Catechism for Children, Sermons on the ten commandments · Sermon 10
The tenth sermon.
¶An exposition of the tenth commaundement.
Thou shalte not desyre thy neyghboures wyfe / nor hys man seruaunte / nor woman seruaunte / nor his Oxe / nor his Asse / nor any thynge that is his.
Gen. xxxixI Wyl not be long good children in declarynge vntounto you the tenth commaundemēt, part lye bycause the wordes and sense of the same be so playne that they nede no longe declaratiō, partly bycause I hauehave all ready expounded the same in the former sermon. For these two last commaūdementes be so coupled together, that he whiche vnderstandeth the one perfitely, shal easely perteyue the other, for they bothe hauehave one purpose and entent, to clense the inwarde manne, and to purge the hearte from all yll affections and lustes. But wheras the former commaundemente dyd forbydde vsus, that we or shuld not wishe to succede our neyghbour in his lādes, honours dignities, a carnall man woulde peraduenture reason on this fashion. I graunt in deede, that I am forbyd, to couet al my neyghbours landes or goodes, but yet I may desire and intice from him one seruaūt, I may conuey from hym an Oxe, Asse or an Horse. For he hathe greate plentye of all these thinges, and maye spare one or two of them without any hinderaunce or great losse. And that whyche doeth hym but small seruice, by reason of hys greate aboundaunce, woulde do me moch pleasure, and greatly releaue my necessitie. To this obiection God himselfe doth answere in this last commaundemente, saying. Thou shalte not desire thy neyghbours wife, seruaunte, mayde, Oxe or Asse, no thou shalt desire no thing that is thy neyghbours. For god is the maker of all thynges, and Lorde of all creatures and he gyueth them to whō it pleaseth hym. Wherfore yf he hauehave gyuen anye thynge to thy neyghbour, whiche he hathe not sente to thee, enuye not thy neyghbour therefore, nor go about to conuey it from hym, but thynke this. Yf it were Goddes pleasure, that I shoulde possesse suche a thynge, or yf he knew that it wer for my welthe, to hauehave it, he woulde hauehave sente it to me, aswell as to my neyghboure. For surely good chyldren, these rauenynge woulfes, that be euer thryftynge after other mennes goodes, lacke the benediction of God and therefore they can not long prosper, no not in this world For other they bryng nothyng to passe wyth all theyr gapyng glenyng and carefulnesse, or yf they obteyne theyr purpose, yet verely (all thynges accompte) theyr losse is greater then theyr gaynes. For in this worlde they lese ye fauoure both of God and man, they lese their good name & fame, & ar called of eueryevery man extorcioners, brybers pollers & piellers, deuourers of widowes houses, & oppressers of fatherles and motherles children. And what a gaynyng is it I praye you, by purchasynge of a lytle lande herein this lyfe to purchase therwithal euerlastynge damnacion in hel? What profyteth it a man (sayeth Christ) yf he wynne all the worlde and lese hys awne soulle? what dyd Dauid wynne, when he lusted after the wyfe of Urie, & had his pleasure of her? did not God therfore so punyshe him, that he hymselfe lost all his awne wifes? For his sonne Absolon in the sight of al the people entred vntounto his fathers wyfe, and defloured them all in his fathers owne house, and after dyd purswe his father Dauid euē vntounto death. What did it profit Achab, that he slewe Naboth & toke possession of his vyneyarde? Ueryly God did punyshe him therfore in such sorte, that he caused him to be slayne in the next battayle that he went vntounto and toke the kyngdom from al his succession, & destroyed all hys lynage, and lefte not one man alyue, and beside all this, the dogges licked Achabes bloude in the same place wher he caused Naboth to be slayne. What gayned Iudas, when he solde oure Lorde Iesus Christ for thirtie peaces of syluer? verilye he was punyshed of God therefore, and was so tormented with the horrible feare of cōscience, that he ran to the halter for succour, and hanged himselfe. Wherwith as he ended ye miseries of this life, so he began, the paines of the other lyfe. Lykewyse God, euen nowe a dayes doth punyshe these glyerynge keytes, that seke their pray in eueryevery place, for commonly either they be deceaued of theyr expectacion for all their gapyng and pryenge, or yf they obteyne their praye, they purchase to themselfes therwith great mysfortune and