There are many ways in which this commandment may be broken, besides those above mentioned. I. By injuring another person's property maliciously, or mischievously. 2. By not making good what has been injured. a 3. By passing bad money knowingly. 4. By selling things for what they are not, or concealing their defects. b 5. By giving scant measure. с d 6. By taking undue advantage of a person's ignorance, or necessities, as, for instance, by usury. 7. By workmen insufficiently doing their work, or idling away the time for which they are hired. © 8. By servants wasting or giving away their master's goods. 1 f 9. By persons in trust taking bribes to overlook injuries done to their employer. 10. By contracting debts, without any prospect of paying them; or by refusing to pay just debts; or by improper delay in paying them; or not repaying loans, h 11. By defrauding labourers of their hire. i 12. By oppressing the poor and helpless, or refusing help. j 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. a HIS commandment directs us in the duties we owe to truth, and also in the duties we owe to our neighbour, with regard to his reputation. It forbids lies, unjust injuring of our neighbour's character, either by rash judgment, by calumny, or detraction. A lie is a word or action whereby we give others to understand what we, at the time, believe to be false. Lies are some mortal, others venial sins. Venial lies are those spoken in jest, which do no injury to anyone, they are sinful, because against the truth, but not so deadly sinful as certain other sins. с Lies are mortal sins b (a) when told to oppose the great truths of religion, (b) when told to confuse the ideas of men touching evil and good, (c) when said to protect or forward wickedness, (d) when spoken to injure one's neighbours, (e) when a person forsees that it will be the cause of scandal, (f) when lies otherwise venial are confirmed by an oath, when promises of importance are broken.1 е Eph. iv. 25. b Wisd. i. 11; Prov. xii. 22; Rev. xxi. 8. xxviii. 12; Jude 10. d Isa. v. 20. e S. Matt. xxvi. 74. © S. Matt. ! Ps. xv. 4. Equivocations and mental reservations are lies, and forbidden. Rash judgments are judging evil without reasonable grounds; as (a) when, at first sight, from a person's looks, we form and express a bad opinion of him, (b) when we attribute actions without just cause to bad motives, (c) when, from the past we judge of the present state of a person; or, from the present, we judge of his past state, (d) when we condemn without hearing the person we judge. All these rash judgments are unchari table and sinful. a Judgments are not sinful:-(1) if the proofs be well founded. (2) If the condemned be given a fair hearing. But caution in forming judgments and adhereing to them must be used, for appearances are often deceiving. Slander is speaking evil of our neighbour when we know what we say is false. Detraction is the lowering of our neighbour's character and motives, and acts, by our words, so as to make them appear worse than they are.b с It is also a sin to give ear to slander; therefore gossiping is dangerous, and should be avoided. a 1 Cor. xiii. 5, 7; S. James iv. 11. Ecclus. xxviii. 18. S. Matt. vii. 1; S. Luke vi. 37; Rom. ii. 1 b Ps. lv. 20; lxiv. 4; cxl. 3. с ; Prov. xxiv. 21; 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his. HIS commandment teaches the necessity of governing the heart. The other commandments of the second table have referred to our acts, but this one to our feelings; for "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; "a consequently the heart needs governing. This commandment forbids evil thoughts and desires being formed. An evil thought which is at first only a temptation becomes sinful when (1) brought wilfully into the mind; (2) our thoughts are allowed to dwell on and take pleasure in them; (3) we consent with our will to the evil proposed by the thoughts; (4) we desire and purpose committing the sin suggested, at our earliest opportunity. с This commandment also forbids discontent and murmuring at our lot in life, and the dispositions of Providence. d a S. Matt. xv. 19. b S. Matt. v. 28; Prov. xv. 26. d 1 Tim. vi. 6-10; Heb. xiii. 5. с S. James i. 15. B soul. IV. THE SACRAMENTS. Y a Sacrament is meant an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, ordained by Christ to convey grace. to the Sacraments may be generally necessary to salvation, and not generally necessary. Those generally necessary are those which all must receive if they hope for salvation. Those not generally necessary to salvation are those designed for particular persons or states of life, and which are channels of abundant grace, but without which it is quite possible to be saved. 2. There are seven sacraments : 1. Baptism 2. Confirmation 3. Holy Communion 5. Holy Unction .... 6. Holy Order Of these two, Holy 7. Matrimony ..S. Matt. xxviii. 19. ...Acts viii. 17 ...S. Matt. xxvi. 26. .S. John xx. 23. ....S. James v. 14. .S. Luke xxii. 19. ...S. Matt. xix. 6. Baptism and the Holy Communion are generally, that is universally * * "Generally" is derived from the Latin word genus, a race; and means exactly tor the whole race of men. Generally necessary" means, accordingly, necessary for every one. |