EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

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LECTURE IX.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

The judgment of the world and the judgment of GOD is very often precisely the same; that is to say, the world condemns and punishes the very same sin that GOD condemns and punishes.

This, however, whenever it does happen, is only an accidental occurrence, as when two roads leading to different places happen to have some part of their line in common; for in truth the world's judgment and God's judgment are founded upon perfectly different principles; they may have some portion in common, because these principles are not in opposition to each other, only different in character and object, but the two lines do not lead to the same point, and therefore there is a very great danger when we are on that part which is common to both, that we fancy we are walking on the one, when, in fact, we are walking on the other.

The world estimates the amount of sin by the amount of harm done, or harm that might have been done; GOD estimates the sin by the fact of whether the subject in question is obedience or disobedience; the harm that happens to be done through any sin, is no element of judgment with Him, because no sins can do any harm at all without His permission; He can, if He pleases, bring even good out of evil, and if He does not always please, it is only upon the principle on which the Psalmist calls the wicked "A sword of God," that is to say, He is pleased to make from the consequence of one man's sin a punishment or a trial to some one else, to whom He considers a trial salutary, or a punishment due.

The truth is, the world acts on a principle of selfishness, it condemns those sins only which are likely to hurt itself, and thinks little of those which are injurious only to God's majesty and honour. Murder and theft, like any other acts of wilful disobedience, are very great sins in the sight

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of GOD, and the world also sets its face against them. Why? plainly because any man may be murdered or robbed, and therefore every man is ready to condemn that by which he may himself one day be made to suffer.

It does not hurt us that we live next door to an infidel or an atheist, therefore we are very tender of such people, we can afford to be liberal towards them, and we are liberal, we think it very wrong indeed to disturb a man for his religious opinions.

But it is very uncomfortable to live next door to a murderer or a thief, for there is no knowing whom that man may next take to murdering or robbing, therefore we are none of us disposed to be liberal to such as these, or to regard with toleration their peculiar ideas concerning life and property; that is to say, we are very liberal with the honour and glory of Almighty GoD, but by no means liberal about things which concern our own safety.1

It should seem, therefore, that there are two classes of sins, those which GOD condemns by His Bible and His Commandments, while the world condemns them by its laws and its opinions, and those which GoD condemns equally in His Bible, while the world is perfectly indifferent about the matter.

Now whenever we take upon us the necessary task of judging ourselves on this description of sin, which is condemned alike by the judgment of GOD and that of the world, there is always this danger, we cannot tell the motive upon which we are acting; we keep clear upon some particular sin, and hold ourselves blameless; perhaps we are so, but we can never be quite certain whether we do this from love of God or from fear of the world, because in this particular instance the love of GoD and the fear of the world would lead us to precisely the same thing.

If we do the thing which is right, it may seem of little consequence what makes us do it, and it is of little consequence, so far as this world is concerned, but, when we

1 Jurymen may easily judge themselves by this rule-whenever they acquit a self-murderer on grounds of insanity, when they are conscious that they would not acquit any other description of murderer on the same grounds, then they convict themselves of perjury under the influence of this principle of self.

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come to be judged by the judgment of the next world, the motive on which we have acted, that very point on which it is so easy to deceive ourselves, may be that which makes the whole difference between eternal life and eternal damnation.

Many a man judging himself on the Eighth Commandment, who is conscious of none of those sins which the world considers disgraceful, who is quite certain that he has never robbed, nor pilfered, nor cheated, nor swindled, gives himself a full acquittal, and thinks that with respect to that Commandment at all events, he is in the sight of GOD blameless, when all the time it is the fear of the world, not the fear of GOD, that has been acting upon him.

Now this is a very dangerous deceit, GOD will not reward us for keeping ourselves free from sin for fear of the world, because GOD, though He recompenses us according to the cleanness of our hands, does not reward us for our work done, but for our faithfulness in doing it.

