The same authority quotes Ambrose (340-397) as saying (Sermon 34), “God has reserved the tenth part to Himself, and therefore it is not lawful for a man to retain what God has reserved for Himself. To thee He has given nine parts, for Himself He has reserved the tenth part, and if thou shalt not give to God the tenth part, God will take from thee the nine parts.” Again in a sermon on Ascension Day, “A good Christian pays tithes yearly to be given to the poor.” From the same authority also, we get this from Augustine (354-430) who is quoted as saying (Hom. 48), “Our ancestors used to abound in wealth of every kind for this very reason that they used to give tithes, and pay the tax to Caesar. Now, on the contrary, because devotion to God has ceased, the drain of the treasury has increased. We have been unwilling to share the tithes with God, now the whole is taken away.” We quote further from Augustine (Vol. VI., First Series, page 367). “Let us give a certain portion of it. What portion? A tenth? The Scribes and Pharisees give tithes for whom Christ had not yet shed His blood. The Scribes and Pharisees give tithes; lest haply thou shouldst think thou art doing any great 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 shall exceed the righteousness 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 spend on mercy, what you reserve for luxury.” In commenting on Christ’s saying in Luke 11:41, “Give alms, and behold all things are clean unto you,” Augustine says (pages 435 and 436), “When He had spoken thus, doubtless they thought that they did give alms. And how did they give them? They tithed all they had, they took away a tenth of all their produce, and gave it. It is no easy matter to find a Christian who doth as much.”... Christ saith to them, “I know that ye do this, ‘ye tithe mint and anise, cummin and rue,’ but I am speaking of other alms: ye despise ‘judgment and charity.’”... What is “in judgment”? Look back, and discover thyself; mislike thyself, pronounce judgment against thyself. And what is charity? “Love the Lord God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; love thy neighbor as thyself: and thou hast done alms first to thine own soul, within thy conscience. Whereas if thou neglect this alms, give what thou wilt; reserve of thy goods not a tenth, but a half; give nine parts, and leave but one for thine own self: thou doest nothing, when thou dost not alms to thine own soul and art poor in thyself.”