The young man's guide through the wilderness of this world to the heavenly Canaan…

A. To which I answer, That the rich have no greater privilege or profit thereby: because the pleasure of eating and drinking consisteth not so much in the daintiness of the fare, as in the goodness of the stomach. He who feedeth on his course fare with an hungry appetite, taketh more delight in his Meat, than he who is glutted with often feeding on his delicious fare. Neither hath the rich man any more benefit by his costly Apparel, than the poor man by his plain habit, which keeps him as warm as the finer and richer.

A. To which I answer, That the rich have no greater priviledge or profit thereby: because the pleasure of eating and drinking consisteth not so much in the daintiness of the fare, as in the goodness of the stomack. He who feedeth on his course fare with an hungry appetite, taketh more delight in his Meat, than he who is glutted with often feeding on his delicious fare. Neither hath the rich man any more benefit by his costly Apparel, than the poor man by his plain habit, which keeps him as warm as the finer and richer.

But how many rich Misers are there, who though they have abundance of this Worlds goods, yet have not the heart to use them, but spare from their own backs, and pinch their own Bellies to fill their Purses! What profit or benefit have such by their riches, but only the beholding them with their eyes?

Besides, no outward riches can make us better in the best things. They cannot make us more acceptable to God; neither can they make us more rich in Spiritual Grace, more Virtuous, or Religious: they cannot assure us of Gods love, nor of our future happiness: they will not profit us at the day of death▪ being then ⟨p. 133⟩like Job's Friends, miserable Comforters, adding to our grief: neither will they benefit at the day of Judgment, but rather increase our Bills of account, how we have gotten, how we have used, and spent them. Thus you see how unprofitable riches are to the owners and possessors of them.