this would encourage slothfulness, and exclude liberality. In order that the Israelite might "open his hand wide to his brother, to his poor, and to his needy," the Lord saith, that "the poor should not cease out of the land," Deut. xv. 11. It is true, in the first Christian church all who believed were together, and had all things in common; neither said any of them, that aught of the things that he possessed was his own, but they had all things common," as Luke relateth, Acts ii. 44. iv. 32. But this was only a special case for that time, and it proceeded from the heat of the power of that love, which consumed them and their goods through the power of godliness; but it was not general, neither was it a command of the apostles: every man was permitted to keep his goods for his own use, as Peter declares to Ananias, Acts v. 4. John had his own house, and maintained the mother of Jesus in it, John xix. 27. If it had been otherwise, it would have been unnecessary, that the believing Gentiles should send, every one according to his ability, their charitable contributions to the believing Jews, as is testified, Acts xi. 28, 29, 30, neither would it have been of any use, that Paul should urge that liberality by so many motives, I Cor. xvi. 1-4. 2 Cor. viii. and ix. For this command is founded in the property, that men have in these or those goods; for stealing is a taking of another person's property to ourselves, without his con

sent.

Theft is divided into the grosser or greater, and the lesser. The grosser or greater is that which is punishable by the magistrate, because it tendeth to the destruction of the commonwealth. This is,

1. "Manstealing," when a person steals a human being, to sell him, or to beg with him, and thus to gain aught by him; so Joseph complained that "he had been stolen out of the land of the Hebrews," Gen. xi. 15. The Lord God required that such thieves should be punished with death: he saith, Exod. xxi. 16, "He that stealeth a man and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, shall surely be put to death." See also Deut. xxiv. 7, and 1 Tim i. 10. But since we do not buy men in this country, this sin doth not prevail among us: it happens indeed sometimes, that lazy beggars steal children, in order to beg with them, but this is also rare: the Jesuits and monks nevertheless often render themselves guilty of this theft, for they entice children, seduce them from their parents, and carry them against their parents mind into monasteries.

2. "Stealing cattle," although it is not so atrocious an offence, as stealing men, must also be considered as punishable by the magisThe Lord saith, Exod. xxii. 1, “If a man shall steal an ox,

trate.

or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep" The penalty for an ox was greater than that for a sheep, because they made use of oxen for ploughing and husbandry: he therefore, who stole an ox, not only deprived the owner of his property, as he did, who stole a sheep, but also discommoded the posssessor in tilling his land.

3. We add to this "houserobbery," that is, stealing money, or household goods, clothes, victuals, or other matters, whether the thief take aught of the goods that are at hand, in passing by, or whether he filch aught from the owner, while he is talking, or otherwise engaged or whether he enter privately into the house, or break into it, and take whatever pleaseth him. The civil law of Isael permitted the master of the house to "kill the thief, who broke into his house by night; but if the sun were risen, he might not kill him. but the thief was to make full restitution, yea, to give double : If he had nothing wherewith to make restitution, he was to be sold for his theft," Exod. xxii. 2-4. We cannot determine from the civil law of Israel, that we have now a right to kill a thief, who steals cattle, or household goods, since this law was ordained only for that people and country, and cannot well be observed in other countries and nations: among the Israelites the thief was able to make full restitution of what he had stolen, because among them every man had his immovable possesison of lands; and if he had spent all, and had empoverished himself, he might be sold, and his debt compensated, according to Exod. xxii. 3. But this hath not place among us. It is true, we could now confine the thief in a house of correction, but he could not then compensate his theft, or restore to the owner that which he had stolen from him five, four, or twofold. We dare not therefore determine whether the magistrate may not punish grosser acts of theft, which are aggravated by many circumstances, with death. But it appears too hard to punish simple theft severely, especially when it proceeds from poverty, either with death, or with a great contempt of the thief: Solomon saith, Prov. vi. 30, 31. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry but if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold, he shall give all the substance of his house."

4. Unfaithful magistrates and collectors render themselves guilty of "peculation," or stealing from the public, when they exhaust the poor commons, in order to enrich themselves: "As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear, so is a wicked ruler over the poor people," saith the wise man, Prov. xxviii. 15. Such were the rulers of Israel : "they plucked the skin from off the Israelites, and their flesh from VOL. I. 2 S

off their bones," the Lord saith "they eat the flesh of my pecple, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones," Micha iii. 1-3. Unjust customhouse officers are also guilty of stealing from the public, when, after having enriched themselves sufficiently, they abscond with the public money; or when they squander the money which they have received, by making good cheer, and so render themselves unable to answer the appointed demands; or when they exact more of the poor people, than the law appoints, Luke iii. 12, 13. Zaccheus, a chief of the publicans, after his conversion, "restored fourfold what he had taken from any man by false accusation," Luke xix. 8. Neither are those less guilty of stealing from the public, who withhold from the customhouse officers, their dues, by smuggling, and do not pay the proper customs: "We must render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's," that is, "tribute," Mat. xxii. 17-21. We cannot excuse this theft by paying the fine, which the law ordains, when a person is caught; for we do not only retain another man's property unjustly, when we are not caught, and render the customhouse officer unable to discharge the proper amount to the common country; and even lessen the customs every year by our smuggling, and thus exhaust the common country; but besides this, we transgress by our smuggling not only the civil, but the divine law also. Hear what Paul saith, Rom. xiii. 5-7. "Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake; for, for this cause pay ye tribute also; for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute, to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom is due."

