Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-12-06
&eadina fut the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY -
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
GOriginal.1
"THOU FOOL"
Luke, IL: 20.


viour, came to him with the request that he
would "speak to his brother, that he would
divide the inheritance with him." Luke
1918. For aught we know, one brother
had grievously injured another. The injured
brother came to Jesus that he might assume
the responsibility ofdividiug, equally, the in
heritance. 1t would seem that this man, who.
ever he was, and whatever was his name, had
no interest in Jesus, any farther than his own
personal advantage was concerned: There
are many, in the present day, who strikiugiy
resemble this man. They love the gospel be-
cause it makes men better neighbors, and en-
ables them to enjoy, ;unmolested, more Of the
good things Of this life. They mingle re.
ligion and worldly things together. They
are the friends of Jesus, and they 60 to Jesus
because they think Jesus will make them
rich and great. They feel no need of Jesus
as Saviour to save them from the filth and
pollution of sin. Like many others in every
age of the world, all he thought about was
property. Rather than be cheated out of his
share of some inheritance, he would 30 to
Jesus to have the divide made.
No doubt, those who heard the request of
this man, understood all the circumstances
connected with his case.: Perhaps he was one
of those grasping creatures, which, like the
grave, is never satisfied. Be this as it may,
his request gave the Saviour an occasion to
give to the world the parable against ~covet-
BUSINESS. 3''3 ~"''''1 ~.'''' ''"~''
The following are the leading points in this
parable. A certain rich man was greatly
prospered. His fields brought forth abun-
dant crops His barns we're too small to con.
tain all that his fields produced. This being
the case, the rich man determined to pull
down his old barns and build new and larger
ones. Our Saviour says he was a .foot.">-'I In
the Bible, the word fool often denotes one
destitute of good sense, and, at the same time,
heinous sinner 80 .ss
Now, wherein lay the folly and wickedness
of this rich man 1t was no sin to be rich,
and it was no evidence of want of good
sense that his fields brought forth plentifully.
He was, we would say, good farmer. He
understood how to cultivate the soil and how
to make good crops. This was no sin. Had
he mismanaged his affairs, this would have
been sin, and demonstrated that he was not
wise man. So far as making property is
concerned, he committed no sin, and in that
he did make it honestly, as we suppose, by
cultvating his fields properly, he showed that
he was not fool.
There was no sin in his tearing down his
too-small barns and building larger ones.
Had he permitted the fruits of his fields to
waste, on account of his not having sufficient
room in his barns to preserve them, he would
have sinned. 1t was wise in him to form this
purpose of increasing the size Of his barns.
Still, our Saviour calls him fool. "1n what
did his folly consist ?" it may be asked. 1t
consisted in the estimate which he placed upon
his good crops and the purposes to which he
proposed to devote them. The fruits of his
fields we're his god. He worshipped them.
He cared for nothing else. He had no plans
but plans for making wealth. He made his
life-his existence, the end for which he was
made-consist in the abundance of the things
which he possessed He was fool in that he
thought more about the fruits Of his fields,
than he did about the God that made him.
He was fool in that he served the creature,
and neglected to serve the Creator "Soul, y
he said, "thou hast much goods" and forgot
that his soul was poor and needy and blind
and naked, having nothing and in need Of all
things. Not only did he think he had many
goods, but he had them laid up "for many
years." Poor, silly fool! He forgot he was
born of the dust-a creature of yesterday,
whose life was vapor. "i.+".
The sin and folly of this rich man in the
parable, consisted in the use which he propos-
ed to make of the blessings which God, in
his providence, bestowed upon him, Every
thing was for himself and nothing for the
glory of God. "Soul," says he, "take thine
ease, eat drink and be merry" In these
words we have the declarations of most con-
summate fool. Here we have case of man
making god of the fruits of his fields, saying
to his soul, peace. peace, when the God that
made him, was not in all bis thoughts. In
every land, no doubt, there are multitudes
who are accurately described in this parable
of our Saviour. Like the rich man, God calls
them fools. Isit not the consummation of all
folly for a man to barter away his soul, with
all its immortal interests, for tease, eating,
drinking and being merry?" What miser.
able spectacle to see being, originally made
in the image of God, devoutly worshiping
filthy lucre! Such being fqrgets that he
brought nothing into the world, and it is GER
tain he shall take nothing out of the world.
1t is no sin to be rich. Neither is it sin
to use all lawful means to INCREASE our yearly
income; but it is most heinous sin, and a
desperate instance Of folly. for human being
to devote all the energies of his soul to the
accumulation of wealth, for no other purpose
than to spend that wealth in the qualification
of carnal appetites and Aeshly lusts. What
eyer gifts God bestows upon any Of the human
family, he designs that the receiver of these
gifts use them for the glory Of him who. in
his wisdom, bestowed them. He who diverts
these blessings from this purpose, sins against
his own temporal and eternal interests, and
plays the fool: At least God thinks so and
will act accordingly.