What Is Forbidden in the Sixth Commandment?

Answ. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of. our neighbour unjustly, and whatsoever tendeth thereunto.

£h What doth the sixth commandment require?

A. The preservation of life, Eph. v. 28, 29.

Q. Whose life does it command us to preserve?

A. The life of ourselves and others, 1 Kings xviii.”

Q. Of what life are we to study the preservation?

A. Of our spiritual and natural life, Deut. xxx. 15, 16.

O. What means are we te use for the preservation of our life? A. All lawful means, and these only.

Q. Can unlawful means promote or preserve the life of our soul? A. No, James i. 15. Ezek. xviii. 4.

Q. May we lie, deny Christ’s truth, or otherwise sin, to preserve our own life, or that of others, especially of eminent saints? A. No •, to save men’s natural life by

sin, is to murder our soul, and make an attack on the life and honour of God, Amos ii. 12, 13.

Q. How then is Rahab commended for saving the life of the spies by a lie, Heb. xi.?

A. She is only commended for her faith in receiving the spies, but not for the lie which she made to save them.’

%iest. 68. in the sixth Commandment. 249

Q, May we not, in some cases, omit the public duties of God’s worship, in order to defend our lives?

A. Yes ‘, for God declares that he will have mercy, end not sacrifice,

Q. What are the lawful means of preserving our natural life?

A. A calm and chearful temper; the moderate use of meat, drink, sleep, physic, labour, rest, or recreations £ and defending it with cloaths, houses, and armour.

Q. How are we to promote and preserve our spiritual life?

A. By diligently attending on gospel-ordinances, and receiving and improving Christ in them, Is. lv. 1, 2, 3,6,7. i Q. What calmness of spirit is necessary to promote our spiritual life? A. Our conscience quieted with the

blood of Jesus; our spirit meekened by the love of God j and comforted with the views of our saving relation to him.

Q. What is the food by which our spiritual life is preserved? A. Christ’s flesh and blood, John vi. 32, — 57.

Q. What medicine must heal our spiritual maladies?

A. God’s love, Christ’s blood, and his Spirit’s influence.

Q. With what raiment must our soul be clothed?

A. Christ’s imputed righteousness, and imparted grace,

Qj In what labour must our soul be exercised to promote its life? A. The labour of love to God and roan.

Qj. What rest is necessary for promoting spiritual life?

A. Our solid satisfaction in God as our ali, Psal. xvi.

Q. What recreation is necessary to promote spiritual life? A. Our walking with, and rejoicing in God,

threugh our Lord Jesus Christ, as our king and friend.

Q. Where must our soul dwell for safety and health?

A. In God as in Christ, Psal. xci. 1, — 9. and xc. 1.

Q. With what armour must we defend the life of our soul against sin, Satan, and the world?

A. With the shield of faith; the breast-plate of righteousness; the helmet of the hope of salvation 5 the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God j and with earnest prayer, Eph. vi. 11,-18.

Q. Can we sinfully exceed in using these means of spiritual life? A. No ‘, we never use them enough.

£). How are we to preserve the life of other men’s bodies? A. By a ready forgiving of injuries ‘, assisting aad defending the innocent j punishing murderers with death; promoting peace between man and man and by charitable distributions to the necessities of the poor.

Q. How are we to promote the life of other men’s souls?

A. By prayer for God’s grace to them restraining them from, and reproving them for sin 5 instructing and encouraging them in the ways of God 5 and providing them with the outward means of grace to the utmost of our power.

Q. What is forbidden in the sixth command?

A. All murder, or unjust taking away of man’s life.

Q. Is it unlawful in every case to kill? A. No j it is lawful to kill hurtful beasts, or innocent beasts for food j and to kill men in lawful war, necessary self-defence, or when justly sentenced to death by the magistrate.

Q. For what are magistrates to condemn men to death?

A. For idolatry, blasphemy, witchcraft, murder, adultery, sodomy, beastiality, incest, &c. Lev.xx. andxxiv,&c

Q. Can we break this command with respect to beasts ?*

A. Yes by killing, torturing, and abusing them; or by exciting them to kill and torture one another in sport and cruelty, as at matches of cock-fighting, bear-beating, and bull-beating, Exod. xxiii. Numb, xxiii. Prov. xii. 10.

