2805 Tell us what this is, “let them be rich in good works. Let them easily distribute.” And what is “let them easily distribute”? What! is this too not understood? “Let them easily dis- tribute, let them communicate.” Thou hast, another hath not: communicate, that God may communicate to thee. Communicate here, and thou shalt communicate there. Communicate thy bread here, and thou shalt receive Bread there. What bread here? That which thou dost gather with sweat and toil, according to the curse upon the first man. What Bread there? Even Him who said, “I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven.”2806 Here thou art rich, but thou art poor there. Gold thou hast, but thou hast not yet the Presence of Christ. Lay out what thou hast, that thou mayest receive what thou hast not. “Let them be rich in good works, let them easily distribute, let them communicate.”2807 5. Must they then lose all they have? He said, “Let them communicate,” not “Let them give the whole.” Let them keep for themselves as much as is sufficient for them, let them keep more than is sufficient. Let us give a certain portion of it. What portion? A tenth?2808 The Scribes and Pharisees gave tithes for whom Christ had not yet shed His Blood. The Scribes and Pharisees gave tithes; lest haply thou shouldest think thou art doing any great 368 thing in breaking thy bread to the poor; and this is scarcely a thousandth part of thy means. And yet I am not finding fault with this; do even this. So hungry and thirsty am I, that I am glad even of these crumbs. But yet I cannot keep back what He who died for us said whilst He was alive. “Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Phar- isees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”2809 He does not deal softly with us; for He is a physician, He cuts to the quick. “Except your righteousness exceed the right- eousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The Scribes and Pharisees gave the tenth. How is it with you? Ask yourselves. Consider what you do, and with what means you do it; how much you give, how much you leave for yourselves; what you spend on mercy, what you reserve for luxury. So then, “Let them dis- tribute easily, let them communicate, let them lay up in store for themselves a good found- ation against the time to come, that they may hold on eternal life.” 6. I have admonished the rich; now hear, ye poor. Ye rich, lay out your money; ye poor, refrain from plundering. Ye rich, distribute your means; ye poor, bridle your desires. Hear, ye poor, this same Apostle; “Godliness with sufficiency is a great getting.”2810 Getting is the acquiring of gain. The world is yours in common with the rich; ye have not a house in 2805 Ps. li. 3. 2806 John vi. 51. 2807 Vulgate. 2808 Luke xviii. 12. 2809 Matt. v. 20. 2810 1 Tim. vi. 6. 772 On the words of the Gospel, Matt. xix. 17, ‘If thou wouldest enter into…