Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament

⁴ If then they ought not to “trust in riches,” not to confide in them, “but in the living God;” what are they to do with their riches? Hear what: “Let them be rich in good works.” What does this mean? Explain, O Apostle. For many are loth to understand what they are loth to practise. Explain, O Apostle; give none occasion to evil works by the obscurity of your words. Tell us what you mean by, “let them be rich in good works.” Let them hear and understand; let them not be suffered to excuse themselves; but rather let them begin to accuse themselves, and to say what we have just heard in the Psalm, “For I acknowledge my sin.” 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 distribute, let them communicate.” You have, another has not: communicate, that God may communicate to you. Communicate here, and you shall communicate there. Communicate your bread here, and you shall receive Bread there. What bread here? That which you 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.” Here you are rich, but you are poor there. Gold you have, but you have not yet the Presence of Christ. Lay out what you have, that you may receive what you have not. “Let them be rich in good works, let them easily distribute, let them communicate.”