The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-04-23
CONSCIOUSNESS.

Bible--The Way to Conquer the vile
Passion. stsat s,t
Ifone were to examine ell the passages
in the Bible in which the term cocetous-
ness occurs, he would be at no loss in
seeing that for some reason the Word of
God puts it in bad company. Paul. for
example, in specifying the gross sensu-
alities and depravities of the heather
world, places covetousness in the list of
fornication, righteousness, malignity
and murder. Rom. i, 29.) In his Epis-
tie to the Ephesians we find covetous-
ness connected with fornication, filth
ness and uncleanliness; and the covet-
GUS man is declared to be an idolater, OF
whom it is expressly said that he shall
not have ''any inheritance in the king
dom of Christ and of God" Eph. V,
1851 So, also, in the Epistle to the
Collossians, the Apostle defines covet-
BUSINESS to be one form Of idolatry, and
speaks of it as among the things for
which the wrath Of God cometh upon
the children of disobedience. (Col. Iii,
s, 6.) Our Saviour warned men to .be-
ware of covetousness," reminding them
that "a mans life consistent not in tho
abundance of the things which he pos
sesseth." luke xii, 1917 These pas
sages. like many others of similar i'm.
port, show what the God of the Bible
thinks of covetousness
What, then, is this covetousness which
the Bible condemns and denounces? The
general answer is that it is purely sel6sh
passion, having its seat and life in, and
deriving its laws and impulses from an
abiding state Of supreme selfshness.
II d penetrated through and through,
I from top to bottom, with this one prin-
Iciple, without single element of any
kind to modify, mitigate or improve its
character.g;I 1T begins with selfishness
nd ends with it, and knows nothing
| else and cares for nothing else. 1t has
all the meanness, all the unreasonable
ness, all the iniquity and the enormity
of such state Of the mind and heart.
Every thing in it at last comes back to
this one idea.
The specific form in which this sort Of
selfishness manifests itself consists in
an inordinate love Of worldly property.
And inasmuch as what is called
money is the standard representative
of worldly values, Paul speaks of it as
"the love of money" and declares this
love to be "the root of all evil, by which
he means that it is the prolific source Of
a.vast variety of evils. II Tim. vi, 1917
The love Of money in the sense and
to the extent intended by the Apostle is
covetousness. Abiding to this passion
he says: But they that will be rich
fall into temptation and snare, and in
to many foolish and hurtful lusts which
drown men in destruction and perdi-
tion." II Tim. vi o. The covetous
man loves money not as final end, but
rather as the means by which he can
crafty other sinful passions. These
other passions are selfish, and with
money he can crafty them. He lives
for himself in his efforts to get money.
and then he lives for himself in spend
ing it. Self, and that only, is the dom
inant principle with him, whether he
makes money or spends it. He is the
supreme center of his own existence.
and all else is subordinate. God is of
no account in his plan of life. Society
Is secondary, and even those to whom he
Is bound by the ties Of nature are Sec
ondary to himself. His one supreme
. purpose is to serve himself, and he loves
money as the means to this end.
| OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, perhaps, than
any other form of supreme selfshness
lisa germinat iniquity, standing in such
: relations to other iniquities as to be i'm.
mensely prolific, not only in the mum.
Der of sins which it begets, but also in
their great variety. There is hardly
, any end to sundry forms and degrees Of
| depravity that may be traced to the sin.
J gle principle Of covetousness. All sorts
| Of meanness, trickery, intrigue, double.
dealing, deliberate and persistent lying,
cheating, frauds, stealing, robbery,
3 murder, and, indeed, almost all the
wrongs, crimes and cruelties agains,
humanity and justice may, and often do
find their source in covetousness. Paul
!, was a sharp observer of facts and things,
. as we'll asan inspired man; and, hence
speaking In general terms he stoke
correctly, according 70 his own observa
9 ton and according to facts, when hi
+ said that the love Of money is the ZOO
of all evil" No one who looks at thi,