ters in
ungodly marriage. Bodily health is no consideration. The
uncontrollable fever for gold makes men renounce all their settled
prospects, and undertake hazardous journeys--no peril can drive them
back. It destroys faith and spirituality, turning men's minds and
hearts away from God. It disturbs the peace of the community by
prompting to acts of wrong. Covetousness has more than once led nation
to war against nation for the sake of gaining territory or other
material resources. It is said that when the Spaniards came over to
conquer Peru, they sent a message to the king, saying, "Give us gold,
for we Spaniards have a disease that can only be cured by gold."

Dr. Boardman has shown how covetousness leads to the transgression of
every one of the commandments, and I cannot do better than quote his
words: "Coveting tempts us into the violation of the first
commandment, worshipping Mammon in addition to Jehovah. Coveting
tempts us into a violation of the second commandment, or idolatry. The
apostle Paul expressly identifies the covetous man with an idolater:
'Covetousness, which is idolatry.' Again: Coveting tempts us into
violation of the third commandment, or sacrilegious falsehood: for
instance, Gehazi, lying in the matter of his interview with Naaman the
Syrian, and Ananias and Sapphira, perjuring themselves in the matter
of the community of goods. Again: Coveting tempts us into the
violation of the fourth commandment, or Sabbath-breaking. It is
covetousness which encroaches on God's appointed day of sacred rest,
tempting us to run trains for merely secular purposes, to vend tobacco
and liquors, to hawk newspapers. Again: Coveting tempts us into the
violation of the fifth commandment, or disrespect for authority;
tempting the young man to deride his early parental counsels, the
citizen to trample on civic enactments. Again: Covetousness tempts us
into violation of the sixth commandment, or murder. Recall how Judas'
love of money lured him into the betrayal of his Divine Friend into
the hand of His murderers, his lure being the paltry sum
of--say--fifteen dollars. Again: Covetousness tempts us into the
violation of the seventh commandment, or adultery. Observe how
Scripture combines greed and lust. Again: Covetousness tempts us into
the violation of the eighth commandment, or theft. Recall how it
tempted Achan to steal a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred
shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels