Christopher Hill summarizes thus the difference between Protestant and catholic attitudes: ‘Successful medieval businessmen died with feelings of guilt, and left the money to the church to be put to unproductive uses. Successful Protestant businessmen were no longer ashamed of their productive activities whilst alive, and at death left money to help others to imitate them.’ Protestantism, then, generated the psychological preconditions essential to the development of modern capitalism.

A Life of John Calvin, Alister E. McGrath, 224