Q. Is accidental manslaughter murder? A. No j except it spring from culpable negligence in us, Josh. xx.

Q. Are duels or set combats between men lawful?

A. Duels appointed by public authority, which tend to prevent the shedding of more blood, are sometimes lawful *, but private duels are always sinful, 1 Sam. xvii.

Q. How prove you private duels are sinful? A. They spring from pride and revenge, expose men’s lives without ground, pour contempt on the authority of God and of the magistrate, and make men martyrs for sin«

Q. How may the murder of men be distinguished?

A. Into the murder of their body and of their soul.

Q. Which of these is worst? A. The murder of souls,

Q. In what different ways are men guilty of murder?

A. In heart, gesture, word, or? deed.

Q. How do we commit murder in our heart? A. By indulging passion, hatred, anger, envy, malice, and devising, desiring, and delighting in the hurt of any.

Q. In what doth lawful and sinful anger differ?

A. Holy anger seeks the glory of God, and the good of the offender, and the destruction of his sin ) but sinful passion and anger seek our own honour, and the hurt o£ the offender, Exod. xxxii. Numb. xx. Eph. iv. 26, 31.

Q. Wherein lieth the evil of sinful passion? A. It

unfits for duty, renders reproof hurtful, magnifies injuries, excites others to sin, and opens our heart to Satan.

Q^. How do we commit murder in our gestures?

A. By envious, disdainful, and fierce looks j by beholding the distress of others with pleasure or unconcern enraged gnashing with the teeth, foaming with the mouth, &.C. Gen. iv. 5. Luke x. 30, — 32. Obad. 12. Acts vii. 54.

Q. How do we commit murder in our words? A. By contentious brawling, wrathful imprecation, disdainful and passionate speeches; and by writings tending to grieve, enrage, and hurt men’s soul or body, or approve of it.

0. How 4o we commit murder in our deeds?

A. By such actions as injuriously hurt men’s soul or body.

Q. Doth the sixth commandment forbid only the actual taking away of life? A. No j murder in God’s sight includes whatever tends unjustly to take it away.

Qj, What things tend to the murder of men’s bodies?

A. Sparing of murderers; with-holding the necessary means of life j. excess in meat, drink, grief, or pleasure j lust; covetousness; ambition, revenge j oppression, smiting; wounding; and grinding the face of the poor, &c.

Q. What are the most ordinary means of murdering men’s bodies? A. Unlawful war, drunkenness, gluttony, and uncleanness, Jer. ii. 35. Prov. v. 11.

Q^. When is war unlawful? A. When it

springs from covetousness and ambition, is raised without first trying peaceably to adjust differences, or tends only to maintain trifling claims, 2 Kings xiv. S.

Q. Wherein doth gluttony consist? A. In eating

too often, too much, or too strong or delicate food.

Q. Wherein doth drunkenness consist?

A. In an excessive desire of liquor, drinking too often, too long, or too much, Isa. v. 11, 12, 22.

Q. When do we eat or drink too much?

A. When we eat or drink more than satisfies and strengthens nature, and especially when we eat or drink “till, we partly lose the use of our reason, Jer. v. 8.

■Q, Wherein lies the evil of gluttony and drunkenness?

A. They murder our body, by breaking its constitution?

252 OftJw Sim forbidden Quest. 6g.

tnd make us like beasts in stupidity; and drunkenness often makes men like devils in wickedness. Prov xxiii.

Q. Wherein doth the abominable nature of drunkenness further appear?

A. It abusetb God’s bounty, our time, and money, breaks all God’s commands, defaces his image in man, exposes to all wickedness and danger, draws on many heavy c ses, and hastens men to hell to drink the cup of God’s eternal wrath, Isa. xxviii. Gal. v. 21.

