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every one that stealeth fhall be cut off, as on this fide, according to it :-I will bring it forth, faith the Lord of hofts, and it fhall enter into the house of the thief.

Q. 13. What is the first inftruction hence?

A. Let all that are guilty of this fin repent, and restore, as they expect mercy from God; Eph. iv. 28. Let him that stole, fteal no more, &c. Luke xix. 8. And Zacheus ftood, and faid unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken away any thing from any man by falfe accufations, I reftore him fourfold.

Q. 14. What is the last inference from hence?

A. To excite all, to whom God hath given a competency of the things of the world, that they blefs God for keeping them from the temptations of this fia; Prov. xxx. 8, 9. Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me: Left I be full, and deny thee, and fay, who is the Lord? Or left I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. Of the ninth Commandment.

Qneft. 76.

Hich is the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment is, [Thou shalt not bear falfe witness against thy neighbour.]

Queft. 77. What is required in the ninth commandment? A. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbour's good name, efpecially in witnefs-bearing.

Queft. 78. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment ? A. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatfoever is preju dicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour's good

name.

Q. What is the general scope and aim of the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth command aims chiefly at the prefervation and promoting of truth amongst men; Zech. viii. 16.-Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour, &c. This being of indifpenfible neceffity to the fubfiftence and welfare of human fociety; Eph. iv. 25. Wherefore putting away lying, fpeak every man truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another.

Q. 2. What is the first thing required particularly in this command?

A: This command requires every man to take care of preferving his own good name, by ordering his converfation in univerfal integrity; 1 Pet. iii, 15, 16. But fanctify the Lord God

in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that afketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good confcience; that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evil-doers, they may be ashamed that falfely accufe your good converfation in Chrift.

3. What is the fecond thing required in this command ? A. It requires all due care to preferve the good name and honour of other men, as well as our own; for Christians are not to be of narrow and private fpirits, which centre only in their own interefts and concernment; Phil. ii. 4. Look not every man on his own things; but every man alfo on the things of others.

Q. 4. How are we to preserve the good names of others?

A. We are to preferve the good names of others by an inward esteem of all the good that is in them; Phil. ii. 3.—sa lowlinefs of mind let each efteem others better than themselves. And manifefting our inward efteem of them by a wife and feafonable expreffion thereof for their encouragement in the ways of godlinefs; Rom. i. 8. First, I thank my God through Jefus Chrift for you all, that your faith is fpoken of throughout the whole world.

Q. 5. How else are we to defend other mens names?

A. By our readiness to receive with joy the reports of that good that is in them; 3 John 3. For I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and teftified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkeft in the truth. And discountenancing all reproaches maliciously vented against them; Pfalm xv. 3-Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

6. But what if the report be evidently true?

A. In that cafe we are to grieve for their miscarriages, as the effect and fruit of our love to their fouls; 2 Cor. ii. 4. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears, not that ye fhould be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. And to discharge our duties privately and faithfully, in order to their recovery; Matth. xviii. 15, 16, 17. Moreover, if thy brother fhall trefpafs against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone, &c. Winking at, and concealing in love, their lesser and common infirmities; 1 Pet. iv. 8. And above all things have fervent charity among yourfelves: For charity fhall cover the multitude of fins.

Q. 7. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment?

A. It forbids us to injure others, by raising or receiving lies,

and false reports, which are highly injurious to their good names; Col. iii. y. Lie not one to another, &c.

Q. 8. What elle is forbidden in the ninth commandment ? A. It efpecially forbids perjury, or falfe fwearing, whereby not only the names, but estates and lives of the innocent are in jured and ruined; Pfalm xxxv. 11. Falfe witnelles did rise up. They laid to my charge things that I knew not; Prov. xix. 5. A falfe witness thall not be unpunished: And he that speaketh lies fhall not escape. A fin which God will punifh; Mal. iii. 5. And I will come near to you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the forcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, &c.

9. What elfe is forbidden in this commandment ?

A. It forbids all whispering and backbiting of others fecretly; 2 Cor. xii. 20-Left there be debates, envyings, wraths, frifes, backbitings, whisperings, &c. And all tale-carrying from one to another, to our neighbour's injury; Lev. xix. 16. Thou fhalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among the people, &c. And 1 Tim. v. 13.And not only idle, but tatlers alfo, and bufy-bodies, fpeaking things which they ought not.

