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CHAP. XIIII.

Of the tenth Commandement.

THE third way that men offend in these outward things, is, by coueting and long∣ing after that which is another mans, when yet we would not either by wrong or cunning meanes haue it from him, but in an vnordinate sort desire it for our mo∣ney, as Ahab did Naboths Vineyard; not considering whether our Neighbour bee willing to forgoe it or no, but onely because our teeth water at it; whereas GOD blessing our Neighbour with any thing that is good, and wherein hee taketh comfort and delight, Christian loue requireth, that we should bee as glad in his behalfe, as if we our selues inioyed it. And this sinne is forbidden in the tenth and last Commandement.

The summe therefore of the tenth Commandement is, that euery one rest fully pleased with that portion which God seeth good to bestow vpon him, reioycing and ta∣king comfort in it, whether it bee great or small. Let n your conuersation bee without couetousnesse, being content with that you haue: for he himselfe hath said, I will not leaue thee, nor forsake thee. Hauing o meate and drinke, and clo∣thing, let vs therewith be content. I p haue learned in what estate soeuer I am, therewith to be content. I know how to bee brought low, and how to abound, euery way, in all things, I am instructed, both to be full, and to be hungry, and to abound, and to want. The contrary whereof is couetousnesse, longing after that which is our Neighbours, or none of ours, though it bee without any seeking of vnlawfull meanes to come by it, as Ahab did, 1. King. 21. 2. Giue me thy Ʋineyard, that it may be a Garden of Herbes for me, for it is neere my house: and I will giue thee a better Ʋineyard

then it; or if it seeme better in thine eyes, I will giue theemo∣ny to the full value of it.

He that is so effected, will reioyce in anothers good, as in his owne, Rom. 12. 15. Reioyce with them that reioyce, and weepe with them that weepe: which is the top and per∣fection of loue. And heereupon I take it, by conference of both the Euangelists, MATTHEW and MARKE, that our Sauiour, Mat. 19. 19. noteth out the tenth Com∣mandement by these words, Thou shalt loue thy Neigh∣bour as thy selfe. Which else-where is made the whole summe of all the second Table.

The contrary hereof is, first, Selfe-loue: In q the lat∣ter dayes men shall be louers of themselues.

Secondly, Enuie: maligning the good things of ano∣ther, condemned, r 1. Tim. 6. and the first of s Peter 2.

Thirdly, Reioycing at his hurt. The Psalmist complay∣neth of this, Psalme 70. 34. Let them be turned backward and confounded, that delight in my hurt, let them goe back∣ward for a reward of their shame, that say, There, there. And t OBADIAH reprehendeth the Edomites for it: Thou shouldest not haue beene glad of the day of thy Brother, (meaning his affliction;) the day when hee was made a stranger: neither shouldest thou haue reioyced at the Iewes what day they perished.

This Commandement hath commonly another sence of forbidding onely the first lusts and motions of sinne, but the reasons to confirme the Interpretation which I haue giuen, I take it (vnder reformation) are plaine and pregnant, which notwithstanding I offer; without pre∣iudice of other mens opinions, submitting my selfe and them to those that can better iudge.

First, The plaine euidence of the words: Thou shalt not couet thy Neighbours house: which is to be inforced by the conference of the rest of the Commandements: Ho∣nour thy father and thy mother: Thou shalt not kill: Thou shalt not steale: thou shalt not commit adultery: thou shalt not

beare false witnesse: hauing all of them a common and a familiar vnderstanding, such as euery man at the first hearing doth conceiue. This therefore must haue the like. And it is a thing in this point worthie to be obser∣ued, which the Talmudists cite so oft. The u Law, they meane the Scripture, speaketh according to common vse. Now, let any man, indued onely with reason and vnder∣standing, be asked what this should meane, Thou shalt not couet thy Neighbours house; he will certainly answere, We must be content with our owne.

Secondly, The word that Moses hath in x Deutero∣nomie, signifieth, To long after a thing, and, To haue ones teeth water at it: for so you shall finde it vsed, Mach. 7. 1. and in many other places.

Thirdly, The particular instances, Thy Neighbours House, Wife, Man seruant, Maide, Oxe, Asse, or any thing that is his, declare manifestly, that goods and possessions are the proper subiect of this Commandement: for which cause, Exodus 20. 17. the Wife of our Neighbour (his most y precious possession) commeth not in the first place, but is set in the middest of other possessions, that by the very marshalling of the words, it might ap∣peare, that this Commandement reacheth not to the de∣siring of ones Wife for filthinesse and vncleannesse sake.

Fourthly, The order of the Commandements, going by degrees from the greater to the lesse, and so conti∣nually falling, till you come to this sinne of couering, which is the first step and beginning of all wrong and deceit, and yet differeth in nature from them both.

Fiftly, Adde hereunto that which I hold as a certayne ground, and is prooued before at large, that the corrup∣tion both of nature and desire, is forbidden in euery one, so as this cannot be restrayned to a seuerall degree of sin, but a differing and distinct kinde of sinne from those that went before.

Sixtly, and lastly, our Sauiour Christ, the best Inter∣preter

of the Law, doth so expound it, Marke 10. 9. when reckoning vp all the Commandements of the se∣cond Table, in stead of Thou shalt not couet, he saith, Thou shalt not depriue (or bereaue a man of ought hee hath) that is, couet or desire to haue any thing that is his, though it be neither by wrong nor fraude, which two are forbid∣den in the words next before, but rest in that which God hath giuen thee, which in effect is to loue our Neighbour as our selfe, as z Matthew hath it. For that this must needs be the sence of that place, Marke 10. 19. I gather first, because (no doubt) our Sauiours purpose was to reckon vp al the Commandements, without leauing out any one.

Secondly, Else in so few words hee should make a su∣perfluous repetition, and not onely so, but also speake darkly and obscurely that, which was more cleerely taught before: for Thou a shalt not bereaue, cannot bee brought to explaine, Thou shalt not steale: Thou shalt not beare false witnesse: it being a great deale more questio∣nable what is meant by that word, then by the other two.

Notes

• This is vpright∣nesse: Conten∣tednesse is to rest fully satis∣fied with that which God be∣stoweth.
• n

  Heb. 13. 5.
• o

  1. Tim. 6. 8.
• p

  Philip. 4. 11.
• Reioycing in anothers good as in our own, which is the top and perfe∣ction of loue.
• q

  2. Tim. 3. 2.
• r

  1. Tim. 6. 4. He is puffed vp, and knoweth no∣thing, but doteth about questions, and strife of words, whereof commeth Enuie, Strife, Raylings, euill Surmises, &c.
• s

  1. Pet. 2. 1. Wherefore laying aside all malici∣ousnesse, and all guile, and dissi∣mulation, and enuie, and all e∣uill speaking.
• t

  Obad. v. 12.
• u

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• x

  Deut. 5. 27. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Thou shalt not long after thy Neighbours house, &c.
• y

  Pro. 19. 14.
• z

  Mat. 19. 19.
• a

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.