The Seventh Commandment: You Shall Not Steal

And this commandment has a work containing many good works in it, contrary to many vices, which is called liberality, the which is such a work, that a man is ready and meet to profit and succor all men with his goods, striving not only against theft and robbery, but also against all deceits and guiles, which may be done in temporal goods of one man against another. As be covetousness, usury, too great price, counterfeit measure, and counterfeit weight, for who can number all new deceits and subtle inventions which be every day increased in all merchandise, in the which all men seek their own lucre and profit, with the loss of others, forgetting the saying of Christ (Matthew 7). Whatever you will that men do to you, do the same to them. If every man having this rule before his eyes, would keep it in his occupation, in his merchandise and deeds, he should find how he ought to buy and sell, to take, lend, and give freely, to promise and fulfill with such other. For if we behold the business and craft of this world, and how great a sway covetousness has in them, we should not only have business enough (so that we would live with God and honor), but we should also quake and be afraid of this perilous and wretched life, that is troubled, overcome and taken with care of temporal goods, and its mischievous getting.

Therefore it was not without a cause, that the wise man said: blessed is that man that is found without spot, and has not gone after gold, nor has trusted in the treasure of money. Which is he, and we shall praise him, for he has done miracles in his life, as though he would say: there is none, or at the least very few, that know and perceive in themselves such greediness, desire, and love of money. For here covetousness has a goodly cover of shame and vice, which is called bodily sustenance and necessity of nature, under the which, covetousness labors so immoderately and insatiably that a man must beware to keep himself clean, that as the wise man says, he may work miracles in his life. Now see that this liberal man shall not only do good works, but also miracles which may please God and be praised. What need has he then to imagine or look for any other? Let him take heed of himself, and let him beware that he go not after gold, nor that he put his trust in the treasure of money, but suffer the money to follow him, and that money abide for his sake, and not he for the money's sake, that he love not the money, nor that his heart be set in it. Thus is he very liberal, a worker of miracles and a blessed man. And as Job said in the 31st chapter: I never thought gold my strength, neither have I trusted in it. And (Psalms 62): When your riches increase, put not your hearts to them. And Christ (Matthew 6): Be not careful, saying what shall we eat? or what shall we wear? for the Gentiles ask all these things. And the Father in heaven knows that you need all these, but here perhaps some will say: well, trust not to that, and care not, and look when the roasted hen shall fly into your mouth. Truly I say not that no man should labor, but that we should not be full of care, and desire covetously, and that we should not mistrust, but that we should have enough, for we be all judged to labor in Adam, for God said (Genesis 3): You shall eat your bread in the sweat of your face. And Job (5): A man is born to labor and a bird to fly, but even as the bird flies not with care, business and covetousness, so we ought to labor without care and covetousness. But if you care for birds and would have the roasted chicken fly into your mouth, care and be busy looking whether you may fulfill the commandments of God or no, that you may be made blessed.

True faith teaches this work by herself, for the heart that thinks surely that it has God merciful and loving to it: how is it possible that he should be careful and covetous? For it must needs be that God takes him and defends him. And therefore he sticks in no money, but he uses it with a merry liberality, to the profit of his neighbor, knowing that he shall have enough, however much he distributes or gives for his God, in whom he trusts, who will not deceive him, nor forsake him. As it is in Psalm 36: Truly I have been young and old, and yet saw I never the righteous forsaken, or his seed begging their bread. Therefore the apostle called none other sin idolatry, than covetousness, which utters itself grossly, how it trusts nothing in God, trusting to have more good by his money than by God, by the which trust as is said before, God is either truly honored, or else slandered. And truly in this commandment it may be clearly perceived, how all good works must come out and be done in faith, for here every man perceives by a marvelous sureness, that as faith is the cause of liberality, so unfaithfulness is the cause of covetousness, for he that trusts in God is liberal, doubting nothing but that he shall ever have enough. And contrary, he that trusts not in God, is ever covetous and careful. Like therefore as in this commandment faith is master and mover of this liberality, so is he chief workman in all the other commandments. In so much that without such faith, liberality profits nothing, but is rather a rash wasting and expense of money.

Here also is worthy to be known that this liberality and goodness must be stretched and set forth even to our enemies and adversaries. For what liberality is this, if we be only liberal to our friends? As says Christ (Luke 6): For an evil man uses such liberality to his friends, and the dumb beasts do good and be liberal to beasts of their own kind. Therefore a Christian man must think a higher thing, that his goodness and liberality may help them that deserve it not, his enemies and them that have hurt him, after the example of his heavenly Father which suffers the sun to shine upon good and evil, and the rain to rain upon the kind and unkind. Here also you shall find how hard it is to do the works commanded by God, and how nature writhes and wrestles with herself although she does easily and gladly her own chosen works. So set before you your enemies and them that be unkind to you, doing them good, and so shall you find how near or how far you are from this commandment, and how much business you shall have all your lifetime even in the work of this one commandment. For except you help your enemy, which has need upon you, and succor him in his necessity, it is even as though you had stolen from him, for you are bound to help him. So says Saint Ambrose: Feed the hungry (says he), for if you feed him not you kill him, as much as is in you. In this commandment therefore depend the works of mercy, which Christ will require of you in the last day. Yet nevertheless the rulers of cities should take heed that vagabonds and Friars Jacobins and such other strange beggars were put away, and prohibited, or at the least they should be admitted by some mean, measure and order, lest by such inordinate livers under the name of begging, errors and deceits (of the which there be now many) should be suffered. I have spoken more largely of the works of this commandment in the sermon that I made of usury.