What Is Forbidden in the Tenth Commandment?

Answ. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour, .and “ail inordinate motions and affections to any thing that is his.

Q. How prove you, that this command respecting cavetousness is but ONE of the ten?

A. There are nine besides it, as the second is manifestly different from the first: and if this command were to be distinguished from its objects, it would make six, or rather a thousand.

Q. What is required in the tenth commandment?

A. Contentment with our own lot; and a charitable disposition towards our neighbour, and all th&t is his.

Q. Are we to be content to live in an estate or practice of sin?

A. No •, sin is contrary to God’s law, 1 John iii. 4.

Q. With what then should we be content?

A, With every thing which God in his providence or ders for our lot, whether pleasant or afflicting, Heb. xiii.5.

Qj. What manner of contentment with our lot is re» cruired of us?

A. Pull contentment, Heb. xiii. 5.
A a 2

Q. What is //^//contentment? A. Contentment

complete in its parts, and carried to the highest degree.

Q. Of how many parts doth full contentment consist?

A. Four; self-denial, readiness to take up our cross, holy carelessness about this world, and satisfaction with our rendition in it, Phil. iv. (3, 1. Matth. xvi. 24.

Qj What is self-denial? A. Our looking on ourselves as unworthy of any thing but hell, and incapable to chuse or provide what is for our true interest.

Q. What crosses must we take up? A. Manifold

afflictions in this world, and especially suffering for Christ.

O. What is meant by taking up the cross. A. Sub-Kitting to it in obedience to God’s will, Acts xxi. 13.

Q. In what manner must we take up our cross?

A. Chearfully, from love to Christ who bare the curse for us, Matth. xvi. 24.

(). What is meant by an holy carelessness about this world? A. Our reckoning all worldly enjoyments nothing in comparison of God j and, in the diligent use ol means, leaving it wholly to him to carve our lot in it.

Qj. What mean you by satisfaction with our condition?

A. Our pleasure in it, from a persuasion that it is eminently suited to the glory of God, and our real advantage.

Q. In what cases are we especially called to study contentment? A. When our relations die, or prove crosses to us; and when we meet with prosperity, bodily afflictions, poverty, reproach, spiritual trouble, disappointment, and loss of all things.

£). What is more generally necessary to our attaining contentment in these cases?

A. Our union to Christ, the sprinkling of his blood on our conscience, our having God in him as our God, and cur heart filled with his love.

Q. How may we attain contentment, when our friends and relations die? A. By considering, that our God

lives*, that all men must die j that God has taken them away j that, if they were gracious, the loan we had of them was a great mercy, death was their great gain, and we shall shortly meet them in heaven never to part, Job xix. 25.

Q. How may we attain contentment, when our friends and relations prove crosses to us?

A, By taking their bad conduct to us as a reproof of (SJuest. 80. in the tenth Commandment, 281

our neglect of duty to them, and especially to God; and. by co ^sidering, that all men are imperfect, that God is our chief friend, and will soon free us from the trouble of others, Micah vii. 7,-10. 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.

Qj How may we attain contentment in a prosperous state? A. By living on God as our chief portion °t

beholding and enjoying him in all that we have, and glorifying him with it; by having our heart weaned from the world; and considering, that discontent is most ungrateful to Grod, and a ready way to provoke him to deprive us o£ our present enjoyments, Psalm iv. 6, 7.

Q. How may we attain contentment under bodily afflictions? A. By considering that they are ur.stingeti; are much lighter than: our sins deserve, or Christ suffered; and are useful to put us in mind of death, meeten us for heaven, and sweeten it to us, Lam. iii. 39.

Q. How may we attain contentment under poverty?

A. By considering how poor Christ, and many of his dearest saints, have been; that we have more than we brought into this world, or can carry out of it: and that the less we have, the less we have to account for at the last day, 2 Cor. viii. 9-. 1 Tim. vi. 6, 7^

(X How may we attain contentment under reproach f

A. By a firm fai+b of our new covenant name; and considering how much Christ and his people have been always reproached, how worthless men’s applause is, and how our character shall be vindicated at the last day.

