8. Ancient history tells us of two neighbours, king Ahab and the poor Naboth; which of these do we believe to be the richer, which the poorer? The one, endowed with the royal support of riches, insatiable and not to be replenished with wealth, coveted the little vineyard of the poor man; the other, despising in his mind the golden fortunes of kings, and imperial treasures, was content with his own vines. Does not he appear richer and more kingly, who was sufficient to himself, and controlled his own desires, coveting nothing that belonged to another? Does not he, on the other hand, appear most needy, in whose eyes his own gold was accounted vile, and another man’s vine precious. But learn for what reason he was most needy: because _riches unjustly gotten are vomited up again_, but _the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit, and flourishes like a palm-tree_. Sidenote: Ps. xxxvii. 35, 36. Sidenote: Ps. xxxiv. 10. LXX, Vulg. 9. Is not he more needy than the poor man, who passeth away like a shadow? To-day the ungodly is in great power, to-morrow he is not, and his place can no more be found. But what is it to be rich, unless it be to abound? But who abounds whose mind is contracted, and therefore straightened, and what abundance can there be in straits? He therefore is not rich who does not abound. Wherefore David says well, _The rich lack and suffer hunger_; for although they possessed the treasures of the Divine Scriptures, they still lacked in that they did not understand, and hungered in that they tasted not the food of spiritual grace. Sidenote: S. Matt. v. 3. Sidenote: Rom. xi. 33. Sidenote: Ps. cxix. 14. Sidenote: Deut. xxxiii. 23. Sidenote: Ib. 23. 10. Nothing can therefore be richer than the temper of the wise man, nothing poorer than that of the fool. For since the kingdom of God belongs to the poor, what can be richer? And therefore the Apostle says well, _O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God_! Well also David, who _had as great delight in the way of the heavenly testimonies as in all manner of riches_. And Moses says expressly, _Naphtali, satisfied with favour_. Now Naphtali means when translated, ‘abundance’ or ‘increase.’ So that to be satisfied and to abound go together, but where there is the hunger of desire and insatiable lust, there truly is poverty. But since scarcely any desire of money or of this world can be satisfied, it is added, _full with blessing_. Sidenote: 1 S. Pet. iii. 3. 11. It is in accordance with these principles that the Apostle Peter has declared that the ornament of women consists not in gold and silver and apparel, but in the secret and hidden man of the heart. Wherefore let no woman put off the dress of piety, the ornament of grace, the inheritance of eternal life. Farewell: love me, for I love you. LETTER XXXIX. A.D. 387.