in the sale of public justice, Exod. xxiii. 8. And thou shalt take no gift: For the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous, Isa. i. 23. Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves, every one loveth gifts and followeth after rewards: They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the causeof the widow come unto them. 3. Unlawful arts, fortune-telling, figure-casting, and use of any unwarrantable ways for the getting of money, Isa. xlvii. 18, 19. Thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up and save thee, Acts xix. 9. Many also of them which used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men, ver. 24. A certain man named Demetrius, a silver-smith, which made silver-shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen.

Q. 3. What doth the eighth commandment forbid in reference unto others which are in want?

A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth in reference unto others which are in want, a withholding relief from them, and stopping the ears against their cry, Prov. xxi. 13. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. Deut. xv. 7. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.

Q. 4. What doth the eighth commandment forbid in reference unto all men?

A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth in reference unto all men, any kind of injustice and unrighteousness, in any of our dealings with them: Such as, 1. Defrauding others in our buying, when we discommend that which we know to be good, or take the advantage of others ignorance of the worth of their commodities, or their necessity of selling them, so as to give a greater under rate for them, Prov. xx. 14. It is nought, it is nought (saith the buyer) but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth, Lev. xxv. 14. If thou buyest ought of thy neighbour, ye shall not oppress. 2. Defrauding others in selling when we praise that which we sell, and against our conscience

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say it is excellent good, though we know it to be stark nought: And when we take an unreasonable price for our commodities; or when we cozen them in the sale of goods by false weights and measures, 1 Thess. iv. 6. Deut. xxv. 13, 15. Prov. xi. 1. Micah vi. 10, 11. Especially the eighth commandment doth directly forbid stealing one from another. Thou shalt not steal, Lev. xix. 11. Ye shall not steal neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

Q. 5. What stealing doth the eighth commandment forbid ? A. The eighth commandntent doth forbid all stealing, either within the family, or without the family. Q. 6. What stealing within the family doth the eighth commandment forbid ?

A. The eighth commandment doth forbid within the family: 1. Servants stealing and purloining: as also, any ways wasting and wronging their masters, in their goods or estates, Tit. ii. 9, 10. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity, Luke xvi. 1. A certain rich man which had a steward, and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2. Children stealing and robbing from their parents, Prov. xxviii. 24. Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer, Prov. ix. 26. He that wasteth his father, is a son that causeth shame.

Q. 6. What stealing without the family doth the eighth commandment forbid ?

A. The eighth commandment doth forbid without the family, all theft, both public and private.

Q. 7. What is the public theft which the eighth commandinent doth forbid ?

A. The public theft which the eighth commandment doth forbid, is: 1. Sacrilege, which is, when any do either violently or fraudulently take away, or alienate any thing that hath been dedicated to sacred uses & or when sacred persons, without just cause are taken off from their employments, Rom. ii. 22. Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Prov. xx. 25. It is a snare to a man to devour that which is holy, Mas.

iii. 8, 9. Will a man rob God? yet they have robbed me: But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse : for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 2. Robbing public treasures, or any ways wronging and defrauding the commonwealth, by taking away its just liberties and privileges, or by doing a public detriment for private advantage sake, amongst such public robberies may be numbered, inclosures, ingrossings, forestallings, monopolies, and the like.

Q. 9. What is the private theft which the eighth commandment doth forbid without the family.

A. The private theft which the eighth commandment doth forbid without the family, is: 1. Man-stealing, or woman-stealing, or stealing of children, that they may be sent or sold for slaves, 1 Tim. i. 9, 10. The law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient: For murderers, for men-slayers, for whore-mongers, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, Exod. xxi. 16. He that stealeth a man and selleth him, shall surely be put to death. 2. Robbery either by land or sea, either of money, or cattle, or any goods, Judges ix. 20. And the men of Sechem set lyers in wait on the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them, John xviii. 40. Now Barrabas was a robber. Job v. 5. The robbers swallowed up their substance.

Q. 10. What is further inclusively forbidden in the eighth commandment?

A. There is further inclusively forbidden in the eighth commandment, 1. All partaking with thieves in receiving stolen goods, or otherwise, Prov. i. 14. Cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse, Prov. xxix. 24. Whoso is partner with a thief, hateth his own soul, Psal. i. 18. When thou sawest a thief then thou consentedst with him. 2. Detaining that which is strayed or lost, Deut. xxii. 1, 3. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: Thou shalt in any cause bring them again unto thy brother. In like manner shalt thou do with his raiment, and with all lost things of thy brother's, which thou hast found. 3. Falsehood and unfaithfulness in our promises, in regard of any thing committed to our trust, John xii. 6. This he said, not that he cared for the poor: but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 4. Rigorous requiring what is owed to us without compassion or forbearance, Mat. xviii. 28, 29, 30. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred pence; and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not, but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt. 5. Cruel keeping the pledge, when it is the means of our neighbour's living, Exod. xxii. 26, 27. If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: Wherein shall he sleep? And it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious. 6. All withholding that which is due, especially the wages and hire of servants and labourers, Psal. xxxvii. 21. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again, Lev. xix. 13. The wages of him that is hired, shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. 7. Removing ancient land-marks, or any other way seeking to defraud others, of the just title which they have to their estates, Prov. xxii. 28. Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. 8. Exhortation, and all oppression, especially of the poor, and afflicted, Prov. xxii. 22, 23. Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate. For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of them that spoil them. Amos viii, 4, 5, 6, 7. Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy even to make the poor of the land to fail, falsifying the balances by deceit, to buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, and sell the refuse of the wheat: The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob. Surely I will never forget any of their works. 9. Usury, and taking increase merely for loan, Exod. xxii. 25. If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt

not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury, Ezek. xvii. 8. He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase.

Q. 11. Why should we forbear all manner of theft and endeavours to enrich ourselves by the wronging of others?

A. We ought to forbear all manner of theft, and endeavours to enrich ourselves by the wronging of others, because it is the express prohibition of God written in the word, and most agreeable to the law of nature written upon the heart; as also, because that riches got by theft and wrong, are accompanied with God's curse; and if not here, be sure God's vengeance will overtake such persons as are guilty of theft and unrighteousness in the other world, Zech. v. 3, 4. This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off on this side. And it shall enter into the house of the thief, and shall consume it with the timber thereof, and the stones thereof, Jer. xvii. 11. James v. 1, 3.

Q. 12. How may we be kept from the sins forbidden in the eighth commandment?

A. We may be kept from the sins forbidden in the eighth commandment, by mortified affections to the world, through Christ's death and Spirit, by raised affections to the things above, by a loving of justice, by prayer, by faith in God's promises, and special providences, in making all needful provision, without this sin, for ourselves.

76. Q. Which is the ninth commandment? A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bare false witness against thy neighbour.

77. Q. 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, especially in witness bearing.

Q. 1. Wherein doth this ninth commandment differ from the sixth, seventh and eighth commandments? A. 1. This ninth commandment doth differ from