079. The TENTH commandment
QUESTION 79. Which is the Tenth Commandment?
ANSWER:The Tenth Commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
QUESTION 80. What is required in the Tenth Commandment?
ANSWER:The Tenth Commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbour, and all that is his.
-----
Q. 1. What is the practice of the Papists with reference to the Tenth Commandment?
A. They have; (in some of their formularies,) erased the Second Commandment, because contrary to their image worship; therefore, in order to keep up the number TEN, they split THIS into two, making these words, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house,” to be the ninth; and, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife,” &c. to be the tenth.
Q. 2. How are they confuted?
A. By the words of this commandment (as they are here inserted from Exodus 20:17,) being transposed into a different order in Deuteronomy 5:21; where desiring our neighbour’s wife is put before coveting of his house; which is a plain evidence, that what the Papists make two is but one undivided precept; otherwise what, according to them, is the ninth in the one place, will be the tenth in the other.
Q. 3. What is the general duty required in this commandment?
A. It is an inward disposition and inclination of the whole soul, to perform all the duties contained in the law, particularly in the second table, which this commandment more immediately respects; and that out of love to God, and a desire to please him, Psalms 119:5, Psalms 119:47.
Q. 4. How do you prove this to be the general duty required?
A. From the general sin forbidden; namely, COVETOUSNESS, which includes the motion or stirring of corruption against all the commands of the law, because of their holiness and contrariety to depraved nature, Romans 7:7-8.
Q. 5. What inward disposition of soul does this commandment require with reference to ourselves in particular?
A. It requires, with reference to ourselves, full contentment with our own condition,1 Timothy 6:6.
Q. 6. What do you understand by full contentment with our own condition?
A. A cheerful acquiescence in the lot which God, in his holy and wise providence, is pleased to carve out for us in this world, Hebrews 13:5 - “Be content with such things as ye have.”
Q. 7. Is full contentment with our own condition attainable in this life?
A. Though the perfection of no grace is attainable in this life, yet a great measure, and eminent degrees of grace, particularly this of contentment, may be, and has been, attained by the saints in this world, Php 4:11 - “I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content.”
Q. 8. Is contentment, in a prosperous condition, an easy attainment?
A. No; without grace it cannot be attained; because, naturally, our ambitious and covetous desires increase in proportion to our riches; as is evident in the instance of Ahab, whom a kingdom could not satisfy without Naboth’s vineyard, 1 Kings 21:4.
Q. 9. How is true contentment attained under prosperous circumstances?
A. By looking above all the enjoyments of time as transitory and vain, to God himself, as our chief good and eternal inheritance, Psalms 62:10, and Psalms 16:5-6.
Q. 10. Is contentment likewise required under cross dispensations of providence; such as, poverty, reproach, bodily afflictions, and loss of near relations?
A. Though it be a grievous sin to be stupidly insensible and unconcerned under these or the like circumstances, Hosea 7:9; yet a contentment of submission, or such as is without repining and murmuring, is, undoubtedly, required under the severest troubles that can befall us in this life, Lamentations 3:39 - “Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?” And, Ezra 9:13 “…seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve,”
Q. 11. What ground of contentment have we under outward poverty and want?
A. That, though we be the poor of this world, yet we may be “rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom,” James 2:5.
Q. 12. Why should we bear reproach without murmuring?
A. Because whatever reproach is cast upon us for Christ’s sake, he will wipe it clean off at his second appearing, Luke 22:28-29; Matthew 25:34.
Q. 13. What reason for contentment have we under bodily afflictions?
A. That they are only of short duration, 2 Corinthians 4:17; mixed with mercy, Lamentations 3:32; consistent with love, John 11:3; and designed for “our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness,” Hebrews 12:10.
Q. 14. What should content and comfort us under the loss of near and dear relations?
A. That the Lord Jesus, who stands in every amiable relation to us, is always at hand, being “the same yesterday, today, and for ever,” Hebrews 13:8.
Q. 15. Are we required to be content under divine desertion, or the want of the sense of the love of God?
A. Though we have no reason to quarrel with God, for withdrawing the light of his countenance, which we never deserved; yet it is impossible for any gracious soul to be easy and content under the hidings of his face, but it must needs earnestly long for, and ardently breathe after the returns of his love; as is evident from the example and practice of the saints, in the following texts, Job 23:3, and Psalms 29:2-3; Psalms 13:1, Psalms 42:1-2, and Psalms 84:2.
Q. 16. What inward frame or disposition of soul does the Tenth Commandment require with reference to our neighbour?
A. It requires a right and charitable frame of spirit toward him, and all that is his,Romans 12:16.
Q. 17. When may we be said to have this right and charitable frame of spirit here required?
A. When our inward motions and affections are influenced by grace, to sway and determine us to promote and rejoice in the welfare of our neighbour, both as to his spiritual and temporal concerns, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
Q. 18. When may it be evident to ourselves, that we have a right and charitable frame of spirit towards those who excel us in gifts and graces?
A. When, under an humbling sense of our own defects, we are thankful for the honour that is brought to God, by the shining of his gifts or graces in others, Galatians 1:23-24.
Q. 19. What should induce us to a right and charitable frame of spirit towards those that are in more prosperous circumstances than ourselves; or whose condition in the world is better than our own?
A. The considering that a flourishing condition in the world is not always the best, Psalms 38:16; that if we enjoy communion with God, it is infinitely preferable to all outward prosperity without it, Psalms 16:5-6.
Q. 20. How may such a right and charitable frame of spirit be attained?
A. Only by the implantation of faith, as the root of this and all other motions of the soul that are acceptable to God, Hebrews 11:6; Romans 14:23.
QUESTION 81. What is forbidden in the Tenth Commandment?