Q. What shall we then think of such as boast of their ability to drink much, or of making others drunk?

A. Such glory in their shame and likeness to Satan; are near vengeance, and under the curse of God, Isa. v. 11,-22.

Q. At what season is revelling, gluttony, and drunkenness most criminal?

A. When God is threatening or inflicting very heavy judgments on us, or our land -, for then they most daringly contemn God’s justice and power, hasten his wrath, and are rarely pardoned, Isa. xx. 13.

Q. Wherein doth the great evil of murdering men’s bodies appear? A. It destroys man, who is the image of God, and our own brother •, it is directly contrary to our natural conscience and affection *, and is more frequently pursued with God’s visible judgment than most of other sins, G”n. iv. and ix. 6. Rev. xvi, xvii, xviii.

Q. What is the worst kind of bodily murder?

A. A man’s murdering of himself, Matth xxvii. 5.

Q. Is it not better to kill ourselves, than live in torment, or be barbarously and disgracefully killed by others?

A. No*, self-murder is an evidence of pride, discontent, and despair; God alone is master of our life •, torment here is far easier than in hell; and after death there is no place for repentance, 1 Sam. xxxi. 2 Sam. xvii.

O. Can no self-murderer be saved? A. One may

give himself a wound, of which he may die in a lingering manner, and yet repent before death; or a child of God may, in a frenzy of distraction, kill himself *, but it seems impossible for such as deliberately kill themselves, by an immediate death, to repent or be saved, 1 John iii. 14.

Q. How then could Samson, who drew down the house upon himself, be saved?

A. His design was not against his own life; and he had God’s special allowance to part with it, in order to slay a multitude of the Philistines, Judg. xvi. 28, 29, 30. Q. How are we in general rendered guilty of spiritual murder? A. By every sin we commit, Ezek. xviii. 4. O. How do we murder our own soul A. By sinfully defiling it, and drawing God’s curse on it j and especially by refusing Christ the Saviour of souls, Hos. xiii. Q. How do we murder the souls of others? A. By vexing and grieving them *, neglecting to prevent their sin, or reprove them for it; and encouraging them in it, by command, example, or advice, Lev. xix. 17.

Q. Who are principally guilty of murdering other men’s souls? A. Heads of families, ministers, magis-*

trates, and professors, Ezek. xxii. Mic. ii, iii. Zeph. iii.

Q. How do heads of families murder their children and servants? A. By denying them family instruction

and worship in due season, careless performance of these duties with them, indulging and encouraging them in sin, Q. How do ministers murder other men’s souls I A. By entering into the ministry without God’s call, which renders their labour unprofitable $ by neglecting due pains for their people’s instruction and conversion; by preaching error, or truth in a wrong manner: by administration of the sacraments to the ignorant and profane and by their loose and carnal example, Jer. xxiii.

Q. How do ministers murder men’s souls by a wrong way of preaching truth? A. By preaching the law as

a covenant, as if it might and should be obeyed by us to render us welcome to Christ as a Saviour by insisting chiefly on circumstantial points 5 by preaching to a multitude as if they were all saints, or in such a manner as makes saints discredit their relation to Christ, or forget the duty of the present times, Ezek. xxxiii. Jer. xxiii. Q. How do magistrates murder other men’s souls? A. By not providing their subjects with schools, and a pure gospel-ministry; and by not punishing, but encouraging error, superstition, and gross immorality, Mic. iv.l6» Q. How do professors murder other men’s spuTs? A. In causing others to stumble at religion by their ungodly example j dropping or corrupting God’s truths and ordinances *7 or sinning away his presence from the means of grace, Ezek. xvi. Isa. vi. 9, 10. and lix.

Q. Are we not then all very guilty of murder, and X T especially spiritual murder, before God. A. Yes, surely Q. How may we be cleansed from our blood-guiltiness? A. By the application of Christ’s blood to our conscience, for the pardon of all our sin, 1 Joh. i, 7. Zech. xiii. L. Q. What are the best means of preserving us from more blood-guiltiness? A. The consideration of its dreadful nature; avoiding temptations to it; and especially having the love of God in Christ shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost dwelling in us, Eph. iv. 30, 31, 32.