Quest 63, 64, 65, 66 Of the fifth commandment, Queft 67, 68, 69 Of the fixth commandment,
An Exposition ofthe Affembly's Catechifm. not with terror and rigour ; Eph. vi. y. And ye maſters, do theſamethings untothem, forbearing threatening : Knowing that your Maſter alſo is inheaven, neither is there reſpect of perſonswith him..
Q14. What is the ſecondduty ofmaſters totheir ſervants ?
A. To paythem theirwages fully, andwithout delay ; Deut. xxiv. 14, 15. Thou ſhait not oppreſs an hired ſervant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy ſtrangers that are in thy land within thy gates. At his day thou ſhalt give him his hire, neither ſhall the fungodown upon it, for he is poor, and ſetteth his heart upon it ; leſt he cryagainſt thee unto the Lord, and itbe ſin unto thee. And to provide food for them convenient ; Prov. xxvii. 27. And thou ſhalt have goats-milk enough for thy food, for the food of thyhoufhold, and for maintenance for thy maidens .
Q15 . What is the third duty of maſters to their ſervants ?
A. The third and principal duty is, to engage them as much as in them lies, to theways ofGod, andduties of religion, as Abraham did ; Gen. xviii. 19. For I know him, thathe will command his children, and his houſhold after him, and they ſhall keep the wayof the Lord, &c.
And Joshua, Joſh. xxiv.
15.-But as for me and myhouſe, we will ſerve the Lord.
Queft. 67.W notkill.] Of thefixthCommandment.
Hich is the fixth commandment ?
A. Thefixth commandment is, [Thoushalt Queſt. 68. What is required in the fixth commandment ?
A. Thefixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavours to preferve our own life, andthe life of others.
Queſt. 69. What is forbidden in the fixth commandment ?
A. Thefixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away ofour own life, or the life of our neighbour unjustly, or whatsoever tendeththereunto.
2.1 . What is the natural orderof theſe commandments in the fecond table ?
A. IntheſecommandsGod begins with the nearest concern of man, which is life ; Job ii. 4.-Skin for skin, yea, all that aman hath, will he give for his life.
Next to that, his commandguards his nearest relative, fromwhom the beſt outward comfort is toriſe, his wife ; Mark x. 8. And they twain ſnall be one fleſh, &c.
After that his good name, which is very precious to him ; Eccl. vii. 1. Agood name is better than precious ointment. And then his goods, which fupport his life ;
An Exposition of the Assembly's Catechism.
Ifa. iii. 1. For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, dothtake away from Jerufalem, and from Judah, the ſtay and the ſtaff, thewhole ſtay of bread, and the whole ſtay of water.
2. How far doth this commandment extend itſelf ?
A. It prohibits allcruelty, and commands allhelp, care, and pity, fo far as mens hearts and hands can go, for the relief and preſervation of others ; Pfalm cxix. 96.-But thy commandment is exceeding broad.
2.3. Doth this command reſpect onlythe outward action, or alſo the inward paſſion of the foul ?
A. It reſpects and bridles the inward paſſion of the foul, as well as outward actions ; as hatred, 1 John iii. 15. Whosoever hateth his brother, is a murderer, &c.
And cauſeleſs anger ;.
Matth. v. 22. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angrywith
his brother without a cauſe, ſhall be indanger of the judgment, &c.
Q. 4. Doth this command only reſpect the lives of others ?
A. No ; it primarily reſpects our own lives, and forbidsus all things that tend to the ſhortening and ruin of them ; Eph. v. 29. Fornoman ever yethated his own fleſh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lorddoth the church.
. 5. Howmanyways may men fin against this command, with reſpect to their own lives ?
A. Aman ſinneth against his own life, notonlybydestroying himſelf, as the jailor would havedone ; Acts xvi. 27. And the keeper of the priſon awaking out of his fſleep, and ſeeing the prifon-doors open, he drew out his ſword, and would have killedhimself, ſuppoſing that the prisoners had been fled ; but byrefuſing food or phyſic to preſerve life, or macerating our bodies with exceſſive ſorrows ; 2 Cor. vii. 10.
But the forrow of the world worketh death.
Or envy at others felicity ; Prov. xiv. 30.-But envy, the rottenneſs of the bones.
Q. 6. How are men guilty of murder with reſpect to others ?
A. Murder, with reſpect to others, may be either with relation totheirbodies ; Numb. xxxv. 30. Whoſo killeth any perfon, the murderer ſhall be put to death, &c. Or to their fouls, which is the moſt heinous murder in the world ; Ezek. iii. 18.
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt ſurelydie, and thou giveſt him notwarning, nor ſpeakeſt towarn the wicked from his wicked way to ſave his life: the ſame wicked man ſhalldie in his iniquity ; but his blood will Irequire at thine hand.
Q. 7. Is all deſtruction of another's life murder in the accountofGod?
An Exposition of the Affembly's Catechism.
A. No; itis not, if the life ofaperfon betaken awayin the courſe of justice ; Gen. ix. 6. Whoſo ſheddeth man's blood, by man hall his blood be med.
Or, in a juſt and neceſſary war ; Judges.v. 23. Curſe ye Meroz, (faid the angel of the Lord) curſe ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came notto the help of the Lord, tothe help of the Lord against the mighty.
Orby pure accident ; Deut. xix. 5. As whenaman goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a ſtroke with the axe tocut down the tree, and the head lippeth from the helve, and lighteth uponhis neighbour thathedie, he ſhall flee untoone of thoſe ci . ties, and live.
Or in ſelf-defence ; Exod. xxii. 2. If a thiefbe found breaking up, and be ſmitten that he die, there ſhall no blood be ſhed for him .
2. 8. Is there no other way of breaking this command ?
A. Yes, there is : Innocents may be murdered under the forms and folemnities both of justice and religion.
So Naboth was murdered by Jezebel ; 1 Kings xxi. 12, 13. They proclaimed afaſt, and ſet Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and fat before him :
And the menof Belial witneſſed against him, even againstNaboth, in the presence of the people, ſaying. Naboth did blafphemeGodand the king. Then theycarriedhim forth outof the city, and ſloned him with stones that he died.
And the martyrs by bloody Papiſts. And this ſtrongly proves adayof judgment; Eccl. iii. 16, 17. And moreover, I faw under the fun theplace of judgment, that wickedness was there, and the place of righteouſneſs, that iniquity was there.
I faid in mine heart, God ſhall judge the righteous and the wicked : For there is a time there for every purpoſe, and for every work .
Q. 9. Areduels forbidden in this commandment ?
A. Yes, they are; for whatever point of honourbetouched, or whatever provocation be given, we are not to be our owa avengers ; Rom. xii. 19. Dearlybeloved, avenge not yourſelves, &c.
Q.10. What is the firſt inference hence ?
A. That we have great cauſe to bleſsGod for his protecting law, and for human laws grounded upon his law for the protection of our lives ; Rom. xiii. 4.
For he is the miniſter ofGod, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil..
Q11 . What is theſecond inference hence ?
A. That all that are guilty of this fin, have great cauſe tobe humbled and afflicted: For it isacrying fin, Gen. iv. 10.