The Tenth Commandment (Sadler's Church Teacher's Manual)

The Tenth Commandment (Sadler's Church Teacher's Manual)

The Tenth Commandment is Section XLIII of The Church Teacher's Manual of Christian Instruction, Michael Ferrebee Sadler's 1872 expansion of the Church Catechism in question-and-answer form.

Summary

Sadler concludes the Decalogue by treating covetousness as inward disorder. He shows how desire can become sin before it becomes outward action.

Sadler's Text

Sadler's catechetical treatment of this topic is anchored in the statement, "To lust after; to desire inordinately or sinfully." He further explains the section by saying, "That it is always broken in the heart, and leads to the breach of some one of the other commandments, more particularly the sixth, seventh, and eighth."

Theological Themes

• Covetousness
• Interior sin
• Contentment
• Disordered desire

Scripture References

The following references are representative biblical texts used or implied in this section of Sadler's catechetical exposition:

• Exodus 20:17
• Romans 7:7
• James 1:15
• Genesis 3:6
• Luke 12:15-21

Anglican Context

This section belongs to Sadler's treatment of the baptismal promise to keep God's commandments. It is connected with the Decalogue in the Church Catechism and with the use of the commandments in Anglican moral and liturgical instruction. Sadler's treatment reflects nineteenth-century Church of England catechesis and should be read as a historical Anglican source alongside current provincial formularies and catechetical resources.

See Also

• The Church Teacher's Manual of Christian Instruction
• Ten Commandments
• Church Catechism
• Anglican Ethics
• Book of Common Prayer