Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Theological treatise · Commandment 10 · Moral observations 1
4. Morall observations.
1. Observ. Why covetousnesse is to be taken heed of.
THou shalt not covet, &c. Men must not onelyonly withdraw their hands from taking their neighbours goods, but restraine their inward coveting and desire, and that for these reasons: 1. Propter concupiscentiae infinitatem, because concupiscence is infinite, the desire of the covetous is never satisfied, as Isay 5.8. They joyne house to house, &c. till there be no more place. 2. Aufert quietem, it taketh away quietnesse, Eccles. 5.11. The sati…ie of the rich will not suffer him to sleepe. 3. Facit divitias inutiles, it maketh riches unprofitable: Hee that loveth riches, shall be without the fruit thereof, Eccles. 5.9. 4. Tollit justiti… …quitatem, it hindreth justice: For rewards doe blind the wise, and pervert the words of the just, Exod. 23. 5. Necat charitatem, it killeth charitie both of God and our neighbour: therefore the Prophet saith, Hide not thy selfe from thine owne flesh, Isay 58.7. The covetous despiseth his brother, who is as his owne flesh, 6. Producit omnem iniquitatem, it bringeth forth all iniquitie, as S. Paul saith, 1 Tim. 6.10. The desire of money is the root of all evill, Thom. in opuscul.
2. Observ. Of the remedies against concupiscence.
THe remedies against concupiscence are these: Basil assigneth these two: 1. Si cogitaveris, quòd dissolvendus es in terram, cessabit insana concupiscentia, &c. If thou bethinke thy selfe, that thou shalt bee dissolved into earth, unsound concupiscence will cease. 2. Meliorum desiderium minora cogit contem…ere; The desire of better things will make thee contemne the lesse: as the love to the Word of God, which is more to be desired than gold, will withdraw our love from earthly things, Basil. in regula. Thomas Aqui… addeth foure remedies beside. 3. Occasiones exteriores fugiendo, By shunning all externall occasions, as Iob made a covenant with his eyes, chap. 31.1. 4. Cogitationibus aditum non praebendo, In giving no way to the thoughts, as by humbling and afflicting the bodie, as S. Paul did, 1 Corinth. 9.27. 5. Orationibus insistendo, By applying prayer, as our blessed Saviour saith, that even devils may bee cast out by fasting and prayer, Matth. 17.21. 6. Licitis occupationibus insistendo, &c. By being alwayes well occupied, for idlenesse brought the Sodomites to lust, it was one of their sinnes, Ezech. 16.49. Thom. in opuscul.
3. Observ. How the Lord hath punished the transgressors of his law.
THou shalt not covet.] In the last place I will shew, how the Lord hath punished and judged the transgressors of this precept, and likewise of the rest. The punishment then which is due for the transgression of the law is either divine or humane. The humane is that which is inflicted by the lawes of men, which are divers, according to divers usages of countries and conditions of people, among whom one vice may reigne more than another, and so more severitie is required. But this defect generally is found in humane censures; that the transgressions of the second table are more severely punished than those of the first: and those in the second, which doe concerne mans outward state, as theft, are more straightly punished than adulterie, which Augustine found fault with in his time: and he giveth this reason of this partialitie: Quia id pejus credimus, quod huic vitae nocet: Because we thinke that the worse or greater evill, which hurteth this life: Lib. de Mendac. cap. 9.
The divine punishment is of two sorts, it is either temporall in this life, or eternall in the next. And for the first, where humane lawes are silent or connivent, in censuring the sinnes of men, yet the divine justice sheweth it selfe: As now shall appeare in this particular enumeration of divers presidents and examples of Gods severitie, exercised and shewed upon the transgressors of his law.
1. Pharaoh is set forth as an example of an Atheist and prophane person, who would not acknowledge the God of Israel, but said, I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel goe, Exod. 5.2. who manifestly transgressed the first precept: his end was to be drowned in the red Sea.
2. Senacherib, a most grosse Idolater, as he was worshipping his Idoll Nisroch in the temple, was slaine of his two sonnes, 2 King. 19.37.
3. He which blasphemed the name of the Lord in the host of Israel, was by the Lords commandement stoned to death, Levit. 24.11.
4. The man also which gathered sticks upon the Sabbath, because he did it with an high hand, and is contempt, was stoned by Gods appointment, Numb. 15.31.
5. Abshalom, both a disobedient childe to his father, and a rebell against his Prince, was hanged by the haire of the head, and stricken through with darts: and so is made a spectacle unto all stubborne children, and rebellious subjects, that such should expect the like judgement at Gods hand.
6. Cain, for killing his innocent brother, was cast out of Gods presence, and made a runnagate upon the face of the earth. Cruell Abimelech as he slew 70. of his brethren upon one stone, so his braines were dasht out with a stone, Iudg. 9.
