Eighth Commandment. thar the Law requires was hut a Fivefold Relliturion, Exod. 2:1. J. But as rhe Woi'd Sevenfold is mofl frequently ufed in Scripture to figoifi~ that which is cornpleat and perfeEl, fa is it here, he fhall ref!ore Sevenfold;_ that IS, he fhall make a full and IJtisfJaory Rellnunon. Smce therefore rhe Pumlhrntm of Theft fhall nor be relaxed upon the Plea ofl ndigcnce and Neceffiry, it is apparent that Necefiiry cannot jufrific any from the Guilt ofTbefi. And therefore let your Wants be what they will, or cao be, you ought r.ot to fupply them by any fuch ~!eked and u~lawful Courks; whatever • Jlquinas lays ro the contrary. IfGod hath giVen thee Srrengrh and Ability • d 4 thou oughtefl: w Labour, and to ufe t_hine honeil: Induitry, to procure Neceffaries; if 6~~r:. ;. nor thou oughteft wimplore the Chanty and Benevolence ofothers, whofe Hearts God may open to thy Relief. Or if thou !houldf! meet with fuch ~rue! Dives's, who will contribute nmhing to rhy Support, thou ougbteft rather wHb godly Lazarus to die ln thine Integrity than to fieal any thing from them; which although it be their Superfluity yet it is not thy Right without their Donation; and this is in Anfwer to the Firfi Queftion. The Second is, What we fhall judge of the lfraelitcs fpoiling the .lf:gyprians of their Jewels, of which we read, t:xod. 12. 35, 36. 1 anfwer, In this AEHon there was no Theft committed. For, Firjl , Tbe. Supreme Dominion of all Things is the Lord's, and he may j ullly rransfor the Right and Property where he pleaferh. Now they were commanded by the Lord to rake tbefe Things of the .lf:gyptians, and therefore they were rightfully Aldfiotheir own, being made fa by him who bath the Soveraign Power of all Things, both do<.l.;. in Heaven and Earth. Tuft. 7• '!b -:rrteJ ozd.,1a. 1 ~ ~ x rOm V-;riptht!ttrJ,Y -roi, Al;yv;r1lot' (.1.1.3'~1! Jytt:)'JI.,;;O, JI.Oftt(~~OI. Ckm. Alcx. i%oi;. !. i~ Secondly, Tbefe Things which they thus took might be well confidered in lieu of their Wages, which was not given them for their long Service in .lf:gypt; and therefore ir was but Righteous in God to c:onfign over tbcfe Riches of the .lEgyptian$ ro the lfraelires as a Reward for their tedious Servitude. Now tbofc who by the Command of the Supreme Lord of all rake that which is but a due Reward for their Labour cannot certainly be condemned as guilty of Theft. And this (it feems) was•Jan.Ger- ~ their Plea, when in the Time of Alexander the Great, fo many Ages after the Thing fon. in Talwas done, the .!Egyptians fued the 'Jews by a juridical Procefi, to recover what was mud. Gerraken __from tb~m. But, . . . . . ~:~~[cuRt JE.gypm de Hebr<1:1s vafa Aure.t c?" .A1gentta. Contra Hebntl mutual Pellllonetm/lltllffr.t allegantu fihi quoq"e t<Jnmdem Pam1m Naminr, ex eodem Smptllr£ In[trumento Merci!des, reftit~ti oportere iiJhu oper~tri.e Strvitut!s priJ Jlfterirri f ded11llis, pro Civitatihus, & villi1 4dificatis. Tert~IJ. contra Murdon I, 2, 1 ' Thirdly , I aofwer, This Example is extraordinary and fpecial and not to be pleaded or introduced into PraClice. For certainly it is that they 'bad 2 moft exprefs Command from God to fpoil rhe .lf:gyprians : But whofoever fhall pretend any fuch Warrant now, by Revelation, or the lmpulfe of his private Spirit may well be cenfurod for Enrhufiafm, and condemned for Robbery. ' And rhus I have done with the fitll and gteateft kind of Theft, taking away what rightfully belongs to another, whether God or Mao. Secondly, 1\norber kind of Theft is Oppreffion, and unreafonable Exaaion . and this efpecially is the Sin of Super~ors towardstbeir Inferiors, taking Advantage 'either upon thetr Weakr.efs, or their Necefficy, to tmp?fe mo_!i unequal Conditions upon them, and fucb as tbey cannot bear wuhout the1r Detrtment, or Ruin contrary to rhat Law which God gave unto his People, Levir. 25. '4· If tbou ft/1 o:ght unto tby Ncigbhour~ nr buyeft ought at thy Neighbour's Hand$, ye jhall not opprefs one anotber. Thus rhofe who !et their Lands to the Swear and Toil of others at too hard a Rare fo that rhe Laborious Tenant cannot fubfift by his lnduf!ry; rhofe that let out Mo~ ney at a biting Interefr, or rigidly exaCt it from infufficient Perfons; great Ones wbo fright the meaner into difadvanta geous Bargains, and force them rhrough Fear to parr with whar they enjoy at an under Price; thefe, and orher like, though they may nor be condemned by Humane Laws, which give roo much permifiion to Men to make the utmc!l Advautageofrheir own,yet they are guilty by the Law of God. and rheirSio js no lefsrhan Oppreffion ; ':"bich is aSin hateful both to God andMan.'The Prophet Jl1~cab ? Chap. 3• 2, 3· calls tta plu~kzn~ off thetrS!anfromthem, and their Flejhfrom ll}j tbetr Bones, a.n~ chopping them zn P_zeqs, ~s for the _Pot,andas Flefhfor the Cauldron. All Unm~rc1tu l nefs , and hard Dealmgs wuh others, IS a kind.of Theft , fortbcLaw C cc 2 - of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=