Q. 10. What else doth the ninth commandment forbid ? A. It forbids all rath and unwarrantable judging of other men's hearts and final eftates, which is ufually accompanied with ig norance of our own; Matth. vii. 1, 3. Judge not, that ye be not judged. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but confidereft not the beam that is in thine own eye? Q. LI. What else is forbidden in this commandment ?

4. It forbids the eclipfing of the true worth and honour of others, by a proud exalting of ourfelves; 1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5. Charity envieth not, charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, &c. Or by crying up one to the difparagement of another 'good man; 1 Cor. iii. 4, 5. For while one faith, I am of Paul, and another, 'I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal? &c.

Q. 12. What is the firft inference from hence?

A. That the beft Chriftians have caufe to be humbled for the fins of the tongue, whereby God is difhonoured, and o. thers are injured; James iii. 2. If any man offend not in word, the fame is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. And verfe 5, 6. Even fo the tongue is a little member, and boafteth great things: behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: fo is the tongue amongst our members, that it defileth the whole body, and fetteth on fire the courfe of nature; and it-is fet on fire of hell.

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13. What is the fecond inference from hence? A. It is our great concernment to walk with that piety and juftice towards God and men, as to cut off all juft occafions of reproach from our names; 2 Cor. xi. 12. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occafion from them which defire occafions, c. i Tim. v. 14. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occafion to the adverfary to speak reproachfully.

Q. 14. What is the third inference from this commandment?

A. To bless God that our names are kept sweet and honourable in the world among good men; John 12. Demetrius hath a good report of all men, &c. Or if we be reproached, it is by none but wicked men, and that for our duty to God; Dan. vi. 3. Then faid these men, we shall not find any occafion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

Of the tenth Commandment.

Quest. 79. Hich is the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment is; [Thou Abalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man fervant, nor his maid-fervant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's]

Queft. 80. What is required in the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit towards cur neighbour, and all that is his.

Queft. 81. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour, and all inordinate motions and affections to any thing that is his. Q. 1. What is the principal feope and aim of the tenth com.

'mandment ?

A. It is to prevent all occafions of tranfgreffing the other precepts of the fecond table, by reftraining this fin of covetoufbefs in the heart; Pfalm cxix. 35, 36. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments, for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy teftimonies, and not to covetousness.

Q. 2. What doth this tenth command require of us in refe. rence to ourselves?

A. It requires of us perfect contentment and fatisfaction with that estate and condition wherein God hath placed us in VOL. VIII,

the world; Heb. xiii. 5. Let your converfation be without co vetoufnefs, and be content with fuch things as ye have, &c. Reckoning it to be good for us to be in that ftate we are, though never fo low or afflicted; Pfalm cxix. 67. Before I was afflicted, I went aftray; but now have I kept thy word. And

verfe 71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy ftatutes.

Q3. Is contentment with God's appointments attainable in

this life?

A. Some Chriftians have attained to a very great measure, and eminent degree of contentment in the midst of changeable and afflictive providences; Phil. iv. 11.I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Pfàlm xvi. 5, 6. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: thou maintaineft my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleafant places: yea, I have a goodly heritage.

Q4. Is there no danger of the fin of difcontent in a full and profperous condition?

A. Fulness of the world fecures no man from the fin of difcontentment with his own, or coveting that which is another's; because the defires enlarge as the estate doth; Pfalm lxii. 10.If riches increafe, fet not your heart upon them. An inftance whereof we have in Ahab, 1 Kings xxi. 4. And Ahab came in to his house heavy and displeased, because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers; and he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

Q5. Whence doth discontent with our condition spring? A. It fprings partly from our ignorance of God's wifdom and love in ordering all for our good; Rom. viii. 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, &c. Partly from our inconfideratencfs of the vanity of the creature; 1 Tim. vi. 7, 8. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. And partly from our unbelief; Matth. vi. 31, 32. Therefore take no thought, faying, What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or wherewithal fhall we be cloathed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles feek ;) for your heavenly father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Q. 6. Is contentment with our own eftate all that this com mandment requires?

A. No; it requires a charitable frame of fpirit towards our

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