7. Ammon an incestuous person, was slaine by the procurement of his owne brother Abshalom, for the deflouring of his sister Thamar, 2 Sam. 13. That whore and strumpet Iezabel was eaten and devoured of dogges, 1 King. 21.23. 2 King. 9.22.35. And as adulterie is an abomination to the Lord, the punishment whereof God reserveth to himselfe, where the Magistrates hand is not extended: as the Apostle saith, Heb. 13.4. Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge: So the sinne of drunkennesse and glut…onie shall not escape the stroke of Gods hand, as being the nurserie and seminarie of filthinesse and uncleane lust.
Drunken Nabal for that sinne, and others joyned withall, was smitten of the Lord, and died, 1 Sam. 25.38. And that rich Glutton, who pampred himselfe, but was mercilesse toward poore Lazarus, was tormented in hell, Luk. 16.
And here I cannot omit to make mention of a strange judgement of God shewed of late upon three persons for this sinne of excessive drinking; which happened upon the 27. day of December last,A strange example of Gods judgement shewed upon three excessive drinkers, in little Eason in Essex the 27. of December last. being the Lords day, next after the Nativitie, in the towne of little Ashen, or Eason in Essex, in the house of a worshipfull Knight there dwelling. The manner of it was this: One Thomas Rugesby, a servant of the house, with another that was a Retainer, and a youth about the age of thirteene yeeres, did in the afternoone withdraw themselves into a private chamber, taking with them strong Beere, Aqua vita, Rosa solis, Tobacco; and shut the doore close, that they might be privat, and take their fill of drinke without controlement: who so excessively and immoderatly distempered themselves with drinke, that they in most beastly manner vomited it up againe: two of them, the servant of the house and the youth, were in vomiting strangled, and were found dead in the morning; the first sitting in his chaire, the other lying upon the bed: that which they cast up, being by the cold of the night frozen to their mouths: the third, the Retainer, was taken up in the morning, wallowing up and downe in his vomit, and in a manner halfe dead, whom they had much adoe to recover. This example would not bee forgotten, but carefully bee laid up in remembrance, that other excessive takers of drinke, and wanton abusers of plentie (which sinnes doe now every where overflow) might receive warning thereby, and judge themselves by repentance, and leaving their sinne in time, lest they be suddenly overtaken by Gods judgements in like manner.
8. For stealing, Achan may bee an example, who for his theft and sacrilege, was with throwing of stones put to death, and that by the Lords extraordinarie direction, in causing him to bee found by lot, Iosh…. 7.
2. For lying, the fearefull examples of Ananias and Sapphira, would be thought upon, who were for that sinne striken with sudden death, Act. 5.
10. For coveting of Sara Abrahams wife, both Pharaoh King of Egypt, and Abimelech King of Gerar were punished of God, Gen. 12. and 20. though they were prevented of God, and kept from committing adulterie.
Thus it pleaseth God to exemplifie some, that others might take heed. But here concerning the temporall judgements in this life, these three observations are necessarie: 1. That they which are temporally punished, are not alwayes to be deemed the worst of all others, though it please the Lord to make them examples to others: as our blessed Saviour saith of the Galileans, whose bloud Pilate mingled with their sacrifice, and of those eighteene persons, upon whom the tower of Siloam fell in Jerusalem, that they were not greater sinners than the rest, but except yee repent (saith he) yee shall all likewise perish. 2. God neither punisheth all such offenders in this life, for then men would expect no judgement to come: neither doth he suffer all to go unpunished, lest worldly men might be altogether secure; and denie in their hearts the divine providence: as the Prophet David saith, Psal. 10.13. Wherefore doth the wicked contemne God? he saith in his heart, thou wilt not regard. 3. That they which goe on still in their sinne without punishment, should not flatter themselves: for there remaineth a greater judgement behind: and there is more hope of them which are chastised in this world. So the Apostle saith: Thou after thine hardnesse, and heart that cannot repent, heapest unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath, and the declaration of the just judgement of God, Rom. 2.5.
The other kinde of judgement is in the next world: as the Apostle sheweth, 1 Cor. 6.9. Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wantons, nor buggerers, nor theeves, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdome of God: and such were some of you, but yee are washed, but ye are sanctified, &c. Adde hereunto the like sentence and declaration of Gods judgement upon the wicked: Revelat. 21.8. But the fearefull and unbeleeving, the abominable, and murtherers, whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. This so heavie a sentence there is no way to escape, but in being washed from these sinnes by repentance, sanctified by newnesse of life, and justified by faith in Christ. And thus much of this treatise of the law, which by Gods grace I have thus happily finished.