vetousness: they do
well to stand ever in moderate fear, lest with waxing over-bold
and setting the thing over-light, they might peradventure mishap
to fall in thereto. Yet, since they are but tempted with it and
follow it not, to vex and trouble themselves sorely with the fear
of loss of God's favour is without necessity and not always
without peril. For, as I said before, it withdraweth the mind of a
man far from the spiritual consolation of the good hope that he
should have in God's help. And as for those temptations, as long
as he who is tempted followeth them not, the fight against them
serveth him for matter of merit and reward in heaven, if he not
only flee the deed, the consent, and the delectation, but also (so
far as he conveniently can) flee from all occasions of them.

And this point is in those fleshly temptations a thing easy to
perceive and plain enough. But in worldly business pertaining unto
covetousness the thing is somewhat more dark and there is more
difficulty in the perceiving. And very great troublous fear of it
doth often arise in the hearts of very good folk, when the world
falleth fast unto them, because of the sore words and terrible
threats that God in holy scripture speaketh against those who are
rich. As, where St. Paul saith, "They that will be rich fall into
temptation, and into the snare of the devil." And where our
Saviour saith himself, "It is more easy for a camel"--or, as some
say, "for a great cable rope," for "camelus" so signifieth in the
Greek tongue--"to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to
enter into the kingdom of God."

No marvel, now, if good folk who fear God take occasion of great
dread at so dreadful words, when they see the worldly goods fall
to them. And some stand in doubt whether it be lawful for them to
keep any goods or not. But evermore, in all those places of
scripture, the having of the worldly goods is not the thing that
is rebuked and threatened, but the affection that the haver
unlawfully beareth to them. For where St. Paul saith, "they that
will be made rich," he speaketh not of the having but of the will
and desire and affection to have, and the longing for it. For that
cannot be lightly without sin. For the thing that folk sore long
for, they will make many shifts to get and jeopard themselves for.

And to declare that the having of riches is not forbidden, but the
inordinate affection of the mind sore set upon them, the prophet
saith, "If