You speak of a pleasant excursion and the hope of strong sales, and these things seem good in your eyes. But do not let such passing comforts deceive you. The day that is not too hot soon fades, and the gain of your business is a shadow that vanishes with the setting sun. This present life is nothing but a sleep, and its enjoyments are like dreams. The man who grows rich in a dream rejoices for a moment, but when the day comes he finds his hands empty. So it is with all earthly prosperity unless it is laid up for heaven.
Why do you set your heart on the marketplace, where the waves are so high and the rocks so many? Every day is a tempest, and without prayer you will surely suffer shipwreck. You enter the church to be cleansed from the filth of the outer world, but if you carry its cares back with you, what profit is there? I hear many say that while they are here they are awed, but once they leave, the flame of zeal is quenched. Does that not happen to you? You think of the pleasant air and the coins in your hand, but you forget the weight of your soul.
Let these earthly matters be but occasional employments. What does it profit if your business thrives but your soul is starved? The desire for gain is a deep-sown disease, an evil beast that no reason can destroy except the commands of the Gospel. Gold and silver are lifeless images, yet we give them more attention than the image of God within us. You may provide for your body, yes, but only for health and necessity, not to kindle the furnace of wanton desire or insatiable love of riches.
When you rise at dawn, meditate on eternal things and arm yourself with prayer before you face the war of the forum. Take the Scripture you hear in this place and bring it home; call your household together and let those words shape your day. Then go forth to your business with God propitious, and you will laugh at every enemy. If the sales come, do not cling to them as though they were your life. If they do not, do not be cast down, for your true treasure is elsewhere. Remember that a single moment of sin can bring an everlasting punishment; how much more then should a fleeting success not become a snare for eternal ruin?
Set your mind on things above, where the heat of the day never oppresses and the wealth never perishes. Let the pleasant excursion remind you of the rest that remains for the people of God, and let your business be chiefly this: to store up for yourself a good foundation for the time to come, so that you may take hold of true life.