5. To the prohibition of stealing pertains also "sacrilege," or churchrobbery, which consists in buying the gifts of God with money, like Simon the sorcerer, from whom this iniquity is called "simony." See how he was rebuked on account of it by Peter, Acts, viii. 18-23. Because Gehazi received money and other presents from Naaman the Syrian for his cleansing, both he and his seed were punished with leprosy, 2 Kings v. 21-27. To which we may justly refer also the unlawful hunting, buying and selling of ecclesiastical offices. Such officers of the church are proper "hirelings, thieves, and murderers," and they are branded as such by the Saviour, John x. 8, 12. He also is guilty of this sin, who keeps back for himself goods appointed for the service of the Lord, and doth not deliver them fully; the Jews "robbed God thus in tithes and offerings," Mal. iii. 8, or when he steals them, like Achan, Joshua, vii. or when he squanders, abridges, or doth not manage them faithfully, and doth not provide properly for the ecclesiastical buildings, for the divine service, and the holy offices, on account of which the Jews were punished and plagued, when they dwelt in

cieled houses, but suffered the house of the Lord to lie waste," Haggai i. 26. See better examples, 2 Kings xxii. 7.

6. It is not less abominable "to steal from the poor," that is, to take by stealth the goods, which have been given for the support of the poor, like Judas, who manifested anger, "because Mary's ointment had not been sold for three hundred pence, and the money given to the poor: and this he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bore what was put therein," as is related, John xii. 4-6. Neither can a person be entirely acquitted of theft, when he doth not give proportionably to the goods, with which he is blessed, to the poor, and doth not provide for them in a faithful manner. It is numbered among the sins of Sodom, that "she did not strengthen the hands of the poor and of the needy," Ezek. xvi. To be too sparing to the poor tends not to our profit, but to our loss. Solomon are applicable here, Prov. xi. 24.

49.

The words of wise "There is that scatter

eth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty."

7. To the grosser kinds of theft we must refer particularly “robbery," by which wicked men take their neighbour's goods from him by open violence, whether this be done by a private person, who practiseth violence, in order "to fill his house with spoil;" see how Solomon describes him, Prov. i. 10-14; or by wicked kings, princes and magistrates, who, either when they are not engaged in a lawful war, suffer their soldiers to rob and lay waste all that they can lay their hands on, or when they are engaged in a lawful war, exhaust and empoverish with too great rigour those whom they have conquered, as it is said of Nebuchadnezzar, Hab. ii. 5. "That he enlarged his desire like hell, and was like death, and could not be satisfied," vs. 6, "that he increased that which was not his, and laded himself with thick clay," vs. 8, "that he spoiled many nations," vs. 9, "that he coveted an evil covetousness to his house." &c. The Assyrian acted not better, when he entered into Judea with his great army, Isaiah xxxiii. xxxvi. and xxxvii.

The lesser theft, which is not so much punished by the magistrates, but is nevertheless abominable, is committed "either by force, or under the appearance of right." It is committed in a way of force by wicked sovereigns, who load their subjects unnecessarily with burthens, which are too heavy, and which they cannot bear. Solomon, although he was the beloved of the Lord, was not entirely innocent in this respect; the people complained of him, that he had imposed too heavy a yoke upon them; but Rehoboam,

W

worse, and abominably, when he resolved to render much heavier, 1 Kings xii. 1—14. It is also force when

endeavours by his power, riches, courage and friends to Paul justice, in order to withhold from inferiors their dues, James bewails the poor on this account, when he saith, James ii. 6. * Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgmentseats?" Job was innocent of this great transgression: hear his solemn protestation; "If I have lift up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate; then let mine arm fall from my shoulderblade, and mine arm be broken from the bone," Job xxxi. 21, 22.

The sinner, not contented with his own, and grasping after his neighbour's property, wishes nevertheless to appear honest, and will therefore endeavour to deprive him of it "under an appearance of right, as by unjust weights, ells and measures." He doth this, when he buys his wares with such as are too great, and sells them with such as are too small; "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure," saith the Lord, Lev. xix. See how he explains this more particularly, Deut. xxv. 13-16, and Prov xx. 10. Hear how the wicked are reproved on account of this kind of theft, Micha vi. 10. "Are there not yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?"

We may add to this cheating with our "merchandise," or wares, which unjust men adulterate, and set off in such a manner, that they appear better than they are. This is " selling chaff for wheat," Amos vii. 6.

The Lord is not less displeased with "false coins," when a persón debases, or clips money, or when he knowingly passes base or clipped money for more than it is worth. Or a person, in order to deceive his neighbour with the money, will miscount it, either in writing, or reckoning, or weighing, like Israel, who in receiving money, "made the shekel," that is, the weight of the shekel, "great," Amos viii. 5.

The instructor adds to this " usury," that is, exorbitant interest, which we take for money or goods, that we have lent to others, in order to accommodate them. But this commandment doth not forbid that usury, which is agreeable to equity, to the current value of money, of merchandise, or of the profits that others make by our money or goods, or according to the measure which the magistrate appoints. Such money may be considered as just; for how can we condemn a person, who lends another money, from which he derives