Esoteric V10: July 1896 - Iapsop.com

1897.] THE EVJo:RJ.ASTING CovENANT. 567
mate bm1int>ss dt>aling11, are all de11ignated by this aliug. Htealing i11 like lying,-it lwlong11
to the 11ame family in that it propagates its kind with wonder.
ful rapidity: the fir11t act demands 11everal uthers, and these, in
turn, a multitude of 11in1iliar offences. ln this way stealing
bas grown and multiplit>d until the sy11tems of the whole world
have become one gigantic scheme of theft; and now, in its
maturity, it i11 evt>n taking the form of bold rohbery,-" Christian
nations" uniting tn rob other Christian nation11. He who
would kt>ep the covenant must look carefully into t.he experiences
of e,·ery-day life. or he will break this commandu1eot
li1any time11 d~tily.
NINTH COMMANIHH:ST.
"Thou shalt not beat· fal11e wituASR agaiu11t thy neighbor."
Again, thi11 iM not merely to go befcn·e a magistt-ate and violate
the tmth: hut iu t•vt>ry c..iticiMm of onr neighhor, no
matter how jn11t it ma.v appe111· frnm cmr standpoint, 8.11 well as
i"n all diseussing of inclividnal11 in o~dinary conver~mtion, false
witne11s i11 almost in\·a1·iahly horne again11t the neighbor. Here,
again. a carefully dt'tailed analysis of all our words. yes, and
of all our thonghts about othel'll, is the only method of avoiding
a violation of this commandment.
T•;NTH COMMANDMENT.
"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thon shalt not
co~et thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maid.
servant, nor his ox, nor his &118, nor anything that is thy neigh,
bor's!'
Every desire for the possession of the things that belong· to
another is covetousness. Any enviotUI feeling that arises in the
heart because of the superior pottition or advantages that another
may enjoy. is one of the darkest phases of this covetousnt>ss.
The earnest desire to have, to possess, more than enough
to meet the necessities of our life to-day, is covetousness.
Therefore tbe words of our Lorcl. "Give us this day our daily
bread : •• desires mortl than this are covetousness.
(Concluded.)
o; 9,tized by Coogle