10 WLC Q 147 What are the duties

「貪財是萬惡之根 」（提前六 10） WLC Q. 147. What are the duties required in the tenth commandment? A. The duties required in the tenth commandment are, such a full contentment with our own condition, and such a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbour, as that all our inward motions and affections touching him, tend unto, and further all that good which is his.

「貪財是萬惡之根 」（提前六 10） WLC Q. 148. What are the sins forbidden in the tenth commandment? A. The sins forbidden in the tenth commandment are, discontentment with our own estate; envying and grieving at the good of our neighbour, together with all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.

清教徒論「貪婪」 貪婪： “He is not a covetous man, who lays up something providentially; but he is a covetous man, who gives out nothing willingly. ” (William Secker) 吝嗇：“It is the love, not the lack of money, that makes men churls. ” (John Trapp) 守財奴如豬般無用、愚昧：“It is a common saying that a hog is good for nothing whilst he is alive… but fed only to the slaughter. So a covetous, rich man, just like a hog, doth no good with his riches whilst he liveth, but when he is dead his riches come to be disposed of. ” (Andrew Willet)

清教徒論「貪婪」 彌爾頓：「敵基督是瑪門的兒子。」 “Covetousness is called idolatry, which is worse than infidelity, Colossians 3: 5; for it is less rebellion not to honour the king, than to set up another king against him. ” (Henry Smith) 歌羅西書三5：「貪婪就與拜偶像一樣。」

論自私吝嗇 「吝嗇」vs. 「勤儉」： “We must be convinced that covetousness, I mean that our covetousness, is a vice; for it holds something of a virtue, of frugality, which is not to waste that which one hath; and this makes us entertain thoughts that it is no vice; and we often say that it is good to be little worldly; a little covetousness we like well; which shows that we do not indeed and in heart, hold it to be a sin. ” (Richard Capel)

論大方施捨 “To dispense our wealth liberally, is the best way to preserve it. ” (Isaac Barrow) “Christianity teacheth me that what I charitably give alive, I carry with me dead; and experience teacheth me that what I leave behind, I lose. I will carry that treasure with me by giving it, which the worldling loseth by keeping it; so, while his corpse shall carry nothing but a winding cloth to his grave, I shall be richer under the earth than I was above it. ” (Joseph Hall)

反對宴樂 「愛宴樂的，必致窮乏；好酒愛膏油的，必不富足。」 （箴廿一17） 另一種偶像崇拜 “Excess in meat and drink clouds the mind, chokes good affections, and provokes lust. Many a man digs his own grave with his teeth. ” (Thomas Manton) 宴樂浪費時間金錢：“Those who eat too much are just as guilty of sin as those who drink too much… Men oftentimes complain that they have spent too much money in feasting, but it is rare that any have admitted that he has spent too much time in feasting. ” (Joseph Caryl)

反對怠惰 「懶惰人哪，你去察看螞蟻的動作，就可得智慧。 螞蟻沒有元帥，沒有官長，沒有君王，尚且在夏 天預備食物，在收割時聚斂糧食。」（箴六 6 -8） “Redeem the time. ” “Sure I am that the same God who says, ‘Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, ’ also says, ‘Six days shalt thou labour. ’ The great God never sealed any warrants for idleness. ” (Thomas Watson)

反對怠惰 加爾文：「懶惰是萬惡的源頭。」 “Idleness tempts the devil to tempt. ” (Thomas Watson) “Ah, doubting Christians! Remember this, that the promise of assurance and comfort is made over, not to lazy but laborious Christians; not to idle but to active Christians; not to negligent but to diligent Christians… The lazy Christian hath his mouth full of complaints, when the active Christian hath his heart full of comforts. ”

勤奮 作 蒙召勤奮 作： “Every man should have a calling to follow, and should follow his calling… God has given no man a dispensation to be idle. The rule is, and that by commandment, that if any will not work, that is able to work, neither should he eat (2 Thessalonians 3: 10). If this rule were observed, I am afraid that more rich than poor would go with hungry stomachs and empty bellies. ” (Ralph Venning) 清教徒如何打破貧富差距的經濟社會規律

不多也不少（箴卅7 -9） 中產階級的興起：拒絕偶像 “Overdoing is the ordinary way of undoing. ” (Richard Baxter) “More are hurt by lawful things than unlawful, as more are killed with wine than poison. Gross sins affright, but how many take a surfeit and die, in using lawful things inordinately. Recreation is lawful, eating and drinking are lawful, but many offend by excess, and their table is a snare. Relations are lawful, but how often does Satan tempt to overlove! …Excess makes things lawful become sinful. ” (Thomas Watson)

不多也不少（箴卅7 -9） 金錢是恩賜，但恩賜過多會成為試探 “Sin, in the reign and power of it, may cohabit with the most excellent natural gifts under the same roof, I mean in the same heart. A man may have the tongue of an angel, and the heart of a devil. The learned Pharisees were but painted sepulchres. Gifts are but as a fair glove drawn over a foul hand. ” (John Flavel) “…if a man do go to hell and perish, the more gifts he has the deeper will he sink into hell. As it is with a man that is in the water… the more he is laden with gold the more he sinks… So I say, these golden parts and golden gifts will undo men. ” (Isaac Ambrose)

不多也不少（箴卅7 -9） 適度的缺乏能教導我們節制：“Where there is no want, there is usually much wantonness. ” (John Flavel) 適度的恩賜能幫助我們走天路：“When a man is to travel into a far country… one staff in his hand may comfortably support him, but a bundle of staves would be trouble some. Thus a competency of these outward things may happily help us in the way to heaven, whereas abundance may be hurtful. ” (Richard Sibbes)

清教徒的時間觀：利益最大化 以上述敬虔的原則為前提，基督徒應該將利益最 大化 “He loseth his time, when he is getting a penny when he might get a pound, who is visiting his neighbour, when he should be attending his Prince. ” (Richard Baxter) “God gave you the talent to get a Ph. D. at a top institution. If you settle for a lesser institution, you’ll have to think of a good reason to answer to God. ” (J. I. Packer) 「拼命賺錢、拼命省錢、拼命捐錢。」（約翰衛 斯理）