[1] The love of money can never keep good quarter with honesty;
there is a mint of fraud in the worldly breast, and it can
coin lies as fast as utterance.--_Adams,_ 1653.
The avaricious man is like a pig, which seeks its food in
the mud, without caring where it comes from.--_Vianney._
[2] As Moses only saw the land of Canaan, but for his sin was
not permitted to have any share or portion in it, so misers
have, for their miserable covetousness, this punishment by
God inflicted on them, that they shall only see their goods
with eyes, but never enjoy them for their comfort; and that
they shall toil and moil for successor, oftentimes not
knowing who he shall be, and receive no manner of benefit
by their own labour. But as pipes keep none of the water to
themselves that runs through them, but convey it all to
their cisterns, so they are not able to retain any of the
goods which they possess, for their own benefit and
comfort, but only serve as overseers to convey them to
their heirs.--_Downame,_ 1642.
[3] If a man, sick on his bed, burning of a fever, fetching his
breath with straitness and shortness, looking like earth,
says he is well in health, we do not believe him: so if we
see men swelling with pride, flaming with lust, looking
earthy with covetousness, and yet flattering themselves
with hope of salvation, we cannot credit them, all the
world cannot save them.--_Adams,_ 1654.
The covetous is like a camel, with a great hunch on his
back; heaven-gate must be made higher and broader, or he
will hardly get in.--_Adams,_ 1653.