The Tenth Commandment (Pt. 2)

He demands such great uprightness with good reason. For who can deny that it is right for all the powers of the soul to be possessed with love? But if any soul wander from the goal of love, who will not admit that it is diseased? Now how does it happen that desires hurtful to your brother enter your heart, unless it is that you disregard him and strive for yourself alone? For if your whole heart were steeped in love, not one particle of it would lie open to such imaginings. The heart, then, in so far as it harbors covetousness, must be empty of love.

Someone will object that fantasies, flitting aimlessly about the mind and then vanishing, cannot be condemned as instances of covetousness, whose seat is in the heart. I reply: here it is a question of fantasies of a kind which, while they occupy our minds, at the same time bite and strike our hearts with greed, for nothing desirable ever comes into our mind without our heart leaping with excitement. God therefore commands a wonderful ardor of love, which he does not allow one particle of covetousness to hinder. He requires a marvelously tempered heart, and does not permit the tiniest pinprick to urge it against the law of love. Do you think my view lacks authority? It was Augustine who first opened the way for me to understand this commandment. It was the Lord’s plan to forbid all evil desire. Nevertheless, by way of example, he has put forward those objects whose false image of delight most frequently captivates us. Thus he leaves nothing to our desire when he deprives it of those very things which prompt it to rave and revel. (Institutes, 2.8.50)

The Tenth Commandment (Pt. 1)

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house,” etc. [Exodus 20:17, Vg.]

The purpose of this commandment is: since God wills that our whole soul be possessed with a disposition to love, we must banish from our hearts all desire contrary to love. To sum up, then: no thought should steal upon us to move our hearts to a harmful covetousness that tends to our neighbor’s loss. To this corresponds the opposite precept: whatever we conceive, deliberate, will, or attempt is to be linked to our neighbor’s good and advantage. But here an apparently great and perplexing difficulty confronts us. We previously said that under the terms “adultery” and “theft” are included the desire to commit adultery and the intention to harm and deceive. If this is true, it may seem superfluous that we are afterward separately forbidden to covet another’s goods. But the distinction between intent and coveting will readily resolve this difficulty for us. For intent, as we spoke of it under the preceding commandments, is deliberate consent of will where lust subjects the heart. But covetousness can exist without such deliberation or consent when the mind is only pricked or tickled by empty and perverse objects. The Lord has previously commanded that the rule of love govern our wills, our endeavors, and our actions. Now he enjoins that the thoughts of our mind be so controlled to the same end that none of them may become depraved or twisted and thus drive the mind in the opposite direction. As he has forbidden our minds to be inclined and led into anger, hatred, adultery, robbery, and lying, he now prohibits them from being prompted thereto. (Institutes, 2.8.49)

The Ninth Commandment (Pt. 2)

With what thoughtless unconcern we sin in this respect time and again! Those who do not markedly suffer from this disease are rare indeed. We delight in a certain poisoned sweetness experienced in ferreting out and in disclosing the evils of others. And let us not think it an adequate excuse if in many instances we are not lying. For he who does not allow a brother’s name to be sullied by falsehood also wishes it to be kept unblemished as far as truth permits. Indeed, although he may guard it against lying only, he yet implies by this that it is entrusted to his care. That God is concerned about it should be enough to

prompt us to keep safe our neighbor’s good name. Hence, evilspeaking is without a doubt universally condemned. . . .  By “evilspeaking” we mean hateful accusation arising from evil intent and wanton desire to defame.

Indeed, this precept even extends to forbidding us to affect a fawning politeness barbed with bitter taunts under the guise of joking. Some do this who crave praise for their witticisms, to others’ shame and grief, because they sometimes grievously wound their brothers with this sort of impudence. Now if we turn our eyes to the Lawgiver, who must in his own right rule our ears and heart no less than our tongue, we shall surely see that eagerness to hear detractions, and unbecoming readiness to make unfavorable judgments, are alike forbidden. For it is absurd to think that God hates the disease of evilspeaking in the tongue, but does not disapprove of evil intent in the heart. Therefore, if there is any true fear and love of God in us, let us take care, as far as is possible and expedient and as love requires, not to yield our tongue or our ears to evilspeaking and caustic wit, and not to give our minds without cause to sly suspicion. But as fair interpreters of the words and deeds of all, let us sincerely keep their honor safe in our judgment, our ears, and our tongue. (Institutes, 2.8.48)

The Ninth Commandment (Pt. 1)

“You shall not be a false witness against your neighbor.” [Exodus 20:16.]