It will be no recommendation to us in His sight, when on the last day He convicts us of some glaring act of disobedience and unfaithfulness towards Him, that we say, yes, but see how obedient and faithful we have been to the judgment of the world; we have not done one single act which the world has called wicked or disgraceful. Do you think it would mend the matter, that GOD, who requires our absolute obedience, should find out that we had another master, whose commands we obeyed better than we did His? and do we not convict ourselves of this when we obey God's commands, if they are backed by those of the world, and do not obey God's commands when they are not so backed?

In judging ourselves upon such matters as the Eighth Commandment, the only safe plan is to take some point in. which the world is neutral, or in which its opinion rather favours the sinner. Let us judge ourselves very strictly in that particular according to God's judgment, being more particular in this, and more jealous in examining the value of our excuses and palliations, than we should be in matters relating to other commandments, and if we find ourselves failing in this part of it, let us be very sure that the reason why we do not break the whole, and rob, and pilfer, and

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cheat, and swindle with the worst, is not the fear of displeasing a good God, Who has done so much for us, and cannot bear to look upon such things, but the fear of losing our character in a world that does not like to be robbed, and pilfered, and swindled, and cheated, and therefore has determined to consider these things disgraceful.

Now take the case of a bargain; the world smiles upon a sharp bargainer, cannot exactly make up its mind to approve indeed, but considers him clever, while God says we are not to defraud or go beyond one another in any matter. How have we acted in such transactions ourselves? have we concealed defects, or exaggerated good points in our bargains beyond what we knew to be the truth? have we taken advantage of other people's ignorance or inexperience? because if we have it is not the word of GOD that has stopped us in this instance, and from this we may make a pretty good guess that it is not the word of God that has stopped us from breaking the Commandment in every other particular.

This is the meaning of judging ourselves; it is of no great use, particularly in such Commandments as the Eighth, to judge ourselves as to whether we have or have not done any particular thing; the point to which we should direct our attention is, what has kept us from doing it, or what has urged us to do it. It is of no use to judge ourselves in one fashion, when the judgment of the last day will be in another; and it is quite possible to imagine a case in which a man's honesty, as the world calls honesty, has been the cause of his final damnation ; worldly honesty is often a temptation and a snare, it prevents a man from seeing his own wickedness, it prevents him from being frightened, it prevents him from repenting, it prevents him from being saved, and all the while it is no real virtue, it has nothing to do with religion and God's Commandments; he is honest because public opinion says it is a shame to be a thief, and he is proud that no one can bring this against him. In this one virtue it is for the praise of man he is working, and perhaps he gets it; people say, Well, whatever his faults were, he was an honest worthy man, and gave every one their due. He has got all that

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he ever tried for, and reaps his full reward. And what then? what will it profit him, when God asks him, what have you done for My sake? what have you done because I commanded it? what have you done to show your gratitude to Me, and your love to your SAVIOUR? You have worked hard for the praise of men, and for their sake have withstood many temptations. Well, you have what you worked for; men do think well of you. Is there any thing more that you desire? have you tried for any thing more?

Now no one can say but that this is a danger, and that the man has been led into it by thinking of his own honesty. If he would really like to try his own honesty, and whether it is keeping the Eighth Commandment of GOD, or keeping some commandment of men, let him examine himself and his honesty by the rule of God's Commandments, and ask himself some such questions as these which I now give you to take home with you.

QUESTIONS FOR SELF-EXAMINATION.

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.

1. I thank my GOD that I have never robbed any body, and that I have never stolen any thing; I thank my GOD that I should consider doing so, mean and unbecoming my character; but is this horror that I have of stealing respect to GOD or respect to man? I shall be able to know this certainly by asking myself whether I consider it a greater crime to steal to a large amount, or to steal some trifle that will never be missed, because men think the one greater than the other, but GOD says, Thou shalt not steal at all.

2. But if I have never been guilty of downright stealing, have I never stolen indirectly?

3. Have I ever taken advantages of my neighbour's necessities, to obtain some article of his below its real value? which is extortion.

4. Have I ever brought on him an unjust lawsuit, or by taking advantage of some mistake in the law, forced one on him? which is litigiousness.