in Matthew plainelie taught vs, * when against the traditions of the Scribes and Pharisies, he defended the true meaning of the lawe. For he taught, that in this commande∣ment; Thou shalt not kill, is not onelie forbid∣den Page 553 handie strokes, but also contumelie, hatred, and wrath. And in that commandement; Thou shalt not commit adulterie, is not onelie forbid∣den the vncleane action, but also the lustfull loo∣king; and all maner of inflaming of the mind towards a woman, not being thy wife. After the same maner we might easilie declare, that in all the rest of the commandements is vsed the figure Synecdoche.
Further, in euerie one of the commande∣ments are commanded the vertues, which are contrarie to that vice, which is there prohibited. For when we are forbidden to beare false wit∣nesse against our neighbour; therewithall also we are commanded to defend the truth, and ear∣nestlie to maintein the good name of our neigh∣bour. And when we are forbidden to steale; we are also commanded to be liberall towards our neighbours, and to communicate such things as we haue, to them that want. And to declare that, which oftentimes commeth to my remem∣brance: * the ten commandements séeme vnto me to extend as largelie in euerie respect, tou∣ching honestie and dishonestie, vertue and vice, as the ten predicaments of Aristotle. For euen as there can be nothing found in the nature of things, which apperteine not vnto the nature of those predicaments: so there is no vertue, no vice, no honestie, no dishonestie, but may be re∣ferred vnto some one of these ten commande∣ments. And as all the generall words, and spe∣ciall kinds of the other predicaments, are resol∣ued into the predicament of substance: so may all outward sinnes be reduced into lust. And as the predicament of substance hath matter and forme, as the chéefe and principall ground: so the whole consent of our mind to sinne, is resol∣ued into the naughtinesse of our nature. Wher∣fore, notwithstanding that in the lawe, there be set foorth those things that be notorious and grosse: yet in them God requireth that, which is commanded in the first and last commande∣ment; to wit, that we should haue the motions both of the bodie, and of the mind, honest and cleane: and that we should flie from all those things, which God hath forbidden vs.
Besides, it is to be noted, that Paule bringeth this as one onlie precept; to wit, Thou shalt not lust.* I maruell therfore at some (amongst whom also is Augustine) which of one commandement doo make two: as though in the one is prohibited adulterie, when it is said; Thou shalt not lust af∣ter the wife of thy neighbour: and in the other is forbidden; Not to couet other mens land, house, oxe, seruant, and maid. But if •he precepts should increase in number, according to the number of the things that we lust after; we should of one commandement make in a ma∣ner infinite commandements. For it is possi∣ble, that we may couet our neighbors honours, dignities, vessels, monie, garments, and infi∣nite other such like things. Howbeit, there be others, which, to kéepe the full number of ten in the commandements, haue left this comman∣dement; Thou shalt not lust, vndiuided, and haue diuided the first precept into two parts. So that in the first part they put this; *Thou shalt haue no other gods: and in the second; Thou shalt not make to thy selfe anie grauen image. But I thinke, that either of these parts per∣teine to one and the same precept. * And I suppose the first commandement is set as it were be∣fore the rest, in stéed of a proheme; I am the Lord thy God, which haue brought thee out of the land of Aegypt. For in those words we are com∣manded to count him for the true God.
And that we should not thinke that he is to be worshipped togither with other gods, imme∣diatelie is added the second precept, wherein we are forbidden to worship strange gods, and gra∣uen things and images. * And if a man will more narrowlie consider the thing, he shall sée the Gospell offered vnto vs togither with this first commandement: for God in it promiseth, that he will be our God. And in that, which is mentioned of the deliuerie out of Aegypt, is conteined a promise touching Christ. But to re∣turne from whence we are digressed, we ought certeinlie to hold, that by this precept; Thou shalt not lust, are prohibited our corrupt inclina∣tions, and euill motions of the mind: which we should not acknowledge to be sinnes, vnlesse the lawe had shewed them vnto vs. Aristotle, Pighius, and such other like (for that they were ignorant of the lawe of God) affirme, that these are not precepts.
