Principles of Faith and Good Conscience, Chapter 38
CAP. XXXVIII.
Of the eight Commandement. Thou ſhalt not ſteale.
Q. VVHat is the drift of this Commandement?
A. To provide for the preſervation of mans outward eſtate. 1. Wherein God a forbiddeth all wronging of our neighbour in his goods, together with all unlawfull waies of getting. 2. And requireth b equity and uprightneſſe in mens dealings. a Eph. 4.28. b Levit. 19.35, 36. Mic. 6.8.
Q. What is meant by ſtealing?
A. All getting a and keeping b of that which belongs to another, againſt his knowledge and conſent, whether it be done ſecretly c or openly, by fraud or under colour of Law and Right. a Ezek. 22.13. Jer. 17.11. b Mic. 6.10. Job 20.15. c 1 King. 21.15. 1 Cor. 6.8. Luk. 19.8.
Q. How doe men become guilty of this ſinne of ſtealing?
Five waies of ſtealing.A. Five wayes: Firſt, by downright robbery, and ſecret filching and purloyning. [As robbing by Land or Sea; concealing of things found, or lent.] Zach. 5.3, 4. Joſh. 7.11, 22. Levit. 6.2, 3. Eſay 1.23.
Q. How ſecondly?
A. By hard, unreaſonable, and fraudulent bargaining in buying, ſelling, and other like contracts, wherein we gain from our brother to his loſſe and grief, working upon his weakneſs, or neceſſities. [Theſe are as bad as an High-way theefe.] Lev: 19.11. Am. 8.4, 6, 8. 1 Theſ. 4.6. Zeph. 1.9. Jer. 22.13. [And of this theft are guilty all ſuch perſons, 1. As engroſſe, enhaunce, and falſifie commodities. 2. They that ſell crackt titles, or things they ſhould not ſell, as places of Juſtice and judicature, places of cbarity and piety, as Parſonages, and ſpirituall promotions, places in Colledges, Hoſpitalls, &c. 3. They that uſe falſe weights or meaſures. 4. Racking of tenants, and all men that uſe more wit then conſcience in dealings. All kind of oppreſſion is theft.]
Q. Who, thirdly, are guilty of theft before God?
A. They that by force, or pretence of Law, wreſt things from their neigbours, or drive them to unreaſonable compoſitions. [Such are the removing of Land-markes, and forced incloſures; forcing of a Woman to ſell her jointure, or Children their inheritance; alſo prolonging of Law-ſutes; tiring poore men, & overpowring them by Bribery, Friendſhip, &c. Theſe are great thefts; but God can, and doth hamper them.] Prov. 22.28. Mic. 2.1, 2, 8. Mal. 3.5. Ezek. 22.12. 1 Sam. 12.3.
Q. How, fourthly, are men guilty of theft before God?
A. By lending, or borrowing, to the deceiving and oppreſſing of our brother. [Sometimes the Lender gripeth the Borrower, and ſometimes again the Borrower deceives the Lender.] Ezek: 22.12. Pſa. 37.21. Rom. 13.8. ['Tis not a ſin to borrow for ones need: yet to borrow without cauſe, or to maintain pride and idleneſſe, and beyond our abilities to pay, that is evill.]
Q. Under the name of theft is forbidden all unlawfull waies of gaine: Tell me then: How, fiftly, doe men ſin againſt this Commandement in outward act?
A. By uſing unlawfull callings, and ungodly practiſes, to get their livings. [As doe Gameſters, Jugglers, Stage-players, Rope-dancers, &c. alſo they that ſell juſtice, or the gifts of the Holy Ghoſt; or elſe expoſe their bodies for hire, or their wits and pens to get money by filthy Poems, falſe and fooliſh writings, &c.] Act. 16.16, 19. Act. 19.24, 25. Deut. 23.18. Mat. 4.9. Lu… 18.8 Mat. 26.15.
Q. Thus we wrong our Neighbour in his goods outwardly; there is a theft alſo of the heart, Ma. 15.19. Tell me then: How doe we ſinne againſt this Commandement inwardly?
A. Two waies: Firſt, by grudging and wiſhing evill to the proſperity of others, or plotting their dammage. Pſal. 73.3, 21, 22. Deut. 22.1.
Q. How, ſecondly?
A. By Covetouſneſſe and diſcontentedneſſe with our own eſtates. Eccleſ. 5.10. 1 Tim. 6.10. Prov. 15.27. Eſa. 32.7, 8. Pro. 30.15. Hab. 2.5. Heb. 13.5.
Q. How doth Covetouſneſſe diſcover it ſelfe; [No man will yeild himſelfe to be a Covetous perſon.
A. 1. A covetous perſon ſpendeth many pretious thoughts and delights upon abundance.Three ſigns of a covetous perſon. 2. He placeth much credit and comfort in that treaſure. 3. And for attaining thereof, he will do mean things, yea ſinfull things, and hidden things of diſhoneſty: [He covets & deſireth more then he dares to pray for: that's a Covetous perſon.] Ezek. 33.31. Eccleſ. 4.8. Prov. 28.20. Eph. 5.5.
Q. Thus of things forbidden. What doth the Lord require of us in this Commandement?
A. Foure things: Firſt, to worke with our hands the thing that is good, that is, to be diligent in a lawfull calling, Eph. 4.28. 2 Theſ. 3.8, 10. Prov. 10.4. Gen. 2.15. Gen. 3.19.
Q. What, ſecondly?
A. Frugality and providence, in uſing our goods according to the rules of Charity and juſtice. Joh. 6.12. Pſal. 112.5.
Q. What, thirdly, and fourthly?
A. 3. To deal juſtly with our Neighbour; a to help him in his eſtate. 4ly, And if we have wronged him, to b make reſtitution. a Deut. 22.1. 1 Sam. 25.16. Gen. 30, 33. 1 Theſ. 4.6. b Gen. 43.12. Job 20. 15, 18, 20. Ezek. 33.15. Luk. 19.8. Mat. 27.7. Philem. v. 18, 19.
Q. How doe men ſinne againſt their own eſtates?
A. By idleneſſe & waſtfullneſſe impairing it. [No man hath power over his own goods, to waſt them in rioting, in clothes, building, gaming, ſports, &c. as he pleaſeth: but we muſt uſe them as ſtewards, who are to bring in their bills of expence unto God. [As thus much for this, and ſo much for that.] 2 Theſ. 3.11. Prov. 18.9. Prov. 19.26. Luk. 15.13.