Q. How may we attain contentment under the spiritual troubles of temptation, desertion, &.C?

A. By application of the many sweet promises respecting spiritual trouble; and considering how Christ, and his dearest saints, have been so troubled; that he has a fellow-feeling of our affliction; that it shall speedily be over, and works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, Isa. liv.

£>. How may we attain contentment under manifold losses and disappointments?

A* By a diligent study to supply the want of other things- with God himself; by considering, that our God cannot be lost, that our wise anof gracious Father is the author of all our losses and disappointments-, that they are necessary taeonvince us of the vanity of this world* prevent us fern Aa3 taking up our rest therein, and to prepare a place for God and his fulness m our heari.s, Phil. iv. 19.

Qj. Doth full contentment exclude lamentation over our affl ctions, and the sinful cause of them, or use of lawful means of deliverance fiom them?

A. No; it supposes and includes these things, Psalm 1. 15. and xci. lb.

O. What are the great advantages of contentment?

A. God delights in doing us good, it sweetens every case, and disposeth us to every duty, Isa. lxiv. 5.

Q. What is a charitable frame of spirit towards our neighbour and all that is his? A. Our readiness to

rejoice in our neighbour’s welfare, and to mourn for his affliction, as if it were our own, Rom. xii.

Q. What is necessary to our attaining this charitable frame of spirit? A. Heart purity and watchfulness,

Q. From what must our heart be purified?

A. From covetous desires after earthly things.

Q. Why is this purity of heart necessary for us?

A. Because the want of it hinders our communion with God, and proper love to our neighbour, Matth. v. 8.

Q. How may we attain this purity of heart?

A. By faith in Christ as our righteousness and strength, by application of God’s pure word to our hearts, and by earnest prayer, 2 Cor. vii. 1. Gal. vi. 14.

Q. What of our heart must we watch over?

A. Over the first motions of our heart towards sin, and all temptations thereto, Prov. iv. 23. 1 Pet. v. 8.

(,). Why ought we to watch over our heart?

A. Because it is very deceitful, inconstant, and wicked; sin lies very hid in it; the life of religion lies much in keeping our heart bended towards God; and hereby many wicked thoughts are prevented, Jer. xvii. 9. Prov. iv. 23.

O. Why is watchfulness over our heart necessary to our having a charitable frame of spirit towards our neighbour?

A. Because without it our heart would wander in covetous desires of what is his. Prov. iv. 23.

Q. What sins are forbidden in the tenth commandment?

A. Discontentment, envy, and covetousness.

Q. What is discontentment?

A. Our inward disliking and grudging at any thing in cpur lot, Job v. 2. g. How is our inward discontentment of heart outward-Quest. 80. in the tenth Commandment. 283

ly exercised and evidenced? A. By sullen shifting

to look on our enjoyments, or viewing them in a dissatisfied manner; by disliking to hear our lot well spoken of, and pleasure in hearing it dispraised ‘, fretful complaints and murmuring at it; and by living peevishly in trouble, and unthankfully under the receipt of mercies, Esth. v. 13.

Q. Whence doth our discontentment spring?

A. From worldly-mindedness, pride, and distrust of God.

Q. Is it any excuse for our discontentment that it flows from our natural temper? A. No, that shews discontent to be deeply rooted in our heart, James iv. 1,

Q. Are the length, greatness, and suddenness of our affliction, any excuse for discontent? A. No j for we al» so receive many great, unexpected, and lasting mercies j we ought to have expected troubles; and besides, discounter, tment makes our affliction still more grievous.

Qj, Are not very provoking injuries an excuse for our discontentment? A. No •, for we do greater injuries

to God every day than can be done to us, Matth. xviii.

Q. Is it any excuse of our discontentment that our trou* bles unfit for duty, and that we fear they are the first-fruits of eternal wrrath?