The purpose of this commandment is: since God (who is truth) abhors a lie, we must practice truth without deceit toward one another. To sum up, then: let us not malign anyone with slanders or false charges, nor harm his substance by falsehood, in short, injure him by unbridled evilspeaking and impudence. To this prohibition the command is linked that we should faithfully help everyone as much as we can in affirming the truth, in order to protect the integrity of his name and possessions. It seems that the Lord intended to express the meaning of this commandment in Exodus chapter 23, in these words: “You shall not utter a false report. You shall not join hands [with a wicked man] to be a malicious witness” [Exodus 23:1]. Likewise, “Flee falsehood” [Exodus 23:7 p.]. Also, in another passage he warns us against lying not only in the sense of being slanderers and talebearers among the people [Leviticus 19: 16], but also against deceiving our brother [Leviticus 19:11]. He prohibits both in specific commandments.

Hence this commandment is lawfully observed when our tongue, in declaring the truth, serves both the good repute and the advantage of our neighbors. The equity of this is quite evident. For if a176 good name is more precious than all riches [Proverbs 22:1], we harm a man more by despoiling him of the integrity of his name than by taking away his possessions. In plundering his substance, however, we sometimes do as much by false testimony as by snatching with our hands. (Institutes, 2.8.47)

The Eighth Commandment (Pt. 2)

Let each one see to what extent he is in duty bound to others, and let him pay his debt faithfully. For this reason let a people hold all its rulers in honor, patiently bearing their government, obeying their laws and commands, refusing nothing that can be borne without losing God’s favor [Romans 13:1 ff.; 1 Peter 2:13 ff.; Titus 3:1]. Again, let the rulers take care of their own common people, keep the public peace, protect the good, punish the evil. So let them manage all things as if they are about to render account of their services to God, the supreme Judge [cf. Deuteronomy 17:19; 2 Chronicles 19:6-7]. Let the ministers of churches faithfully attend to the ministry of the Word, not adulterating the teaching of salvation [cf. 2 Corinthians 2:17], but delivering it pure and undefiled to God’s people. And let them instruct the people not only through teaching, but also through example of life. In short, let them exercise authority as good shepherds over their sheep [cf. 1 Timothy chapter 3; 2 Timothy chapters 2,4; Titus 1:6 ff.; 1 Peter 5]. Let the people in their turn receive them as messengers and apostles of God, render to them that honor of which the highest Master has deemed them worthy, and give them those things necessary for their livelihood [cf. Matthew 10:10 ff.; Romans 10:15 and 15:15 ff.; 1 Corinthians 9; Galatians 6:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:12; 1 Timothy 5:17-18]. Let parents undertake to nourish, govern, and teach, their children committed to them by God, not provoking their minds with cruelty or turning them against their parents [Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21]; but cherishing and embracing their children with such gentleness and kindness as becomes their character as parents. As we have already said, children owe obedience to their parents. Let youth reverence old age, as the Lord has willed that age to be worthy of honor. Also, let the aged guide the insufficiency of youth with their own wisdom and experience wherein they excel the younger, not railing harshly and loudly against them but tempering their severity with mildness and gentleness. Let servants show themselves diligent and eager to obey their masters — not for the eye, but from the heart, as if they were serving God. Also, let masters not conduct themselves peevishly and intractably toward their servants, oppressing them with undue rigor, or treating them abusively. Rather, let them recognize them as their brothers, their coserrants under the Lord of heaven, whom they ought to love mutually and treat humanely [cf. Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-25; Titus 2:9-10; 1 Peter 2:18-20; Colossians 4:1; Philemon 1:16]. (Institutes, 2.8.46)

The Eighth Commandment (Pt. 1)

“You shall not steal.” [Exodus 20:15, Vg.]

The purpose of this commandment is: since injustice is an abomination to God, we should render to each man what belongs to him [Romans 13:7]. To sum up: we are forbidden to pant after the possessions of others, and consequently are commanded to strive faithfully to help every man to keep his own possessions.

We must consider that what every man possesses has not come to him by mere chance but by the distribution of the supreme Lord of all. For this reason, we cannot by evil devices deprive anyone of his possessions without fraudulently setting aside God’s dispensation. Now there are many kinds of thefts. One consists in violence, when another’s goods are stolen by force and unrestrained brigandage. A second kind consists in malicious deceit, when they are carried off through fraud. Another lies in a more concealed craftiness, when a man’s goods are snatched from him by seemingly legal means. Still another lies in flatteries, when one is cheated of his goods under the pretense of a gift. (Institutes, 2.8.45)

We will duly obey this commandment, then, if, content with our lot, we are zealous to make only honest and lawful gain; if we do not seek to become wealthy through injustice, nor attempt to deprive our neighbor of his goods to increase our own; if we do not strive to heap up riches cruelly wrung from the blood of others; if we do not madly scrape together from everywhere, by fair means or foul, whatever will feed our avarice or satisfy our prodigality. On the other hand, let this be our constant aim: faithfully to help all men by our counsel and aid to keep what is theirs, in so far as we can; but if we have to deal with faithless and deceitful men, let us be prepared to give up something of our own rather than to contend with them. And not this alone: but let us share the necessity of those whom we see pressed by the difficulty of affairs, assisting them in their need with our abundance. (2.8.46)