The eighth commandment condemns manstealing and slave dealing, and forbids wars of conquest. It condemns theft and robbery. It demands strict integrity in the minutest details of the affairs of life. It forbids overreaching in trade, and requires the payment of just debts or wages. It declares that every attempt to advantage oneself by the ignorance, weakness, or misfortune of another, is registered as fraud in the books of heaven.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 309.
(CS 254.1)
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All must practice economy. No worker should manage his affairs in a way to incur debt.... When one voluntarily becomes involved in debt, he is entangling himself in one of Satan’s nets which he sets for souls.—Christian Education, 67.
(CS 254.2)
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I am sorry that you are situated as you are, under the pressure of debt. I know of quite a number, who, like yourself, are troubled and distressed over their financial condition....
(CS 254.3)
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The Lord does not take pleasure in your distress. He wants to bestow upon you the consolations of His Holy Spirit, that you may be a free man, abiding in His light and in His love. He has lessons for you to learn, and He would have you move quick in learning them. You ought not to allow yourself to become financially embarrassed; for the fact that you are in debt weakens your faith and tends to discourage you; and even the thought of it makes you nearly wild. You need to cut down your expenses, and strive to supply this deficiency in your character. You can and should make determined efforts to bring under control your disposition to spend means beyond your income.—Letter 48, 1888.
(CS 254.4)
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VC