euel endes. Wherefore good children let this commaundement deapely synke into youre hartes, and considre wel, that it is no mā, nor creature, but God himselfe, yt saith vntounto you, Thou shalt not desier thy neyghbours wyfe, his man seruant, woman seruant, oxe, asse, or any other thing that is hys. For to desier these thinges, is a very heynous synne, & God will not suffre it to escape vnpunished. And althoughe men now a dayes take it but for a trifle whan a man hath a true and diligent seruant, to entice him awaye by all craftes and meanes, yet surely God wyl punishe the same sharpely. For as they entice their neyghbours seruaūts from theim, so god suffreth other men to alure their seruantes awaye lykewise. And moreouer this inconuenience cōmeth herby, that whē seruantes perceaue men to sue for thē, they waxe so hawte and stubburne, that they wyll be contēt with no meane wages, and be so proude, that they regarde not their maysters, nor stande in awe of theim, but whan so euer theyr olde maysters, do displease theim, by and by they wil seke for a newe. And when they be not contēt with their olde wages, they desiermore. And this cōplaint of seruantes is now a dayes al most in eueryevery mās mouthe, and yet it is not redressed, because it is the iust punyshment of God, wherewith he scourgeth theim, that allure their neyghbors seruantes from thē. And God doth not punyshe onelyonly suche as entice other mennes seruātes from them but also all those that go about to gette anye other parte of their neyghbours goodes or cattel. For yf thou take thy neyghbors house ouer his hed, or put him out of his house by any crafty conueyance, then manye tymes God taketh vēgeance with syckenes or losse of thy goodes. Yf thou conuey awaye his cattell, commonly they prosper not, but dye of some kynd of moirrein. And whatsoeuer thinge we thus purchase and possesse, cōtrarie to godds commaundement, it lacketh the blessynge of God, wherfore it can not long endure or prosper. Therfore I pray you good childē, frame your affections and lyues accordyng to this rule. Be content that eueryevery man may enioy and kepe to hymselfe, that thing which God hath giuen him. When gods pleasure shall so be, he wyll also sende to you, that whiche you desier. And he is able so to gyue it you, that your neighboure therby shal suffre no losse or damage. Couet not youre neyghbours wife, house, seruaunt or any thynge that is his, except it be by his wil and consent. And yf it shal chaunce any of you, to be couenant seruaunts with any man, then let no craftye or malicious felowes persuade you, to forsake youre maysters, but do them faythfull seruice (as youre dutie is.) And trust not suche flateryng or slaunderous tongues, as go aboute to entice you frō your maysters. For suche men are the dyuels messengers, which entende nothing elles but to allure you to synne, and to brynge you into miserie. And beleue this good children, as a moost sure article of your faith, that our God is the true lorde of all thing, he is the gouerner and maister of all the worlde, and all is but his owne householde. He first made vsus, and from tyme to tyme doth daylye nouryshe vsus. He doth set all thinges in ordre in his familie, he it is, that doth cal eueryevery man to that office, state, ordre, degre and kynde of lyuyng, in the whiche it pleaseth hym to set theim. He wyll gyue to eueryevery man, ye thing which he hath nede of, so that we with all our hartes obey him. Wherefore ther is no cause whythou shuldest couet thy neighbors goods, or by any subtyl conueyance get them into thy handes. For this thinge wanteth the blessyng of God, yea it deserueth his curse & maledycciō. For scripture saith. Cursed is he, that doth not abide in all thinges, that be written in the lawe.
And nowe ye hauehave hearde good chylderne a plaine brief and true exposition of the tenth commaundement, the whiche although it be last in number, yet I pray you let it not hauehave the last place in youre memorye, but one of the first and chefest seates of thesame. That as sone as you be demaunded thys questiō, how vnderstande you the tenth commaundement? you may be prompte and redie to answere, we ought to feare & louelove our Lord God aboue al thinges, and for his sake willyngly to absteyne frō our neighbours wife, familie, goodes & cattel, & to helpe hym as muche as lyeth in vsus, that he may kepe and possesse the same.
¶The ende of the ten commaundementes.