riches flow unto you, set not your heart thereupon."
And albeit that our Lord, by the said example of the camel or
cable rope to come through the needle's eye, said that it is not
only hard but also impossible for a rich man to enter into the
kingdom of heaven, yet he declared that though the rich man cannot
get into heaven of himself, yet God, he said, can get him in well
enough. For unto men he said it was impossible, but not unto God,
for "unto God," he said, "all things are possible." And yet,
beside that, he told of which manner of rich man he meant, who
could not get into the kingdom of heaven, saying, "My babes, how
hard is it for them that put their trust and confidence in their
money, to enter into the kingdom of God!"

VINCENT: This is, I suppose, uncle, very true--and otherwise God
forbid! For otherwise the world would be in a full hard state, if
every rich man were in such danger and peril.

ANTHONY: That would it be, cousin, indeed. And so I suppose it is
yet. For I fear me that to the multitude there are very few who
long not sorely to be rich. And of those who so long to be, there
are also very few reserved who set not their heart very sorely
thereon.

VINCENT: This is, uncle, I fear me, very true, but yet not the
thing that I was about to speak of. But the thing that I would
have said was this: I cannot well perceive (the world being such
as it is, and so many poor people in it) how any man can be rich,
and keep himself rich, without danger of damnation for it.

For all the while he seeth so many poor people who lack, while he
himself hath wherewith to give them. And their necessity he is
bound in such case of duty to relieve, while he hath wherewith to
do so--so far forth that holy St. Ambrose saith that whosoever die
for default, where we might help them, we kill them. I cannot see
but that every rich man hath great cause to stand in great fear of
damnation, nor can I perceive, as I say, how he can be delivered
of that fear as long as he keepeth his riches. And therefore,
though he might keep his riches if there lacked poor men and yet
stand in God's favour therewith, as Abraham did and many another
holy rich man since; yet with such an abundance of poor men as
there is now in every country, any man who keepeth any riches must
needs have an inordinate affection unto it, since he giveth it not
out unto the poor needy persons, as the duty of charity bindeth
and constraineth him to.

And thus,