I am fascinated by old mansions. I never pass up an opportunity to go through an imposing dwelling, especially an old one. I've had the chance to tour a few of these stately residences with their priceless oak paneling, their immense third-floor ballrooms, their elaborate stables and servants' quarters. But the thought never escapes me that the builders, most of whom are now in eternity, had to leave these homes.
A few years ago I went through a $4,000,000 mansion (it was more of a castle) on the west coast. The furniture, oriental rugs, priceless paintings, chandeliers, etc., were elegant, but the man who financed it all is gone, his astute brain and nimble fingers now crumbling back to dust. We were told that his income was several millions of dollars a year, yet today he is worth no more than the beggar's corpse picked up off the streets of Calcutta and burned!
John Wesley had been shown through an elaborate English estate by its noble owner. When the tour was finished, Wesley turned to his host and said, "I, too, have a relish for such things, but there is another world!" If you are a materialist, it will pay you to remember that.