A. No; for it is chiefly discontent that begets that unfitness for duty, and slavish fear of wrath.

Q. What then should we do in such a disordered case?

A. We should flee speedily to the blood of Christ, and grace of God, for relief from our plagues and fears.

Q. Wherein lieth the great evil of disconteniment?

A. It imbicters our mercies, quarrels with God, provokes him to add to our trouble, unfits us for duty, increascth our affliction, and hinders the happy fruits of it.

£h What happy fruits of affliction doth it hinder?

A. The imbittering and purging away of our sin 5 the excitement, trial and manifestation of our grace 5 the weaning of our heart from this world, and setting it on things above, Isa. xxvii. 9. Col. iii. 1.

Q, What is envy § A. Our inwardly grudging and grieving at the good of our neighbour, Gen. iv. 4, 5.

Q. How is the envy of our heart outwardly exercised and evidenced? A. In our sullen and angry looks on

our neighbours enjoyments, grudging speeches concerning them, and unkind behaviour 10 him on account of them.>

Q» What is the object and ground of our envy

A. The good of our neighbour in honour, wealth, health, relations, gifts, graces, favoui, success, &c.

(^. What is the root of envy? A. Pride and malice,

Qj, Wherein iieth ‘.he evil of envy? A. 1 dishonours God, imbitters our enjoyments, makes us like Satan, is dangerous to our neighbour, and a destroyer of ourselves, Prov. xiv. 30. Job v. 2. Jam. iii. 14, 16V

Q. What is covetousness? A. An excessive and

inordinate desire of any worldly thing, Hab. ii. 5, 9.

Qj. Can we exceed hi desiring God as our portion, Christ as our Saviour, and the Holy Ghost as cur sanctifier?

A. No ‘, these are infinitely valuable, and our possessing them in the highest degree cannot but tend’to God’s glory and our own good, Psal. lxxxi. 10. xvi. 5, 6.

Q. How do we exceed in desiring created enjoyments?

A. In desiring them asourchiet good, more than Gods law allows, or more of them than is meet for us, Htb. xiii. 5.

Qj. How do we commit covetousness in the irregular desire of things?

A. In desiring to have them at the expence of our neighbour’s loosing them, or in order to fulfil some sinful lust with them, Jam. iv. 2, 3. and v. 3-1.

Q. How is the covetousness of our heart outwardly exercised and evidenced? A. By greedy looks on the object of our sinful desire, covetous speeches, excessive toil, labour in too many or base callings, endeavours to draw from our neighbour what is his, &c.

Q. Wherein lieth the evil of covetousness?

A. It is idolatry, making a god of its object; breaks all the commands; tempts to all other sins; egets disquiet of mind; unfits us for duty; draws down Go I’s wrath on us and our helrsi n this life; and exposeth to hell.

Q. How may we be delivered from envy and covetousness? A. By faith in, and love to Christ as our Saviour •, believing view? of God as our portion $ pra< er for the Spirit of Sanctification 3 an 1 by serious consideration,

Q. What are we to consider in order to cnre us of tnvy and covetousness? A. That these sins make us lihe

Satan, and odious to GoH; that, the worst men have- often most of this world; that the more we have in it, the more difficult our djty, and the greater our accounts wi’1 be 5, that death, will soon strip us of our earthly enjoyments 3.

Quest. 81. in the tenth Commandment. 28$

and that all our envious and covetous desires shall be publicly exposed at the last day, James iii, iv. Tit. iii. 3.

Q. Why is the object of envy and covetousness so particularly expressed in this command, vi%. our neighbour’s house, wife, servant, ox, or ass? A. Because men

are so much inclined to these sins, Ezek. xxxiii. 31.

Q. Is not the coveting of these things forbidden in commands 7th, 8th, &c.? A. Yes; but these commands strike more directly against actual sins; whereas the tenth strikes more directly against the sin of our nature, and first motions of lust, Rom. vii. 7,- — 13.

£). Why is it necessary that there should be a particular command against the lust of our nature I

A. Because, though it be one of our greatest sins, it is much overlooked by us, Rom. vii. 7, 13.