ANSWER:The Tenth Commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour, and all inordinate motions and affections to any thing that is his.
-----
Q. 1. What is the leading sin forbidden in this commandment?
A. It is COVETOUSNESS: Thou shalt not covet.
Q. 2. What is covetousness?
A. It is an excessive and irregular desire after those worldly goods which we have not, Proverbs 1:19, and which God, in his providence, does not see meet that we should have, Psalms 75:6-7.
Q. 3. How does the excess of an avaricious mind discover itself?
A. By such an insatiable thirst after worldly gain, as can never be satisfied, Proverbs 30:15.
Q. 4. In what consists the irregularity of covetousness?
A. In the desire of worldly goods which are in the possession of our neighbour, and even sometimes as they are his, 1 Kings 21:2.
Q. 5. How does the covetousness of the heart discover itself?
A. By discontentment with our own estate, and envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour.
Q. 6. What is discontentment with our own estate?
A. It is to murmur and fret at our present condition in the world, as being worse than we think should fall to our share, or than we are expecting and looking for, 2 Kings 6:33.
Q. 7. What is the aggravation of this sin?
A. It argues an unwillingness to be at God’s disposal, Psalms 12:4; an esteeming ourselves more competent judges than he, of what is best for us, 1 Kings 1:5; and it is, in effect, usurping the throne of God, and taking his government into our own hands, Exodus 5:2.
Q. 8. What are the proper remedies against it?
A. The only sovereign remedy, is to give Christ the pre-eminence in our hearts, Psalms 73:25; for then we will undervalue all temporal things, in comparison of him, Psalms 76:4.
Q. 9. What is envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour?
A. It is to repine and grudge at his prosperous circumstances, Nehemiah 2:10, or any superior endowment or privilege he is possessed of above ourselves, Psalms 112:9-10.
Q. 10. What is the evil of this sin?
A. It wastes and consumes the body, Proverbs 14:30 - “Envy is the rottenness of the bones,” and it is fertile of “confusion, and every evil work,” James 3:16.
Q. 11. What is the source or spring of covetousness?
A. The inordinate motions and affections that are in our souls.
Q. 12. What do you understand by the inordinate motions and affections here forbidden?
A. Not only the unlawful purposes, intentions, and desires, that are actually formed in the heart, but even the first risings and stirrings of corruption in the soul, which are antecedent to the consent of the will, Genesis 6:5.
Q. 13. Are not the vicious lusts and desires that are, formed and assented to in the heart, forbidden in other commandments of the second table, as well as in this?
A. Yes; as appears from our Saviour’s exposition of the Seventh Commandment, Matthew 5:28 - “But I say unto you, Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Q. 14. How then is this commandment distinguished from others, which forbid heart sins equally with it?
A. This commandment is levelled particularly at the root of all sin, namely, habitual lust, or corruption of nature, together with its very first motions, and especially as these are contrary to the love of our neighbour; whereas, other commandments chiefly respect such secret and heart sins as are actually committed, though not known to the world.
Q. 15. How does it appear that this commandment is levelled particularly at habitual lust, or at the root of all sin?
A. Because, since other commandments chiefly forbid heart sins actually formed, this commandment must forbid the very rise of them, or the least bias and inclination to evil; otherwise it would not be distinct from the rest, nor would the law be absolutely perfect.
Q. 16. Does not the apostle James distinguish between lust and sin, chap. 1:15 [James 1:15] - “When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin;” and will it not from thence follow, that lust, or corruption of nature, is not properly sin, and consequently not forbidden in this commandment?
A. The apostle distinguishes between lust and sin merely as a corrupt principle and the act which it produces; both which are hateful to God, and contrary to his law.
Q. 17. If lust, or corruption of nature, cannot be remedied, or extirpated by any prescription in the Divine law, why is it at all prohibited?
A. It is nevertheless prohibited, both because contrary to the nature of God, and as a mean to reprove and humble us for it, Romans 7:9.
Q. 18. What is the difference between human and Divine laws on this head?
A. Human laws respect only overt or open acts of sin, but Divine laws respect likewise the internal inclination and disposition which persons have to commit it, Psalms 66:18.
Q. 19. What is the opinion of the Papists concerning the prohibition of habitual lust?
A. They pretend that the law of God respects only the corruption of our actions, but not the habit or principle from whence they proceed.
Q. 20. How are they refuted?
A. From the spirituality of the law, which extends to the motions of the heart, as well as the actions of the life, Romans 7:14, Romans 7:23.
Q. 21. If, the first motions of corruption are not entertained, but immediately curbed and restrained, why are they prohibited as sinful?
A. Because, however soon they are curbed or restrained; yet having once been in the soul, they cannot but leave a stain and pollution behind them, contrary to the holiness and purity required in the law, James 1:14.
Q. 22. Who are they that are sensible of these inordinate motions and affections of the heart, and are humbled for the same?
A. None properly but the regenerate; as is evident from the instance of the apostle, who says of himself, after his conversion, “I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet,” Romans 7:7.
Q. 23. What is the apostle’s meaning in these words?
A. It is, as if he had said, I had not known this strong propensity that is in my heart to all manner of sin, even before it be consented to, or deliberately committed; unless the Spirit of God had discovered it to me, in this precept of the law forbidding the same.
Q. 24. How does this propensity to sin evidence itself?
A. In that no sooner is the object presented, than instantly there is an inordinate motion and affection of the heart after it. The combustible matter within catches fire at the very first spark of temptation, Joshua 7:21.
Q. 25. What may we learn from the general scope of this, and all the other commandments?
A. That though we could forbear the evil, and do the good contained in every commandment, it would not be sufficient, except we did it for the Lord’s sake, out of love to him, and regard to his authority, Ezekiel 20:19.