Wesley on riches!

I came across a post at Already Not Yet that contained this intro :

Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., did a recent workshop at the Sovereign Grace Pastor’s conference on “The Pastor and the Community: 35 somewhat overlapping statements as a pastor to pastors concerning the topic of the congregation’s responsibility for its wider community.”

I visited the link and began reading the 35 statements. I stopped at #7. I found it quite interesting. It reads as follows:

Individual conversions can have profound effects for good on people, not only in
eternity, but in this life, too. John Wesley observed in 1787 that “I fear, wherever
riches have increased . . . the essence of religion, the mind that was in Christ, has
decreased in the same proportion. Therefore, I do not see how it is possible, in
the nature of things, for any revival of true religion to continue long. For religion
must necessarily produce both industry and frugality; and these cannot but
produce riches. But as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and love of the world
in all its branches. How then is it possible that Methodism, that is, the religion of
the heart, though it flourishes now as a green bay tree, should continue in this
state? For the Methodists in every place grow diligent and frugal; consequently
they increase in goods. Hence, they proportionably increase in pride, in the desire
of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life. So, although the form of
religion remains, the spirit is swiftly vanishing away. Is there no way to prevent
this? this continual declension of pure religion? We ought not to forbid people to
be diligent and frugal; we must exhort all Christians, to gain all they can, and to
save all they can: this is, in effect, to grow rich! What way then, I ask again, can
we take that our money may not sink us to the nethermost hell? There is one way,
and there is no other under heaven. If those who gain all they can, and save all
they can, will likewise give all they can, then the more they gain, the more they
will grow in grace, and the more treasure they will lay up in heaven,” (Tyerman,
vol. III, p. 520). True or False? While conservative Christians are often said to be
more concerned about “saving souls,” religious liberals give a significantly larger
proportion of their income to alleviating poverty and meeting the needs of the
downtrodden and underprivileged. False. Conservative evangelicals tend to give
more to the poor than religious liberals. (See Journal for the Scientific Study of
Religion Sept. 1998; also Robert Wuthnow’s Acts of Compassion [1993].) Many individual conversions have resulted in personal reformations and particular
social improvements. And we hope will result in good effects in this world.